Fierce battles killed at least 30 people across Afghanistan on Wednesday as the U.S.-led coalition readied to launch its largest anti-Taliban offensive since the Islamic extremist government's 2001 ouster.
Officials said some 26 militants were slain in eastern mountains Wednesday, while a rebel ambush killed a U.S. soldier and wounded two others Tuesday in the volatile south, where more than 11,000 troops have deployed as part of Operation Mountain Thrust.
Another coalition soldier was killed in combat in the eastern Kunar province Tuesday, while four civilians died when rockets fired by rebels slammed into their house in the nearby Paktika province.
Afghanistan has been wracked by its bloodiest violence since the U.S.-led coalition invaded after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and toppled the then Taliban government for harboring Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida supporters.
In sweltering heat, U.S., British, Canadian and Afghan troops have massed in four volatile mountainous and desert-filled southern provinces ahead of a major offensive expected to start Thursday.
The push aims to squeeze Taliban fighters responsible for a spate of ambushes and suicide attacks against coalition forces and Afghan authorities. It will focus on southern Uruzgan and northeastern Helmand, where the military says most of the militant forces have gathered. Operations will also be conducted in the former Taliban stronghold of Kandahar and Zabul.
"This is not just about killing or capturing extremists," U.S. spokesman Col. Tom Collins told reporters in Kabul as he announced the operation.
"We are going to go into these areas, take out the security threat and establish conditions where government forces, government institutions, humanitarian organizations can move into these areas and begin the real work that needs to be done."
U.S. troops on Wednesday built sand barriers and guard outposts around a small forward operating base in the Helmand district of Musa Qala to support the operation. Soldiers fired rounds from 119-millimeter howitzers deployed to the base's perimeter into the vast desert expanse.
"We do it so they know it's here and they know it could be pretty bad for them," said Lt. Col. Chris Toner, commanding officer at the base located 180 miles from the nearest permanent base in Kandahar.
"This terrain up here favors the defender. I'm sure they know how many vehicles we have here, that we have artillery here, but that's OK -- I know what they know."
Limited operations began May 15 with attacks on Taliban command and control and support networks. According to U.S. military and Afghan figures, about 550 people, mostly militants, have been killed since mid-May, along with at least nine coalition troops.
Suspected Taliban militants attacked a U.S. logistics patrol in Helmand with rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire late Tuesday, killing one American soldier and wounding two others, the U.S. military said.
About 100 British troops were quickly air-dropped in to support the patrol and coalition air fire killed or wounded 12 militants, said coalition spokesman Maj. Quentin Innis. Another coalition soldier died in combat in the eastern Kunar region.
Conditions permitting, Thursday will mark what the military describes as the start of major and decisive anti-Taliban operations lasting through the summer. Reconstruction projects will also play a major role.
The operation will involve about 2,300 U.S. conventional and special forces, 3,300 British troops, 2,200 Canadians, about 3,500 Afghan soldiers and coalition air support, said Maj. Gen. Benjamin C. Freakley, U.S. operational commander in Afghanistan, who briefed The Associated Press on the offensive last week.
The operation is the largest launched since 2001. But U.S.-led troops have conducted large-scale operations elsewhere in Afghanistan involving several thousand soldiers, particularly in the east near the Pakistani border where Taliban forces routinely attack U.S.-led troops from towering mountain ranges.
On Wednesday, coalition and Afghan forces killed 26 suspected Taliban fighters in an attack on mountain positions in the eastern Paktika province, said provincial Gov. Akram Khelwak. Helicopter gunships and artillery fire supported ground troops and one Afghan police officer was wounded.
Taliban militants have launched more suicide bombings against coalition troops in recent months, and staged nighttime attacks on government headquarters in small villages. The Taliban campaign, officials say, aims to convince villagers that the government cannot provide security, as well as to test NATO forces moving into the area.
NATO's International Security Assistance Force takes command in Afghanistan from the U.S.-led coalition in late July or early August. It will have 6,000 troops stationed permanently in the south, double what the coalition has had in recent years. Though the Pak army couldn't defeat them, it pushed them across the border and acts as the "anvil". Now, it's hammer time.
MUSA QALA: The US-led coalition is unleashing more than 11,000 troops to attack militants in the southern mountains of Afghanistan, the biggest offensive since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. The push starting from Thursday by US, British, Canadian and Afghan troops aims to squeeze Taliban fighters in four volatile provinces. It will focus on southern Uruzgan and northeastern Helmand, where the military says most of the forces are massed.
Maj Gen Benjamin C Freakley, the US operational commander in Afghanistan, said that coalition and Afghan troops would attack "Taliban enemy sanctuary or safe haven areas" in Kandahar, Helmand, Zabul and Uruzgan provinces. Conditions permitting, Thursday will mark what the military is calling the start of major and decisive anti-Taliban operations lasting through the summer. Reconstruction projects will also play a major role in Mountain Thrust. 'Operation Mountain Thrust' will involve about 2,300 US conventional and special forces, 3,300 British troops, 2,200 Canadians, about 3,500 Afghan soldiers and air support troops, Freakley said.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/14/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Saddle up, it's ass kickin time.
Posted by: Captain America ||
06/14/2006 1:06 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Lots of comedy in this piece -- Maj. Gen Freakley; Operation Mount and Thrust.
But seriously, if we have the numbers, I think we should send another few battalions to Afghanistan and strike the Taliban while they think they have some hope . . . and before the Brutal Afghan Winter(TM) arrives.
Posted by: Tibor ||
06/14/2006 1:21 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Musta be thinkin of a Decisive Blow(TM)
Posted by: Captain America ||
06/14/2006 1:41 Comments ||
Top||
#4
and before the Brutal Afghan Winter
Sounds like a good idea. Push them back into the mountains before they have a chance to resupply. And keep messing with any possible supply routes. They'll either have to show themselves or die in the mountains.
Posted by: grb ||
06/14/2006 2:39 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Hardly been trying Doogl, this is whats called an offensive , since 2001 we have been on a containment excerise ..
Get back in your box and close the lid . I'll pass you a bowl to cry into too .
#8
We've been trying since 2001, or did you forget, we can't do it. Vietnam 2+3 brewing, get ready to hang your head.
How's the insurgency in El Salvador going Doogl? That place was supposed to have a Communist government before the 1990s. And while you're at it, check out how the Taliban wannabees are doing in Algeria
#11
The only thing we didn't learn from Vietnam is that ya hafta go after ALL THE SAFE HAVENS. You go after ALL THE SUPPLY LINES, AND ALL THE SUPPLIERS. That means, with regard to the Taliban, Pakistan. Politics continue to get in the way of winning a war, and Doofus here knows it.
What he doesn't want is for us to say "f*ck this stupidity", DO learn ALL the lessons of Vietnam, and go after the safe havens in Pakiwakiland...
He, of course, will whine, bitch, moan, complain, and protest, but the sort of clueless bullshitting he does here only will make me more joyful when he does. You don't like it? GOOD.
#12
I've castigated a number of people recently, including a close friend of mine, for confusing wishful thinking with the hard reality of facts on ground.
There is a strategy the Jihadi's can, at least not lose, but the Afghan variant haven't figured it out yet and they will continue to be slaughtered in the field.
Now if you could bring Masood back, you might have a chance. He figured out how to win.
You murdered him! Bummer! Well those are the breaks.
#13
Well, yes, Doogl, I see your point. Having been a former history minor in college, allow me to make a few observations.
The similarities to Vietnam are truly there for anyone to see. All of our soldiers in Afghanistan are draftees, the forces they are fighting against are proxies for another world power, and the Taliban's military leadership is as gifted as General Giap. Mullah Omar is as inspirational as Ho Chi Minh. Our colleges are erupting daily with protests against the war, and the president is afraid to leave the White House grounds. Not sure what the equivalents are to the Ho Chi Minh trail, the Hanoi Hilton, or Dien Bien Phu are yet, much less the Tet Offensive (I could stretch it to include the skirmishes going on right now as an equivalent), but give me some time and caffeine, and I'll come up with some analogies.
As to the other part of your argument, we haven't accomplished one damn thing in Afghanistan. Why, we come marching in, and the next thing you know, some girls left their homes without male escorts to go shopping, go to school, or to work! Kids started flying kites, and there was the occasional snippet of music and a television broadcast! Then they got real uppity and held an election or two. I can't remember how many, 'cause our media kind of lost interest due to lack of massive bloodshed.
-------
Now, Doogl, please put down your Chomsky (especially if it is his defense of the Khmer Rouge, circa 1975), and pick up a history book by virtually anyone other than his buddy Zinn. You might learn something.
Please come up with another analogy besides Vietnam. It's been done, several times, by people far more intellectually gifted than you (for example, Cameron Diaz). Be creative and try something different....the Wars of the Roses, the Hundred Years' War, the Korean War, or the Great Salad Bar Brawl of Toronto in 2003.
#15
Nothing like an early morning chew toy on the Burg ... :-)
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/14/2006 8:10 Comments ||
Top||
#16
I had a doogl once. Surgically lanced. No reoccurrence thank god
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/14/2006 8:28 Comments ||
Top||
#17
If we were serious about Pakistan, Mr. Doogl, we'd drop a daisy cutter on each bara bazaar in your part of the country, followed by more of the same on each of the lovely training camps set up by your ISI for the Taliban. And maybe just a teensy 500 pounder on the street address of your IP -- just a little love pat, y'know.
We should be proud of Mr. Doogl -- despite the poor lad's inherent disabilities, he has managed to figure out how to set up a web site, and has strung together enough cliches to believe himself capable of coherent thought. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem aware that the downside of the worldwide web is that his commonplace idiocies will be available for the world to read so long as electrons flow.
I do hope Mr. Doogl hasn't any professional ambitions that require the exhibition of consistently applied intelligence. The better employers google their interviewees nowadays.
#20
Its not you doing the funding , its your parents , right ? Good for them .
I agree that the work you are doing in that region is impressive , I have read the annual reports et al . I , myself have spent a long time in Kashmir doing the same kind of things (over twenty years ago i may add , before crazy mullahs moved in) , although not on the scale you have undetaken with your lucky parental support .
There has been progress in Afganistan whether you can see it or not . Imagine the flip side , if we hadn't done anything , do you think you could do what you are doing now , with the Talibs still in charge of Afganistan ? I seriously doubt it . Five years is absolutely nothing in a backwater hole like where you are based , foundations have been laid and things will develop over time (as you probably notice with your venture ).
As regards the heroine trade , its been there for a very very very long time , dismantling something like that will take a long time , farmers need alternatives and incentives to change , the same as the kashmiri pot growers did .
Where did I say I would report you to the OSCR ? I merely stated that it needs updating .. sheesh you seem to be a little tetchy to me.
As regards the regrouping of Tailbs and friends , they came to your neck of the woods to regroup and sort themselves out , the ISI , Pakistan government , and various other folk wouldnt let us come in and finish the job , so the wound festered , so to speak . Is that really our fault , no ...
"but why educate them when you can drop bombs on them eh!" -yawn- boring-
#21
Doogl appears to be one of those people whose mind is so open his brain has fallen out. Look at, for example, his wholesale acceptance of propaganda in re Central America and DU.
