Not news to any reader here, but a detailed article.
The determination of countries across the Middle East and Asia to develop nuclear arsenals and other weapons of mass destruction is laid bare by a secret British intelligence document which has been seen by the Guardian.
More than 360 private companies, university departments and government organisations in eight countries, including the Pakistan high commission in London, are identified as having procured goods or technology for use in weapons programmes. The length of the list, compiled by MI5, suggests that the arms trade supermarket is bigger than has so far been publicly realised. MI5 warns against exports to organisations in Iran, Pakistan, India, Israel, Syria and Egypt and to beware of front companies in the United Arab Emirates, which appears to be a hub for the trade.
The disclosure of the list comes as the Nobel peace prize was yesterday awarded to Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the UN watchdog responsible for combating proliferation. The Nobel committee said they had made the award because of the apparent deadlock in disarmament and the danger that nuclear weapons could spread "both to states and to terrorist groups".
Usual criteria for a Peace Prize: he meant well.
The MI5 document, entitled Companies and Organisations of Proliferation Concern, has been compiled in an attempt to prevent British companies inadvertently exporting sensitive goods or expertise to organisations covertly involved in WMD programmes. Despite the large number of bodies identified, the document says the list is not exhaustive. It states: "It is not suggested that the companies and organisations on the list have committed an offence under UK legislation. However, in addition to conducting non-proliferation related business, they have procured goods and/or technology for weapons of mass destruction programmes."
The 17-page document identifies 95 Pakistani organisations and government bodies, including the Pakistan high commission in London, as having assisted in the country's nuclear programme. The list was compiled two years ago, shortly after the security service mounted a surveillance operation at the high commission which is the only diplomatic institution on the list. Abdul Basit, the deputy high commissioner, said: "It is absolute rubbish for Pakistan to be included. We take exception to these links."
Some 114 Iranian organisations, including chemical and pharmaceutical companies and university medical schools, are identified as having acquired nuclear, chemical, biological or missile technology. The document also attempts to shed some light on the nuclear ambitions of Egypt and Syria: a private chemical company in Egypt is identified as having procured technology for use in a nuclear weapons programme, while the Syrian atomic energy commission faces a similar charge. Eleven Israeli organisations appear on the list, along with 73 Indian bodies, which are said to have been involved in WMD programmes.
The document also highlights concerns that companies in Malta and Cyprus could have been used as fronts for WMD programmes. The United Arab Emirates is named as "the most important" of the countries where front companies may have been used, and 24 private firms there are identified as having acquired WMD technology for Iran, Pakistan and India.
A spokesman for the UAE government said it had always worked "very closely" with the British authorities to counter the proliferation of WMD.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/08/2005 11:15 ||
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The disclosure of the list comes as the Nobel peace prize was yesterday awarded to Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the UN watchdog responsible for combating proliferation. The Nobel committee said they had made the award because of the apparent deadlock in disarmament and the danger that nuclear weapons could spread "both to states and to terrorist groups".
UN watchdog---now there is an oxy-moroon for ye.
So the Dynamit committee made the selection on feeeeeeeelings and not accomplishments? It just boggles the mind. The UN and the EUniks are the ultimate Zen Koan.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/08/2005 12:20 Comments ||
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Englandistan. That's probably been around awhile; I'm not sure. Wish I'da dreamed it up. Perfect!
In defiance of British laws, a banned Islamic extremist group has resumed its activities in London with the start of Ramadan, according to informed sources. Al Ghurabaa's internet site featured several articles on the Holy month and recommendations to Muslims worldwide as well as information on new anti-terror laws. Outlawed along with Hizb-ul-Tahrir after the London bombings on July 7, 2005, the extremist groups' website also included sermons and speeches by its founder, Omar Bakri Mohammed. Originally from Syria, the cleric now lives in Lebanon and is banned from returning to Britain. He is also the founder of al Muhajiroun, a fundamentalist group which disbanded itself in October 2004.
So he's not there physically, but he's still pulling strings that lad there. Kind of reinforces my opinion that killing them is much more effective than deporting them or chasing them out of town.
Last August, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, announced that his government intended to rid the country of all foreign Islamist extremists, extradite them to their countries of origin and halt the activity of homegrown preachers of hate. Indicating "the rules of the game had changedâ, Blair said it would no longer be possible to abuse British hospitality to preach hatred and call for the killing of innocent civilians, in Britain, Israel and the Occupied Territories, and elsewhere.
We still haven't seen the promised exodus. Omar Bakri left because he was afraid of going to jug...
On his part, Omar Bakri told Asharq al Awsat, in an online conversation from Beirut, that he resigned from the leadership of al Ghurabaa for religious reasons, citing the distance between him and his supporters in London as a critical factor.
Right. It could happen. My hair could be growing back, too...
He indicated that the group's religious council chose Abdul Muid Islam as it's new emir (leader), who is a British born Muslim.
Found somebody who couldn't be deported, huh? Wotta coincidence.
Bakri, who earlier described the September 11 hijackers as the âGreat 19,â said, âI received the news of my replacement with calmness, because of my lack of legitimacy and my inability to preach in Britain because of the distance.â He revealed that he was currently busy writing and settling in his apartment in Beirut and expected his wife and seven children to follow him to Lebanon before the end of Ramadan.
Good riddance to all of them, including the brats...
Denying any knowledge of the new leader of al Ghurabaa, Bakri told Asharq al Awsat that the new leader, Abdul Muid Islam was not one of his students. He added, âThe new leader is not my successor. The movement is still in its infancy. My role was to give guidance and not administration.â Expressing his sadness at having to leave his students behind, he said many were still in contact and he would not abandon them, adding that in 20 years of preaching in London, he had educated hundreds of men.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/08/2005 00:00 ||
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Time for Broom & Boot Ltd.
Posted by: Captain America ||
10/08/2005 1:58 Comments ||
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NEW YORK -- Details emerged about an alleged plot to attack the city's subways with bombs hidden in bags and possibly baby strollers as local and federal officials jostled over the credibility of the threat. A Department of Homeland Security memo obtained by The Associated Press said the attack was reportedly scheduled to take place on or around Sunday, with terrorists using timed or remote-controlled explosives hidden in briefcases, suitcases or in or under strollers. The memo said that the department had received information indicating the attack might be carried out by "a team of terrorist operatives, some of whom may travel or who may be in the New York City area." The memo, issued Wednesday to state and local officials, said that homeland security and FBI agents doubted the credibility of the information, but it provided four pages of advice about averting a possible attack.
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Posted by: DanNY ||
10/08/2005 08:16 ||
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Sunday? Darn, and I was gonna wash my hair. Just like I do every other day.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
10/08/2005 12:33 Comments ||
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Actually the Subway is more crowded than you might expect on Sundays. At least in Manhattan. Lots of tourists, visitors and Manhattan residents. Pick the right station or the right train and a sizable number of casualties could be racked up. Perhaps they thought we would be less vigilant on a Sunday?
Posted by: DanNY ||
10/08/2005 14:00 Comments ||
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Asdsuming you're right about the trains crowded with tourists, the idea of hitting on a Sunday is valid.
Get a whole cross section of America to disperse back home all across the nation with their tales of horror.
Profane "Our" Holy day.
Bastards.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
10/08/2005 14:18 Comments ||
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They're living right here, and they don't pick up on the fact that our subway crowding is weekdays? Jeepers H Christmas. To put it mildly.
Carp. Idiots.
#8
Well, having been born in NYC I did get familiar with the subway usage. Yes, there are a fair amount of people on Sundays. But there is no comparison to rush hour. (I used to take the PATH train to the WTC and then the subway)
#10
i find it amazing how after something like this all these armchair anyalsts start giving ideas about how these asshats can do it better..yes i know it seems idiotic that the enemy would not have the same logical conclusions..but we are on some level dealing with some very igorant jihadis...does the term 'lose lips sinks ships' not apply anymore...
The city's battle to avert terror on the subways expanded Friday to include the hunt for a would-be bomber said to have possibly traveled to New York. The man, whom a city source said might have trained in Afghanistan and entered the city via Syria, was thought to have been part of a larger plot for a London-like bombing slated on or around Sunday. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, cautioned that investigators had not yet verified the person's whereabouts -- or identity. But NYPD detectives and FBI agents were pursuing him regardless. "It's just a matter of determining if that person exists with that name and is in New York," said the official, who did not reveal the possible suspect's name.
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Posted by: Dan Darling ||
10/08/2005 00:31 ||
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I for one am not uncomfortable with the ambiguity between the feds and local NYC officals. The actions taken locally are fully supportable, venturing on the side of caution.
