World Armed Forces Pictures Thread

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The United Nations High Commission for Refugees said its staff reported that the situation in Ndjamena, the capital of Chad, was too dangerous for civilians to move about the city. Residents fleeing the city were crossing into neighboring Cameroon. French soldiers helped foreign residents evacuate as shelling and small arms fire erupted in a third day of violence.
Photo: Pascal Guyot/Agence France-Presse -- Getty Images

Wounded Chadian government soldiers are evacuated at N'djamena airport, Chad to Libya for medical treatment Tuesday Feb. 5, 2008. African mediators are expected Tuesday in this oil-rich capital from where tens of thousands of people have fled as rebels renewed their most forceful attempt yet to oust President Idriss Deby. The fighting in N'Djamena threatened to further destabilize an already violent swath of Africa that is home to hundreds of thousands of refugees and borders Sudan's war-ravaged Darfur region. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

A soldier of Chadian army looks at a charred car during a patrol in the capital city N'Djamena, on February 05, 2008 after a weekend of heavy fighting between government forces and rebels.

Soldiers of the Chadian army are on patrol downtown N'Djamena on February 5, 2008 where heavy fights took place in the last days.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran wore 3-D glasses to watch a program about an Iranian rocket while visiting the control center for his country's space program, near Tehran. Iran launched a rocket on Monday in preparation for sending the country's first homemade research satellite into orbit in June, the Fars news agency reported.
Photo: Fars News via Reuters

Iraqi national police patrol the predominantly Sunni neighborhood of Sadiyah in Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2008. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed )

Safia Jassim cries as she asks Iraqi policeman why her son Asaad Sabri was arrested from their home earlier in Baghdad's predominantly Sunni neighborhood of Sadiyah, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2008. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed )

A German military official, right, with the International Security Assistant Force (ISAF) gives blankets to an Afghan National Army commander in Dahdadi District of Balkh province north of Kabul, Afghanistan on Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2008. German soldiers with the International Security Assistant Force (ISAF) donated some blankets and clothes to the Shaheen corps 209 in Balkh province of Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Sameer Najafizada)

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, soldiers climb the Jinggang Mountains in east China's Jiangxi Province on Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2008 as they are mobilized to fix power transmission lines damaged by heavy snow storms. The loss of power brought electric trains to a standstill, stranding more than 5 million holiday travelers. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Dai Qingming)

Iraqi soldiers get ready to patrol a restive neighbourhood in Baghdad on February 5, 2008. Iraqi security forces are working on strengthening security measures in the district of Saydiyah which was considered as a stronghold for al-Qaeda militants before the start of Baghdad security plan a year ago. AFP PHOTO/ALI AL-SAADI (Photo credit should read ALI AL-SAADI/AFP/Getty Images)

Iraqi soldiers on patrol in a restive area of Baghdad today.

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Israeli female soldiers from the Karakal brigade prepare for their 20 kms march at the end of the basic training near Zeelim, Israel on 05 February 2008. Karakal is the only combat brigade in Israeli army in which the women serve as a combat ground troops

Officers from the Presidential Security Group (L) frisk honor guards of the Philippine National Police in Metro Manila's Quezon City, Philippines 06 February 2008. Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo led ceremonies marking the 17th anniversary of the police force

Israeli soldier are seen during an operation in the West Bank city of Hebron, 05 February 2008. The Israeli army were searching for wanted Palestinian militants, according to Palestinian sources

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So sorry if some of my older pix are missing. The Photo hosting site I use went off line for a while..This has happened before, They should be back in a couple of hours.

Chadian army soldiers on patrol in the central market on Wednesday. After days of defending the presidential palace from a rebel assault, the army demonstrated its firm grip on the capital by sending truckloads of soldiers bristling with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades.
Photo: Benedicte Kurzen for The New York Times

Chad's president, Idriss Déby, at a news conference in the presidential palace in Ndjamena on Wednesday. Mr. Déby took power in a military coup in 1990, and his government is viewed as one of the most corrupt in Africa.
Photo: Benedicte Kurzen for The New York Times

