Update on story from a couple of days ago, with interesting details of the battle. These gentlemen are true heroes. Salute!
THE two special forces soldiers killed during an hour-long gunfight in southern Afghanistan were part of a daring raid on a Taleban stronghold in which four key commanders on the Most Wanted list were seized. The details of the snatch operation emerged as the next of kin were told of their deaths. The mens names will not be released after a request from the families.
The SAS, the Royal Marines Special Boat Service (SBS) and the newly formed Special Forces Support Group, consisting of troops from the 1st Battalion The Parachute Regiment, were all involved in the largest covert operation in the area since British troops were deployed there last month.
Defence sources said there had been intelligence that four key Taleban leaders were in a compound in the village of Sangin, north of Helmand province, where 3,300 British troops are based. The special forces were supported by two companies of about 100 paratroops from the 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment. The soldiers from 3 Para launched an attack on the compound, providing covering fire as the snatch squad moved in and grabbed the four. They were described as high-value targets. At that stage there had been no British casualties and the mission appeared to have been a success.
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#1
Next time strap the Taliban spread-eagle to the sides of the escape vehicles with a couple feet of piano wire tying their nuts to the door handle.
Very ballsy, SAS.
How did the Taliban communicate that it wasn't discovered that they might have set up an ambush? I have no idea of what the terrain was like, but maybe in the future the escape routes should be guarded if at all possible just in case the Taliban can do it again.
Posted by: grb ||
06/29/2006 2:00 Comments ||
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#3
1,000 more huh? Well, at the rate they kill em over there that is still a managable number. They don't have a botomless pit full of Taliwhackers, so eventually they will go extinct.
#5
Most likely there was only one practical route in and out that land rovers could handle, possibly having a "permanent" ambush site set up to cover it.
The operation still had problems, mostly equipment shortage being made up for with manpower. The Brits are woefully underequipped in theater. (And thus it has long been. Even in WWII, Tommy was ill-equipped compared to his 'cousins'.)
(KUNA) -- Thirteen people, including one coalition soldier and 12 Taliban fighters, were killed and three coalition soldiers injured in two fresh incidents of violence in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday.
So that's one person and a dozen Talibs.
A press released issued from the coalition's Bagram base here said one coalition soldier was killed and three suffered injuries today while conducting combat operations in Nawzad district of the insurgency-hit Helmand province. A coalition force patrol was conducting security operations in Nawzad when their uparmoured vehicle struck an old landmine. One soldier was killed and three suffered injuries. "We regret the loss of our fellow soldier and his sacrifice will not be forgotten," said coalition commander Major General Benjamin C Freakley. "Our thoughts and prayers extend to the family of our lost soldier and to the families and comrades of those wounded," said the commander.
In a separate operation in the Shahidi Has district of the neighbouring Uruzgan province, the Afghan and coalition forces raided a compound and killed 12 Taliban fighters. Two soldiers belonging to the Afghan National Army (ANA) received slight injuries. They were treated at their base camp, said the release. It added the targeted compound was frequently used by Taliban insurgents as a meeting place to plan and facilitate attacks against Afghan civilians, ANA and coalition forces. Taliban did not issue any comment on the casualties.
The coalition forces suffered the fresh casualties the day when US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was in Kabul to renew her country's pledge for continued support for the war against terror in Afghanistan. Earlier in the day, two suicide bombers tried to target a US military base in Zabul province but their explosive-packed car went off prematurely. Both the bombers were killed and eight other civilians were injured in the failed attempt.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/29/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
The ratio seems to be pretty high 1/12 in this case.
But in many battles, 40 Taliwhackers, no Coalition casualties. You'd think they would simply run out of bodies at some point.
#2
They will run out, it just takes time. What happened to all the Algerian jihadis who were fighting against their government in the 1990s? The smart ones accepted an amnesty, the dumb ones are dead. Same dynamic in operation in Afghanistan and beginning to happen in Iraq as well.
#3
Run out of bodies? I dunno, Pakiwakiland (that is, North Wazoo, aka, home of the Taliban) has a lot of young men and boys who are dumb as dirt, educated in madrassas (but I repeat myself) and easily led by the nose.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/29/2006 9:51 Comments ||
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#4
But it stops being romantic when all one's friends simply disappear in the wilds of Afghanistan, Steve White, never to be heard from again -- and no reports of great victories followed by Muttawa fun, either. It may take longer because of the conditions you describe, is all.
Two suicide bombers attacked a U.S. military convoy Wednesday in southern Afghanistan, killing only themselves while soldiers escaped unhurt, police said. Three men were involved in planning the suicide attack, although only two were inside the car that blew up near the American convoy, Zabul provincial police chief Noor Mohammed Paktin said. He said police were searching for the third man, an Afghan.
The actual boom fodder likely being Paks...
The attack happened just outside the provincial capital of Qalat. No civilians or coalition soldiers were wounded, said Ali Khail, spokesman for the governor. A purported Taliban commander, Mullah Masum, telephoned The Associated Press to claim responsibility, but mentioned only one attacker. Masum identified him as a Taliban fighter named Mullah Abdul Shakoor from Khost, south of the Afghan capital of Kabul. His claim could not immediately be verified. He warned Afghans to stay away from coalition forces if they didn't want to be hurt. "We will pursue suicide attacks against coalition forces," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/29/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Bwaahahahah. So many stupid islamo-fascists. So few Darwin Awards.
3 killed in 'crossfire'
Two criminals and an underground operative were killed during "shootouts" between their accomplices and the law enforcers in Chittagong and Kushtia early yesterday. They are Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain alias Tarif, 28, son of late Delwar Hossain of Gachbaria under Mirersarai upazila, Mohammad Nurul Islam, 37, son of Kala Mia of West Barumchhara under Anowara upazila of Chittagong, and Marzul islam alias Guddu Dakat, 30, a regional leader of outlawed Purbo Banglar Communist Party (PBCP) in Kushtia.
Our Chittagong correspondent reported that a team of Rab-7 raided Hadi Fakirhat area of Mirersarai at around 2:30am on Tuesday and arrested Tarif, the leader of a notorious band of highway robbers and an accused in 15 criminal cases.
During interrogation at Chittagong Rab office at Patenga, Tarif confessed to his involvement in robberies on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway.
, kidnapping the Lindberg baby and being the second gunman on the grassy knoll..
On his confessional statement, the members of the elite force conducted several search operations for firearms and the other members of gang in different areas of the district, taking Tarif with them.
"Come on Tarif, we're taking a ride."
They launched another search operation at West Joara under Korerhat Union of Mirersarai at 2:15am yesterday. But when the Rab men along with Tarif reached near a passenger shed on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway in Mirersarai,Tarif's accomplices opened fire on the law enforcers, prompting them to retaliate.
"They got da boss, open fire!"
Rab sources said Tarif received bullets during the shootout while his cohorts managed to flee.
Funny how that always happens
Critically injured Tarif was rushed to the nearby health complex where the doctors declared him dead, said a Rab press release yesterday.
"He's dead, Jim"
The Rab members also recovered two one-barrel guns and five cartridges from the spot.
The other criminal, NuruI Islam, was arrested by police at Barumchhara village under Anowara upazila at around 5:30pm on Tuesday. Nurul Islam was an accused in 12 criminal cases filed with Anowara and Banshkhali police stations and a close associate of robber leader Martuza Ali, who was killed in "crossfire" last week.
Soon to follow in his footsteps
Following his statement, police along with Nurul went to Sarenga village under the upazila at around 2:15am yesterday to arrest his accomplices. Sensing the presence of the police, Nurul's cohorts opened fire on the law enforcers, forcing them to return fire.
"Hark! I sense a disturbance in da force. It's the law, open fire!"
During the gunfight, Nurul received bullets and died instantly, police said. Police recovered one LG with two cartridges from the spot.
Those would be the two bullets Nurul received
According to our Kushtia correspondent, locals caught Marzul Islam alias Guddu Dakat, son of Nabisuddin of Hridirampur village in Mirpur upazila, at Barabaria village when he went there to collect toll on Monday night. The villagers beat up the outlaw and then handed him over to the police.
And a jolly time was had by all
On his confessional statement, police along with Guddu went to the village at about 4:30am yesterday to arrest his accomplices. When they reached Barabaria field, Guddu's cohorts opened fire on the law enforcers, forcing them to retaliate.
Deja vu, all over again
Police said Guddu was shot while trying to flee and died on the spot.
"Urp.....rosebud.."
They retrieved a gun and seven bullets from the scene. Police said the outlaw was an accused in four murder cases filed with Mirpur Police Station.
Posted by: Steve ||
06/29/2006 10:11 ||
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.. recovered two one-barrel guns .. :)
Now they're beating up the toll collectors! The best long term job is being a cohort. They always make it to the next episode.
#2
my only concern for the RAB is their apparent poor marksmanship. The cohorts always manage to flee successfully. Apparently RAB can't shoot straight over more than a 2' distance
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/29/2006 11:26 Comments ||
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#3
But Frank, do they need to? compare the accomplices to the bit players in any number of spagetti westerns (or red shirted Star Trek crewmwmbers): either they play no part in the outcome, or get waxed. In this case they allow the RAB to 'retaliate' and in the process, the Crook d'dour 'receives' any number of bullets.
And the accomplices probably work for less than union scale.
#4
LOL good point on the red-shirted ST members...what was their usual lifespan after touching down on a dangerous planet? One commercial break? at best?
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/29/2006 14:30 Comments ||
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#5
that or immediately after the James T. Kirk patented shoulder roll theough the door, with trusty sidekick Tonto, er, Spock right behind.
THE aim in sentencing convicted terrorist Faheem Khalid Lodhi should be to punish, deter and incapacitate, a Sydney court has been told. The sentence should "secure the proper measure of protection for society", Crown Prosecutor Richard Maidment SC told Lodhi's sentencing hearing in the NSW Supreme Court today.
Lodhi was convicted last week of three terrorism offences, one of which carries a maximum life sentence. The 36-year-old architect was accused of planning to bomb the national electricity supply system in the cause of violent jihad, or holy war. A jury found him guilty of acting in preparation for a terrorist act, by seeking information about chemicals capable of making explosives in October 2003, an offence carrying a maximum penalty of life in prison.
The Pakistani-born Australian citizen also was found guilty of possessing a 15-page "terrorism manual" with recipes for poisons and explosives, and of buying two maps of the electricity grid, connected with preparation for a terrorist act. The two offences each attract maximum 15-year jail terms.
Making submissions to Justice Anthony Whealy, Mr Maidment did not specify what sentence the Crown was seeking. But he said the sentence should "act as a real and significant deterrent to others" and "secure the proper measure of protection for society".
There was little local authority on sentencing for terrorism offences, as "these are the first convictions on these offences that have occurred in Australia", Mr Maidment said. But he referred Justice Whealy to an English judgment involving an IRA terrorist, which stated the court's object was to punish, to deter and to incapacitate, with the need for rehabilitation playing a minor role, if any. "We submit that these are principles which your honour should adopt," Mr Maidment said.
He said Lodhi had inquired about buying chemicals capable of making explosives that could have caused "very substantial damage to property, and potentially the death of many people". He said that although the location, timing, precise target and participants in the terrorist act may not have been decided, Lodhi "was central to the scheme".
Lodhi had shown no remorse, his plan was premeditated and he had acted surreptitiously, Mr Maidment said. His object was "to strike terror amongst members of the community ... so that they should not feel free from the threat of a bombing attack within Australia".
I agree with the article, I'd prefer the title was "sentencing should incapacitate".
While punishment does deter - the main point of imprisonment is to incapacitate and protect.
It does little good to punish a rabid dog and it's questionable how much good punishing a rabid dog does to detering other rabid dogs. Terrorists are like rabid dogs. I'm sure that for each and every one there is a story as to why the are damaged that is similar: disappointment in life, Saudi money and a mosque. But, as with the rabid dog, it's irrelevant. The bottom line is that once they are infected and we need to protect society from the their ability to spread misery.
A court in Denmark has jailed a Pakistani man for life for ordering the murder of his 18-year-old daughter. Ghazala Khan was shot dead two days after her wedding, because the family opposed her choice of husband. She died and her husband was wounded last September at a train station in Slagelse, a village west of Copenhagen.
The court also set 16-year jail terms for Mr Abbas' older son, Akhtar Khan, who admitted shooting his sister and two uncles. The life sentence on the father, Ghulum Abbas, is commuted automatically to 16 years under Danish law.
Will she return to life after 16 years too?
Five other relatives and friends from the Pakistani community in Denmark who had helped track down the bride and her new husband received sentences of between eight and 14 years. Two of them, an aunt and another uncle who are still Pakistani nationals, face deportation after their sentences.
