#5
I flew my plane by the military cemetery at Fort Richardson yesterday as we returned to base in Birchwood from a very nice time in Homer, Alaska. A silent prayer of thanks for all those down there that made it possible. We are truly humbled by their service and sacrifice.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
05/30/2011 13:17 Comments ||
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#6
To Fred, who gives us both a place to keep up to date on the current war, and for a place to gather among like-minded people who love this country,
and to my brothers and sisters who serve, or have served, in harm's way, wherever -- may this be a time of reflection and re-dedication to the spirit that binds us together. Amen.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
05/30/2011 13:23 Comments ||
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#7
Well-put, OP. Thank you.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
05/30/2011 13:41 Comments ||
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#8
Blessed is the land that inspires the service of such as they, wise the people which honour such sacrifice.
#9
"I've always known that Americans are (generally) a stupid people"
Well, you'd certainly know stupid, Just-Ass - from the inside out.
By the way, troll, how's living in a super-repressive country working out for ya'? Why don't you try writing things about your "leaders" even half as critical as what we write about ours?
I'm sure no one would shortly be knocking at your Mama's where you hide in the basement door to have a little "chat" with you. Are you?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
05/30/2011 15:31 Comments ||
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#10
On our sacred day, mannerless Saudi brats are sent to their room to play by themselves.
#12
I think the comment someone in here made a few years ago sums it all up best with regard to trolls and their ilk:
"The trouble with the internet is that the village idiot doesn't stay in his own village anymore.."
On Memorial Day remember that a soldier in combat lives in conditions over which a homeless person could sue a city. We have lived in mudholes without sleep, slept in ditches, eaten C-rations, wet our pants in fear and twitched in our sleep, shared our last stick of gum or our last cup of coffee, administered first aid to an enemy that was trying to kill us a few seconds before and prayed without ceasing under enemy artillery.
No one, and I repeat NO ONE has any idea what it is like in combat unless you have been there. Movies, books and television never communicate the experience.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
05/30/2011 22:12 Comments ||
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Aaaay-Peeee, but a GREAT story about our medics, medivac teams, and the helicopter crews that get them into and out of some of the worst situations.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/30/2011 14:17 ||
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#1
The Black Hawk helicopters Hill and other medevac pilots fly are unarmed, though they are always accompanied by at least one other aircraft that is. The "Dustoff" helicopters are distinguished with the emblem of the Red Cross and under international law are supposed to be off-limits to enemy fire. Afghanistan's insurgents make no distinction.
So why do we still bother? Because the "International Community" would have a cow if we used the same rules as the "insurgent" terrorists?
Hmmmm... Interesting. It seems Firefox has automatic spell check.
Posted by: Bobby ||
05/30/2011 16:26 Comments ||
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Long piece in WaPo about the other terrorist group in Afghanistan. Worth the read.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/30/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
The comments following the article are a real hoot.
Most of the commenters obviously don't live in the real world and just post liberal anti-war, anti American hate propaganda complete with nasty nicknames for every prominent conservative.
And thats what the left is good at:
Spewing leftist propaganda and name calling.
In the near future I hope these 5th column American haterz will be exposed for what they really are.
The UN said Friday that it will send a representative to Sudan to assess the country's human rights situation, including the consequences of recent clashes in the disputed Abyei region.
Mohamed Chande Othman, the UN's independent human rights expert, said in a statement that he "will focus in particular on the arrests and detentions in the north (and) the armed confrontations that have taken place between the (southern army) and armed militia groups."
He added that during his May 31 to June 8 visit he will assess "the ongoing conflict in Darfur and the deteriorating situation in Abyei."
A south Sudanese official on Friday said that more than 150,000 people have fled Abyei since northern forces seized the border area claimed by both Muslim north and the largely Christian south.
Abyei did not participate in a January referendum where southerners voted overwhelmingly in favour of independence from the north. Deciding who will control the contested and fertile region is one of the key issues to be resolved before the south officially becomes an independent state in July.
Othman will meet with officials from both the north and south as well as diplomats and rights groups, the statement said. He will also head to Darfur, where a long-running conflict between rebels and Khartoum continues, despite a significant decline in violence in recent years.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/30/2011 00:00 ||
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Bashir is taking Abyei in order to maintain the ratio he makes on oil.
[Iran Press TV] The Islamic Theocratic Republic of Iran Navy warships have saved the Iranian oil-tanker, Damavand, from a pirate attack in the Gulf of Aden.
