December 21, 2006: NATO is exploiting the growing brutality of the Taliban to consult more closely with tribal leaders, who are now less likely to back the Taliban. Tribal wars are the norm in this part of the world, and the Taliban represent one faction that wants to rule everyone. NATO is basically taking sides in this tribal war, on the theory that its side represents more people than the Taliban. NATO has more firepower and mobility, and is using that, and the cold weather, to go after the Taliban in the Winter, when Afghan warriors traditionally stay home. The NATO campaign includes dropping pamphlets warning the Taliban to get out of areas where reconstruction projects are underway. This makes the Taliban into the bad guys, because reconstruction is much more popular than the return of Taliban rule.
The Taliban, meanwhile, have a plan. The Taliban have made deals with the drug gangs, and gained a powerful ally. The deal is simply assurances that the drug lords will be able to operate as they did when the Taliban ran country in the late 1990s. The Taliban only went through the motions of banning drug activities for one year, when they were in charge. And this was to qualify for some foreign aid. The rest of the time, the Taliban taxed the drug gangs, and didn't otherwise interfere. Now, with the aid of these "drug taxes", the Taliban can afford to hire thousands of gunmen. By attacking schools and reconstruction projects, the Taliban can keep people poor, ignorant, and easier to control. The literacy rate in southern Afghanistan is under 25 percent, and that suits the Taliban just fine. Long term, the Taliban believe they will win. They may have a point, as the illiteracy, conservatism and poverty have been part of the local landscape for thousands of years. The Taliban stands for the old ways, and believe these new ideas (democracy, education, economic growth), will never catch on.
#3
And we're afraid to go in and do aerial spraying on their precious drug crops for fear of driving a few old drug farmers into the waiting arms of the Taliban. Kill the drug farmers and be done with it.
Heading into Panjwaii district
MASUM GHAR, Afghanistan Canadian troops and tanks rolled into a small town in the Panjwaii district Wednesday as Canada launched its first major offensive as part of Operation Baaz Tsuka.
Members of Charles Company Combat Team consisting of two troops of Canadian Leopard tanks, a company of light armoured vehicles, three platoons of infantry, a company of Afghan National Army soldiers as well as artillery and support left the forward operating base near the village of Bazar-e-Panjwaii early Wednesday as bright sunlight burst over the local mountains. The destination was Howz-e Madad, located just north of the Arghandab River.
#1
two troops of Canadian Leopard tanks, a company of light armoured vehicles
That's what 10 tanks? That's a fair piece of logistic effort for Canada's stepchildren. I guess than came in through the Northen 'stan? Or maybe the Paks let them use Karachi?
#2
S: That's what 10 tanks? That's a fair piece of logistic effort for Canada's stepchildren. I guess than came in through the Northen 'stan? Or maybe the Paks let them use Karachi?
#3
2 troops (companies) is most likely 20 tanks plus gear. You sure the Canadians flew them all the way? The airfreight bill would be more than the tanks cost.
Posted by: ed ||
12/21/2006 9:22 Comments ||
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#4
2Troops in Canadian speak = 2 platoons. That might be 6 tanks. I haven't kept up with the latest reorgs in the Canadian Army.
I suspect Charlie Company can take on all the Taliban by itself - and win.
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
12/21/2006 9:39 Comments ||
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#5
You sure the Canadians flew them all the way?
With the price of fuel and the poor fuel economy of modern main battle tanks, it would be a long, expensive drive from Winnepeg to Afghanistan. Probably sent them Parcel Post.
#6
Definitely a bunch of guys who aren't going to be intimidated by a dreaded or brutal Afghan winter. They come from a land where the coldest theoretical temperature--too cold to go to the mall--has never been reached.
(from Will & Ian Ferguson, "How to Be A Canadian")
#8
The amount of firepower on hand was an impressive sight even to Dube. We like to see this. We like to see all the tanks together and just roll out in a big metal mass.
#9
Just for the record, even though we may tease our Canadian brothers mercilessly, we *do* appreciate the role they are playing in Afghanistan. Give 'em hell and come back safe.
#10
Since they began to engage in Afghanistan, I haven't had anything but praise for them. Their military rocks - and their officers don't seem to have the inclination to piss from a great height every time a reporter shows up. A bonus, lol.
#11
I'm just relishing that headline - "Canadians Launch Major Offensive" - a way-cool, retro, sort of warm feeling inside. I had extensive contact with the Canadian Forces just as they pitched over into decline (that is, neglect and starvation and disrespect at the hands of their national political class, at that time entering an extreme phase of its dementia) - I recall some of the senior people being very glum, as they could see the writing on the wall. I don't suppose the new regime there has had time to have an impact on materiel matters, but it's clear from Medusa and these ops that the spirit has endured.
The cheap-shots, self-righteousness, and free-loading from most of the Canadian leadership and all of their media elites in recent years have really stung, even amidst a world full of similar pathetic behavior, as I've always considered Canada almost a second home country (OK, I've played hockey - or at least a mediocre American version of it - since I was a kid). My knowledge of Canada's outsized and outstanding contributions in the two World Wars also added to the dismay at the post-9/11 nonsense from up north.
Even as much of NATO - unsurprisingly - finally demonstrates in Afghanistan the lack of political will and maturity we have suspected for ages, perhaps Canada will be among those lesser powers that rediscovers its adult self on the battlefields of Central Asia. Perhaps ....
Meanwhile, another thing I love are the cool regimental names they still have. In addition the name of the armored unit in this story, there are the Royal Canadian Regiment, the Vandoos (the 22nd, French-speaking unit from Quebec), and my favorite, the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry ......
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
12/21/2006 21:27 Comments ||
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#13
Whiskey Mike - big dittos! Our previously wayward neighbors have assumed their rightful responsibility and kicked big-time ass. Time to compliment and reward, not chirp. Go Canucks!
another sign that the problem was top-down, not at the military personnel level
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/21/2006 22:25 Comments ||
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NATO-led and Afghan forces have killed around 50 Taliban insurgents in a fresh anti-militant sweep in southern Afghanistan, the alliance said on Wednesday. Operation Baaz Tsuka was launched last Friday by hundreds of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Afghan troops in the Panjwayi and Zhare districts of Kandahar province.
