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US forces repel Taliban suicide assault, kill 22 Taliban fighters
Today's Headlines
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Good morning
Posted by: Fred || 07/04/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Happy 4th of July



Uncle Sam Sandwich

Daily Gam Shot

Gampede

Fife and Drum

CT Scan

Wrapping oneself in the Flag takes on a new meaning


Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC || 07/04/2009 1:02 Comments || Top||

#2  Happy Birthday

Luigina Lollobrigida aka Gina

Then

Now

Eva Marie Saint

Then

Now
Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC || 07/04/2009 1:05 Comments || Top||

#3 
Posted by: Unatle Unavimp4834 || 07/04/2009 1:25 Comments || Top||


#5  Happy Birthday, too, to the United States of America. Let us all repeat our vows to support and defend our nation from all enemies, foreign and domestic (I.E., our "president", Congress, Liberals, Democrats, and most college professors). Let us, too, swear to devote "our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor" to the continuation of a free, independent nation that honors individual freedom.
Posted by: Old Patriot || 07/04/2009 2:56 Comments || Top||

#6  Happy Independence Day.

It saddens me to say but the way your economy is being run. I think you might need another one soon!
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 07/04/2009 8:31 Comments || Top||

#7  We'll muddle through somehow, Bright Pebbles. We survived the great Franklin Delano Roosevelt... and Barack Hussein Obama is no FDR.

In the meantime, be upstanding, ladies and gentlemen, and let us drink to what has been and what is yet to come. Happy Fourth, y'all!
Posted by: trailing wife || 07/04/2009 9:20 Comments || Top||

#8  Dorothy's in for a nasty suprise when that rocket goes off!

Happy Independence Day, Rantburgers!
Posted by: Parabellum || 07/04/2009 10:45 Comments || Top||

#9  1776 - The Army is the Revolution!
Posted by: 3dc || 07/04/2009 12:00 Comments || Top||

#10  We'll muddle through somehow, Bright Pebbles. We survived the great Franklin Delano Roosevelt... and Barack Hussein Obama is no FDR.

Thanks for the encouragement, TW.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 07/04/2009 12:09 Comments || Top||

#11  Some amazing parallels.

Vid Here.
Posted by: Besoeker || 07/04/2009 12:16 Comments || Top||

#12  Had my Fourth today as the guest of a 5-star resort in the hinterlands of China. They invited me for a 500m swim competition - not only was I dead last, but I'm out of shape, my backstroke got turned around halfway through, and I barely finished. No way I was going to quit with all those eyes on me, though.
Posted by: gromky || 07/04/2009 12:47 Comments || Top||

#13  You were first from the other end, gromky dear. But really, you were being a gracious guest, not showing up your hosts, right? ;-)
Posted by: trailing wife || 07/04/2009 13:12 Comments || Top||

#14  We used to call her "Gina Lolapalooza"

(Pant,Pant, mouth hanging open)
Posted by: Redneck Jim || 07/04/2009 13:45 Comments || Top||

#15  I'd like yo get Gina under-da-bridge-ida.
Posted by: Deacon Blues || 07/04/2009 17:25 Comments || Top||


Afghanistan
US forces repel Taliban suicide assault, kill 22 Taliban fighters (Roggio)
US soldiers in eastern Afghanistan beat back a complex attack on a combat outpost by the Haqqani Network in Eastern Afghanistan.

The attack began as Haqqani Network fighters launched rockets and mortars at a small US base in the Zarok district in Paktika province. As the rockets and mortars were fired, a suicide bomber attempted to ram a truck packed with explosives into the combat outpost, but soldiers shot and killed the driver before he could penetrate the base. The attackers also fired assault rifles and machine guns during the assault.

Reports indicate that two US soldiers were killed during the attack. Quqnoos claimed the soldiers were killed when the suicide bomber detonated at the main gate. Other reports indicated the soldiers were killed during the mortar attack. The US military stated that two soldiers were killed during an IED attack, but it is unclear if they were killed during the attack on the base.

The US Army counterattacked with "with counter fire, close air support and attack helicopters," according to a press release. Ten Haqqani Network fighters were killed and one was detained, the US military said. The Afghan Interior Ministry put the number of terrorists killed at 22, while some reports put the number killed at more than 30.

