Afghanistan's intelligence agency alleged the man behind a foiled suicide bombing in Kabul on Monday had been trained in North Waziristan. The National Directorate of Security (NDS) had been tipped off about the attack and cornered the car carrying the bomb before the vehicle exploded, wounding three people. NDS spokesman Sayed Ansari told reporters that the agency had intelligence that the would-be attacker was among four who had entered Afghanistan from the North Waziristan.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/17/2006 00:00 ||
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(KUNA) -- Two suicide bombers have been killed in two botched up attacks in Kabul, the central capital of Afghanistan, and the southern province of Kandahar Monday morning. A bomber, riding in a taxi cab, blew up his explosive-packed car as he was chased by police in the centre of Kabul city this morning. Three bystanders were wounded in the blast.
Crime investigation chief in Kabul Alishah Paktiawal said police had received secret information about the presence of the bomber and the area was sealed early in the morning. As the police personnel on the Airport Road tried to stop a suspected vehicle, the driver sped up. Police chased the car and the man exploded it as he was about to arrest by the police.
Separately, a bomber targeted NATO convoy in Kandahar the same day but both local officials and the foreign military are tight-lipped about casualties. Witnesses said there was a car bomb explosion as the NATO convoy was passing through the city. The area was soon surrounded by the foreign forces banning people to go near the site. Kandahar province has been scene to suicide attacks over the past six months.
In yet another incident, a senior police officer was killed when his vehicle hit a landmine in the neighbouring Helmand province last night, officials said. Helmand police chief Nabi Jan Mulakhail said the blast took place last night in the Greshk district of the province. The blast had broken the calm which had returned to Helmand province after months of suicide attacks and clashes between Taliban and the government and NATO forces. Meanwhile, a statement released from coalition Bagram base, situated north of Kabul Monday morning, said three Taliban fighters were killed as their hideout was pounded in Ghazni province early this morning. The press release said the compound targeted by the aircraft was used as an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) cell to target Afghan and foreign forces. Taliban admitted the bombing but said only one fighter was killed in the raid.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/17/2006 00:00 ||
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The two members of the banned Harkatul Jihad (Huji), who were placed on remand on Sunday in connection with the grenade attack on the British high commissioner, gave confessional statements yesterday.
"Owwww! Y'got nuttin' on us, coppers!"
"Well fine, then! We'll just have to take you out to recover your hidden arms cache!"
"I confess. We dunnit."
In the statement given before Magistrate Nur-e-Alam Siddiqui, Sharif Sahedul and Delwar Hossain Ripon admitted their involvement with the grenade attack on the British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury in 2004.
"Really. It wuz us! We din't have no accomplices!"
"Yeah! There ain't no hidden arms cache!"
They also confessed that they were involved with the bomb attacks on Sylhet City Corporation Mayor Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran and former Awami League lawmaker Syeda Zebunnesa Haque.
"We kilt Jon-Benet, too!"
"I wuz the second gunman on the grassy knoll!"
Senior Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Munshi Atiqur Rahman told The Daily Star yesterday that the accused had admitted their complicity in four bomb attacks. He said the criminals also named two other men who were involved in the heinous acts.
"Yeah! It wuz Mahmoud that kidnapped Judge Crater!"
"And Ahmed what kidnapped the Lindberg kid!"
The court sent them to Sylhet Central Jail.
"We framed Sacco and Vanzetti, too!"
On Sunday, following a remand prayer by the CID, a Sylhet court placed the two on a five-day remand. With this, the investigators were able to have them on remand for a total of 45 days.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/17/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
With this, the investigators were able to have them on remand for a total of 45 days.
By now they'll have no worries about bad dentists or disrespectful offspring in their futures.
Two more Huji (Harkatul Jihad) members arrested in connection with the bomb attack on the British high commissioner were shown arrested in the Ramna Batamul blast case and were placed on a seven-day remand yesterday. They are -- Hafij Syed Nayeem of village Syedpur under Jagannathpur upazila of Sunamganj and Badrul Alam Mizan of Habiganj Sadar upazila.
Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Shamsul Alam passed the order when CID Inspector Abu Hena Mohammad Yusuf, also the investigation officer (IO) of the Ramna blast case, sought a ten-day remand. Earlier, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) with the help of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) produced the two, also close accomplices of Mufti Abdul Hannan, operations commander of the banned Islamist outfit Huji, before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's (CMM) Court, Dhaka.
In the forwarding report placed before the court, the IO said that the two Huji men were earlier arrested and remanded for their alleged involvement with the bomb attack on British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury in 2004. During interrogations, they admitted that they also blasted bombs at the Ramna Batamul. So, they need to be quizzed to find out vital clues to the blasts, the IO added. Earlier, Hannan, his brother Mohibullah alias Mofizur Rahman, also a Huji member, and his accomplice Azahar alias Mamun were also shown arrested in the Ramna Batamul blast case and were interrogated on remand.
Ten people died and several others were injured on April 14, 2001 when bombs went off at the Pahela Baishakh celebrations at the Ramna Batamul. On June 14, 2001, one of the arrestees, Maulana Akbar Hussain, gave a confessional statement to a metropolitan magistrate and disclosed names of Mufti Hannan and others involved with the blasts.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/17/2006 00:00 ||
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(KUNA) -- Two suspected international terrorists are on the run after evading control orders, it was revealed tonight. In the latest incident, a man who escaped from a mental health unit has been on the run for two weeks. He is believed to be a 25-year-old British man, Sky News reported.
