[An Nahar] A roadside kaboom hit a tractor in southern Afghanistan on Monday, killing seven civilians and wounding four others, officials said.
The tractor and trailer hit the anti-vehicle mine in the Mali Zai area of Zabul province, the ministry of interior said in a statement.
"Seven non-combatants were killed and four other civilians were maimed. The maimed were taken to the hospital by Afghan National Police," the statement said.
The details of the blast were not immediately available and no-one has grabbed credit, but roadside kabooms and mines are the weapon of choice for the Taliban, who have led an 11-year insurgency against the government of President Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... and its Western allies.
A roadside kaboomwent kaboom! under an Afghan bus in neighboring Ghazni province on April 8, killing nine civilians and wounding at least 22 others in an attack blamed on Talibs.
A day before that, a suicide boom-mobileer struck a NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis.... convoy in Zabul, killing three U.S. soldiers and two civilians, including a female American diplomat travelling with Afghan officials to distribute books to students.
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04/16/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Somalia's security forces launched a major security operation Monday searching for explosives and weapons, a day after a spectacular suicide kaboom by Islamist gun-hung tough guys in the city.
"There is a major security operation under way in Mogadishu," said senior police official Mohamed Hassan. "So far more than 400 people have been incarcerated Into the paddy wagon wit' yez! , the operations are aimed at tackling insecurity."
On Sunday, a nine-man suicide commando unit blasted its way into Mogadishu's main court complex, some blowing up their explosive vests while others sprayed gunfire in a rampage that left 29 civilians dead, while a separate kaboom killed five more.
The al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab Death Eater group grabbed credit for the courthouse attack.
"All vehicles moving in town are subject to security screening while the passengers are being temporarily detained for questioning," Hassan added.
Security forces set up road blocks across the city.
"The soldiers are stopping all vehicles and arresting people," said Ali Ismail, a witness.
"I saw nearly 300 people who were detained and blindfolded near the industrial road. Everyone the security forces set eyes on today is getting placed in durance vile Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un! ," said Yusuf Ganey, another witness.
"This is not a normal operation," he said.
The Shabaab Islamists used to control most of the seaside capital until they abandoned fixed positions in August 2011. But the thug group has since carried out a series of attacks against the U.N.-backed government.
A regional military offensive has forced many Shabaab fighters to pull out of a string of key towns, but the gun-hung tough guys have reverted to guerrilla tactics and have carried out several kabooms in Mogadishu.
The scale and audacity of this latest attack -- striking in the heart of the heavily-guarded administrative quarter of the capital -- shocked many.
"None one thought the Shabaab could still strike at the heart of government but it happened and it was a really horrible attack, it is really very difficult to fight someone who does not fear the pain of death," said Muktar Isa, a resident.
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04/16/2013 00:00 ||
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CAIRO Two Muslim Brotherhood officials have been sent to trial on charges of kidnapping and torturing three men during protests in November following Islamist President Mohammed Mursis decrees, since rescinded, that granted him near absolute powers.
The case in the Nile Delta city of Damanhour north of Cairo is the first of its kind against Mursis Brotherhood and is likely to embarrass the group at a time it is trying to fend off opposition charges of monopolising power in the deeply polarised country.
Mohammed Bahnasy, a lawyer for the three victims, told the Associated Press on Sunday that the case was referred to trial a day earlier. The two Brotherhood local officials Mustafa El Khouli and Mohammed Abdel-Radi have not been detained.
Of course not.
An arrest warrant has been issued for El Khouli, who has failed to respond to a summons for questioning, according to Bahnasy. Abdel-Radi was questioned and released pending the start of the trial, according to him and another lawyer involved in the case, Mohammed Abdel-Aziz.
The Brotherhoods chief lawyer, Abdel-Monaim Abdel-Maqsoud, said the decision to refer the two to trial was hurried and described the investigation as flawed. He told the AP that defence witnesses showed up at the prosecutors office on Saturday to testify that El Khouli and Abdel-Radi were innocent, only to be told it was too late.
Everything will now have to wait for the trial, he said. I am surprised at the speed with which this has been done. We have many cases of Brotherhood victims of violence and we have not seen any of them go to trial yet, said Abdel-Maqsoud.
He confirmed that the case against the two was the first of its kind since the ouster two years ago of autocrat Hosni Mubarak.
Bahnasy said the three men allegedly kidnapped and tortured were Mahmoud Ali, 17, Mohammed Mansour, 18, and Mustafa Farag, 21. He said the three were detained separately for up to five hours during clashes between supporters and opponents of Mursi at Damanhours main square on November 24.
El Khouli was identified by Bahnasy and Abdel-Aziz as the administrative head of the Brotherhoods office in Damanhour. They said Abdel-Radi is a senior member of the local branch of the Brotherhoods Freedom and Justice Party. The two were sent to court following a two-day sit-in by the three victims and their supporters outside Damanhours prosecution office to protest against what they claimed was stalling on a trial.
The Damanhour case is just one of a series of bouts of political violence in the turmoil roiling Egypt since the overthrow of Mubaraks regime in February 2011.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/16/2013 00:00 ||
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[Guardian Ng] THERE may be no end yet to the reign of terror in Borno State as gunnies suspected of members of Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... sect on Sunday invaded Agapalawa and Ngoshe communities, killing two persons.
Ngoshe and Agapalawa are Nigeria's border towns with Republic of Cameroon.
Also, suspected bandidos Monday raided the Pompomari, Maiduguri residence of the state former Commissioner of Poverty Alleviation and Youths Empowerment, Mr. Daniel Ijai Mamza, snatching his vehicles.
