(SomaliNet) Militia loyal to former defence leader of the defeated Islamic Courts Union Yusuf Mohamed Inda-Adde have taken control of Bulo-Mareer and Qoryoley towns in lower Shabelle region, southern Somalia on Saturday after heavy fighting with soldiers loyal to the newly appointed governor for the region.
At least five people were reported killed and seven others wounded in an armed confrontation which in two towns of lower Shabelle region, southern Somalia between the rival sides. The fighting began yesterday afternoon in Bulo-Marer town 130km southwest of Mogadishu where government forces led by the governor of Lower Shabelle clashed with militiamen loyal to former ousted Islamists. Witnesses told Somalinet that the clashes in Bulo-Marer killed two people from both sides and wounded six others, two of them civilians. The fighting then spread to Qoryoley town 23km northwest of Bulo-Marer where three people were killed and another one was wounded.
The fighting in Lower Shabelle region was related to a row over the control of the region between the newly named administration and the former authority. The new governor of lower Shabelle Abdukadir Sheik Mohamed Nor and his soldiers went to an unknown location after they were defeated in the latest fighting.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/10/2007 00:00 ||
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(SomaliNet) A huge explosion apparently targeting on government positions has occurred in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia late Saturday.
A deafening sound of a bomb blast could be heard around 12:50 pm local time near the presidential compound housing many top officials in the transitional federal government. The explosion was followed minutes of gunfire. The blast seemed to be an attack aimed at the government soldiers in the area. There's no further details on the latest bomb attack as the news is still sketchy.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/10/2007 00:00 ||
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Urban renewal.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
06/10/2007 15:55 Comments ||
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(SomaliNet) A remote-controlled roadside bomb has exploded late Saturday near the presidential palace in south of Mogadishu as a convoy carrying government soldiers was passing there. Witnesses told Somalinet that the bomb was targeted on one of the convoy trucks onboard by soldiers. It was a huge blast heard throughout the capital around 12:50pm local time. A nearby resident indicated that it was deadly bomb attack although there is no immediate casualty on the soldiers. It is not clear who was behind the latest attack.
The area of the blast was cordoned off by heavily armed government forces searching for suspects. The transitional government whith the backing of the Ethiopian forces always blames the acts of violence on what it called the remnants of the ousted Islamic Courts.
Last week, a huge suicide car bomb partially destroyed the house of Somalias premier Ali Gedi killing six of his bodyguards and wounding more. It was an attempt on Gedis life. The premier blamed that attack on Al-Qaeda linked groups hiding in the capital, saying any terror attack will not deter his government from restoring law and order in the war-ravaged horn of Africa country Somalia.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/10/2007 00:00 ||
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Many of those who have cheered the IED attacks on US troops have assumed that IED technology will be used exclusively against American forces. I think they will make their way into the West soon.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
06/10/2007 16:00 Comments ||
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(SomaliNet) Somalia transitional federal government claimed late Saturday that its forces arrested several members of Al-Shabab brigade which supports the ousted Islamic Courts Union.
In a news conference held today in Mogadishu, Mogadishu mayor, Mohamed Omar Habeb known as Mohamed Dhere revealed that in todays raids in parts of north Mogadishu, the forces captured 15 members of Al-Shabab which the US government says has links with Al-Qaeda network. We arrested them in raids launched on an area near Al-Barakat cemetery in north of the capital, their main stronghold... they are alleged of terror crimes in Somalia and they are members of the international terror groups, said Mohamed Dhere.
The detained Shabab men he said will go on trail. He also mentioned that the government forces seized a large number of weapons which belonged to the defeated ICU. An arms cache was found inside the building of Telecom Somalia Company in Huriwa neighborhood, north of the city after the soldiers entered there, said Mohamed Dhere adding that the forces having the backing of the Ethiopian troops also seized other arms hidden in a house owned by the leader of the Shura council of the ousted Islamic Courts Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys. But there is no independent source confirming the arrest of Shabab members and the seizure of the weapons.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/10/2007 00:00 ||
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They always seem to be near a cemetery. I wonder if they are a good place to dig tunnels and not have the dirt movement be noticed.
