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AQ Khan blows the whistle on Pakistan
Today's Headlines
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Page 1: WoT Operations
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Page 2: WoT Background
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Page 4: Opinion
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Page 6: Politix
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Good morning
Posted by: Fred || 09/20/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Clara Lou is back



Pussie Galore

Daily Gam Shot

Ann Bears All

Bedroom Eyes

Something more comfortable

Nightie Night


Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC || 09/20/2009 1:23 Comments || Top||

#2  Lovely. I'm pleased to see that her right arm pit passed the snift test. any word yet on how the left one did?
Posted by: Richard of Oregon || 09/20/2009 6:55 Comments || Top||

#3  cat looked a bit freaked out in the photo.
Posted by: 3dc || 09/20/2009 11:29 Comments || Top||

#4  She had armpits? Who Knew?
Posted by: AlmostAnonymous5839 || 09/20/2009 11:46 Comments || Top||

#5  - I'd of traded places with that cat anyday - Yeah rub that neck Ann... right there --- Prrrrr.
Posted by: Auric Glotus Spracht || 09/20/2009 11:50 Comments || Top||

#6  I'm kinda jealous of Kitty as well.
Posted by: Redneck Jim || 09/20/2009 12:46 Comments || Top||


Africa Horn
Iran ships open fire on pirates
Iranian warships opened fire on suspected pirate boats in the Gulf of Aden to prevent an attempted hijack of three Iranian commercial vessels, a navy commander said on Saturday. "After the boats ignored warnings, the pirates were sent fleeing by our shooting and they left the area," state radio quoted Fariborz Qaderpanah as saying. He said the incident took place on Friday.

Since May, Iran has deployed a flotilla of warships into the Gulf of Aden to protect its commercial vessels and its oil tanker fleet, the largest in the Middle East.

Piracy is still rampant off the Horn of Africa, with sea gangs defying the foreign navies patrolling the strategic shipping lanes linking Asia with Europe.
Posted by: Fred || 09/20/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Pirates


Arabia
Yemen announces truce during Muslim holiday
[Al Arabiya Latest] Yemen said on Saturday it would halt operations for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr in a war with northern rebels that saw dozens die this week, prompting calls for the government to better protect civilians.

"The government will cease military operations in the north western regions from this point forward," a statement in state media said, repeating demands insurgents return territory under their control and submit to central government authority.

It also said the suspension would become a permanent ceasefire if the rebels abided by certain conditions.

The Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, is expected to start on Sunday and last for three days. The statement said the ceasefire would start Saturday.

Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, leader of the rebels of the Shiite Zaydi Muslim sect in Saada and Amran provinces said they were ready to halt the fighting and called on the government to release prisoners held for four years.

A statement on the rebels' website said that on Friday the army had carried out three air raids and blown up houses in Saada city, which is under government control.

Around 87 people died on Wednesday in an air raid at a makeshift camp for displaced persons in Saada province, and two days earlier a market in the town of al-Talh was bombed.

The incidents met with wide condemnation from aid organizations and Yemeni rights groups. The United Nations top human rights official called on Yemen to carry out its obligation to civilians.

Posted by: Fred || 09/20/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under:

#1  But they will not have a truce for Christmas, betcha.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 09/20/2009 16:55 Comments || Top||


Bangladesh
Outlaw killed in crossfire
[Bangla Daily Star] A regional leader of outlawed Janajuddho was killed in 'crossfire' between his cohorts and police at Nandanpur under Pabna Sadar Upazila yesterday.
"Nandanpur under Pabna Sadar". Sounds almost... English
The dead, Sukkur Ali alias Boma Sukkur, 30, son of Abdul Hakim Pramanik of Nandanpur village, was accused in six cases including murder, police said.
There's a Sukker born killed in a crossfire every minute.
Acting on a tip-off, a team from Ataikula Police Station raided the Nandanpur intersection around 1:00am where Sukkur Ali and his gang were holding a meeting.
"Where do you want to hold tonight's meeting, Ali?"
"Well, those cursed cops always seem to find us in the brickyards."
"How about in the open this time? Say, an intersection?"
"Great thinking, Abdul! They'll never think of that."