In the other incident, believed to have taken place some months ago, the suspect is also still at large. The British Home Office has not made public any details about the escapes.
Both men now on the run will have been suspected of playing a role in international terrorism, possibly linked to al Qaida groups, security sources said. The most recent incident is believed to involve a man who appeared at the central criminal court of the Old Bailey here earlier this year. He was believed to have climbed through a window to evade staff at a psychiatric unit at Middlesex University Hospital at Isleworth, south-west London.
It was thought he was handed his control order on April 5. His admission to the mental health unit was thought to have been a more recent development and would not normally have been part of the control order conditions.
A Home Office spokeswoman said: "Any breach of security will be investigated on a case-by-case basis. We do not discuss individual cases." Control orders act as a loose form of house arrest, and usually place suspects under a curfew and require them to report regularly to police. They were brought in at the beginning of last year as a replacement for indefinite detention without trial or charge.
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Nick Clegg said: "Since control orders were the Government's flagship anti-terrorism measure, this is a huge embarrassment for them. As we have always made clear, the danger of control orders is that they short-circuit due process and keep suspects in a state of limbo. Our aim must be to get suspects into court and, where they are guilty, convicted. This should act as a spur for the Government to develop more robust ways to get suspects into court in the first place, such as using intercept evidence."
Britains opposition Conservative Shadow home secretary David Davis said: "This is extraordinary. The Government justified control orders on the basis of protecting the public from potentially dangerous terrorists. It is therefore hard to understand how these men were allowed to escape, especially while undergoing psychiatric assessment."
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10/17/2006 00:00 ||
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NORTH Korea said today the new UN resolution imposing sanctions on the country was a "declaration of war" and warned it would strike back at any nations that try to tighten the screws on its regime.
In its first reaction since Saturday when the UN Security Council voted unanimously to punish the North for testing an atom bomb, it said having a nuclear weapon was its right and completely rejected the Council's decision. It also lashed out at the US, whose threats, according to Pyongyang, have made the development of a nuclear weapons arsenal necessary.
"We will deliver merciless blows without hesitation to whoever tries to breach our sovereignty and right to survive under the excuse of carrying out the UN Security Council resolution," a foreign ministry spokesman said. "We will watch US movements and take corresponding action," said the unnamed spokesman, quoted by the secretive regime's official KCNA agency.
The official spokesman denounced Washington for insisting that its test on October 9 was a threat to international security - language included in the UN resolution - and accused the Council of overlooking US hostility to the North. "This is an immoral behaviour utterly devoid of impartiality," the spokesman's said. "The UNSC 'resolution,' needless to say, can not be construed otherwise than a declaration of a war against the DPRK (North Korea) because it was based on the scenario of the US, keen to destroy the socialist system."
But the spokesman's statement, in line with warnings issued by the regime before the resolution was passed, cautioned that North Korea was ready to take action to defend its "sovereignty." "The DPRK wants peace but is not afraid of war. It wants dialogue but is always ready for confrontation."
#3
Granted this is all bluster, Kim knows the UN is the single most corrupt, moribund, & useless bureaucratic organization on earth. He also knows that the UN is completely incapable of any meaningful action unless the US wades in militarily, upon which point any UN solidarity on the issue will fall into its default anti-American stance.
He is just tilting at windmills.
#10
Sorry. But I think the NK's can beat the UN. Iran is doing it, Sadamn did it, and they will do it. Unless some of the countries in the UN put teeth in it, it's all a joke.
#13
I think "deep concern" was scheduled for Monday at 2:30, but it appears they've worn out the copier, third one this month, and it didn't go out as planned.
#16
well they showed the chinese searching for weapons at their border yesterday so i guess the norks should consider them the first ones too "tighten the screws"
#18
Someone should remind Kim that North Korea has been at war with the UN since 1949. The last 53 years have been a precarious ceasefire. If he wants to start something, bring it on. He can hammer Seoul with artillery for awhile, but before his troops cross the border, he should review videos of the "Highway of Death" in Kuwait. Not even China could save any NorKs that crossed the border.
#23
Guys, Kofi or Moonie (as I assume we'll be calling the SK guy) really just have an administrative role at the UN. The security council is where any real policy is set. Unfortunately, China and Russia do not want to set any precedents for UN action dealing with internal policies of member states so we are never going to get meaningful action regardless of who is in charge of the corrupt bureaucracy.
#24
darfur = its slowly getting worse, IIUC, Sudan keeps threatening bad stuff if the UN takes over from the AU force, no one thinks the AU force is adequate, there have been compromises floated, etc. Also the possibility of sanctioning sudan as leverage to accept a UN force. Seems everyone is more focused on Nkor, then Iran. Given that we have to exert our influence each time we want China to vote for sanctions, and our influence is finite, i think the Nkor bomb is bad news for Darfuri civilians. I also think that Chinas willingness to vote for sanctions against Kimmie on the loose doesnt necessarily mean theyll vote for santions on Sudan.
If your point is that the UN is a weak instrument, youre right. In the case of Darfur we dont really have any other though - W sure hasnt suggested going in with a coalition of the willing.
Isn't that nice? Now do us all a big favor, would you? Be a good little Stalinist tyrant and go attack the UN building, emkay? I'll be happy to send you a detailed map and cab fare.
China has been building a massive barbed wire and concrete fence along parts of its border with North Korea in the most visible sign of Beijing's strained ties with its once-cozy communist neighbor. Scores of soldiers have descended on farmland near the border-marking Yalu River to erect concrete barriers 8 to 15 feet tall and string barbed wire between them, farmers and visitors to the area said.