The Feds are right to raise suspicion about the credibility of AQ informers, particularly since "terrorists" can use many forms to terrorize, including disinformation.
Posted by: Captain America ||
10/08/2005 1:52 Comments ||
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This is one of those 24 hour (or 96 hour) rule deals. In the coming days more details will leak out as to the details of the threat and those involved.
Posted by: ed ||
10/08/2005 3:18 Comments ||
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While I think we always should err on the side of caution and that the public has a right to know, all this hoopla over one missing terrorist in Iraq flying from Syria to NY really shows how few people understand the status of our borders. Thousands literally walk across every day. Has it occurred to anyone that Bin Laden himself could be camping in the Arizona desert right now? He loves to ride horses, partial to harsh desert climates that he learned to survive as a child, and the Saudis have been known to ship their prize horses to Mexico City via KLM's specially made planes. While this is hypothetical, it is also very possible with our unprotected borders. The state's control the National Guard and I wish they would have the courage to put them on it....and not just those bordering Mexico. Drug traffickers cross with ease in states like Montana cuz all our resources are used elsewhere. I'm disappoined in Chertof and the FBI, as I heard they have sat on info and are incensed about NY's response. There must be more housecleaning in order.
#5
I will no more mourn for muslims killing each other than I would for rattle snakes. Today there is news that muslim terrorists are planning to blow up the NY subway with bombs in baby strollers. How many men, women and children would the muslim terrorists have killed if they were successful? How many babies were on the 4 planes during 9/11/2001? What about the care care centers in the WTC? I don't remember any qualms recorded of the terrorists on the black boxes that they are killing women and children. Only "allah ackbar! allah ackbar! allah ackbar!".
If you remember, it was Somalis who were killing, raping, and starving hundreds of thousands of Somalis just a decade ago. And guess what, it was mostly women and children bearing the brunt, without the Somalis themselves shedding a tear for what they were doing. And the US spent billions and two dozen dead trying to feed and stabilize that shithole. And guess what, their version of gratitide was to shoot at peacekeepers, steal as much food and aid, and starve their neighbors.
How many times do the highest muslim scholars need to tell you islam does not distinguish between soldiers and civilians? How many times do muslims have to tell you that you are subhuman, to be conquered and converted or killed, your women and children and all you own the property of allah and for muslim to do as they please with it? How many times do suicide bombers need to blow up families in Pizza parlors, teenagers at discos, and schoolkids in class, at busstops and in busses before you get it through your thick head that muslims specifically target women and children?
http://www.israelnewsagency.com/israelpalestineterrorism127691.html Palestinian terrorists murdered 4 young Jewish children and their pregnant mother this afternoon. ... After spraying the station wagen with bullets, the Palestinian terrorists walked up to the 4 terrified little girls and shot each one of them twice in the head, police said. The 8-month-old pregnant mother was shot in her belly at point blank range as she tried to cover her children. The victims of the attack were identified as Tali Hatuel, 34, and her daughters Hila (11), Hadar (9), Roni (7) and Merav (2).
You want me to feel bad when muslims kill each other, including children? By the very of of stealing each other's cattle and shooting into homes, they tell me loud and clear they value cows more than they value each other, children included. The only thing I feel is shadenfraude. I will save my tears for the children of Israel and Beslan, and the orphans created on 9/11. So fuck the Somalis. Fuck the muslims. As for YOU, here's a quarter. Go buy a fucking clue, you limp dicked eunuch.
Posted by: ed ||
10/08/2005 22:17 Comments ||
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Wrong thread. Posted a copy to the correct thread.
Posted by: ed ||
10/08/2005 22:20 Comments ||
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Thanks, I was having a hard time figuring out who got the quarter.
Government counterterrorism officials gave new details on Friday of what the White House said was a foiled 2002 plot to fly hijacked airplanes into targets on the West Coast, but their account suggested that the Bush administration might not have understood the dimensions of the plot until two major terror suspects were caught in 2003.
Both suspects, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and Riduan Isamuddin, better known as Hambali, had been involved in plans for such an attack, they said.
President Bush referred obliquely to the planning in a speech on Thursday, when he said the United States and its partners had stopped three potential attacks on American soil, and seven more around the world. The White House cited it later Thursday in a list of the 10 failed plots.
While several of those alleged plots had been disclosed before, officials said that the 2002 effort had not been publicized until now. Another foiled plot, the White House said, was aimed at East Coast cities in 2003.
The plan to attack Los Angeles appears to have grown out of a larger plan for attacks on both coasts, not just New York and Washington, on Sept. 11, 2001.
As described by investigators on Friday - in an account that parallels the findings of the commission that investigated the 9/11 attacks - Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the architect of the 9/11 plan, was told to delay parts of the broader plan until later.
It is not clear how far any subsequent planning against Los Angeles advanced after the attacks of Sept. 11, or exactly how it was headed off during the broad international campaign against terrorists that ensued.
"It basically got subcontracted out to Jemaah Islamiyah," Mr. Isamuddin's radical Islamic group based in Indonesia, said a senior counterterrorism official, who had read an account of Mr. Mohammed's interrogation after his capture in Pakistan in 2003. "They found a pilot, and some others to overpower the plane. But it never came together." One apparent target was the Library Tower in Los Angeles, now known as the U.S. Bank Tower, but three counterterrorism officials said they believed there were other targets in mind as well.
All the officials interviewed about the plots declined to speak on the record, because the White House had declassified a very limited amount of information to substantiate Mr. Bush's statements. But a senior administration official familiar with the case said the administration knew "the plot had been disrupted before" Mr. Mohammed was captured in Pakistan in 2003. Mr. Isamuddin was arrested that year in Thailand. "But we didn't understand the details at that time," the official said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
10/08/2005 00:27 ||
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A third man has been detained in a suspected plot to detonate explosives on the city's subway system, a government official said today, as police officers searched passengers' bags on subways, buses and ferries. Authorities are holding three Al Qaeda operatives in connection with the suspected plot, although no details were available on who they are, where they were detained or what agency captured them, said the government official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information. Authorities on Thursday said two men had been taken into custody. A third was captured today, the official said. The official said the informer who provided information about the men had undergone explosives training with them at an Al Qaeda camp in Afghanistan. Security in and around the city's transit network was sharply increased Thursday after city officials announced that they had been notified by federal authorities in Washington of a terrorist threat that for the first time specified the city's transit system.
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Posted by: Dan Darling ||
10/08/2005 00:15 ||
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I'm beginning to think that all convicted terrorists should face automatic mandatory solitary confinement to prevent them from contaminating any other minds during their imprisonment. The more of them that go insane as a result of such isolation, the better off we are.
IRAQ'S al-Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi says militants are justified under Islam in killing civilians as long as they are infidels, according to an audio tape attributed to him today.
"Islam does not differentiate between civilians and military (targets) but rather distinguishes between Muslims and infidels," said the man on the tape posted on the internet, who sounded like Zarqawi.
"Muslim blood must be spared ... but it is permissible to spill infidel blood," the speaker said.
The comments appeared a day after the Pentagon said it had obtained a letter to Zarqawi from al-Qaeda's second in command, Ayman al-Zawahri, saying tactics being used such as bombing mosques and killing hostages might alienate the Muslim masses.
"In this letter, he talks about believing that the eventual governance of Iraq must include the Muslim masses, and that they are at risk of alienating those," Pentagon spokesman Brian Whitman told reporters in Washington yesterday.
Today's tape was posted on a website which usually carries statements and video tapes from al-Qaeda's wing in Iraq.
The speaker said the concept of Jihad (holy struggle) was coming under distorting attacks by "the enemies of Islam" trying to portray it as a tool "for spreading bloodshed and destruction".
"Many Muslims have been affected by this campaign and they began shying away from using this term (jihad) for fear of being accused of terrorism. They instead replaced it with the term resistance.
"This has tarnished Jihad and its supporters and led to the inclusion of factions that have nothing to do with Jihad such as the rejectionist (Shi'ite) Hizbollah, Fatah movement and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine," he said, referring to the Lebanese and Palestinian guerrilla groups.
"All this has been done under the pretext that whoever defends his country against the enemy and fights an occupier is involved in resistance. But Jihad is much deeper than that."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
10/08/2005 00:24 ||
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"This has tarnished Jihad and its supporters and led to the inclusion of factions that have nothing to do with Jihad such as the rejectionist (Shi'ite) Hizbollah, Fatah movement and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine," he said, referring to the Lebanese and Palestinian guerrilla groups.
I don't know - if I was in Hizbollah, Fatah, or the PFLP - I wouldn't take that kind of crap off a bunch of AQ punks! I'd send some of the boys around to have a talk with Zarq.
