The push for Kandahar has already been set in motion, and it will continue over a period of time with a gradual increase in military activity.  The offensive began in the area of Marja but will face continued obstacles in Kandahar, as it is a much larger and more complex urban area.  In response to the military activity in Marja, the Taliban have increased their attacks on moderate city officials and local spiritual leaders as a warning to tribal leaders for cooperating with the US offensive.  Indeed, US forces are dependent on the willful cooperation of these local tribal leaders to be the face of the offensive on the ground.  In fact, the majority of US involvement within Kandahar will be limited to covert Special Forces teams.  Conventional troops have begun operations outside of Kandahar in order to shape the offensive in a series of provinces that surround the city; however, the driving force within the city is designed to come from a local resistance.

As outlined, the Kandahar offensive is strikingly similar to the 2007 troop surge in Iraq which aimed to secure Baghdad and the Anbar province.  Not only has there been an increase in allied forces, but there has been heavy focus in gaining the trust of and allying together the local tribes in return for economic incentives to assist local development.  Concurrent with the increased military involvement, the strategy also includes Afghan-styled town hall meetings between government officials and local tribal leaders.  The aim of these meetings is to show the local tribal leaders how they would be better off without the Taliban Administration.  To read more on the strategy and its developments, click here.

At the onset of the summit, President Obama will meet with the leaders of the four other voting members of the UN Security Council to discuss Iranian sanctions and the countries current levels of uranium enrichment.  The summit takes place in the wake  renewed US-Russia bilateral agreements to reduce current stockpiles of nuclear weapons in both countries.  The administration has voiced particular concerns over the nuclear weapons and materials in the former Soviet block which are not currently safeguarded to international standards and will discuss increasing those safeguards during the two-day summit.  The summit will aim to shift the focus of safeguards from a bilateral concern to an international concern.

The nations participating in the summit include Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Switzerland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Ukraine and Vietnam.  The European Union, United Nations, and the International Atomic Energy Agency will also be represented.

The administration has moved nuclear security to the forefront of its international agenda and has been criticized as “too weak” by Republicans in light of the current situations with North Korea and Iran.  Additionally, Iran’s state news agency recently quoted Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei saying that the Obama administration “poses a threat to international peace” and is “wicked and untrustworthy.” For more information on the summit, click here, here, and here.

US and Pakistani governments have released statements condemning the attacks which followed hours after a separate suicide bomber detonated in another part of the North West Frontier Province killing over 30 people. The Pakistani Taliban also claimed credit for this attack. Embassy officials and security forces have restored order around the consulate, noting that the attack was well armed and coordinated.

Taliban spokesman Azam Tariq told Reuters news service that “Americans are our enemies. We carried out the attack on their consulate in Peshawar. We plan more such attacks.” The attack on the consulate was the first attack against a US target in four years; in 2006, a US diplomat was killed by a vehicle suicide bomber near the US consulate in Karachi.

Read more:

BBC News, CNN World News

Gonzales was initially accused last August along with two Russian co-conspirators.  As part of his plea agreement, Gonzales turned over over $1 million in cash, a condo in Miami, a car, a diamond ring, and several high-end watches.  Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer of the Department of Justice noted that these types of attacks are attempted on a daily basis by cyber criminals, and the credit card numbers of unsuspecting American consumers are the likely targets.  As such, Bruer stated that “[t]hese sentences – some of the longest ever imposed for hacking crimes – send a powerful message to hackers around the globe that U.S. law enforcement will not allow [hackers] to breach American computer networks and payment systems, or illegally obtain identities.” Read more here.

The frequency and complexity of hacking crime rings and identity theft has increase over the last 12 months.  For a similar story from late 2009 click here.

The delegation is led by Hekmatyar’s deputy, Qutbuddin Helal; both men are former prime ministers.  The delegation came to the talks with a list of demands, which included a withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan by this coming summer-a year ahead of President Obama’s plan to begin withdrawal.  The group also demanded new elections in the coming year and a new constitution.  A spokesman for Hekmatyar said, “[t]he main condition is the empowerment of President Karzai to . . . make decisions.”

