September 1, 2014


News Clips For The Day

PROGRESS AGAINST ISIS – TWO ARTICLES

Obama's delay on ISIS strategy leads to strange bedfellows
By REBECCA KAPLAN CBS NEWS September 1, 2014, 5:29 AM

Politicians and pundits on the right initially rallied around the idea that the U.S. needs to be more aggressive militarily in Iraq and Syria to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which is wreaking havoc there.

But in the wake of President Obama's remark last week that "we don't have a strategy yet," there's a new twist: some with Republican ties are suggesting his deliberative approach to forming an ISIS strategy may have some validity to it.

"I do think it's important that...we not treat them as though they are 10-feet tall," the Washington Institute's Michael Singh said on CBS News' "Face the Nation" Sunday in response to a question about whether there's been an overestimation of ISIS' direct threat to the U.S.

"This is a threat that if we have the will, if we decide to do it, I think we can address," added Singh, whose background includes a stint at the National Security Council under President George W. Bush.

The success of U.S. airstrikes in helping to recapture the Mosul Dam and a besieged Shiite Turkmen town from ISIS help "demonstrate that this is a group with vulnerabilities if we do get that right strategy together to take it on," Singh said.

Offering a voice of caution, and breaking from many of his GOP colleagues, is Rep. Tom Cole, R-Oklahoma, who said Sunday there's "way too much emphasis on acting now and doing something immediately instead of being smart about what we do."

Despite the complaints over the president's remarks, Cole said on ABC that the basic strategy was already in place: air power, special operators, building alliances on the ground, and supplying and equipping the Iraqis and Syrians who share U.S. Goals.

"Those things are there. They're tougher in Syria than they are in Iraq. We don't have any preexisting relationships there. But I think at the end, look, I think there's a consensus that we are going to do things," he said.

James Jeffrey, who was a deputy national security adviser to President George W. Bush and an Ambassador to Iraq under Obama, echoed the idea that the president's plan to carry out airstrikes against ISIS announced in June does constitute a strategy, and said that Mr. Obama was carrying it out "not too badly."

"The problem that we have is that we have a president who does not understand that saying we do not have a strategy sends chills down the spine of everybody in the world," he said.

Jeffrey was critical of Democrats who say the U.S. should wait until there are solid coalitions in place, arguing that will only happen with robust U.S. Action.

"If we don't lead and really lead hard, we're not going to get a coalition," he said. "What we have to do is get on with the work and when we do get on with the work it starts working for us."

Juan Zarate, CBS News's senior national security analyst, said that ISIS "isn't a group of invincibles that can't be defeated or repelled if we have the right strategy and approach - along with our allies who are willing to fight."

But in another example that party lines are beginning to disintegrate on both sides of the ISIS debate, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, bucked many of her fellow Democrats when she said that Mr. Obama needs a much more aggressive response to ISIS, without hesitation, agreeing with an op-ed by two of the Senate's most vocal hawks, Republicans John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.

"I think I've learned one thing about this president, and that is he's very cautious -- maybe in this instance too cautious," Feinstein said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "There is good reason for people to come together now and begin to approach this as the very real threat that it in fact is."



http://qz.com/255750/why-the-bombing-of-tripoli-is-a-game-changer-for-the-fight-against-the-islamic-state/


Why the bombing of Tripoli is a game-changer for the fight against the Islamic State
Bobby Ghosh 
August 26, 2014

COALITION OF THE WILLING

If you believe the Obama administration had no idea that the United Arab Emirates and Egypt were about to launch airstrikes in Libya last week, I have a bridge you may want to buy. Egypt’s reliability as a US ally may wax and wane, but the UAE has been a steady partner as well as an avid acquirer of American military hardware. The Emirati air force participated in the 2011 NATO-enforced no-fly zone over Libya that led to the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi.

It defies credulity that the Emiratis would now go behind Washington’s back to launch an attack against Islamist militants who are threatening to undermine the success of the 2011 operation—especially since these latest bombings serve US interests. Some of the components of the so-called “Dawn of Libya” Islamist coalition, which took control of Tripoli in recent days, are virulently anti-American, and may have been responsible for the 2012 attack on the US consulate in Benghazi.