Sensing the presence of police, they started firing that triggered a half an hour long gun-battle between the outlaws and the law enforcers.
Well, it was an intersection. Probably lots of open space to move about.
Police found the body of Sukkur lying on the spot after the criminals fled the scene.
On the spot - almost like it was a coincidence!
Police also recovered one shutter gun, two bullets from the spot.
Conveniently resting on top of ol' Boma.
Posted by: Fred || 09/20/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Home Front: WoT
3 arrested for false statements in terror probe
It's AP, so here's the summary. Lots of interesting details at the link.
Zazi, his father,and a friend, Ahmad Wais Afzali, 37, of Queens, N.Y., all arrested for making false statements to the Feds about their involvement in terror. The charge carries eight years in prison. Arraignment before the court is scheduled for Monday.
Posted by: || 09/20/2009 09:31 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Osama bin Laden must be tearing his hair out. Well done, FBI, CIA, various police forces, and the quiet people who helped prevent +Al Qaeda's latest big attack.
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/20/2009 10:54 Comments || Top||

#2  It seems that there are still would-be terrorists out there wanting to do us harm. Still wanting to call them "man-made disasters" waiting to happen? Good to know the CIA, FBI, and police are still on the watch for terrorists.
Posted by: JohnQC || 09/20/2009 12:41 Comments || Top||

#3  Here's a link to an article NOT by AP that provides a few more details. Enjoy.
Posted by: Old Patriot || 09/20/2009 15:29 Comments || Top||


Arrested! And his daddy, too
Federal agents Saturday arrested Najibullah Zazi, the man under investigation in a terrorism probe in New York, and his father after swarming Zazi's Aurora, Colo., apartment.

At 9:30 p.m., 15 to 20 law enforcement cars reportedly swarmed into the parking lot of Zazi's apartment.

Both Najibullah's Zazi and his father, Muhommad, were removed from the apartment in handcuffs by armed FBI agents.

Previously, a senior U.S. intelligence official in Washington, DC said the plot was being directed from outside the U.S. "Absolutely no way. It's a rumor," Mr. Folsom said Friday.
Posted by: || 09/20/2009 02:18 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1 
"Muhommad"?

Just how many variations on this theme do we need? Where's the UN Coalition on the Codification of Arabic/Latin Spelling when you need 'em?
Posted by: Parabellum || 09/20/2009 8:46 Comments || Top||

#2  it's phonetic, i.e.: mushmouth can't spell
Posted by: Frank G || 09/20/2009 9:02 Comments || Top||

#3  Just how many variations on this theme do we need?

You haven't seen the names here in California...
Posted by: Pappy || 09/20/2009 9:13 Comments || Top||


Man In Terror Probe Skips FBI Meeting, Sees Lawyer
A man under investigation in a terrorism probe in New York and Colorado didn't report for a fourth day of FBI questioning Saturday so he could spend a much-needed day with his attorney, the attorney's spokeswoman said.

Zazi had been scheduled to go to the Federal Building in Denver on Saturday. But Wendy Aiello, a spokeswoman for Zazi's defense team, told The Associated Press that Zazi and his attorney contacted the FBI to cancel the meeting. "They are meeting as client and attorney to review the case and the entire situation," Aiello said. "Further meetings with the FBI are not being ruled out."

"I do know that Mr. Zazi is very tired," she added.

The FBI had no immediate comment.

Zazi, a 24-year-old airport shuttle driver, insists he is not involved in terrorism and has no links to al-Qaida. He is not under arrest. He completed a third day of questioning Friday and was allowed to return to his suburban Denver apartment. "The Denver FBI office has been very professional and courteous to Mr. Zazi and his family, and Mr. Zazi has cooperated fully with the Denver FBI office," Aiello said.

Zazi's defense team denied reports that Zazi is considering a plea deal related to terror charges, and Zazi's attorney, Arthur Folsom, has dismissed as "rumor" remarks by a senior U.S. intelligence official in Washington that Zazi played a crucial role in an intended terrorist attack.
This next paragraph was calculated nicely to keep me up at night.
The official told the AP on Friday that Zazi has indicated he is directly linked with al-Qaida. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss intelligence matters, said Zazi played a crucial role in an intended terrorist attack but that it was not immediately clear what the targets were. The official said the plot was being directed from outside the United States.