Posted by: Steve ||
06/29/2006 08:54 ||
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#1
The life sentence on the father, Ghulum Abbas, is commuted automatically to 16 years under Danish law.
And the EUroweenies wonder why we want no part of their "justice" system.
Sarajevo, 29 June (AKI) - Investigators are probing the Bosnian branch of the humanitarian organisation Revival of Islamic Heritage Society Kuwait (RIHSK) for possible terrorist links and financing of an Islamic terrorist organisation, Bosnian daily Nezavisne vovine reported on Thursday. RHISK channelled some 14 million euros to its sister organisation in Bosnia from January 1, 2002 to December 2005, the paper said, quoting unnamed prosecution sources. The Bosnian organisation - registered under the same name as RIHSK and translated into Bosnian - hasnt kept records on how the money was spent, the paper said. Nor has it ever submitted final accounts to the authorities.
The organisation has branches in four Bosnian cities Sarajevo, Zenica, Travnik and Kljuc and is headed by Othman al-Hajdar, who has Bosnian documents, according to Nezavisne vovine. RHISK has been placed on the United Nations list of organisations which have links to the al-Qaeda terrorist network.
The Bosnian authorities are reviewing some 1,500 citizenships granted to foreign mujahadeen who fought on the side of local Muslims in the 1992-1995 civil war. The authorities have so far revoked the Bosnian citizenship of a total 38 individuals from Muslim countries and last week announced they will be expelled. Thousands of such individuals fought in the civil war and many remained in the country after the war, often marrying local women, and some were operating training camps and recruiting local youths for the terrorist organisations, according to intelligence reports.
Bosnian prosecution spokesman Boris Grubesic neither confirmed nor denied the newspaper report on the ongoing investigation. "As a rule, we never comment on investigation procedures, especially in such sensitive matters," Grubesic said
Posted by: Steve ||
06/29/2006 08:41 ||
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The American Civil Liberties Union has filed Freedom of Information Act requests to get details on the possible use of "brain scanning" technology during terrorist interrogations by the U.S. government.
In a press release, the group alleges that the most likely technology to be used functional magnetic resonance imaging produces real-time images of the subject's brain during questioning, including images and sound.
The group goes on to say that two companies are already marketing their "lie detector" services to the federal government beginning this summer, despite the ACLU's assertion that experts don't believe the technology is reliable.
"There are certain things that have such powerful implications for our society and for humanity at large that we have a right to know how they are being used so that we can grapple with them as a democratic society," said Barry Steinhardt, director of the ACLU's technology and liberty project, in the release. "These brain-scanning technologies are far from ready for forensic uses, and if deployed, will inevitably be misused and misunderstood."
The FOIA requests were filed Tuesday with the Pentagon, the National Security Agency, the CIA, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security.
No one from the ACLU was immediately available for comment.
#7
Here you go ACLU traitors. All you ever wanted to know for the low price of 50¢.
Posted by: ed ||
06/29/2006 22:13 Comments ||
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#8
Once again the ACLU is putting the interests of non-American citizens who wish to kill us above those of American citizens.
Aiding and comforting, perhaps?
Posted by: DanNY ||
06/29/2006 22:13 Comments ||
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#9
would a lobotomy or heart surgery on an ACLU member qualify as Minor Surgery to an HMO? Just wondering...
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/29/2006 22:17 Comments ||
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#10
I remember two local cops who got chewed out by a judge for putting a collander with two wires coming out of it to a copy machine. They had a piece of paper in the copier that said "He's Lying!" on it, and whenever they thought this particularly stupid burglar with the collander on his head was fibbing, they would push the 'copy' button.
He soon confessed to a string of burglaries. The judge gave them an 'A' for effort, but said it there was no way in pluperfect hell he was going to allow his confession.
James Taranto, "Best of the Web," Wall Street Journal
I post this because I'm not sure the mainstream press is accurately describing the opinion.
The Supreme Court's decision in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld . . . weighs in at 185 pages, and we'll confess we haven't had time to read every word. But here are the major points:
* Although Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the court's primary opinion, Justice Anthony Kennedy decided the case. Kennedy joined Stevens and the three other "liberal" justices in some aspects of the case, yielding a 5-3 majority, but declined to join others, producing an inconclusive result on those issues. If the Supreme Court breaks 4-4 on a case, or on an issue within a case, the lower court ruling is "affirmed by an equally divided court," as we say in the legal research biz.
(Because Chief Justice John Roberts joined the lower-court decision the Supreme Court was overturning, he did not participate in today's ruling but can be assumed to agree with the three dissenters.)
* The Kennedy majority agreed that the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005, which grants the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia sole jurisdiction over habeas corpus petitions filed by Guantanamo detainees, does not strip the Supreme Court of jurisdiction in this case, because Hamdan had already filed for the writ when Congress passed the act.
* The Kennedy majority held that the military commission the Pentagon set up to try Hamdan was not authorized by the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
* The Stevens plurality wanted to go further and hold that Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions--which provides that war crimes trials be conducted by "a regularly constituted court"--requires that Hamdan be present at his trial, even if sensitive intelligence is being aired. But Kennedy thought it unnecessary to reach a conclusion on this question. That means that the lower court's holding on that point is affirmed.
* The Stevens plurality also wanted to declare the charge against Hamdan--conspiracy--invalid under international law. Kennedy again saw no reason to reach the question. Ditto.
The court did not decide that unlawful combatants at Guantanamo are entitled to Geneva Convention protections as either civilians or prisoners of war, only that Common Article 3, which governs "conflict not of an international character occurring in the territory of one of the [signatories]," applies--though because of Kennedy's demurral, precisely how it applies is an open question.
(In dissent, Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas argued that Common Article 3 does not apply to the conflict with al Qaeda--a position Roberts also took in the lower court's decision. Scalia and Thomas, along with Justice Samuel Alito, also take the position that even if Common Article 3 does apply, the commission qualified as "regularly constituted.")
The court also did not hold that the government is under any obligation to release Hamdan. Justice Stevens:
We have assumed . . . the truth of the message implicit in that charge--viz., that Hamdan is a dangerous individual whose beliefs, if acted upon, would cause great harm and even death to innocent civilians, and who would act upon those beliefs if given the opportunity. It bears emphasizing that Hamdan does not challenge, and we do not today address, the Government's power to detain him for the duration of active hostilities in order to prevent such harm.
For now at least, the court has not mandated that terrorist detainees be granted the rights of either ordinary criminal defendants (who cannot be held indefinitely unless charged and convicted) or prisoners of war (who, among other things, cannot be interrogated).
The chief result of this ruling will be to delay the trials of Guantanamo detainees until Congress or the Pentagon establishes a regime of military commissions that meets the court's approval. For those concerned with the duration of terrorists' captivity--a perverse thing to worry about anyway--there's little to cheer here.
In other words, this may not be as bad as we're all presuming/the press is telling us.
Posted by: Mike ||
06/29/2006 15:39 ||
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#1
In other words, this may not be as bad as we're all presuming/the press is telling us.
That's why I wait to see what the law prof and other lawyer-run blogs have to say. Besides the question of competence, I don't trust the MSM to tell me the color of the sky.
#5
those assholes members of the press corps tried to attack W at his presser with PM Koizumi this AM - he said "I haven't read it or been briefed on it - have you?" - they kept trying to frame it as a "repudiation" or "slap" at Bush.
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/29/2006 17:40 Comments ||
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#6
Since Congress can pass legislation to restrict the Court's jurisdiction in certain matters, is it not possible for the legislature to do this in the case of the Guantanamo prisoners? Their disposition has nothing whatsoever to do with the Geneva Conventions, although I can easily image the Supreme Court mandating that kind of treatment.
#9
No. 61, Misc. SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES 327 U.S. 1; 66 S. Ct. 340; 90 L. Ed. 499; 1946 U.S. LEXIS 3090 January 7, 8, 1946, Argued February 4, 1946, Decided
OVERVIEW: Petitioner contended that the military commission which tried him was
unlawfully created and without jurisdiction. The court disagreed and denied the writ. First, the commission was not only created by a commander competent to appoint it, but his order conformed to the established policy of the government and was in complete conformity with the Articles of War, 10 U.S.C.S. @@ 1471 -1593. Second, there was authority to convene the commission, even after hostilities had ended, to try violations of the law of war that were committed before the war's cessation, at least until peace was officially recognized by treaty or proclamation. Third, the charge against petitioner, which alleged that he breached his duty to control the operations of the members of his command by permitting them to commit specified atrocities, adequately alleged a violation of the law of war. And finally, petitioner was not entitled to any of the protections afforded by the Geneva Convention, part 3, Chapter 3, @ V, Title III, because that chapter applied only to persons subjected to judicial proceedings for offenses committed while prisoners of war.
OUTCOME: The court denied the petition for certiorari, and the motion for leave to file in the United States Supreme Court petitions for writs of habeas corpus and prohibition.
Thank you for posting the precedent - it is very interesting -- and very puzzling why the justices ruled and opined as they did in light of such precedent.
One of 7 men accused of plotting to blow up the Sears Tower admitted to being a member of the group that swore allegiance to al-Qaida, and told investigators it planned to bomb five FBI buildings, a prosecutor said Thursday.
Lyglenson Lemorin, a Haitian national, also admitted to attending military training in Miami and other parts of Florida to carry out the mission, Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Getchell said during Lemorin's hearing before a U.S. magistrate.
Lemorin is one of seven men suspected in the terror plot who were arrested last week at the group's alleged hide-out in a Miami warehouse.
Getchell said the alleged ringleader, Narseal Batiste, told an FBI informant who posed as an al-Qaida member that with the terror group's support, he could get his plans going in less than a year.
At repeated meetings with the informant, Batiste said he admired Osama bin Laden, was honored an excited that al-Qaida would align itself with his group and said he had members in Chicago and Louisiana, Getchell said.
Authorities have said the seven men accused of trying to blow up the Sears Tower with help from al-Qaida never actually made contact with the terrorist network, and were instead caught in an FBI sting involving an informant who posed as an al-Qaida operative.
According to Getchell, Batiste was planning to take down the Sears Tower with dynamite. Batiste allegedly said he had worked in Chicago for a delivery firm and could count on former employees there to help plan the attack through the underground tunnel system in Chicago.
The prosecution asked that Lemorin be granted no bond.
Getchell said that even if bond were granted, Lemorin would be taken into custody by immigration authorities. Although he's a lawful permanent resident he can be deported based on his admitted alignment with a foreign terrorist organization.
The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that President Bush overstepped his authority in ordering military war crimes trials for Guantanamo Bay detainees. The ruling, a rebuke to the administration and its aggressive anti- terror policies, was written by Justice John Paul Stevens, who said the proposed trials were illegal under U.S. law and international Geneva conventions.
The case focused on Salim Ahmed Hamdan, a Yemeni who worked as a bodyguard and driver for Osama bin Laden. Hamdan, 36, has spent four years in the U.S. prison in Cuba. He faces a single count of conspiring against U.S. citizens from 1996 to November 2001.
Two years ago, the court rejected Bush's claim to have the authority to seize and detain terrorism suspects and indefinitely deny them access to courts or lawyers. In this follow-up case, the justices focused solely on the issue of trials for some of the men. The vote was split 5-3, with moderate Justice Anthony M. Kennedy joining the court's liberal members in ruling against the Bush administration. Chief Justice John Roberts, named to the lead the court last September by Bush, was sidelined in the case because as an appeals court judge he had backed the government over Hamdan. Thursday's ruling overturned that decision.
Bush spokesman Tony Snow said the White House would have no comment until lawyers had had a chance to review the decision. Officials at the Pentagon and Justice Department were planning to issue statements later in the day. The administration had hinted in recent weeks that it was prepared for the court to set back its plans for trying Guantanamo detainees. The president also has told reporters, "I'd like to close Guantanamo." But he added, "I also recognize that we're holding some people that are darn dangerous."
The court's ruling says nothing about whether the prison should be shut down, dealing only with plans to put detainees on trial. "Trial by military commission raises separation-of-powers concerns of the highest order," Kennedy wrote in his opinion.
The prison at Guantanamo Bay, erected in the months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States, has been a flash point for international criticism. Hundreds of people suspected of ties to al-Qaida and the Taliban, including some teenagers, have been swept up by the U.S. military and secretly shipped there since 2002. Three detainees committed suicide there this month, using sheets and clothing to hang themselves. The deaths brought new scrutiny and criticism of the prison, along with fresh calls for its closing.
Justice Clarence Thomas wrote a strongly worded dissent, saying the court's decision would "sorely hamper the president's ability to confront and defeat a new and deadly enemy." The court's willingness, Thomas said, "to second-guess the determination of the political branches that these conspirators must be brought to justice is both unprecedented and dangerous." Justices Antonin Scalia and Samuel Alito also filed dissents.
