Word: attackable
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...June 29 London awoke to headlines of a thwarted terrorist attack. Gordon Brown's new government responded to the immediate crisis in a measured way. But the longer-term crisis, the phenomenon of "Islamic" terrorism, remains. To cope with it, Brown's administration will need several layers of strategic policy, including an enlightened focus on winning Muslim hearts and minds...
...intent to attack us remains as strong as it was on Sept...
Sources tell TIME that, since the attack, there have been discreet contacts between some UNIFIL contingents and Hizballah representatives. UNIFIL is supposed to confine liaison to the Lebanese army, and Graziano said that direct contacts between UNIFIL troops and Hizballah, or any other Lebanese political party, was "highly forbidden". But keeping some type of contact may be critical to UNIFIL's mission. The goal of the informal communications is partly to harness Hizballah's local intelligence gathering abilities, but also to ensure that the powerful Shi'ite group remains supportive of UNIFIL. The unspoken fear among some peacekeepers is that...
Nonetheless, a Hizballah official in south Lebanon confirmed to TIME that there was at least one meeting between Spanish UNIFIL officers and Hizballah representatives after the bomb attack. Furthermore, Hizballah officials have met with Spanish diplomats in Beirut and the Madrid government is believed to have held talks with Iran, Hizballah's patron, on the safety of its peacekeepers. At least one other European contingent enjoys regular direct contact with Hizballah, finessing Graziano's order by using a civilian advisor who was hired outside the UNIFIL framework...
Graziano said that the heightened risk of attack has not affected performance, but he said he has asked the U.N. for additional "intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets," suggesting a need to enhance UNIFIL's security as much as improving its ability to carry out the mandate. Graziano said he wants cameras and thermal imaging equipment to watch over UNIFIL bases, the border and remote areas, freeing up troops for force protection and rapid reaction duties. He even hopes to receive reconnaissance drones. The French battalion is equipped with pilotless drones, although they have not been employed due to objections...