On this day in history: April 20th
1828 René Caillié is first non-Muslim to enter Timbouctou.
1862 The first pasteurization test completed by Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard.
1902 Pierre and Marie Curie refine radium chloride.
1912 Opening day for baseball stadiums Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Michigan, and Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts.
1918 The Red Baron, shoots down his 79th and 80th victims marking his final victories.
1926 Western Electric and Warner Bros. announce Vitaphone, a process to add sound to film.
1945 Fuehrerbunker: Adolf Hitler makes his last trip to the surface to award Iron Crosses to boy soldiers of the Hitler Youth.
1972 Apollo 16 lands on the Moon.
HT: Atlas Shrugs
Tehran - Four American banks, including Citibank and Goldman Sachs, have applied for opening a branch in Iran, an Iranian daily has reported.
The banks made a formal request to the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) about 20 days ago to establish a branch in the country, the Jaam-e-Jam newspaper quoted an informed source as saying.
"If the CBI approves their request, these four banks will set up a temporary branch in an Iranian free trade zone," the source told Jaam-e-Jam, without revealing the names of the other two banks.
"If they can work according to Iran's banking law, they will be allowed to open branches in Tehran and other cities."
LONDON - An attempt by pirates in the Gulf of Aden to attack a Norwegian tanker has been foiled, a NATO spokesman said Sunday. Seven pirates tried to board the 80,000 tonne MV Front Ardennes overnight Saturday but fled when foreign ships approached. The would-be hijackers were then chased for seven hours by Canadian frigate Winnipeg, NATO maritime spokesman Commander Chris Davies said.
"Evinrude don't fail us now!"
The pirates were held and questioned but could not be charged with any offence because doing so was not within Canada's jurisdiction.
They launched their attack from a skiff but were foiled when a British Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel, the Wave Knight, arrived on the scene along with air support, Davies said. He gave no further details of the air support. The Winnipeg, on escort duty for the UN World Food Programme, also came to the scene.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/20/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
If you can't charge them, why can't you discharge them right into the sea?
(Some "accidental" skin cuts would help, too. Sharks must live)
Posted by: European Conservative ||
04/20/2009 9:35 Comments ||
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#2
The insanity continues. This is an example of International law at it's very best.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
04/20/2009 11:45 Comments ||
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#3
Pull up alongside them and tell them to heave to. If they don't, drop a couple of grenades in the boat and go back to what you were doing before. I'd suggest big grenades - about 10 pounds of explosive each. Or better yet, a depth charge...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/20/2009 14:04 Comments ||
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#4
Tag them with radio tags, like we do interesting sharks and such, so we can keep track of their movements. Strictly for the research value, of course.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Muslim gunmen shot dead two Coptic Christians as they left church after an Easter vigil in southern Egypt, in an apparent five-year-old vendetta, a security official said Sunday.
A third Copt was wounded in the attack Saturday night in Hagaza village, near the town of Qena, the official said, adding that police identified the four assailants who fled. "There is a vendetta between the family of the accused and the family of the victims. A member of the victims' family killed a relative of the accused in 2004," he said.
Vendettas between clans in southern Egypt often drag on for several years, at times with bloody results, despite the efforts of government-appointed mediators.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Muslim gunmen shot dead two Coptic Christians as they left church after an Easter vigil in southern Egypt, in an apparent five-year-old vendetta, a security official said Sunday.
Five-year-old vendetta? Not hardly. Try fifteen-century-old vendetta.
H/T Weasel Zippers
Anyone really, really think The One will do this?
The Obama administration is watching more than just pirates in Somalia. Officials have been tracking a Somali terrorist group and are weighing whether to strike some of its training camps. The fear is that the group, al-Shabab, could join forces with al-Qaida and target the U.S Everyone is now joining forces and targeting the U.S.
A senior government official tells NPR that because the U.S. military is worried about al-Shabab, all options are on the table -- including a military strike. The official said the most likely scenario would be an attack from the air, not boots on the ground. "Journalist" forgot to add, "Because our military is so over-extended between Iraq and Afghanistan
Until now, the group has concentrated its efforts in Somalia, but officials, including National Counterterrorism Center Director Michael Leiter, worry about al-Shabab's future intentions. "As a general matter, the focus has remained in Somalia. But I am not in a business where I am willing to bet the farm that it will remain that way," Leiter said in a speech before the Aspen Institute earlier this month.
