奥巴马将任命帕内塔为国防部长, 彼得雷乌斯接任中央情报局长 Petraeus 'next head of CIA', Panetta to lead Pentagon General Petraeus (r) is tipped to replace Leon Panetta (l) at the CIA

Petraeus 'next head of CIA', Panetta to lead Pentagon

General Petraeus (r) is tipped to replace Leon Panetta (l) at the CIA

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Gen David Petraeus, the US head of international forces in Afghanistan, will be nominated as CIA director when its chief moves to head the Pentagon, unnamed US officials have said.

CIA director Leon Panetta will be nominated to take over as US defence secretary when Robert Gates retires in 2011, the sources said.
The changes will be officially announced on Thursday.
Mr Gates was first appointed as defence secretary by George W Bush in 2006.
The shuffling of the top national security jobs has been the subject of weeks of speculation.

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Analysis

Nick Childs BBC defence and security correspondent

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It has been rumoured for some time that Gen Petraeus would be on the move by the end of the year.
The question was whether he would become the next chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, or head somewhere else.
The rumour has been that Mr Obama favours the current vice-chief at the Pentagon, Gen James Cartwright, to take over the top military job, so director of the CIA looked a more likely slot for General Petraeus.
Exact timing will be key. There are still important issues in Afghanistan over the summer to do with the campaign, the strategy, and troop withdrawals. But there will be a vacancy at the CIA, it seems.
Leon Panetta's challenge will be greater, and his reported nomination is more significant. He has a hard act to follow in Robert Gates, who is widely respected as both a deft and safe pair of hands.
The Pentagon also faces huge challenges, not least to its budget.

President Barack Obama will also nominate veteran diplomat Ryan Crocker as the next US ambassador to Afghanistan, NBC News reported.

The positions would require confirmation in the US Senate.
'I'll salute smartly'
Gen Petraeus' office in Kabul told the BBC it had "no comment at this time" on the reports out of the US.
In a BBC interview earlier this month, the general said he had "committed to staying here through the fighting season", which ends in late November.
"At this point in life you serve at the pleasure of the elected leaders above you and when they decide what the future holds obviously I'll salute smartly and execute their decisions," Gen Petraeus said.
"I've had discussions with individuals but it wouldn't be appropriate to comment."
US networks and AP reported that Gen Petraeus would be replaced in Afghanistan by Lieutenant General John Allen, currently deputy head of US Central Command - the command unit covering central Asia and the Middle East.
The changes would not take place immediately, but are expected to occur over the summer.
Lt Gen Allen is already in Washington DC, and Gen Petraeus is reportedly headed to the US capital from Afghanistan.
The announcement comes less than a year after Gen Petraeus took over leading Nato forces in Afghanistan from Gen Stanley McChrystal.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan's spring fighting season is ramping up, testing Nato and Afghan national army territorial gains.
In July, the US is expected to begin what US President Barack Obama has called a "significant" withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, turning over security duties to Afghan military forces.

奥巴马将任命帕内塔为国防部长

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

 

预计美国总统奥巴马星期四将宣布任命中央情报局长帕内塔为下任美国国防部长，接替盖茨的职位。有关官员说，奥巴马将任命目前指挥在阿富汗的军事行动的彼得雷乌斯将军接任中央情报局长。预计，老资格外交官克罗克将被任命为下任美国驻阿富汗大使。
据报艾伦中将会接替彼得雷乌斯，指挥驻阿富汗美军。艾伦目前是美国中央司令部副司令。所有这四项任命都要得到参议院批准。美国国防部长盖茨已经表示，他今年将不再担任这一职务。盖茨从1991年至1993年在布什总统任内担任中央情报局长。

Aid Ship Reaches Libyan Rebel-Held Port

Aid Ship Reaches Libyan Rebel-Held Port

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011 at 12:45 pm UTC

 

