UDPATE: Experts consider that both Syria and Iran can be the responsibles of the attack. [Scroll down]
«This is not fair!»
PM José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero approached the Crown Prince Felipe and wife Letizia to take his leave when in between the relatives of the soldiers a voice came up totally full of pain: the voice belonged to the mother of one of the parachuiters. «This is not fair. Give more security to these kids!», she stormed against the President. The security services tried to prevent her from approaching to Zapatero, but in the end it was him who wanted to pay attention to her. [about time too….].
With a mixture of ire, pain, frustration and impotence, her firm voice was broken as she was also crying, what did not prevent her from continuing with her speech. «There is no valor to protect the vehicles of these lads. They were people who had their full lives to live!», she shouted to Zapatero before asking him to fight for «Spanish youths» and shout «¡Viva Esperanza Aguirre!» (President of the Autonomous Community of Madrid, from Popular Party, won the last elections with a huge absolute majority and has been the only one who really has helped the relatives). The President bear the way he could the uncomfortable situation with the help of VP María Teresa Fernández de la Vega, while Defense Minister Alonso just did not pay attention to the incident.
But this was not the only critic to Zapatero. Ramón Luján, Yeison Alejandro Castaño’ uncle, one of the dead, complained about the “lack of tact” of the Government. «They should have been nearer the relatives». While he could barely speak, Luján remembers that if his nephew died it was, precisely, “because of the sentiment he had, so high, for the Spanish Army“. Castaño has also a cousin, Soldier Pino, also deployed in Lebanon, that yesterday, minutes before the funeral, spoke about his firm decision to end his mission for him and for the dead companions. You do not know never where death is, he has told his mother.
The Government had some initiatives since March in Congress to inform about the troops deployed in Lebanon. Pending to answer, there were two petitions in which it was asked the presence of the Defense Minister, one of them based on article 18 of the Law of National Defense (passed by Socialists under Zapatero), which obliges the Government to inform about the development of the operations abroad in periods no longer than 6 months (last time was in March 2006) and 9 questions to be answered orally in Commisions. There are also 42 written questions about the troops’ situation which were resolved in an inconcrete and fleeing-like way, according to PP.
Ex-Defense Minister Bono -the one who awarded himself a medal for fleeing from Iraq- mentioned the accident of the Yakovlev (42 soldiers dead) which was an ACCIDENT, while this has been an AMBUSH inside a WAR.
More here.
The wounded don’t know yet their companions are dead. Even if do not think it’s good to publish the photos of ailing people, in this case it is necessary for all to see, how they are now. The 2nd grade burns have gravely damaged their eyes. They can be more wounded because of Zapatero’s decision not to have aid helicopters deployed as in that case the number of Spanish troops in foreign mission could be well above the 3.000 that was the top number to which he compromised when his term began.
And the worst of all: Now Defense says that the low risk of terrorist attacks did not justify the use of inhibitors. Of course not, that is why every damned politician in Spain, where we are not in a state of war, uses expensive inhibitors in their cars, while soldiers in plein war camp, do not merit even the cheap ones.
Some articles in the Spanish blog.
By the way, Lebanon has awarded Spanish soldiers with THREE WAR MEDALS. Spanish Government has awarded them with the medal “Dead on Humanitarian Work“.[NOTE: I do not have the link, I have heard it on the radio this morning. When I have the link I will post it]. More indignity…
Thanks, Spanish soldiers. That’s all I can say right now.
You can read also the reflections of my friend Mike over at Lamplighter News. He explains some very interesting things about UNIFIL mission and about the C4 explosive. Worth reading.
Also read Freedom’s Zone: The real war is only beginning.
More commenting at Spanish blog Etimologías. Don’t worry most of the post is in English. But Syria appears to be THE culprit, as Blacksmith Jade commented here.
Zapatero will speak today in Congress, about the security of the mission in Lebanon. Wait and see what he has to say…
Spanish MSM are reporting that instead of helping the dead and the wounded, Italian soldiers made photos, while Lebanese Army helped them. h/t Anghara. Don’t know if that’s true, but if that’s the case, .
