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Another Cross-Dressing Saudi Busted
Today's Headlines
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Page 1: WoT Operations
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Page 2: WoT Background
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Dan Darling on the Radio!
Tonight, on The John Batchelor Show (ABC radio) at 11:20pm EDT.

Dan is appearing with Roger Simon and DoctorZin. They'll be discussing Iran.

If you haven't been listening to The John Batchelor Show, you should be.

Listen Live link here.

Congratulations Dan! Even though you've already taped the show, we're still cheering for you!
Posted by: Seafarious || 10/20/2004 8:47:38 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Aw, thanks ;)

Keep in mind that this was just basically the introduction and that we should be doing more in the future.
Posted by: Dan Darling || 10/20/2004 21:50 Comments || Top||


Arabia
Another Cross-Dressing Saudi Busted
Saudi security forces arrested two wanted terrorists, one disguised as a woman, as they press ahead with a crackdown on extremists blamed for a string of terror attacks, an Interior Ministry spokesman said yesterday. The two were arrested in the southern township of Houtat Bani Tamim on Monday night and found in possession of 10 hand grenades, a machine gun and three pistols, Brig. Mansour Al-Turki said. "A security checkpoint stopped a suspect car in Houtat Bani Tamim," 170 km south of Riyadh, Turki said. "The driver stepped down (and was arrested) but his companion, who was disguised as a woman, sped away. Security forces gave chase and arrested him in the town of Addalam," 100 km south of the capital.
"Don't you know it's against the law for women to drive.....hey, you ain't no woman!"
"There was an exchange of fire during the chase, but no one was wounded," the spokesman said, adding that the two men were "wanted by security authorities for their links with extremists." But Turki did not say whether the two figured on a list of 26 most-wanted suspects, 10 of whom remain at large. Police have seized from the two 10 hand grenades, three guns, a machine gun, 14 magazines of live ammunition and explosive material.
The usual holy relics.
Posted by: Steve || 10/20/2004 3:12:50 PM || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  C'mon, they were duck hunting! My daddy always took grenades when he went duck hunting.....
Posted by: Desert Blondie || 10/20/2004 15:25 Comments || Top||

#2  he'll probably be OK in Soddy prison....now if he'd dressed up as a sheep....
Posted by: Frank G || 10/20/2004 15:44 Comments || Top||

#3  Grenades aren't for duck hunting! Grenades are for bone fishing.

As in:
"Shit! Isn't that a grenade?"
"Yeah,so? Listen, you wanna talk, or you wanna fish?"
Posted by: Shipman || 10/20/2004 15:51 Comments || Top||

#4  “There was an exchange of fire during the chase, but no one was wounded,”

The Saudis' mobile version of "being surrounded".
Posted by: Pappy || 10/20/2004 22:52 Comments || Top||


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Former Chechen Interior Ministry official held in Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyz police detained four citizens of Chechnya in Bishkek who are suspected of attempted murder against a police officer and illegal possession of firearms. "One of the detainees, an A. Akhtakhanov, was enlisted in illegal armed groups in 2001 when he was an officer of the Chechen Interior Ministry. He used data that he received at work to inform the bandits about the movement of Chechen government top officials," Russian Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev told journalists before his meeting with officials of the Kyrgyz Interior Ministry. Akhtakhanov's messages "were used to arrange ambushes, which led to several top Chechen government officials and officers of the Chechen Interior Ministry being shot on the Kurchaloi-Gudermes transport routes," Nurgaliyev said.
Posted by: Dan Darling || 10/20/2004 1:56:02 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Down Under
Australian links to Spanish arrests
ASIO last night asked Spanish authorities to provide details of Australian phone numbers contacted by a group of seven alleged Islamic terrorists arrested across Spain on Monday. The calls were believed to have been placed by members of the alleged terror cell to numbers in Sydney and Melbourne in the past two months. Spanish national police allege that the group was planning to bomb Spain's highest court, possibly with help from the separatist terror group ETA. They believe some of the men were directly linked to the key organiser of the Madrid train bombings in March.

Plans for the new blast were uncovered when police tapped phones used by the seven men. Police were acting on information provided by a mosque elder to the Moroccan Secret Service. Calls were also made from the group to numbers in the US and Europe. Spanish investigators claim that remaining elements of the Madrid bombing cell had tried to recruit suicide bombers from Muslims serving short prison sentences. The arrests mark the second time an Australian link to a Spanish terror cell has been alleged. Late last year, the Sydney-based Islamic nutball firebrand, Sheikh Abdul Salam Zoud, was alleged to have been in phone contact with the leader of al-Qaeda in Europe, Abu Dahdah, who is now detained in Spain. Sheikh Zoud has denied the claim.
"Nope. Nope. Wudn't me."
But links between Spanish militants and alleged jihadis in southeast Asia have emerged over the past two years. The first known contact occurred in mid-2002 when Spaniard Parlindungan Siregar turned up at a militant training camp in the Indonesian province of Sulawesi.
Hmmm... Must be some sort of mistake here. Spaniards simply aren't named "Parlindungan Siregar." Spaniards are named "Juan Gomez" or "Amelia Lopez" or even "Carlos Perez y Ibarra de la Casa Grande en la Montaña Verde y Rojo." Sorry. Must be from someplace else. Prob'ly from Canada and lied about it.
In March 2003, regional terror tsar Hambali was arrested holding a forged Spanish passport.
See what I mean? Spaniards aren't named "Hambali," either. And if they were, it'd probably be "Hambalos." They're not Italian, y'know.
And in March this year, Spanish police claimed that one of the Madrid bombers made a series of phone calls to the inner circle of accused Indonesian terrorist leader Abu Bakar Bashir, whom Australia believes is the spiritual leader of Jemmah Islamiah. The bomber later died in a suicide explosion when cornered by police.
"They got me surrounded, Abu Bakar! What'll I do?"
"You know too much, Mahmoud! Sorry."
"You mean... [Gulp!]... The Belt?"
The men arrested on Monday were identified as Ismail Latrech, Mourad Yala, Magid Mchmacha, Ali Omar, Djamel Merabet, Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed and an illegal immigrant known as Mehdi. The Australian Federal Police expects to receive today advice about the phone numbers and addresses of the numbers called.
Posted by: Dan Darling || 10/20/2004 1:36:53 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  the group was planning to bomb Spain’s highest court, possibly with help from the separatist terror group ETA.
Posted by: 2b || 10/20/2004 10:29 Comments || Top||

#2  love the graphic!!!
Posted by: Angong Flulet5195 || 10/20/2004 15:09 Comments || Top||


Europe
Suspected cell leader plotted suicide attack in Spain
The suspected leader of a Muslim cell plotted to devastate Spain with a suicide bombing that would kill senior judges and destroy case files at a court that serves as a center for investigating Islamic terror, officials said Wednesday. Police also said they had intercepted hundreds of letters from suspected cell members in which they said they were willing to stage suicide attacks. A report from the National Police intelligence unit, obtained by The Associated Press, quotes a protected witness who had been in contact with United Arab Emirates-born Mohamed Achraf, who Spain says was recently arrested in Switzerland. Authorities in Switzerland deny this.
Posted by: Mark Espinola || 10/20/2004 5:09:06 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  How can this be? I thought the Spainards purchased protection by withdrawing from Iraq. Does this mean Islamist murderers can't be trusted to keep their word?
What a friggin' shock.
Posted by: JerseyMike || 10/20/2004 19:23 Comments || Top||