In his own opinion, Justice Stephen Breyer said, "Congress has not issued the executive a 'blank check.'" "Indeed, Congress has denied the president the legislative authority to create military commissions of the kind at issue here. Nothing prevents the president from returning to Congress to seek the authority he believes necessary," Breyer wrote.
Posted by: Steve ||
06/29/2006 10:47 ||
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#1
A wina and a loss. The opinion seems to say that we can detain these people, without trial, for as long as the active conflict exists. We cannot, however, try them before a military tribunal.
The door remains open for trials in a non-military court, for Congress to establish a military tribunal, or... for trial under the UCMJ.
#3
From SCOTUSblog:
More importantly, the Court held that Common Article 3 of Geneva aplies as a matter of treaty obligation to the conflict against Al Qaeda. That is the HUGE part of today's ruling. The commissions are the least of it. This basically resolves the debate about interrogation techniques, because Common Article 3 provides that detained persons "shall in all circumstances be treated humanely," and that "[t]o this end," certain specified acts "are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever"including "cruel treatment and torture," and "outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment." This standard, not limited to the restrictions of the due process clause, is much more restrictive than even the McCain Amendment.
Posted by: Steve ||
06/29/2006 11:11 Comments ||
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#5
Next time, dump captured terrs into a ravine, toss in several hand-grenades, and then finish the job with napalm.
So now we'll have to provide lawyers and criminal trials in the USA to these maggots. Marxist Michael Ratner's Center for Constitutional Rights and the Left's beloved ACLU are lining up.
#7
Doesn't that only apply to legal combatants? Not to illegal combatants who are not clearly identifiable as combatants and hide within/behind the [protected] civilian population?
#9
The liberals are demanding an international court, still spouting about the Cowboy's unilateralism. Maybe an international tribunal, with the US working in conjunction with those nations involved. If captured in Afghanistan, but a Yemeni citizen, and Australian or British troops assisted us, then all can work together in a tribunal. The can learn about the best justice system in the world while the Euroweenies who opposed the war and the death penalty have no say in it all.
#11
How can we be bound by a treaty to somebody who didn't sign it?
This is absolute BS.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats ||
06/29/2006 11:34 Comments ||
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#12
Nothing prevents the president from returning to Congress to seek the authority he believes necessary," Breyer wrote.
In other words, SCOTUS has given the Reps the message for the November elections. It will be on the docket before the election to indeed force the Dems to defend the terrorist who abide by no law. [Note to the Dems, you didn't win too many being on the wrong side of the old Law and Order debate, its going to be the same this time around too.] Heh.
#13
As much as I agree with Nimble Spemble we shouldn't even take prisoners in the first place; unfortunately we will be collecting more of these animals in the future. Close Gitmo but where should we create the new prison? I vote for Hyannis Port, Johnstown, PA, or San Francisco.
#14
Sniper's on the money - take it to Congress - make the Donks vote up or down!
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/29/2006 11:49 Comments ||
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#15
Let's try them in civilian courts. Turn them over to Federal marshalls for incarceration in the US tomorrow, preferrably in holding pens attached to Federal Courthouses with lots of judges in them, and start construction on a new wing for the Florence Supermax. Make sure there's cameras and microphones in the courtroom to catch every threat to the American people from these wackos.
The American people need to be reminded that we are in a war. Counterintuitive as it may seem, this could be the best way to do it. This will not redound to the donks benefit. Perhaps it was a Rovian plot all along.
#16
I'm conflicted. Lock them up and try to find a venue in which to try legal cases against them. Or just shoot them, here and now, and be done with it.
Then, after that, we'll still have the issue of the prisoners at Gitmo.
#17
If I'm remembering ConLaw I right (and I had a moonbat for a professor, so it wasn't like I actually learned much of anything in the first place), a treaty is equivalent to a statute. If a treaty and a statute conflict, the last in time controls. Therefore, all than needs to happen is to have Congress pass a statute authorizing the President to set the terms of detention for any enemy combatant who is not associated with a state which is signatory to the Geneva Convention. Soon as it's signed into law, the Geneva Convention no longer controls the case.
Added bonus: might be fun to watch certain Congresscritters try to explain why they're arguing in favor of expanded rights for terrorists.
Posted by: Mike ||
06/29/2006 12:16 Comments ||
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#18
Mike's right. Even Arlen might have to vote for it...Chafee won't. Added Added bonus - the congresscritters will be forced to take a position AND can't use Gitmo as a stick to beat Bush if they vote to overturn the SCOTUS ruling with a congressional vote. Ultimately the animals caged at Gitmo won't be turned free unless W wants it
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/29/2006 12:23 Comments ||
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#19
The ruling also provides they can be tried under the UCMJ. But the media value of that would be much lower.
#20
Additional point on the Geneva Conventions (I'm sure someone here knows this): Even if binny himself were to walk up and sign it tomorrow (for AQ), they still have to meet other requirements in there BEFORE it applies to them (such as a soldier of a State gov't, wears identifiable soldier uniform, not hiding in civilian areas, etc.)? So, even if they DO sign the thing, they still aren't living up to their end of the bargain (surprise, surprise).
Posted by: BA ||
06/29/2006 12:28 Comments ||
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#21
hopefully, one of the liberals will die soon on the court
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/29/2006 12:41 Comments ||
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#22
I must be on the right track, anyway--one actual expert in counterterrorism is already saying the same thing. (I'll post it as a separate article here in a moment.)
Posted by: Mike ||
06/29/2006 12:43 Comments ||
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#24
The amount of blood americans have spilled in the middle east over the last 20 years or so not withstanding the arms supplied by america to various factions to fight and kill eachother .. your blood lust and lack of concern for the innocent victims that will account for more than 80% at a guess of all those wounded, killed dismembered and the children left homeless foodless and shelterless from such carnage.. stop and think before you start typing your rants .. please .. just think for one second before you click Submit !!!!! fuck you america
you will be nuked one day
#25
Mike -- you seem to be right -- lifted from Michelle's site:
U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Jon Kyl (R-AZ) today issued the following statement on the U.S. Supreme Courts ruling on the Hamdan case:
"We are disappointed with the Supreme Courts decision. However, we believe the problems cited by the Court can and should be fixed.
"It is inappropriate to try terrorists in civilian courts. It threatens our national security and places the safety of jurors in danger. For those reasons and others, we believe terrorists should be tried before military commissions.
"In his opinion, Justice Breyer set forth the path to a solution of this problem. He wrote, Nothing prevents the president from returning to Congress to seek the authority he believes necessary.
"We intend to pursue legislation in the Senate granting the Executive Branch the authority to ensure that terrorists can be tried by competent military commissions. Working together, Congress and the administration can draft a fair, suitable, and constitutionally permissible tribunal statute."
#28
Nuke Iszrael (sic): the incredible hardships brought down upon the Islamic peoples are typically the result of their stupid 7th century backassward cult of death. How many "Lions" typically hide among their women or use children as human shields? Cowards, pussies, and pedophile degenerates deserve to die. We are merely the implementation of Allan's God's will and Darwin's law unto them :-)
HAND
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/29/2006 14:35 Comments ||
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#29
I love the mood swing: stop and think ... please .. just think for one second, which is at least the beginnings of an appeal to reason, followed immediately by fuck you, which isn't. Can you say "bipolar?"
Posted by: Mike ||
06/29/2006 14:36 Comments ||
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#30
Looking on the bright side of things
It will be a whole lot easier, efficient and cheaper simply to turn captured enemy illegal combatants over to host country forces. They of course can invite anyone they want to observe and record information obtained from subsequent interrogation, if any. The downside of course is the reliability of information gleaned from using a Dremel on the teeth while the head is clamped in a vice and cattle prods are being applied to the genetalia.
So now, Justice Stevens, the war on terror aint over until the last scream of the last suspect *not* under your purview is heard and the last bullet from a summary execution is fired. Rendition instead of tribunals. No prisoners except the ones we want to keep and try - and those we hand over to the local countrys intelligence interrogators.
Message recieved, loud and clear.
Thank You Justices Stevens, Bryer, Ginsburg, Souter and Kennedy. This is a red-letter day for local nationals and their far less gentle means of persuasion, or else for summary execution (or both).
Unintended consequences - do you think this outcome is what the lefties on the court intended? Last laugh = best laugh
#31
stop and think before you start typing your rants .. please .. just think for one second before you click Submit
Sorry. I didn't realize my rants were so powerful. I will stop all the carnage in this world by not hitting submit.
Oh crap. Here I go again.
Posted by: oh boy here we go ||
06/29/2006 14:38 Comments ||
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#32
My friend who was downtown in Anchorage, Alaska during the 1964 earthquake, brought to me the principle that "Every disaster is a new opportunity." This outrageous decision by the SCOTUS fits into that principle.
Heaven knows that we have had enough disasters. We are fighting an enemy that gives no quarter overseas, and we are fighting an internal one in this country.
The Left will use any tool to hobble and defeat the Administration in this internal war. And make no mistake, it is war. Not a shootin' war---yet, but it is a war. They cannot do it by legislation, so they put maximum effort into the media front and in the courts.
Mike---you are onto the possible solution of the situation. So now the front will shift back to the Congress. We do not have the treasure, the judges, or the time to have court cases for every one of these Gitmo Guyz. Especially with judges with a liberal agenda. The SCOTUS decision is designed to hobble the war effort. Therefore, it is imperative that the Congress make legislation that will give the President the power for military tribunals. I guess we all better get cracking and let our congress people know what we expect of them. I know that some Rantburger's congress people are hopeless. Well, they better toe the line or be shown the door in November.
As far as interrogation goes, do what is necessary, whether we do it ourselves, or our allies do it, to insure that our armed forces get the intel that they need in a timely manner. After intel is extracted, give the detainees to their home countries and let them deal with these guys. That will minimize the number of detainees that we have to deal with.
Gitmo has had over 1000 journalists visit the place already, plus 170 or so Congressmen. Who is running this war, the press or the President?
Get the intel, kill these guys, have others kill them, or hand them over to allies less sympathetic to them. You cannot win this war being PC. The enemy is certainly not PC.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
06/29/2006 14:40 Comments ||
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#33
So it is the opinion of SCOTUS that an organization that does not adhere to the Geneva Convention (al Qaeda) is still protected by it?
#34
There's certainly room for debate as to the bounds of executive power in this less-than-formally-declared "war". I've not had time to study the opinion yet but I'd wager that the swing votes are hedging and would vote the other way if, as Breyer suggested, the Legislative & Executive branches reach an accord.
The truly troubling part of the decision to me is the extension of the Geneva Convention to cover terrorists. Am I wrong in thinking that the court's decision there vitiated the underpinnings of the Convention, namely the separation of lawful combatants from all others? That seems to display a shocking lack of basic understanding of the very purpose of the Convention. It also will give the US quite a black eye in the international arena if Congress takes up the issue and begins excluding those the Court should not have included.
#35
The Supremes have goofed badly on this. They have totally ignored the previous history of legal dealings with such people, including the Nuremburg tribunals and the military courts in Vietnam and Korea. We have five supreme court justices that need to be removed for failing to show "good behavior" (Article III, Section 1, US Constitution). Ginsburg especially, with her insistance on using "foreign law" (not debated, passed, or any other way accepted by the United States) should be dismissed. The United States military is being compromised by this ruling, in violation of the separation of powers between the Justice System and the President, who has authority during time of war to do just about anything necessary to maintain the security of the United States. The Justices that voted for this should be soundly slapped. Removing them from the court would do that.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
06/29/2006 14:57 Comments ||
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#36
The Supremes (not to be confused with Motown group or maybe) can't have it both ways--we are either at war or not. Seems pretty clear to just about every rational person that we are at war.
#38
your blood lust and lack of concern for the innocent victims that will account for more than 80% at a guess of all those wounded, killed dismembered and the children left homeless foodless and shelterless
You just don't have a sense of humor. We're laughing with you not at your starving kittens.
It's kinda fun, I advise trying it, at least once. anyway.
#39
Just for the sake of argument, what if W assumes the Jacksonian position of US v Cherokee Nation: "John Marshall has made his decision. Let's see him enforce it."
#40
Just for the sake of argument, what if W assumes the Jacksonian position of US v Cherokee Nation: "John Marshall has made his decision. Let's see him enforce it."
The barking moonbats continue howling at the moon and calling for W to be impeached while the RINOs quietly side with the left and cut all funding for Gitmo operations or continuing confinement of the folks currently held there regardless of location. Beyond impeachment and funding there's really not much to constrain W's action here.
The amount of 'blood spilled' by americans in the ME is insiginicant compared to the amount spilled in muslim-on-muslim slaughter. Iran-Iraq anyone? The current war (where the vast majority of civilian deaths are caused by other muslims). Even during 'peacetime' muslims engage in wholesale slaughter of their own people.
