Seven people were killed in a gunfight in North Waziristan Agency, as seminary students, calling themselves the Taliban, raided homes searching for rivals, residents and a representative of the students said on Thursday.
Isn't this like the movie where the scientists invent the deadly virus and then it turns on them and kills them all, except for the young scientist and the blonde? Sure hope they have a young scientist and a blonde someplace in North Waziristan.
More than 30 people have died in December alone in clashes between the students and rivals they have branded bandits in the agency. A representative of the students said five bandits and two students were killed in the remote Shawal area after the raids on several fortress-like homes on Wednesday. Government officials declined to comment, but travellers from the area, to the west of Miranshah, confirmed the latest fighting. Two bullet-riddled bodies were found in a stream on the outskirts of Miranshah on Thursday. One of the men was a retired junior officer of the paramilitary Frontier Corps, the other was a friend, a local official said. The two were probably killed on Wednesday night, but it was not known by whom, the official said.
Did the retired junior officer of the FC moonlight as a bandido, or were the Talibs just throwing their weight around?
Violence erupted in early December between the well-armed students and members of a gang that had been extorting money from travellers. Since then, the students have been searching out their rivals and the mutilated bodies of several gang members have been strung up in public. Some have been beheaded. Government officials have played down the violence as a tribal feud that security forces are reluctant to get involved in, hoping the dispute can be resolved by tribal councils that have traditionally ruled the area.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
Usually there's a Intrepid Reporter⢠as well.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/23/2005 0:55 Comments ||
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#3
The the students are leaving dead bodies lying about in streams, aka dringing water, the problem should fix itself soon enough. Leaving the upstream neighbors to bury the bodies, but we can't expect students to think of everything.
Chad says it is in "a state of war" with neighbour Sudan over the security crisis in the east of the country. It accuses Sudan of being the "common enemy of the nation" after a Chadian rebel attack on a town last week.
In a statement, the government calls on Chadians to mobilise themselves against Sudanese aggression. Relations between the two states have deteriorated since Chad accused Sudan of being behind Sunday's attack on Adre, which left about 100 people dead.
The strong language in the statement will alarm observers who have already warned that tensions along the Chad-Sudan border are nearing breaking point. In the aftermath of Sunday's attack, Chad accused Sudan of being directly involved in helping to support the Chadian rebels.
But the statement issued by Chad's government on Friday afternoon is the most aggressive yet. It claims that not only was Sudan behind the attack on Adre, but it also accuses Sudanese militia of making daily incursions into Chad, stealing cattle, killing innocent people and burning villages on the Chadian border.
"Chad is today in a state of war with Sudan," the statement says.
It asks Chadians to form a patriotic front against what it calls "the common enemy of the nation".
The statement thanks the international community for its support so far, but says condemnations of the recent violence in Adre do not go far enough. It appeals to the international community, including the African Union, to specifically condemn what it alleges is Sudan's involvement in the attack on Adre.
#3
Don't sell Chad short. They put a hurtin' on Qadaffi's Libia back in the late 1970's, early 1980's. They aren't ANYTHING like the French. Sudan has done a no-no, and they're going to pay for it. Virtually every Chadian citizen can shoot straight, including using Stinger and recoilless weapons. Really, Khartoum needs a hit from a massive meteorite, right in the bend of the Nile. It'd make a nice lake.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/23/2005 19:33 Comments ||
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#4
$20 on Chad, and I'm giving points.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/23/2005 20:29 Comments ||
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#6
I agree with OP on this one. The Kartoum gov has stepped on it big. kartoum can kill all the christians in their country and all the world does is complain, but let them raid Chad and Chad attacks! Nothing against Chad, I like their attitude, but for years christians have been systematically murdered and raped in the Sudan by the Kartoum soldiers. The world has just stood by watching, and bitching a little. I would love to deploy to Sudan and take that place down!
Posted by: 49 pan ||
12/23/2005 22:13 Comments ||
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#7
I'll take that SW - "Chad's" are often adverse to violence due to their *ahem* alternate lifestyles
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/23/2005 22:46 Comments ||
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The wave of arson attacks against mosques in the Saudi capital reached al Aflaj, a town south of Riyadh on Wednesday, when an individual set fire to the Othman bin Affan mosque in the Layla region. Police issued a statement confirming that the fire was deliberate. Inspections revealed the flames spread to a car parked outside the mosque. The perpetrator was later arrested.
According to a police statement, further investigation revealed the attackers entered the mosque before the morning prayer and lit petrol inside before making their escape. The individual involved was already known to the police and subsequently arrested. He later admitted he was guilty. He remains in custody as the investigation into the motives and run âup to the crime continues. Similar incidents occurred last week when several mosques located in east Riyadh were set ablaze and damaged by unknown criminals. The attacks occurred in al Nahdah, al Rawdah and al Khalij neighborhoods of the capital. There were conflicting reports on the number of mosques damaged. A source at the Ministry For Islamic Affairs, Endowment, Dawa and Guidance confirmed the incidents took place but did not elaborate further.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
Never mind the mosques. I do hope no Korans were so much as tainted by the smoke. /wnd CAIR posturing.
I must've missed it -- who is burning the mosques: the Shiites, Al Quaeda, a gang of hormone-overloaded teenage boys, some genetic deficients not kept busy in a sheltered workshop?
#9
In their cloister "The Council of Vengence Imams" met to decide which body parts the guilty arsonist would have remove before facing "The Mare of Steel"1. The meeting had to be recessed when all the imams got so aroused during the discussion of punishment no one of them could speak a coherant sentence.
1 Used in the movie "The Long Ships" as a demo by the Moors (led by Sidney Portier) for the Vikings (led by Richard Widmark).
One Moorish soldier was sacrificed in the demonstration after it was confirmed he believed in Allah...
Portier and Widmark
The Mare of Steel
(Before it was shipped to Saudi Arabia)
A banned Islamic group blamed for a series of deadly bombings in Bangladesh has threatened to attack a leading newspaper after an editor commented on the militants in a BBC report, an editor said on Thursday. âWe heard your interview on BBC (British Broadcasting Corp). Through you, we want to tell the government and the world that our next target is your newspaper,â said the letter sent in the name of Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh to the Bengali newspaper Amar Desh.
The letter was posted from a polytechnic in the city where the military head of the banned group was arrested last week, said Ataus Samad, an advisory editor at Amar Desh who was interviewed by the BBC. âIt was written in Bengali and was addressed to me,â said Samad, who worked for the BBC local language service previously.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2005 00:00 ||
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December 23, 2005
British Agent Tells (a Bit) of Years Undercover in Ulster
By ALAN COWELL
BELFAST, Northern Ireland, Dec. 21 - For decades, Denis Donaldson was a prominent insider in the Irish Republican movement in Belfast. He served in prison with Gerry Adams, leader of its political arm, Sinn Fein, and Bobby Sands, the hunger striker, who died in 1981. He trained in Lebanon with Hezbollah militants. Deep, deep cover.
So it was all the more stunning last week when he held a news conference in Dublin and declared himself a British agent. No one had even a slight suspicion.
"He was affable, humorous, unassuming, intelligent," said Danny Morrison, a former Sinn Fein associate who is now a novelist. "He didn't lead a lavish lifestyle; I doubt if he even owned own his own house. He didn't drink too much. He didn't gamble. He didn't drive a flashy car. His wife never wore fur."
"There had to be a moment when he was compromised," Mr. Morrison said in an interview. "He would have had to make a choice - between living with the consequences of what they were going to expose about him, or deciding to enter into a pact with people who had inflicted so much suffering on his own community, his friends, himself."
In the beginning, it must all have seemed much simpler.
According to accounts pieced together from former associates, journalists and scholars, Mr. Donaldson's early career followed a familiar trajectory in Ulster.
He volunteered for the I.R.A. and in 1971, as a young adult, was caught trying to bomb a distillery and government buildings. He was sentenced to four years and shared prison accommodation with Mr. Adams, establishing a bond that made the betrayal all the more poignant.
Mr. Donaldson, now 55, also featured in a jail-cell photograph of the hunger striker, Mr. Sands, adding to the credentials that underpinned his career in the Republican movement. It also made him an attractive target for the British to turn.
Mr. Donaldson was arrested again, in 1981, in France while returning with a false passport from a Hezbollah training camp in Lebanon, said Brian Feeney, a historian and author of a recent study of Sinn Fein. He was held briefly and released.
This incident was evidence of his role in fostering the international ties that the I.R.A. built up with supporters in the Middle East, including Muammar el-Qaddafi in Libya.