#2  Judge Garzon is not being a good dhimmi. He keeps insisting on holding the jihadis responsible for their own actions.
Posted by: Seafarious || 10/20/2004 21:06 Comments || Top||


Dutch link to Spanish terror arrests
The alleged leader of the eight terrorist suspects arrested earlier this week on fears they were planning a bomb attack against the High Court in Madrid has been linked to the Netherlands, it was reported Wednesday. The man — who is currently being detained in a Swiss jail — has been identified as 30-year-old Algerian Mohammed Achrat. He is suspected of having links to both the Netherlands and Belgium, Spanish press agency Europapress reported. Spanish newspaper El Pais also said one of the other arrested men had a Dutch passport. Achrat was reportedly arrested in Switzerland several days ago. He is suspected of recruiting volunteers to fight in a Jihad, or Islamic holy war and of sending money to the Netherlands, Belgium and Australia. It is unclear who he allegedly sent the funds to and for what purpose. A spokeswoman for the national office of the Dutch public prosecutor — which is carrying out investigations into terrorist activities in the Netherlands — said the Spanish authorities had been in contact with Dutch justice officials. But Spain has not yet officially requested help with the investigation from the Netherlands, Dutch news agency ANP reported. The Algerian was arrested in Switzerland on request from Spanish authorities and is suspected of holding links to the Algerian terror movement, Armed Islamic Group (GIA).

The spokeswoman could not confirm whether the arrests in Spain would lead to an investigation in the Netherlands. The Dutch intelligence service AIVD has estimated at least 100 Islamic extremists are active in the Netherlands and the Dutch government issued a terror warning on 9 July. An 18-year-old man considered responsible for the alert is facing trial on allegations he was preparing a bomb attack.
Posted by: Dutchgeek || 10/20/2004 07:42 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:


Spanish cops ignored 3/11 tip
Spanish intelligence agents warned police in November last year that an Algerian - now identified as a ringleader of the Madrid train bombings - was preparing an attack in Spain. The agents asked the Interior Ministry for urgent help in locating the suspect, Allekema Lamari, who had served jail time in Spain on terrorism charges and was considered dangerous. But the ministry did not heed the warning, El Pais newspaper said.
"Who was that on the phone, Juan-Carlos?"
"One of those intelligence guys."
"What'd he want?"
"I dunno. Somethin' about an Algerian or a Moroccan or somethin'. Got any more of those doughnuts?"
The newspaper quoted sources close to Spain's National Intelligence Centre (NIC). "We knew he was preparing something big, but not his target or when, although signs were it would be in December 2003 or January of this year," the newspaper quoted a source close to the NIC as saying. The Interior Ministry and Spanish police declined to comment on the report.
"El Pais is on the phone, Jefe!"
"Tell 'em I'm out!"
Last Friday, the ministry said it had identified Lamari as one of seven train-bombing suspects who blew themselves up on April 3 as police prepared to storm their apartment. Lamari (39) was the last of the seven to be identified.
"Okay. We got two lips left over. They appear to go together. Now, who do they belong to?"
Spanish police checked DNA from his remains at the apartment against saliva samples obtained from his parents in Algeria.
"Infidel!"
"Just spit in the cup, lady! Not on me!"
Spanish intelligence placed Lamari under surveillance when he got out of prison in 2002, after serving five years for allegedly belonging to an Algerian Muslim extremist group. El Pais said that on March 6, five days before the Madrid train bombings, the NIC issued a report to the then-conservative government, warning that Lamari had vanished from Lavapies, a Madrid neighbourhood with a large Muslim population.
"What do you mean, 'vanished'? Evaporated?"
"Uh... No, Jefe! We went out for lunch, and when we got back he wudn't there!"
"That ain't no definition of 'vanished' I ever heard!"
Several Moroccans later arrested in connection with the bombings also lived in Lavapies. Five days after the attack, agents asked that Lamari's photo be released to police nationwide, but the government did not act on this either, the newspaper said.
"More doughnuts, Juan-Carlos?"
"Why, thank you, Juan-Pedro!"
Posted by: Dan Darling || 10/20/2004 1:32:58 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Maybe surveillance of Islamofascists should give way to assassination, if we value the lives if our own people.
Posted by: Kalle (kafir forever) || 10/20/2004 2:15 Comments || Top||

#2  Kalle I agree. I think one of the biggest problems with the FBI and CIA is that they tend to value intelligence gathering over actually stopping crime.

Take for example the cocaine epidemic in the 1970's and 80's. I believe that if they had arrested the primary and secondary US dealers early on, instead of observing them for years, they could have shut these guys down much more effectively. Instead, they gathered more and more intelligence while the network got bigger and bigger - so big that when they finally got their kingpins - the distribution networks were so well established that it was beyond control.

I think they need to stop just gathering intelligence and instead use targeted assinations to disrupt the networks. It seems to me that it would be easier to see whose really in charge if you start taking out links in the chain.
Posted by: 2b || 10/20/2004 10:39 Comments || Top||

#3  It goes MUCH farther than that. The cops who ignored the warnings had STRONG ties to the socialist party, they had been involved in the "dirty war" (assassinations of ETA people) under the previous socialist governmant of Gonzalez and since Zapatero came to power they have been promoted.

There ware various articles at
http://barcepundit-english.blogspot.com

this one being the more closely related to what I said

http://barcepundit-english.blogspot.com/2004/10/you-dont-say-madrid-attacks-may-have.html
Posted by: JFM || 10/20/2004 13:46 Comments || Top||

#4  What did NIC know, and when did they know it?
Posted by: BH || 10/20/2004 13:47 Comments || Top||

#5  Fred---Your pics with the articles are cracking me up! The Keystone Cops and now the Beagle Brothers. LMAO!
Posted by: Alaska Paul In Nikolaevsk, Alaska || 10/20/2004 18:57 Comments || Top||


Italian Judge Orders 17 Suspects to Trial
"Into the paddy wagon wit' yez!"
A judge on Tuesday ordered trials for 17 suspected members of the Red Brigades for their alleged role in the 1999 slaying of a labor consultant, Italian media reported, as it emerged that the leftist terror group kept files on top figures, including Premier Silvio Berlusconi. The murder of Massimo D'Antona, who was advising the government on a bitterly contested labor reform, was the first high-profile attack by the Red Brigades after a decade of silence. Three years later, the group killed another labor consultant to the government, Marco Biagi. The judge ordered trial to begin Feb. 17 in Rome for 15 of the suspects, the reports said. Two other suspects were to be tried separately.