Damavand was attacked by a speedboat carrying seven armed pirates while sailing in the Gulf of Aden, south of Yemen, Fars News Agency reported.
In their 11th confrontation with pirates this year, Iran's Navy forces thwarted the attack through their speedy action and effective use of firepower.
As a result of the conflict, all pirates decamped and the Iranian tanker Damavand resumed its journey in complete safety.
Iran has recently stepped up efforts to combat piracy in the unstable areas of the Gulf of Aden and Horn of Africa, and secure its commercial vessels through their journeys throughout regional waters.
Iran's Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari has also voiced Iran's readiness to protect foreign ships likely to fall victim to pirate attacks in piracy-stricken international waters.
"Iran's Navy fleets have escorted almost 1,000 Iranian fat merchantmen and oil tankers in the Gulf of Aden ... over the past two years," Sayyari said.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/30/2011 00:00 ||
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[Maghrebia] National Transitional Council (TNC) chief Mustafa Abdul Jalil offered amnesty Saturday (May 28th) to soldiers who leave Muammar Qadaffy ... Custodian of Wheelus AFB for 42 long years ... 's forces, international press reported. "Those still betting on Moamer Qadaffy's regime should wake up to reality and abandon it and join the righteous and just cause," he said at a Benghazi presser. Defectors guilty of crimes before the start of the February 17th revolution would be guaranteed "a fair trial," he added, while those who committed crimes after that date would be pardoned if they left the regime now.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/30/2011 00:00 ||
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What a mess this Libya process has become. Ethnic cleansing has already begun in the rebel held areas.We now will have a long term chronic problem here even with Kadhafi gone. Look how Egypt is unraveling. Very similar to how our government is handling our economic problems. Prolonged sustained chaos with a touch of the butterfly effect. When we have time travel we might be able to bugger it all up more.
#2
I'm guessing that the Algerians will have the French running out of North Africa, just as they had De Gaulle running with his tail between his legs in '62
[Maghrebia] Communal guards in Ath Saada, in the Tadmait region of blood-stained Tizi Ouzou province, thwarted a suicide kaboom on their barracks, L'Expression reported Saturday (May 28th). On Thursday afternoon a terrorist armed with a rifle and an bomb tried to enter the barracks but was shot and killed by guards before he could detonate the bomb. The head of the guard unit was maimed in the assault.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/30/2011 00:00 ||
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[Ennahar] Algerian Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia "formally" denied Sunday "rumours" about an upcoming release of thousands of Islamists jugged for terrorism within the framework of national reconciliation policy.
"I formally deny this rumour with all due respects to the brothers who announced it," he said at a presser.
On 16 May, the Salafist ...Salafists espouse an austere form of Sunni Islam that seeks a return to practices that were common in the 7th century. Rather than doing that themselves and letting other people alone they insist everybody do as they say and they try to kill everybody who doesn't... leader Abdelfetah Ziraoui and a founder of the Islamic Front of Salvation (FIS, dissolved) had claimed that between 7000 and 8000 Islamist prisoners who have pledged to renounce violence in order to benefit from the National reconciliation policy would soon be released.
July 5, National Day, had been widely discussed in the Algerian press.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/30/2011 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV] Perfidious Albion is preparing to use heavy bunker-buster bombs on Libya to further pressure Libyan ruler Muammar Qadaffy to quit power.
Perfidious Albion's Ministry of Defense announced on Sunday that the bomb called Enhanced Paveway III, which weighs nearly one ton, can penetrate the roof or wall of reinforced buildings, Rooters reported.
The bunker buster bombs have been sent to Gioia del Colle in southern Italia, where British jets operating in Libya are based, to be loaded on RAF Tornado warplanes, the ministry said.
The ministry pointed out that the bombs are to be used against Qadaffy's bunkers under his place of residence in Bab Al-Aziziya district in central Tripoli. NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Originally it was a mutual defense pact directed against an expansionist Soviet Union. In later years it evolved into a mechanism for picking the American pocket while criticizing the style of the American pants... jets have stepped up attacks on Qadaffy's compound in the past days.
Perfidious Albion's Defense Secretary Liam Fox said the introduction of Paveway III bombs is aimed at protecting the lives of civilians as well as implementing the UN Resolutions 1970 and 1973.
...And absolutely, positively not aimed at the person of Col. Kadaffy himself.
Resolution 1970, adopted in February, imposed a series of sanctions on Libya, while Resolution 1973, passed in March, authorized the enforcement of a no-fly zone to protect civilians against aerial attacks by Qadaffy forces.