UPDATE: Are Syria and Iran the real responsible of the attacks?
Syria:
The first consideration that can link Fatah al Islam to Syrian Government is that the Lebanese PM, Fuad Siniora said “I have confessions of some of the people who surrendered with links to the Syrian Security Services. It is probable it was ordered by Damascus“. Syrian intelligence has denied any links with the group and has blamed CIA and Mossad just as usual. Crossed accusations that do not lead to Al-Qaeda.
Fatah al-Islam was born in the end of 2006 when it parted from Fatah al-Intifada (Fatah del levantamiento), a Palestinian group backed with Syria and Lebanese based. It’s believed that Fatah al-Islam has between 150 and 200 armed men, all of them based in refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared, in Tripoli, North Lebanon. Lebanese refugee camps are normally used as refugee by armed groups. Government’s security forces do not enter and only guard their perimeter.
Fatah al-Islam’s leader is Shakir al-Abssi, a re-known Palestinian militant. Abssi has denied any link with al-Qaeda.
But he has important links with Syria. Suspicions lie on the fact that he was sentenced in 2003 to 3 years in prison after being accused of planning attacks against the country. That is a very small punishment, considering that Syrian accused of belonging to Muslim Brotherhood normally receive punishments of 12 years. When he was freed, he appeared between the pro-Syrian groups of the Fatah-Intifada in Nahr al-Bared refugee camp, and in very short time he emerged as the leader of the new Fatah al-Islam. That is one of the reasons why general Ashraf Rifi, the leader of the Lebanese Security Force concludes that all the violence is a Syrian creation to create chaos.
Also international antiterrorist experts consider that Fatah al Islam has nothing to do with Al Qaeda neither in financial terms nor in logistical ones. But they do not deny the possibility of Fatah al-Islam being supported and financed by Syria.
The thirdreason is the great easiness with which the group moves within the Hizbullah territory. We have to underline the very narrow relatiosnhips of Hibullah with Damascus and Teheran. The place where the Spanish patrol suffered the attack is one the most important places of Hizbullah presence in Lebanon. The investigators do not understand this kind of easiness throughout Hizbullah’s territory without belonging to Syrian security services. And their explanation is plausible: Supposedly Fatah al Islam is integrated by Sunni Jihadists who hate the Shiites, and do not make any exceptions with Hizbullag, a Damascus’ ally. “If Fatah al Islam is not related with Syrian Government, Hizbullah will forbid its jihadists from being in their territories”, they say.
In this moment, the investigation maintains there are two great suspects: Fatah al Islam and pro-Iranian groups. What these investigators do know is that “the authors had the permission of Hizbullah to move throughout their territories what implies that both Iran and Syria should be aware of the operation. And consider also that C4 is an explosive used by Pro-Syrian groups and Hizbullah“
And the reason for Iran anymosity -considering that Zapatero has promoted the “Alliance of Civilizations“- is: that the Iranian leadership did not like that the Spanish FM Moratinos rejected the Ahmadinerjacket’s thesis about “wiping Israel off the map” AND:
Seyyed Davud Salehi, Iranian Ambassador in Madrid, has critisized the lack of support of Spain to “help the coalition Government in Palestine and to lift the embargo imposed on Palestinians“.
In a recent interview to the Iranian Agency Irna, he advised (…hmmm, menaced) the Spanish Government to take care of a new virus which could influence negatively the good bilateral relations. The investigators are considering the possibility that that virus is the terrorist attack against Spanish troops near Syrian frontier, using that supposed diplomatic confrontment as the excuse to launch the attack.
So, where is now the Alliance of Civilizations, Zapatero? What are you waiting for asking some questions to Iranian and Syrian representants in Madrid? And what are you going to do if they are behind the attack?
So it has already begun… if this is proved…
Posted before:
Iran and Syria behind attack on UN Spanish peacekeepers?
That’s what some experts belief. Fatah al Islam has important links with Syria and the place where the patrol was attacked is traditionally a Hizbullah’s one. The Iranian Ambassador menaced Spain with a new virus after FM Moratinos protested about
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