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Area: WoT Background    Non-WoT    Opinion    Local News    Politix   
Iranian 'students' attack Jordan, UK embassies, Saudi air office; threaten Egypt; burn Benneton store ...
Today's Headlines
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Page 1: WoT Operations
6 00:00 rammer [1] 
6 00:00 tu3031 [] 
11 00:00 A_Rovian_Desciple [] 
4 00:00 john frum [2] 
1 00:00 trailing wife [] 
3 00:00 rabid whitetail [] 
4 00:00 Tom- Pa [] 
5 00:00 tipper [] 
1 00:00 tu3031 [] 
2 00:00 Fielding Mellish [] 
2 00:00 tu3031 [] 
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10 00:00 Chunky Shilet4394 [] 
4 00:00 bradeous [1] 
6 00:00 crosspatch [] 
5 00:00 CrazyFool [1] 
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7 00:00 bradeous [] 
3 00:00 rabid whitetail [] 
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1 00:00 gorb [] 
10 00:00 USN, Ret. [] 
3 00:00 Richard of Oregon [1] 
21 00:00 qdllwkctf [2] 
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1 00:00 tu3031 [] 
1 00:00 .5MT [] 
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12 00:00 WolfDog [] 
6 00:00 James Carville [] 
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3 00:00 Glenmore [] 
Page 2: WoT Background
4 00:00 Barbara Skolaut [1]
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5 00:00 Barbara Skolaut [2]
13 00:00 Mike N. []
3 00:00 lotp []
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5 00:00 Glenmore []
8 00:00 USN, Ret. []
1 00:00 mojo [1]
12 00:00 A_Rovian_Desciple [1]
2 00:00 JosephMendiola []
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3 00:00 Besoeker []
6 00:00 gorb []
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13 00:00 trailing wife []
8 00:00 Verlaine []
6 00:00 swksvolFF []
3 00:00 hammerhead []
3 00:00 Besoeker []
1 00:00 hammerhead []
2 00:00 Barbara Skolaut []
Page 3: Non-WoT
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6 00:00 ed [1]
1 00:00 HammerHead [1]
12 00:00 Zhang Fei []
1 00:00 tu3031 []
3 00:00 Barbara Skolaut [1]
2 00:00 .5MT [2]
1 00:00 Capt. McCluskey: African Union []
1 00:00 tu3031 []
Page 4: Opinion
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2 00:00 Redneck Jim []
14 00:00 DMFD [1]
Page 5: Russia-Former Soviet Union
3 00:00 Bright Pebbles []
3 00:00 Tom- Pa []
9 00:00 Frank G []
3 00:00 Sgt. D.T. []
11 00:00 trailing wife []
2 00:00 Zhang Fei []
9 00:00 Verlaine []
1 00:00 phil_b []
12 00:00 trailing wife []
12 00:00 Mullah Richard []
Page 6: Politix
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9 00:00 .5MT []
2 00:00 Sneting Trotsky1184 []
8 00:00 DMFD []
2 00:00 Woozle Elmeter 2700 []
2 00:00 Barbara Skolaut []
Good morning
Posted by: Fred || 12/31/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1 
[Spam cleaned up here. Wise RBers won't click this guy's link.]
Posted by: viarfarloleapeFex || 12/31/2008 3:04 Comments || Top||

#2  [Who will buy my pretty spam?]
Posted by: WRGeorge || 12/31/2008 3:14 Comments || Top||

#3  Cleanup needed in aisle 1 it seems.
Posted by: gorb || 12/31/2008 5:01 Comments || Top||

#4  That grandfather clock started out as a Big Ben alarm clock just a few minutes ago . . . .
Posted by: gorb || 12/31/2008 5:02 Comments || Top||

#5  It was the clock cleaners that... aw hell

to quote Joe..
I got nuttin.
Posted by: Shipman || 12/31/2008 6:02 Comments || Top||

#6  In this case, I would like them to clean my clock.
Posted by: DarthVader || 12/31/2008 10:50 Comments || Top||

#7  [Who will buy my pretty spam?]
Posted by: SteemeNef || 12/31/2008 10:54 Comments || Top||

#8  Thelma White toking on a Joint in "Reefer Madness"



Thelma White and her all girl orchestra. Where's Tony Curtis and Jack Lemon?



Dorothy Lee



Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC || 12/31/2008 12:58 Comments || Top||

#9  [Wotta maroon]
Posted by: Glonoorelcome || 12/31/2008 12:59 Comments || Top||

#10 



Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC || 12/31/2008 13:32 Comments || Top||

#11  Dorothy Lee



Clock Stopper #1

Clock Stopper #2

Clock Stopper #3

Clock Stopper #4

Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC || 12/31/2008 13:50 Comments || Top||

#12  [Burp.]
Posted by: edurabeally || 12/31/2008 14:38 Comments || Top||

#13  Mmmmm! Spam! My favorite!
Posted by: beixyd || 12/31/2008 16:40 Comments || Top||

#14  [more really lame spam. y'all are repeating yourselves.]
Posted by: BiobteliGuibere || 12/31/2008 17:18 Comments || Top||

#15  very busy lil spammers. Is it the holiday season?
Posted by: Frank G || 12/31/2008 17:26 Comments || Top||

#16  They all have to go back to school on Monday, Frank.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/31/2008 17:46 Comments || Top||

#17  [Burp.]
Posted by: KKAllen || 12/31/2008 18:22 Comments || Top||

#18  They're trying to figure why the spam's not working, so they're hitting from different angles.
Posted by: Fred || 12/31/2008 18:57 Comments || Top||

#19  Mmmmm! Spam! My favorite!
Posted by: hlhsbqpqnbn || 12/31/2008 19:14 Comments || Top||

#20  Mmmmm! Spam! My favorite!
Posted by: acaiberry || 12/31/2008 20:29 Comments || Top||

#21  Mmmmm! Spam! My favorite!
Posted by: qdllwkctf || 12/31/2008 23:52 Comments || Top||


-Lurid Crime Tales-
If the IDF made cheesy Hamas-style videos....
Have you ever seen Hamas' jihadist music videos? They are cheesy propaganda with awful music and tacky special effects that would be funny if they weren't advocating genocide.

Anyway, here is my take on how an IDF video would look if it was directed by the same talent that Hamas uses...



Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy || 12/31/2008 00:27 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I love it, I was boogie-wooging in my chair through the whole video.
Posted by: tipper || 12/31/2008 1:38 Comments || Top||

#2  Bravo! Good one!
Posted by: Mark Espinola || 12/31/2008 2:51 Comments || Top||

#3  For some reason Mike Judge's "Idiocracy" came to mind.
Posted by: Plastic Snoopy || 12/31/2008 3:11 Comments || Top||

#4  Huge AC, you've ever had the understanding of media.
Posted by: .5MT || 12/31/2008 6:05 Comments || Top||

#5  Now that's damn fine work.
Do some Al-Qaeda ones. You'll need Legos, cherry bombs, some Matchbox cars, army men, and a lighter. Maybe some model airplanes. Be professional and try not to show your hand lighting the cherry bomb. And make the music a little more chicken scratchy so that it gives people headaches.
Posted by: tu3031 || 12/31/2008 9:16 Comments || Top||

#6  Awesome!
Couple more suggestions - have the F-15 go into hyperspace a al Enterprise. No dancing backflips off a dock either. Have a dradel spinning around as a targeting crosshair maybe?
Posted by: swksvolFF || 12/31/2008 11:13 Comments || Top||

#7  Haven't spotted Green Helmet Guy?....!!!
Posted by: bradeous || 12/31/2008 20:28 Comments || Top||


Afghanistan
Afghan official: 9 Taliban militants killed in clash
(Xinhua) -- The Afghan troops and the U.S.-led coalition forces have killed nine Taliban militants on a joint operation in the country's south, a police official said on Tuesday.

The Taliban attacked a convoy of Afghan troops in Nawa district of Helmand province on Monday evening, sparking a three-hour clash, according to Assadullah Sherzad, the police chief of the province.

"Nine Taliban were killed and their bodies were left in the area. We had no casualties," he said.

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi denied the casualty report, saying that only two Taliban militants were killed and three wounded in the gun battle.

Southern Afghanistan is the center of a Taliban-led insurgency and the world's largest opium-producing area. Taliban militants fighting Afghan and the international troops often conduct such attacks in southern provinces.

Spiraling conflicts and Taliban-linked insurgency have claimed more than 5,000 people so far this year. On Saturday night, a rare rocket attack fell on Kabul, killing three teenage sisters.
Posted by: Fred || 12/31/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Dozens of Afghan policemen arrested for helping Taliban
The Afghan government arrested dozens of police officers for corruption and aiding Taliban militants in western Afghanistan, while nine Taliban were killed in a clash with Afghan and NATO forces, officials said Tuesday.

The police in western Farah province arrested at least 40 policemen from five checkpoints on Monday after 12 of them deserted and went off to unknown locations, Deputy Provincial Governor Mohammad Younus Rasouli said. He said the policemen were suspected of having connections with Taliban militants and were involved in crimes including highway robbery.

However, Taliban spokesman Qari Mohammad Yousif Ahmadi said that Shir Khan Kandahari, a police commander along with his 35 officers surrendered to their fighters near Farah city late Monday. Ahmadi, who was speaking by phone from an undisclosed location, said that the policemen vowed to fight the Afghan and foreign forces in the country alongside the Taliban.

Defection to Taliban militants occurred among the Afghan security forces in the past, but if confirmed, this would be the first time that such a big number changed allegiance.

In another incident, nine militants were killed in Nawa district of Helmand province after they attacked an Afghan police checkpoint in the area on Monday, Assadullah Shirzad, provincial police chief, said. NATO-led British troops stationed in the province rushed to the scene of the battle and engaged the militants, Shirzad said, adding that there were no casualties among the Afghan police or NATO forces.

Shirzad said the combined forces recovered the militants' bodies along with their AK-47 rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers.

The Taliban said in a statement posted on their website that only three of their fighters were killed and another three wounded. The statement said 19 British soldiers were killed and several others were wounded. The Taliban often give different accounts the clashes. In many cases their information turns out to to be exaggerated or falsified.
Posted by: Fred || 12/31/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban

#1  Actually arrested? I'm shocked, but unsure exactly how shocked I should be.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/31/2008 7:17 Comments || Top||

#2  And the rest are getting away with it so far.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 12/31/2008 8:10 Comments || Top||

#3  Afghanis have a long history of changing sides to what they perceive as the stronger horse. They now think the Taliban has the stronger horse. But they probably won't fight any harder for the Taliban than they did for Karzai & us.
Posted by: Glenmore || 12/31/2008 9:53 Comments || Top||


Africa Horn
Another Malaysian ship hijacked by Somali pirates
(Xinhua) -- Another Malaysian ship has been hijacked by Somali pirates, Malaysian national news services Bernama reported on Tuesday.

The vessel with 11 crew members aboard was reportedly seized by pirates in Somali waters on Dec. 16 when it was returning from West Asia to Malaysia, but carrying no cargo.

The owners of the vessel registered in Port Klang, Malaysia, were still in talks with the captors over the release of the vessel and its crew, according to Bernama.