The al-Shabab camps have a kind of open-door policy: They don't just train al-Shabab recruits; they will welcome anyone who arrives claiming to fight for jihad. Two recent suicide bombings targeting South Korean tourists in Yemen were linked to the al-Shabab camps.
Not everyone thinks a military strike will solve the problem.
"The calculus always has to be, on a military attack, are you better off after it than you were before," says Richard Clarke, the former National Coordinator for Counterterrorism.
If Mr. Clarke had done anything positive while he was the former 'National Coordinator', maybe we wouldn't be in this situation.
He had wanted the Clinton administration to bomb al-Qaida camps in Afghanistan years before the Sept. 11 attacks. "If the answer is no, you've made things worse for Americans in general, and you have raised the risk to the United States or United States embassy or United States citizens, then it is probably not something you want to do."
J. Peter Pham, a professor at James Madison University who has studied al-Shabab, also worries that if the U.S. decided to launch a military strike, it would backfire. Right now, he says, al-Shabab isn't particularly popular in Somalia, but a U.S. attack could change that. "A bombing run or other attack risks allowing them to wrap themselves up in the mantel of nationalism, and that might actually bring up the level of public support for them," Pham says.
The ones who are still alive, that is ...
Al-Shabab doesn't have widespread support in Somalia for a number of reasons. When the group tried to outlaw a narcotic called khat in one of the towns it controlled, for example, it sparked a riot. Al-Shabab responded by quietly rolling back its edict. The group also encountered resistance when it tried to make women completely veil themselves. They really tried to take the khat away? Dumber than I thought they were
The point is: Somalis like al-Shabab not for its ideas, but for the relative security it provides. Where al-Shabab seems to have developed a loyal following is among the Somali diaspora, including in the United States.
The State Department put al-Shabab on its list of terrorist organizations last year. Some critics say the listing ended up giving the group prestige it didn't deserve.
Al-Shabab means "The Youth" in Arabic, and in many ways, that describes the militia perfectly.
Sorta like how 'Taliban' describes those students ...
The members are young and portray themselves as a kind of jihadi hip. The recruiters who try to convince new soldiers to come into the fold look like young men who have just barely entered their teens, and the group's recruitment videos are filled with hip-hop music.
"We're simply fighting for the sake of Allah, and we're defending the religion of Allah," one young man says in a video. "We have a global mission. That's why America puts us number 41 in the terrorist list."
That's not a translation of an al-Shabab video -- it was actually produced in English, clearly for a Western audience. The FBI believes such videos -- along with recruiters on the ground -- helped convince some young Somali-Americans to join al-Shabab. At least two dozen young men from Minneapolis, which has the largest Somali community in the U.S., have gone missing over the past two years. Good guess
That raises another problem for U.S. planners mulling a military strike: If American citizens are on the ground, could they carry out a military attack? Killing American teenagers from Minneapolis could be a political nightmare.
Only if you fail to ask yourself why they were in Somalia in the first place ...
Whether or not there were any Minnesotians there, the claim would be, they were.
Back in 2002, a suspected American al-Qaida operative named Kamal Derwish was killed by a U.S. Predator strike in Yemen. The death was so controversial, the CIA and the military still haven't admitted that Derwish was killed that day.
I wouldn't admit it either. Let 'em keep guessing who did it.
#5
Who cares if we kill traitors in Somalia? I mean, if you take up arms for a hostile foreign power - whether a state or not - that is the kernel of treason. Used to be that we executed traitors, not coddled them.
#6
Bombing training camps is a short term politically motivated effort. Granted we need to shut them down, like cutting cancer out, but we need to attack the leadership and destroy them. We need to go after the financers and kill them, someone is paying for these camps and they are not Somalies. The problem with that is it is not politically tollerable to strike a wealthy family firm in Saudi. So our cowardly leaders continue to play "Wack Mole" and not hit the real targets!