The large number of enemy fighters killed during the counterattack indicates that an assault team was prepared to enter the combat outpost if the suicide bomber created a breach in the wall.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban in eastern Afghanistan, took credit for the attack. Mujahid claimed that more than 8,000 kg of explosives were used in the attack.

Today's attack was carried out by members of the Haqqani Network under the command of Mullah Sangeen Zadran. The assault force may have been backed up by the Shadow Army, or Lashkar al Zil, al Qaeda's paramilitary Army that operates along the Afghan and Pakistani border.
Posted by: Glenmore || 07/04/2009 15:45 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  8,000 kg x 2.2 lb/kg = 17,600 lb = big damned bomb.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike || 07/04/2009 17:29 Comments || Top||

#2  Mess with the best, die like the rest.
Posted by: gorb || 07/04/2009 17:31 Comments || Top||

#3  Ten Haqqani Network fighters were killed and one was detained, the US military said
I wonder if they first read him his Miranda rights, and if the poor dear will be treated gently.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia || 07/04/2009 18:25 Comments || Top||

#4  Rambler...Dude, don't laugh. It's about that stupid.
Posted by: anymouse || 07/04/2009 22:45 Comments || Top||

#5  Ten Haqqani Network fighters were killed and one was detained, the US military said. The Afghan Interior Ministry put the number of terrorists killed at 22, while some reports put the number killed at more than 30.

It sounds like the Afghan ability to count works both ways. Presumably the amount of explosives the Haqqani boyz brought is similarly off... although I expect they mistook the direction rather than just an order of magnitude. After all, both kilo and milli mean 1,000, right? Science is haaarrrrdd!
Posted by: trailing wife || 07/04/2009 23:36 Comments || Top||


U.S. offensive meets little Taliban resistance
U.S. Marines pushed deeper into Taliban areas of southern Afghanistan today, seeking to cut insurgent supply lines and win over local elders on the second day of the biggest U.S. military operation here since the American-led invasion of 2001.

On the other side of the border, U.S. missiles struck a Pakistani Taliban militant training centre and communications centre, killing 17 people and wounding nearly 30, Pakistani intelligence officials said. Both U.S. operations were aimed at what President Barack Obama considers as the biggest dangers in the region: a resurgent Taliban-led insurgency allied with al-Qaida that threatens both nuclear-armed Pakistan and the U.S.-backed government in Afghanistan.

The 4,000-strong U.S. force met little resistance today as troops fanned out into villages in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province, although one Marine was killed and several others were wounded the day before, U.S. officials said. Despite minimal contact, the Marines could see militants using flashlights late Thursday to signal one another about American troop movements.

Military spokesman Capt. Bill Pelletier said the goal of the Helmand operation was not simply to kill Taliban fighters but to win over the local population -- a difficult task in a region where foreigners are viewed with suspicion.
It's made more difficult by the knowledge that next year at this time the Marines are going to be somewhere else, whereas the Haqqani forces expect to be right where they are now.
Marines also hope to cut the routes used by militants to funnel weapons, ammunition and fighters from Pakistan to the Taliban. The new U.S. operation will test the Obama administration's new strategy of holding territory to let the Afghan government establish a presence in rural areas where Taliban influence is strong.
Haqqani is telling himself right now that the Marines are doing what the Russers used to do -- surging, then withdrawing to base.
As Operation Khanjar, or "Strike of the Sword," entered its second day, Marines took control of the district centres of Nawa and Garmser, and negotiated entry into Khan Neshin, the capital of Rig district, Pelletier said.

In Nawa, Marines met with about 20 Afghan men and boys, seeking to reassure them that the Americans wanted to protect them from the Taliban. "Are you going to enter our houses?" asked Mohammad Nabi, 25, who was there with five of his younger brothers. "We are afraid that you will leave, and the Taliban will come back."
Bingo.
They also complained that local police were thieves not to be trusted.

Marine officers promised not to enter homes and said they would remain in the area to keep out the Taliban.

One elder with a grey beard asked the Marines whether they would prevent residents from saying Muslim prayers. The troops assured him they would not.

