Hi there, !
Today Fri 01/01/2010 Thu 12/31/2009 Wed 12/30/2009 Tue 12/29/2009 Mon 12/28/2009 Sun 12/27/2009 Sat 12/26/2009 Archives
Rantburg
531688 articles and 1855967 comments are archived on Rantburg.

Today: 67 articles and 302 comments as of 11:11.
Post a news link    Post your own article   
Area: WoT Background    Non-WoT    Opinion        Politix   
Iran MPs rally against populace
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 1: WoT Operations
1 00:00 lord garth [] 
1 00:00 Frozen Al [] 
0 [] 
19 00:00 notascrename [1] 
8 00:00 Hank [] 
0 [] 
9 00:00 Nimble Spemble [] 
2 00:00 lord garth [] 
2 00:00 Old Patriot [] 
0 [] 
0 [] 
8 00:00 Old Patriot [] 
1 00:00 JosephMendiola [] 
2 00:00 Skunky Glins**** [] 
6 00:00 Skunky Glins**** [] 
15 00:00 notascrename [] 
0 [] 
0 [] 
0 [] 
0 [] 
0 [] 
3 00:00 lotp [] 
0 [] 
1 00:00 JosephMendiola [] 
5 00:00 abu do you love [] 
0 [] 
1 00:00 Angleton9 [] 
2 00:00 JosephMendiola [] 
3 00:00 JosephMendiola [1] 
Page 2: WoT Background
2 00:00 Hank []
3 00:00 crosspatch []
1 00:00 Whiskey Mike []
1 00:00 anymouse []
2 00:00 Cornsilk Blondie []
0 [1]
16 00:00 JosephMendiola []
8 00:00 trailing wife []
3 00:00 Besoeker []
1 00:00 JosephMendiola []
1 00:00 JosephMendiola []
1 00:00 PBMcL []
3 00:00 Angleton9 []
8 00:00 Frank G []
Page 3: Non-WoT
4 00:00 Barbara Skolaut [1]
1 00:00 Mullah Richard []
5 00:00 Steve White []
0 []
12 00:00 USN, Ret. [1]
1 00:00 JosephMendiola []
Page 4: Opinion
10 00:00 trailing wife [1]
3 00:00 Bright Pebbles []
0 []
9 00:00 JosephMendiola []
16 00:00 Cornsilk Blondie []
11 00:00 Broadhead6 [1]
4 00:00 abu do you love []
Page 6: Politix
10 00:00 frank martin []
4 00:00 Frank G []
9 00:00 Old Patriot [1]
6 00:00 Anguper Hupomosing9418 []
7 00:00 JosephMendiola []
9 00:00 JosephMendiola []
18 00:00 Eric Jablow []
7 00:00 regular joe []
11 00:00 JosephMendiola []
3 00:00 Glenmore []
3 00:00 Procopius2k []
Good morning
Posted by: Fred || 12/29/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Nothing from Gulf Bravo to start my morning; wassup' wif' dat'?
Posted by: WolfDog || 12/29/2009 10:01 Comments || Top||

#2  I understand GB is home with family this week.
Posted by: Scooter McGruder || 12/29/2009 12:12 Comments || Top||

#3  Corinne Mae Griffin aka "The Orchid Lady of the Screen"



Why do Boa's hate us?

Feather Duster

Coffee, Tea or me

Nearly Nekkid

Daily Gam Shot

Nightie Night


Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC || 12/29/2009 12:28 Comments || Top||

#4  Ok, I'll fill in for Gee Bee.

Fan Dancer

Corinne Colorized

Deco Style

Sorry, I have hay fever

The divine lady of the air!
Posted by: Parabellum || 12/29/2009 12:29 Comments || Top||

#5  Hah! Beat me by one minute!
Posted by: Parabellum || 12/29/2009 12:34 Comments || Top||

#6  Seems like it's "Pinch Hit for GoffBravo Week" in the 'Burg.
Posted by: Mike || 12/29/2009 14:21 Comments || Top||

#7  The 'burg seems to have a deep bench!
Posted by: Glenmore || 12/29/2009 14:24 Comments || Top||

#8  Fred has assembled quite a team. ;-)
Posted by: lotp || 12/29/2009 15:39 Comments || Top||

#9  Still waiting for Women of the Burg Week.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 12/29/2009 18:58 Comments || Top||


Afghanistan
U.S. Soldier Killed in Western Afghanistan Shooting
NATO says a U.S. service member has died in a shooting incident in western Afghanistan. NATO offered no other details, but Afghan Gen. Jalander Shah Bahnam said an Afghan soldier opened fire Tuesday after NATO troops tried to prevent him from approaching an area where an allied helicopter was about to land. He said the American service member died and two Italian soldiers were injured.

Bahnam, the corps commander for the Afghan National Army's western region, said the NATO troops returned fire, injuring the Afghan soldier. He said the incident happened at a military base in the Bala Murghab district of Badghis province.
Posted by: ed || 12/29/2009 12:02 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


11 Taliban Militants, 2 Police Dead in Afghan Clashes
[Quqnoos] At least 11 Taliban militants and two Afghan police were killed in clashes in north-western Afghanistan, officials said Monday.

Afghan and NATO-led troops launched an overnight operation in Bala Morghab district, a Taliban stronghold, killing eight militants, said Badghes Police Chief, Sayed Ahmad Saami.

He said the foreign and Afghan troops were unharmed in the clash.

In a separate gun-battle in the neighbouring district of Qhadis, two Afghan policemen were killed and three others had gone missing, the Police Chief said.

Three militants were also killed when police returned fire, he further added.

Meantime, locals said that air strikes against Taliban hideouts in Bala Morghab district claimed the lives of three civilians and injured four others. But Mr Sami declined to make a comment.

Taliban have not made an immediate comment over the casualties.

The operation in Bala Morghab is on-going, according to officials.
Posted by: Fred || 12/29/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Ten Afghan civilians killed in NATO airstrikes
[Iran Press TV Latest] Ten civilians including eight school children have been killed the latest episode of NATO's imprecise airstrikes in Afghanistan.

"Initial reports indicate that in a series of operations by international forces in Kunar province... 10 civilians, eight of them school students have been killed," Afghan President Hamid Karzai's office said Monday.

Karzai has strongly condemned the killings in the airstrikes and appointed a delegation to investigate the event.

NATO forces in Kabul said they were looking into the incident, but declined to give further details.

Kunar representative in the parliament walked out of an important session debating appointments to Karzai's new cabinet in protest at the civilian casualties.

The border regions of Kunar have long been volatile as Taliban militants are said to cross the porous border from Pakistan to fight Western troops and Afghan government forces.

The imprecise operations carried out by the 100,000-plus foreign forces in Afghanistan have been criticized for their potential in claiming civilian casualties.

In one of the worst such cases, more than 140 people, including at least 30 civilians, were killed or wounded in Kunduz Province on September 4.
Posted by: Fred || 12/29/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban

#1  latest episode of NATO's imprecise airstrikes

The airstrikes are extremely precise; IF civilians and school children are killed it is because they were being used as human shields for Taliban attacking NATO forces. Alternatively the civilians and students may well have been attacking NATO forces themselves - in A'stan you don't have to be an adult or military to shoot at infidels.
Posted by: Glenmore || 12/29/2009 7:25 Comments || Top||

#2  In an insurgency, "asymmetrical war" or whatever politically correct term you want to use, none of the "enemy combatants" wear uniforms. Also since we have a vast trove of anecdotal information that women and children actively participate in the mayhem, either as suicide boomers or shooting at our troops, how can any moron say we killed civilians with a straight face?

Same freaking problem we had in Viet Nam, women shooting our wounded, kids throwing hand grenades at convoys...and when we popped them, we were shooting civilians...

Its all crap, nuke the danged place, bulldoze it and start over...or eradicate islam.
Posted by: Karl Rove || 12/29/2009 10:24 Comments || Top||

#3  Glenmore, don't get too hasty about the accuracy of NATO forces.