The Red Brigades bloodied Italy during the 1970s and 80s, the so-called "years of lead," with attacks that mainly targeted police, military and business leaders. Their most notorious act was the 1978 kidnapping and slaying of former Premier Aldo Moro. Investigators searching computer files provided by an arrested Red Brigades suspect found notes in alphabetically ordered files on top personalities, including Berlusconi, in the years before he became premier in 2001, and President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, a former central bank governor, the Italian news agencies ANSA and Apcom reported. Enrico Letta, a former minister and currently a center-left lawmaker, told reporters he apparently was a target of the Brigades, according to clues found by police in the files. Letta appealed to the arrested suspect, Cinzia Banelli, to continue to cooperate with authorities. Banelli reportedly gave investigators the password to open the files. The file about Ciampi gave details on his bodyguards at his private residence, ANSA said. The news that Berlusconi and Ciampi "were monitored by the Red Brigades along with other top political figures confirms the inviolable need to keep up the guard," said Renato Schifani, the Senate whip for the premier's Forza Italia party. ANSA quoted a center-left senator, Stefano Passigli, as saying authorities informed him on Monday that he, too, was a Red Brigades target in 2000 when he was an undersecretary to former Premier Massimo D'Alema.
Posted by: Fred || 10/20/2004 9:55:52 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The New Red Brigade (NRB) is picking up where their predecessor group left off. During a meeting of radical groups in Italy a few years ago, the NRB offered both training and encouragement to eco/animal rights associated terrorist groups. Training included bomb making and assassination techniques. The Earth Liberation Front, Greenpeace and Animal Liberation Front were front a center. In a final send off speech, an NRB spokesman proclaimed (I paraphrase) “…it’s time to put down your signs and pick up guns…”
Posted by: Unogum Elminenter3776 || 10/20/2004 10:47 Comments || Top||


Home Front: WoT
Possible sabotage on two USAir planes
Edited for brevity.
Puncture holes were found in the bellies of two US Airways jets at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, which the FBI said was not likely caused by normal wear and tear. Officials said the punctures discovered Monday morning during routine visual inspections are similar to damage recently found on another US Airways jet in Florida. No passengers were in the planes, which were temporarily grounded for repairs. The two planes found damaged Monday, a Boeing 737 and an Airbus 321, had come from Pensacola, Fla., and Pittsburgh. US Airways, Charlotte's dominant carrier, said the planes had punctures about the same size as holes a screwdriver would make. Airline spokesman David Castelveter characterized it as minor exterior damage. Such puncture holes likely would not endanger a plane or its passengers, aviation security experts said. They also pointed out Monday's grounding of the two planes proves the safety checks in place work: the damaged planes did not fly.
The article goes on to speculate that disgruntled employees may have done this. USAir has been teetering on bankruptcy and within the past week received approval to cut union workers' pay around 21%. Most USAir employees I know here in the Pittsburgh area, which was a USAir hub but downgraded in the past year, aren't exactly thrilled about their prospects.
Posted by: Dar || 10/20/2004 10:58:31 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  When this story gets disseminated, I suspect their prospects will look a whole lot bleaker. Dummies. Airlines with employees like this deserve to go out of business.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis || 10/20/2004 12:27 Comments || Top||

#2  Assuming that it is indeed sabotage by employees, all I can say is:

"Attaboy people! Make sure your jobs are put in jeopardy even faster! If you'd rather be not working at all than working for a bit less pay, then more power to you!"
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama || 10/20/2004 13:50 Comments || Top||


Southeast Asia
Broadcaster Joins Growing List of Murdered Filipino Journalists
ZAMBOANGA CITY, 20 October 2004 — Another broadcaster was killed in a broad daylight attack yesterday in the southern province of Surigao del Sur, police and media advocates said yesterday. Eldy Sablas have just boarded a tricycle yesterday morning after buying something from a department store in Tandag town when a still unidentified gunman appeared from behind and shot him repeatedly with a .45 cal. pistol. Investigators said the victim suffered three gunshot wounds in the head and in the body.
Bet it was two in the chest and a finishing shot to the head. Sounds like a professional job.
The 30-year-old broadcaster of radio station DXJR was the eighth journalist to be murdered in the country this year, according to the watchdog National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP). He was the second journalist to be killed in the Caraga region, comprising the Agusan and Surigao provinces in northeastern Mindanao. Last year, Rico Ramirez, a radio reporter, was shot dead while on his way to work in San Francisco, Agusan del Sur. "It is high time for the administration of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to prove itself and its claim that there is press freedom in the country by bringing to justice the killers of journalists," NUJP national president Inday Varona said.
The NUJP and the Butuan-based Professional Responsible and Organized Media of Caraga (PRO-Media of Caraga ) said Sablas' death could have something to do with his repeated attacks against illegal gambling, illegal logging and illegal drugs in the province.
"Brilliant! How do they do it?"
Sablas delivered his last on-air report from the Tandag police station.
Humm, he do any reporting on bad cops? Just a thought.
Posted by: Steve || 10/20/2004 3:40:04 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Radio journalists in the Philippines, especially ones out in the provinces, have a really dangerous job. This is not new either. They were bumping them off with regularity since I was a kid in the sixties. Politics there is sometimes a bloody game.
Posted by: buwaya || 10/20/2004 17:15 Comments || Top||

#2  He was on a tricycle? No wonder he couldn't get away!
Posted by: gromky || 10/20/2004 19:34 Comments || Top||

#3  A tricycle - built on a motorcycle chassis - is a typical sort of "taxi" in the Philippines. There are millions of them.

http://www.overseas-retirement-community.com/philippines-jeepney-tricycle.htm
Posted by: Anonymous4870 || 10/20/2004 22:22 Comments || Top||

#4  A Tricycle is kind of a motocycle with a (rather large) sidecar which can hold 2 people (in the sidecar that is). Good for getting around crowded streets.

Another Filipino transportation is the Jeepney. Think of an cross between a Jeep and school bus.
Jeepneys are often garnishy decorated with symbols (mostly religious / catholic), statues, colors, etc...
Posted by: CrazyFool || 10/20/2004 22:36 Comments || Top||


Sri Lanka
Former Tamil lawmaker fatally shot in eastern Sri Lanka
More red-on-red violence. Tusk, tusk.
Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels on Tuesday fatally shot a former Tamil parliamentary candidate allied to a renegade Tiger leader, police said.
[BANG!]
"Y'got me! Rosebud"!
Kingsley Rasanayagam was gunned down while walking in the government-held town of Batticaloa, 220 kilometers (140 miles) east of Colombo, a senior police officer said on condition of anonymity. A bodyguard of Rasanayagam's was also injured in the attack, the officer said.
Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?
Rasanayagam won in April parliamentary elections after running as a candidate for the mainstream Tamil National Alliance, a proxy party of the Tigers. He subsequently resigned his parliamentary post, largely because of pressure from the Tigers over his allegiance to a top eastern rebel leader who broke away from the rebels' main faction in March. Scores have since been killed in factional fighting that has threatened to derail a fragile cease-fire agreement between government forces and the Tigers.
Posted by: Steve White || 10/20/2004 12:08:51 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  A bodyguard of Rasanayagam’s was also injured in the attack, the officer said.
Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?

