Now it's on HBO-- Terror in Mumbai

Now that it is showing on HBO, with Fareed Zakaria presenting, maybe Dan Reed's documentary "Terror in Mumbai" will actually be seen. When it was first aired on Britain's Channel 4 this summer, no one in the United States seemed to know or care.

For those who still don't know what "Terror in Mumbai" is: it is a brilliant, gripping documentary about the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai. In the words of director Dan Reed:

Of all the material which I acquired in the course of making my documentary, Terror in Mumbai, it is the phone intercepts - recordings by Indian intelligence of mobile phone traffic between the young gunmen and their handlers back in Pakistan - which I found the most chilling.

The close-up rustling, the tense silences, the gunshots, the amazement at the luxury of the five-star hotels which continued to amaze me every time I played back the recording during the edit. And above all the horrifying, dead-pan practicality of the preparations for taking the lives of innocents.

(Link to his notes at Channel 4 web site).

HBO adds a presentation by Fareed Zakaria, who says,

Much as the 9/11 attacks in the U.S. did in 2001, the events that unfolded last November in Mumbai served as a terrifying wake-up call, not just to India but to the rest of the world. It broadened the spectrum of our enemies and brought attention to the number of different terrorist groups that exist, who may be bigger and better organized than we ever imagined. The fact that a small group of gunmen was able to inflict so much pain, and the government of the second most populous nation on earth was unable to stop them for three days, should change our sense of the dangers out there.

Here are the schedules for the HBO showings. Happy Thanksgiving.

The Headley Affair

Indian newspapers have been abuzz for weeks about the arrest in Chicago of two men of Pakistani origin: David Coleman Headley (aka Daood Gilani), and Tahawwur Hussain Rana. These two stand accused by the FBI of a conspiracy to do violence against the editors of Jyllands-Posten, the newspaper in Denmark that published cartoons of Prophet Muhammad.

It seems that both Headley and Rana had traveled multiple times to India, possibly to scout locations for terrorist attacks. So, India's new NIA wants to investigate them for links with Lashkar-e-Taiba.

But the most explosive significance of their arrest is not mentioned in the unsealed complaint---not only is Headley accused of collaborating with Lashkar-e-Taiba, but that he worked closely with two ex-military officers in Pakistan; he regularly visited Pakistan, where he was born and attended school. A New York Times article yesterday said,

The case is one of the first criminal cases in which the federal authorities seem to have directly linked terrorism suspects in the United States to a former Pakistani military officer, though they have long suspected connections between extremists and many members of the Pakistani military. Intelligence officials believe that some Pakistani military and intelligence officials even encourage terrorists to attack what they see as Pakistan’s enemies, including targets in India.

(Link to NYT article).

This thing is what the Pakistan Inter-Services Public Relations (IPSR) typically calls "a sensitive matter", not to be discussed in polite company. The FBI, unlike the CIA or the U.S. military, is likely to follow the threads to their logical conclusions. The next few days should produce significant findings, especially if Headley is cooperating.

In Deep Denial

Even for Pakistan, the suicide bombing last week (Oct. 28) in Meena Bazaar in Peshawar was especially horrific. Mostly women and children were the target. They died in large numbers and are still being dug out.

But more horrifying than the attacks themselves is the reaction of so many ordinary Pakistanis:

Many Pakistanis said only foreigners were capable of such devastating attacks...

"I'm telling you categorically -- the people behind this bomb are the Indians and Mossad," an oil trader, who has relatives in the United States and whose building was damaged, said.

(Link to UPI story.)

Where does this abiding suspicion of India come from? Perhaps from the 1971 war, in which India helped break up Pakistan, says commentator Khurram Hussein.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani Taliban attempted to deny responsibility for this bombing. (See full report in The Times of London).

Muridke and Quetta, too

The House and the Senate both passed the multi-year bill on assistance to Pakistan. Aid to Pakistan has been continuing for many years now. What's different about this package is the strings attached to the money.

The bills require "a certification by the Secretary of State" that Pakistan's government is (1) helping the United States to dismantle supplier networks for nuclear materials, (2) acting against terrorist groups within its borders, and (3) that the military is not interfering in governance.