France is in there and while I will not fault their troops bravery under fire the pilots cannot be trusted to not break the unbreakable. Having them hit off-target with GPS-guided munitions is unthinkable . . . but they have succeeded at it in the past.
Posted by: Jame Retief || 12/29/2009 11:22 Comments || Top||

#4  A NATO official said that Sunday's mission in Kunar was a joint, ground operation involving U.S. and Afghan forces and no aircraft were used. The official sought anonymity so as not to interfere with coalition's involvement in the Afghan-led investigation of the incident.

The planned mission was against an insurgent network tracked for some time that was believed responsible for homemade explosive attacks on Afghan and international forces, the official said.

Based on weapons and improvised explosive device components found at the scene, the troops involved in the mission confirmed the deaths of nine insurgents, who were all young males, he added.

Gen. Zaman Mamozai, the local border police commander, also said Tuesday that those killed were insurgents.

He told The Associated Press by telephone that he had received photos from the forces involved in the fighting that show the young victims were armed insurgents planning attacks against international troops. Mamozai said coalition forces found homemade explosives in the house where the incident happened.

"I don't see civilians in the photos," he said. "The coalition said our target was insurgents who were planning to sabotage the security of the area. This operation looks like a successful operation. It seems like the men, ages between 25 and 30, were meeting in a room when they were struck."
Posted by: ed || 12/29/2009 12:07 Comments || Top||

#5  BTW, it must suck when those Lions of Islam see a squad of Americans bust into their hideout like Terminators and wastes each one, one by one.
Posted by: ed || 12/29/2009 12:11 Comments || Top||

#6  And it really sucks when they don't have a woman or child to hide behind, or a burka to hide in.
Posted by: anymouse || 12/29/2009 14:58 Comments || Top||

#7  RE:#2
nuke the danged place, bulldoze it and start over...or eradicate islam.

how about 'all of the above'?
Posted by: abu do you love || 12/29/2009 15:42 Comments || Top||

#8  Sooner or later we're going to have to hit the Presidential Compound in Kabul. That's the source of most of the propaganda war against Allied forces.
Posted by: Old Patriot || 12/29/2009 17:17 Comments || Top||


Africa North
Qaeda claims kidnapping of Italians in Africa: TV
[Al Arabiya Latest] Al-Qaeda's North African wing claimed responsibility on Monday for this month's kidnapping of an Italian couple in Mauritania, Al Arabiya reported.

In an audiotape recorded on Dec. 27, Salah Abu Mohamed, spokesman for al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, said the kidnapping was linked to the "crimes of the Italian government in Afghanistan and Iraq."

The couple, Sergio Cicala, 65, and his 39-year-old wife Philomene Kabouree, went missing in the country's southeast on Dec. 18.

Security sources reported the couple's minibus was found empty and bullet-ridden on Dec. 19.

Reports from witnesses claimed the kidnappers appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the night shooting at the bus and specifically its tires. They took the Italian couple with them leaving the bus behind.

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, formerly known as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, has also claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of three Spanish aid workers in northern Mauritania in late November.

Italy's government responded by saying that the report would not affect efforts to secure the release of the couple and that they would use all political and diplomatic channels available.

"I don't think this changes anything with respect to the efforts which are underway," Alfredo Mantica, undersecretary for foreign affairs, told Sky Italia television.

Mantica also added that kidnappings in that area were usually related to ransom money rather than ideology.

Although never officially confirmed, analysts say ransoms are often paid. However the group did execute a British hostage in Mali this year.

For its part, the Mauritanian government has sought to reassure foreigners saying it is taking "all necessary measures to ensure their security".

öIn recent years, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has extended its territory to include Mauritania. In December 2007, the group prompted the cancellation of the Dakar Rally after killing four French tourists. It has also claimed responsibility for a number of attacks in Algeria and other countries in the region.

Posted by: Fred || 12/29/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in North Africa

#1  ION GLOBAL TIMES.CN > WHY CHINA IS AFRAID TO USE MILITARY FORCE AGZ SOMALI PIRATES?

To wit,

* China's respect for State-specific SOvereignty and International Law, +
* Regional PLA military forces + support networks are woefully inadequate for desired level of security, +
* Fear of serious damage to Rising China's + PLA's international credibility + prestige as the PLAN [PLA lead service agz Somali Pirates] has little to no curr or contemporary COMBAT EXPERIENCE.
* Fear by smaller SOUTHEAST ASIAN GOVTS-NATIONS that unilateral or asymmetric Chin milaction is a cover for newfound CHINESE IMPERIALISM.

Iff CHINA hopes one day to be a US-style geopol superpower, par or even to replace the USA, ITS GOT TO "LEARN BY DOING" - ITS NOT GOING TO DISCOVER = RE-DISCOVER ITS PROFICIENCIES + GET THE RUST OUT OF THE PLA, ETC. BY KEEPING ITS MILFORS BACK HOME AND SAFE IN PERENNIAL TRAINING.

ITS CHALLENGE + COMBAT WHICH VALIDATES THE TRAINING. There is such a thing as growing stale, soft, or incompetent due to always being in training [complacency].

To paraphrase SUN TZU + OTHER > ONE DOESN'T KNOW HIS TRUE/REAL STRENGTH [skills] UNTIL HE COMES UP AGZ SOMEONE WHOM IS THE SAME OR STRONGER.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 12/29/2009 21:56 Comments || Top||


Africa Subsaharan
Three Saudis killed by gunmen in remote Niger
[Al Arabiya Latest] Three Saudi Arabian citizens were killed and three others wounded by unidentified gunmen on Monday while travelling in a car near Niger's border with Mali in West Africa, and Saudi King orders sending a plane to transport home their bodies.

"There are six victims, three dead and three wounded. They are all Saudi tourists," said Adamou, governor of the African country's Tillaberi region.
Jihadi tourists, I imagine. What other reason can there be to wander through that part of the world if one isn't in the oil buisiness?
Shooting bustards. They're real big on shooting endangered species.
The group was made up of six Saudi nationals and two Malians and was travelling to Mali.

Following reports of the attack, Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz ordered sending a plane to bring the bodies of the victims. King Abdullah also announced a state of emergency in the Saudi embassy in Niger to ensure the safety of Saudi citizens in the African country.

"Niger's government deplores these barbarous acts that were unfortunately perpetrated on its territory, and offers its condolences to the Saudi government," he said.

The attack, near the village of Djambala, comes in a restive zone where Tuareg rebels and al-Qaeda cells are active.

In December 2008, a Canadian diplomat, Robert Fowler, his assistant and their driver were taken hostage by Qaeda operatives and were held until April.

Posted by: Fred || 12/29/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in North Africa

#1  Chickens. Home. Roost.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 12/29/2009 1:27 Comments || Top||

#2  Yellowcake
Posted by: Skunky Glins**** || 12/29/2009 17:51 Comments || Top||


Arabia
Al-Qaida group claims responsibility for airliner attack
Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula on Monday claimed responsibility for the attack on a U.S. airliner bound for Detroit on Christmas Day, saying it was retaliation for a U.S. operation against the group in Yemen.
Yes, yes. Frightening as is the thought of what might have been, the fact is the U.S. operation succeeded. The Al Qaeda operation failed in a painful and life-changing way.
Federal authorities met today to reassess the U.S. system of terror watch lists to determine how to avoid the type of lapse that allowed a man with explosives to board the flight in Amsterdam even though he was flagged as a possible terrorist.

In a statement posted on the Internet, al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula said 23-year-old Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab coordinated with members of the group, an alliance of militants based in Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
Posted by: Fred || 12/29/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Arabia

#1  “In a statement posted on the Internet, al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula said 23-year-old Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab coordinated with members of the group, an alliance of militants based in Saudi Arabia and Yemen.”