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
04/20/2009 18:50 Comments ||
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#7
Someone is paying for the camps and for the youths to travel via the airlines to train for jihad. Somalis living legally as refugees from the UK and Australia have also disappeared and may have legit passports for re-entry, posing a national security threat. This is coordinated and needs shut-down, as camps will pop up elsewhere if the trail is not followed through.
#8
Back in 2002, a suspected American al-Qaida operative named Kamal Derwish was killed by a U.S. Predator strike in Yemen. The death was so controversial, the CIA and the military still haven't admitted that Derwish was killed that day.
I'm glad we were doing that. I hope we still are. As for the idiots who decided to take up jihad, by declaring war on us, they gave up the right to demand special protection. Kill them without mercy. I'm sure in the meantime someone has been tracing down calls to/from the U.S. from Somalia. Hopefully that will lead somewhere.
#9
If you look at pirate attacks last year and now this year, they have increased greatly. I would not be surprised if al Q got into the action, using Somali day laborerslocal fodder men as the muscle.
I agree with Pan. Cut off the head and the rest whithers away. We as a government do not have the will to do what needs to be done.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
04/20/2009 21:22 Comments ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] The United Arab Emirates arrested a suspect in the investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik al-Hariri, Al Arabiya TV reported on Sunday. Mohammed Zuhair al-Siddiq was arrested in the emirate of Sharjah and was being held by UAE security authorities, the TV report said, giving no more details.
An international court convened in The Hague in March to try suspects in the murder, four years after the politician's death. Lebanese authorities recently released on bail three men held in connection with the killing, but still hold four generals who were the commanders of Lebanon's pro-Syrian security establishment at the time.
The whereabouts of Siddiq, a former Syrian intelligence officer, have been unknown since March 2008 when he left France. Lebanon's prosecutors believed Siddiq had an indirect role in the Feb. 14, 2005, killing of Hariri and 22 others, and they charged him with murder in October 2005.
Continued on Page 49
This article starring:
Mohammed Zuhair al-Siddiq
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2009 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] A National Security Intelligence (NSI) field officer was arrested and placed on a two-day remand yesterday for allegedly hiring the 10 trucks that were supposed to carry the arms and ammunition seized at the CUFL jetty.
Meanwhile, Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Ltd (CUFL) former managing director (MD) Mohsin Talukder was placed on a two-day fresh remand and investigators got the permission to interrogate CUFL former general manager (GM) Enamul Haq at the jail gate in connection with the arms haul.
Ten truckloads of firearms and ammunition were seized at the CUFL jetty in the early hours of April 02, 2004 and two cases were filed in this connection later on.
Sources said arrested NSI field officer Akbar Hossain Khan, now serving as a field officer at NSI Gulshan circle, reportedly hired the 10 trucks under the fake name of NSI field officer 'Abul Hossain' to carry the deadly weapons.
Akbar Hossain was interrogated Saturday after owner and manager of the transport agency, which provided the trucks, made statements before a magistrate.
Habibur Rahman and Taslim Mallick--owner and manager--of Greenways transport agency in their statements before the Court of Metropolitan Magistrate Kiron Chandra Roy on April 12 said NSI field officer 'Abul Hossain' hired the trucks from them saying he would transport salt.
Following their statements the investigators Saturday interrogated Akbar Hossain as well as Assistant Director (AD) Mohammad Ali Chowdhury of NSI Gulshan circle (the then AD of NSI, Chittagong) at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Chittagong divisional headquarters in Dampara Police Lines.
Since Akbar Hossain continued to deny his involvement in the matter Habibur Rahman was brought in to identify him as the person who hired the trucks. The CID arrested Akbar after receiving clearance from higher authorities.
NSI AD Mohammad Ali Chowdhury, who gave statement under 161, was kept under close vigilance and he might be called for further interrogation later, said investigation officer of the case Muniruzzaman Chowdhury, senior ASP of CID, Chittagong division.
Akbar Hossain was produced before the Court of Metropolitan Magistrate Abu Hannan with a five-day remand prayer yesterday afternoon.