Meanwhile, ...back at the shattered spaceship, Fffflirgoll the Arcturan slithered stealthily toward the control room, where the humans had barricaded themselves... the National Assembly is poised to bring to an end the Boko Haram sect insurgency within the next three months.
The Senate Deputy Whip, Hosea Agboola, who disclosed this to news hounds in Ibadan expressed the Senate's concern to the activities of the sect and vowed to put an end to the scourge.
In a related development, Youths in the 19 northern states, under the aegis of Arewa Youth Forum (AYF) and the former leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF), Alhaji Mujahid Asari Dokubo yesterday cautioned the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) against any attempt to further fuel instability and disunity in the country through its fresh threat to avenge the Boko Haram attacks.
Besides, another group, Northern Civil Society Coalition, headed by
Mallam Shehu Sani also advised President Goodluck Jonathan ... 14th President of Nigeria. He was Governor of Bayelsa State from 9 December 2005 to 28 May 2007, and was sworn in as Vice President on 29 May 2007. Jonathan is a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP). He is a lover of nifty hats, which makes him easily recognizable unless someone else in the room is wearing a neat chapeau... not to adhere to the calls by Arewa leaders over implementing an amnesty programme on Boko Haram that would enrich them.
They pointed out that both the elders and the governors in the North were not entrenched to provide solution to the insurgency in the region.
In the same vein, a socio Yoruba organization, Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG) has reiterated its call for a national conference.
The group described the rejection of the amnesty offer by Boko Haram as a pointer to the fact that Nigeria needed nothing other than to organise a national dialogue where all issues affecting the different nation states would be discussed.
And to check insecurity in the country, the outgoing Anglican Bishop of Lagos West Diocese, Rt. Rev. Peter Adebiyi yesterday charged governments to re-introduce and strengthen the teaching of religious studies in their respective institutions.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2013 00:00 ||
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[Guardian Ng] FRESH crises in different parts of Plateau State have resulted in the death of 11 persons and the burning of houses.
After a resumed attack on Wase Tofa village, four bodies of the victims were found Monday floating on River Wase.
According to an eyewitness, Dauda John, "four people were picked up from Wase River today. The gunnies came and started firing into the air to drive the people from their houses. That was how it all happened."
Plateau State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr. Yiljap Abraham, the Commander of the Special Task Force (STF), Major-General Henry Ayoola and the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Chris Olakpe, were in Wase on Friday last week for the restoration of peace and normality in the council.
That last week attack on Wase left about 25 people dead but Abraham denied the casualty figure, saying that it was 18.
Also on Friday night, three persons were reported killed in Kanana village in Langtang South by unidentified gunnies in their resumed hostilities.
It was learnt that unknown gunnies on Friday night at Turaki Ward in Langtang South stormed the area and sacked the village killing a woman and her daughter but the husband escaped unhurt. The gunnies carted away his cows.
The sleeping and isolated Maza Ward in Jos North Local Council was also attacked on Friday night by unidentified gunnies who killed two harmless indigenes of the area. Reports say that the gunnies came in and started shooting indiscriminately and two people eventually fell to their bullets.
It was further learnt that the villagers deserted their homes and farmlands and took refuge in the nearby bush and hills. According to an eyewitness from Maza, "You know at that time there was a heavy rainfall in Maza when the gunnies came. They started shooting so that people could come out from their huts and houses. There were no coppers around to rescue us.
"Soldiers of the STF who were initially stationed in this area were withdrawn a week earlier before this incident happened. Maza is situated in a valley and people don't even know that something like that exists. No access road except that the government wants to open one road to link Maza to the town in Jos.
"The security people had been here for quite a long time now. But there seemed be no work for them because the place is quiet. So, they were withdrawn, as peace seemed to reign here. Not more than one week that they were withdrawn, the gunnies came shooting and people had to abandon their homes for the hills inside the heavy rain. People stayed in the bush in the rain."
The Spokesman of the Special Task Force, Capt. Salisu Ibrahim Mustapha, confirmed that there was an attack in Tofa along Wase, "where a man was ambushed and this resulted in a reprisal attack and many houses were burnt."
But Mustapha said that normality had returned while the situation was being closely monitored.
On Maza attack, Mustapha said that "what happened there was not an attack but rituals being carried out by the hunters there. People heard gunshots especially during these times of insecurity and they started running helter-skelter. I am not aware that people were killed in the process."
Abraham had earlier identified criminality as the major factor responsible for the recent breakdown of violence and hostility in some parts of the state particularly in Wase, Kanam, Langtang North and Langtang South axis.
The commissioner who described the talks he had with the traditional rulers, security chiefs and authorities of Kanam, Wase, Langtang North and Langtang South as frank and comprehensive, added that they focused on analysing the factors that led to the intensification of the violence in those areas as well as the tension they had been witnessing.
But the Centre for Advocacy of Justice and Rights, a Jos-based non-governmental organization, lamented that for more than a decade now, the state had suffered a series of attacks such as ethno-religious crises leading to a huge loss of lives and property.
The Programme Manager of the centre, Mr. Adeniran Joseph, said that this pointed to the fact that there would be hunger in the state, increase in poverty, high rate of crime and Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV).
"Also, the democratic structure of the state and the dividends of democracy may once more be lost, " he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2013 00:00 ||
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[Yemen Post] Local officials confirmed on Sunday morning the death of yet another security officer in the south-eastern province of Hadhramawt by the hands of al-Qaeda snuffies late on Saturday.