We have cleared one large and two small villages of Taliban. We have killed about 50 Taliban, NATO spokesman Brigadier Richard Nugee told a press conference in Kabul. The spokesman said there had been no Afghan army or NATO casualties during the operation. Nugee said ISAF forces, which took over from the coalition in Afghanistans restive south and east earlier this year, would stay in Afghanistan as long as they were needed. We are here to stay for as long as the government of Afghanistan wants us to help them and that might, we anticipate, be beyond 2010, he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/21/2006 00:00 ||
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(KUNA) -- Afghan forces violated Pakistani territory and abducted 10 persons, including five paramilitary troopers, in a new episode of tension between the two neighboring countries, said an official on Wednesday. Provincial government spokesman, Razaq Bugti, told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) the kidnapped people had been collecting firewood at Qila Saifullah near Tirkha border post in Southwestern Baluchistan. He said Afghan forces had entered Pakistani territory and took away the Pakistani nationals with them into Afghanistan. The official refuted Afghan claims these Pakistanis had been within Afghan territory. Bugti added tribal elders of the two sides were in contact and that the kidnapped Pakistanis were expected to be released later today.
Meanwhile, Islamabad dismissed Kabul's claims of apprehending a Pakistani intelligence officer for espionage as "fabricated".
"This is all fabricated. They could have used coercive measures to make him say things which have no relevance to reality," said Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam. "There is no Pakistani spy in Afghanistan," she reiterated.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/21/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Much like the proverbial busload of lawyers on the lake bottom; It's a start.
#3
More, please more. Oh, and start throwing in the full show of raiding, burning, and looting. If the Pak Army is incapable of handling the tribes in the NW territories, they're just as unable to prevent Afghans from repaying years of destruction in their lands.
Saudi Arabia has freed 11 former Guantanamo Bay detainees after they completed their jail sentences, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday. It said the men were among 28 Saudis handed over this year by the United States from the Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba. The cases of the rest of the accused are still under review until a final ruling is issued, the ministry said in a statement carried on state media. Earlier this month, 16 Saudis held at the naval base returned home and the kingdom said it would continue efforts to seek the return of other Saudi citizens, but did not say how many remained in US custody at the controversial prison. Many of the men held at Guantanamo Bay were captured in Afghanistan in the US-led war to oust the Taliban after the Sept. 11 attacks. Many have been held for years and nearly all are being held without charge. Most of the 19 suicide hijackers who carried out the attacks on US cities in 2001 were Saudis. Public anger over the treatment of Saudi detainees in Guantanamo has been high in the Gulf Arab state, a key US ally.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/21/2006 00:00 ||
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#3
1. Earlier this month, 16 Saudis held at the naval base returned home
2. Saudi Arabia has freed 11 former Guantanamo Bay detainees after they completed their jail sentences
Hmm. 30 days or 30 rials for jihad.
Posted by: ed ||
12/21/2006 10:10 Comments ||
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#4
Any word on how the ticker tape parade was? Which of the 11 was selected as grand marshall? Did they rent the giant Snoopy balloon from Macy's and paint on a suicide belt? I love those giant parade balloons.
Posted by: Scott R ||
12/21/2006 11:40 Comments ||
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#5
Much as I'd like the vacation, I really needs the money Judge ed.
Posted by: abu Earnest T ||
12/21/2006 17:42 Comments ||
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A military aide to the commander of British forces in Afghanistan appeared in court yesterday accused of spying.
Cpl Daniel James, 44, is charged under the 1911 Official Secrets Act with "prejudicing the safety of the state" by passing information "calculated to be directly or indirectly useful to the enemy". It was said he had communicated with a "foreign power" in the incident on Nov 2, believed to be Iran.
Most of the hearing at Westminster magistrates' court yesterday was held in secret and no mention was made of James's job or his address.
But The Daily Telegraph has learned that he acts as an interpreter for Gen David Richards, the commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan and one of the most senior officers in the Army.
If the trial goes ahead, it will be the first espionage prosecution under Section 1 of the 1911 Act for a generation. The last involved Michael Bettany, an MI5 officer who was jailed for 23 years in 1984 for passing information to the Soviet Union.
Continued on Page 49
#9
James is of Iranian descent and speaks fluent Pashtun, the main language in Afghanistan, making him invaluable to the Army which is very short of translators.
Neighbours at his £800,000 house in Brighton, said his mother speaks only Farsi, the main language of Iran.
Posted by: ed ||
12/21/2006 9:28 Comments ||
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#10
Ah, Daniel James is his English name, then. Like those Chinese and Korean kids named Bobby and Sue Ann. Thanks for catching what I missed, guys!
#5
Well it's a starting poing. We both agree that drugs are bad. Now we just need to connect him to it and get him to waste his time by improving his citizens lifestyle by getting rid of drugs and growing a better, broader economy.
#12
Dang Anonymoose, you don't mince words, do you?
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
12/21/2006 21:48 Comments ||
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#13
Dear Mr. Moose, a translation please. I barely squeaked by in Catholic HS Spanish, this is way beyond what Brother McCarthy taught.
Posted by: steven ||
12/21/2006 22:55 Comments ||
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#14
Ladies and Gentlemen, don't forget your manners!
We have a policy to control this behavior.
It is the Monroe Doctrine. We just don't have anyone strong enough to enforce it.
#1
Immigration increased from most countries, but mainly from Iraq and Serbia.
For Iraqis, barred from entering even neighbouring countries such as Jordan to escape the escalating violence, the safe Nordic country is an attractive destination.
the suicide phenotype run deep in the European gene pool...
