Security forces were able to arrest two terrorists in the Jarah area 54 kilometers east of the Algerian capital.
A security source told KUNA the arrest followed a confrontation between members of a terrorist group and security troops.
The source added that the confrontation lasted over two hours as it is hard to maneuver missions in the area due to the mountains, forests, and valleys in the area where terrorists have been hiding for the past several years.
More than 200 military personnel participated in the confrontation in the area where terrorist groups have spread terror among the residents.
Algerian authorities and security forces are now searching the area and tracking down terrorist group members in the surrounding area.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/14/2005 17:06 ||
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The United States has set aside $500 million over the next five years to secure a vast new front in its global war on terrorism: the Sahara Desert.
Critics say the region is not the terrorist zone that some senior US military officers assert. They add that heavy-handed military and financial support that reinforces authoritarian regimes in north and west Africa could fuel radicalism where it scarcely exists.
The Trans-Saharan Counter-Terrorism Initiative (TSCTI) was begun in June to provide military expertise, equipment and development aid to nine Saharan countries where lawless swathes of desert are considered fertile ground for militant Muslim groups involved in smuggling and combat training.
"It's the Wild West all over again," said Major Holly Silkman, a public affairs officer at US Special Operations Command Europe, which presides over US security and peacekeeping operations in Europe, former Soviet bloc countries and most of Africa.
During the first phase of the programme, dubbed Operation Flintlock, US Special Forces led 3,000 ill-equipped Saharan troops in tactical exercises designed to co-ordinate security more effectively along porous borders and beef-up patrols in ungoverned territories.
Maj Silkman said Africa has become the most important concern of the US European Command (EuCom) because of rampant corruption, drug and human trafficking, poverty and high unemployment, which create a significant "potential for instability", particularly in the Saharan region, where 50 per cent of the population is younger than 15.
The head of Special Operations Command Europe, Major General Thomas R Csrnko, said he was concerned that al-Qaeda is assessing African groups for "franchising opportunities," notably the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat - known as GSPC by its initials in French - cited on the US State Department's list of foreign terrorist organisations.
The Algeria-based GSPC, estimated to have about 300 fighters and said to be linked to al-Qaeda, was accused of kidnapping European tourists in 2003 and has taken responsibility for a spate of attacks in the Sahara this year.
General Csrnko considers the group the main threat to security in the region, and has cited the potential for terrorist camps in the Sahara comparable to those once run by al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. Eucom officials say there is evidence that 25 per cent of suicide bombers in Iraq are Saharan Africans. Terrorist attacks such as the 11 March, 2004, Madrid train bombings that killed 191 persons have been linked to north African militants.
But some observers say terrorism in the Sahara is little more than a mirage and that a higher-profile US involvement could destabilise the region.
"If anything, the [TSCTI] ... will generate terrorism, by which I mean resistance to the overall US presence and strategy," said Jeremy Keenan, a Sahara specialist at the University of East Anglia.
A report by the International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based think tank, said that although the Sahara is "not a terrorist hotbed", repressive governments in the region are using the "war on terror" to tap US largesse and deny civil freedoms.
The report said the regime of Mauritanian President Maaouiya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya - a US ally in west Africa deposed on 3 August in a bloodless coup - used the threat of terrorism to legitimise the denial of human rights.
Mr Keenan said the government of Algeria is an even worse offender, misleading Washington about the GSPC threat to acquire modern weapons and shed its pariah status.
Aside from the 2003 kidnapping issue, US and Algerian authorities have failed to present "indisputable verification of a single act of alleged terrorism in the Sahara", Mr Keenan said.
"Without the GSPC, the US has no legitimacy for its presence in the region," he added, noting that an escalating American strategic dependency on African oil requires that the United States bolster its presence in the region.
Maj Silkman, however, said cultivating security, not oil resources, is the prime objective of the TSCTI. She said it is vital that other members of the international community get involved.
"Reducing the threat is not as much about taking direct action as it is in eliminating conditions that allow terrorism to flourish," she said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/14/2005 16:59 ||
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#1
$ 500 million US dollars litterly being pissed away. Stay the hell out of it and let combat attrition and HIV take care of the problem. Sorry Major Silkman, my apologies for being so blunt, but you're full of kak as a Christmas turkey, we've no business there, or anywhere in bloody Africa. Rent "Blackhawk Down" and take a historical read of the French experience if you will.
Security forces in Bangladesh say they have arrested the military head of a banned Islamic militant group blamed for a series of suicide bombings. The suspected operations commander of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, Ataur Rahman Sunny, was held during a raid in the capital, Dhaka, on Wednesday.
Police say they also seized a large cache of shutter guns weapons and three rounds of bullet explosives.
The group has been blamed for a series of suicide bombings since August in which nearly 30 people have died.
Lt Cmdr Mahbubul Haq Molla, of the elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), which carried out the raid, confirmed the arrest. "RAB officers surrounded a dormitory of a technical institute in the city and caught Sunny from his lair hideout," he said. Mr Sunny is a brother of the group's fugitive spiritual leader, Abdur Rahman.
The weapons seized in the raid in the Manda area of the capital included 50kg of explosives, 27 grenades, detonators and literature calling for a jihad, or holy war, police said. Squadron Leader Fazal, another RAB spokesman, said: "The Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen men stockpiled the arms and explosives. These weapons could cause mayhem, killing thousands of people."
A number of suicide bombings since August have targeted judges, lawyers, police and journalists.
Police have arrested almost 800 suspects, many of them members of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, which wants hardline Islamic law in the country. Mr Sunny is by far the most high-profile. Police said the arrest was a major breakthrough and hoped it would lead to the detention of Mr Rahman. Mr Sunny would be brought before the media later on Wednesday, police said.
And then he'll be off to help the RAB find a new cache of weapons early Thursday morning.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/14/2005 17:03 ||
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#1
Coming up:
"Hokay, Sunny. Where ya got da rods hid out?"
Russian special services have killed the chief representative of al Qaeda in Russia, a mercenary called Dzhaber, head of the regional headquarters of the counter-terrorism operation in the North Caucasus, Col.-Gen. Arkady Edelev, was quoted by the Trud newspaper as saying.
The terrorist was killed in the village of Avtury in the Chechen internal republic at a guerilla winter base.
Dzhaber was described as the mastermind behind recent terrorist attacks in the republic, providing money for them and working out plans.
It is widely known that many al Qaeda mercenaries train rebels in Russiaâs Caucasus and even take part in raids on Russian territory. Several Beslan attackers were confirmed as being Arabs. Their work was coordinated by the Arab mercenary Abu-Dzeyt, who was on the international wanted list and was killed on Feb. 16, 2005. He was the organizationâs âofficialâ envoy to Russia â in charge of distributing cash funds provided by al Qaeda to radical Islamists in the Northern Caucasus.
Another two mercenaries, often mentioned in the news before they were killed by Russian troops, Hattab and Abu Walid, were also foreigners believed to have carried out major raids and hostage-takings.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/14/2005 17:04 ||
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Edited for new details
The rioting began Sunday on Cronulla Beach ...Carloads of young Arab men then struck back in several Sydney suburbs Sunday and Monday nights, fighting with police and smashing the windows of stores, homes and parked cars. Nearly 40 people were injured and 27 arrested in the melees, police said.
Racial tensions in Australia have been rising in recent years, largely because of...the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States and deadly bombings on the Indonesian island of Bali that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians, in October 2002.
They also were heightened by a gang rape case in 2002 in which prosecutors and witnesses said members of a Lebanese gang hurled racial abuse at their rape victims, all of whom were white. The ringleader, Bilal Skaf, was sentenced to 55 years, an unusually severe sentence for the country. Consistent with the stories now coming out of many other white Australian girls similarly raped, then threatened with worse if they told.
In an attempt to keep the peace, lawmakers in New South Wales, where Sydney is located, will meet Thursday to pass laws giving officers tough new powers to crack down on rioters, including ordering bars to shut and erecting roadblocks to effectively seal off suburbs. State leader Morris Iemma said he would urge lawmakers to pass legislation increasing prison sentences for riot offenses. He also said police would be given special "lockdown" powers to stop convoys from forming and driving into communities to carry out acts of retribution.
Iemma said the rioters had "effectively declared war on our society and we won't be found wanting in our response."
On Monday, police said they discovered weapons including firebombs and rocks on the roofs of some houses in the beachside suburb of Maroubra. Who exactly lives in those houses, pray tell? Some of those arrested were armed with machetes and baseball bats.
In the 2001 census, nearly a quarter of Australia's 20 million people said they were born overseas. The country has about 300,000 Muslims, most in lower income suburbs of large cities. Sydney also has a large community of Lebanese who mostly live in a cluster of lower-income neighborhoods close to the city's Olympic sports complex.
#1
Racial tensions in Australia have been rising in recent years, largely because of...the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States and deadly bombings on the Indonesian island of Bali that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians, in October 2002.
The tensions with Lebanese have largely been rising in recent years because of a prolonged low-level violent crime wave against White Australians by some 'youths'
They also were heightened by a gang rape case in 2002 in which prosecutors and witnesses said members of a Lebanese gang hurled racial abuse at their rape victims, all of whom were white.
I'm not aware of any 'witnesses' at the gang rapes, only the perpetrators and the victims, the latter of whom reported the rascist comments.
Who exactly lives in those houses, pray tell?
Mostly working class Whites
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
12/14/2005 2:02 Comments ||
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Tim Blair Blog, HT phil-b
http://tinyurl.com/bstoh
Funny how the Cronulla incident is said by some to damage Australiaâs image, while the participation of an Australian (now also British) citizen in a training group of murdering, illegal scumbags is not.
Still waiting for Hicks senior (or junior) to apologise for the shame they have brought on Australia.
Posted by blogstrop on 12/13 at 05:41 PM ⢠permalink
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neoleftychick said...
antony
Clearly you have never been to the western suburbs of Sydney. The gangs of Lebanese males have terrorised Sydney-siders, particularly women for 20 years. I have beena victim of their awful intimidation myself. Fortunately, I can run, unlike so many of the poor "skippy sluts" who were served a "meal" of "Lebo cock."
You need to get your head out of tawdry Palestinian propoganda sites and live in the real world.
Is John Howard also responsible for the abominable antics of Islamic males in Thailand, Indonesia, India, China, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, Holland, Sweden, Denmark, and on and on and on?
You have no idea how offensive your rants are to an Australian woman. If you yourself were a Muslim male I could maybe understand it (though not excuse); but as you are a white Australian, I am just dumbfounded.