But…but President Obama assured us yesterday Abdulmutallab was just an…“isolated extremist”. I am so confused.
Posted by: DepotGuy || 12/29/2009 11:08 Comments || Top||

#2  DepotGuy - listening to "President" O'Bumble can confuse anyone. Listening to his "czars" and cabinet secretaries is equally as bad. Remember the computer saying, "Garbage in, garbage out"? Our "President" has been spoon-fed Marxist garbage since he was six years old.
Posted by: Old Patriot || 12/29/2009 17:21 Comments || Top||


Yemen says Houthi rebel leader may be dead
The leader of Yemen's Shia rebels may have died after being severely wounded by government forces in the north of the country, a Yemeni government website and media said on Sunday.
Our prayers for sepsis have been heard!
In a separate development, al Qaida's wing in Yemen said in an Internet statement that it would take revenge over raids targeting the group this month, which it said were carried out by US jets and killed about 50 men, women and children.

The Shia rebels, known as the Houthis after the family name of their leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, are fighting government troops in impoverished Yemen's mountainous north, complaining of social, religious and economic discrimination.

Yemen's defence ministry website said Houthi was wounded in an attack by troops and might have died from his wounds.

"There are increasing reports about the death of the terrorist Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, who was severely injured in an attack aimed at a gathering with a group of terrorist elements," the website said, adding that he may have been buried already.

Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television also said the rebel leader was dead, citing unnamed Yemeni sources as saying he was killed in an airstrike. Yemeni news websites carried the same report.

The rebels could not be contacted and their website did not comment on the reports. Past reports about Houthi's death were never confirmed but the latest reports appeared to be stronger.

The conflict drew in neighbouring Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, after the Houthis seized Saudi territory last month, prompting Riyadh to launch strikes against them.

The United States and Saudi Arabia fear al Qaida will exploit instability in Yemen to stage attacks in the kingdom and beyond.

The rebels said in a statement on their website on Sunday that Saudi Arabia launched 31 air raids on the Jaberi area -- a Saudi territory with a large rebel concentration -- in addition to 15 air strikes on areas in Yemen on Saturday night.

"Air strikes and missiles continued all of last night...," the statement said. "This morning, the Saudi army began to advance inland into Jaberi."

Saudi officials could not be reached for comment.
Posted by: Fred || 12/29/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  TOPIX/DRUDGEREPORT > YEMEN GOVERNMENT: OVER THREE HUNDRED AL QAEDA MILITANTS ARE INSIDE COUNTRY, + planning attacks.

* TOPIX > [Mutallab]AL QAEDA VOWS MORE US ATTACKS. Attacks agz West + "Crusaders" anywhere around the World until such time they leave the Lands of Allah = Island of Arabia .
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 12/29/2009 22:45 Comments || Top||


Britain
Abdulmutallab was president of university Islamic society
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the alleged Detroit bomber, was president of University College London's Islamic society, according to a university spokesman.

Terror suspect Abdulmutallab, who is charged with attempting to destroy the Christmas Day Northwest Airlines Flight 253, was president of the society between 2006 and 2007.

Faisal Hanra, a spokesman for the Federation of Student Islamic Societies, said: "We became aware that Abdulmutallab was president of the Islamic Society within the last 24 hours.

"It came as quite a shock. This raises a number of concerns, and we are making efforts to contact as many members of the society from the time as we can."

UCL said that Abdulmutallab, who was a full-time student from 2005 until 2008 "never gave his tutors any cause for concern", adding that he was "well mannered, quietly spoken, polite and able".

The university's Islamic Society last month attracted criticism after allowing Abu Usama to speak on campus – Usama has previously preached that homosexuals and opponents of Islam should be killed and women are mentally deficient. The university called off the event after protests.
Posted by: ryuge || 12/29/2009 02:05 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda

#1  Faisal Hanra, a spokesman for the Federation of Student Islamic Societies, said: "We became aware that Abdulmutallab was president of the Islamic Society within the last 24 hours.

Wha?..


"It came as quite a shock. This raises a number of concerns, and we are making efforts to contact as many members of the society from the time as we can."

Hunh? For what purpose?
Posted by: Ralphs son Johnnie || 12/29/2009 2:58 Comments || Top||

#2  And now he is what is known as "a complete failure".
Posted by: crosspatch || 12/29/2009 4:32 Comments || Top||

#3  He will be considered a 'true' muslim by many in islamic shitholes and radicals in the West
Posted by: Paul2 || 12/29/2009 7:57 Comments || Top||

#4  And here I thought he led his chapter of the Ancient Order of Hibernians. Who'd a thunk?
Posted by: Black Bart Ebberens7700 || 12/29/2009 8:19 Comments || Top||

#5  Given that the IRA trained FARC in bombing methods, and that there are pro-Islamicist voices in Ireland, that may not be too far fetched in the near future Black Bart.
Posted by: lotp || 12/29/2009 9:01 Comments || Top||

#6  "It came as quite a shock. This raises a number of concerns, and we are making efforts to contact as many members of the society from the time as we can."

Hunh? For what purpose?


Ralphs son Johnnie, I imagine the phone call/text/email says, "Clean up the mess. The next knock on your door will be the police and MI-6."
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/29/2009 9:23 Comments || Top||

#7  Quite honestly, he does like very presidential.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/29/2009 10:03 Comments || Top||

#8  "well mannered, quietly spoken, polite and able"

American policies have turned another well mannered, quietly spoken, polite and able young man into an alleged criminal. Another chicken coming to America to roost? Was it our support of Israel? Our imperialist attempt to corner the market on nuclear weapons? Maybe our insistence on taking more than our share of the earth's precious resources? Woe is us - we have all these criminals coming to roost.
Posted by: Hank || 12/29/2009 23:19 Comments || Top||


Home Front: WoT
Investigators Recover SIM Cards During Searches of Homes Tied to Abdulmutallab
Cell phone-related materials, including SIM cards, were recovered during searches of "flats or apartments of interest" connected to Flight 253 bomber suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, Fox News learned Monday.

SIM cards, which store cell phone numbers and incoming or outgoing calls, may be able to determine who was talking to whom in the months and days prior to Abdulmutallab's flight from Nigeria to Detroit.

The cards are now being analyzed as investigators continue searching locations where Abdulmutallab may have stayed.

The discovery comes as a court hearing to determine whether the government can get DNA from the suspect was postponed. The federal court in Detroit says a hearing scheduled for Monday has been delayed until Jan. 8. No reason was given.

On Monday, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula reportedly claimed responsibility for the attempt.

Investigators believe the suspect was radicalized before he went to Yemen, sources told Fox News. According to one source, Abdulmutallab traveled to Yemen sometime near the end of last year or early this year. He was there for several weeks or months, and investigators believe Abdulmutallab was "vetted for the mission" while in Yemen.

Investigators are still working to confirm whether the suspect was trained in Yemen and received explosive material there. Of the device, one source said it's "very likely that it did" come from Yemen.

The suspect also traveled within the last year to England, the Netherlands, and one other unnamed European country, Fox News has learned. He was also in Nigeria and Togo. One source said he "bounced around a bit."

Evidence collected shows that Abdulmutallab also was a "big fan" of radical imam Anwar Al-Awlaki, as Web traffic shows Abdulmutallab was a follower of Awlaki's blog and Web site

Posted by: Fred || 12/29/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Arabia

#1  WIth all that has publicly been released about what this nutjob claims to know and the noise coming from Yemen, it would sure be nice if the Dems would unretire the waterboards to find out the real meal deal, instead of just playing 'pretty please.' It seems to me that things are heating up in a hurry. And that is only from what the Feds want us to know.
( maybe a chaser of giggle juice would also be in order)
Posted by: USN, Ret. || 12/29/2009 0:07 Comments || Top||

#2  What can you do to torture someone who has already burned their own nuts off?
Posted by: crosspatch || 12/29/2009 4:33 Comments || Top||

#3  Still asking....what did the FBI Legal Attaché office guy (Legat) at the USEMBASSY Lagos know and when did he know it? What did the Chief of Station Know? What did the Chief of Mission Know? Cable traffic from Lagos to Washington? If not, why not?