With the implosion of Sen. George Allen, movement conservatives no longer have a candidate in the presidential mix that looks and acts like one of them. Even though the field contains several heavy hitters, such as John McCain and Rudy Giuliani, the GOP grassroots has no one that is a natural fit.
If a small but growing number of conservatives have their way, however, a candidate that could truly excite the base might enter the fray: my old boss and current South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford.
On paper, a Sanford candidacy seems quixotic. Entering the White House derby at this point would actually be late in the game. He's little-known outside South Carolina and Washington and his main foil the past four years has been the GOP-dominated legislature.
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#6
..Oh dear Lord, NO.
You get elected Governor here in SC by being a complete nonentity. Sanford's a decent guy, but President? He'd be roadkill within hours of announcing.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
12/21/2006 8:17 Comments ||
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Lebanese police seized large quantities of explosives, detonators and timers in the homes of members of a pro-Syrian group in north Lebanon on Thursday, security sources said.
Police surrounded some of the Beirut offices of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP) -- an opposition group which responded by accusing the authorities of harassment and warned against more raids.
Seven SSNP supporters or activists were arrested in the northern Koura province, including a senior member.
The SSNP said most of the weapons seized dated back to the 1980s -- the height of Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war.
"The party calls for an immediate halt to raids and the pursuit of National Socialists," party leader Ali Qansou told a news conference. "The National Socialists' patience has limits."
A police statement confirmed the seizure and some arrests but did not say to which group the detainees and the explosives belonged.
"A force from the Internal Security Force raided these houses and found inside them a large quantity of explosives, electrical detonators and timers in addition to a large cache of weapons," the statement said.
The SSNP was founded in 1932 and called for a greater Syrian state which would have included Lebanon. It is allied to the Hezbollah-led opposition, which is demanding veto power in Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's cabinet.
BROOKLYN, N.Y., Dec. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following two weeks of trial, a federal jury in Brooklyn, N.Y., today returned a verdict convicting Khalid Awan of providing money and financial services to the Khalistan Commando Force (KCF), a terrorist organization responsible for thousands of deaths in India since its founding in 1986.
When sentenced by U.S. District Judge Charles P. Sifton on March 7, 2007, Awan faces a maximum sentence of 45 years in prison. The conviction was announced by U.S. Attorney Roslynn R. Mauskopf of the Eastern District of New York and FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Mark J. Mershon of the New York Field Office.
KCF was formed in 1986 and is comprised of Sikh militants who seek to establish a separate Sikh state in the Punjab region of India. The organization has engaged in numerous assassinations of prominent Indian government officials -- including the murder of Chief Minister Beant Singh of Punjab in 1995 -- and hundreds of bombings, acts of sabotage and kidnappings.
45 years hard time for the Sikh turbans, obsequieous apologies and loads of baksheesh for Arabian-style turbans. What's wrong with this picture?
#2
The Beant Singh assassination was not a KCF operations, wasn't that the Babbar Khalsa International? How about a few lines conerning the complicity of the ISID? Anyway, one down and many more available for the same treatment.
A bomb rigged to a bicycle exploded in Quetta on Wednesday, injuring seven people, said police. The explosion, near a police station in downtown Quetta, also shattered windows of the police station, several nearby shops and a hotel, said Khizar Hayat, a police official in Quetta. No policeman was injured. The wounded people included shop owners, passers-by and shoppers in the market, said Hayat, adding that a 50-year-old man was seriously hurt. Nobody claimed responsibility for the blast, but authorities blame rebel Baloch tribesmen for such bombings and rocket attacks.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/21/2006 00:00 ||
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Seems like a positive development. A possible self-defense force against Mehdi Army 'excesses' to come if/when US departs?
IRAQI POLICE RECRUITING DRIVE SIGNS UP 1,115 IN AL ANBAR
CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq In one of the most successful recruiting efforts in western Iraq to date, 1,115 Iraqi men have recently signed up to join the Police Forces in the restive Al Anbar Province.
The new recruits, mostly from the Anbar cities of Ramadi, Fallujah and Hit, will attend a five-week training course at the Jordanian International Police Training College. Following successful completion of the course the new officers will join the more than 8,000 police currently serving in communities throughout Al Anbar Province.
The successful recruiting effort this month moves the Government of Iraq and Multi-National Forces West one step closer to achieving the joint goal of ensuring 11,330 trained law enforcement officers are on the job by April 2007.
There are no spectacular victories in a counterinsurgency, but this represents a significant development in the fight for the people of Anbar, said Coalition spokesman Marine Lt. Col. Bryan Salas.
Under a new plan, Iraqis will have the ability to launch security operations without a multinational OK, the Iraqi government said Thursday.
The security plan for war-torn Baghdad would ostensibly place Iraqi troops in the lead and coalition forces in a supporting role.
The plan emerged during talks among officials from the Iraqi Defense and Interior ministries as well as the Multi-National Forces in Iraq.
The plan, which "will see the light of day soon," according to Interior Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf, would create a system with "swifter mobilization and decision-making."
There will be an overall Iraqi commander for Baghdad and one commander each from the largely Sunni area west of the Tigris River, called Karkh, and the largely Shiite area east of the river, called Rusafa. One commander will be from the Interior Ministry, the other from the Defense Ministry, Khalaf said.
In addition, a commander will be in charge of nine security districts in Baghdad, he said.
Security forces will remain at the same level, Khalaf said. As many as 45,000 Iraqi security forces have been in Baghdad in recent weeks.
They'll be provided with better bomb detection equipment placed at the city's entrances and 200 explosives experts. The equipment will allow troops to detect explosives from a distance of 100 meters or more...
U.S. forces have captured a senior al Qaeda in Iraq leader accused of killing hundreds of Iraqi civilians, including women and children, the U.S. military said in a statement on Wednesday.
The military said the "terrorist leader", whom they did not identify, was captured on December 14 in the northern city of Mosul in a raid which also netted five other suspects.
"The terrorist leader was captured when Coalition Forces raided a known terrorist meeting place. (He) was attempting to flee from the location when Coalition Forces chased him across a street and detained him," it said in a statement.