An undated screengrabs from a video released by U.S. forces on February 6, 2008. Al Qaeda videos seized by U.S. forces show Iraqi children younger than 11 carrying out mock kidnappings and attacks, the U.S. military and Iraqi officials said on Wednesday.
REUTERS/Multi-National Force - Iraq/Handout

People queue to sign up for a state housing programme, which allows a limited number of people to purchase apartments at a reduced price, in Kazakhstan's commercial capital Almaty February 6, 2008.
REUTERS/Vladimir Tretyakov

A man identified as Vincenzo Licciardi, second from right, listed as one of the country's 30 most-wanted mafia fugitives, is escorted by police after his arrest, in Naples, southern Italy, Thursday Feb. 7, 2008. Italian police consider Vincenzo "O Chiatto" (Fatso) Licciardi, 42, to be one of the heads of the Camorra crime syndicate operating in Naples and the surrounding Campania region. He was arrested without incident in the city of Cuma, near Naples, a police spokeswoman said Thursday. (AP Photo/Salvatore Franco Castano')

This is an image release by the International Security Assistance Force of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice shaking hands with Canadian Major-General Marc Lessard, the Commander of Regional Command (South), during her visit to the Regional Command (South) Headquarters at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan Thursday Feb. 7, 2008. Rice was on the visit with Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband. Rice said Thursday the Afghan government must meet its responsibilities in fighting a resurgent Taliban as the United States and Britain lead an effort to boost the number of NATO combat forces. In a show of unity, Rice was making the point as she and David Miliband got a firsthand look at the front lines of the NATO-led fight against insurgents in Kandahar, visiting an alliance airfield in this former Taliban stronghold in southern Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Liepke Plankcke/ Royal Netherlands Air Force, ISAF, HO)

French Defence Minister Herve Morin speaks with a French soldier on February 6, 2008 in Ndjamena during an official visit to Chad.

A French soldier sits in a bunker outside to the French embassy in N'Djamena on February 6, 2008.

A Chadian soldier sleeps on his Chadian army T55 tank in position on February 6, 2008 in Ndjamena.

A Sri Lankan soldier keeps watch near an army artillery gun at an exhibition in Colombo on February 7, 2008. The show was delayed by three days because of Tamil Tiger bomb attacks in Colombo, officials said adding that security had been stepped up for the military and civilian show marking 60 years of independence from Britain. AFP PHOTO/Lakruwan WANNIARACHCHI (Photo credit should read LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI/AFP/***** Images)

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More PIX for your enjoyment

A Sri Lankan air force trooper keeps watch as visitors watch an Israeli-built Kfir jet fighter at an exhibition in Colombo on February 7, 2008. The show was delayed by three days because of Tamil Tiger bomb attacks in Colombo, officials said adding that security had been stepped up for the military and civilian show marking 60 years of independence from Britain. AFP PHOTO/Lakruwan WANNIARACHCHI (Photo credit should read LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI/AFP/***** Images)

Thai soldiers stand guard at the main entrance of the army headquarters in Bangkok on February 7, 2008. The United States said it would resume military aid to Thailand suspended in the wake of the 2006 coup, after a democratically elected government was unveiled in Bangkok. AFP PHOTO/Pornchai KITTIWONGSAKUL (Photo credit should read PORNCHAI KITTIWONGSAKUL/AFP/***** Images)

Israeli soldiers stop a Palestinian youth during a military operation in the West Bank city of Hebron on February 6, 2008. An Israeli woman was killed this week in a suicide bombing claimed by Palestinian militants at a shopping centre in the desert town of Dimona, the first such attack in a year. Mohammed al-Hirbawi and Shadi al-Zaghair were named as the two attackers, both from the flashpoint city of Hebron. AFP PHOTO/Hazem BADER (Photo credit should read HAZEM BADER/AFP/***** Images)

A Portuguese KFOR (Kosovo Force) armored personnel carrier passes by an ethnic Albanian man, riding a cart near the village of Tudevce on February 6, 2008.

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In the World today the Worlds Armed Forces stay busy!

The sister of Palestinian Abed al-Nasser Abu Nasser, one of the seven Hamas members killed during an Israeli air raid the previous day in Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip, shoots in the air during his funeral on February 6, 2008.