Some time during this period, Mr. Donaldson, by his own account, became a spy for the British. The details of his recruitment are unclear and he was not available for an interview. Former associates said they believed that Mr. Donaldson was in hiding in the Irish Republic.
"I was recruited in the 1980's after compromising myself during a vulnerable period in my life," Mr. Donaldson said at the news conference in Dublin. Offered a choice of being exposed or informing, he said, "I have worked with British intelligence and R.U.C./P.S.N.I. Special Branch," referring to the Northern Ireland security police. "Over that period I was paid money."
Once he had taken a first step into the world of secret intelligence, many people here said, retreat would have been difficult.
"The handlers would start off slow," said Richard English, a professor of politics and the author of a history of the I.R.A. "They would say: every so often you will give us a bit of something and you will get a bit of money." But, once he had taken the money, "it was difficult for him to get out" without risking execution by the Irish Republican Army.
Mr. Donaldson's later work as an agent coincided with a critical period when the armed campaign against British rule in Northern Ireland was giving way to a political drive by Sinn Fein.
After the 1998 Good Friday agreement, the cornerstone of peace efforts, Mr. Donaldson also became Sinn Fein's administration chief at Stormont, the provincial parliament.
"As Sinn Fein became more important than the I.R.A., Sinn Fein also became more important to the Special Branch," said Professor English. From the point of view of the intelligence agencies, "they had a man at the heart of the key bit of the Republican movement, which was the political movement."
Sinn Fein officials dispute Mr. Donaldson's importance. "He was in the middle leadership," said a spokesman for Sinn Fein, who spoke in return for anonymity under the organization's rules covering contacts with reporters. "He was never a member of the negotiating committee. He wouldn't have been a senior figure. He wouldn't have had access to confidential papers."
For all that, he emerged abruptly into the limelight when the police raided the Sinn Fein office at Stormont in October 2002 and arrested Mr. Donaldson and two other men, accusing them of spying for Sinn Fein and the I.R.A. - a remarkable charge against a man who now says he was a British agent at the time.
Prosecutors dropped those charges without explanation two weeks ago, and Mr. Donaldson insisted last week that the entire episode at Stormont was a conspiracy by intelligence agencies to undermine the Good Friday agreement.
"The so-called Stormont-gate affair was a scam and a fiction," he said in Dublin. "It never existed. It was created by Special Branch."
Such allegations have deepened the mystery around Mr. Donaldson.
Was he used by dissident British intelligence as an agent provocateur to torpedo the Good Friday agreement, as some Republicans insist? Had he now been sacrificed to protect the identity of a more senior British mole in the Republican movement? Or was he the reluctant spy, compromised in the 1980's but never happy to do his secret master's bidding, as he now claims.
"He has got into this because of a personal situation," Professor English said, suggesting a possible course of events. "He has not given up his ideas and he is leading a tortured double life. He doesn't tell them everything."
Indeed, in the treacherous world he entered, he could barely have afforded to be too open with his handlers. Until its cease-fire in the mid-1990's, the I.R.A. dealt summarily with informers, known as touts.
"He was someone with iron nerves," said Mr. Feeney, the historian. "If he had been exposed even five or six years ago, he would have been found in a plastic bag on the South Armagh border with a bullet in his head."This guy had balls of steel!
Moreover, his cover could easily have been blown if the I.R.A.'s internal security agents came to suspect a link between operations of which he had knowledge and operations betrayed.
"If an informer informs at a particular frequency, he's going to come under suspicion," said Mr. Morrison, the former Sinn Fein official, who also spent time in prison in the 1990's.
There would, of course, be routine ways to protect him.
David Shayler, a maverick former officer in MI5, Britain's domestic intelligence agency, said, "He would lead his normal life as a member of Sinn Fein and he would occasionally disappear to meet his handlers."
Those meetings, according to several people interviewed here, were usually held in wealthy Protestant areas where surveillance by the I.R.A. would be more difficult.
But finally it was his handlers who brought the double life to an end. Mr. Donaldson said police officers visited him at home last week - a sure sign of trouble in Northern Ireland - and told him he was about to be exposed in a newspaper report as a British agent. He faced one more hard choice. Whether to run and hide or die I assume
"He had to make up his mind: fleeing into the arms of his handlers or throwing himself on the mercy of the Republican community," Mr. Morrison said. Reflecting a shift from its more violent past, the Republican leadership chose to use Mr. Donaldson's confession as further evidence of British perfidy.
Or was it all perhaps one more play in a shadowy game?
"Espionage, double dealing and dirty tricks have been rife on all sides in Northern Ireland for years," the journalist Niall Stanage wrote in The Guardian. "The peace process did not bring an end to the dirty war." Brits do know the spy game, and damn well.
A market trader who plotted to "hunt down" and kill a British soldier decorated for bravery in Iraq was yesterday convicted under the Terrorism Act.
Abu Mansha, 21, was found guilty at Southwark crown court of possessing information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.
When he was arrested last March he was found to have an address for Corporal Mark Byles, a soldier who had led a charge on Iraqi rebels that left around 20 insurgents dead, the court heard. Police raided his flat and found a replica gun along with anti-western DVDs.
During the two-week trial, the jury of seven women and five men heard from David Cocks QC, prosecuting, that Mansha believed that killing the war hero would intimidate the British public and British troops, so advancing the radical Islamic cause.
Cpl Byles led a charge on Iraqi rebels in May 2004. His bravery and professionalism in the assault earned him a Military Cross. Newspaper reports described the corporal's feats in battle and reported him as saying: "It was either them or me." The story described him rifle-butting, punching and kicking Iraqi rebels in hand-to-hand combat.
Cpl Byles gave evidence in the trial, describing the fight in Al Amarah that was to fuel Mansha's desire for revenge. From behind a screen, Cpl Byles told the jury: "I had two choices: stay there and be cut to pieces or put down concentrated fire and attack the positions, which is what I did. There were a number of gunmen. Some were pointing weapons at me.
"I had to identify those that posed the greatest threat to me. I had to neutralise the gunmen. Myself and my team captured about eight gunmen and killed about 20 officially and 16 unofficially."
Anti-terrorist and firearms officers arrested Mansha in March last year. His fingerprints were found on the newspaper article about Cpl Byles, but he said most of the items found in his flat were for research purposes only. He said he was helping a journalist friend.
At his flat in south-east London the market stall holder also had in his possession "extremely distasteful and virulent" anti-western DVDs, the court heard. These featured Osama bin Laden, the beheading of British hostage Ken Bigley, Iraqi rebels attacking allied troops, and calls for Muslims to take part in a holy war following the allied attack on the city of Fallujah.
Other items found at the flat included a poem that described George Bush and Tony Blair as "dirty pigs", a blank firing gun that was in the process of being converted to shoot live rounds, and newspaper cuttings about Cpl Byles.
Mr Cocks told the court: "Looked at in the context of what else was in the flat, he had the piece of paper with Cpl Byles' information on in his possession either to kill him or to do him really serious injury to exact revenge, no doubt with other people, for what the corporal had achieved in Iraq. We say he was targeted for political purposes."
Mansha denied being a terrorist, and said that he was neither a strict Muslim nor political. He said the pistol was a souvenir.
As the trial unfolded, jurors were told indentations on note paper revealed Mansha had also made "chilling" requests for information on a rich Jewish man and the Hindu owner of a cash and carry business.
Mr Cocks added: "It is plain that they were also being targeted. In their case it is nothing to do with harm they may have done to the Muslim community. It was because of their religious beliefs."
Judge Nicholas Loraine-Smith said that Mansha had been found guilty of a "serious and unusual offence". He adjourned the case until January 26, saying he needed a pre-sentence report before dealing with Mansha, who remains in custody.
Peter Clarke, of Scotland Yard's anti-terrorist branch, said: "Abu Mansha researched the details of several people. Put this together with the other material, and it is obvious that he was involved in terrorist targeting.
"I hope that Mansha's conviction sends out a strong message that we will take firm action to stop terrorism even if it is only at the planning stages. That is how we protect the public from people like Mansha."
The Ministry of Defence gave no official reaction to today's verdict. But a spokesman said: "The MoD takes welfare of its personnel very seriously and security is kept constantly under review."
The spokesman said Cpl Byles would not be commenting on the outcome of the case.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/23/2005 07:43 ||
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Posted by: Leon Clavin ||
12/23/2005 8:58 Comments ||
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#6
A market trader who plotted to "hunt down" and kill a British soldier decorated for bravery in Iraq was yesterday convicted under the Terrorism Act.