How about that Saddam who diverted funds for his starving people in the oil-for-food program to build palaces and monuments to himself? And his two son and their rape squads, rape rooms, and torture chambers?
Funny how the world and muslims get in a tizzy because of a rumor of a flushed Koran - but didn't say shit while Saddam was feeding people to industreal shreadders alive.
It was Saddam who filled the mass-graves which are still being found in Iraq. Not 'americans' or the west.
What about Dafur Sudan? Muslim on Muslim. But I guess its ok since the victims are black, have the heart of a donkey and are only fit for slavery (isn't that the prophet's own words?). Rape of women and children is the norm.
And lets not get into the Death worshipping cult which is Islam. The Prophet was a Pedophile, Murderer, Robber/hiwayman, liar, rapist, and all-around false prophet (and those are his good points). Allah is a moon-god. Islam is a religion based on hatred, murder, rape, and death.
As for me, I feel sorry for most muslims since they are trapped in this death-cult and cannot even leave (without incurring a death sentence). They canot even hear any other words since to question Islam is to be killed - as shown by the 'muslim' reaction to the cartoons.
Go peddle your shit at some other site such as Daily Kos or Democratic Underground. There are real men and women here.
#42
CF: I would accuse you of Islamophobia, but that means the irrational fear of Islam. I personally think you just hit the nail on the head with that rant! Bravo!
Posted by: BA ||
06/29/2006 16:04 Comments ||
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#43
On to practicalities. The military itself never liked the idea of giving military tribunals to these mutts. It just goes against the grain. "Not our job", was much of the attitude.
We now stand in an interesting situation. Gitmo was never a top prison camp for the most important al-Qaeda. Instead it was a Potempkin village, a lightning rod for troublesome lawyers, leftist terrorist symps, protestors, etc. It has worked very well in that regard, filled with losers and also-rans who for the most part sit around all day, pray, eat a lot, and live the medium security lifestyle.
The real business was done under the auspices of other countries with far less liberal laws. And if there was any problem with some prisoner, the US could just shrug and say he was not in US jurisdiction.
Even if the military convicted any of them, what would it do with them? Ship them to Leavenworth, the military side? Most of them we want to send to some other country for disposal, eventually. Now we just have to figure out how to empty the place gradually.
#45
but first, let him know we can hold him there until the permanent WOT is "finished"
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/29/2006 17:34 Comments ||
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#46
The "catch and release" program worked so well. Maybe the remaining terrorists "detainees" should be released in the neighborhoods of the liberal court members for rehab.
The United States Supreme Court denied the application of General Tomoyuki Yamashita, the commanding officer of the Japanese forces in the Philippines, who was also military governor of the Philippines, for leave to file a petition for writ of habeas corpus and the writ of prohibition. Based upon Congress's war power, a military commission appointed by Commander of the United States Armed Forces, Western Pacific, which command included the Philippine Islands, had jurisdiction to try the General as an "enemy belligerent" on a charge of violating the law of war. In this case there was no "termination of war" and peace had not been agreed upon, even though actual hostilities in the field had ended. The Japanese General had failed to meet his affirmative duty to take appropriate steps within his power to protect prisoners of war and the civilian population from violations of the law of war during the time Japanese forces occupied the Philippines.
#48
So the court has reversed itself from its previous precedent Yamashita v. Styer 327 U.S. 1 (1946).
Not exactly.
There a formal declared state of war existed because of Congress' earlier declaration of war on Japan thus the Executive was acting with the explicit approval of Congress, the very situation which in which the Executive power is most broad.
As a practical matter we're at war today but as a legal matter we may or may not be. A formal declaration of war isn't strictly necessary but where one exists the power of the Executive branch to conduct hostilities as it sees fit is at its most expansive. Because Congress stopped short of a formal declaration of war, some seemingly applicable legal precedents (cf Yamashita) may not apply.
#49
In other words, the SCOTUS is just making this up as it goes along because -
S.J.Res.23
One Hundred Seventh Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE FIRST SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,
the third day of January, two thousand and one
Joint Resolution
To authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against those responsible for the recent attacks launched against the United States.
Whereas, on September 11, 2001, acts of treacherous violence were committed against the United States and its citizens; and
Whereas, such acts render it both necessary and appropriate that the United States exercise its rights to self-defense and to protect United States citizens both at home and abroad; and
Whereas, in light of the threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States posed by these grave acts of violence; and
Whereas, such acts continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States; and
Whereas, the President has authority under the Constitution to take action to deter and prevent acts of international terrorism against the United States: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This joint resolution may be cited as the `Authorization for Use of Military Force'.
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES.
(a) IN GENERAL- That the President is authorized to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons.
(b) War Powers Resolution Requirements-
(1) SPECIFIC STATUTORY AUTHORIZATION- Consistent with section 8(a)(1) of the War Powers Resolution, the Congress declares that this section is intended to constitute specific statutory authorization within the meaning of section 5(b) of the War Powers Resolution.
(2) APPLICABILITY OF OTHER REQUIREMENTS- Nothing in this resolution supercedes any requirement of the War Powers Resolution.
#50
Americans already know when America is gonna be nuked - both Russia-China have indicated that war against America, and only America, circa 2015-2018 is not only possible or realistic but even desired. Some Chicoms officios had also indic as early as 2010 or 2014 where China and the Taiwan issue is concerned, i.e. limited REGIONAL war o'er a limited concise, managed, Taiwan < > Norkie battlefield(s).The Chicom "Assassin's Mace" + "War/Battle/Local Zone" anti US strategems includes resort to area/crisis-specific IMMEDIATE NUCLEAR ESCALATION = ESCALATION TO NUCLEAR COMBAT. FREEREPUBLIC.com > English interpetation of captured Sadddam docs = MOSCOW, etal. told Saddam they wanted the Iraq cris TO LAST AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. THE ONLY REAL, ALL-ENCOMPASSING, SHORT-ORDER POINT AMERICANS NEED TO KNOW IS THAT IFF AMERICA DOES NOT ACCEPT SOCIALISM AND OWG, i.e. "AMERICA BEING CONTROLLED/RESTARINED, AMERICA WILL BE DESTROYED HER ENEMIES, TO INCLUDE BUT LIMITED TO ANTI-AMER AMERICANS. Clintonian Fascist> hated despicable Nazi Bushitler Fascist = also Deregulated Communist misguided arrogant ditzy kultzy Half-A-Stalinist, Socialist-Commie Amerikkka won the battle(s), but lost the War due to PC/
PDeniable "Creeping/Gradual Socialism-COmmunism-Totalitarianism" and Universal Governmentism-Policratism.
ISLAMABAD - Four men were hanged in Pakistan on Thursday for gang-raping a teenaged Christian girl at gunpoint in the central city of Faisalabad seven years ago.
It's a start
The men, all Muslims, were convicted by an anti-terrorism court and the verdict was upheld by higher courts, including the Federal Sharia (Islamic) Court. The men were hanged at 4:30 a.m., said a prison official in Faisalabad.
Christians form a small minority in overwhelmingly Muslim Pakistan and incidents of sectarian violence are highly sensitive. President General Pervez Musharraf had rejected mercy pleas from the men. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan recorded 207 cases of gang-rape in Pakistan during 2005.
Amnesty International, which opposes the death penalty, says 241 persons were sentenced to death in Pakistan during 2005, and 32 people were executed.
Posted by: Steve ||
06/29/2006 09:06 ||
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#1
It is a start, or they wanna look good for the west.
#3
Turbans must be bursting steam: Shariah states that Muslims may not be sentenced to death for crimes against dhimmis and that jail and monetary sentcnes are halved, that is one of the reasons jihadis are routinely amnistiated in Arab/Muslim countries at least when there were no Muslim victims.
Now I am wondering about the reasons: decent people remaining in Pakistan or the visit from Condy Rice.
The authorities in Pakistan's North Waziristan region have freed more than 50 tribesmen as an apparent goodwill gesture to pro-Taleban militants. Officials say those freed are ordinary tribesmen, including shopkeepers and taxi drivers - not hardcore fighters. The move comes days after local militants offered a conditional ceasefire with security forces. Dozens of tribal militants and government troops have been killed in clashes in the area this year.
The BBC's Haroon Rashid in Peshawar says the freeing of the detainees is expected to further reduce tension between the government and the militants.
Sunday's ceasefire offer was seen as an attempt to facilitate negotiations between the two sides. One of several conditions set by the militants was the release of all detained tribesmen. They also demanded the withdrawal of army troops from the region and the removal of all new check posts.
Tens of thousands of Pakistani security forces are trying to flush out foreign Islamic militants and their local supporters in the country's restive tribal belt along the border with Afghanistan.
Posted by: Steve ||
06/29/2006 08:59 ||
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Missed this yesterday. TF 145? Surprised the wrongful death angle hasn't already spiraled through the MSM. Kinda sad, but somehow Darwinian - even rattlesnakes learn or evolve not to shake their booty and act all threatening around Texans with guns.
Coalition Forces Detain AIF Terrorist
6/28/2006
BAGHDAD Coalition forces detained one al-Qaida in Iraq terrorist during a raid in the vicinity of Baqubah June 28.
The al-Qaida terrorist initially targeted had been linked to previous terrorist activities and had ties to senior al-Qaida leaders throughout this region. The ground troops secured his house and detained him without incident.
The force also secured multiple small arms weapons, hidden ammunition, and $4,000 in sequentially numbered U.S. $100 bills at the initial target location.
While securing the initial target, Coalition forces noticed an individual acting suspiciously at a near-by house. They assessed him as an imminent threat, engaged and killed him. He was later determined to be a non-combatant.
Multiple women and children were present at the raid sites. None were harmed and all were returned to their homes once the troops ensured the area was secure.
Coalition forces take every precaution to mitigate risks to civilians while in pursuit of terrorists, and deeply regret any injury or death to non-combatants.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
06/29/2006 20:01 Comments ||
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#2
The force also secured multiple small arms weapons, hidden ammunition, and $4,000 in sequentially numbered U.S. $100 bills at the initial target location....... which carried the unmistakable oder of kimchi.
BAQUBA, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi and U.S. troops battled Shi'ite militiamen in a village northeast of Baghdad on Thursday, and witnesses and police said U.S. helicopters bombed orchards to flush out gunmen hiding in the palm groves.
Iraqi security officials said Iranian fighters had been captured in the fighting, in which the commander of an Iraqi quick reaction force and two soldiers were shot dead by a sniper. They did not say how the Iranians had been identified. The U.S. military had no immediate comment.
Police said the fighting was still going on at 6 p.m. (1400 GMT) in the predominantly Shi'ite village of Khairnabat, 3 km (two miles) north of Baquba, capital of Diyala province. Local residents reported hearing shooting and explosions. A bomb in the town's main market killed 18 people on Monday. On Wednesday, Shi'ite militiamen fired mortars at a Sunni mosque in nearby Miqdadiya, destroying the building and 20 shops. Police said the mosque attack and other attacks on Sunnis in Khairnabat itself persuaded Sunnis that it would be safer to leave the village. But as a convoy of vehicles was leaving on Thursday, "gunmen surrounded them and started shooting," a captain in Diyala's police intelligence unit told Reuters.
Baquba's quick reaction force, an Interior Ministry unit, responded and clashed with the fighters, the captain said. Iraqi and U.S. military reinforcements then arrived and sealed off the village. Police and witnesses said U.S. helicopters had bombed orchards where militiamen were believed to be hiding.
The captain and other Interior Ministry sources said the commander of the quick reaction force, Colonel Sami Hussein, and two other soldiers were killed by a sniper. No other casualties were reported from the clashes and police said it was not clear how many civilians had been killed or wounded in the initial shooting at the convoy. The wounded were taken to a hospital in Baquba.
"We captured a number of militants and were surprised to see that some of them were Iranian fighters," the police intelligence captain said. An Interior Ministry official, who did not want to be named, also said Iranian gunmen had been captured. The United States and Britain have accused Shi'ite Iran of meddling in Iraq's affairs and providing military assistance to Iraq's pro-government Shi'ite militias. However, there have been few instances of Iranians actually being captured inside Iraq. Among Shi'ite militants are Iraqis who grew up in refugee camps in Iran and are often described by Iraqi compatriots as "Iranians" because of their accented Arabic.
Police have said Shi'ite fighters in the area belong to the Mehdi Army of radical, Iranian-backed cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Sadr's movement, which staged two uprisings against occupying troops in 2004, denies being behind sectarian violence.
Diyala, where al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed earlier this month, has seen much sectarian violence among its diverse population. A number of Shi'ite shrines were destroyed in attacks there six weeks ago.
Posted by: Steve ||
06/29/2006 13:03 ||
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#1
wow, Iranians stirring it up in Iraq? Whoda thunk it?