Tuesday, December 13, 2005 8:26:19 PM
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NSW Copperâs perspective on the whole sad sorry saga of the ongoing cultural conflict in Sydney, the open letter from an anonymous Sydney police officer in todayâs Daily Telegraph:
I should know, Iâve been a NSW Copper for 13 years, and Iâve had plenty of run-ins with Leb gangsters and drug dealers. Back then they were scared of the cops, because we were allowed to go hard and had the backing of our superiors. Ever since the Wood Royal Commission everything has gone downhill. The current crop of police management posses little operational experience, and get around with their heads up their arses. They regard operational police with contempt and disdain. The same goes for most of the judiciary, and for that matter, the media. Cop hating has become an artform, and now society is paying the cost. Experienced operational police are leaving the job at a rate of knots.
Policing in this state has become a disgrace.
Bring back the biff.
Posted by EliotNess on 12/13 at 08:49 PM ⢠permalink
Posted by: Red Dog ||
12/14/2005 4:55 Comments ||
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#3
Iemma said the rioters had "effectively declared war on our society and we won't be found wanting in our response."
Actually, you are found wanting. You disarmed your own citizenry a few years back. Bad move.
#4
Tim Blair, the most prominent Australian blogger, initially had a fairly PC reaction to this. After many hundreds of comments at his site he has come around to the view that this is blowback from years of lack of law enforcement and weak law enforcement to crimes committed by certain ethnic minorities.
The unfortunate consequence is now, not only do the Lebanese treat the police with contempt, but large numbers of 'white' Australians do as well.
BTW,Its hard to imagine gangs of youths in the USA going to another suburb and trashing cars and violently assaulting people. The risk of getting shot would be too high.
#5
phil b, I have friends who moved from Los Angeles to Cincinnati for exactly that reason in the late 1980s. They had lived in a posh L.A. neighborhood, but nowhere was safe from car-driving, roving gangbangers. I'm not aware pf such things here in Cincinnati, but then I wouldn't be -- perhaps some other Rantburgers have knowledge of the threat of gang violence outside the inner cities?
#6
TW: I think they call it white flight. Most major metro cities have or are experiencing it. An international example is Zim and SA. Must be something genetic, who knows.
#7
Sadly, TW, your friends chose the wrong city. Now, the suburbs are still safe, but the city of Cincinnati, well, most people I know have written it off. The city politicians have decided to model their policies on Detroit, as far as I can tell.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
12/14/2005 8:05 Comments ||
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#8
trailing wife,
I think you might be right on spot. We had a few riots a several years ago in Cinti, but all they really did is tear up their own neighborhood and get their own heads busted by the police. You can only pull shit like this in certain cities. Cities that have been taken over by liberal placaters.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
12/14/2005 9:45 Comments ||
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#11
Now to steer the thread completely off topic, I was born in Cincy. Many fond memories of the Zoo and King's Island. I even wrote a report about the Tyler-Davidson Fountain for my 4th grade Civics class. (Back then, we were actually taught civics.) I haven't been back in way, way too long.
#12
In the 2001 census, nearly a quarter of Australia's 20 million people said they were born overseas
And probably higher now, in terms of born overseas + 1st generation. If they assimilate it's one thing, if not ....
add in the fact that Australia, for all its size, is very constrained with regard to water and other resources. Population growth has been a problem for the Aussies lately even without cultural and religious tensions. Add those in and things may get nasty quickly.
Had a lovely long chat with an Aussie couple while on the way to an airport last summer. He was a jazz? blues? something-like-that musician and they were making their way home after attending a conference and festival and then travelling a bit on a tight budget. Not their first time in the US, but they did this one in part via Trailways busses through the midwest. Had some interesting things to say about both countries ... but did mention the issue of water and people as a looming problem, given that many of the sheep stations and other ranches/farms are being droughted out of business.
#13
BTW,Its hard to imagine gangs of youths in the USA going to another suburb and trashing cars and violently assaulting people.
I can imagine that happening, but there would have to be a very, very, VERY, VERY good reason for it.
Sydney also has a large community of Lebanese who mostly live in a cluster of lower-income neighborhoods close to the city's Olympic sports complex.
Strange, but the area around Homebush didn't look all that low-income to me. Of course, this view was while shuttling around on CityRail, so the more seedier parts might have been a little less visible from the tracks...
You have to be in your late 30's if you remember Kings Island but not Coney Island! Did you ever hear of Crosley Field? How about Waite Hoyt and his sponsor Burger beer? Back in the good old days, WCKY or WKRC radio were the most listened to in the south since the Reds were the closest team the south had. People in Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama as well as West "by-God" Virginia would take long weekends to come to Cincinnati for the games. And now you don't even have Hudepohl anymore but you still have Empress Chili and Graters ice cream. Yum, yum.
#15
And now you don't even have Hudepohl anymore but you still have Empress Chili and Graters ice cream.
Haven't seen an Empress in ages (lots of Gold Stars and Skylines, though), and the Graeter's downtown is closing. Going to lunch at LaRosas, and we have to drive twenty minutes to get to one.
Downtown Cincinnati is a ghost town.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
12/14/2005 10:58 Comments ||
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#16
Its hard to imagine gangs of youths in the USA going to another suburb and trashing cars and violently assaulting people.
Wretchard links to an article at FrontPage about a Pentagon briefing which says, "the U.S. has not suffered from scattered insurgent attacks [...] in large part because it has a relatively small Muslim population. But that could change as the Muslim minority grows and gains more influence." It goes on to identify three attack strategies used by jihadis. RTWT.
#18
14K I had many yummy ice cream cones at Graters. My family was a Skyline Chili family. And all I remember was ugly old Riverfront Stadium. But Cincinnati still has a hold on my heart...
#19
Met Waite Hoyt in 1961 at Yankee Stadium in the second game of the World Series. I was 11 years old and got tickets from a friend's father who couldn't go himself but was impressed because I always stood up when he came in the room (good manners finally paid off). So, 10 years old, with my right arm in a cast up to the shoulder I decided to wander all over Yankee Stadium alone. Can you imagine a parent letting their child do that today? I asked for directions to the press box, when I got there asked to see Waite Hoyt, somebody pointed him out and I went over and inttroduced myself. He couldn't have been nicer, spoke to me for a couple of minutes, introduced the home town kid to I don't know whom else in the press box, and told me it was time to get back to my seat. Probably just an event he may have chuckled over on the way home, but a memory I'll recall in my last moments of life, especially because it was the only game the Redlegs won in that Series. What a guy.
#20
Lots of predictions that there would be rioting in California over the execution of Tookie (founder of the Crips gang) but its been a day and half and so far nothing.
#21
It's ok, Robert, they are P&G people, and live in (the suburb of) Blue Ash. 14KHudy, while Hudepohl may have gone the way of all flesh, you may be comforted to know that the first branch of Munich's Hofbrauhaus opened last year just across the river in Newport, Kentucky. From what I hear it's doing well, although, given the character of Cincinnatians, there are considerably fewer people throwing up in corners than in the original. Fits in nicely with the annual Oktoberfest, too. I can't imagine Cincinnati developing a serious Islamist problem, given the atmosphere... ;-) Of course, I'm having no little problem understanding how the those lovely Muslim youths got away with terrorizing Australian beaches for so long.
#22
simple, tw. If you arrest any of these Musslim "youths" for threatening behavior you are not being politically correct. Besides, if you try to make them behave they start blowing things up. after all, they are "downtrodden and marginalized".
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
12/14/2005 13:39 Comments ||
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#23
I can't imagine Cincinnati developing a serious Islamist problem, given the atmosphere... ;-)
Playhouse in the Park canceled a play it was staging -- an original production -- because Islamists complained. It was about two teenage girls, an Israeli and a Palestinian, and the complaints, AFAICR, was that the Palestinian girl was portrayed as what we would consider a normal teenage girl.
No threats of violence, again AFAICR, just a lot of harumphing and demands for "input".
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
12/14/2005 14:38 Comments ||
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#24
Australia, for all its size, is very constrained with regard to water and other resources.
That's something of a greenie myth. All Australian State capitals are wetter than Western European capitals (London, Paris), with the possible exception of Adelaide. Population densities are much lower and there is far more land available for water catchment. So there is far more water available per person here than say in the UK.
OTOH we use far use far more water per capita. Not least cos its cheap. The infrastructure was paid off years ago. But to build major new dams would cost big bucks and send the greenies into a spin, so the pollies don't and peddle water shortage, drought, conservation, etc. when the real issue is infrastructure hasn't kept up with increased demand, plus greenie inspired nonsense about not cutting brush in water catchments has cut river flows by as much as a half.
In addition there is abundant water in the North. I've flown over the Fitzroy River in the wet season. It's several kilometers wide. Because its never been channeled the way pretty much every other river has, I've read that at the height of the 'Wet' it's the second largest river in the world after the Amazon (although not of course on an annual flow basis).
At the last state election, the Liberals stood on a platform of building a canal to channel water from the Fitzroy to Perth. They got pilloried by the media because of the $10 billion price tag, and the real benefit that 2,000 kilometers of coastline would be opened up to development was never mentioned.
#26
Iemma said the rioters had "effectively declared war on our society and we won't be found wanting in our response."
Nice to see someone with their brain screwed on straight. The French ought to be taking copious notes about now. Note how the headline is talking about "Racial Violence." Isn't it time to clarify that this unrest is more due to religious differences and not racism? I know, I know, wishful thinking.
More than 450 police, four times the usual number, patrolled Sydney's streets on Tuesday to prevent a third night of racial violence by youth gangs who have attacked people, smashed cars and hurled rocks at police. As rain fell on Sydney on Tuesday night, there were no reports of trouble as police checked cars at road blocks in suburbs scarred by racial violence in the previous two nights. The New South Wales (NSW) state parliament was being called into emergency session on Thursday to give police special powers to "lock down" parts of Sydney, Australia's biggest city, to stop the unrest, officials said.
Police will also be allowed to ban consumption of alcohol in areas of unrest by shutting down licensed premises and prohibiting anyone from carrying liquor. The state government will also increase the jail term for rioting from five to 15 years and double the penalty for affray, fighting in public, to 10 years. "These criminals have declared war on our society and we are not going to let them win," NSW premier Morris Iemma said. "You will not take control of our streets," he said while announcing the special police powers similar to those given during the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
Racial violence erupted at Sydney's Cronulla Beach on Sunday when some 5,000 people, some yelling racist chants, attacked youths of Middle Eastern background. Police said white supremacists incited it. Drunk mobs of youths, some wrapped in Australian flags, said they were defending their beach after lifesavers were attacked. They believe the attackers were of Lebanese background. On Monday, gangs of youths, mainly of Middle Eastern background, attacked several people with baseball bats, vandalized cars and were involved in rock-throwing skirmishes with police for a second night, officials said. Police said they found 30 Molotov cocktails and crates of rocks on rooftops as hundreds of surfers gathered at Maroubra Beach.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/14/2005 00:00 ||
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Racial violence erupted at Sydney's Cronulla Beach on Sunday when some 5,000 people, some yelling racist chants, attacked youths of Middle Eastern background. Police said white supremacists incited it.