"He was personally responsible for hundreds of civilian deaths, including women and children. He housed foreign fighters to be used in suicide bombing attacks against the Coalition and the Iraqi people."
The U.S. military says it has killed or captured hundreds of al Qaeda members since killing al Qaeda in Iraq leader Musab al -Zarqawi in an airstrike in June.
The military statement said the al Qaeda suspect had been in charge of the Sunni Islamist group's military operations in Mosul and the Iraqi capital, during which time he had coordinated car bomb attacks and kidnappings for ransom.
He was Military Emir of Mosul in 2005. He housed foreign fighters to be used in suicide bombing attacks against the Coalition and the Iraqi people.
After leaving Mosul in late 2005, he became the Military Emir of Karkh, Baghdad.
After a few months he fled Baghdad due to Coalition Forces closing in on him. Just prior to his capture, he was attempting to organize what is left of the al-Qaida in Iraq network in Mosul.
From that description I am sure someone here can hang a name on him, as could anyone in his organization, which makes me wonder why CentCom did not.
This is follow-up to a story we've been covering for almost a year.
A group of Camp Pendleton Marines will be charged Thursday in the killings of 24 civilians in Haditha, Iraq, several defense attorneys said yesterday. Five to eight members of Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment are expected to face counts of murder or negligent homicide. They are accused of committing a massacre on Nov. 19, 2005, after one of their buddies Lance Cpl. Miguel Terrazas died in a roadside bomb explosion. Their actions, if proven true, would constitute the United States' most serious war crime reported since the Iraq conflict began almost four years ago. What is undeniably true is: the terrorists are using human shields. I seem to recall that it was a pro-terrorist Iraqi doctor who scripted most of the complaints.
In addition, as many as three officers might face charges for allegedly covering up or not fully investigating the incident. One of them is 31-year-old Capt. Lucas M. McConnell of Napa, who was commanding officer of Kilo Company but didn't travel with the unit at the time.
McConnell heard from a superior that he will be charged with dereliction of duty, said Kevin McDermott, his civilian attorney. My client has been trying all day to get the details of the charge against him, McDermott said yesterday evening. Is it failure to train his troops properly or failure to do an investigation? We are just really unsure.
Neal Puckett, who represents Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich of Meriden, Conn., said he learned yesterday that charges are coming against rank-and-file members of the squad. Puckett said Wuterich, 26, the senior Marine present during the alleged three-hour killing spree, was ordered to return early from leave to sign papers at Camp Pendleton on Thursday morning. We both know that they want him to sign his charge sheets, he said.
The Marine Corps is not ready to confirm charges or indicate when they'll be filed, said Lt. Col. Sean Gibson, a spokesman at Camp Pendleton.
Once the counts are lodged, Puckett said, it wouldn't make sense to lock up the suspects in Camp Pendleton's brig. They are neither a flight risk nor a danger to themselves or others, he said.
Gary Myers, who represents Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt, 22, from Carbondale, Pa., agreed that pretrial confinement would be inappropriate. The Marines being investigated have been serving faithfully for 13 months, Myers said. I mean, what is the point?
Other suspects in the case include Cpl. Sanick Dela Cruz, 24, of Chicago; Cpl. Hector Salinas, 22, of Houston; and Lance Cpl. Stephen B. Tatum, 25, of Edmund, Okla.
All of the servicemen have insisted that they had no choice but to counter insurgents attacking them with small-arms fire from a nearby house. Some of their attorneys have said the civilians' deaths were the tragic result of a unit simply following the military's wartime rules of engagement... An IED, RPG and/or sniper incident puts troops in a pinned down situation from which they are trained to effect breakout ASAP. Suppression fire will cause civilian casualties. Arabs are pathological gawkers, which puts them in harm's way.
#1
All Iraq is a war zone. Fighting for your life in a war zone entails killing anyone who's after you. If they convict these guys, good gawddamned luck on their recruiting efforts.
#3
as i recall one of them [corpsman] turned, unless they hearded civilians into a room and shot them, I sure hope they get off...they'll have a hard time rebuilding their lives/careers even if they are acquitted, or the charges are dropped.
#5
I thought they had some aerial footage corroborating their story.
In any case, they have a chance for vindication. If the MSM will give it any coverage. And don't forget to put that guy who listened to that Iraqi doctor on a spit and roast him, right? Uh huh. That'll happen. Right after they're done with Murtha.
#6
I've said this 100 times, and I'll say it again: JAG officers do not make the decision to prefer charges, commanders do. The decision to charge is often political; the decision to actually go to trial is based entirely on the evidence.
Several times, I had no choice but to prosecute soldiers against whom there was flimsy evidence and who I believed were innocent. In such cases, I did everything possible to persuade the 32 IO to recommend dismissal. The prosecution represents the government, and it is not in the government's interest to convict innocent men, so I suspect that will occur here too.
I say that because serious, heinous crimes are alleged, yet the government is not seeking pre-trial confinement. It strongly suggests that the prosecution doesn't believe these guys are guilty.
Sometimes, JAG officers -- prosecutors and defense counsel alike -- are the only thing that comes between grandstanding commanders and egregious injustice, so cool your jets, eh?
Have you read the military's "Counter-Insurgency Manual" that was released last week? One week after it was disclosed that US equipment is deteriorating at a rate of $2 billion per month, those bozos advocate putting 75% of COIN troops on patrol 24-7-365. The thinking is that troops can catch IED/RPG/sniper/mortar traps while on the run. Reality dictates: traps are set up on the run with both the element of surprise and easy escape routes. A COIN column hardly presents a surprise factor.
Assuming that you are aware of SCOTUS decision ("Terry") on "investigative detention" in the US, what would you think of using short-term mass-arrests (say up to 200 per) in Baghdad, with the intent of using force and persuasion, to gather intelligence on the terror cells that set up the terror traps? My thinking is that while most won't talk, enough will and the terrorists wouldn't kill all arrestees in retaliation because that would cause more informants to spill. Terror cells probably operate in mosques, and originate operations out of well guarded residences where there is new ownership by persons with no obvious livelihood. If I am right, then these would be easy to identify.