A local official already told the press on condition of anonymity "Two al-Qaeda gunnies on a cycle of violencerubbed out assistant director of the criminal investigations Abdel Kader Hazza, who is also in charge of a counter-terrorism unit in Shiher town of Hadramout ...the formerly independent Qu'aiti state and sultanate, annexed by Communist South Yemen in 1968, encompassing a region along the Gulf of Aden, extending eastwards to the borders of the Dhofar region of Oman. The people are called Hadhramis and speak Hadhrami Arabic. The city Tarimis estimated to contain the highest concentration of descendants of the Prophet Muhammad (PTUI) anywhere in the world, approximately seven in every square yard... Several high to middle ranking security officers have been systematically targeted over the past 12 months, just as the government continues to crackdown on terror cells throughout its southern provinces.
Officials believe the targeting of officers is part of al-Qaeda's plan to destabilize the region and diminish the state's abilities to foil Islamists' plans in Yemen.
Over 76 security officers have been killed since 2012.
Al-Qaeda in Yemen proved to be a lethal and mighty destructive force when in 2011 the group used Yemen power vacuum and institutional instability to seize large swathes of lands and self-proclaim Zinjibar and Jaar Islamic Caliphates.
Only through a large military escalation could the government reclaim its lands and push back al-Qaeda back into hiding.
Severely diminished the terror group continues however to play havoc as its snuffies reverted to guerrilla tactics, such as targeted liquidation, to eat away at the country's foundations.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2013 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Arabia
For a map, click here. For a map of Coahuila state, click here. For a map of Durango state, click here
By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com
A total of 14 individuals have died or were found dead in the La Laguna region of north central Mexico according to several Mexican news reports.
A news account which appeared on the website of El Diario de Coahuila news daily said that the 10 of the killings took place between last Friday night and Sunday in the Coahuila side of La Laguna
Saturday night in Matamoros municipality, three unidentified individuals were shot to death near the intersection of calle Niños Héroes and Avenida Cuarta in José Ayup Tedy colony. One of the victims was reported to be a woman.
According to a news account posted on the website of El Siglo de Torreon news daily, Sunday morning three men identified as lawyers were shot to death at a gathering in ejido Ana de Torreon in Torreon municipality. The victims were at a celebration when armed suspects broke into the celebration and started shooting. The victims were identified as Efrain Parapac Salazar, 32, Leonardo Oviedo Muñoz, 25 and Fernando Rodriguez Garcia, 27.
Going by comments left at the website, the three victims had only recently been awarded their law licenses.
El Diario de Coahuila also reported that two more unidentified victims were found shot to death at a residence in ejido Ana de Torreon.
According to the report the Coahuila state Procuraduria General de Justicia del Estado (PGJE), or attorney general reported finding one unidentified victim shot to death near the intersection of Calle Victoria and Arteria Gregorio Garcia.
Two more victims of violence were found Sunday in Torreon near the intersection of calles Juarez and Alhajas in Valparaiso colony. The victims had been stabbed to death.
In Gomez Palacio, Durango, the four men found shot to death Friday night were identified as Manuel Rodriguez Salazar, 71, José Enrique Morales Martinez, 52, Juan José Montes Flores, 38 and Evangelina Miramontes Hernandez, 38 . They were found aboard a Ford Explorer SUV on the road between Santa Rita and La Union, shot once in the head. All victims were residents of Torreon, Coahuila.
Separately, according to a news item on the website of El Siglo de Torreon eight suspects were detained for federal crimes in Torreon by a unit of the Torreon Direccion de Seguridad Publica Municipal police corporation. Two firearms, a kilogram of drugs and a vehicle which had allegedly been carjacked were seized.
The detainees were identified as José Enrique Castillo Esparza, Martin de Jesus Mata Montejano, Andres Delgado Lujan, Fernando Osvaldo Gutierrez Enemegio, Mauricio Triana Ortiz, Cindy Salas Rubio, Yesica Garcia Ornelas and Karla Fabiola Sandate Garcia.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com
"China's defense ministry made a thinly veiled attack on the United States on Tuesday for increasing tensions in the Asia-Pacific by ramping up its military presence and alliances in the region, days after the top U.S. diplomat visited Beijing." Gee Jawn, maybe you should have tossed them some medals - ya'know, just as a reminder of your visit...?
"China has repeatedly said the world has nothing to fear from its military spending, which it says is needed for legitimate defensive purposes in a complex and changing world, and that the sums spent pale in comparison with U.S. defense expenditure." Interesting way of putting it.... AoS at 1920 CT: always check for duplicates before posting, else you'll see 'Dupe Entry' in the Headline. If you see that it means that the same exact URL of your post has already appeared on the Burg, so don't proceed with posting.
#2
See also RELATED GUARDIAN.UK > CHINA BLASTS US FOR ASIA-PACIFIC MILITARY BUILDUP.
ARTIC > PLA DAILY > CHINA DEFENCE "WHITE PAPER" = notes that China needs to beef up = strengthen its defenses agz a West seemingly intent on undermining it, West continues to use a strategy of trying to modernize China while also simul trying to destabilize + break it up???
AGAIN, AS PER THE LATEST NOKOR/DPRK CRISIS, ITS CHINA THAT HAS BEEN MOBILIZING ITS MIL ASSETS, NOT NOKOR.
IMO the NOKOR Crisis heralds the begining of "post-US", "Mahanist" China's challenge to US Power-n-Influence in East Asia or Asia - Pacific, albeit indirectly or by "proxy/
surrogate" at present. HOWEVER, IFF NOTHING CHANGES CHINA WILL STEADILY BEGIN LINEARLY PUTTING THE PLA + ANTI-US NUCLEAR BRINKMANSHIP, ETC. IN THE FOREFRONT OF SINO-US CONFRONTATION IN LIEU OF PROXY NORTH KOREA.