Don't be silly, Steve. He was guarding the body.
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/20/2004 7:36 Comments || Top||


Iraq-Jordan
Captors in Iraq Free 2 Egyptian Engineers
Posted by: Fred || 10/20/2004 8:19:42 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Looks like even ther loons have figured out that this tactic is backfiring.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis || 10/20/2004 20:34 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine
Israel Boosts Security for Sharon, Others
Posted by: Fred || 10/20/2004 8:13:26 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Iraq-Jordan
Iraq Rebels Ratting On Zarqawi-Rubaie
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi guerrillas resentful of Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's growing influence are giving the government information putting security forces hot on his trail, a senior official said Wednesday. "The Iraqi insurgents have watched Zarqawi's people grab the limelight and gain ground. They are angry. So some are coming forward with information," National Security Advisor Mowaffaq al-Rubaie told Reuters in an interview.
Even if it's not true, it's a nice story to spread around. Might give people ideas and make Zarqawi start looking at them funny and purge a few. Now where have I heard that before?
Staring at a photograph of the elusive Zarqawi, Rubaie said the interim government was closer than ever to tracking down the most wanted man in Iraq, to its unlikely allies. "We missed him by two days a few weeks ago and he is running out of places to hide," Rubaie said. Rubaie, named National Security Adviser by former U.S. administrator Paul Bremer, was sidelined after the June 28 handover to the interim government. He retains his post but a minister of state now handles most of his functions.
Zarqawi, a self-declared ally of al Qaeda, is the biggest security nightmare for the Iraqi authorities, masterminding suicide bombings, kidnappings and beheadings. The U.S. military stages almost nightly air strikes on suspected Zarqawi safe-houses in the rebel-held city of Falluja, though residents deny all knowledge of his presence.
"Who? Never heard of him."
Rubaie said evidence was found a few weeks ago in a safe-house that suggested Zarqawi had been there two days earlier. He declined to say where the house was located.
"The government is in contact with insurgents who have been following Zarqawi's movements," he said.
Although some guerrillas were stepping forward with information on Zarqawi, Rubaie said there was still some cooperation between insurgents and the Jordanian militant's followers because the insurgency is not united. "There are no ties on the leadership level. But there is some cooperation in terms of insurgents providing safe-houses and getting something in return," he said.
Rubaie said Zarqawi, whom he described as a "master of disguise," is always on the move, setting up safe-houses in several cities including Falluja, the northern towns of Mosul and Baquba, and even Baghdad.
That's what Sammy & Son's did. We only have to get lucky once.
Iraqi officials and the U.S. military have long insisted Zarqawi was holed up in Falluja with foreign fighters. But Rubaie said 80 percent of Zarqawi's followers were Iraqi Muslim militants and only 20 percent were foreign fighters from countries including, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt and Somalia, including some with European passports. Rubaie said the authorities had so far captured 93 foreign fighters. They have never been presented to the press.
We've noticed that. They just disappear into that Black Hole no one talks about.
A former physician based in Britain, Rubaie returned to Iraq after the fall of Saddam in 2003 hoping to help transform Iraq from a dictatorship to a democracy. But he spent much of his time watching one Zarqawi attack after another. He said Prime Minister Iyad Allawi was pursuing a hard-line security strategy that would backfire.
"You need a carrot and stick approach. You cannot just use force. You need to engage in a serious dialogue not just hold a few talks," said Rubaie. He said the government had failed to dispatch the right people to deal with influential clerics and tribal leaders who could help isolate guerrillas and Zarqawi's supporters.
"Like, ah, me."
Looking at the photograph of a clean-shaven Zarqawi, Rubaie shakes his head. "I am obsessed with Zarqawi. How can anyone behead a human being?" he asked. Rubaie said he hopes the government can impose security before elections scheduled for January. But he worries about the consequences of crackdowns. "We can't just use security to justify using force. This will undermine what we came back to Iraq to accomplish in the first place," he said.
Posted by: Steve || 10/20/2004 2:56:21 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  We missed him by two days a few weeks ago and he is running out of places to hide

that couldnt possibly be true, they keep saying that theyve just missed him, i mean they kept saying that about Saddam - oh, never mind.
Posted by: liberalhawk || 10/20/2004 15:30 Comments || Top||

#2  Even if it's not true, it's a nice story to spread around. Might give people ideas and make Zarqawi start looking at them funny and purge a few.

"The guy what ratted you out had a beard. And a mustache. I can say no more..."
Posted by: eLarson || 10/20/2004 16:39 Comments || Top||

#3  Iraqi guerrillas resentful of Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's growing influence are giving the government information putting security forces hot on his trail, a senior official said Wednesday.

*sniff sniff* Ah, the smell of cannibalism on a crisp Iraqi autumn morning....
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama || 10/20/2004 17:24 Comments || Top||


CENTCOM Press Releases 20 Oct
FALLUJAH, Iraq -- Marines destroyed a known insurgent command and control post on the north side of the city at about 1:30 p.m. Oct. 20. The post was used by insurgents to discuss operations and as a prime meeting location to plan attacks against the Iraqi government and its people. Aircraft used precision munitions to destroy the post. Before today's strike, the anti-Iraqi forces post was observed for more than 30 days. Reports indicated consistent insurgent activity including hardening of structures, emplacement of cement barriers, large formations of armed personnel, weapons positioning and munitions storage. Additionally, individuals frequenting the house and courtyard near the fighting position were observed digging into the adjacent road, setting improvised explosive devices, then repaving the road. Days later, the same individuals were spotted wiring explosive devices near the area. Destruction of the target further disrupts the anti-Iraqi forces' ability to destabilize the Fallujah area.

FALLUJAH, Iraq -- Multi-National Force-Iraq struck two adjoining Abu Musab al-Zarqawi terrorist safe houses in north east Fallujah Oct. 20. Both safe houses were effectively destroyed at 3:44 a.m. Intelligence sources confirmed that several Zarqawi terrorists were using the safe house to meet and plan attacks against Iraqi civilians, Iraqi Security Forces, and Multi-National Forces during the month of Ramadan. Removing these criminals from active service to Zarqawi, diminishes the capabilities of his Al Qaida-linked terrorist network to conduct attacks, and strengthens the safety and security of the sovereign country of Iraq.
Posted by: Steve || 10/20/2004 2:46:17 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Before today’s strike, the anti-Iraqi forces post was observed for more than 30 days.