It’s doubly hard to imagine that US and NATO satellites and radar stations in the Mediterranean would not have detected the UAE jets approaching Libyan airspace, and noted where they went after the bombing.

Whatever the reason the White House wants us to think it was shocked—shocked!—that the Emiratis and Egyptians did this, the Obama administration should now move swiftly to capitalize on what could be a game-changer in the war against Islamist terror, and specifically against the Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIS or ISIL).

Why is it a game-changer? Because it marks the first time two Arab nations have teamed up to launch military operations against Islamists in a third. (The 2011 involvement of Saudi troops in putting down an Arab Spring uprising in Bahrain doesn’t count, because it wasn’t about Islamist terror, and because the Saudis were invited.) Even more important, it was the first time two Sunni Muslim nations struck radical Sunni groups in a third Sunni country.

That sets the precedent for the same countries—and others, besides—to join the fight against IS, in Iraq and Syria, as well as the campaign against al-Qaeda and its affiliates worldwide. Plenty of Sunni Arab nations have aerial firepower, much of it in the shape of American aircraft: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Jordan all boast squadrons of F-16s or Apache gunships, or both.

If the UAE and Egypt can collaborate to can bomb Islamists in Tripoli, then the Sunni nations can do likewise in IS strongholds in Raqqa and Mosul. Of course, they might hesitate, especially before doing anything that helps Syria’s dictator, Bashar al-Assad. But the taboo on intervention has been lifted.

Political space is beginning to open up for just such a coalition. IS’s barbaric treatment of fellow Muslims has been greeted with alarm and revulsion in Sunni Arab nations. Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti declared IS Islam’s greatest enemy. The highest spiritual authority in Egypt has issued a similar denunciation.

Of course, it is some distance from condemning IS to joining a military coalition against it. There will be objections from Syria. Shia Iran mayhate IS, but it will not readily welcome Sunni forces—especially if they are part of a US-led campaign—in countries Tehran regards as its zone of influence. There’s much diplomacy and politics to be done before a coalition can be assembled. But the UAE and Egypt have now provided a precedent and an opportunity. The Obama administration should seize it.

Now, about that bridge…




“Politicians and pundits on the right initially rallied around the idea that the U.S. needs to be more aggressive militarily in Iraq and Syria to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which is wreaking havoc there. But in the wake of President Obama's remark last week that 'we don't have a strategy yet,' there's a new twist: some with Republican ties are suggesting his deliberative approach to forming an ISIS strategy may have some validity to it.... Offering a voice of caution, and breaking from many of his GOP colleagues, is Rep. Tom Cole, R-Oklahoma, who said Sunday there's 'way too much emphasis on acting now and doing something immediately instead of being smart about what we do.'... 'Those things are there. They're tougher in Syria than they are in Iraq. We don't have any preexisting relationships there. But I think at the end, look, I think there's a consensus that we are going to do things,' he said.”

I'm glad to see that several Democrats and Republicans are coming together to push for effectively combating ISIS in both Syria and Iraq. Obama is justly criticized for saying “We have no strategy,” when we are already pursuing a good strategy – “'air power, special operators, building alliances on the ground, and supplying and equipping the Iraqis and Syrians who share U.S. Goals.'” The second article I have clipped is about Saudi Arabia and Egypt's bombing of ISIS recently, both of which have been allies to the US for at least a couple of decades now, and we need more countries to join them. Iran, which of course has not been an ally of the US, but which has recently since Rouhani has been elected made several friendly moves toward the US, and has expressed great concern over the advances of ISIS. This article – http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/26/us-saudi-iran-idUSKBN0GQ1VC20140826 – “Iranian minister says Saudi talks 'constructive',” by Michelle Moghtader, August 26, 2104, says that a better relationship between Iran and Saudi Arabia is envisioned, which would make Iran a better prospect as a US ally.

