Craig Schamp links to this UPI piece that says the Soddies have agreed that the Egyptians can dispose of Hamas.
Under the guise of helping the Palestinian Authority with their reforms so called Egyptian experts will begin to appear in the West Bank and Gaza. Only they'll be intelligence operatives, and soon designated suicide bombers and their support teams will begin to disappear. The United States has extracted a promise from Egypt not to station forces permanently in the Palestinian enclave. "(The Egyptians) are absolutely ferocious" one U.S. intelligence officer says admiringly.
If Hamas ever goes away, it will probably be something along these lines. Yasser's gunnies don't appear to have the strength to control them, as evidenced by Yassin's waltz out from house arrest to be the caller at the party hoedown. The House of Sod might regard them as being out of control, which would be why they'd be willing to sell them down the river. They're not the most reasonable bunch, even by Arab standards and the control seems to be vested in Syria so it's no skin of the Sods' nose if they go down â as long as they get something in return.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/28/2002 10:06 pm ||
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"The Egyptian foreign intelligence services have been particularly active and helpful to the CIA. Egypt has among the most formidable and ruthless intelligence services in the Middle East, and several of those arrested in other countries as part of the Sept. 11 roundup have been sent to Egypt for interrogation or trial." Bob Woodard. WAPO, Thursday, November 22, 2001.
(There's more on Google with CIA / Egypt / interrogation advanced search.
As this 3/11/2002 WAPO article recounts, the CIA started this before 9/11.
WSJ recounts a CIA-backed team's brutal efforts against terrorists including using Egyptian resources.
Seems to me that at least some of the CIA folks knew what they were up to. Including the Egyptions in the PA cleanup is quite clever.
Posted by: Mike Cakora ||
06/29/2002 6:53 Comments ||
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This is either a brilliant operation by the CIA whose cover has just been blown, or a brilliant Mossad operation whose purpose has just been served.
I suspect the latter. Let me explain.
Israel has become increasingly concerned about Egypt in recent months, not just because of what's emanating from its media but because of steps being taken in the WMD area and the acquisition of missiles. During recent Gaza incursions, the Israelis keep finding tunnels from Gaza to Egypt, used for smuggling (or evacuating) men and arms. The Egyptians don't seem to be doing much about this on their end. They don't seem to want to.
So, a story like this is perfect. The Islamic Jihad and Hamas types, who already have reasons to be suspicious of the Egyptian government due to its treatment of their brethren in Egypt, now have to doubt any Egyptian they know. Distrust is a very effective way to disrupt the links so necessary for 4GW Netwars to continue. And if Israeli groups start making Hamas types disappear, the pre-leak diverts attention to the Egyptians and buys the Israelis time and cover.
Now, let's look at the other side. What this story is about, is involvement in assassinations. Which are still a big no-no to many in Congress - the executive order against them has been "reinterpreted" but not overruled or cancelled. Against Al-Qaeda or Saddam, no-one would argue. Against Hamas and Fatah, even via proxy, means entering the war directly against the Palestinian leadership. That's a major shitstorm the Americans really can't afford right now, and if the Egyptian public believed this Mubarak would be in serious trouble. America can wash their hands, but entering the conflict on Israel's side is off-limits (and hugely foolish at this stage, given the proper priority of Iran and Iraq).
As for the Egyptians, if this really was true I'd be volcanically furious at the leak. It's not an exaggeration to say it could endanger Mubarak's life if widely believed.
This juxtaposition of tremendous benefit and convenience in one scenario, vs. strategic foolishness and serious political controversy in the "official" scenario, makes me damn suspicious of the official scenario.
Posted by: Joe Katzman ||
06/29/2002 9:18 Comments ||
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I tend to agree with you. An important operation that got blown at this stage would be very unusual. It has happened, but I'd much more tend to suspect that a leak would be intentional. I'd be more inclined to the belief that somebody's "sowing grass" - planting so many blades of information that the Bad Guys aren't going to find the real ones until it's too late. To check for this, keep an eye out for an impending stream of info on plots and plans, some reasonable and some bordering on the outrageous.