IOW, where Rising China's strategic interests are concerned NOKOR/DPRK's KJU's war rants is just for starters = "testing'feeling" the Bammer + Debt-Sequester-ridden US' response for when China is finally ready to begin the shooting war that must occur.
Iff one believes that POTUS Bammer is a de facto anti-US Lefty Marxist-Anarchist-Globalist, then the best time for China + Iran to "push the envelope" in regards to achieveing + entrenching their particular National + Geopol agendums is NOW, ASAP AMAP ALAP during a Bammer 2nd term, not after Jan. 2017 wid a new US POTUS in office.
* DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > [Strategic-Culture = Alexander Vorontsov] CHINA SAYS US "PACIFIC PIVOT" DESTABILIZING REGION.
Again, China + PLA see US Milbases close to China's shores while NOT seeing Chinese-PLA MIlbases close to the US' shores.
* SAME > [Yahoo News] BUDGET CUTS GROUND AIR FORCE, NAVY AIRCRAFT IN US.
* SAME > [Eurasia Review] NORTH KOREA'S
"RANTINGS AND RAVINGS" THREATENS CHINA'S STRATEGIC INTERESTS.
* TOPIX > CHINA DENIES BUILDUP ON SINO-DPRK BORDER.
You knew they would.
* SAME > CHINA SET TO DEEPEN NORTH TIES AS YALU RIVER BRIDGE [suspension] SETS TO RISE. Existing bridge + locale already handles 70% of the trade flows between China + DPRK.
versus
* WORLD MILITARY FORUM > YOUTUBE VIDEO: DO NOT FORGET THE 20,000 CHINESE ["Ryukyu Chinese"] LIVING + WORKING IN OKINAWA.
* SAME > FIVE REASONS WHY NORTH KOREA/NORTH KOREAN CRISIS IS AMERICA'S PROBLEM, NOT CHINA'S.
NORTH KOREA'S DECLARATION OF RENEWED WAR WAS AGZ THE US + ITS MAJOR EAST ASIAN ALLIES, NOT CHINA.
* SAME > HAN EXPERT: NORTH KOREA UNLIKELY TO GO TO WAR DUE TO 20,000 CHINESE CITIZENS LIVING IN SEOUL [South Korea], AND WID ANOTHER 20.0MILYUHN KOREANS LIVING IN NE CHINA.
* SAME > EXPERTS: NEUTRAL RUSSIA MAY MILITARILY INTERVENE IN NORTH KOREA CRISIS IFF CHINA INVADES + TAKES OVER NORTH KOREA, OR IFF CHINA ATTACKS JAPAN WID NUCLEAR WEAPONS. RUSSIA DOES NOT BELIEVE THAT US-ALLIES WILL CROSS THE KOREAN DMZ IN WARTIME, RUSSIAN FEAR OF CHINESE AIR-NAVAL OBSTRUCTION OF MARITIME TRADE FROM EAST CHINA SEA TO SOUTH CHINA SEA.
* SAME > STALIN'S "FYING TIGERS": THE RELATIVELY UNKNOWN HISTORY + COMBAT RECORD OF SOVIET RUSSIA'S "VOLUNTEER FIGHTER AVIATION GROUP/AIR FORCE" AGZ JAPAN.
An envelope that tested positive for the deadly poison ricin was intercepted Tuesday afternoon at the U.S. Capitol's off-site mail facility in Washington, congressional and law enforcement sources tell CNN.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he was told the letter was addressed to the office of Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Mississippi. After the envelope tested positive in a first routine test, it was retested two more times, each time coming up positive, the law enforcement source said. The package was then sent to a Maryland lab for further testing.
"He was never categorized as a suspect; he was a person of interest. My understanding is that he totally cooperated and that he is no longer a person of interest," Chambliss said.
Asked if there were any other persons of interest at this time, Chambliss said, "Not that I know of."
Chambliss did say that security around the country would have to change for large public events, including greater involvement by the federal government.
"This was a soft target. It was not a target that was able to be totally protected," he said. "This particular incident is going to cause the administration and Congress to evaluate our overall security programs around the country, particularly for major events. We can't leave it just to the communities that host these events to provide the security." Never let a crisis go to waste.
#1
At last check, CNN + FOX > Reports of alleged 2-5 "unexploded bombs" have not been confirmed.
Taken collectively, it strongly subjectively appears at this time that the blasts in Boston are the work of a seeming "lone wolf", doemstic or foreign, but this may still change as the formal US investigation uncovers new details.
[Washington Post] U.S. law enforcement officials said Tuesday that a Saudi national injured in the Boston Marathon bombing is regarded as a witness, not a suspect. The Saudi, who is recuperating at a Boston hospital, is in his 20s and is in the United States on a Saudi scholarship to study at a university in the Boston area. The federal officials' explanation echoed comments by a Saudi official at the country's embassy in Washington. The embassy official said that a Saudi national has been questioned as a witness but is not regarded as a suspect.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2013 13:25 ||
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#7
It's possible I suppose, that this is an attempt to protect him from overzealous tea-party types that will attack him regardless of innocence.
What sets off alarm bells is that they haven't said WHAT he was doing there. He was there, injured, and taken to the hospital. But nobody can tell me what a Saudi national, on a student-visa, was doing there. Curiosity? Possible, but just SAY THAT. Just making it look bad if this guy is innocent.