AN inquiry into the capture by Iran of 15 British sailors and marines has uncovered a series of errors ranging from a breakdown of communications between commanders to a complete lack of understanding of the threat posed by Tehran. It is analytical rather than judgmental in tone but is nevertheless damning in its assessment of events leading up to the incident, the sources added. This report is expected to form the basis for a board of inquiry into the incident in March.
It says those in charge appeared to lack any understanding of the threat posed by Iran despite an incident in June 2004 when eight marines and sailors were detained by the countrys forces on the Shatt al-Arab waterway, which separates it from Iraq. Recommendations drawn up in the wake of that incident which concluded that both helicopter cover and a quick reaction force should always be in place appear not to have been followed.
The failure to make a satisfactory appreciation resulted in the lack of any quick reaction force being available and a decision to allow the helicopter to return to Cornwall when the boarding party was most at risk.
AoS note: don't use the Blockquote command for usual news items. Thanks.
GENEVA - The UN Human Rights Council faces critical choices in a session beginning on Monday that will determine the future of one of the world bodys most important rights watchdogs, a senior official said here. The largely discredited 47-member assembly formed last year to replace its largely discredited predecessor, the Commission, faces an end of month deadline to agree on the main mechanisms that will enable it to oversee human rights in the world in a more effective and impartial manner. They include a landmark proposal for a systematic and detailed review of the human rights record of each United Nations member state every four years.
Except for Israel, which will be condemned monthly.
However, a group of largely western nations and some Latin American countries are still at odds with African, Arab and many Asian nations over key issues despite progress in ongoing meetings behind the scenes, diplomats said.
The disagreements, which are expected to bubble to the surface in a public debate from Wednesday, largely revolve around the strength and scope of the Councils action and the way member states can influence its findings. We are entering a phase particularly from Monday which is going to be critical for the Council, the current chairman of the UN Council, Mexican ambassador Luis Alfonso de Alba, said. It will be effective in as much as its own political standing evolves, he told journalists.
Translation: it's hopeless.
The Mexican diplomat said he was optimistic that a consensus was building around a package he has been drafting in negotiations with each regional group of states.
The most contentious issues include the exact format of the scrutiny of the 192 UN members, maintaining experts that probe violations in specific countries which are regarded as extreme cases, and the Councils agenda, diplomats said.
De Albas proposal is a delicate balance between many positions, said Peter Splinter, Amnesty Internationals delegate in Geneva. Its an interesting basis but it shouldnt be weakened any further otherwise well end up with something thats even weaker than the Commission, he added.
African countries are also trying to impose a code of conduct on the UNs human rights experts or special rapporteurs. Human rights group have warned that the original African code amounted to a straitjacket. Meanwhile, China has also sought a two-thirds voting majority to accept resolutions that target specific countries, diplomats said. There is no possibility to get an agreement on that provision in the Human Rights Council, De Alba said.
The eight EU countries in the Council have repeatedly warned that they cannot give way on some basic principles even if significant progress has been made in shaping the fledgling body, diplomats said.
Everyone's going to take their ball and head home.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/10/2007 00:10 ||
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Its an interesting basis but it shouldnt be weakened any further otherwise well end up with something thats even weaker than the Commission,
I do not know how you can weaken this more than coddling oil for food and using the only nation that grants this organization any sovereignty as a scapegoat for your own UN-Doing of International LAW.
It is never too late. Mr Moon should be able to figure this out.
Or a Bolt-on of lightning shall strike.
You do not OWN this earth. Nor do you OWN what is after this earth. What you do own is an organization complicit in some of the greatest crimes in this century.
SUDAN.
You built it, you disassemble it immediately.
You find someone to stop it immediately, like two years ago. Do this ASAP.
(Xinhua) -- Six civilian detainees were killed and at least 50 wounded in rocket or mortar attack on a U.S.-run detention facility on Saturday in southern Iraq, the military said. The six were killed when the Multi-National Force-Iraq Theater Internment Facility at Camp Bucca near the city of Basra was attacked by "indirect fire," which usually refers to rocket or mortar attack, according to a brief statement. The statement said that no U.S. service members were killed or injured in the attack. The names of those killed are being withheld until families have been notified.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/10/2007 00:00 ||
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"nice aiming, Abu!"