So these guys just came right out and started assaulting wogs, huh?
Somehow, I get the feeling that something's missing....
#2
State level politicians of the Labour variety are panicking big time over this. John Howard in contrast has been masterful and refused to endorse the multicult agenda and label this 'racist'.
A Current Affair, the most switched on newsy type show in Oz nailed this last night as a lack of respect for Australian culture. The show has been headed for 20 years by someone who the Aboriginals I know insist is one of them, which presents the Left with quite a quandary.
#3
Australia needs to bitchslap these Muzzy bastards hard. Shoot some down in the streets, tough jail sentences for a lot more, and deport several thousand with their relatives. Send a tough, tough message that any immigrant group in Oz that starts trouble will soon find itself enroute back to country of origin, sans assets and Aussie citizenship but with several broken bones in compensation.
Posted by: mac ||
12/14/2005 5:53 Comments ||
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#4
You let em in, expect trouble. Same here, same in Canada. They are nothing but fu**ing trouble. Unlike the Mexicans who come here to werk, muzzies are just lazy sand kaffirs. They don't want to werk, just lay around smoke, bitch, and multiply.
#5
What have the Aussies who were involved in the original riot been doing since then? They opened this up, you can't simply sit back as these guys "retaliate" night after night after night as they did in France. Whether the Sunday activities were a bad idea is something I will leave for others to debate, but if they let the muslims run amok now without a response things will get much worse. You can't just have one big temper tantrum and then go home - all that does is rile them up. You need to show that you can make a prolonged effort to oppose them.
#6
BH, you exactly got what I was wondering: where the heck are the 5000 "surfer dudes" who started this round of riots?
This is not to say that they didn't have a good reason to start beating up the persecutors of their women. Like BH, I'm complaining about follow-through.
#7
Police are monitoring them heavily, it would appear. And the premier's public criticism has been for them pretty much exclusively, at least in the accounts I've read.
Two of three Algerians arrested a month ago in Italy, and charged with terrorism, were on their way back to Norway when they were arrested.
We believe that the three Algerians regard Norway as a safe and quiet place to stay, says Chief Investigator Michele del Prete at a Naples court to Aftenposten.
Two of the Algerians have stayed in Oslo over several earlier periods, the last time last year.
When they were arrested, on November the 15th, they were about to leave Italy, and del Prete confirms that two of them were on their way to Norway. He says he is very satisfied with the cooperation with the Norwegian Security Police on the case.
The three are now jailed in Naples, charged with international terrorism, and they are suspected of having planned terror attacks against Italian targets.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/14/2005 17:07 ||
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Very interesting since Fox News reported last night on the increased Islamist presence in Scandinavia,
Two Chechens living in Spain have been arrested on suspicion of being involved in the killing of famous Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh, Spanish police were quoted by Ria Novosti Tuesday.
Theo van Gogh, a descendant of famed Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh, was shot dead in Amsterdam on Nov. 2, 2004 by Islamic fundamentalist Mohammed Bouyeri two months after the release of his highly controversial movie, Submission, which detailed the physical punishments sanctioned by the Koran for Muslim women.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/14/2005 17:05 ||
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According to the Czech daily Mlada Fronta Dnes the man is Oussamma Kassir, a 39-year-old Lebanese man who emigrated to Sweden as a teenager in 1984. He's now wanted by the FBI for terrorist offences. The US authorities say he's suspected of trying to set up an al-Qaeda terrorist camp in the U.S. state of Oregon in 2002. The Oregonian newspaper wrote that he arrived in the village of Bly carrying money, poisons and computer disks with instructions on how to make bombs. So obviously the US authorities are very keen to get their hands on him.
Mr Kassir was on a Czech Airlines flight from Stockholm to Beirut, where he hoped to be reunited with members of his family. The plane had a brief stopover in Prague, and as soon as he stepped onto Czech soil he was approached by members of an elite police unit and a balaclava was placed on his head before he was led away.
Mr Kassir is not wanted by either the Czech or Swedish authorities; he was exonerated of terrorist related offences after a trial there in 2003. It's the US that wants him. He can't be extradited from either Sweden or Lebanon because he has both Swedish and Lebanese citizenship, and like most countries neither Sweden or Lebanon extradite their own citizens. But he can be extradited by the Czech Republic. Petr Dimun is the spokesman for the Czech Justice Ministry:
When someone is placed in extradition custody, the country that has issued the international arrest warrant has 40 days in which to file an extradition request. The request is examined by the appropriate court, and if the court decides the person should be extradited, the final decision rests with the Minster of Justice."
Mr Kassir, however, maintains his innocence of all the accusations being made against him. Alongside the Oregon terror camp allegations, the British secret services claim he's closely associated with Haroon Rashid Aswat, accused of being the mastermind behind the July 7th bombings in London, and the U.S. have dubbed him "Osama bin Laden's man in Sweden".
He himself says he's never been to Oregon and has never met Aswat. He does, however, admit to being a great admirer of Osama bin Laden, according to a Swedish journalist who knows him well. It will of course be up to a court to decide whether he should trial for any of the allegations against him, but boarding a flight to Beirut via Prague could prove to be something of a mistake.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/14/2005 17:02 ||
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#1
Mr Kassir is not wanted by either the Czech or Swedish authorities; he was exonerated of terrorist related offences after a trial there in 2003 But he's now wanted by the FBI for terrorist offences.
He can't be extradited from either Sweden or Lebanon because he has both Swedish and Lebanese citizenship, and like most countries neither Sweden or Lebanon extradite their own citizens. But he can be extradited by the Czech Republic.
Mr Kassir was on a Czech Airlines flight from Stockholm to Beirut, where he hoped to be reunited with members of his family. The plane had a brief stopover in Prague, and
as soon as he stepped onto Czech soil he was approached by members of an elite police unit and a balaclava was placed on his head before he was led away.
sweet
Posted by: Red Dog ||
12/14/2005 19:42 Comments ||
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#2
Bork Bork Bork.
Posted by: Scott R ||
12/14/2005 21:29 Comments ||
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A Spanish judge filed charges against three men suspected of financing and providing logistical support for an Algerian Islamic extremist group with suspected links to al-Qaida, court officials said Tuesday.
The three Algerians, among seven people arrested last week in Spain's Costa del Sol region, were charged with collaborating with an armed group and ordered them jailed, the court said.
An Algerian woman was released without charge. The three other suspects an ethnic Albanian from Kosovo, an Algerian man and a Spanish woman are still being questioned, officials said.
Authorities believe the suspects aided an Algerian-based Islamic extremist organization, the Salafist Group for Call and Combat, which has declared allegiance to al-Qaida. The insurgent group has battled Algeria's government since 1992, when the military canceled legislative elections that religious parties appeared set to win.
On Nov. 23, Spanish police arrested 11 Algerians suspected of providing financing and logistical support to the same group. A judge later charged four of them with belonging to a terror cell but released the other seven.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/14/2005 16:50 ||
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The US Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) Director Porter Goss started his second day of meetings in Ankara with a visit to the Police followed by a call on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The fight against the terrorist organization Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) was discussed in the meetings held Tuesday. Goss stopped by the Police headquarters where he met Security Director General Gokhan Aydiner in the morning.
Three messages are reported to have been conveyed to Goss during the talks: "European support for terrorism must be prevented, Fehriye Erdal; the suspect in the Sabanci assassination must be
returned and the broadcasting of Roj TV must be stopped."
The CIA Director, finding Turkish demands justified, said he will take the necessary steps. His last stop in the Turkish capital was at the Prime Ministry Residence. Goss, in meeting with Erdogan, was accompanied by the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) Under Secretary. The Prime Minister emphasized Turkey expects support in exchange for information about the terrorist organization.
The American bureaucrat stressed they want to increase the intelligence shared and developed in cooperation with Turkey. In addition to Police Intelligence Department Head Sabri Uzun, the US Ambassador in Ankara and Goss's two aides took part in the talks. Aydiner pointed to the activities of the terrorist organization PKK-Kongra-Gel. The Police Chief asked the US to step in and put pressure to stop European support of the terrorist organizations activities as well as for the return of Fehriye Erdal to Turkey. Aydiner also mentioned Roj TV which is broadcast from Denmark during their talks. The Chief reiterated the terrorist organization receives instructions from Roj TV and asked for support from Goss to stop this channel.
It is also reported that Luai Sakra, arrested for organizing an attack on an Israeli cruise ship in the southern Turkish city of Antalya, was discussed at the talks recently held between the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Robert Mueller and the Police General Director.
Mueller pointing out the shortness of the custody period in Turkey said "Al-Qaeda militants such as Luai Sakra must be questioned for a longer time. There is much information that can be obtained from such people. The longer they stay in police custody the more information can be obtained."
Aydiner reffering to the increased 28-day custody period in the UK, said, "We are doing what the law system tells us to do."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/14/2005 16:47 ||
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#1
"European support for terrorism must be prevented, Fehriye Erdal; the suspect in the Sabanci assassination must be
returned and the broadcasting of Roj TV must be stopped, our prisons and interrogators are the very best in the region and we hope to win your contract."
Federal prosecutors in New York have announced the arrest in the Czech Republic of another man wanted in the Oregon terror camp case.
The suspect, Oussam Kassir, was arrested Sunday in Prague, said Michael Garcia, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Kassir is charged in a criminal complaint with providing material support to terrorists for allegedly conspiring with others to establish an Islamic jihad, or holy war, training camp in rural Bly, Oregon, six years ago.
Kassir, 39, a Lebanese-born Swedish national, allegedly traveled to the United States in late 1999 to scout the land and find potential recruits for the camp, which was never built.
The arrest stems from a case initially brought against American James Ujaama, who pleaded guilty in 2003 and is now cooperating with the government.
According to the new complaint, Kassir flew from London to New York's JFK Airport, took a bus to Seattle, Washington, and then drove a car with Ujaama to Bly.
After two months at the site, Kassir told Ujaama he was not satisfied with the facilities, supplies or paltry number of recruits, according to the complaint.
"He (Kassir) was not going to waste his time with such a small number of men," the complaint says.
Kassir also told Ujaama he had "trained and fought jihad" in Afghanistan, al Qaeda's base before the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to the complaint.