Earlier in August this year, two Malaysian ships carrying oil were hijacked in the Gulf of Aden by Somali pirates.

The two vessels, together with a total of 79 crew, were released in late September, except one Philippine crew member who was killed by stray bullets. @
Posted by: Fred || 12/31/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Pirates

#1  Loks like this group rode the short bus to work:
Hint: it works better if there is booty on the hijackee, dipwad.
Posted by: USN, Ret. || 12/31/2008 14:04 Comments || Top||


Bangladesh
28 'grenades' seized, 2 JMB men held
A special team of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) recovered 28 improvised grenades in the port city last evening and held two operatives of JMB who tried to kill BNP chief Khaleda Zia in Comilla on December 23.
"Tried to kill her, did yez?"
"It wuz him! Please don't kill me!"

The arrestees of the banned Islamist outfit Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) are Masum Bin Abdul Hye alias Abu Saleh, 30, and Khorshed, 40.
"I'm still a young man! I got my whole life ahead of me!"
Masum claimed to be a member of the JMB killing squad that attempted to kill former prime minister and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at a four-party rally in Chandina, Comilla, on December 23.
"They made me do it, though! I din't really wanna!"
According to sources, the Rab team around 6:00pm raided a multi-story market at Terry Bazar—a wholesale cloth market in a densely populated area near Anderkilla—and recovered the grenades in two rooms on the third floor of Jahan Bhaban. The members of the elite force also recovered a good number of books and cassettes of the militant organisation.
"Great Success Stories of the JMB" wasn't among them. Maybe "A Short Biography of Bangla Bhai" was.
A Rab special team, comprising members of the intelligence wing of Rab Head Quarters in Dhaka, Rab-7 and Rab-11, held JMB operative Masum at Begumganj in Noakhali in the morning, Rab-7 Commanding Officer Lt Col Zahidur Rahim told The Daily Star yesterday evening. Masum was arrested following confessions made by the two JMB operatives held near Chandina on December 23.
"Aaaiiieee! Make him stop! I confess!"
"Acting on Masum's confessional statement we recovered the grenades and arrested Masum's associate Khorshed in the evening," said Zahidur.
"Hark! My spider sense is tingling! Could it be the approach of the Rab? I must flee...!"
"Going somewhere, Khorshed? Stick 'em up."
"Merde!"

Talking to journalists in presence of Rab officials at Terry Bazar, Masum said JMB formed a seven-member squad to kill Khaleda. He said he was a member of the squad and had training for such operations. The plan to kill Khaleda was abandoned as he and another JMB operative had a feud which created division in the squad, claimed Masum.
"I'm gonna plug her, and you drive the getaway rickshaw!"
"No, I'll plug her! You drive!"

Masum said he became a member of JMB after he met JMB operatives Asad, Habib and Sohag when he was earning his living selling syrupy drinks (Sarbat) at Anderkilla intersection.
"Drinks! Drinks! Getcher syrupy drinks right here! Only a tikka!"
He became acquainted with other members of the organisation at "Dawati Baithak" (invitational meeting) that was usually held after prayers at Anderkilla mosque, he said. He said Khorshed was recruited through the Dawati Baithak.
Knock-knock
What's the secret password?
Open the door.
Yeah, he's okay...

Masum said on December 13 Asad gave him the hand-made grenades in a box to keep in his custody. On December 22, he took the grenades to a village near Chandina where he, Asad and Habib stayed in a house and had training on how to hurl grenades.
Ya hold it like this.
No ya don't. Ya hold it like this.
Ya throw like a girl!
No I don't, you do!
No, you do!
No, you do!

After the cancellation of the attack, he brought the grenades back to Chittagong and kept those in his room at Terry Bazar before going to his village home from which he was arrested yesterday.
So why didn't ya get rid of the grenades, me boy?
.......I dunno.

On December 23, Rab recovered three improvised hand grenades from Nabiabad village in Devidwar upazila of Comilla, around an hour after BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia addressed an election rally four km away in Chandina upazila headquarters. Rab arrested two operatives of JMB, and seized a 10kg bomb from a JMB den at Nabiabad village.
That your 10kg bomb, JMB guys? It says "JMB" on it.
Damn. Looks like they got us cold.

This article starring:
Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh
Khaleda Zia
KhorshedJamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh
Masum Bin Abdul Hye alias Abu SalehJamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh
Posted by: Fred || 12/31/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh

#1  JMB killing squad that attempted to kill

The RAB is gonna know a killing squad when they see one.
Posted by: .5MT || 12/31/2008 6:09 Comments || Top||


Europe
Terror attack by Arabs on Israelis in Copenhagen
A group of Arab youths opened fire Wednesday evening on a number of Israelis working at a mall in the Danish city of Odenza, some 200 kilometers north of Copenhagen.

The Israelis, who were operating a stall in the shopping center, were lightly wounded in their legs. There is no apparent danger to their lives.

The Foreign Ministery is following the reports closely, and Israelis emissaries in Copenhagen were headed to the site.
Posted by: || 12/31/2008 11:05 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The natives are restless, in northen Europe :

Silent Night, Holy Night.

But, for some strange reason, "Youths" always seem to become agitated around their host countries national holidays, or on Christmas, or on New Year eve... gee, I wonder why? At least, french authorities have found the answer to the ever-broken record tallies of torched car on the 31th night, last year, they stopped counting at midnight, announced a "low" result, and gave the actual total only a couple weeks later. Clever! No wonder we vote for those people.
Posted by: anonymous5089 || 12/31/2008 11:53 Comments || Top||

#2  The Israelis, who were operating a stall in the shopping center, were lightly wounded in their legs. There is no apparent danger to their lives.

Yeah, what would make you think that?
Posted by: tu3031 || 12/31/2008 11:57 Comments || Top||

#3  Danes better jump on this, or they will encourage war in their streets. They've actually had war in their streets for a couple of years per Atlas Shrugs. This should be handled by military. Round these bastards up. No lawdogs, no visitors and put them back into shitholes whence they came. If not, they will totally surrender control of their own streets and neighborhoods.
Posted by: Woozle Elmeter 2700 || 12/31/2008 12:03 Comments || Top||

#4  Leg, foot wounds? Ima suspecten Paleos
Posted by: Frank G || 12/31/2008 12:50 Comments || Top||

#5  I didn't know the IDF roach bomb can reach that far. The protest and attack parasites are turning up everywhere.
Posted by: Poison Reverse || 12/31/2008 12:56 Comments || Top||

#6  Yes, shot in the leg. Nothing to see here, it missed the artery so no need to press charges or catch the perps. Just move along and we can all forget about this.
Posted by: Charles || 12/31/2008 13:52 Comments || Top||

#7  A small correction to the article: The city this attack took place is called Odense, it is located on the Danish island of Fyn - not 200 miles north of Copenhagen (which is located on the island of Sealand) as this would locate you in the middle of Kattegat (a water between Denmark, Norway and Sweden). Also it was 2 attackers, not a group. The number of attacked, and wounded Israelis were 2 as well.
Posted by: Kim Vexborg || 12/31/2008 19:03 Comments || Top||

#8  Thanks, Kim. Shoot them on sight Round them up and ship them back to their home shitholes still applies.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 12/31/2008 19:21 Comments || Top||

#9  Break their legs and leave them "swimming" in Kattegat.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 12/31/2008 20:12 Comments || Top||

#10  Break their legs and leave them "swimming" in Kattegat.

No need to break their legs, I'm sure the water is very cold. Just take them out a few miles and drop them in the drink. Problem solved.
Posted by: Chunky Shilet4394 || 12/31/2008 23:54 Comments || Top||


Home Front: WoT
Obama administration to form new cyber war doctrine
The Obama administration is set to appoint General Keith Alexander, the current Director of the National Security Agency, to be the new Cyber Czar.

In a major departure from the past, Alexander, who will receive his fourth general's star, will have an initial budget of around $8 billion and will control how it is spent within NSA, the Department of Homeland Security and the Pentagon. In effect, this will mean that the new head of NSA will report to him instead of to the Secretary of Defense on a huge area of business.

In the past five years, President Bush has had five Cyber Czars, all of whom failed miserably to get to grips with the cyber security challenge, in part because they had no money to dispense. Absent that carrot, no amount of sticks will make the slightest difference in the Washington bureaucracy.

The result of the Bush administration's indolence has been the wholesale pillaging of economic and military secrets by foreign nations such as China, Israel, Iran and Russia and the phenomenal growth of cyber organized crime which is now a multi-billion dollar a year illegal business that involves almost no risk.

The raising of the power and influence of the cyber czar along with his huge budget will have a significant global impact. America will be developing and implementing a new doctrine for war in cyberspace which will include clear offensive capabilities and when and how they will be used. For that doctrine to be effective, there will have to be extensive discussions with allies and potential enemies and the Obama administration will be seeking to develop a new Cyber Treaty along the lines of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to codify this new realm of warfare.

Although exactly who Alexander will report to has not been decided, he will likely sit in the office of the Director of National Intelligence which will be run by Admiral Denny Blair, whose appointment was announced last week. Alexander has a reputation as a hard-charging technology innovator who took over NSA from Mike Hayden, the current head of CIA, in 2005. The handover was a frosty one as Alexander loathes Hayden who he considers to be an incompetent blowhard and the men rarely speak.

Alexander is, in some ways, a classic geek as he holds five different degrees, including one in electronic warfare and another in physics. However, he is also amusing and congenial company. He had a rough start at NSA which had a very poor record of innovation under Hayden. Within weeks of starting he embarked on a very ambitious technology program codenamed Turbulence which grew to include other programs such as Traffic Thief and Turmoil at a cost of more than $500m a year. Collectively, these highly classified programs have enabled NSA to collect, process and deliver real time analysis of the millions of communications that are intercepted worldwide by NSA every minute. For now, Turbulence only operates in limited geographical areas such as parts of Asia but it is expected that Alexander will use some of his new budget to ensure the program's expansion to other regions.

It is unlikely that Alexander will face the confirmation challenges that confront many others who served in the national security arena during the Bush years. It was Hayden, not Alexander, who encouraged and implanted the widespread and illegal bugging of Americans in an operation codenamed Stellar Wind. And Alexander's fingerprints are not on any of the kidnappings, torture or assassinations that have formed part of the Bush foreign policy.
Not sure any credit should go to Obama, but General Alexander is great choice. He's an "idea a minute" type. Hope they can form a team to keep up with him. The last two sentences are hate-America BS and conjecture the readership could have certainly done without.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/31/2008 15:04 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Alexander is, in some ways, a classic geek as he holds five different degrees, including one in electronic warfare and another in physics.

Oh, yum. I would love to have this man to dinner someday. In the meantime, may he be a spectacular success at his new assignment, for we will all benefit therefrom.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/31/2008 16:30 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Naval forces resort to zero-tolerance after attack alert
Following intelligence reports that the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) was planning to target naval warships, the Indian Navy has thrown a high security cordon around its ships and establishments.

Marine commandos have been deployed to protect the navy's only aircraft carrier INS Viraat which is undergoing an 18-month refit at the Cochin Shipyard Ltd. Intelligence reports indicated that LeT leaders were studying ways of attacking the Viraat while at refit in Kochi, possibly using commandeered chartered helicopters as missiles.