Just like Fort Hood, someone is phueching sleeping or has been told to go to sleep.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/29/2009 7:22 Comments || Top||

#4  "Hey Bob. Lot of calls on these SIMs to 212-548-0600, 866-675-2008 and 202-456-1414."
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 12/29/2009 8:48 Comments || Top||

#5  That picture needs one improvment, a thirten Knot noose.
Posted by: Redneck Jim || 12/29/2009 13:09 Comments || Top||

#6  Why do I not have SIM cards lying around the house?
Posted by: Skunky Glins**** || 12/29/2009 18:04 Comments || Top||


Jasper Schuringa Yanked Flaming Syringe Out of Abdulmutallab's Pants
The Dutch hero credited with halting a suicide bomber's attempt to blow up a plane loaded with Christmas travelers said today the syringe the bomber was holding was on fire and was stuck deep into the bomber's pants.

"I really had to pull it out of his hands because he kind of resisted. And it was also kind of stuck in his underwear," Jasper Schuringa told "Good Morning America" today.

Fresh details emerged today about the terror attack aboard Northwest Flight 253 on Christmas day, largely from "GMA's" interview with Schuringa, the passenger who leaped over plane seats to subdue alleged bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.

"When I came to the seats he was holding ... the object which was on fire and smoke was coming out of it," Schuringa said. "I really had to rip the whole object out of his pants."

Posted by: Fred || 12/29/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda

#1  Well, he is from Amsterdam.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 12/29/2009 2:07 Comments || Top||

#2  Thank God for "The Flying Dutchman"!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Yosemite Sam || 12/29/2009 9:35 Comments || Top||

#3  The flaming syringe was a chemical fuse for the bomb.
This guy had 80 grams in his pants and the bomb that nearly nailed the Saudi Minister of counterterrorism and public relations had 100 grams in his underwear...I guess PETN is pretty powerful stuff.
Posted by: Karl Rove || 12/29/2009 10:29 Comments || Top||

#4  are there air Marshals on these planes anymore?
Posted by: 746 || 12/29/2009 11:07 Comments || Top||

#5  Do I detect soiled underwear? Jasper Schuringa prevented this from becoming a disaster as anyone. He is a hero. The administration said it was an isolated terrorist incident and that the system worked. What a load of crap we are spooned shoveled up and expected to believe.
Posted by: JohnQC || 12/29/2009 12:03 Comments || Top||

#6  #4 are there air Marshals on these planes anymore? Posted by 746

It is my understand that the Netherlands does not permit the use of US Air Marshalls.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/29/2009 12:08 Comments || Top||

#7  This is a great time to tell that Netherlands that there will be Air Marshalls on US bound flights or there will be no flights at all.

Given the number of Dutch on that flight, I suspect it would not meet with alot of objections.
Posted by: Frozen Al || 12/29/2009 12:17 Comments || Top||

#8  I wonder if CAIR will be suing MR Schuringa
Posted by: lord garth || 12/29/2009 13:52 Comments || Top||

#9 

#8 I wonder if CAIR will be suing MR Schuringa
Posted by: lord garth 2009-12-29 13:52

Definitely. This was profiling.

Another case of 'flying while Muslim with a flaming high explosive tucked between your legs.'

Posted by: Nimrod Finster || 12/29/2009 16:30 Comments || Top||

#10  Air Marshalls on US bound flights

Could US Air Marshalls do any better than Mr. S did, or would they get analysis paralysis as they radioed in a "potential situation" in to headquarters for authorization to remove flaming object from pants?

Angry passengers seem to be our best insurance against terrorists on board to date.

Im not trying to be fresh, just wondering what the SOP on use of force by Air Marshall look like? Does anyone definitively know what a Marshall can and can't do?
Posted by: GirlThursday || 12/29/2009 16:38 Comments || Top||

#11  That's likely sensitive information, GirlT.
Posted by: lotp || 12/29/2009 17:42 Comments || Top||

#12  Yes, the mystique of the Air Marshall, I forgot momentarily. Like taxpayers would ever be permitted to know what protections their money is buying.
Posted by: GirlThursday || 12/29/2009 19:06 Comments || Top||

#13  'What a load of crap we are spooned shoveled up and expected to believe.'

You cant fool all the people all the time, but those aren't the ones to concentrate on.
Posted by: GirlThursday || 12/29/2009 19:22 Comments || Top||

#14  I think Jasper should have given the syringe back—just like the way I use a syringe every evening: into the abdomen.
Posted by: Eric Jablow || 12/29/2009 19:56 Comments || Top||

#15  Screw the rules, this dutch guy deserves a center-fold spread in Real B*lls magazine.
Posted by: notascrename || 12/29/2009 22:55 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
US B-52 bomber hovers over FATA
PESHAWAR (Agencies) - America's B-52 heavy bomber aircraft, which can carry nuclear and conventional ordnance with worldwide precision navigation capability, was again seen hovering over Pakistan's tribal areas on Sunday.

The flights of US B-52 bomber, along other spy planes, continued over Fata for last several weeks, causing panic among the locals.

Quoting sources, a private TV channel reported that the US drones and B-52 warplanes were hovering over areas of North and South Waziristan and Kurram Agency for the last several weeks.
Posted by: john frum || 12/29/2009 08:04 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Getting a B-52 to hover is quite a trick!
Posted by: Parabellum || 12/29/2009 8:15 Comments || Top||

#2  Helicopters "hover." A B-52 orbits... until his ordnance is expended or a relief on station, whichever comes first.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/29/2009 8:16 Comments || Top||

#3  Loiters?
Posted by: Rhodesiafever || 12/29/2009 8:22 Comments || Top||

#4  Ja, ja brah, dat ooks.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/29/2009 8:28 Comments || Top||

#5  At the altitude they normally fly during a mission, would you even see a B-52?

RC-135, KC-10 or KC-135 would be the more likely as they're large, have 'swept-wings', and may fly at lower altitudes. I thought maybe even an E-3, but the dome would be pretty obvious to even a goat herder.
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 12/29/2009 8:39 Comments || Top||

#6  During the initial Afghanistan operations the B-52's would purposefully fly at an altitude guaranteed to produce contrails. It's PsyOps.
Posted by: AllahHateMe || 12/29/2009 8:48 Comments || Top||

#7  When I was a teenager in South Central Nebraska - the B-52s out of SAC would, sometimes, practice low level bombing runs on the region. If you saw a Buff making a low level run over you now THAT was impressive.
Posted by: 3dc || 12/29/2009 10:35 Comments || Top||

#8  As long as it causes panic among the locals.
Posted by: Bobby || 12/29/2009 11:27 Comments || Top||

#9  Are we sure that it, technically speaking, wasn't lollygaggging?
Posted by: Mizzou Mafia || 12/29/2009 11:37 Comments || Top||

#10  Arclight?
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 12/29/2009 11:43 Comments || Top||

#11  Glad to see they've got mid-air refueling of Drones working.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 12/29/2009 12:56 Comments || Top||

#12  Lets just hope that the B52`s find some targets, and start dropping some bombs.
Posted by: Dave UK || 12/29/2009 13:19 Comments || Top||

#13  A few years ago at Mt. Rushmore they had a joint flyover of a B-52 and a B-1. Fun watching them when they're just strutting - would sure hate to see them if they wanted to kill me. Also a P-51 and an F-15/16 (I know the difference, I just don't remember which was flying) - it was pretty neat - the Mustang was about wide open and the jet was nose high & flaps spread.
Posted by: Glenmore || 12/29/2009 13:37 Comments || Top||

#14  Getting a B-52 to hover is quite a trick!

Actually, it's pretty easy: just hit the "P" key and pause Flight Simulator, then F11 for external view and use the cursor keys to pan around it.
Posted by: Mike || 12/29/2009 15:40 Comments || Top||

#15  A B-52 orbiting over the border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan might look to be over Pakistan from the point of view of someone on that side of the border.

If you are 50 miles from the border, you can probably see a plane orbiting at 30,000+ feet if it is within about 200 miles of you.
Posted by: crosspatch || 12/29/2009 15:50 Comments || Top||

#16  Do you think the drones may be relaying target coords to the B-52? The plane can carry a lot of ordinance.
Posted by: BrerRabbit || 12/29/2009 16:06 Comments || Top||

#17  "jet exhaust was frying chickens in the barnyard!"