#7
"I hope that Mansha's conviction sends out a strong message that we will take firm action to stop terrorism even if it is only at the planning stages. That is how we protect the public from people like Mansha."
#8
21 yr old market trader = guy that takes orders over the phone - loser
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/23/2005 10:28 Comments ||
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#9
"..he was found to have an address for Corporal Mark Byles.."
how on earth did he get this information. I'm constantly told by my son that he can't tell me anything, what, where, etc., and I'm sure that this is one of the reasons so I accept it. How did they get this information on this man? To have troops think that terrorists will go after their families on the home front, well...
Posted by: Jan ||
12/23/2005 11:34 Comments ||
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#12
This guy's got the beard and everything. I thought al Qaeda operatives were supposed to be pros who blend in with the population. Looks like the A-team died on 9/11. The rest are just the dregs.
#13
This guy's no Al Q operative, he's some wannabe dumbass who, as was mentioned above, saved from death at the hands of a brave and capable British soldier.
I say put him in a room with the soldier and see how things turn out. I mean hell, let's give him what he was working so hard towards and see how many miliseconds it takes him to renounce Allan, Islam, and the whole shebang.
Then produce a DVD of that for his buddies to sell at the local market. I'll order the first copy in advance.
A Milan court has issued a European arrest warrant for 22 CIA agents suspected of kidnapping an Egyptian cleric from Italy's financial capital in 2003, Prosecutor Armando Spataro said on Friday. Milan is a real piece of shit town, regardless I'll bet these asshats don't arrest CIA operative one, ever, period. This is some liberal ass judge trying to make a statement. Guess what Dude, we did it, we'll do it again. And next time we hear about an impending attack in your neighborhood, we'll remember this little debacle. How'd that suit ya?
The case is one of several investigations into whether U.S. intelligence agents used Europe to illegally transfer militant suspects to third countries for interrogation. The renditions have led to tensions between Washington and the European Union. This ain't a jihad against American policies, its a jihad against the West, and if you want to play stupid, well it really wouldn't be new would it? Notice Binny boy put Italy at the top of his list, and not for going to Iraq, no, for some shit that happened in the 12th century. But whatever.
Milan magistrates suspect a CIA team grabbed Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr off a Milan street and flew him for interrogation to Egypt, where he said he was tortured. Boohoo, taste of his own medicine methinks. We got more in store for his type too.
Prosecutors asked the Italian Justice Ministry last month to seek the extradition of the suspects from the United States, but Justice Minister Roberto Castelli has not yet decided whether to act on the request. Sure, go ahead, ask, and we'll tell you exactly what I'm telling you right now, kiss our ass!
A EU warrant is automatically valid across the 25-nation bloc and does not require the approval of any government. The warrant was agreed by the European Union in the wake of the September 11 attacks on the United States in 2001 and was hailed as a key part of the bloc's fight against terrorism. Uh hu, and now its being used to subvert the WoT
Under the agreement, any EU member state can ask another to hand over a suspect and in most cases, the other state will have to comply.
Spataro told Reuters he had also asked Interpol to try to detain the agents anywhere in the world. As I said, bring it on baby!
That would be a mistake.
The U.S. embassy in Rome was not immediately available for comment and telephone calls seeking comment from the White House, Justice Department, Central Intelligence Agency and State Department were not immediately returned.
Earlier this week, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said he did not believe CIA agents had kidnapped Nasr, but added governments would not defeat terrorism by playing by the rules. First I've heard anything rational
Justice officials believe Nasr, also known as Abu Omar, is still in custody in Egypt. Italian investigators have accused him of ties to al Qaeda and recruiting combatants for Iraq, and a Milan judge has issued a warrant for his arrest. Before his disappearance, investigators had closely monitored Nasr, hoping phone conversations would provide clues about planned militant attacks in Europe. But their probe was cut short when the imam vanished on February 17, 2003.
Court documents show the CIA agents accused of kidnapping Nasr on that day left ample documentation of their stay in Italy. Many of them presented frequent-client cards when they registered at hotels and prosecutors have one of the agent's United Airlines frequent flyer number.
About a year after he vanished, Nasr was able to make two telephone calls -- to his wife, Ghali Nabila, and to a religious leader in Milan named Mohamed Reda, the document said. Nasr said in the calls he had been sent to Alexandria in Egypt and had been tortured with electric shock and exposure to extreme noise and temperatures. Boohoo
He was allegedly re-arrested by the Egyptians for recounting the ordeal.
Details about the renditions are emerging at a time when the United States also faces allegations that the CIA has run secret prisons in Europe and elsewhere. German citizen Khaled el-Masri says he was abducted in Macedonia in 2003 and flown to Afghanistan by U.S. officials. He is now suing the CIA for wrongful imprisonment. I've got your compensation right here, you do take American hot lead Express, right?
#2
Just sounds to me like that judge is pissed 'cause his homeboys couldn't collar the bad guy, but the CIA allegedly could. And did. Too bad, so sad. ESAD, Judge. on the positive side, JM Castelli hasn't acted on the request yet, which probably means he thinks the judge is a dipshit too.
#3
What do you expect from a country that routinely pays ransom for its citizens, even when they are commie stooges on a jihadi fundraiser? Think this judge ought to disappear in the night only to be found naked in a Cairo "holy place."
"Some of the suspected networks appear to be involved only in supporting his operations in Iraq. But counter-terrorism officials are worried that Zarqawi could be planning to use his base in Iraq to start attacking Europe."
Hell, seems like as long as he only kills Iraqis and Americans it's a minor problem. Sort of on the level of jay-walking as a faux pas.
#3
The reality is that Zarq was active in Europe while using NE Iraq as his base of operations. He and his band of fuckoffs were fully behind the ricin attack on London in 2001/2 and other assorted chemical related discoveries prior to the US invasion of Iraq.
The notion that this is all a new revelation for the Euros is disingenious on their part.
Posted by: Captain America ||
12/23/2005 15:49 Comments ||
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#4
I'm just surprised they're not on some of the state's aid lists
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/23/2005 16:59 Comments ||
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#5
Frank G - what makes you think they're not?
Fred - Do you have a graphic that combines the Apathy and Sympathy Meters? Seems appropriate here. ;-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
12/23/2005 18:33 Comments ||
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Italian police arrested three Algerians on Friday who are suspected of being members of an extremist group with links to al Qaeda, a police spokesman said.
The men are being held in the southern port city of Naples on suspicion of breaching international terrorism laws and carrying false documents, the spokesman said.
He added that magistrates believed they were part of a cell set up by the Algerian Salafist movement, which has links with Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda group.
Friday's arrests followed the detention last month of three other Algerians suspected of contact with the Salafist movement.
All three were originally held on terrorism charges, but only one of the three is still being investigated for terrorism links.
Italy, a U.S. ally with troops in Iraq, has received numerous Internet threats purported to be from Islamic militants, who have vowed to strike Italian interests.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/23/2005 07:19 ||
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In search of a terrorist nuclear bomb, the federal government since 9/11 has run a far-reaching, top secret program to monitor radiation levels at over a hundred Muslim sites in the Washington, D.C., area, including mosques, homes, businesses, and warehouses, plus similar sites in at least five other cities, U.S. News has learned. In numerous cases, the monitoring required investigators to go on to the property under surveillance, although no search warrants or court orders were ever obtained, according to those with knowledge of the program. Some participants were threatened with loss of their jobs when they questioned the legality of the operation, according to these accounts.
Federal officials familiar with the program maintain that warrants are unneeded for the kind of radiation sampling the operation entails, but some legal scholars disagree. News of the program comes in the wake of revelations last week that, after 9/11, the Bush White House approved electronic surveillance of U.S. targets by the National Security Agency without court orders. These and other developments suggest that the federal government's domestic spying programs since 9/11 have been far broader than previously thought.
The nuclear surveillance program began in early 2002 and has been run by the FBI and the Department of Energy's Nuclear Emergency Support Team (NEST). Two individuals, who declined to be named because the program is highly classified, spoke to U.S. News because of their concerns about the legality of the program. At its peak, they say, the effort involved three vehicles in Washington, D.C., monitoring 120 sites per day, nearly all of them Muslim targets drawn up by the FBI. For some ten months, officials conducted daily monitoring, and they have resumed daily checks during periods of high threat. The program has also operated in at least five other cities when threat levels there have risen: Chicago, Detroit, Las Vegas, New York, and Seattle.