The investigators also produced CUFL former MD Mohsin Talukder and former GM (administration) Enamul Haq before the same court with a prayer for five-day fresh remand for each.
The court placed Mohsin on two days' fresh remand and permitted investigators to interrogate Enamul at the jail gate.
The CUFL former MD and GM were placed on a three-day remand each on March 17. The former CUFL officials were reportedly not cooperating with the investigators during questioning.
They were arrested after former CUFL assistant security officer made a statement before a magistrate on March 12.
Meanwhile, nine more Bangladesh Navy officers, who were serving in Bangladesh Coastguards on deputation early 2004, appeared for questioning yesterday.
With them, a total of 26 Navy men including officers and crew, out of listed 38, were questioned in connection with the sensational Chittagong arms haul case.
The IO of the case said some of the 26 former Coastguards men who had been interrogated earlier might be called again for further questioning.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2009 00:00 ||
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Police arrested a "top leader" of the banned militant group Jamaat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh from Jhaldhaka Upazila in Nilfamari on Sunday, reports bdnews24.com. The arrestee was identified as 25 year-old Moshiur Rahman. The police seized a mass of literature on jihad and militant activities during the arrest.
"He is a top JMB figure in the region of greater Rangpur and Dinajpur area," said M Rashedul Islam, acting police superintendent of Nilfamari district. "He runs all operations in the region and is responsible for distributing jihadi CDs and leaflets," said Islam.
JMB operatives arrested from December 2008 to March 2009 from the same region named Moshiur Rahman as their chief in confessional statements, said the SI.
Jhaldhaka police chief Norendranath Sarkar said they would request 10 days to question the suspect. "Crucial information on JMB operations may come out during the interrogation," he said.
This article starring:
Moshiur Rahman
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04/20/2009 00:00 ||
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Dozens of suspected members of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), a group seeking Islamist coups in Central Asian countries, have been arrested in Tajikistan since 2009 on suspicion of terrorism and coup plotting, a senior security official said. "I can't name the exact number of the IMU members who have been arrested, but there are dozens of them," Abdullo Nazarov, deputy chairman of Tajikistan's State Committee for National Security, told reporters.
Nazarov said the IMU had split up into three parts - the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the Islamic Movement of Turkestan, and a group that allegedly joined Al Qaeda. The latter is led by Tohir Yoldashev, an Uzbek citizen who has taken leadership of the IMU as well and had declared a jihad on the Uzbek government, the official said. "IMU members whom we have arrested claim that Yoldashev is alive," Nazarov said.
The IMU has its headquarters in Kandahar, Afghanistan, and is chiefly active in the Fergana Valley of Uzbekistan but IMU militants are quite often arrested in neighboring Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
A Tajik military training ground 50 kilometers from the capital Dushanbe was the site of a Shanghai Cooperation Organization anti-terrorism military exercise whose final phase ended on Saturday. Uzbekistan, though an SCO member, refused to take part in the exercise, which brought together the organization's other members - Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and China.
Director of National Intelligence
Washington, DC 20511
Apr 16 2009
Dear Colleagues:
Today is a difficult one for those of us who serve the country in its intelligence services. An article on the front page of The New York Times claims that the National Security Agency has been collecting information that violates the privacy and civil liberties of American citizens. The release of documents from the Department of Justices Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) spells out in detail harsh interrogation techniques used by CIA officers on suspected al Qaida terrorists.
As the leader of the Intelligence Community, I am trying to put these issues into perspective. We cannot undo the events of the past; we must understand them and turn this understanding to advantage as we move into the future.
It is important to remember the context of these past events. All of us remember the horror of 9/11. For months afterwards we did not have a clear understanding of the enemy we were dealing with, and our every effort focused on preventing further attacks that would kill more Americans. It was during these months that the CIA was struggling to obtain critical information from captured al Qaida leaders, and requested permission to use harsher interrogation methods. The OLC memos make clear that senior legal officials judged the harsher methods to be legal, and that senior policymakers authorized their use. High value information came from interrogations in which those methods were used and provided a deeper understanding of the al Qaida organization that was attacking this country. As the OLC memos demonstrate, from 2002 through 2006 when the use of these techniques ended, the leadership of the CIA repeatedly reported their activities both to Execute Branch policymakers and to members of Congress, and received permission to continue to use the techniques.
