Hi there, !
Today Mon 12/21/2009 Sun 12/20/2009 Sat 12/19/2009 Fri 12/18/2009 Thu 12/17/2009 Wed 12/16/2009 Tue 12/15/2009 Archives
Rantburg
533188 articles and 1860395 comments are archived on Rantburg.

Today: 63 articles and 200 comments as of 20:11.
Post a news link    Post your own article   
Area: WoT Background    Non-WoT    Opinion        Politix   
La Belle France, U.S. launch offensive in Uzbin valley
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 1: WoT Operations
1 00:00 Halliburton - Mysterious Conspiracy Division [7] 
0 [1] 
4 00:00 JosephMendiola [3] 
3 00:00 Nimble Spemble [4] 
5 00:00 JosephMendiola [1] 
1 00:00 JosephMendiola [] 
3 00:00 chris [4] 
2 00:00 GolfBravoUSMC [1] 
2 00:00 Frank G [1] 
0 [] 
0 [2] 
0 [5] 
3 00:00 mojo [1] 
3 00:00 Steve White [] 
0 [] 
4 00:00 Rhodesiafever [9] 
1 00:00 ed [5] 
1 00:00 Frank G [4] 
1 00:00 Atomic Conspiracy [4] 
4 00:00 lotp [3] 
Page 2: WoT Background
1 00:00 Rhodesiafever [4]
0 [2]
0 [6]
6 00:00 JosephMendiola [1]
3 00:00 lotp [1]
0 [1]
3 00:00 Dave UK []
3 00:00 Kelly [6]
7 00:00 Frank G [6]
5 00:00 JosephMendiola [4]
1 00:00 Old Patriot []
0 [4]
0 []
2 00:00 3dc [5]
7 00:00 Besoeker [4]
3 00:00 OldSpook [4]
3 00:00 mojo [2]
2 00:00 AlanC []
0 [1]
1 00:00 g(r)omgoru []
0 []
3 00:00 gorb [1]
1 00:00 ed [4]
Page 3: Non-WoT
13 00:00 Frank G []
5 00:00 Mike Kozlowski []
3 00:00 Besoeker [7]
5 00:00 JosephMendiola []
3 00:00 gorb []
17 00:00 trailing wife [1]
2 00:00 Mitch H. [4]
2 00:00 mojo []
2 00:00 3dc []
Page 4: Opinion
6 00:00 JosephMendiola []
1 00:00 Besoeker []
7 00:00 JosephMendiola []
Page 6: Politix
1 00:00 JohnQC []
1 00:00 DepotGuy []
1 00:00 newc []
5 00:00 Mike []
7 00:00 Procopius2k []
4 00:00 Thing From Snowy Mountain [3]
19 00:00 trailing wife []
7 00:00 gorb [3]
Good morning
Posted by: Fred || 12/18/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Joan was an attractive lady in her younger days. And a live wire if her appearances in later years were an indication.
Posted by: tipover || 12/18/2009 0:46 Comments || Top||



Afghanistan
Afghan overwatch duty from a Marine grunt's point of view - CAUTION: Colorful language
Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC || 12/18/2009 11:38 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Gotta love our Marines.
Posted by: JohnQC || 12/18/2009 15:06 Comments || Top||

#2  Bumfu(k the middle of nowhere. Where I'm gonna be attacked tonight. Hahaha!
Posted by: 49 Pan || 12/18/2009 15:06 Comments || Top||

#3  Disgust, anger, straight talk, no mincing of words, just get'n er done! I'd believe this young man long before anyone in Washington. My prayer is he makes it home alright.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/18/2009 15:12 Comments || Top||

#4  These guys have my total sympathies. Likely they are going to spend five days freezing their butts off in that hole, waiting for the bad guyz to show up in that trailer park below them. Then they'll move on to the next hill hole.

If there are bad guyz there already, the only way positions like that can be attacked is to set mortars during the day, then pop a few rounds at night, hoping for a lucky hit.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 12/18/2009 15:26 Comments || Top||

#5  IIRC BHARAT RAKSHAK > PETRAEUS ZINGER WOUNDS AIR FORCE EGOS [Groundpounder-vs-flyboy joke in front of God + few Marines].
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 12/18/2009 21:21 Comments || Top||


Assault Breacher Vehicle sees first combat in Afghanistan
Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC || 12/18/2009 11:27 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  ION BHRARAT RAKSHAK > 3D MAPPING GROUND DRONE CAN FIRE LASERS FROM ONE MILE AWAY + IMPROVED PROTECTION FOR STRYKERS FIGHTING IN AFGHANISTAN.

