At the end of a long medical story at the Tigerhawk blog about heroic efforts to save a young soldier, and losing him... Are you listening, Congressmen?
Later that night was Patriot Detail - our last goodbye for an American hero. All the volunteers gathered at Base Ops after midnight under a three-quarter moon that was partially hidden by high, thin clouds. There was only silence as the chief master sergeant gave the Detail its instructions. Soldiers, Airmen, and Marines, colonels, privates and sergeants, pilots, gunners, mechanics, surgeons and clerks all marched out side-by-side to the back of the waiting transport, and presently, the flag-draped coffin was carried through the cordon as military salutes were rendered.
The Detail marched back from the flight line, and slowly the doors of the big ransport were secured. The chaplain offered prayers for anyone who wanted to participate, and then the group broke up as the people started to move away into the darkness. The big engines on the transport fired up, and the ground rumbled for miles as they took the runway. His duty was done - he had given the last full measure, and he was on his way home.
The first rule of war is that young men and women die. The second rule of war is that surgeons cannot change the first rule. I think the third rule of war should be that those who have given their all for our freedom are never forgotten, and they are always honored.
I wish there was not a war, and I wish our young people did not have to fight and die. But I cannot wish away evil men like Bin Laden and al-Zarqawi. These men are not wayward children who have gone astray; they are not great men who are simply misunderstood.
These are cold-blooded killers and they will kill you, me, and everyone we love and hold dear if we do not kill them first. You cannot reason with these people, you cannot negotiate with these people, and this war will not be over until they are dead. That is the ugly, awful, and brutal truth.
I wish the situation was different, but it is not. Americans have two choices. They can run from the threat, deny it exists, candy-coat it, debate it, and hope it goes away. And then, Americans will be fair game around the world and slaughtered by the thousands for the sheep they have become.
Our second choice is to crush these evil men where they live and for us to have the political will and courage to finish what we came over here to do.
The last thing we need here in Iraq is an exit strategy or some damn timetable for withdrawal. Thank God there was no timetable for withdrawal after the Battle of the Bulge or Iwo Jima. Thank God there was no exit strategy at Valley Forge. Freedom is not easy, and it comes with a terrible price - I saw the bill here yesterday.
The third rule of war should be that we never forget the sacrifices made by our young men and women, and we always honor them. We honor them by finishing what they came to accomplish. We remember them by never quitting and having the backbone and the guts to never bend to the yoke of oppression.
We honor them and remember them by having the courage to live free.
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/08/2005 13:55 ||
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LONDON â Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdulazizâs health suffered a set-back after a relapse in the last two days, and doctors are making all efforts to keep him alive, Saudi medical sources said.
He's rapidly approaching stability
Doctors at King Fahd Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, where he is receiving treatment, are considering putting him on life-support, which necessitates inserting a tube through his throat to pump in oxygen since his lungs are not functioning properly, sources said. King Fahd is in the ICU in a semi-comatose condition, and breathes through life-support machine.
(scratches head) I thought they just said they were just considering putting on....oh, never mind. He's almost dead, Jim.
Posted by: Steve ||
07/08/2005 10:03 ||
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#1
Doctors at King Fahd Specialist Hospital...
Well, it sounds like he went to the right place. They have doctors that specialize in King Fahd!
#3
Is it a correct assumption that all this news of AQ bosses in Saudi being bagged is house cleaning to prepare for the next King? One of the Princes solidifying his base?
#6
I think the buzzard (no, not King Fahd) is ready to keel over. Someone feed him Fahd something.
Posted by: ed ||
07/08/2005 11:02 Comments ||
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#7
Someone feed him Fahd something.
Preview is your friend, especially when adding HTML tags.
Posted by: ed ||
07/08/2005 11:12 Comments ||
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#8
We all know what this means. Looks like the easiest gig the folks at King Fahd ever had may soon be ending.
"Hey, somebody throw some more ice on the king..."
#12
Looks like we might be getting a new neighbor, John Henry,...you little bastard!
Posted by: Ted Williams ||
07/08/2005 14:09 Comments ||
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"Hey, somebody throw some more ice on the king..."
Oh, c'mon. They have the latest in conveniences. Fahd will be placed under an automatic ice machine, where his condition will remain stable for as long as the succession fight takes.
(A fight I fully expect to take place in Western cities, with Saudi-paid nutjobs killing women and children.)
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
07/08/2005 14:23 Comments ||
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LONDON â Shocked survivors told how they saw a "suicide bomber" on board the double-decker bus destroyed in Thursday's terrorist outrage.
Thirteen people were killed when the packed No. 30 was ripped apart by a 9:47 a.m. blast in Tavistock Square, Central London. Witnesses said bodies were thrown into the street from the bus â crammed with commuters forced above ground after the capital's Tube network was shut down.
Terence Mutasa, 27, a staff nurse at University College hospital, said: "I treated two girls in their 20s who were involved in the bus bomb. "They were saying some guy came and sat down and that he exploded. The girls received minor injuries and were in shock and distressed. "They said the guy just sat down and the explosion happened. They thought it was a suicide bomber."
Passenger Richard Jones was convinced he saw the bomber setting his device. He said he became suspicious of the olive-skinned man because he looked anxious and was fiddling constantly with his bag. Richard, 61, said: "I noticed him as he looked nervous. He was continually diving into his bag, rummaging round and looking in it. I did not see his face because he was constantly looking down." Richard stepped off the bus at his destination. Seconds later it exploded behind him â with the "bomber" still on board.
Sounds like he was trying to set the timer on the device and it went off prematurely.
Jasmine Gardner, 22, was angry at not being allowed on the bus because it was too full â then seconds later saw it blown to bits. Jasmine, who had angrily followed the bus on foot, put up her umbrella to try to protect herself from flying debris. She said: "I thought that everyone must have died."
If confirmed as a suicide bombing, the attack would be the first of its kind to take place on British soil.
Posted by: Steve ||
07/08/2005 13:00 ||
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...but not the first suicide-bomber from Britain. Such beasts have been performing in Israel previously.
#2
Yes, but this is the first time a "classical", israeli-type human bomb was ever used on western soil. This is the first time us european tasted what israeli have experimented for years, pious muslims kabooming themselves in high-value military targets such bus full of unsuspectign commuters.
This is a landmark. I wonder if this will repeat, and if this will affect the blame realtionship we have toward Israel in its response to such terrible acts?
#3
A5089 - Good points. Can you and our other esteemed cousins plz keep us up to date on the chatter you hear? I'd figure there will be some serious cognitive dissonance among those who aren't committed pinkos. It's fashionable the world over to play at anti-[insert "bad" stuff here] blah blah blah games, but when the shit flies at home, fucks with your own life, and gets personal, well, sometimes people grab a clue. I'd like to hear what you folks hear. TIA!
The Wall Street Journal reports that the British are seeking a Moroccan man, Mohamed Guerbouzi, in connection with the attacks. Text: "A Brussels-based European police official said British police have asked their European counterparts for information on a Moroccan man, Mohamed Guerbouzi, in relation to the attacks in London. Mr. Guerbouzi has been under investigation in Britain in connection with two previous attacks, a 2003 suicide bombing in Morocco and last year's attack on commuter trains in Spain. Mr. Guerbouzi held a senior position in the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group, or GICM, investigators say. He has been living in Britain for about a decade, the police official said on condition of anonymity. It is unclear if he is in British police custody. Also unclear if he is suspect of direct involvement in Thursday's attacks or if he is a witness. The European police official said Britain wants help in investigating Mr. Guerbouzi, for example, in learning more about his activities in other countries."
An earlier unconfirmed press story published in the Wall Street Journal (as seen below) reports that "British police have asked their European counterparts for information" about Moroccan national Mohamed Guerbouzi (a.k.a. Abu Aissa)--an influential military commander with the Al-Qaida-affiliated Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (MICG). If correct, this could prove to be a major development in the London bombings investigation. Guerbouzi is a longtime resident of London who, according to credible sources, met while in the United Kingdom with another infamous Moroccan terrorist suspect -- Jamal Zougam. Zougam is currently on trial for his alleged role as a lead bomber in the Madrid 3/11 terrorist attacks and is also suspected of having played an organizational role in the 2003 Al-Qaida suicide bombings in Casablanca, Morocco. Reportedly Zougam visited London "in search of funding and logistical help" and contacted a number of North Africans living in Britain, including Guerbouzi.
See also: The Sunday Mirror Confronts Guerbouzi in West London. When the Mirror asked Scotland Yard in April 2004 why Guerbouzi was still free in London, they explained, "We don't have any extradition treaty with Morocco and no evidence has been submitted before the courts to consider an arrest."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
07/08/2005 10:59 ||
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Ya know, I've never been a big fan of assassination - after all, we "civilized" types have outlawed it for years! And heaven knows, vigilante actions can't be condoned!