Hekmatyar’s Hezb-e-Islami group-along with the Taliban-has been the source of much of the insurgent violence in the country.  The two groups had be allied in their opposition to the presence of foreign forces and the country’s central government.  However, earlier this month, at least sixty insurgents were killed during in-fighting in northern Afghanistan.  Hekmatyar received US military aid during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan; however, he was later shunned for his part in the mutiny among the mujahideen which resulted in the death of more than 25,000 civilians.  In 2003, Hekmatyar was labeled a terrorist by the U.S. for his connections to al-Qaeda.

Read more here.

On Sunday, top aide to President Obama, David Axelrod, called the announcement during Vice-President Biden’s an “insult” and  predicted that it will have “destructive” implications for the proposed proxy peace talks. The State Department issued statements criticizing the Israeli government, and Palestinian leaders have responded by stating the indirect talks with Israel were now “doubtful.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responding by labeling the announcement was a “bureaucratic mix-up.” He added that the timing was regrettable. However, amid the Prime Minister’s efforts to downplay the recent decline in US-Israel relations, the Israeli Ambassador to the US, Michael Oren, was recently quoted as saying that “Israel’s ties with the US are in the most serious crisis since 1975.” In 1975, then Secretary of State Henry Kissinger demanded Israel partially withdraw troops from the Sinai Peninsula – decreasing the Isreali presence in the area established during the Six-Day War of 1967. The recent settlement plans have only aggravated an already declining climate.

Palestinian officials have threatened to indefinitely stall the newly-proposed proxy talks unless the Ramat Shlomo settlement plans are abandoned. Read more here.

The logical extension of this hard-line stance is a greater push for sanctions. The IAEA operates as the nuclear watchdog for the UN Security Council and could have influence in persuading China and Russia to sign on to sanctions. China and Russia have veto power on the security council and have voiced opposition to sanctions because of the high level of Iranian oil they import. Iran’s Foreign Minister, Mr. Manouchehr Mottaki, rejected Mr. Amano’s statements, noting that Iran has cooperated with the IAEA and plans to continue cooperating. Iran claims that its nuclear efforts are purely for power generation and medical use. Iran has also alleged that the IAEA has been influenced by US interests.

The IAEA’s stricter stance towards Iran comes in the wake of Iran’s announcement to increase uranium enrichment to twenty percent and build ten new enrichment facilities throughout the country. Additionally, Secretary Clinton was recently quoted in a tour of the Middle East as worrying that the Revolutionary Guard has supplanted the Iranian government. Read more here.

The Eitan can be used for long-range endurance missions to provide enemy surveillance, jam communications systems, and carry heavy payloads. The IAF has not confirmed, however, if the Eitan will be outfitted for a weapons payload. The use of combat-ready UAV’s has been common in US missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Yemen. One such UAV, the Hunter, which has been utilized by US forces, was built by Israel.

The unveiling of the Eitan comes during heightened tensions in the region resulting from Iran’s announcement of plans to  increase uranium enrichment above twenty percent and construct additional nuclear facilities. Israeli officials have suggested the likely use of military force if diplomatic efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear program fail. To read more and see a demonstration of the Eitan, click here and here.

Reports also suggest that Chinese officials had access to the source code of the attacks. Quotes from unnamed Chinese government researches have surfaced and demonstrate that the government may have known of the codes development and motivations. Additionally, two Chinese universities have been linked to the attack- Shanghai Jiaotong University and the Lanxiang School- however, both schools deny any knowledge and involvement. Read more here.

Local Afghan residents have been assisting coalition forces to locate explosives left by the Taliban. The cleared areas have been secured and await Afghan police forces to enter to provide continued stability.  The protection of local residents has been one of the major concerns of Operation Moshtarak – from both a Nato and Afghan perspective. Unfortunately, however, a rocket fired by coalition forces over the weekend missed its target, hit a different building, and killed 12 Afghan citizens. Nato Commander General Stanley McChrystal said he deeply regretted the loss of life and temporarily suspended the use of all rocket systems. Afghan President Hamid Karzai also ordered an investigation.

At the same conference where General McChrystal and President Karzai made these remarks, Afghan interior minister Mohammad Hanif Atmar urged all remaining Taliban fighters to surrender, stating, “[y]ou cannot win there, the Afghan people are determined to win.” Read more at BBC.