Posted by: Charles ||
04/16/2013 18:35 Comments ||
Top||
#8
If I was in Pamplona to learn Spanish I'd go watch the crazies run with the bulls, as part of my educational experience and just for the heck of it; wouldn't you?
Darth, it is likely to not be islamic even if the damn perp was video'd holding a crayon and banging his head on the ground at the impact. That would be your fault, and Bush's, the NRA, and the movie Ben Hur.
The explosives used in the deadly Boston Marathon bombing were contained in 6-liter pressure cookers and hidden in black duffel bags on the ground, a person briefed on the investigation told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
One of the explosives contained shards of metal and ball bearings, and another contained nails, the person said.
A second person briefed on the investigation confirmed that at least one of the explosives was made out of a pressure cooker. Both spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.
#5
Tipper, I'm not sure a Jihadi would be the type to visit freagin disneyland.
Posted by: Charles ||
04/16/2013 18:36 Comments ||
Top||
#6
IEDs are now in the United States of America. Step number 1) Kick this regime out of DC. DHS analyst on Shawn Hannity radio said today lets not call these ieds yet. Replace the DHS CYA (cover your as#) style of operation with real intelligence.
#7
The pressure cooker explains one thing that was puzzling me. Homemade explosives produce as much flash as bang, and there was no flash on the video images. But contain them in a pressure cooker and you get little flash.
#8
Pressure cookers also have beneficial uses: you can 'adapt' them to be a still-like device if ever you wanted to boil that evil alcohol out of your soggy corn mash. vent out the relief port and that nasty vapor can be on its way......
BOSTON TFederal investigators said no one had claimed responsibility for the bombings one of the city's most famous civic holidays, Patriots Day. But the blasts among the throngs of spectators raised fears of a terrorist attack.
President Barack Obama was far too careful not to use the words "terror" or "terrorism" as he spoke at the White House Monday after the deadly bombings, but an administration official said the bombings were being treated as an act of terrorism.
"We will find out who did this. We'll find out why they did this," the president said. "Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups, will feel the full weight of justice."
The FBI took charge of the investigation into the bombings, serving a warrant late Monday on a home in suburban Boston and appealing for any video, audio and still images taken by marathon spectators.
A European security official said Tuesday initial evidence indicates that the attacks were not the work of suicide bombers. "So far, investigators believe it was not the work of suicide bombers, but it is still too early to rule it out completely," said the official.
The Pakistani Taliban, which has threatened attacks in the United States because of its support for the Pakistani government, on Tuesday denied any role in the marathon bombings.
And we should believe you because...
As many as two unexploded bombs were found near the end of the 26.2-mile course as part of what appeared to be a well-coordinated attack, but they were safely disarmed, according to a senior U.S. intelligence official.
WBZ-TV reported late Monday that law enforcement officers were searching an apartment in the Boston suburb of Revere. Massachusetts State Police confirmed that a search warrant related to the investigation into the explosions was served Monday night in Revere, but provided no further details. Some investigators were seen leaving the Revere house early Tuesday carrying brown paper bags, plastic trash bags and a duffel bag.
Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis asked people to stay indoors or go back to their hotel rooms and avoid crowds as bomb squads methodically checked parcels and bags left along the race route. He said investigators didn't know whether the bombs were hidden in mailboxes or trash cans.
He said authorities had received "no specific intelligence that anything was going to happen" at the race.
A few miles away from the finish line and around the same time, a fire broke out at the John F. Kennedy Library. The police commissioner said that it may have been caused by an incendiary device but that it was not clear whether it was related to the bombings.
The attack may have been timed for maximum carnage: The four-hour mark is typically a crowded time near the finish line because of the slow-but-steady recreational runners completing the race and because of all the friends and relatives clustered around to cheer them on.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/16/2013 07:31 ||
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#1
Motive?
Terrorism needs no motive, terror is an end unto itself.
I don't think we'll ever know for sure who did this. If it was moslem extremists, the Feds will do anal cranial inversions and somersaults to put it on something else.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
04/16/2013 17:20 Comments ||
Top||
BOSTON -- Federal and local investigators are sifting through evidence and interviewing witnesses, trying to determine who's responsible for the deadly explosions at the Boston Marathon finish line.
Police and federal agents searched an apartment building on Ocean Avenue in nearby Revere late Monday night in connection with the bombings. CBS News Senior Correspondent John Miller reported Tuesday morning the apartment search was related to the man who is reportedly under guard at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Miller reported the man is a Saudi national who is in the United States on a student visa.
Several bags were removed from the scene around 2 a.m. Tuesday, but authorities would not comment on the search.
The Revere Fire department wrote on its Facebook page that this was a search for "a person of interest." FBI, ATF, ICE, Boston PD, Revere PD as well as MSP detectives and Bomb Techs from Boston PD and State.
Two men were questioned by federal agents in the lobby overnight before they were allowed to go upstairs.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/16/2013 07:30 ||
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#1
Revere? As in Paul Revere? See, I told you this was a tea party anti-tax domestic terrorist retaliation for the removal of the so-called gadsen flag last week. Those racist right wingers dressed up as native arabians to throw us off the scent, and what a scent they have. Their self styled Palinistas have alredy attempted the life of the good congresswoman Giffords. Mr. President, give me another tingle and remove these sub-humans from our basements immediately, before they chew through more of our house. This just in, a second bomb has detonated.
Just take your soma and forget ... forget this ... the soma ... relax and rest my friend. Have some soma. You are fine. Nothing to see here. Move along, and have some more soma. You will feel a lot better.