HMMMMM, HMMMM, the USDOD-DARPA, etc. marries the "SCI-FI/G4 CHANNEL" anime on TV, or least "HALO" futurist PC game.

PROPOSED STRYKER IMPROVEMENTS > makes the Stryker look like your Great-Great-Grandpa's WW1 Tank = British motorized "water carrier" agz the Huns on the Western front, SAVE SOON TO BE LASER-ARMED???

* Year 1914-1917 = WW2 = Vietnam = Desert Storm = AFPAK > VERY NICE, BUT D *** NG IT, CAN YOU SHAVE OR COOK EGGS/STEWS ETC. WITH IT!
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 12/18/2009 21:39 Comments || Top||


IED blast kills seven civilians in Afghanistan
At least seven people have been killed and three children injured when a car hit an improvised explosive device (IED) in southern Afghanistan.

According to Afghan officials, the incident happened in the southern province of Kandahar on Thursday.

"Seven civilians -- five women and two men -- were killed and three children aged from two to eight were wounded," AFP quoted Zalmai Ayoubi, a spokesman for the provincial administration, as saying.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

IEDs are widely used by militants in their campaign against US-led troops across Afghanistan.

The International Committee of the Red Cross says the number of civilian deaths in southern Afghanistan has increased by about 20 percent this year.
Posted by: Fred || 12/18/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


US, France launch major operation in Afghanistan
[Iran Press TV Latest] More than 1,100 soldiers including 800 French legionnaires, as well as US and Afghan forces have launched a major operation east of Kabul.

Military officials declared on Thursday that five US special forces were wounded due to the operation in the Uzbeen Valley. Uzbeen Valley is a Taliban stronghold where 10 French soldiers were killed in an ambush in August 2008.

Colonel Benoit Durieux of the French Foreign Legion said the operation, codenamed "Septentrion," was aimed at "reaffirming the sovereignty of Afghan security forces in the north of the Uzbeen Valley," AFP reported.
Happy hunting, legionnaires! And to all your little friends, too!
Messing with Legionnaires is a real bad idea, right up there with messing with US Marines, and almost as bad as messing with Ghurkas.
Posted by: Fred || 12/18/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [9 views] Top|| File under: Taliban

#1  Trust me guys but the Legionaires are really really bad dudes, they are all trained more as special ops guys than regular elite forces. A lot of the special intelligence the Frogs get on terrorists comes from these guys.

If I were a turban I would stay very far away from them. Not only are they ruthless, well trained and relentless but they are also vendictive. Kill a Legionaire and they will hunt you down like an animal and treat you like one...me thinks have the Legion accompany us on ops and having them "take" all of the enemy combatants gives them the opportunity to use their very special skills of interrogation and persuasion...heh heh heh
Posted by: Karl Rove || 12/18/2009 10:34 Comments || Top||

#2  Karl Rove in Paris?
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/18/2009 10:36 Comments || Top||

#3  Operation North?
Posted by: mojo || 12/18/2009 14:12 Comments || Top||

#4  Not exactly Op Phoenix, but it's a start. Could get Selous Scouts in to recce.
Posted by: Rhodesiafever || 12/18/2009 20:35 Comments || Top||


Africa Horn
Somali militant group shuts down UN mine agency
[Asharq al-Aswat] A Somalia Islamist militant group says it is banning the U.N. mine agency from its territory. Al-Shabab accuses U.N. Mine Action of paying police salaries for Somalia's weak, transitional government. The group said Thursday that the U.N. agency has been surveying vital and sensitive areas under al-Shabab control.

Earlier this week an old mine killed six children from the same family. Mines riddle the Somali countryside and were first laid in 1964 and during subsequent wars with neighboring Ethiopia. The U.N. agency could not be reached for comment.

Al-Shabab has already banned several U.N. agencies and aid groups. The group is part of an Islamic insurgency trying to topple the government. Somalia has not had an effective government for 18 years.
Posted by: Fred || 12/18/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Shabaab

#1  UN claim jumping on Al Shabab's explosive's mine?
Posted by: ed || 12/18/2009 0:04 Comments || Top||

#2  "Somalia has not had an effective government for 18 years."