FBI officials expressed concern that discussion of the program would expose sensitive methods used in counterterrorism. Although NEST staffers have demonstrated their techniques on national television as recently as October, U.S. News has omitted details of how the monitoring is conducted. Officials from four different agencies declined to respond on the record about the classified program: the FBI, Energy Department, Justice Department, and National Security Council. "We don't ever comment on deployments," said Bryan Wilkes, a spokesman for DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration, which manages NEST.
In Washington, the sites monitored have included prominent mosques and office buildings in suburban Maryland and Virginia. One source close to the program said that participants "were tasked on a daily and nightly basis," and that FBI and Energy Department officials held regular meetings to update the monitoring list. "The targets were almost all U.S. citizens," says the source. "A lot of us thought it was questionable, but people who complained nearly lost their jobs. We were told it was perfectly legal."
The question of search warrants is controversial, however. To ensure accurate readings, in up to 15 percent of the cases the monitoring needed to take place on private property, sources say, such as on mosque parking lots and private driveways. Government officials familiar with the program insist it is legal; warrants are unneeded for monitoring from public property, they say, as well as from publicly accessible driveways and parking lots. "If a delivery man can access it, so can we," says one.
Georgetown University Professor David Cole, a constitutional law expert, disagrees. Surveillance of public spaces such as mosques or public businesses might well be allowable without a court order, he argues, but not private offices or homes: "They don't need a warrant to drive onto the property -- the issue isn't where they are, but whether they're using a tactic to intrude on privacy. It seems to me that they are, and that they would need a warrant or probable cause."
Cole points to a 2001 Supreme Court decision, U.S. vs. Kyllo, which looked at police use -- without a search warrant -- of thermal imaging technology to search for marijuana-growing lamps in a home. The court, in a ruling written by Justice Antonin Scalia, ruled that authorities did in fact need a warrant -- that the heat sensors violated the Fourth Amendment's clause against unreasonable search and seizure. But officials familiar with the FBI/NEST program say the radiation sensors are different and are only sampling the surrounding air. "This kind of program only detects particles in the air, it's non directional," says one knowledgeable official. "It's not a whole lot different from smelling marijuana."
Officials also reject any notion that the program specifically has targeted Muslims. "We categorically do not target places of worship or entitles solely based on ethnicity or religious affiliation," says one. "Our investigations are intelligence driven and based on a criminal predicate."
Among those said to be briefed on the Muslim were Vice President Richard Cheney; Michael Brown, then-director of the Federal Emergency Management Administration; and Richard Clarke, then a top counterterrorism official at the National Security Council. After 9/11, top officials grew increasingly concerned over the prospect of nuclear terrorism. Just weeks after the World Trade Center attacks, a dubious informant named Dragonfire warned that al Qaeda had smuggled a nuclear device into New York City; NEST teams swept the city and found nothing. But as evidence seized from Afghan camps confirmed al Qaeda's interest in nuclear technology, radiation detectors were temporarily installed along Washington, D.C., highways and the Muslim monitoring program began.
#3
You know, this _is_ the same left that's always accusing RKBA activists of wanting to legalize atomic bombs.
Posted by: Phil ||
12/23/2005 9:10 Comments ||
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#4
In search of a terrorist nuclear bomb, the federal government since 9/11 has run a far-reaching, top secret program to monitor radiation levels at over a hundred Muslim sites in the Washington, D.C., area, including..
If it's top secret, why are y'all blabbing this out?
#11
Federal officials familiar with the program maintain that warrants are unneeded for the kind of radiation sampling the operation entails, but some legal scholars disagree
Here, after learning about your warrant, just let me have a few moments to "tidy up" the place.
Officials also reject any notion that the program specifically has targeted Muslims. "We categorically do not target places of worship or entitles solely based on ethnicity or religious affiliation," says one. "Our investigations are intelligence driven and based on a criminal predicate." WHY THE HELL NOT
this PC attitude is driving me nuts. Yeah like lets scan the nursing homes too, don't stop just patting down the little old ladies at airport security.
We need to stop leaking this sensitive material.
Posted by: Jan ||
12/23/2005 11:52 Comments ||
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Hovasse at tripod.com
Female reporters for "US News and World Report" meet in a gendersegrated meeting to hear about severance pay. The Grand Mufti of "Bin Laden City", formerly New York City, decreed no longer may women work outside the home.
The spokewoman, accompanied by a member of the new religious police, said the terminated US News employess would get an extra bonus because it was the magazine's reporting on radiation monitoring which gave the "true voices of Islam" a heads up and they were able to change their plans.
Washington DC will be habitable in 50,000 years...
#17
BigEd: Washington DC will be habitable in 50,000 years...
Hiroshima and Nagasaki were habitable within months of being irradiated. And those were relatively primitive, dirty bombs, that were probably large compared to what Muslims will be able to work up. A total of 70,000 died in both cities. I think DC will lose some people, but it won't be the end, of the DC or of these United States.
#19
ZF - true, but it would be the end of the Dem party, some national capitals, and the pretense that we can get along with Islam. Mass deportations and extrajudicial justice would result. Islam would be pushed from the 7th to the 3rd century
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/23/2005 17:10 Comments ||
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The more you guys talk about this scenario, the less bad it seems.
PHOENIX -- An Arizona bookstore owner charged in the firebombing of a government wildlife lab in Washington committed suicide in his jail cell Thursday, officials said.
Freeing Mother Earth of parasites, one asshole at a time
William C. Rodgers, 40, of Prescott, Ariz., suffocated after placing a plastic bag over his head while in a one-person cell in Flagstaff, the Coconino County medical examiner said.
Eco-terrorist using a plastic bag? Guess he couldn't find a nice hemp rope
Rodgers was one of six people arrested earlier this month in connection with ecoterror attacks in Oregon and Washington in recent years. He was accused of setting fire to the Agriculture Department's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services facility in Olympia, Wash., in 1998. Federal court documents last week said Rodgers had been linked to a meeting of Earth Liberation Front members in western Colorado where the firebombing of a Colorado ski resort, one of the costliest ecoterror crimes in the U.S., was planned.
"Don't do the crime if ya can't do the time...."
Posted by: Steve ||
12/23/2005 00:00 ||
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sucks when the worm turns..eh asshat.
seeyawouldntwanttobeya.
Posted by: Red Dog ||
12/23/2005 0:29 Comments ||
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Welcome to Maricopa County Jail. In the unlikely event of emergency, a plastic bag will fall from the overhead. It will not fully inflate. Place it directly over head, pull draw strings as tight as you possibly can, and continue to breath normally.
Posted by: Leon Clavin ||
12/23/2005 9:01 Comments ||
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This guy was no friend of the earth.
If he wanted to off himself, he should have used a paper bag. It comes from renewable resources, unlike plastic bags which consume petroleum during manuacture.
Unidentified men blew up two electricity pylons in Barkhan and fired rockets in the Fazil Chel and Maiwand areas of Kohlu and the Dasht Godan area of Makran division on Thursday. A Quetta Electricity Supply Company (QESCO) spokesman said two 33/11 KV pylons were damaged at about 4:00am, which resulted in the suspension of electricity to Kohlu. He said QESCO teams would be sent to the area for repair work after getting clearance from security forces.
Kohlu residents said security forces continued attacking Kot Mundhai and other areas where a large number of cattle were killed. They said many people were also killed and injured during the past five days. The injured were unattended because they could not be taken to hospitals because of the siege by security forces and fear of arrest, they said, adding that many people were arrested while going to hospital during military operations in the 1970s. One Kohlu resident said the situation was normal in Kohlu and security forces were trying to arrest suspects involved in rocket and bomb attacks.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2005 00:00 ||
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Kohlu residents said security forces continued attacking Kot Mundhai and other areas where a large number of cattle were killed. They said many people were also killed and injured during the past five days.
A local court acquitted on Thursday Zeeshan Siddiqui, a British national of Pakistani origin and a July 7 London bombing suspect, after prosecution failed to prove the charges against him. Mohsin Ali Turk, the judicial magistrate presiding over the trial court, said the prosecution had failed to prove allegations of impersonation and possession of fake identity card against the foreigner.
On December 14, the trial court had reserved its judgement after hearing the statements of NADRA and CID officials. âThankâs God, I have been proved innocent,â Siddiqui said. He told Daily Times that he was the first British national of Pakistani origin who was not only severely tortured but was treated an enemy of Pakistan. He claimed that he had been held for eight months without any cause. Siddiqui was arrested on May 17 from Shabqadar Tehsil, in district Charsadda for having links with Al-Qaeda and complicity in the London July 7 bombings.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2005 00:04 ||
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Yesterday a 7/21 accomplice was arrested as he landed at Heathrow. Today a 7/7 accomplice is acquitted. Artful. Reminds me of the US government's less-than-energetic cooperation the the prosecutions of 9/11 accomplices in European courts. Or the US gov't's nonexistent prosecution of Hussain Hashem Al-Hussaini, despite Jayna Davis's extensive documentation.
