A series of bomb blasts in Afghanistan on Wednesday killed five policemen and guards as tribal elders from the insurgency-plagued eastern provinces called for negotiations with the countrys key warlords, including Mulla Omar, to push for peace and stability in the region.
In one incident, a parked motorbike packed with explosives detonated near a van of a US-based security firm accompanying a NATO convoy through Kandahar, killing two Afghan guards, said the company. Six other men in the US Protection and Investigation (USPI) vehicle were wounded in the attack and three of them were critical and in a coma, said the head of security for the convoy. The van had been escorting a convoy that was supplying logistics to NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops when it was hit in the volatile Maiwand district of Kandahar. The district governor, Haji Saifullah, said it was a remote-controlled bomb.
Another blast occurred while police were defusing a remote-controlled bomb in the Shindand district of Herat province. It killed three of Zir Koh districts top police officers, including the criminal investigation and police operations directors, said the police commander for western Afghanistan. A third remote-controlled bomb hit a patrolling police vehicle in the southwestern province of Nimroz, said the provincial police chief. Three police were wounded, Mohammad Daud Askarzada told AFP. The elders calling for talks with warlords had convened in Kabul for a two-day jirga aimed at giving them a larger role in the countrys stability, said Arsalh Rahmani, a leader from Paktika province and member of parliament. Also, US forces in Afghanistan said they had captured two suspected Al Qaeda operatives near the Pakistan border on Wednesday, after following leads on a suspect known to pass correspondence for senior Al Qaeda leaders. The men were arrested in an early morning raid in a town in Nangarhar province, said the US military in a statement.
Separately, more than 1,000 villagers have fled a Musa Qala as Taliban fighters dig in to repel NATO efforts to drive them out, said residents and officials on Wednesday. Helmand Governor Haji Assadullah Wafa told Reuters over the telephone that a military operation would soon be launched to recapture Musa Qala, which the Taliban over-ran last week. A large number of Taliban fighters had reinforced the town with heavy weapons, a resident told Reuters over the telephone, and NATO spy planes could be heard overhead.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2007 00:00 ||
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(SomaliNet) At least three people have been killed and ten others were wounded in separate explosions that rocked the Somalia capital on Wednesday night as there has been wide spread of insecurity in Mogadishu with killings and kidnapping seem rising. Several series of explosions could be heard in parts of Mogadishu carried out by unknown militiamen.
Two civilians have been killed and three others were injured in Al-Baraka village of Hodan neighborhood in southwest Mogadishu after a mortar round has slammed in their house. All the victims are in one family. The dead and the injured include young children.
The explosions started around 3:15 pm local time as many residents have terrified in the attacks. Separate explosion that happened near the main sea port in the capital caused the injury of four other civilians, two of them critical after a mortar shell had landed on a house. We have no access to rush the wounds to the hospitals because of insecurity and we are requesting the transitional government to allow us to take the injured people to the clinics, Mohamed Nor, one of the residents residing near the seaport complained. If we dont reach the wounds to the hospital immediately they might die for bleeding.
So far it is not yet known who were behind the latest attacks and supplying the rockets. Three other persons were reported to have been wounded in rocket attack at Lafa-weyn hotel in north of the capital where unidentified gunmen launched rocket propel grenades. Witnesses told Somalinet that the attackers have fired four RPGs at the hotel and then exchanged gunfire with the guards of the hotel which houses some of the government officials. Since the interim government took the power of the Somalia capital one month ago, it has been target of attacks launched by supporters of the ousted Islamist movements.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Typical Islamist action : surrender to us or we will blowup your children. So, since the Ethiopians and Somalis kicked the Islamists out of Somalia, the Islamists start the terrorism up with bombings in Mogadishu.
(SomaliNet) The transitional government in Somalia said on Wednesday that its security forces in Mogadishu had arrested three Islamist suspects and seized large quantity of weapons and explosives. Salad Ali Jele, the deputy minister of defense, told today the local media that the suspects were in the act of preparing an attack when the government troops captured them from the outskirt of Mogadishu city.
The forces have raided a house in Mogadishu where they caught three men and their weapons including dozens of automatic rifles, 37 mortar rounds, 120 artillery shells, bombs, antitank mines and other explosive devices.
The operation was done after receiving tips from intelligence sources, he said adding that security forces will continue hunting down those who are behind the attacks and explosions in the capital of Somalia. The forces have raided a house located in Daynile district, southwest suburb in Mogadishu where they had caught three men and their weapons including dozens of automatic rifles, 37 mortar rounds, 120 artillery shells, bombs, anti tank mines and other explosive devices, Mr. Jele said.
The defense official said the house the forces raided today was the base where the anti government attacks were organized in past. Jele pointed out that the government suspects there are more such places where the attacks were plotted and the security will soon discover them.
The move came hours after Salad Jelle, said that his government had apprehended at least five terror suspects for several explosions in Mogadishu, the Somalia capital. He said the security forces were tracking down the perpetrators who staged the guerilla-style attacks against the government and Ethiopian military bases in the capital.
