Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned of a "downward spiral" in Afghanistan if trends continue in comments Oct. 9. "The trends across the board are not going in the right direction," he told reporters. "I would anticipate next year would be a tougher year." (NYT, Oct. 10) On Oct. 6, the departing commander of British forces in Afghanistan said he believes the Taliban cannot be defeated. Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith, commander of 16 Air Assault Brigade, told the London Times that a military victory over the Taliban is "neither feasible nor supportable... What we need is sufficient troops to contain the insurgency to a level where it is not a strategic threat to the longevity of the elected government."

A little-noted news story about the transfer of Iraq-hardened combat troops for active duty at home in the immediate prelude to the elections has been seized upon by Amy Goodman's Democracy Now! Oct. 2 and—with considerably greater paranoia—Naomi Wolf on AlterNet and YouTube Oct. 8, as evidence of an imminent "coup d'etat" or "October Surprise." Gina Cavallaro wrote for Army Times, Sept. 30, emphasis added:

A US district judge ordered the Bush administration Oct. 7 to release 17 Uighur detainees from the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, ruling that the Constitution forbids their indefinite detention without cause. Judge Ricardo Urbina of the US District Court for the District of Columbia gave the government two days to release the Chinese Muslims into the United States, marking the first time that a US court has ordered Guantanamo detainees to be freed. Urbina rejected arguments by the Justice Department that the court could not require the Uighurs' release without violating the doctrine of separation of powers. He further ordered immigration authorities not to take the Uighurs into custody upon their arrival in the US.

Forensic examinations have determined that five bodies found in Ayacucho department, Peru, are relations of Lucy Pichardo, a peasant woman who reported the disappearance of 11 family members after the National Police had conducted a "counter-subversive" operation in the area. The bodies are reportedly those of her husband, brothers and a sister-in-law, who had been pregnant. Pichardo says two children and four adults remain missing.

Police in Mauritania fired tear gas and beat union members Oct. 7 in the second protest this week against the new military regime. Workers threw rocks at police in running skirmishes around the streets of the capital Nouakchott. Police reportedly forced their way into private homes in their pursuit of protesters. Unions organized the protest in defiance of a police ban, two days after a similar protest by political parties opposed to the coup that was also banned and led to clashes. "They have orders to neutralize us," said union leader Abderahmane Ould Boubou. "They beat me severely just to stop these demonstrations, but we've decided to carry on to the end. We will never allow them to take away our freedom of expression." (Reuters, Oct. 8)

The France-based Sudanese opposition website Sudan Tribune reports that the huge arms shipment seized by pirates off Somalia was not ultimately bound for the Kenyan government, as widespread reports had it—but for the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA). If true, this has grim implications for Sudan's already shaky peace process. Adding to the mystery, the usually relibale Sudan Tribune website seems to be down at the moment. Fred Mukinda of Kenya's Daily News offers this Oct. 6 report:

In a three-week enforcement operation that ended Sept. 27, ICE fugitive operations teams arrested 1,157 immigrants in California: 436 in the San Francisco area, 420 in the Los Angeles area and 301 in the San Diego area. The operation targeted "fugitives" who have failed to comply with deportation orders and immigrants with criminal convictions. ICE spokesperson Virginia Kice said 595 of those arrested had outstanding deportation orders and 346 had criminal convictions. Those arrested come from 34 countries. (LAT, Sept. 29; ICE news release, Sept. 29)

On Sept. 5, Shipley Do-Nut Flour and Supply Company Inc. pleaded guilty through its president, Lawrence Shipley III, to conspiring to harbor unauthorized immigrants. The Houston-based company agreed to pay a $1,334,000 forfeiture to the government, federal prosecutors said. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 19. Shipley Do-Nut faces a maximum fine of $500,000 and up to five years probation. As part of the plea deal, the company also agreed to revise its immigration compliance program and implement new procedures to prevent future violations of immigration laws.