If the Egyptians assassinate all the Hamas and IJ ops, that's fine with me. If it's all cover, and the eventual solution to the problem involves a Greek priest inviting them all to a "peace dinner" and then poisoning all of them at once, that's okay, too. But I do think somebody, either at CIA or Mossad or some other Agency Which Cannot Be Named is working on it.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/29/2002 12:59 Comments ||
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Explosions at a former Taleban munitions depot in southern Afghanistan have left at least 10 people dead and dozens of others wounded. Dozens more are reported missing. The blasts occurred near the town of Spin Boldak. Afghan officials say it is not clear what caused the explosions, but one report quotes an Afghan official as saying a rocket fired by members of the al-Qaeda terrorist group hit the depot. Six months of popping rockets, and they finally hit something?
Authorities have sealed off the area. The wounded are being transported to hospitals in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar and the Pakistani border town of Chaman. Witnesses who have reached Chaman say they heard loud explosions and saw flashes of light for hours. Afghan travelers arriving in Pakistan Friday said several houses near the depot were destroyed and that more victims could be buried under the rubble. The Merkins are probably to blame for all those civilian casualties. I'm not sure how, but they probably are...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/28/2002 08:19 am ||
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U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network and Afghanistan's toppled Taleban regime are receiving new shipments of military equipment. He declined to provide details of the type of equipment or say when and where they were found. But he described the supplies as fairly modern and expensive, and said they were sent from a number of different places around the world. The U.S. defense chief said has asked his commanders to stop destroying all of the arms they find and save the best for the emerging Afghan national army. Wonder where they're coming from? That should be pretty easy to determine. And I wonder who's paying for them? That'll be harder to determine, but much more valuable information. Having paid for such arms and ammunition prior to 9-11 is understandable. Having procured same after 9-11 would be construed as an act that was distinctly unfriendly to the U.S. And having procured them after the fall of the Taliban would be construed as cuddling close and playing kissy-face with global terrorism. People can lose their countries doing that.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/28/2002 08:24 am ||
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We may not know where the arms are coming from, but we know that they are being funded from the mosques in our neighborhoods. Check out verse 9.5 of Mohammed's God-Hearsay (AKA: Koran)if you want to know what the Mohs mean when they talk about the "verse of the sword".
The United States and North Korea have held talks on when they will resume formal dialogue for the first time under the Bush administration. A senior U.S. official said a U.S. diplomat presented specific proposals to North Korea officials Thursday at the United Nations on details of scheduling formal negotiations. The official said the United States is awaiting North Korea's response. I could never be a diplomat. Holding talks about when you're going to hold talks just sounds stoopid. They were fixin' to get ready to make plans for these discussions on whether to hold talks a couple weeks ago. By the time anyone actually says something the entire population of North Korea will have died from starvation and the U.S. delegation will be in nursing homes. String it out another couple weeks and both countries will be covered by glaciers...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/28/2002 08:33 am ||
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U.S. warplanes monitoring a "no-fly'' zone over southern Iraq bombed a military command center Friday after Iraq fired anti-aircraft artillery, the U.S. Central Command said. "This facility was struck because it helped direct anti-aircraft artillery attacks today against coalition aircraft authorized by the United Nations Security Council to enforce the no-fly zones in southern Iraq,'' it said.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/28/2002 10:13 am ||
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Iraq has complained to the United Nations about recurrent Iranian "violations" of the 1988 cease-fire that ended an eight-year war between the two neighbors, the official INA news agency reported Friday. "Iran violated the cease-fire 41 times between the beginning of February and May 15," Iraq's UN representative Mohammad al-Duri said in a letter to Secretary General Kofi Annan. The violations included "numerous overflights of Iraqi positions by Iranian planes and helicopters ... and firing by Iranian troops (at Iraqi territory) that left a number of Iraqi citizens wounded," Duri wrote.
Although Baghdad and Tehran have gone some way toward burying the hatchet, they have yet to sign a formal peace treaty 14 years after the end of their devastating conflict which cost around one million lives. Obstacles to normalization of ties include the issue of war prisoners and the hosting of each other's dissident groups. "Cheeze. I got a these guns and all this ammunition. I should invade somebody, Tariq. We should invade Iran."
"Boss, you already done dat."
"Well, how about if we kill all the Kurds, then?"
"You done dat, too, boss."
"Kuwait?"
"You don't wanna do dat again."
"How about Jordan? Have we invaded Jordan yet?"
"Not yet, boss. I'll call the Republican Guard?"