Fox added that the bombs will send a warning message to "Qadaffy's inner circle."
"Qadaffy may not be capable of listening but those around him would be wise to do so," the defense minister said.
Perfidious Albion has deployed Apache helicopters to military operations in Libya which, together with French Tiger attack helicopters, are expected to launch strikes in the coming days.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/30/2011 00:00 ||
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[Al Jazeera] Egypt is expelling an Iranian diplomat who was briefly jugged and questioned on charges of illegally gathering intelligence for Tehran, security officials said.
Qassem al Husseini, the diplomat, was tossed in the calaboose on Saturday in his Cairo home, after the Egyptian intelligence tracked his movements, Al Jizz's Ayman Mohyeldin reported.
Husseini was charged with attempting to set up spy rings in Egypt and other Arab countries.
He was released after a two-hour detention, Haydar Moslehi, Iran's intelligence minister, said on Sunday, according to Iranian state television ... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
's website. Moslehi also said that Egyptian authorities apologised for the incident - though he did not elaborate.
The diplomat, who was working for Iran's Interest Section in the Egyptian capital, was accused of being an agent for Tehran's intelligence services, gathering information and spying on Egypt since the end of its January 25 revolution, our correspondent, reporting from Cairo, said.
He was also accused of attempting to gather information on Gulf Arab countries by recruiting agents and informants in Egypt, Mohyeldin said.
Egyptian security officers found documents, a computer and spying devices banned in Egypt at Husseini's apartment, a security official told the News Agency that Dare Not be Named news agency on Sunday.
The diplomat will be deported within 48 hours, the official added, speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... as he was not authorised to share details.
Strained relations
After his arrest on Saturday, Husseini was transferred to the Egyptian State Security's General Prosecutor's Office for further questioning.
Taher al-Khouli, a state security attorney, said an initial investigation showed Husseini was "spying for a foreign country to harm the interests of Egypt'', the country's official MENA news agency said.
The report said he had been caught violating diplomatic protocols by "forming spy rings to collect political, economic and military information about Egypt and Gulf countries in exchange for money''.
Cairo and Tehran do not enjoy full diplomatic relations, and ties have been strained since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution and Egypt's signing of a peace treaty with Israel that year.
Relations were completely severed after the 1981 liquidation of Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, though in recent months, reports circulated that Egypt was about to restore full diplomatic relations with Iran.
The Egyptian foreign ministry has repeatedly denied such rumours, saying that it would review the situation but that it was not planning on restoring full diplomatic relations with Iran anytime soon.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/30/2011 00:00 ||
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[Al Jazeera] More than 100 community and tribal leaders from Libya have met with members of the opposition National Transitional Council at a conference in Turkey, in a bid to show a united front against Muammar Qadaffy.
Most of the tribal leaders who gathered in Istanbul on Saturday and Sunday, were from the powerful Warfalla clan based in Baniwalid, a city in western Libya.
The delegates were calling for an end to the violence in Libya and the departure of Libyan leader Qadaffy and his sons.
An organiser of the conference told Al Jizz that Qadaffy and his forces became aware of the conference yesterday and then moved in to seize control of Baniwalid.
"Fierce festivities broke out between Qadaffy's forces and Warfalla members in Baniwalid, and at least 11 people died, including the brother of a conference delegate," the source said.
Al Jizz's Anita McNaught, reporting from Istanbul, said that the delegates were mostly senior professionals from both inside Libya as well as those who have been in exile for the last few years.
"They all stood up together and presented their declaration and sang the old Libyan national anthem - I watched grown men break down in tears and sob all their way through this," our correspondent said.
Strategic importance
Baniwalid is said to hold a position of vital strategic importance, and was thus being aggressively targeted by Qadaffy, who has focused his security forces there to instill fear.
"Warfalla is the largest tribe - over one-sixth of the total population of Libya, numbering more than a million members," our correspondent said.
"They are a tribe whose loyalty has been vigorously, and perhaps violently, sought after by Qadaffy and his forces. He has threatened, bribed, incarcerated and now attacked them."
Our correspondent said the attacks occurred because Qadaffy and his supporters did not want to see this meeting "happen in Turkey where people can speak freely".
In the final statement of the conference, the delegates called on their "brothers in Zletin, Tarhuna, Khums, Msellata and Sirte to join the revolution and to put a swift end to this tyranny".