Those methods, read on a bright, sunny, safe day in April 2009, appear graphic and disturbing. As the President has made clear, and as both CIA Director Panetta and I have stated, we will not use those techniques in the future. I like to think I would not have approved those methods in the past, but I do not fault those who made the decisions at that time, and I will absolutely defend those who carried out the interrogations within the orders they were given.
Even in 2009 there are organizations plotting to kill Americans using terror tactics, and although the memories of 9/11 are becoming distant, we in the intelligence services must stop them. One of our most effective tools in discovering groups planning to attack us are their communications, and it is the job of the NSA to intercept them. The NSA does this vital work under legislation that was passed by the Congress. The NSA actions are subject to oversight by my office and by the Justice Department under court-approved safeguards; when the intercepts are conducted against Americans, it is with individual court orders. Under these authorities the officers of the National Security Agency collect large amounts of international telecommunications, and under strict rules review and analyze some of them. These intercepts have played a vital role in many successes we have had in thwarting terrorist attacks since 9/11. On occasion, NSA has made mistakes and intercepted the wrong communications. The numbers of these mistakes are very small in terms of our overall collection efforts, but each one is investigated, Congress and the courts notified, corrective measures taken, and improvements are put in place to prevent reoccurrences.
As a young Navy officer during the Vietnam years, I experienced public scorn for those of us who served in the Armed Forces during an unpopular war. Challenging and debating the wisdom and policies linked to wars and warfighting is important and legitimate; however, disrespect for those who have serve honorably within legal guidelines is not. I remember well the pain of those of us who served our country even when the policies we were carrying out were unpopular or could be second-guessed.
We in the Intelligence Community should not be subjected to similar pain. Let the debate focus on the law and our national security. Let us be thankful that we have public servants who seek to do the difficult work of protecting our country under the explicit assurance that their actions are both necessary and legal.
There will almost certainly be more media articles about the actions of intelligence agencies in the past, and as we do our vital work of protecting the country we will make mistakes that will also be reported. What we must do is make it absolutely clear to the American people that our ethos is to act legally, in as transparent a manner as we can, and in a way that they would be proud of if we could tell them the full story.
It is my job, and the job of our national leaders, to ensure that the work done by the Intelligence Community is appreciated and supported. You can be assured the President knows this and is supporting us. It is your responsibility to continue the difficult, often dangerous and vital work you are doing every day.
India launched an Israeli-built spy satellite on Monday in order to improve surveillance following the Mumbai massacre. The 300-kilogram RISAT 2 was launched by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle rocket from the Sriharikota launch site, 90 kilometers north of the southern city of Chennai, AFP reported.
The purchase of the satellite was accelerated after the November 2008 terror attacks, which killed 165 people.
"It has been successfully placed in the orbit 20 minutes after lift off this morning," G. Padmanabhan, a scientist from India's Space Research Organisation told the news agency.
#2
If it's sun-synchronous (I.E., it covers the earth at near-noon local time in each pass), it's a dedicated imint satellite. If it's NOT sun-synchronous, there are all kinds of interesting things it could be. Either way, it's probably a multiple-use satellite, capable of providing imint, sigint, comint, and maybe a few other things best left to the imagination.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/20/2009 14:23 Comments ||
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I would be prefer if it were like the satellite in James Bo,d's "Diamonds are for ever"
Secretariat police arrested a man outside Bari Imam's shrine Saturday night for carrying 250kg explosive material, 20 crackers and 12 detonators. An FIR was registered against the terror suspect, Majid Hussain Shah, under the Explosive Acts. Police said the suspect couldn't justify possession of explosive material. They said the suspect was being interrogated.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2009 00:00 ||
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Two US drone-fired missiles levelled a Taliban compound in South Waziristan on Sunday killing three people, officials said. "It was a drone attack," local administration official Shahab Ali Shah told AFP. The official said the missiles hit a house in Gangi Khel area on the outskirts of Wana, the main town of South Waziristan Agency.