It was for the first time that government troops arrested Islamist suspects and seized weapons since they took control of the capital late December last year 2006 after rooting out Islamic Courts with the help of the Ethiopian forces.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
"we are just simple, yet well-armed, khat farmers!"
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/08/2007 10:18 Comments ||
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(SomaliNet) Somalis deputy minister of defense, Salad Ali Jelle, said on Wednesday his government had apprehended at least five terror suspects for several explosions in Mogadishu, the Somalia capital. He said the security forces were tracking down the perpetrators who staged the guerilla-style attacks against the government and Ethiopian military bases in the capital. Our intelligence department is working actively in the capital and they have already reported suspects, he said.
Mr. Jelle accused the attackers of targeting the civilians and being unable to hit the government positions. "They only want to show the world that there was a wide spread insecurity in Mogadishu," he said.
Mr. Jelle accused the attackers of targeting the civilians and being unable to hit the government positions. "They only want to show the world that there was a wide spread insecurity in Mogadishu," he said asking the residents in the capital to report and call the nearest police station if they see suspects.
Despite the series of explosions in the city, kidnapping people has also added great saddle to the existing crisis.
Meanwhile day before, unknown gunmen have kidnapped an officer working for Hormuud Telecom Company in the Somalia capital Mogadishu. Abdirashid Ali Aynanshe, the marketing officer of Hormuud telecom, was kidnapped when unidentified militiamen stopped his car and took him away to unknown destination. It is not clear why Mr. Aynanshe was abducted and it is not known his whereabouts.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2007 00:00 ||
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(SomaliNet) A wounded Somali senior cleric who was captured in south Somalia during the pursuit of remnants of an Islamist movement ousted from the Somali capital Mogadishu in a war over the New Year was yesterday paraded by Ethiopian soldiers.
Sheikh Madobe said the aerial attack killed eight Islamist colleagues. He was caught and given medical treatment by Ethiopian troops. All the others were killed. I sustained 13 injuries to my body, he said, appealing to go to hospital.
Bearded cleric Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed Madobe former Somalia Islamic Courts Council (SICC) chairman for the southern town of Kismayu told reporters he suffered more than a dozen bullet wounds after US planes fired on his forest hideout.
Sheikh Madobe said the aerial attack killed eight Islamist colleagues. He was caught and given medical treatment by Ethiopian troops. All the others were killed. I sustained 13 injuries to my body, he said, appealing to go to hospital.
Sheikh Madobe was allowed to shake hands with elders, friends and relatives, and speak briefly to media while guarded by soldiers at a dilapidated former government building. Sheikh Madobe said he was treated well by his Ethiopian captors, and called on Somalis to work with the government.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Wouldn't even being grazed by a bullet from a US warplane pretty much mean you were a goner, let alone 12 of them?!?!
#7
Ahmed was appealing to go to the hospital. How many men did he allow to go to the hospital when he was in power? As a senior holy man, and a member of the Somalia Islamic Courts Council, how many men did he send to the grave yard? Perhaps he should be treated as he treated others.
Abu Izzadeen, the radical Muslim who barracked Home Secretary John Reid last year, has been arrested for allegedly encouraging terrorism. Izzadeen, 31, was held this morning in Leyton High Road, east London, under Section 1 of the Terrorism Act 2006. Scotland Yard said it related to an "on-going inquiry".
It is understood to relate to a speech he gave in the West Midlands area - thought to be Birmingham - last year. That speech apparently pre-dates the widely publicised incident in September when Izzadeen heckled Mr Reid as he addressed a 30-strong group of Muslims in Leyton. Izzadeen is in custody at a central London police station.
The article here is trying to pin the arrest on his confrontaion with the government official. 'Burgers know better...he was arrested for his ties to the 'militants'.
Radical Muslim leader Anjem Choudhurypredictably responded to news of his arrest by saying that Muslims were now the subject of a "witchhunt".
Izzadeen interrupted the Home Secretary and launched into an angry tirade. "How dare you come to a Muslim area when over 1,000 Muslims have been arrested?" he said. "You are an enemy of Islam and Muslims, you are a tyrant. Shame on all of us for sitting down and listening to him." Continuing his diatribe, Izzadeen said Mr Reid, Tony Blair and George Bush could "all go to hell". Izzadeen is a well-known Islamic extremist who has been investigated over controversial comments about the July 7 suicide attacks. He came to public prominence after refusing to condemn the 7/7 London bombings. Instead, he described the attacks as "mujahideen activity" which would make people "wake up and smell the coffee". And bt the way:
Izzadeen, also known as Omar Brooks, is said to be a former spokesman for the radical Islamic group al-Ghurabaa, an offshoot of al-Muhajiroun - both of which are now banned in the UK.
#3
Yeh they contribute so much to society . *rolleyes*
"You are an enemy of Islam and Muslims, you are a tyrant"
Ship the tard back to where he came from and let him understand the true word of tyrant . w4nker . No infact , stick his head on tower bridge as a warning to others .
#6
Could Britain deport him south or eastward? Jamaica is a bit too close to home.