#2
I think the idea with not prosecuting Saddam is that if convicted of one execution worthy crime that can be absolutely proved, he's just as dead.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
12/23/2005 8:16 Comments ||
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"the prosecution had failed to prove allegations of impersonation and possession of fake identity card"
Perhaps they were just in a hurry to let him fade away.
"He claimed that he had been held for eight months without any cause. Siddiqui was arrested on May 17"
That's only seven months and a few days. He's taking lessons from Saddam and screaming whiplash before the real neck trauma.
Punjab government ordered on Thursday the repatriation of foreign students studying in religious seminaries in Punjab with immediate effect, Police sources told Daily Times. âThe decision was made earlier and we are expediting the repatriation process. A few students have already returned and the remaining will be repatriated by December 31,â said Punjab Home Secretary Khusro Pervez.
A high-ranking police official said, âWe have received instructions from the interior ministry and would expedite the repatriation of foreign students.â To a question on whether the government would pay for the travel of students who could not afford to bear the expenses, the official said: âThey are foreign nationals and the Foreign Ministry is involved in the matter. So it is not the question of paying for traveling expenses.â Police sources also said that students unable to find flights before December 31 might be given additional time.
According to the latest government figures there are 390 foreign students mostly in Deobandi seminaries. However, earlier figures issued in September this year said there were 244 foreign students in Punjab. In the aftermath of the July 7 London bombings, the Pakistan government had decided that all foreign students, even those carrying valid travel documents, would be deported and no fresh admissions would be allowed.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2005 00:05 ||
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Militants took refuge in an official building in Jammu and Kashmir after ambushing a security patrol on Thursday, prompting police to evacuate a nearby hospital before a planned assault. Two border guards and three civilians were injured when militants hurled a hand grenade at the patrol in the town of Sopore, 48 kilometres northwest of Srinagar, a police spokesman said. The two militants ran into a government building after the ambush, said Inspector-General Rajendra Kumar, adding that some 30 employees in the complex have been evacuated. He said that reinforcements have reached Sopore to flush out the guerrillas and a nearby hospital had been evacuated as a precaution ahead of the planned assault.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2005 00:00 ||
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buh-bye
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/23/2005 10:30 Comments ||
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Ten Iraqi soldiers were killed and 20 wounded when gunmen stormed a small army base in a restive area north of Baghdad on Friday, police said.
The attack near Adhaim, on the main road between Baghdad and the flashpoint northern city of Kirkuk, was the bloodiest since last week''s parliamentary election and lasted much of the morning, said a senior police officer in the area, some 70 km (45 miles) north of the capital.
It occurred while U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was paying a pre-Christmas visit to the subdued Sunni Arab rebel stronghold of Falluja and told U.S. soldiers he was reducing the number of troops in the country slightly in recognition of the improved capabilities of the new, U.S.-trained Iraqi forces.
The Adhaim attackers, in large numbers, opened fire on the outlying strongpoint with heavy machineguns and rocket-propelled grenades and then turned on reinforcements who arrived to help, said the police officer, who asked not to be named.
The fortified compound lies north of the town on the main road to Kirkuk, where Arabs and Kurds are at daggers drawn over control of Iraq''s big northern oilfields.
Simultaneously, shortly after dawn, mortar bombs fell on the main base in the Adhaim area some 10 km (six miles) away, where some U.S. troops are also stationed, the police said. U.S. military officials had no immediate information on that attack.
In early December, 11 Iraqi soldiers were killed when guerrillas ambushed a joint patrol with U.S. troops near Adhaim.
Iraq had been enjoying a period of relative calm over the past 10 days, partly as a result of increased security measures during the election and partly, it seems, because of an informal truce among Sunni Arab insurgents.
The area around Adhaim has seen previous attacks credited to Islamist militants linked to the group al Qaeda in Iraq, including mass infantry assaults on Iraqi army and police posts.
Unlike some secular Sunni Arab insurgents, whose informal truce helped promote a big Sunni turnout in last Thursday''''''''s vote, al Qaeda remains violently opposed to the U.S.-backed political process that has empowered the Shi''ite majority.
Some Sunni Arab leaders have warned that rebel groups could resume violence because of disappointment with election results they say were fraudulent.
The vulnerability of the new U.S.-trained Iraqi forces, seen by rebels as tools of U.S. occupation and the American-backed, Shi''ite- and Kurdish-led government, worries Washington, whose plans to cut its own troop numbers depend on Iraqis taking over.
While most militant attacks are conducted by small groups, often using remote-controlled, buried explosives, all-out frontal assaults, using dozens of gunmen displaying infantry training, have been launched occasionally in the past two years.
Elsewhere, US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has announced the United States is to withdraw two combat brigades, totaling between 5,000 and 9,000 soldiers, from Iraq by next spring.
That would bring the number of US troops under the level of 138,000 for the first time since April 2004, a year after US-led forces first invaded the country.
"President (George) Bush has authorized an adjustment in US combat brigades in Iraq from 17 to 15," Rumsfeld said.
His remarks came just a day after British Prime Minister Tony Blair raised the prospects of beginning a British troop pulldown next year.
Blair, who was also on a suprise visit to troops ahead of Christmas, remarked that he was pleased to learn of their high regard for Iraqi forces.
"This is a very hopeful sign because obviously the whole purpose is to build up the capability of the armed forces and the police so we can then draw down our own forces," Blair said.
"This is the whole purpose of the strategy. Political process can only be buttressed by a strong security aspect to it."
The prime minister refused to be drawn on a timetable, but Friday''''s first edition of British tabloid The Sun said the process would begin in May. London''''s The Times claimed 1,000 troops had already been pulled back from frontline duties as the first stage of withdrawal.
Rumsfeld, addressing US soldiers on an unannounced visit to this Sunni bastion 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Baghdad, said "the adjustments being announced are the recognition of the Iraqi people''''s progress in assuming added responsibility for their country."
The United States has maintained that it would reduce its military presence in Iraq in line with the build-up of Iraq''''s newly formed security forces.
Washington had already announced the withdrawal of reinforcements sent to Iraq to ensure that the October 15 referendum on the constitution and the December 15 general elections went off smoothly.
"The effect of these adjustments will reduce forces in Iraq by the spring 2006 below the current level of 160,000 during the elections period and below the 138,000 baseline that existed prior to the most recent elections," Rumsfeld said.
The defense secretary also alluded to further reductions during the course of the year.
"We anticipate future coalition force-level discussions at some point in 2006, after the new Iraqi government is in place and is prepared to discuss the future," he added.
A new government is expected to be installed early next year in the wake of the general elections whose final results are not yet known.
"Let me be very clear: The challenges ahead, military, political, economic, will not be easy. The United States as all you know did not come to Iraq for oil, not to occupy. We came here only to help," Rumsfeld also said.
Speaking of Fallujah, Rumsfeld praised progress made there, saying it has "some of the highest voter registration and turn-out rates in the country and has increasingly capable and confident Iraqi security forces in the streets helping to maintain order and to hunt down terrorists".
The defense secretary flew in to Iraq from Afghanistan to visit US troops ahead of the Christmas holiday.
Rumsfeld was also expected to meet with with Iraqi leaders on Friday to discuss the ongoing political process and the formation of a new government.
"Our interest, as a country, is that the process produces a set of people that are going to pull that country together towards the center and not pull it apart," Rumsfeld said Thursday.
Such people should be "competent and capable of leading a government," he said.
"It would be desirable if it happened over a short period of time rather than a long period of time but what''''s more important is that it be done well," the defense secretary said.
"We also can''''t ignore that the world, the rest of the world, has a vote. This country needs the support of the United Nations, it needs he support of the international community, it needs the support of the coalition countries."
The likely difficulty of forming a new government was highlighted on Thursday, when 35 Iraqi political groups, including secular Shiites and Sunni Arabs, rejected early election results.
Threatening to boycott the new parliament, they pressed for a probe into "violations and irregularities that have marred the electoral process."
Early results suggest that religious Shiite parties will have a large majority.
Rumsfeld also expected that time was needed to crush the insurgency in Iraq.
"The defeat of the people opposed to that government will be something that will take some time," he said.
Speaking to around 200 US soldiers at Camp Victory shortly after his arrival and following meetings with US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and US force commander General George Casey, Rumsfeld praised the forces for their contributions.