Another official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the attack targeted a Taliban hideout. Five others were wounded, the official added. "There was no immediate report of any high-value targets."
Residents said the attack flattened the compound and destroyed a vehicle parked nearby. "My Beemer! You bastards!"
"It was a fortress-type house owned by local tribesman Muhammad Wali, there were about a dozen rooms," his neighbour Roshan Khan told AFP.
One missile hit a 'Shashpai', or six-wheeler truck, which was apparently loaded with explosives, he said. "The truck exploded with a loud bang and the smell of explosives filled the area," he said. "I am standing 500 metres away but the smell is intolerable."
Khan said he saw no casualties and Taliban who had surrounded the house gave no figure. Haji Gul Zaman, who lives just outside Zari Noor village, told the Associated Press he heard two blasts and saw plumes of smoke rising from the area.
Trucks carrying Taliban raced toward the scene, Zaman said. But Reuters quoted local residents as saying the compound was empty as the Taliban had left it hours before the strike. "The drones were flying last night and we saw those living in the house leaving in the dark," said villager Kaleem Wazir.
South Waziristan is a stronghold of Pakistan's top Taliban commander, Baitullah Mehsud, who recently threatened to avenge missile strikes with attacks across the country and in the United States.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
why not have a second drone waiting for the trucks of talibunnies too come in, change up the strategy just a little bit every once in awhile
#7
Lawn darts? It'll give the talikiddies toys to play with too.
Posted by: ed ||
04/20/2009 13:24 Comments ||
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#8
Follow it by an ARCLIGHT strike. They'll NEVER rush to another drone attack, ever. Kinda hard on the neighbors, but that's what happens when you let the local hoods move in.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/20/2009 14:27 Comments ||
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Jets and helicopters attacked suspected Taliban bases in Orakzai Agency on Sunday, killing 15.
The air assault near Ghiljo area followed a claim of responsibility by Taliban leader Hakeemullah Mehsud for Saturday's suicide attack on a security checkpost and convoy in the nearby town of Hangu. "We received information about the presence of militants in the surrounding hills," a senior military officer told AFP on condition of anonymity. "We engaged jets and helicopters and at least four Taliban bases were destroyed in the bombing and shelling," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Much better to be killed by Pak military than American drones. I just can't remember why.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
04/20/2009 11:49 Comments ||
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#2
It saves the US taxpayer the cost of a Hellfire?
Posted by: ed ||
04/20/2009 12:00 Comments ||
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At least two people were killed and another injured in a gunfight between Taliban and the operatives of Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) in Mamond tehsil of Bajaur Agency on Sunday. The reason for the clash -- that occurred in Meena area of the tehsil -- could not be ascertained. The two outfits agreed to a ceasefire mediated by a Mamond tribe jirga.
Taliban spokesman Mulvi Umar confirmed the report while talking to reporters from an undisclosed location. He said the Taliban would not allow anyone to display weapons in Mamond tehsil in accordance with their peace deal with local tribal elders, and that they had held 60 people so far for displaying weapons.
Rizwan, a TNSM leader and son of Sufi Muhammad -- said the incident was a result of a misunderstanding. Some differences had emerged between the TNSM and the Mamond tribe, he said, and a jirga is trying to resolve them.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2009 00:00 ||
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A suicide bomber wearing an Iraqi military uniform struck a U.S. military delegation visiting the mayor of violence-wracked Baqouba on Monday, injuring at least eight American soldiers and nine others.
Police officials claimed the attacker was disguised as a soldier a tactic used in the past to pass through checkpoints but U.S. forces have faced attacks from actual members of the security forces as well.
In February, two police officers opened fire on U.S. soldiers in the northern city of Mosul, killing one and raising worries about insurgent infiltration in security forces.
The Baqouba attack occurred as a group of Iraqi officials, led by Mayor Abdullah al-Hiyali, waited at the main gate of the municipal building to greet the U.S. soldiers, said Raad al-Dahalaki, the deputy mayor.