Oh, and a squirrel, and a meteor, and a flood, and ice storm, and global warming, and recycle, because shut up.
[ABCNEWS.GO] 6:41 pm ET: ABC News has revised its estimate of the number of people injured in the Boston Marathon bombing incident to at least 99 people.
6:29 pm ET: Boston hospitals report "multiple amputations" among those injured at Boston Marathon.
6:13 pm ET: "We will find out who did this and we will hold them accountable," says President Obama.
6:12 pm ET: We do not know who did this or why... But make no mistake. We will get to the bottom of this," says President Obama.
6:11 pm ET: "On days like this there are no Republicans and Democrats," says President Obama.
6:10 pm ET: President Obama is now addressing the nation.
6:04 pm ET: Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D- Calif., chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, tells ABC News: "It is a terrorist incident. ... It could be foreign, it could be homegrown." She said the attack had the "hallmarks" of a terror attack.
6:02 pm ET: ATF agents have descended on Brigham and Women's hospital where they're questioning one potential person of interest.
5:56 pm ET: At least 86 people have been taken to area hospitals, according to a tally by ABC News.
5:48 pm ET: FAA lifts restrictions on air travel over Boston. Logan Airport has been reopened.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Maybe its a coptic Christian a movie-maker or someone they can lock up and forget about.
[NYPOST] Investigators have a suspect -- a Soddy Arabian ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in their national face... national -- in the horrific Boston Marathon bombings, The Post has learned. Do tell? I was expecting a Pak, maybe a Bangla.
Law enforcement sources said the 20-year-old suspect was under guard at an undisclosed Boston hospital. "I'm countin' on you, Mahoney!"
"I'll keep an eye on him, chief!"
Fox News reported that the suspect suffered severe burns. It was not immediately clear why the man was hospitalized and whether he was injured in the attack or in his apprehension. I'm guessing he was hospitalized due to the severe burns. What's your guess? Shrapnel wounds?
The man was caught less than two hours after the 2:50 p.m. bombing on the finish line of the race, in the heart of Boston. Two hours? And the guy's fried like an egg?
In addition, Boston police have surveillance video of someone bringing multiple backpacks to the blast site, according to CBS News. "Y'know, chief, if he wasn't so severely burned he'd look kinda like that guy on the tape!"
"Mahoney, if you didn't have red hair and a beer muscle you'd look kinda like him!"
Police also confirmed that there was a third explosion, at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. It was not immediately clear how much damage was done or whether it was related to the bombings at the marathon finish line. The library bombing occurred about 4:30 p.m. and more than a mile from the marathon.
A law enforcement source confirmed to The Post that 12 people were killed and nearly 50 were injured in today's blast.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
President Hussein sez the full weight of the law will come down on the perpetrator. TRANSLATION: Which being in a liberal state means full tax payer funded medical treatment, tax payer funded three hots and a cot for the rest of his life, a koran courtesy of the Tax Payer, prayer rug ditto, and halil meat ditto, regardless of the dead and the maimed tax payers whose lives are a wreck right now.
#3
If unexploded bombs HAVE been recovered, a great deal of forensic and biometric information can be gleaned from them. While it is obviously very early in the investigation, the lack of Law Enforcement discussion or acknowledgement of the alleged [discovered or diffused] devices is troubling. I hope information on these devices does not quietly become the Boston version of the Benghazi survivors. These devices are obviously very key to the investigation.
#6
Department of Homeland Security program intended to give "trusted traveler" status to low-risk airline passengers soon will be extended to Saudi travelers, opening the program to criticism for accommodating the country that produced 15 of the 19 hijackers behind the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Sources voiced concern about the decision to the Investigative Project on Terrorism, which issued a report Wednesday on the under-the-radar announcement -- which was first made by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano after meeting in January with her Saudi counterpart. According to the IPT, this would be the first time the Saudi government has been given such a direct role in fast-tracking people for entry into the United States."
#12
Besoeker: Wishful thinking according to the presser this morning. I read at HotAir that only 2 bombs planted. So those reports of others were wrong. Probably just over-reaction caused by the initial explosion's.
Posted by: Charles ||
04/16/2013 18:45 Comments ||
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#13
Agree Charles, now we have a Risin attack against a US Senator. No confirmation of a connection, but as the Hammer just said "a hell of a coincidence". I hope and pray this stuff is not coming out of Syria.
[An Nahar] Dozens of attacks across Iraq on Monday, including a brazen boom-mobileing en route to Storied Baghdad ...located along the Tigris River, founded in the 8th century, home of the Abbasid Caliphate... airport, killed at least 24 people just days before the country's first elections since US troops withdrew.
The violence, which struck during morning rush hour amid tightened security ahead of the polls, also maimed more than 210 people and raises further questions about the credibility of the April 20 vote, seen as a key test of Iraq's stability and its security forces' capabilities.
A total of 14 election hopefuls have already been murdered and just 12 of the country's 18 provinces will be taking part.
Officials said 20 boom-mobiles went kaboom! Monday in Storied Baghdad, the northern cities of Kirkuk, ... a thick stew of Arabs, Turkmen, Kurds, and probably Antarcticans, all of them mutually hostile most of the time... Tuz Khurmatu, djinn-infested Mosul and Tikrit, the central city of Samarra, and Hilla and Nasiriyah south of Storied Baghdad.
Roadside bombs also hit Baquba, north of the capital, and there was a shooting near Storied Baghdad.
No group immediately grabbed credit for the attacks, but Sunni snuffies linked to Al-Qaeda frequently attack both government targets and civilians in a bid to destabilize the country, and have reportedly sought to intimidate candidates and election officials ahead of polls.