It's quite breath-taking, really. You rarely find someone so willing to cling to lies.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
06/14/2006 10:29 Comments ||
Top||
#22
"If we hadn't done anything the Taliban would never have been there, taking it back not too far."
If we hadnt done anything in the 1980s, the Soviets would still be there, something which I think most Afghans would not consider a good thing. The problem in the 90s was that we did too little.
"And you can't talk about the ISI as distinct from the CIA, right in bed with each other."
yes, you can as they are distinct entities with distinct interests. Yes they worked together against the USSR, but the ISI support for the Taliban was not supported by the CIA.
"'m 99% sure that the head of ISI was with big-wigs in US on 9/11 and US military and intelligence people made a flurry of visits to Pakistan in the lead up to 9/11."
Im sure that there were contacts, as there are with countries around the world. I dont know what you mean by a flurry, or what your source is. You seem to imply that the US planned 9/11. Perhaps you dont realize how closely such conspiracy theories have been examined already.
"incentives to stop growing opium were offered but we never payed up. I just want people to realise the lack of humanity in anything we're doing there."
I would agree that there has been a lack of competence in addressing opium growing since 2002. I dont think that means its inhuman to try to stop the Taliban now.
"Yeah I'm a bit tetchy. Can't stand ignorant people feeling so good about the inhuman acts done in their name, and cheering for more."
Im against the inhuman acts that have been perpertrated on the people of Afghanistan by the Taliban. Im sorry if some innocent rural Pashtuns have been hurt, but AFAICT we have leaned over backwards to reach out to the Pashtun sector, as has the Kharzai govt. I suspect theres more sympathy for the Pashtuns in Washington then there is in some parts of Mazar e Sharif, or in Hazara land.
#23
Doogi, you're not one of those simian idiots who thinks depleted uranium poisons people, are you? Please tell me you're smarter than that. I'd like to respect you.
They call it depleted for a reason. Can you guess why?
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/14/2006 10:47 Comments ||
Top||
#24
It's been done, several times, by people far more intellectually gifted than you (for example, Cameron Diaz).
You want a source to debunk the bullshit? When it comes to science, they've kind of established that they know what they are talking about, unlike Charlie Sheen.
#29
I'll let someone else handle the detailed debunking, but I've heard a good book for conspiracy theorists in general is Karl Popper's _The Open Society And Its Enemies_, which I've heard contains an analysis of the use of conspiracy theories by repressive regimes (such as Czarist Russia, Nazi Germany, and the Communists) as a means of social control.
I would provide the caveat that I haven't had time to read it myself, but there it is.
Posted by: Phil ||
06/14/2006 13:27 Comments ||
Top||
#30
Question for the 911 conspiracies;
Where did you hide the people who took those flights ?
#31
We've been trying since 2001, or did you forget, we can't do it. Vietnam 2+3 brewing, get ready to hang your head.
Hi, Doogl:
I understand why people bring up the comparison, but militarily this is nothing like Vietnam. Whether you know it or not you're trying to use it as a seed to get people who don't think with their brain to think this war could turn out that way to start the usual pointless second-guessing process. It's also a good diversion for people who respond to that kind of bait.
The US isn't there to do a majority of the fighting, we are there just to fill the gap until they can train the good people who rightfully elected their own government to fight against a small percentage of thugs who have to rely on barbaric techniques to "spread" their ideology. If they are so right and so in the majority, let them put on uniforms and face the people there like men. Like the people the Taliban are trying to subjugate are facing them. Do you think the Taliban could stand for five minutes if they had to face the same techniques they use on the people there? No. It takes less than a couple of percent with guns to put down an unarmed majority. I don't see how any true "leader" could be proud of that. I can imagine how an opportunistic, self-centered, power-hungry, uneducated barbarian and his henchmen could be. The Taliban are there to get a bunch of people to do things that they don't want to do. Why? What's the point? Where is the value? Are the Taliban there to help them go to heaven as only Taliban can? It won't work, because it is not in these people's hearts to live the Taliban lifestyle. The people there are not hurting or threatening their neighbors. The Taliban should back off and go find someone who want to live like them. If the only way they can do this is to keep them at the point of a gun for the rest of eternity, then something is wrong. My thought is to give the people a fighting chance there. A democracy is the best way I know of, but I could be wrong. Any better ideas? Let's hear them. Not just whining about how some unrelated thing didn't turn out. There are no problems, only solutions. This site is for debate, not just bitching about counterexamples. Perhaps one might not pick that up given the tone of some of the comments, though, mine included sometimes!
This is how I think. It is not all of what I think. But it seems to be the most relevant right now.
And if you can keep your reason as well as you have given that you are facing a bunch of conservatives, you're doing pretty well indeed! But you are a liberal who has wandered into conservative territory, and not the other way around, so you stand a good chance of getting your point across or learning something if you keep your wits about you.
Posted by: grb ||
06/14/2006 13:57 Comments ||
Top||
#32
Fifteen of the nineteen people who hijacked the four aircraft in the United States were from Saudi Arabia, so the CIA went to PAKISTAN to arrange it? That's too far-fetched for me. Some people need to do some hard thinking. Yeah, it hurts, but the answers are so beautiful!
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
06/14/2006 14:06 Comments ||
Top||
#33
but why educate them when you can drop bombs on them eh!
#34
Point of information, grb: to the best of my knowledge, I'm not a conservative, and neither are a good many people here. I read a statistic that even in the US Armed Forces, historically 25% vote Democratic. *shrug* It isn't about party politics or mental outlook, but about dealing with deadly reality, realistically.
Otherwise a really good post, though. Well said! In fact, I think this thread is a keeper. And if I prove wrong about Mr. Doogl, I shall be very pleased indeed. We could use a correspondent who knows that part of the world intimately, now that Paul Moloney has gotten so busy with his own affairs.
#35
My recollection from a career NCO uncle was that the Army was pretty Democrat from WWII to McNamara & McGovern when they filed for the permanent divorce.
Yes, the popular mechanics article is the standard one, but there has been continued discussion since then. I really dont keep tabs on all the sites. Wed need to see more detail on which particular conspiracy theory you believe (there are several, not all consistent, IIUC)
I appreciate your tone and your willingless to learn and participate. We all need to do more of that.
I would be the last to say the US is blameless in Afghanistan. Our turning away and ignoring it after 1991 was shameful, albeit a shame we have paid for in death and destruction in our own country - (and before anyone starts, it was a shame shared by both political parties) Since 2001, we have failed to live up to our promises on reconstruction, as has been documented in several articles recently. A better focus on reconstruction might well have moved the afghan economy farther from opium, and thus weakened the Taliban more.
Many of us are aware of that however, and I think we will move to do something about it. At the same time operations like the one announced in this thread are still necessary I think.
Would you suggest stopping all offensive operations in the Pashtun provinces until reconstuction is completely fixed? Would that not be to cede initiative to the Taliban, who would use it to consolidate their own advantage?
#37
It's quite breath-taking, really. You rarely find someone so willing to cling to lies.
Hell, RC. Not justing clinging, but full-on dry-humping them.
#38
WELL, I can say for starters that the first item in the first video is dishonest; it mentions the high temperature of the debris field and implies that that means explosives _must_ be responsible.
As if explosives must have more chemical energy than other types of compounds.
The last time I checked, that wasn't true.
The next thing on the list is, it shows the collapse, and labels it a "nice symmetrical implosion," but that's not proof that it was an implosion.
And it's going to go on for two hours that I don't have...
Posted by: Phil ||
06/14/2006 17:38 Comments ||
Top||
#39
You really won't understand until you get to the sixth tape that begins with the grandfather of 48.
#40
And now after that quick intro the video seems to have four or so minutes of people patting themselves on the back... and then Dr. Jones starts talking about building collapses.
One of the frequent posters here is a rescue worker named Chuck Simmins; this is what he had to say on the matter at the time.
Posted by: Phil ||
06/14/2006 18:03 Comments ||
Top||
#41
Another piece of misdirection: he is comparing a film of the collapse of WTC-7 where the part that failed is obscured to a film of a collapse of a much smaller building where everything's in full view.
Posted by: Phil ||
06/14/2006 18:06 Comments ||
Top||
#42
And then more patting-on-the-back and comparing himself to Patrick Henry.
Posted by: Phil ||
06/14/2006 18:08 Comments ||
Top||
#43
OOH, here's a quote: "I wouldn't expect that from the laws of entropy, which would say things topple over..."
It occurs to me that toppling over would require the object to maintain structural integrity and rigidity at the same time that it's collapsing from a lack of same.
Posted by: Phil ||
06/14/2006 18:15 Comments ||
Top||
#44
I should add that I have seen debunkings of the whole "wtc 7" scenario that he's writing about.
SECOND, I just noticed a problem with the "conservation of momentum" scenario he's talked about. He says that one floor hitting another would be slowed down, but this wouldn't be the case if you had explosive demolition knocking everything out the way.
In order for that to happen, the explosives would have to knock the floors completely out the way, i.e. out of the footprint of the collapsing building, which he has just said a minute earlier didn't happen, that everything collapsed into one footprint.
Explosives can't violate the conservation of momentum, so he's trying to have it both ways. IMHO.
Posted by: Phil ||
06/14/2006 18:26 Comments ||
Top||
#45
Aye but the point being how did it lose its structural integrity all over at the same time.
Probably the same way WTC 1 and 2 did: Thermal stress. (Not the same as thermal shock).
Posted by: Phil ||
06/14/2006 18:29 Comments ||
Top||
#46
I think I'm going to leave work (where the computer-that-can-see-video is) and go home. This has become tiring to me.
I think I'll say in closing that whatever the mystery that WTC 7 represents to you or Dr. Jones, the NY Fire Department _was_ expecting WTC 7 to collapse and had evacuated it.
Posted by: Phil ||
06/14/2006 18:35 Comments ||
Top||
#47
Steve will get to NIST's initial thermodynamic model results which showed steel reached 250 degrees C and couldn't fail.
And he's decided that initial model was correct and any others wrong... why?
Posted by: Phil ||
06/14/2006 18:37 Comments ||
Top||
#49
After all, this film opens with a discussion of how even much later the building's remains were at a much higher temperature.
Posted by: Phil ||
06/14/2006 18:38 Comments ||
Top||
#50
Did you say they expected it to collapse? That's a very good start Phil.
Why are conspiracy nuts so stupid about such matters? Were I a fireman, I'd "expect" pretty much any structure under duress to collapse and be pleasantly surprised if I were wrong. Jeez.
#51
Did you say they expected it to collapse? That's a very good start Phil.
Up until the initial collapse of WTC 1 and 2, it was being used as an emergency command post. After that, and the fires started there, it was evacuated in the expectation that it would collapse.
I ran across an interesting discussion of it here where some people were arguing about whether asbestos might have helped the buildings to last slightly longer.
Posted by: Phil ||
06/14/2006 18:46 Comments ||
Top||
#52
Except that no steel building had ever collapsed from fire before that day, ever ever ever.