Another witness said Kassir "instituted perimeter patrols and passwords" during his stay at Bly and had compact disc with information about making poisons, according to the complaint.
Ujaama envisioned the camp "would be a place that Muslims could attend to receive various types of training, including military-style jihad training, in preparation for a community of Muslims to move to Afghanistan," the criminal complaint says.
It was an idea he proposed to Abu Hamza el-Masri, the radical Egyptian cleric with alleged al Qaeda ties who used to preach at the Finsbury Park Mosque in London and whose followers included convicted terrorists Richard Reid and Zacarias Moussaoui.
Abu Hamza is to go on trial next month in London for inciting terrorism.
Abu Hamza and two other suspects in British custody -- Haroon Rashid Aswat and Mustafa Kamel Mustafa -- are charged in the terror camp case.
Aswat, a British national of Indian heritage, was aide to Abu Hamza and also allegedly traveled to the United States to inspect the camp site.
The United States unsealed an indictment against Aswat and Mustafa in September. It has requested their extradition.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/14/2005 16:44 ||
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Well this is progress. The WaPo is publishing an op ed which makes utter hash of the drivel that Murtha is spouting and does so calmly and respectfully.
The Truth On the Ground
By Ben Connable
Wednesday, December 14, 2005; Page A29
When I told people that I was getting ready to head back to Iraq for my third tour, the usual response was a frown, a somber head shake and even the occasional "I'm sorry." When I told them that I was glad to be going back, the response was awkward disbelief, a fake smile and a change of subject. The common wisdom seems to be that Iraq is an unwinnable war and a quagmire and that the only thing left to decide is how quickly we withdraw. Depending on which poll you believe, about 60 percent of Americans think it's time to pull out of Iraq.
How is it, then, that 64 percent of U.S. military officers think we will succeed if we are allowed to continue our work? ...We know the streets, the people and the insurgents far better than any armchair academic or talking head. As military professionals, we are trained to gauge the chances of success and failure, to calculate risk and reward. We have little to gain from our optimism and quite a bit to lose as we leave our families over and over again to face danger and deprivation for an increasingly unpopular cause....The proponents of the quagmire vision argue that the very presence of U.S. troops in Iraq is the cause of the insurgency and that our withdrawal would give the Iraqis their only true chance for stability. Most military officers and NCOs with ground experience in Iraq know that this vision is patently false.
#1
Woo Doggies! And in the WaPo, no less Talk about a sign of the End Times.
I think we will start to see more and more of this. Iraq is slowly turning into a success as the jihadis both get sqeezed and alienate the citizens. The Iraqi people are beginning to feel safe enough to rat out the jihadis in their neighoborhoods. Despite being ignored by the media, the Iraqi military and police are playing an increasingly effective role. Even the Sunnis are giving up their attempt to become the New Paleostinians and are realizing it is easier to ride a horse in the direction it's going.
When Iraq becomes an undeniable success, it will not look good for the media to still be rooting for the other side. As for the Democratic Party, I suspect tickets for the Wayback Machine will be in great demand as everyone tries to rewind to 1998 or so back when they were for the war before they were against it.
#2
For my part, I have no intention of letting them forget their part in the opposition. If my moonbat brother-in-law ever, EVER, dares to speak of the progress we are making in the ME, I will be there to ask him, "What do you mean, 'we'?"
#3
The anti-victory types will still deny things aren't as bad as they want. After all, this guy is an Officer. They LOVE to kill and blow things up. Just ask Hanoi "Burkha" Jane.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
12/14/2005 13:25 Comments ||
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#4
Here's a one yr chart of the NY Times
The MSM might be reconsidering editorial philosophy.
#6
Next column will come from Neal Gabler, who'll argue that the Marine was actually a CIA Psy-ops officer planted by the evil Rove-Cheney machine to lightly rinse Americans' brains.
A Lebanese-born Swede has been charged in a plot to set up a terrorist training camp in Oregon, prosecutors said. A criminal complaint charging Oussama Kassir with conspiring to provide material support to terrorists was unsealed Tuesday in U.S. District Court.
The case relates to an indictment in Manhattan already charging Mustafa Kamel Mustafa and Haroon Aswat. Aswat and Mustafa, the radical London cleric also known as Abu Hamza al-Masri, are being detained in England while awaiting extradition to the United States. Kassir, 39, was arrested Sunday in the Czech Republic after a warrant was filed with Interpol, U.S. Attorney Michael J. Garcia said Tuesday. He remains detained in Prague as the United States pursues his extradition.
The complaint alleges that Kassir and others conspired to establish a training camp for holy war, or jihad, in Bly, Ore. According to the complaint, Kassir and others wanted to set up the camp to teach military-style methods so a community of Muslims could move to Afghanistan to fight or receive further training there. Authorities in Oregon have said the camp never materialized beyond a dozen people taking target practice and was abandoned for unknown reasons.
The complaint refers to a letter faxed from one alleged conspirator to another saying that the Bly property was in a "pro-militia and firearms state" that "looks just like Afghanistan" and that the group was "stockpiling weapons and ammunition." The complaint said that on Nov. 26, 1999, Kassir and another conspirator traveled from London to New York and then to Seattle and Bly to help with the training camp. Blye is an unincorporated town of a few hundred residents, 50 miles east of Klamath Falls.
Prosecutors said Kassir complained to a witness at Bly that there were only a few men available to train at the camp and that he was not going to waste his time with such a small number of men. Kassir also allegedly complained that the facilities and supplies were inadequate. The government also said that a witness saw Kassir in possession of a compact disc with information about improvising poisons.
Kassir was detained Sunday at Prague's Ruzyne international airport and had been flying from Stockholm to Beirut, Prague police said. "Supporters of terrorism must know that they should not feel safe in trying to hide overseas," Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher said in a statement. "We will work to bring these individuals to justice, however long it takes."
Kassir was born in Lebanon and moved to Sweden in 1984, becoming a Swedish citizen in 1989. He spent several months in prison in 1998 for assaulting a police officer and drug possession. A Swedish court jailed Kassir for 10 months two years ago for illegal weapons possession.
Aswat was arrested in Zambia in July in connection with the deadly July 7 London subway bombings.
Mustafa has previously denied any involvement in violence and says he is only a spokesman for political causes. Mustafa's lawyers have argued that he will not receive a fair hearing in the United States because President Bush has prejudiced any trial by publicly calling him a terrorism supporter. They also say some American evidence against the preacher may have been obtained from tortured witnesses. Mustafa has called the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks a Jewish plot and the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq a war on Islam. In 2003, the Charity Commission barred al-Masri from preaching at his London mosque, which has been linked to several terrorist suspects.
Posted by: ed ||
12/14/2005 16:25 ||
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Federal air marshals are expanding their work beyond airplanes, launching counterterror surveillance at train stations and other mass transit facilities in a three-day test program.
As of Wednesday, the Transportation Security Administration said, teams of undercover air marshals and uniformed law enforcement officers were descending on bus stations, ferries and transit systems across the country to protect them from potential terrorists.
"We just want to develop the capability to enhance security outside of aviation," said air marshal spokesman David Adams.
Air marshals stepped outside of their usual role of flying undercover on airliners after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans. They were sent to keep order at Louis Armstrong International Airport, where thousands of evacuees converged after the levees were breached.
The so-called "Visible Intermodal Protection and Response" teams â or VIPER teams â will patrol Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and Los Angeles rail lines; ferries in Washington state; bus stations in Houston; and mass transit systems in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Washington and Baltimore.
The teams will consist of two air marshals, one
TSA bomb-sniffing-canine team, one or two transportation security inspectors and a local law enforcement officer.
Adams said there is no new intelligence indicating that terrorists are interested in targeting transportation modes. Rather, the TSA is trying to expand the role of air marshals, who have been eager to conduct surveillance activities beyond the aircraft, and tighten security at public transit stations over the holiday.
Some members of the team will be obvious to the traveling public and wear jackets bearing the TSA name on the back. Others will be plainclothes air marshals scanning the crowds for suspicious individuals.
"TSA expects to find new ways to quickly deploy resources, in the event of an actual threat, that adds complexity to security measures outside of the aviation domain," the agency said in a statement. Can you say "mission creep"?
Thousands of air marshals were rushed into service after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The service has been shunted among different agencies since then, starting out at the
Federal Aviation Administration, moving to the TSA, then to Immigration and Custom Enforcement and, recently, back to the TSA.
Though the exact number of air marshals is classified, pilots estimate that they cover only a small percentage of flights. Efforts were made to expand coverage by cross-training other law enforcement officers to perform air marshal duties, but Congress put a stop to it.
#1
*frown* I don't exactly like the continued use of the term "air marshals." It may just be semantics, but the idea it brings to my mind is that they're just throwing airliner specialists at the situation instead of training specialists for mass transit facilities...
Posted by: Edward Yee ||
12/14/2005 12:06 Comments ||
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#2
*frown* I don't exactly like the continued use of "air marshals". It seems to me they and the entire TSA are an expenditure that would be better mad on something else. Like screening passenger lists, securing seaports and containers and tracking bad guys. A waste of money and a life so far. Now they want to get into turf growth too? A jobs program.
#3
Washington State Ferry System ( part of the state DOT) turned down the TSA's request to work the ferry system. too much interference and cost to the state w/ little or nor return.
#4
Do think that, just maybe, it might be 1,000,000 times a wee bit more cost effective to loosen up on the concealed carry weapons permits.
"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. " comes to mind.
Six islamic terrorists were killed in a gunbattle with security forces in Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir this morning. Acting on a tip off, security forces cordoned off Khag-Beerwah area, 40 kms from here in Budgam district of central Kashmir, last night and started a search operation in the wee hours when islamic terrorists hiding there opened fire on the troops. Six terrorists were killed in the ensuing encounter which broke out at aroud 4 am. The operation was still on when reports last came in.
Posted by: john ||
12/14/2005 14:13 ||
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KARACHI: The Sindh High Court directed standing counsel for Pakistan Mehmood Alam on Tuesday to ascertain from the federal government where and under what laws it had detained various people, whose next of kin had invoked the jurisdiction of the courts. The direction was issued during the hearing of a miscellaneous application of a woman claiming to be the sister of Al Qaeda leader Khalid Sheikh Mohammad. Applicant Marium, quoting an August 23, 2005 statement made by Foreign Minister Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri, claimed that her brother was still in the custody of the government and prayed the court to order his production in court.
In the main petition, Marium had challenged the detention of her other relatives by the law enforcement agencies. The SHC had, at an earlier hearing, called for comments from the federal government on Mariumâs application. When the petition and the application came up for hearing before the bench comprising Justice Ghulam Rabani and Justice Munib Ahmed Khan, the standing counsel submitted that he had been continuously in correspondence with the ministries of defence and interior. The standing counsel submitted that he was hopeful that comments on the application would be supplied in a week.