But it sure would be nice if some of these folks would just disappear. I wouldn't ask.
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/08/2005 11:47 Comments ||
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C'mere, Mo. Let's see how much of the Thames you can drink...
#3
If we arrested them, we should probably have them take the police to their weapons caches, say around 3 AM. Who knows, maybe we'll find their accomplices.
EFL.
LONDON (Reuters) - Police scrambled through dangerous rail tunnels deep underground on Friday to hunt for clues and retrieve bodies after suspected al Qaeda bombers killed more than 50 people in London rush-hour blasts. A day after four bombs tore through three underground trains and a red double-decker bus, commuters headed to work again on London's battered transport network, some fearful, some defiant, undeterred by the knowledge it might happen again.
"My granddad called me last night and told me I had to go to work today," said Sally Higson, 36. "He's 89. He lived through the war and said it was important to carry on as normal."
The attacks -- which ministers said bore the hallmarks of the Islamic militant al Qaeda network -- were London's deadliest in peacetime and disrupted a summit of the Group of Eight (G8) industrialized countries in Gleneagles, Scotland.
London police chief Ian Blair said more than 50 people were killed in the blasts and 700 wounded. He said the final death toll was not yet known. Police had yet to reach one of the bombed underground carriages in central London as the surrounding tunnel was unsafe. Blair said no survivors were trapped underground and the task now was to retrieve bodies. Andy Trotter of the British Transport Police said the number of bodies still trapped was not known, but one police source said it could be more than 10.
"This was a crowded tube train at rush hour in central London with several hundred people on board," Trotter said. Andy Hayman, of the London police specialist operations branch, spoke of the "extreme circumstances" under which rescue services were working, saying they faced the hazards of tunnel collapse, vermin and "dangerous substances" in the air."Just imagine an explosion that far into a tunnel," he said. "I think we can all respect the sort of things our people are actually confronting." A maintenance worker, who did not want to be identified, said he had reached the site early on Friday and described "awful" scenes, with several bodies in the carriage."We got up to the carriage, although it was very dark there at the time," he told Reuters. "The smell was awful."
Hayman said the bombs were believed to have contained up to 10 lbs (4.5 kg) of explosives and could have been carried onto the trains and bus in backpacks. Police said they had no specific intelligence warning of the attacks. Home Secretary Charles Clarke said the blasts "came completely out of the blue." The New York Times said timing devices rather than suicide bombers set off the explosions and Blair stressed there was nothing so far to suggest suicide attacks.
An Internet statement from another group, calling itself the "Organization of al Qaeda - Jihad in the Arabian Peninsula" praised the attacks and said Rome would be targeted next.
(CNSNews.com) - More than 50 people are dead and not all the bodies have been recovered following Thursday's terror attacks in London, police said on Friday. At a news conference held 27 hours after the first bomb blast, British police told the public "what we do know" and where they plan to go from here.
They described two of the crime scenes as "difficult" in terms of body recovery. Because of damage to the subway tunnel at the Russell Square station, investigators have not yet been able to remove bodies from the demolished train car, which "still contains a number of fatalities," they said. Police said all survivors were removed from the train tunnels within hours of the attacks on Thursday.
As for the attack on a double-decker bus (the second "difficult recovery" scene), there is nothing to suggest it was a suicide bombing -- although "nothing at this stage can be ruled out." Additional: Counterterrorism officials in London said they were still trying to determine the type of explosives that were used. One official speculated that the No. 30 bus whose roof was blown off at 9:47 a.m. in Bloomsbury was demolished accidentally by a suicide bomber. But another theory gaining momentum was that the bomb exploded prematurely as a bomber was carrying it to an intended target, several American and British counterterrorism officials said. The officials said that the three subway bombs appeared to have been detonated by timers, not cellphones or other remote triggers. The bombs on the trains were believed to be package bombs and are believed to have been left by the attackers who fled before they went off.
Police said at this point, they believe the bombs used in the four separate attacks each contained less than ten pounds of high explosive. They also denied reports that investigators had found two more unexploded bombs in the subway tunnels. There were not any more bombs, they said.
Too bad, unexploded devices would have been a good source of evidence.
"We do believe...that each device that was put onto the Tube trains was likely to be on the floor of the carriage," Assistant Metropolitan Police Commissioner Andy Hayman said. As for the bus -- the bomb could have been placed on a floor or a seat, he added.
Investigators believe that in the first explosion, on a train coming out of the Aldgate station, the bomb was placed in the third car. In the explosion between Kings Cross and Russell Square stations, the bomb was in the first car by the first set of doors. And the bomb was in the second car of the train that blew up near the Edgware station.
Of the 700 people injured in Thursday's attacks, 350 were treated at the scene, another 350 were treated at the hospital, and 22 are in critical condition, police said. One terror victim died overnight in the hospital. British police praised the emergency and rescue services for their response to the disaster, calling it an example of "team London at work."
They said the goal now is to track down the people who did this -- and they emphasized that police work alone will not solve the case. "The most important thing that I want to get across to everyone this morning is that we do need the community's help," said Hayman. Information from the public makes a big difference, Hayman said, and he urged anyone with information to call an anti-terrorist hotline.
"The position at the moment is, I would not want to discount any information that someone thinks is relevant." "We've got the best people investigating this matter," Hayman added. "They're very experienced as are the partners that are helping us. We've got the best communities that will bind together and will give us the information that we need to develop this case." Hayman said the overall aim of British police is to "identify and successfully prosecute the people responsible for this appalling event."
In response to a question, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair said it's "blindingly obvious" that there could be additional attacks, not just in London but anywhere in the United Kingdom. "We must remain vigilant," Sir Ian Blair said, and he noted that police are reaching out to "communities." "It is not the police and intelligence services who will defeat terrorism, it is communities that defeat terrorism, and that's why we work so closely with them."
As for intelligence that might have indicated an impending attack, Commissioner Blair said, "There is nothing to suggest that intelligence has been missed in any way." He noted that 3 million people travel the London Tube every day and said there's only so much police can do to foil terrorism in a "vibrant and liberal city."
Posted by: Steve ||
07/08/2005 08:28 ||
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#1
Tapes of the stations just before the explosions. Any swarthy, nervous looking men making hurried escapes up the stairs?
#4
Any swarthy, nervous looking men making hurried escapes up the stairs?
Don't forget the Euro converts. Becoming a Muslim has been quite trendy in certain upperclass British circles over the last decade.
Posted by: too true ||
07/08/2005 12:47 Comments ||
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Sounds carefully tuned to appeal to the Moslem people of Britain. I think it's weak, but Brits are subtle.
Next time the UK government had better be much more explicit: Moslems have one final chance to demonstrate that they reject the methods of Islam: jihad, taqiya, and sharia. The demonstration requires immediate denunciation and delivery to the police of all jihadists you know.
The alternative is suffering a permanent intifada in the UK.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Thursday the perpetrators of the deadliest peacetime attacks in Britain's history acted "in the name of Islam". "We know that these people act in the name of Islam but we also know that the vast and overwhelming majority of Muslims here and abroad are decent and law abiding people who abhor terrorism every bit as much as we do," Blair said in a televised address to the nation. Blair also vowed to bring those behind the attacks to justice and said the country would not bow to terrorism.
Don't you think it's time to start deporting holy men? You've got Abu Qatada, Captain Hook, al-Bakri, and several dozen other sheikhs and similar riff-raff. Dump them. Send them back where they came from, whether their home governments want to hang them or not. If they raised hell back in the Olde Countrie, what gives them the right to stay in the UK, most of them on the dole, living at taxpayers' expense, and raise hell there?
Posted by: Fred ||
07/08/2005 00:00 ||
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British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Thursday the perpetrators of the deadliest peacetime attacks in Britain's history acted "in the name of Islam". "We know that these people act in the name of Islam but we also know that the vast and overwhelming majority of Muslims here and abroad are decent and law abiding people who abhor terrorism every bit as much as we do," Blair said in a televised address to the nation.
Mr. Blair need not have said this. It's time to stop trying to cover for Muslims and force them to make a choice: disassociate themselves publicly from the extremists, or remain muted/silent and be perceived as sympathizers. Something's got to change, and it needs to change soon.