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/29/2006 13:14 Comments ||
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Iraqi security officials said Iranian fighters had been captured in the fighting, in which the commander of an Iraqi quick reaction force and two soldiers were shot dead by a sniper. They did not say how the Iranians had been identified. The U.S. military had no immediate comment.
The first of some supposed Hezbollah attacks for Israel's smackdown of the Paleos, maybe? Or are the Iranians that dumb/fast?
Posted by: BA ||
06/29/2006 13:46 Comments ||
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#3
Okay, who was it yesterday that predicated this?
#8
If the Iranians sent in fighters then they would be arab-speakers. As for identication, I am sure the Iraqis can tell. It is like picking out the Canadian in a group of New Yorkers.
#11
This article hints that there is a strong association between Sadr's Mahdi army and the Iranian government. That by itself should be enough to "kneecap" Sadr, about eight inches above his adam's apple. A lot of the sh$$ that's taking place in Iraq is being stirred up by Iran, another good reason to nuke the entire place 'till it glows in the daytime.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
06/29/2006 23:46 Comments ||
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You know you're not going to hear this in the MSM...
June 29, 2006: In Iraq, although there was a brief "spike" in the number of terrorist attacks per day following the death of al Qaeda leader Zarqawi on June 7th, since then the daily average has fallen by perhaps 15- to 20-percent over the rate prevailing in the week or so prior. This appears to be the after-effect of over 500 raids resulting from capturing Zarqawi's laptop. Over a thousand al Qaeda members and supporters were arrested. Because the al Qaeda and Baath (pro-Saddam) terrorist organizations are intertwined, the raids crippled the major terrorist organizations in the country.
American casualties are also down, but that's more a matter of how active U.S. combat units are than anything else. So far, American casualties for the first six months of 2006 (about 2400) are down 40 percent from what they were for the first six months of 2005. Part of this is due to the redeployment of many American troops to new bases outside the cities, and increasing the security on the main supply routes. The net result is that the enemy simply has fewer opportunities to attack American forces with any chances of success.
Tactics have changed as well, with U.S. troops being used more for attacking enemy strongholds, and leaving the more dangerous patrolling and police work to over a quarter of a million Iraqi soldiers and police. Those American attacks are not as dangerous to U.S. troops as it sounds. The American soldiers and marines have the initiative, being able to choose where and when they will strike. With control of the night (because of all that night vision gear), U.S. forces usually catch the enemy by surprise. Most American casualties occur after these battles, as U.S. troops patrol areas devoid of organized resistance, but still full of hostiles who are willing to take a shot at you, or plant bombs. American troops don't hang around a long time, knowing that Iraqi forces will have an easier time dealing with the locals. Well, at least the Iraqi police understand the curses being hurled at them by unhappy and unemployed Sunni Arabs.
Posted by: DanNY ||
06/29/2006 08:24 ||
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you'll also never hear this in the MSM. The war in Iraq has already been won. Mop up has begun. Pray for the Iraqi's that their new government will work for their common good.
#2
there have been a lot of fluctuations in this and related metrics over the last few years. There was a dip right after we captured Saddam, that proved to be shortlived. It wont be really newsworthy till we have sustained declines over several months, in all or most of the key indicators.
OTOH, its certainly misleading when someone cherrypicks the stats to show "quagmire". And overall, I think there have been numerous positive signs the last few weeks.
#3
2b and DanNY. Nope you are oth flat wrong. All you would have to do is slap a classification stamp on the story and the NYTLAT would fall all over themselves to put it the front page headline.
(KUNA) -- A group of insurgents Wednesday detonated a bomb in a Diyala province mosque northeast of the Iraqi capital, a statement by the security forces said. The explosion caused damages to area near the mosque but did not result in any deaths, the statement added. The statement said that Iraqi police units rushed to the area where they were exposed by a second explosion which injured two policemen.
Meanwhile, the US army confirmed the death of a marine today after he sustained injuries during last Monday's security operations in the Anbar province west of Iraq. A statement by the army did not give any further information about the incident.
On the other hand, the Iraqi ministry of science and technology revealed today the abduction of three employees last Sunday. The ministry employees and nine hired workers were abducted by unidentified gunmen in Kazimya area northern Baghdad.
On combating terrorism, the Iraqi army was successful in killing three insurgents and capturing 34 others during several operations within the past 24 hours in Sadr city, Anbar and Salah Al-Din Provinces. Similarly, the US army announced the capture of Al-Qaeda member in the Diyala province. A statement for the army said that the Al-Qaeda member is responsible for several terrorist activities in the area. The statement did not mention the name of the militant but said that it seized a number of weapons that were with the terrorist during his arrest.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/29/2006 00:00 ||
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Why the adding machine, Fred?
Rest in the peace you have earned, Sir Marine, with our gratitude.
(KUNA) -- Unidentified gunmen in Kirkuk city killed a civilian and abducted another, said a security source on Wednesday. The source told KUNA that unidentified gunmen shot dead today an Iraqi civilian in Al-Askariya neighborhood in downtown Kirkuk. Another group of gunmen abducted a truck driver while he was on the road between Kirkuk and Tikrit. In the mean time, a car exploded on the road between Kirkuk and Dabs and resulted in the death of a civilian and damages to an oil pipeline.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/29/2006 00:00 ||
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Iraqi officials say they have arrested a key al-Qaeda member for the bombing of a revered Shia shrine in Samarra. National security adviser Mowaffaq Al-Rubaie said the man, a Tunisian identified as Abu Qudama, was one of seven men wanted for the attack.
The bombing of the al-Askari shrine in February led to a sharp rise in sectarian attacks across the country. Mr Rubaie said Abu Qudama had been arrested several days ago and had confessed to his involvement. At a news conference in Baghdad, Mr Rubaie said the attack had been masterminded by an Iraqi, Haitham Al-Badri, who was still at large. The seven wanted men - all al-Qaeda members - also included another Iraqi, and four Saudi nationals, he added.
Abu Qudama was wounded in clashes several days ago with security forces north of Baghdad, in which 15 other foreign militants were killed, Mr Rubaie said. The al-Askari shrine, part of the Imam Ali al-Hadi mausoleum, is one of Shia Islam's holiest sites and attracts pilgrims from around the world. The bombing led to reprisal attacks on Sunni shrines, and a rise in sectarian violence led to the deaths of hundreds of civilians.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/29/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Let's set up arraingement in fromt of said mosque just after Friday prayers. No need to put a protective vest on the perp for the perp walk...
The Simon Wiesenthal Center called for an international arrest warrant to be issued for the apprehension of Hamas leader and one of Israel's most wanted men, Khaled Mashaal, according to a press release put out by the organization.
According to the SWC, Mashaal is the chief architect in the terror campaign against Israel. "The time has come for the United Nations to demand that Syria give up Khaled Mashaal and to issue an international arrest order for his apprehension," wrote Rabbi Marvin Hier, the Center's Founder and Dean, in a letter to United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan on Thursday.
"He is no less an international pariah and outlaw than Osama Bin-Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri and should be tried for his crimes against humanity. Mashaal is the real face of Hamas and as long as the international community allows him to live freely and continue his terrorist activities, there will be no road map and no prospects to achieve Middle East peace," added Hier.
Israeli warplanes struck more than a dozen times in Gaza in the hours after midnight, hitting the Palestinian Interior Ministry and a Fatah office in Gaza city, as well as a Hamas training camp in the city's outskirts.
Israel Air Force aircraft early Friday struck the Palestinian Interior Ministry in Gaza City, Palestinian witnesses said, setting it on fire.
There was no word of casualties as smoke and flames rose from the building in downtown Gaza City.
The Interior Ministry is nominally in charge of Palestinian security forces, though Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas removed most of its authority.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed its planes hit the office of Interior Minister Said Siyam, which it called "a meeting place to plan and direct terror activity."
Palestinian witnesses said Israeli missiles also slammed into an office belonging to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah group and a Hamas training camp outside the city,
Palestinian hospital officials said a 5-year-old girl was wounded in an Israeli air strike in northern Gaza early Friday, the first casualty in more than two days of military action. Doctors said her condition was not serious.
[..]
Abductors taunt Israel over fate of kidnapped soldier
Palestinian militants involved in the kidnapping of Shalit taunted Israel on Thursday by saying he could be dead or alive.
Abu Mujahed, a spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), which was involved in the attacl that led to Shalit's capture, said in a statement that Israel should stop wasting time if it wanted to resolve the crisis over the abduction.
"Possibility one: the missing soldier, for one reason or another, is dead and maybe there is a morgue available for his body or maybe there is not," Abu Mujahed said at a news conference.
"Possibility two is the soldier is still alive but is suffering a serious injury. Medication might be available or might not be available ... Possibility three is that he is fine but that a long time will pass [before he is released].
"Wasting time is not in their interests," he said.
[..]
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
06/29/2006 20:09 Comments ||
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#3
One must surely wonder if the US Supreme Court would hand down a 5 to 3 ruling that this asshat punk piece of kak is within the framework of established "internatational law" in taunting Israel over this poor kid.
#5
It's time for Israel to start targeted assassinations , and never ever ever stop. All that comes out of Palestinians mouths is lies , lies lieeeeeeeeeees.. Time to permanently close their pie holes.
By Avi Issacharoff and Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondents and News Agencies
Israel intends to arrest more senior Hamas figures in addition to the dozens of Palestinian lawmakers and ministers arrested in a predawn raid Thursday, the Justice Ministry said Thursday.
The detention of Hamas parliamentarians in the early hours of Thursday morning had been planned several weeks ago and received approval from Attorney General Menachem Mazuz on Wednesday. The same day, Shin Bet Director Yuval Diskin presented Prime Minister Ehud Olmert with the list of Hamas officials slated for detention.
[..]
A Justice Ministry spokesperson said that the change in policy towards ministers and parliamentarians who are members of Hamas was carried out with the approval of and in coordination with the judiciary, and that Israel intends on arresting more Hamas officials.
"We are talking about people suspected of criminal violations such as membership in terror organizations, affiliation with terrorist leadership, and other violations," the spokesperson said.
"The criminal proceedings will follow accepted legal standards. The suspects will be entitled to legal defense, and the arrest and investigation will be subject to judicial oversight. If a charge against a suspect is found to be baseless, he will be released," the spokesperson added.
Israel Defense Forces troops launched a major arrest operation overnight, detaining 64 of the ruling party's cabinet ministers and parliamentarians in the West Bank, as well as another 23 militants.
The move is part of Israel's expanded military operation against the Hamas-led government in the Palestinian Authority.
The arrests took place in Ramallah, Qalqilyah, Hebron, Jenin and East Jerusalem, according to Palestinian reports. Soldiers carried arrest warrants signed by judges that were issued following cooperative preparatory work by the state prosecution and police.
[..]
There appeared to be some confusion Thursday as to whether Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister Nasser a-Shaer, had been one of those detainees or whether he had evaded capture and gone into hiding in the West Bank.
The Hamas ministers had apparently expected the arrests. A-Shaer's wife said Thursday that he had avoided the military arrest operation as he had not been sleeping at home when the sweep took place.
He reportedly had disconnected all his cellular telephones for fear Israeli security services would again attempt to track him down and arrest him.
But GOC Southern Command Major General Yair Navbeh confirmed at a news conference Thursday that a-Shaer was among those who had been detained.
[..]
Warning to Haniyeh
On Thursday morning, National Infrastructure Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer hinted that Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh is not exempt from arrest or harm.
"No one is immune... This is not a government. It is a murderous organization," Ben-Eliezer said.
[..]
We have no government, we have nothing. They have all been taken," Saeb Erekat, an ally of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, said of the arrests. "This is absolutely unacceptable and we demand their release immediately."
[..]
Israel Radio quoted Shin Bet security chief Yuval Diskin as having told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on the day of the kidnapping: "If the soldier is not returned in 24 hours, Israel will not allow the Palestinian government to survive."
[..] Head to the article and read the whole thing
#2
I sure as hell wouldn't reveal who I had in custody. Let them think they're dead, just as the animals have taunted about Shalit.
I've reached the point where I could not care less if there is one Paleo left alive, in Gaza or anywhere else, after this is over. Israel has suffered the insanity far too long. Time to break the back of this cult of hate. Permanently. Whatever that takes.
Gaza is three days away from a deadly humanitarian crisis unless Israel promptly restores fuel and electricity to the densely populated area after its offensive to free an abducted soldier, the UN aid chief warned on Thursday.
"They are heading for the abyss unless they get electricity and fuel restored," said Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland, who also urged the Palestinians to free the soldier and clamp down on militants firing rockets into Israel.
Without clean water in the hot summer weather, "we would in days see a major humanitarian crisis," he said. Military action targeting innocent civilians violates international humanitarian law, he added.