In one village near Nawa, however, the atmosphere was tense. "When we asked if they had a village elder or mullah for the American commander to talk to, the answer was no," said Capt. Drew Schoenmaker, a Marine company commander. "It's fear of reprisal. Fear and intimidation is one thing the enemy does very well."

Taking territory from the Taliban has always proved easier than holding it. The challenge is especially great in Helmand because it is a centre of Afghanistan's thriving opium production, and drug profits feed both the insurgency and corrupt government officials.

On Wednesday, a British lieutenant colonel was killed in an explosion in Helmand. Lt. Col. Rupert Thorneloe, commander of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, was the highest-ranking British officer killed in Afghanistan.
Posted by: Fred || 07/04/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Taliban

#1  They will use Chechen tactics. That means ambush and infiltration. The latter tool commands use of suicide bombers. Ergo: response tactics must involve shoot-on-suspicion. Unfortunately, the Commander in Chief has ordered shoot-when-certain. That isn't going to stop field troops from wasting any approaching peasant looking type who disobeys lie down orders.
Posted by: Thrineque Lumplump8647 || 07/04/2009 22:16 Comments || Top||


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Nine Chechen police killed in Russia's Ingushetia
Nine Chechen policemen sent to crush an insurgency in the neighbouring Russian republic of Ingushetia were gunned down on Saturday, Interfax reported, intensifying the cycle of violence now unfolding in the region.

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov ordered his troops across the border into Ingushetia to avenge a suicide bomb attack against fellow Kremlin appointee in the region, Ingush leader Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, who is fighting for his life in hospital. The militants ambushed a convoy of Kadyrov's troops on Saturday, firing automatic weapons and grenade launchers in one of the deadliest attacks in the volatile North Caucasus region in recent years. The head of Chechnya's interior ministry, Ruslan Alkhanov vowed retribution for the ambush. "We will take all measures to hunt down and destroy these bandits," Itar Tass quoted him as saying.

The Chechen death toll may rise as 10 other policemen are being treated for severe injuries. The cars in the convoy, which was carrying 35 troops, were left burning as the Chechen troops scrambled to return fire into the surrounding forests, Itar Tass reported.

The June 22 suicide attack on the Ingush leader prompted Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to order Kadyrov to hunt down militants in Ingushetia, giving him a free hand to carry out military operations outside of Chechnya for the first time. "We will take no captives, we will destroy them. As long as they exist there will be blood," Kadyrov told Reuters after receiving permission for cross-border operations.

Kadyrov's harsh tactics have brought relative stability to Chechnya since he took power in 2007 after more than a decade of war. But fellow Kremlin appointees have failed to stem violence in neighbouring Dagestan and Ingushetia.
Posted by: ryuge || 07/04/2009 06:15 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Chechen Republic of Ichkeria


Russia to allow US arms transit to Afghanistan
Russia will allow the United States to ship weapons across its territory to Afghanistan, a top Kremlin aide said on Friday in a gesture aimed at bolstering US military operations and improving strained ties between Washington and Moscow. The deal is expected to be signed during US President Barack Obama's visit to Moscow next week, Kremlin Foreign Policy Adviser Sergei Prikhodko said. Russia has been allowing the US to ship non-lethal supplies across its territory for operations in Afghanistan and Kremlin officials had suggested further cooperation was likely.
Posted by: Fred || 07/04/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda

#1  While I am actually glad to see this I do wonder what we had to give the Russians in the deal. Ukraine?
Posted by: Glenmore || 07/04/2009 9:03 Comments || Top||

#2  Georgia
Posted by: Frank G || 07/04/2009 9:31 Comments || Top||

#3  Additional assurances from Barry on the Missile Defense Shield in Poland? The term 'something for nothing' is not in the RU lexicon.
Posted by: Besoeker || 07/04/2009 9:39 Comments || Top||

#4  The spiggot can be turned "on". The spiggot can be turned "off".
Posted by: borgboy || 07/04/2009 14:49 Comments || Top||

#5  Hmmm...was some secret assurance given on the Euro-Missile Defense plan?
Posted by: Thrineque Lumplump8647 || 07/04/2009 22:26 Comments || Top||


China-Japan-Koreas
Norks fire seven ballistic missiles
As noted by Frank in the comments below.
SEOUL, July 4 (Yonhap) -- North Korea test-launched seven ballistic missiles off its eastern coast on Saturday, South Korea said, in the latest provocation by the communist nation locked in a protracted stand-off with the U.S. and other global powers over its nuclear and missile programs.