Ghulam Qadir Jatoi, counsel for the applicant, contended that no clarification or denial of the news item had appeared in the national media in four months. He submitted that news of the application and its hearing had been prominently given coverage in the national media, but the minister or the foreign office had yet to offer a clarification. Justice Rabani, while interrupting the counsel, directed the standing counsel to seek not only comments on the application but to also find out from the government where and under what laws it had detained various people whose relatives had approached the court to ascertain their whereabouts and the reasons for their arrest and detention. The judge observed that when there were complaints of arrests from relatives, the government officials concerned could not simply answer that no agency had detained them. The bench, then allowed the standing counsel one weekâs time, adjourned the hearing till December 21.
Based on a news story, applicant Marium, said Khalid Sheikh Mohammad was arrested from the house of army major Adil Qadoosi who was later convicted by a field court martial for harbouring the Al Qaeda operative. Marium alleged in her petition that the law enforcement agencies also detained her son Ammar alias Ali Abdul Aziz, an alleged Al Qaeda financier, two sons in-law Abdul Basit, Abdul Qadir and a nephew Abdul Karim Mehmood after the US invasion of Afghanistan on suspicion of links with Al Qaeda. The application was filed by her counsel Ghulam Qadir Jatoi, submitting that the foreign minister in a reported statement on August 23, 2005, published in newspapers, admitted that detainee Khalid Sheikh Mohammad was in the custody of the government of Pakistan and had not been handed over to the US government.
The applicant stated that the conviction of six army personnel by a military court for having connections with extremists proved that Khalid Sheikh Mohammad was not handed over to the US government. She further stated that Khalid Sheikh was still in the custody of the government and the authorities concerned were deliberately not producing him in a court.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/14/2005 00:05 ||
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SADIQABAD: Rahim Yar Khan police arrested Ihsanullah Shah alias Bara Shah, a member of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, on Tuesday. The government had announced a reward of Rs500 000 for his capture.
Sadar Circle Rahim Yar Khan Sub Divisional Police Officer Jamaat Ali Bakhari informed journalists of Shahâs capture at a press conference. The accused was a close ally of Riaz Basra, Akram Lahori, Malik Ishaq and Ejaz Tarar. The officer said that Ihsanullah Shah was the kingpin in the weapons supply to terrorists. On Tuesday, the police received information about Shahâs whereabouts in Rukanpur police stationâs jurisdiction. A team led by Rukanpur Station Holding Officer Abdul Hameed Qazafi arrested him.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/14/2005 00:00 ||
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DERA BUGTI: Five people were killed in a gunbattle between two rival groups of the same Bugti tribe, Masoori, in Bekar on Tuesday. Both parties fired Klashinkovs and rockets at each other. Two of the men killed were supporters of Jamhoori Watan Party chief Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti and the other three supported Ghulam Qadir Bugti. The two groups were still fighting on Tuesday evening. Heavy contingents of police and rangers were deployed to secure the area. The clash reportedly stemmed from an old enmity.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/14/2005 00:00 ||
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QUETTA: Two explosions were heard in the cantonment area on Tuesday around the same time President General Pervez Musharaf was touring the area. Officials said that unidentified men fired rockets in the area. They did not give further details and cordoned off the area. A man identifying himself as Meerak Baloch claimed responsibility for the explosions in the name of the Baloch Liberation Army.
Earlier, Musharraf addressed officers of the Command and Staff College, Quetta, explaining government policy regarding religious institutions and development projects. The president also spoke to members of the parliament and at Governor's House and said the Gwadar project would be completed by June 2006.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/14/2005 00:00 ||
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The South Waziristan Agency political administration on Tuesday sealed the shops of two Ahmedzai Wazir sub-tribes under the Territorial Responsibility Act of the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) following the kidnapping of four Frontier Corps (FC) personnel from Wana Bazaar on December 7 and the subsequent beheading of two of them on December 9.
A senior administration official told Daily Times that the shops belonged to the Jangikhel and Mughalkhel sub-tribes. He said the Jangikhel shops were shut down because the decapitated bodies were found from their area while the Mughalkhel shops were shut down because the FC personnel were kidnapped in front of their shops.
Separately, Pakistan Army Aviation gunships made low passes over South Waziristan Agency on Tuesday, as FC personnel were seen deploying heavy artillery in what is seen as the beginning of a rescue operation for the two missing FC personnel. âGunships are flying low over Wana and other areas while senior FC officers are here to discuss the situation,â tribal elders told Daily Times. They said the gunships were making low passes over the area after a long time.
âThe senior FC officers have been discussing the situation, but have yet not planned an operation to rescue the two kidnapped FC personnel,â the administration official added. He said the option for an operation was on the table, but military planners had not really decided on whether it was the best way to recover the two men. Tribal sources said the FC had deployed heavy artillery around Wana and the situation could worsen if the two missing men were also decapitated.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/14/2005 00:00 ||
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Tough security and an informal rebel truce stifled all but sporadic violence the day before the election in Iraq, as U.S. President George W. Bush admitted on Wednesday his decision to go to war to topple Saddam Hussein was based on faulty intelligence.
The general calm in Iraq was punctuated only by a few attacks concentrated in the north and by protests by religious Shi'ites against a perceived insult to their spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, on Al Jazeera television.
Bush, in the last of four pre-election speeches defending his Iraq strategy against wide public disapproval defended his decision to go to war even though the weapons of mass destruction touted as a reason for the war were never found.
"It is true that much of the intelligence turned out to be wrong. As president I am responsible for the decision to go into Iraq, and I am also responsible for fixing what went wrong by reforming our intelligence capabilities and we're doing just that," he said.
But he said, "My decision to remove Saddam Hussein was the right decision" because he was deemed a threat and that regardless, "We are in Iraq today because our goal has always been more than the removal of a brutal dictator."
The president urged Americans to be patient as Iraqis voted and formed a new government, which he said showed signs of being more inclusive. "As Sunnis join the political process, Iraqi democracy becomes more inclusive and the terrorists and Saddamists become marginalized."
The Shi'ite protests across southern Iraq highlighted sectarian tension clouding Thursday's parliamentary election.
In the town of Nassiriya protesters burned down a campaign office for Iyad Allawi, a secular leader who has mounted a strong challenge to the ruling Shi'ite Islamist bloc.
Iraq's Al Qaeda vowed on the Internet to disrupt an election it called a "'democratic' wedding of atheism and fornication."
But the group led by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi mounted none of its trademark bloody suicide bombings.
A roadside bomb aimed at an Iraqi patrol killed a child in Samarra and another took the lives of two policemen in Mosul. A Trade Ministry employee was shot dead in Baiji, police said.
Small explosive devices damaged three empty polling stations in the restive western city of Falluja, police said. No one was hurt but 4,000 ballot papers were stolen.
Amid the calm imposed by a three-day traffic ban, sealed borders, heavy policing and closure of workplaces, some Iraqis were optimistic about a vote that will complete the U.S. timetable for setting up democratic structures in Iraq.
"We know there could be bombings but we're not worried as everyone is voting," said Amin Ali Hussein, a 22-year-old soldier manning a checkpoint in Baghdad.
He contrasted the poll to a January 30 election boycotted by angry Sunni Arabs. Insurgents killed about 40 people in bombings and shootings on polling day.
"There is a quiet confidence that things are going to go well," the U.N. envoy to Iraq, Ashraf Qazi, told Reuters.
In the western city of Ramadi, where anti-American Sunni rebels had promised to defend polling stations against Islamist al Qaeda fighters, gunmen patrolled some streets. As elsewhere, the 160,000 U.S. troops in Iraq kept mostly out of sight.
Many in the 20-percent Sunni Arab minority, dominant until U.S. troops ousted Saddam Hussein, seem determined to vote to ensure a say in a new fully-empowered, four-year parliament.
"We won't miss this opportunity," said Ibrahim Ismail, a 30-year-old labourer in the violent northern city of Mosul, saying he would vote for one of the main Sunni Arab slates in 231 lists available to Iraq's 15 million eligible voters.
From 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. (0400-1400 GMT), Iraqis will walk to polling stations to vote after dipping a finger in purple ink.
For many Sunnis, the priority after the vote is to amend a constitution, drafted by the Shi'ite and Kurdish-dominated parliament and narrowly passed in an October referendum.
Bush and his Baghdad envoy Zalmay Khalilzad this week reiterated their commitment to supporting the amendment process Washington sees as an olive branch to defuse Sunni rebellion.
With Sunni Arabs ending their boycott of the U.S.-sponsored process, turnout could reach 70 percent, up from 58 percent in January, Vice-President Adel Abdel Mehdi told Reuters.
That alone is likely to deprive Mehdi's United Iraqi Alliance, the Shi'ite Islamist coalition, of its narrow majority in the 275-seat chamber.
Tarek al-Hashemi, a leader of the Iraqi Accordance Front, forecasted at least 50 seats for his Sunni bloc, a major improvement on the 17 Sunni Arabs in the present parliament.
Even if violence dampens voting in Sunni Arab areas, guaranteed regional seats will mean they will not be as penalized by low turnout as they were in January.
Results are likely to take many days to be announced, the Electoral Commission said, while horsetrading over a president, prime minister and government could take months.
Among favorites for premier are Mehdi and Allawi, a secular Shi'ite and tough-talking former prime minister, who is picking up tacit approval from Washington and possibly Sunni Arab votes.
For many Iraqis, however, the election is no quick fix.
"I don't care about anything but bringing food to my babies," said Hamed Nasser, 49, a taxi driver in the Shi'ite holy city of Kerbala. "We are fed up of promises from parties."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/14/2005 16:35 ||
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#1
My predicition is an Allawi/Kurdish alliance forms the next government.
Al-Qaeda's point man in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, has made new threats of terrorist attacks, timed to coincide with general elections on Thursday. The threats are in contrast with the appeal of another insurgent group, the Islamic Army in Iraq, for no attacks on polling stations as Iraqis vote.
"The lions of monotheism of the organisation of al-Qaeda have launched a new blessed military offensive against the seats of apostates and infidels to force into crisis the blasphemous democratic marriage" reads a statement posted on Islamist websites.
The communique says that al-Zarqawi's followers are ready for attacks in areas of Baghdad, in the restive western province of al-Anbar, nearby Salahuddin, in Mosul and Diyala.
