9 April MARFORCOM Media Summary

Early Bird summary

Thursday’s Early Bird leads with an entire section devoted to piracy, with reports from the New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, New York Daily News, San Diego Union Tribune, and transcripts of broadcast news outlet coverage, as an American warship early Thursday reached the scene of a Somali pirate attack on a U.S.-operated container ship, according to U.S. officials, who said the pirates fled with the captain while the unarmed American crew regained control of its ship.Indirect negotiations were underway with the small group of pirates who were holding the captain in one of the ship's lifeboats in the Indian Ocean after orchestrating the first seizure of a U.S. crew in more than 100 years.
A 2-month-old alliance of Pakistani Taliban factions is beginning to fray and could undermine Baitullah Mehsud, a Taliban leader who has claimed responsibility for recent terrorist attacks far from Pakistan's tribal regions and even threatened the United States, the Washington Times reports.A militant commander in the Haji Nazeer group - one of three groups in the alliance - told The Washington Times that the main lieutenant in the group has expressed opposition to the accord.A second Nazeer commander also is objecting, said a Pakistani official in South Waziristan, a rugged tribal area on the border with Afghanistan. He spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect himself from retribution.The rifts are being reported as the Obama administration plans major increases in aid to Pakistan and the Taliban continues to make inroads in some parts of the country.
The Washington Post reports that a bomb tucked inside a plastic bag detonated yards from Baghdad's most important Shiite shrine Wednesday, killing seven people and injuring more than 20, authorities said, the latest of several attacks targeting mostly Shiite areas in recent days.The assault occurred around noon in the capital's Kadhimiyah neighborhood, as worshipers made their way to the Imam Musa al-Khadim shrine. Witnesses said that women and children were among the victims and that Iraqi security forces blocked ambulances from entering the crowded area.
Military jurors at Camp Pendleton, Calif., began deliberating whether a Marine should be convicted of murdering an unarmed detainee during a battle in Iraq, according to a report in USA Today. Sgt. Ryan Weemer, who says he acted in self-defense, is charged with unpremeditated murder and dereliction of duty in the November 2004 death in Fallujah. Weemer said in interviews that he shot the man and told a squad mate he would have to live with that for the rest of his life.
The United States said yesterday that it would directly participate "from now on" in international talks with Iran over its nuclear activities, the latest move in the Obama administration's promised diplomatic outreach to the Tehran government, the Washington Post reports."There's nothing more important than trying to convince Iran to cease its efforts to obtain a nuclear weapon," Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said. The United States, she said in brief comments at the State Department, would be a full participant with Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China in any future Iran negotiations.
Meanwhile, the Washington Times reports that the Russian ambassador in Washington this week dismissed Iran's nuclear program, saying he saw no "threat to the United States."Ambassador Sergei Kislyak also said the missile-defense system installed by the former Soviet Union would have failed to prevent attacks from NATO.

Media summary

1. Leading newspaper headlines: The New York Times leads with word that President Obama will soon start discussing the country's immigration system. (Slate Magazine)
2. Pirate stand-off over U.S. hostage: Negotiations are continuing for the release of an American captain held by Somali pirates in a lifeboat in the Indian Ocean off the Horn of Africa. (BBC)
3. U.S. bounty scheme struggles in Pakistan: This month the US state department has put up a $5m (£3.4m) bounty for information leading to the capture of one of the most wanted men in Pakistan. (BBC)
4. Iran set to unveil nuclear latest: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is expected to announce advances in his country's nuclear programme in a speech to mark national nuclear day. (BBC)