You say that as if steel is some sort of magic unobtainium that's impossibly rigid and unbreakable.
I'm beginning to wonder how I ever manage to machine the stuff.
Have a nice day, everyone.
Posted by: Phil ||
06/14/2006 18:53 Comments ||
Top||
#53
eLarson, the visual I'm getting from what you wrote alternates between hilarious and disgusting! ;)
#54
Any examples of a very large steel building collapsing sideways under a similar uniformly weakening heat load?
Also, law of conservation of angular inertia plays a part here. A very heavy and somewhat rigid floor isn't going to start rotating right away to cause what's above it to tip. I expect unless a huge chunk of one side of a building is weakened that it will pancake as the WTC did. Several floors were weakened fairly uniformly, and when one of the supports gives way, the others are going to have to bear the additional load somewhat equally for a while before the floor starts "tipping" and therefore applying more weight to the supports near the failed one. If those supports were already weakened, they're likely to all buckle about the same time. For example, have you and a friend ever carried something heavy like a long ladder or a railroad tie and one of you let go of your end prematurely? The other guy feels the full weight for an instant before the thing starts to turn one end down. It takes a lot of force to start things turning. If you were not able to support any more weight, it would get forced out of your grip almost instantly before it could tip and it would land fairly flat. That's small potatoes compared to the angular inertia of one of these floors when all of the supports are weakened. It's not going to rotate much, but will fall flat and start a "pancaking" chain reaction.
Posted by: grb ||
06/14/2006 18:58 Comments ||
Top||
This building is the first of the "tube construction" buildings. The strength was all in the walls of the building, with relatively very little in the core. Now they are talking more about going to a hybrid between tube and core strength, I think I remember hearing. Does that change things?
Posted by: grb ||
06/14/2006 19:10 Comments ||
Top||
#57
Doogl, just a friendly hint: Phil and others here are experts in civil engineering, mechanical engineering and the properties of metals under thermal and other stress.
#58
Yeah, the hollow steel tubes would be like a pop can. You can stand on it carefully and it won't collapse as long as you don't get too aggressive. Of course, you need a "strong core". Who's going to say they have a "weak core"? Nobody would rent the building. Essentially what this means is that there is a much larger portion of the strength in the walls than in past buildings, and the core could be and was built lighter because it didn't have to shoulder the entire load. There is no big metal spike or you would have heard about it. All you saw after its collapse is a bunch of I-beams and concrete rubble, with no blast cuts in them. Anybody working at ground zero who would have caught something like that would have said something. And the government didn't cherry pick its workers or tell them to be quiet. Any evidence like that would have been worth a lifetime of fame and a ton of money.
Posted by: grb ||
06/14/2006 19:30 Comments ||
Top||
#59
Nighty night. :-)
Posted by: grb ||
06/14/2006 19:30 Comments ||
Top||
#60
I'm a licensed civil engineer with structural specialties and 18 yrs in bridge design/construction. You "sir" are ignorant, and a kool aid drinker/true believer. I wouldn't waste the bandwidth to debunk your fantasies. You're not worth it.
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/14/2006 19:31 Comments ||
Top||
#61
Except that no steel building had ever collapsed from fire before that day, ever ever ever.
No you mean, never, never, ever, ever, ever, ever. Course wind can do it.
#63
"Except that no steel building had ever collapsed from fire before that day, ever ever ever."
Well then, it's very difficult for me to understand why my structural engineering friends in the petrochemical industry spend so much time and effort on fireproofing of structural steel. Must be some strange paranoid delusions. Odd, they seemed so very rational otherwise.
#66
A less gentle hint to our Doogl boy - the moderators can tell what IP you're posting from and through. Adopting someone else's nym, especially to make him look bad, is one of those things we'll come down hard on.
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/14/2006 20:22 Comments ||
Top||
#71
Um mods, since we are in the midst of the World Cup, please use the appropriate terminology...he's been shown the red card. Appropriately enough, since he's already been shown a yellow by lotp (or was that just a caution? Should've been a free kick. Will have to watch the replay). For those of you who don't know, two yellows is a red. Red means you're booted off.
Posted by: Rafael ||
06/14/2006 20:31 Comments ||
Top||
#72
So , hes been 'trolled' for posting under someone elses name ?
Shame , I quite liked the guy .. well , at least his amiable , charitable ambitions.
Point of information, grb: to the best of my knowledge, I'm not a conservative, and neither are a good many people here. I read a statistic that even in the US Armed Forces, historically 25% vote Democratic. *shrug* It isn't about party politics or mental outlook, but about dealing with deadly reality, realistically.
Well, you're the expert on you! It's probably just a matter of definitions. For me, the divide between liberal and conservative is fuzzy. When it comes to many of the subjects that you find on this blog and WOT stuff, I would classify myself as "conservative" - meaning to hold people accountable, no excuses for one's own bad behavior, etc. War and killing are my line you don't cross lightly. Liberal I think of as more forgiving and accepting of another's point of view. It has its uses elsewhere, but not when it comes to something as serious to me as the WOT and the extremist idiots whose time has more than come. In this regard, perhaps you could be called conservative, too, as are most of the comments I see in these parts. Perhaps your liberalism understands people deserve to live their lives more than others deserve to be able to take their lives. I myself am liberal on other issues, but not on this one with all these extremist goals that are anything but tolerable in my eyes, even were I to claim I understood them.
In any case, I think it's good to be around people with diverse points of view, as long as they're not wearing tinfoil hats. It's even better when all those people can agree on what needs to be done, and can come to conclusions that help you understand things better and pay dividends in the future! In any case, glad to have you around.
Posted by: grb ||
06/14/2006 23:01 Comments ||
Top||
#74
No worries, grb. You're a dear, and I too find myself falling under a variety of labels, depending on the subject. But I completely agree with you that WoT is non-negotiable, at least until after we've won irreversably.
#76
Yes my site is there. I'm pleased to say that my thoughts on the area have nothing to do with our media. All of your optimism is entirely unfounded. Checked out history recently?
#79
As for El Salvador, the US trained and equiped the army to kill everyone who would stand up for the provision of services until only business interest and downtrodden people remained. Nice one guys, FREEDOM! Al Quada are of course spreading, we can expect that as long as we brutalise muslims.
Hey Doofus, you wish you had the military might to invade Pakistan. Guess what. You really don't!
You are all so hyped up, no connection with reality here.
#80
Maybe I should take it all back. Progress in Afghanistan over 5 YEARS has been astounding, and the uranium babies are really quite pretty. The 'containment excersice' allowed them to train and regroup numbering around 30,000 in a neighbouring country, well contained. And more and more heroin keeps flowing. Again, well done.
You should report me to OSCR if you think I'm not up to date, they'll lock me up where no one can hear me. You might notice from my sight that I'm funding schools in NWFP which are in direct competition with the mad mullahs. If I could fund schools against idiots in the US aswell I would.
#82
My parents have contributed, but a small percentage. No need to be condescending. Would have loved to have been there before the crazy mullahs moved in.
If we hadn't done anything the Taliban would never have been there, taking it back not too far. And you can't talk about the ISI as distinct from the CIA, right in bed with each other. I'm 99% sure that the head of ISI was with big-wigs in US on 9/11 and US military and intelligence people made a flurry of visits to Pakistan in the lead up to 9/11.
Incentives to stop growing opium were offered but we never payed up. I just want people to realise the lack of humanity in anything we're doing there.
Yeah I'm a bit tetchy. Can't stand ignorant people feeling so good about the inhuman acts done in their name, and cheering for more.
#83
Great ranting, it's been most informative. I must point out that I'm no a sympathiser with fundaMENTALIST muslims, I don't like them, more than most because I used to live amongst them.
My website (a charity, working against the extremists if anything) has been hacked and nuked today. Everyone chuckling to themselves has serious freedom of speech issues.
Suspected Taliban shot dead a district intelligence officer in southern Afghanistan, Afghan officials said on Tuesday. The fresh attack was carried out in Waghaz district of the troubled Ghazni province. The officer named Noor Mohammad, was head of the district intelligence department. Police chief of the province Tafseer Khan said the victim was on way from office to his house when his car was ambushed by Taliban insurgents. They fired several bursts of Kalashnikov at the vehicle killing the officer on the spot.
Ghazni province has turned into the most dangerous place for government employees in recent months. Taliban fighters are targeting government employees, pro-government religious scholars and burning schools in the province. In the Andar district of the same province, the militants have banned movement of vehicles by planting landmines on roads leading to the provincial capital. The Taliban also claimed attacking a joint convoy of the coalition forces and Afghan police in the same province. The Afghan authorities confirmed the attack but they rejected Taliban's claim regarding casualties among the coalition and Afghan forces.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/14/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
Somalia's transitional government has approved the deployment of foreign troops, despite opposition from the Islamic courts. The government motion was endorsed by 125 MPs and rejected by 73 in the vote on Wednesday. The other MPs in the 275-member, clan-based assembly either abstained or were absent. Parliament sits in Baidoa, about 250km northwest of the capital Mogadishu.
On Tuesday, east African states, meeting in Nairobi, told Uganda and Sudan to prepare their forces for deployment under the African Union banner, once the United Nations modified an embargo imposed in 1992 that barred the entry of arms into Somalia.
Boy, that'll make the islamists sit up and take notice. Once they stop laughing, that is...
Talks between the Somali government and the Islamic courts collapsed over the weekend. The Islamists would not countenance the deployment of foreign troops and walked out.
The victory of the Islamists in Mogadishu and the outlying town of Jowhar boosts their negotiating power, because the government has to depend on their goodwill to exert control across the nation. The Arab League, meanwhile, has urged support for the transitional government in Somalia. It also wants an end to funding for the coalition of militia groups pitted against the Islamists.
Natch....
Amr Mussa, the secretary-general, said: "The situation in Somalia requires immediate end of support to the so-called warlords ... [it] necessitates support for the legitimate Somali government."
Samir Hosni, the league's senior Horn of Africa official, expressed displeasure that no invitation had been received to join a US-sponsored international "contact group" on Somalia. The group was expected to meet in New York on Thursday to discuss ways to prop up the transitional government. "The Arab League hopes the US administration reviews the contact group to include the most important international and regional players on the Somali issue, including the Arab League," Hosni said.
Posted by: Steve ||
06/14/2006 12:50 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
All it does with regards to Soudan is make the presence official.
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) - Islamic fighters on Wednesday drove secular militiamen out of a strategic town in southern Somalia following a brief firefight and the fleeing of militia leaders in the middle of the night, witnesses said. There were no immediate reports of casualties, but residents were fleeing for fear of unrest in the town of Jowhar, about 55 miles from the capital of Mogadishu, which the Islamic fighters seized from the secular militiamen last week.
The Islamic Courts Union had been building up troops around Jowhar in recent days to finish off their rivals, the warlord-led Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counterterrorism. The town had been the alliance's last remaining stronghold in southern Somalia.
On to Puntland?
Clan elders in Jowhar had urged the warlords to leave the town in order to avoid a confrontation, two Somali officials said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. Witnesses told The Associated Press that the warlords did not want to be disarmed by the Islamic fighters and fought their way out of the town.