"Until now we have struck the coves of the crusaders and the infidels" it says, which are in the Green Zone in Baghdad and in particular the interior ministry, the US base and the headquarters of the secret services." It said that for these attacks they used Tariq Karrad and Katiusha missiles and 120mm Hawn rockets.
The group said it would be publishing updates giving further details of the purported military offensive.
The threats by al-Qaeda in Iraq are in contrast with what appears to be some sort of electoral truce declared by another insurgent group, the Islamic Army in Iraq. On Monday it posted a website messages to its own militants ordering them not to strike polling stations, so as to avoid civilian bloodshed.
"Just as we have done previously, avoiding bloody attacks which would strike the innocent as well as the guilty, we order you not to strike the polling stations," the message said. The terror group also specifies that the decision does not mean it supports the political process in Iraq, but just that it respects the precepts of Islamic Sharia law.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/14/2005 16:34 ||
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"The head of Iraq's border guards denied police reports on Wednesday that a tanker truck stuffed with thousands of forged ballot papers had been seized crossing into Iraq from Iran before Thursday's elections.
"This is all a lie," said Lieutenant General Ahmed al-Khafaji, the chief of the U.S.-trained force which has responsibility for all Iraq's borders.
"I heard this yesterday and I checked all the border crossings right away. The borders are all closed anyway," he told Reuters."
Another attempt by America's Liberal MSM to slant another Election. SUGGESTION: All Future Elections, shut down all of America's Liberal MSM one week before any elections, American or Iraqi.
on Drudge - more coming IRAQI BORDER GUARDS SEIZE FORGED BALLOTS // Iraqi border police seized tanker truck Tuesday night that had just crossed from Iran filled with thousands of forged ballots... MORE...
Less than two days before nationwide elections, the Iraqi border police seized a tanker on Tuesday that had just crossed from Iran filled with thousands of forged ballots, an official at the Interior Ministry said. The tanker was seized in the evening by agents with the American-trained border protection force at the Iraqi town of Badra, after crossing at Munthirya on the Iraqi border, the official said. According to the Iraqi official, the border police found several thousand partly completed ballots inside.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, said the Iranian truck driver told the police under interrogation that at least three other trucks filled with ballots had crossed from Iran at different spots along the border. The official, who did not attend the interrogation, said he did not know where the driver was headed, or what he intended to do with the ballots.
The seizure of the truck comes at a delicate time in Iran's relations with both Iraq and the United States. The American government has said Iranian agents are deeply involved in trying to influence events in Iraq, by funneling money to Shiite political parties and by arming and training many of the illegal militias that are bedeviling the country. Agents of the Iranian government are believed to be supporting the two main Shiite political parties here - the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq and the Dawa Party -with money and other assistance. Both parties support a strong role for Islam in the Iraqi state; however, compared with the Iranian government itself, which is a strict theocracy, the Iraqi version is relatively moderate.
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/14/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
Ah, fuck it.
Bomb Tehran. And Qom.
Military shaped-charge IEDs, funding thousands of "insurgents", funding and arming Tater & The Tots, flooding the country with "pilgrims" who are about as religious as I am, funding Baby Asshat, funding the Leb assholes, funding the inflow from Syria of "foreign fighter" and arms, funding Hezbollah, funding the attack on the Khobar Towers, sheltering alQ asshats, building nukes, painting Death to America and Jooos on their little Muzzy Viagra Missiles, stuffing the ballot box, ad infinitum ad nauseum.
To fuck up the elections on a massive scale, after all that we've sacrificed to make them possible, just puts me over the top. And it should push Bush over, too. This actually matters, damnit.
Enuff. Fuck it.
We need a "buffer zone" on that border. Mebbe a 5 mile radiation zone - on the Iranian side - would do the trick. Whatever, these fuckers need to stopped - and go down. Hard.
Posted by: Captain America ||
12/14/2005 0:43 Comments ||
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#3
Amen! Enough is enough already. The Iranians have essentially committed multiple acts of war against Iraq as well as against the United States. It's time to put an end to one more prong of the Axis of Evil.
#5
Wow .com In due time in due time we dont have enough men to do the whole ME at once, one phase at a time. Iraq wont be long now and Afghanistan I think soon will be turned over to NATO. I also think this may actually work out in our favor anyway not to mention if nessecary we will have a excuse to throw out alot of votes remember the other trucks. But Iran's day is coming besides I have been really enjoying watching the Iranian pres punk out the EU and all of thier diplomatic crapola which the Iranian pres just tells them to stick it and by the way we are going to wipe isreal off the map. The US just sits back laughing watcha gonna do now Elbardi EU I love it. They keep saying the world is losing patience whats the UN goin to do whats the EU goin to do, I want to see that point when they are going to have to just right thier in front of their people show everyone just how pussified they are and useless personally I cant wait. And they may suprise me and suddenly grow a sack (not holding my breath). In the mean time we secure the flanks Afghanistan and Iraq. I think late 06' or early 07' we will have a decapitation strike on Iran leadership, generals, command control, mullahs, pres ect..couple month air campain then a nice no fly zone from Iraq to Afghanistan, land invasion occupation very likly will be nessecary I just sereously doubt any arabs have the sack to rise up by themselves they never have in all thier history made such a movement at least one of the people.
This is a big deal. I bet this will really hurt the Dawa and the SCRI parties in Iraq the SCRI especially with thier recent bringing in old Sadr known Iranian toy tater and now this. Even the Iraqi Shia dont want none of being a proxy Iran or even a new oil revenue source. Even during the Iran/Iraq war the Shia made a up a huge portion of the Iraqi army.
#7
Truefully guys the Iranian pres is emotional and really beleives his own hype like good old Zark. I would not be surprised that if before the end of the year Iran attacked US first. You gotta figure this guy really beleives he is on a mission from Allah and the 11th Mahdi they will ensure success well at least until the US counter strike comes but this would be non PR which he has proven he has no problem with being non PR. For the US it would be good becuase a attack would allow NATO by obligation to participate in the party, with a Merkaval in Germany now Chirac/France (last I saw 3% wanted him to run again thats freekin insane how he doesnt get impeached amazes me with numbers like that) alone wont be able to hold the tide. Iran is a big country we are goin to need some non US boots on the ground in some large numbers for the occupation, we can handle the invasion and conquest ourselves.
#8
Every IRG barracks within 35 miles of the border shoul be immediately destroyed with a Time On Target at about 0400. Decimate Iran's "Waffen SS" units. We ahve arty, and with a lob, our GPS guided JDAMS can do shack those targets without violating airspace. Here comes the boom!
#9
Every IRG barracks within 35 miles of the border shoul be immediately destroyed with a Time On Target at about 0400. Decimate Iran's "Waffen SS" units. We ahve arty, and with a lob, our GPS guided JDAMS can do shack those targets without violating airspace. Here comes the boom!
#11
I'll suggest the solution is to cut off the money and that means taking Khuzestan, formerly known as Arabistan and henceforth known as the Republic of Rhumistan.
#13
Iraqi border police seized tanker truck Tuesday night that had just crossed from Iran filled with thousands of forged ballots... MORE...
MORE: Tanker truck registered to the DNC, nothing to see here move along.
interns from the DNC.
Posted by: Red Dog ||
12/14/2005 4:22 Comments ||
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#14
Probably funded by move-on.org. No matter how hard they try to stop democracy, it has taken hold and will win in the end. Lets hope they get all the trucks or the dems will say there is proof of cheating and slam the pres for this.
Posted by: 49 pan ||
12/14/2005 6:14 Comments ||
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#15
Re #5: "Wow .com In due time in due time we dont have enough men to do the whole ME at once"
We don't need men. Fry 'em till they're well done and move along. They can be refried later if they still don't comprehend.
Posted by: Neutron Tom is Back! ||
12/14/2005 7:18 Comments ||
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#16
I have to agree -- a past-bedtime attack on barracks filled with sleeping Republican Guard troops could easily be done with GPS-programmed missiles of some sort. Even if we don't know about -- and get -- every one, the message would be clear and effective without any boots on the ground at all. Like Israel with regard to Iraq's, and now Iran's, nuclear program, it needn't be completely destroyed, merely set back a decade or two. After all, with the image of such destruction before their eyes, how many wannabe Iranian bully boys will choose to sign up with the IRG afterward?
You gotta figure this guy really beleives he is on a mission from Allah and the 11th Mahdi
Remember his line about being surrounded by a holy glow during his speech at the UN? That's exactly what he believes.
For the US it would be good becuase a attack would allow NATO by obligation to participate in the party
Fwance would again "opt out" of NATO, Germany would probably follow. They have too much at stake in trade deals to let a little thing like a sixty-year-old mutual defense pact get in the way.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
12/14/2005 7:55 Comments ||
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#18
They want nukes, let's give them some.
Posted by: Captain America ||
12/14/2005 8:37 Comments ||
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#20
Iraq border chief could be telling the truth - the whole story could be a superb psy-op. Or he could be one of Iran's 'boys' trying to do some damage control. It is going to be hard to sort this one out.
#21
It's hard to sort everything out, except what you hear W say with his own mouth. The rest is spin. That's why we've to the 'burg. This many eyes manage to sort the truth out pretty quickly. This is a dumb time to be running black psyops, so I'm inclined to believe, with an open mind.
#23
Probably the Mullarchy was trying something but its hard to believe they would try to move a truckload of ballots.
Not only do they face the problem of closed (or at least very restricted) borders but they would have to deal with the issue of how to distribute the ballots; how to get them past the various pollwatchers, how to prevent the post voting counts from noticing, say one voting station with 5 times too many votes.
Not with their desire to rid the world of the MadMullahsâ¢.
Just with the method by which we do it.
We do not want to use military power. It will turn a country in which 60 - 75% of the people are sympathetic to us completely against us. A military strike will inevitably leave a few MadMullahs⢠alive, and the country will rally around them.
Nope, nope, not good, nope.
Instead: we remember the teachings of Sun Tsu. The best victory is one in which your opponent doesn't know he's been defeated, until he has been. The military option presented here is like beseiging a walled city 4,000 years ago, and we all know what Sun Tsu thought of that.
We instead use the indirect approach. We need to cultivate the disaffected, the ethnic leaders, the young, the people in Iran who are fed up with the MadMullahs⢠but don't know how to go about changing things. We build from within and get the people of Iran to throw the bums out.
In short, we foment revolution. We did it once in Iran, we can do it again.
And we deny everything. Who, us? Pshaw.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/14/2005 10:53 Comments ||
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#27
Isn't the Iran-Iraq border (*ahem*) closed to prevent this sort of thing?
Iraq-Syria border was closed. Don't know if the others are.