Leading newspaper headlines

The New York Times leads with word that President Obama will soon start discussing the country's immigration system. Knowing full well that the issue could be particularly controversial during a recession, the administration plans to include discussions about finding a way to legalize the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants currently in the country. The Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal's world-wide newsbox lead with, while almost everyone else fronts, the high-seas standoff taking place 240 miles off the Somalia port city of Eyl, a known pirate haven. Somali pirates seized the U.S.-registered Maersk Alabama cargo ship. The 20-member crew managed to regain control of the ship within a few hours, but the pirates fled with the captain, a 55-year-old Vermont resident. It marked the first time a U.S.-flagged ship was attacked off the coast of Africa since 1804. Before dawn, the U.S. Navy destroyer Bainbridge arrived at the scene to keep an eye on the situation.
The Washington Post leads with a look at how Attorney General Eric Holder "took a step" toward fulfilling his promise to take politics out of the Justice Department and investigate possible wrongdoing by its employees. Holder named Mary Patrice Brown, a career prosecutor, to head the Office of Professional Responsibility, the department's internal ethics unit. He also named two other career prosecutors to key posts in an attempt to illustrate that he values expertise more than political connections. USA Today leads with a look at how the recession may be good for the environment. As offices close and factories cut back on production, many countries have experienced marked declines in carbon dioxide emissions. Some fear that the drop in emissions could give governments and companies an excuse not to invest in technology to decrease carbon output.
The White House plans to talk about its efforts to deal with immigration as "policy reform that controls immigration and makes it an orderly system," one official said. Some officials insist that immigration reform won't take priority over other items in Obama's domestic agenda, namely health care and energy. And congressional sources insist the issue won't be taken up in Capitol Hill until those other domestic priorities are debated. Regardless, the president plans to address immigration next month and bring together advocates on both sides of the issue, including lawmakers, to discuss possible legislation. Many, including Democrats, warn that merely bringing up such an emotional issue during such a deep recession could compromise other items in Obama's agenda. Opponents of legalization for illegal immigrants are downright incredulous that Obama would even mention the issue now. "It just doesn't seem rational that any political leader would say, let's give millions of foreign workers permanent access to U.S. jobs when we have millions of Americans looking for jobs," the executive director of NumbersUSA tells the paper.
The situation off the coast of Somalia involving a ship that was carrying food aid for East Africa is a little confusing as no one is sure exactly what is going on or how the unarmed crew managed to overpower the pirates. The WSJ notes that some think the pirates may have been surprised by the number of people onboard since the United States requires that ships bearing its flag have larger crews than many other countries. It is also clear at least some members of the crew were well-trained. The ship's second in command, Capt. Shane Murphy, who is now in control after the captain was captured, is the son of an instructor at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy who teaches a course on how to prevent pirate attacks. The crew apparently managed to tie up one of the pirates while the rest fled, but he was released in what was ultimately an unsuccessful effort to exchange him for the captain.
The WP specifies that this was the sixth attack by Somali pirates this week and one of 66 so far this year. USAT points out that the standoff "handed the Obama administration a new foreign policy dilemma over how to deal with the increasingly brazen raiders." As has been stated many times before, the fundamental problem is that Somalia is a failed state that hasn't had a proper government since 1991, so pirate networks controlled by militias can operate with relative impunity. It's certainly a lucrative operation as pirates are estimated to have received around $150 million in ransom payments last year.
The LAT fronts a look at how U.S. citizens have been detained by immigration officials and, in some extreme cases, even deported. The piece, a collaboration between the paper and the Center for Investigative Reporting, a nonprofit news organization, makes it clear that it isn't possible to know how often this has happened since no agency keeps track. But anecdotal evidence suggests it is more common than most would suspect since it can often be difficult for some to prove they are, in fact, citizens. And once tagged as an illegal, it's difficult to prove otherwise since immigration detainees don't have a right to a government lawyer. One expert said she knows of eight cases of citizens who were deported and suspects the real number is significantly higher.
The NYT off-leads word that ordinary Americans may be able to directly make a profit from the bank bailouts. The administration is pushing several large investment companies to create what the paper dubs "the financial-crisis equivalent of war bonds: bailout funds." These funds would allow Americans to participate, theoretically with as little as a few hundred dollars, in the buying up of toxic assets from banks' balance sheet with a huge government subsidy. This could turn into a smart move, particularly since many have complained that the only ones who would profit from the bailouts are big Wall Street firms, some of whom even had a role in creating the crisis. If things go well and the funds can later sell these assets at a profit, thousands, and perhaps millions, of Americans would make money. But it's risky, because if, as many insist, the assets are overvalued, small investors could lose all their money. There's no word on how much the Treasury intends to raise from individuals, and it's still in the process of selecting five fund managers to participate in the program.
The WP fronts a look at how violent anti-American extremists, including members of the Taliban and al-Qaida, often build their Internet presence through U.S. Web hosts. This trend "appears to be growing," declares the paper. The extremists apparently hate America but they like the cheap, and relatively anonymous, service that many U.S. companies provide to those who want to build a Web site for whatever reason. Some U.S. allies have pushed the government to take a more forceful stance and shut down the offending Web sites as soon as possible. But U.S. intelligence agencies often prefer to keep the sites up so they can be monitored for clues. Besides, U.S. officials say that trying to shut down Web sites can often feel like chasing your own tail, since it's so easy for sites to relocate.
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Pirate stand-off over US hostage
Pirates are believed to be holding Capt Richard Phillips hostage
Negotiations are continuing for the release of an American captain held by Somali pirates in a lifeboat in the Indian Ocean off the Horn of Africa.
He was taken from cargo ship Maersk Alabama after it was briefly seized by pirates a day earlier.
A US warship on anti-pirate patrol in the high-risk area sailed to the ship.