#3
he's dead. Once again, didn't we all read that he was shot and died ...back around May or Nov?
And how may other terrorists have 'died' only to come back again?
If Zarqawi is dead who is the emir of Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, and why is Zawahiri giving advice to a dead man?
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
10/08/2005 3:32 Comments ||
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"I say we take off and nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to make sure"
That'll kill him...
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
10/08/2005 3:37 Comments ||
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That's why you always cut off the head after you shoot 'em, Paul.
Did no one here learn anything from Highlander?
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
10/08/2005 3:49 Comments ||
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2b,
I think you are referring to the where several of his advance guard were stopped at a checkpoint. The vehicle Zarqawi was riding in turned around and soldiers gave chase. Zarqawi was supposedly let out at an underpass and the driver continued on and was captured, along with Zarqawi's laptop. Soon after several key Zarqawi lieutenants were captured. That was the closest known op Zarqawi came to capture.
There was also a rumor Zarqawi was wounded and evacuated to Syria for treatment. I don't know if that was ever verified.
Posted by: ed ||
10/08/2005 3:53 Comments ||
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"Islam does not differentiate between civilians and military (targets) but rather distinguishes between Muslims and infidels,"
Do the Iraqis walk around with badges that tell the brave devout bomber who not to murder? Seems to me they look for crowds in non-Sunni areas and go boom. The solution is to take the gloves off, kill them all, remove the cancer.
#8
We are all aware, I presume, that 90% (more or less) of the terror and war in the world today is due to Islam and/or Arabs (i.e. dysfunctional "states" with one or both of those "features"). Check the map links: Western Hemisphere, Eastern Hemisphere, World. Of course, the map will change as they continue to come West to engage us on our soil.
Why are we hesitating, shedding the blood of our own, spending our treasure, risking everything?
We don't wanna feel bad.
The constitutional vote is coming in Iraq. If it's torpedoed, I will consider our efforts to give them a chance to join civilization - as peers - a noble, but failed, experiment. At that point, well, we need to get over it. I think we'll have given them a good shot at the gold ring - more than they deserved for their own efforts.
That failure would indicate clearly that they don't get it - and will simply revert to form - with the new circumstances our efforts have created. We can leave some arms behind for the few who have gotten off the asses and tried - the Kurds definitely meet the criteria. The Kuwaitis and a few others sorta "get it", at the dictator / monarch level, not at all certain about their populations.
Those that aren't current threats might be bypassed, for now, but they'll probably just become Islamic jihadi cesspools in the future, when the heavy work of sterilizing the active nests is done.
In the large view, there is nothing in either Islam or Arab culture, in their entire histories, worth one drop of the blood of Freedom's Warriors, but we had to try.
#11
Is Zarqawi in a spat with Zawahri? The Zawahri letter, if true, was most interesting. He seems to acknowledge that terrorism against the Iraqi Shia is counter productive and that Zarqawi should concentrate on anti American attacks, then do what he can caliphate-wise (In arab-sunni areas only?) This should make Turkey VERY upset and tend to further drive Turkey toward the forces holding Iraq together. Assad too, will be less than thrilled about learning about his coming redundancy due to the coming Levent Caliphate. Once again, like in SA and pakland, al-queda leadership is getting ready to shit where it eats. It's no wonder that Zarqawi doesn't want to go that route. But as it is now, Zarqawi's forces are getting their asses handed to them. They seem to screwed either way. Indeed, as it has been noted many times, Zaqawi himself may already be dead.
What worries me more than the noisy enemy (al-queda) in the west is the quiet enemy (Iran) in the east.
Posted by: Dave ||
10/08/2005 14:52 Comments ||
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Why are we hesitating, shedding the blood of our own, spending our treasure, risking everything?
.com, prepare yourself for a gruesome picture. Few people I've met have been able to wrap their minds around this little notion of mine.
I say that all two thousand of the American lives lost so regrettably in Iraq have been absolutely worth it, if only to make our world aware of the gleeful abandon with which Muslims slaughter their fellow Muslims.
The outside world needs to purchase a clue with respect to how, once these fanatics are done murdering each other, we are the next on their dance card. If the world can bear witness to Islam's internecine savagery and not comprehend the implications in store for all non-Muslims, it is doomed to destruction.
Very soon it is going to become necessary to make an example of some terror supporting nation. I am relieved to know that America possesses sufficient non-nuclear weapons to reduce an entire country to ruins in a few short hours. Once an entire nation has perished as a result of its leaders' perfidy, only then will others take pause. Nothing I have seen to date dictates otherwise. At some point a whole lot of people are going to have to die to make clear the consequences of supporting terrorism. I see few other ways of persuading Islam as to what awaits its unchecked fanaticism. This about as close as I can get to "fry 'em up."
#13
Zen - I hear you, believe me. I'm thinking there should be a Presidential finding, secret, of course, (as almost all of them are until their consequences come to light), reversing the ban on neutron weapons and firing up several production lines. Think of them as bug zappers designed for killer bugs. Implacable barbaric alien killer bugs - and carriers of a virulent infectious form of insanity. Fits the facts. Eradicate.
Posted by: Orkin Man ||
10/08/2005 22:12 Comments ||
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Orkin Duud - Um, you wanna think about it for a minute or two? I'm sure a reason (for sterilizing a large number the infected areas is preferable to destroying them) will come to you. Er, I hope so, anyway.
#16
Sterilization! Think of all the Nigerian spam opportunities!
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/08/2005 23:35 Comments ||
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I resist the first-use of nuclear weapons. It will only grant license to nuclear retaliation. We have sufficient non-nuclear weapons to do the job. Fuel air bombs can produce nuclear-level blasts without the radiation.
As Mrs. Davis has noted, making a publicized Christmas list of Pakistan, Iran, North Korea and other proliferators who will all receive the kiss-of-death at the first nuclear terror attack is a d@mn fine start. If we are hit with a nuclear attack first, then it's no-holds-barred.
Bomb blasts killed six Marines as the U.S. military announced Friday it had completed a major sweep in western Iraq aimed at suppressing al-Qaeda militants before next week's vote on Iraq's constitution.
The military said 50 insurgents were killed in the six-day offensive, launched Oct. 1 in towns near the Syrian border. The operation was the first in a series of major offensives in the past week in the heartland of the Sunni-led insurgency.
U.S. forces have swept through the area before â most recently in May â but militants have always returned, bringing in foreigners from Syria and planning attacks to be carried out elsewhere. The military said they will now leave a long-term presence there.
The military has said it will wrap up the operations in time for Sunni Arabs in the region to vote in the Oct. 15 referendum, a key concern of Sunni leaders who have threatened a boycott.
Eight days before Iraqis were to approve or reject the draft constitution, most were still waiting for copies of it to read. Distribution began in a few Baghdad neighborhoods, but did not appear to have begun elsewhere.
Campaigning has begun in earnest, however, with radio and television running call-in and talk shows on the document, which has strongly divided Iraq's Shiite majority and Sunni minority. Shiite and Kurdish leaders support the constitution â whose passage the United States is eager to see â while Sunnis denounce it, saying it will split the country.
Walls around Baghdad were plastered with posters advertising the referendum. One depicts a white-veiled woman over the slogan "Our dreams are greater than their threats," seeking to overcome fears of insurgent retaliation attacks against those who vote.
In a boost to the pro-constitution side, radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr â one of the few influential Shiite leaders to speak out against the document â gave his followers approval to vote "yes."
Sadr has said his only reservation is over terms of federalism outlined in the constitution, but that his followers have the freedom to choose, an aide told The Associated Press, adding that the tendency of Sadr's group is "toward yes." The aide spoke on condition of anonymity because of political sensitivities surrounding the document.
Other Shiite clerics have strongly backed the constitution
The border offensive known as Operation Iron Fist ended late Thursday, but a post of coalition forces will remain in the town of Sadah, eight miles from Syria. The stronger coalition presence is an attempt to prevent militants from gaining a foothold and to stop foreign fighters from entering across the border, the military said. It did not specify the nationality of the forces.
In the hours before the offensive's end, a roadside bomb killed two Marines outside Qaim, near Sadah, the military said.
Closer to Baghdad â away from the offensives â a roadside blast Thursday killed four Marines in Karmah, outside the city of Fallujah, the military said.
The 1,000 Marines, soldiers and sailors involved in Iron Fist killed some 50 insurgents, the military said. On Thursday, warplanes dropped four precision-guided bombs on an abandoned hotel seized by militants in the town of Karabilah, near Sadah, killing 20 militants.