Posted by: ed ||
02/08/2007 10:59 Comments ||
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#7
How does the coffee smell now, Abu? The Brit noses may not be adjusted for coffee, but they seem to be able your smell bullsh*t. Your trouble is that you think your sh*t don't stink, but it do.
#13
I'll believe the Brits are serious about cleaning up their messes when this idiot is hanging from Tower Bridge. And we need to lead by example. We have LOTS of very high bridges...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
02/08/2007 13:25 Comments ||
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#14
"How dare you come to a Muslim area when over 1,000 Muslims have been arrested?"
Sources residing in the district of Chongjin, North Hamkyung informed on the 1st and 5th On December 20th, a mass group of 120 prisoners from the camp in Hwasung escaped and so the National Safety Agency and the Peoples Protection Agency are in a state of emergency and said Lately, additional checkpoints have been established at various locations in North Hamkyung inspecting permits for both vehicle and personal travel.
In the history of North Korea, there has only been one known incident like this one the mass uprising at Onsong, Camp Number 12, in 1987, when 5,000 people were killed. The punishment for escape is death, and former guards claim that they were offered generous bounties for killing escaping prisoners.
One source said A close acquaintance and officer from the Safety Agency told me that some prisoners had ran away from a political concentration camp in Hwasung. The source informed The figure seems to exceed 120 people and since the end of last year, the atmosphere in North Hamkyung has been tense and the province has been in a state of emergency.
The prisoners did this by cutting the wire and clubbing a guard, and when they got out, someone outside was there with at least one getaway car. The regimes security forces have put up numerous roadblocks to try to recapture the prisoners. They have reportedly recaptured 21 of them, who are virtually certain to face a firing squad. Elsewhere, the report suggests that others were recaptured in China.
The significance of this, if true, is proof of the existence of an organized underground inside North Korea. As you will see below, Hwasong is a very long walk from China. Without help from an underground, these people would have had nowhere to go; they would all have been recaptured or killed almost immediately. If around 100 prisoners were still at large weeks after the fact, or made it at least as far as China, someone must have helped, hidden, and fed them.
Further, on the day of escape, one prisoner visited his home in Chongjin, North Hamkyung to escape with his family but was arrested by border guards while in attempt.
Its a safe bet that this entire family was arrested.
I discovered Camp 16 accidentally, while google-earthing North Korea recently. I stumbled upon it because its not far from Musudan-ri, the place from which North Korea did its missile tests last July.
He then posts a number of pictures that he downloaded from Google Earth that zoom in on the prison camp. Amazing.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/08/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
STRATEGYPAGE > up to 200K [exact nos. unknown], most likely political prisoners, are held in this and simialr camps around North Korea. SMELLED THE GLAZED CHICKEN = BRIT FISH-N-CHIPS FROM GITMO???
#5
As others have said: God bless and keep them safe. They have earned the Liberty that was gifted to me by my ancestors and is protected every day by the men and women of our armed forces. I am more grateful than I can say for the comfort, safety and opportunity afforded my family, my friends and myself. Today I am working in a quiet office while those poor souls scramble to stay alive.
#6
That's both very sad, and hopeful. I do hope as many as possible will make it safely to freedom (or at least in china), but in the same time I fear retributions will be dire for thoses who stayed, and for their relatives, their villages,...
That so many still look up to nork is an odious mystery to me.
Communism is not acknowledged as the exact same brand of evil as nazism was, in fact it still enjoys a broad intellectual support and still dominates the left, and that impunity is a real tragedy, because it is a second death for the multitude it killed, starved, crushed and enslaved.
If you go to google, click on "images", then google "great escape" you'll find some terrific pics of Steve McQueen suitable for a graphic for this story.
Posted by: Mark Z ||
02/08/2007 12:25 Comments ||
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DARRA ADAM KHEL: Two armed motorcyclists killed an Intelligence Bureau official on Wednesday while he was on his way to Peshawar after attending a jirga. Sources said that the two young motorcyclists ambushed IB Inspector Nazar Muhammads car near Zarghun Khel post, shooting Nazar twice and injuring his driver. Nazar was rushed to the nearby city of Kohat for medical treatment, but he died on his way to hospital. His drivers condition was said to be stable.
The sources said that a few raids had been carried out on suspected hideouts in Darra Adam Khel Bazaar, but no arrests had been made. The attackers were suspected Taliban militants, and Nazar was a victim of a target killing, said senior IB officials in Peshawar.
Witnesses said the attackers shouted Holy Shit! Allah-o-Akbar and swirled their capes dramatically before fleeing, while IB officials said only Taliban militants chanted such slogans before or after carrying out attacks. The jirga had been arranged to seek local tribal elders support against wanted criminals, and Nazar attended it as an observer to report details to higher authorities.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2007 00:00 ||
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Hyderabad and Jamshoro police in a combined action recovered a decomposed body from a seminary in industrial area of Kotri late on Tuesday suspecting that the body was of a Hindu engineer who was allegedly killed after kidnapping by Islamic militants in August last year.