Don't feel bad, Somalia. The U.N. itself has had an even less effective government for longer than that.
Posted by: American Delight || 12/18/2009 6:55 Comments || Top||

#3  It's not like it was all that effective before that.
Posted by: Steve White || 12/18/2009 9:43 Comments || Top||


Africa North
Egypt: Shots fired at crew building Gaza wall
[Ma'an] Government workers constructing a massive metal barrier along the Egypt-Gaza border came under fire from Palestinian gunmen on Thursday, Egyptian security sources said.

The gunfire came from the Palestinian side of the border, damaging some construction equipment but causing no injuries, the sources said. The incident took place north of the Rafah border crossing, they said.

It was revealed last week that Egypt is constructing a steel wall along the border that will extend underground in an attempt to cut off a network of smuggling tunnels. The tunnels are a lifeline for Palestinians living under an Israeli-led blockade.

Hamas-allied security forces on the Palestinian side declared a state of emergency, sources reported. On the Egyptian side, a large number of security officers and armored vehicles were reportedly dispatched to the area where the shooting took place.

In a separate incident on Thursday, an Egyptian soldier was killed on the border with Israel in a shootout with smugglers, Egyptian security sources said.

The smugglers were spotted attempting to bring drugs and African migrants into Israel across a barbed wire fence one kilometer south of the Kerem Shalom crossing point, on the Gaza border, the sources said.

The dead soldier was identified as Muhammad Adel Ahmad, 22, from Cairo. The alleged smugglers escaped.

Posted by: Fred || 12/18/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Hamas

#1  Is that the wall that they are not building?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 12/18/2009 6:57 Comments || Top||

#2  The Egyptians are dying?
Nice folks in gaza.
Posted by: Redneck Jim || 12/18/2009 11:15 Comments || Top||

#3  So shoot back.
Posted by: mojo || 12/18/2009 13:58 Comments || Top||


Arabia
U.S. Launched Missile Strikes on Al Qaeda in Yemen

The U.S. has launched two missile strikes against Al Qaeda targets in Yemen, two U.S. officials told Fox News, signaling an escalation of the Obama administration's fight against the terrorist organization.
and avoiding the Pak indignation
The politically sensitive strikes Thursday, first reported by ABC News, supplement efforts already under way by the government of Yemen to go after Al Qaeda in the country, the officials told Fox News, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the operation.

Such an operation is particularly sensitive in Yemen. "It's very difficult for Yemen to ask the U.S. for help given the nature of their population and its views about the West," one official said. "And the U.S. doesn't want to compromise their ability to ask for help."
"we know nottthhiinng"
The United States has faced similar concerns in Pakistan, where reports of U.S. drone attacks on militants are common -- but never acknowledged publicly by the U.S. or by Pakistan.

In the new attacks, cruise missiles on Obama's orders hit a suspected Al Qaeda training camp north of Sanaa, the capital, and another site, where terrorists were thought to be plotting an attack on the U.S., ABC News reported, citing unnamed administration officials.

A Yemeni official contacted by ABC News insisted that the attacks were carried out by Yemen, not the United States. Yemeni forces also reportedly have targeted Al Qaeda in raids conducted at three locations.
Posted by: Frank G || 12/18/2009 19:48 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under:

#1  A Yemeni official contacted by ABC News insisted that the attacks were carried out by Yemen, not the United States.

So, this means there's a Yemeni Sgt. in a cubicle at the base in the Nevada desert, and when the man (or woman!) in blue says, "push this button", that's Yemen carrying out the attack?

How diplomatic!
Posted by: Halliburton - Mysterious Conspiracy Division || 12/18/2009 23:33 Comments || Top||


Yemen foils al-Qaeda plot, kills 34, arrests 17
[Al Arabiya Latest] Yemeni security forces have killed 34 al-Qaeda militants and arrested 17 others in foiling a planned series of suicide bomb attacks, a security source said on Thursday.

The incidents took place in Abyan province in the south and in Arhab directorate, north of the capital Sanaa. "The operation led to the foiling of an al-Qaeda plan aiming to hit foreign and local interests and schools, including eight suicide bombers who were preparing explosive belts to carry out the plan," the source told Reuters.

As well as fighting al-Qaeda militants, Yemen is battling a Shiite rebellion in the north and separatist unrest in the south, which is a worry for its Gulf Arab neighbors, including Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, which fears the conflict could weaken its own stability. The rebels, also known as Houthis, have been fighting the Yemeni government on and off since 2004. In August, government forces launched an all-out offensive codenamed "Operation Scorched Earth" aimed at wiping out the revolt.