An international aid ship has docked in Libya's rebel-held port of Misrata after NATO airstrikes helped stop a bombardment of the area by pro-government forces.
The International Organization for Migration says relief workers began rescuing refugees from the besieged western port and unloading humanitarian aid after the ship pulled into Misrata on Wednesday.
Intense shelling by forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi delayed the ship's docking on Tuesday. At least three migrant workers were reported killed and up to 20 wounded in the assault.
Meanwhile, the French News Agency says chiefs or representatives from 61 Libyan tribes have called for an end to Mr. Gadhafi's rule as fighting continued around the country.
The agency said on Wednesday that French writer Bernard-Henri Levi released a joint statement from the leaders who say the “Libya of tomorrow, once the dictator has gone” will be united.
Diplomatic efforts to end the crisis also took place in Ethiopia on Tuesday.
Libyan Foreign Minister Abdelati Obeidi urged the African Union to hold an emergency summit to discuss how to deal with western airstrikes.
Obeidi and rebel representatives have been meeting separately with AU officials in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, to discuss an end to the unrest.

Soldiers, Protester Killed in Southern Yemen Clash

Soldiers, Protester Killed in Southern Yemen Clash

VOA News  April 27, 2011

Photo:

Army soldier watches as anti-government protesters march during a demonstration demanding the ouster of Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh in the southern city of Taiz, April 26, 2011

 

Two Yemeni soldiers and a protester were killed in a gunfight Wednesday as security forces tried to break up a demonstration in southern Yemen.

Doctors say three other protesters were wounded during the clashes in the city of Aden.  Local officials meantime say the soldiers who were killed had also been shot.

Security forces were confronting protesters who had set up a roadblock in an attempt to enforce a general strike as part of demonstrations against President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Protests against the president continued this week despite an agreement drafted by several Gulf nations for him to step down from power.

The country's main opposition coalition has agreed to the proposal, which would have the Saleh leave within 30 days and would establish a unity government that would include opposition members.  The deal would also grant the president and his family immunity from prosecution after he leaves office.

Many opposition activists, who have demonstrated in the streets during the past two months to protests against the ruling government, object to the deal, and want Saleh to resign immediately.

In another development, two Yemeni soldiers were shot dead in the southern province of Abyan Wednesday, in an attack blamed on al-Qaida militants.

Officials say at least three soldiers were wounded when gunmen opened fire on them in the city of Zinjibar.

Protests, Civil Disobedience Campaign Keep Pressure on Yemen Government

Protests, Civil Disobedience Campaign Keep Pressure on Yemen Government

 

Yemen's security forces again confronted protesters across the nation on Wednesday even as a deal loomed to end a political stalemate by ousting the long-serving president.
Two Yemeni soldiers and a protester were killed in a gunfight Wednesday as security forces tried to break up a demonstration in southern Yemen.
Doctors say three other protesters were wounded during the clashes in the city of Aden. Local officials say the soldiers who were killed had also been shot.
Security forces were confronting protesters who had set up a roadblock in a bid to enforce a general strike as part of demonstrations against President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The Associated Press reported that residents in more than 18 localities have launched a civil disobedience campaign, closing schools, shops and government offices.
Demonstrations against Mr. Saleh continued this week despite an agreement brokered by neighboring Gulf Arab states for him to step down from power.
Yemen's main opposition coalition has agreed to the proposal, which would have Mr. Saleh leave within 30 days of signing the agreement and would establish a unity government that would include opposition members.
The deal would also grant the president and his family immunity from prosecution after he leaves office.
Many opposition activists, who have been demonstrating in the streets for two months, object to the deal, and want Mr. Saleh to resign immediately.
In another development, two Yemeni soldiers were shot dead in the southern province of Abyan Wednesday, in an attack blamed on al-Qaida militants. Officials say at least three other soldiers were wounded when gunmen opened fire on them in the city of Zinjibar.

International Pressure Mounts on Syria as Military Siege Continues

International Pressure Mounts on Syria as Military Siege Continues

  April 27, 2011

Photo: AFP/STR

Syrians protest in the city of Banias holding up a sign that reads in Arabic, "Stop the innocent blood bath" on April 26, 2011

 

International diplomatic pressure is mounting on Syria amid reports of more military tanks and troops fanning out to stop an anti-government backlash.

Members of the U.N. Security Council are due to meet Wednesday to discuss a joint statement condemning the continuing violence against protesters in Syria.