As for "Terry" many here have been subject to investigative detention without even being aware of same. I recall being asked to produce ID, while cops were on a Robbery dragnet. It only took a second, and I didn't feel violated in the slightest.
Unfortunately, pro-active intelligence gathering has acquired a tabu status since the abu Ghraib incident. But, the Vietnam experience should have elicited a warning: NEVER impose unattainable objectives on soldiers. The editorialists are writing either "Pull Out" or "Send In More Troops." The latter is do-able, but unless we see better intelligence work, Iraq will be handed over to Iran's Ayatollahs.
(KUNA) -- Three Iraqi civilians were killed and two injured Wednesday in separate attacks in the city of Mosul northern Iraq. The Multi-National Forces (MNF) also said today they arrested 19 suspected terrorists west of Kirkuk. Iraqi Police source said unknown gunmen using a civilian vehicle fired at civilians in Al-Zanjali area west of Mosul, while another group raided a civilian house in Al-Yarmuk district and instantly killed a man inside it. The source added an improvised bomb exploded in Edin district East of Mosul, the attack was targeting a U.S. army patrol but injured two civilian bystanders.
On another front, in Kirkuk, MNF said in a joint operation with the Iraqi Army arrested 19 suspected terrorists, in addition to confiscating weapon caches in a raid campaign west of Kirkuk.
Meanwhile, Iraqi police said four people were injured when two car bombs exploded in the Iraqi capital today. Police source said one car bomb exploded near a court building in Al-Bayaa injuring two civilians south west of Baghdad. Another car bomb exploded close to Iraqi agriculture areas in Kemb Sarah injuring two civilians in midtown Baghdad, police source added.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/21/2006 00:00 ||
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(KUNA) -- US Army in Iraq declared here on Wednesday that a joint US-Iraqi force arrested one of Mahdi Army militia's leaders in a raid in Al-Kout city south of Baghdad. A US Army distributed here said the arrested person is a leader of a group specialized in preparing bombs and has connections with banned armed groups that launch attacks on Iraqi security forces and coalition forces in Wasit province. Coalition forces declared arresting the head of an office belonging to Al-Sader organization and eight of his companions in a raid last week.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#3
They might be using a time-tested principle: that a truly incompetent, ineffective enemy leader is better than just about anybody who would replace him. Therefore, concentrate on his lieutenants that show promise, to insure that as much as possible of what the enemy does is wasted, fruitless, and frustrating.
(KUNA) -- Five Iraqis were killed and 11 injured when a second booby-trapped car ripped through a public place in Baghdad Wednesday, police said. The car was in a parking garage close to a music hall and two government buildings. Buildings surrounding the scene were destroyed, and the area was sealed off after the bombing. Casualties from the previous Al-Jadiriah checkpoint bombing rose to 11 deaths, and 31 people injured. The body count includes three police officers killed, and nine wounded.
In other news, militants killed a high school teacher, Mahmoud Mohammad Rasheed, a Palestinian. Rasheed is the brother of a known actor, Zahir Mohammad Rasheed. A number of actors were killed by militants over the past few days.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/21/2006 00:00 ||
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(KUNA) -- At least seven policemen were injured when a road-side bomb exploded near their patrol vehicle in the city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq, said a security source on Tuesday. The source told KUNA the bomb, which detonated in southern Kirkuk, was targeting a security official who was not injured in the incident.
In Mosul, the Iraqi police said that four dead bodies were found in several locations in the city on Monday. The victims seemed to have been tortured before they were killed, stated the source. Despite numerous security efforts in the country, Insurgents are still on their plan to spread chaos and havoc here.
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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) -- A Palestinian rocket aimed at Israel veered off course and struck a home in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday, moderately wounding a 2-year-old boy sleeping in his bedroom, hospital officials and residents said. The rocket fire further strained a cease-fire reached between Israel and Palestinian militants late last month. Israeli officials say Palestinian militants have fired more than 40 rockets since the Nov. 26 truce, and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned this week that his patience is wearing thin.
Renewed battles with Israel would mean more instability in Gaza, which has been racked by factional fighting between the rival Hamas and Fatah movements for more than a week. Gaza remained "calm" Thursday on the second day of a renewed truce between the Palestinian rivals. Apparently the gun sex, injuries, and SUVs burned in the Al-Sabra district are defined as calm That makes sense in a Paleo sort of way.
In Beit Hanoun, Palestinian militants fired two rockets toward Israel from the northern Gaza town. One of the crude projectiles misfired and struck a nearby house, a Palestinian security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he didnt want to be executed was not authorized to speak to the media.
The rocket blew through the living room and exploded in a bedroom where three children were sleeping, relatives said. Two-year-old Samir al-Masri's legs were two broken, said Dr. Said Judeh of Kamal Adwan hospital. The boy's 4-year-old sister and 3-year-old brother were lightly wounded by shrapnel, said their uncle, Jad al-Masri.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility. But the militant group Islamic Jihad fired at least six rockets at Israel on Wednesday, saying it was avenging the deaths of two members in an Israeli arrest raid in the West Bank. In the past, similar cases of Palestinians being hurt by Palestinian rockets have led to backlashes against militant groups, whose attacks against Israel are generally supported by the public. Another classic example of how groups with divergent opinions can unite for a common cause.
#5
"The rocket blew through the living room and exploded in a bedroom where three children were sleeping, relatives said. Two-year-old Samir al-"Masri's legs were two broken, said Dr. Said Judeh of Kamal Adwan hospital. The boy's 4-year-old sister and 3-year-old brother were lightly wounded by shrapnel, said their uncle, Jad al-Masri."
These kids will be raised to believe the injuries they received were inflicted by the Jews. They will never learn that, in fact, their wounds were inflicted by fellow their muslims. Someday in the not too distant future their pics will be seen on LGF under the caption "more Palestianian Child Abuse".