"Absolutely no way. It's a rumor," Folsom said Friday.

The FBI has searched Zazi's apartment and his uncle and aunt's home in suburban Denver. Authorities have not said what they found and have made no public statements on the investigation.

Another official familiar with the investigation told the AP on Thursday that agents have been monitoring Zazi and four others in Colorado as part of a terrorism investigation.
Posted by: Fred || 09/20/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda

#1  Yeah, yeah, he's pure as the driven snow. After all, EVERYBODY keeps information on how to make explosives on their laptop, don't they? I would NEVER trust anything a Muslim told me, because they're so ingrained with takkiyah. Let him rot at Supermax.
Posted by: Old Patriot || 09/20/2009 15:33 Comments || Top||

#2  Ummm, I have a booklet put out by the Army on how to make Improvised Explosivs, it's not exactly secret info.
Posted by: Redneck Jim || 09/20/2009 17:22 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
AQ Khan blows the whistle on Pakistan
WASHINGTON: An angry, humiliated, and wounded A.Q.Khan has finally made public and official what has long been suspected: his nuclear proliferation activities that included exchanging and passing blue-prints and equipment to China, Iran, North Korea, and Libya was done at the behest of the Pakistani government and military, and he was forced to take the rap for it.

''The bastards first used us and are now playing dirty games with us,'' Khan writes about the Pakistani leadership in a December 2003 letter to his wife Henny that has finally been made public by an interlocutor. ''Darling, if the government plays any mischief with me take a tough stand,'' he tells his wife, adding, ''They might try to get rid of me to cover up all the things they got done by me.''

But Henny was unable to play hardball because Khan had also sent copies of that letter to his daughter Dina in London, and to his niece Kausar Khan in Amsterdam through his brother, a Pakistan Airlines executive. Pakistani intelligence agencies got wind of it and threatened the well-being of the family, forcing him to recant and publicly take the blame for the proliferation activities in a humiliating television spectacle engineered by then military ruler Pervez Musharraf.

However, a copy of the four-page letter reached Khan’s long-time journalistic contact Simon Henderson in 2007. In fact, in the letter, Khan tells his wife, ''Get in touch with Simon Henderson and give him all the details.'' Henderson says when he acquired the copy of the letter, he was shocked. His acquaintance with Khan goes back to the late 1970s, but it was never intimate, and consisted of an occasional interviews and conversations, and seasonal greetings.

Describing the four-page letter as ''extraordinary,'' Henderson says in numbered paragraphs, it outlines Pakistan’s nuclear co-operation with China, Iran and North Korea, and also mentions Libya. Some of the disclosures are stunning , and in one para that is bound to embarrass Beijing, besides implicating it, Khan writes about how Pakistan helped China in enrichment technology in return for bomb blueprints.

''We put up a centrifuge plant at Hanzhong (250km southwest of Xian),” Khan writes. “The Chinese gave us drawings of the nuclear weapon, gave us 50kg of enriched uranium, gave us 10 tons of UF6 (natural) and 5 tons of UF6 (3%).'' UF6 is uranium hexafluoride, the gaseous feedstock for an enrichment plan.

On Iran, the letter says: ''Probably with the blessings of BB [Benazir Bhutto]...General Imtiaz [Benazir’s defence adviser, now dead] asked me to give a set of drawings and some components to the Iranians. The names and addresses of suppliers were also given to the Iranians.''

On North Korea: ''[A now-retired general] took $3million through me from the N. Koreans and asked me to give some drawings and machines.''

Henderson does not explain why he waited nearly two years since he got hold of the letter to make it public. But he writes sympathetically about Khan’s travails in Pakistan, where he is held largely incommunicado under house arrest. The Pakistani government and the military have repeatedly rejected and challenged court orders to free him, and an episode last month, where Khan was freed just for a day on court orders before Islamabad locked him up again under pressure from Washington, appears to have precipitated the leak of the explosive letter.

Henderson’s Sunday Times expose also implicates the U.S and other western powers, who he says, basically shoved Islamabad’s rampant proliferation (while blaming it solely on Khan) under the carpet in order to get Pakistan’s cooperation in the war on terror. The move also saved Washington from huge embarrassment since it was basically asleep on the watch when Pakistan began its nuclear proliferation and then winked at it when it was discovered, all the while lavishing billions in military supplies on its unstable client state.