Police sources said large contingent of Hyderabad and Jamshoro police raided Sachal Sarmast Colony in Kotri Site and arrested three suspects Khadim Hussain and his two sons Shahid and Tahir. Police claimed they also recovered a TT pistol, 8 TT pistols and some Jihadi publications. Later, the police party cordoned a Madrassa-e-Darul Huda located in the area and recovered a decayed body in excavation in its premises.
DIG Police Hyderabad region Syed Shaukat Shah who visited the site during the police action told reporters that they took the action after receiving information that activists of banned militant organization Harkatul Mujahideen had kidnapped and killed one Eng. Garesh Kumar, a resident of Kunri, some four and half a month ago from Hyderabad city and buried his body at a plot near the madrassa.
The DIG said they had arrested two persons including Khalid Minhas and his son Shahid and their two armed associates fled while shooting fires in the air. Police sources said Eng. Garesh Kumar was kidnapped from Liberty Market in the limits of Hyderabads Market police station on August 17, 2006 by 3 armed men donned in police uniform. The FIR of the incident was registered by Market police on Sep 14 against unidentified persons.
Sources said Hyderabad police informed Kumars father Saspal Das, a trader and taluka councilor in Kunri, a small town in district Mirpurkhas, about the recovery of the body on Wednesday morning triggering grief among the family members.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Kidnapping and Beheading is part of the curriculum, a required course for graduation.
#7
The Tokarev TT is 7.62x25mm automatic pistol that looks a lot like the Colt M-1911. Almost picked one up (that or CZ-52) but didn't want to mess with a collectors license.
Posted by: ed ||
02/08/2007 15:09 Comments ||
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BAGHDAD Coalition Forces killed an estimated 13 terrorists during an air strike Thursday morning targeting a senior foreign fighter facilitator northeast of Amiriya.
Intelligence reports indicated an individual associated with foreign fighter facilitation was in the targeted area.
During the operation, Coalition Forces detained five suspected terrorists and found a cache including armor piercing ammunition. Information gained from the target area led Coalition Forces to two suspected foreign fighter safe houses where suspected terrorists were assembled.
Coalition Forces observed the structures to confirm intelligence reports and engaged with precision guided munitions and rotary wing close air support, killing an estimated 13 terrorists.
BAGHDAD Coalition Forces conducted an air strike Thursday evening after receiving heavy enemy fire during a raid targeting al-Qaida in Iraq terrorists and foreign fighter facilitators.
While receiving enemy fire from several directions, ground forces called in for air support. Eight terrorists barricaded themselves inside one of the buildings and continued to fire at the ground forces. Coalition aircraft dropped precision bombs on the building, resulting in its destruction and the deaths of the eight terrorists.
No Coalition Forces or innocent Iraqis were injured during the air strike.
The operation was part of ongoing efforts to eliminate terrorists and disrupt their operations in the Arab Jabour area.
US and Iraqi forces in Baghdad have arrested the deputy health minister during a raid at his offices. The minister, Hakim al-Zamili, is a key member of the political group led by radical Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr. He is accused of aiding Shia militiamen and using ambulances to move weapons, a ministry source told the BBC.
The raid on the health ministry took place on Thursday morning. Iraqi officials say US and Iraqi troops broke down doors in the ministry's offices in central Baghdad in their search for Mr Zamili. The minister and some of his guards were arrested.
Mr Sadr's group accused the US of provocation and urged the government to take immediate action to free the official. "They are trying to drag the Sadrist movement to a confrontation. How else would arresting a deputy health minister without an arrest warrant be read," Abdel Mahdi al-Matiri, an official in Mr Sadr's movement, told Reuters news agency. The raid on the Iraqi health ministry comes more than two months after suspected Sunni insurgents tried to storm the building, triggering a fierce gun battle.
#5
BBC: Shattered glass littered the floor, computers were overturned and a large white boot print was left on the office door, the Associated Press news agency reported.
ahh the latest horreur impolie by American Whitey.
#7
The AP reported it, so the footprint was probably on the welcome mat, and the computers were all intact and running.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
02/08/2007 12:12 Comments ||
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#8
"They are trying to drag the Sadrist movement to a confrontation. How else would arresting a deputy health minister without an arrest warrant be read," Abdel Mahdi al-Matiri, an official in Mr Sadr's movement, told Reuters news agency.
That this 'tard can even discuss a arrest warrant and his precious Human Rights™ w/o even hinting at the lack thereof before (both in Sammy's and Sadr's worlds) just boggles the mind. That Rooters reports the quote as "truthiness" is even more boggling (but not surprising).
Posted by: BA ||
02/08/2007 14:42 Comments ||
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#9
Maybe the CIA should send a big thank you card to Hakim for all of his secret help. Send it regular mail to his office. That should fix Hakim.
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Coalition Forces conducted an air strike Wednesday targeting an al-Qaida in Iraq-related vehicle-borne improvised explosives devices network near Arab Jabour. Intelligence reports indicated that this network is responsible for a large and devastating number of VBIED attacks in the Baghdad area. They are also responsible for IED and sniper attacks conducted against the Iraqi people and Iraqi and Coalition Forces.