Peaceful ordinary Islamic worshipers have repeatedly said that Islam is a religion of peace. Groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda belie that. If those peaceful Islamic believers will get together and talk, with the aim of creating a philosophical change within Islam – one that espouses the benign, fair, gentle and more intellectually inclined Islamic traditions over the emphasis on Sharia Law, anti-feminism, and war against all other religious groups – Islam will be able to get back its good name as a long-standing and thought based religion, rather than causing a return to the Middle Ages. Despite the Western presence in the Middle East, this is not the Crusades as some Islamists have claimed. If the Islamist fundamentalists continue to rule, however, Islam will become more and more a hated group as a whole, and Islamic immigrants will not be welcome in Europe and the US. There have already been attacks on Islamic people in those areas. Once a few years ago a turban-wearing Sikh was shot dead in a US town as he walked down the street by an ordinary John Doe American. When that sort of things starts, the law can't always protect such groups, and I don't want that to be my America.





In Ukraine, Mariupol residents brace for fight
CBS NEWS September 1, 2014, 6:48 AM

A Pro-Russian rebel prepares arms for the the assault on the positions of Ukrainian army in Donetsk airport, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2014. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday called on Ukraine to immediately start talks on a political solution to the crisis in eastern Ukraine. Hours later, Ukraine said a border guard vessel operating in the Azov Sea was attacked by land-based forces.

Ukraine and Russia called time-out on hostilities at a border point briefly Sunday to swap prisoners, but just hours later, President Vladimir Putin was on the offensive again in the war of words that surrounds conflict.

On Russian state television, he called for talks to discuss "statehood" for southeast Ukraine, reports CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer.

Kremlin spin-doctors quickly insisted Putin wasn't calling for regional independence, but Russia's clear support of the Ukrainian rebels - political and military - has boosted their confidence.

Firmly in control of the first contested city of Donetsk, they are consolidating hold on the city of Novoazovsk, which they seized last week.

Twenty miles away lies the industrial center of Mariupol, widely assumed to be next of the rebels' list.

But the pro-Russian forces won't be welcome here.

Residents came out on the weekend to show their support for the Ukrainian government. In town, a local store was outfitting Mariupol men to join militias units being formed to fight the rebels, while in the next room, women volunteers wove rags into camouflage nets.

Everyone is bracing for a battle Russia still seems determined to back.

Ukraine asked European leaders for help in standing up to Russia. So far all they got is a vague promise of more sanctions perhaps later this week.




“Twenty miles away lies the industrial center of Mariupol, widely assumed to be next of [sic] the rebels' list. But the pro-Russian forces won't be welcome here. Residents came out on the weekend to show their support for the Ukrainian government. In town, a local store was outfitting Mariupol men to join militias units being formed to fight the rebels, while in the next room, women volunteers wove rags into camouflage nets.” This is one Eastern city that is not on the side of Russia. The citizens there are marshalling a local militia to defend themselves against the rebels and Russians. It makes me wonder how many loyal Ukrainians are in the Eastern areas who are simply afraid to speak up. I hope they manage to protect themselves and win some territory for Kiev.






Ferguson, Missouri cops start wearing body cameras: report
CBS/AP September 1, 2014, 4:12 AM

FERGUSON, Mo. -- Police in the St. Louis suburb where a white officer shot and killed an unarmed 18-year-old black teenager have started wearing body cameras,according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson told the newspaper officers had the devices on during a protest march Saturday over the Aug. 9 shooting of Michael Brown by Ferguson officer Darren Wilson.

Jackson said the department was given about 50 body cameras by two companies about a week ago. Company representatives offered training to officers Saturday on using the devices that attach to their uniforms and record video and audio. Jackson said each officer will get one to use.

The chief told the Post-Dispatch officers were able to capture video images of crowd members taunting officers during the demonstration on Saturday. "The quality is good," he said.

Officers are receptive to the cameras, he added. "They are really enjoying them," he told the newspaper. "They are trying to get used to using them."

The use of the cameras comes amid increased attention on police use of force in the wake of the Brown's death. Following the shooting, local police in Ferguson donned riot gear and fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters who refused to disperse and, at times, broke into nearby businesses.

Jackson said body cameras would have made a difference in the investigation of Brown's shooting.

Separately, two separate web pages raising money to back Wilson suddenly stopped taking donations without any explanation over the weekend, the Los Angeles Times reports. The pages, on the crowd-source fundraising site GoFundMe, had raised a total of $433,000, the newspaper says.