They see you when you're sleeping
They know when you're awake
They know if you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake

/end cheerfully tuneless singing
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/20/2004 22:03 Comments || Top||


Afghanistan/South Asia
Pakistan arrests 'important' Egyptian Al-Qaeda operative(s), conducts ops
Pakistan has arrested a Yemeni national who is an important figure in al Qaeda's new leadership and another foreign national who is one of the network's communications specialists, officials said on Wednesday. The Yemeni, identified as Saleh Nauman, was arrested in the eastern city of Lahore about 10 days ago while trying to slip out of Pakistan, an intelligence official told Reuters. "He is an International Man of Mystery™ important figure in al Qaeda's new leadership," said the official, who asked not to be named. "He had been here in Pakistan and Afghanistan for the last eight years and wanted to sneak out of the country." The man had arrived in Lahore from Islamabad about 10 days before he was intercepted by intelligence agents in the city, another intelligence official said.
"Drop the rocket launcher and come out witcher hands up, Saleh!"
Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told Reuters authorities had arrested another suspect, who he identified as Abdul Rehman, a communications expert for al Qaeda. He said the man was arrested in the northwestern city of Peshawar, not far from the Afghan border, three days ago. "He is a communications expert, but I do not know any other details," Ahmed told Reuters. Brigadier Javed Iqbal Cheema, head of the government's Crisis Management Cell, said investigators were trying to determine Rehman's real identity but added that he was not a senior al Qaeda figure. "No, not at all," he said when asked if he was among leading al Qaeda figures for whom the United States has offered rewards.
"Sorry. Gotta buy yer own beer tonight!"
Pakistan has arrested more than 70 al Qaeda suspects, some of them foreigners, in a major crackdown since the detention of Mohammad Naeem Noor Khan, a computer expert from the network, in July. Since March, Pakistan's army has been battling hundreds of al Qaeda-linked militants in the South Waziristan tribal region bordering Afghanistan. Officials say at least 246 militants, including 100 foreigners, and about 171 members of the security forces have been killed in the fighting. Hundreds of al Qaeda fighters, including Chechens, Uzbeks and Arabs, are believed to be hiding in the remote region.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 10/20/2004 2:15:12 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Pakistani forces pound alleged hideout
By AHSANULLAH WAZIR ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
Abdullah Mehsud, left, former Guantanamo Bay prisoner who allegedly led kidnapping of Chinese engineers, talks to reporters near Chagmalai on Thursday, Oct 14, 2004 in South Waziristan along Afghanistan border.
Ummm... Lemme get this straight: AP photographers can find him, but the entire Pak army only suspects where he might be?

About 1,000 Pakistani soldiers backed by helicopter gunships, mortars and artillery Wednesday pounded a mountainous region near the Afghan border where a former Guantanamo Bay prisoner who masterminded the kidnapping of two Chinese engineers is believed to be hiding.
Took a real mastermind to come up with that idea, by Gum!
The assault targeted the village of Spinkai Raghzai in South Waziristan, a tribal region where the Pakistani army has been hunting Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida associates. But the top military commander in the region said Tuesday it was unlikely bin Laden was hiding in the area, as U.S. authorities suspect.
"Nope. Nope. Not here. Maybe... ummm... someplace else."
Abdullah Mehsud, a former prisoner at the U.S. military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba who was released in March, had been hiding in the area. The one-legged militant, who is Pakistani, is believed responsible for the kidnapping of two Chinese engineers on Oct. 9. Since returning home, he has taken command of militants in South Waziristan and has forged ties with al-Qaida, Pakistani intelligence officials say.
But Amnesia International and Human Rights Watch say most of those guys in Guantanamo are innocent, pure as the driven snow, just in the wrong place at the wrong time! How could this be? No doubt Mehsud is just doing charity work in the area, right?
Also Wednesday, intelligence officials said they had captured a suspected al-Qaida communications expert of Middle Eastern origin whom they identified as Abdul Rahman.
That tells us a lot. Most of the guys in the Wonderful World of Islam who aren't named Mahmoud are named Abdul Rahman.
Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed confirmed the arrest of a terror suspect, but would not provide further details on when or where he was captured. The man did not appear to be on either the FBI's most-wanted terror list or a similar Pakistani list.
Maybe under another name? Look under "Mahmoud." They sometimes lie about their names.
The assault Wednesday was directed at Spinkai Raghzai, a village about 35 miles northeast of Wana, the main town in South Waziristan. Militants returned fire with mortars and guns but there was no word on casualties. The village is believed to be a Mehsud stronghold, an intelligence official said. But Mehsud's whereabouts have not been known since last Thursday, when commandos raided a house where five of his men were holding the two Chinese engineers. One of the Chinese was freed but the other was killed in the assault. All five kidnappers were also killed. Security chiefs then vowed to hunt down Mehsud, who had been hiding in mountains close to the raided house and disappeared after the attack. "You can't be sure where he is," the intelligence official told The Associated Press.
"He's everywhere! He's everywhere!"
The army has also been hunting bin Laden in South Waziristan, a region bordering Afghanistan. But Lt. Gen. Safdar Hussain, the top commander in northwest Pakistan, said late Tuesday his forces have found no sign of the terrorist leader. However, Hussain said there are still hundreds of militants, many suspected of ties to al-Qaida, in the region. Since March, security forces have killed 246 of them, including 100 foreigners, and arrested 579. About 170 army and paramilitary troops have also been killed in the crackdown, he said. "Our war against foreign terrorists will continue ... until we are successful. We will rest after the foreign terrorists are eliminated," he said.

Also Wednesday, police said they had arrested a Pakistani identified as Arfan Ali Shah, suspected of masterminding the Oct. 6 car bomb blast at a gathering of Islamic radicals in the city of Multan that killed 42 people. The motive for that attack was believed to be sectarian rivalries within Pakistan.
Posted by: Gleath Fleash1399 || 10/20/2004 1:01:52 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Is Gitmo flammable? If it's not, could it be made to be?
Posted by: tu3031 || 10/20/2004 16:35 Comments || Top||

#2  Look at that little baby face. His mother must be very proud.
Posted by: Seafarious || 10/20/2004 16:58 Comments || Top||


When the Man Comes Around
Posted by: too true || 10/20/2004 10:41 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  If youze guys have trouble downloading this Flash file, I, uh, have a copy. Let me know and I'll make it available. I tried numerous times and it wouldn't complete downloading - so I sorta kinda cheated a little bit, heh.
Posted by: .com || 10/20/2004 13:09 Comments || Top||

#2  I'd like it better if instead of 'Islam' the caption read 'Islamic terror' or some such.

Several evangelical christians I showed it too felt it was too negative. FWIW.

Johnny Cash is the Man, though.
Posted by: rkb || 10/20/2004 13:55 Comments || Top||

#3  Nice work. Does a version exist that is a bit more hi res?

Pierre
Posted by: Pierre || 10/20/2004 13:57 Comments || Top||

#4  rkb, maybe these Evangelical Christians would change their mind if they actually studied the Koran and thought a bit about what it's like to be "slaughtered" by Zarqawi in the name of Islam.
Posted by: Kalle (kafir forever) || 10/20/2004 15:51 Comments || Top||

#5  Next up: a video of UBL clips set to the tune of "Ring of Fire"...
Posted by: mojo || 10/20/2004 16:27 Comments || Top||

#6  I wish!

Thanks, Man in Black, for an uplift to my spirits. The mud and nastiness of this campaign - especially of the Dems -- wears on me sometimes. It's important to remember what's at stake, not only in this election but for the next years.

Been a conservative Dem a long time. I'm for Bush this time around and although I seldom pray, I'm praying a lot these days.
Posted by: too true || 10/20/2004 18:38 Comments || Top||


Iraq-Jordan
British act as bait in war with Mahdi
THEY called it "Spectre baiting". Sergeant Craig Brodie, 33, sensed his men's nervousness in the grim little joke as their Warrior armoured vehicle crawled down a darkened street in the southern Iraqi city of Amara. They were keyed up for action and concentrating for all they were worth.