An Israeli soldier returns the ID card of a Palestinian student at a temporary checkpoint near Hebron University in the West Bank city of Hebron on February 07, 2008.

Israeli soldiers frisk a Palestinian student at a temporary checkpoint near Hebron University in the West Bank city of Hebron on February 07, 2008.

A Buddhist monk lead a funeral procession for a Thai soldier at Narathiwat airport in Thailand's restive southern Narathiwat province on February 7, 2008.

Dissident general Laurent Nkunda stands in his mountain base on February 7, 2008 in Kirolirwe, 50km north west of the provincial capital Goma. A peace agreement has been signed between many of the armed groups that roam the east of this lawless country, including rebels loyal to Nkunda. AFP PHOTO / LIONEL HEALING (Photo credit should read LIONEL HEALING/AFP/Getty Images)

KFOR soldiers from the Moroccan units patrol in the predominantly Serbian village Priluzje in the UN administered Serbian province of Kosovo on February 7,2008. Priluzje, situated between the capital Pristina and the city of Mitrovica, is the only Serbian populated village in the cluster of villages, while the others are ethnic Albanian.KFOR has elevated its security level in Kosovo, in expectation of the incoming unilateral proclamation of independence, fearing it may instigate violence between Kosovo's ethnic Serbians and Albanians.AFP PHOTO/ROBERT ATANASOVSKI (Photo credit should read ROBERT ATANASOVSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

King Hamad bin Issa Al-Khalifa of Bahrain (C) reviews troops upon his arrival at the French presidential Elysee Palace for a lunch with French President Nicolas Sarkozy (not in picture), on February 7, 2008 in Paris. AFP PHOTO STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN (Photo credit should read STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/AFP/Getty Images)

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Some PIX of the Worlds militaries/police doing their duty!

In this photo provided by the Department of Defense, Adm. Mike Mullen, U.S. chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff reviews Pakistani troops at an honors ceremony welcoming Mullen to Islamabad, Saturday, Feb. 9, 2008. Mullen is visiting the country to discuss security issues with Pakistani military officials. (AP Photo/Department of Defense, Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley)

Pakistani riot police beat a lawyer to the ground during a protest against President Pervez Musharraf in Islamabad, Pakistan, Saturday, Feb. 9, 2008. (AP Photo/Wally Santana)

Iraqi police patrol Baghdad's al-Amil neighborhood, Saturday, Feb. 9, 2008. Residents of al-Amil who have fled sectarian violence started returning to their homes in the past few days. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

In this photo released by Japan's Defense Ministry, a Tupolev 95 flies over the Izu island, just south of Tokyo, Saturday, Feb. 9, 2008. The Russian air force bomber briefly violated Japanese airspace over Sofugan in the uninhabited island of Izu and ended the three-minute flyby, following warnings by Japanese air force fighter jets, Foreign Ministry said. (AP Photo/Japan's Defense Ministry, HO)

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN - FEBRUARY 9: A policeman reacts to a barrage of rocks being thrown towards him by anti-government demonstrators near the home of Iftikhar Chaudry, the country's deposed Chief Justice, on February 9, 2008 in Islamabad, Pakistan.

MUNICH, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 09: Police officers are lined up during a demonstration against the Munich conference on security policy on February 9, 2008 in Munich, Germany. The 44th Munich Conference on Security Policy running from February 8 to 10, 2008 is themed 'The World in Disarray - Shifting Powers - Lack of Strategies'. (Photo by Ralph Orlowski/Getty Images)

An Orthodox priest blesses Belarus's soldiers during an oath ceremony in Minsk on February 9, 2008. Some 10,000 recruits took the oath in the Belarussian army today. AFP PHOTO / VIKTOR DRACHEV (Photo credit should read VIKTOR DRACHEV/AFP/Getty Images)

Members of the Ecuadoran Army help with the evacuation of Choglotuz, a village on the slopes of the Tungurahua volcano in Ecuador, on February 7, 2008. Following a period of zero-activity after it exploded into action yesterday, spewing red-hot lava, rocks and a 10-km high plume of ash that forced 1,450 people from their homes, the Tungurahua volcano intensified it activity again in the pre-dusk hours of Thursday. AFP PHOTO/Rodrigo BUENDIA (Photo credit should read RODRIGO BUENDIA/AFP/Getty Images)