"We caution all other groups who are still fighting for this regime that continues day in day out to violate all forms of human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... , and we warn everyone involved that they will be accountable for their actions," the statement said.
Clear stance
At the end of the conference, our correspondent reported that the delegates said to Qadaffy: "Do not leave Libya because we want to bring you to justice, we will have you tried for the 42 years that you have enslaved us."
The meeting has been billed as a possible game-changer for the Qadaffy government as the Warfalla are said to have been supporting Qadaffy militarily, especially around the western city of Misrata.
Their position has not been clear throughout the conflict in Libya, but this meeting seems to have shed some light on their position.
In their statement, the delegates addressed their "families in our beloved Baniwalid" asking them not to "create rift between you and your fellow Libyans".
"The National Transitional Council (NTC) is a keeper of the safety and security for our great nation during the transitional period," their statement said, "after the fall of this brutal dictatorship, and encompasses several members of our great city."
Led by Mustafa Abdul Jalil, who won the respect of the opposition for criticising Qadaffy while he was the justice minister, the NTC is Libya's only interlocutor with the West, led by La Belle France, Perfidious Albion and the US.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/30/2011 00:00 ||
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Bomb explosions at a beer garden and restaurant at a Nigerian military barracks killed at least 10 people hours after President Goodluck Jonathan was inaugurated.
Three bomb explosions hit a "mammy market" -- often found at Nigerian military barracks and open to civilians -- in the northern city of Bauchi. Bauchi state police commissioner Abdulkadir Indabawa said that the blasts were caused by "locally made devices".
The barracks commander told a press briefing that the three bombs were detonated at "exactly 8:00 pm when people were relaxing." He said two people were killed and seven wounded. "All victims were civilians," said Brigadier General Agbo Robinson.
In a separate incident in Zuba, outside of Abuja, an explosion hit a beer parlor, causing minor injuries.
Bomb explosions at a beer garden and restaurant at a Nigerian military barracks killed at least 10 people hours after President Goodluck Jonathan was inaugurated.
Three bomb explosions hit a "mammy market" -- often found at Nigerian military barracks and open to civilians -- in the northern city of Bauchi. Bauchi state police commissioner Abdulkadir Indabawa said that the blasts were caused by "locally made devices".
The barracks commander told a press briefing that the three bombs were detonated at "exactly 8:00 pm when people were relaxing." He said two people were killed and seven wounded. "All victims were civilians," said Brigadier General Agbo Robinson.
In a separate incident in Zuba, outside of Abuja, an explosion hit a beer parlor, causing minor injuries.
[Iran Press TV] As revolutionaries take over most of the provinces in Yemen, government forces have killed at least three demonstrators in the southern city of Taizz.
Some 3,000 people gathered outside a cop shoppe in Taizz, located 300 kilometers (186 miles) south of the capital Sana'a, on Sunday to demand the release of a protester jugged by the police, AFP reported.
Security forces first had gun sex in a bid to disperse the protesting crowd, but then fired into them when the demonstrators refused to leave.
"Three demonstrators were killed by police gunfire and dozens more were maimed, some seriously," a hospital official said on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, ...back at the buffalo wallow, Tex and his new-found Indian friend were preparing a little surprise for the bandidos...
Yemen's revolutionaries say forces loyal to embattled President President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower... have lost control of five provinces, including Mareb and Saa'da.
This comes as a truce between Yemeni forces loyal to 65-year-old President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh and opposition rustics came into effect on Sunday.
Tribal mediators said on Saturday that the supporters of Sheikh Sadeq al-Ahmar, the leader of the powerful Hashid tribal federation, has agreed to leave public buildings in the capital's al-Hasaba neighborhood.
The agreement also calls for an end to all forms of armed presence in the district, and requires Saleh loyalists not to attack Ahmar's residence again.
Meanwhile, ...back at the wreckage, Captain Poindexter awoke groggily, his hand still stuck in the Ming vase... Ahmar -- a former supporter of Saleh -- has accused the embattled president of trying to spark a "civil war" in an attempt to remain in power.
The Yemeni president has repeatedly refused to sign a power transition deal that would see him resign in return for immunity from prosecution.
According to local reports, hundreds of anti-government protesters have been killed and many others injured during festivities with riot police and armed forces loyal to the Yemeni president since the anti-regime demonstrations began in late January.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/30/2011 00:00 ||
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[Yemen Post] At least two people were killed and several others injured in the festivities between the security forces and forces of Evil in Yemen's southern Abyan province, locals told the Yemen Post on Sunday.