The third point is really the key: that the Pakistan military must keep its nose out of politics, leaving policy to the civilians.

But wait, there's more! Take a look at the key provision (2) in more detail:

(A) ceasing support, including by any elements within the Pakistan military or its intelligence agency, to extremist and terrorist groups, particularly to any group that has conducted attacks against United States or coalition forces in Afghanistan, or against the territory or people of neighboring countries;

(B) preventing al Qaeda, the Taliban and associated terrorist groups, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, from operating in the territory of Pakistan, including carrying out cross-border attacks into neighboring countries, closing terrorist camps in the FATA, dismantling terrorist bases of operations in other parts of the country, including Quetta and Muridke, and taking action when provided with intelligence about high-level terrorist targets; and

(C) strengthening counterterrorism and anti-money laundering laws

Notice in (B) the mention of Quetta and Muridke. This is also new (and it wasn't in the original Kerry-Lugar Senate version). (Link to H.R. 3642).

Quetta is the city in Balochistan where the Afghan Taliban leaders are based. So far, the US military has ignored Quetta, to Boston Brahmin's utter bewilderment. Adding that to the bill explicitly is a good thing for the US effort in Afghanistan.

Muridke is the town near Lahore where the Lashkar-e-Taiba (or, technically, its civilian front organization) is based. The inclusion of Muridke is sure to make the Indians happy, and it is a acknowledgement that the Pakistan military has been making meaningless distinctions between good and bad terrorists.

Stay out of Afghanistan

General McChrystal's assessment of the Afghanistan counterterrorism effort has an interesting paragraph on India's influence in that country:

While Indian activities largely benefit the Afghan people, increasing Indian influence in Afghanistan is likely to exacerbate regional tensions and encourage Pakistani countermeasures in Afghanistan or India.

(See full text of the unclassified version in the Washington Post).

So, let me get this straight: The Indians are helping the Afghans, which we all want to do, but this will exacerbate regional tensions.

The only reason for exacerbating regional tensions, he says, is because the Pakistanis don't like Indians helping the Afghans. He warns that the Pakistanis will take "countermeasures" in Afghanistan and in India. Countermeasures like what, more state-sponsored terrorism? But I thought the Pakistanis were on our side, and any Pakistani support of the Haqqani terrorist network is only "reported" support from "some sections of the ISI". Tsk, tsk--- things get so complicated when you don't call a spade a spade. I thought generals were supposed to speak plainly. But the religion in Washington says that the Pakistanis are on our side, and evidently McChrystal doesn't want to touch that Shibboleth right now.

I wonder what General McChrystal suggests should be done about this Indian "problem". To help save Afghanistan, should we be asking the Indians to get out and stay out? Inquiring minds want to know.

Security starts with common sense

About the incident at Newark where Shah Rukh Khan was questioned for a couple of hours (NYT Lede blog link):

As an American, here’s what bugs me about this incident: Security personnel interrogated the film star for nearly two hours before letting him make a phone call. During that time, our taxes were paying their salaries and they were not looking at hundreds of other passengers.

Shah Rukh Khan is not just a VIP; he is probably better known than Tom Cruise to ethnic Indians. According to the Asian American Federation,

Indian Americans were the largest Asian ethnic group in New Jersey in 2000, with 180,957 people, or more than one-third (34 percent) of the state’s Asian population.(aafny.com)

Detaining him was obviously a waste of time. Any of dozens of passengers or staff at Newark airport could have told Security who he was. Our security databases and procedures are inadequate, and our personnel lack common sense and an awareness of their environment, which is the first principle of security.

Is the TSA the agency that is responsible for this? I feel safer already, traveling in the U.S. under their watchful eye.

The return of the right-wing conspiracy

I thought Obama's press conference was very useful and tried to illuminate why health reform is urgent and what the main principles are in the bill that he wants.

Then, I look at the coverage in the NYT and Washington Post---and almost every user comment in the first hundred or so is intensely negative and full of lies! What's going on? Clearly, the Republican FUD machine (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) is in full gear.

Others have noticed this, too: see I am so annoyed.