Posted by: Don Vito Anginegum8261 || 12/29/2009 17:02 Comments || Top||

#18  Anybody crazy or stupid enough to fly a BUFF low enough to fry chickens is asking to eat a hill.
Posted by: mojo || 12/29/2009 21:12 Comments || Top||

#19  So they finally brought out the H.A.R.C.!
Posted by: notascrename || 12/29/2009 22:24 Comments || Top||


Three militants arrested near Kashmore
[Dawn] Police, in a routine snap check operation, arrested three suspected militants near Kashmore early Monday, DawnNews reported.

The militants, travelling from NWFP in a van, were on their way to Sindh and were carrying a heavy quantity of arms, ammunition and explosives.

DPO Kashmore Abdul Salam Sheikh said the militants wanted to transfer the arms and ammunitions, including detonators, explosives, guns and suicide jackets, to different parts of Sindh.

However, police intercepted their van and following a brief pursuit, they were nabbed.

Police said they were still determining the nature and the number of materials seized from the van. Meanwhile, a search operation was launched in parts of Kashmore.
Posted by: Fred || 12/29/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: TTP


Seven militants arrested from Khyber's Bara
[Dawn] Security forces arrested seven militants from Khyber agency's Bara tehsil, DawnNews reported. Meanwhile, a shop was blown up by militants in Landi Kotal.

FC officials claim to have killed over a hundred foreign terrorists during the military operation in the Khyber tribal region.

Security forces have also arrested at least 200 militants from different parts of Bara tehsil since the operation began. A curfew was imposed in the area as search and clearance operations were underway.

Separately, militants blew up a shop located along the Pak-Afghan Highway in Khyber's Landi Kotal tehsil.
Posted by: Fred || 12/29/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Lashkar-e-Islami


Clashes in Orakzai kill 15
[Dawn] Gun battles between Taliban and a tribal militia killed 15 people on Monday in Pakistan's lawless tribal belt on the border with Afghanistan, security officials said.

The clashes broke out when Taliban fighters attacked homes and trenches dug by the anti-Taliban militia in the Stoorikhel area of Orakzai district, 200 kilometres (125 miles) from northwestern city Peshawar, officials said.

Security officials said the Taliban destroyed several houses and killed nine men from a rival militia, which was set up to challenge the Islamists who hold sway in parts of Orakzai.

"They also killed local tribal elder Malik Sharif and took over his house,"one official said.

"We have reports that nine militia men and six militants have been killed. The fighting is still going on," a security official based in the neighbouring garrison city of Kohat told AFP by telephone.

"There are casualties on both sides. Gun battles are continuing. Both sides are using heavy weapons," said an intelligence official in the town of Hangu.

Hakimullah Mehsud, who heads the umbrella Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, comes from Orakzai and many Taliban fighters are believed to have fled to the area to escape an offensive against the group's stronghold in South Waziristan.

Pakistan has encouraged locals to organise lashkars, or tribal militias, against militants in parts of the northwest, where the country's traditional army with equipment shortages has found it difficult to eradicate insurgents.

Regular soldiers have launched numerous offensives in the tribal belt, but Washington is increasing pressure on Islamabad to do more against Al-Qaeda and stop insurgents crossing the border to attack Western troops in Afghanistan.
Posted by: Fred || 12/29/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: TTP


Fifteen turbans banged in Wazoo operation: ISPR
[Dawn] At least 15 militants extremists were killed in the ongoing Operation Rah-e-Nijat during the last 24 hours, a press released issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

The militants raided Boya Narai Post in South Waziristan Agency, late last night. Security forces retaliated and as a result 15 miscreants were killed including militant commander Zainual.

Two security personnel, Lance Havaldar Sikandar and Havaldar Aftab embraced martyrdom while three others were injured during the gun battle.

Soon after successful retaliation the security forces conducted search and clearance operation in Marobi Raghzai and Zhawar Killi in Razmak sector and a compound in Landi Wah near Lakki in Shakai sector and seized a large cache of arms and ammunition.

The security forces also carried out search and clearance operation in Atror near Kalam, Chuprial and Nilgram areas of Swat during Operation Rah-e-Rast and recovered several weapons.

At least three terrorists voluntarily surrendered to security forces at Roringar and Devolai. Security forces also carried out search and clearance operation in Mingora city and Tal, Kandao near Shah Dheri and Taghma areas of Swat and recovered arms and ammunition.
Posted by: Fred || 12/29/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: TTP


Three dead in Nepal blast: police
[Dawn] Three people were killed and two others injured on Monday when a bomb suspected by police to be a left-over from Nepal's civil war went off in the southwest of the country, officials said.

"Three people of a same family died on the spot and two were seriously injured," police officer Prabin Adhikari, told AFP from Chitwan district, 80 kilometres (50 miles) southwest of Kathmandu.

The blast occurred while the family was working on the field at the back of their house on Monday morning, according to police.

"We suspect the bomb must have been left unattended on the field during the armed conflict," Adhikari said.

Rebel Maoists waged a 10-year war against the government until a peace deal was struck in 2006.

Many unexploded bombs litter the country, left in villages and jungles during the conflict, which claimed the lives of more than 16,000 people.
Posted by: Fred || 12/29/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Second blast in Karachi in two days
[Dawn] Thirty people, three policemen and four children among them, were injured when a low-intensity bomb exploded during a Muharram mourning procession in Qasba Mor area of the city on Sunday.

This was second such incident in the city in two days. Although bomb disposal personnel said the blast had not been caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) but by gas from an open sewer line along the road, the crater at the place was larger than usually seen after a sewerage line bust.

"We thoroughly checked the area and found nothing which shows it's a bomb blast," said Capital City Police Officer Waseem Ahmed.

"The situation is quite clear but we are still investigating to strengthen our findings. The injuries were caused when construction material dumped on the roadside came down due to force of the explosion."

But doctors at the Qatar Hospital and Abbassi Shaheed Hospital, where the injured had been taken to by residents, ambulances of charity organisations and also by law-enforcement personnel, found splinter wounds on their bodies.

"The wounds appear to have been caused by a bomb blast," said Dr Mashhooduz Zafar Farooq, medical superintendent at the Abbassi Shaheed Hospital. "We received seven people who had suffered minor injuries. They were discharged after necessary treatment."

Officials at Qatar Hospital in Orangi Town, where 27 injured people had been treated, were of the same opinion. "The 27 injured included two boys nine to 10 years old and three policemen," said one of the officials. "One policeman was taken to the Abbassi Shaheed Hospital because he required a minor head surgery which we couldn't do here, but he was out of danger."

Violence erupted in Qasba and Ali Garh areas after the blast and dozens of charged youths took to the main road chanting slogans against the government, blaming it for what they called its failure to make adequate security arrangements.
That certainly is one way to describe the government sponsorship, training and funding of jihadi groups that were intended to be aimed at India and Afghanistan.
While police maintained calm and tried to persuade the protesters to disperse, some people set on fire two taxis and another vehicle parked in the area.

Despite police insistence that it was not a case of bomb explosion, the incident set alarms bell ringing in law-enforcement quarters and senior officials met later in the night to review security arrangements for Ashura on Monday.
Posted by: Fred || 12/29/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Pakistan


Death toll at Karachi Ashura procession blast hits 33
[Geo News] The death tally, in suicide blast at the mourning procession in connection with Ashura -- 10th Muharram, has mounted to 33 people while as many as another 80 unfortunate persons sustained wounds here at MA Jinnah Road in Karachi on Monday, Geo news reported.

The blast struck the city's main Ashura procession when the suicide bomber blew himself up near Light House at MA Jinnah Road, killing at least 32 people and wounding 80 others.

More than 400 shops and over 50 vehicles were set on fire by the enraged mob in different parts of the metropolis.

The blast triggered stampede and panic among the participants of the procession. Some unknown armed men also fired shots. Fire broke out after the blast in Karachi, fanning thick smoke into the sky, and people were running in all directions.