"About 100 People's Liberation Army soldiers in camouflage started building the fence four days ago and finished it yesterday," said a farmer...
Last week, they reached Hushan, a collection of villages 12 miles inland from the border port of Dandong. "About 100 People's Liberation Army soldiers in camouflage started building the fence four days ago and finished it yesterday," said a farmer, who only gave his surname, Ai. "I assume it was built to prevent smuggling and illegal crossing."
Though the fence-building appears to have picked up in the days following North Korea's claimed nuclear test last week, experts said the project was approved in 2003. Experts and a local Hushan official, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the project, said the military was in charge of the building. The fence marks a noticeable change in China's approach to North Korea. In the decades following their shared fight against U.S.-led U.N. forces in the Korean War, China left their border lightly guarded, deploying most of its forces in the northeast toward its enemy, the Soviet Union.
The border became a security concern for Beijing in the past decade, as North Korea's economy collapsed and social order crumbled in some places.
But the border became a security concern for Beijing in the past decade, as North Korea's economy collapsed and social order crumbled in some places. Tens of thousands of refugees began trickling across the border into northeast China, fording the Yalu and Tumen rivers or walking across the ice in winter.
Professor Kim Woo-jun, of the Institute of East and West Studies in Seoul, said China built wire fences on major defection routes along the Tumen River in a project that began in 2003, and since September this year, China has been building wire fences along the Yalu River. "The move is mainly aimed at North Korean defectors," Kim said. "As the U.N. sanctions are enforced ... the number of defectors are likely to increase as the regime can't take care of its people. ... I think the wire fence work will likely go on to control this."
China is concerned that South Korea may claim a different border after absorbing or unifying with the North.
But he said he also believes that Beijing wants to firmly mark its border with the North along the two rivers. Kim said China and the North drew their border in a secret treaty. That treaty wasn't reported to the United Nations and therefore does not apply to a third country, such as South Korea. China is concerned that South Korea may claim a different border after absorbing or unifying with the North.
Reporters who visited the border area in the past week saw about 1,600 feet of newly erected barbed wire fence north of Dandong, mainly along river banks and occasionally broken up by mountain areas or military guard posts. A duck farmer in Hushan, who would only give his surname Han, said that soldiers began putting up the fence near his farm on Oct. 9 the same day that North Korea claims to have carried out an underground nuclear test.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/17/2006 00:00 ||
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#6
This is a huge embarrasment for China, afterall this is a Socialist state a protege, starving under socialism. Just like china, was before it was bailed out by classical market economics. China needs to grow up, they are getting ready to host the Olympics showing off thier new found wealth and power, yet they are unwilling to Help the starving socialists to the south. Out of Sight is not out of mind, this wall / fence serves to deprive the enslaved to perpetual enslavement. If china were a man, with a mature mind, it wouldnt proceed along this course at all.
Frankly chinas failure to stop the starvation and abuse of citizens says everything I want to know about this state, lipstick on a pig seems to be the appropriate characterization.
Until China has humanity, its just an imposter, a hitchhiker on the road to No where.
#7
Chuck, the river as barrier approach hasn't been working all that well thus far, and clearly China expects things to get much worse in the near future.
#8
#6 - you can't compare a large power like China or the US to an individual human with moral responsibilities. China would have no qualms about exterminating the entire population of NK if the leaders saw fit. Previous Chicom leadership has already done away with millions of their own people. Had the US encountered a six-month delay in developing its nuclear weapons in 1945, it would have incurred hundreds of thousands of dead GI's invading the Japanese home islands in 1945 and 1946, not to mention the murder of all Japanese prisoners civilian and military as was planned by the Empire. I imagine at that point under those circumstances the US would have had no qualms about nuking every square inch of Japan as fast as it could develop the weapons. Japan was lucky it was only nuked twice, and lucky Hirohito wasn't assassinated by his own enthusiasts when he decided to throw in the towel.
Anyway, everyone knows fences can't possibly work to secure borders.
#9
Actually, we probably would not have invaded the home islands. The plan at the time was to continue to mine the ports, blow up trains, and firebomb the cities. Millions of dead Japanese men, women, and children, but "only" a few thousand US dead. The only question was: would the American people wait 1-2 years for the blockade to work? Or would they want the war over with now, regardless of cost?
#10
The US gov was not going to blockade and starve the Japanese because they did not expect results until 1947. Operation Olympic, the invasion of Kyushu, was scheduled for Nov. 1, 1945. The invasion would have went ahead if the atomic bombs did not end the war.
Posted by: ed ||
10/17/2006 21:17 Comments ||
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Indian police on Monday arrested two suspected Islamic militants armed with explosives as they stepped off a train in New Delhi. The two men were identified as members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, deputy commissioner of Delhi police Alok Kumar told AFP. Kumar said the Bangladeshi nationals, Mohammed Aslam Gir and Abdul Razaq, were carrying 1.5 kilogrammes of RDX high-grade explosives. "They boarded the train in Jammu and were arrested when they got off in Delhi early this morning," Kumar said. We made the arrest based on an intelligence tip-off. We are in the process of interrogating them and then we will get more details. However, Lashkar spokesman Abdullah Gaznavi told AFP in Srinagar that the two arrested men were not at all part of the group.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/17/2006 00:00 ||
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CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq Coalition Forces successfully defeated a complex insurgent small arms fire attack in Ramadi Monday, killing three insurgents.