Thousands have decamped Abyan's capital Zubjbar as the forces of Evil took over the entire city and due to sporadic battles.
Apart from the topic, the tribal fighters loyal to Hashid sheikh, Sadeq Al-Ahmer, who have fought the government forces and taken over public offices in the capital Sana'a started today handing over some offices to the mediation committee.
The committee sponsored a truce ending the deadly festivities in Al-Hasaba district over the last two days.
The truce came after dozens were killed and hundreds injured.
However, The contradictory However... sporadic fighting continued in some areas, mainly near Sana'a International Airport, and big kabooms were heard in Al-Hasaba, but no casualties were reported in the last two days.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/30/2011 00:00 ||
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[Yemen Post] A senior Defense Ministry official told Yemen Post that only half of the military personnel were left the city on Zinjibar on Thursday after orders were given to them to head to the provinces of Aden, Thale, and Lahj to help ensure security was stable in those regions. "The government troops did not withdraw from the city of Zinjibar, Abyan, but some of the troops were redirected to secure other regions of Abyan," said the official.
Security sources in Abyan said the security forces were given orders to leave the city.
Security soldiers placed in Abyan told Yemen Post that such tactics by the government are forcing thousands of elite republican guards and soldiers to join the Yemeni revolution because they are not with the people killing one another.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/30/2011 00:00 ||
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Senior Jihadist Tareq Fadhli in Abyan said minutes ago that President-for-Life Saleh ... exemplifying the Arab's propensity to combine brutality with incompetence... called him and promised that he would assign him as the governor of Abyan if he rids the province of opposition forces.
Tareq Fadhli, considered one of the main pillars of Islamic Militancy in Abyan, confirmed that President Saleh handed the city of Zinjibar to the snuffies and he is aware of that.
Clashes in Yemen today has resulted in the death of 12 people and the injury of at least 65.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/30/2011 00:00 ||
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[Yemen Post] The corpse counts from the festivities in Abayn after Islamic snuffies took over the capital Zunjbar climbed to five on Sunday and the toll from the crackdown on a demonstration in Taiz also rose to four.
Locals in Abyan said the battles with snuffies continued to claim more lives, leave others injured and terrify the people, many of whom have already decamped the city.
The opposition, military commanders who joined the peaceful youth-led uprising, and analysts accused President-for-Life Saleh ... exemplifying the Arab's propensity to combine brutality with incompetence... of handing Zunjbar to snuffies within his games and maneuvers as pressure is mounting on him to resign.
The city is surrounded by many military posts and a person wonders how snuffies could take over it, analysts said, adding, " Saleh has been warning of civil war and that Al-Qaeda will succeed the regime if it falls, but the truth remains is that Saleh is
involved in all this".
In Taiz, sources at the field hospital inside the freedom square said two more antigovernment protesters died from injuries.
The security forces killed four protesters and injured at least one hundred others in live bullets as thousands of people demonstrated to the cop shoppe in Al-Qahira district to call for releasing detainees, they said.
Many others were maimed due to teargas and high pressure water as the forces were trying to break into the freedom square, where hundreds of thousands have been conducting a month-sit-in to call for an immediate ouster of the regime.
Earlier today, massive demonstrations were held in some cities to condemn Saleh's attempts to drag Yemen into civil war and to call for his immediate ouster.
Separately, a source at the office of Hashid sheikh Sadeq Al-Ahmer said that only the offices of the Local Administration Ministry had been handed to the mediation committee that sponsored a truce ending the deadly festivities between Al-Ahmer's loyalists and the government forces.
Other public offices will not be handed until the government forces withdraw from their positions.
Today, eyewitnesses said more forces were seen stationing on the roofs of some buildings in Al-Hasaba, the battlefield for the festivities last week, and nearby districts in what appeared to be preparation to face possible attacks by the tribal fighters.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/30/2011 00:00 ||
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An activist of Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity (PCJSS)) was shot dead Sunday afternoon in Baghaichhari upazila of Rangamati.
You actually can find Rangamati on a map.
Sohel Chakma, 30, son of Dulal Chakma of the upazila, was a member of PCJSS (reformist group),
Splitters!
reports our Rangamati correspondent. The body was sent to Rangamati General Hospital morgue for an autopsy.
"Here's another for you, Dr. Quincy!"
"Great Sam, stack him in the back with the others."