Saudi Arabia joined the fray on Nov. 4, a day after the Houthi rebels killed a Saudi border guard and infiltrated into the Gulf state's territory.
Posted by: Fred || 12/18/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Yemen

#1  2:1? try harder, Yemen! We're rooting for ya!
Posted by: Frank G || 12/18/2009 9:31 Comments || Top||


China-Japan-Koreas
Hackers steal SKorean-US military secrets
Ay Pee, so here's the key info. More at link.
South Korea's military said Friday it was investigating a hacking attack that netted secret defense plans with the United States and may have been carried out by North Korea.

The suspected hacking occurred late last month when a South Korean officer failed to remove a USB device when he switched a military computer from a restricted-access intranet to the Internet, Defense Ministry spokesman Won Tae-jae said.
Posted by: || 12/18/2009 11:55 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Why don't we just post this stuff on a billboard and get it over with?
Posted by: gorb || 12/18/2009 13:46 Comments || Top||

#2  Because nobody pays attention to billboards.
Posted by: mojo || 12/18/2009 13:56 Comments || Top||

#3  I thought we already did via the New York Times.
Posted by: CrazyFool || 12/18/2009 13:57 Comments || Top||

#4  DAILY TIMES.PK > OBAMA OFFERS NEW LIASON [Diplomatic]TO NORTH KOREA.

* ION WMF > FRENCH SCHOLAR ROBERT DUJARRIC: US, JAPAN SHOULD STRENGTHEN STARTEGIC ALLIANCE AGZ CHINA AND PLAN IN CASE OF ASIA-PACIFIC WAR. US NEEDS "UNSINKABLE AIRCRAFT CARRIER" JAPAN AS FORWARD BASE.

* SAME > CHINA WILL NOT BE A TRUE SUPERPOWER UNLESS ITS SUBMARINES, AIRCRAFT CARRIERS, PLANES AND MISSLES CAN HIT THE USA. IFF JAPAN AND VIETNAM WON'T LEASE BASES TO CHINA THEN CHINA WILL HAVE NO OPTION IN WAR BUT TO MILITARILY DESTROY JAPAN AND VIETNAM IN PREEMPTIVE FIRST STRIKE.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 12/18/2009 21:16 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Mumbai gunman recants confession, alleges torture
All part of the game plan ...
MUMBAI, India -- The accused gunman in last year's bloody siege of Mumbai retracted his detailed confession Friday, saying police tortured him into admitting his role in the attacks that left 166 people dead.

Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, 21, who is being tried in a special court -- and was photographed carrying an assault rifle during the attack on Mumbai's main train station -- told the judge he came to Mumbai as a tourist and was arrested 20 days before the siege began.

On the day the attacks started, Kasab said, police took him from his cell because he resembled one of the gunmen, shot him to make it look like he had been involved in the violence and re-arrested him.

Friday's statement was not the first reversal from Kasab.

In February, he told a judge he wanted to attack India in order to free the divided region of Kashmir where Muslim militants are fighting for independence. He later recanted that statement, saying it was obtained under duress.

It was unclear what impact Kasab's statement would have on the case, and the prosecution brushed it off.

"All the while, I expected that Kasab was about to take a U-turn in the case," said Ujjwal Nikam, the prosecutor. "He is a military-trained commando. It's not going to affect our case."

In July, Kasab, who could face the death penalty if convicted, surprised the court when he suddenly confessed, saying he would rather be hanged in this world than face "God's punishment" in the next.

In his confession, he spoke of spraying gunfire into the crowd at the train station and described in detail a network of training camps and safe houses across Pakistan, revealing the names of four men he said were his handlers.

The photo of Kasab casually walking through the station with his rifle has become the enduring image of the attacks.

But Kasab said police tortured him into falsely confessing.

The assault 13 months ago lasted nearly three days and paralyzed India's commercial hub. During the attacks, 10 young men armed with assault rifles stormed two luxury hotels, a Jewish center and the train station. Nine of the gunmen were killed, leaving only Kasab, who was wounded in a shootout with police, authorities said.

He told the court Friday he was initially arrested last year after wandering around Mumbai late at night looking for a place to stay, and his Pakistani citizenship aroused suspicion.