Since Brown's death, calls have grown for police to wear the cameras to help clarify how certain incidents unfold.

"It seems to me that before we give federal funds to police departments, we ought to mandate that they have body cams," Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri, said Monday, the Springfield News-Leader reports. "I think that [body cams] would go a long way toward solving some of these problems, and it would be a great legacy over this tragedy that's occurred in Ferguson."

A federal lawsuit filed Thursday alleges that police in Ferguson and St. Louis County used excessive force and falsely arrested innocent bystanders amid attempts to quell widespread unrest after the fatal shooting of Brown.

Policing in the digital age means every moment, every incident can be caught on camera - and sometimes, followed by accusations of excessive use of force. But now, hundreds of police departments are exploring whether their own cameras might create a more complete picture of a scene, CBS News correspondent Teri Okita reported.

Rialto, California Police Chief Tony Farrar believes outfitting police officers with body cameras is going to become the norm.

"This is something that's changing the face of law enforcement," he said.

The American Civil Liberty Union's Peter Bibring says his organization, which normally opposes surveillance of citizens, endorses the body cameras, and not just in Rialto.

"A picture's worth a thousand words and video, many more," Bibring said. "And video, from the perspective of the officer, is going to be an invaluable tool in determining why an officer acted the way he or she did - and whether he or she acted appropriately."

Laurel, Maryland Deputy Police Chief James Brooks told CBS News that all of his street officers now wear cameras. To Brooks, it's all about accountability.

For example, in the case of a drunk driving incident, the officer would only have had his account without the camera.

"So now, you are going down the road, you see a car maybe weaving back and forth, you can turn your camera on and start to capture that evidence that you may want to present for a DUI case in court," Brooks said.




“Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson told the newspaper officers had the devices on during a protest march Saturday over the Aug. 9 shooting of Michael Brown by Ferguson officer Darren Wilson. Jackson said the department was given about 50 body cameras by two companies about a week ago. Company representatives offered training to officers Saturday on using the devices that attach to their uniforms and record video and audio. Jackson said each officer will get one to use....Officers are receptive to the cameras, he added. 'They are really enjoying them,' he told the newspaper. 'They are trying to get used to using them.' … Jackson said body cameras would have made a difference in the investigation of Brown's shooting.... Separately, two separate web pages raising money to back Wilson suddenly stopped taking donations without any explanation over the weekend, the Los Angeles Times reports. … A federal lawsuit filed Thursday alleges that police in Ferguson and St. Louis County used excessive force and falsely arrested innocent bystanders amid attempts to quell widespread unrest after the fatal shooting of Brown.”

I think a grass roots movement has taken hold on the side of justice, rather than the old arguments of “conservatives vs liberals.” I am so very pleased. I have always valued police officers for their valor against criminals and their actions in the case of emergencies in general. Three of my neighbors as I was growing up were on the police force, and they were upstanding people who were friendly to us all. The South has rightfully had a black eye over its racism, but this looks as though there may be a break in the matter. If police will stick to enforcing the law and arresting people, rather than “punishing” suspects by a beating or a shooting, we can have a fair and just environment in which to live. I think we will all find that there will be fewer minorities rioting in the streets when their provocation is lessened. Blacks may even step forward to help the police catch the criminals, rather than stonewalling them, and perhaps apply to work on the police force. Heaven knows we need more black cops.





State Department Urges Israel to Reverse West Bank Appropriation – NBC
- Reuters
First published September 1st 2014, 4:35 am

Israel announced a land appropriation in the occupied West Bank that an anti-settlement group termed the biggest in 30 years, drawing a U.S. rebuke. Some 988 acres in the Etzion Jewish settlement bloc near Bethlehem were declared "state land, on the instructions of the political echelon" by the military-run Civil Administration on Sunday. "We urge the government of Israel to reverse this decision,” a State Department official said in Washington, calling the move "counterproductive" to efforts to achieve a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.

Israel Radio said the step was taken in response to the kidnapping and killing of three Jewish teens by Hamas militants in the area in June. The notice published on Sunday by the Israeli military gave no reason for the land appropriation decision. Peace Now, which opposes Israeli settlement activities in the West Bank, territory the Palestinians seek for a state, said the appropriation was meant to turn a site where 10 families now live adjacent to a Jewish seminary into a permanent settlement.