"The economic progress that has taken place in this country has moved forward as well and certainly the military progress is impressive," he said.
Meanwhile, the trial of Saddam Hussein and seven cohorts for the murder of Iraqi villagers in 1982, after an assassination attempt on the then dictator, was adjourned Friday until January 24.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/23/2005 07:20 ||
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In early December, 11 Iraqi soldiers were killed when guerrillas ambushed a joint patrol with U.S. troops near Adhaim. In other stories.
Thousands killed killed in a surprise German assault in Beguim in an area thought to be pacificed. It is unknown if the German Christmas Offensive of 1944 is related to the Iraq insurgency. CENTCOM Commanders looked confused and out-of-depth when asked about the connection
Posted by: Leon Clavin ||
12/23/2005 9:11 Comments ||
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10 Iraqi soldiers killed, 20 wounded, fight lasted much of the morning, against a large number of attackers. Are the Iraqi forces so inept they were unable to inflict any casualties in return? Or is the writer unable to supply all the facts?
Tony Blair set the clock ticking for British troops to start withdrawing from Iraq in six monthsâ time as it emerged that more than 1,000 soldiers had already been pulled back from frontline duties. Troops in half the area under British control have stopped routine patrols and have returned to their barracks, The Times has learnt.
Senior defence sources said that the 800 British troops in Maysan province and 300 in Muthana province had switched to a âtactical overwatchâ role â remaining in their barracks and only going out on patrol with the Iraqi security forces when they asked for help. This is the first stage in withdrawing altogether from the provinces, following a similar pattern adopted in Northern Ireland.
The Prime Ministerâs comments, made on a surprise visit to Basra yesterday, came as Donald Rumsfeld, the US Defence Secretary, hinted that Washington would also soon be cutting its force in Iraq. Mr Blair told British troops that the situation in Iraq seemed transformed compared with his last Christmas trip. Speaking from a flat-bed trailer, he said that progress was under way to âeventually draw down our capabilityâ. He appeared to confirm a suggestion from a senior general that significant with-drawals could begin in six months.
Asked directly about this, Mr Blair said: âThere is no reason why, if everything goes to plan, then this is our strategy. We want to draw down our forces, we donât want to keep people longer than we need to, it is happening.â
Major-General Jim Dutton, who has just completed his tour as commander of the Multinational Division Southeast, based in Basra, said that it was realistic to expect withdrawals by June. Mr Rumsfeld, talking en route for his own surprise Christmas visit to Iraq, hinted that a preliminary decision had been made to cancel the deployment of two brigades from the 1st Infantry Division and 1st Armoured Division now in Kuwait. But he said that the decision was not final. âUntil itâs announced, the Governmentâs decision hasnât been announced,â he said.
Top American and British military and diplomatic figures told the Prime Minister yesterday that security conditions would be sufficiently benign to merit significant troop cuts by that time. The Times has learnt that the chiefs of staff at the Ministry of Defence are due to meet in March to decide on troop deployments to Iraq with a view to recommending cutbacks in at least two of the four provinces in southern Iraq.
The meeting to fix a âstatement of requirementsâ for Iraq is expected to call for troop withdrawals from Muthana and Maysan provinces, and a small reduction in force levels based in Basra province. This could be timed to when the next changeover in troops is due in May, with 7th Armoured Brigade being replaced by 20 Mechanised Brigade.
Optimism about security conditions in southern Iraq was echoed by General George Casey, Americaâs top commander in Iraq, who flew to Basra to see Mr Blair. He said that Iraqi forces would be ready to take over 75 per cent of duties in some parts of the US sector of the country by the summer.
General Abdul Latif, commander of Iraqâs 10th Division in southern Iraq, which is being trained by the British military, has said that his unit of around 8,000 troops would finish training by the end of March.
Mr Blair said: âBritish troops have a very high regard for the Iraqi Army, and those working with the police are finding they are good to work with as well. That is hopeful. The troops here I have talked to were rather more upbeat about Iraqi capability than I expected.â Mr Blair brushed aside suggestions from Sir Jeremy Greenstock, the former British Ambassador to Iraq, that large numbers of British troops could be in Iraq for five years or more. Mr Blairâs spokesman added: âSir Jeremy Greenstock has not been here for some time and the picture I got today was very different.â
Mr Blair, rejecting body armour and opting for a blue blazer and chinos, conducted a walkabout of British troops before addressing two groups, each of around 200 soldiers, thanking them for their service. However, although Mr Blair indicated a dramatic cut in troop numbers from the 8,000 now in Iraq, he also indicated that a small contingent might have to stay a very long time. âWe still have troops in Bosnia today (770), but it is not the same number as ten years ago.â
From Geostrategy-Direct, subscription.
For the first time, Hamas has offered to become a military arm of Iran. Got a death wish, d'ye?
Hamas leaders have pledged to retaliate against any Israeli strike on Iran. Hamas would employ its short-range missiles in attacks against Israel from both the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
"Just as Islamic Iran defends the rights of Palestinians, we defend the rights of Islamic Iran," Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal said. "We are part of a united Islamic front." ("And, in doing so, we have become a big, fat target."
Western intelligence sources said Iran increased funding to Hamas in 2003 following the Israeli assassination of Hamas founder Ahmed Yassin. During Yassin's tutelage, Hamas received most of its foreign funding from Saudi Arabia. Who realized that Hamas was a bad investment, for a number of reasons, and pulled the plug [allegedly].
Over the past two years, Hamas has sought to emulate Hizbullah and its relationship with Iran, sources said. Hizbullah, with 15,000 missiles and rockets, has been regarded as Iran's military arm in Lebanon. 'Emulate' is a bit too classy a term for it. Finding a 'Sugar Daddy' seems more appropriate for this case. Hamas has big plans, and big cash flow needs. Begging through so-called charities just does not cut it.
It was the first time Hamas offered to help Iran in any war against Israel. For years, Hamas avoided any open alliance with or dependence on Iran. Hamas wanted to keep from being helizapped by the IDF, but financially, well, things have gone south, and since Gaza is a new base, ya know, friendship with Iran is kinda a necessity.
But during a three-day visit to Teheran on Dec. 15, Mashaal said Hamas would increase attacks on Israel in there was any strike on Iran. The Hamas leader, based in Syria, praised the anti-Israeli statements by Iranian President Ahmadinejad, which included a denial of the Nazi killing of 6 million Jews during World War II.
"What Iranian officials say may not please some people, but these are just courageous declarations," Mashaal said. "The Islamic world should not pay the price for the problems of the Jews." THAT is a twisted statement, from a very twisted individual.
Mashaal also said Hamas would not continue its ceasefire with Israel in 2006. Mashaal and several Hamas leaders based outside the Palestinian Authority have repeated this warning several times over the past few months. Know your enemy, folks. These guys are betting the farm on the Iranian MM horse, just like the Arafish bet on Saddam Hussein in GW1.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/23/2005 17:06 ||
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http://www.usaid.gov/wbg/
"The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funds programs that help people living in the West Bank and Gaza lead healthier and more productive lives.
Since 1993, Palestinians have received more than $1.7 billion in U.S. economic assistance via USAID projects - more than from any other donor country."
I think I know a good place to start curtailing government spending. One more dime down this rathole is one too many.
#2
I see there's going to be some prime real estate coming available within the next year - including a lot of Mediterranean coastal property - in what used to be called the Gaza Strip - soon to be called West Israel.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/23/2005 20:57 Comments ||
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HIstory has well-shown that Israel and the IDF are NOT going to care iff Iran or any other Moslem nation(s) back HAMAS or any other anti-Israeli violent radical group(s). It has long been becoming clear that Iran and its Mad Mullahs have imperialist designs on the ME, AND NOT MERELY THE DEFEAT AND DESTRUCTION OF ISRAEL OR US/WESTERN INTERESTS. STAY ARMED AND STAY VIGILANT, PEOPLE!
#4
RWV- USAID has funded more insurgent infested areas that Iran. Their swords to plows program provided a retirement progam for insurgents all over the world. Imagine fighting for years against America and friends then when your too old to fight USAID will pay you to but the farm you always wanted. $1.7 Billion? I only wonder how much of that went into supporting Hammas, directly or indirectly. I figure the Hammas are healthy from AID and businesses that fund Hammas were initially by AID.
Posted by: 49 pan ||
12/23/2005 22:34 Comments ||
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NABLUS, West Bank - Israeli troops shot and killed three Palestinian militants, including the local leader of a small radical faction, during an arrest raid on Thursday in the West Bank city of Nablus, witnesses and the military said. Soldiers entered Nablus early on Thursday in pursuit of wanted men, and opened fire on a four-story building where militants were holed up, the military said.