After he was re-arrested for the Mumbai attack, he said, four white men came to visit him in jail, including David Coleman Headley, who is jailed in Chicago on charges he conspired in the siege. The judge then told Kasab not to reveal any more details on Headley.

Headley, the 49-year-old son of an American mother and Pakistani father, is also charged with planning to attack a Danish newspaper.
Never happen with KSM and his pals of course right?
This article starring:
DAVID COLEMAN HEADLEYLashkar-e-Taiba
Mohammed Ajmal Kasab
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/18/2009 08:37 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Typical A-Q/Muzzie training: If caught, claim torture and deny, deny, deny. I do believe the Indian government should torture him. Slap him in the mouth with a hickory axehandle, tie a ten-foot rope around his neck, and kick him off a 12-foot tower. The recidivism rate of terrorists so treated is virtually nil - something the US should have learned the third or fourth time a Gitmo detainee surfaced on the battlefield after release.
Posted by: Old Patriot || 12/18/2009 13:44 Comments || Top||

#2  Gave him a lawyer, did they?
Posted by: mojo || 12/18/2009 13:57 Comments || Top||

#3  oh well they got you on tape doing it. He should have an acident while sitting in jail.
Posted by: chris || 12/18/2009 15:24 Comments || Top||


Two security officials killed in Bara explosion
[Dawn] At least two security officials have been killed and several injured in a remote-controlled explosion, targeting a security forces convoy in Bara Tehsil on Thursday. According to FC sources, security forces also retaliated after the attack and killed three militants during an exchange of fire. Official sources said that the security forces convoy was doing a search operation in the area when the incident happened.

Meanwhile, security forces have surrounded the whole area and have shifted the injured to Combined Military Hospital in Peshawar.
Posted by: Fred || 12/18/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under: TTP


Militants open fire at police in Mathra area of Peshawar
[Dawn] Frontier Police on Thursday arrested two militants from Mathra area after an exchange of fire with militants, according to a DawnNews report.

Police said one of the arrested militant got injured during shooting and was taken to Lady Reading Hospital for treatment while the other is in their custody. According to details, Mathra police was on routine movement in the area when some militants opened fire at them. In retaliation, the police also opened fire and two of the militants were arrested while three others ran away.

Police have started initial investigation and a search operation has been launched in the area.
Posted by: Fred || 12/18/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under: TTP


Pakistani mayor, 60 others escape bomb attack
[Iran Press TV Latest] The mayor of Pakistan's Lakki Marwat district and a number of people present with him have escaped a suicide attack.

Lakki Marwat is one of the southern districts of the North-West Frontier Province in Pakistan.

Mayor Qudratullah Khan was in his office, along with his family members and a number of people who had come to greet him for his hajj pilgrimage, when the bomber tried to approach him. But his foot slipped and he fell down. The explosives hidden under his jacket exploded prematurely, killing no one but himself, Pakistan's Dawn reported late on Thursday.

"It was a suicide attack," District Police Chief Mohammad Ayub said adding that only a part of the suicide jacket exploded, while explosive wires, a packet of knives and hand grenade were recovered from the killed attacker.

He further said that if the suicide vest had exploded completely, there would have been huge losses of lives as more than 60 people were present at the time of the explosion.
Posted by: Fred || 12/18/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Pakistan

#1  New in the 2010 edition of the Suicide Bomber's Manual: Tie your shoe laces.
Posted by: ed || 12/18/2009 0:07 Comments || Top||


Twelve killed in multiple US drone strikes
[Dawn] Ten suspected militants were killed Thursday in the second US missile strike in a day targeting insurgents in Pakistan's tribal North Waziristan district, security officials said. 'Five US drones fired at least seven missiles, targeting several houses in the Ambarshaga area in North Waziristan and killing more than 10 militants,' a senior security official in the area told AFP. Another security official confirmed the strike and said the death toll may rise.

Earlier Thursday two militants were killed in a similar strike on a house near Miranshah, the main town in the North Waziristan.

More, from Pak Daily Times
A key Al Qaeda operative and seven other foreigners were among at least 15 people killed in two separate drone strikes in North Waziristan Agency on Thursday, a private television channel reported.

According to the channel, Zohaib Al-Zahidi was an important Al Qaeda member involved in planning and executing several terrorist attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

In the first attack, five US drones fired at least 10 missiles at two houses in the Ambarshaga area killing at least 15 people, according to AP.