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/10/2007 0:27 Comments ||
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That's a real hoot. Sounds like the "Gang that couldn't shoot straight"
Two weeks before the one-year anniversary of Cpl. Gilad Schalit's abduction, an Islamic Jihad terror cell infiltrated into Israel from the Gaza Strip on Saturday and broke into an empty military outpost with the goal of capturing a soldier. The IDF thwarted the kidnap attempt - the first successful infiltration into Israel since Hamas terrorists tunneled under the border to kidnap Schalit - and killed one of the gunmen. The three others escaped to Gaza.
The soldiers spotted a suspicious car with the letters TV taped on it, traveling near the Kissufim Crossing, Israel's main gateway into Gaza prior to disengagement in 2005. The car attracted attention since journalists do not usually drive so close to the security fence, and a military unit was immediately dispatched to the scene. While the soldiers continued to track the car, four Islamic Jihad terrorists quickly appeared and blew a hole in the security fence, running through and straight to a nearby vacant IDF outpost. Givati Brigade infantrymen quickly arrived and a gun battle ensued.
IDF sources said the attack was probably designed to kidnap a soldier. Schalit was abducted on June 25, 2006, during a cross-border attack near Kerem Shalom, some 20 kilometers south of Saturday's shootout.
Abu Ahmed, a spokesman for Islamic Jihad, confirmed that four gunmen broke through the Gaza border fence and attacked soldiers. He said three of them returned to Gaza unharmed, but that Muhammad Jaabari, 19, was killed. Abu Ahmed said the raiders meant to snatch a soldier but the attempt was foiled when IAF helicopters arrived. "The aim of the operation was to withdraw with the soldier a captive," he said, "But the participation of Israeli helicopters prevented that."
IDF officers said the Southern Command's high level of alert along the border was responsible for thwarting the attack. "Proper readiness on the part of the forces of the Gaza Division and the correct actions in the field prevented an attack, apparently a kidnap [attempt]," said OC Southern Command Maj.-Gen. Yoav Galant.
Also on Saturday, near Khan Yunis, infantry from the Givati Brigade, along with tanks and armored personnel carriers, were operating two kilometers inside the southern Gaza Strip. The troops entered Gaza early in the morning and killed an armed Palestinian in a gun fight near the security fence. The operation, according to the IDF, was designed to gather intelligence and to uncover weapons caches and terror tunnels.
On Friday night, IDF troops shot and killed an armed Palestinian near Hebron, Palestinian sources reported. Paratroopers operating in Taffuh spotted a group of suspects conducting target practice. The soldiers opened fire, wounding two of the men. Yusuf Yusuf Abed a-Nabi Zarikat was seriously wounded and evacuated to a hospital. The second man, Hajazi Muhammad Zarikat, died of his wounds.
Meanwhile, a Palestinian driver ran over a soldier at a checkpoint near Fawar, south of Hebron, lightly injuring him. The driver disappeared and the army was searching for him.
Earlier Friday, an Islamic Jihad gunman died hours after he was wounded in a skirmish with IDF troops in the Gaza Strip. He had opened fire on the soldiers together with a second gunman, who managed to escape.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/10/2007 00:00 ||
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(Xinhua) -- Two Palestinians were killed and 40 wounded on Saturday night as infighting between rival Fatah and Islamic Hamas militants renewed in the southern Gaza town of Rafah, medics said. Heavy infighting between the two groups' militants renewed on Saturday as leaders of Palestinian factions are negotiating in Cairo to agree on a permanent internal cease-fire.
Palestinian eyewitnesses said that the clashes sparked on Saturday night as both groups' militants tried to implement an agreement reached on Thursday to end a fight that left one dead and 12 wounded. Senior Egyptian security mediators interfered on Thursday and managed to contain the infighting. Doctors at the Abu Yousef al-Najjar hospital in the town said that at least two were killed and 30 wounded on Saturday night. Clashes are still going on, according to eyewitnesses.