Israeli settlements in Hebron hills threaten age-old Palestinian livelihoods – NBC
BY DAVE COPELAND, NBC NEWS CONTRIBUTOR
First published November 9th 2013, 10:49 am

TOUBA, West Bank - Shepherds on the scrubby hills of Hebron eke out a living tending sheep, goats and a few camels in much the same way their ancestors did centuries ago.

On a recent morning shepherd Mahmoud Awad pointed to a heavily pregnant ewe. 

“Come, come, quickly, quickly,” he shouted. “Baby, baby!” Within minutes he had delivered a lamb barehanded.

While helping bring new life into the world, Awad and others in this tiny community deep in the occupied West Bank are struggling to cling onto their livelihoods.

For years Awad, 34, and his extended family who live in tents and limestone caves say they have been persecuted by residents of the Israeli settlement of Maon. There are frequent reports of harassment and incursions by settlers and soldiers. Palestinians often rely on peace activists to escort children to school and farmers to their fields. 

“It is getting worse and worse. The settlers are controlling more and more land and spreading to more areas,” said Guy Butavia, an activist with human rights organizations Ta’ayush and Rabbis for Human Rights. “Since the beginning of the year, the election, (the settler movement) has got more power.”

Israeli settlements on land occupied after the 1967 Arab-Israeli war are considered illegal by most governments around the world, although Israel disputes this. With some 500,000 Israelis living alongside around 2.5 million Palestinians, the settlements on land Palestinians hope one day will form their state are considered a major roadblock in U.S.-sponsored peace talks.

On Wednesday, Secretary of State John Kerry urged Israel to limit settlements.

"Let me emphasize at this point the position of the United States of America on the settlements is that we consider them... to be illegitimate," he said, reaffirming long-standing U.S. Policy.

Policy or not, Awad and his family have deep ties to the West Bank. 

“We’ve been here for 250 years, my great grandfather, my grandfather, they both lived for 110 years,” he said. “I was born here in a cave.”

When unauthorized Israeli settlers first came to the area in the 1980s, the communities coexisted, but in recent decades the relationship Israelis and Palestinians soured, Awad says.

And last year Awad was attacked by a knife-wielding settler from Maon, he says.




“Israel Radio said the step was taken in response to the kidnapping and killing of three Jewish teens by Hamas militants in the area in June. The notice published on Sunday by the Israeli military gave no reason for the land appropriation decision.” On the Israeli land appropriation, I can only say that this is the kind of thing that they have done for years now, and which absolutely prevents the Palestinians from agreeing with them long enough to establish the two state structure that would be just and peaceful. I was struck by a few words in the news article, “the military-run Civil Administration.” Does this mean that part of the Israeli government is “military run?” If so, that is the kind of thing that third world countries do when the government clamps down ruthlessly on the citizens. Military governments have a terrible reputation. See the following from a Wikipedia article.


Israeli Civil Administration
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Civil Administration is the Israeli governing body that operates in the West Bank. It was established by the government of Israel in 1981, in order to carry out practical bureaucratic functions within the territories occupied in 1967. The Civil Administration is a part of a larger entity known asCoordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), which is a unit in the Defense Ministry of Israel. The creation of a civil administration for the West Bank and Gaza Strip was incorporated within the Camp David Accords signed by Egypt and Israel in 1978.[1]The Camp David Accords did not include the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in the talks over issues of the Palestinian-claimed territories.[2] Through the implementation of the Oslo Accords agreed upon by Israel and the PLO, the Civil Administration transferred some of its governance capacities to the Palestinian National Authority in 1994.[3] Since 1994, the Civil Administration has largely focused on matters involving the issuing of movement permits.[4] Upon the implementation of Israel's unilateral disengagement plan from the Gaza Strip in 2005, the Civil Administration has exercised authority exclusively in the West Bank.

