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By Jeremy Scahill November 23, 2009 At a covert forward operating base run by the US Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) in the Pakistani port city of Karachi, members of an elite division of Blackwater are at the center of a secret program in which they plan targeted assassinations of suspected Taliban and Al Qaeda operatives, "snatch and grabs" of high-value targets and other sensitive action inside and outside Pakistan, an investigation by The Nation has found. The Blackwater operatives also assist in gathering intelligence and help direct a secret US military drone bombing campaign that runs parallel to the well-documented CIA predator strikes, according to a well-placed source within the US military intelligence apparatus. The source, who has worked on covert US military programs for years, including in Afghanistan and Pakistan, has direct knowledge of Blackwater's involvement. He spoke to The Nation on condition of anonymity because the program is classifi...

Dr Shahid faces life threats; Geo programme to be telecast from another location; bar widely condemned News Desk KARACHI: Under immense pressure from President Asif Ali Zardari on the Dubai government, 'Meray Mutabiq', the popular programme of Dr Shahid Masood on Geo TV, was banned from being telecast on Monday night from the Dubai studios of Geo TV. Dr Masood presented his programme from a different location without the use of his studio and technical facilities and announced that he had been stopped by the local authorities from presenting his programme. The popular talk show host also disclosed that he had received serious life threats from PPP leaders who had told him to come to Pakistan and conduct his programme from this country and then "we will see you". In an exact replay of the Musharraf era, the use of influence and pressure on a foreign government by the president of Pakistan is a direct attack on the freedom of the press in Pakistan, the Geo TV management...

In an unstable Pakistan, can nuclear warheads be kept safe? by Seymour M. Hersh November 16, 2009 In the tumultuous days leading up to the Pakistan Army's ground offensive in the tribal area of South Waziristan, which began on October 17th, the Pakistani Taliban attacked what should have been some of the country's best-guarded targets. In the most brazen strike, ten gunmen penetrated the Army's main headquarters, in Rawalpindi, instigating a twenty-two-hour standoff that left twenty-three dead and the military thoroughly embarrassed. The terrorists had been dressed in Army uniforms. There were also attacks on police installations in Peshawar and Lahore, and, once the offensive began, an Army general was shot dead by gunmen on motorcycles on the streets of Islamabad, the capital. The assassins clearly had advance knowledge of the general's route, indicating that they had contacts and allies inside the security forces. Pakistan has been a nuclear power for two decad...

Baby's First Birthday It's your very first birthday, baby, One candle on your cake; Proud parents stare in wonder At each new move you make. We join in celebration, As this special date arrives, For baby has brought pleasure Into all our lives. We look forward now to seeing How you progress and grow, From the cute and tiny infant You were one year ago. So dig into your icing; Enjoy your presents, too. The reason for this day Is a special person-- you! Bright Joy On your birthday, I'm thinking about how much light and sparkle you freely dispense wherever you go, how your sunny smile lights up any gathering. Your 1st birthday marks another year of you radiating positive, happy energy, contagious happiness that infects all who come in contact with you. May your next birthday find you the same-- glowing from within, beaming bright joy on everyone you meet. I feel blessed to be your daddy. A One-year-old child is so many things -- A tiny discoverer of butterfly wings, A...