Nayemuddin, officer-in-charge of Baghaichhari Police Station, confirmed the incident to The Daily Star saying that internal conflicts might be the reason behind the killing.
"It was a Saturday night, the lads were feeling feisty, then someone took out a pistol..."
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/30/2011 00:00 ||
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Two suspected terrorists militants were killed in the North Caucasus republic of Kabardino-Balkaria on Saturday, a local police spokesman said.
"Security forces... found a militants' shelter, with six explosive devices and a number of components for their manufacture," the source said adding that not far from the shelter they spotted two people trying to escape. They called for a helicopter which came and shot the terrorists militants.
The two bodies of the suspects, who were armed, were found later. Police are now trying to identify the pair.
Humanitarian agencies active in Pakistan's northwest have been quietly told to prepare for up to 365,000 displaced people in advance of a military offensive against North Waziristan, a senior official with an international humanitarian agency said Monday.
The official, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject, was responding to a media report in a local newspaper that Pakistan will launch a military offensive against al Qaeda and Taliban safe havens in the Afghan border regions.
"Humanitarian agencies operating in FATA and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa were given the heads up two weeks ago by the authorities of a possible displacement of up to 50,000 families," he said, referring to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and the northwest province.
A similar tip-off in 2009 preceded a military offensive in neighboring South Waziristan by about five months, he said.
Other aid agencies were not immediately available for comment.
An understanding for an offensive in North Waziristan, the main sanctuary in Pakistan for militants fighting in Afghanistan, was reached when Clinton and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen visited Pakistan last week, the News reported.
The United States has long demanded that Pakistan attack the region to eliminate the Haqqani network, one of the deadliest Afghan militant factions fighting U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
Pakistan has been reluctant to do so, but it has come under more pressure and its performance in fighting militancy is under scrutiny again after it was discovered that Osama bin Laden had been living in the country.
The News quoted unidentified "highly placed sources" as saying Pakistan's air force would soften up militant targets under the "targeted military offensive" before ground operations were launched.
The newspaper cited the sources as saying that a strategy for action in North Waziristan had been drawn up some time ago and an "understanding for carrying out the operation was developed" during the Clinton visit.
The target of any North Waziristan operation would be the most violent factions of the Pakistani Taliban, which has strong ties to al Qaeda, the report said.
But the United States would almost certainly push for a move against Haqqani, too.
Pakistani officials were not immediately available for comment. A U.S. embassy official had no immediate comment.
The newspaper said a "joint operation" with allies had been discussed but no decision had been taken because of sensitivities.
"In case the two sides agreed to go for a joint action, it would be the first time in the present war (on militancy) that foreign boots will get a chance to be on Pakistani soil with the consent of the host country."
#1
Looks like CHINA + CENTRAL ASIA are going to be nervously twiddling their fingers after all as Beijing has feared that any major North Waziristan, etc. offensive will cause the Islamist MilTerrs to escape into West China + stir up things wid the Uighurs???
[Dawn] Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman on Sunday said that politics of fear were being played throughout the world and that Pakistain, along with other Mohammedan countries was being made a target of the bloodshed, DawnNews reported.
Speaking to an Ulema convention in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar, the JUI chief said that Pakistain was passing through a terrible phase and that the US was trying to create a division between the Pakistain army and the public. He also said that the US wanted to occupy Pakistain's nuclear assets.
Maulana Fazlur Rahman said that America violated Pakistain's illusory sovereignty by conducting the Abbottabad operation and called for the Pak leaders to stop supporting America and its allies.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/30/2011 00:00 ||
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[The Nation (Nairobi)] Iraqi security forces jugged dozens of alleged Al-Qaeda members accused of being behind a series of attacks, including the massacre of 70 people at a wedding party in 2006, a front man said today.
Among the 25 incarcerated was one suspected bad turban leader who security forces claim posed as a human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... activist who fought to improve prison conditions in a bid to elude capture.
"Our forces have incarcerated 25 of the 34 members of the cell, which is responsible for 15 different attacks," said the Storied Baghdad ...located along the Tigris River, founded in the 8th century, home of the Abbasid Caliphate... security front man, Major General Qassim Atta.
The worst attack the group allegedly carried out was the systematic killing of a wedding party celebrating the marriage of a Shiite man and a Sunni woman in the town of Taji, north of Storied Baghdad, before disposing of their bodies in the Tigris River.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/30/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
"...before disposing of their bodies in the Tigris River."
What? A water burial with no guarantee of facing Mecca? What an audacious insult to Islam! Somebody call Al Azhar to condemn this! Surely they'd be consistent on this point...