Myanmar soldiers ride on a truck in down town Yangon on February 9, 2008. Myanmar will hold a referendum on a new constitution in May, the ruling junta said, promising to then have multi-party elections in 2010. The announcement on state television came amid mounting international pressure on Myanmar over its bloody crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations in September, when the United Nations estimates at least 31 people were killed. AFP PHOTO / str -MYANMAR-OUT- - (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)

French soldiers from the First Foreign cavalry regiment sit inside a tank as they secure the airport of N'Djamena on February 9, 2008. Tension hangs in the air and bullet holes scar the buildings, but life is beginning to return to Chad's capital a week after rebels invaded the capital but failed to oust President Idriss Deby Itno. AFP PHOTO / PASCAL GUYOT (Photo credit should read PASCAL GUYOT/AFP/Getty Images)

A French soldier from the 21st RIMA (Regiment of Marine Infantry) looks at a burnt out Chadian Army Soviet-era T-55 tank on February 8, 2008 in the centre of NDjamena. . AFP PHOTO / PASCAL GUYOT (Photo credit should read PASCAL GUYOT/AFP/Getty Images)

French soldiers from the 21st RIMA (Regiment of Marine Infantry) drive in an armoured personnel carrier (APC) on February 8, 2008 in the centre of NDjamena.

A Palestinian demonstrator gestures at Israeli soldiers standing guard during a protest against Israel's controversial separation barrier in the West Bank village of Bilin, near Ramallah, on February 8, 2008.

Israeli soldiers stand guard as Palestinian demonstrators protest against the construction of the controversial Israeli separation barrier in the village of Umm Salamunah near the West Bank town of Bethlehem on February 8, 2008. AFP PHOTO/MUSA AL-SHAER (Photo credit should read MUSA AL-SHAER/AFP/Getty Images)

TOWNSVILLE, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 8: The luggage of soldiers of the 5th Aviation regiment lies ready to be checked in before the troops deploy to join the coalition effort in Afghanistan during a ceremony at the Townsville airport on February 8, 2008 in Townsville, Australia . The main detachment of soldiers from the Regiment's C Squadron will join the advance party and two Australian CH-47 Chinook aircraft in the Southern Afghanistan province of Kandahar. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)

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Members of a Sunni Awakening Council in Baquba, Iraq, took part of the city under control, posting people at checkpoints and demanding the dismissal of the police chief, whom they accused of sectarianism. Awakening Councils are groups of Sunnis who have allied with American forces to battle insurgents.
Photo: Associated Press

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN - FEBRUARY 9: Police take on anti-government demonstrators near the home of Iftikhar Chaudry, the country's deposed Chief Justice, on February 9, 2008 in Islamabad, Pakistan. Police used water cannons and tear gas to repel demonstrators as they attempted to march to the home of the former Chief Justice who has remained under house arrest since November last year. Pakistanis will go to the polls later this month after months of political and civil turmoil. (Photo by Warrick Page/***** Images)

A boy stands between Belarussian soldiers as they attend an oath ceremony in Minsk on February 9, 2008. Some 10,000 recruits took the oath in the Belarus army today. AFP PHOTO / VIKTOR DRACHEV (Photo credit should read VIKTOR DRACHEV/AFP/***** Images)

A woman kisses a Belarussian soldier after taking an oath ceremony in Minsk on February 9, 2008.

A French soldier from the 21st RIMA (Regiment of Marine Infantry) looks through his rifle on February, 9 2008 at the airport of N'Djamena. - Tension hangs in the air and bullet holes scar the buildings, but life is beginning to return to Chad's capital a week after rebels invaded the capital but failed to oust President Idriss Deby Itno. AFP PHOTO / PASCAL GUYOT (Photo credit should read PASCAL GUYOT/AFP/***** Images)

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer (R) shakes hands with Canadian soldier Michael O`Rourke who received a peace medal for all the soldiers serving in Afghanistan during the international security conference at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof on February 9, 2008 in Munich, southern Germany. The 44th Munich Conference on Security Policy running from February 8 to 10, 2008 is themed "The World in Disarray - Shifting Powers - Lack of Strategies". AFP PHOTO DDP/OLIVER LANG GERMANY OUT (Photo credit should read JOERG KOCH/AFP/***** Images)