#2
"...but we also know that the vast and overwhelming majority of Muslims here and abroad are decent and law abiding people who abhor terrorism every bit as much as we do,"
#3
"We know that these people act in the name of Islam but we also know that the vast and overwhelming majority of Muslims here and abroad are decent and law abiding people who abhor terrorism every bit as much as we do,"
Bullshit. Until that "vast and overwhelming majority" of Muslims utterly rejects the twin evils of shariah and jihad, it's naive to consider Muslims as anything other than a menace.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
07/08/2005 6:34 Comments ||
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All you need is love. Oh, and more hugs and understanding of Muzzies - Islam is The Religion of Peace, after all.
Anyone who happens to know a Muzzy who isn't threatening, well now, that's all they need to know, isn't it. They may project that warm fuzzy on the whole world, safely and confidently, cuz they know one. Ears, eyes, mind, issue, and discussion closed, you neanderthals - back off!
At least, that is, until the mess gets so big (and it will cuz they ain't gonna stop, ever) that they find themselves personally touched by it. Then, of course, they will become very angry and display great righteous indignation -- that the Govt didn't protect them -- not at the Muzzies who turned out to be something other than warm fuzzy Muzzies.
So c'mon everybody! Sing along with me, now... "La, la, la, I can't hear you, la, la, la..."*
#7
I am having a fit right now listening to the news. What makes people think that the vermin who committed the atrocities in London came from abroad? Why should they? Why can they not be residents of London or any other city in England? They have plenty of support from the general muslim population there and the latter are more than willing to provide them with money and all they need to conduct acts of terror.
#9
Indeed, TMH. Read the ICT report posted here today listing the many extremists not only operate openly in Britain, they are sheltered by Britain from extradition to the countries where they committed crimes earlier.
There are many things I like and admire about the Brits. But the smug sense of moral superiority, which directly caused the UK to harbor, protect and defend violent extremists already convicted of crimes elsewhere is one of their worst qualities. And it has had disastrous results not only for London but around the world.
Apologies to our British regulars. I know you guys have a handle on this. But way too many of your countrymen do not. I still remember being lectured to, condescendingly, by a B&B owner in the Cottwsolds a few years ago who was quite sure Americans lacked the sophistication and justice that characterizes British policy.
Oh yes -- before he retired at a fairly young age to run the B&B, he had been a highly-paid accountant to racist government officials in apartheid Rhodesia.
Pfah.
Posted by: too true ||
07/08/2005 9:32 Comments ||
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tony didnt say they came from abroad. They may well have been residents, or even citizens of the UK. I dont see as that contradicts what he said.
#12
The muslim on the street interviews in London have shown the usual spread of opinion.
1. the well dressed secular muslims typically denouce terrorism without stating that the attacks were terrorism but put in a 'but its really the kfirs fault' inference
2. the slightly more islamically dressed complain about how they don't get enough welfare and mention how its really Israel's fault
3. the fully islamically dressed and the goofily dressed say that Israel actually committed the bombings
#13
Do they all struggle, mightily, to keep a straight face while the camera's on? Do they collapse in fits of laughter and shout "Allahu akbar!" when the interview's over?
#1
We know the pain, sadness and chaos that such inhumane acts may bring to a lot of innocent people and families because we experiencing it on a daily basis from the same thugs, the Wahabi terrorists cockroaches.
Something tells me that I like this guy! Thanks for your support Hammorabi (from Iraq, even)!
Posted by: BA ||
07/08/2005 11:31 Comments ||
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#2
Sam is cool, though he and I disagree quite frequently. Did an In T View with him:
http://intviews.blogspot.com
Italy plans to begin withdrawing some of its troops from Iraq in September, Premier Silvio Berlusconi said Friday.
Berlusconi, who was a strong supporter of President Bush on Iraq, sent 3,000 troops to the country after the ouster of Saddam Hussein to help rebuild the country. He had previously indicated he hoped a pullout could begin in September.
"We will begin withdrawing 300 men in the month of September," Berlusconi said at the G-8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland. But he added the decision would depend on security conditions on the ground and could change.
In recent months, Italian officials have gone back and forth on when a withdrawal might begin. Berlusconi said September was a possibility, but Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini then talked of early 2006.
Relations between Washington and Rome have been strained in recent months _ first by the killing of an Italian agent by American soldiers in Iraq and then arrest warrants issued by an Italian court accusing 13 purported CIA operatives of kidnapping a militant Egyptian cleric from Italy and sending him to Egypt, where he was reportedly tortured. yeah well, we weren't too happy about their agent failing to clue us in and speeding through the checkpoint, either. but in reality, this is more about the tanking Italian economy, paralleled by tanking support for Berlusconi's government
Reforms Minister Roberto Calderoli of the right-wing Northern League party said Friday the time had come for the United Nations to begin discussing "the progressive withdrawal of troops, beginning with our contingent, perhaps by September."
"It's evident that after New York, Madrid and London, Italy represents the most probable next objective of the terrorists," he said. "The time has come to begin to think also about our house, and to use the same resources currently committed in Iraq to prevent and combat possible attacks on our territory."
A group calling itself "The Secret Organization of al-Qaida in Europe" _ which claimed responsibility for Thursday's bombings in London _ said the attacks were a punishment for British involvement in the U.S.-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Posted by: too true ||
07/08/2005 14:09 ||
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They had already set a deadline by Sept. 2005 last year. Old news, hashed as anti-US, anti-war propaganda.
#2
They had already set a deadline by Sept. 2005 last year
But if it was reiterated now, it sent a subtle but clear message of submission, didn't it? You don't say stuff like this after what just happened.
Posted by: R ||
07/08/2005 15:12 Comments ||
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#3
But was Berlusconi stating this out-of-the-blue, or saying it in response to a reporter's question? I could see him being prodded by some reporter's question, and then the press turning about and reporting this as if it were "news" instead of a reiteration.
Posted by: Dar ||
07/08/2005 15:15 Comments ||
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I don't think he said it "out-of-the-blue", Dar. A different source words it as follows:
"Speaking at a press conference at the end of the G8 summit, Berlusconi denied that the planned return of the soldiers, announced some weeks ago, signalled a weakening of its resolve on Iraq."
http://ansa.it/main/notizie/awnplus/english/news/2005-07-08_698998.html
Posted by: Tom ||
07/08/2005 16:02 Comments ||
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"It's evident that after New York, Madrid... the time has come to begin to think also about our house, and to use the same resources currently committed in Iraq to prevent and combat possible attacks on our territory."
Thanks to Italy for their support to this point in Iraq. It's sad, though, to see yet another European country that can't defend itself and project power at the same time (unlike Canada that can't project power and WON'T defend itself at the same time).
THE HAGUE - A Dutch court on Friday remanded a Dutch national of Iraqi origin suspected of planning attacks on US military vehicles in Iraq in custody for a further month as the investigation continued, the ANP news agency said. The 32-year-old man was arrested in May in the central Dutch town of Amersfoort and figured in an October 2003 video showing insurgents planning an attack on a US convoy near the Sunni Muslim stronghold of Fallujah in Iraq, according to police. A voice is heard explaining how such attacks are carried out.
Got him on video, huh? Let him explain his way out of that
The man, who has not been identified by the Dutch authorities, has been provisionally charged with membership of a terrorist organization. He was arrested together with three other Iraqi nationals held in the same case. Only one of the three is also suspected of terrorist activities while the other two are suspected of burglary, intimidation and illegal possession of arms.
Posted by: Steve ||
07/08/2005 09:56 ||
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Ah, come on, we've heard it a thousand times on 'COPS'.
The FBI is investigating the possibility that six other Lodi-area men attended terrorist training camps in Pakistan in addition to Hamid Hayat, the initial suspect arrested in the government's ongoing probe of al-Qaida connections in the San Joaquin city.
According to federal court documents obtained by The Bee, Hamid Hayat and his father, Umer, claimed the suspected Lodi jihadists reported to Muhammed Adil Khan and Shabbir Ahmed, two imams they say came to the Lodi Muslim Mosque from Pakistan to groom students for terrorist training camps.
Khan and Ahmed are being held for allegedly violating immigration laws, and through their attorney have denied being involved in terrorist activities.
Ice cream vendor Umer Hayat, 47, and his son Hamid, 22, have been charged with lying about their involvement in an al-Qaida training camp near Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
Though neither has been charged with terrorism, the government claims Hamid Hayat - with financial help from his father - attended the camp for six months in 2003-04. The Hayats first denied, then admitted, and now deny the charges, according to prosecutors. The Pakistani government has steadfastly denied there are terrorist training camps in Pakistan.
The documents lay out interviews with the Hayats that allegedly detail the younger Hayat's transformation into a jihadist - a warrior against the enemies of Islam.
