the human province

There have been rumors circulating since last Spring that UNIFIL had met with Hezbollah in order to get the latter's cooperation for protecting international troops in the south. Blanford confirms that with a recent article in the CS Monitor:

The growing threat of attack by Sunni radicals apparently spurred the leading European troop-contributing states to seek the Shiite Hizbullah's cooperation. According to UNIFIL sources, intelligence agents from Italy, France, and Spain met with Hizbullah representatives in the southern city of Sidon in April. As a result, some Spanish peacekeepers subsequently were "escorted" on some of their patrols by Hizbullah members in civilian vehicles, the UNIFIL sources say.

A day after the six peacekeepers were killed last month, Spanish foreign minister Miguel Angel Moratinos spoke with Manucher Mottaki, the foreign minister of Iran, Hizbullah's main patron. According to a Hizbullah official in south Lebanon, there has been at least one meeting between the Shiite party and Spanish UNIFIL officers since the bombing.

UNIFIL has long had quiet channels of communication with Hizbullah stretching back to the late 1980s, a recognition of the Shiite group's clout in the south. But UNIFIL commander General Graziano says that although troop-contributing governments may talk to Hizbullah, the peacekeeping battalions are only authorized to liaise with the Lebanese Army. Contacts with Hizbullah or any other Lebanese political party is not permitted, he says.

"I highly forbid any relation that is not authorized by this headquarters for any contingent that is dressed in the blue beret to have contact with any party without my authorization," he says.

An-Nahar reported this afternoon that UNIFIL was attacked again. (The AP has a more complete report here.) This time it was a Tanzanian contingent outside of Tyre. Thankfully there were no casualties. Both Amal and Hezbollah condemned the attack immediately.

I know it's hard to keep security in Lebanon, but the fact that this is the second attack in a month on UNIFIL (presumably by Sunni groups that may or may not have ties to al-Qaida) really doesn't look good for Hezbollah's ability to police the south.

Last night, a Dutch friend of mine received a text message that informed us that UNIFIL troops had been attacked in Khiam. So far, three Columbians and two Spaniards are dead.

There have been reports that members of Fatah al-Islam confessed to plots to attack UNIFIL, but I can't help think that whoever did this must be pretty professional to have gotten past UNIFIL and Hezbollah. This attack follows a rocket attack on Israel in the south that also went unclaimed.

If there's one thing that recent history has taught us, it's that it's never a good thing when UN peacekeepers start getting targeted.

There have been rumors circulating since last Spring that UNIFIL had met with Hezbollah in order to get the latter's cooperation for protecting international troops in the south. Blanford confirms that with a recent article in the CS Monitor:

The growing threat of attack by Sunni radicals apparently spurred the leading European troop-contributing states to seek the Shiite Hizbullah's cooperation. According to UNIFIL sources, intelligence agents from Italy, France, and Spain met with Hizbullah representatives in the southern city of Sidon in April. As a result, some Spanish peacekeepers subsequently were "escorted" on some of their patrols by Hizbullah members in civilian vehicles, the UNIFIL sources say.

A day after the six peacekeepers were killed last month, Spanish foreign minister Miguel Angel Moratinos spoke with Manucher Mottaki, the foreign minister of Iran, Hizbullah's main patron. According to a Hizbullah official in south Lebanon, there has been at least one meeting between the Shiite party and Spanish UNIFIL officers since the bombing.

UNIFIL has long had quiet channels of communication with Hizbullah stretching back to the late 1980s, a recognition of the Shiite group's clout in the south. But UNIFIL commander General Graziano says that although troop-contributing governments may talk to Hizbullah, the peacekeeping battalions are only authorized to liaise with the Lebanese Army. Contacts with Hizbullah or any other Lebanese political party is not permitted, he says.

"I highly forbid any relation that is not authorized by this headquarters for any contingent that is dressed in the blue beret to have contact with any party without my authorization," he says.

An-Nahar reported this afternoon that UNIFIL was attacked again. (The AP has a more complete report here.) This time it was a Tanzanian contingent outside of Tyre. Thankfully there were no casualties. Both Amal and Hezbollah condemned the attack immediately.

I know it's hard to keep security in Lebanon, but the fact that this is the second attack in a month on UNIFIL (presumably by Sunni groups that may or may not have ties to al-Qaida) really doesn't look good for Hezbollah's ability to police the south.

Last night, a Dutch friend of mine received a text message that informed us that UNIFIL troops had been attacked in Khiam. So far, three Columbians and two Spaniards are dead.

There have been reports that members of Fatah al-Islam confessed to plots to attack UNIFIL, but I can't help think that whoever did this must be pretty professional to have gotten past UNIFIL and Hezbollah. This attack follows a rocket attack on Israel in the south that also went unclaimed.

If there's one thing that recent history has taught us, it's that it's never a good thing when UN peacekeepers start getting targeted.