They said that armed clashed had suddenly sparked between Hamas and Fatah militants in the western neighborhood of Tal al-Sultan in Rafah town in southern Gaza Strip. Clashes renewed on Saturday evening, as Hamas militants and members of the Hamas-led interior ministry auxiliary force seized roofs of several buildings in the neighborhood, said eyewitnesses. They added that Fatah militants had also blocked the roads with sand barriers and stones. Each had accused the other for being responsible of breaching the cease-fire agreement reached on Thursday and of sparking tonight's infighting.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/10/2007 00:00 ||
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the clashes sparked on Saturday night as both groups' militants tried to implement an agreement
(Xinhua) -- Israeli Apache attack helicopters struck by air-to-ground missiles after midnight three different targets belong to Islamic Jihad and Fatah movements in the Gaza Strip, security sources and witnesses said early Sunday. The eyewitnesses said that the Israeli helicopters hovered over Gaza City at midnight, and then several explosions were heard in the western and northern parts of the city.
They said that the first target which was hit is an office belongs to the Islamic Jihad movement in western Gaza City, adding that one Palestinian was moderately injured and severe destruction was caused to the building. Two other targets belong to Fatah movement's armed wing, al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, said the sources, adding that no injuries were reported, but severe damages were caused to the two constructions. The sources said that the two other targets were hit by the Israeli Apache missiles are metal workshops, which Israel says it manufacture homemade rockets and mortars that militants fire from Gaza at Israel.
The Israeli air strikes was retaliation to an earlier attack carried out by the armed wings of Fatah and Islamic Jihad on an Israeli army base on the borders between eastern Gaza Strip and Israel. In the attack, a 21-year-old Islamic Jihad militant was killed, and three others managed to flee the site. No injuries were reported in the Israeli side, according to Israel's Army Radio.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/10/2007 00:00 ||
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(Xinhua) -- A number of Israeli tanks and bulldozers rolled into the eastern part of Rafah town in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday morning, arresting several Palestinians, security sources said. The media office of the Palestinian National Security Forces added in a statement that the bulldozers destroyed farmlands and the Israeli soldiers occupied the roofs of three houses. The statement also said that the soldiers, covered by machine gunfire, used loudspeakers to call on people, aged above 16, to surrender themselves. "The operation is still going on and a number of people were taken inside Israel," the statement continued.
Last week, the Israeli army also invaded the area and snatched some 20 Palestinian residents. Israel launched a limited offensive into the Gaza Strip after mid-may when Palestinian militant groups, mainly the ruling Hamas,resumed firing home-made rockets into southern Israel territories.More than 50 people were killed in the operations which began scaling down in late May as Palestinian factions went to Cairo to talk on several issues, including renewing ceasefire with Israel.
The Popular Resistance Committees, which were not invited to Cairo talks, announced on Saturday that its militants have fired four mortar shells on Israeli army bases just outside the Gaza Strip.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/10/2007 00:00 ||
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When Land OWNER becomes impatient, anyone in Gush Katif will know they have no authority to live there.
Moreover, It all belongs to Israel - forever.
Singapore has arrested five suspected Islamic militants under tough security laws allowing detention without trial, the government said. Four of the five arrested between November and April are alleged members of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), blamed for the 2002 Bali bombings in Indonesia among other attacks, the home ministry said. Ishak Mohamed Noohu, one of those detained, is a senior member of JIs Singapore wing and has undergone militant training in the Philippines, it added in a statement late Friday. He was also involved in several plans by JI to attack foreign targets in Singapore as well as a plot to hijack a plane and crash it into Changi Airport, the statement added. Another detainee, law lecturer Abdul Basheer Abdul Kader, was a self-radicalised militant who planned to pursue jihad in Afghanistan. Such cases are a troubling new phenomenon today of individuals who are self-radicalised, independent of direct recruitment by established terrorist groups, said the ministry. All five are held under Singapores Internal Security Act, which allows for detention without trial.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/10/2007 00:00 ||
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For a country that will send your ass to jail for chewing gum, why the heck would you even want to be an islamafascist. Death wish?
Posted by: jack is Back! ||
06/10/2007 14:39 Comments ||
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I thinnk Charles Manson was "self-radicalized" as well.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
06/10/2007 15:23 Comments ||
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(Xinhua) -- Two local residents were shot dead by suspected insurgents in Thailand's southern border province of Narathiwat on Saturday while six others injured in another two attacks, police said. The two residents were killed while riding their motorcycle in Ban Kadoh Village in Tambon Rusoh of Rusoh district in the afternoon. Police said an unknown number of insurgents fired at their heads with pistols before fleeing on motorcycles. The two local resident were killed on the spot.