Insurgents attacked three different Coalition locations from several buildings at the same time with small-arms fire. In response to the attack, Coalition Forces established the origin of the gunfire and returned fire with small-arms and machine-gun fire. When the enemys fire did not cease, Coalition Forces used increasing levels of force, to include tank main gun rounds followed by an air-delivered missile.
There are no reports of civilian casualties. Three insurgents were confirmed killed as a result of the attack. How can anyone tell it was three? DNA?
No Coalition Forces were injured during the attack.
UPDATE: SECTARIAN VIOLENCE IN BALAD
TIKRIT, Iraq Throughout the past 96 hours, more than 60 Iraqis were killed as a result of sectarian violence in Balad, Iraq, just north of Baghdad.
Also, in the past 48 hours, the city has been hit with five indirect fire attacks, killing six civilians and wounding 10.
The violence began when 19 Shia were kidnapped and killed Friday in Al Dulyiyah, east of Balad. The following day, more than 38 Sunnis were killed in retaliation.
As the sectarian violence escalated, the provincial government of Salah ad Din established a 48-hour vehicular curfew beginning at 5 p.m. Saturday. Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) enforced the curfew by maintaining a presence throughout the city and establishing checkpoints to halt insurgents and militias from entering the city. Coalition Forces also provided assistance to the ISF operations at the request of the Iraqi civic and military leaders.
We continue to conduct our normal patrols in the city and provide support for Iraqi Security Forces as they lead operations in stopping the sectarian violence in Balad, said Lt. Col. Jeffery Martindale, commander of 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. We are also providing counter-fire support against terrorists conducting indirect fire attacks against innocent civilians in Balad.
Coalition Forces detained two Iraqi Police officers who were allegedly involved in the killing of the 19 Shias from Al Duluiyah, said Martindale.
By coordinating all of our efforts, we have seen a marked decrease in violence in the past 24 hours, added Martindale.
#1
Remember about 18 months ago when the animals got a retarded kid to drive a truck bomb up next to the fuel tanker truck and then expoled him? (He survived, as I recall). Was it 135 dead at one time? It's while back, eh?
Posted by: Bobby ||
10/17/2006 15:28 Comments ||
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#2
Where there is no memory there is no perspective, Bobby. Eighteen months ago is about when the dinosaurs died out, right? ;-)
Oh. In seven days. Only 21 found on Friday. But all in Baghdad.
Multi-National Division Baghdad Soldiers continue to find weapons caches for a seventh day as part of Operation Commando Hunter.
The Soldiers from 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, seized 21 caches Friday, bringing the total to 78 caches seized in the area near Yusufiyah, 20 miles southwest of Baghdad.
The 21 additional weapons caches consisted of three blocks of dynamite, 21 120mm mortar rounds, five 60mm mortar rounds, 80 7.62mm rounds, an AK-47 assault rifle, three rocket-propelled grenade launchers, five RPG rounds, an improvised rocket launcher, a Meals, Ready to Eat bag with explosive materials in it, 54 20mm anti-aircraft rounds, three 105mm artillery rounds, seven 82mm mortar rounds, an improvised-explosive device hidden in an? air compressor, a sniper rifle, four 82mm mortar tubes, a 14.5mm receiver barrel, 17 rigged and ready to use IEDs, an anti-aircraft gun and various bomb-making materials.
Posted by: Bobby ||
10/17/2006 06:32 ||
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#1
Is there an end in sight to hidden weapons ?
Anybody ?
#3
good question, WX. When we went in 2003, one of the reason I thought this could NOT be like Viet Nam, was cause the VC relied on weapons over the ho chi minh trail, which we always had difficulty cutting off, and which came from sanctuary in the North, etc. Here, if weapons came across the borders,A. the terrain would be easier to patrol than So Viet Nams western borders, and anyway we'd apply full force against the neighbors if necessary.
This analysis proved faulty.
1. The Saddamite regime apparently stockpiled HUGE arsenals (relative the needs of an insurgency) across the country, and even after over 3 years of hunting, we havent tracked it all down (nor have the baddies used it up_
2. Despite the lack of jungle, the Iraqi borders are not easy to patrol (esp the mountain border with Iran, I think) Also of course, we have far fewer troops than in Viet Nam, so we rely on Iraqis to do that job, mainly. And given the continued need for the best Iraqi units to fight the insurgency, the ones patrolling the border are not the most efficient or honest, AFAIK.
3. With strained relations with our allies, a divided homefront, a homefront that has not been asked for sacrifices, etc, etc, the admin has not been able to see its way to threatening war with Iran or Syria purely on the issue of smuggling weapons. Perhaps this is also an issued of adequate evidence, which gets to ongoing intell problems.
#4
The "huge arsenal" gets very little media coverage. I would like to see a summary of munitions (by weight/type, not by count) discovered and destroyed in Iraq since the invasion. I'm guessing it's in the range of hundreds of tonsso far, and no telling how much more remains to be discovered.
An 8:32 minute video was issued by the Mujahideen Shura Council in Iraq today, Sunday, October 15, 2006, declaring the establishment of an Islamic state in Iraq. Depicted is the official spokesman Mr. Methane of the Islamic State of Iraq and from its Ministry of Information, dressed in green white, seated in front of a flag bearing the banner, No God but Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger. A white circle obstructs viewing his face. A message introducing the video explains that the state of the truth, the state of Islam, has been created to protect the Sunni people, and will judge according to the Islamic Sharia (law), using such as an aegis for the people, and to defend the religion. It also calls upon Muslims to provide financial support, men, and prayers.