There have been rumors circulating since last Spring that UNIFIL had met with Hezbollah in order to get the latter's cooperation for protecting international troops in the south. Blanford confirms that with a recent article in the CS Monitor:

The growing threat of attack by Sunni radicals apparently spurred the leading European troop-contributing states to seek the Shiite Hizbullah's cooperation. According to UNIFIL sources, intelligence agents from Italy, France, and Spain met with Hizbullah representatives in the southern city of Sidon in April. As a result, some Spanish peacekeepers subsequently were "escorted" on some of their patrols by Hizbullah members in civilian vehicles, the UNIFIL sources say.

A day after the six peacekeepers were killed last month, Spanish foreign minister Miguel Angel Moratinos spoke with Manucher Mottaki, the foreign minister of Iran, Hizbullah's main patron. According to a Hizbullah official in south Lebanon, there has been at least one meeting between the Shiite party and Spanish UNIFIL officers since the bombing.

UNIFIL has long had quiet channels of communication with Hizbullah stretching back to the late 1980s, a recognition of the Shiite group's clout in the south. But UNIFIL commander General Graziano says that although troop-contributing governments may talk to Hizbullah, the peacekeeping battalions are only authorized to liaise with the Lebanese Army. Contacts with Hizbullah or any other Lebanese political party is not permitted, he says.

"I highly forbid any relation that is not authorized by this headquarters for any contingent that is dressed in the blue beret to have contact with any party without my authorization," he says.

An-Nahar reported this afternoon that UNIFIL was attacked again. (The AP has a more complete report here.) This time it was a Tanzanian contingent outside of Tyre. Thankfully there were no casualties. Both Amal and Hezbollah condemned the attack immediately.

I know it's hard to keep security in Lebanon, but the fact that this is the second attack in a month on UNIFIL (presumably by Sunni groups that may or may not have ties to al-Qaida) really doesn't look good for Hezbollah's ability to police the south.

Last night, a Dutch friend of mine received a text message that informed us that UNIFIL troops had been attacked in Khiam. So far, three Columbians and two Spaniards are dead.

There have been reports that members of Fatah al-Islam confessed to plots to attack UNIFIL, but I can't help think that whoever did this must be pretty professional to have gotten past UNIFIL and Hezbollah. This attack follows a rocket attack on Israel in the south that also went unclaimed.

If there's one thing that recent history has taught us, it's that it's never a good thing when UN peacekeepers start getting targeted.

There have been rumors circulating since last Spring that UNIFIL had met with Hezbollah in order to get the latter's cooperation for protecting international troops in the south. Blanford confirms that with a recent article in the CS Monitor:

The growing threat of attack by Sunni radicals apparently spurred the leading European troop-contributing states to seek the Shiite Hizbullah's cooperation. According to UNIFIL sources, intelligence agents from Italy, France, and Spain met with Hizbullah representatives in the southern city of Sidon in April. As a result, some Spanish peacekeepers subsequently were "escorted" on some of their patrols by Hizbullah members in civilian vehicles, the UNIFIL sources say.

A day after the six peacekeepers were killed last month, Spanish foreign minister Miguel Angel Moratinos spoke with Manucher Mottaki, the foreign minister of Iran, Hizbullah's main patron. According to a Hizbullah official in south Lebanon, there has been at least one meeting between the Shiite party and Spanish UNIFIL officers since the bombing.

UNIFIL has long had quiet channels of communication with Hizbullah stretching back to the late 1980s, a recognition of the Shiite group's clout in the south. But UNIFIL commander General Graziano says that although troop-contributing governments may talk to Hizbullah, the peacekeeping battalions are only authorized to liaise with the Lebanese Army. Contacts with Hizbullah or any other Lebanese political party is not permitted, he says.

"I highly forbid any relation that is not authorized by this headquarters for any contingent that is dressed in the blue beret to have contact with any party without my authorization," he says.

An-Nahar reported this afternoon that UNIFIL was attacked again. (The AP has a more complete report here.) This time it was a Tanzanian contingent outside of Tyre. Thankfully there were no casualties. Both Amal and Hezbollah condemned the attack immediately.

I know it's hard to keep security in Lebanon, but the fact that this is the second attack in a month on UNIFIL (presumably by Sunni groups that may or may not have ties to al-Qaida) really doesn't look good for Hezbollah's ability to police the south.

Last night, a Dutch friend of mine received a text message that informed us that UNIFIL troops had been attacked in Khiam. So far, three Columbians and two Spaniards are dead.

There have been reports that members of Fatah al-Islam confessed to plots to attack UNIFIL, but I can't help think that whoever did this must be pretty professional to have gotten past UNIFIL and Hezbollah. This attack follows a rocket attack on Israel in the south that also went unclaimed.

If there's one thing that recent history has taught us, it's that it's never a good thing when UN peacekeepers start getting targeted.