As Coalition Forces approached the targeted building they came under intense enemy fire. Ground forces assessed seven suspected terrorists were in the targeted building. Coalition Forces determined the targets too hostile for ground troops and called for air support. Two precision guided munitions were dropped destroying the targeted building and an associated structure.
Coalition Forces continue to tear apart the al-Qaida leadership inside Iraq. This operation significantly reduces this VBIED terrorist network's ability to operate, and increases the safety of all Iraqi citizens, Iraqi forces, and Iraq's Multi-National partners.
Baghdad's streets were electric with tension Wednesday as U.S. officials confirmed the new security operation was under way. U.S. armor rushed through streets, and Iraqi armored personnel carriers guarded bridges and major intersections. New coils of barbed-wire and blast barriers marked checkpoints that caused traffic bottlenecks. U.S. Apache helicopters whipped the air over parts of the capital where they hadn't been seen before.
But gunfire still rang out across the city, and some residents said they doubted life would get better. "Nothing will work, it's too late," said Hashem al-Moussawi, a resident of the Sadr City Shiite enclave who was badly wounded in a bombing in December.
Underlining the dangers, a U.S. Marine transport helicopter crashed northwest of Baghdad, killing all seven on board - the fifth American aircraft lost in Iraq in just over two weeks. A military statement did not give a cause for the crash, but a senior U.S. defense official in Washington said the CH-46 Sea Knight did not appear to have been hit by hostile fire. An Iraqi air force officer, however, said the chopper was downed by an anti-aircraft missile. An al-Qaida-linked Sunni group claimed in a Web statement that it was responsible.
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Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
I read this thing and I knew it was the AP before following the link. The AP is on the other side, the side that is praying and doing everything it can so the terrorist and haters of peace and civilization win. When will we do something about this treason? This is not what a free press is for.
It's an article that says failure, failure, failure, no matter what you do it will be failure, before you did this we told you it would be failure. We told you Bush is a failure. We told you you are a failure. Fail, fail ,fail. Doom and gloom, we are thE mighty and all knowing AP of the MSM, bow down to our greatness and corect thinking. When are we going to start kneecapping reporters? They are damn near every last one of the treasonous, back stabbing supporters of anti-civilization. I am fed up with them.
#3
In a sign of just how dangerous the security mission will be, a three-vehicle Western security company convoy came under fire near Haifa Street, a Sunni insurgent stronghold just north of the Green Zone.
Like it would've been news yesterday? What tripe!
Posted by: Bobby ||
02/08/2007 5:58 Comments ||
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#4
I never forget American lives could be lost after quiet before the storm is over and the roaches come out of the woodwork, but feel positive about this.
#6
It looks like NPR reporter Ann Garrels is benefitting from being embedded in Iraq. From a recent report:
The U.S. troops would probably have not found Ahmed [kidnapped for ransom in Baghdad] if they hadn't been living right in the neighborhood, instead of at a large base, removed from most neighbors. The young man's mother told the soldiers that her family has a big yard next to their house. Come and set up a base there, she told them.
A female official with the Census Department was shot to death Wednesday while she was riding to work with her husband in northern Iraq, police said. Gunmen in two cars opened fire on the woman about 9:30 a.m. as her husband was driving her to work at the Nationalities and Census Department in Mosul, 360 kilometers northwest of Baghdad, police Brig. Abdul Karim al-Jubouri said.
At least five other people were killed in morning attacks in the Baghdad area as frustration is mounting over delays in the implementation of a US-Iraqi security operation to quell the sectarian violence that has left the capital a battlefield. Two mortar shells landed on houses in a mainly Sunni area in northeastern Baghdad, killing one civilian and wounding seven, police said. Three people also were killed in a drive-by shooting as they were driving in the volatile Sunni Yarmouk neighborhood in a western part of the capital, according to police.
A roadside bomb also struck a joint US-Iraqi patrol on a highway east of Baghdad, killing an Iraqi police officer and wounding three others, police said. Roadside bombs also killed a woman and wounded two other people in Suwarah, 40 kilometers south of the capital, as well as the driver of a private car elsewhere in a nearby area, police said.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2007 00:00 ||
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Not clear if this is terrorism related or the usual Arab regard for safety regulations.
At least five Palestinians were killed and dozens injured in a loud explosion at a gas station in Ramallah Thursday afternoon. The cause of the blast is unclear.
According to eyewitnesses, the explosion took place at about 3:30 p.m. and caused the station's roof to collapse.
Additionally, some employees and customers fell into a crater which was created as a result of the blast.
The station's owner, Ahmed Nabli, reported that both he and his brother were wounded in the incident.
Local residents are currently making efforts to clear the ruins of the collapsed roof and rescue people who fell into the pit.
The station is located at the heart of a residential area, and the explosion severely damaged several nearby buildings.
#5
Daddy used to do chemistry experiments back when Israel belonged to the British Empire, rhodesiafever. After he recovered from the explosion they paid him to get a PhD... to keep him out of the lab, we kids used to say quietly.
Peace in our lunchtime...
MECCA, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - Rival Palestinian factions agreed to form a unity government on Thursday and end fighting and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on the new government to respect previous agreements. Trucefires I through IX...