A release from the Kochi-based southern naval command informed that sentries guarding naval assets have been issued orders to ensure a 'zero tolerance security protocol'. This means that they can fire upon intruders without warning.

Reason why the public has been asked to stay away from naval warships: 'The general public is therefore advised to exercise utmost caution whilst transiting in the vicinity of naval assets. Pleasure boats and other crafts cruising along Ernakulam and Mattancherry channels are also advised not to close naval vessels or wharfs to less than 500 metres. This communiqué is being issued in the interest of public safety,' the release said.
Posted by: john frum || 12/31/2008 15:18 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  6 warships moved to west coast
VISAKHAPATNAM: The Eastern Naval Command of Indian Navy and the Coast Guard have been placed on a high alert to protect the country’s east coast in the event of a war breaking out with Pakistan.

According to sources, the Indian Navy has moved six of its most powerful warships to the Western Command.

These include the country’s most modern INS Jalashwa and destroyer INS Ranveer. Naval officials have, however, downplayed the development, saying the warships sailed to the west coast as a routine exercise and had nothing to do with the developing situation.

War clouds, which started hovering over the sub-continent following the diabolical terrorist attack on Mumbai, seem to be turning dark with each passing day, giving rise to speculation that India might attack the terror camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and other parts of Pakistan.
Posted by: john frum || 12/31/2008 15:22 Comments || Top||

#2  INS Jalashwa and destroyer INS Ranveer

The Jalashwa was formerly the LPD USS Trenton

photo

Last week the Ranvir was busy test firing cruise missiles
Posted by: john frum || 12/31/2008 15:26 Comments || Top||

#3  routine exercise and had nothing to do with the developing situation.


OK, nothing to see here, go about your bizness
Posted by: Frank G || 12/31/2008 15:59 Comments || Top||

#4  But make sure you don't approach any Indian warships

'The general public is therefore advised to exercise utmost caution whilst transiting in the vicinity of naval assets. Pleasure boats and other crafts cruising along Ernakulam and Mattancherry channels are also advised not to close naval vessels or wharfs to less than 500 metres. This communiqué is being issued in the interest of public safety,'
Posted by: john frum || 12/31/2008 16:36 Comments || Top||


Official: Pakistani confesses to Mumbai attacks
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — A militant arrested in Pakistan has confessed involvement in the Mumbai terror attacks and is giving investigators details of the plot, a senior Pakistani government official said Wednesday.

The revelation could add to pressure on Islamabad to either bring Zarar Shah and other suspects to trial or extradite them to India. "(Shah) has made some statement that he was involved," said the government official, without providing specific details. "I can tell you that he is singing."

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic. Shah's confession was first reported in the Wall Street Journal. A senior intelligence officer said Shah and another suspect, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, were cooperating with investigators, but cautioned authorities had not reached a definite conclusion as to their involvement yet.

He too asked for anonymity. Indian officials were not immediately available for comment. Gunmen targeted 10 sites including two five-star hotels and a Jewish center during the November siege on Mumbai's financial capital, killing 164 people in a three-day reign of terror.

India and the United States say the militants who planned and carried out the attacks were Pakistani and are demanding Islamabad take action against those responsible. The official also told The Associated Press that India has shared some evidence of its suspicions but he said it was "very very little." Pakistan's president and other top officials have said India has yet to provide any evidence.

The intelligence officer also said the country had received "information" on the attacks from other, unspecified, nations. "They (India) gave us a list of numbers and phone calls, most of them useless," the official said. Shah and Lakhvi have been identified as members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a banned militant group accused by India of carrying out the Mumbai attacks and others on its soil. They were taken into custody soon after the attacks.

India has said both were involved in the planning of the siege, but have given few details of their role and made no evidence public. Accusations of Lashkar-e-Taiba's involvement have put Islamabad in a difficult position because the group is widely believed to have been created by Pakistan intelligence agencies to battle Indian-rule in Kashmir, a Himalayan region claimed by Pakistan and India.
Posted by: john frum || 12/31/2008 14:20 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Oh, c'mon now. Let's not jump to conclusions here...
When do they start bitching about racial profiling?
Posted by: tu3031 || 12/31/2008 14:33 Comments || Top||

#2  I do hope they didn't forget to invite the local CIA people to observe the proceedings.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/31/2008 14:43 Comments || Top||

#3  Why TW, there will still be nothing done and i think that the pakistanis are pretty good torturers, if they are doing anyhting at all
Posted by: rabid whitetail || 12/31/2008 15:12 Comments || Top||


Pak dismisses media reports on Lakhvi tape
Islamabad (PTI): Pakistan on Wednesday dismissed as "completely speculative" media reports that the US has shared with it a taped conversation Lashkar-e-Toiba operation head Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi allegedly had with terrorists involved in the attacks on Mumbai on November 26.

"It is based on complete speculation that the US has shared information (on 26/11 attacks). Even if it has happened, the government of Pakistan has not received such an evidence," Information Minister Sherry Rehman said at a meet-the press programme in Karachi.
"Lies! All lies!"
She also said India has not shared any evidence with Pakistan.

Regarding the action taken by Pakistan against some of activists of LeT front organisation Jamaat-ud-Dawa, Rehman said whatever Pakistan has done was in compliance with "UNSC resolutions and the world community agrees that we do not give shelter to terrorists and non-state actors".

The Americans are believed to have given Pakistan a taped conversation Lakhvi allegedly had with the Mumbai attackers, the Dawn newspaper on Wednesday quoted US and diplomatic sources as saying. American audio experts had checked the tape and concluded it was genuine and that the speaker was Lakhvi, it said.
This article starring:
Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi
Posted by: john frum || 12/31/2008 12:27 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  This is really starting to get comical...
Posted by: tu3031 || 12/31/2008 12:42 Comments || Top||

#2  It's a travesty of a mockery of a sham of a mockery of a travesty of two mockeries of a sham.
Posted by: Fielding Mellish || 12/31/2008 14:17 Comments || Top||


Pakistan's Probe Finds Local Links To Attacks On Mumbai
ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan's own investigation of terror attacks in Mumbai has begun to show substantive links between the 10 gunmen and an Islamic militant group that its powerful spy agency spent years supporting, say people with knowledge of the probe.

At least one top leader of militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, or "Army of the Pure," captured in a raid earlier this month in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, has confessed the group's involvement in the attack as India and the U.S. have alleged, according to a senior Pakistani security official.

The disclosure could add new international pressure on Pakistan to accept that the attacks, which left 171 dead in India, originated within its borders and to prosecute or extradite the suspects. That raises difficult and potentially destabilizing issues for the country's new civilian government, its military and the spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence -- which is conducting interrogations of militants it once cultivated as partners.

Pakistani security officials say a top Lashkar commander, Zarar Shah, has admitted a role in the Mumbai attack during interrogation, according to the security official, who declined to be identified discussing the investigation. "He is singing," the security official said of Mr. Shah. The admission, the official said, is backed up by U.S. intercepts of a phone call between Mr. Shah and one of the attackers at the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, the site of a 60-hour confrontation with Indian security forces.

A second person familiar with the investigation said Mr. Shah told Pakistani interrogators that he was one of the key planners of the operation, and that he spoke with the attackers during the rampage to give them advice and keep them focused.

The person said Mr. Shah had implicated other Lashkar members, and had broadly confirmed the story told by the sole captured gunman to Indian investigators -- that the 10 assailants trained in Pakistan's part of Kashmir and then went by boat from Karachi to Mumbai. Mr. Shah said the attackers also spent at least a few weeks in Karachi, a crowded Arabian Sea port, training in urban combat to hone skills they would use in their assault.

Mr. Shah was picked up along with fellow Lashkar commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi during the military camp raids in Kashmir.

The Mumbai attacks have stoked tensions in India and Pakistan, producing allegations and counterallegations that have both countries headed toward conflict. Pakistan recently redeployed some troops from the fight against Islamic militants toward the Indian border, and India warned its citizens not to travel to Pakistan. India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed, have fought three wars since their independence in 1947.

The probe also is stress-testing an uncomfortable shift under way at Pakistan's spy agency -- and the government -- since the election of civilian leadership replacing the military-led regime earlier this year. Military and intelligence officials acknowledge they have long seen India as their primary enemy and Islamist extremists such as Lashkar as allies. But now the ISI is in the midst of being revamped, and its ranks purged of those seen as too soft on Islamic militants.

That revamp and the Mumbai attacks are in turn putting pressure on the civilian leadership, which risks a backlash among the population -- and among elements of ISI and the military -- if it is too accommodating to India. "The ISI can make or break any regime in Pakistan," said retired Gen. Mirza Aslam Beg, a former army chief. "Don't fight the ISI."

The delicate politics of the Mumbai investigation have given the spy agency renewed sway just when the government was trying to limit its influence. A Western diplomat said the question now is what Pakistan will do with the evidence it is developing.

The big fear in the West and India is a repeat of what happened after a 2001 attack on India's parliament, which led to the ban on Lashkar. Top militant leaders were arrested only to be released months later. Lashkar and other groups continued to operate openly, even though formal ISI connections were scaled back or closed, the diplomat said.

"They've got the guys. They have the confessions. What do they do now?" the diplomat said. "We need to see that this is more than a show. We want to see the entire infrastructure of terror dismantled. There needs to be real prosecutions this time."

A spokesman for new president Asif Ali Zardari, Farhatullah Babar, said Tuesday that he wasn't aware of the Pakistani investigation yet producing any links between Lashkar militants and the Mumbai attacks. "The Interior Ministry has already stated that the government of Pakistan has not been furnished with any evidence," he said.

The Pakistani security official cautioned that the investigation is still in early stages and a more full picture could emerge once India decides to share more information. Pakistani authorities didn't have evidence that Lashkar was involved in the attacks before the militants' arrest in Kashmir, the security official said; they were captured based only on initial guidance from U.S and British authorities.

Vishnu Prakash, a spokesman for India's Foreign Ministry, said in a telephone interview that all India's evidence will be shared with Pakistan soon, when the investigation is complete. But Mr. Prakash expressed doubt Pakistan would act, based on what he said was its investigative track record: "Whenever actionable intelligence is given, our friends make sure it is neutralized, and then it cannot be acted upon," he said.

In the nearly four months since Mr. Zardari was elected, civilian and military leaders have been working to remake the role the ISI plays in the country's affairs, and take aim at an intelligence apparatus that diplomats and analysts suspect still hasn't fully severed links to extremist groups such as Lashkar.

New agency chief Lt. General Ahmed Shuja Pasha and army chief Gen. Ashfaq Kayani have flushed out top and mid-level hard-liners associated with the agency's murky past dealings with terrorist organizations. Two deputies under Gen. Pasha's predecessor were removed and dozens of other lower-level officials sacked. The agency's political cell, which monitored the country's own politicians and parties and helped make it a political kingmaker, has been closed, its operatives dispersed through the agency.

In a televised remarks Tuesday, Pakistan's foreign minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, said Pakistan offered to send a high-level delegation to New Delhi to help investigate the Mumbai attacks.

