September 10, 2008                            
Dossier: Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari


As Americans prepare to vote, Iran's IRGC commander readies for war

BACKGROUNDER
Compiled by Bill Gertz

U.S. seeks access to terrorist stronghold on Afghan-Pakistan border

The U.S. military is working to gain great access to the Pakistan-Afghan border region where Al Qaida terrorists have been regrouping and setting up training and operations bases.

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, held talks with Pakistani military and security leaders on an aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean last week but declined to detail the substance of his talks. Mullen said the talks were about the “common security challenges that we face, particularly in the border regions.”

Pakistan has denied access to the region by U.S. special operations commandos, except for a short time in the early 2000s and U.S. military leaders would like to conduct joint ground operations there in the terrorist stronghold.



India joins U.S.-led naval task force to secure Gulf, Arabian Sea

ABU DHABI — India has agreed to participate in a major exercise with the U.S. Navy in the Arabian Sea. Officials said this could mark the first step toward an Indian presence in the Gulf to ensure crude oil shipments. "India, particularly because of its location, could become a leading factor in Gulf security," an official said. In October 2008, Indian and U.S. warships were scheduled to conduct a 10-day naval exercise in the Arabian Sea.      
Military Technology
Moscow nixes Syria request for missiles, will expand naval presence   


As pressure builds, Iran threatens to close the Straits of Hormuz, choking a major world oil artery.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari / TehranTimes
Northeast Asia Report
North Korea use of false defector recalls Nosenko-Golitsyn dispute   
Focus on Iran
Iran report of expanded number of centrifuges validated by IAEA   
Focus on Terrorism
Hizbullah, Iran's IRGC said to be increasingly active in Iraq   
Focus on Al Qaida
Report: Groups with Al Qaida ties harbored by Hamas in Gaza    
East-Asia-Intel.com
Spy case reveals China's use of students, interest in unmanned aerial vehicles
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