Lurking in the shadows ahead was a group of rebel gunmen from the Mahdi army of Moqtada al-Sadr, the radical Shi'ite cleric. Brodie's job was to lure them into the open so an AC-130 Spectre gunship overhead could destroy them with its cannons and howitzers.

The rebels would show themselves only if they were attacking the British Warrior, so it was no surprise to Brodie that the atmosphere in the vehicle was tense.

By contrast, the American voice in his earphones could not have been cooler. "Steel rain on call," drawled the controller of the US special forces gunship circling in the starry night sky and waiting for the moment to strike.

There was a pause as the Warrior edged forward. Then the controller, codenamed Basher 75, came back on the radio. Six to eight armed men had been spotted with the Spectre's night vision equipment. They were preparing to ambush.

"Any foxhounds out?" asked the controller, checking that there were no dismounted soldiers who needed to get back inside Brodie's vehicle fast.

It was just as well the answer was negative. The Mahdi militiamen were now less than 100 yards away and the Spectre was about to swing into action.

Colonel Matt Maer, of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (PWRR), had given special written authorisation for the Spectre to open fire even if his own troops were within the potential blast area. This was to be the first such "danger close" engagement signed off by a British commander since the Korean war.

Brodie locked down his hatch and stared through his night-sights at the Mahdi militiamen. "We were in so close we watched them laughing and joking," he recalled. "Basher then announced, 'Rounds on the way,' and at the same time I engaged with my cannon.

"The strike was an awesome sight. There was no flame, just a big puff and then hot metal shrapnel flying in all directions. In three or four seconds the smoke cleared and there was nothing there at all. The militia had been vaporised."

The battle that began that night — August 10 — was codenamed Operation Hammersmith and became the biggest fought by British troops since the invasion of Iraq last year. More than 100 engagements would follow in 48 hours.

Rest of 3 page article at link.
Posted by: ed || 10/20/2004 6:10:54 AM || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "Steel rain on call."

I like that. "Steel rain." Nasty.
Posted by: Mike || 10/20/2004 9:18 Comments || Top||

#2  The unit motto is probably "We make house calls" or possibly "Weddings our specialty."
Posted by: Mrs. Davis || 10/20/2004 9:29 Comments || Top||

#3  In three or four seconds the smoke cleared and there was nothing there at all. The militia had been vaporised.

What a nice thing to read to start my day...
Posted by: tu3031 || 10/20/2004 9:33 Comments || Top||

#4  And likewise, just started my day the same way ...
Posted by: Edward Yee || 10/20/2004 9:52 Comments || Top||

#5  Brodie’s job was to lure them into the open so an AC-130 Spectre gunship overhead could destroy them with its cannons and howitzers.

Militiaman shredded down to the cellular level? Damn, I'd pay to see that.
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama || 10/20/2004 10:24 Comments || Top||

#6  This has been SOP with US forces for some time - going back to Vietnam - and ya gotta have bait to lay a trap. Glad to see the cousins are comfortable (???) with the ploy, now. The accuracy and devastation of the "on call" Spectre is first rate. Being inside an armored (armoured? heh) personnel carrier is a nice improvement over trying to find a depression in the elephant grass - improves your survivability and guarantees the identification of friend vs foe. Good show, chaps!
Posted by: .com || 10/20/2004 10:39 Comments || Top||

#7  My favorite AC-130 patch:

Posted by: gromky || 10/20/2004 10:44 Comments || Top||

#8  "steel rain on call"

Now THAT's a catch phrase that should endure....
Posted by: Carl in N.H. || 10/20/2004 12:03 Comments || Top||

#9  The SPECTREs are flying in Afghanistan, SPOOKY is on the job in Iraq.
Posted by: a fan || 10/20/2004 16:00 Comments || Top||

#10  Spooky was the Vietnam era AC-47 gunship. The AC-130 is Spectre.
Posted by: Steve || 10/20/2004 16:23 Comments || Top||

#11  Anybody know if they've ever thought about tricking out a C-5A/B with some firepower? It might not be feasible, but I'll bet it'd be something to see.
Posted by: tu3031 || 10/20/2004 16:30 Comments || Top||

#12  Anybody know if they've ever thought about tricking out a C-5A/B with some firepower?

Geebus, I'll bet Sgt. Stryker would have a few choice words about that. LOL. Sgt. Mom?
Posted by: Shipman || 10/20/2004 16:38 Comments || Top||

#13  "That's no moon..."
Posted by: eLarson || 10/20/2004 16:40 Comments || Top||

#14  The AC-5B would be something to see when it cut loose, but I don't think it would be practical. The C-5 is built for lift capacity, not maneuverability. The C-130 is pretty darned maneuverable for something that big--I've heard it's sometimes referred to as "the only four-engine fighter plane ever built"--and that's how come it can lay down the fire so precisely.
Posted by: Mike || 10/20/2004 18:12 Comments || Top||

#15  This sounds like a variation of an SAS "Quick Response" technique. Where three shooters sit in the back of a Jeep. To possibly draw and return massed firepower in a wide spectrum.

An AC-5B would be a waste of an aircraft. Since the 5 is very susceptable to stalling in a banked Pylon turn. Which is what a Spectre uses to deliver such pinpoint devastsation.

The C-130 is incredibly maneuverable, Mike. And does handle like a fighter. I've got dents in my scalp from not being strapped in when a Herk flew through mountain passes and ridges.

Dodging simulated SAMs. On its way to drop fuel bladders and Ground Contollers at a lake bed for A-10s in Vegas during training exercises.

Jack.
Posted by: Jack Deth || 10/20/2004 20:19 Comments || Top||

#16  The C-130 sounds like a wonderful toy to not play nice with.
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/20/2004 22:11 Comments || Top||


Bigley escape plotters executed
Hat tip Jihad Watch
UP TO 20 people suspected of taking part in an operation to free the British hostage Ken Bigley have been murdered in a purge of the terrorist group headed by Iraq's most wanted man, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, it was claimed yesterday.
Oooh! Purge! I like purges!
A senior Iraqi resistance source in al-Zarqawi's stronghold of Falluja said two Syrian guards had helped the 62-year-old Liverpool-born engineer to escape after he was held at a mosque on the edge of the city. Their car was halted for routine checks by insurgents with links to al-Zarqawi's Tawhid and Jihad group before they could reach the safety of an area under American control. According to the resistance source the Iraqis recognised Bigley, who was disguised in Arab dress. Al-Zarqawi is said to have been incensed that his group had been compromised and ordered the insurgents to behead Bigley.
"Awright! That does it! Off with his head!"
Instructions were given that the murder should be filmed and presented to resemble as closely as possible the beheadings of Bigley's American companions, Eugene Armstrong and Jack Hensley, who had been abducted with him in Baghdad three weeks earlier. The Syrian guards were handed over to senior Tawhid and Jihad members for further interrogation and were killed later, along with as many as 18 suspected collaborators. The details emerged a week after a Saudi described as a spokesman for Tawhid and Jihad claimed the guards had received a large sum of money from British intelligence. A western military intelligence source said MI6 had paid a network of local Iraqis for information in the hunt for Bigley, but insisted that the principal aim had been to kill or capture al-Zarqawi. Intelligence specialists flew out to Baghdad to assist in the search for Bigley, the source said. But the four or five raids they helped organise on "safe houses" all proved fruitless.
They gave it a try, and it beats hell out of paying ransom...
The source said the coalition remained confident that the Jordanian-born al-Zarqawi's reign of terror would eventually be halted. "It's only when the Iraqis themselves tire of al-Zarqawi that he will be found," he added. Much of the secret information-gathering work against al-Zarqawi is being co-ordinated by the Iraq Survey Group, whose intelligence experts were originally focused on the vain search for weapons of mass destruction. The group is using agents seconded from the CIA and MI6, while the main force on the ground involved in raids on militant hideouts is the US 10th Mountain Division.
Posted by: ed || 10/20/2004 6:05:15 AM || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Syrian guards, eh? I hope people are writing this down for future reference...
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama || 10/20/2004 10:25 Comments || Top||