Just before morning prayers at dawn Wednesday, witnesses also reported skirmishes between some Islamic fighters and secular militiamen about 10 miles outside Jowhar. There were no casualties reported and the fighting stopped soon after. One alliance warlord, Issa Ahmed, said he was still in Jowhar - his hometown - and he would defend it if anybody attacked.
Issa's got nowhere to go.
The warlords who fled late Tuesday included two former members of Somalia's transitional government, Mohamed Qanyare Afrah and Botan Isse Allen, the officials said. They were loyal to Mohammed Dheere, the alliance's main leader who was reportedly hiding in Ethiopia trying to raise support for his forces.
Mohamed Jama, a militiaman loyal to Qanyare, confirmed to The Associated Press that Qanyare and Allen had left Jowhar at night with some technicals pickups mounted with machine-guns and scores of militiamen. He said they were now in the town of El Bur, 200 miles northeast of Mogadishu.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/14/2006 08:49 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
This proves that the US isn't backing these warlords. When we back someone, they don't have to retreat.
#4
Take a look at some sat images of Somalia and see if you want to have anything there, heh.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
06/14/2006 11:39 Comments ||
Top||
#5
They now control all of southern Somalia. Look for them to begin consolidating their power and bulwarking the area before moving on. Their next opponents, assuming they plan on going after Puntland or Somaliland, are going to be a lot bigger nuts to crack.
It also behooves me to note that the transitional government is now essentially at their mercy if you look at a map.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
06/14/2006 12:06 Comments ||
Top||
#7
yah, but the TNG has what they (apparently) want most - some international legitimacy. Theres still a lot of logic for them to reach out to the TNG.
I dont imagine they will go after the north any time soon. First they have to consolidate their position in the south, a very unstable, broken area, IIUC. They might well then ask if taking the north is even worth their while.
#11
Yes, please God, let the Islamists be stupid enough to attack Puntland and/or Somaliland. That would lead to a rapid reduction in their ranks, as they come up against an actual military, with some tanks and light armour, and artillery. Those warwagons of theirs are rolling coffins in an artillery barrage, especially if you are mean and mix in white phosphorous rounds with the airbursts.
The Islamic militias that took over the capital of Somalia last week are seeking to solidify their rule while reassuring Western leaders that they do not intend to impose an extremist, Taliban-style government on that battered East African country, diplomats, analysts and militia officials say.
In a coordinated effort including private conversations and public declarations, the Islamic Courts Union is portraying itself as a moderate force capable of stabilizing a blood-soaked land that has endured 15 years without a central government.
A letter sent by militia leaders to foreign governments said they want "a friendly relationship with the international community." The chairman of the militia group, Sharif Ahmed, has made conciliatory comments in interviews with several Western journalists and invited others to visit Mogadishu, long among the world's most dangerous cities but now transformed to peacefulness, militia officials say, by their rule.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
06/14/2006 00:09 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
WE-B-FUN, sure, as long as they behead themselves.
Posted by: Captain America ||
06/14/2006 1:08 Comments ||
Top||
Having failed to defeat Islamist factions in Somalia through covert action - yet unwilling to see the lawless country on the Horn of Africa become a haven for Islamist extremists, including Al Qaeda - the US is preparing for a more diplomatic kind of intervention.
On Thursday, the US will initiate a "Somalia contact group" of interested countries and organizations to begin deliberating on how the international community can help stabilize what experts consider to be a "failed state."
For many Americans, Somalia is best remembered for the 1993 operation to capture a Somali warlord in Mogadishu that ended in the deaths of 18 US soldiers. That incident led to a hasty US pullout - and the 2001 movie "Black Hawk Down."
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
06/14/2006 00:04 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
sounds like an intel gathering mission to me.
Posted by: Captain America ||
06/14/2006 1:09 Comments ||
Top||
#2
"Abandoned Somalia more than a decade ago", i.e. during the mid-1990's andor Clinton's first term. GOOD FOR DUBYA & ADMIN - the Central African region is gener far weaker and unstable than any other region in the world IFF US-WESTERN CENTRIC OWG-GLOBAL ECON CAN STABILIZE-MODERNIZE CENTRAL AFRICA + AFRICA IN GENERAL, IT CAN HANDLE ANYTHING. The Somali Courts PC offer stability, order, and managed/planned progress - US-Western democratists have to offer the same plus better.
A youth, 16, and a man, 21, have been charged with conspiracy to murder and conspiring to cause public nuisance by using poisons or explosives. The man, from Bradford, was arrested at Manchester airport. He is also accused of possessing a computer hard drive for a purpose connected with terrorism. He and the 16-year-old, from Dewsbury, will appear at Bow Street Magistrates' Court in central London on Thursday. The man and the youth were arrested under terrorism laws last week.
Several properties in West Yorkshire, including an internet cafe in Bradford, were searched after the arrests. West Yorkshire Police, MI5 and the Metropolitan Police took part in the operation.
Police say they are aware operations "of this nature" can cause public concern and have been meeting religious and civic leaders in Dewsbury and Bradford to keep them informed of events. A spokeswoman said West Yorkshire Police "values the continuing support of civic leaders and residents and asks that communities remain united".
"West Yorkshire Police would like to thank the public for their continuing co-operation and understanding during the policing operation over the past week. "The force is aware that investigations of this nature may cause disruption, which has to be balanced against the need to act quickly and in proportion to certain information and intelligence. "This is a serious and complex investigation. "Inquiries are expected to continue into various aspects of the investigation for some time."
Posted by: Steve ||
06/14/2006 12:43 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
Russian helicopters on Wednesday bombed a wooded area in the restive southern region of Ingushetia where security forces believed up to 10 Chechnyan militants were hiding, Associated Press news agency reported. The air strikes came amidst two months of rebel violence in the region bordering on Chechnya, in which 10 people including two high-ranking police officials and three small children have been killed.
The military operation Wednesday, outside the village of Ali-Yurt, about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the regions largest city, Nazran, involved units of the Ingush Interior Ministry, the Federal Security Service and the Russian army, said Nazir Yevloyev, the regional Interior Ministry spokesman. After the bombing, the troops fanned out through the woods to search for the militants.
The operation to detain members of an illegal armed group began at 7 a.m. (3 a.m. GMT), and special forces are combing the area and police have cut off escape routes, the local interior ministry spokesman told RIA Novosti.
In the nearby region of Kabardino-Balkariya, meanwhile, Deputy Russian Interior Minister Yuri Kokov said Tuesday that the special services attempts to cut off terrorist financing were ineffective, and accused them of purposely underestimating the number of militant supporters in the region. The reason for the weak work in preventing planned terrorist attacks is the terrible corruption among the employees of the military, security and law enforcement structures, Kokov told a conference of Interior Ministry officers.
The Kabardino-Balkariya regional department of the Federal Security Service announced Tuesday, that seven automatic rifles recovered from the bodies of five militants killed in the October attack on Nalchik, had been stolen from military warehouses in a June 2004 rebel raid in Ingushetia, for which radical Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev has claimed responsibility. Officials have announced such linkages to shore up their argument that Islamic-inspired rebels across Russias south are coordinating their actions.
Posted by: Steve ||
06/14/2006 11:12 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
The top U.S. envoy to South Korea warned June 14 that Washington and its allies would respond appropriately if North Korea test-fired a missile capable of reaching the United States.
I'd prefer us to respond "inappropriately"
Ambassador Alexander Vershbow said Washington was monitoring preparations for a long-range missile test that have reportedly been under way for more than a month at a remote launch pad in northeastern North Korea. We really dont know what are the intentions of chairman Kim Jong-Il or any other military leaders in North Korea, Vershbow said in an interview with state-run KBS radio.
But as I said we want them to understand that tests in light of other problems that we have in our relations with North Korea will be viewed as a very serious matter and we will take appropriate measures in response.
He said consultations would take place with partners to the six-party talks with North Korea before a decision would be made on a response. On-off talks on ending the North Korea nuclear standoff have brought together the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States since August 2003.
South Koreas foreign minister urged Pyongyang to abandon plans for the missile test that would have a negative impact on the international geopolitical situation and the settlement of North Koreas nuclear issue. It is appropriate for North Korea to stop preparations for the missile launch and return to six-party talks, Ban Ki-Moon told a weekly media briefing.
A senior South Korean official who declined to be named earlier confirmed reports that North Korea was preparing to test-fire a Taepodong-2 multi-stage missile with a range of more than 6,000 kilometers (3,600 miles) that was capable of hitting the United States. Preparations which were reported last month have not stopped, the official said. Separately a U.S. official was quoted as saying there were enough indications to suggest that the Stalinist state was preparing to test-fire the missile. Ban declined to say how far North Koreas launch preparations had progressed and gave no estimate of when a launch could be ready, but he said South Korea was closely watching developments.
Current test preparations are reportedly far more advanced than on previous occasions when North Korea appeared to be gearing up for a missile launch.
In 1998 Pyongyang shocked the world by launching a Taepodong-1 missile that flew over Japan before crashing into the Pacific. The launch triggered jitters in Japan and prompted Tokyo and Washington to accelerate plans to build a missile defense system.
Vershbow said North Korea should abide by a long-range missile moratorium declared by its leader Kim Jong-Il in 1999. We really call upon North Korea to abide by the moratorium on flight tests of long-range missiles, he said.
If they were to test a long-range missile now it would be a very serious matter and we will consider it to be very much against the spirit of the September agreement of the six-party talks.
North Korea agreed at six-party talks in September to dismantle its nuclear weapons program in return for economic aid and other benefits. But in November Pyongyang said it would boycott further talks after Washington imposed financial sanctions for alleged counterfeiting and money laundering. Some experts say North Korea, aware that launch preparations are easily monitored by U.S. satellite, wants to use the threat of a test-flight to force Washington to roll back the sanctions.
Boy, they really don't know Bush very well
Reports of a possible launch surfaced last month in Japanese and South Korean newspapers. They said U.S. satellite images showed increased movement by trailers and other vehicles near the Musudan-ri missile test site in northeastern North Korea, facing the Sea of Japan (East Sea).
Posted by: Steve ||
06/14/2006 13:48 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#4
Either test the ABM or launch cruise missles and destroy the site the night before the launch and then deny everything. Make it look like their own missile blew up.
For bonus points use a Russian or Chinese missile (or at least point the missile with their markings and identification) so that when the North Koreans show whatever scraps are left they look like idiots.
#6
Noth Korea does the rantin', China's PLAN-PLAAF does the buzzin' and penetratin' - Chinese mil bloggers are reporting that PLAN ships will be deployed to naval areas near the launch site for training exercises.
Thirteen terror suspects greeted each other as long-lost friends when they were reunited for the first day of their committal hearing in Melbourne today. Amid extraordinary security at Melbourne's County Court building, the accused men laughed and chatted with each other as they were led into the dock.
All 13 have been kept separate in custody - some since November - since their arrest on charges of being members of a terrorist group. Unshackled and dressed in street clothes, the men appeared relaxed and happy to see each other as legal argument dominated today's three hour hearing.