It remains unclear what the pirates want, but maritime sources say it could be a ransom or compensation for their boat which sank during the attack.
They may also be demanding that the warship retreat beyond the horizon as negotiations continue, says BBC East Africa correspondent Peter Greste in Nairobi.
The stand-off with the pirates could take some time, he adds. The lifeboat is equipped for more than a week at sea.
But a spokesman for the ship's owners, Maersk, said the lifeboat was out of fuel.
"The boat is dead in the water," Kevin Speers told the Associated Press Radio.
The USS Bainbridge remains close to the scene of the stand-off
"It's floating near the Alabama. It's my understanding that it's floating freely."
The Maersk Alabama, carrying food aid destined for Somalia and Uganda, was taken about 500km (311 miles) off Somalia's coast on Wednesday.
At least six other patrol vessels are said to be heading towards it.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the government was following the situation very closely and urged the world to act to end the "scourge" of piracy.
There were 50 hijacks amid 130 incidents last year by Somali pirates, but this was the first time Americans had been seized.
'Ransom'
Earlier, US media organisations telephoned members of the ship's crew to get details of their struggle against the pirates.
Second mate Ken Quinn told US TV network CNN how the crew had captured one of the pirates and kept him tied up for 12 hours.
As they attempted to negotiate the release of their captain, who has been named as Richard Phillips, they freed the captive pirate.
But the gang refused to free Capt Phillips.
"Right now they want to hold our captain for ransom, and we are trying to get him back," second mate Quinn told CNN.
"So now we're just trying to offer them whatever we can - food. But it's not working too good."
He said the attackers had fled in a lifeboat and crew members were using radios to keep in contact with Capt Phillips.
Family members said Capt Phillips had offered himself to the pirates to secure the safety of his crew.
"What I understand is that he offered himself as the hostage," Gina Coggio, his wife's half-sister, told the AP news agency. "That is what he would do. It's just who he is and his response as a captain."
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Maersk confirmed much of second mate Quinn's account.
"The armed hijackers who boarded this ship earlier today have departed, however they are currently holding one member of the ship's crew as a hostage," Maersk said.
"The other members of the crew are safe and no injuries have been reported."
Surge in hijackings
The ship was first attacked by several pirate boats in the early hours of Wednesday.
It is not clear how many attackers were involved, but accounts from the sailors on the Maersk Alabama suggest that four boarded the vessel.
Maritime officials said the ship had taken all possible evasive action before it reported that the pirates had boarded.
Pirates typically hold the ships and crews until large ransoms are paid by the shipping companies - last year the firms handed over about $80m (£54m).
After a lull earlier this year, this was the sixth ship seized off Somalia in the past week.
The attacks are threatening to destabilise one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
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US bounty scheme struggles in Pakistan
By Frank Gardner BBC security correspondent
The whereabouts of Baitullah Mehsud when this image was taken is unknown
This month the US state department has put up a $5m (£3.4m) bounty for information leading to the capture of one of the most wanted men in Pakistan.
Baitullah Mehsud heads the Pakistani Taleban and is believed to have been behind the murder of the Pakistani politician Benazir Bhutto and the Marriott hotel bombing in Islamabad last year.
He has openly claimed responsibility for the attack on a police academy in Lahore that killed 8 cadets last month.
But is anyone likely to be tempted by this latest offer in what America calls its Rewards for Justice programme?
"Overall the Rewards for Justice programme has been very minimal," says Mike Scheuer, a former CIA intelligence officer who spent years trying to track down Osama Bin Laden.
"At least in terms of our Islamist enemies [it has had] almost no impact at all, no successes. The only big success was the 1993 World Trade Center bomber, Ramzi Ahmed Yousef.
"And it was worth getting him, it was a good investment. But he's the only one, in almost 20 years."
The Rewards for Justice programme has been going for years.
In Afghanistan it has posters up of wanted men, their pictures printed on matchbooks, and leaflets distributed in local languages.
But both there and in Pakistan's tribal territories, where some of the most wanted jihadists are thought to be hiding, the US is up against a centuries-old tradition called "pashtunwali".
It is the Pashtun code of conduct that makes tribesmen resent any uninvited intruders, while protecting those seeking shelter.
Asif Durrani, the acting Pakistani high commissioner in London, believes this makes it harder for Washington to persuade local people to reveal the whereabouts of those accused of terrorism.
"I can tell you when it comes to honour, kicking the door itself is the biggest insult, so that also invites a sort of revenge," he says.
"No-one can dare kick my door," continues Mr Durrani, "it's not allowed, because you are then declaring war against my household."
Fear v temptation
But US government bounties have had their successes elsewhere, notably in Iraq.
Anyone caught betraying a fellow Muslim risks finding their family dishonoured for generations.
The former president, Saddam Hussein, was betrayed for money in 2003 and so were his two sons, Uday and Qusai.
No longer able to rule through fear and patronage, Saddam was just too tempting a prize for those who knew where he was hiding.
So why has the rewards system worked in Iraq and not in Pakistan?
Terry Pattar, a counter-terrorism expert at Jane's Strategic Advisory Services, thinks the key difference is that in Iraq it was clear that eventually the US would win whereas that is not the case in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
"I think these kinds of rewards perhaps draw out the people who are more likely to give information where it's clear they'll be giving it to the side that is going to eventually win," he says.
The most wanted militants are thought to be in Pakistan's tribal territories
"There's less fear of reprisals. They've got more chance of claiming the money and safely using it."
And that is just the problem.
In Afghanistan and Pakistan's tribal territories, where the Taleban and al-Qaeda are resurgent, the US does benefit from a loose network of informants.
But anyone caught betraying a fellow Muslim risks finding their family dishonoured for generations.
Mike Scheuer believes this explains why after all these years Osama Bin Laden is still a free man.
"It's very unlikely that any Muslim is going to turn him in to the Americans for money," says the former CIA officer, making reference to al-Qaeda's attacks on the US in 2001.
"He's been in Afghanistan since 9/11. It's the third poorest place on the planet. We have $200m of reward money outstanding, including $50m for Osama and no-one has come forward to take a cent.
"I think we need in the West to grow up a little bit, everything doesn't pivot on money."
"In the Islamic world, at least when it comes to Osama Bin Laden, it pivots off of religion," Mike Scheuer says.