Once, it seems a long time ago, I was a soft hearted person. I cried when appropriate (the wedding of a kid I watched grow up from an infant) and maybe when not always appropriate ( like every Chritmas when watching It's a Wonderful Life). I was always a sucker for babies and puppies. I actually recall physically missing the "feel" of a baby in my arms long after my baby was no more a baby. My sisters kept pumping 'em out so I got relief.
Here's my point: today I read that 3 Paleo kids got hit hard and I don't care. 3 kids in Gaza get busted up and I don't fu*kin' care.
I've changed.
I wasn't always like this.
I really want to hurt people of a certain ... ideology. They call it a faith, but it's not. It's an ideology.
I've changed.
Today is the office Chritmas Party. Booze is flowing, the food is great, music thumping, the ladies are festively dressed and in high heels wanting to dance.
Here I am reading RB. Wishing I could hurt certain people of a particular ideology.
I've changed.
Merry Christmas.
Posted by: Mark Z ||
12/21/2006 15:08 Comments ||
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#6
Geez, Mark. I'd forgotten the "change". You've reminded me.
But Merry Christmas, anyway, bro. Cherish what you have. Save up this feeling for when you vote... and when you defend what matters. That time will come.
#8
In the past, similar cases of Palestinians being hurt by Palestinian rockets have led to backlashes against militant groups, whose attacks against Israel are generally supported by the public.
Save the sympathy for the sympathetic. I don't see any in here...
#9
Reading the earlier posts and from #5 and on; all I can say is that if we could jump into our own personal Way Back Machines and travel to a pre- 9/11 time and then read the story that generated all these posts,I suspect the reactions wold be 100% of the 'that's terrible, how can anybody do that to children' flavor.
Unfortunately we cannot use Mr. Peabody's cartoon invention, and it is indeed a sad commentary that those posts are now valid feelings of us. Closer to home and on a local scale, following our multi-day power outage here in the North of Seattle area, my once docile Spousal Unit made several very pointed statements concerning what measures we should take to ensure the stores we laid in when such an emergency occurs remained in our possession and they all included weapons. Sad day indeed when we do not care anymore.
#10
it is indeed a sad commentary that those posts are now valid feelings of us
I ask that you do not, repeat DO NOT, regret having the wisdom to save your own life. Feel no sorrow nor sadness, my friends. I fully comprehend the sentiments that Mark Z. and yourself are expressing, USN, Ret., I share a great many, if not all, of them.
DO NOT concede sorrow over the misdeeds of others. Replace it with a righteous anger over how certain individuals cheerfully adhere to a creed that demands not just the loss of your way of life, but even your life itself.
Part of losing your way of life has already begun. Each of ours sense of humanity has been necessarily eroded to no longer feel regret should a great number of this world's population die a swift death. If, ten years ago, someone had told me that I would be typing these words, I'd probably have bet the farm against it. Here I am, typing these words.
Do I feel sorry about it? Not one damn bit. Do I feel angry that I have to harden my heart against even wee children and their sufferings? Damn right I am and I intend to put and end to it. The only way to halt this is to stop Islam's reign over the Muslim people.
Feel not sorrow during this season of joy. To do so is precisely what our foes intend and they do so by weaponizing our very finest sentiments and turning them against us. Do not let this vile and cynical ploy corrode your own sense of worth and ability to feel a sense of intact humanity.
My sense of humanity is still intact. To be sure that a small fragment of it has been stolen from myself by those who seek to destroy me. Unbeknownst to them, what they have carried off into the darkness of their benighted souls is a pellet of fatal poison. What has been stolen is not any joy of mine but a personal hatred for slaughter. I never thought to lose this precious part of my humanity but I willingly forsake it so that I may overcome those who would take so much more than that fateful morsel of my soul.
My enemies have sought to steal a vital part of my humanity. What they do not realize is that it was a part that protected them more than it did me. They now have it, along with the same sort of fragment shorn from many others like me who have been forced to abandon their refusal to allow slaughter. Islam is accumulating these poisonous granules, scintilla by scintilla. Eventually this ill-gotten hoard of our bested sense of humanity that they greedily gather to themselves will prove to be a viper clutched to their breast.
We must refuse to be dehumanized. Islam dehumanizes itself with every atrocity perpetrated by its heartless thugs. They do this for us, not at our request but most certainly, if unknowingly, on our behalf. Like a proverbial cock crowing atop the dunghill, Islam croons over its vicious superiority without taking time for a moments reflection upon the whirlwinds seeds they scatter in their path.
They will find that what they thought to steal from us shall be what they least wanted above all. One day Islam will discover that it has wrested all sense of mercy from its foes. By then, it will be too late. All they shall hear ringing among the shattered walls of their burning mosques will be, Islam delenda est.
#12
I do feel for the children. They are innocent. They learn hate and pregudice from their elders. My two brothers and I slept in the same room until I left home at 18 years.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
12/21/2006 18:05 Comments ||
Top||
#13
I fixed that stutter for ya.
Take their children away from them. Sterilize the remainder. See how many you eventually hafta kill. The rest die off inside their self-made Hell.
#15
I'm sure that the Arab League will pressure the UNSC to condemn Israel for not supplying Ham-Ass with more accurate rockets to kill innocent Joooos with.
#17
Take their children away from them. Sterilize the remainder. See how many you eventually hafta kill. The rest die off inside their self-made Hell.
Break the Hate Machine Cylce.
Along with the sterilization lets use the psychotropic drugs in the water idea that I think .com introduced a while back. LSD 25 in the wawa will certainly change these assholes outlook on life. My only concern at the time was for the kids whose development might be stunted by the exposure. But then I thought about the exposure that they already get (kill, kill, kill all the jooooooos...and pretty much anything else including yourself) and I thought the risk was worth it. But better to take the kids and place them into a warm, nurturing environment where the stain of their culture can be erased.