Watched over by a large contingent of court security officers and police, the men sat in pairs separated by glass partitions in the specially-modified dock at the back of the court. The accused remained seated as the magistrate entered and left the court, in defiance of court protocol.
The 13 are all charged with being members of a terrorist group, with some also charged with funding a terrorist organisation. The alleged spiritual leader of the group, Abdul Nacer Benbrika, 46, of the Melbourne suburb of Dallas, was seated in the front row of the dock. The other defendants are Aimen Joud, 21, of Hoppers Crossing, Fadal Sayadi, 26, of Coburg, Amer Haddara, 26, of Yarraville, Ahmed Raad, 23, of Fawkner, Shane Kent, 29, of Meadow Heights, Abdulla Merhi, 21, of Fawkner, Hany Taha, 31, of Hadfield, Izzydeen Atik, 26, of Williamstown, Bassam Raad, 24, of Brunswick, Majed Raad, 22, of Coburg and Shoue Hammoud, 26, of Hadfield.
The hearing erupted in drama when a scuffle broke out between a supporter of the men and security after he reached over the glass partition and touched one of the accused men in the dock. In another incident, one of the suspects accused a security guard of hitting him during the lunch break. ``I did nothing to him ... he hit me,'' the man called out in the court.
Swedish prosecutor Agneta Hilding-Qvarnström said on Friday that people detained by police Thursday in the southwest town of Malmö were not arrested. She also refused to confirm reports that action had been taken on behalf of Britain. No, there have not been any arrests, to arrest is a step taken by the legal system nobody has been arrested, Hilding-Qvarnström said.
But, she said, steps have been taken against the people due to the request for help from "another country".
That's about as mealy-mouthed as you could ask.
Four people have been allotted public defenders. The lawyers are forbidden from giving any information about their clients.
So they've been detained, and have been given mouthpieces lawyers, but they're not arrested. That makes sense in a Y'urp-peon way, I suppose.
She did not comment further on the topic. I am not going to say anything, said Hilding-Qvarnström. I am not in charge of this. It is another country that has requested help.
The newspaper Sydsvenskan reported on Friday that Swedish and British police detained several people in Malmö on Thursday morning for suspected terror crimes. Malmös district court is not using the detainees names, and is simply using the letters A, B, C and D. It is not know for what they are being detained.
The Swedish justice system allows police to question people on suspicion of crimes without actually arresting them. Neither the Swedish Security Police, Säpo, nor Skåne police would comment on the investigation, referring queries to the prosecutor.
Sydsvenskan also reported that Thursdays raid was linked to the detainment of a 28-year-old Swedish man in Gothenburg two weeks ago who was also suspected of terror crimes.
Two young men were convicted on Wednesday of planning an attack on the evangelical Word of Life (Livets Ord) church in Uppsala. Stockholm district court sentenced one of the men to three years and six months imprisonment and the other to two years.
A third man was jailed for eight months for planning an unspecified attack together with the other two. The three were convicted of conspiracy to commit terrorist acts, among other offences.
Livets Ord is a powerful Swedish Christian evanglical movement, which among other things operates large schemes to encourage Russian Jews to move to Israel. Its church in Uppsala has the largest capacity of any house of worship in Europe.
The two men convicted of the Livets Ord conspiracy, ages 25 and 22, were also convicted of attempting an act of terror when they last December threw Molotov cocktails at an Iraqi polling place in Kista, Stockholm.
The court reasoned that the attack aimed "to instil serious fear among the Swedish people and not only among Iraqi voters in Sweden and among Livets Ord followers." The court also said that if the attacks had achieved their aims, they would have caused serious harm to Sweden.
It is a fundamental interest of a democratic state that a parliamentary election can be carried out without disturbance and in a secure manner, the court said.
#7
Sorry, Svenskis, this was self-inflicted. You would just say you were "bla-ogad"=blue-eyed, naive. I would call it suicidal and stupid, allowing the scum of the earth to stay in your beautiful land.
A,B,C,D, name names, and get real.
#8
#7 Sorry, Svenskis, this was self-inflicted. You would just say you were "bla-ogad"=blue-eyed, naive. I would call it suicidal and stupid, allowing the scum of the earth to stay in your beautiful land. A,B,C,D, name names, and get real.
Posted by: rhodesiafever 2006-06-14 20:55
#9
#7 Sorry, Svenskis, this was self-inflicted. You would just say you were "bla-ogad"=blue-eyed, naive. I would call it suicidal and stupid, allowing the scum of the earth to stay in your beautiful land. A,B,C,D, name names, and get real.
Posted by: rhodesiafever 2006-06-14 20:55
#10
May not be muslims in this case.
From Wiki: "According to some of its critics it is considered a cult, though much of the cultishness has been tuned down. In a disputed study, forty-three former students of Livets Ord Bible School were interviewed and nearly 50 percent of them had experienced psychosis-like symptoms, and 25 percent had attempted suicide. Also common was anxiety, feelings of guilt, and emotional disorders.
There has also been some criticism against donations given to Israeli's which have promoted settlements in disputed territories. The movement advocates Christian Zionism.
The teaching methods and parts of the curriculum of schools run by Livets Ord has been under review by the Swedish National Agency for Education on several occasions."
PARIS (AFP) - A French court has handed down prison terms ranging from six months to 10 years on 25 Islamic radicals convicted of planning to carry out attacks on the Eiffel Tower and other targets in Paris.
The men were charged with belonging to a so-called "Chechen" connection -- so-called because ring-leaders allegedly received training in the Caucasus. Two others were acquitted.
Prosecutors at the six-week trial which ended last month said that in December 2002 the group was close to attacking targets including the Eiffel Tower, a store in the Les Halles shopping centre, police stations, and Israeli interests.
Continued on Page 49
BERLIN (AP) - An Iraqi man has been arrested in Germany on suspicion he transferred money to a radical Islamic group in Iraq linked to al-Qaida, prosecutors said Wednesday. The 36-year-old man, identified only as Burhan B., was arrested Monday at Frankfurt's airport. A federal judge ordered him to remain in custody Tuesday on suspicion of supporting a foreign terrorist organization and violating German export laws, federal prosecutors said in a statement.
They said the suspect was in contact with a man, identified only as Ata A.R., accused of playing a central role in the terror group Ansar al-Islam's European network. Ata A.R. is due to go on trial in Stuttgart next week as the alleged ringleader of a December 2004 plot to kill then-Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi during a visit to Germany. Prosecutors said Burhan B. made at least three transfers totaling more than $27,000 to Ansar al-Islam on Ata A.R.'s behalf. The transfers were made between November 2003 and May 2004.
Ata A.R. and two co-defendants were arrested in pre-dawn raids on Dec. 3, 2004, hours before they allegedly planned to attack Allawi at a business forum in a downtown Berlin bank. Prosecutors have not said what kind of attack was planned at the forum, which was canceled.
Another alleged associate of Ata A.R. is due to go on trial in Munich next week for being a member of Ansar al-Islam. Prosecutors charge that Ferhad Kanabi A., another Iraqi, was responsible for collecting funds in the Munich area and helping Ata A.R. send the money to Iraq.
German authorities have had suspected supporters of the group under intense scrutiny since late 2003, when an Iraqi, Amin Lokman Mohamed, was arrested in Munich for allegedly channeling men and money to Ansar al-Islam. Mohamed was convicted earlier this year of membership of the group and smuggling volunteer fighters from Europe to Iraq. He was sentenced to seven years in prison.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/14/2006 08:36 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
I wonder if his name was found in Al Zarqawi's computer?
#2
Nonsense. Zarq was just a fiction, a cipher invented by Karl Rove, and besides, he was a washed-up has-been. Obviously the German SS is profiling under the guise of world cup "security".
Muslim women in the USA have been asking the public to accommodate their religious beliefs about modesty, a trend that some Muslims worry will provoke a backlash.
In some recent examples:
In Lincoln Park, Mich., Fitness USA relented when Muslim women demanded that the gym wall off a co-ed aerobic center from their women-only section because men could see them working out.
In Bridgeview, Ill., a Muslim school says it wants its girls' basketball team to play road games against non-Muslim schools provided the public schools ban men and teenage boys from the game. (Screw that!)
In North Seattle, Wash., a public pool set up a swim time for Muslim women in which men, even male lifeguards, are banned.
#5
I was in a McDonalds on Route 1 a few months ago and witnessed a muzzie socker-mom unleash her venim on the kid behind the counter. Evidently the young attendant had forgotten the catsup and pickles on the fat muzzie phuech kid's burgers. She screamed on and on. As I walked out I yelled back over my shoulder, "hey lady, next time try the pork BBQ, it's delicious!"
#6
God-based Communist women - what ever happened to that young Muslim babe whom was photo-oped wearing a bikini, or trying to, at a mostly Muslim beach next to her traditionalist Burqua-Shawl drabbed female relative [or other]???
#8
lol, Besoeker. That's why I frequent BBQ joints only...don't have to deal with the headaches. The mental image of a fat muslim kid munching on a McRib sandwich is priceless. I imagine Fred's got it stored up somewheres.
Posted by: BA ||
06/14/2006 23:38 Comments ||
Top||
Miran Shah - Suspected pro-Taliban militants beheaded an Afghan man and dumped his body in a farm field in north-western Pakistan on Wednesday after accusing him of spying for the United States, officials and a local resident said. The decapitated body of the man - who was from eastern Afghanistan's Khost province - was found in Dhabi village near Miran Shah, the main town in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal region, said an area security official.
The official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to media, identified the victim as Asim Khan and said he had been kidnapped by unidentified gunmen three days ago. The official gave no further details, but a local resident, Salim Ullah, said he saw a letter near the man's body which said "anyone spying for Americans will face the same fate".
Although militants often kill tribesmen suspected of working for Pakistani and US security forces in North Waziristan, authorities have so far not been able to capture any of those responsible. What a surprise
Posted by: Steve ||
06/14/2006 14:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Yea, sure, just a little off the top
Posted by: Captain America ||
06/14/2006 18:00 Comments ||
Top||
Five militants were killed on Tuesday, the Indian army said, as violence continued in Kashmir including clashes between security forces and villagers over the alleged desecration of a mosque, AFP reported.
On Tuesday villagers in Kupwara held more protests that included clashes with police over a charge that security forces desecrated a mosque at the weekend during a search for militants. The army has denied any wrongdoing during the raid on the mosque. The All Parties Hurriyat Conference, said security forces inflamed the issue by cracking down on the protesters.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/14/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
the 13590765th most holy place in Islam was desecrated!!
#2
And I bet it was them Zionists(Tm)! Oh, wait... wrong freedom fighters. Must had been hinjoooos, then, taking a break from oppressing the poor, poor, local Moderate Muslims.
QUETTA: Security forces killed at least 17 people including 12 women during clashes with armed Bugti tribesmen in Bugti Hills on Tuesday, Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) chief Nawab Akbar Bugti has claimed. Speaking to reporters via satellite phone, Bugti said that tribesmen had also shot down a security forces helicopter. The 17 people were all civilians and the women were grazing cattle, he said. Bugti said that 22 helicopter gun ships and four jet fighters had been involved in air strikes against the Baloch tribesmen. Spy planes had also been used to collect information about the movement of Baloch tribesmen, Bugti said.