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/28/2002 10:22 am ||
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The Union Home Ministry on Thursday banned the Dukhtaran-e-Millat, a women's militant outfit operating in Jammu and Kashmir, under POTA [the Prevention of Terrorism Act]. According to Home Ministry sources, the Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DeM) has "deep nexus" with several terrorist outfits. Its chief Asiya Andrabi was recently found by Indian security agencies to be a key conduit for funds for terrorist organisations. She was in touch with a London-based Kashmiri expatriate, Dr Ayub Thakur, who was a key conduit for funds to terror machine in Kashmir. Home Ministry sources said that Andrabi, who is still at large, was closely associated with former Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani, now under arrest. An official notification imposing the ban on the DeM was issued by North Block on Thursday said that the organisation "is involved in terrorist activities and banned under the POTA with immediate effect." Dukhtaran is the ladies' auxilliary of Jamaat-i-Islami, a bunch of women who run around demanding to be Islamic breeding stock. Even in Kashmir, people roll their eyes.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/28/2002 07:41 am ||
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The Lashkar-e-Taiba may be planning to settle scores with the Indian judiciary for sending their cadres to jail, according to radio intercepts. The Ministry of Home Affairs has written to the Delhi Police asking them to reinforce security in and around courts. At present, the Supreme Court has a two-tier security cover while the High Court is a single layer. Following the intercept, the Delhi Police are reviewing security at both the courts. Why does this read like a bad novel by Raymond Chandlergupta? Big Louie vows revenge on Judge Ramachandra when he gets out of stir... It's a dark and stormy night, the middle of the monsoons... The judge's beautiful daughter, Archana, comes knocking at the door of Vijay, the Tough Detective... Suddenly a shot rings out... Someone screams â it's me!
The MHA letter also states that the LeT was planning to carry out sensational attacks throughout the country. "They have already set up 35 agents at different established venues and have asked them to create a communal divide in the country." Intercepts by forces also reveal that the militants have already established three command structures in Bahawalpur and PoK. "The inputs also hint that they have also completed their ground work to carry out attacks at either Ram Janmabhoomi temple at Ayodhya or the RSS headquarters at Nagpur," said the officer. The report further states that terrorists are gaining entry into the country and also smuggling weapons through Nepal. So Vijay's trying to rescue the judge from the kidnappers when he and his trusted Indian companion, Mukkerjee, stumble on the plot to blow up the temple and steal the Eye of Rama...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/28/2002 08:43 am ||
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Rejecting the Deeni Madaris [Madrassahs] Registration Ordinance, Ulema from all the religious institutions of the country has demanded eradication of the ordinance. Spokesman of the madrassas Maulana Hanif Jalandhari said the ordinance is against the sovereignty of the religious institutions and the promises made by the government in the last six months. Condemning the ordinance the Maulana said, "Religious Madaris Protection Day would be observed tomorrow (Friday) throughout the country. All the Ulema and Khatib would address various gatherings. Maulana Hanif said, "we were assured in every meeting whether with ministers or President General Pervez Musharraf that the ordinance would be implemented after taking all the religious institutions into confidence but this case was different." Y'mean he lied to you? Good Lord! Unheard of!
He said that religious institutions had published Islamic literature without any fear and with full liberty. Ulema, he observed, are not against the registration but it is the process, which is not acceptable to them. Government must point out such institutions where terrorists were trained, he demanded. The literature includes a full range of jihadi magazines and recruiting posters...
If government wants to carry the madrassas according to national standards then it must implement curriculum according to religion and latest trends in all institutions including madrassas and colleges, he said. Well, yeah. Setting a required curriculum would seem to be within the government's area of responsibility, So, too, would be shutting down "schools" that turn out illiterate gun-totin' cannon fodder...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/28/2002 07:50 am ||
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Clashes have erupted between Hizbollah supporters and security forces at the Ouzai district, south of Beirut, after the group made good on pledges to prevent the Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR) from starting the construction of a key overpass in the area, to facilitate travel between the capital, Beirut, and southern districts. Hizbollah supporters attacked Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's economic advisor Fadi Fawaz who was at the scene to witness the launch of the long-awaited construction of the bridge at Ouzai. Fawaz has hospitalized. Doctors said he may be suffering from serious head injuries. Hmmm... Explains a lot about Lebanese politix, doesn't it? "We support Hezbollah, 'cuz if we don't their brownshirts will beat us senseless."