The firing of the seventh missile that appears to be a scud type took place on the east coast at around 5:40 p.m., the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul said.

"It appears to be similar to the previous six missiles fired into the East Sea earlier in the day," a JCS official said, speaking on customary condition of anonymity.

North Korea fired two missiles toward the East Sea from the Gitdaeryong base near Wonsan, Gangwon Province, between 8:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., according to the JCS. It fired another one into the East Sea around 10:45 a.m., and three more at around noon, at 2:50 p.m. and at 4:10 p.m., respectively.

"All the missiles are estimated to have a range of 400-500km," another JCS official said, declining to be named and adding the military is analyzing the exact missile models.

Soth Korean officials did not rule out the possibility that what the North fired might have actually been Rodong missiles -- modifications of Scuds -- saying their flight distances may have been shortened deliberately. Rodong-type missiles have an estimated range of 1,000-1,500km and are able to reach many parts of Japan.

The North is believed to have up to 1,000 ballistic missiles alone -- including nearly 700 Scud missiles of various types and 320 Rodong missiles.

Earlier this week, the North fired a salvo of four KN-01 surface-to-ship missiles from the Sinsang-ni base, South Hamgyong Province, into the East Sea, adding to tensions already running high after the North's launch of a long-range rocket in April and its second nuclear test the following month.
Officials here noted the timing of the latest missile launch, which came on the eve of U.S. Independence Day.

"The missiles fired on July 2 were analyzed to be part of military drills, but today's missiles seem to have political purposes in that they were fired a day ahead of the U.S. Independence Day," a government official said.

South Korea's foreign ministry lashed out at the reclusive neighbor's ballistic missile launch, calling it a clear violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions that ban the communist nation from any activity related to a ballistic missile program. "It is a provocative act that clearly violates U.N. Security Council resolutions 1695, 1718, and 1874 that bar North Korea's every activity related to ballistic missiles," the ministry said in a statement. "The government expresses deep regret over North Korea's continued acts to escalate tensions in Northeast Asia in ignorance of the U.N. Security Council resolutions and urges North Korea to faithfully implement the resolutions," it added.

The authorities said, however, there is no sign of an imminent launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from either its eastern Musudan-ri base or the new Tongchang-ri base on its west coast.

Citing satellite photos, U.S. military officials said the North has not mounted an ICBM on a launch pad or injected fuel yet, a process that takes at least a week.

A British diplomat in Pyongyang also said the North is unlikely to fire an ICBM anytime soon. "We have seen no evidence as yet to state that there will be a launch in the next couple of days of an ICBM," Peter Hughes, the British ambassador to North Korea, said in a news conference with reporters in London via video link from Pyongyang.
Posted by: Steve White || 07/04/2009 11:17 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Plenty of money for rockets and goosestepping goons. Food for it's citizens, not so much.
Posted by: Besoeker || 07/04/2009 12:20 Comments || Top||

#2  If the North Korean government wants to commit suicide, just let one of those missiles hit an inhabited part of Japan. Japan will have 30 missiles capable of reaching North Korea within a week, each tipped with a nuclear warhead. The world will see Japan rearming with a vengence. That would be extremely bad for the Norks, who the Japanese have no fond memories anyway.
Posted by: Old Patriot || 07/04/2009 13:21 Comments || Top||

#3  opps these firings will force the food adjudication department to work overtime calculating new ratios for grass pebble soup....
sadly, this departments knowledge of the grass available, are based on last years statistics and cannot further does not account for the increased numbers of recipes for grass soups, recently invented by the breakthrough science depatment, production orders requesting delivery now......leaving the food adjudication department with an empty feeling in the stomach.
Posted by: Grerelet Bucket6078 || 07/04/2009 13:35 Comments || Top||

#4  Piss poor reporting, yesterday the news reported "No activity at NORK launch sites".
Posted by: Redneck Jim || 07/04/2009 13:39 Comments || Top||


N. Korea fires two Scud missiles
SEOUL, July 4 (Yonhap) -- North Korea test-launched two missiles off its eastern coast Saturday, the eve of U.S. Independence Day, in what South Korean officials viewed as a politically motivated move.