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Bahrain lawmaker Naser el-Fadalah, left, hands his passport to a Palestinian Hamas official at the passport control at the Rafah terminal, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Monday, Feb. 11, 2008. About 50 Palestinians who hold dual citizenships left Gaza for Egypt Monday, through the Rafah crossing border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. (AP Photo/Eyad Baba)

A Pakistani police officer stands guard as a worker arranges transparent ballot boxes in preparation for the upcoming general election at an election commission office in Hyderabad, Pakistan, Monday, Feb. 11, 2008. The violence underscored the deep tensions in Pakistan as the nation heads toward the Feb. 18 elections, which are meant to restore democracy after eight years of military rule. (AP Photo/Pervez Masih)

An Iraqi police graduate rides a motorcycle over his colleagues as they show their skills during a graduation ceremony in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Feb. 11, 2008. Some 900 policemen graduated after a six week training. (AP Photo/Loay Hameed)

Iraqi police graduate stands at attention as national flags flutter above him, during a graduation ceremony in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Feb. 11, 2008. Some 900 policemen graduated after a six week training course. (AP Photo/Loay Hameed)

Iraqi soldiers inspect a car bomb wreck at a checkpoint in Fallujah, Iraq, Monday, Feb. 11, 2008. A couple claiming to be journalists was stopped by police at the checkpoint Sunday and who detonated the car after police demanded to search it. Three policemen were killed and five were wounded, police in Fallujah said. (AP Photo)

East Timorese soldiers patrol aboard a vehicle around the town in Dili, East Timor, Monday, Feb. 11, 2008. Rebel soldiers shot and seriously wounded East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta and opened fire on the prime minister Monday in a failed coup in the recently independent nation, officials said. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

Indra Setiawan, a former CEO of Garuda Airlines, is led from court after being sentenced Monday, Feb. 11, 2008 in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Jakarta district court on Monday sentenced the former director of Indonesia's national airline to 12 months in prison for his part in the midair killing of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

An Afghan police man stands guard as others patrol outside the Norwegian embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Feb. 11, 2008. Norway closed its embassy in the Afghan capital because of terror threats on Sunday, nearly four weeks after a suicide attack on a luxury hotel in Kabul killed eight people including a Norwegian journalist. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

BERLIN - FEBRUARY 11: A sniper team of the German police keep watch outside the Jewish Museum during a visit of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert February 11, 2008 in Berlin, Germany. Olmert is on a two-day official visit to Germany. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Activists of the Jammu and Kashmir Libration Front (JKLF) scuffle with Indian police during a demonstration in Srinagar on February 11, 2008 staged to mark the 24th death anniversary of JKLF founder Maqbool Bhat. Kashmiri separatist leaders and supporters called for a general strike to mark Bhat's death who was hanged in New Delhi's Tihar jail on February 11, 1984 after he was sentenced to death for the murder of a bank manager in Kashmir. AFP PHOTO/Tauseef MUSTAFA (Photo credit should read TAUSEEF MUSTAFA/AFP/Getty Images)

Two Royal Canadian Police officers stand next to the Royal Canadian Mint's 100-kg 99.999 percent pure Gold Maple Leaf coin during a reception at the Canadian Embassy in the Emirati capital of Abu Dhabi on February 10, 2008. The coin, valued at one million dollars, is certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest gold coin in the world. AFP PHOTO/Karim SAHIB (Photo credit should read KARIM SAHIB/AFP/Getty Images)

Basque Police push supporters of the pro independence Basque Nationalist Action-ANV and the Basque Lands' Communist Party-EHAK, who were taking part in an illegal demonstration against an ANV and EHAK banning, in the northern Spanish Basque city of Bilbao, on February 10, 2008. Spain's main Basque separatist party Batasuna accused the authorities of riding roughshod over people's rights by ruling two Basque parties out of upcoming polls. AFP PHOTO / RAFA RIVAS (Photo credit should read RAFA RIVAS/AFP/Getty Images)

Basque police remove barricades set up by supporters of the pro independence Basque Nationalist Action-ANV and the Basque Lands' Communist Party-EHAK, during an illegal demonstration against a banning of ANV and EHAK on the upcoming elections, in the northern Spanish Basque city of Bilbao, on February 10, 2008.