"Traditionally there has been a sort of disconnect between the political leadership and the leadership of the security establishment," said Mr. Babar, the spokesman for Mr. Zardari. Under the new regime, he said, "There is harmony."

There also have been increasing tensions. Mr. Zardari -- who replaced his wife, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, as their party's candidate to lead the country after her assassination last year -- has faced frequent reminders that the military's step back from political control has its limits, and could be reversed.

Mr. Zardari initially offered to send Gen. Pasha himself to aid India's investigation into the Mumbai attacks, then had to rescind it when the military objected. He surprised the military this month by announcing Pakistan would never hit India with a first-strike nuclear attack.

Two months before his election, Mr. Zardari as party chief mounted an attempt to wrest the control of the ISI from the military and place it under a close political adviser. Word spread through a wedding attended by Pakistan's top army brass. "I was certainly not consulted," a grim-faced Gen. Kayani told another guest. Top army officials started working the phones. The next day, July 27, the government announced that its original notice had been "misinterpreted." It later withdrew the notice entirely.

ISI's headquarters, surrounded by manicured lawns and fountains, sits behind unmarked walls and armed checkpoints in the heart of Islamabad. Founded in 1948, the ISI moved into politics during Pakistan's military governments of the 1960s. It formally established its political cell under a civilian prime minister -- Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, father of Mr. Zardari's murdered wife. But over the years the spy chiefs -- the agency leadership is all active military officers -- often proved more loyal to the military than the government.

During the Soviet Union's occupation of neighboring Afghanistan in the 1980s, Pakistan's spies became partners with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, which cultivated the same insurgent groups at the time. In the 1990s, the ISI helped fashion Lashkar into one of the most potent Islamic militant forces battling Indian troops in Kashmir.

The Indian government blamed the ISI for helping plot the 1993 Mumbai bombings, which killed hundreds of people. The agency and Pakistan government still deny ISI involvement. The ISI purged scores of extremist officers from its ranks. But Pakistan continued to support anti-India militants in Kashmir and the ISI maintained extensive links to the Taliban, according to Western and Indian security officials. Current and former ISI officials acknowledge the ISI maintained extensive links to the Taliban.

After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the U.S., Pakistan's military-led government signed on as an ally in the global battle against Islamic terrorism, and the ISI helped coalition forces rout the Taliban. According to a former ISI officer, hundreds of ISI operatives involved with the Afghan cell were removed from ISI.

In recent years, Lashkar and other groups have turned to waging global violence against largely civilian targets, putting Pakistan under rising pressure from its allies and complicating peace negotiations with India. The groups also are striking targets within Pakistan. They have become, said the ISI official, "a monster we've created that we can't put back in the box."

Pakistan banned Lashkar under pressure from the U.S. and India in 2002 but did little to curtail its activities until earlier this month, when it enforced a new United Nations resolution banning its charitable front, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, and arrested senior leaders of both organizations.

The current revamp of the ISI began in September when President Zardari and Gen. Kayani replaced the agency's chief, Lt. General Nadeem Taj, who was seen as not aggressive enough toward militants. The new chief, Gen. Pasha, has overseen major offensives against al Qaeda-supported militants in Pakistan's tribal regions.
Posted by: john frum || 12/31/2008 11:31 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan

#1  It would be nice to see this in the Daily Times (Pakistan) instead of the WSJ.
Posted by: Darrell || 12/31/2008 11:56 Comments || Top||

#2  This proves nothing...INFIDEL!
Posted by: tu3031 || 12/31/2008 14:11 Comments || Top||


Operation, ‘Here I Come’
LANDI KOTAL, Dec 30: Paramilitary forces closed the Peshawar-Torkham highway and the Torkham border, blocking the major Nato supply route, and imposed a curfew before launching an operation on Tuesday against militants to clear the Jamrud area of militants and criminal elements.

The operation, spearheaded by the Khyber Rifles, was launched because of spectacular raids by militants on Nato supply depots in the vicinity of Peshawar. Officials said that six people, including a militant, were killed and five others injured on the first day of the operation.

The Operation, ‘Here I Come’, has been launched to to clear the area for Nato supply caravans which use the highway linking Pakistan with Afghanistan. The operation is also aimed against criminal elements who have become a nuisance for the people of Peshawar who have to live with increasing incidents of kidnapping for ransom and other crimes.

Capital City Police Chief Safwat Ghayyur supported the operation, but said that its success would depend on the way it was carried forward and sustained. "Naturally, it will have a sobering effect on Peshawar’s security situation. There have been a couple of good catches and a couple of good hits but we would like to see it sustained,” Mr Ghayyur said.

Administrator of the Khyber Agency Capt (retd) Tariq Hayat said the operation was launched after the administration had exhausted all options under the tribal code to maintain peace in the region. The operation was launched after the government deployed a wing of the paramilitary Khyber Rifles in the region.

“Now that I have the force, I am not going to stop at Jamrud. Landi Kotal will be the next stop,” Mr Hayat said. “Tanks, helicopter gunships, infantry and artillery are being used in the operation,” he said. “The operation will continue till we achieve our objectives,” he said. “There are 26 targets and security forces have full information about them.”Eyewitnesses reported seeing helicopter gunships in action against militants hideouts in a number of areas of Jamrud. Heavy artillery was used against the Qadam area, considered to be a militant stronghold.

Mr Hayat said that at least six groups of militants and outlaws were operating in Jamrud and on the main Peshawar-Torkham highway. He warned that the administration would not tolerate any obstruction from residents. “Action would be launched under the Frontier Crimes Regulations against people providing shelter to or helping militants,” he said. “We will arrest militants and criminals, demolish their houses and hideouts. We will not hold talks with them,” said the administrator.

The administration declared the Kukikhel and Jandakhel-Malakdin Khel as hostile tribes and initiated action against them under the FCR after they did not flush out militants and outlaws from their areas. According to tribesmen, most of the people killed or injured were non-combatants. But officials said that the operation was meant to clear the area of militants and claimed to have taken control of at least two important hideouts in Teddi Bazaar and Sur Qamar.

The officials also claimed to have freed a man who had been kidnapped by a criminal gang. Mr Hayat said that seven houses of militants and criminals had been demolished and a brother, uncle and cousin of Iftikahr Ahmad Kukikhel had been detained to pressurise him to surrender.

AFP adds: Alternate routes are being studied to supply international troops in Afghanistan, after Pakistan temporarily shut down Khyber Pass, the traditional supply line, a US military official said on Tuesday. With NATO reinforcements expected soon, potential alternatives could include “neighboring countries in the north,” according to the official.

In the north, a route coming from Uzbekistan was closed in late 2005 after Tashkent ended permission for the United States to use the former Soviet air base at Karshi Khanabad, which was a logistical staging ground when US forces arrived in the area after the September 11, 2001 terror strikes.

Other countries bordering Afghanistan to the north are Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. “Not only because of the attacks (at the Khyber Pass) but also because we are expecting an increase of troop numbers and equipment” in the coming months which means there will be a greater need for supplies, the official said.

The United States is expected to send an additional 20,000-30,000 troops into Afghanistan in the next several months.
Posted by: john frum || 12/31/2008 11:05 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Pakistani Islamist admits Mumbai link
More evidence of a link between a Pakistan-based Islamist group and last months terrorist attacks in Mumbai has emerged after a leading member of the organisation allegedly admitted his complicity.
Yeah, but that doesn't mean he's from Pakistan.
Zarar Shah, a top commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), told investigators that he was in contact with the gunmen involved in the attacks, according to senior Pakistani sources.
Yeah, but that doesn't mean he's from Pakistan.
Mr Shah was arrested this month along with Zakiaur Rehman, another LeT commander, in a raid on a militant camp in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir. Indian and Western security agencies had accused the pair of masterminding the attacks, which claimed the lives of 165 people in Indias commercial capital and stoked tensions between the two nuclear-armed nations.
Yeah, but that doesn't mean he's from Pakistan.
Mr Shah is said to be the communication chief of LeT, which was outlawed by Pakistan in 2002. But the group continued to operate under the banner of Jamaat-ud-Dawa. Pakistans Government ordered the closure of all its offices after the UN Security Council declared it a front for terrorists.
Yeah, but that doesn't mean he's from Pakistan.
Posted by: john frum || 12/31/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  What john said. Like toddlers who cover their eyes, convinced that if they can't see you, then they've become invisible.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/31/2008 7:01 Comments || Top||

#2  What I can't figure out is how they cover both their eyes and ears at the same time.
Posted by: gorb || 12/31/2008 7:05 Comments || Top||

#3  with their alimentary canal
Posted by: Frank G || 12/31/2008 7:26 Comments || Top||

#4  Frank G has a late entry for 'snark-of-the-year' ...
Posted by: Steve White || 12/31/2008 8:01 Comments || Top||

#5  Geez Frank,
I wish I had said that.
How does one go about getting a PhD in snarky comments........especially of such a high quality.
Posted by: James Carville || 12/31/2008 11:14 Comments || Top||

#6  It's a gift, Carville. Albeit one developed to its full potential through assiduous exercise. LOL
Posted by: lotp || 12/31/2008 11:29 Comments || Top||

#7  It's a gift, Carville. Albeit one developed to its full potential through assiduous exercise.

And lots of painstaking analysis, too!

Good one, Frank! :-)
Posted by: gorb || 12/31/2008 12:04 Comments || Top||

#8  Meh likely a random mutation. I suspect Frank was getting in trouble for snarkage in 2nd grade spitting class.
Posted by: .5MT || 12/31/2008 15:22 Comments || Top||

#9  unfortunately, a sad side effect of Snarkage Studies is that you think you're a lot funnier than you are. Ask my ex-wife
Posted by: Frank G || 12/31/2008 15:57 Comments || Top||

#10  Frank, we must be married to da same woman; mine also sez i ain't so funny. but i yam a better dancer affer a few drinkz......
Posted by: USN, Ret. || 12/31/2008 17:16 Comments || Top||


Pakistan under pressure to extradite Lakhvi
WASHINGTON: Pakistan faces tremendous pressure from the United States to extradite Zaki al-Rahman Lakhvi, the alleged mastermind of the Mumbai terror attacks, to India, US and diplomatic sources told Dawn.

The Americans are believed to have given Pakistan a taped conversation Lakhvi allegedly had with the gunmen involved in the Mumbai attacks. Diplomatic sources in Washington said that American audio experts had checked the tape and had concluded that it was genuine and that the speaker indeed was Lakhvi. It is, however, not clear if the Americans recorded the conversation using their own surveillance methods or received the tape from the Indians who have blamed Lakhvi right from the beginning.

On December 4, less than a week after the attacks, Indian officials told reporters in New Delhi they believed Lakhvi and Yusuf Muzammil had masterminded the Mumbai operation. They identified both as top leaders of the Lashkar-i-Taiba group, which India claimed was behind this and other terrorist attacks on its soil. On December 8, Pakistani security officials told media that they had arrested Lakhvi and some of his top lieutenants but they also said that all suspects would be tried in Pakistan and will not be handed over to India. But officials in both New Delhi and Washington said they will not be satisfied unless Islamabad followed up by prosecuting those arrested and taking further action against other militant groups allegedly linked to attacks in India. Later, India urged Pakistan to hand over Lakhvi to Indian authorities along with at least two other suspects.