"I am confident that neither of the two want to see a massive increase in mortality in the Gaza," where children make up about half of the area's 1.4 million people, Egeland told a small group of reporters.
At the heart of the crisis, he said, was Israel's bombing of Gaza's sole power plant, which supplies about 40 percent of the area's electricity. The remaining power comes from Israel.
An estimated 130 Gaza wells require electricity to pump water, and while some have backup pumps that run on diesel fuel, Israel has allowed no fuel to flow into Gaza for four days, leaving it dependent on emergency supplies expected to last another three days. So 3-4 days and the diesel runs out then 3-4 more to start dying of thirst.
Egeland, who as Norway's deputy foreign minister helped orchestrate secret 1992 talks between Israel and the Palestinians that led to the Oslo accords, lamented that both sides in the conflict appeared intent on perpetuating an endless cycle of violence.
"They are locked in a situation where they do their utmost to cut the bridges between them and create hatred that bodes ill for the future," he said. "Why do they do things that are so counter to their own interests?"
#2
Do you think they should have thought of that before they started nabbing people, Jan?
By the way, targeting innocent civilians is what they do all the time. It's why we call them terrorists. But it's not what the Israelis have done. That's why there are still live Paleostinians.
"Why do they do things that are so counter to their own interests?"
#6
"They are heading for the abyss unless they get electricity and fuel restored..."
Mr. Egeland should realize that this is a feature, not a bug, of Palestinian behavior and policies. Every time the Paleos f!ck up, the UN wants to bail them out. It is like their showcase project. 50 years plus of pure failure. Too late, Egeland, the world sympathy meter is bouncing off zero. Maybe the EUniks want to throw more money and resources down the rathole. Hell, even the Arabs know that this is a dead skunk in the middle of the road. Too late. The Paleos sh!t in their messkit and now they have to clean it up themselves.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
06/29/2006 19:43 Comments ||
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#7
Egeland is a idiot. He still thinks that both sides are the same - that they are both equally responsible for the failure of the 'peace process' and 'osolo accords'.
Who percepted this by performing an outright act of war? The Palistinian Government.
Who killed the so-called 'Osolo Accords'? Hamas (who is now the Palieo Government).
Who has bent over backwards. Made consessions after consessions? Not Ham-Ass or the Palieo! Israel.
Who has kept their side of the accords in good faith even as the other side has broken their agreements time after time after time? Not Ham-Ass or the Paleos! Israel.
Who deliberately targets and murders innocent civilians in cold blood? And has done so for decades? Hamas and the Palistinians.
#11
Funny, I've never heard anyone refer to the caliphate life-style as an "abyss" before. As always, it's a case of be very careful of what you ask for ...
Even in light of how the Arab culture, as a whole, remains almost entirely uncontaminated by the slightest perception of Cause & Effect, the Palestinians manage to somehow make the rest of the Arabs look like regular Einsteins.
#12
*yawwwwnnnn*
My heart f**king bleeds.
My sympathy meter for the Palestinians blew a fuse a couple of years ago, never got it to move past "don't give a c**p".
Oh, yeah, NPR was walloping away this evening, with a long pathetic story from Gaza on how we really, really, really should care. Next time they have a fund drive, I think I'll ask for a refund...
#16
Do I know you, UN?
Cannot Palestinians themselves build a society? That could only confirm a soverign state. You have no right to demand that we give money for nothing and the bombings for free. Someone wake up before the lightening strikes.
No one owes the Palestinians anything. They should know where to turn but they do not. Oh Well.
Good faith was pulling out of Gaza, knowing full well what would happen. There is no negoitaion NOW. Israel is a soverign nation. End of argument.
#17
As for the software feature of civilization, the electricity will be restored when you reach our century and pay our bills. Your TR# (trouble ticket item number) is 960,054,326 Please be nice to my tech support.
Israeli airstrikes hit the Palestinian electricity distribution network late Thursday, Palestinian witnesses and officials said. The officials said two power transformers in northern Gaza were struck, plunging parts of the area into darkness. Two security officers were wounded by shrapnel, they said.
The Israeli army confirmed it was carrying out airstrikes at the time, but said it was targeting open areas. Military officials said they were not aware of the electricity infrastructure being targeted. "Avi? Does that transformer look open to you?"
"Yep"
Israeli warplanes knocked out power to most of the Gaza Strip at the beginning of the current military operation. Palestinian officials managed to restore limited power in Gaza on Thursday.
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/29/2006 14:44 ||
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#2
Hit the main transformers AND the switchgear. That stuff has long lead times for replacement.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
06/29/2006 15:05 Comments ||
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#3
Yesterday we were supposed to be outraged because it would take months for the poor Palestinians to restore their power. I guess that was a worst-case estimate.
#5
You can almost tick off the centuries as they lose
electricity
water
sewage
gas pumps
refrigeration
emergency services
hospitals
schools
"government"
and the all-important over-amplified call to prayers...
Yep, if Olmert doesn't suddenly get all stupid and squishy, ol' "civilization", which was a boggle to the Paleos to begin with, just slips into the Paleo rear-view mirror.
*sniff*
How ya like that democracy thing, Pals? Works great - unless you're stupid and use it to blow your own head off.
#6
knocking out the electric is so, with the lights out, the nightvision equipped IDF rules the streets at night. Once the Israelis have done what they need to do, theyll cooperate with turning the lights back on.
The goal isnt to send the Pals back to the 7th C, but to bring them into the 21st. Or at least the 20th. Or at least the 19th.
Old Popcorn - fatah vs Hamas violence
New Popcorn - Hamas vs Hamas violence.
#7
Knocking out the lights has an inescapable downside. Remember the population boom on the East Coast a few years back that was attributed to the "brown outs." Personally, I'd like to see the Gaza lit up like the sun, with matching sun surface temps.
I don't see anything to be optimistic about regards bringing the Paleos anywhere. After 60 years of endless hate machine society - it has only become more hateful, virulent, self-destructive, and determined to implode - and take as much of Israel with them as possible.
#11
It's hard to have any sympathy for these people - they make the worst life-decisions every single time they have a chance to change things for the better.
Every .... single .... time.
Ah f*ck it - I care not about these people any more. Kill the electricity (how is it generated anyhow? does it come from Israel?). They lost any 'sympathy' I ever had for them by killing that pregnant woman and her children, and then shooting her in the stomach after she was dead.
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
06/29/2006 19:43 Comments ||
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The IDF confirmed early Thursday a report the Popular Resistance Committees issued from Gaza that it had executed Eliyahu Asheri, 18, of Itamar, who was kidnapped earlier this week in the West Bank. Asheri's family has been notified.
His funeral was scheduled to take place at 2:30 p.m. in Jerusalem, with the funeral procession to pass from Beit Sanhedria to the Mount of Olives in the city.
Meanwhile, the Zohar Rabbinical Organization published a religious decree on Thursday stating that hitchhiking with an unknown driver is a sin.
OC Central Command Maj.-Gen. Yair Naveh revealed on Thursday morning that the youth had been shot in the head immediately after the kidnapping on Sunday.
On Wednesday, elite police and IDF forces arrested Popular Resistance Committees operative Osam Abu Rajil, who was suspected to have been involved in the kidnapping. Abu Rajil led the forces to a mountainside north of Ramallah, where Asheri's body was found buried, Army Radio reported.
Naveh confirmed Thursday that Abu Rajil was personally involved in the kidnapping.
Naveh told Army Radio that the cell that abducted Asheri was instructed and paid by sources in Gaza for the kidnapping.
Rabbi Avi Ronsky, head of Itamar's yeshiva, said Asheri was a very introverted teenager, who had a tendency to go off on his own. For that reason, the family was not immediately suspicious of his disappearance, he said.
Eliahu is the eldest of five children, and his parents have been living in Itamar since 1991. His father immigrated from Melbourne, Australia. An Australian diplomat based in Ramallah said the Australian embassy had approached the family, offered assistance and had been in contact with the Palestinian Authority, but had no details about Asheri, who does not hold Australian citizenship.
Israeli soldiers hitchhike to and from their bases all the time. Of course, most of the people who would listen to that organization do not serve in the military, to the secular Israelis' fury.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
06/29/2006 19:41 Comments ||
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#4
I'm with Frank G. The Paleos are *really* pushing it...
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
06/29/2006 19:47 Comments ||
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In a meeting with Defense Minister Amir Peretz on Thursday evening, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert ordered the delay of an IDF incursion into northern Gaza . Government sources emphasized that the order was not a cancellation, but rather a postponement.
The delay is related to an undisclosed development on the diplomatic front.
Earlier Thursday, Peretz revealed that a "surprising diplomatic breakthrough" was possible in the attempts to release kidnapped Cpl. Gilad Shalit, but did not elaborate on the development.
"We are in one of the most crucial stages of establishing the rules of conduct between us and the Palestinian terror organizations," he asserted.
His aides, however, said that diplomatic efforts "were not bearing fruit," but added that a new development was possible soon.
Still, Peretz approved the continuation of IDF operations in southern Gaza that had been taking place since Tuesday night. He urged the forces to be aware of the Palestinian population's distress.
As part of the continuing offensive, the IAF confirmed that it had struck a car in Gaza that transported two Islamic Jihad operatives. Reports on the fate of the targets varied. Some Palestinian sources said that at least one of the passengers was wounded in the attack, while others claimed that both escaped unharmed.
Meanwhile, Palestinian operatives laid an explosive device along the border with Egypt, blasting a large hole in the border fence. Egyptian officers lined the breach and Palestinian security forces fired in the air to prevent entry of Palestinians into the Sinai Peninsula.
Earlier, the IAF launched missiles at what it said were open areas near Khan Younis; Palestinians claimed that a car was struck and that a number of people were wounded.
The strike followed the launch of a Kassam rocket from Gaza, landing in a stable in Sderot. There were reports of at least two Sderot residents who were suffering from shock.
The IDF has been shelling Kassam launch sites in northern Gaza with artillery. Palestinians reported that a 45-year old farmer sustained moderate wounds from an artillery shell.
Meanwhile, the Hizbullah television channel Al-Manar was reporting that Arab diplomats in Gaza were leaving the Strip for fear of an Israeli assault, Israel Radio reported.
In a move that would add a second front for Israeli forces in Gaza, IDF tanks, bulldozers and APCs carrying Givati Brigade soldiers were still preparing Thursday morning to move into the northern Gaza Strip. The incursion would be the second phase of "Operation Summer Rains," launched Tuesday night with the goal of retrieving kidnapped Cpl. Gilad Shalit.
"The murderous kidnapping of Gilad Shalit crossed a red line," Peretz said during a reception at the home of British Ambassador Simon McDonald. "We are utilizing all the diplomatic tools available, but unfortunately we are encountering a brick wall made up of the Palestinian Authority and that is why we decided to operate inside Gaza."
#3
Keep tightening the noose, systematically, steadily. Keep the pressure on. In the meantime, the diplomats can work out the details. The only real weapon Hamas has is delay, which plays into the hands of the MSM. Prime Minister Olmert, this is your defining moment. Don't blow it!
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
06/29/2006 15:07 Comments ||
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#5
Meanwhile, Palestinian operatives laid an explosive device along the border with Egypt, blasting a large hole in the border fence. Egyptian officers lined the breach and Palestinian security forces fired in the air to prevent entry of Palestinians into the Sinai Peninsula.
(IsraelNN.com) Israel Air Force pilots failed to eliminate a terrorist leader on Thursday during a targeted air strike in Gaza.
Better luck next time
The Islamic Jihad leader was wounded along with several other terrorists in the car, which was driving in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood in Gaza City.
Pray for septis
The car was hit at a location close to the offices of the Palestinian Authority security force. The operatives were members of the al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad.
Posted by: Steve ||
06/29/2006 12:41 ||
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#1
C'mon, IDF, you can do better.
Posted by: Mike ||
06/29/2006 12:57 Comments ||
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#2
hmmm - how's that ER surgery with flashlights and no water
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/29/2006 12:59 Comments ||
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#3
Takes time, energy, supplies, confusion to deal with a wounded leader.
Palestinian militants detonated a land mine near the border with Egypt on Thursday, blowing open a large hole in a wall near the border, witnesses and officials said. Palestinian security personnel formed a human cordon to prevent people from pushing through the gaping hole, and hurdling a second, border wall less than 100 meters (yards) away, witnesses said.
Coming in or going out of beautiful Gaza?
On the Egyptian side, soldiers gathered to prevent people from breaching the Palestinian cordon and officials imposed a curfew near the blast site, said Ahmed el-Masri, director of police in the Egyptian border town of Rafah. El-Masri said the hole was about three meters (nine-feet) wide. Dozens of Palestinians streamed to the area after the mine exploded.
They're naturally attracted to the sound of explosions
Medical officials said two police officers standing near the wall were injured by the explosion. No further details were immediately available.