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An East Timorese policeman removes a plastic film from a car window at a checkpoint in Dili on February 12, 2008

An East Timorese policeman searches a car Tuesday Feb. 12, 2008 in Dili, the capital of East Timor. The capital was quiet but tense as East Timor declared a state of emergency Tuesday after rebel attacks on the country's top leaders left the president in "extremely serious" condition with gunshot wounds.(AP Photo/Ed Wray)

An East Timorese policeman searches a civilian at a checkpoint in Dili on February 12, 2008.

A Palestinian militant holds his weapon as he takes position near civilians during an Israeli operation in Gaza City early on February 12, 2008.

Palestinian militants from Islamic Jihad prepares to launch a mortar towards Israel from an area near Gaza City, Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2008. Israeli troops, backed by helicopters and armored vehicles, clashed with Palestinian fighters in Gaza City on Tuesday in the course of a raid on rocket-launching operations. Hamas claimed it fired dozens of mortar rounds and seven rockets on troops that moved into the area, but the military said only one mortar round was fired at troops.No serious casualties were reported by either side. (AP Photo/Ashraf Amra)

Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak, center, and his Turkish counterpart Vecdi Gonul review a military guard of honor in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2008. Barak is in Turkey for talks expected to center on defense cooperation between the two countries as well as regional issues, including Iran and Middle East peace.(AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Palestinian police loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas dressed in riot gear, show their skills during an exercise in the West Bank town of Jericho, Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2008. Policemen of the Nablus Public Order Unit participated in a training session organized by the EU Police Mission for the Palestinian Territories, code-named EUPOL COPPS, at the Jericho Training Center Tuesday.(AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

Australian troops patrol Tuesday Feb. 12, 2008, at the airport in Dili, the capital of East Timor. The capital was quiet but tense as East Timor declared a state of emergency Tuesday after rebel attacks on the country's top leaders left the president in "extremely serious" condition with gunshot wounds.(AP Photo/Jordao Henrique)

Masked robbers brandishing handguns stole four paintings by 19th Century masters worth $164 million from a Zurich museum in Switzerland's biggest art theft.

Swiss police in front of the private Buehrle Collection building in Zurich, February 12, 2008.
REUTERS/Michael Buholzer

NAHAL OZ, ISRAEL - FEBRUARY 12: An Israeli tanks return from an overnight operation against Palestinian militants in Gaza February 12, 2008 to the Nahal Oz army base on Israel's border with the Gaza Strip. Even though the Israel Defense Forces launches small-scale incursions into the Gaza Strip on an almost daily basis, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said yesterday that he had instructed the IDF to prepare for a possible wide-scale operation in Gaza in response to the ongoing Qassam rocket attacks from the coastal territory. (Photo by David Silverman/***** Images)

TEHRAN, IRAN - FEBRUARY 11: Revolutionary Guard soldiers stand guard, as Iranians hold a massive rally to mark the 29th anniversary of Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution on February 11, 2008 in Tehran, Iran.

A Sri Lankan soldier keeps watch at the Bandaranaike International Airport at the start of a two-day state visit by Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom on February 12, 2008. Gayoom, (70), the longest serving president in Asia, is to sign a prisoner exchange agreement with Sri Lanka during his visit and is also being conferred with Sri Lanka's highest civilian honour by Rajapakse. AFP PHOTO/Sanka VIDANAGAMA (Photo credit should read SANKA VIDANAGAMA/AFP/***** Images)

An Iraqi army soldier secures the area where Iraqi employees in semi state owned companies take part in an anti-privatisation rally in Baghdad's central Al-Ferdos square on February 12, 2008. Hundreds of employees demonstrated today demanding to stop the privatisation process of the companies where they work as they fear for their jobs and salaries. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/***** Images)

OMAN - OCTOBER 10: The Omani checkpoint is manned by a Baluchi soldier from Pakistan, Dhofar, Oman (Photo by Lynn Abercrombie/National Geographic/***** Images)

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Some pictures of the French Air Force in Afghanistan today,
rafales F2 + mirages 2000. Very nice!!