The attorneys for the Hayats, Johnny L. Griffin and Wazhma Mojaddadi, have dismissed much of the evidence against their clients as "fluff," but said Thursday a federal judge has prohibited them from discussing the documents.
In the documents, the Hayats are said to have outlined the following chain of command:
The alleged Lodi-area jihadists "would take their direction" from Shabbir Ahmed, who answered to his former madrassah (religious school) teacher in Pakistan, Adil Khan. Khan, in turn, took orders from the operator of the terrorist training camp near Rawalpindi, Fazler Rehman - whose "boss" is Osama bin Laden.
Saad Ahmad, the attorney for Shabbir Ahmed and Adil Khan, has described his clients as men of peace who are not associated with Rehman, bin Laden or any other anti-American terrorists.
Before coming to Lodi, Adil Khan was a teacher and administrator at the Jamia Farooqia School, a madrassah with 4,000 students in Karachi founded by his father, Salimullah Khan.
Bin Laden, in a 1998 news conference, counted the scholars of the Farooqia school among his supporters, according to the documents.
The documents say Umer Hayat alleged "that Jamia Farooqia prepared its students for jihadist training camps" and that "Adil Khan's purpose in America is to develop a U.S.-based madrassah which would serve the same purpose as the madrassahs in Pakistan."
According to the documents, Adil Khan first came to America in the 1980s to raise money for his father's Jamia Farooqia school. The highly educated, urbane Khan soon became a welcome speaker at mosques across the country, including the one in Lodi.
In the late 1990s, Adil Khan acted to create his own school in America, and set up the nonprofit Jamia Farooqia Islamic Center. He told supporters the school would be open to boys and girls, Muslims and non-Muslims.
When he learned the Lodi mosque had bought 7 acres to establish its own school and Islamic center, he formed a collaboration.
In the spring of 2001, Adil Khan moved to Lodi to serve as imam. After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, he reached out to Christians and Jews, signing a joint declaration of peace.
In early 2002, he recruited a former student from Pakistan, Shabbir Ahmed, to take over as imam while Adil Khan concentrated on developing the Lodi school.
Ahmed, 39, has admitted that, while he was an imam in Islamabad, he gave several fiery anti-American speeches after Sept. 11 in protest of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. But, at his June 24 immigration hearing, he denied urging people to kill Americans.
"Having come here I see human value and respect for human life - even animals are taken care of here," he told the immigration judge.
The documents claim Hamid Hayat "advised he would get his Jihadi mission orders from Shabbir Ahmed, who would get the initial order from Muhammed Adil Khan." Hayat refused to say how he knew this, or what such a "mission" might entail.
During his own interrogation, Hayat's father identified several additional members of the Lodi mosque trained in jihadi camps who "take direction from Shabbir Ahmed" and who were taught to target financial institutions and government buildings in the U.S., according to the documents.
The documents claim Hamid Hayat initially denied any connection to jihadis, and on June 4 volunteered to take a polygraph test. "His answers to relevant questions were found to be indicative of deception," according to the documents.
After about two more hours of questioning, Hamid Hayat admitted he attended a training camp in Pakistan run by al-Qaida for approximately six months in 2003-04, according to the documents.
Hamid Hayat said the camp provided training in weapons, explosives and hand-to-hand combat and added that photographs of President Bush and other high-ranking U.S. officials were used for target practice, according to the documents.
Hamid Hayat said the camp trained hundreds of people who were allowed to choose where to carry out "their jihadi mission. ... Hamid advised that he specifically requested to come to the United States."
His father, Umer Hayat, at first claimed there were no such training camps in Pakistan, but after seeing his son's videotaped confession, admitted he paid for his son's flight to Pakistan to attend the camp and gave him a $100-a-month allowance, according to the documents.
Hamid Hayat was born in the United States and at age 9 moved to Pakistan for about nine years before returning to Lodi, relatives said.
According to the documents, his father said Hamid first became interested in attending a jihadi training camp as a young teen after being influenced by a classmate at a madrassah in Rawalpindi and an uncle who fought with the mujahedeen in Afghanistan against the Soviet occupation.
The madrassah Hamid allegedly attended is operated by Umer Hayat's father-in-law, who Umer Hayat said is a close personal friend of Rehman. Rehman ran the al-Qaida training camp Hamid eventually attended, according to the documents.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Umer Hayat's father-in-law, Qari Saeed-ur Rehman, leader of the Jamia Islamia madrassah in Rawalpindi, said his grandson Hamid "never received religious education at my madrassah. There is no terrorist camp here ... all allegations leveled against (the Hayats) by the FBI are a pack of lies."
But according to the documents, Umer Hayat said that thanks to his family connections, he was assigned a driver and invited to visit several training camps that taught everything from urban warfare to classroom instruction.
The Hayats' trial is scheduled for Aug. 23, but federal prosecutors Wednesday filed a motion seeking to have it postponed while they canvass 40 government agencies for any information on the Hayats.
Prosecutors said they need more time to go through the Hayats' computer, cell phone and 2,000 pages of documents seized in a search of their Lodi home.
In the motion, prosecutors said a scrap of paper found in Hamid Hayat's wallet at the time of his arrest said, in Arabic, "Lord let us be at their throats, and we ask you to give refuge from their evil."
Hamid Hayat's attorney, Mojaddadi, said her interpretation is that the note is "a prayer you say when you're afraid for your safety, and just carrying it with you is supposed to make you feel protected."
She said the note "has absolutely nothing to do with the United States."
Mojaddadi and Umer Hayat's attorney, Griffin, said they had reviewed the documents seized from the Hayats' home and dismissed them as "fluff."
The seizures so far have not produced additional charges against the Hayats, and federal officials have not characterized them - or the imams - as part of an al-Qaida sleeper cell.
But federal officials indicate they are investigating possible violations of Patriot Act provisions that make it a crime to give "material support" to foreign terrorist organizations. Under these statutes, such support includes money, weapons, lodging or training.
The statutes outlawing material support were key to the prosecution and convictions of six young men from Lackawanna, N.Y., who admitted attending al-Qaida training camps in Afghanistan in April 2001. While there, they said, they received weapons training and met bin Laden.
In early 2003, all six pleaded guilty and were each sentenced to between seven and 10 years in prison.
Officials close to the Lodi investigation say that they are building a similar case but are not yet ready to file charges on the material support grounds.
They indicated it could take months before the CIA and other intelligence agencies provide evidence that could be used to make material support charges stick - if those agencies have such evidence.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
07/08/2005 11:02 ||
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#1
"Having come here I see human value and respect for human life - even animals are taken care of here," he told the immigration judge.
WAS OUR JIHADI PROTAGONIST SPEAKING OF HIMSELF WHEN HE CITED THE HUMANE TREATMENT OF ANIMALS AFTER BEING ARRESTED?
#2
The documents say Umer Hayat alleged "that Jamia Farooqia prepared its students for jihadist training camps" and that "Adil Khan's purpose in America is to develop a U.S.-based madrassah which would serve the same purpose as the madrassahs in Pakistan."
According to the documents, Adil Khan first came to America in the 1980s to raise money for his father's Jamia Farooqia school. The highly educated, urbane Khan soon became a welcome speaker at mosques across the country, including the one in Lodi.
How many supposedly moderate mosques did he speak at? Which mosques?
Are the attendees at those mosques ignorant of his goals, or in agreement with them?
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
07/08/2005 13:59 Comments ||
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Iraq appealed to its global partners Friday to defy al-Qaida's "blackmail" and keep their diplomats in Baghdad despite the reported slaying of Egypt's top envoy and threats against those who support the U.S.-backed administration.
A U.S. commander acknowledged more needs to be done to protect foreign diplomats and "we've got to do something very quickly." The U.N. Security Council said "there can be no justification" for attacks against diplomats.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/08/2005 21:20 ||
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dont knoew ifn thees ben posted yet. no goddam date given
Pakistan judged unfairly
The daily Jang wrote that a report by an American Commission had stated that there was more religious freedom in India than in Pakistan. Pakistanâs foreign office had replied that the report was unfair because in Pakistan, religious minorities have full rights of self-expression. The American Commission recommended that Pakistan be blacklisted by the US government.
âWe blocked the marathon!â
Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami Lahore Salman Butt said in the Nawa-e-Waqt that the mixed marathon organised by NGOs who took money from the West was foiled by Jamaat-e-Islamiâs Shabab-e-Milli organisation. He said he could not tolerate women running in marathons. Human rights activist Asma Jehangir was arrested in Lahore for organising a âmixedâ marathon. Son of the founder of Jamaat Islam Farooq Muadudi said there was no harm in a mixed marathon because men and women already went around together in the streets of the city.