Earlier in the day, hundreds of mourning processions converged to Nishtar Park, from where they marched down the MA Jinnah Road. As the mourners reached the Tibet Center, a powerful blast took place.

Fahim Siddiqui, senior reporter of Geo News, is also among the injured. Siddiqui has been shifted to a nearby hospital, where he is getting emergency treatment.

Speaking to Geo News, Interior Minister Rehman Malik strongly condemned the blast and termed it a suicide attack. Malik said no Muslim could be involved in such heinous acts of terrorism.

MQM chief Altaf Hussian also called upon the people to maintain calm.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, in their separate messages, have also strongly condemned the blast at main procession of Aushra in Karachi on Monday.

The President and the Prime Minister also ordered immediate inquiry and submission of report. They also ordered for provision of immediate best medical facilities to the injured. The two leaders also appealed to the masses to remain peaceful.

According to media reports, angry mob have set ablaze Light House building situated at the MA Jinnah Road. While several vehicles, parked around the city court, have also been set on fire, sources said.

People are stranded in the building, which was set on fire.

There are also reports of unrest at different parts of the city, including Numaish, Jafar Society and MA Jinnah Road.

Edhi ambulances, KESC vehicles and police mobiles were torched.
Posted by: Fred || 12/29/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Pakistan

#1  These Moslem sure throw a good Party. Everywhere you turn around Moslems are blowing each other up and threatening each other and bombing the apostates and cutting off the heads..who? I dont know, does it matter?

yay team. Go! Go! Go!

Allah loves you PBUH. KowabonGA!

I want a stuffed one for the den.It all has to do with their personal charm and inner Values.
No, really.
Posted by: Angleton9 || 12/29/2009 7:49 Comments || Top||

#2  DAWN.PK > [Iran Armed Forces Chief of Staff] US, ISRAEL SEEK TO UNDERMINE PAKISTAN SOVEREIGNTY.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 12/29/2009 21:27 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Pro-Gaza protesters besieged in Cairo
[Ma'an] Surrounded by police, an international group of human rights advocates staged a demonstration at a UN installation in Cairo on Monday after the Egyptian government denied their request to enter Gaza.

Former EU parliament vice president Luisa Morgantini, Filipino Senator and president of the Transnational Institute Walden Bello and others held a news conference outside the UN building in Cairo in hopes to negotiate their entry in Gaza via the Rafah crossing.

Another member of the Gaza Freedom March group, Holocaust survivor Hedy Epstien, 85, declared a hunger strike in protest of Egypt's decision. More than 600 others joined the demonstration at the UN building, one of the event's organizers told Ma'an in a telephone interview.

"We have a lot of police surrounding us -- we are besieged," Ziyaad Lunat said, speaking from outside the UN compound on Cairo's Mourad Street.

"It is a visual show. We are camping [outside the UN building] and so many different banners are flying."

Lunat added that the demonstrators are surrounded by hundreds of Egyptian guards and will remain outside the UN building until the negotiations are complete.

The Gaza Freedom March delegates, a group of 1,400 activists from 42 countries, intended to enter Gaza with humanitarian aid to commemorate Israel's Cast Lead operation.

The group was meant to leave for Rafah via Al-Arish on Monday, but were told that Egyptian security forces would not allow busses to take transport them. Egypt informed the group they could not travel due to the "sensitive situation" along the Gaza border.

Negotiations are underway to allow the transit of the delegates into Gaza, where they intend to march to Israel's Erez crossing on 31 December to bring an end to blockade on the coastal strip.

Meanwhile, several hundred French activists who amassed on Sunday in front of the French embassy in Cairo, demanding that buses be allowed to take them to the Rafah crossing, remain camped out in front of the embassy in an attempt to secure their entry into Gaza.

The activists, from the solidarity group EuroPalestine, erected several tents in front of the French embassy. The French Ambassador, as a result, met with the activists to negotiate on their behalf, a statement released by the US anti-war group CODEPINK, which organized the Gaza Freedom March.

Lunat said that the "French Ambassador has promised to help."

Olivia Zemor, the coordinator of the French group said in the statement, "we are waiting for the buses, we are staying in front of the French embassy, even if it's not comfortable, it's much more comfortable than Gaza."

The commotion in Cairo also comes amid controversy around Egypt's construction of a steel wall along the border with Gaza intended to cut of underground smuggling tunnels.

The tunnels represent a lifeline for Gaza's 1.5 million residents, who rely on them to import food, fuel, medicine, and other goods made scarce by two and a half years of an Israeli blockade.
Posted by: Fred || 12/29/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Hamas

#1  it's much more comfortable than Gaza.

How soon can you dig a tunnel to smuggle croissants? And, by all means, fire some rockets at Egyptians.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 12/29/2009 1:34 Comments || Top||

#2  This is absolutely HILARIOUS ? Palestine will be OURS! Yeah, give it to them. Human waves of French queers and EUroweenie politicians. Pink banners everywhere. Xst! go get the camera.

And your little dog TOO!
Posted by: Angleton9 || 12/29/2009 7:34 Comments || Top||

#3  It's quite likely Palestine will indeed be theirs as part of the Eurabia which Euro elites are stealth creating quite quickly. link
Posted by: lotp || 12/29/2009 8:18 Comments || Top||


Al-Aqsa Brigades claim Gaza shelling
[Ma'an] The Al-Aqsa Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah, said on Monday that they fired a homemade projectile overnight at an Israeli installation near the Kissufim crossing in the central Gaza Strip.

The group said in a statement that this was in retaliation for the Israeli operation in the West Bank city of Nablus on Saturday when three Al-Aqsa-affiliated men were killed.

An Israeli military spokesperson said officials were not aware of any such event.

"From an initial check the IDF is not aware of any shelling or any rocket falls in the Kissufim area," a military representative said over the phone.

Israeli special forces killed the three Nablus men alleging that they were linked to the fatal shooting of a settler on Thursday night.

Also on Saturday, Israeli force shot death three Palestinians who Israel claimed tried to enter Israel. Palestinian officials said the three were collecting scrap metal near the border.

Saturday's violence was the worst Israeli-Palestinian death toll since the end of Israel's three week offensive on Gaza last winter which left 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis dead.
Posted by: Fred || 12/29/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Aqsa Martyrs


Southeast Asia
Gunmen kill two in Thai south
Terrorists Suspected militants have shot and killed two men in the latest unrest in southern Thailand, police said on Tuesday.

A 48-year-old Muslim man was shot dead by a group of gunmen on a pick-up truck while he was on his way home from a mosque in Narathiwat province on Monday night. Early on Tuesday in the same province, a 29-year-old Buddhist man was shot as he travelled with his parents to work at a rubber plantation, police said. He died later at hospital, but his parents were unharmed.
Posted by: ryuge || 12/29/2009 01:49 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Intel report: Iran seeking to smuggle raw uranium
Iran is close to clinching a deal to clandestinely import 1,350 tons of purified uranium ore from Kazakhstan, according to an intelligence report obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press. Diplomats said the assessment was heightening international concern about Tehran's nuclear activities.
Rest at link
Posted by: ed || 12/29/2009 17:46 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  hmmm.

apparently they had plenty of yellowcake but have 'used it up'

but they have no functioning reactors and no bombs (if they had, they would have had a demo) so what happened to the old yellowcake?
Posted by: lord garth || 12/29/2009 22:19 Comments || Top||


Iranian MPs Rally Against Demonstrators
Honest. This is not The Onion.
Payvand.com - The majority hardline faction of the parliament held a rally on Tuesday against the opposition protests which took place on Sunday in Tehran and other cities.
Right. The government taking to the streets to demonstrate against the people. That makes sense. Not a lot of sense, but sense. In a dictatorial sort of way. I guess.
Also allows the Maximum Leader to see who's still on board ...
The peaceful protests by the supporters of the Green Opposition Movement turned into riots when the security forces attacked the unarmed people.
Don'tcha just hate it when the oppressed fight back?
According to state TV, 15 people died in the event which coincided with the holy day of Ashoura. Government is blaming the protesters for violating the sanctity of Ashoura.
For which it killed 15 of them and threw 300 or 400 of them into jug.
The MPs first rallied in the parliament hall and then outside around the building to voice their support for the government.
That'd be themselves, natch...
Ali Larijani, speaker of the parliament, was among the protesting MPs.
After you go past ridiculous and wallow in sublime for awhile what comes next?
Posted by: Fred || 12/29/2009 14:28 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  The government taking to the streets to demonstrate against the people. That makes sense.