In the video, the spokesman indicates that the state was established by the fart smellersPact of the Scented People, due to the conditions the Sunni Muslims in Iraq were experiencing, such as crime and aggression. He states: Your brothers announce the establishment of the Islamic State in Baghdad, Anbar, Diyala, Kirkuk, Salah al-Din, Ninawa, and in parts of the governorates of Babel and Wasit, in order to protect our religion and our people. Further, the Mujahid delivers a special call to the tribal heads in Iraq, and to all Sunni Muslims in that country, to pledge loyalty to the Emir of the Believers, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, by their adherence and obedience.
The Pact finds legitimacy in its action to establish the state by observing the Kurds creating their own country in the north of Iraq, and the Shiite taking the part of the center and south; and claiming that the Mujahideen in iraq are invulnerable and tougher than the government of Palestine, the State of Iraq was formed. To the enemy Western forces and malicious Shiites, the State of Iraq promises to face them with unlimited response and will not relinquish Baghdad unless it is over their ruins and skulls. A special appeal is also sent to the Islamic scholars, urging for support and to inspire the Muslim people to defend them.
The statement is issued in the name of the Pact of the Scented People [Khalf al-Mutayibeen], which was established by the Mujahideen Shura Council in Iraq on Thursday, October 12, 2006, and includes representatives from the Council, the Conquering Army [Jeish al-Fatiheen], Army Squad of the Prophet Muhamma d[Jund al-Sahaba], Brigades of al-Tawhid Wal Sunnah, and Sunni tribes. The individual speaking in the State of Iraq establishment video is dressed in the same manner as those members of the Pact.
#1
Quick, let's send ex-president Dhimmi Carter over there to negotiate a TSS(two state solution), one state being whatever area they want and the other state being whatever area they don't want. He can sweeten the pot by 1) pledging no hostile USA actions towards them 2) promising monthly deliveries of cargo containers full of greenbacks and 3) providing nuclear reactors with a "scouts honor" assurance that it will only be used for wholesome Islamic purposes.
YUSIFIYA, Iraq (CNN) -- In the distance, explosions are heard -- it could be anything. The American soldiers don't even look up.
Their focus is on reading the land. To the untrained eye it looks benign. But for them it is filled with clues and potentially deadly traps.
Sgt. Joshua Bartlett, 24 and on his second tour here, hacks through weeds with his machete. A few yards away, two other soldiers with sweat pouring down their faces dig away dirt with their knives. (Watch troops comb weeds looking for weapons -- 1:46 )
"It's like an Easter egg hunt, only you roll the dice every time you do it," 24-year-old Sgt. Frankie Parra says. He's half-joking as he stands over a pile of 60 mm mortar rounds freshly dug from underneath weeds in the fields and farmlands just south of Baghdad.
His deployments aren't getting any easier. On his third tour in Iraq, he's operating -- along with the men of Charlie Company, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division -- in an area known as the "Triangle of Death."
Four soldiers from this battalion have been killed on this volatile patch of land, just outside Yusifiya and 12 miles (20 kilometers) south of Baghdad, in the two weeks since Operation Commando Hunter began, and another 20 have been wounded.
The troops are pushing into fields and farmlands where there had been no regular U.S. presence for the better part of the last three years. In this same area, two American soldiers were kidnapped in a checkpoint attack in June and then murdered. (Full story)
The insurgency here has literally dug itself in. The soldiers are finding a gold mine of weapons caches 3 to 6 inches below ground. Intertwining canals lined with tall reeds offer insurgents plenty of cover ideal for snipers and ambushes.
"It's OJT -- on the job training," says the 30-year-old company commander, Capt. Shane Finn. On his second tour of duty here, he peers into the tall reeds looking for telltale signs that the enemy may be lurking nearby.
"I know that there is going to be something right around that corner," he says, pointing to the opposite side of the canal where some of the larger caches were found in the last two weeks.
Sure enough, carefully hidden in the weeds, the troops first find an AK-74, slightly smaller caliber than an AK-47, and magazines. "This looks like a spotter's position," Finn says.
Within minutes and a few yards away, the troops uncover mortars. Across the road, they find wiring, an array of crude triggers and, nearby, a "poor man's EFP [explosively formed projectile]." Basically a tube with plastic explosives, the directional charge is lethal.
"It looks like we interrupted someone planning on laying more IEDs [improvised explosive devices]," Finn says.
What they find on this day pales compared to what's been uncovered during the last two weeks. The troops are working on clearing an area no larger than 4 square miles (6 kilometers) and already they have found more than 100 weapons caches with enough material to make at least 1,000 roadside bombs.
The soldiers also discovered anti-aircraft machine guns (the 101st Brigade that previously operated here had at least two helicopters shot down); half a dozen sniper rifles, some with night vision capabilities; crude rocket-propelled grenade launchers and mortar launching tubes; and 55-gallon drums filled with liquid explosives.
All these men -- from the seasoned veterans to the fresh-faced privates -- display an upbeat attitude. One would never think they were operating under circumstances in which a wrong step, an unlucky jab with a knife into the ground or an insurgent attack could cost them a limb or their lives.
In these fields, the troops say they are able to see the difference they are making -- each weapon found is a step in the right direction, each returning family and reopening shop offers hope.
As night falls and the relentless mosquitoes come out, the soldiers head back to their patrol base, a dismal two-story building they now call home.