Until this week, US officials had not given a statement regarding the issue but Lakhvis reported conversation with the gunmen appeared to have changed their minds. Reports in the US media noted that Lakhvi came from the same area as Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, the gunman arrested in Mumbai and identified by Indian authorities as one of the 10 terrorists. Kasabs village Faridkot is near Lakha, the ancestral village of the Lakhvis who are a prominent religious family in Punjab. Officials in Islamabad, however, appeared reluctant to accept the intercepts of Lakhvis alleged confession provided to them by American and British intelligence agencies as authentic.

The intercepts allegedly showed Lakhvi having cell-phone conversations with the gunmen holed up inside Mumbais Taj hotel during the 60-hour siege. But officials in Pakistan said that Kasabs confession and other evidences were inadmissible in court. They said that since the confessions had been obtained under severe pressure by the Indians, this could not be admissible in judicial process. They have insisted that the information provided would not stand scrutiny in any court.

There, however, appears to be a serious difference of opinion between Islamabad and the Pakistan Embassy in Washington over the issue. While Islamabad was reluctant to accept the evidence as authentic, the embassy insisted that its authentic and that the Pakistani authorities now needed to take steps to satisfy the international community.
Posted by: john frum || 12/31/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Lashkar e-Taiba

#1  The Americans are believed to have given Pakistan a taped conversation Lakhvi allegedly had with the gunmen involved in the Mumbai attacks

Tape? What tape? We didn't get no tape.
Posted by: john frum || 12/31/2008 7:42 Comments || Top||

#2  Yeah, but that doesn't mean he's from Pakistan.
Posted by: tu3031 || 12/31/2008 9:21 Comments || Top||

#3  Looks like the Pakistan embassy in Washington is due for a recall.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon || 12/31/2008 11:22 Comments || Top||


ANP leader shot dead in Mingora
A local Awami National Party leader was shot dead in the congested Green Chowk on Tuesday. In other incidents, two people, including a police official, were kidnapped and a vacant house of a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) was blown up.

ANP leader Malik Riaz Ahmed Khan, also a general councillor of Kanju Union Council, was killed when unidentified attackers sprayed his car with bullets. He died on the spot, a police official said.

Fazal Anwar, a police official, was kidnapped from Barikot tehsil while armed men abducted Haider Sher, brother of Pakistan People's Party (Sherpao) Swat President Sher Shah Khan from Kabal Tehsil.

Meanwhile, suspected militants blew up house of DSP Huda Baksh in a suburb of Mingora on Tuesday.
Posted by: Fred || 12/31/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: TTP


87 suspects arrested in Hangu
The Hangu district administration has arrested 87 people, suspecting them of planning sectarian violence during Muharram, officials said.

Talking to reporters, Hangu District Coordination Officer (DCO) Syed Mujibur Rehman said the arrested men had been detained in Dera Ismail Khan central prison after they were charged under various sections of the law.

Rehman said the crackdown against suspected people and militants in the area would continue.

Meanwhile, Hangu Station House Officer Saeed Khan Khattak told reporters that clerics of the Shia and Sunni sects in Shahoo, Ibrahim Zai and Raisam areas had agreed not to take up arms against each other in Muharram.
Posted by: Fred || 12/31/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan

#1  Muharram?
Okay, I give up. Which one is that?
Posted by: tu3031 || 12/31/2008 9:24 Comments || Top||


Taliban positions attacked in Bajaur Agency
The security forces' operation to restore the government's writ in Bajaur Agency continued on Tuesday, with the forces targeting Taliban hideouts in various areas of the agency. Taliban missile attacks on agency headquarters Khar also continued, with four missiles fired on the city on Tuesday. The missiles were fired from Kohimor and Maram Ghundai mountains, some 20 kilometres from Khar. One of the missiles hit Fujja and another landed in Sadiq Abad area, but there were no reports of casualties. Security forces later targeted Taliban positions in the mountains using artillery fire. Security in Khar has been beefed up following the increased Taliban attacks and heavy contingents were deployed around business centres, government installations and other places. The political authorities also arrested at least 12 people under the Collective Responsibility Act of Frontier Crimes Regulations.
Posted by: Fred || 12/31/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: TTP


Iraq
Turkey 'hits PKK targets in Iraq'
Turkish fighter planes have bombed suspected Kurdish separatist positions in northern Iraq. Turkish military sources said the attacks, which started late on Saturday, targeted members of the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). There was no word on casualties. There has been no official comment from the Turkish armed forces on the raid.

Turkey has stepped up its cross-border operations into Iraq in recent months, amid mounting casualties on both sides. Turkey has accused Iraq of failing to stop the PKK - who are fighting for greater autonomy in south-eastern Turkey - from using its northern areas as a safe haven. PKK targets in the Hakurke region of northern Iraq were hit late on Saturday, and several targets near the Iraqi-Turkish border were bombed on Sunday, the Turkish sources said.

Soldiers were also carrying out a ground offensive against rebels seen inside Turkey close to the Iraqi border, the sources said. No Iraqis were hurt in the attacks, an Iraqi military official in the Kurdish border region told Reuters news agency. "This is becoming routine - Turkish warplanes targeting the border area. We are not worried about civilian casualties because these areas are deserted," Lt-Col Ihsan Kamal said. He said he had no information on PKK casualties.

The PKK - which is treated as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the EU and US - has waged a violent campaign for Kurdish autonomy since 1984, resulting in more than 40,000 deaths.
Posted by: john frum || 12/31/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Where's the Coalition seething to counter the Pakistani seething?
Posted by: gorb || 12/31/2008 5:01 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
IDF: we're ready for ground battle
Anyone who thinks we'll be conducting ourselves gently is wrong
Israeli forces are ready to embark on a ground assault in Gaza, a senior military officer told Ynet Wednesday, adding that "anyone who thinks we'll be conducting ourselves gently is wrong."

"Hamas has indeed prepared for this, but so did we," the IDF official said.

IDF officers say they are closely familiar with Hamas' military buildup but add that troops are prepared for the mission ahead. Ever since the Second Lebanon War, the IDF has been engaged in intensive training sessions and preparations ahead of a possible clash in the Strip. A ground assault on Gaza will be a challenge, yet military officials are saying loud and clear: "We're ready."
Just a suggestion: One way to avoid dangerous urban warfare is to reduce the urban area to rubble, then bounce it.
In recent years, Hamas has been engaged in a military buildup ahead of a possible IDF incursion. IDF officials familiar with the group's efforts say the organization comprises more than 15,000 troops, including Special Forces members and intelligence personnel.

Hamas' army has been built in a hierarchical manner, and includes divisions, regiments, and platoons. The group's forces underwent an orderly training program, with some Hamas members sent for training in Syria and Iran. Moreover, Gaza Strip tunnels, some of which were destroyed in IDF bombings in recent days, have been used for smuggling in large quantities of explosives, the IDF says. The weapons that poured into Gaza include anti-tank rockets.

Army officials say IDF troops should be expecting "nature reserves," similarly to what soldiers encountered in Lebanon while fighting Hizbullah. Hamas is believed to have prepared numerous underground sites containing various weapons.

Military officials estimate that similarly to Hizbullah, which had some "surprises" for the IDF during the Second Lebanon War, Hamas may also be in possession of arms that Israel has no knowledge of.

"During the confrontation, Hamas will attempt to operate in an orderly manner and utilize many types of arms, such as explosive devices, snipers, and cells that will attempt to hit our forces," an IDF officer said. "We prepared in terms of protective equipment and also engaged in training exercises in order to address these threats.

The IDF's first challenge in case of a ground assault will likely be in the form of roadside bombs aimed at targeting tanks and armored vehicles. Hamas is believed to have dug pits in many Gaza roads and placed powerful explosive devices underground before covering them with cement. However, the Air Force's massive assault in the early days of Operation Cast Lead damaged dozens of Hamas facilities and may undermine the group's efforts.
Posted by: || 12/31/2008 18:28 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Hamas

#1  Never wrestle with a pig, you'll both get dirty and only the pig will enjoy it.
Just saying!
Posted by: tipper || 12/31/2008 19:31 Comments || Top||

#2  bounce the rubble first idiots.
Posted by: 3dc || 12/31/2008 19:46 Comments || Top||

#3  Why is the IDF giving Hamas so much time to prepare?
Posted by: crosspatch || 12/31/2008 20:09 Comments || Top||

#4  I think/hope they're not going to go in, but watch what they were going to do (for when they WILL go in).

Lot's of before and after satellite/UAV imagery.. Lot's of humint/sigint seeing where tagged people go.

time for Israelis to have a Hudnu.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 12/31/2008 20:16 Comments || Top||

#5  A multiprong attack with a cut off of S. Gaza would confuse a lot of the Hamas plans.

I think the best reason to wait is organizing a Fatah anti-Hamas unit that would be part of the ground action.
Posted by: mhw || 12/31/2008 20:19 Comments || Top||

#6  All the people of Gaza need to be evacuated to the west bank voluntarily right now. Then Gaza can be scrubbed of weapons and stragglers by the IDF to make it nice and tidy; so, the volunteers can return to their homes.
Posted by: rammer || 12/31/2008 21:26 Comments || Top||


Hamas: Arabs have forsaken Gaza
Hamas expressed its great disappointment with the Arab League Wednesday, after its emergency session on the Israeli offensive in Gaza resulted only in a call on the UN Security Council to urge a ceasefire in the Strip.

The decision, said Hamas, indicated that Arab nations have forsaken their responsibility for the situation in Gaza.
O Arabs, it is your reponsibility to pay for our Iranian-backed provocations!! Rise up, Arabs! Bail our asses out!
"The statements made in the conference were even more ludicrous and feeble than those made by the European Union. Passing the matter over to the Security Council means Arab nations have left Gaza be butchered by Israel," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri was quoted as saying.
Butchered, I tell you! And they're not even halal!!!
Earlier Wednesday, the al-Jazeera television station reported that the Arab League intended to urge the UN Security Council to demand Israel declare a ceasefire in Gaza.

Earlier still, Hamas said it would be willing to consider a ceasefire with Israel, "as long as the offer stipulates that Israel will hold all fire
No matter what provocations we throw at them ... rockets, suiciders in their streets, stabbings by Israeli Arabs ... nope, those don't count.
and lift the siege imposed on Gaza," Hamas spokesman Ayman Taha said.
Posted by: || 12/31/2008 15:36 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Who hasn't?
Posted by: plainslow || 12/31/2008 16:13 Comments || Top||

#2  I really hope that arrogant f*ck in the photo caught some heavy shrapnel in the gut for a still-lingering sepsis death. Is that bad?
Posted by: Frank G || 12/31/2008 16:17 Comments || Top||

#3  And yet American taxpayers are still forced feed, house, clothe, and educate these parasites.
Posted by: ed || 12/31/2008 16:22 Comments || Top||

#4  It isn't at all nice, but I snicker.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/31/2008 16:28 Comments || Top||

#5  Wow. Hamas disappointed in the Arab League.
So I guess that makes it unanimous...
Posted by: tu3031 || 12/31/2008 17:46 Comments || Top||

#6  "The decision, said Hamas, indicated that Arab nations have forsaken their responsibility for the situation in Gaza."