He said that the warplanes and helicopter gun ships were involved in indiscriminate bombing and shelling on human settlements in Bugti Hills. Bugti said that troops stationed at a small cantonment near the Loti gas fields had also moved to the hills and joined a major operation against the Baloch fighters.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/14/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under:
A bomb blast damaged a southwestern Pakistani railway line to Iran on Tuesday, but no one was injured, AP reported. The explosion occurred in Naushki, about 200 kilometres southwest of Quetta, said Shoaib Ahmed, a railways official. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. No train was scheduled to pass on the track at the time of the explosion, Ahmed said. Engineers went to the area to repair the line, he said.
Meanwhile, police detained 26 men on Tuesday in connection with a bomb blast at a roadside tea stall in Balochistan that killed five people and wounded 17, AP reported. Several of the detainees were suspected of knowing those who carried out Monday's attack in Quetta's Saryab Road neighbourhood, said police deputy inspector general Salman Sayed. The 26 men were detained in pre-dawn raids and all belonged to the ethnic Baloch community, said Sayed. Sayed provided no further details, saying only that authorities would soon capture the real attackers, who he believed were supporters of Baloch tribal elder Nawab Akbar Bugti. No one has claimed responsibility for the bombing, but similar attacks in the past have been blamed on Bugti and his followers.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/14/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under:
MIRANSHAH: An improvised explosive device exploded near a Frontier Constabulary (FC) picket on Tuesday in Mir Ali, North Waziristan, wounding a jawan. The FC picket was set up on the road at Patassi Ada close to Mir Ali bazaar to protect an army convoy going to Bannu from Miranshah. The Mir Ali bazaar remained closed all day following the explosion.
Meanwhile, Taliban burnt a car around 8:30am on Tuesday in Mir Ali on Sokhel Road. Local Taliban claimed that the burnt car was being used to supply rations to security forces. The car was lifted the other day but its driver was allowed to go. In another attack, militants opened fire at a roadblock manned by paramilitary troops on the outskirts of Miranshah, North Waziristan's main town, but no one was wounded, an official said.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/14/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under:
MULTAN: Police have arrested six activists belonging to banned militant organisation Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LJ) and have learned that the group is planning more attacks against Shias, a police spokesman said on Tuesday. Police said that one of the arrested militants, Nasir, had also admitted his involvement a suicide attack on a Shia mosque in Gulshan-e-Iqbal in Karachi last year, in which at least five people had been killed and 18 wounded.
Nasir had a Rs 500,000 bounty on his head. "He is the chief of Lashka-e-Jhangvi's suicide bomber squad in southern Punjab and was involved in plotting a suicide attack at a Shia mosque in Karachi" last year, police spokesman Riaz Khalid said in a statement. The men were arrested in a raid on a militant hideout on Monday in Multan, Khalid said. Khalid said that Nasir, who also went by the name Kashif, was a senior leader in the group which was planning more attacks against Shias in the area.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/14/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under:
The Frontier Core (FC) troops backed by helicopter gunships on Tuesday in an operation in the mountainous area of Southwestern Baluchistan Province killed at least 5 militants, wounded 10 others and arrested 7 more, said FC sources. Acting on a credible intelligence report, sources told KUNA, FC launched an operation in Sangsela mountainous area of Dera Bugti tribe, heart of insurgency in the province, against nationalist militants.
According to the initial reports, FC killed five militants, wounded 10 and arrested 7 others. Sources said the five wounded are said to be in critical condition. They said further that FC destroyed a training camp for militants and recovered huge caches of arms, ammunition and instructions about making high-intensity bombs.
Baluch nationalist militants have recently stepped attacks on security forces and vital government installations to pressure the government to heed to their demand of granting them more provincial autonomy. Frequent attacks on state-owned gas pipelines in the last few months have incurred the government millions of dollars in losses and hindered the development projects. The government has blamed India, Iran and Afghanistan for insurgency in the province.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/14/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
BASRA, Iraq (AP) - About 500 followers of a Shiite cleric attacked the Iranian consulate in the southern Iraqi city of Basra on Wednesday, throwing stones and setting fire to a building in the diplomatic complex. The Iranian Embassy in Baghdad confirmed the attack on its consulate in Basra, but said it had no idea who was behind the violence. It said no casualties were reported.
The crowd was composed of followers of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Hassani and apparently was protesting a program shown on Iranian television that accused him of being an Israeli agent, police Capt. Mushtaq Khazim said.
That would do it, they seem to be a mite sensitive to that sort of thing. Real subtle, those Iranians.
The protesters broke the main gate and threw stones at the building. They also set fire to an annex used as a reception room and destroyed a car belonging to the consulate, according to an Associated Press reporter on the scene. One Iraqi climbed to the building's roof and pulled down the Iranian flag, raising the Iraqi flag in its place.
Hokay young man, come on down, careful now, there's a good lad.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/14/2006 08:22 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
It's that whole sowing/reaping thingy again. In the olden days before Iran used the American embassy as a prison, diplomatic buildings were inviolate by international custom. Oh, well.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
06/14/2006 11:43 Comments ||
Top||
#5
This could be "good" news....Iraqi Shiites attacking the Iranian consulate (a Shiite nation)? Sometimes, YJCMTSU!
Posted by: BA ||
06/14/2006 12:41 Comments ||
Top||
#6
There's a lot of not so obvious good news in that story. Prior to Iraq's liberation, most Shiite religious schooling was done in Iran where the government had a strangle-hold on the religious indoctrination. Iraq is a much more holy place in Shia Islam and the brand of Shiaism is much less militant there. People are coming to study in Iraqi seminaries now rather than Iranian. Iran is losing its influence over global Shiaism.
In fact, the Shia holy sites in Iraq had more pilgims visiting than went to Mecca. Once Iraq becomes a stable and free country, the influence on Shia Islam there is, I believe, going to serve as a global moderating force that will probably bode well for places such as Lebanon that have large Shiite populations.
#7
Follow the money. The Iranian Mullahs are trying to gain control of the Iraq pilgrim cash cow, and also radicalize the Iraqi Shia population. My guess is they're doing a pretty good job on both counts.
#8
Maybe, but Iran's influence is probably right now at its peak. I suspect the Iraqis are going to start exerting their own influence to a greater extent going foward. It appears to be dawning on them that they are in fact in charge of their own destiny and not at the mercy of whoever is telling them what to do this week.
Thousands of Iraqi and US-led forces prepared to mount a major security crackdown in violent Baghdad on Wednesday, hours after a surprise visit by President George W. Bush to try to bolster Iraqs new government. There are going to be tough days ahead, and more sacrifice for Americans, as well as Iraqis, Bush told US troops. Our military will stay on the offensive. We will continue to hunt down people like Mr. Zarqawi, and bring them to justice, he said to applause.
US and Iraqi military commanders say they are focusing their new security campaign on the capital Baghdad, a city of seven million people and scene of daily carnage. Iraqi officials said more than 40,000 Iraqi and US-led forces backed by tanks and armoured vehicles would take part in the mission, in what would be one of the biggest such operations since the US-led invasion in 2003. It is an operation to step up pressure on al Qaeda in Baghdad, national security adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie told state television.
The clampdown would include increased checkpoints and patrols, focusing on the dangerous, mostly Sunni Dora and Adhamiya districts. Insurgents draw support from Iraqs minority Sunni community, once dominant under Saddam Hussein. There is no time limit for ending this operation because it is a strategic plan through which we are determined to impose order in tense areas, Major General Abdel Aziz Mohammed, a senior Defence Ministry official, told Reuters.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
06/14/2006 00:08 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#5
"... we have a new directive on this. In the future, in place of "search and destroy," substitute the phrase "sweep and clear." Got it?"
Posted by: Steve ||
06/14/2006 10:53 Comments ||
Top||
#6
Last night, I landed on Frontline (PBS), and was amazed at the almost positive spin on our offensives in Fallujah, Tal afar and most recently, the air strike in Baquoba. Anyways, the scene in my head now was from an Aussie reporter (whom PBS was interviewing) imbedded in Tal Afar during the offensive. At one point he got a good 3-4 minutes of IRAQI troops singing "round the campfire" at night (about 70-80 of them) in native tounge. The interpretation was almost comical after they had seized large sections of Tal Afar either on their own or in the lead (w/ US support). Anyways, the interpretation began calmly about "Where are you terrorists now, why don't you fight like, men, etc." Then, more and more of the boyz jumped in and it led to "Where are you now, Zarqawi, why don't you come out of your hole in the ground." If you didn't know better, you'd think you were watching a NFL locker room before the Super Bowl in how they were heckling Zarq-boy. The locals were getting fed up with him too, killing their children (while our boyz and the Iraqis took extreme measures to get people out of Dodge before the offensive), blowing up homes, etc. I do believe the tide has turned against Zarq and other "furreners" who are sowing terror there. More work to be done, yes, but the Iraqis are beginning to stand up on their own too.
Posted by: BA ||
06/14/2006 12:38 Comments ||
Top||
#7
This report lowers the troop number from 70k (yesterday's report from yahoo news service) to 40k and makes operation 'secure baghdad' only against Al Q rather than also taking on the Shia gangs.
#10
Can't remember off-hand, but I'm sure pbs.org you could find it. The reporter who was interviewed, and shot most of the film footage was Aussie. Can't remember his name. If it helps, I'm in Atlanta, and it was on last night (PBS Channel 8 here) from 10 pm -11 pm.
Posted by: BA ||
06/14/2006 16:03 Comments ||
Top||
#11
Yeah, I saw it too. I tuned in in the middle and at first thought it was the usual touchy-feely, "let's get the jihadi side represented" stuff. My wife was voting to switch channels.
But it was actually fairly neutral reportage. The jihadi came across as self-righteous ignorants, and the Coalition as reasonable and civilized. Certainly better than your typical MSM evening news.
#12
The Frontline segment is up on the PBS website for viewing.
The Aussie reporter is Ware, formerly with Time Mag. Ware has engendered himself with the insurgents and has been clearly intimidated by the thug formerly known as Zarq. Hugh Hewitt has extensively interviewed Michael Ware and has concluded that AQ intimidation has effected Ware's reporting. The Frontline segment was a welcomed departure.
I believe I hear Ware is now with CNN.
Posted by: Captain America ||
06/14/2006 18:09 Comments ||
Top||
#13
That's it, Cap'n. Thanks. Funny you should say that but he actually had video rolling of him getting roughed up. Funny thing is, I believe the way it shook out, was that the Zarq-boyz wanted to kill him, but the Bathists kept them from it, of all things. Sad to hear he's gone off the deep end, because his reporting/interview last night gave some deeply needed insight into the (lack of) minds of these goons who need to be put down and hard. Even showed our Col. "winning the hearts and minds" in the streets with kids and candy and all, and how the locals were getting fed up with the Jordanian who was killing as many (or more) Iraqis than Coalition forces.