Iran phase in the WOT will be long and bloody I dont see any problem with the initial invasion conquest its the occupation. That occupation will be long and real bloody by letting the Iranian pres move first we will put the biggest threat to the US war effort the LLL's and the Dums in a hard position (I still think they will cry but not as loud). NATO being obligated to our side by defence pact's will I doubt see German French peace keepers in Iran or even NATO but they could take Afghanistan and Iraq over letting US concentrate on Iran not to mention the money. NATO almost came with US on Iraq a joint effort of Germany & France kept that from happening in this case Germany is now Merkevel who is not going to go out of her way to f*ck the US, Chirac France would be isolated and Chirac's numbers are beyond the toilet in the drain. Also their is alot of NATO that isnt France like Poland, Romania, Austria, Britian, Italy, Turkey, Ukraine soon, these all would send men in and the money would be a big boost they paid for Gulf War 1 bankroll.
Personally I think we could decapitate the regime, crumble the military, take targets of opportunity as they pop up, maybe take some strategic land targets, and just hold a no fly zone with continued attacks at will until someone steps up we can deal with.
#29
It will turn a country in which 60 - 75% of the people are sympathetic to us completely against us.
That seems a bit high and way too optimistic. If your numbers were correct, Al-Jazeera wouldn't be as popular as it is over there. Ask any Iranian about current events in the ME and they will most likely quote Al-Jazeera. At least, that's been my experience.
Posted by: Rafael ||
12/14/2005 11:33 Comments ||
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#30
Gee, and here I thought all the roads to Syria and Iran were closed for the elections.
Must be a bitch driving those 18-wheelers across the sand and shit, huh?
#31
I dont buy into the "people revolution" in Iran the Arabs have never through history had such a thing Dictators and assasination military coups but no "people revolutions" like we have in our history in the West. Not to mention you got to remember that the majority may dislike the Mullah gov but I would remind that the majority of Americans would probably say they dont like politicians here dont mean if Russia invaded they would not fight. The Mullahs also have a strong core group who are fully propogandized and Jihadi ready and have no problem easily dominating the opposition that is a mix of kids who want to party, Democrats, Capatalist, Communist, Anarchist, Secularlist the point is they are divided.
I think a full scale air assualt then securing the Kurds area and spreading from their.
#33
Btw, I don't think we'd have the same level of insurgency in Iran as Iraq... The Iranians will look at Iraq and say we don't want to go through that, they'll also see the elections occuring and realize that the quicker they accept the quicker they get democracy and the quicker we'd leave.
Iran not having a Syria and another Iran equivalent on it's borders will help also. They're surrounded by iraq and Afghanistan... 2 countries with US military on site in mass.
#34
There will be very little insurgency in Iran once it falls. It's home to one of the two main sets of puppet masters, so the financing will be cut off. You can't run an insurgency without financing. What there is will come from the Soddies and the Gulf States. And they'll be next on the list, once Iran falls.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/14/2005 13:00 Comments ||
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#35
"I dont buy into the "people revolution" in Iran the Arabs have never through history had such a thing "
#36
the mullarcky also benefits from a lack of unity within the opposition
Some of this lack of unity is due to the continuing hope by some, in the family of the late Shah, that they could restore their family dynasty; a big and fairly easy step could be made if the Pahlevi family would, as a group, simply renounce any royal aspirations.
Unfortunately this isn't the only barrier to cross but it would help if we could cross this one.
#37
Steve, I hate it when people use logic. Anywho, there are many Mossad and US SF all over Iran right now. Mapping nuke sites and propping up anti-Moolah forces. So, Sun Tsu principles are being applied as we converse.
Still, it would be wonderful to see a few nukes going up the Moolahs tail pipe.
Posted by: Captain America ||
12/14/2005 13:57 Comments ||
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#38
Still, it would be wonderful to see a few nukes going up the Moolahs tail pipe.
..we talkin enema or high colonic?
Posted by: Red Dog ||
12/14/2005 14:31 Comments ||
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#39
NYT story is a ruse.. no such event happened...gee...didn't see that coming.LOL
Not the majority, no - the majority (and the Persian language) are IndoEuropean.
However, there is a substantial Arab minority in the southwest and a Kurdish minority in the northwest (which is also IndoEuropean, but scarcely buddies w/ the Mullahs) and some of whom speak Arabic. Worth keeping in mind .....
This is a tricky one, warmonger that I am I've never been satified with any of the options I've seen. That includes waiting around.
If Iran turns fascist Islam takes a huge, huge, hit. If we conquer Iran we end up locked up in another long slog with no real winnable end-game. WE've got to push for the revolution.
I think the best is to up our propoganda to support independence movements in Baluchistan, Kurdistan, and Arabistan regions of Iran. Drop in one shot pistols for any potential Mullah killers and give it a year to see what happens.
If there are any serious revolts we back them, at least verbally but possibly with air power in some way (preventing Iranian helicopters from getting involved or cratering a road to prevent anti-riot troops from getting involved).
We also consider using troops to support an independent Kurdistan (in Iran) and Arabistan if the option opens up and they throw out the Persians.
#43
A significant post-op advantage in Iran is the fact that they have gone through numerous elections. Admittedly, this is not a real democracy when the mullahs have final say over all and can throw out candidates whom they don't like. Nevertheless, it is a far more significant stab at the democratic process than the Arab countries have. My point is that the people are familiar with the process. They will be able to adapt to a post-mullah environment far more quickly than in Iraq.
#44
Like it or not, this is going to be a long war. The major battleground is Washington DC. For better or worse, kinetic action can only take place shortly after an election when the executive has unquestioned authority. That is why I suspect Israel will get to handle the Iranian nukes, when they are ripe and Bush, as a lame duck, whill handle Syria after the 2006 elections. He will put the squeeze on the Democrats in the run up to the election on the issue of dealing with Syria. If he wins (trunks gain seats in the House), then it's so long pencil neck. If he loses, nothing happens. In any event non-nuclear Iran is left for a later administration.
This is not a bad strategy. The president isolates the Iranians. Clients are picked off one by one. The Europeans are given more of the responsibility for diplomacy and get enough egg on their faces to make a souffle. The Iranian populace sees Iraq rising from the dust and leaving them behind. The only thing to fear from Iran is nukes. And that is handled by the Israelis. And that is why they are going to have an election.
#45
This NEW YORK TIMES STORY is not credible. The source was false. NYT, the flagship of the liberal cesspool of LIES, LIES and MORE LIES is pulling another Mary Mapes to try to discredit the Iraqi Election by lieing, saying thousands of ballots sent in by Iran, NOT TRUE.
#46
I understand that Iranians are not technically Arab they are Persian with some Euro Greek Alexander blood like the Kurds the Afghan's Assyrians ect... either way that part of the world has no history of "people revolution", besides if we bet on a revolution and it dont pan out like I suspect we are screwed if we hedge our bets and support but not depend or even expect such if it works out we will be sittin pretty if not plan A. Plan for worst case and failure is nearly impossible and especially in the world we live in today were the media is literally blowing everything out of porportion any even the most optimistic goals that are short will be touted as failure while its better to have the losses laid out overstated in the begining that way anything short disaster will can be played as better than expected super success. Its just PR
On a Iranian occupation not being as bad as Iraq is setting yourself up for failure big time. Yes Iranian persian people are more familure with democracy and they were once stauch US allies rather westernized but remember they have been 40+yrs of propoganda brainwashing. The Iranian gov is experienced in terrorist tatics and the Revolutionary guard is preparing for what they know is coming our invasion. They know damm well we are going to walk on their conventional forces and thier only hope is in the occupation war of attrition. The Revolutionary guard has recruited something like a half million Mrtyrs say only 10% were for real thats still 50k stong. Also Iran has agents world wide + the terrorist groups they support that will run diversion and punishment attacks across the globe from Lebanon, Iraq, EU, Russia, Asia and I imagine some in the US too.
All in all I think the Iranians have alot of potential I have met some here in the states and if they didnt tell you would never know the differnce. Iran's people enlarge I think would support a more western lifestyle and Democracy but thier current leadership and the Mullahs have heavily propogandized them, you gotta assume at least 20% radicalized population.
#48
That would me my guess from what I gather 20% of the muslim pop in general are terrorist leaning. In Iran I would say that 20% has been codled propogandized by the Revolutionary guard are going to be Jihadi ready not just leaning with a large chunk of fence sitters on the leaning side.
My memory did not serve me well on the Suicide bombers I guessed a half mill way off more like 50k however that was in Sept 05
hatip Stradegypage
http://www.strategypage.com/dls/articles/200597231227.asp
hatip world net
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=45148
Bottom line we are going to have to deal with Iran either now or later. The later is going to extremly bloody if not radioactive today will be bloody hard slogin but better than the alterantive. I think Democracy will go well in Iran but we still are going to have a huge number of radicals in Iran and thier terrrorist allies across the world to deal with. I dont think we can avoid at min massive air campain on Iran, they cannot be allowed to achieve nukes even primitive ones and a revolution can only be made easier by decapitation constant air strikes and at will destruction of gov police, military, and leadership. I say gut em with air power hold the pressure then see what comes out reformers lets talk or radicals JDAM, next.
#49
no invasion: decap strikes and air power to destroy their power. Take out the MM's and all their possessions - all their assets - all their sources of power - the almighty Basij barracks, the RG barracks, every airfield and port. Then step back and say: "you want more?" The revolution JUST MIGHT start then
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/14/2005 19:52 Comments ||
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#50
Whaddaya talkin' about? Look at they way Amahandjob is alienating jsut about everyone but the MadMullahs. Give him another year; he'll be irrelevant! Toast!
Yeah, so I'm worried about the nuke thingy, too....
Posted by: Bobby ||
12/14/2005 21:01 Comments ||
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#51
C-Low - then for a decap strike just hit the mosques on Friday.
The Israeli military fired a missile Wednesday at a car in northern Gaza it said was packed with militants about to carry out an attack. Four Palestinians were killed and four were wounded, Palestinian hospital officials said. Witnesses said an Israeli drone was overhead at the time of the attack outside Karni, Gaza's main cargo passage. The Israeli military said it targeted members of the Popular Resistance Committees on their way to carry out an attack against Israel. The vehicle was loaded with explosives, the military said.
I'll bet the secondary explosions were spectacular ...
More Paleo good cop/bad cop action...PFLP tries a boom while Al-Aqsa shoots up election offices and Hamas and PIJ keep their heads down...
The military would not say where it believed the car was headed. The Karni passage in northern Gaza has been the site of militant attacks in the past. The military did not elaborate.
"Our pizza just arrived, buzz off!"
Dozens gathered in an angry crowd outside the hospital morgue and emergency room, chanting, "God is Great!" and "Destroy Israel!"