Another US drone killed at least two Taliban as it fired two missiles at their vehicle around 4am in Godi Wala village in Datta Khel tehsil, 40 kilometres west of Miranshah, Haji Mujtaba reported. Official sources said the first missile missed the target due to which several terrorists escaped, while two of them were killed by the second missile.

The drones struck around 6pm the same day. Two vehicles were also destroyed in the attack.

Meanwhile, the agency political agent imposed a curfew for an indefinite period in Miranshah and various areas of Mir Ali sub-division and Dosali tehsil. Five suspects were also arrested for violating the curfew.
This article starring:
ZOHAIB AL ZAHIDIal-Qaeda in Pakistan
Posted by: Fred || 12/18/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Pakistan

#1  Apparently being able to watch the video feeds has not done the "suspected militants" any good.
"This is great, Achmed, are you sure that is the video from the Great Satan's drone?
"Of course I'm sure, Abdullah. Those IT guys came through for once."
"What is the satanic engine of the American infidels doing now?"
"Following a car down some back road in this accursed country."
"Inshallah, we shall soon be back in Arabia where we belong."
"I hope you are right. The car is pulling into a driveway outside some mud-brick dump."
"YOU FOOL! THAT'S OUR HOU---"
Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy || 12/18/2009 16:42 Comments || Top||


Iraq
Car bomb kills 3 Iraqi civilians, injures 16
[Iran Press TV Latest] Iraqi officials say a booby-trapped car has exploded in a central Baghdad area containing several restaurants, killing three civilians and wounding 16 others.

A parked vehicle exploded as a convoy of a parliament member from Fadhila, Nadim al-Jabari, was passing by. Al-Jabari was not in any of the vehicles, but the victims were mostly passersby.

The vehicle had been parked in a street containing several restaurants popular among Baghdad residents.

This is while a few hours prior to the Baghdad explosion, a Christian worker was shot dead by unknown gunmen in Mosul. The incident occurred two days after bombings targeted churches in the country's main northern city.
Posted by: Fred || 12/18/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Iraqi Insurgency


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Israeli police arrest 9 Palestinians
[Iran Press TV Latest] Israeli police arrest nine Palestinians during a march in Jerusalem Al-Quds marking the end of the city's tenure as the Capital of Arab culture.

Israeli police on Thursday, Dec. 17 blocked protesters and arrested nine Palestinians during a rally in East Jerusalem Al-Quds' old city marking the year 2009 as the end of Jerusalem Al-Quds' tenure as the Arab League's Capital of Arab Culture.

Fatah Secretary General in Jerusalem Al-Quds, Omar al-Shalabi, was also among those arrested by policemen, Reuters reported. Israeli officials said the march was considered illegal.

In the past year, Israeli police have shut down several events related to the Arab Cultural Capital festival in Jerusalem Al-Quds.

A Palestinian woman participant said that Israel wants to make Jerusalem Al-Quds Jewish. "They want to empty it of its sons, of its people, of its families and of its population so they can build illegal settlements," she said.

Meanwhile, in the West Bank city of Nablus, acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas addressed a similar rally. He said that Jerusalem Al-Quds "will remain ours" and will always be the capital of the Arab and the Islamic world.
Posted by: Fred || 12/18/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Meanwhile, in the West Bank city of Nablus, acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas addressed a similar rally. He said that Jerusalem Al-Quds "will remain ours" and will always be the capital of the Arab and the Islamic world.

Jerusalem has been the capital of the Hebrews for over 3,000 years. It has never been the "capital of the Arab and the Islamic world." Those capitals have been, alternatively, Mecca, el Medinah, Damascus, and Baghdad.

The myth that in the 7th century Mohammud flew to the "furthest Mosque" on a flying jackass, while in a dream in Mecca, and from thence to the seven levels of heaven (disputed by Aisha, bless her devilish little soul), began in the mid 1800's (C.E.).

In Mohammad's time the furthest Mosque was probably in Ethiopia. Nowadays it's in Stockholm, Sweden.