#2  Instructions were given that the murder should be filmed and presented to resemble as closely as possible the beheadings of Bigley’s American companions, Eugene Armstrong and Jack Hensley, who had been abducted with him in Baghdad three weeks earlier

I find that to be a very interesting detail. Not sure exactly what it means. Did they want to make it look like Zarqawi was there...or that he oversaw it? I remember that the Jihadi's went to excessive lengths to assure us that Zarqawi had ordered it, blessed it and personally overseen the beheading. Just so there wasn't any doubt or anything.

Or could it mean that this is all BS and that he was actually killed earlier on than they want us to believe?

Regardless..it's an interesting and odd detail in an odd story.
Posted by: 2b || 10/20/2004 11:05 Comments || Top||

#3  that mosque should be leveled. It's place as a house of religion is done. Kill It
Posted by: Frank G || 10/20/2004 11:31 Comments || Top||

#4  Syrian intel agents following orders from Assad?
Posted by: Chuck Simmins || 10/20/2004 12:13 Comments || Top||

#5  When Iraqis tire of al-Zarqawi? Is there a great precedent in Islamia for having had enough of any terrorists? I haven't seen too many people taking to the streets of Palestine or Iraq demanding Islamicists stop their murderous rampages.

I do think the numbers of jihadi recruits would increase enormously were mosques attacked, but OTOH perhaps Muslims would understand what the price is for their tolerating "heroic jihadi" crimes if we did so. They certainly need a little fire under their rears for motivation. Whatever tactic we use, we should employ the strategy of hurting the things they value.
Posted by: Jules 187 || 10/20/2004 12:25 Comments || Top||

#6  Hmmmm.... wasn't it Abu Nidal's group that was destroyed from the inside by his increasing paranoia? He was led to see turncoats and informers at every turn, which led him to conduct purges which eventually rendered his group next to non-existant and ineffective. Dare we hope that some clever-cogs in intelligence are encouraging Zarqawi down the same path?
Posted by: Sgt. Mom || 10/20/2004 13:19 Comments || Top||

#7  I haven't seen too many people taking to the streets of Palestine or Iraq demanding Islamicists stop their murderous rampages.

there was a demo against Sadr in Najaf a couple of months ago. I suggest you check Healing Iraq, Messopotamian, and other Iraqi bloggers. These things dont get much publicity. Also realize that demoing against terrorists in Iraq means taking your life in your hands, since terrs are still going around killing.
Posted by: liberalhawk || 10/20/2004 13:48 Comments || Top||

#8  I didn't say there weren't any-I said there weren't many, at least that we've heard of. Of course you are right, they would be taking their lives in their hands. The question they should be asking themselves is:
are we taking our lives in our hands by risking bombing and continued war from America while we protect Islamic martyrs
or
are we taking our lives in our hands by enraging jihadis while we work to be in control of our own lives, for the first time in decades?

I don't mean to be flippant, LH, but one some level, those are the choices they are faced with.
Posted by: Jules 187 || 10/20/2004 14:02 Comments || Top||

#9  The Najaf guys wanted to get their shrine businesses open, again. Tater and the US cost them money.
Posted by: .com || 10/20/2004 14:03 Comments || Top||

#10  jules asked if theres precedent for muslims having had enough of terrorists (I presume on ANY grounds, financial or otherwise) I think there is abundant precedent, in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and in Algeria. For the most part this isnt expressed through demonstrations (though sometimes it is - and when it is, its not well reported)but through day to day actions in support of the regimes doing battle with the terrorists. For the most part demonstrations in that part of the world i either manipulated by govts, or stirred by demagogues - theyre not part of ordinary democratic political discourse. That, among other things, is what we are trying to change. But they certainly dont NOW have a political culture like ours.

Every week the jihadis kill Iraqi police and national guards, or people lining up to join the IP and ING. With what result? People CONTINUE to line up to join the IP and ING. That says it all, i think. Even if many of those are doing so mainly for money. Theyre risking their lives. To DO something, not merely to say something.

"In the beginning was the deed" - Goethe.
Posted by: liberalhawk || 10/20/2004 14:36 Comments || Top||

#11  I've seen the long version of the Bigley beheading video. There were 2 things that seemed very odd, when compared to previous beheadings by Zarqawi's group. First, all 6 masked terrorists, standing behind Bigley, were wearing street clothes. Khaki pants, bright colored button down shirts, vests, it seemed they were rushed to do this. The second diffrence was it was shot with 2 cameras. The first camera was straight on, while the 2nd shot appeared to come from Bigley's immediate left. The camera shots seemed to transition seamlessly. IMO, if we are to find Zarqawi, I think detaining all Al-Jazeera employees in Iraq for questioning, would be a good start. Someone is definately helping on the production end of these videos.
Posted by: Destro || 10/20/2004 14:54 Comments || Top||

#12  Fallujah delenda est.
Posted by: lex || 10/20/2004 15:00 Comments || Top||

#13  LH-That they are doing so mainly for money is worrying. If their reason for signing up morphs into the chance to fight for their own people's freedom from tyranny, we'll all breathe a sigh of relief.

Destro-I like your Al Jazeera idea. If they're so comfortable with watching a decapitation and not moving an inch to save someone's life, maybe they can be next in line.
Posted by: Jules 187 || 10/20/2004 15:01 Comments || Top||

#14  Destro, interesting. Jules... so true!
Posted by: 2b || 10/20/2004 15:04 Comments || Top||

#15  I will not kneel before these terrorists. If I don't join the army, who is going to defend the country from the terrorists?" - an Iraqi recruit, after yet another hideous terrorist assault on an Iraqi National Guard building.

from the New York Times, via Andrew Sullivan.