PAK GOVT RESCUED BROKE A.Q.KHAN WITH $ 2500 PER MONTH PENSION

Henderson also implicitly defends Khan from charges that he profited from proliferation activities, as alleged by deposed military ruler Pervez Musharraf. Khan, he says, is adamant that he never sold nuclear secrets for personal gain. So what about the millions of dollars he reportedly made?

''Nothing was confiscated from him and no reported investigation turned up hidden accounts. Having planted rumours about Khan’s greed, Pakistani officials were curiously indifferent to following them through,'' Henderson writes.

According to Henderson, much was made of a ''hotel'', named after Khan’s wife, Henny, built by a local tour guide with the help of money from Khan and a group of friends in Timbuktu. But it is a modest structure at best, more of a guesthouse, he says. A weekend home at Bani Gala, outside Islamabad, where Khan went to relax, is hardly the palace that some reports have made it.

In fact, says Henderson, Khan was close to being broke by the summer 2007, when he was finding it difficult to make ends meet on his pension of 12,200 (Pakistani) rupees per month. After pleading with General Khalid Kidwai, the officer supervising both Pakistan’s nuclear weapons and Khan, the pension was increased to $2,500 per month and there was a one-off lump-sum payment of the equivalent of $50,000. Hendersen says he has copies of the agreement and cheques.

Henderson’s 3000-word expose also reveals a couple of intriguing tid-bits that should interest the world’s strategic community, including New Delhi. Besides details of the Pakistan-China nexus, he says Pakistan tested only two devices in its 1998 tit-for-tat nuclear tests that followed India.

While Pakistan claims it conducted six tests to be one-up on India’s five tests, Western experts and seismologists have long said they recorded only two signals for devices that measured between two and four kilotons. Khan also states clearly that China gave Pakistan designs for the nuclear bombs.

In fact, in one colorful passage in his article, Henderson describes how Khan was warned by a Chinese counterpart about the Pakistani Army. On a visit to Kahuta, Li Chew, the senior minister who ran China’s nuclear-weapons programme, tells Khan, ''As long as they need the bomb, they will lick your balls. As soon as you have delivered the bomb, they will kick your balls.''

Henderson himself seems deeply conscious of any perception that he is close to Khan or that he is a cat’s paw for any country. ''Any relationship with a source is fraught with potential difficulties. One doesn’t want to be blind to the chance of being used. Government officials and politicians in any country are seldom interested in the simple truth. They all have their particular story to tell. In this context, I am frankly amazed that Khan has chosen me to be his interlocutor with the world,'' he writes.

But Pakistani authorities were clearly aware that he and Khan had been in touch and Khan may have managed to smuggle a copy of the letter implicating Islamabad to him. Henderson says in a court document that Khan was asked to sign when he was promised freedom, there is a line that read “That in case Mr Simon Henderson or anyone else proceeds with the publication of any information or material anywhere in the world, I affirm that it would not be based on any input from me and I disown it.” That line was eventually deleted and replaced with a more general prohibition about unnamed ''specific media personnel.''

In other words, stand by for a flurry of denials.
Posted by: john frum || 09/20/2009 13:36 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Investigation: Nuclear scandal - Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan

In a smuggled letter, AQ Khan reveals his side of the story
Posted by: john frum || 09/20/2009 13:46 Comments || Top||

#2  Khan you dig it! Man, that dude is totally nuclear, like he glows in the dark and there is now light on him, like wow !

Read the last lines, I am frankly amazed that Khan has chosen me to be his interlocutor with the world,'' he writes.
this sounds like Clifford Irving and the Howard Hughes autobiography a la Pakistan.
Posted by: Blinky Uluns9485 || 09/20/2009 14:23 Comments || Top||

#3 



Obligatory.
Posted by: Mizzou Mafia || 09/20/2009 15:53 Comments || Top||

#4  I find none of this surprising. I'm just amazed that it's finally coming out. Pakistan is the source of 2/3 of the world's problems. We and India should totally eliminate Pakistan as a country, and divide it among us. The Chinese will scream, but I doubt they'd risk a nuclear war with the US to stop us. This information will also make it far more likely that Iran is only months away from a nuclear weapon, instead of years.