French officials said five European Union countries are summoning the Syrian ambassadors as part of an EU effort to quell the Syrian crackdown.

The Reuters news agency reports that EU officials will discuss on Friday the possibility of imposing economic sanctions on Syria.

The U.N. Human Rights Council announced it will hold a special session about Syria on Friday in an effort to persuade President Bashar al-Assad to end his assault on civilians.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for an independent inquiry into the violence on Tuesday.  He condemned the use of tanks and live fire that have killed and injured hundreds.

Truckloads of Syrian troops deployed early Wednesday in the Damascus suburb of Douma and the coastal city of Banias, while soldiers bolstered their positions in the flashpoint town of Daraa.

More than 400 people have been killed since pro-democracy protests erupted last month. The Syrian rights organization Sawasiah says at least 500 people have been arrested.

Syrian opposition figures have urged President Assad to ensure a transition to democracy as demanded by protesters.

In a statement Wednesday, the activists said either the president will lead the transition period or the country will go through a "massive grassroots revolution" that will break down the regime.

President Assad last week ended the country's 48-year-old emergency law, a key demand of protesters, and abolished a state security court.  But the government then took other steps to crush demonstrations.

Afghan pilot 'kills eight Nato troops at Kabul airport'

 

Eight foreign troops and a contractor have been killed by an Afghan air force pilot at Kabul airport in an apparent argument, Nato says.

The incident took place at a facility used by the Afghan air force at about 1100 local time (0630 GMT), the Afghan defence ministry said.
The pilot was also killed in the exchange.
The incident is the deadliest of a number of recent attacks on foreigners by Afghan security personnel.
"We can confirm there was small-arms fire during this incident," said Nato-led International Security Assistance Force spokesman Maj Tim James.

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Analysis

Quentin Sommerville BBC News, Kabul

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There are nearly a quarter of a million Afghan security forces and 130,000 coalition troops. They fight together and die together, when facing the Taliban. The Afghan security forces have grown quickly, but given the numbers involved, it's still rare for an Afghan soldier to turn his gun on the men he serves with.
In the past two years, 42 foreign troops have died at the hands of Afghans they were mentoring, or Taliban dressed in police or army uniform.
These incidents resonate widely, and are bad for morale. American and British soldiers say that they must remain on their guard - that they can never fully trust the Afghan soldiers and police they serve with.

"We don't know how the shooting started."

The nationalities of the dead have not been divulged pending notification of their families.
Witnesses reported hearing sirens and seeing a heavy military presence near the facility, which generally has tight security.
A senior Afghan security official told the BBC the pilot's name was Gul Ahmad, and he came from the Tarakhel area of Kabul.
He was suffering from "mental illness", and either got into a fight with his foreign colleagues or planned the attack after being recruited by the Taliban, the official said.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the incident in a text sent to the Associated Press news agency, but the authorities have not confirmed any insurgent activity.
Correspondents say rapid recruitment into the Afghan military has raised fears of Taliban infiltration into the police and army.

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Afghan attacks on foreign troops

• 27 April: Eight Nato troops and a contractor killed by Afghan pilot
• 4 April: Two Nato soldiers killed by man in Afghan police uniform
• 18 February: Three German troops killed by Afghan soldier
• 20 January: Italian soldiers killed by Afghan soldier
• 29 November 2010: Six US soldiers killed by man in police uniform
• 13 July 2010: Three Gurkhas shot dead by soldier
• 4 November 2010: Five British soldiers killed by Afghan colleague in Helmand

Nato's exit strategy for Afghanistan involves progressively handing over to the local security forces.

Until now the deadliest of the recent attacks on foreign troops was last November when an Afghan policeman killed six US soldiers.
And two Nato soldiers were shot dead by an Afghan border policeman in northern Faryab province on 4 April, local officials said.
The BBC's Quentin Sommerville in Kabul says foreign troops broadly but not totally trust their Afghan colleagues and feel they have to keep half an eye on them.
The attackers are sometimes actually members of the Afghan security forces, and sometimes insurgents impersonating servicemen.