Further down the Euphrates River valley, which snakes through western Anbar province, some 2,500 U.S. troops and hundreds of Iraqi soldiers have been sweeping through the towns of Haditha, Haqlaniyah and Parwana in a separate operation launched Tuesday. So far, the military has announced six insurgent deaths in the sweep, 140 miles northwest of Baghdad.
Six U.S. service members have been killed in the two operations, including the deaths Thursday. The military has not reported any deaths of American service members in two smaller operations â one west of Baghdad, one in northern Iraq.
The U.S. military says the sweeps will push back insurgents and provide a safe atmosphere for voters. Sunni Arab leaders, however, fear the clampdown will dissuade their followers from going to the polls, frustrating their goal of a high Sunni turnout to defeat the constitution.
Saleh al-Mutlaq, a leading Sunni politician, called on all sides to stop fighting for Ramadan, which began Tuesday for Sunnis and Wednesday for Shiites and lasts 28 days.
"It is forbidden for Muslims to fight in this holy month, especially since we are on the countdown for the referendum and then the elections," he said. "I call everybody to stop violence at least in Ramadan and start over a dialogue with all the involved parties."
Sunni leaders are pushing to get a two-thirds "no" vote in three of Iraq's 18 provinces, which would defeat the charter even if it gets a nationwide majority. They have a chance of doing so in four provinces.
Sunni-led insurgents are seeking to undermine the vote with attacks that have killed more than 300 people the past two weeks.
Shopkeepers who distribute monthly subsidized rations have been tasked with passing out copies of the constitution. But some have refused to allow the booklets in their shops, and some Iraqis have refused to take copies â fearing insurgent retaliation.
"Some people are excited to take it. Others are refusing to touch it," said Mohammed Ali, a shopkeeper in the western Baghdad neighborhood of Saydiya who handed out about 150 copies Friday.
At least 13 people were killed in violence Friday.
âA roadside bomb hit Iraqi troops in Fallujah and insurgents opened fire on them, killing five.
âA car bomb targeting a police patrol killed two civilians and wounded seven others in Kirkuk.
âSeparate shootings in the capital killed three policemen, a truck driver and another civilian. A woman died when a mortar hit her house.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
10/08/2005 00:21 ||
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Six of America's finest. God rest their souls.
Posted by: Captain America ||
10/08/2005 2:01 Comments ||
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Iraqi police have found the bodies of 22 men handcuffed and shot dead in an area near the Iran border, officials said on Friday. Police said the bodies were found near Badra town in Wasit province, 110 km (69 miles) southeast of Baghdad, on Thursday. They were taken to a local morgue and then transported to the Iraqi capital Baghdad where many of the victims had apparently lived, police said. Family members chanting "There is no God but God" picked up some of the bodies on Friday, taking them home in flag-draped coffins. Some family members said their relatives had been abducted from their homes almost three months ago. One old woman walked along the street nearby screaming "where's my brother, where's my brother." Many of the victims appeared to be members of Iraq's Sunni Arab minority, but there was no confirmaton of that.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/08/2005 00:00 ||
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British forces raided a house in Basra, detaining 12 Iraqis suspected of carrying out recent attacks on British and U.S. troops, officials said Friday. The men taken into custody late Thursday night also are suspected of supporting the al-Mahdi militia, which is controlled by Muqtada al-Sadr, the Iraqi rebel Shiite cleric, said British military spokesman Maj. Steven Melbourne. The militia has been accused of carrying out such attacks with help from neighboring Iran.
In London, Britain's Ministry of Defense confirmed the raid. On Thursday, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said his government suspects that Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah might be supplying technology and explosives to Shiite Muslim militant groups operating in Iraq, but he provided no proof. Sheik Khalil Al-Maliki, a member of the al-Mahdi militia, told The Associated Press that British soldiers and tanks raided the home of police officer Ali Eliwi just after midnight, detaining him and 11 other Iraqis there and seizing their weapons. "I think the reason is the recent British claim about Iranian interference in Iraqi affairs," Al-Maliki said. British and U.S. forces have been attacked in recent months by roadside bombs packed with "shaped charges," which are much more deadly than conventional roadside bombs. Such attacks have killed six British troops since July, and late last month two U.S. Army soldiers were killed when a bomb exploded near their vehicle in Shaibah, a town near Basra. The arrests in Basra Thursday night could increase tensions between the 8,500 British troops in Iraq and the provincial government and people of Basra, Iraq's second largest city.
Silly me, I'd have thought that attacking British troops with shaped charges supplied by foreign hard boyz would have increased the tensions between the British troops and the Basrans.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/08/2005 00:00 ||
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BAGHDAD - US soldiers killed at least 29 insurgents in a drive to root out militants in western Iraq, the military said on Friday, after US President George W. Bush vowed not to waver in his campaign against Islamic extremists.
US officials said their latest campaign near the Syrian border was scoring successes as about 1,000 soldiers backed by combat aircraft seek to shut down what they say is a key route for arms and fighters into the country. US officials say the western Iraq campaign will last at least through December, seeking to turn back rising insurgent violence before an Oct. 15 referendum on a new constitution and a vote in December for a new parliament.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/08/2005 00:00 ||
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Palestinian police went door-to-door early Friday in this West Bank town, arresting 30 suspected criminals in one of the biggest moves toward restoring law and order in the chaos-ridden Palestinian territories.
Trying to act like a government? The Paleostinians? Will wonders never cease?
But in a sign of ongoing lawlessness, an unknown group said it had kidnapped three leaders of the Islamic group Hamas in three West Bank towns. In a leaflet, the al-Farouk bin al-Khatab Brigades accused Hamas of putting itself above the law.
Shucks. Golly. Gosh. I feel so sorry for them.
Palestinian security forces have been severely weakened by nearly five years of fighting with Israel, corruption and internal rivalries, leaving them virtually powerless to stop militants and armed gangs in the Palestinian areas. But since Israel's withdrawal last month from the Gaza Strip, where lawlessness is most severe, Palestinians have increasingly demanded a restoration of order.
If the Paleo "security" forces had concentrated on catching crooks and maintaining public order instead of turning themselves into just another terror group, things wouldn't have reached this point.
Threatened by the instability, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has ordered his forces to rein in criminals and enforce a ban on public displays of weapons, leading to fierce gunbattles with Hamas militants. In the toughest fighting, three Palestinians, including a policeman, were killed in one battle this week.
Yeah, buddy! I was rooting really hard for both sides!
More than 200 policemen participated in Friday's arrest raid in Yatta, searching for drug and arms dealers and other wanted criminals, said Ahmed Rabai, the Hebron-area police chief. Village residents said they could not recall such a heavy crackdown by Palestinian police. Police raided the village before dawn, surrounded homes and called on suspects to surrender. Homes were searched and illegal weapons were confiscated. "This campaign was ordered by political leaders to enforce law and order and to bring justice to normal Palestinians and make the Palestinian people feel safe," Rabai said. "This campaign will continue not only in Yatta town, but also in other villages and in the city of Hebron itself."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/08/2005 00:00 ||
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Hebron? I thought some Israelis lived there?
Anyhoo, I really look forward to these Paleo stories - couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of homicidal, suicidal, lunatic, gun-sex-loving, car-swarming, body-part collecting, baby-killing, psychopathic, splodeydope, criminal nutjobs. Well, that and the crossfire/nuggets/meeting virgins stories.
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
10/08/2005 3:30 Comments ||
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#2
It's a Quagmireâ¢, a Quagmireâ¢, I tell ya. The Palestinians should withdraw from Gaza. Oops, that does not make much sense. Gotta rethink this thing.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/08/2005 20:10 Comments ||
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If they start arresting the criminals in Palestine, who will be left to try them?
RAMALLAH: Three top Hamas militants said they were released last night after being kidnapped at gunpoint in the West Bank, with one of the freed men saying those responsible were connected to the ruling Fatah faction.
Riad Ras, Hassan Safi and Bassem Obeido were seized at gunpoint under the cover of darkness overnight in Tulkarem, Bethlehem and Hebron respectively, with a previously unknown group, the Omar bin Al Khattab Brigades, claiming responsibility. However, after his release, Safi said he had been kidnapped by members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, linked to Pal-estinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/08/2005 00:00 ||
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Booo! - they should have released him in installments!
I thought it was the al-Farouk bin al-Khatab Brigades that nicked him (where do they get these names - and always brigades, can't they muster a division?). No matter, he's still breathing - biiiig mistake!
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
10/08/2005 3:35 Comments ||
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In Java, one of Southeast Asia's most-wanted fugitives slips away hours before a police raid.
In the same central Indonesian island, an Islamic school started by the reputed spiritual leader of the region's most feared militant group operates undisturbed by authorities. The group he allegedly inspires has not been outlawed.