"North Korea fired two missiles, which appeared to be a Scud type, toward the East Sea from the Gitdaeryong base near Wonsan, Gangwon Province, between 8:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. today (Seoul time)," a South Korean government official said, requesting anonymity. "The missiles are estimated to have a range of 400-500km."

The official said the missiles which the North fired Saturday -- ground-to-ground ones -- are more dangerous than the four previous ones as they have a relatively long range among short-range missiles, enough to cover the entire South Korean area. "The missiles fired on July 2 were analyzed to be part of military drills, but today's missiles seem to have political purposes in that they were fired a day ahead of the U.S. Independence Day," he added.

North Korea is believed to have nearly 700 Scud missiles of various types.

The North has been preparing for the launch of new mid-range missiles and Scud missiles since early last month, according to the South Korean military authorities. The authorities, however, said there is no sign of an imminent launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile from either its eastern Musudan-ri base or a new Tongchang-ri base on its west.
Posted by: Steve White || 07/04/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Seven this morning. How's that waffle, assh*le?
Posted by: Frank G || 07/04/2009 9:02 Comments || Top||

#2  Unless their targeting systems have improved, Scuds go off-course about .02% per mile. They are only valuable against cities.
Posted by: Thrineque Lumplump8647 || 07/04/2009 22:32 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
New revelation in Kasab case
[Iran Press TV Latest] An eye witness says Pakistani gunmen Mohammed Ajmal Kasab and Abu Ismael used him as a 'human shield' to escape police at Mumbai's Cama Hospital.

Chandrakant Tikhe, who works as generator operator and liftman at the hospital told Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam at a special court hearing the Mumbai case on Friday that on November 26 2008, after hearing gunshots, he rushed to the hospital's terrace and came face to face with the gunmen.

According to Tikhe, the two men asked him the way to escape and when he told them that they could go down through the same staircase, they held a gun on his head and asked him to lead them downstairs.

He said that they had made him a 'human shield' while trying to escape from the police who were at that moment coming up the staircase.

When Kasab saw the policemen, he threw a hand grenade and there was an explosion. Tikhe said a splinter hit him in the neck and he was injured but managed to escape in the midst of smoke caused due to the explosion.

The witness also said that Kasab, the lone surviving gunman in the Mumbai terror spree, had also fired at police in which two personnel were injured and two others killed.
Posted by: Fred || 07/04/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Lashkar e-Taiba


Taliban commander was target of S. Wazoo dronezap
A drone strike targeting a stronghold of a close aide of Baitullah Mehsud killed around 12 Taliban in South Waziristan on Friday, said political administration officials. "The office of commander Mufti Noor Wali was targeted in the drone attack in ... Mochikhel area of Sarwakai tehsil, South Waziristan," said the political administration officials over the telephone. It was not clear if the dead included Wali. The AP news agency reported that missiles also a struck a training facility operated by Baitullah in Mantoi village and a communication centre in Kokat Khel village, killing 17 Taliban.
Posted by: Fred || 07/04/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: TTP


26 troops martyred in copter crash in Orakzai Agency
[Geo News] Twenty-six army troops were martyred when a cargo helicopter of Pak Army crashed in Orakzai Agency on Friday. Official sources have said that investigation into the tragic incident is being carried out. According to Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the helicopter crashed in Orakzai Agency after developing a technical fault.
Posted by: Fred || 07/04/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Peace pact between rival groups in DIK
[Geo News] The rival groups have signed a peace agreement in Dera Ismail Khan, said Jamat-e-Islami Chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman on Friday. "The groups will give the wanted people in police custody in the next ten days while the ceasefire has begun from today," he said while addressing a press conference after chairing a Jirga meeting represented by the concerned parties here at Circuit House Dire Ismail Khan. District officials, senior police officials and notables were also present at the Jirga meeting. Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman said the police presented a list of wanted men during the meeting. The implementation of the peace pact will be completed when the wanted men are handed in police custody, he said.
Posted by: Fred || 07/04/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Jamaat-e-Ulema Islami


Iraq
Iraq: Bomb explodes in central Baghdad
[ADN Kronos] An Iraqi soldier was killed and ten others were wounded when a bomb exploded in central Baghdad on Thursday, a police source said.