Actually that happens here too, with Dems in Congress complain about the ungreatful peasants. In America, they just bite off your finger instead of kill you. So far.

Posted by: Frozen Al || 12/29/2009 15:48 Comments || Top||


Hamas buries two killed in Beirut bombing
[Ma'an] The Hamas movement laid to rest on Monday two men killed in an explosion in Beirut on Saturday.

The two were buried in Al-Burj Ash-Shamali Refugee Camp in Beirut.

According to Lebanese sources, forensic experts determined that the blast was caused by a 15 kilogram charge of TNT that was placed underground in the city's Haret Hreik district.

Also on Monday, the leader of Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party, Walid Jumblatt, became the first to point the finger at Israel for the apparent assassination.

In his weekly column in the Al-Anbaa newspaper that the incident was a "sabotage act that only confirms the [depth] of Israel's aggressions against Lebanon, either through recurrent violations of Lebanon's airspace, land and sea or through security incidents."

At a news conference on Sunday afternoon, Hamas' top official in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan cautioned the public not to jump to conclusions about the explosion, stressing that an investigation was "ongoing."

Earlier on Sunday Hamas leader in Gaza Ayman Taha confirmed that the two were Hamas members
Posted by: Fred || 12/29/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Hamas

#1  Lest we fergit ISRAELI MIL FORUM > LEBANON REPUDIATES UN RESOLUTION #1559 OUTLAWING HIZBOLLAH AS A TERRORIST-MILITIA GROUP.

The pro-Islamist Hizzies Hezzies Huzzies Hazzies look upon pro-Secular HAMAS wid disfavor + distrust, even iff Hamas is also agz Israel.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 12/29/2009 1:51 Comments || Top||

#2  both Hamas ans Hezbollah are competing for subsidies from Iran; it makes for some disagreement at times
Posted by: lord garth || 12/29/2009 4:21 Comments || Top||


In Iran, extent of unrest damage determined
One day after clashes erupted between anti-government protestors and security forces in the Iranian capital, Tehran's Firefighting Organization talks of the extent of the damage.

Speaking to the official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) on Monday, Head of the Public Relations office of Tehran's Safety Services and Firefighting Organization Behrouz Tashakkor said 838 firefighters were dispatched to various locations in Tehran on Ashura.

"Nine residential buildings, 9 vehicles, 7 shops, 2 banks and 3 power stations were set on fire [by anti-government protestors], " Tashakkor said.

The Iranian official added that "18 garbage bins" were also set on fire.

Protestors took to some central and downtown streets in Tehran on Sunday, hijacking the Ashura ceremonies, during which people commemorate the 7th century death of Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) grandson, Imam Hussein (PBUH).

The protesters reportedly chanted slogans against top Iranian government officials. Iranian police forces used tear gas to disperse protestors.

Eight people were confirmed dead during the unrest.

Among those killed on Sunday was Seyyed Ali Mousavi, the nephew of Mir-Hossein Mousavi. Police described his death as "suspicious," saying that investigations into the assassination were underway.

Confirming the deaths, Iran's deputy police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said the force did not use violence against protesters, denying any involvement in the killings.
Posted by: Fred || 12/29/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  ION FREEREPUBLIC > BREAKING: IRANIAN MILITARY UNITS FORM "NATIONAL ARMED RESISTANCE COMMAND" [NIRU]???

D *** NG, out of nowhere comes the LEFT FIELD!

* OTOH ISRAELI MIL FORUM > FRENCH MAGAZINE SAYS ISRAEL WILL ATTACK IRAN AFTER DECEMBER. Artic describes possible LARGE-SCALE. LIMITED-TIME/ PERIOD IDF COMMANDO OPERATION INSIDE IRAN [search-and-destroy], NOT FULL-FORCE IDF or US-ISRAELI, OTHER OPERATION???

SAME > SYRIA'S PATH TOWARDS ISLAMIST TERROR.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 12/29/2009 1:44 Comments || Top||

#2  OOOOPSIES, forgot TOPIX > IRAN: NUCLEAR PLANT CANNOT BE DESTROYED BY "CONVENTIONAL" ATTACK.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 12/29/2009 1:46 Comments || Top||

#3  Apparently Mendiola is right on top of it.

Arent you glad you dont live in Moslem Paradise like Iran? Moslem Values and Moslem lifestyles and well...lots of Moslems?

yeah.
Posted by: Angleton9 || 12/29/2009 7:40 Comments || Top||

#4  Iran has destabilized Iraq by sending terrorists, arms, and IEDs to Iraq. It's about time the Ahmadinejad and the mad mullahs receive a large dose of payback.

Why is the U.S. not providing support to Iranian exile groups as well as the dissents inside Iran? It seems that Iran is nearly ripe for toppling.
Posted by: JohnQC || 12/29/2009 17:01 Comments || Top||

#5  because this admin only supports dictators and totalitarian regimes... you know intellectual fellow travelers.

people calling for liberty makes him nervous...
Posted by: abu do you love || 12/29/2009 20:11 Comments || Top||


15 dead in Iran protests
Iranian state television reported that more than 15 people were killed in protests, 10 of whom were members of "anti-revolutionary terrorist" groups.

The other five who died during Sunday's fierce clashes in the Iranian capital were killed by "terrorist groups," the report said, without elaborating.

"In a suspicious act, five people were killed by terrorist groups and the ministry of intelligence announced that more than 10 of the known members of anti-revolutionary terrorist groups were killed," the state television website said.

An opposition leader earlier criticized Iran's hardline rulers for killing innocent people during a religious festival, a reformist website reported.

According to opposition websites the unrest had spread to other parts of Iran, including the holy city of Qom, Shiraz, Isfahan, Najafabad, Mashhad and Babol.

The reports could not be independently verified because foreign media are banned from covering protests.

The White House condemned the "unjust suppression" of civilians by the Iranian government and said the United States was on the side of protesters.

Canada condemned what it called "brutal violence" used by Iranian authorities against protesters and urged restoration of human rights in the country.

While German Chancellor Angela Merkel slammed the "unacceptable" crackdown on pro-opposition demonstrators and pressed Tehran to respect civil rights.

The killings showed that the confrontation between the opposition and the clerical establishment had entered a volatile phase, in which the security forces appeared determined to stamp out the pro-reform movement.

The disputed re-election of hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has plunged Iran into its biggest internal crisis since the 1979 Islamic revolution, exposing deepening divisions in its ruling elite and setting off a wave of protests that the opposition says left over 70 people dead.

Officials say the death toll was half that number.
Posted by: Fred || 12/29/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran


Mousavi nephews body missing from hospital
[Al Arabiya Latest] A relative of Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi said his nephew's body was removed from hospital without the family's permission, a day after he was shot dead in clashes during anti-government protests, which state TV said killed 15 people.

The body of Seyed Ali Mousavi, the nephew of Iran's opposition leader killed in Tehran protests, has been transferred from the hospital to an unknown location, his brother told a website on Monday.

"My brother's body was taken away from the hospital and we cannot find it," Seyed Reza Mousavi told Parlemannews, the website run by the reformist minority faction in parliament.

"Nobody accepts responsibility for taking away the body ... We cannot have a funeral before we find the body."

The 35-year-old nephew of Mir Hossein Mousavi was shot dead in Tehran's Sunday protests which turned into the bloodiest showdown between opposition protesters and security forces in months.

Tehran police said they were investigating the death.

"The killing of Mousavi's nephew in Ashura incidents is being investigated and the result will be announced soon," Tehran police chief Azizollah Rajabzadeh told ILNA news agency on Monday.