Philippines authorities, meanwhile, suspect members of the same group - al-Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah - could be planning to reopen training camps for Islamic fighters and are busy fund-raising in the Middle East for further terror attacks.
The Oct. 1 bombings in Bali - the second on the resort island in three years - raises a question: Has the world's most populous Muslim nation done enough to fight Southeast Asia's leading terrorist group?
The implications extend far beyond Indonesian shores. Jemaah Islamiyah has had ideological and financial links with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida and forms a key part of the global web of Islamic militancy.
``Unfortunately, the most aggressive and arguably most dangerous guys are still on the loose,'' Ken Conboy, a Jakarta-based security expert, said of Jemaah Islamiyah's current leadership. ``They still present a significant danger.''
Indonesia's anti-terror effort has come a long way since Oct. 12, 2002, when two bombs at Bali nightclubs killed 202 people - and awoke the country to the threat posed by Jemaah Islamiyah, based here since the fall of the Suharto dictatorship in 1998.
Authorities have moved decisively since then, arresting some 300 terror suspects, shattering Jemaah Islamiyah's network and prosecuting important members - notably its reputed spiritual head, Abu Bakar Bashir.
In addition, Jakarta instituted the death penalty for terrorism, formed a training school for anti-militant security agents and established a government anti-terror unit. Five terror convicts have been sentenced to death.
``If you look at the last three years, the pattern of arrests by the police and the way they've been able to go after the network has been pretty good,'' says Sidney Jones, a Jemaah Islamiyah expert with the Brussels-based International Crisis Group. ``You can't say that the work hasn't been effective.''
But it hasn't stopped the bloodshed. The first Bali bombings were followed by blasts in Jakarta at the J.W. Marriott Hotel in August 2003, killing 12, and the Australian Embassy in September 2004, killing 10.
Then came the Oct. 1 assault: three coordinated blasts by suicide bombers at restaurants in the crowded Kuta district, popular with foreign tourists. The explosions killed 20 people, most Indonesians, in addition to three attackers.
On Friday, a suspected mastermind of that attack - nicknamed ``Moneyman'' - evaded a pre-dawn raid on his hideout, police said. Malaysian-born Noordin Mohamed Top is believed to be a key leader, fund-raiser and recruiter for Jemaah Islamiyah.
Police said they got a tip that Noordin, 35, was hiding in Purwantoro, a remote district in central Java province but delayed the raid for several hours because they feared he might be armed with explosives. Officers stormed in at 4 a.m. only to learn that Noordin had fled about three hours earlier.
Experts say Jemaah Islamiyah has been adept at switching tactics in the face of the crackdown, exploiting links with smaller regional groups formed over many years to enlist outsiders to carry out attacks. It also maintains links with like-minded killers in other countries.
A Philippines National Security Council document obtained by The Associated Press said about 25 Jemaah Islamiyah members were still active in the country's south, where they have operated training camps in conjunction with Philippine guerrillas.
Although crackdowns in the Philippines and Indonesia have disrupted the training, the classified document, dated Aug. 9, said the network ``continues to thrive in the southern Philippines owing to the support it receives'' from Muslim militant groups in the area.
A separate National Security Council document showed that a suspect in the 2002 Bali bombing, Umar Patek, was in the area and apparently seeking funds in the Middle East for attacks. The document said he may also be trying to recruit bombers from Indonesia.
The enduring ability of Jemaah Islamiyah and its surrogates to strike with deadly efficiency has focused attention on what some critics call flaws in Indonesia's anti-terror efforts.
Jakarta hasn't cracked down on Islamic schools suspected of encouraging extremism. Bashir, for example, founded a school in Java - Al-Mukmin - which is still operating, although Bashir is in prison for conspiracy in the 2002 bombing.
``As long as the schools are intact, you will see the JI able to replace themselves,'' said Rohan Gunaratna, head of terrorism research at the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies, Singapore.
Other critics, notably Australia, which lost 88 citizens in the 2002 bombings, point to problems with the criminal justice system - including Bashir's mere 30-month sentence and the recent shortening of it by 4 months.
Jakarta has also faced criticism for refusing to outlaw Jemaah Islamiyah.
Indonesian officials argue that the terror network's amorphous and secretive nature makes it difficult to prove whether individuals are members or not, meaning that banning the group would have no effect toward eradicating terrorism.
``So far, we see JI as nonexistent. It is an underground movement,'' said Andi Malarangeng, spokesman for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. ``We can only ban an established organization, one that has an office or something like that.''
Authorities also point to civil liberties concerns in moving against terrorist groups - a touchy subject in a country emerging from decades of dictatorship and a long history of abuse of military and police powers.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa argues the government cannot target any Islamic school, or madrassa, without proof of links to terrorism. Such moves, he said, would create divisions when the nation needs to unite to fight terror.
``The last thing we want is not only a distracting debate on if to outlaw JI or go after these madrassas, but also giving the impression of disunity,'' he said.
Natalegawa said the government hoped to encourage moderate Islamic elements that oppose violence.
Um Kulsum, head of an Islamic school on Bali, claims to be such a moderate. But she frowns in disbelief when asked if some madrassas incite extremism.
``I don't believe that kind of school exists, because Islam doesn't teach violence,'' she said. ``Maybe the perpetrators of the bombings are smart, but they are heartless.''
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
10/08/2005 00:30 ||
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#1
Total unmitigated 100% pure al Guardian bullshit. If the Indos wanted to curtail or contain terrorism they could do it. Hell, they're a world-renowned safe haven for terrs.
"If you look at the last three years, the pattern of arrests by the police and the way they've been able to go after the network has been pretty good," says Sidney Jones, a Jemaah Islamiyah expert with the Brussels-based International Crisis Group. "You can't say that the work hasn't been effective."
#3
Either they go after them now or go after them later. That's the only choice.
I believe Indonesia has found a third option, "harboring".
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
10/08/2005 15:27 Comments ||
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#4
Reducing Bashir's sentence is the only glaring commitment Indonesia has made with respect to terrorism. And it ain't a good one. Their refusal to outlaw JI solely on the basis of what its name signifies pushes them to the top of the old Christmas list too.
At some point the Western world will have to realize that any nations which are dragging their feet in combating Islamist terrorism effectively relinquish their sovereignty due to the patent threat they pose to all other countries. Sadly, it will probably take a nuclear terrorist attack (or three) before world leaders even begin to consider such an outlandish notion.
#5
Zenster, Tony Blair admitted Kyoto not only isn't going to happen, but probably wasn't the best way to approach the problem. Other miracles can happen, too. ;-)
Surakarta Police in Central Java have detained a Malaysian citizen suspected of having links with three suicide bombers who killed at least 19 people in Bali last weekend.
Police refused to identify the suspect, who was arrested on Thursday in Purworejo regency, Central Java.
A source said the 35-year-old man came to Indonesia with two associates to preach Islam.
"He refused to give his name or provide the (complete) identities of his two associates. All he would say was that one of them was named Edi and was in Pekanbaru, Riau," the source said.
Surakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Abdul Madjid said his officers were questioning the man.
Separately, Central Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Chaerul Rasjid said investigators had identified two other people allegedly connected to the Bali bombings.
He declined to identify the two but did say police would intensify security checks across Surakarta and neighboring areas.
In Denpasar, National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Soenarko said a resident of Surakarta reported that another man had recognized the suicide bombers.
"The informant told the Solo (Surakarta) police that there was a person who recognized the faces of the suicide bombers. The police are looking into the information," he said.
Meanwhile, Surakarta Police chief Madjid said a man thought to be Noordin Muhammad Top, the terror suspect alleged to be behind a series of bombings in the country, managed to elude a predawn raid on Friday by the Surakarta Police.
The raid targeted Wates Wetan village in Purwantoro district, Wonogiri regency, several kilometers south of Surakarta, where Noordin was thought to be hiding out in a rented house.
Neighbors said a man who identified himself as Agus Purnomo rented the house along with his wife.
"He left three days ago after staying here for just a week," one resident said.
Madjid said the man in question had been in Bali five days before the Oct. 1 bombings, and later returned to Purwantoro.
The United States is offering the reward for help in the capture of a member of regional terror group Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), identified as Dulmatin.
It has also posted a $1 million reward for the arrest of a second JI member identified as Umar Patek.
"Dulmatin, an electronics specialist with training in al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan, is a senior figure in the Jamaah Islamiyah terrorist organization," the State Department was quoted by AFP as saying.
"Patek is believed to have served as the assistant for the field coordinator of the 2002 bombings in Bali, Indonesia," it said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
10/08/2005 00:17 ||
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The Lebanese Army went on full alert around the country's Palestinian refugee camps yesterday as part of security measures linked to fears of an Israeli attack, while the government asserted its refusal to allow Palestinians to carry arms outside the camps.