On the "I've changed" meme...welcome to the club. War and repeated exposure to barbarity will do that. It is a survival mechanism. When the time comes we will thus (hopefully) have the will to do what needs to be done.
JERUSALEM - Palestinian terrorists militants fired three rockets into Israel Wednesday without causing casualties or damage, despite a nearly month-old ceasefire, the army said.
In Gaza, the ultra-radical Islamic Jihadterrorist group said it had fired four rockets into the Jewish state to avenge the killing of two of its terrorist members by the Israeli army in the occupied West Bank earlier in the day.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/21/2006 00:00 ||
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Two militants from the Palestinian radical Islamic Jihad faction were killed Wednesday by the Israeli army in the north of the occupied West Bank, witnesses and medics said. Salah Sawftah, 23, and Hossam Ayasseh, 30, were killed by Israeli forces in the village of Silat Al-Harithiya near the town of Jenin, they said. The Israeli troops surrounded a house with the two militants inside and an exchange of gunfire ensued, with the army firing shells and partly destroying the building. The bodies of the two men were found inside after the soldiers retreated. An Islamic Jihad spokesman said the two men had belonged to the group.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/21/2006 00:00 ||
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(KUNA) -- Three Palestinian were injured and four SUVs burned Wednesday in protest which coincided with a funeral of two Fatah activists in Gaza. Fatah, affiliated to the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), accused the Palestinian Resistance movement (Hamas) of killing the two activists.
The protest which occurred in the Al-Sabra district coincided with the funeral, which also came shortly after a fresh ceasefire was announced. Eyewitnesses said angry armed men then ignited fire to four SUVs which were parked near the clashes.
A big fire erupted which was close to an electricity company, thus restricting employees from leaving the area. A statement issued by the family of the two dead activists blamed Hamas for killings, adding the acts of Hamas were intentional.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/21/2006 00:00 ||
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#2
3 people: 4 vehicles. At this rate they'll be back to donkeys and shank's mare in no time, and no more stolen Israeli vehicles to replaces them (can't take a stolen car under the security wall!).
#4
Slight consolation for Israel in that their lack of response is giving the world an opportunity to see just how habitually inclined to violence the Palestinians actually are.
#7
prolly looking for the "carbon credits" for the burnt SUVs
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/21/2006 20:19 Comments ||
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#8
You know, if I lived over there and was an Israeli that could pass for Arab, I would seriously be sneaking into Gaza to do a little shoot-and-scoot work on the two opposing terrorist groups. And that would be without ever seeking Israeli governmental sanction. Just stir up the pot a bit, using a Dragunov with ballistic hollowpoints.
New Bali threat as Bashir is cleared
INDONESIA'S Supreme Court has overturned a guilty verdict against the Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir for involvement in bombings in Bali in 2002 and last year and an attack on the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta in 2003.
The ruling yesterday came as the Federal Government warned of a very high threat of terrorist attacks in Indonesia, including Bali, where thousands of Australians plan to spend Christmas and the new year.
The court had heard from 30 witnesses in a review of charges that led to Bashir spending 2œ years in jail. The cleric, 68, was greeted by thousands of cheering supporters when he was released from jail in June.
At the time the Prime Minister, John Howard, expressed his disappointment to the Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, that Bashir had been released.
One of the Supreme Court witnesses was Amrozi, the so-called smiling assassin, who was convicted over the first Bali bombing. He and other convicted Bali bombers are awaiting similar reviews of their convictions.
Meanwhile, the Government said it continued to receive a stream of reports indicating that terrorists were in the advanced stages of planning attacks against a range of targets in the country of 245 million people. The warning, issued yesterday through the Department of Foreign Affairs travel advisory system, follows a similar warning issued by the US this week.
There was a credible threat of a terrorist attack in Indonesia in the Christmas-new year period, the department warned. Security analysts in Jakarta said the warnings were justified because of credible information that the Malaysian-born terrorist Noordin Top had been planning new attacks. Top was the mastermind of attacks against Western targets in Jakarta and Bali, where 92 Australians died in separate bombings in 2002 and last year. Indonesian police this week intensified their efforts to catch Top, distributing his photograph widely throughout Central Java. Police last year killed Azahari Husin, an associate of Top and a leader of the Jemaah Islamiah terrorist network.
Indonesian police have already increased security around churches in Jakarta. The Australian advisory warned that people should reconsider their need to travel to Indonesia, including Bali. If Australians chose to still travel to Bali or other places in Indonesia despite the warning they should exercise extreme caution, the warning said.
The Supreme Court decision is expected to anger the families of the Australian victims. Australia has previously protested about what is seen as the lenient treatment of Bashir, who has consistently denied any connection to the bombings.
Bashir's lawyer, Mahendradatta, described yesterday's court's decision as "God's will".
Indonesian police said last night that they regretted the court's decision clearing Bashir, who runs an Islamic boarding school in Solo, Central Java. A police spokesman, Sisno Adiwinoto, said: "I am sure he was involved from the police's point of view [his involvement] has been proved."
Bashir last week complained publicly that he remained on a United Nations list of international terrorists even though he had been released from jail. "I am terrorist No. 35 on the list," he told a seminar.
#1
In an effort to shoot themselves in the foot, Indo placed the gun squarely at the back of their own head and pointed it downward to their feet. With full knowledge of what would happen the Indo supreem court slowly and decisively pulled the trigger....
And the RB crowd orders more popcorn!
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
12/21/2006 10:42 Comments ||
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#2
What a great surprise. Standard muzzie tactic...catch and release. These scumbags are more likely to be let go than any Northern Pike in Minnesota.
#4
I think the point has been made here before that Australia should invade Bali and annex it. I'll second that motion. From what I understand, I could be wrong, but most of the people on Bali are Christian or at least not muslim and they welcome surfers. The place has good surf as does most of Indo. It's a damn shame to leave it in the hands of muslims who care more about jihad than they do about surf.
#6
Sanctions for all Muslim majority countries who allow any implementation of sharia law within their borders. Bashir should have assumed room temperature long ago.