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Iran set to unveil nuclear latest
President Ahmadinejad insists Iran's nuclear intentions are peaceful
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is expected to announce advances in his country's nuclear programme in a speech to mark national nuclear day.
His address in the city of Isfahan, home to a uranium conversion facility, comes a day after Tehran was invited by six world powers for fresh talks.
A top adviser to President Ahmadinejad said on Thursday that the Iranian government was considering the offer.
Tehran denies Western claims that it is seeking to build a nuclear bomb.
It insists its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes and is purely peaceful.
Policy shift
President Ahmadinejad is expected to give details of the latest developments in Iran's atomic programme in his speech in Isfahan.
On Wednesday, the US, Russia, China, France, Germany and Britain announced they would ask EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana to approach Iran with the offer of new talks.
In a statement, they said they "strongly urge Iran to take advantage of this opportunity to engage seriously with all of us in a spirit of mutual respect".
Signalling a policy shift, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the US would be a "full participant" in talks.
"Obviously we believe that pursuing very careful engagement on a range of issues that affect our interests and the interests of the world with Iran makes senses," she said.
"There is nothing more important than trying to convince Iran to cease its efforts to obtain a nuclear weapon."
Senior Iranian presidential adviser, Ali Akbar Javanfekr said the offer was under consideration.
"We will review it and then decide about it," he told Reuters news agency.

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