Posted by: BA ||
06/14/2006 23:31 Comments ||
Top||
The newly named leader of al Qaeda in Iraq threatens to attack Sunni government officials in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone, according to a statement published Tuesday on a Web site often used by insurgents. The statement, addressed to "my dear nation," came the day after Islamist Web sites said Abu Hamza al-Muhajer had been named the successor to terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike Wednesday.
It says the death of al-Zarqawi has done nothing to discourage the insurgency and it warns the U.S.-led coalition that "between us are days that will turn your ancestors' hair white." "Don't let the joy of killing our Sheikh Abu Musab, may God bless his soul, fool you, for he left behind lions," the statement said. "He raised them by himself and they trained in his den. They believe in their ideology, and they fight only for God and in God and through God."
Tuesday's message also called Sunni Arabs who take part in Iraq's new government traitors, saying they have "sold their soul to the crusaders" and threatening that "our swords are ready for your necks." "Your punishment is near, and your vain towers in the Green Zone won't protect you," it states, referring to the Baghdad compound housing a U.S. military base, embassies and the Iraqi government headquarters.
CNN could not immediately authenticate the statement.
The Web message did not specify why Sunnis were being singled out, but al-Zarqawi, a Sunni, and his followers were largely blamed for aggravating sectarian tensions between Iraq's Sunnis and Shiites, resulting in hundreds of deaths and other violence.
Al-Muhajer's message does not suggest a cessation of the violence. "Three years have passed, during which your mujahedeen sons have given the enemy a taste of defeat and loss," the statement read. "With God's permission, your sons have gotten to the final stages and the enemy has nothing left but to show us its back.
"The infidels' camp is in constant collapse."
In Arabic, al-Muhajer means "the immigrant," suggesting that, like the Jordanian-born al-Zarqawi, al Qaeda in Iraq's new leader is a foreigner. Little else is known about al-Muhajer.
But one thing the two men have in common is their pledge of allegiance to al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. "We are at your disposal, ready for your command," al-Muhajer wrote. "We bring you the good news that the morale is high among your soldiers. They enjoy dignified spirits that won't kneel down. All of us are under your banner. With God's permission, victory is near."
U.S. counterterrorism officials said Tuesday they are not sure who al-Muhajer is -- or whether he really exists. Asked Monday about the naming of a new al Qaeda in Iraq leader, President Bush said, "I think the successor to Zarqawi is going to be on our list to bring to justice," according to The Associated Press.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
06/14/2006 00:06 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Another thug steps up for the next 500 lbs. As CNN quivers
Posted by: Captain America ||
06/14/2006 1:16 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Hold dem dar hosses - didn't IRAN reportedly say that its was happy to see Zark get whacked, implying anti-Iran/Shia-ism on the part of Zark, ergo Zark's alleged successor threatens to attack Sunnis, thus implying that Zark's boyz = org was pro-Iran/Shia???
#8
TERRORISM: 40-YEAR-OLD LIBYAN AT AL-QAEDA IN IRAQ'S HELM
Dubai, 13 June (AKI) - Al-Qaeda in Iraq's new leader is a 40-year-old Libyan specialised in recruiting young Arabs to fight for the terrorist network, according to an "Iraqi expert" cited on the Internet site of the Dubai-based television network al-Arabiya. Witholding his name for security reasons, al-Arabiya described the expert as close to al-Qaeda.
According to the expert, Abu Hamza Al-Muhajir - named on Monday on several Islamist Internet sites as terror network in Iraq's new leader - lived in Sudan until 1995 from where he moved to Pakistan and also Afghanistan.
"I believe he stayed with a group linked to the Osama Bin Zayd Mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan before leaving for Iraq in 2001. I've been informed that he is an educated leader, in the military rather that in the spiritual field.
"Abu Hamza al-Muhajir has been an al-Qaeda intelligence chief for three years during which he was responsible for maintaining links with cells in the Middle East and in certain North African countries," the unidentified expert told al-Arabiya.
"In Iraq, al-Muhajir was based in the small northern town of al-Qaim (near the Syrian border and some 400 kilometres nortwest of Baghdad) from where he would direct the operations of his Arab recruits.
One of his last tasks before his appointment as al-Qaeda in Iraq's leader was to organise the group's fighters in the city of Kirkuk," the expert said.
Some observers have linked the series of bombs that went off in Kirkuk on Tuesday killing 24 Iraqis and wounding another 40 as possibly signalling a show of strength by the terrorist leader.
"He (al-Muhajir) often travelled using false passports and two years ago he visited Algeria. He is the type of person who can remain without an identity like a ghost and who has never been [prominently] involved in Iraqi affairs.
The expert said al-Muhajir's appointment to replace the slain Abu Musab al-Zarqawi will have come as a surprise to many of the network's members.
Instead, two men tipped to take over al-Zarqawi's position - identified by the expert as Abu Asi and especially, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, a graduate from Iraq's military academy - would retain their positions as military commaneder.
#10
Seafarious, thanks for your comment. I guess I'm a little more confident in the "vain towers" of the IZ than the AQI twits - the indirect fire has dwindled to nothing (from very little). It's always possible they'll manage something more impressive, though it will be one-time and have no effect on the longer term course of events. But overall an AQI at war with Sunni Arabs here can only be a good thing, of course.
I saw Dubya's speech in the Palace last night. The cheering and explosive reaction to his presence were striking, and enjoyable. It almost makes me a bit depressed about the USA these days - support every little policy or not, the guy is a real leader, with personal courage, almost a throw-back to another era. I've been calling him the second Harry Truman for several years, and only recently did his speechwriters subtly invite that comparison in his West Point address.
Nice to see the boss out here, in the flesh. Would be even nicer to see an outbreak of common sense back home (though I well understand there's plenty of that, but it tends not to make it into news reporting or the public "debate").
#14
You guys are killin' me. I fully intended to do a blog when I came out last year, but was stymied by 1) no time or energy after the daily grind here 2) a paucity of valuable insights, and the dilemma of having most of my inside info not suitable for public discussion (not security - issues of working relationships and official status). I even had a killer name for the blog. Looking at just a few more months now - and the way things are going, even a belated rush to blog would probably fall short. Our office is way under-staffed (a scandal in itself), and the work tempo just gets more and more ridiculous.
Anyway, it's great to know of this quirky corner of the 'net, and the virtual fellowship is wonderful - so thanks to all of you.
#15
Verlaine, if you have the urge to rant, put together a post and drop it in the Holding Tank. We'll annotate and even illustrate it for ya. If you want to send us some pix, email 'em to one of the mods, and the 'Burg will pick up the hosting fees.
If you only have time to comment occasionally, we understand that too.
Some 40 people were killed or wounded in blasts of four booby-trapped cars that went off within minutes in the northern oil city of Kirkuk on Tuesday, a security source said. The source said a car driven by a man blew up at 7:35 a.m. in the district of Al-Tiseen, targeting residence of the police chief Torhan Mohammed, who was not hurt. But four people were wounded in the explosion. A second car laden with explosives went off five minutes later in the same region, killing a whole four-member family, wounding three people and damaging nearby stores and houses.
Another car blew up at 8:10 a.m. near Al-Shuhaa causeway killing up to 22 civilians, and another one exploded near a house for special cases killing two people and wounding two others, according to the security source.
Earlier today, a suicide attacker wearing a belt loaded with explosives blew himself up in an office of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan in the district of Al-Nasr, killing two people and wounding four others. Another suicide attacker attempted to ram his bomb-laden car into a building of the same party in the neighborhood of Al-Wasti but the guards shot him dead, and defused the bomb safely.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/14/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
Up to 13 Iraqis were injured with mortar rounds fired at a number of houses and shops in Abu Dasheer neighborhood in Baghdad on Tuesday. A source of the Iraqi Interior Ministry told KUNA that the attack caused extensive damage to houses and shops in a popular market.
Meanwhile, unidentified militants shot and killed, Tuesday, the prayer caller of Al-Rahman mosque in Jalola district near the town of Baaquba, a source from the Joint Coordination Center said in a press release. It added that an Iraqi civilian was injured in a bomb explosion in Bab Al-Darb district and two children were injured in Al-Tahreer district south of Baaquba after a bomb exploded in front of their home. The statement also said a woman was injured in an explosion in Bani Saad town near Baaquba and that militants blew up a bridge in Al-Moalimeen district, injuring two people.
US Army announced Tuesday that a militant was killed and 23 suspects were arrested in a raid Monday north of Ramadi. It said in a press release that Coalition Forces arrested terrorists who used a building of an elementary school for training on bombs and suicide attacks.
The statement emphasized that the forces found a large cache of weapons, stressing that no one of the civilians who were in the place of the incident was hurt in the raid.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/14/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
Members of a "Jihad and Tawheed" cell and a "terrorist from a neighboring country" have been arrested, Iraqi police said on Tuesday. A police source said the nationality of "the terrorist" will be announced Wednesday. A senior police officer said the four terror suspects were arrested in one of the houses in Al-Megdad area in Kirkuk. A great number of evidence was found, showing the detainees are followers of the "Jihad and Tawheed" cell which is categorized as a terrorist organization.
That'd be the late Zark's Tawhid wal Jihad mob, of course...
Posted by: Fred ||
06/14/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
More residue from the Zark files?
Posted by: Captain America ||
06/14/2006 1:18 Comments ||
Top||
JENIN, West Bank - Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian fighter in the West Bank early on Wednesday, hours after a Gaza missile strike on a van carrying militants and rockets killed 11 Palestinians, nine of them civilians.
In mounting violence, Israeli soldiers on a raid on the West Bank city of Jenin killed Mohammed al-Wash, 26, a militant with Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, part of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbass Fatah movement, a Palestinian security source said. The source added that a second gunman with Wash had been wounded by Israeli troops and was arrested.
An Israeli military source said a force in the area identified an armed gunman, fired and identified hitting him.
"KAPOW" "Oh, nice shot Ari! Right in the ten ring."
Eyewitnesses said Israeli military jeeps had surrounded the only hospital in Jenin where a number of gunmen had entered after Wash was killed nearby. They said there were exchanges of gunfire between militants and Israeli troops from a refugee camp next to the hospital. There was no further comment from the Israeli military.
Posted by: Steve ||
06/14/2006 11:18 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - A Hamas militant was shot and killed Wednesday outside his home in the Gaza town of Khan Younis after Hamas gunmen shot a security commander loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, officials said.
Car swarm!
The local security commander, Rifat Kulab, was shot seven times in the legs during an ambush on his car in the town, Palestinian security forces said. He was in moderate condition.
Pray for sepsis.
Hamas accused Palestinian security forces of shooting the militant later in the day.
A Hamas attack on a Preventive Security office in Gaza on Monday led to a daylong gunbattle in the southern town of Rafah, and sparked a rampage by security men against government buildings in the West Bank later in the day.