This I lay directly at the feet of George Bush and his advisers. I know he didn't want to go to war with Pakistan in 2003, but the rest of the shenanigans aren't worthy of the US or a really capable CIA (another "gift" of the Church machinations - another traitor). We REALLY need to take our country back away from the fools.
Posted by: Old Patriot || 09/20/2009 16:04 Comments || Top||

#5  What - they stopped the payments he's been receiving to be their fall guy?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 09/20/2009 17:51 Comments || Top||

#6  Clinton should have bombed these bastards before they got their nukes, just like Bush should have bombed Iran.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 09/20/2009 20:14 Comments || Top||

#7  Bomb the bastards now = my idea of nuclear non-proliferation.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 09/20/2009 20:15 Comments || Top||

#8  Henny Penny, the sky is falling...

Sorry, it's not funny.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 09/20/2009 23:40 Comments || Top||


Musharraf rewarded Pak militant who slit throat of Indian officer
ISLAMABAD: Ilyas Kashmiri, a militant commander who fought in Jammu and Kashmir in the 1990s and is believed to have been killed in a recent US drone attack, was once rewarded by Pervez Musharraf for "slitting the throat" of an Indian Army officer in 2000, a media report said.

Kashmiri, a commander of the Harkat-ul-Jehad al-Islami, was reportedly killed in a drone attack in North Waziristan last week.

He also served in the elite Special Service Group, a commando unit of the Pakistan Army, and was deputed by the military to train Afghan mujahideen fighting the Russian Army in Afghanistan in the mid-1980s, The News daily reported.

On February 26, 2000, Kashmiri reportedly conducted a guerrilla operation against the Indian Army in Nakyal sector after crossing the LoC with 25 militants. He surrounded a bunker and threw grenades inside.
He surrounded a bunker all by himself?
"He was able to kidnap an injured Indian officer whose throat he later slit, the report said. Kashmiri came back to Pakistan with the head of the Indian officer and presented it to top army officials, including then army chief Gen Musharraf, who gave him a cash award of Rs 1 lakh," the report said.

Pictures of Kashmiri with the head of the dead Indian officer in his hands were published in some Pakistani newspapers and he became very important among militants, the report said.
This article starring:
Ilyas Kashmiri
Posted by: john frum || 09/20/2009 10:12 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Sher Muhammad Qasab Dies in Pakistani Jail
He lived long enough to reveal any information he might have had before succumbing to his wounds. I wonder if his wounds had any 'assistance'.
Sher Muhammad Qasab died after being critically wounded in the gunbattle in Swat Valley, the army's media center said in a statement. Qasab's three sons were killed when he was captured.

Qasab is an Urdu-language word meaning "butcher." He was given the title because of his ruthlessness toward enemies.

The arrest of Qasab -- who had a $121,000 bounty on his head -- was the third from the army's list of 10 most-wanted Swat militants. Qasab allegedly decapitated many Pakistani troops in Swat when the Taliban was in control.

This article starring:
SHER MUHAMAD QASABTTP
Posted by: Glenmore || 09/20/2009 06:40 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "his neck failed"
Posted by: Frank G || 09/20/2009 9:03 Comments || Top||

#2  Frank's on a roll and the day is just starting. ;-)
Posted by: lotp || 09/20/2009 9:54 Comments || Top||

#3  I recall a doctor once saying,
"All forms of death can ultimately be traced to Heart Failure"
Posted by: Redneck Jim || 09/20/2009 12:50 Comments || Top||

#4  Robert Heinlein. Can't remember the exact quote or where it came from, but I do remember reading it.
Posted by: Old Patriot || 09/20/2009 15:42 Comments || Top||


Suicide Blast Kills 30 in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- At least 35 people were killed Friday in a suicide car bomb attack in a Shiite village in northwest Pakistan, a top provincial official said. The village is in Kohat District, the site of past sectarian killings.

The explosion was followed within hours by the shooting of three people at a funeral for one of the people who died in the bomb blast and the killing of an influential district mayor in nearby Hangu, a center of sectarian strife, according to the provincial official, Mian Iftkhar Hussain.