The signed deal read out by Fatah official Nabil Amr made no mention of the recognition of Israel, I'm sure that was a big sticking point...
but an address by Abbas, read out by Amr, said the new government should abide by "international law" and Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) agreements. Should. Not would. I "should" be a billionaire...
Get out your stopwatches.
#1
This reminds me of a bad Godfather movie, keeping your friends close, and keeping your enemies closer. Of course, the Godfather movies had better writing and better plots. These guys can't shoot straight, can't make deals when they should, make deals when they shouldn't, always back the wrong side, and can't keep any promise they ever made. I know it is early, but is the deal off yet?
#11
actually Hamas says they WILL "respect" previous accords. Which is not what the US and Israel asked for, they asked for "accept" and "be bound by". respect is pretty vague.
Abbas will probably say it doesnt matter cause Hamas is only part of the govt now. Expect some wrangling. US will say its not enough, Russia will say it is, Euros will be split, France vs UK&Germany. The sanctions on Hamas will probably erode.
Dont count on renewed fighting between Hamas and Fatah soon, this isnt just a ceasefire,its a political deal. Such deals can fall apart of course, but that will probably take some time.
meanwhile the political weakness of the Israeli govt cannot go on.
#1
The solution to the problem is as one Israeli said - destroying the enemy at the source. The entire Gaza arab enclave needs to be wiped out. Once that's done, there won't be any more threat.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
02/08/2007 13:59 Comments ||
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(KUNA) -- Dagmash family, one of the biggest Palestinian families in Gaza, has claimed responsibility for the killing of two activists from the Izziddeen Al-Qassam Brigades, military arm of Hamas, last night.
A family spokesman said "The killing was to avenge two family members killed by Al-Qassam Brigades in Gaza almost two month ago." Ahmed Dagmash told a local radio station in Gaza "The family of Dagmash claims responsibility for the killing of Mohammad Deeb Abu Kersh (Abu Musab) and Mohammad Abu Namous, two Qassam activists, for killing, in cold blood, Ashraf and Mahmoud Dagmash in the Sabra district, central Gaza, about two months ago." "Targeting the two leaders was meant to avenge our sons killed by Abu Kersh and Abu Namous," he said, threatening more acts of revenge.
The family would issue an official statement to the media announcing its responsibility for the killing of the two activists, he said.
Gunman had last night opened fire on four Qassam activists in central Gaza. One was killed on the spot, Mohammad Abu Kersh, while Abu Namous sustained fatal wounds. The other two were also wounded in the attack.
Following the incident, Hamas said it considered it gravely alarming that "some criminal elements" around the house of Mohammad Dahlan, Fatah member at the Palestinian Legislative Council, fired at four of its members. The shooting took place after the four were asked out of their car and their identity verified, Hamas added.
Hamas Spokesman, Fawzi Barhoum said " This act of killing is a hazardous violation and a crime that we cannot just watch, committed by the same 'coup group' of Fatah aiming at brewing more confusion on the Palestinian arena." He noted that Hamas would not keep silent and would seek punishment of "the criminals." Fatah had yesterday denied any involvement in the shooting of the Hamas activists, confirming commitment to the ceasefire between the two sides.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Anarchy reigns, now it's down warfare on the family level.
(KUNA) -- Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an offshoot of Fatah movement, launched on Wednesday six missiles at south Israel. The brigades said in a statement that the "Al-Yaser" missiles targeted the areas of Sederot, western Negev and Al-Majdel. According to the statement, the launching of the missiles was a natural response to the excavation work Israel is currently carrying out in Al-Aqsa mosque.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
only 3 hit inside Israel (Islamic Jihad also claimed to be the launching agency)
#2
The gang that counldn't shoot straight. Shooting missiles as a "natural response". They make murder and attempted murder sound hormonal, like hot flashes or prostate problems. It is wrong to murder - no matter what any mullah boy, holy man, priest, rabbi, or preacher says differently.
Hamas supporter Dr. Bilal Aboushi was kidnapped Wednesday by gunmen in the West Bank, despite an informal truce and Saudi-hosted power-sharing talks between Hamas and Fatah in the holy city of Mecca. Aboushi is general manager of hospitals in the West Bank. In recent weeks, Fatah has kidnapped scores of Hamas sympathizers in the West Bank, in retaliation for Hamas attacks on Fatah supporters in Gaza.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Hamas supporter or Hamas member? I am betting a Hamas member. Therefore more and faster please.
#3
Send in Condi and the Quartet and get them back on the road map to peace. They are just misguided souls who need some love, understanding, and $85 million to fix all the hurts.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/08/2007 9:51 Comments ||
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#4
Can we drop that $85mil in pennies from 40,000 feet? I'm sure that will do more good than actually spending it.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
02/08/2007 14:04 Comments ||
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Beirut- Lebanese internal security forces have thwarted an attempt by unidentified assailants to open fire on the residence of Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, the LF said in a statement Wednesday.