Israel, of course, has been rattling sabers in the direction of Lebanon for months, now, lining people up along the border and having them make faces and jump up and down.
Observers said the Palestinian guerrillas inside the camps also went on alert in response to the army clampdown, one day ahead of a meeting between the Lebanese government and Palestinian factions to discuss the fate of Palestinian arms in the country. In numerous statements, both sides played down the possibility of violence and expressed their faith in dialogue.
... the while grimacing at each other and making frightful faces.
Premier Fouad Siniora, who earlier in the week criticized a Palestinian armed presence outside the camps, will be meeting with Palestinian factions today to discuss the issue.
If I was running a small nation, I don't think I'd be overjoyed at the thought of a Paleostinian armed presence inside the camps, either.
In an interview with LBCI, Siniora said: "We are absolutely not on the road to confrontation with the Palestinians and we have no intention or desire to do so. Our Palestinian brothers are visitors and guests and we have to have dialogue with them." Over the past week the Lebanese Army has surrounded border posts of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command (PFLP-GC), sparking the group's anger and criticism from some Lebanese groups.
PFLP-GC is headed by a Syrian ex-captain, if I remember correctly. I can't recall it having been involved in any operations within Israel, the West Bank, or Gaza in the past four years, though I suppose I could have missed something. I believe it may have figured in one or two Beirut booms during that time.
The main point of contention revolves around the movement of Palestinian fighters across and around the Syrian border in the Eastern Bekaa Valley. In the LBCI interview, Siniora called on the Syrian regime to reign in the Palestinian groups over which it has sway. "I don't want to blame Syria for what is happening, but I call on the Syrian leadership to practice in this case the necessary self-restraint through its ties with Palestinian factions," he said.
It's p-u-s-i-l-l-a-n-i-m-o-u-s, right? With two L's?
Posted by: Fred ||
10/08/2005 00:00 ||
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At least 30 people have died in nine days of fighting over grazing land in southern Somalia, witnesses and officials said Friday. Ten people, including four children, died late Thursday in the fighting, which has pitted clan-based militias against each other in Heejow Mahaad 200 kilometers (125 miles) southwest of Mogadishu, witnesses told The Associated Press by two-way radio. They asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation from the militias. The fighting started September 29 when local farmers and pastoralists clashed over a plot of land. Regional leader Sheikh Yusuf Mohamed Siyad Indha-ade and clan elders have appealed to both sides to stop fighting and begin peace talks. Hundreds of people have fled their homes in the area to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. The fighters are using heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades that can easily tear through most Somali homes.
"We are simple, if extremely well-armed shepherd militias..."
Farah Osman Yabar, a 76-year-old farmer, said the farmers have lived in and worked the area for years. "Clashes have periodically flared up between the two groups as migrating pastoralists in search of water during the dry season would graze on farmers land," he said. Yabar said disputes over lost crops in the past would be settled by tribal leaders, with the nomadic people reimbursing the farmers. But now he said the disputes turn violent because "it's the gun that counts."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
10/08/2005 00:33 ||
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Thank allah Stalin for AK47s. More please.
Posted by: ed ||
10/08/2005 3:20 Comments ||
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I saw an old poster once selling Thompson Sub-Machine guns.
Showed a farmer in full western gear standing on his front porch and using a Thompson with a 50 round magazine to mow down eight or so "Bad Guys" on horseback threatening him in his own front yard.
The image sticks in my mind as what's happening here.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
10/08/2005 12:53 Comments ||
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Oh? The deaths of children is?
Nut.
Posted by: You ||
10/08/2005 18:38 Comments ||
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#4
We are simple, if extremely well-armed shepherd militias
Not if, albeit. Albeit is the only word that works here, else it's a nonstarter, a dud, a washout.
#5
I will no more mourn for muslims killing each other than I would for rattle snakes. Today there is news that muslim terrorists are planning to blow up the NY subway with bombs in baby strollers. How many men, women and children would the muslim terrorists have killed if they were successful? How many babies were on the 4 planes during 9/11/2001? What about the care care centers in the WTC? I don't remember any qualms recorded of the terrorists on the black boxes that they are killing women and children. Only "allah ackbar! allah ackbar! allah ackbar!".
If you remember, it was Somalis who were killing, raping, and starving hundreds of thousands of Somalis just a decade ago. And guess what, it was mostly women and children bearing the brunt, without the Somalis themselves shedding a tear for what they were doing. And the US spent billions and two dozen dead trying to feed and stabilize that shithole. And guess what, their version of gratitide was to shoot at peacekeepers, steal as much food and aid, and starve their neighbors.
How many times do the highest muslim scholars need to tell you islam does not distinguish between soldiers and civilians? How many times do muslims have to tell you that you are subhuman, to be conquered and converted or killed, your women and children and all you own the property of allah and for muslim to do as they please with it? How many times do suicide bombers need to blow up families in Pizza parlors, teenagers at discos, and schoolkids in class, at busstops and in busses before you get it through your thick head that muslims specifically target women and children?
http://www.israelnewsagency.com/israelpalestineterrorism127691.html Palestinian terrorists murdered 4 young Jewish children and their pregnant mother this afternoon. ... After spraying the station wagen with bullets, the Palestinian terrorists walked up to the 4 terrified little girls and shot each one of them twice in the head, police said. The 8-month-old pregnant mother was shot in her belly at point blank range as she tried to cover her children. The victims of the attack were identified as Tali Hatuel, 34, and her daughters Hila (11), Hadar (9), Roni (7) and Merav (2).
You want me to feel bad when muslims kill each other, including children? By the very of of stealing each other's cattle and shooting into homes, they tell me loud and clear they value cows more than they value each other, children included. The only thing I feel is shadenfraude. I will save my tears for the children of Israel and Beslan, and the orphans created on 9/11. So fuck the Somalis. Fuck the muslims. As for YOU, here's a quarter. Go buy a fucking clue, you limp dicked eunuch.
Posted by: ed ||
10/08/2005 22:19 Comments ||
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#6
This will prolly torpedo their bid to host the Olympics.
US troops killed four Afghan policemen and wounded another after mistaking them for militants during an operation in southern Afghanistan in which two Afghan soldiers died, officials said yesterday. The incident happened on Thursday in Helmand provinceâs Girishk district when US troops spotted a vehicle carrying five armed men approaching an area where they were in contact with militants, said US spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jerry OâHara. He said the police officers had not been in the uniform of the Afghan National Police and the vehicle had tried to drive away quickly.âCoalition forces shot at the vehicle, killing four and wounding one,â he said. âWe are conducting an investigation. Of course we regret this incident.â A senior police officer in Helmand, Haji Mohammad Rahim, said the friendly fire incident occurred after Taleban guerrillas attacked a convoy of US and Afghan troops in the same district, killing two Afghan soldiers.The US-led coalition said the troops were in contact with âenemy forcesâ when five men from the Afghan National Police (ANP) arrived in an unknown vehicle. âCoalition forces are currently investigating the incident.â Two âenemy forcesâ were also killed, coalition spokeswoman Sergeant Marina Evans said. Deputy provincial governor Mohaidin Khan also confirmed the incident, although he said four policemen were wounded. âWhen we asked the Americans for the reason, they said it was a mistake. They had mistaken the police for armed rebels,â he said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
10/08/2005 00:18 ||
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Wear Uniforms Dammit, and this shit won't happen.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
10/08/2005 12:38 Comments ||
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The Detective Branch of police in a raid on a militantsâ hideout at Chandpur town on Thursday morning arrested a âsector commanderâ of the outlawed Jamaatul Mujahideen and intelligence sources believe he holds vital clues to recent spate of terror attacks especially in the southeastern districts of the country. DB inspector Rustom Alam said the militant, Ghalib (24), captured from a garage in the town had confessed that he was the âsector commanderâ of JMB in charge of operation in Chandpur, Comilla, Luxmipur and Noakhali areas.
Ghalib was captured less than 24 hours after police arrested Khankar Mahfuz (22), who claimed himself to be the âarea commanderâ of JMB, from his house at village Ponsoi in Kachua upazila on Wednesday. He told interrogations that there were two secret camps of militants in the townâone at Professor Para and the other at Maddhya Torpurchandi and from these dens, he secretly planned all subversive or Jihadi activities in Chandpur and three other districts. He confessed that he, at the directive of the JMB high command, plotted the October 3 bomb attacks on district courts and also the August 17 chain bombings in the region with the help of Abul Kalam Azad.