Hours before in the same province, a policeman was shot by three insurgents at a police station in Ruso district and severely wounded on the head. While in nearby Ra-ngae district, five soldiers were wounded in a bombing. Police said about 60 soldiers from a special unit responded to inspect a reported suspicious object placed on the road. As they approached, a buried bomb exploded and wounded five soldiers. The suspicious object was found to be a harmless, decoy bomb.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/10/2007 00:00 ||
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Sri Lankan troops killed 30 rebels in a fierce jungle battle in the restive east and three insurgents killed themselves with cyanide capsules, the military said, as Japans peace envoy voiced concern at rights abuses.
The military said one soldier had been killed and 17 injured in the battle in an area of eastern jungle called Thoppigala, where the two sides have fought artillery and mortar bomb duels for weeks amid a new chapter in a two-decade civil war. The Tigers said they had no immediate details of any casualties from the latest fighting. We estimate troops killed 30 Tigers, plus three Tigers committed suicide in front of our troops, a spokesman for the Media Centre for National Security said, asking not to be named in line with policy. He said troops had overrun four Tiger bases.
I think this might be the last battle in Thoppigala, he added, referring to a military campaign to stamp the rebels out in the east, where the insurgents were evicted from a former stronghold in January. Japanese peace envoy Yasushi Akashi said on Saturday he was worried by human rights violations blamed on both the Sri Lankan state and the Tamil Tigers, as police returned hundreds of deported Tamils to the capital in a U-turn.
However, unlike Britain and the United States which have both suspended some aid citing rights abuse concerns, Akashi said Japan - Sri Lankas chief financial donor - would continue with its multi-million-dollar aid programmes.
In the domain of human rights, much still remains to be done. There are obviously deficiencies and shortcomings, Akashi told a news conference, listing that unfortunate action of eviction of Tamil residents from lodges in Colombo and many other acts of disappearances, abductions, extrajudicial killings... They are too numerous and they are unacceptable for a civilised country like Sri Lanka, he added. I very much hope these problems will be energetically addressed by all concerned.
Rights groups have reported hundreds of abductions and disappearances blamed on both sides. President Mahinda Rajapaksa argues many of those reports are fake and designed to discredit his government and denies the security forces are involved. My meeting with the president of the country as well as other leaders has convinced me that the commitment for peace is still there, Akashi said. I am going back with a certain amount of hope and optimism as to the future of this country.
Media slams Tamil eviction:Sri Lankan media Saturday condemned the government over the eviction of hundreds of minority Tamils from the capital at gunpoint, and praised the Supreme Court for halting the move. While extraordinary measures are certainly called for to meet the growing threat of terrorism, the eviction of Tamils from any part of the country on any ground cannot be countenanced, said The Island, a privately-run, English-language newspaper.
The Daily Mirror, a Sinhalese-owned newspaper, said the police action was a clear and serious violation of human rights of the Tamil minority and contributed to ethnic divisions.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/10/2007 00:00 ||
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Lebanon has already interrogated 35 Fatah al Islam detainees, since this group declared war on the army 19 days ago at the Nahr el Bared Palestinian refugee camp . The interrogations clearly revealed that Fatah al Islam has plotted attacks against the enlarged UN peacekeeping force deployed after last summer's devastating conflict between Israel and Shiite militant group Hezbollah. As a result of the above information UNIFIL peacekeeping forces were put on high alert in south Lebanon .
Concerns were heightened on Thursday after a time bomb was discovered and defused on a road leading to beaches in the southern port of Tyre which are popular with off-duty UN troops. UNIFIL spokesman Milos Strugar said he was aware of threats from Fatah al-Islam. "We take these statements seriously, but we have full trust in the Lebanese authorities and armed forces, who are responsible for law and order in the country," he said.
UNIFIL has heightened security measures since the fighting broke out, beefing up fortifications and keeping a tight rein on the off-duty movements of its peacekeepers. More than eight bombings and grenade attacks have struck in and around the capital since May 20 when the clashes between the army and Fatah al-Islam broke out. Security fears have prompted many schools across Lebanon to announce an early end to the academic year. Some schools announced that Friday would be the last day, while others decided to end classes next week.