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Pakistani police officers escorted Aitezaz Shah, a teenager suspected of having a role in the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the opposition leader. He had just appeared at an antiterrorism court in Rawalpindi. The police claim that Mr. Shah had been ordered to kill Ms. Bhutto by Baitullah Mehsud, a militant leader.
Photo: Anjum Naveed/Associated Press

East Timorese soldiers patrol a street Wednesday Feb. 13, 2008 in Dili, the capital of East Timor. East Timor's prime minister said he would push to extend a state of emergency imposed after Monday's rebel attacks on him and the tiny country's president, the latter of whom is now recovering from gunshot wounds.(AP Photo/Ed Wray)

East Timorese police officers guarded a street in Dili, the capital city, during the state of emergency declared after rebel attacks left the country's president in extremely serious condition in an Australian hospital.
Photo: Ed Wray/Associated Press

A Chinese paramilitary policeman stands guard near a portrait of late Chairman Mao Zedong in Beijing February 13, 2008.
REUTERS/Claro Cortes Iv

Members of the Palestinian security forces take part in a training session for anti-riot techniques in the West Bank town of Jericho February 12, 2008.
REUTERS/Nayef Hashlamoun

A British soldier dressed in an old uniform, takes part in a ceremony to mark the Bicentenary of the War of Independence in Madrid February 12, 2008.
REUTERS/Juan Medina

A soldier of the Chadian national army (ANT) sits on a pick-up truck loaded with rocket propelled guns in front of the Presidential Palace in N'Djamena on Wednesday.

Kosovo special police unit members train at the training base in Lebane, some 10 km north of Pristina, Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2008. (AP Photo / Visar Kryeziu)

Iraqi soldier holds a US made M-16 assault rifle at a checkpoint in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2008. The US military started supplying some of the Iraqi army units with the US made weapons. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

Members of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas presidential guard run with their rifles in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2008. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

In this photo provided by Inter Services Public Relations, Pakistan's Army Chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, seventh from right, along with Interim Prime Minister Mohammad Mian Soomro, center, and senior military officers pose for a photograph prior to test firing a short-range Ghazanvi missile at an undisclosed location in Pakistan on Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2008. Pakistan's military said Wednesday it has successfully test-fired theshort-range missile, which has a range of 290 kilometers (180 miles) and is capable of carrying a nuclear device. (AP Photo/Inter Services Public Relations)

Special Forces of the Serbian army demonstrate their capabilities during the general rehearsal in Nis, 200km south of the capital Belgrade, 13 February 2008. The 'Central' celebration of 15 February - the Day of the Serbian Armed Forces call ?Sretenje 08? will be held at Mija Stanimirovic barracks in Nis. The SAF members will demonstrate some of their capabilities by performing specific tasks in antiterrorist operations, deployment in peace missions and civil support in catastrophes along with combat equipment and arms being exhibited. AFP PHOTO / SASA DJORDJEVIC (Photo credit should read SASA DJORDJEVIC/AFP/***** Images)

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I decided to post these PIX here rather than in the Japanese news thread because this thread is more widely viewed.

Japan Self-Defense Forces' (JSDF) working model of a new tank on display during its press preview at the Defense Ministry of Techinical Research and Development Institute in Sagamihara city, Kanagawa prefecture, some 30-kilometre west of Tokyo on Feburary 13, 2008.Eighteen years has past since JGSDF last deployed newly developed tanks. The new tank, which has a maximum speed is 70km/h, is equipped 120mm missiles and is expected to cope well against guerilla commandos and armored vehicles. The tank is 9.42-metre-long, 3.24-metre-width, 2.30-metre-tall and 44-ton-weight tank equips with a 120mm gun, a 12.7mm and a 7.67mm machine guns.