Posted by: Kent Brockman ||
12/21/2006 13:46 Comments ||
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Two men were killed on Wednesday in southern Thailand by suspected Muslim insurgents who apparently targeted the victims because they were Buddhist, police said.
The first victim, identified as a 55-year-old rubber tapper, was shot three times while riding his motorcycle by a gunman on the back of another motorcycle, said police Major Suthas Noosrikong of Lammai police station in Yala province, where the attack occurred. Fifteen minutes later, a gunman on a motorcycle pulled up to the home of another Buddhist man in the same village. The attacker entered the home and fired three times, killing the man, aged 69.
"We believe that Muslim insurgents are responsible for the death of the two Buddhist men today," Suthas said, saying police believed the killings were premeditated. "The attackers mean to scare Buddhists away from the area." But drive-by shootings and bombings occur almost daily in Thailand's three southernmost Muslim-majority provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, where more than 1,900 people have been killed in an Islamic insurgency that flared up in January 2004.
Police, soldiers and others whom the insurgents view as collaborators with the government are targeted, along with Buddhists. Buddhist monks have been beheaded, Buddhist teachers slain, and leaflets are distributed around Buddhist villages warning that raising dogs and drinking alcohol are offensive to Muslims.
In separate violence, suspected insurgents detonated three small bombs near homes in the Rangae district of Narathiwat Province, said police Major Chalerm Khongying. There were no reports of injuries.
#3
Drive the Muslims south into Malaysia and dig a deep, wide ditch. Line the northern bank with land mines and machine gun nests. That's the only thing that will stop it.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/21/2006 15:26 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
December 21, 2006: NATO is exploiting the growing brutality of the Taliban to consult more closely with tribal leaders, who are now less likely to back the Taliban. Tribal wars are the norm in this part of the world, and the Taliban represent one faction that wants to rule everyone. NATO is basically taking sides in this tribal war, on the theory that its side represents more people than the Taliban. NATO has more firepower and mobility, and is using that, and the cold weather, to go after the Taliban in the Winter, when Afghan warriors traditionally stay home. The NATO campaign includes dropping pamphlets warning the Taliban to get out of areas where reconstruction projects are underway. This makes the Taliban into the bad guys, because reconstruction is much more popular than the return of Taliban rule. 
Now, with the aid of these "drug taxes", the Taliban can afford to hire thousands of gunmen. By attacking schools and reconstruction projects, the Taliban can keep people poor, ignorant, and easier to control. The literacy rate in southern Afghanistan is under 25 percent, and that suits the Taliban just fine. Long term, the Taliban believe they will win. They may have a point, as the illiteracy, conservatism and poverty have been part of the local landscape for thousands of years. The Taliban stands for the old ways, and believe these new ideas (democracy, education, economic growth), will never catch on.
Heading into Panjwaii district
NATO-led and Afghan forces have killed around 50 Taliban insurgents in a fresh anti-militant sweep in southern Afghanistan, the alliance said on Wednesday. Operation Baaz Tsuka was launched last Friday by hundreds of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Afghan troops in the Panjwayi and Zhare districts of Kandahar province. 
Saudi Arabia has freed 11 former Guantanamo Bay detainees after they completed their jail sentences, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday. It said the men were among 28 Saudis handed over this year by the United States from the Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba. The cases of the rest of the accused are still under review until a final ruling is issued, the ministry said in a statement carried on state media. Earlier this month, 16 Saudis held at the naval base returned home and the kingdom said it would continue efforts to seek the return of other Saudi citizens, but did not say how many remained in US custody at the controversial prison. Many of the men held at Guantanamo Bay were captured in Afghanistan in the US-led war to oust the Taliban after the Sept. 11 attacks. Many have been held for years and nearly all are being held without charge. Most of the 19 suicide hijackers who carried out the attacks on US cities in 2001 were Saudis. Public anger over the treatment of Saudi detainees in Guantanamo has been high in the Gulf Arab state, a key US ally.
A military aide to the commander of British forces in Afghanistan appeared in court yesterday accused of spying.
BROOKLYN, N.Y., Dec. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following two weeks of trial, a federal jury in Brooklyn, N.Y., today returned a verdict convicting Khalid Awan of providing money and financial services to the 
A bomb rigged to a bicycle exploded in Quetta on Wednesday, injuring seven people, said police. The explosion, near a police station in downtown Quetta, also shattered windows of the police station, several nearby shops and a hotel, said Khizar Hayat, a police official in Quetta. No policeman was injured. The wounded people included shop owners, passers-by and shoppers in the market, said Hayat, adding that a 50-year-old man was seriously hurt. Nobody claimed responsibility for the blast, but authorities blame rebel Baloch tribesmen for such bombings and rocket attacks.
(KUNA) -- US Army in Iraq declared here on Wednesday that a joint US-Iraqi force arrested one of Mahdi Army militia's leaders in a raid in Al-Kout city south of Baghdad. A US Army distributed here said the arrested person is a leader of a group specialized in preparing bombs and has connections with banned armed groups that launch attacks on Iraqi security forces and coalition forces in Wasit province. Coalition forces declared arresting the head of an office belonging to Al-Sader organization and eight of his companions in a raid last week.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) -- A Palestinian rocket aimed at Israel veered off course and struck a home in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday, moderately wounding a 2-year-old boy sleeping in his bedroom, hospital officials and residents said. The rocket fire further strained a cease-fire reached between Israel and Palestinian militants late last month. Israeli officials say Palestinian militants have fired more than 40 rockets since the Nov. 26 truce, and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned this week that his patience is wearing thin.
JERUSALEM - Palestinian 
Two militants from the Palestinian radical 
(KUNA) -- Three Palestinian were injured and four SUVs burned Wednesday in protest which coincided with a funeral of two Fatah activists in Gaza. Fatah, affiliated to the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), accused the Palestinian Resistance movement (Hamas) of killing the two activists.