They dine on MREs (meals ready to eat), read magazines by flashlight and sleep any place they can find a cozy spot on the ground. Sorry, no shower.
They joke, give each other a hard time, and don't complain. In the morning, they will head back out again.
#1
As night falls and the relentless mosquitoes come out, the soldiers head back to their patrol base, a dismal two-story building they now call home.
They dine on MREs (meals ready to eat), read magazines by flashlight and sleep any place they can find a cozy spot on the ground. Sorry, no shower.
They joke, give each other a hard time, and don't complain. In the morning, they will head back out again.
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made
And crowns for convoy put into his purse:
We would not die in that man's company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
This day is called the feast of Crispian:
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian:'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars.
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispin's day.'
Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember with advantages
What feats he did that day: then shall our names.
Familiar in his mouth as household words
Harry the king, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester,
Be in their flowing cups freshly remember'd.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
10/17/2006 11:59 Comments ||
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#3
The finest army in the history of the world searches for weapons caches by sticking knives in the ground? Has no one thought to ship out a supply of metal detectors?
Posted by: Baba Tutu ||
10/17/2006 14:20 Comments ||
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The brother of the top prosecutor in the second trial of Saddam Hussein was shot dead in front of his wife at his home in the capital Monday, according to a key official charged insuring no former members of the Saddam regime hold positions of authority.
Imad al-Faroon died immediately after the shooting at his home in west Baghdad, Dr. Ali al-Lami, head of the government De-Baathification Committee, told The Associated Press. Al-Faroon's brother is chief prosecutor Muqith al-Faroon, who is leading the Saddam prosecution on charges of crimes against humanity in his alleged killing of thousands of Kurds during the Iran-Iraq war.
A verdict against Saddam Hussein and seven co-defendants charged with crimes against humanity in connection with an anti-Shiite crackdown in the 1980s will be announced Nov. 5, a senior court official said on Monday. Sentences for those found guilty will be issued the same day, chief investigating judge Raid Juhi told The Associated Press. The former Iraqi leader could be hanged if convicted. However, he could appeal the sentence to a higher, nine-judge court. His co-defendants include his former deputy, Taha Yassin Ramadan, and his half-brother and former intelligence chief Barzan Ibrahim.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/17/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Just once I'd like to read a news article telling about a member of the Iraqi legal team shooting a would-be assassin. Do they all go around unarmed?
(KUNA) -- A Gunmen was killed and four others were injured during clashes with military forces in Kirkuk northern Iraq, said a Military source on Monday. The source told KUNA that masked gunmen attacked a military convoy in Al-Rashad area west of Kirkuk city. Military reports on the incident said that an Iraqi solider was killed and two others were injured in the attack.
In Mosul, a police source stated that a police patrol was attacked by a group of insurgents in an area south of the city which led to the injury of two policemen. In the efforts to combat insurgency in Iraq, the Iraqi Political Council for National Security met here today and discussed the means to stabilize the country as well as plans to prevent more attacks from occurring.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/17/2006 00:00 ||
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(KUNA) -- Six Iraqi engineers and a security guard were killed as a result of an attack launched by a terrorist group, a security source said Monday. The attack also resulted in injuring three people and kidnapping a policeman, while six others went missing, including a first lieutenant, in the attack that took place in al-Swairah town, southern Baghdad, the source told KUNA. Reports said that four of the missing managed to escape, after being rescued by members of the Mahdi Army, which helped reach their families. The other missing person, Hussein Zakam, was found dead, while the last person in the group is still missing.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/17/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
You have the Mahdi Army rescuing guys were kidnapped, tortured, and nearly murdered. How are they going to be disarm Taters boys?
Maybe there is some global insight Americans serving in Iraq or in D.C. have that give them a reason for optimism. All I know about Iraq is what I read on the net. But from out here on the west coast it's difficult to see things working out well in Mesoptamia.
I was optimistic up till a couple of months ago. Weve been waiting a long time for the Iraqis to get it together. Whats going to change in the next few months that will pacify the situation?
#3
Vance Bedbug, the common mistake is to see the Iraq theater as something discrete/separate from the overall war on Islamonazism. It is not. It is a part and parcel of the same war. Just a specific location, similar as Afghanistan.
I am not sure to what degree the overall strategy in WOI (war on Islamonazism) has been formulated, but if it has not been seen that way intitially, by accident it must be apparent that the war covers much larger scope that initially anticipated.
In the light of the overall strategy, the sectarian infighting within Iraq has some positive aspects. The famous "flypaper" strategy is still valid today, despite that the influx of jihadi warriors into Iraq's theater diminished (with large volume killed off). This time it is mostly Iraqi jihadis of different stripes that mutually extinguish their respective gene pools.
Yea, the civilians... sucks. But in a way, they are lucky. Iranian civilians may have to deal with less fortunate circumstances, they way things seem to be going.
#4
Well said, twobyfour. Also, a matter of perspective, Mr. Bedbug. I don't know if you saw her post on the subject yesterday, but lotp reminded us that this is not a quick war, like WWI or WWII, but likely will take twenty years to win -- similar to the Cold War, or the Indian troubles in the 19th century. Of which, as twobyfour so nicely explains, Iraq is only one battlefield -- we've got troops shaping things across Asia and Africa, and I suspect even South America, in this war the Caliphate wannabees have been waging against the Free World since the 1980s or longer. We Americans aren't a patient people, I'm afraid, but fortunately our military are able to take a longer view.