It said that while Geagea was appearing on LBCI's "Bi Koul Jour'a" talk show broadcast live from his Bzemmar residence Tuesday night, a vehicle approached the security dragnet and a gunman tried to open fire in the direction of the LF leader's house.
The LF said security forces immediately opened fire at the red 'VW-Golf' car which sped away to an undisclosed destination. It said police launched a search for the culprits, who remain at large.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/08/2007 00:00 ||
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Irans elite Revolutionary Guards ... not to be confused with Iraq's Elite Republican Guards™...
on Wednesday launched a new two-day air and naval war game, aimed at testing missile defences at a time of rising tension with the West, state television reported. The IRNA agency said that missile units of the Revolutionary Guards navy and air force were scheduled to conduct the exercises in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman. The naval exercise -named Raad (Thunder) - was aimed at enhancing the defensive capabilities and preserving the readiness of the naval forces missile unit, it said. The goal of the air force war game -named Saegheh (Thunderbolt) - was also to consolidate the defensive and operational capabilities of the missile unit, it added. Equipment used to monitor incoming enemy missiles would be tested and missiles would also be test-fired, the agency said, without giving the names of the weapons.
Irans leaders have repeatedly said that the countrys armed forces were ready for any eventuality in the current standoff with the West over its nuclear programme. Although the United States has stressed that it wants the standoff to be resolved through diplomacy, Washington has refused to rule out military action to thwart Tehrans atomic drive.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
To name but a few:
Shihab-2, Shihab-3, the Oghab, the Nazeat-6 and Nazeat-10, the Tondar-69, Zelzal 1 and Zelzal 2, Nazeat-6, Nazeat-10, Fagr-5, Maverick, Noor, Hawk, Tondar-69, Hadid, Fateh-110, Scud B, SAM-6, C-802 Silkworm, Fajr-3 and Fajr 5 air-to-surface missiles.
Most are knock-offs, aging former regime leftovers, or military sales products from the usual suspects, ie. North Korea, China, and Russia.
#2
INDIA has just reportedly carried out a successsful test of a surface-to-surface, anti-naval version of the BRAHMOS, as dev wid Russia. You just know Moud will want one.
#3
Iran's jihadist rulers are doing everything they can to provoke full scale war in the Persian Gulf region.
Tehran's terrorist exporting tyrants, infested with 'Mahdimania', will go the same route as Saddam.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
02/08/2007 4:33 Comments ||
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#4
One of the interesting problems in the ME is that they have absolutely no conception of weapons or ammunition conservation. It amazed the Israelis to see the Egyptians ineffectively blowing off huge stores of Russian weaponry at them during their wars, instead of rationing it out based on need.
Ironically, after wasting these huge stockpiles of Soviet weapons, the Russians gave the Egyptians a bill (including for the Aswan dam), which amounted to Egypt's entire cotton crop to something like the year 2020. At which point, Egypt kicked the Russians out.
#6
"Irans elite Revolutionary Guards
on Wednesday launched a new ... air and naval war game"
Reviews were overwhelmingly negative. "If theyre going for the diminishing market for historically accurate turnbased games, they will fail" said the review at wargamers.com, "since they fail to adequately model the likely morale problems on the Iranian side, superior US weapons systems, and several other key factors - at most we can excuse this amateurish producst as a first effort" The more mainstream Gamespy.com suggested that the game would never sell based on its poor graphics and overly complex user interface. It also suggested that it was a mistake publishing a turnbased game, unless youre Sid Meiers or Brad Wardell. "They would have been better off trying an RTS, or even an RPG" said the gamespy reviewer.
#7
The real trouble with these mullah boys is that they do believe their own lies of superiority and will eventually start shooting at ships or planes and start a war. Do they mistake quiet contempt for military weakness?
#9
Ironically, after wasting these huge stockpiles of Soviet weapons, the Russians gave the Egyptians a bill (including for the Aswan dam), which amounted to Egypt's entire cotton crop to something like the year 2020. At which point, Egypt kicked the Russians out.
In fact they presnted the bill to Nasser (I think it was before the Six Days) and years later Saddat kicked them out.
#11
Perhaps I should have added that in addition to the $2B (a lot more then) in weapons they already owed money on, the Soviets refused to give them any more, at least high-end weapons. And it was '72 before Sadat gave them the heave ho.
$2B doesn't sound like much any more, thank you Jimmy Carter.
#12
"Do they mistake quiet contempt for military weakness?"
Yeas, but until they actually put a missile or bullets into a US ship or aircraft will we do anything. A lucky first shot with some of that stuff will probably result in a loss of American life and then the cry will be about Bush not doing anything. I consider it nothing short of luck that the last round of Iranian wargames didn't result in some turban wearing cowboy cutting loose something at us.
Pre-emptive strikes would remove all this uncertainty.
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/08/2007 14:21 Comments ||
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#14
The naval exercise -named Raad (Thunder) - was aimed at enhancing the defensive capabilities and preserving the readiness of the naval forces missile unit, it said. The goal of the air force war game -named Saegheh (Thunderbolt) -
Manolo, get the attorneys on the horn. Methinks we have a ™ violation, heres.