The violence has come with Lebanon already in the grips of a nearly seven-month-old deadlock between pro- and anti-Syrian factions that has paralyzed all government legislation. The pro-Syrian speaker of parliament Nabih Berri has refused to convene MPs to debate draft legislation proposed by Siniora's government since six pro-Damascus ministers quit last November.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/10/2007 00:00 ||
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Do you want to be cedars of Lebanon, or Syrian war whores who report to Iran?
The road to Damascus is paved with rubble on this Resurrection.
This is an update on last week's Ya Libnan report on the arrest by the Lebanese security agents of the Al-Qaida terrorist mastermind at a Beirut hotel . The arrest was called 'a major catch '. According to LBC TV, Lebanon's "major catch" has revealed that he is the coordinating officer between the Syrian intelligence and Fatah al-Islam terrorists. His name has finally been disclosed as Ahmad Merhi.
Security sources said Ahmad Merhi confessed to smuggling fighters into Lebanon from Syria via illegal crossing points in the Bekaa and North Lebanon. Sources said that Lebanon security found him at a hotel suite in Beirut's district of Ashrafiyeh last week The "very dangerous terrorist," according to the source, had crossed into Lebanon "illegally" overland from neighboring Syria to follow up with Fatah al-Islam terrorists, who are besieged in the northern refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared.
The suspect who pretended to be a national of an oil-rich Arab country, used forged Lebanese identity cards, one of which identified him as Hagop, an Armenian name. "He also had 12 forged travel documents, including British, Arab and Latin American passports," added the source who asked not to be identified.
He said Fatah al-Islam terrorists arrested in north Lebanon "told investigators of the suspect's moves and revealed important information which led to his arrest." He disclosed that within the framework of the crackdown of Fatah al-Islam terrorists police officers had "confiscated at several hideouts six scanning machines used to forge passports, identity cards and other documents."
"Such forgeries are almost perfect and the fake documents, especially passports, can be discovered only by the respective nations' authorities. So these terrorists do not use them in the nations of issue," he explained.
Upon raiding the suspect's hotel suite, police officers confiscated "maps, pictures and a list of selected targets for terrorist attacks in Lebanon," the source said He said anti-terrorism police officers also confiscated "a large number of compact discs and a personal computer providing a wealth of information on terrorists' activities in Lebanon and the region."
The source explained that al-Qaida is "no more a solid-structure network. Many of its ranking members have joined several intelligence agencies and are used to infiltrate, control and direct local Qaida-inspired fanatics to carry out attacks that serve the interests of these intelligence agencies." Fatah al-Islam, the source added, "is one of such local groups. Its members are inspired by al-Qaida ideology, but its attacks are directed by Syrian intelligence officers."
The Lebanese courts have already charged 35 Fatah al Islam detainees with terrorism, a charge subject to death penalty Police have arrested at least 90 people on charges of affiliation with Fatah al-Islam and were under interrogation. The source said some of them have provided "priceless information related to terrorist activity."
In a related development, the source said police also arrested "two Syrian nationals" that had with them "dozens of photographs of Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Abdul Aziz Khoja."
"They had pictures of him at his apartment's balcony, at the entrance to the building and in so many other locations. It appears they were monitoring his moves in preparation for an attack on him," the source added without further elaboration.
Security has been beefed up at major Lebanese cities and towns following outbreak of the clashes with Fatah al-Islam militants in the northern town of Tripoli 20 days ago and the spate of bombings that followed. The group, headed by Palestinian-Jordanian Shaker Absi, has vowed to attack a variety of targets throughout Lebanon if the army maintained the siege of its militants at Nahr al-Bared camp.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/10/2007 00:00 ||
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Lebanese troops shelled al Qaeda-inspired militants entrenched in the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp on Saturday and three soldiers died in the heavy battles, security sources said. They said 21 soldiers were also wounded in Saturday's battles in which machine-gun fire reverberated and heavy artillery shelling rocked the camp's edges from early morning.
Television footage showed heavy black smoke billowing from many of the camp's buildings, some punctured by shells. "The army is trying to control positions that the militants are using to target the army," a military source said. "The militants sometimes intensify their efforts (and launch stronger attacks), and sometimes resort to sniper attacks from these positions."