But apparently Allan wasn't great enough to save your pals. I've got a brochure here from the Jehovahs Witnesses that you might want to read ...
The body organising next month's Palestinian parliamentary elections has suspended its activities after armed men stormed its offices. Ammar al-Dweik, director of the central elections commission (CEC), said armed men burst into two of its branches in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank city of Nablus, in some cases opening fire, but causing no casualties. "We have told all our employees to close and leave their offices," Dweik said on Tuesday.
The CEC said armed men had fired shots at the offices, destroyed equipment and verbally and physically assaulted staff members. It said the suspension would stay in place "until further notice and until it receives assurances that the safety of CEC personnel will be guaranteed". The move means candidates who want to register for the 25 January election will be prevented from doing so until further notice. The registration process was due to expire at midnight on Wednesday.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/14/2005 00:00 ||
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The funeral for a leading newspaper editor slain in a car bomb turned into a massive protest against Syria on Wednesday, drawing more than 100,000 Lebanese who blamed Damascus. Tens of thousands of flag-waving mourners marched behind the coffin of anti-Syrian campaigner Gibran Tueni as it snaked through the streets of Beirut. Thousands more, including mourners and political activists, gathered in two plazas as the procession passed by. Shouts of "Syria out" intermingled with patriotic music and the national anthem. A general strike to mourn Tueni brought the country to a halt, closing banks, businesses and schools.
Police, who would not speak on the record because of the political sensitivity, estimated more than 100,000 people turned out for the funeral and the demonstrations. But other witnesses and observers said the turnout may have been as high as 200,000. Hundreds of Lebanese troops and police took up positions in a central square where, on March 14, about a million people heard Tueni call for the withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon. "Everyone who takes to the street is saying 'enough killing,'" said Ghenwa Jalloul, a legislator and colleague of Tueni.
"We are here to say, no matter how many of us they kill, there will always be others to speak out," said 23-year-old Hiyam Dayekh, a Muslim university student. "We are not afraid." Asked who was behind Tueni's killing, Dayekh replied: "Do you need to ask this question? It's 100 percent the Syrians."
The protest and funeral was by far the largest gathering since one million people took to Lebanon's streets on March 14 to demand Syria give up its hold on Lebanon at the peak of the drive to end Syria's dominance. The funeral procession began in the Beirut district of Ashrafieh, which Tueni represented in parliament. The pallbearers rocked the coffin, a traditional sign of deep grief, as they walked slowly along several miles of streets lined with mourners. The procession passed through Gibran Tueni Square, named after Tueni's grandfather, who founded An-Nahar newspaper in 1933.
At An-Nahar's offices in the city center, a giant portrait of Tueni hung down the side of the building. Thousands more men, women and children â families and political activists â waved Lebanese flags and held Tueni's picture, or those of Hariri and another An-Nahar journalist killed in a June bombing. Many shouted slogans against Syria, its President Bashar Assad and his Lebanese ally, President Emile Lahoud. Lahoud has rejected the anti-Syrian majority's calls for him to step down after Syria withdrew its army from Lebanon in April. Thousands gathered outside the Parliament and the St. George Eastern Orthodox Cathedral, applauding and blowing whistles as the coffins made their way through the crowd. The church bells tolled in mourning. Tueni's daughter, Nayla, building on her father's call for Muslims and Christians to stay united to serve Lebanon, said: "An-Nahar will not die. Lebanon will not die. Freedom will not die. This is the pledge of loyalty to Gibran."
In a special session of parliament, legislator Akram Shehayeb said: "The equation is clear. He who gives orders is in Damascus. The executioner is here in Beirut."
The 15-nation UN Security Council weighed its response yesterday to a UN investigation that accused Syria of hindering its probe into the slaying of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The council first heard an oral presentation from Detlev Mehlis, the German prosecutor who led the inquiry. Mehlis said in a report delivered on Monday that his team had found new evidence implicating Syria in the truck bomb murder of Hariri and 22 others last February 14 in Beirut.
At the same time the 15-nation body this week is expected to extend the investigation into Hariri's death for up to another six months as requested by Lebanon and Mehlis, who will be leaving the probe. And France said it was willing to expand the inquiry to include others killed in Lebanon, including Gebran Tueni, a newspaper publisher and lawmaker assassinated in a car bombing on Monday. "If there is a request coming from the Lebanese Government, my delegation will support such a request, and we will do our best to have the council going in the same direction," said France's UN Ambassador Jean-Marc de la Sabliere.
But the most controversial issue facing the council is a resolution, adopted October 31, that threatens "further action" against Syria if it did not co-operate fully with Mehlis's team. This could lead to sanctions. Both Sabliere and US Ambassador John Bolton told reporters on Monday that Damascus had not yet met council requirements, despite some improvements. "What precise steps we consider have not yet been decided, but there's no ambiguity here," Bolton said. "That is no co-operation." But splits in the council are expected, with Algeria's UN Ambassador, Abdallah Baali, saying Syria's co-operation had improved after a slow start. Russia and China also are usually opposed to sanctions. "I think at this stage it's premature to decide whether or not we're in favour of measures," British Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry said after he presided over a council meeting that condemned Monday's murder of Tueni.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/14/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
Folks we got a cancer here, time to operate. Don't count on the SC to do anything though.
Posted by: Captain America ||
12/14/2005 0:44 Comments ||
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#2
Plus a big bloating dead rat on the living room floor. But hey, lets denounce Israel again!
A US official has told Asharq Al-Awsat that Damascus international airport remains one of the main points of entry for Arab insurgents on their way to Iraq. Syrian sources confirmed that Syrian authorities have arrested 12 members of a terrorist organization that targets US and European interests in the Middle East. Syrian sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that amongst the detainees are two Iraqis, three Saudis, a Yemeni and two Kuwaitis, one of whom is a member of the Kuwaiti security forces. The source highlighted that the detainees were highly trained and were supported by a strong financial network in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other countries.
The Syrian source that spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat on the condition of anonymity said that Syria allows all Arabs to enter due to the country's dependency on revenue gained from tourism. The source further highlighted that Arabs that enter the country are treated the same was as Syrians and that it is not in the country's interest to change a policy that it has been following for 40 years. The source referred to the increase in measures taken by the Syrian authorities on the Iraqi-Syrian border to curb those trying to infiltrate Iraq to carry out terrorist activities. It added that Syrian efforts have so far led to the arrest and deportation of 1325 people. This number includes 299 Jordanians, 86 Libyans, 163 Algerians, 155 Tunisians, 119 Yemenis, 60 Lebanese, 71 Sudanese, 263 Saudis, 35 Moroccans, 22 Egyptians, 8 Omanis, 5 Mauritanians, 3 Bahrainis, four UAE citizens, six Kuwaitis, nine Palestinians, one Somali, two Iraqis, two Turks, and two Pakistanis.
The source reported that approximately 4000 Syrians have unsuccessfully attempted to leave the country for Iraq that has led to their arrest and questioning. The source added that 764 fundamentalists are still held and that investigations have indicated that most are members of terrorist networks some of which intended to carry out terrorist attacks in France, Germany and the United States.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/14/2005 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.
More than 450 police, four times the usual number, patrolled Sydney's streets on Tuesday to prevent a third night of racial violence by youth gangs who have attacked people, smashed cars and hurled rocks at police. As rain fell on Sydney on Tuesday night, there were no reports of trouble as police checked cars at road blocks in suburbs scarred by racial violence in the previous two nights. The New South Wales (NSW) state parliament was being called into emergency session on Thursday to give police special powers to "lock down" parts of Sydney, Australia's biggest city, to stop the unrest, officials said.
Six islamic terrorists were killed in a gunbattle with security forces in Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir this morning. Acting on a tip off, security forces cordoned off Khag-Beerwah area, 40 kms from here in Budgam district of central Kashmir, last night and started a search operation in the wee hours when islamic terrorists hiding there opened fire on the troops. Six terrorists were killed in the ensuing encounter which broke out at aroud 4 am. The operation was still on when reports last came in.
KARACHI: The Sindh High Court directed standing counsel for Pakistan Mehmood Alam on Tuesday to ascertain from the federal government where and under what laws it had detained various people, whose next of kin had invoked the jurisdiction of the courts. The direction was issued during the hearing of a miscellaneous application of a woman claiming to be the sister of Al Qaeda leader 
DERA BUGTI: Five people were killed in a gunbattle between two rival groups of the same Bugti tribe, Masoori, in Bekar on Tuesday. Both parties fired Klashinkovs and rockets at each other. Two of the men killed were supporters of Jamhoori Watan Party chief Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti and the other three supported Ghulam Qadir Bugti. The two groups were still fighting on Tuesday evening. Heavy contingents of police and rangers were deployed to secure the area. The clash reportedly stemmed from an old enmity.
QUETTA: Two explosions were heard in the cantonment area on Tuesday around the same time President General Pervez Musharaf was touring the area. Officials said that unidentified men fired rockets in the area. They did not give further details and cordoned off the area. A man identifying himself as Meerak Baloch claimed responsibility for the explosions in the name of the Baloch Liberation Army. 
The 
IRAQI BORDER GUARDS SEIZE FORGED BALLOTS // Iraqi border police seized tanker truck Tuesday night that had just crossed from Iran filled with thousands of forged ballots... MORE... 
The vehicle was loaded with explosives, the military said.
The body organising next month's Palestinian parliamentary elections has suspended its activities after armed men stormed its offices. 
The funeral for a leading newspaper editor slain in a car bomb turned into a massive protest against Syria on Wednesday, drawing more than 100,000 Lebanese who blamed Damascus. Tens of thousands of flag-waving mourners marched behind the coffin of anti-Syrian campaigner Gibran Tueni as it snaked through the streets of Beirut. Thousands more, including mourners and political activists, gathered in two plazas as the procession passed by. Shouts of "Syria out" intermingled with patriotic music and the national anthem. A general strike to mourn Tueni brought the country to a halt, closing banks, businesses and schools.
The 15-nation UN Security Council weighed its response yesterday to a UN investigation that accused Syria of hindering its probe into the slaying of former Lebanese Prime Minister 
A US official has told Asharq Al-Awsat that Damascus international airport remains one of the main points of entry for Arab insurgents on their way to Iraq. Syrian sources confirmed that Syrian authorities have arrested 12 members of a terrorist organization that targets US and European interests in the Middle East. Syrian sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that amongst the detainees are two Iraqis, three Saudis, a Yemeni and two Kuwaitis, one of whom is a member of the Kuwaiti security forces. The source highlighted that the detainees were highly trained and were supported by a strong financial network in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other countries.