The deadliest attacks were in Storied Baghdad, where six boom-mobiles struck in five neighborhoods across the capital despite tougher checkpoint searches and heightened security.
Among them was a boom-mobile in a parking area used by vehicles making their way to Storied Baghdad's heavily-guarded airport, a rare bombing on the road famously known as "Route Irish".
The airport road was once known by American forces as "RPG alley" for the high numbers of attacks along it but has since become much more secure.
"There were several people, buses and private cars in the parking area when the kaboom went off," said a man who gave his name as Abu Ali, at the site of the blast.
"It happened all of the sudden, and several people were killed and maimed. Some of the buses went straight to the airport to avoid more attacks."
In all, 11 people were killed and 57 maimed in the capital, officials said.
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04/16/2013 00:00 ||
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The IDF has the ability to attack the Iranian nuclear sites without help from other nations, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz told Israel Radio in an interview aired Tuesday. Protracted "International" howling in 5..3..2
Gantz also said that the continued quiet on the Gaza front is a testament to the success of Operation Pillar of Defense in November of last year and added that if firing of rockets resumes, the IDF will resume its operations in the Strip and extend them.
[An Nahar] A Jordanian military tribunal on Monday opened the trial of four Syrians placed in durance vile Please don't kill me! in September as they tried to cross into the kingdom heavily armed, a court official said.
"The armed forces arrested the four Syrians in a border village last year in September as they tried to cross into Jordan," the official told Agence La Belle France Presse.
"They were carrying 13 hand grenades, 12 detonators, two AK-47 Kalashnikovs and other weapons," which are banned in Jordan. The four men face life sentences if found guilty.
The official did not give other details on their case but said that the trial in Amman "was adjourned until April 29 because the suspects did not have lawyers to represent them."
Jordan says it hosting around 500,000 Syrian refugees.
In September, military prosecutors charged eight Syrians with "unlawful assembly" after riots at the Zaatari refugee camp in northern Jordan.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2013 00:00 ||
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Several soldiers were wounded when a bomb destroyed their patrol vehicle and gunmen then opened fire at them in Pattani province on Tuesday.
Members of a special task force were patroling a local road in an armored vehicle when the bomb went off shortly after noon. Several soldiers were reported wounded by the blast. Hidden gunmen then opened fire on the soldiers.
The bomb, estimated to have 20 kilograms of explosives, was hidden alongside the road near a bridge and was remotely detonated.
[An Nahar] A 38-year-old Frenchie well-known in radical Islamist circles in Belgium was killed Sunday while fighting for an Islamist brigade in Syria, Belgian media said.
Raphael Gendron left for Syria several months ago to fight with the 'Falcons of Sham' headed by Abdelrahman Ayachi who was maimed Sunday and who is the son of Syrian-born radical Imam Bassam Ayachi, the SudPresse newspaper group said in a report on its website.
Belga news agency, citing a relative, confirmed Gendron's death.
Gendron had lived in Belgium for several years and was active at the Assabyle Islamic Center in Belgium (CIB) headed by Ayachi senior, aged 68. He ran its website and in 2009 was fined for inciting hatred for a video posted on a CIB webpage.
The same year he and Ayachi senior were placed in durance vile Book 'im, Mahmoud! in southern Italia after police found undocumented migrants in their van.
They were accused of organizing a network linked to al-Qaeda but after four years behind bars were let off by the courts and returned to Belgium last July.
Belgian authorities have expressed concern ...meaning the brow was mildly wrinkled, the eyebrows drawn slightly together, and a thoughtful expression assumed, not that anything was actually done or indeed that any thought was actually expended... in the last weeks over the departure to Syria of some 80 young Islamist hard boyz and are taking steps to counter the departure of others.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Syrian rebel commanders have confirmed beturbanned goons had fired shells into Hermel towns on Saturday and Sunday, but denied there were any attacks on Monday.
"Yesterday (Sunday), Hizbullah bombarded Qusayr, Nahriyeh, Burhaniyeh and Saqarji (near the Lebanese border) from its positions in al-Qasr and Hawsh al-Sayyed Ali. They bombed civilians and killed many women and kiddies," said Abu Oday, a commander of the rebel Independent Farouq Division.
"If we have to, we will target civilians just like they do. Our civilians are not less valuable than theirs. Hizbullah is killing arbitrarily in Syria," he told Agence La Belle France Presse.
"Yesterday, we responded. We hit back at Hizbullah's positions," he added.
Another rebel leader, Abu Ahmed, said beturbanned goons did not fire into Leb on Monday.
"We are giving the Lebanese authorities an opportunity to respond, to take practical steps to put a stop to their shelling, before we respond again."
Meanwhile, ...back at the the precinct, Lieutenant Queeg was stumped. Who could be leaking Mahoney's information like that?... residents of the Bekaa valley, a Hizbullah stronghold, told AFP that the bodies of five Hizbullah fighters killed in Syria were brought back on Sunday and Monday for burial.
"Yesterday, we buried a Hizbullah martyr, Assaad Ali Assaad, who was killed in Syria some days ago," said a resident of Khraybeh in the Bekaa.
A security source in southern Leb meanwhile told AFP on condition of anonymity that four other fighters from the region had also been killed in Syria.
Future TV reported that Hizbullah held funerals Monday for Ibrahim Jawdat Qansou, who hails from the southern town of Doueir, and Abbas Rihan, who hails from the southern town of Maifadoun, saying they were killed in Syria.