The initial blast, a powerful explosion that shook the village of Ustarzai near the garrison town of Kohat, flattened a two-story hotel and a number of shops at a nearby bazaar. Rescue teams worked through the afternoon to pull victims from the rubble. The bomb contained more than 300 pounds of explosives, said Ali Hassan Khan, the police station house officer in Ustarzai.

A crowd of Shiite residents in the town, angry about the failure of the police to provide security in their vulnerable neighborhoods, attacked a police car with rocks when it arrived at the scene of the blast on Friday.

Kohat District is predominantly Sunni Muslim, and its outlying areas have long served as a haven for Taliban fighters. But there are a number of Shiite communities in the district as well, and sectarian violence there has been chronic and deadly. Recent operations by the police and government security forces against Taliban militants have further heightened tensions.

The district, in the North-West Frontier Province, is on the edge of the Orakzai tribal area, where the Taliban and other Sunni militant groups more committed to sectarian violence are entrenched. Militants have attacked Shiites in Hangu and Kohat.

Agence France-Presse reported that a spokesman for a banned Sunni militant group, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, said the group had been behind the bombing, but it was impossible to immediately confirm that claim. The group is allied with Al Qaeda and is responsible for many sectarian and other terrorist attacks in Pakistan.

Mr. Hussain, who spoke on a private television station, said that sometime after the blast in Kohat, gunmen approached a funeral for one of the people killed and opened fire. It was unclear who the gunmen were.

The mayor of the nearby district of Hangu, also in North-West Frontier Province, was killed in a bomb blast at a mosque next to his house and was thought to be the target. It was unclear who was behind the attack on the mayor, Hajji Khan Afzal.

The News International, an English-language newspaper in Pakistan, reported the arrests on Monday of 22 people suspected of being Taliban insurgents and the seizure of dozens of weapons and 11 pounds of hashish. The paper said eight other people were arrested Thursday.
Posted by: Steve White || 09/20/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:


Hundreds flee Bara after Mangal's radio warning
[Dawn] Hundreds of Bara residents left their houses on Friday in compliance of a warning from the leader of a banned militant outfit to move to safer places before the last day of Eidul Fitr festivities, sources said.

Lashkar-i-Islam (LI) chief Mangal Bagh warned in a broadcast over his illegal FM radio station from an undisclosed location this morning, that people should take cover as his armed outfit was about to retaliate the military operation in Bara and would not be responsible for any damage caused after expiry of the 'deadline'.

He, however, did not say what from the retaliation by Lashkar-i-Islam against the ongoing military operation in Bara would take. Earlier he had said that his private miltia would not resist the operation in the area.

It is learnt that traders and shopkeepers of Bara bazaar have shifted their merchandise to safer places and locked their shops.

Meanwhile the security forces destroyed two arms shops and two music outlets selling jihadi songs. Lashkar-i-Islam had earlier imposed a complete ban on the sale of all types of music cassettes and CDs throughout Bara tehsil.

Meanwhile, locals found the bullet-riddled body of Wahid son of Hanan in Jamrud Khwar area. The deceased was kidnapped by Lashkar activists a day earlier from Shalobar. A chit found with the dead body said that opponents of the Lashkar-i-Islam would meet the same fate if found assisting the security forces.

In Bara tehsil, security forces on Thursday had defused two high intensity explosive devices at Duran Talao area. Officials said that the devices were detonated after getting information from residents. Security forces also carried out an extensive search operation in Kohi and Naway Kamar areas.

Officials claimed that they were getting useful information and assistance from locals against the militants. The FC media cell had earlier appealed the locals to help security forces in their operation against militants.

Meanwhile, the Landi Kotal political administration imposed ban on firing in the air on festive occasions. A written order issued from the office of the assistant political agent and circulated among the area elders said that nobody would be allowed to fire in the air on any occasion of celebration. It warned that violators would be sent to jail.

Residents of Landi Kotal were also directed to avoid coming out of their homes at night unless necessary. Officials said that the restrictions had been imposed keeping in view the law and order situation in the region.