Ghalib told police that on October 3, his party had planned to bomb some judges to death and also to attack police patrols. During interrogation Ghalib, confessed to his involvement in both the rounds of explosions on Aug 17 and Oct 3 in Chandpur district. "JMB high command ordered us to kill local judges and launch attack on police patrols during the operation on Oct 3," he was quoted as telling the interrogators. One parson was killed and five others were injured in a blast at local judgeâs court on Oct 3, when Chittagong and Laxmipur courts were also bombed.
A total of seven suspects have so far been arrested in connection with the Aug 17 and Oct 3 blasts in the district. Police arrested one Sohrab Hossain Billal when he was trying to flee the court premises just after bombs went off on the first floor of the District Judgeâs Court here on October 3. Ghalibâs full name is Shamim Hossain, son of Tamizuddin Sardar. Ghalib, who was visibly shaky during interrogation, hails from Etagachha, Satkhira district. With the arrest of Ghalib, seven JMB operatives including two top commanders of the banned outfit have so far been arrested in the district. Ghalib told police that the JMB had a wide network in Chandpur with many hardcore jihadis active in the district. Based on Ghalibâs confessional statement, special teams of police are frantically searching for others religious zealots in Barura and Chandina of Comilla district.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/08/2005 00:01 ||
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MONG, Pakistan - Masked gunmen with Kalashnikov rifles stormed into a mosque belonging to a minority Muslim sect in Pakistan Friday, shooting dead eight people and wounding 14, the interior minister and police said. Members of the Ahmadi community reciting dawn prayers on the second day of Ramadan in Mong, a suburb of Mandi Bahauddin town, 100 kilometres (60 miles) south of Islamabad, were attacked by three men on a motorbike.
âEight people are dead and 14 injured,â Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao told AFP. âWe condemn this attack. Any act of violence in which innocent people are killed should be condemned.â Sherpao said he had issued orders to further tighten security at places of worship. Pakistan has been on alert since the start of Ramadan, which has traditionally seen a surge in attacks. Area police chief Ziaullah Niazi said two masked men entered the mosque and âcalmly sprayed bullets at people standing in two rows for morning prayers.â The head of the mosque, Sadiq Hussain Sherazi, said he was leading the prayers when he heard the âcracking sound of gunfire and I immediately threw myself on the floor.â
Rights groups say the Ahmadi sect, which is also known as Qadiani and has tens of thousands of members, has been long been persecuted in Pakistan and has remained an occasional target of sectarian attacks. Founded by Ghulam Ahmad, who was born in 1838, it has a number of unique views including that Ahmad himself was a prophet and that Jesus died aged 120 in Srinagar, capital of Indiaâs zone of the divided territory of Kashmir. Ahmadi leaders said their members in Mong had recently received threats and blamed some local newspapers for stirring up hatred against the group, but vowed not to take revenge. âRather we will remain peaceful,â Rashid Zahid, spokesman for the groupâs head council, told AFP.
I wonder if Urdu Mcnuggets ran any of those threats?
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/08/2005 00:00 ||
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SPIN BOLDAK, Afghanistan - Four years after US forces launched their offensive to overthrow the Taleban, the guerrillas vowed on Friday to continue their holy war to rid Afghanistan of foreign troops.
"Hrrrr! We're still big!"
Taleban military chief Mullah Dadullah told Reuters that Afghanistan had become a âhub of disturbance, killings, looting and drugsâ since the Talebanâs overthrow in late 2001.
Of course, it was all that and more before 2001.
Dadullah, speaking by satellite phone from an undisclosed location, denounced presidential and legislative elections in October 2004, and Sept. 18 this year as US-staged âdramasâ. He said the latest polls for a national assembly and provincial councils had brought in âold murderers and warlordsâ.
Who are less murderous and (perhaps) more sensible than youse guyz.
âThose who were happy over the fall of the Taleban have now realised the American occupation of their country was just for the sake of American interests,â he said. âItâs proven the Americans occupied our country by raising the bogey of terrorism and have no sympathy with Afghans.â
Whereas the Taliban were the milk of kindness.
Dadullah called Afghanistan a âdrug-manufacturing factoryâ with government ministers involved in the narcotics trade. âWe will continue our jihad until we drive out foreign troops from our country,â he said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/08/2005 00:00 ||
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#2
If you're so big still, why do you have to call from Pakistan an undisclosed location on a Sat phone? C'mon tough guy....pop that beturbanned little pointy head up
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/08/2005 1:36 Comments ||
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#3
speaking by satellite phone
please let that be true.
Posted by: Rafael ||
10/08/2005 1:49 Comments ||
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#4
#3 speaking by satellite phone
Yep, we can find them, Idiots.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
10/08/2005 12:42 Comments ||
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#5
In reality, the jihadis could be calling from a payphone in Islamabad, and just telling the reporters they're speaking on a satellite phone. It's not like the reporters could tell, or would try to verify.
Hell, there *are* no reporters who try to verify what they're told, unless they're told something that makes the US or President Bush look good -- then they hunt down someone who will tell them it's a lie, and go with *THAT* story.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
10/08/2005 12:47 Comments ||
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Ascension of the Prophet PBUH
According to Khabrain in the month Rajab, the Holy Prophet PBUH was taken by the angel Jibreel from Makka to Kaaba where he was washed in Zamzam. Then he was taken to Madina on a flying animal called Burraq where he was to migrate two years later. After that he was taken to mount Sinai where Moses had talked with God. After that he was taken to Bethlehem where Christ was born. On the way he heard a voice calling him. He ignored it. Jibreel told him it was the voice of Judaism. Then he heard another voice calling him. He ignored it too. Jibreel told him it was the voice of Christianity. After that a beautiful women called him but he ignored her too. Jibreel said it was the worldly pleasures. After that a man wanted to meet him. He too was ignored because he was Satan himself.
Hindu couple in âtrubbelâ
According to the Nawa-e-Waqt, a Hindu couple in Swabi NWFP had been taken away to an unknown place for investigation of the charge against them of desecrating the Quran, for which there is life imprisonment. Chaman Lal and his wife Krishna were seen by some people throwing the Quran in the fields. After that, a mob attacked their house, beat them up and registered a case of blasphemy against them. The Hindu man was supposed to have converted to Islam and then reconverted to Hinduism on being rebuked by his wife. This angered the Muslims. Although not a law, reconverting from Islam is punishable by death.
Prophet PBUH and the heavens
According to Khabrain, the Prophet PBUH found the first heaven locked. After Jibreel got the door open, the Prophet PBUH was greeted by angels and men, amongst whom was one extremely well-shaped man who was identified as Adam. Adam looked to his right and smiled because on that side were his good progeny; then he looked to his left and cried because on that side were his misguided progeny. Then the Prophet PBUH saw people cutting a crop that would not end: these were people who did jihad. After that there were people with large bellies with snakes inside. They were the usurers. There were people eating rotten meat. They were disloyal spouses. There were women hanging by their breast. They were unfaithful wives with bastard children.
Imran Khanâs political immaturity
According to Khabrain, Imran Khan was a sporting icon who became the beloved of the nation as a social worker and philanthropist, but he then had a revelation and became a born-again Muslim. He formed a party in 1996 and began losing elections and now had only one seat of his own to his Insaf Party. His appeal in the middle class had declined because he voted steadily for the reactionary mullahs in the National Assembly under the influence of a sufi saint who met him at a dinner 17 years ago. He had supported the clergy on South Waziristanâs anti-Al Qaeda operations and the madrassa reform. He opposed mixed marathons, and relied on the infamous Newsweek story, leading the attack on the insult to the Quran, and getting a number of agitating people in Afghanistan killed.
Ghulam Ishaq Khan ordered firing
Speaking to the Nawa-e-Waqt magazine, PPP leader Aitzaz Ahsan said that when he was interior minister, the Salman Rushdie affair arose in the UK. The clerics got out a mob in Islamabad which was advancing towards the embassies and consular sections of the city. He said an agreement was reached between the mob and the police after which he returned to parliament. Meanwhile, hooligans from the mob attacked one embassy and the diplomats rang up the presidency saying that their lives were in danger. President Ghulam Ishaq Khan then took over and it was under his charge that the police started firing on the mob.
SP relies on Sura Yaseen
According to the Nawa-e-Waqt, SP Faisalabad Khalid Abdullah, accused of kidnapping a man and making him disappear and raping his wife, held a special radd-e-bala (exorcism) in his house with the help of a group of clerics who read the Quranic verse Sura Yaseen in the house. After they were done, the SP distributed thousands of rupees among them. The SP had a record of misconduct and frequent suspensions from rank.