"Yo, Bashar! Come out witcher hands up!"
"Go screw, Jooos, you'll never take me alive!"
"We figured that." [pause] [BBBBRRRAAAAAPPPPP!]
[THUD]
One wanted man and two associates were shot as they tried to escape, it added. Witnesses identified one of the dead men as Bashar Hanani, the Nablus leader of the small Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Israel said Hanani masterminded a suicide bombing in an open-air market in Tel Aviv in November 2004 that killed three Israelis, and planned other attacks that were thwarted.
The other two were Anas Al-Sheikh and Ahmed Jiyousi, both members of the Al Aqsa Martyrsâ Brigades, a militant faction linked to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbasâ ruling Fatah party.
Troops continued to ring the building to flush out additional wanted men, the military said. Two bulldozers were parked at the buildingâs entrance.
The PFLP threatened dire revenge. âIsrael will pay the price for this crime,â said Kaed Al Ghoul, a senior PFLP leader.
Some 3,000 people gathered Thursday afternoon in Nablusâ main square at a joint funeral for the militants. Dozens of gunmen fired in the air, and the crowd chanted, âBashar, our friend, the response will be in Tel Aviv.â
Must have been quite a sight: the gun sex, the eye-rolling, the car swarm, the guy selling 'Yasser' T-shirts on the side ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/23/2005 00:06 ||
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Some 3,000 people gathered Thursday afternoon in Nablusâ main square at a joint funeral for the militants. Dozens of gunmen fired in the air, and the crowd chanted, âBashar, our friend, the response will be in Tel Aviv.â
now if that isnt a target rich enviroment just screaming "cluster bomb" I dont know what is.
#5
Al Ghoul, I suspect, is about as common there as 'Smith' is here. I'm sure Fred and Dan can educate us.
Fred should bequeth The Amazing Name Generator to the People of China and Unfortunate Arab Areas, that they might find prosperity thru a plentitude of surnames.
Posted by: Leon Clavin ||
12/23/2005 9:17 Comments ||
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One wanted man and two associates were shot as they tried to escape,
High speed chases sometimes end in innocent people being killed. I like the empty the mag approach. Brings effective closure, minimizes recidivism, etc.
A Tel Aviv court sentenced an Israeli woman to three years in jail on Thursday for acting as a human shield to protect a wanted Palestinian militant leader in the West Bank. In the unusual case, Tali Fahima, was convicted last month in a plea bargain to avoid a life sentence on initial charges of aiding the enemy in wartime and supporting a terrorist group. Under the deal, Fahima pleaded guilty to charges of contact with a foreign agent, informing the enemy and disobeying an order. The court confirmed a three year sentence on Thursday. Fahima is expected to be released in another 10 months, since she has been under arrest for more than a year.
Fahima moved to the West Bank city of Jenin at the height of a five-year-old Palestinian uprising and befriended Zakaria al-Zubaidi, leader of the militant al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. Fahima, a frequent guest at Zubaidi's Jenin house, told reporters she was staying close to the leader to protect him from Israeli assassination. Fahima was arrested last year and held for three months without trial, a measure Israel usually reserves for Palestinians detained in the West Bank and Gaza, before she was indicted. Prosecutors said she translated for Palestinian gunmen a secret military document which they obtained that outlined Israeli army plans to detain or kill militants. "I am sure that she regrets what happened in terms of the consequences but at the time she regarded it as legitimate political activity and this is how she sees it," her lawyer, Smadar Ben-Natan said when Fahima was convicted last month.
Fahima, who said she once supported the right-wing Likud party, has been a critic of Israeli occupation in the West Bank. Her friends denounced the charges against Fahima as politically motivated. Prosecutor Orly Ben-Ari said they were based on "very serious violations" against Israeli security concerns.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2005 00:00 ||
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screw that I would say pernamently revoke her citizenship and deport her to the Gaza Strip.
A FORMER Australian-based leader of Jemaah Islamiah has been discovered on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, where the feared terrorist group runs military training camps for terror recruits.
Abdul Rahman Ayub - named as one of the JI chiefs who set up a chapter known as Mantiqi4 in Sydney before moving to Perth - is believed to have been training JI operatives on the island for at least the past year.
Terror expert Zachary Abuza said Ayub was one of 20 suspected JI members - including infamous bomb-maker Dulmatin, who has a $US10million ($13.5million) bounty on his head - hiding out on Mindanao.
Dr Abuza said Ayub was likely to remain heavily involved in the terrorist organisation.
"They (Abdul Rahman Ayub and his twin brother, Abdul Rahim Ayub) are certainly radicals," he told The Australian. "And I have no doubt they have not thrown in the towel."
Ayub and his brother were named by convicted Perth-based terrorist Jack Roche as the dual heads of JI in Australia. They set up the JI chapter in Sydney before moving to Perth, where Abdul Rahim lived with his Australian wife and taught at an Islamic school in Thornlie.
Ayub was deported in 1999 after his application for refugee status was denied and Abdul Rahim left three days after the 2002 Bali bombings, which he is suspected of being involved in.
Neil Fergus, security expert and chief executive of Intelligent Risks, said his inquiries had also confirmed that Ayub was on Mindanao and involved in military-style training camps. Mr Fergus described Ayub as a very "dangerous" man and a committed "jihadist".
It is understood intelligence agencies tracked Ayub to Mindanao earlier this year by intercepting signals from his mobile phone.
It is also understood that Umar Patek, another senior JI operative who played a key role in the 2002 Bali bombings, is on a list of terror suspects, including Ayub and Dulmatin, who are being hunted by the Philippine authorities.
Anti-terror police are targeting Mindanao in their efforts to smash JI. Southeast Asian JI leader Azahari Bin Husin was killed last month in a shootout with Indonesian police but his bombmaking accomplice Noordin Mohammad Top escaped a police dragnet and remains on the run.
Eid Kabalan, a spokesman for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, said the authorities had been cracking down on suspects in the Mindanao region and there had been several military operations in recent months.
Mindanao is in the southern Philippines archipelago. Parts of the 95,000sqkm island have become renowned as a place for terrorists to lie low and to conduct training camps.
Areas of the southern Philippines have hosted training camps for members of the terror group Abu Sayyaf, as well as JI.
Experts say the cross-training of the groups has been evident in the different bomb-making styles shown by Abu Sayyaf members in recent times.
"The Philippines is a laboratory for JI," Dr Abuza said.
He added that the training camps in Mindanao could make JI more dangerous because it allowed them to keep going.
"It gives JI a new lease on life," he said.
Dr Abuza said it should not be forgotten that organisations such as JI had long time frames.
"We always forget that these organisations have a long-term strategy - they talk about a 30-year war," Dr Abuza said. "There is no face lost in people going underground in a strategic retreat."
Mr Fergus said there had been credible reports that up to 60 people had recently undertaken the advanced explosives training course in Mindanao.
"It has always been a critical spot for JI," Mr Fergus said.
"It is critical that the authorities concentrate on this because as long as the Philippines bases continue to operate, they can replenish human resources."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/23/2005 07:38 ||
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Increasing disillusionment with goverment peace treaties has helped raise the ranks of the 11,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front in western Mindanao, MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said Friday.
Kabalu denied that there was a recruitment drive to beef up MILF troops, adding that the new recruits voluntarily approached Moro field commanders to join the MILF.
"What happened here in western Mindanao, in the former territory of the (Moro National Liberation Front), is that a lot of people approached us because they are losing hope in the GRP-MNLF peace agreement. That is not being discussed any more so they are looking for a solution," Kabalu told DZMM.
He added: "They are approaching us because they believe that the MILF is continuing their fight."
He said the MILF regularly consults community leaders in former rebel strongholds in Tawi-Tawi and Basilan.
Kabalu said the MILF was conducting an "information drive" to raise awareness of the peace talks, which the military could have mistaken for recruitment.
He added that recruitment of new fighters is not prohibited in the cease-fire agreement between the government and the MILF.
Southern Command chief, Lt. Gen. Edilberto Adan, earlier accused the MILF of secretly training recruits to carry out suicide attacks.
The training, he said, puts in doubt the MILF sincerity in the peace talks.
Adan said intelligence reports suggested that as many as 4,000 were recruited and trained by rebel forces in at least eight provinces and towns across Mindanao.
The training included indoctrination with suicide-attack missions, commando and guerrilla tactics and warfare, and weapons and marksmanship and explosives, he said.