The Khasadar force in the meantime demolished the house of an alleged outlaw Zafar Iqbal in Zakhakhel area. He was reportedly involvement in murder cases. A brother of the accused, Khalid Amin, was also taken into custody.

Posted by: Fred || 09/20/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Lashkar-e-Islami

#1  What a perfect opportunity to provide the entire world with the capability of the US Military. The minute we can detect terrorists entering the area, we should ARCLIGHT and napalm them into oblivion, and deny we ever did anything. Let both the terrorists and their local supporters know that we will get tired of playing by rules and get as nasty as they are. Of course, that would take a "president" with enough intelligence to understand that, and agree to it. I doubt Barry will comply.
Posted by: Old Patriot || 09/20/2009 15:59 Comments || Top||


Militants kill two policemen in Kashmir
[Dawn] Militants shot dead two policemen in a fresh outbreak of violence in restive Indian-administered Kashmir, police said Saturday. A group of heavily armed militants, fighting to end Indian rule in the Muslim-majority Himalayan region, apprehended three policemen and snatched their weapons and mobile phones, police said.

The three policemen 'were later taken to a mountain top where two were shot dead and a third policeman managed to give the militants the slip,' a police spokesman said.

The incident took place Friday evening in the southern district of Doda, police said. Authorities have mounted a massive search operation to track down the militants, police said.

Ramazan, which started August 23, has been marked by a step-up in violence in Kashmir as some militants believe those who die fighting during the holy month gain more heavenly rewards.
Posted by: Fred || 09/20/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


More than 50 militants surrender in Malakand
[Dawn] Fifty-one suspected militants surrendered themselves before the security forces while seven were rounded up in Swat and Malakand, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Saturday.

An ISPR spokesman said in a statement 22 militants voluntarily surrendered to the security forces at Shah Derai, while 10 suspected militants surrendered at Gwalerai. Thirteen suspected militants surrendered at Peochar, Barshaur and Sarbanda.

Meanwhile, security forces conducted a search operation at Shaggai near Saidu Sharif and apprehended seven militants. Six militants voluntarily surrendered to security forces at Barikot and Tutan Banda.

Separately, five people were killed near Jerona Malakand village when suspected militants opened fire on a pickup.
Posted by: Fred || 09/20/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: TTP

#1  What does ISPR do with these surrendered militants?
Posted by: Richard of Oregon || 09/20/2009 6:52 Comments || Top||

#2  Maybe they do like the Park Service does with wolves they capture - weigh and measure them, check for disease, then release in a more acceptable location.
Posted by: Glenmore || 09/20/2009 8:24 Comments || Top||


Bomb kills two at checkpoint in Darra Adam Khel
[Dawn] A bomb blast has killed two people at a security checkpoint in the Pakistan's northwest, said an official.

Local government official Aslam Khan says the explosion occurred in Darra Adam Khel. The area is near the tribal regions and is famous for its illegal arms bazaar.

Khan said that the police were still investigating if the bombing was a suicide attack.

It was also unclear whether those killed belonged to the police or whether they were civilians.

Taliban fighters in Pakistan's north-western regions bordering Afghanistan have frequently been targeting security checkpoints as the operation against them has intensified.--
Posted by: Fred || 09/20/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under: TTP


Anti-Baitullah militant leader Turkistan Bhittani surrenders
[Dawn] Anti-Baitullah militant leader Turkistan Bhittani has surrendered to the authorities in Tank along with several hundred fighters. Bhittani said that he had been requested by the government to stop fighting.

Speaking to DawnNews Turkistan Bhittani said that he had more than 5,000 armed activists fighting militancy in the area along with the security forces.

He said that the authorities had asked his group to give up their armed struggle against the Taliban and therefore the group had decided to surrender their weapons to the authorities.

Turkistan Bhittani said that more than 500 fighters had laid down their arms while other members of the group would disarm gradually.

Bhittani said that his militia had been fighting the militants and terrorists in the interest of the country. Turkistan Bhittani and the slain Qari Zainuddin had formed an alliance to fight the Baitullah Mehsud led Taliban.