Oh, and welcome! This is exactly the place to bring such concerns as yours. :-)
#5
Remember in most/all parts of Iraq the coalition allows families to have one AK-47 per household for their own protection, apparently this has been the policy since the occupation began. The German populace was largely disarmed after V-E day, & the allies had the numbers of boots on the ground to enforce disarmament, unlike Iraq. If every Iraqi with a grudge against another Iraqi took it out with the domestic weapon, the population of Iraq would fall by half overnight.
(KUNA) -- Twenty Iraqis were killed and 32 others were injured in sequential roadside bomb explosions northern the capital Baghdad, police said Monday.
The first bomb exploded at a market near Sabah Al-Kahyatt's court in Ore neighborhood northern Baghdad, a security source told KUNA. The second explosion, which took place few minutes later and about 20 meters away from the first blast, occured when a bomb exploded targeting a funeral near a mosque, which resulted in many casualties, the source added. Paramedics' efforts to dig up casualties under the debris are ongoing. Eyewitnesses said that casualties' remains could be seen 100 meters away from the explosions' scenes.
A state of chaos overwhelmed the scene, where police closed all streets and started shooting in the air to disperse the crowd, while volunteers began evacuating the injured to nearby hospitals. Both explosions occurred ten minutes before breakfast.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/17/2006 00:00 ||
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Yahoo headline: 91 die in sectarian violence in Iraq
First line: Four days of sectarian slaughter killed at least 91 people by Monday
Four days.
Last night on the radio - "68 killed since Friday." Does that include Friday? How about Monday? When I heard it, it was nearly Tuesday in Baghdad.
Shameless.
Posted by: Bobby ||
10/17/2006 6:17 Comments ||
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Border Police on duty near the Egyptian border on Monday discovered nearly a ton of marijuana that had been smuggled into Israel from Egypt.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/17/2006 00:00 ||
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Whoops, looks like they dropped a bit.
But it gives me an idea. Tons and tons of free pre-rolled joints might calm things down long enough over there for some rationality to set in! Then we can set up a munchies factory over there and they'll have a reason not to fight over everything! :-)
#2
The Israelis need to grow their own. All that money buys ammo to kill jews.
I only buy weed directly from growers because I don't want my money going to Mexican and Asian gangs.
Arnold should make a law so all pot sold in the clubs be certified grown in California. Keep the money in the state, in the hands of the hippies.
Since it won't be interstate commerce (Grown and smoked in the Golden State) the feds don't have to worry about it. It becomes a "States Rights" issue.
#3
In the NV election we have the Regulation of Marijuana Initiative:
"Initiative Petition to amend the Constitution to establish a comprehensive system of regulation for Marijuana while permitting adults aged 21 and older to use Marijuana in private and purchase it from a regulated market generating tax revenues that will be dedicated primarily to alcohol and drug treatment and education programs."
(PDF of full Initiative)
#6
"Waste of time, the Federal law takes precedence in a conflict."
And the federal gov't is stupid enough to waste time and resources on it. If anything, legalizing it screws gangs and other miscreants from making money off it. We need to cut off their funds. (sound familiar?)
The IAF shot two missiles towards a rocket launcher in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday evening, Palestinian sources reported. No casualties were reported. The IDF confirmed the strike. Earlier Monday, Palestinians launched two rockets into Sderot, wounding one person.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/17/2006 00:00 ||
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Muhammad Khalil al-Hakaymah of the Egyptian-based al-Gamaa al-Islamiyya, a group which also operates out of the Afghanistan-Pakistan region with its al-Qaeda ally, has written a 152-page book which appears to be intended to serve as a Jihadists instructional guide to the United States intelligence community. The document focuses on the perceived American intelligence limitations and shortcomings and appears an attempt to dispell any perception that the CIA, NSA, and FBI are comprised of ten-feet-tall invisible men. Circulated in its English translation through jihadist websites and made available at ThreatsWatch, the thrust of the book is clear from its title.
An excerpt from al-Hakamayahs introduction sets the tone.
The Manhattan raid led to a radical change in the perception of American Security.
After the northern half of the continent had been isolated from the rest of the world and its threats by two oceans, it now came from inside. The surprise hit the symbols of American power in its economic and security dimensions. The surprise changed the features of the most important financial center in the world.
Moreover, it exposed to the world the myth of delusion called NSA CIA FBI.
They used to say that if a mouse entered America or came out of it, you should be able to find a report about it in the archives of the American intelligence services.
The American intelligence lost this round against al-Qaeda intelligence.
Of note, among the eight chapters, one is dedicated fully to how US Intelligence recruits foreign agents and another purely to signals intelligence and electronic surveillance. The document goes to some length to detail what the intelligence community can and cannot do legally under US law.
Hakamayah states that the CIA had special campaigns to recruit hundreds of journalists, who kept their journalistic jobs, but they became paid agents for the CIA. Yet, he cherry-picks various US media sources to support his assertion that the media is full of CIA disinformation operatives while at the same time citing other reports as apparently credible sources of information on CIA/NSA capabilities. The author also goes to great lengths to describe the CIA as being governed by the whims of Right Wing think tanks - even though the CIA has been often criticized as being predominantly staffed by people who hold a left-leaning world view.
The document also makes considerable efforts to describe the CIA, NSA and FBI as corrupt and sinister organizations, complete with a section dedicated to CIA massacres, including The Massacre at Mazar-e-Sharif Fort in 2001 in Afghanistan. While it is possibly one of the most detailed publicly known al-Qaeda accounts of US intelligence, at many points, The Myth of Delusion also reads like a Conspiracy Theorists Intelligence Bible.