The nature of this body was defined in Military Order No. 947, by the 1981 military government of the West Bank and Gaza:

"We hereby establish a Civil Administration in the region [West Bank and Gaza]. The Civil Administration shall run all regional civil matters, correspondingly to this [Military] decree, for the wellbeing and for the sake of [local] population, and with the purpose of providing and operating the public services, considering the need to maintain a proper governance and public order".

The Civil Administration is responsible for all Administrative aspects of the local population within Area C of the West Bank, and is responsible for coordinating with the Palestinian Authority, which has full administrative authority in Area A, and limited authority in Area B, as per the Oslo Accords. Among other things, it is responsible for the entrance permits from the West Bank to Israel, travel permits within the West Bank, and work permits (for Palestinians seeking to enter from the West Bank to Israel in order to work). It also decides on matters concerning the approval of new and already built housing units in settlements. [7]

The Civil Administration that operates as part of the COGAT unit receives its budget from the Israeli government.



On the life of poor Palestinians in the West Bank and their means of livelihood, see the following: “For years Awad, 34, and his extended family who live in tents and limestone caves say they have been persecuted by residents of the Israeli settlement of Maon. There are frequent reports of harassment and incursions by settlers and soldiers. Palestinians often rely on peace activists to escort children to school and farmers to their fields.... Policy or not, Awad and his family have deep ties to the West Bank. 'We’ve been here for 250 years, my great grandfather, my grandfather, they both lived for 110 years,” he said. “I was born here in a cave.' When unauthorized Israeli settlers first came to the area in the 1980s, the communities coexisted, but in recent decades the relationship Israelis and Palestinians soured, Awad says. And last year Awad was attacked by a knife-wielding settler from Maon, he says.”

When I think that the Palestinians and other Arab groups would have long since been living at peace beside Israel today, if they simply had accepted the presence of the modern Jews in their ancient homeland in a Jewish state, I feel less sympathy for them. On the other hand, the Jewish state has not been gentle and has made more than one land grab beyond the original proposed borders of 1947. The country was established in 1948 wit a Jewish declaration of independence, and many nations of the world acknowledged them, welcoming them into the UN, after the US led the process.

The following from Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_Declaration_of_Independence – is recommended reading for background. It is apparent that the enmity between the Arabs and the Jews was immediate and constant, down to the present day. If the Palestinians had moved over and given them a place at the table rather than immediately attacking them in 1948, I think the Jews would have blended in. People do tend to sympathize with the Jews because Hitler tried his best to exterminate them, and the world stood by without helping them until Germany was finally defeated. There were individuals in Europe and the US who helped them, but not many. When the Allied soldiers went into the concentration camps, the conditions they found were horrible beyond belief and the world felt very guilty for their failure to help the Jews.

The persecution of Jews has occurred from time to time throughout Europe down to the Middle Ages. The world has owed the Jewish people a fair shake. I just wish they would stop taking more Palestinian land and really make an attempt to establish a respectful and peaceful relationship with an acknowledged Palestinian state. They could start by giving back some of the land that they have conquered and annexed over the years and allowing the Palestinians a place in Jerusalem, which is a sacred city to the Palestinians, too. I would love to see that happen in my lifetime.





Ebola Is Rapidly Mutating As It Spreads Across West Africa – NPR
by MICHAELEEN DOUCLEFF
August 28, 2014

For the first time, scientists have been able to follow the spread of an Ebola outbreak almost in real time, by sequencing the virus' genome from people in Sierra Leone.

The findings, published Thursday in the journal Science, offer new insights into how the outbreak started in West Africa and how fast the virus is mutating.

An international team of researchers sequenced 99 Ebola genomes, with extremely high accuracy, from 78 people diagnosed with Ebola in Sierra Leone in June.

The Ebola genome is incredibly simple. It has just seven genes. By comparison, we humans have about 20,000 genes.

"In general, these viruses are amazing because they are these tiny things that can do a lot of damage," says Pardis Sabeti, a computational biologist at Harvard University and the lead author of the study.

Hidden inside Ebola's tiny genome, she says, are clues to how the virus spreads among people — and how to stop it.

"As soon as the outbreak happened and was reported in Guinea," she says, "two members of my lab flew out and worked to set up the diagnostics to pick it up in Sierra Leone."