Paintings are banned
Writing in the Khabrain, Dr Israr Ahmad stated that there was a clear hadith banning all likeness of the living, be it human or animal. But in the matter of pictures taken by a camera, Arab scholars gave permission which was not accepted by Indian Muslim scholars. Dr Israr believed that paintings were still banned but camera photos were allowed as that would solve the problem of photographs on passports and ID cards. Paintings and sculpture remained banned.
Hoodbhoyâs worldview
Talking to the Jang magazine, Pakistanâs nuclear physicist Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy stated that he was opposed to nuclear bombs because weapons sapped the stateâs ability to look after the economic needs of the people. He said the advantage of 9/11 fell to the Islamic extremists and the Bush administration. He said that because of lack of scientific thinking, Muslims had done nothing remarkable in the last 700 years. He said the Mughals built tombs but no universities. In Pakistan, universities had fallen in standard to an extent that they should be shut down. Dr AQ Khan was not a nuclear scientist but a good administrator. Becoming nuclear doesnât make you independent but you can threaten the world. He said the country was moving in the wrong direction and he was worried about the future but he was thankful he wonât be around to see the future.
We will die for the Quran!
Quoted in the Nawa-e-Waqt, Qazi Hussain Ahmad said that he and his followers would sacrifice their lives for the Quran and will gather in full strength to protest the desecration of the Quran at Guantanamo Bay. Ex-ISI chief General (Retd) Hamid Gul said that no apology from the US was acceptable. The culprits who desecrated the Quran at Guantanamo Bay should be brought before an Islamic court.
Um, you sure you wanna go with that?
Counterterrorism expert Juval Aviv spoke with FOX Fan Central about what Americans can do to protect themselves in case of a terror attack.
Do you believe another terrorist attack is likely on American soil?
I predict, based primarily on information that is floating in Europe and the Middle East, that an event is imminent and around the corner here in the United States. It could happen as soon as tomorrow, or it could happen in the next few months. Ninety days at the most.
What advice do you have for individuals that have the misfortune of finding themselves in the middle of a terror attack?
Since mass transportation is the next attack, when you travel to work have with you, a bottle of water, a small towel, and a flashlight. A HGG Guy? What happened in London is exactly a point to look at. Those people who were close to the bombs died, then others were injured or died from inhaling the toxic fumes or getting trampled. The reason you take a bottle of water and a towel is that if you wet the towel and put it over your face, you can protect yourself against the fumes and get yourself out of there.
Donât be bashful. If your gut feeling tells you when you walk on to a bus there is something unusual or suspicious, get out and walk away. You may do it 10 times for no reason, but there will be one time that saves your life. Let your sixth sense direct you.
Try to break your routine. If you travel during rush hour everyday, try to get up a little earlier and drive to work or take the train when itâs still not full. Donât find yourself every day in the midst of rush hour. Terrorists are not going to waste a bomb on a half empty train.
What portion of the American infrastructure do you believe is at the greatest risk for a terror attack?
We have put all of our emphasis, right or wrong, on the aviation area. What has happened, in the last two to three years, based on information we have, the terrorists have realized that they cannot hijack a plane in America soon because the passengers are going to fight back. So they realize what they have been very successful with over the last 50 years in Madrid, London, Iraq, Israel: demoralizing the public when they go to work and when they come back from work.
What theyâre going to do is hit six, seven, or eight cities simultaneously to show sophistication and really hit the public. This time, which is the message of the day, it will not only be big cities. Theyâre going to try to hit rural America. They want to send a message to rural America: âYouâre not protected. If you figured out that if you just move out of New York and move to Montana or to Pittsburgh, youâre not immune. Weâre going get you wherever we can and itâs easier there than in New York.â
What more do you think the government can do to protect the public?
Number one, and this is the beef Iâve had with Homeland Security for the last four years, is educating the public on how to deal with those types of events. Thereâs no education. Weâre raising the color code alert and that means nothing to anyone. Whether itâs green, yellow, pink, no one ever educated the public how to identify suspicious items or people. In Israel, so many of them [terrorists] have been apprehended just because people have phoned in. We donât have that training on campuses, schools, or kindergarten.
In Israel, itâs very popular right now [amongst terrorists] to put one device to explode and time another one for five minutes later when itâs all calm, people are getting up, and the rescue teams have responded. You need to know all those things and think about those things. The government must pursue that. Law enforcement will never have enough people on the street to detect things. We donât have that kind of manpower. Thatâs why the government must enlist the public.
Juval Aviv is a former Israeli Counterterrorism Intelligence Officer and President and CEO of Interfor, Inc. Mr. Aviv has also served as a special consultant to the U.S. Congress on issues of terrorism and security and is the author of âStaying Safe : The Complete Guide to Protecting Yourself, Your Family, and Your Business.â And there you have it - a Futures play with panache.
#3
It could happen as soon as tomorrow, or it could happen in the next few months. Ninety days at the most.
That would not be very smart, to put it lightly.
Since mass transportation is the next attack,..
Heh, I live and work in Sillycon Valley, where we don't believe in that crap. It's single cars for us! Bwaaahahahahahaha!!!!! (or motorcycles, in my case)
Posted by: Captain America ||
07/08/2005 17:57 Comments ||
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In war each side takes turns attacking the other. You canât stop or prevent all attacks; you can just minimize the loss and the affect of an attack. The fact that we havenât been attacked is more troubling that comforting. Any one who thinks the bad guys are not gunning for us need to go look at the remains of the World Trade Center. During the waning years of we thought that Germany was beaten and on a snowy winter day they shocked our forces into long retreat and extended the war for months and cost thousands of lives. Japan launch their âdivine windâ to stave off ultimate defeat. Trust me the Jihadis are waiting to strike and there isnât too much we can do to stop them. The best you can do is be prepared for an attack and be mindful of your surroundings. If we manage to stop a group trying a similar attack in the U.S. it will probably be more about luck than anything we have done. Israel expends a huge amount of resources and manpower to prevent such attacks and still some manage to get through. We can only hope to be as successful as they are.
#6
I almost feel sorry for the assholes who try this shit in rural America.
They're going to find out most people outside the moonbat cities have at least two friends - named Smith and Wesson.
Dave D., mmurray - it does make a difference. ;-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
07/08/2005 18:14 Comments ||
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#7
Right you are CS. They are not going to stop because they think that they are guided by God. Fools. And if one gets through, it will be interesting to see if how the population will react to the left's immediate claim that it is Bush's fault becuase we attacked Iraq and Afghanistan. If you have the stomach to visit sfgate.com you'll see the informal poll about what should be done to prevent another attack here in the US. 75% say that we should change our foriegn policy. I suppose that's the expected response here in the left coast fever swamp. I doubt it would be the same in much of the rest of the country.
#10
Agreed re: rural America and guns. But this guy apparently thinks 'rural' applies to e.g. Pittsburgh. And if the next attack really is on smaller city mass transit, there may or may not be a critical mass of gun-owning / capable people to defend it.
Posted by: too true ||
07/08/2005 18:33 Comments ||
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#11
informal poll about what should be done to prevent another attack here in the US. 75% say that we should change our foriegn policy
That's the 75% that I'm in right?, I'm happy to hear that so many think the way I do, where we ought to slam the living shit out of the Middle East and Indonesia then tell who's ever left standing how they'd best behave.
Notice how I don't make exceptions for "moderates"?
I don't believe they exist.
#12
too true: Let's suppose for a moment that some jihadi tried an attack of some type in a place where a lot of people are armed, and was killed before the attack succeeded.
The fellow-traveling MSM would then proceed to instruct the jihadis where to go so that wouldn't happen in their next attack - using the excuse of "terrorists' public's right to know." :-(
The only saving grace is that gun-restricted places are the MSM's back yard, so maybe they'd be affected. But since they're on the other side, I don't think they'd worry about that.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
07/08/2005 18:48 Comments ||
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#13
Uh, no JerseyMike. That would be San Francisco Gate. I live among the "gentle progressives" who hate themselves and their country.
#14
Could be tomorrow, could be next week, likely was not 2 weeks ago. Fear your neighbor, eat whole grains, fly a dog flag, glare at people just in cast. Be afraid and stay tuned.
Glock (when not going into work - not allowed to carry onto the facility, even with my permit)
Suspicious as hell from a lot (too many?) years "in the business".
Keeps me out of the probable target zone other than when I go to the mall (which I dont do unless the Mrs is dragging the there).