Posted by: Ralphs son Johnnie || 12/18/2009 1:54 Comments || Top||

#2  Capital of Arab culture

that's as awkward as "arab intellectual™"
Posted by: Frank G || 12/18/2009 7:51 Comments || Top||


Science & Technology
Uh-Oh....Danger Room What's Next in National Security Not Just Drones: Militants Can Snoop on Mo
The money shot:
"So the same security breach that allowed insurgent to use satellite dishes and $26 software to intercept drone feeds can be used the tap into the video transmissions of any plane."
Posted by: Uncle Phester || 12/18/2009 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  And the chances of securing this? Anyone? Ferris?
Posted by: newc || 12/18/2009 11:52 Comments || Top||

#2  in work.
Posted by: rwv || 12/18/2009 12:35 Comments || Top||

#3  But first we have to pretend like it is difficult to do.
Posted by: gorb || 12/18/2009 13:50 Comments || Top||

#4  See the comment I passed along above. Encryption techology is easy -- it's the conops associated with keeping the encryption keys & receivers physically secure and synchronized that's the hard part.
Posted by: lotp || 12/18/2009 21:17 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Hackers bring down Twitter
HACKERS have broken in to social networking website Twitter leaving it disabled for hours.

The site popular with celebrities and used by millions around the world was taken over by a group calling themselves the Iranian Cyber Army early this morning. They defaced the site with their own logos and images and even posted a message boasting about the attack.

Users hoping to find their latest Tweets were instead greeted by a black screen with a green flag. Above the flag, a message in Arabic read: "Hezbollah is victorious." On the flag, red Arabic writing said: "Yassin" (an Arabic name written in bold) then in smaller Arabic print "the feast of peace". Below the flag there was more Farsi writing.

The hackers also wrote in English: "This site has been hacked by Iranian Cyber Army. U.S.A think they controlling and managing internet by their access, but they don't, we control and manage internet by our power..."

Tens of thousands of baffled Twitter users spotted the message before it was removed.

Twitter bosses later posted a message on the site which read: "Twitter's DNS records were temporarily compromised but have now been fixed. We are looking into the underlying cause and will update with more information soon."
Posted by: || 12/18/2009 11:51 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "Oh, the HUMANITY!"
Posted by: mojo || 12/18/2009 13:56 Comments || Top||

#2  Twitter's API is open. Using wget and perl CGI I can post a "tweet" everytime I post something on my blog.

Pretty sweet
Posted by: badanov || 12/18/2009 18:45 Comments || Top||

#3  This was a cyber attack. It may have been an attack on a silly application but it was a learning experience.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 12/18/2009 19:16 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Culture Wars
Newt sez non-Rotarians are the threat.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/18/2009 16:54 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:



Who's in the News
43[untagged]
5Hamas
2Govt of Iran
2Govt of Pakistan
2al-Qaeda in Pakistan
2Taliban
2TTP
1Hizb-ut-Tahrir
1al-Shabaab
1al-Qaeda in Yemen
1Iraqi Insurgency
1Jamaat-e-Islami

Bookmark
E-Mail Me

The Classics
The O Club
Rantburg Store
The Bloids
The Never-ending Story
Thugburg
Gulf War I
The Way We Were
Bio

Merry-Go-Blog











On Sale now!


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.
Click here for more information

Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
Steve White
Seafarious
tu3031
badanov
sherry
ryuge
GolfBravoUSMC
Bright Pebbles
trailing wife
Gloria
Fred
Besoeker
Glenmore
Frank G
3dc
Skidmark

Two weeks of WOT
Fri 2009-12-18
  La Belle France, U.S. launch offensive in Uzbin valley
Thu 2009-12-17
  12 dead in N.Wazoo dronezaps
Wed 2009-12-16
  First of 30,000 new troops arriving in Afghanistan
Tue 2009-12-15
  Suicide kaboom outside Punjab chief minister's house kills 33
Mon 2009-12-14
  Pax wax at least 22 turbans in Kurram
Sun 2009-12-13
  Blackwater behind Pakabooms: Ex-ISI chief
Sat 2009-12-12
  Hariri government wins Lebanon parliament vote
Fri 2009-12-11
  Houthis stop Saudi offensive. Saudis stop Houthis offensive
Thu 2009-12-10
  Clashes on the Streets of Khartoum
Wed 2009-12-09
  Baghdad bomb attacks kill 127, wound 450
Tue 2009-12-08
  Peshawar blast kills 10, injures 45
Mon 2009-12-07
  Explosions rock market in Lahore
Sun 2009-12-06
  Little resistance on day 2 of US-Afghan offensive
Sat 2009-12-05
  Attack temporarily shuts Herat airport
Fri 2009-12-04
  Russian Police find car packed with explosives near train station


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.
18.117.91.153
Help keep the Burg running! Paypal:
WoT Background (23)    Non-WoT (9)    Opinion (3)    (0)    Politix (8)