"An explosive device went off Thursday on the main road in al-Karada region in central Baghdad while an Iraqi army vehicle patrol was passing, killing a soldier and injuring ten as well as damaging one of the patrol's vehicles," the source told the news agency, Voices of Iraq.

"Security forces cordoned off the region, while ambulances rushed the wounded to a nearby hospital," he added.

The attack occurred only two days after the withdrawal of US troops from Iraqi cities according to the security agreement signed between the two countries on December 13, 2008.

Posted by: Fred || 07/04/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Iraqi Insurgency

#1  Sunni terrorists identify Iraqi soldiers based in Baghdad, as part of the new Shiite majority. That might explain the bombing.
Posted by: Thrineque Lumplump8647 || 07/04/2009 22:29 Comments || Top||


US drone goes down in southern Iraq
[Iran Press TV Latest] An unmanned surveillance aircraft has gone down on the outskirts of al-Kut city in the southern Iraqi province of Wasit which borders Iran. A local police source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Voices of Iraq news agency that the drone crashed on Friday close to the Delta Base of American forces. The base is situated seven kilometers (5 miles) west of al-Kut.

Unmanned US drones on a regular basis venture the Iraqi air space to apparently track down insurgents and also save American lives in conflict-plagued Iraq. Pentagon officials say that these remotely piloted planes have become one of the US military's favorite weapons despite many technical shortcomings resulting from the rush to get them operating.
Posted by: Fred || 07/04/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under: Iraqi Insurgency

#1  Surprisingly reasonable reporting, considering the source - certainly less distorted than we have become used to from the NYTimes. One could dispute just how many technical shortcomings there are and how many of them result from the 'rush' to deploy - but I'd be stunned if there were not at least some.
Posted by: Glenmore || 07/04/2009 9:12 Comments || Top||


Sadr supporters burn US flag in protest at Vice President Bidens visit to Iraq
[Beirut Daily Star: Region] A fiery protest marked the start on Friday of US Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Iraq, with supporters of the Shiite anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr burning the Stars and Stripes. Biden met General Ray Odierno, the top US officer in Iraq, and Christopher Hill, Washington's ambassador in Baghdad, who briefed him on the military and political situation, three days after a major US troop pullback.
Posted by: Fred || 07/04/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Mahdi Army

#1  Shiite anti-American cleric

hey, Beirut Daily Star, you left out "Iranian stooge". Perhaps because you are as well?
Posted by: Frank G || 07/04/2009 9:20 Comments || Top||

#2  Nah, "Iranian sock puppet" has more of a appropriate proctological allegory to it.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 07/04/2009 12:45 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Mideast: New details emerge about Hamas murder plot
[ADN Kronos] Hamas activists arrested by the Palestinian Authority have admitted to tracking the movements of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in a bid to assassinate him, PA sources told Israeli daily Haaretz.

"Hamas' intention was to scuttle the reconciliation talks [between Hamas and Fatah] in Cairo and to create chaos in the West Bank, in contrast to the sense of security that has characterised the territory for the past two years," the spokesman of the West Bank-ruling Fatah movement Fahmi Zarir told Haaretz.

On Monday, Palestinian Authority secretary Taib Abd-Arahim had said earlier this week that PA security forces had arrested 10 Hamas members who were allegedly planning to attack PA institutions.

Haaretz said the detainees admitted they were planning to assassinate several PA officials on 1 July.

According to the PA sources, the Hamas activists were caught with weapons, maps and photos of senior Palestinian officers.

Confessions extracted by Palestinian security forces revealed that the suspects also planned to assassinate several PA officials.

The Hamas cell had three to five members, between the ages of 25 and 30.

However, a spokesman of the Islamist movement's military wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades has denied the claims.

Fatah, the group who controls the West Bank, and Hamas, who controls the Gaza Strip have been divided by a serious rift since Hamas took control of the coastal territory by force in mid-2007 after Abbas dissolved a Hamas-Fatah unity government in June 2007.