"When the U.S. soldiers left their vehicles and started to walk toward the building, a man wearing a military uniform mingled with the crowd of U.S. soldiers and Iraqi policemen and set off the explosion," said al-Dahalaki.
The U.S. military said at least eight soldiers were wounded in the blast. Iraqi security officials said at least nine civilians were also hurt. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media.
Posted by: ed ||
04/20/2009 12:20 ||
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KIRKUK, IRAQ - Iraqi security forces have arrested four children who were recruited by Al-Qaeda to carry out suicide attacks in and around the northern city of Kirkuk, an army general told AFP on Sunday.
Leftist international 'human-rights' groups to denounce al-Qaeda for recruiting children in 5 .. 4 .. 3 ..
Special forces units have arrested an organisation of children consisting of four individuals under the age of 14 who call themselves the Birds of Paradise, General Abdelamir al-Zaidi said. The group relies on children and is connected to Al-Qaeda. It works to recruit children and young people to carry out suicide attacks and to aid the terrorist groups in detonating roadside bombs, he said.
The name of the group likely comes from the traditional Islamic belief that when children die they become birds in paradise.
The children were arrested west of Kirkuk, the main oil hub in northern Iraq that is the subject of a long-standing dispute between Baghdad and the autonomous Kurdish region and has seen several recent attacks. Zaidi said security forces are still investigating the group and have arrested other suspects, but he declined to give further details because of the secrecy of the operation.
Another Iraqi officer said the existence of the childrens unit proves Al-Qaeda is losing ground. This is a new method and it is the method of someone who is losing the war, the officer said on condition of anonymity. Their infrastructure is being destroyed and their leaders are being arrested and killed... They are sending a message that we are still here, but we have to rely on every method to carry out our terrorist operations.
US and Iraqi forces launched a major operation in and around Kirkuk last week after a car bomb exploded next to a bus carrying police through the city, killing ten policemen and wounding more than 20.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/20/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Yeah, I'm sure the MSM will be all over this one.
An ancient Chinese tale relates that when a walled city under attack sent its children out to do battle with the enemy, the enemy commander ordered a pull-back. When asked why, he answered that a people that would sacrifice its children was doomed, and it would only be a matter of time before the city fell. And the city fell.
Hamas directed gunmen to eliminate political opponents and suspected collaborators under the cover of Israel's military offensive in Gaza, killing 32 people and wounding dozens in such attacks since December, an international human rights group said Monday. Figure seems low. Hamas bumped off more than that just during Cast Lead. But WTH, it's a start in the right direction for HRW.
The New York-based Human Rights Watch urged Gaza's Hamas rulers to halt what it described as a pattern of arbitrary arrests, torture and summary executions by the Islamic militant group.
I'm amazed HRW noticed ...
Human Rights Watch portrayed the attacks as the worst outbreak of internal violence since Hamas violently seized control of Gaza in June 2007 and expelled rivals in the more moderate Fatah movement of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who now controls only the West Bank.
Such practices are aimed, in part, at quashing dissent in Gaza and make a mockery of Hamas' claim it upholds the law, the group said. During the war, "Hamas authorities ... took extraordinary steps to control, intimidate, punish and at times eliminate their internal political rivals as well as persons suspected of collaborating with Israel," the report said.
Eighteen Palestinians were killed by Hamas-linked gunmen during the three-week war, which ended Jan. 18, and 14 others were killed afterward, the report said. In addition, 49 Gazans were shot in the feet legs by masked gunmen between Dec. 28 and Jan. 31, and 73 had their arms or legs broken, the report said, citing a rights group linked to Abbas.
Posted by: ed ||
04/20/2009 12:23 ||
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#1
HRW just seemed too notice when the MSM is not really paying that close attention too Israel and the Paleos fighting
It was cold in Gaza, we were working the nightwatch out of Gunshot Wounds to the Feet division...
In the evening of Thursday, 16 April 2009, gunmen wearing headscarves of the Izz Addin al-Qassam Brigades -- the military wing of the Hamas Movement -- fired at, and injured, three civilians in Jabalia town in the north of the Gaza Strip. Who did this to yas?