As for work:
1st story underground, controlled area inside a secure building (concrete and steel, no windows, TEMPEST shielded, have our own water and power, only 1 story above ground, everything else is down from there), protected on all sides with barbed wire on a 7 ft electrified fence (minimum of 100m between the fence and the building perimeter) and US military police with M-16s patrolling the outside of the fence with "deadly force authorised" per the signs they have posted. And that itself is inside a fenced-in restricted access US military base.
#18
...no one ever educated the public how to identify suspicious items or people. In Israel, so many of them [terrorists] have been apprehended just because people have phoned in. We donât have that training on campuses, schools, or kindergarten.
#19
Friend Wesson or Colt has his place when the terrorists try a Breslin, but they'd have just weighed you down if you'd been in London. Your call, though.
9/11 didn't make me more wary than before: a nutjob ignited a bucket of gasoline on a Madison bus and I've been rather more attentive to my surroundings since.
Posted by: James ||
07/08/2005 20:24 Comments ||
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#20
As much as I'd love to shoot a terrorist... the likelihood is that the chickenshit is going to quietly leave a bomb and get off at the next stop or move to the next car of the train.
Look for un-tended packages on mass-transit and keep AWAY from them.
#21
#1: "...when you travel to work have with you, a bottle of water, a small towel, and a flashlight."
Screw that shit; tomorrow I'm going out and buying a Smith & Wesson.
Very good Dave, but don't forget the flashlight, (Too see the bad guy) the towel, (To see the bad guy) and the small water bottle(To se the bad guy) and an extra clip or two.(9mm is sufficient)
I would also suggest a cell phone that has a camera, pictures are extremely valuable, no need to contract with your phone company for the service to transmit pictures or send anything, just keep the picture(s) in the phone memory.
Belly bags are back in style, get a permit if allowed, if not just ignore the stupid rules.
My personal experience is to simply ignore the rules that can get you killed, most folks will NOT do this, (but then, I class them as sheep.)
I recall the Russian theatre, no mention of the patrons being armed at all. Why?
Mind you, the most difficult thing (At first) is to completely ignore that gun you carry.
No checking to see if it's showing, bulging in the pocket, or such.
When you can ignore it, others will too, draw attention and you'll get busted.
GENEVA, Switzerland, July 8 (UPI) -- International aid workers have been forced to withdraw from refugee camps in Darfur after being attacked by young men with sticks and stones.
"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but....Ouch, that hurts! We're outta here!"
Eight aid workers were injured, none seriously, in camps serving up to 70,000 internal refugees in the war-torn region of Sudan, a spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva. The attacks occurred at the start of a registration process for food distribution conducted by the U.N. World Food Program.
"Initial reports from UNHCR staff indicate that as people were lining up to be registered, some groups of young men armed with sticks and stones began attacking aid workers who were supervising the registration," said Ron Redmond, a spokesman for the refugee agency.
Ya know, armed guards can put a damper on that kind of thing. Just a thought.
Workers with UNHCR, WFP, the U.N. Children's Fund and all non-governmental organizations withdrew from most camps in western Darfur and were escorted to safety by African Union forces, he said.
Who apparently have no intention of stopping the guys with rocks.
The attacks come two weeks after the United Nations had upgraded its estimate of how many people in Darfur would need food aid, from 2.8 million to 3.5 million
Posted by: Steve ||
07/08/2005 16:06 ||
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This is just ... sad.
More proof the UN is a spineless, blood sucking blot on humanity.
Free advice to UN: HIRE SOME FUCKING GUARDS DIPWADS!
#2
Brave Kofi ran away.
Bravely ran away, away!
When danger reared its ugly head,
He bravely turned his tail and fled.
Yes, brave Kofi turned about
And gallantly he chickened out.
Bravely taking to his feet
He beat a very brave retreat,
Bravest of the brave, Kofi!
He is packing it in and packing it up
And sneaking away and buggering up
And chickening out and pissing off home,
Yes, bravely he is throwing in the sponge...
An internet message, published on Friday, under the name Lewis Atiyallah or Atiyyat Allah, which endorses and appears to suggest involvement in the London bomb attacks and threatens Italy, is not the first extremist message with that signature. Some terrorism experts believe Lewis Atiyallah, who presents himself as a professor of Islamic Law and an influential leader linked to Jihadi groups, is a pseudonym for Yusef al-Ayeeri, the undisputed leader of the Jihadi brigades in Saudi Arabia. Al-Ayeeri was reported killed in 2003, however there are lingering doubts about whether he is in fact dead.
The by-line 'Lewis Atiyallah' has appeared regularly in the Saudi al-Qaeda online magazine Sawt al-Jihad in recent years. An indication that he is a figure of some relevance within the Jihadi network came several days ago when Jordanian militant Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi issued a message in which he criticised Aityallah for comments made in Islamic cyberspace last month.
Atiyallah had criticised a previous message from al-Qaeda in Iraq - Al-Zarqawi's group - regarding comments, later retracted, by Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi on the early withdrawal of Italian troops.
In January 2004, Atiyallah wrote for Sawt al-Jihad analysing a speech by Osama bin Laden. After several months of silence, his signature reappeared in July 2004 with an article on the al-Qala site, the same website as the first claim of responsibility for the London massacre was posted - the previously unknown Secret Organisation Group of al-Qaeda of Jihad Organisation in Europe said it was behind the blast, and threatened both Italy and Denmark.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
07/08/2005 11:07 ||
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#1
Al-Ayeeri was reported killed in 2003, however there are lingering doubts about whether he is in fact dead.
Al-Ayeeri is dead.
King Fahd is alive.
Iran wants nuclear power for peaceful purposes.
I moonlight as a Chippendale dancer.
Senator McCain is a moderate who wouldn't dare screw his party to get ahead.
The check is in the mail.
The MSM is interested in nothing but disclosing the truth.
#5
Whoa! Wait til the School Board finds out about THAT!!!
Are you kidding? We have a high school teacher whose second job is exotic dancing. The 2004 valedictorian got her mike shut off partly because she pointed that out in her address.
JAMMU, India - Suspected militants clashed with soldiers in an overnight gunbattle after they allegedly entered Indian-controlled Kashmir from the Pakistani side of a ceasefire line, leaving four guerillas and four soldiers dead, an army spokesman said on Friday.
Another two Indian soldiers was wounded in the fighting in Punch district, 220 kilometers (137 miles) northeast of Jammu, the winter capital of Indiaâs Jammu-Kashmir state, said Lt. Col. D. K. Badola, the army spokesman. The fighting began Thursday night and continued until early Friday, Badola told The Associated Press. There was no independent confirmation of the army claim.
Posted by: Steve ||
07/08/2005 09:22 ||
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July 8, 2005: Captured messages, and terrorists, reveal that there is a major disagreement inside the Iraqi al Qaeda organization. Abu Musab al Zarqawi, the Jordanian leader of the al Qaeda terrorists in Iraq, has ordered his killers to go after Iraqi Shia Arab militias, and has declared the Shia Arabs heretics and targets for al Qaeda fighters. While this has long been a fundamental attitude of al Qaeda, there had never been universal agreement about Shias within the Sunni community. But Islamic conservatives, especially those in Saudi Arabia, regularly preached hatred of Shias. This hatred is now causing violent dissent among the al Qaeda fighters in Iraq. Thus, in addition to Sunni Arab terrorist groups fighting al Qaeda fighters in western Iraq, there is now deadly disputes between al Qaeda gunmen over what to do with the Shia. These disputes make it easier to take down the terrorist gangs, even while the dispute generates more attacks by the terrorists.
Meanwhile, al Qaeda has murdered the kidnapped Egyptian ambassador to Iraq. Egypt is particularly hated by al Qaeda, as most of the senior leadership of al Qaeda are survivors of Egyptâs 1990s counter-terrorism efforts against Islamic terrorists. The terrorism didnât work against Egyptians then, and wonât now. Al Qaeda had its chance in Egypt, and was rejected by the vast majority of the population, even if this meant supporting the corrupt and ineffective leadership of Egypt. The same thing has happened in Iraq, where the Islamic terrorists (both al Qaeda, and Sunni Arab supporters of the Baath Party and Sunni domination) are seen as the enemy. For some reason, this development is not received very enthusiastically by the world media. But there it is.
Posted by: Steve ||
07/08/2005 09:06 ||
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#1
If all goes well, they'll all kill each other while Coalition/Iraqi forces look on and smile. Divide; conquer; rinse; repeat.
Posted by: Jonathan ||
07/08/2005 10:09 Comments ||
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#2
... has declared the Shia Arabs heretics and targets...
#3
Every jihadi needs somebody to hate and some jihadi need more than others it seems. Big mistake to repeat it too often or loudly in a place with a shia majority bordering another place with a huge shia majority population. Zman losing the forest for the trees these days? Must have a real big bug up his tight little sunni A#$ because of the situation in iraq to have made yet another public rant against the shia.