The UN legal counsel on Tuesday signed an agreement to create a special tribunal that would try suspects in the 2005 murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri and other anti-Syrian figures. But the legal document, a step towards establishing the court, does not come into force until it is ratified by the Lebanese parliament, which has not been called into session because of the refusal of its speaker to do so. The tribunal has become a contentious issue between the anti-Syrian government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, which wants the court, and pro-Syrian factions that include President Emile Lahoud, parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri and the Shiite Hezbollah movement, who oppose it. UN. chief legal counsel Nicolas Michel signed the agreement, which has also been approved by an official in Lebanons justice ministry. The United Nations is hoping that a solution will be found by Arab diplomats and others, who are attempting to defuse the crisis and break the political logjam.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
They are pushing death by boredom sentence. Hey, UNiks, knock yerselves out.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/08/2007 10:56 Comments ||
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#2
I predict a long trial and death by old age.
Posted by: ed ||
02/08/2007 11:00 Comments ||
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#3
I predict an unambiguous veredict---against Israel.
The first half of "My Burg" is working. It will let you save an article with an associated meme in your personal favorites file. You can pick your own memes. I've got one started for Mo Cartoons.
Now that we can put them in, next step will be to pull them out, which'll be a fairly routine piece of programming. I'll try to get it done in the next day or two.
Future steps will probably include adding in non-Rantburg links. I'm sure y'all will let me know any further ideas you come up with. This one was originally Badanov's.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2007 15:42 ||
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#8
Louise Brooks No Restraint was her nickname.
Dana Delany wanted to play her in a biographical movie, but lost the rights to Julia Roberts and the project was never done.
Posted by: E. Brown ||
02/08/2007 12:31 Comments ||
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#9
lol, RD. I was thinkin' more along the lines of "She was always such a quiet girl. Kept to herself, ya know?" (by her neighbor).
Posted by: BA ||
02/08/2007 14:44 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.
In one incident, a parked motorbike packed with explosives detonated near a van of a US-based security firm accompanying a NATO convoy through Kandahar, killing two Afghan guards, said the company. Six other men in the US Protection and Investigation (USPI) vehicle were wounded in the attack and three of them were critical and in a coma, said the head of security for the convoy. The van had been escorting a convoy that was supplying logistics to NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops when it was hit in the volatile Maiwand district of Kandahar. The district governor, Haji Saifullah, said it was a remote-controlled bomb. 
(SomaliNet) The transitional government in Somalia said on Wednesday that its security forces in Mogadishu had arrested three Islamist suspects and seized large quantity of weapons and explosives. Salad Ali Jele, the deputy minister of defense, told today the local media that the suspects were in the act of preparing an attack when the government troops captured them from the outskirt of Mogadishu city. 
(SomaliNet) Somalis deputy minister of defense, Salad Ali Jelle, said on Wednesday his government had apprehended at least five terror suspects for several explosions in Mogadishu, the Somalia capital. He said the security forces were tracking down the perpetrators who staged the guerilla-style attacks against the government and Ethiopian military bases in the capital. Our intelligence department is working actively in the capital and they have already reported suspects, he said. 
DARRA ADAM KHEL: Two armed motorcyclists killed an Intelligence Bureau official on Wednesday while he was on his way to Peshawar after attending a jirga. Sources said that the two young motorcyclists ambushed IB Inspector Nazar Muhammads car near Zarghun Khel post, shooting Nazar twice and injuring his driver. Nazar was rushed to the nearby city of Kohat for medical treatment, but he died on his way to hospital. His drivers condition was said to be stable. 
Hyderabad and Jamshoro police in a combined action recovered a decomposed body from a seminary in industrial area of Kotri late on Tuesday suspecting that the body was of a Hindu engineer who was allegedly killed after kidnapping by Islamic militants in August last year. 
US and Iraqi forces in Baghdad have arrested the deputy health minister during a raid at his offices. The minister, 
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Coalition Forces conducted an air strike Wednesday targeting an al-Qaida in Iraq-related vehicle-borne improvised explosives devices network near Arab Jabour. Intelligence reports indicated that this network is responsible for a large and devastating number of VBIED attacks in the Baghdad area. They are also responsible for IED and sniper attacks conducted against the Iraqi people and Iraqi and Coalition Forces. 
Baghdad's streets were electric with tension Wednesday as U.S. officials confirmed the new security operation was under way. U.S. armor rushed through streets, and Iraqi armored personnel carriers guarded bridges and major intersections. New coils of barbed-wire and blast barriers marked checkpoints that caused traffic bottlenecks. U.S. Apache helicopters whipped the air over parts of the capital where they hadn't been seen before.
(KUNA) -- Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an offshoot of Fatah movement, launched on Wednesday six missiles at south Israel. The brigades said in a statement that the "Al-Yaser" missiles targeted the areas of Sederot, western Negev and Al-Majdel. According to the statement, the launching of the missiles was a natural response to the excavation work Israel is currently carrying out in Al-Aqsa mosque.
Beirut- Lebanese internal security forces have thwarted an attempt by unidentified assailants to open fire on the residence of Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, the LF said in a statement Wednesday.