Dear Hamas,

The Arab League is made up of 22 Muslim nations. The Arab League is headquartered in Egypt. The Secretary-general of the Arab League is Amr Moussa, who is an Egyptian. Secretary Moussa is a Sunni Muslim. The vast majority of the nations in the Arab League are: Sunni's. You, the Hamas terrorists are: Shiites.

Egypt has condemned your actions. So what makes you think that the head of the Arab League, who is a Sunni Egyptian, is going to support you? Try this one on for size, even Osama bin Laden hates the Shiites. I am afraid you will have to get used to being isolated from your fellow brethren.

Sincerly,
PR
Posted by: Poison Reverse || 12/31/2008 17:51 Comments || Top||

#7  "Arabs have forsaken Gaza"

From your lips to Allan's ear....
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 12/31/2008 18:50 Comments || Top||

#8  PR- HAMAS is Sunni. Descended from the Muslim Brotherhood, also Sunni.

They get a majority of their support from Shia Iran, but that just shows you that the religious divide is by no means exclusive.
Posted by: Free Radical || 12/31/2008 19:27 Comments || Top||

#9  "There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad" - HAMAS charter
Posted by: bradeous || 12/31/2008 20:08 Comments || Top||

#10  Free,

When I make statements about Hamas, I am referring to the Hamas leadership. The Hamas leadership that are exiled is Shia and so are the leadership of Hezbollah. My statements are based on the history of the rift between Sunni and Shia.

But you are correct in that Hamas members in Gaza are a majority of Sunni due to the fact the Palestine territories are 98% Sunni. In the Gaza strip, Hamas leadership is able to recruit plenty of Sunni's because the Hamas leadership provides jobs, food, clothing, and medical help as long as the Sunni recruits are willing to Jihad against the so-called Zionists. If you Jihad against Israel, your family will be well rewarded.

The history of hatred will always be there, between the two groups. This just happens to be a marriage of necessity.
Posted by: Poison Reverse || 12/31/2008 20:29 Comments || Top||

#11  PR, you are incorrect on a few points:
1) Hamas leadership IS Sunni, not Shia,
2) Hamas wants to overcome the shame of losing to Joos,
3) Hamas sees Shia Hezbollah fight and chase out the IDF,
4) Hezbollah and Hamas start to work together to kill more Joos,
5) Iran offers Hamas EVERYTHING (remember the Karine A?) they need as long as they kill Joos.
6) Hamas accepts Shia help because they think it will help them kill more Joos.

The 'joining' factor here is kiling Joos, beloved by both Shia and Sunni.
Posted by: A_Rovian_Desciple || 12/31/2008 21:59 Comments || Top||


IAF hits Gaza mosque storing rockets
The IAF continued its assault on Gaza terrorist targets on Wednesday afternoon, bombing a Gaza City weapons depot mosque and destroying a large number of rockets hidden inside. Channel 10 reported that the IAF had received high-level orders to hit the weapons depot mosque after Hamas terror operatives had run there with several rockets and Grad-type missiles.

On Wednesday morning, the IAF struck targets in the northern Gaza Strip. Most of the attacks were reportedly directed against rocket launchers that were being used in the intense bombardment of southern Israel during the day, while one strike was said to target a senior member of the Islamic Jihad. The Islamic Jihad commander was reportedly killed in the airstrike, in the southern Gaza town of Khan Yunis.
Excellent!
Gaza officials put the death toll at more than 390 dead and 1,600 wounded since Operation Cast Lead began on Saturday. Hamas said some 200 uniformed members of Hamas security forces had been killed, and the UN reported that at least 60 Palestinian civilians had died.

Meanwhile, Israel said it would allow 2,000 tons of food and medical supplies to enter Gaza on Wednesday, in addition to 4,000 tons the military says have been allowed in since the offensive began. Several dozen chronically ill and wounded Gazans were also authorized to enter Israel for treatment Wednesday, the military said.
No, no, no. Don't send mixed messages. The message has to be this: since Hamas doesn't care about its people and uses them only as hostages and shields, Israel also will refuse to care about them. That is cruel but it's the only message that the Paleos will understand.
Also Wednesday, the air force attacked Hamas installations and government buildings in the Gaza Strip, including the office of the organization's prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh.
Anybody seen Ismail lately?
It was the second time that Haniyeh's office had been targeted and the army said that the building was being used "as a center for the planning, support and financing of terrorist activities against Israel." The office of the Hamas Interior Ministry, located in the same area of Gaza City, was also attacked.

The army said that the IAF had attacked 35 additional targets overnight, including tunnels in the Rafah border area, weapons storage facilities, Hamas outposts and an armed rocket launcher. Navy forces also attacked a number of targets in the Gaza Strip, including Hamas outposts, training camps, guarding vessels used by Hamas naval forces and launching posts used to fire rockets at Israel.

"The IDF will continue its mission, attack the infrastructure and buildings that Hamas is using," the army said "and will operate against terrorist organizations and anyone who provides support to terrorism."

Earlier Tuesday night, the air force bombed the launcher of the Grad-model rockets that were fired at Beersheba, as well as the cell responsible for the attacks. The army said it successfully hit its target.

Palestinians said that a medic was killed and two others were wounded when a missile landed next to their weapons hauler ambulance during a clash east of Gaza City. The IDF said it was not aware of the incident.

Palestinian sources said that some 390 people had been killed since the beginning of Operation Cast Lead on Saturday.
This article starring:
Ismail Haniyeh
Posted by: || 12/31/2008 12:57 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic Jihad

#1  Hole-iest place in Islam?
Posted by: Darrell || 12/31/2008 13:43 Comments || Top||

#2  They're workin on it...
Posted by: tu3031 || 12/31/2008 14:02 Comments || Top||

#3  Several dozen chronically ill and wounded Gazans were also authorized to enter Israel for treatment Wednesday, the military said.
No, no, no. Don't send mixed messages.


But how else are the Israelis to rescue their informants, Dr. Steve? Not all the targetting coordinates could have come from the Gaza telephone book.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/31/2008 14:47 Comments || Top||

#4  Also, "medical treatment for critically ill patients" is a great cover for bringing in the Fatah officials that will need to be briefed about their role in the cleanup operations after this bombing campaign is done. More than one reliable source has pointed out that it is in Fatah's naked self-interest to aid the Israeli assault, and Fatah does have lots of eyeballs on the ground to locate high value hidden targets for the IAF.
Posted by: Shieldwolf || 12/31/2008 17:29 Comments || Top||

#5  YouTube
Weapons Hidden in Mosque Neutralized by Israel Air Force 31 Dec. 2008
Posted by: tipper || 12/31/2008 20:27 Comments || Top||


Israel systematically destroying Palestinian Space Program
Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC || 12/31/2008 12:27 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Didn't they go after Werner Von Braun yesterday? The guy that stored his missiles in his garage?
Posted by: tu3031 || 12/31/2008 14:46 Comments || Top||


Hamas broadens rocket scope to Gedera, constant barrage
IAF has revised its estimate of Hamas missile stocks destroyed down from 50% to 10-15%. This means that their remaining stock is more like 8,000 than 6,000, including at least 100 long-range extra-punch Grad rockets. They can therefore keep up a high level of firing for around 80 days.
An improved Grad rocket landed on open ground in the Yoav Council region, location of the towns of Beersheba, Kiryat Malachi, Ofakim and Netivot as well as Kiryat Gat, the only town not targeted by a Hamas rocket so far. But the Lachish region east of Kiryat Gat was.

Gedera, some 35 km from the Gaza Strip, reported a hit later. On Day 5 of the Gaza conflict, Wednesday, Dec. 31, Hamas loosed a massive hail of rockets and missiles every few minutes. They claimed 9 Grad rockets had been fired. DEBKAfile's military sources attributed the clear signs of Hamas recovery to three causes:

1. Heavy rain and mist over the region which limited visibility and inhibited Israeli air force action against missile sites in Gaza.

2. Hamas had restored its chain of command for organizing and directing missile squads and stepping the tempo of launches. Its leaders are still hiding underground.

3. By Tuesday, Hamas had managed to transport large quantities of missiles from underground caches to firing positions near the Israeli border.

Belatedly, by Tuesday night, the Israeli war command appreciated its error in omitting to launch the IDF ground operation Monday, Day 3 of the Gaza offensive. Instead of opening up then with a limited incursion that would evolve into a broad ground operation, Israeli leaders wasted precious time in futile discussions on international demands for a ceasefire, which had no chance of holding up.
I don't recall that at all. In fact, I recall news reports saying that the Israelis weren't interested in a ceasefire.
Defense minister Ehud Barak, instead of running the war, spent hours on the phone with French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner, before he, prime minister Ehud Olmert and foreign minister Tzipi Livni, finally agreed that the French 48-hour truce proposal was unrealistic.

Now, Israeli tanks and armored forces will have to wait for the weather to clear while watching Hamas broaden its swathe of attacks.

Wednesday, Hamas fired 35 missiles and rockets in two and-a-half hours, striking targets in an area that stretched from relatively near locations like Sderot, Shear Hanegev and Ashkelon, to the farther 40 km-extremity of Beersheba, Ashdod, Yavne, up to the outer limits of the Yoav Council and finally Gedera.

DEBKAfile's military sources report that Hamas is suspected of having acquired rockets with a range of 50-55 km, bringing them ever closer to central Israel. They estimate that Hamas is holding this weapon in reserve for the potential Israeli ground incursion into the Gaza Strip. It is also disclosed that the Israeli air force mounted its second attack on the Philadelphi border zone's smuggling tunnels Tuesday, Dec. 30, after learning that Hamas had repaired some of the 40 tunnels first bombed Sunday.

The Air Force has revised its estimate of the quantity of Hamas missile stocks destroyed down from 50 percent to 10-15 percent. This means that their remaining stock is more like 8,000 than 6,000, including at least 100 long-range extra-punch Grad rockets. They can therefore keep up a high level of firing for around 80 days.
Posted by: lotp || 12/31/2008 09:16 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The first half of the article makes sense, the conlusions and recommendations don't, particularly the nonsense about waiting for the "weather to clear".

Sounds like the IDF is waiting for Hamas to expose themselves further - the better to target them on the ground.

Also, the "recovery" of Hamas seems a bit premature. The IDF didn't get a one punch knockout, and I doubt they expected one - they did get in a heavy first strike, and if they've learned anything in the past few years, they probably have steps 2-3-4 gamed out.