The team helped to find the first Ebola cases in Sierra Leone. They also immediately shipped diagnostic samples from the patients back to the U.S. and started sequencing the viruses' genomes.

"We had 20 people in my lab working around-the-clock," Sabeti says.

Their furious pace paid off. After just a week or so, the team had decoded gene sequences from 99 Ebola viruses. The data offered a treasure-trove of information about the outbreak.

For starters, the data show that the virus is rapidly accumulating new mutations as it spreads through people. "We've found over 250 mutations that are changing in real time as we're watching," Sabeti says.

While moving through the human population in West Africa, she says, the virus has been collecting mutations about twice as quickly as it did while circulating among animals in the past decade or so.

"The more time you give a virus to mutate and the more human-to-human transmission you see," she says, "the more opportunities you give it to fall upon some [mutation] that could make it more easily transmissible or more pathogenic."

Sabeti says she doesn't know if that's happening yet. But the rapid change in the virus' genome could weaken the tools researchers have to detect Ebola or, potentially, to treat patients.

Diagnostic tests, experimental vaccines and drugs for Ebola — like the one recently used to treat two American patients — are all based on the gene sequences of the virus, Sabeti says. "If the virus is mutating away from the known sequence, that could be important to how these things work."

The new genomic data also indicate that the outbreak started when just one person caught Ebola from an animal. Since then the virus has been spreading through human-to-human transmission — not through humans eating infected bush meat (wild game) as was first thought.

"We're really concerned because a lot of the messaging going around ... is, 'Don't each bush meat; don't eat mango; don't anything that might be in contact with animals,' " she says. "When you see some of those fliers, you're like, 'OK, you just told them not to eat all the main sources of food.' "

So the advice from health officials to avoid bush meat may be doing more harm than good, she says.

Sabeti and the team also compared the Ebola genomes from Sierra Leone with those found in previous outbreaks in Central Africa. Their findings suggest the virus has been circulating around West Africa for about a decade.

"This study is really an impressive tour de force," says virologist Stephen Morse of Columbia University.

But he says he's not surprised the virus is mutating so rapidly.

"We've seen this in a number of infections — SARS for example, influenza and HIV of course," Morse says. "Very often when a new virus is introduced into the human population very suddenly, it will show accelerated rates of evolution."

So should we be concerned that the virus might pick up a mutation that makes it more contagious or deadly?

"That's very hard to say. In most cases, the answer would be 'no,' " Morse says. "But Ebola is obviously a concern and very virulent. I'd say it's too early at this point to speculate on what any mutation or any change, even with rapid evolution, might lead to."

A number of scientists working on the project contracted Ebola while treating patients. "Five of them passed from Ebola," Sabeti says, including Dr. Shiek Humarr Khan. He was Sierra Leone's top virologist and had treated dozens of Ebola patients before catching the virus.

Health workers in Sierra Leone, who talked to NPR in the spring, blamed a lack of proper protective equipment for infections at the government-run hospital in Kenema, where Khan worked.

"The work [treating patients] is just that dangerous," Sabeti says. "Another British nurse at the hospital has just come down with Ebola. You're seeing so many infections going on. It's an extraordinary thing that's going on right now [in Sierra Leone]."




“The findings, published Thursday in the journal Science, offer new insights into how the outbreak started in West Africa and how fast the virus is mutating.... For starters, the data show that the virus is rapidly accumulating new mutations as it spreads through people. 'We've found over 250 mutations that are changing in real time as we're watching,'... the rapid change in the virus' genome could weaken the tools researchers have to detect Ebola or, potentially, to treat patients.... A number of scientists working on the project contracted Ebola while treating patients.... Health workers in Sierra Leone, who talked to NPR in the spring, blamed a lack of proper protective equipment for infections at the government-run hospital in Kenema, where Khan worked.”

Though virologist Stephen Morse of Columbia University has said that it's hard to predict what forms the virus may be developing toward, the scariest of all changes would be for it to become airborne as the monkey virus at Reston did. This article didn't specify what some of the 250 known changes in the virus are, which would have made it more informative. We can only hope that our vaccines, when we do manage to manufacture them, will continue to cause antibodies that are well enough matched to the bug to kill it.