At least 118 people, including 50 soldiers and 38 militants, have been killed since the fighting began on May 20 -- almost three weeks ago -- making it Lebanon's worst internal violence since the 1975-1990 civil war.
On a per capita basis Lebanon lost more soldiers in 3 weeks of fighting than the US lost in Iraq in 4 years of war.
On a per capita basis Lebanon lost more soldiers in 3 weeks of fighting than the US lost in Iraq in 4 years of war .
Only a few thousand of the 31,000 residents now remain in the coastal camp short of food, water and electricity. The main road linking Tripoli to the Syrian border was closed for the first time in about a week. "There is no movement between the camp's neighborhoods because some shells are falling in civilian areas. The basic necessities of life aren't available," a resident of the camp, said by telephone.
"ONLY WAY OUT"
The latest mediation efforts by Lebanese Islamists to try to convince the militants to surrender have had no success. But Lebanese sources said the Islamic Action Front, which includes Sunni politicians and clerics, and a grouping of Palestinian clerics, would continue efforts to find a solution. "These people are insisting they don't surrender ... It is the only way out," the Front's leader Fathi Yakan told Reuters. "We are trying in every way to convince them, even using Islamic intellectual arguments and sharia (Islamic law) that this is not the right way," Yakan added. A proposed first step was the surrender of the group's Lebanese members.
On a mission into the camp on Friday afternoon, they were only able to see Fatah al-Islam spokesman Shahine Shahine, Yakan said. "Something is going on within Fatah al-Islam ranks," the cleric said. "Their leaders are no longer visible. We were only able to meet a junior official while their top leaders like Shaker Absi have gone to ground and aren't talking."
There were confirmed reports yesterday that Shaker Absi and his deputy Abu Hureira were both wounded and hiding underground in the besieged camp The militants, many of whom are foreign fighters from other Arab countries, have vowed to fight to the death.
Deadly clashes have erupted at Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp in the past week, and five bombs have rocked civilian areas in and near Beirut since May 20. Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said the army was holding back to preserve civilian lives. "That's why this battle is taking longer; and it's worth pointing out that these terrorists are well-equipped and well-trained and persistent," he told French television station TV5 on Friday.
The Red Cross and other humanitarian organizations were able to evacuate yesterday about 200 more civilians and efforts continue to evacuate more, against the will of Fatah Al-Islam militants who are trying to use the civilians as human shields, according to eyewitnesses. Authorities have charged 32 detained members of Fatah al-Islam with terrorism, charges that carry the death penalty
Siniora points finger at Syria
Lebanon's parliament-backed prime minister, a staunch opponent of Syria, accused intelligence agents of the country's former powerbroker of being connected to the internal unrest by far the deadliest since the 1975-90 civil war. "Undoubtedly ... there is a link between them and some of the Syrian intelligence services," Siniora told reporters
He said foreign fighters among the militants had entered Lebanon from Syria and appealed to the Damascus authorities to exercise greater control over the border. "They passed through Syria, and the responsibility is joint. I do not deny Lebanon's responsibility, but nobody can deny Syria's responsibility either," he said. "We call on the Syrians to take up the responsibility of controlling the border and prevent the infiltration of individuals and arms smuggling into Lebanon."
Many leaders from the parliament majority have urged Siniora to officially file with the Arab league a complaint against Syria for its role in destabilizing Lebanon.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/10/2007 00:00 ||
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Comments have been imported to Postgres and I'm watching the articles import on the other screen right now. Then I'll get to change all the MySQL references in code to Postgres and we'll go through about a week of discovering all my typos and other bugs I've created in this process.
Postgres isn't particularly fast, but it should be pretty stable for our needs. We've been using it for the O Club since we started it, and I can't recall it ever giving any problems, much less crashing.
My apologies for the problems we've had for the past few weeks. I guess we outgrew MySQL without noticing it until the vandals hit.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/10/2007 00:28 ||
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I presume that's why its going to take my screen longer to reload after I click submit?
Posted by: Mike N ||
06/10/2007 0:44 Comments ||
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For now. I'm not done yet.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/10/2007 1:56 Comments ||
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Very nice new format Fred, congratulations.