Sounds like they're ready and able to carry on unless the missile attacks drop to zero, which seems unlikely.
Posted by: Halliburton - Mysterious Conspiracy Division || 12/31/2008 10:22 Comments || Top||

#2  But if Israel's missiles are laser-guided (about which I have no idea), wouldn't they need clear weather to guide?
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/31/2008 12:58 Comments || Top||

#3  Depends on their design, tw. Some advanced US ordnance manage in all weather conditions.
Posted by: lotp || 12/31/2008 13:04 Comments || Top||

#4  I believe the majority of "smart" ordnance is guided by GPS (all weather). Laser guided munitions however, require an individual i.e commando units to paint the target in real time.
Posted by: bradeous || 12/31/2008 21:27 Comments || Top||


Rocket that struck Beersheba made in China, heavier than Qassam
"We are witnessing the expansion of the rocket fire emanating from Gaza to a radius of 30 - 40 kilometers (about 19 -- 25 miles)," the deputy commander of the IDF's Home Front Command said Wednesday.

Brigadier-General Avraham Ben-David told reporters that in light of the rocket attacks on Beersheba, all planned events with over 100 participants will be cancelled, including New Year's Eve parties. Referring to the rocket attack that severely damaged a Beersheba school earlier in the day, Ben-David said the IDF's decision to cancel classes in all of the Negev city's educational institutions "saved lives", adding that school will be out at least until the end of the week.

Ben Gurion University announced that it will also remain closed until the end of the week.

Addressing residents' claims that the city's bomb shelters are run down and uninhabitable, Ben-David said that on Monday the IDF instructed the local municipality to open all of the shelters and make certain that they are fit for use.

The army official said the rocket that struck the school in Beersheba was manufactured in China, is heavier than the Qassam and can "potentially cause much greater damage." He said the rocket contains metal pallets that can spread out across a radius of up to 100 meters (about 328 feet) from the point of impact.
Posted by: || 12/31/2008 09:06 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Yesterday I read where New Year's Eve fireworks (a popular New Orleans celebration method) sales are way down this year on account of the economy. And those things have got to be cheaper than 25-mile rockets. That must mean the Paleostinian economy is a lot better than New Orleans. And thus they clearly don't need international humanitarian aid any more.
Posted by: Glenmore || 12/31/2008 10:17 Comments || Top||

#2  DEATH TO IRAN !!!

DEATH TO HAMAS !!!

Don't forget to order your Mohammed Bomb-Head T-Shirt soaked in pigs' blood.

Islam = Satanism

Viva Israel !!!

Posted by: alohagator || 12/31/2008 10:21 Comments || Top||

#3  Oh look, a troll. Carve him gently, folks, it's the holiday ...
Posted by: Steve White || 12/31/2008 10:28 Comments || Top||

#4  The army official said the rocket that struck the school in Beersheba was manufactured in China

I'll remember that next time I see the Made in China label.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 || 12/31/2008 11:47 Comments || Top||

#5  An earlier article says these were Grad missiles, which would imply that they are Chinese copies.
Posted by: Zhang Fei || 12/31/2008 12:41 Comments || Top||

#6  "I'll remember that next time I see the Made in China label."

Heh, *everything* is made in China these days. Try going one month without buying anything made in China.
Posted by: crosspatch || 12/31/2008 20:15 Comments || Top||


Israel puts Gaza attack on YouTube
THE Israeli military has launched its own channel on video-sharing website YouTube, posting footage of air strikes and other attacks on Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.

A spokesman for the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it created the channel - youtube.com/user/idfnadesk - this week to "help us bring our message to the world".

The channel currently has more than 2000 subscribers and hosts 10 videos, some of which have been viewed more than 20,000 times. The black-and-white videos include aerial footage of Israeli Air Force attacks on what are described as rocket launching sites, weapons storage facilities, a Hamas government complex and smuggling tunnels.

One video shows what is described as a Hamas patrol boat being destroyed by a rocket fired from an Israeli naval vessel.

The IDF said that some of the videos it had posted to the channel had been removed by YouTube. "We are saddened that YouTube has taken down some of our exclusive footage showing the IDF's operational success in operation Cast Lead against Hamas extremists in the Gaza Strip," it said. "As the state of Israel again faces those who would see it destroyed, it is imperative that we in the IDF show the world the inhumanity directed against us and our efforts to stop it," it said.

There was no immediate response from YouTube about whether videos had been removed and, if so, the explanation for the move.
Posted by: tipper || 12/31/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Glad to see Israel taking the lead on the propaganda front this time. It's been sorely lacking. I guess they decided that people can't be trusted to figure it out all by themselves even if it's obvious after seeing the Obama win the election.
Posted by: gorb || 12/31/2008 4:59 Comments || Top||

#2  Okay Ship Lord K, Ima think they are getting it.
Posted by: .5MT || 12/31/2008 6:11 Comments || Top||

#3  youtube is a fine piece of work, they ake down the israeli vids but never the jihadi vids
Posted by: rabid whitetail || 12/31/2008 10:39 Comments || Top||


Hamas Grad launcher and launch team hit
IAF aircraft on Tuesday evening bombed the ground launcher that fired Grad rockets at Beersheba, as well as the terrorist cell responsible for the launch.

Military sources say that the targets were hit.
Posted by: mhw || 12/31/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


IAF pummels Gaza smuggling tunnels
IAF aircraft on Tuesday evening were bombing smuggling tunnels along the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt. Earlier, Al Jazeera reported that Egypt had closed the border crossing at Rafah for fear of an impending Israeli air strike.

The army confirmed that it was striking tunnels along the border.

Channel 10 reported that "many" jets were participating in the second wave of attacks on tunnels along the Gaza Egypt border near Rafah since Operation Cast Lead began on Saturday. On Sunday some 40 smuggling tunnels were bombarded by the air force.

Earlier Monday, the IAF struck two targets in Gaza City and the city of Khan Yunis, located in the south of the Strip. Army Radio reported that a Hamas police station was one of the targets. The IDF warned Gazans to leave their homes prior to the attacks.

Overnight Monday, at least 10 people were killed and 40 others wounded when IAF planes bombed a series of targets in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian sources said.

The IDF confirmed air strikes against dozens of targets in the central Gaza town of El-Bureij, near Khan Yunis, and in Gaza City. Hamas's Interior Ministry, Foreign Ministry and Treasury, and Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh's offices were amongst the targets, as well as police stations.
Posted by: Fred || 12/31/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Hamas

#1  Good hunting IAF!
Posted by: Mark Espinola || 12/31/2008 2:55 Comments || Top||

#2  I was wondering what magical technology the Israelis were going to employ to shut these things down. I guess it was a combination of "there is a tunnel every 10m" and "1000-lb JDAMS shut down everything within 50m" or something like that.
Posted by: gorb || 12/31/2008 5:05 Comments || Top||

#3  I don't believe that tunneling ground is very stable without lots of shoring. And I bet the tunnelers use as little as they can get by with. Big trucks driving by would probably collapse them. A Vibroseis line would do great - I bet Halliburton could do it.
Posted by: Glenmore || 12/31/2008 10:40 Comments || Top||

#4  Had the same thought Glenmore - bunker busters on time settings according to soil composition?
Posted by: swksvolFF || 12/31/2008 12:42 Comments || Top||

#5  How does that work, swksvolFF? I was thinking the 30 minute delay was to give anyone in any adjacent tunnels time to get out. It doesn't seem to me the delay would buy much effectiveness even if 10% of the blast energy escaped through the tunnel the bunker buster made. Am I thinking in the wrong direction?
Posted by: gorb || 12/31/2008 15:39 Comments || Top||

#6  Feeling a different vibe with Jan 20 on the horizon. Israel could have executed strikes such as these at will prior to now. It's about time.
Posted by: bradeous || 12/31/2008 20:40 Comments || Top||


Rockets strike Beersheba kindergarten
Palestinian terrorists on Tuesday night fired at least two rockets at Beersheba, adding some 250,000 residents of the largest city in the Negev into the ever-widening range of the rockets attacks. There were no reports of casualties in the attack but one of the rockets landed in a kindergarten, causing damage. Rescue forces were searching for the impact site of another rocket.

Meanwhile, one person was lightly wounded by shrapnel when two Grad rockets impacted in the center of Ashkelon. The rocket caused extensive damage was caused to nearby businesses and vehicles. Earlier, Hamas-fired rockets landed in Ashdod and Ashkelon, where two people were killed in attacks Monday.
Posted by: Fred || 12/31/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Hamas

#1  I saw some muslim guy on TV saying how the Kassams were so primitive compared to Israeli capabilities that he didn't know what all the fuss was about.
Posted by: gorb || 12/31/2008 5:08 Comments || Top||

#2  It would all depend on your space-time position.
Posted by: .5MT || 12/31/2008 6:16 Comments || Top||

#3  I'm not a human rights activist (praise be to Allan), but I'm pretty sure that attacks directed solely at civilian populations are considered war crimes, no matter the lameness of your equipment or excuses. If war crimes sounds a little harsh this early in the morning, then let's just call it attempted mass murder.
Posted by: SteveS || 12/31/2008 10:04 Comments || Top||

#4  According to the way the MSM is spinning this thing, it's only a war crime if the US or Isreal creates a civilian casualty with collateral damage.

Of course most of these knuckle dragging morons in the Islamofascist/Terrorist school of thought don't wear freaking uniforms so what's with reporting "civilian" casualties in the reports on this dust up?

When's the last time any of the "major" networks or Al-Jazerra West (CNN) even used the word terrorist to describe these nut jobs?

Isreal has a right to blast these monsters because they deliberately target soft targets such as schools, hospitals and residential areas.
Posted by: James Carville || 12/31/2008 11:31 Comments || Top||

#5  Hey, I take offense to that!
Posted by: Knuckle-dragging maroon || 12/31/2008 12:07 Comments || Top||

#6  NOT YOU........THOSE Knuckle Dragging Morons over THERE...(Pointing in the general direction of East)

Some people take offense too easily.

I was OBVIOUSLY not talking about any current residents of this website.....
Posted by: James Carville || 12/31/2008 17:54 Comments || Top||


Southeast Asia
Roadside bombs kill Thai soldier, six injured
A Thai soldier has been killed and six people including four troops have been injured in two separate roadside bomb blasts in Thailand's south, police say.

The first bomb exploded in Yala province on Tuesday night when three soldiers were on patrol. All were seriously injured and one later died in hospital, police said. The second bomb in the same district of the province injured two soldiers and two bystanders.
Posted by: ryuge || 12/31/2008 05:14 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Sri Lanka
Lankan troops take Paranthan
COLOMBO: Government troops have taken control a strategic town in northern Sri Lanka after weeks of heavy fighting around the area as the army continues its advance into rebel-held areas, military officials said Wednesday.

Paranthan, a town located 385 km north of the capital, was taken by troops Wednesday evening as Mi 24 helicopters provided air support to advancing troops. There were no details of any rebel casualties.

The army gaining control of the area is considered another major setback to the rebels of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) who are trying to defend their positions in two stronghold districts.