CDR officials and a convoy belonging to MP Walid Eido were also attacked. So now they support Hezbollah, too...
Sources said Hizbollah's Secretary General Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah had threatened to take part himself in the demonstration at Ouzai. Just so nobody gets the idea it's just some local bully boys, rather than official Hezbollah policy...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/28/2002 09:48 am ||
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Police in Egypt on Tuesday arrested six members of the Muslim Brotherhood in the northern coastal city of Alexandria, while four other members received court orders extending their detention. Police sources said the six, including a journalist and a university professor, were part of the campaign team for two Brotherhood members standing in local elections in Alexandria on Thursday. In the meantime, the high state security court extended the detention of four other members of the group for two weeks, police said. The four were arrested in Alexandria last month. Amongst other charges, they are accused of incitement at an illegal rally which authorities said was held "under the pretext of supporting the Palestinian people." The Muslim Brotherhood, banned in Egypt since 1954 but partially tolerated, works to create an Islamic state but "rejects the use of violence." It is especially active in mosques and on university campuses. For all its occasional flakiness, Egypt does not view these bozos lightly — with good reason.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/28/2002 10:08 am ||
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Leaders of four Palestinian organizations which take Damascus as a headquarter have ruled out that the Syrian leadership will respond to the call made by the US President George Bush to expel leaders of these organizations. I'm not surprised...
For his part, the former chairman of the political bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement [Hamas] Mousa Abu Marzouk ruled out in similar statements to al-Hayat the Syrian leadership to expel leaders of these organizations. He said that Syria's identification of terrorism is different from that of Washington. He explained that these organizations for Damascus are resistance and militant movements.
Member of the Islamic Jihad leadership Zeyad Nakhallah said that "our existence in Syria is a media one, while the military and resistance presence is inside Palestine and if Israel and the US can not break the resistance in our land (Palestinian territories), they want to transfer the battle to other Arab countries."
The external leadership official at the People's Front For the Liberation of PalestineMaher al-Taher stressed the right of the Palestinians in Syria to express themselves and to call for restoring back their rights from the Israeli side. Interesting coincidence that three of the four bitter-ender organizations in Paleostine reside in Damascus, rather than in, say, Djibouti and Prague and Durban. The fiction that these aren't terrorist movements has worn so thin the holes are showing. Whether the Syrians or the Iranians are the real drivers can probably be argued â it could be a true joint effort, I guess. Whichever it is, it's not native Paleostinians. Think about the implications of that statement...!
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/28/2002 07:43 am ||
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A Lebanese daily indicated stepped-up mediation efforts toward a prisoner enchange between Israel and Hizbullah, possibly including jailed Fatah Tanzim leader Marwan Barghouti. The Beirut newspaper Al Mustaqbal said Hizbullah was seeking a broad prisoner exchange that could include Barghouti. According to the report, the Lebanese resistance group was demanding a general deal, not only transfer of information or pictures of the kidnapped soldiers. There's a difference between this sort of thing and kidnap for ransom gangs like Abu Sayyaf. I just can't think what it is...
On the other hand, the newspaper said, Israel demands that Hizbullah first send information on the state of Adi Avitan, Omar Suwaed and Benny Avraham, who were kidnapped from the the Israeli - Lebanese border area in October 2000. The Israeli army announced several months ago that the three were killed during their capture. For its part, Hizbullah has been refusing to disclose such information, because it demands a return for every piece of information it gives Israel. It certainly wouldn't be beyond them to trade three corpses for a live thug...