Posted by: American Delight ||
05/30/2011 19:28 Comments ||
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GAZA CITY - Hamas and Fatah are close to resolving their differences on the issue of political prisoners from the two rival movements, a senior Fatah envoy visiting Gaza said on Sunday.
Nabil Shaath, a Palestinian negotiator, has been holding talks with Hamas officials in Gaza, discussing details of a surprise reconciliation deal signed by the long-time rivals last month. On Sunday, after talks with Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniya, Shaath reiterated Fatahs commitment to the reconciliation process and said one of the thorniest issues, that of political prisoners, was nearly resolved.
Hamas and Fatah have routinely arrested each others members, with each side accusing the other of mistreatment and arbitrary detention. We hope they're both right.
The reconciliation deal calls for the release of all political prisoners from the two sides, and Shaath said political arrests had already been halted. He said he expected the two groups would close the political arrests file soon.
There is full agreement on that, he said. The number of prisoners remaining in detention has shrunk and the file will be closed in upcoming days in accordance with the (unity) agreement, Shaath said.
He gave no details about any planned prisoner releases. "I will say no more, as I value my life!"
The reconciliation deal signed by the two parties aims to end years of bitter rivalry that boiled over in 2007, a year after Hamas won a surprise victory in legislative elections, culminating in street battles between the two groups in Gaza. Hamas routed Fatah, seizing control of the Gaza Strip and leaving Abbass party to run a parallel government unable to extend control beyond the West Bank.
The unity deal calls for follow-up committees to examine issues including the integration of the movements rival security forces, and mandates legislative and presidential elections within a year. In the interim, the two sides are to agree a transitional government of independents, which has yet to be announced.
Sure, they'll find 'independents' in Gazoo...
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/30/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
The Bloods and the Crips exchange prisoners.
Going back, it'd be Capone's and Bugsey Moran's gangs.
But most of those "exchanges" were at room temperature.
Posted by: Bobby ||
05/30/2011 16:29 Comments ||
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#2
That's good. Give each other back all the guys with grudges.
I'm sure it will all work out...
JERUSALEM - The Israeli military is preparing for the possibility of violent protests along its borders in the coming days, aiming to avoid a repeat of deadly unrest that erupted earlier this month, a senior military official told The Associated Press on Sunday.
Facebook-organized activists have called for demonstrations next weekend in Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan to mark the anniversary of the 1967 Mideast war, in which Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip east Jerusalem and Golan Heights.
The official said the army also is planning to counter possible unrest in the West Bank in September after an expected U.N. vote to recognize Palestinian independence.
The official said the army hopes to avoid civilian casualties but would set red lines for the demonstrations. That means Israel will not allow demonstrators to burst across the borders during the coming weeks protests as they did on the Syria-Israel border on May 15 or to enter Jewish settlements in the West Bank in September. He said Israel will not react to nonviolent demonstrations, including large gatherings near the settlements, but that it would be forced to take action in life-threatening situations.
The official said the army will be much better prepared this time around. Larger numbers of troops will be deployed, he said, and they will be equipped with crowd-control tools such as rubber bullets and water cannons.
The official said Israel is not expecting large-scale violence at that time, but he warned it wouldnt take much to trigger an outbreak in fighting. Unfortunately, we have seen lots of demonstrations turn violent, he said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/30/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
I'm afraid it's time to sh*t or get off the pot.
[An Nahar] Three people were killed and 33 others maimed on Sunday at the hands of Syrian security forces in the central towns of Rastan and Talbisa, which were encircled by tanks at dawn, the opposition said.
The Syrian Revolution 2011, a Facebook group spurring the anti-regime protests, reported that two people were killed at military checkpoints on the outskirts of the Homs town of Rastan, adding that another citizen it identified as Ahmed al-Dheik was killed at the hands of security forces in the Homs town of Talbisa.
At least 33 other people were shot and maimed by security forces in the two towns, the group reported.
Meanwhile, ...back at the palazzo, Count Guido had escaped from his bonds and overwhelmed this guard using the bludgeon Filomena had smuggled to him in the loaf of bread... a human rights ...which often include carefully measured allowances of freedom at the convenience of the state... activist told Agence La Belle France Presse that several people were maimed when security forces unleashed "intense gunfire" in Rastan and Talbisa, which were encircled by tanks at dawn.