Expected to be the first of a trilogy from al-Gamaa al-Islamiyyas Muhammad Khalil al-Hakaymah, The Myth of Delusion: Exposing the American Intelligence announces at its close that the next release will be The Security Guide for World War Three.
#1
They used to say that if a mouse entered America or came out of it, you should be able to find a report about it in the archives of the American intelligence services. -- actually those reports do exist, however, they are often left in the original Arabic or Dari due to a chronic shortage of available translators.
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.
Afghanistan's intelligence agency alleged the man behind a foiled suicide bombing in Kabul on Monday had been trained in North Waziristan. The National Directorate of Security (NDS) had been tipped off about the attack and cornered the car carrying the bomb before the vehicle exploded, wounding three people. NDS spokesman Sayed Ansari told reporters that the agency had intelligence that the would-be attacker was among four who had entered Afghanistan from the North Waziristan.
(KUNA) -- Two suicide bombers have been killed in two botched up attacks in Kabul, the central capital of Afghanistan, and the southern province of Kandahar Monday morning. A bomber, riding in a taxi cab, blew up his explosive-packed car as he was chased by police in the centre of Kabul city this morning. Three bystanders were wounded in the blast. 
Two more Huji (Harkatul Jihad) members arrested in connection with the bomb attack on the British high commissioner were shown arrested in the Ramna Batamul blast case and were placed on a seven-day remand yesterday. They are -- Hafij Syed Nayeem of village Syedpur under Jagannathpur upazila of Sunamganj and Badrul Alam Mizan of Habiganj Sadar upazila.
In the other incident, believed to have taken place some months ago, the suspect is also still at large. The British Home Office has not made public any details about the escapes.
NORTH Korea said today the new UN resolution imposing sanctions on the country was a "declaration of war" and warned it would strike back at any nations that try to tighten the screws on its regime.
China has been building a massive barbed wire and concrete fence along parts of its border with North Korea in the most visible sign of Beijing's strained ties with its once-cozy communist neighbor. Scores of soldiers have descended on farmland near the border-marking Yalu River to erect concrete barriers 8 to 15 feet tall and string barbed wire between them, farmers and visitors to the area said. 
Indian police on Monday arrested two suspected Islamic militants armed with explosives as they stepped off a train in New Delhi. The two men were identified as members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, deputy commissioner of Delhi police Alok Kumar told AFP. Kumar said the Bangladeshi nationals, Mohammed Aslam Gir and Abdul Razaq, were carrying 1.5 kilogrammes of RDX high-grade explosives. "They boarded the train in Jammu and were arrested when they got off in Delhi early this morning," Kumar said. We made the arrest based on an intelligence tip-off. We are in the process of interrogating them and then we will get more details. However, Lashkar spokesman Abdullah Gaznavi told AFP in Srinagar that the two arrested men were not at all part of the group.
An 8:32 minute video was issued by the Mujahideen Shura Council in Iraq today, Sunday, October 15, 2006, declaring the establishment of an Islamic state in Iraq. Depicted is the official spokesman 
In the video, the spokesman indicates that the state was established by the 
YUSIFIYA, Iraq (CNN) -- In the distance, explosions are heard -- it could be anything. The American soldiers don't even look up.
The brother of the top prosecutor in the second trial of Saddam Hussein was shot dead in front of his wife at his home in the capital Monday, according to a key official charged insuring no former members of the Saddam regime hold positions of authority. 
(KUNA) -- A Gunmen was killed and four others were injured during clashes with military forces in Kirkuk northern Iraq, said a Military source on Monday. The source told KUNA that masked gunmen attacked a military convoy in Al-Rashad area west of Kirkuk city. Military reports on the incident said that an Iraqi solider was killed and two others were injured in the attack.
(KUNA) -- Six Iraqi engineers and a security guard were killed as a result of an attack launched by a terrorist group, a security source said Monday. The attack also resulted in injuring three people and kidnapping a policeman, while six others went missing, including a first lieutenant, in the attack that took place in al-Swairah town, southern Baghdad, the source told KUNA. Reports said that four of the missing managed to escape, after being rescued by members of the Mahdi Army, which helped reach their families. The other missing person, Hussein Zakam, was found dead, while the last person in the group is still missing.
(KUNA) -- Twenty Iraqis were killed and 32 others were injured in sequential roadside bomb explosions northern the capital Baghdad, police said Monday.
Muhammad Khalil al-Hakaymah of the Egyptian-based al-Gamaa al-Islamiyya, a group which also operates out of the Afghanistan-Pakistan region with its al-Qaeda ally, has written a 152-page book which appears to be intended to serve as a Jihadists instructional guide to the United States intelligence community. The document focuses on the perceived American intelligence limitations and shortcomings and appears an attempt to dispell any perception that the CIA, NSA, and FBI are comprised of ten-feet-tall invisible men. Circulated in its English translation through jihadist websites and made available at ThreatsWatch, the thrust of the book is clear from its title.
Hakamayah states that the CIA had special campaigns to recruit hundreds of journalists, who kept their journalistic jobs, but they became paid agents for the CIA. Yet, he cherry-picks various US media sources to support his assertion that the media is full of CIA disinformation operatives while at the same time citing other reports as apparently credible sources of information on CIA/NSA capabilities. The author also goes to great lengths to describe the CIA as being governed by the whims of Right Wing think tanks - even though the CIA has been often criticized as being predominantly staffed by people who hold a left-leaning world view. 