The Lebanese daily, owned by Prime Minister, Rafic al Hariri, reported that contacts mediated by a German citizen and the International Red Cross recently brought about the release of Hizbullah member Mohammed al Barzawi from an Israeli prison two weeks ago. Additionally, it described the transfer of captive Shiite cleric Abdel-Karim Obeid, and Mustafa Dirani from an Israeli military prison to a civilian prison âa sign of positive developmentsâ in the contacts between Israel and Hizbullah. According to Al Mustaqbal, the Lebanese group was showing a great deal of interest in the release of Barghouti. It aims at including Barghouti in the prisoner deal, as well as other Palestinian detainees. The paper assessed Israel was likely to meet Hizbullah's request to free some Palestinian detainees. This is the sort of thing that has to be done now and then, I guess, but it's best not to look, and don't even forget to turn on the exhaust fan. I'd sure as hell hate to see Marwan walk, though. He'll do a lot less harm in the pokey.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/28/2002 10:37 am ||
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Palestinian officials brushed aside President Bush's threat to withhold financial aid and said Palestinians would defy U.S. pressure to replace their longtime leader, Yasser Arafat. "The call by Bush contradicts the principles of democracy claimed by the United States," Palestinian Telecommunications Minister Imad al-Falouji said. "No one has the right to intervene in the internal affairs of the Palestinian people." Calling for democracy in Paleostine contradicts the principles of democracy in what way...?
Falouji scoffed at Bush's remarks, saying: "Bush is threatening something that does not exist, because the United States has never sent financial aid to the Palestinian people." The United States provides no direct funding to the Palestinian Authority but has funneled millions of dollars in aid to humanitarian and development projects. Grocieries and kicking in to help with the rent doesn't count. Arms and ammunition count.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/28/2002 08:13 am ||
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A former Palestinian Cabinet minister entered the besieged Palestinian Authority headquarters in the West Bank today to negotiate the surrender of 15 wanted men after a four-day standoff but said he could not find anyone inside. It was possible, Talal Sidr told the Associated Press, that the men were in parts of the heavily damaged four-story building that he was unable to check. Either that, or they made it out the back way. If they're not there, who's shooting? If they're not there, who was it that refused to come out?
"I didn't see anyone, but that doesn't mean there is no one inside because there are places that are heavily damaged that I couldn't enter," he said, shortly after his visit of less than an hour inside the building in Hebron. The Israeli army had no immediate comment. So if there's nobody there, then they can go ahead and shell it to rubble, right? No problem.
With Israeli troops controlling seven of the eight main West Bank cities and towns, the Palestinian leadership issued a statement today condemning the Israeli incursions into Palestinian areas as "an attempt to sabotage peace efforts." The statement, quoted by the Palestinian Wafa news agency, appealed to the world leaders attending the G-8 summit in Canada to "send observers to the region to ensure implementation of a cease-fire." So stop shooting and hand over your guns. That way fire will cease and you have a cease-fire. Simple, ain't it?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/28/2002 08:50 am ||
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Hamas spiritual leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin joined more than 1,000 Palestinians at a rally in the Gaza Strip, the first time he has ventured out since Palestinian security officials said six days ago he was ordered to remain at home under house arrest. Palestinian police monitoring the demonstration made no attempt to detain Yassin. Yassin said he was unaware of any order against him. "No one has told me that and that's why I am here today," he said. Those Paleostinocops are good, aren't they? He's under house arrest but nobody told him. And he doesn't have to stay indoors.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/28/2002 08:54 am ||
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About 100 foreign activists and Palestinians held a curfew-breaking march in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, holding banners reading "Pull out of the Palestinian territories" and chanting. Israeli soldiers watched from rooftops but did not intervene. But they did pee off the rooftops...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/28/2002 08:56 am ||
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Denmark, the European Union's incoming president, plans talks with the United States to heal a rift on the Middle East, but said on Friday the peace process must continue. G.W. said the peace processor's unplugged. We're not going to set it up again...
US President George W. Bush has set the removal of longtime Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat as a condition for a peace settlement that includes a Palestinian state. Arafat is contesting elections set for January 2003. Some EU leaders have insisted only the Palestinians should decide who should represent them. Why are all these guys so reluctant to come close to the idea of democracy for Paleostine? Is it that yucky?
Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller said he meet US Secretary of State Colin Powell on Wednesday to discuss Bush's peace plan, which was received with reservations in Europe and among Arab allies of the United States. "It is important that the Middle East peace process continues and that there be no gap in the international community concerning Israel and Palestine," Moeller told reporters. Denmark takes over the EU presidency next week and Moeller said the bloc's 15 foreign ministers would discuss their strategy on the Middle East in Brussels on July 22. Well, pass a resolution or something if it'll make you feel better. Just don't jiggle our national elbow.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/28/2002 09:36 am ||
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The family of Palestinian baby photographed wearing a mock suicide bomber's uniform - replete with sticks of 'explosives' and the traditional martyr's red headband -told Sky News on Friday that the costume was nothing more than a 'joke.' The Israel Defense Force published the photograph Thursday, saying that it had been removed from an album found in the house of a suspected terrorist in Hebron. Well, we're glad they're keeping it light-hearted. Heh heh. That Paleostinian senzayuma! Y'can't beat it! And you know what? Those rockets? Those were an Israeli joke. Pretty funny, huh?