Hamas won a surprise victory in the Palestinian parliamentary elections in 2006.

However, it immediately faced widespread international political opposition and an economic boycott from western powers including the European Union due to its refusal to comply with three conditions: recognition of Israel, rejection of violence and respect for previous accords between Israel and the Palestinians.
Posted by: Fred || 07/04/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Hamas

#1  Another outbreak of Palestinian Unity(tm).
Posted by: SteveS || 07/04/2009 1:57 Comments || Top||

#2  Nah. The 'Hamas of the West Bank' is to blame. Or is it the 'Hamas On the West Bank'? Or it could be 'Hamas of the 25-30 Year-olds'? Maybe the 'Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigade on Tuesday'?

Byzantine, I tells ya.
Posted by: Pappy || 07/04/2009 10:26 Comments || Top||


Southeast Asia
Assistant village chief gunned down in southern Thai market
Abdul Aryuksoto, an assistant village chief of Moo2 Tambon Na Pradu of Pattani’s Khok Pho district was shot dead in front of his stall in the Tambon’s fresh market by terrorists suspected insurgents late afternoon on Saturday, police said. Witnesses told police that while Mr Abdul was packing his belongings after finishing his trading, two suspected militants on a motorcycle parked their vehicle at the fresh market, walked straight to the victim and shot on him several times. The assistant village headman died at the scene.
Posted by: ryuge || 07/04/2009 06:12 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Thai Insurgency


Msia arrests 3 JI militants
[Straits Times] MALAYSIA has arrested three men who allegedly met a top Singaporean terror suspect in a bid to revive the activities of the regional militant network, Jemaah Islamiyah, a news report and a rights activist say.

Police arrested the suspects in southern Johor state on June 25 under the Internal Security Act, which allows for indefinite detention without trial, said Nalini Elumalai, a representative of the Movement to Abolish the ISA.

The Star newspaper, quoting unidentified officials familiar with the investigation, said the three Malaysians were believed to have met with Mas Selamat Kastari, Jemaah Islamiyah's alleged former Singapore commander, who was also arrested in Johor on April 1.

Mas Selamat, a Singaporean citizen of Indonesian origin, is alleged to have plotted to hijack a plane and fly it into Singapore's international airport. He was caught by the Indonesian police in 2006 and handed over to Singapore.

The three detained were believed to be ordinary members of Jemaah Islamiyah who were attempting to revive the group's operations in Malaysia, the report said.

Malaysia has arrested dozens of Jemaah Islamiyah members over the past eight years. Authorities were investigating if the three men have recruited any new members recently, The Star's report added.

Malaysian Police Chief Musa Hassan declined to immediately comment, saying he was in a meeting. A Home Ministry official said he could not speak about the arrests.

Mas Selamat was arrested in Johor more than a year after he escaped from a high-security prison in neighbouring Singapore in February 2008 by wriggling out of a bathroom window.

Malaysia's government has said it will continue to hold Mas Selamat under the Internal Security Act to obtain more information about his activities.
Posted by: Fred || 07/04/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Jemaah Islamiyah



Who's in the News
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Sat 2009-07-04
  US forces repel Taliban suicide assault, kill 22 Taliban fighters
Fri 2009-07-03
  15 dead in suspected US missile strike in Pakistan
Thu 2009-07-02
  Mousavi, Karroubi call Short Round govt ''illegitimate''
Wed 2009-07-01
  11 cross-dressing Haqqani turbans arrested in Khost
Tue 2009-06-30
  Iran confirms Ahmadinejad's victory
Mon 2009-06-29
  Mousavi's website shut down
Sun 2009-06-28
  Saad al-Hariri Leb's new premier
Sat 2009-06-27
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Fri 2009-06-26
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Thu 2009-06-25
  Somali legislators flee abroad, Parliament paralysed
Wed 2009-06-24
  Khamenei agrees to extend vote probe
Tue 2009-06-23
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Mon 2009-06-22
  Guardian Council: Over 100% voted in 50 cities
Sun 2009-06-21
  Assembly of Experts caves to Fearless Leader
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