Posted by: Steve ||
06/29/2006 09:27 ||
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#1
a fence-swarm doesn't have the crowd appeal. No body parts to parade around. Musta been busting feet to Egypt. New Olympic sport: the Paleo 400M blast, sprint, and hurdle
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/29/2006 9:43 Comments ||
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#4
On the Egyptian side, Egyptian Minutemen soldiers gathered to prevent people from breaching the Palestinian cordon and officials imposed a curfew near the blast site,
#9
Nobody gives a $hit about their Palestinian brothers except when it comes to their being a useful tool to keep the population focused away from poor leadership.
Posted by: grb ||
06/29/2006 17:14 Comments ||
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#11
Word is, the hole in the wall was done with authorization from Hamas military committee. Egypt and the Fatah dominated Pal security dont seem to be helping Hamas out, even at this dire hour of need. Or maybe ESPECIALLY at this dire hour of need. Or was Hamas heading into Egypt to take revenge for betrayal? OTOH Egypt is hinting at a diplo resolution soon.
Haniyeh and Meshal may in fact be rivals. Plenty of Hamas cells whose loyalties are unclear. Egypt, Fatah (itself divided, of course, Mossad, all playing games. Theres more here than meets the eye.
#13
No one in the ME wants anything to do with these foul, murderous bastards. I'd like to see Israel just roll Gaza up from the north and push the whole damned lot of them into Egypt and then seal the border after them. Raze the trash they've left behind and tell the world the "Gaza Strip" no longer exists and that if they have any concerns about its former inhabitants, they can address their concerns to Cairo.
Posted by: mac ||
06/29/2006 17:54 Comments ||
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#14
No one in the ME wants anything to do with these foul, murderous bastards. I'd like to see Israel just roll Gaza up from the north and push the whole damned lot of them into Egypt and then seal the border after them. Raze the trash they've left behind and tell the world the "Gaza Strip" no longer exists and that if they have any concerns about its former inhabitants, they can address their concerns to Cairo.
So you want to disposess a whole lot of already fanatical people, thus making them more fanatical, while at the same time pushing them into Egypt just in time for Mubarak's succession crisis?
This doesn't strike me as particularly intelligent.
Posted by: Phil ||
06/29/2006 17:59 Comments ||
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#15
Phil, answer this. How COULD these scumbags be more fanatical? Do you think there is ANYTHING that they COULD do to Israelis that they HAVEN'T done? Gaza is a putrid, festering sore on the world's surface and the only reason it still exists is because the Israelis are too civilized to treat it as the Egyptians (or any other Middle Eastern country) long since would have. Obviously you're one of those fools who still believes in Paleo "moderation." Dream on, jack.
Posted by: mac ||
06/29/2006 18:11 Comments ||
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#16
At the moment I don't believe that the majority of the population of Gaza is willing to take up arms by themselves to fight the Israelis. If they were the Israelis would be having a harder time with their incursion; also, if the Palestinians themselves were such a monolithic bloc, the extremists wouldn't need to publically hang and/or exsanguinate those they thought to be traitors.
Put another way: What fraction of the population of Gaza do you think is actively functioning as unlawful combatants, going around with guns, shooting at the Israelis, and in general stirring shit up?
Or put another way, what fraction of them are CADRE right now?
If you kick them out, a much larger fraction of them will suddenly be motivated to be cadre. And they'll be in Egypt, where a huge influx of dedicated cadre could suddenly do a lot more damage.
Posted by: Phil ||
06/29/2006 18:42 Comments ||
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#17
Or put another way, what fraction of them are CADRE right now?
#18
Phil's point about Egyptian succession is a very important one, folks. The LAST thing that will help Israel or us is for Hamas to openly operate there.
#19
Agreed, til now Mubarek has pretty much been an ally. They want Israeli and European tourist money and AQ and other islamo-scum are bent on disrupting the tourist spots.
Death Wish:2006. Starring The al-Aqsa Brigades... GAZA (Reuters) - A spokesman for gunmen in the Gaza Strip said they had fired a rocket tipped with a chemical warhead at Israel early on Thursday. "that does it. Bounce the rubble"
The Israeli army had no immediate comment on the claim by the spokesman from the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement. The group had recently claimed to possess about 20 biological warheads for the makeshift rockets commonly fired from Gaza at Israeli towns. This was the first time the group had claimed firing such a rocket. "Uncle Assad gave them to us"...followed by ass-puckering in Damascus
"The al-Aqsa Brigades have fired one rocket with a chemical warhead" at southern Israel, Abu Qusai, a spokesman for the group, said in Gaza. An Israeli military spokeswoman said the army had not detected that any such rocket was fired, nor was there any report of such a weapon hitting Israel. I say take them at their word. Kill them
Posted by: Frank G and tu3031 and Tipper ||
06/29/2006 00:00 ||
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#4
They probably think that as Saddam got away with it in GW1, that they'll be able to as well. But if I remember rightly, Saddam 'only' had HE warheads on his scuds, not chemical or bio, and the Israelis were being restrained by the US because of the possibilty of a wider conflict.
If these nutters have fired a chemical (gas) warhead into Israel, then they are quite simply, insane.
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
06/29/2006 2:14 Comments ||
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#5
The hostage was murdered shortly after they adbucted him. Israeli intelligence in the West Bank is probably too good for them to hide anyone. Just this morning the Israelis have arrested 60 or so Hamas legislators there.
The coming days will show just how stupid and self-destructive the Palestinians are. They are running out of food and water in Gaza and there's no need for the Israelis to finger a single shot. If they want to die, let them perish slowly like idiots - I don't think the Israelis will be under any diplomatic pressure until their soldier is released.
#7
Hamas, Fatah : same scum, slightly different gang. Like the difference between the Crips and Bloods -- unnoticable to anyone who is not a part of it. Hopefully, the lack of electricity and water will start resulting in deaths, which will then lead to an upswing in actionable intelligence by those wishing not to die in the sweltering heat of a Middle Eastern summer.
#9
Most people there have relatives in the Palestinian Diaspora, twobyfour, who've anyway been sending money home. They have contacts if they want to leave -- the Palestinian territories have been bleeding population since 1948.
#10
This is Darwinian in nature. These idiots don't deserve to remain in the collective gene pool. Does not a bio/chem attack not meet the rare criteria of warranting any including a nuclear response? Are all bets not off when one uses a chem weapon?
I take it you know a number of Paleo expats. So do I.
My experience is that when you talk with the (40+ years olds) you get the experience that they would support any reasonable compromise that would end the violence; however, the 20 somethings seem to seeth with vengence.
#12
Are all bets not off when one uses a chem weapon?
Maybe, *if* there really was one and *if* it killed anyone. Otherwise Israel is left with the usual dilemna in asymmetrical warfare of how to respond "proportionately".
#13
I've speculated for some time on the real likelihood that a WMD attack would not be noticed. The Aum made multiple attempts in Japan before 2 successful sarin attacks. There have been other attempts in other countries that were also unsuccessful. It it fails, and we don't notice... isn't htat the greatest humiliation of all?
It is unlikely that Saddam had warheads that would fit a Kassam rocket. Too small a delivery system. A bio weapon? Perhaps, ricin maybe? Rockets are not the best method for delivering biologicals, tends to burn them up.
The people who expatriated were those who wanted to work instead of being fed by the UN. And unlike the camp Paleos they can't spend whole days nurturing their hate.
however, the 20 somethings seem to seeth with vengence.
Given the kind of education provided, with our money, by Palestinian schools it is no wonder. Given, what thy are fed by the education system and the MSM in Arab countries it is still less wonder. But the worst are probably the sons of the 40 year old expats living in the West, educated by the likes of Ward Churchill and watching the BBC and similar.
#15
I were the Palestinians I would avoid even thinking in using gasses on Israel. I really don't think Jews would show restraint in case someone attempted to gas them again.
#20
I've made the acquaintance of a small selection over the years, mhw. The ones who'd set up a table in the university student union the day I wandered through in 1979 were scary frightening when I talked briefly to them -- Daddy's tales didn't agree with their horror stories, and the members of the Palestinian students' group were not at all amenable to discussing alternate views of events. It was my first (and only, thus far) experience with people like that. Mr. Wife's Berlitz Arab tutor was here to study political science and administration so that he could go back and aid his people, he said, determined not to discuss things that would upset people here, for the duration -- in 1987 or '88; I assumed he and those friends we were introduced to were PLO proteges, who hoped to charm Mr. Wife into becoming their patron. And finally, one of Mr. Wife's bosses, some levels higher, whose aged parents had emigrated much earlier, and who never seemed much interested beyond all working together to grow the business. A charming man. I've a couple of Lebanese Christian friends, too, some recently come, some here for generations, who are effortlessly charming and hospitable, and have no interest in going back to the madness.
#21
Oh, and I think Israel should respond to the announcement as gospel truth. And plow and furrow Gaza until the particles are too small to pose a continued threat.
Which is why I'll never be put in charge of affairs military or political... as it should be.
#23
Unreliable Paleo rockets with old,unstable chem shells from Iraq would be enough for me to blast a hole in the border wall to escape to Egypt, too. With any luck, they'll destroy themselves and Israel won't have to fire a shot!
#24
Maybe the arabs in the arab-occuppied terrorities can get some leftover Cyclon gas from the Germans; meanwhile Israel and the US should stop the waiting game for these new-age nazis from perfecting their weapons.
#26
I disagree, TW. I'd trade our current Prez for you in a heartbeat.
Posted by: mac ||
06/29/2006 17:59 Comments ||
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#27
Well, theres nothing like tweaking the tail of the tiger is there?
I'm really - really! - lost for words over this. I reiterate; insanity, utter insanity.
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
06/29/2006 20:03 Comments ||
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#28
Like most news from this part of the world, what is said usually bears little resemblance to what happened. Nevertheless, the Paleos are incredibly stupid for saying this. It gives the IDF a hunting license to kill everybody that even looks like they have an AK-47 let alone a rocket.
Two Palestinians were killed and another seven, including a baby, wounded when a grenade accidentally exploded in the southern Family members were playing with a grenade in the town of Khan Yunis when it exploded, killing 23-year-old Qassem Massud and his one-year-old niece, medical and security sources said Wednesday. All the casualties were members of the same family.
Just scrubbing some of the algae out of the gene pool.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/29/2006 00:00 ||
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Darwin Award?
Posted by: grb ||
06/29/2006 0:59 Comments ||
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#2
Yeah - all that's missing is the "Here, hold my beer..."
The IDF denied early Thursday Palestinian claims that IDF tanks and bulldozers moved into northern Gaza before daybreak Thursday, adding a second front to the Israeli incursion, CNN reported. As air strikes and sonic booms shook Gaza on Wednesday as thousands of Israeli troops backed by tanks penetrated the coastal strip. Witnesses also reported heavy shelling around Gaza's long-closed airport, and IAF missiles hit two empty Hamas training camps and a rocket-building factory. Warplanes flew low over the strip, rocking it with sonic booms and shattering windows. Troops in Israel backed up the assault with artillery fire. No casualties were reported in the incursion, launched in southern Gaza. The area's normally bustling streets were eerily deserted, with people taking refuge inside their homes. Dozens of people living near the airport fled to nearby Rafah.
Increasing pressure on Hamas, Israeli forces in the West Bank arrested the Palestinian Authority's labor minister, Mohammed Barghouti of Hamas, early Thursday in Ramallah, Palestinian security officials said. The IDF refused to comment, saying the operation was still in progress. Later, Israeli forces reportedly arrested two more Hamas lawmakers.
Earlier Wednesday, backed by columns of tanks, troops from the Givati Brigade were poised to sweep into the northern Gaza Strip in the second phase of "Operation Summer Rains," launched earlier in the day with the goal of retrieving kidnapped Cpl. Gilad Shalit. The troops, tanks and armored personnel carriers, amassed near Kibbutz Mifalsim early Wednesday morning, waited tensely for the invasion order. Their mission was to take control of the northern Gaza Strip, including Beit Hanun and Beit Lahiya, preferred sites for firing Kassam rockets at the Western Negev. Defense Minister Amir Peretz approved the invasion orders late Wednesday night. IAF planes dropped thousands of flyers over Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanun Wednesday night, warning residents that they would be endangering their lives if they remained in their homes.
The ultimate goal, Peretz said, was to retrieve Shalit and to stop the incessant Kassam fire, not to reoccupy Gaza. "The murderous kidnapping of Gilad Shalit crossed a red line," Peretz said during a reception at the home of British Ambassador Simon McDonald. "We are utilizing all the diplomatic tools available, but unfortunately we are encountering a brick wall made up of the Palestinian Authority and that is why we decided to operate inside Gaza."