Unconfirmed reports say that recently the Bhittani-led group had offered peace talks to the Baitullah-led group which was perhaps the main reason behind disarming the group.--
Posted by: Fred || 09/20/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under: TTP


Iraq
Missile, explosives cache seized in Thi-Qar
THI-QAR / Aswat al-Iraq: The Thi-Qar police said they seized a cache containing six missiles of different calibers and 20 kg of TNT in the district of Souk al-Shyouk based on intelligence tip-offs on Saturday.
"Don't want none of that stuff where the children are playin'"
"A combined force has conducted a search raid and found two Katyusha rockets of 109 mm. caliber, two others of 107 mm. caliber, two of 120 mm. caliber and 20 kg of TNT explosive material," read a statement by the Thi-Qar police as received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

The area of Souk al-Shyouk, 30 km in southeastern al-Nassiriya, is witnessing the seizure of arms & ammunition caches on nearly a daily basis as it lies near the al-Khamissiya depot, one of the largest arms depots for the former Iraqi army. Nassiriya, the capital city of Thi-Qar province, lies 380 km south of Baghdad.
Posted by: Steve White || 09/20/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Civilian wounded in rocket attack in Kirkuk
KIRKUK / Aswat al-Iraq: A civilian man was wounded in a Katyusha rocket attack in southwestern Kirkuk on Saturday, according to a source from the city’s Joint Coordination Center (JCS).

“A Katyusha rocket was fired from the al-Khadraa neighborhood and landed in the neighborhood of al-Wassiti in southwestern Kirkuk, leaving one civilian man wounded,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

“The rocket launching pad was found nearby and was handled by Multi-National Force (MNF) troops,” the source said, adding the wounded man was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. He did not give further details.
Posted by: Steve White || 09/20/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:


Southeast Asia
Indonesian police: DNA test confirms Noordin death
DNA tests have confirmed that Southeast Asia terrorist leader Noordin Top was killed days ago in a shootout with Indonesian security forces, police said Saturday.

Police initially identified 41-year-old Noordin's body by taking fingerprints after the gun battle Thursday at a hide-out in central Java. DNA tests have confirmed those findings, National Police spokesman Nanan Sukarna said.

Officials showed a photo of Noordin taken after his death in which he has a thick beard, and contrasted it with photos of him clean-shaven that police used in wanted posters.

"There's no longer any doubt," Sukarna told a news conference.

Authorities had earlier believed that they killed Noordin last month in a 16-hour siege of another terrorist hide-out in central Java, but DNA tests proved otherwise.

Sukarna said Indonesian officials were coordinating with Noordin's family in Malaysia to send his body back there "as soon as possible," but did not specify a date.
" 'Cause he's stinkin' up the joint!"
Posted by: Fred || 09/20/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under: Jemaah Islamiyah

#1  "So let the Joyous news be spread,
The Wicked Old Witch at last is DEAD".
Posted by: Redneck Jim || 09/20/2009 17:18 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
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1Govt of Iran
1Fatah
1Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
1Jemaah Islamiyah
1Lashkar-e-Islami
1Pirates
1TNSM
1al-Qaeda

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Two weeks of WOT
Sun 2009-09-20
  AQ Khan blows the whistle on Pakistan
Sat 2009-09-19
  U.N. probes use of its vehicles in Somalia bombing
Fri 2009-09-18
  Colo. Man in Suspected NYC Subway Plot Admits Al Qaeda Ties
Thu 2009-09-17
  Noordin Mohammad Top: Dead Again!
Wed 2009-09-16
  IDF nabs Park Hotel attack terrorist
Tue 2009-09-15
  Baghdad Green Zone attacked during Biden visit
Mon 2009-09-14
  U.S. Special Forces Kill 2 Al Qaeda, Capture 2 in Somalia
Sun 2009-09-13
  Taliban in Swat Surrender?
Sat 2009-09-12
  Pakistan arrests Muslim Khan
Fri 2009-09-11
  Hariri quits
Thu 2009-09-10
  Drone attack leaves 12 dead in N. Waziristan
Wed 2009-09-09
  Supply for Nato stops again after row with Afghans
Tue 2009-09-08
  Two foreigners among seven dead in NWA drone strikes
Mon 2009-09-07
  33 militants killed in Khyber Agency
Sun 2009-09-06
  'Taliban' kidnap NYT reporter in Afghanistan


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