Well they wuz wearing Izz Addin al-Qassam Brigades headscarves.
They say they don't know, sarge.
This incident is a part of the security chaos and misuse of weapons currently plaguing the occupied Palestinian territories. Yes, "currently"...
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights' (PCHR) investigations indicate that at approximately 21:30 on Thursday, 16 April 2009, gunmen fired at three young men near the al-Sultan apartment building in Jabalia Town. The three young men who sustained different injuries are:
Isma'il Mohammed Mousa Dardona, 30, who was wounded by six bullets to the feet and sustained shrapnel wounds;
Mus'ab Mohammed Ibrahim Dardona, 29, who was wounded by three bullets to his left leg and 10 shrapnel wounds throughout the body; and
Khaled Mohammed Mohammed Dardona, 30, who was wounded by three bullets to the feet.
Hmmmmm...it appears someone has "issues" with the Dardonas...
In addition, a bystander, Yousif Khamis Jneid, 24, was wounded in the feet by two bullets. Oooops, sorry, buddy. We'll have Haniyeh put you on the "Shaheed to be named later" list. Allahu akbar to you...
One of the wounded civilians, Khaled Dardona, said that gunmen wearing on their heads signs with "Izz Addin al-Qassam Brigades" fired at him and at his two companions from a distance of approximately 5 meters. There we wuz, mindin our own business...
Khaled told PCHR that he fled to a nearby pharmacy, while his companions fell to the ground and the gunmen continued to fire at them. Bullet riddled feets, don't fail me now...
He added that immediately after the incident, a white Land Rover arrived at the scene, and gunmen in civilian clothes stepped down from the car. The gunmen took him and Isma'il to the car and transferred them to the Kamal 'Odwan Hospital. Local civilians brought the third wounded civilian to hospital in a civilians' car. Trauma podriatist to the ER please.
Great! I thought I was gonna get laid off!
The full circumstances of the incident have not yet been clarified. It's a mystery, inside an enigma inside of...sumthin else.
Captain 'Atef al-Louh, Director of Jabalia Police Station, told PCHR that the police have opened an investigation into the incident. Police have checked the scene and taken testimonies from eyewitnesses; however, no significant conclusions have been reached. Mahmoud, check all the MO's we have involving guy's getting shot in the feet.
You're kidding, right, Captain?
PCHR notes with grave concern that this attack forms part of the security chaos and misuse of weapons plaguing the occupied Palestinian territories. PCHR calls on the authorities to continue investigations and to prosecute perpetrators and bring them to justice. We'll do our best. Wouldn't wanna let down the PCHR...
#7
I wonder how big the signs were. That's a fairly long name for an organization so I bet the signs were large. Heavy, too. Do they ever wear the sandwich-type signs? They could rent out ad space. "Mahmoud's Exploding Truck Service" for instance.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
04/20/2009 19:20 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Muslim gunmen shot dead two Coptic Christians as they left church after an Easter vigil in southern Egypt, in an apparent five-year-old vendetta, a security official said Sunday.
Police arrested a "top leader" of the banned militant group Jamaat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh from Jhaldhaka Upazila in Nilfamari on Sunday, reports bdnews24.com. The arrestee was identified as 25 year-old 
Dozens of suspected members of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), a group seeking Islamist coups in Central Asian countries, have been arrested in Tajikistan since 2009 on suspicion of terrorism and coup plotting, a senior security official said. "I can't name the exact number of the IMU members who have been arrested, but there are dozens of them," Abdullo Nazarov, deputy chairman of Tajikistan's State Committee for National Security, told reporters.
Two US drone-fired missiles levelled a Taliban compound in South Waziristan on Sunday killing three people, officials said. "It was a drone attack," local administration official Shahab Ali Shah told AFP. The official said the missiles hit a house in Gangi Khel area on the outskirts of Wana, the main town of South Waziristan Agency.
Hamas directed gunmen to eliminate political opponents and suspected collaborators under the cover of Israel's military offensive in Gaza, killing 32 people and wounding dozens in such attacks since December, an international human rights group said Monday.