Posted by: Fred ||
06/29/2006 00:00 ||
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You do not want to occupy Gaza. You want to take out Hamas, and their little dog, too. Let the people live in the dark. They have done nothing to better their lives. Hell, the Egyptian army has them boxed in on the southern border. They know that the only thing the Paleos do is to suck up money like a giant vacuum and destabilize neighboring countries.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
06/29/2006 1:59 Comments ||
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#3
Any word on Paleo casualties? Is this really the kidnapping war?
IAF planes flew over Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's palace in the city of Latakia in northwestern Syria early Wednesday morning, officials revealed on Wednesday evening. The IDF said the flyover, carried out by four planes flying in a low-altitude pattern, was a part of an overall IDF operation aimed at pressuring the Syrian leadership to expel Hamas Politburo chief Khaled Mashaal from Damascus.
According to Israel, Mashaal has been calling the shots out of the Syrian capital and orchestrated the kidnapping of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. Syria responded by saying that its air defenses opened fire on the warplanes, forcing them to flee.
State-run Syrian television said two Israeli planes flew near Syria's Mediterranean coast early Wednesday but did not mention Israel's announcement that the planes swooped low over the summer residence of Assad. "The overflight by two Israeli planes near the Syrian shores is an aggressive act and a provocation," the television news said, quoting an unindentified Information Ministry official. It said "national air defenses opened fire in the direction of the planes, and they dispersed."
"If the goal of this (overflight) is to blame the political leadership of Hamas for the abduction of the Israeli soldier, then israel is making a big mistake that is goes beyond logic," the ministry official said, according to the TV report.
The IDF raised the alert on its positions along the northern frontier out of concern Hizbullah would attempt to shell northern Israel in retaliation for the flyover. The alert was also raised in light of the situation in the Gaza Strip. Earlier, Justice Minister Haim Ramon said that Mashaal, was a target for assassination due to his ordering of the kidnapping of Shalit. "He is definitely in our sights ... he is a target," Ramon told Army Radio. "Khaled Mashaal, as some who is overseeing, actually commanding the terror acts, is definitely a target."
Interior Minister and former Shin Bet head Avi Dichter said that the only reason Mashaal is not in an Israeli jail is that Israel, as an enlightened nation, has placed certain restrictions upon itself. Mashaal is allegedly responsible for the attack Sunday in which two soldiers were killed and a third kidnapped, Ramon said. Israel launched a ground offensive into the southern Gaza Strip early Wednesday in an effort to force the kidnappers to free the soldier. Israel tried to kill Mashaal in a botched assassination attempt in Jordan in 1997. Two Mossad agents injected Mashaal with poison, but were caught. As Mashaal lay dying in a Jordanian hospital, King Hussein of Jordan forced Israel to provide the antidote in return for the release of the Mossad agents.
Binyamin Netanyahu, who was prime minister at the time, was also forced to release Hamas's spiritual leader, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin form Israeli prison. Yassin was killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza in March 2004. Ramon, who said Mashaal was the equivalent to Osama Bin Laden, called on the international community to force Syrian President Bashar Assad to expel Mashaal from Damascus, where he has operated freely for years. After the assassination attempt, Jordan's relationship with Hamas deteriorated and Mashaal was expelled to Qatar, where he lived before moving to Damascus.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/29/2006 00:00 ||
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Four IAF F-16s flew over Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's palace in the city of Latakia in northwestern Syria early Wednesday morning and his head shrunk another two sizes.
#11
I have assumed that if Bashar al-Assad were removed, the generals would have to fight amongst themselves to find a replacement, which would distract from more important matters.
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- At least 10 government militias were killed Thursday in fierce fighting with Muslim rebels talking peace with government in Maguindanao Province in the southern Philippines.
That's going well, don't you think?
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said rebel forces killed at least 10 militias and had overran a military command post in the town of Shariff Aguak, scene of a bomb attack last week that killed five people and injured 14 others.
Two rebels were reported wounded in the clashes, said Eid Kabalu, an MILF spokesman. "The fighting is still ongoing, I can hear the sounds of automatic gunfire and explosions from where I am now," Kabalu said by phone from a rebel base in Maguindanao late Thursday.
Posted by: Steve ||
06/29/2006 12:22 ||
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Eid was probably hiding calling for someone to get his coward ass out of Maguindanao. So the real story is that the MILF, while holding peace talks, attacked a military command post and killed 10 soldiers or CAFGU. This is no real big surprise. Years back they attacked the government negotiation party in route to the negotiations and killed all the officers.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
06/29/2006 13:08 Comments ||
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(KUNA) -- As many as five sailors and 16 Tamil rebels were killed in a sea battle between the navy and Tamil rebels off the northwestern coast of Sri Lanka Wednesday. The Sri Lankan navy spotted rebel boats heading towards a naval base at Kalpitiya, 160 km north of capital Colombo, and engaged the boats in a confrontation Wednesday during which 16 Tamil rebels had been killed, news agency Indo-Asian News Service reported. Five of the seven sailors who went missing following the incident have been killed. Another three sailors were injured while one of the patrol craft was damaged. The rebels from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had claimed that a naval vessel had sunk.
On Thursday, Norwegian mediators are scheduled to discuss issues related to an official ceasefire in the north and east of Sri Lanka following a demand by the rebels that all monitors from European Union countries withdraw by September 1, 2006, the agency reported. Norwegian-brokered peace process to resolve the 25-year-old ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka suffered a serious setback after direct talks between the LTTE and the government were postponed indefinitely.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/29/2006 00:00 ||
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Sri Lankan headline:
"Re-enactment of Battle of Lepanto goes horribly wrong"
Timely considering the capture of Iranian fighters
Caught via Ace of Spades HQ
Iran Focus
Jun. 29 Agents of Irans Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) are fomenting unrest in Iraqs southern city of Basra, the Iraqi daily az-Zaman reported on Thursday.
Az-Zaman quoted Iraqi counter-intelligence sources as saying that fighters were being trained in Lebanon under MOIS supervision and sent via the Iranian border to infiltrate Basra.
Some of the fighters were being incorporated into the al-Hussein Battalion which has been responsible for numerous targeted killings and assassinations in Basra.
The daily quoted the sources as saying that the MOIS was the most powerful and influential intelligence service that had infiltrated Basra and several other key Iraqi cities including the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala.
In Basra alone it has eight large intelligence bases, it said, adding that the bases were operating under various guises.
Among the responsibilities the MOIS has in Iraq is to train and arm extremist militias for attacks on targets designated by Tehran.
Other responsibilities include gathering intelligence about large institutions and their political affiliations and pressuring heads of government departments and institutions to take positions in defence of Irans actions in Basra, Karbala, and Najaf, it said.
The report said that Tehran had put aside a billion dollars from state funds for meddling in Iraq.
Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) was involved in oil smuggling in Iraq, it said, adding that the IRGC and the MOIS were jointly conducting the operation from a command headquarters in the Iranian border town of Ahwaz.
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/29/2006 18:48 ||
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And as usual, the Iranians keep tight control over their OPSEC, so much that the civilian newspapers know many details of their schemes.
It would serve them well to study up on the Vietnam-era Phoenix Program. I doubt that if we round up a few hundred of their top agents that we will be happy to repatriate them.
Damascus, 29 June (AKI) - Syrian-based Hamas officials fearing possible retalitory attacks from Israel for the abduction of an Israeli soldier in Gaza are moving between different safehouses and limiting the number of telephone calls made to conceal their whereabouts, a source said Thursday. Hamas' exiled leadership in Damascus, including political bureau chief, Khaled Mashaal who Israel has accused of masterminding the kidnapping, are "taking seriously" threats made by Israel that it would target them for assassination, the Hamas source told Adnkronos International (AKI).
On Wednesday Israeli security minister Avraham Ditcher decribed the Syrian-based Hamas leaders as "murderers" and said Israel may carry out "targeted killings" to eliminate them. Israeli war planes have flown over Syrian president Basher al-Assad's residence, an apparent act of intimidation aimed at obtaining his co-operation in securing the release of Gilda Shalit, the 19-year-old soldier kidnapped on Sunday. Observers believe Assad could pressure the Hamas leaders to order militants linked to the movement in Gaza to free Shalit.
Posted by: Steve ||
06/29/2006 08:45 ||
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#6
When the US and Israel does not deal with Syrian acts of war, this is what we get. Syria knows that there are no serious consequences for their aiding and abetting of terrorist operations in Iraq and Israel. So far. The US is at fault for not dealing with the Syrian threat appropriately. This can be easily remedied, and all will be hunky dory.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
06/29/2006 15:19 Comments ||
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#3
There was a little girl
Who had a little curl
Right in the middle of her farhead.
When she was good
She was very very good
But when she has bad
She was Horrid.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
06/29/2006 8:52 Comments ||
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#4
"When I'm good, I'm very good. But when I'm bad I'm better."
Mae West
Posted by: Steve ||
06/29/2006 9:04 Comments ||
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#5
She IS lovely. But I'm sure you all read it for the articles .... ;-)
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
In a separate operation in the Shahidi Has district of the neighbouring Uruzgan province, the Afghan and coalition forces raided a compound and killed 12 Taliban fighters. Two soldiers belonging to the Afghan National Army (ANA) received slight injuries. They were treated at their base camp, said the release. It added the targeted compound was frequently used by Taliban insurgents as a meeting place to plan and facilitate attacks against Afghan civilians, ANA and coalition forces. Taliban did not issue any comment on the casualties.
Two suicide bombers attacked a U.S. military convoy Wednesday in southern Afghanistan, killing only themselves while soldiers escaped unhurt, police said. Three men were involved in planning the suicide attack, although only two were inside the car that blew up near the American convoy, Zabul provincial police chief Noor Mohammed Paktin said. He said police were searching for the third man, an Afghan.
3 killed in 'crossfire'
The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that President Bush overstepped his authority in ordering military war crimes trials for Guantanamo Bay detainees. The ruling, a rebuke to the administration and its aggressive anti- terror policies, was written by Justice John Paul Stevens, who said the proposed trials were illegal under U.S. law and international Geneva conventions. 
ISLAMABAD - Four men were hanged in Pakistan on Thursday for gang-raping a teenaged Christian girl at gunpoint in the central city of Faisalabad seven years ago. 
(KUNA) -- A group of insurgents Wednesday detonated a bomb in a Diyala province mosque northeast of the Iraqi capital, a statement by the security forces said. The explosion caused damages to area near the mosque but did not result in any deaths, the statement added. The statement said that Iraqi police units rushed to the area where they were exposed by a second explosion which injured two policemen.
Iraqi officials say they have arrested a key al-Qaeda member for the bombing of a revered Shia shrine in Samarra. National security adviser Mowaffaq Al-Rubaie said the man, a Tunisian identified as Abu Qudama, was one of seven men wanted for the attack. 
Israeli airstrikes hit the Palestinian electricity distribution network late Thursday, Palestinian witnesses and officials said. The officials said two power transformers in northern Gaza were struck, plunging parts of the area into darkness. Two security officers were wounded by shrapnel, they said. 
GAZA (Reuters) - A spokesman for gunmen in the Gaza Strip said they had fired a rocket tipped with a chemical warhead at Israel early on Thursday.
The IDF denied early Thursday Palestinian claims that IDF tanks and bulldozers moved into northern Gaza before daybreak Thursday, adding a second front to the Israeli incursion, CNN reported. As air strikes and sonic booms shook Gaza on Wednesday as thousands of Israeli troops backed by tanks penetrated the coastal strip. Witnesses also reported heavy shelling around Gaza's long-closed airport, and IAF missiles hit two empty Hamas training camps and a rocket-building factory. Warplanes flew low over the strip, rocking it with sonic booms and shattering windows. Troops in Israel backed up the assault with artillery fire. No casualties were reported in the incursion, launched in southern Gaza. The area's normally bustling streets were eerily deserted, with people taking refuge inside their homes. Dozens of people living near the airport fled to nearby Rafah. 
IAF planes flew over Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's palace in the city of Latakia in northwestern Syria early Wednesday morning, officials revealed on Wednesday evening. The IDF said the flyover, carried out by four planes flying in a low-altitude pattern, was a part of an overall IDF operation aimed at pressuring the Syrian leadership to expel Hamas Politburo chief Khaled Mashaal from Damascus. 
(KUNA) -- As many as five sailors and 16 Tamil rebels were killed in a sea battle between the navy and Tamil rebels off the northwestern coast of Sri Lanka Wednesday. The Sri Lankan navy spotted rebel boats heading towards a naval base at Kalpitiya, 160 km north of capital Colombo, and engaged the boats in a confrontation Wednesday during which 16 Tamil rebels had been killed, news agency Indo-Asian News Service reported. Five of the seven sailors who went missing following the incident have been killed. Another three sailors were injured while one of the patrol craft was damaged. The rebels from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had claimed that a naval vessel had sunk.