There have been rumors circulating since last Spring that UNIFIL had met with Hezbollah in order to get the latter's cooperation for protecting international troops in the south. Blanford confirms that with a recent article in the CS Monitor:

The growing threat of attack by Sunni radicals apparently spurred the leading European troop-contributing states to seek the Shiite Hizbullah's cooperation. According to UNIFIL sources, intelligence agents from Italy, France, and Spain met with Hizbullah representatives in the southern city of Sidon in April. As a result, some Spanish peacekeepers subsequently were "escorted" on some of their patrols by Hizbullah members in civilian vehicles, the UNIFIL sources say.

A day after the six peacekeepers were killed last month, Spanish foreign minister Miguel Angel Moratinos spoke with Manucher Mottaki, the foreign minister of Iran, Hizbullah's main patron. According to a Hizbullah official in south Lebanon, there has been at least one meeting between the Shiite party and Spanish UNIFIL officers since the bombing.

UNIFIL has long had quiet channels of communication with Hizbullah stretching back to the late 1980s, a recognition of the Shiite group's clout in the south. But UNIFIL commander General Graziano says that although troop-contributing governments may talk to Hizbullah, the peacekeeping battalions are only authorized to liaise with the Lebanese Army. Contacts with Hizbullah or any other Lebanese political party is not permitted, he says.

"I highly forbid any relation that is not authorized by this headquarters for any contingent that is dressed in the blue beret to have contact with any party without my authorization," he says.

An-Nahar reported this afternoon that UNIFIL was attacked again. (The AP has a more complete report here.) This time it was a Tanzanian contingent outside of Tyre. Thankfully there were no casualties. Both Amal and Hezbollah condemned the attack immediately.

I know it's hard to keep security in Lebanon, but the fact that this is the second attack in a month on UNIFIL (presumably by Sunni groups that may or may not have ties to al-Qaida) really doesn't look good for Hezbollah's ability to police the south.

Last night, a Dutch friend of mine received a text message that informed us that UNIFIL troops had been attacked in Khiam. So far, three Columbians and two Spaniards are dead.

There have been reports that members of Fatah al-Islam confessed to plots to attack UNIFIL, but I can't help think that whoever did this must be pretty professional to have gotten past UNIFIL and Hezbollah. This attack follows a rocket attack on Israel in the south that also went unclaimed.

If there's one thing that recent history has taught us, it's that it's never a good thing when UN peacekeepers start getting targeted.

There have been rumors circulating since last Spring that UNIFIL had met with Hezbollah in order to get the latter's cooperation for protecting international troops in the south. Blanford confirms that with a recent article in the CS Monitor:

The growing threat of attack by Sunni radicals apparently spurred the leading European troop-contributing states to seek the Shiite Hizbullah's cooperation. According to UNIFIL sources, intelligence agents from Italy, France, and Spain met with Hizbullah representatives in the southern city of Sidon in April. As a result, some Spanish peacekeepers subsequently were "escorted" on some of their patrols by Hizbullah members in civilian vehicles, the UNIFIL sources say.

A day after the six peacekeepers were killed last month, Spanish foreign minister Miguel Angel Moratinos spoke with Manucher Mottaki, the foreign minister of Iran, Hizbullah's main patron. According to a Hizbullah official in south Lebanon, there has been at least one meeting between the Shiite party and Spanish UNIFIL officers since the bombing.

UNIFIL has long had quiet channels of communication with Hizbullah stretching back to the late 1980s, a recognition of the Shiite group's clout in the south. But UNIFIL commander General Graziano says that although troop-contributing governments may talk to Hizbullah, the peacekeeping battalions are only authorized to liaise with the Lebanese Army. Contacts with Hizbullah or any other Lebanese political party is not permitted, he says.

"I highly forbid any relation that is not authorized by this headquarters for any contingent that is dressed in the blue beret to have contact with any party without my authorization," he says.

An-Nahar reported this afternoon that UNIFIL was attacked again. (The AP has a more complete report here.) This time it was a Tanzanian contingent outside of Tyre. Thankfully there were no casualties. Both Amal and Hezbollah condemned the attack immediately.

I know it's hard to keep security in Lebanon, but the fact that this is the second attack in a month on UNIFIL (presumably by Sunni groups that may or may not have ties to al-Qaida) really doesn't look good for Hezbollah's ability to police the south.

Last night, a Dutch friend of mine received a text message that informed us that UNIFIL troops had been attacked in Khiam. So far, three Columbians and two Spaniards are dead.

There have been reports that members of Fatah al-Islam confessed to plots to attack UNIFIL, but I can't help think that whoever did this must be pretty professional to have gotten past UNIFIL and Hezbollah. This attack follows a rocket attack on Israel in the south that also went unclaimed.

If there's one thing that recent history has taught us, it's that it's never a good thing when UN peacekeepers start getting targeted.