Members of Osama bin Ladenâs Al Qaeda network may have returned to Afghanistan en masse to bolster Taliban militants fighting US and Afghan forces in the east and south of the country, officials and analysts say. Although no one has come forward with any hard proof, evidence seems to indicate that hardline Al Qaeda fighters have gone back to the country that was their home base for years until US-led forces toppled the Taliban in late 2001.
The governor of the southern Afghan province of Kandahar, Gul Agha Shirzai, said after a deadly suicide attack at a mosque last month that police âfound documents on the (bomberâs) body that showed he was an Arabâ. He told reporters that this proved that âArab Al Qaeda teams had entered Afghanistan and had planned terrorist attacksâ.
Afghan Defence Minister Abdur Rahim Wardak on Monday told the New York Times: âThere is a regrouping of Al Qaeda, and it seems they are going to pay more attention to Afghanistan. We are running into foreign fighters here and there.â
And Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah said on a visit to India this week that the Taliban had become ânumerically strongerâ and that the likely explanation was that they were getting âoutside supportâ. The head of the UN mission in Afghanistan, Franceâs Jean Arnault, warned the UN Security Council in late June that the security situation in the country was worsening. Arnault told the council that the Taliban rebels seem to have âmore funding, more deadly weaponry, more powerful media for propaganda and more aggressive, cruel and indiscriminate tacticsâ.
Michael Scheuer, who headed up the CIAâs special âbin Laden unitâ from 1996 to 1999, sees nothing shocking in the recent reports of an increased Al Qaeda presence in Afghanistan. âThe recent attacks fit bin Ladenâs strategic goal of ensuring âthe pious Caliphate will start from Afghanistanâ,â accords to Scheuer. âConsistent with Al Qaedaâs tactical doctrine for aiding Islamist insurgencies, Taliban leaders are taking the lead in discussing and claiming credit for the increased violence. âAl Qaedaâs doctrine is clear: Support the insurgents fully and offer advice, but stay in the background, do not dictate, and allow local leaders to run operations as they see fit,â Scheuer said.
In certain remote regions of Afghanistan, US and Afghan forces routinely encounter concentrations of hardened militants, sparking long hours of combat. Increased pressure by Pakistanâs military in the lawless tribal regions along the Afghan border could prompt Al Qaeda militants to travel back and forth across the border to avoid detection, officials said in Islamabad.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have recently traded accusations about whose side of the border the militants are on, and who is to blame for failing to find them. Olivier Roy, an analyst at Franceâs National Centre for Scientific Research and one of the worldâs leading specialists on central Asia, warned against drawing quick conclusions about Al Qaeda activity in Afghanistan. âWe still donât have any concrete evidence which proves that there are foreign fighters among the Taliban,â Roy told AFP.
âThe Afghan authorities obviously have a vested interest in saying publicly that militants responsible for deadly attacks are foreigners, including Pakistani Taliban.â He concluded: âBut if it were confirmed that there were Arab militants in Afghanistan, that would mark an important turning point.â
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
07/08/2005 02:17 ||
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#1
"Come into my parlour," said the spider to the fly. After yesterday, the wisdom of letting AQ hard boyz get themselves killed by our professionals is very, very clear. And, like Iraq, this is an important step in the Afghanis seeing themselves as part of a nation, not just of the tribe they were born into. Good hunting, lads!
#2
I wonder if this means they are getting hit hard in Iraq. It seems to have slowed down against our boys there, at least newswise. Maybe they are hoping it will be easier going in Afghanistan.
#3
The US can just as swiftly shift forces into Afghanistan from Iraq or from the deployment cycle. So what's the advantage?
Maybe the locals are a lot less receiptive these days in Iraq. Terrorists getting their asses turned over to the local authorities faster than they can move them into country. The trouble is that the population in Afghanistan is smaller and thus less of a mass to hide among. Guess this means USAID has got to fund a lot of cell phone towers and make distribution of free phones. Advantage: Afghan citizens.
Further the terrain in Afghanistan compartmentalizes the battlefield more. I don't buy into the myth that somehow a muslim raised in Saudi [from which most of the terrorist seem to come from these days] is any better prepared to operate at 20,000 feet than an American. If they plan to use the Pak's as the new recruits from the NW Territories, that might be different, but simply makes it easier to end the game of sanctuary that they currently enjoy. However, no one said these people were among the best of Mensa. Those harboring these terrorist seem to suffer a lot these days. Guess its the NW Territories turn. Couldn't happen to a nicer group of people.
#4
The Pakistani gov is pushing the remaining 1 million refugees to return (almost 4 million already have). Of those remaining refugees, there is a higher percentage of Taliban symps than the previous returning refugees. Couple that with their madrassa raised, jihad indoctrinated cousins from Pakistan, and you have an opportunity to remove from the gene pool a lot of koran pollution. Any non Arabs/Chechens/Uzbeks pushed out by the Pakistani army are bonus targets.
Posted by: ed ||
07/08/2005 10:19 Comments ||
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#5
âWe still donât have any concrete evidence which proves that there are foreign fighters among the Taliban,â Roy told AFP.
French guy, right?
I wonder if it's the water over there?
#7
Did I say that the tribal areas of Pakistan would be an excellent testing ground to confirm the current operational capability of our nuclear weapons? Hmmmm, I guess I did.
#9
I don't think using nukes in the NWFP would do the kind of good you're thinking, remote. Napalm and cluster bombs work better, used in sequence. Napalm to cook all the goats, and cluster bombs to take out the idiots who come to the feast.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
07/08/2005 14:52 Comments ||
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#10
OP - I though you were an FAE man, second only to ArcLight, lol!
#11
.com - anything that does the trick. If things don't straighten out (in our favor) pretty soon, we're going to have to start playing "cowboys and muslims" - only THIS time, WE use the flaming arrows. And napalm bombs, cluster bombs, ap mines, and anything else that works. If Islam refuses to "live and let live", we'll see their side is the first to stop living.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
07/08/2005 20:30 Comments ||
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As we dry out from the aftermath of Tropical Storm Cindy and after we take the Rantburg server out of the sandbags, please join Fred, Dan Darling, Steve White, and Seafarious for festivities and frivolity tomorrow, Saturday, July 9 from 3 p.m. until we're not having fun any more.
We had a great time at Fadó in January but they are televising a England/Ireland rugby match with a large rowdy crowd and a $10 cover. As we'd rather spend our money on beer and vittles, we are moving right next door to the brew pub RFD.
R.F.D.
Chinatown
810 7th St. NW
Washington, DC
202-289-2030
It is Metro accessible at Chinatown/Gallery Place/Arena station on the Red/Yellow/Green lines. Exit at 7th & H. Cheers!
P.S. The comments are open for your suggestions for our worldwide toast at 3:20 pm. Our UK cousins are first on the list...
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
07/08/2005 2:08 Comments ||
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#2
Sorry I can't join you lads. Maybe next time.
A few suggestion for toasts: W, Blair and Howard for starters. The US and Coalition forces. Fabrizio Quattrocchi. Danny Pearl. Mike Kelly. Fr. Judge. Johnny Spann. The SEALs and the Nightstalkers. Condi. Rudy. Rummy. Orianna Falaci. Ledeen. Allawi and Jafari. Iraqi bloggers. Chalabi. Jack Idema. Karzai. Wretchard. The entire RB community. The good folks at WoC. Londoners. Aznar. Instapundit. The American people for doing the right thing in November. Blackfive. Michael Yon. Pat Tillman. Lance Armstrong. Dennis Miller and Ron Silver. Theo Van Gogh. Hitch. Denzel Washington and Gary Sinise (for supporting the troops). Massoud. Fox News. Hugh Hewitt. John Batchelor. Fred, Dan, the entire Army of Steve, et al. OldSpook. Tim Blair. NRO. Austin Bay. Jim Dunnigan. Col. David Hunt. Gen. Paul Vallely (and his late son). The USMC in Fallujah. The Kurds. SFC Paul Smith. Adm. Stockdale. Hack. The Hellfire-armed Predator. Greyhawk and all of the Milbloggers. All of the wives of the servicemen. The FDNY and NYPD. My friend Sean Fegan (killed on 9/11). Paul Wolfowitz. The IDF. The Powerline guys. Lucianne. Phil Carter. The Diplomad (come back, please). The SF operators who will eventually disembowel Binny, hog-tie Zawahiri, lop off Zarqawi's head, pluck out Mullah Omar's other eye, shoot Hek in the neck, make Saad sad, send Adel to Hell, throw Baby Assad out with the bathwater, and flush Hamas, AQ, JI, LeT, LeJ, MILF, Abu Sayyef, EIJ, PIJ, Fatah, Ansar Islam, Ansar al-Sunna, the Sadr-mites, the Pasdaran, Revolutionary Guards, and various other Islamofascist fuckwits down the toilet-Hezbollah. Finally, the 1900+ who have given their lives (plus the 3000 whose lives were taken).