Security forces began their operation in August 2006 to recaputre rebel-held areas in the north.
Posted by: john frum || 12/31/2008 14:14 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  May this soon be finished.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/31/2008 14:44 Comments || Top||

#2  Anybody got a link to a decent map of Northern Sri Lanka?
Posted by: Grunter || 12/31/2008 20:39 Comments || Top||

#3  CIA World Factbook:

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ce.html
Posted by: Tom- Pa || 12/31/2008 20:49 Comments || Top||

#4  Also, Encarta has a decent map:

http://encarta.msn.com/map_701516701/Sri_Lanka.html
Posted by: Tom- Pa || 12/31/2008 21:28 Comments || Top||


Heavy clashes as Sri Lanka troops extend defense lines
(Xinhua) -- Heavy clashes have been reported in Sri Lanka's northern battle front as the troops extended their forward defense lines, Ministry of Defense said here Tuesday. "Heavy clashes have been reported between Army infantrymen and the terrorists in the North of Mulliyawali from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Monday as troop extended their forward boundaries further northwards. Intercepted terrorist radio transmissions have confirmed heavy damages to the terrorists during these clashes" a statement said.

The current military operations have forced the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels to be confined to a triangular shaped area edged by the A-9 road from the West, A-34 road from the South and the northeastern coastal belt, the ministry said.

Meanwhile the International Committee of the Red Cross and the military both said that some 17 dead bodies of soldiers were handed over by the rebels to the Army at Omanthai in the northern Vavuniya district on Monday night. The rebels have lost large chunks of territory in the current forward march by the military in the Kilinochchi and Mullaithivu districts, the last of the bastions for rebels in the island's north and east.
Posted by: Fred || 12/31/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Iranian 'students' set Benneton store on fire
I agree their ads slid into self-parody, but this is a bit extreme ...
A branch of the Italian clothing retailer Benetton was set on fire in Iran amid angry protests against the Israeli raids in the Gaza Strip, media reports said on Wednesday.

According to the conservative Iranian daily, Jomhuri Eslami, the shop in Dowlat Street, in the north of the capital Tehran, had been attacked by protesters on Tuesday. Benetton is said to be "linked with the Zionist network," a government newspaper said.

Several Benetton stores have opened in the past two years in Iran, where global brands have largely been absent since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Last year a group of prominent MPs protested against Benetton's presence in Iran, alleging that it was owned by a "Zionist millionaire" and that its fashions were a bad influence on female consumers
Posted by: || 12/31/2008 15:53 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  busy little beavers, aren't they?
Posted by: Frank G || 12/31/2008 16:01 Comments || Top||

#2  Gotta get their credits in for the quarterly commission statement, I guess.
Posted by: lotp || 12/31/2008 16:38 Comments || Top||

#3  Apparently the Benetton family once planned to open a plant in an Israeli settlement on the West Bank.
Link
Posted by: Darrell || 12/31/2008 16:58 Comments || Top||

#4  What I don't get is this: Benetton is a clothing store, right?

They sell Western clothing, right?

The kind Iranian women aren't allowed to wear, right?

How do they stay in business in Iran?
Posted by: Steve White || 12/31/2008 17:27 Comments || Top||

#5 

Mannequin in a Tehran Benetton store complete with mandatory headscarf

Iran MPs want to shut down Benetton stores
Posted by: john frum || 12/31/2008 17:35 Comments || Top||

#6  Thus proving the old adage that there is some good in everybody...
Posted by: tu3031 || 12/31/2008 18:06 Comments || Top||


Iranians attack Jordanian embassy, firebomb Saudi airline office in Teheran
Well, now we know how Nutjob will divert attention from the collapsing Iranian economy.
Good idea, Mahmoud, attack your fellow Muslims ...
Posted by: lotp || 12/31/2008 08:24 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Making friends and influencing people.
Posted by: mojo || 12/31/2008 10:27 Comments || Top||

#2  What the heck is that all about???

Me thinks the moslem world is going to be fighting amongst themselves.
Posted by: James Carville || 12/31/2008 11:12 Comments || Top||

#3  Of course it makes sense. The mullahs are trying to stir up revolt against the relatively pro-Western leaders in those countries. The Gaza is only the opening gambit it the long postponed conflict with a soon-to-be-nuclear-if-someone-doesn't-do-something Iran.
Posted by: lotp || 12/31/2008 11:31 Comments || Top||

#4  They would have gone after the US embassy but, well, you know, it's not there anymore.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 || 12/31/2008 11:53 Comments || Top||

#5  They would have gone after the US embassy but, well, you know, it's not there anymore yet.

Fixed - sadly I can see the Obambi administration placing another US embassy in Tehran..... to open up a conversation is all (and discuss terms of our surrender...).
Posted by: CrazyFool || 12/31/2008 11:59 Comments || Top||


Iranian-Canadian 'blogfather' in custody
The Iranian judiciary confirmed on Tuesday that a prominent Iranian-Canadian blogger is under arrest over remarks he allegedly made about key figures in the Shiite faith, local media reported. Hossein Derakhshan's "case is under preliminary investigation and he is in custody," the ILNA news agency quoted judiciary spokesman Ali Reza Jamshidi as saying. "Among the accusations, there are issues involving 'Aemmeh Athar' and some charges that have been made," Jamshidi said, referring to the 12 successors of the Prophet Mohammad who are central figures in Shiite Islam. The spokesman did not say when Derakhshan was arrested or where he was being held.

His highly political Internet diary, hoder.com, has not been updated since October 30 and some reports outside Iran said he had been arrested on November 1 shortly after arriving in Tehran on a private visit.

A conservative Iranian website said in November that Derakhshan had been arrested over suspicions of spying for Israel. Dubbed the Iranian "blogfather," Derakhshan, 34, sparked a revolution in blogging in the Islamic republic by posting precise instructions in 2001 on how to set up Persian-language blogs, which have burgeoned to around 70,000 in recent years.

Derakhshan visited Iranian archfoe Israel using his Canadian passport in 2006 and chronicled his experience on his Persian and English blogs, saying he sought to show Israelis and Iranians a different image of each country. "This might mean that I won't be able to go back to Iran for a long time, since Iran doesn't recognize Israel ... and apparently considers traveling there illegal. Too bad, but I don't care," he wrote in January 2006. "As a citizen journalist, I'm going to show my 20,000 daily Iranian readers what Israel really looks like and how people live there," he said.

Derakhshan worked as a journalist for Iran's reformist press in the late 1990s before moving to Canada, mainly writing about the Internet.

In the past, Derakhshan was strongly critical of Iran's conservatives but in the past year he has expressed support for hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his defiant stance against the West.

He has also criticized the positions of Israel and the United States on Iran's nuclear program, which they claim is a cover for a weapons drive, something Tehran strongly denies.

The blogger has also been critical of many Iranian reformists and human rights activists.

Derakhshan's blog is filtered by many Internet service providers in Iran, which has blocked access to more than 5 million Internet sites, whose content is perceived by authorities as immoral.

Several bloggers have been detained over their writings and on Tuesday the Iranian Parliament adopted legislation that imposes jail terms of up to two years and fines for those convicted of Internet crimes.

The offences include "spreading lies" which disturb the public mind as well as publishing and promoting pornographic material on the web, news agencies reported.

It also penalizes service providers who fail to filter material branded as illicit by a watchdog body.
Posted by: Fred || 12/31/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  What on earth drove Mr. Derakhshan to go back to Iran? Unless he went in on a false passport, it just makes no sense for him to expect to remain untouched.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/31/2008 15:11 Comments || Top||


Iranian students break into UK Embassy residence to protest Gaza strikes
Iran's official news agency says dozens of hardline students have broken into the British Embassy residence in Teheran. The IRNA agency says the students accuse Britain of supporting Israel's air assault on the Gaza Strip. The agency says the students stormed the compound Tuesday evening and pulled down the British flag. IRNA says the students then hoisted a Palestinian flag at the compound's entrance before police forced them to leave. The news agency says the break-in lasted about an hour and that the area is now calm. No injuries were reported. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband has called for an immediate cease-fire by both Israel and Hamas.
Posted by: Fred || 12/31/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  Hey, they can't do that, BARACK hasn't been sworn in yet [20 days]!

PRINCE > Uh, uh, Gonna Party Harty like its 1977???

Gut Nuthin - D *** IT, THATS TWICE!
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 12/31/2008 0:56 Comments || Top||

#2  They still don't get the concept of a diplomatic property.
Posted by: 3dc || 12/31/2008 1:56 Comments || Top||

#3  Just another excuse to act uncivilized. Can't pass those up, you know!
Posted by: gorb || 12/31/2008 5:06 Comments || Top||

#4  Damn Joe! Sometimes, I swear, sometimes.
Posted by: .5MT || 12/31/2008 6:19 Comments || Top||

#5  No worries, Jimmy Carter is on the case.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/31/2008 8:03 Comments || Top||

#6  Given the fact that, even by EU standards, UK is hostile to Israel...
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 12/31/2008 8:09 Comments || Top||

#7  Spot on Joe!
Posted by: DMFD || 12/31/2008 9:42 Comments || Top||

#8  the UK called for israel too quit the strikes why are they targeting them?
Posted by: rabid whitetail || 12/31/2008 10:41 Comments || Top||

#9  the UK called for israel to quit the strikes why are they targeting them?

Because they target those who won't fight back, and as Mr. Mendiola observed, Barack ain't in office yet.

Posted by: regular joe || 12/31/2008 11:45 Comments || Top||

#10  I got good news. Israel is not going to listen to Barack. Now that Israel has learned to win the media propaganda war, Israel doesn't need the U.S. Presidency to defend them around the world. Also, the Democrats wouldn't dare withholding funds or munitions to Israel. It will be political suicide.

This is a whole new day for Israel, a paradigm shift. From now on, Israel will do whatever is takes to defend her people. The only thing that can hurt Israel is, Israeli politics.
Posted by: Poison Reverse || 12/31/2008 12:50 Comments || Top||

#11  The sun set long ago on the British Empire.
Posted by: William Marcy Tweed || 12/31/2008 13:14 Comments || Top||

#12  As has been said many timess beforel the Isreali government should simply ignore "world opinion" and kill any, and all, people/governments tryiing to do them harm. Just sayin' (again), ya' know.
Posted by: WolfDog || 12/31/2008 14:34 Comments || Top||



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In no particular order...
Steve White
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Two weeks of WOT
Wed 2008-12-31
  Iranian 'students' attack Jordan, UK embassies, Saudi air office; threaten Egypt; burn Benneton store ...
Tue 2008-12-30
  Death toll in Gaza rises to 350; over 1,600 injured
Mon 2008-12-29
  Somali president resigns
Sun 2008-12-28
  230 killed as Israel rains fire on Hamas in the Gaza Strip
Sat 2008-12-27
  Israel Launches Unprecedented Series of Strikes on Gaza
Fri 2008-12-26
  Spokesman: Somali President not resigning
Thu 2008-12-25
  Pak in war frenzy; intensifies troop movement
Wed 2008-12-24
  Æthiops to withdraw all 3000 troops from Somalia by end of year
Tue 2008-12-23
  Pak air force on alert for Indian strike
Mon 2008-12-22
  Israel threatens major offensive against Gaza
Sun 2008-12-21
  Truce ends with airstrike on Gaza
Sat 2008-12-20
  Delhi accuses Islamabad of failing to deliver on promises
Fri 2008-12-19
  Guantanamo closure plan ordered
Thu 2008-12-18
  Johnny Jihad's Mom and Dad ask Bush to let him go
Wed 2008-12-17
  Life for doctor in Glasgow airport terror bid

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