The house was later destroyed. That was just a little bit of slapstick, too. We love physical humor. We invented Jerry Lewis, you know.
A Palestinian journalist in the Hebron area said she did not believe the picture was a fake and expressed surprise at the furor it caused in Israel. "I can find you many, many photos like this," she told DPA. "Many kids imitate adults and wear toy masks and guns, especially during marches. It's not strange at all." Some of us find it strange that there are people who don't find it strange at all. But I guess it's all in good fun, isn't it? Nothin' like a few corpses to lighten up a party.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/28/2002 10:02 am ||
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In Damascus, Khaled Mishaal, political bureau chief of the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, has affirmed that his Movement would not be dragged into a civil war. Speaking at the Arab culture center, Mishaal said Hamas and other Palestinian factions would not allow inter-Palestinian fighting despite the Palestinian Authoritiesâ practices. He also expressed conviction over failure of the Zionist enemyâs âDefensive Shieldâ operation in halting Palestinian resistance and martyrdom operations in spite of its success in inflicting severe damages and arresting around 5000 Palestinians. My Gawd! Where did they put them all?
The Hamas leader pointed out that the American political moves immediately after that campaign was meant to make up for Sharonâs failure in face of the Palestinian peopleâs legendary steadfastness. He noted that the USA was keen on cooling the situation in Palestine so as to embark on the second phase of its so-called war against terrorism. He means killing Saddam Hussein.
Mishaal further noted that the campaign against martyrdom operations was due to the Zionists and Americansâ wish to get rid of such attacks after failure of Sharon to terminate that phenomenon militarily. Hamas backed any internal reform as long as it was through Palestinian vision and not an âIsraeliâ one and as long as it was committed to resistance and not to capitulation. The Hamas political bureau chief underlined that his Movementâs strategy in the upcoming stage focused on three axes namely: retaining resistance, unity of the Palestinian people behind the resistance option and uniting Arab and Islamic stands towards continuation of resistance. Hamas and its Syrian controllers seem to see the possibility of a Paleostinian civil war, something I've not seen examined as a likelihood from our side. Now that Mishaal brings it up, it does seem like one of several likely scenarios. We could see Yasser disappear at the hands of the religious thugs, with the Palestinian Authority going with him. Hamas would see the replacement as itself — Yassin, Rantissi and the rest of the politburo taking over the functions of the PA and setting up a little Iran.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/28/2002 12:52 pm ||
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In a Manila speech Friday, President Arroyo said troops overran four Abu Sayyaf camps in southern Sulu province, and are now going after the group's top two leaders. Military officials are still waiting to learn casualty figures for the raids. The operation comes one day after the guerrillas killed one Philippine officer and wounded six other soldiers. That didn't make the Filipino command feel any better disposed toward these guys. It looks like they're making some actual headway, after six months of chasing. Good deal!
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/28/2002 08:27 am ||
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Even if Abu Sayyaf leader Ghalib Andang, alias Commander Robot, surrenders to authorities, the Department of Justice (DOJ) will not accept him as a state witness, a ranking official yesterday said. Instead, Andang will go straight to jail to be indicted for heinous crimes, according to Witness Protection Program Director Leo Dacera III. Andang has reportedly sent surrender feelers following the reported death of fellow Sayyaf commander, Aldam Tilao alias Abu Sabaya, in Zamboanga del Norte. But Dacera said Andang fails one major test â that of having the least participation in the crimes committed. Normally, they let the small fry turn state's evidence so they can jug the head cheeses. Commander Robot (I just love that name!) is one of the head cheeses. Now, if he'd like to talk about who's the real brains and money behind Abu Sayyaf, something could probably be arranged. 'Course that would involve extraditing someone, probably from Soddy Arabia...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/28/2002 09:29 am ||
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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.
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.
The Israel Defense Force published the photograph Thursday, saying that it had been removed from an album found in the house of a suspected terrorist in Hebron. 