What MNAs cost Pakistan
Writing in the Jang, Irshad Haqqani stated that out of the 342 members of the National Assembly in Pakistan, one was a billionaire, 156 crore-patti, and 183 lakh-patti. These people spent from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 2 crore on their elections to win their seats. During the last financial year their allowances were raised by one hundred per cent, from Rs 17,500 to Rs 38,000. In all, the state spent Rs 10 crore annually on them.
Israel not acceptable even in parliament
Quoted in the daily Pakistan, Imran Khan said that he would not accept recognition of Israel even if parliament approved it. It would be against the idea of Jinnahâs Pakistan and that Musharraf had to no right to go against the wishes of the umma. In reply, culture minister Muhammad Ali Durrani told Khabrain that some people didnât mind marrying Jewish women but protested Pakistan communicating with Israel.
What Palestinian state?
Writing in the Nawa-e-Waqt, Irfan Siddiqi stated that Pakistanâs making of its recognition of Israel conditional upon the creation of a Palestinian state would be tantamount to accepting only 15 per cent of the original territory belonging to the Arabs as a state for the Palestinians. It would be an open-air prison for the featherless birds called Palestinian Arabs. They will flap their useless wings in the grip of savage Israeli soldiers, and Pakistan would be filling colours in the sketch drawn by the accursed (makrooh) Americans.
Fake mystic breaks out in English
According to Khabrain, one fake mystical dabba pir on the bank of Ravi in Lahore was deftly depriving poor people of their cash. He was mostly promising children to barren women. In one case, he had taken Rs 20,000 for getting a woman pregnant with a baby but failed, after which the husband protested. But the mystic told his audience that his father-in-law was an even bigger mystic because he brought down the aircraft of an Englishman with one gesture. When the reporter tried to ask him tricky questions, he broke out in English to get rid of him. Most people rely on English to get out of trouble.
Fair elections donât suit Pakistan
Writing in the Jang, Syed Anwar Qidwai stated that the local government polls were not found to be fair and transparent in all the centres in Pakistan. But polls were never fair in the past either. In 1951 the Punjab had provincial elections in which Mian Daultana swept a jhurloo through the province capturing ballot boxes to keep his opponent Mamdot out, whom he had already deposed with the help of prime minister Liaquat Ali Khan. In 1954, provincial polls were fair in East Pakistan but that led to the dismissal of the government there. In 1970 the national election was fair but the country was broken up.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/08/2005 00:00 ||
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#2
Even in the afterlife women get discriminated. Not only there are sentences in the Koran and Haddiths telling there will be very few women admitted in Paradise (and there are special punishments for women who refused when their husband asked for sex), they only go to the lowest layer of paradise and no, they don't get 72 men for fun;
KHAR: A member of the banned Tehrik Nifaz-e-Shariah Muhammad, who was arrested for suspected links to Al Qaeda, has died of what his family alleged as torture by security agencies during his interrogation. Maulana Jan Muhammad was buried on Friday a day after he was pronounced dead in a Peshawar hospital, family members told Daily Times, in Bajaur Agency's regional headquarters Khar.
The Maulana was arrested four months earlier during an Army operation in the Mamoond in which other TNSM members were also arrested. A family member of the deceased militant said that he was recently shifted to Khar prison. "We found him in a terrible condition. He had lost his memory and the doctor said that he had been badly tortured," the family member said. However, there was neither independent confirmation of the torture allegations nor any government official available for comment.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/08/2005 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.
In defiance of British laws, a banned Islamic extremist group has resumed its activities in London with the start of Ramadan, according to informed sources. Al Ghurabaa's internet site featured several articles on the Holy month and recommendations to Muslims worldwide as well as information on new anti-terror laws. Outlawed along with Hizb-ul-Tahrir after the London bombings on July 7, 2005, the extremist groups' website also included sermons and speeches by its founder, Omar Bakri Mohammed. Originally from Syria, the cleric now lives in Lebanon and is banned from returning to Britain. He is also the founder of al Muhajiroun, a fundamentalist group which disbanded itself in October 2004.
NEW YORK -- Details emerged about an alleged plot to attack the city's subways with bombs hidden in bags and possibly baby strollers as local and federal officials jostled over the credibility of the threat. A Department of Homeland Security memo obtained by The Associated Press said the attack was reportedly scheduled to take place on or around Sunday, with terrorists using timed or remote-controlled explosives hidden in briefcases, suitcases or in or under strollers. The memo said that the department had received information indicating the attack might be carried out by "a team of terrorist operatives, some of whom may travel or who may be in the New York City area." The memo, issued Wednesday to state and local officials, said that homeland security and FBI agents doubted the credibility of the information, but it provided four pages of advice about averting a possible attack.
A third man has been detained in a suspected plot to detonate explosives on the city's subway system, a government official said today, as police officers searched passengers' bags on subways, buses and ferries. Authorities are holding three Al Qaeda operatives in connection with the suspected plot, although no details were available on who they are, where they were detained or what agency captured them, said the government official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information. Authorities on Thursday said two men had been taken into custody. A third was captured today, the official said. The official said the informer who provided information about the men had undergone explosives training with them at an Al Qaeda camp in Afghanistan. Security in and around the city's transit network was sharply increased Thursday after city officials announced that they had been notified by federal authorities in Washington of a terrorist threat that for the first time specified the city's transit system.
Iraqi police have found the bodies of 22 men handcuffed and shot dead in an area near the Iran border, officials said on Friday. Police said the bodies were found near Badra town in Wasit province, 110 km (69 miles) southeast of Baghdad, on Thursday. They were taken to a local morgue and then transported to the Iraqi capital Baghdad where many of the victims had apparently lived, police said. Family members chanting "There is no God but God" picked up some of the bodies on Friday, taking them home in flag-draped coffins. Some family members said their relatives had been abducted from their homes almost three months ago. One old woman walked along the street nearby screaming "where's my brother, where's my brother." Many of the victims appeared to be members of Iraq's Sunni Arab minority, but there was no confirmaton of that.
British forces raided a house in Basra, detaining 12 Iraqis suspected of carrying out recent attacks on British and U.S. troops, officials said Friday. The men taken into custody late Thursday night also are suspected of supporting the al-Mahdi militia, which is controlled by Muqtada al-Sadr, the Iraqi rebel Shiite cleric, said British military spokesman Maj. Steven Melbourne. The militia has been accused of carrying out such attacks with help from neighboring Iran.
BAGHDAD - US soldiers killed at least 29 insurgents in a drive to root out militants in western Iraq, the military said on Friday, after US President George W. Bush vowed not to waver in his campaign against Islamic extremists.
Palestinian police went door-to-door early Friday in this West Bank town, arresting 30 suspected criminals in one of the biggest moves toward restoring law and order in the chaos-ridden Palestinian territories.
The Lebanese Army went on full alert around the country's Palestinian refugee camps yesterday as part of security measures linked to fears of an Israeli attack, while the government asserted its refusal to allow Palestinians to carry arms outside the camps. 
At least 30 people have died in nine days of fighting over grazing land in southern Somalia, witnesses and officials said Friday. Ten people, including four children, died late Thursday in the fighting, which has pitted clan-based militias against each other in Heejow Mahaad 200 kilometers (125 miles) southwest of Mogadishu, witnesses told The Associated Press by two-way radio. They asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation from the militias. The fighting started September 29 when local farmers and pastoralists clashed over a plot of land. Regional leader Sheikh Yusuf Mohamed Siyad Indha-ade and clan elders have appealed to both sides to stop fighting and begin peace talks. Hundreds of people have fled their homes in the area to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. The fighters are using heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades that can easily tear through most Somali homes.
The Detective Branch of police in a raid on a militantsâ hideout at Chandpur town on Thursday morning arrested a âsector commanderâ of the outlawed Jamaatul Mujahideen and intelligence sources believe he holds vital clues to recent spate of terror attacks especially in the southeastern districts of the country. DB inspector Rustom Alam said the militant, Ghalib (24), captured from a garage in the town had confessed that he was the âsector commanderâ of JMB in charge of operation in Chandpur, Comilla, Luxmipur and Noakhali areas.
SPIN BOLDAK, Afghanistan - Four years after US forces launched their offensive to overthrow the Taleban, the guerrillas vowed on Friday to continue their holy war to rid Afghanistan of foreign troops.
Ascension of the Prophet PBUH 
KHAR: A member of the banned Tehrik Nifaz-e-Shariah Muhammad, who was arrested for suspected links to Al Qaeda, has died of what his family alleged as torture by security agencies during his interrogation. Maulana Jan Muhammad was buried on Friday a day after he was pronounced dead in a Peshawar hospital, family members told Daily Times, in Bajaur Agency's regional headquarters Khar. 