Jim D
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/10/2007 14:37 Comments ||
Top||
#4
1. Very nice. The colors are well-chosen, though I wonder how pink salmon contrasts.
2. The separator lines are inconsistent. I see.
Comment Entire Post || E-Mail|| Editor Top||
That makes it look like "Comment Entire Post" is the option rather than "Command" and "Entire Post." Ditto for "Editor" and "Top," though there's more spacing.
3. I suppose the upgrade would have been necessary soon, but it's a shame about the vandals. Why do they hate us?
Posted by: Gary and the Samoyeds ||
06/10/2007 16:01 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.
(SomaliNet) A huge explosion apparently targeting on government positions has occurred in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia late Saturday. 
(SomaliNet) A remote-controlled roadside bomb has exploded late Saturday near the presidential palace in south of Mogadishu as a convoy carrying government soldiers was passing there. Witnesses told Somalinet that the bomb was targeted on one of the convoy trucks onboard by soldiers. It was a huge blast heard throughout the capital around 12:50pm local time. A nearby resident indicated that it was deadly bomb attack although there is no immediate casualty on the soldiers. It is not clear who was behind the latest attack. 
(SomaliNet) Somalia transitional federal government claimed late Saturday that its forces arrested several members of Al-Shabab brigade which supports the ousted Islamic Courts Union. 
GENEVA - The UN Human Rights Council faces critical choices in a session beginning on Monday that will determine the future of one of the world bodys most important rights watchdogs, a senior official said here. The 
(Xinhua) -- Two Palestinians were killed and 40 wounded on Saturday night as infighting between rival Fatah and Islamic Hamas militants renewed in the southern Gaza town of Rafah, medics said. Heavy infighting between the two groups' militants renewed on Saturday as leaders of Palestinian factions are negotiating in Cairo to agree on a permanent internal cease-fire. 
(Xinhua) -- Israeli Apache attack helicopters struck by air-to-ground missiles after midnight three different targets belong to Islamic Jihad and Fatah movements in the Gaza Strip, security sources and witnesses said early Sunday. The eyewitnesses said that the Israeli helicopters hovered over Gaza City at midnight, and then several explosions were heard in the western and northern parts of the city. 
(Xinhua) -- A number of Israeli tanks and bulldozers rolled into the eastern part of Rafah town in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday morning, arresting several Palestinians, security sources said. The media office of the Palestinian National Security Forces added in a statement that the bulldozers destroyed farmlands and the Israeli soldiers occupied the roofs of three houses. The statement also said that the soldiers, covered by machine gunfire, used loudspeakers to call on people, aged above 16, to surrender themselves. "The operation is still going on and a number of people were taken inside Israel," the statement continued. 
Singapore has arrested five suspected Islamic militants under tough security laws allowing detention without trial, the government said. Four of the five arrested between November and April are alleged members of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), blamed for the 2002 Bali bombings in Indonesia among other attacks, the home ministry said. Ishak Mohamed Noohu, one of those detained, is a senior member of JIs Singapore wing and has undergone militant training in the Philippines, it added in a statement late Friday. He was also involved in several plans by JI to attack foreign targets in Singapore as well as a plot to hijack a plane and crash it into Changi Airport, the statement added. Another detainee, law lecturer Abdul Basheer Abdul Kader, was a self-radicalised militant who planned to pursue jihad in Afghanistan. Such cases are a troubling new phenomenon today of individuals who are self-radicalised, independent of direct recruitment by established terrorist groups, said the ministry. All five are held under Singapores Internal Security Act, which allows for detention without trial.
Sri Lankan troops killed 30 rebels in a fierce jungle battle in the restive east and three insurgents killed themselves with cyanide capsules, the military said, as Japans peace envoy voiced concern at rights abuses. 
This is an update on last week's Ya Libnan report on the arrest by the Lebanese security agents of the Al-Qaida terrorist mastermind at a Beirut hotel . The arrest was called 'a major catch '. According to LBC TV, Lebanon's "major catch" has revealed that he is the coordinating officer between the Syrian intelligence and Fatah al-Islam terrorists. His name has finally been disclosed as Ahmad Merhi.
Lebanese troops shelled al Qaeda-inspired militants entrenched in the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp on Saturday and three soldiers died in the heavy battles, security sources said. They said 21 soldiers were also wounded in Saturday's battles in which machine-gun fire reverberated and heavy artillery shelling rocked the camp's edges from early morning.