God bless and have fun!
Posted by: Tibor ||
07/08/2005 2:29 Comments ||
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#3
What match is that Seafarious? Virtually all the English and Irish teams are out in New Zealand playing under the British and Irish Lions banner against the All Blacks (which I don't think we're going to win unfortunately!)
Never mind, you guys have a great time - 3 p.m. start? could be a looong night!
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
07/08/2005 3:36 Comments ||
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#4
If you plan on getting all of those toasts in, you had better start at noon, and bring along a spare liver!
My own suggestion (actually, something I read in a book about the Revolution): Here's to eternal itching, without the benefit of scratching, to our enemies.
Posted by: Darth VAda ||
07/08/2005 5:31 Comments ||
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#5
Tibor - w00t! Wowsers! Hell, I think I'll have a beer (my 2nd this year!) just for that post!
#7
Sea, how about a toast to all who came before us, creating and preserving the liberties we now enjoy - and must protect for our future and those of generations to come.
#9
Oh Gawd Seafarious - that's the match we're likely to get hammered in. The All-Blacks are an awesome rugby machine, and we've taken some injuries over the tour, so we're not going to be 100%. We'll take the fight to them though! :)
Y'all have a good time y'hear - I particularly like eLarson's toast!
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
07/08/2005 9:35 Comments ||
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#11
eLarson - Would that be like pork sausage Rods from God? I'm thinking that one ton won't quite do it, but then I guess it depends on how much doesn't burn up in re-entery and the remainder's velocity at impact.
#15
Sea, you guys and gals all have fun. Wish I could join you, but it's too far to walk, and I have no change to take a plane. Next time, we need to plan one of these in a couple of dozen cities, hooked together by WiFi! All the Coloradans can meet either in Denver or Co. Springs. I propose a local meet-up the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Any suggestions?
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
07/08/2005 14:21 Comments ||
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#16
3:20's past my cutoff for adult beverages, since I go on duty at 6, but I'll raise a Diet Coke "with" y'all.
Toast: L'Chiam! :-D
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
07/08/2005 15:51 Comments ||
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#17
Wish I could be there. Have a good one.
Posted by: Mike ||
07/08/2005 15:58 Comments ||
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#19
How about Sanity to the Foe! (So they would stop with all this vicious nonsense) Or else the old classic, Confusion to the Enemy. Sorry, I'm not very good at this, and the previous suggestions left very little unsaid. ;-)
Wish I could be there, but I'll raise another diet Coke (mmmm,caffeine) with a hearty l'chaim!in concert with Barbara.
#20
Good Drinking....
Would love to make it some year...
Tomorrow I am picking more apricots...
(The tree is too damn bin...)
Will eat a few for you...
A new group announced this week purportedly by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi to target a Shiite militia, claimed responsibility for its first operation on Thursday, the killings of a Shiite in south Baghdad. "Your brothers in the Omar Corps, which belongs to the al-Qaeda in Iraq, on Wednesday assassinated a leading member in the corps of treason, the Badr Corps in Doura," a statement posted on an al-Qaeda-linked website said. Police confirmed that a member of the Badr Brigade, led by the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, was killed on Wednesday in the Doura district in southern Baghdad. In an audiotape found on Wednesday on the same Web site, a speaker claiming to be al-Zarqawi announced formation of the Omar Corps to "eradicate" the Badr Brigade. Al-Zarqawi's group has been targeting Shiites, who dominate Iraq's government, in a bid to trigger civil war.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/08/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
Has anyone seen the briefing from the general of the 3rd ID today? Apparently bombings in Baghdad have been more than cut in half since late May, when Op Lightning started. Another glimmer of light, maybe.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/08/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
Egypt should not close its mission, it should enlarge it. Complete with a sizeable self-protection force of the best soldiers they've got. And that action should be matched by every other nation that makes even a pretense of being free and civilized. Hey world, if you want to stop these terrorist b**tards you have to stand up and face them down. And if you don't, eventually they'll turn over your rock and face YOU down.
#2
Egyptian soldiers? These would be the same gentlemen whose guns and sandles are held together with duct tape? (Or at least that's what Mr. Wife reported seeing back in 1986 -- I suppose things could have improved since then.)
#3
Hey TW, with enough duct tape I can fix anything.
And I didn't mean to say even their best soldiers were any good - but how good do they need to be? It's not like they'd be facing the USMC.
The important thing is for everyone to turn around and make a stand rather than continue to retreat in the face of terrorist attacks. Terrorism only works when people allow themselves to be terrorized. During the Blitz the British refused to be terrorized under seriously terrifying conditions. The Philipinos and Spanish, and now Egyptians are terrorized, under significantly less terrifying conditions. It is attitude that matters.
My wife has said the hardest lesson she ever had to teach our kids was that there are evil people in the world; people naturally avoid doing hard things, so I suspect a lot of parents avoided ever teaching that lesson. As a result there are a lot of people in the (civilized) world now who fundamentally do not understand the concept of evil.
Posted by: Captain America ||
07/08/2005 8:54 Comments ||
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#5
Very true, glenmore. And now duct tape comes in all sorts of cool colors. It's just that what I know of the Egyptian mentality comes from them having been defended from the world for 5000+ years by the desert -- they were only mighty warriors before anyone else had chariots and professional soldiers. And with the current culture of grossly underpaid soldiery and a tradition of bribe-taking, how safe would the inhabitants of the embassy be, with such guarding the entrance? Perhaps, like Pakistan, they'll re-open the embassy in Jordan, where it's safer.
MIR ALI: Two masked gunmen on Thursday opened fire on an intelligence officer in Mirali, North Waziristan Agency, killing him before fleeing, a local government official said. Maqsood Hussain said the slain officer, Mohammed Sarwar Khattak, was travelling on his motorcycle when he was shot.He said officers were investigating who was behind the attack.
Journalist shot dead in Dargai: Gunmen ambushed a car carrying a local journalist, killing him and another person in the vehicle in a tribal town in the North West Frontier Province, a police official said on Thursday. However, the official said it was not clear who was behind late Tuesday's killings of Ubaidullah Azhar and his friend Gul Wahid in Dargai.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/08/2005 00:00 ||
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NABLUS, West Bank - Israeli troops killed a Palestinian terrorist gunman during a clash outside the West Bank city of Nablus on Thursday hours after a terrorist militant was shot dead in an attack on a Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip. Israeli military sources said troops fired on two terrorists gunmen in the Balata refugee camp in Nablus who had tried to attack Jewish worshippers en route to a nearby shrine known as Josephâs Tomb.
Sources in al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed offshoot of the dominant Palestinian group Fatah, described the terrorist militant as a dead comrade. They said he was 16 years old and was on Israelâs wanted list in connection with a Palestinian uprising.
Another teenager was critically wounded when Israeli soldiers fired on Palestinian stone-throwers in Balata, witnesses said. The army said troops had come under fire but did not shoot back.
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces said they had handed to the Palestinians the body of an Islamic Jihad terrorist militant killed in an overnight attack on a Jewish settlement. Soldiers said they found grenades, a bomb and an assault rifle at the scene. The attack late on Wednesday was claimed by the group, which has a small popular following and less at stake in peacemaking than other factions.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/08/2005 00:00 ||
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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.
LONDON â Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdulazizâs health suffered a set-back after a relapse in the last two days, and doctors are making all efforts to keep him alive, Saudi medical sources said. 
British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Thursday the perpetrators of the deadliest peacetime attacks in Britain's history acted "in the name of Islam". "We know that these people act in the name of Islam but we also know that the vast and overwhelming majority of Muslims here and abroad are decent and law abiding people who abhor terrorism every bit as much as we do," Blair said in a televised address to the nation. Blair also vowed to bring those behind the attacks to justice and said the country would not bow to terrorism.
A new group announced this week purportedly by 
MIR ALI: Two masked gunmen on Thursday opened fire on an intelligence officer in Mirali, North Waziristan Agency, killing him before fleeing, a local government official said. Maqsood Hussain said the slain officer, Mohammed Sarwar Khattak, was travelling on his motorcycle when he was shot.He said officers were investigating who was behind the attack. 
NABLUS, West Bank - Israeli troops killed a Palestinian 