Western intelligence had previously linked the MILF to the Jemaah Islamiyah group and the al-Qaeda terror network of Osama bin Laden.
Townspeople in Tungawan near Zamboanga City told the military that they saw armed MILF rebels training recruits in the hinterlands.
Zamboanga City officials also said the MILF was recruiting young men in the Muslim enclave of Taluksangay.
An unidentified van driver in Zamboanga City also told police that he drove a big group of MILF recruits from Basilan, Jolo, and Tawi-Tawi last week to the province of Zamboanga Sibugay.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/23/2005 07:22 ||
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I find it interesting/ridiculous that Kabalu is blaming the MNLF peace agreement for the JI being there. The MILF is working peace accords with the GRP. This is just more finger pointing and double talk from Kabalu. For the last four years, at least, the MILF, MNLF, and ASG have worked together with the JI in running training camps in Mindanao. The camps are in declared MNLF areas so the military can not go in there. They are protecting the key leaders in those areas and providing logistical support from there as well.
The GRP hold some responsibility here for this getting out of control. They have a very passive approach to the issue of the Muzzies. As long as it stays out of Manila, most in power donât care what happens âDown thereâ and prefer to stick their heads in the sand and hide from the issues, or take payoffs allowing this to fester. The opinion is that as long as there is a problem down there the US and Ozzies will continue to pour in money to help fight them. Their fear is as soon as or if they win all the money will dry up. Thus no incentive, at least in their minds, to allow the fighting to end. As long as all this stayed in the PI we should really have no desire to get involved, unfortunately the training is being exported to other countries. The Ozzies are now having to deal with what is being produced from these camps. It wonât be long before we end up tracing the next large AQ attack back through these camps.
Posted by: 49 pan ||
12/23/2005 8:37 Comments ||
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I think we've been in agreement here on Rantburg for several years now that Kabalu's propensity for elaborate and often implausible deception with a straight face is rivaled only by that of the former Iraqi information minister.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/23/2005 8:40 Comments ||
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Maybe Dean, Kabalu AKA "Lipless eddie", and Bagdad Bob were triplets seperated at birth.
Posted by: 49 pan ||
12/23/2005 8:48 Comments ||
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Sri Lankan rebels, the Tamil Tigers, today attacked a Navy patrol off the island's northwestern coast, triggering a sea battle which led to the capture of seven rebels, but three sailors were feared killed after being taken away by the guerillas. The Tigers attacked two naval craft off Mannar sparking the fierce exchange of fire, navy spokesman Jayantha Perera said.
"They have taken away three sailors. We think they have been killed already," he said, adding that the navy had apprehended seven of the Tiger attackers. One Sri Lankan sailor aboard a patrol craft escaped with injuries, he said. There was no immediate reaction from the Tigers.
The Sri Lankan government condemned the attack as a violation of the Norway-brokered ceasefire which has been in place since 2002. Urging the international community to mount pressure on the Tiger rebels to stop the latest cycle of violence, the government's spokesman and Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said they have lodged a complaint with the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) on today's attack saying it was a violation of the ceasefire arranged by Norway.
He said the guerillas of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) appeared to ignore a statement by Sri Lanka's key financial backers -- the US, European Union, Japan and Norway -- to stop all violence.
Thirty-nine people have been killed this month alone in violence linked to the ethnic conflict, heightening fears about the future of an already faltering ceasefire.
Before he was captured last spring, Osama Bin Laden's top operational commander was solely focused on killing President Bush and Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharaff, the Daily News has learned.
The capture last May of Al Qaeda's No. 3 leader, Abu Faraj Al-Libi, apparently thwarted plots to assassinate the two partners in the global war on terror, said a senior Pakistani official, whose information was corroborated by two senior U.S. counterterrorism officials.
"Al-Libi had one mission: Kill Bush and Musharraf," the Pakistani official told The News. "He wanted to kill Bush in the White House, preferably."
"It was clearly something they wanted to do. There's no question about that. It's the holy grail of jihad," a senior U.S. counterterrorism official confirmed.
Al-Libi organized several failed assassination attempts on Musharraf before he was nabbed, officials have said. But the plot by Al Qaeda's international operations chief to send assassins to the U.S. to kill Bush was only disclosed this week.
The officials asked for anonymity because details of the Bush plot are still highly classified. The officials added that there is little evidence the U.S. mission advanced beyond initial planning by Al-Libi in Pakistan.
Two years before Al-Libi's capture by Pakistani and CIA operatives in Pakistan's mountainous North-West Frontier province, near where many believe Bin Laden is hiding, American officials were informed by Musharraf envoys that the top Al Qaeda thug was bent on assassinating Bush, officials said.
Officials said it was not known if Bin Laden or his deputy, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, personally ordered Al-Libi to hit the U.S. President.
Al-Libi replaced 9/11 attacks mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who was captured in Pakistan in March 2003. Al-Libi's aide and successor, Abu Hamza Rabia, was killed this month in Pakistan by a missile fired from an unmanned CIA predator drone, sources said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/23/2005 07:17 ||
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No surprise here - will say again the Clintons and Dems have nuthin' anymore for either 2006 and espec 2008 except "American Hiroshima(s)", severe terror attacks = PC assassinations which very likely will be intended to wipe out Dubya, his Admin. and the bulk of the GOP- and anti-Clinton Dem Congress, frightening and scaring Americans unto "justified" Socialism, Communism, Anti-SOvereignty, OWG, Isolationism, Appeasement and Totalitarianism, etc. THE CLINTONS AND DEMOLEFTIES HAVE NO PROBS WITH ALLEGED ULTRA-RIGHTIST "FASCIST" AMERICA WAGING WAR AROUND THE GLOBE AS LONG AS AN ULTRA-LEFTIST COMMUNIST AMERIKA IS THE FINAL OUTCOME.
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.
Seven people were killed in a gunfight in 
The wave of arson attacks against mosques in the Saudi capital reached al Aflaj, a town south of Riyadh on Wednesday, when an individual set fire to the Othman bin Affan mosque in the Layla region. Police issued a statement confirming that the fire was deliberate. Inspections revealed the flames spread to a car parked outside the mosque. The perpetrator was later arrested.
A banned Islamic group blamed for a series of deadly bombings in Bangladesh has threatened to attack a leading newspaper after an editor commented on the militants in a BBC report, an editor said on Thursday. âWe heard your interview on BBC (British Broadcasting Corp). Through you, we want to tell the government and the world that our next target is your newspaper,â said the letter sent in the name of 
PHOENIX -- An Arizona bookstore owner charged in the firebombing of a government wildlife lab in Washington committed suicide in his jail cell Thursday, officials said. 
Unidentified men blew up two electricity pylons in Barkhan and fired rockets in the Fazil Chel and Maiwand areas of Kohlu and the Dasht Godan area of Makran division on Thursday. A Quetta Electricity Supply Company (QESCO) spokesman said two 33/11 KV pylons were damaged at about 4:00am, which resulted in the suspension of electricity to Kohlu. He said QESCO teams would be sent to the area for repair work after getting clearance from security forces. 
Militants took refuge in an official building in Jammu and Kashmir after ambushing a security patrol on Thursday, prompting police to evacuate a nearby hospital before a planned assault. Two border guards and three civilians were injured when militants hurled a hand grenade at the patrol in the town of Sopore, 48 kilometres northwest of Srinagar, a police spokesman said. The two militants ran into a government building after the ambush, said Inspector-General Rajendra Kumar, adding that some 30 employees in the complex have been evacuated. He said that reinforcements have reached Sopore to flush out the guerrillas and a nearby hospital had been evacuated as a precaution ahead of the planned assault.
NABLUS, West Bank - Israeli troops shot and killed three Palestinian militants, including the local leader of a small radical faction, during an arrest raid on Thursday in the West Bank city of Nablus, witnesses and the military said. Soldiers entered Nablus early on Thursday in pursuit of wanted men, and opened fire on a four-story building where militants were holed up, the military said. 
A Tel Aviv court sentenced an Israeli woman to three years in jail on Thursday for acting as a human shield to protect a wanted Palestinian militant leader in the West Bank. In the unusual case, Tali Fahima, was convicted last month in a plea bargain to avoid a life sentence on initial charges of aiding the enemy in wartime and supporting a terrorist group. Under the deal, Fahima pleaded guilty to charges of contact with a foreign agent, informing the enemy and disobeying an order. The court confirmed a three year sentence on Thursday. Fahima is expected to be released in another 10 months, since she has been under arrest for more than a year.