Several Lebanese and Arab TV networks -- including Al-Arabiya, al-Mayadeen and al-Manar -- on Monday broadcast a video showing masked fighters belonging to the so-called Popular Committees, which are backed by Hizbullah and the Syrian regime.
The gunnies on the edge of the Lebanese border village of al-Qasr told the News Agency that Dare Not be Named that their mission is to protect Shiites on the Syrian side who claim their homes, villages and families have come under attack from Sunni rebels.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
...as long as the muzzies keep killing each other!
[An Nahar] Two more rockets fired from Syria landed on a border town in the Bekaa valley on Monday, prompting President Michel Suleiman ...before assuming office as President, he held the position of commander of the Leb Armed Forces. That was after the previous commander, the loathesome Emile Lahoud, took office as president in November of 1998. Likely the next president of Leb will be whoever's commander of the armed forces, too... to call for a security meeting which sought Arab League ...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing... assistance in helping Leb confront the attacks.
"The safety of any Lebanese citizen is the sole responsibility of the Lebanese state ... and any attack on Leb no matter from which side it came is rejected," Caretaker Social Affairs Minister Wael Abou Faour said in a statement he read after the security meeting was held at Baabda palace.
"The foreign ministry will make the necessary contacts to avoid the repetition of the Syrian attacks," he said.
"The army and security forces will take the measures along the border to protect the security of the Lebanese," he added.
The caretaker minister told news hounds that the foreign ministry should make the appropriate documentation and refer a memo to the vaporous Arab League to explain the nature of the Syrian cross-border attacks and help Leb in stopping them.
His remark came only in response to a question on whether the Lebanese authorities intended to file a complaint with the organization over the repeated violations of Lebanese illusory sovereignty.
"Any assault from whether the Syrian army or other sides is unacceptable and rejected," he stressed.
The statement said that the conferees also tasked the foreign ministry with calling for an extraordinary U.N. Security Council session to discuss the issue of Syrian and Paleostinian refugees in Leb.
Media reports said that a rocket landed on Monday morning on the outskirts of Sahlat al-Ma' in the town of al-Qasr that lies in northeast Leb's Hermel district.
A second rocket hit al-Qasr at 11:00 am only 40 minutes after the first attack.
No injuries were reported.
But the assault came after two rockets fired from Syria on Sunday went kaboom! in al-Qasr, killing Ali Hasan Qataya. Two more rockets landed in a nearby village of Hawsh al-Sayyed Ali, killing 13-year-old Abbas Kheireddine and damaging two homes.
Both victims were laid to rest on Monday amid widespread anger and mourning in Hermel.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] The Military Court on Monday sentenced Shiite holy man Sheikh Hasan Msheimesh to five years hard labor on charges of collaboration with Israel, state-run National News Agency reported.
The Lebanese judiciary had indicted Msheimesh with spying for Israel on October 19, 2011.
He was accused of passing on information to Israel in return for sums of money.
Syrian authorities had tossed in the calaboose Into the paddy wagon wit' yez! Msheimesh, who is known for his anti-Hizbullah views, in July 2010, after receiving a tip-off from Lebanese security agencies. He was later extradited to Leb.
The holy man's son Rida Msheimesh has claimed that the case is "politicized," accusing Hizbullah of framing his father in retaliation for his public criticism of the party.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Msheimesh, who is known for his anti-Hizbullah views
[An Nahar] Syria's air force launched several air strikes on rebel enclaves in and around Damascus ...The place where Pencilneck hangs his brass hat... , while fresh festivities between troops and rebels raged to the east of the capital, a monitoring group said on Monday.
"At least one civilian was killed in an air strike on Qaboon" in northeastern Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, "while regime troops pounded the district of Jubar" in the east.
Amateur video distributed by the Syrian Revolution General Commission, a network of activists on the ground, showed a cloud of grey smoke rising after the air raid in a Damascus neighborhood identified as Qaboon.
The regime also used warplanes to bombard the rebel-held towns of Yabroud, Douma and Harasta east of Damascus, as well as Sbeineh southwest of the capital, according to the monitoring group, which relies on a broad network of activists, doctors and lawyers for its reports.
Meanwhile, ...back at the argument, Livia grabbed for Jane's hair to make her point. Jane elbowed her in the face in rebuttal... "fierce festivities raged on the edges of Jubar (in eastern Damascus), near Abbasiyeen square," said the group.
Rebels view the square as a strategic target because it lies well within the confines of the capital, the regime's main bastion of power.
The SRGC meanwhile reported the army's use of heavy artillery fire on Yarmuk in southern Damascus, with tanks also striking other rebel enclaves nearby.
Violence rages daily in southern Damascus, with rebels holding the outer edges of several districts, while the regime tries to push them out.
Elsewhere in Syria, warplanes also hit targets in the northeastern city of Raqa as well as an area near the regime-held Base 17 in the same province.
Raqa's thriving provincial capital fell into rebel hands in early March, and gunnies have since been fighting to gain control of Base 17, one of the army's few remaining bastions in the province.
Monday's violence came a day after at least 151 people were killed in violence across Syria, according to the Observatory. Among the dead were 72 civilians, 45 rebels and 34 soldiers, and 32 of the civilians killed were children.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2013 00:00 ||
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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.
[An Nahar] Somalia's security forces launched a major security operation Monday searching for explosives and weapons, a day after a spectacular 
Goodluck Jonathan
[An Nahar] Dozens of attacks across Iraq on Monday, including a brazen 
[An Nahar] A 38-year-old 
[An Nahar] Syria's air force launched several air strikes on rebel enclaves in and around 