Anymore popcorn and I'm going to start waddling.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/14/2006 08:29 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#14
RD, Two days ago 6 asked whether there was a fainting couch, apparently overwhelmed by one of the posts. And of course there is, in the living room, occasionally necessary during my little tea parties. The mere existence of such a thing was overstimulating to poor Mr. flyover, who only just started posting -- although he'd been an occasional reader for well over a year -- and wasn't aware of some of the quieter corners of the 'Burg. And it has been quite some time since I had a tea party. That's all it was, my dear. ;-)
"The IDF is innocent," was the bottom line that came out of a press conference Tuesday night, during which Defense Minister Amir Peretz, Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz and other top officers presented the findings of an internal military investigation into Friday's explosion that killed seven Palestinians as they picnicked on a Gaza beach.
In a press conference at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, Peretz told reporters that following an extensive three-day investigation the IDF had collected sufficient evidence to prove that Friday's explosion was not caused by Israel. The evidence was being presented first and foremost to the Israeli people, Peretz emphasized, saying, "We owe it to ourselves to know that we did not cause these deaths."
"We have sufficient evidence which confirms our suspicion that the attempts to portray this incident as caused by Israel were wrong," Peretz said. "I know it is difficult to explain this, but the facts that have accumulated prove that Israel was not behind the incident."
Continued on Page 49
#2
FOX and CNN are both reporting that the IDF is claiming it was a buried Pales. MINE that blew up and killed those family members, prob cell phone activated/detonated when beach-going or nearby Pals. heard the IDF Arty fire and began contacting third-parties to inquire.
Authorities released militant cleric Abu Bakar Bashir from prison on Wednesday, and about 150 of his supporters jubilantly greeted him with shouts of "God is great!" The 68-year-old cleric, an alleged key leader of the al-Qaida-linked Southeast Asian militant group Jemaah Islamiyah, had served 26 months in prison for giving his blessing to the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings, which killed 202 people, most of them foreign tourists.
Bashir's supporters gathered at Jakarta's Cipinang prison for his release, which came about 45 minutes earlier than expected. "Holy shit! God is great!" they shouted. His release raises concerns among Indonesian officials that he could energize the country's small, Islamic radical fringe. Bashir, who has maintained his innocence, plans to return to his school and retake his position at the head of his legal hardline Islamic organization, the Council of Mujahedeen for Islamic Law Enforcement.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/14/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Somebody's got to visit martyrdumb on this assmunch. Preferably the Australian SAS.
Posted by: Tibor ||
06/14/2006 1:15 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Bush Doctrine is to give them justice. (although I kinda like wanted dead or alive)
Posted by: Captain America ||
06/14/2006 1:20 Comments ||
Top||
#3
He's a worm, besides being a JI terrorist leader. Indonesia has blown all credibility -- they incarcerated this clown for less than 2 years, total, although he had tried to assassinate the (then) VP Milliwati AND was the leader behind the Bali atrocity. It doesn't matter who's President, they are worse than useless, the machinery of their "government" is on the other side. Effectively, it appears to be something of a parallel to ISI in Pakistan.
Posted by: john ||
06/14/2006 20:39 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
If you read far enough down the article you find these two gems...
"The package, which contained a 78-letter sequence of DNA, which is part of one of the smallpox virus's coat protein genes"
"the smallpox genome is 185,000 letters long"
So they got 0.04% of the genome -- i.e., this whole thing is just one more piece of crap from The Guardian. First they misrepresent themselves to get the goods, then they misrepresent the whole thing.
U.S. counterterrorism officials say they are uncovering homegrown Islamic radicals inside the United States who lack formal ties to al-Qaida and operate independently.
Those independent qualities _ combined with the radicals' ability to organize and plot on the Internet _ make them particularly difficult to disrupt, retired Vice Adm. John Scott Redd, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Tuesday.
In a hearing on the changing face of terror, Redd said the threat from homegrown extremism is a recent trend that was seen in successful transit attacks in Madrid in 2004 and London in 2005. One alleged homegrown North American plot has been disrupted: This month, Canadian authorities arrested 17 men and juveniles who are accused of planning attacks in southern Ontario. They are said to have obtained three times the amount of explosives used in the Oklahoma City bombing.
#6
Just give us the word to destroy all mosques, without concern for colateral damage, and the problem will evaporate.
The people await the gelding government to grow a set of balls.
#7
No, Methodists are fine, it's that radical mainstream branch of the Presbyterians, the ones who are just about to vote again to boycott Israel, that need to be watched closely. >:-(
Posted by: Fred ||
06/14/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Actually, Hastert is trying to walk back the f.u. Senate bill in favor of the House version. The ones who should be pissed are the McCains and Kennedys of the world.
The current committee (comprised of Senate and House) that is intended to find a compromise between House and Senate bills is a non starter.
Harry Reid has put his A-team loons on the committee, and Frisk has designated RINOs for his part.
This simply means that no "compromise" bill will be formulate, given the current committee make-up.
Posted by: Captain America ||
06/14/2006 1:04 Comments ||
Top||
#2
I'm sick of these guys. Throw the bums out. This isn't rocket science. That they can't even come close to the mark is really making me mad. We need fresh blood. The Senate (especially) needs a cleansing on the right and the left. Throw them all out and start over.
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.
Fierce battles killed at least 30 people across Afghanistan on Wednesday as the U.S.-led coalition readied to launch its largest anti-Taliban offensive since the Islamic extremist government's 2001 ouster.
Suspected Taliban shot dead a district intelligence officer in southern Afghanistan, Afghan officials said on Tuesday. The fresh attack was carried out in Waghaz district of the troubled Ghazni province. The officer named Noor Mohammad, was head of the district intelligence department. Police chief of the province Tafseer Khan said the victim was on way from office to his house when his car was ambushed by Taliban insurgents. They fired several bursts of Kalashnikov at the vehicle killing the officer on the spot. 
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) - Islamic fighters on Wednesday drove secular militiamen out of a strategic town in southern Somalia following a brief firefight and the fleeing of militia leaders in the middle of the night, witnesses said. There were no immediate reports of casualties, but residents were fleeing for fear of unrest in the town of Jowhar, about 55 miles from the capital of Mogadishu, which the Islamic fighters seized from the secular militiamen last week.
Thirteen terror suspects greeted each other as long-lost friends when they were reunited for the first day of their committal hearing in Melbourne today. Amid extraordinary security at Melbourne's County Court building, the accused men laughed and chatted with each other as they were led into the dock. 
Swedish prosecutor Agneta Hilding-Qvarnström said on Friday that people detained by police Thursday in the southwest town of Malmö were not arrested. She also refused to confirm reports that action had been taken on behalf of Britain. No, there have not been any arrests, to arrest is a step taken by the legal system nobody has been arrested, Hilding-Qvarnström said.
BERLIN (AP) - An Iraqi man has been arrested in Germany on suspicion he transferred money to a radical Islamic group in Iraq linked to al-Qaida, prosecutors said Wednesday. The 36-year-old man, identified only as Burhan B., was arrested Monday at Frankfurt's airport. A federal judge ordered him to remain in custody Tuesday on suspicion of supporting a foreign terrorist organization and violating German export laws, federal prosecutors said in a statement.
Miran Shah - Suspected pro-Taliban militants beheaded an Afghan man and dumped his body in a farm field in north-western Pakistan on Wednesday after accusing him of spying for the United States, officials and a local resident said. The decapitated body of the man - who was from eastern Afghanistan's Khost province - was found in Dhabi village near Miran Shah, the main town in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal region, said an area security official. 
Five militants were killed on Tuesday, the Indian army said, as violence continued in Kashmir including clashes between security forces and villagers over the alleged desecration of a mosque, AFP reported.
QUETTA: Security forces killed at least 17 people including 12 women during clashes with armed Bugti tribesmen in Bugti Hills on Tuesday, Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) chief Nawab Akbar Bugti has claimed. Speaking to reporters via satellite phone, Bugti said that tribesmen had also shot down a security forces helicopter. The 17 people were all civilians and the women were grazing cattle, he said. Bugti said that 22 helicopter gun ships and four jet fighters had been involved in air strikes against the Baloch tribesmen. Spy planes had also been used to collect information about the movement of Baloch tribesmen, Bugti said.
A bomb blast damaged a southwestern Pakistani railway line to Iran on Tuesday, but no one was injured, AP reported. The explosion occurred in Naushki, about 200 kilometres southwest of Quetta, said Shoaib Ahmed, a railways official. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. No train was scheduled to pass on the track at the time of the explosion, Ahmed said. Engineers went to the area to repair the line, he said.
MULTAN: Police have arrested six activists belonging to banned militant organisation Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LJ) and have learned that the group is planning more attacks against Shias, a police spokesman said on Tuesday. Police said that one of the arrested militants, Nasir, had also admitted his involvement a suicide attack on a Shia mosque in Gulshan-e-Iqbal in Karachi last year, in which at least five people had been killed and 18 wounded.
The Frontier Core (FC) troops backed by helicopter gunships on Tuesday in an operation in the mountainous area of Southwestern Baluchistan Province killed at least 5 militants, wounded 10 others and arrested 7 more, said FC sources. Acting on a credible intelligence report, sources told KUNA, FC launched an operation in Sangsela mountainous area of Dera Bugti tribe, heart of insurgency in the province, against nationalist militants.
BASRA, Iraq (AP) - About 500 followers of a Shiite cleric attacked the Iranian consulate in the southern Iraqi city of Basra on Wednesday, throwing stones and setting fire to a building in the diplomatic complex. The Iranian Embassy in Baghdad confirmed the attack on its consulate in Basra, but said it had no idea who was behind the violence. It said no casualties were reported.
Thousands of Iraqi and US-led forces prepared to mount a major security crackdown in violent Baghdad on Wednesday, hours after a surprise visit by President George W. Bush to try to bolster Iraqs new government. There are going to be tough days ahead, and more sacrifice for Americans, as well as Iraqis, Bush told US troops. Our military will stay on the offensive. We will continue to hunt down people like Mr. Zarqawi, and bring them to justice, he said to applause.
Some 40 people were killed or wounded in blasts of four booby-trapped cars that went off within minutes in the northern oil city of Kirkuk on Tuesday, a security source said. The source said a car driven by a man blew up at 7:35 a.m. in the district of Al-Tiseen, targeting residence of the police chief Torhan Mohammed, who was not hurt. But four people were wounded in the explosion. A second car laden with explosives went off five minutes later in the same region, killing a whole four-member family, wounding three people and damaging nearby stores and houses.
Up to 13 Iraqis were injured with mortar rounds fired at a number of houses and shops in Abu Dasheer neighborhood in Baghdad on Tuesday. A source of the Iraqi Interior Ministry told KUNA that the attack caused extensive damage to houses and shops in a popular market.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - A Hamas militant was shot and killed Wednesday outside his home in the Gaza town of Khan Younis after Hamas gunmen shot a security commander loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, officials said. 
Authorities released militant cleric Abu Bakar Bashir from prison on Wednesday, and about 150 of his supporters jubilantly greeted him with shouts of "God is great!" The 68-year-old cleric, an alleged key leader of the al-Qaida-linked Southeast Asian militant group Jemaah Islamiyah, had served 26 months in prison for giving his blessing to the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings, which killed 202 people, most of them foreign tourists. 
U.S. counterterrorism officials say they are uncovering homegrown Islamic radicals inside the United States who lack formal ties to al-Qaida and operate independently.