Jaras said opposition politician Ebrahim Yazdi, leader of the banned Freedom Movement and foreign minister in Iran's first government after the 1979 Islamic revolution that overthrew the U.S.-backed shah, was detained early on Monday at his home.

Authorities also arrested aides to reformist ex-president Mohammad Khatami and Mousavi, another website reported.

Khatami aides "Morteza Haji and (Hasan) Rasooli were arrested," Parlemannews said. The two men run Khatami's non-governmental Baran organisation.

"Mousavi advisors Alireza Beheshti, (Ghorban) Behzadian-Nejad and (Mohammad) Bagherian were also arrested in the morning," it added.

Posted by: Fred || 12/29/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  The evil Juice took it for body parts.

Everybody knows that.
Posted by: Angleton9 || 12/29/2009 7:42 Comments || Top||


Iran police fire teargas to disperse protesters-website
Police fired teargas on Monday to disperse supporters of reformist leader Mirhossein Mousavi who gathered to express their condolences over his nephew's death in an anti-government rally, an Iranian opposition website said.

Iran's Supreme National Security Council said eight people were killed on Sunday in anti-government protests across Iran that erupted during the religious festival of Ashura. Iran's Health Ministry said over 60 people had been injured in Tehran.

The deaths and scale of confrontations may signal a volatile new phase in which security forces loyal to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei try to crush the reformist movement.

"These are the hardest clashes we've seen since June," said a Western diplomat in Tehran, referring to demonstrations after the disputed presidential election, adding that bitterness over the deaths may spark fresh protests and a harsh state reaction. He said Iran's leadership was under great pressure but showed no sign of losing its grip.

Among the dead on Sunday was a nephew of Mousavi. State television said unknown assailants killed Ali Habibi Mousavi Khamene. A Mousavi ally described his death as martyrdom. "A group of Mousavi supporters have gathered in front of Ebn-e Sina hospital where his nephew's body was kept ... Police fired teargas to disperse them," the Norooz website reported.

A moderate website said on Monday the body of Mousavi's nephew was missing from the hospital.

"We can not hold a funeral until my brother's body is found," said another of Mousavi's nephews said, according to parlemannews. Clashes were expected at the funeral ceremony.

Violence flared up across Iran. Jaras opposition website said three advisers of Mousavi were detained on Monday, a day after five people were killed in Tehran. Earlier the website reported the arrests of four pro-reform politicians.

Opposition websites said police fired on protesters in Tehran on Sunday, saying eight people were killed in the capital and other cities when tens of thousands of people took to the streets. Police denied the claim.

Police said the "suspicious deaths" were under investigation and that 300 protesters had been arrested, adding dozens of security men had been injured in the running street clashes.

The Intelligence Ministry said members of an exiled opposition group, the Mujahideen Khalq Organisation, were among those arrested.

Another opposition leader Mehdi Karoubi accused Iran's hardline rulers on Monday of killing innocent people, Jaras reported.

Police had earlier reported five dead in violence in Tehran, the first such fatalities since the street protests immediately after June's presidential election. "What has happened to this religious system that it orders the killing of innocent people during the holy day of Ashura?" asked moderate cleric Karoubi, who came fourth in the election, in a statement posted on Jaras.

Jaras said opposition politician Ebrahim Yazdi, leader of the banned Freedom Movement and foreign minister in Iran's first government after the 1979 Islamic revolution that overthrew the U.S.-backed shah, was detained early on Monday at his home.

Jaras said police shot dead four protesters in central Tehran on Sunday and that unrest had also erupted in the cities of Qom, Shiraz, Isfahan, Najafabad, Mashhad and Babol.

The reports could not be independently verified because foreign media are banned from directly covering protests.

Tabriz prosecutor Yahya Mirzamohammadi denied a Jaras report that four protesters had been killed in the northwestern city. He told the ISNA news agency no protests had occurred there.

The United States condemned Iran's "unjust suppression" of civilians and said it was on the side of protesters.

A hardline clerical group in the holy city of Qom condemned the "sedition by rioters" during the Shi'ite Muslim religious ritual of Ashura, the official IRNA news agency said. "The association of Qom theologians ... asks officials to identify those behind yesterday's events and take appropriate measures to firmly encounter and punish them according to legal and religious standards," it said in a statement.

Political turmoil has convulsed Iran since the re-election of hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a vote his opponents said was fraudulent, a charge the authorities deny.

Demonstrations have persisted, now increasingly on important days in the Islamic Republic's religious and political calendar, as the opposition seeks to sustain its own momentum.

Heavy security measures eventually quelled the first explosion of mass protests that plunged Iran into its biggest internal crisis since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

The opposition says more than 70 people were killed in the early protests. Officials say the toll -- including members of a pro-government Islamic militia -- was less than half that.

The unrest, which has divided the political and clerical elite, has also complicated Iran's decision-making in the long-running dispute over its nuclear programme, which the West fears is a cover to build bombs. Tehran denies this.
Posted by: Fred || 12/29/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  "We can not hold a funeral until my brother's body is found,"

GOOD, no body, no Huge Martyr Celebration.
Posted by: Redneck Jim || 12/29/2009 13:21 Comments || Top||

#2  Well, that's how the mullahs see it, given that such a funeral would offer a rallying place and event for the opposition.

But I'm surprised you agree with them, RedneckJim.
Posted by: lotp || 12/29/2009 17:46 Comments || Top||

#3  IIRC PAYVAND > WILL THE MULLAHS FALL THIS TIME? Mullahccracy at the tipping/breaking point???

and

TOPIX > A SECOND COUP IN IRAN? ARTIC > actually, it may be THREE COUPS [ + counting] iff you give consideration to the events + reactions, etc. which led to the curr violence???
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 12/29/2009 23:04 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
38[untagged]
7Govt of Iran
4al-Qaeda
3al-Qaeda in Arabia
3al-Qaeda in Pakistan
3TTP
2Hamas
2Taliban
2al-Qaeda in North Africa
1al-Aqsa Martyrs
1Govt of Pakistan
1Lashkar-e-Islami

Bookmark
E-Mail Me

The Classics
The O Club
Rantburg Store
The Bloids
The Never-ending Story
Thugburg
Gulf War I
The Way We Were
Bio

Merry-Go-Blog











On Sale now!


A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.

Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.

Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has dominated Mexico for six years.
Click here for more information

Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
Steve White
Seafarious
tu3031
badanov
sherry
ryuge
GolfBravoUSMC
Bright Pebbles
trailing wife
Gloria
Fred
Besoeker
Glenmore
Frank G
3dc
Skidmark

Two weeks of WOT
Tue 2009-12-29
  Iran MPs rally against populace
Mon 2009-12-28
  13 turbans titzup in N.Wazoo dronezap
Sun 2009-12-27
  Mousavi's nephew banged in Tehran
Sat 2009-12-26
  Delta boomer wasn't on no-fly list
Fri 2009-12-25
  Nigerian attempts to detonate on Delta flight from Amsterdam
Thu 2009-12-24
  Yemeni strike kills 30, targets cleric linked to Ft. Hood attack
Wed 2009-12-23
  Iran militia attack pro-reform cleric's home in Qom
Tue 2009-12-22
  Clashes at Montazeri funeral
Mon 2009-12-21
  Terrorists kidnap Italian couple in Mauritania
Sun 2009-12-20
  Suspected Al Qaeda #1 in Yemen escapes raid, #2 doesn't
Sat 2009-12-19
  5 dead in N.Wazoo dronezap
Fri 2009-12-18
  La Belle France, U.S. launch offensive in Uzbin valley
Thu 2009-12-17
  12 dead in N.Wazoo dronezaps
Wed 2009-12-16
  First of 30,000 new troops arriving in Afghanistan
Tue 2009-12-15
  Suicide kaboom outside Punjab chief minister's house kills 33

Better than the average link...



Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
3.209.81.51
Help keep the Burg running! Paypal:
WoT Background (14)    Non-WoT (6)    Opinion (7)    (0)    Politix (11)