"Dozens of tanks at dawn encircled the towns of Rastan and Talbisa, as well as the village of Deir Maaleh," the activist told AFP by telephone.
The three centers are all situated between Homs and Hama in central Syria.
Tanks also blocked the highway linking Homs -- Syria's third-largest city and a flashpoint of pro-democracy protests -- to Hama, he said.
"There was intense gunfire by Syrian security forces at Rastan and Talbisa that maimed several people," the source said.
Security forces killed at least 12 protesters on Friday in dispersing demonstrations against the regime of Syrian President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad One of the last of the old-fashioned hereditary iron-fisted fascist dictators. Before going into the family business Pencilneck was an eye doctor... , activists said.
More than 1,000 people have been killed and 10,000 others tossed in the clink since the revolt began, according to rights groups. Syrian authorities say 143 soldiers, security forces and police have been killed.
Foreign journalists are barred from travelling inside Syria, making it difficult to report on the unrest and verify witness accounts.
The government insists the unrest is the work of "armed terrorist gangs" backed by Islamists and foreign agitators.
It initially responded to the revolt by offering some concessions, including lifting the state of emergency in place for nearly five decades, but coupled this with a fierce crackdown.
The opposition has dismissed calls for dialogue, saying that could only take place once the violence ends, political prisoners are freed and reforms adopted.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/30/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Where's 0bama in all of this?
nowhere
that's where
Our new server arrived on Friday. I've named her Lucretia.
I've dumped the Windows 7 she came with and put Linux on her and I've set up the databases and web servers and PHP and the C compiler. I'm now tightening her access to keep the Chinese and similar riff-raff out. Once she's nice and secure I'll start building the directory structures and database shells.
With almost three times the memory and four times the processor power we've had the new box should trip along nicely. I'll keep you posted as she comes together.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/30/2011 10:54 ||
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If you ever want to dance with the devil, I can be your chaperone.
#6
Fred, while I appreciate the name Lucretia, I would have thought Lucy would have been better - as in Lucy Borden, who
... took an axe,
and gave her mother 40 whacks;
when she saw what she had done,
she gave her father 41!
I guess I just relate to axes more than I do poison...
Hope all goes extremely well with the new server.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
05/30/2011 13:16 Comments ||
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#7
"I would have thought Lucy would have been better - as in Lucy Borden"
Except Borden's name was Lizzie, OP - and she was aquitted, IIRC.
Maybe Fred named his new server for Lucretia Mott?
Though I certainly hope it's for Lucretia Borgia - and will be poison to trolls and other assorted internet riff-raff.
Fred, I have no idea what-all you said, though it sounds impressive. Congratulations on your new toy server, and many thanks for all you do.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
05/30/2011 13:34 Comments ||
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#8
Faster processor = It is a 64 bit processor (CPU or central processing unit) with a faster cycle which means it can process more and more complex commands per processor cycle.
More Memory = Less lag for database queries and more efficient database writes, and it can store larger integers.
Now I don't know if the Intel iCore processors are actually 64 bit. Some first generation 64 bit processors were actually 40 bit, like the AMD Opteron, but since taking over Rantburg's Mexican desk, I haven't really kept up, so dunno.
#10
Some first generation 64 bit processors were actually 40 bit, like the AMD Opteron
The 64 bits refer to the data path and registers (actually 128 bit w/ MMX). The 40 bits refers to the physical address lines (1 terabyte). Even today, addressing is up 48 bits (256 TB).
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
05/30/2011 18:27 Comments ||
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#13
Thanks Fred for all of your hard work and dedication, it is truly appreciated. It's so sad that you have to go to such lengths to keep the "riff raff" out.
Posted by: Jan ||
05/30/2011 22:32 Comments ||
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#14
and yet, we get in.
Oh, you were referring to... others?
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/30/2011 23:08 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Iran Press TV] The 
[Maghrebia] National Transitional Council (TNC) chief Mustafa Abdul Jalil offered amnesty Saturday (May 28th) to soldiers who leave 
[Maghrebia] Communal guards in Ath Saada, in the Tadmait region of 
[Iran Press TV] 
[Al Jazeera] Egypt is expelling an Iranian diplomat who was briefly 
[Iran Press TV] As revolutionaries take over most of the provinces in Yemen, government forces have killed at least three demonstrators in the southern city of Taizz.
[Yemen Post] At least two people were killed and several others injured in the 
Two suspected 
[The Nation (Nairobi)] Iraqi security forces 
Our new server arrived on Friday. I've named her Lucretia.