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Lebanese police stand guard in front of a picture showing cars burning following the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, during a pro-government rally marking the third anniversary of Hariri's assassination in downtown Beirut, Lebanon Thursday, Feb. 14, 2008. Throngs of Lebanese were turning out Thursday for two opposing Beirut gatherings _ Shiite Muslims supporters of Hezbollah to bid farewell to its slain top commander Imad Mughniyeh, and their pro-Western opponents at a downtown square to mark former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's 2005 assassination. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Tawil)

Lebanese police officers and army soldiers stand next to their armored personnel carriers as they secure the venue of the third anniversary of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in downtown of Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2008.

A Pakistani armed man guards opposition leaders who are attending a rally against the country's President Pervez Musharraf, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2008. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

An Afghan refugee argues with a police officer during a relief distribution in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2008. Nationwide, the cold weather, snowstorms and avalanches have claimed at least 654 lives and more than 100,000 sheep and goats, according to Abdul Matin Edrak, head of the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Commission.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maaqbool)

South Korean KiAi tanks cross the Han River during an annual winter military exercise against a possible attack from North Korea at Yeoju, south of Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2008. (AP Photo/Yonhap, Lee Jung-hoon)

An Iraqi army soldier secures the area after their convoy came under a roadside bomb attack in Basra, Iraq, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2008. Two soldiers were hurt in the blast. (AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurani)

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South Korea's new XK-2 MBT submersible tank crosses a river during a test run coinciding with a military drill in Yeoju on February 14, 2008. South Korea and US troops are due to stage on March 2 to 7 a joint military exercise codenamed "Key Resolve", replacing the annual Reception, Staging, Onward Movement and Integration joint exercise. It will be the first joint drill to test Seoul's ability to wage war under a scenario in which South Korea has regained wartime control of its troops from the US. AFP PHOTO/KIM JAE-HWAN (Photo credit should read KIM JAE-HWAN/AFP/Getty Images)

A Colombian soldier heavily guards members of the criminal gang known as "Los Machos" after their surrender to the army, on February 13, 2008, in Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. According to the authorities, the ten men were part of the gang that worked for the drug lord Diego Montoya a.k.a "Don Diego", arrested on September 10, 2007. AFP PHOTO/Carlos Julio MARTINEZ (Photo credit should read CARLOS JULIO MARTINEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

A soldier of the Chadian national army (ANT) patrols a street on an armored vehicle in front of the Presidential Palace in N'Djamena on February 13, 2008. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner hailed on February 12, 2008 a resumption of the deployment of an EU peacekeeping force in Chad, a month after it was suspended due to unrest.

An Israeli soldier briefly confiscates the camera of a photographer during a house-to-house search in the West Bank village of Beit Omar, north of Hebron, on February 13, 2008. The Israeli army announced today that it has arrested 66 wanted Palestinians in the West Bank, including 42 in the southern town of Beit Ommar. AFP PHOTO/HAZEM BADER (Photo credit should read HAZEM BADER/AFP/Getty Images)

A Pakistani police officer walks past an armoured personel carrier blocking the main road for traffic in northwestern tribal area of Derra Adam Khel on February 14, 2008

Basque police arrest two girls who had chained themselves to a cement filled barrel to protest at the detention of 14 members of banned pro-independence Basque party Batasuna, during a general strike in the Basque Country and Navarra province, called by Batasuna on February 14, 2008, in the northern Spanish Basque city of Bilbao. AFP PHOTO / RAFA RIVAS (Photo credit should read RAFA RIVAS/AFP/Getty Images)

Riot policemen clash with construction workers, during a protest in Panama City, on February 13, 2008. Violence ensued in the capital, where hundreds of workers took to the streets to protest the death of one of their leaders, Airomi Smith, who was killed by police during a rally on Tuesday. Panamanian construction workers are demanding the creation of security regulations after an increase in the construction rate of skyscrapers, which saw 25 dead workers during 2007. AFP PHOTO/Elmer MARTINEZ (Photo credit should read ELMER MARTINEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

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German NATO-led peacekeepers patrol in the town of Prizren, Kosovo, 14 February 2008. Leaders of Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority are expected to proclaim independence from Serbia on Sunday or Monday, the day of a crucial EU foreign ministers meeting that will discuss the issue. Kosovo has been run by the United Nations since mid-1999, after a NATO air assault drove out Serbian forces waging a brutal crackdown on separatist ethnic Albanian guerillas and their civilian supporters