Not a demonstator. Not a blogger. A soldier. In the beginning was the deed.
Posted by: liberalhawk || 10/20/2004 15:14 Comments || Top||

#16  That they are doing so mainly for money is worrying

I daresay many american soldiers enter for career reasons. Motives are rarely pure, in any human endeavour.
Posted by: liberalhawk || 10/20/2004 15:15 Comments || Top||

#17  That they are doing so mainly for money is worrying

I daresay many american soldiers enter for career reasons. Motives are rarely pure, in any human endeavour.
Posted by: liberalhawk || 10/20/2004 15:15 Comments || Top||

#18  LH-Do you think that was true of Revolutionary War soldiers, too?
Posted by: Jules 187 || 10/20/2004 15:17 Comments || Top||

#19  I will not kneel before these terrorists. If I don't join the army, who is going to defend the country from the terrorists?" - an Iraqi recruit, after yet another hideous terrorist assault on an Iraqi National Guard building.

A true Iraqi hero. Wonder if his story will go down in history (as it should) as one of the founding fathers of the new deomcratic Iraq.

Posted by: Jules 187 || 10/20/2004 15:18 Comments || Top||

#20  LH-Do you think that was true of Revolutionary War soldiers, too

I dont know. Ive read less than I would like about the War of Independence. It was certainly true of many soldiers in the Army of the Potomac, and the officers had mixed motives as well. Certainly from what my Dad told me, most men in the "greatest generation" went to war because they had to, not in a fit of anti-fascist enthusiasm.
Posted by: liberalhawk || 10/20/2004 15:33 Comments || Top||

#21  BTW, i daresay most Americans in 1776 were farmers on their own land. While times may have been tough, with trans-atlantic trade interrupted, they could feed their own families. Unemployment in Iraq today is still widespread (though decreasing) and a rather more serious matter than in the West.
Posted by: liberalhawk || 10/20/2004 15:36 Comments || Top||

#22  heres the fuller quote, with the name

One of those who survived the blast was a national guard soldier named Qusay Hassan. He spoke with anger following the death and maiming of his comrades, and his spirit seemed unbroken.

"I will not kneel before these terrorists," Mr. Hassan said. "If I don't join the army, who is going to defend the country from the terrorists?"




and heres something from strategy page, via instapundit

Foreigners are mystified at how Iraqis continue to join the police and army, despite the car bombings and other attacks directed against them. It's not just for the money. For many of these recruits, there is a dead relative, murdered by some Sunni Arab thug working for Saddam. It's civil war, and the coalition wants to prevent it from turning into an orgy of revenge. What gets little reported in the West is the enthusiasm among Iraqis, and especially members of the government, for just bombing Fallujah into rubble.
Posted by: liberalhawk || 10/20/2004 15:57 Comments || Top||

#23  from Iraq the Model:

This morning my uncle who’s a highschool principal found a post signed by Al Tawheed Wal Jihad group on the door of his school. It seems that they are distributing a poster throughout Baghdad demanding all government employees to stop going to work, threatening to behead anyone who disobey! It reads:

In the name of God most merciful most gracious
A threat to all government institutes and all government employees. Why do you keep going to work and schools and keep silent about the occupation? We will behead anyone who commits to work in government institutes.
Allah Akbar Allah Akbar
wal yakhsa’a Il khasi’oon*
Al Tawheed Wal Jihad group.


And here we sit, comfortably, typing about the "cowardice" of ordinary Iraqis.
Posted by: liberalhawk || 10/20/2004 16:17 Comments || Top||

#24  I could not call them cowards. I think they are of two minds, wanting to be faithful to their religion, but de facto-by doing so in modern-day Iraq-ending up being supportive of terrorist jihadis, consciously or not. I appreciate the fact that they don't have the luxury of casual, detached, and patient consideration of the war. But with death coming from both directions, wouldn't choosing
1.) the option with the best chance to deliver national freedom
2.) the option that doesn't involve blackmail
3.) the option where you punish those who intentionally targeted your family, friends rather than soldiers who UNintentionally killed your family WHILE killing terrorists and insurgents
4.) The option where the fighters are obviously helping you with medicine, financial support, military support
be more compelling?

I am glad to see from your post-scripts that this seems to be the case, at least point 3.
Posted by: Jules 187 || 10/20/2004 16:32 Comments || Top||


Falluja hit by new (continued) air strikes
Posted by: .com || 10/20/2004 03:48 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "If the US bombing stops, that would be another positive indication and the negotiating channels could be reopened," Sheikh Abdul Hamid Jadu, said."

Sheeeeeek Abduuuuuul,

FYI....The U.S version of "positive indication" is to continue the bombings and create wide "channels" filled with JDAM shrapnel and terrs body parts.
Posted by: Poison Reverse || 10/20/2004 9:43 Comments || Top||

#2  "If the US bombing stops, that would be another positive indication and the negotiating channels could be reopened," Sheikh Abdul Hamid Jadu, said. as he loaded up his family and personal belongings into his minivan and headed for the hills.

Posted by: 2b || 10/20/2004 10:06 Comments || Top||


Google 'saved' Australian hostage
An Australian journalist kidnapped in Iraq was freed after his captors checked the popular internet search engine Google to confirm his identity. John Martinkus was seized in Baghdad on Saturday, the first Australian held hostage in Iraq since the US-led invasion. But his captors agreed to release him after they were convinced he was not working for the CIA or a US contractor. He was reported to be making his way home to Australia on Tuesday. His executive producer at Australia's SBS network, Mike Carey, said Google probably saved freelance journalist Martinkus. "They Googled him and then went onto a web site - either his own or his book publisher's web site, I don't know which one - and saw that he was who he was, and that was instrumental in letting him go, I think, or swinging their decision," he told AP news agency.

Martinkus told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that he was snatched at gunpoint from outside a hotel close to Australia's embassy in Baghdad by Sunni Muslims, and that they had threatened to kill him. "I told them what I was doing (and that) I wasn't armed," he said. Asked how he coped, he said: "I just kept talking."
Posted by: .com || 10/20/2004 3:45:51 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Now the asshole is praising his kidnappers:

"Mr Martinkus said his captors had threatened to kill him, but treated him with respect once they established he was independent.
"These guys ... (are) not stupid," he told reporters.
"They're fighting a war but they're not savages.
"They're not actually just killing people willy-nilly.
"They talk to you, they think about things.
"(From their perspective) there was a reason to kill (British hostage Ken) Bigley, there was a reason to kill the Americans; there was not a reason to kill me (and) luckily I managed to convince them of that."
Asked if he thought Iraq was on the road to recovery, Mr Martinkus said, "No, it's on the road to s---."
But the 35-year-old Melbourne man plans to return to the stricken country."
http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,11125242%255E421,00.html


Posted by: Anonymous4724 || 10/20/2004 8:25 Comments || Top||

#2  Asked if he thought Iraq was on the road to recovery, Mr Martinkus said, "No, it's on the road to s---."
That's interesting. It's almost like his real feelings about his captors came out in that sentence and everything he said about them before was just PC. Unless he himself is PC. One would have to check his site to find that one out.
Posted by: Bryan || 10/20/2004 8:38 Comments || Top||

#3  Stupid asshole. Always get the money first before you're "freed". Talk to the Italian broads.
Posted by: tu3031 || 10/20/2004 9:20 Comments || Top||

#4  The SBS Dateline program that he works for is a very left wing program on the most left wing Australian network, the 'multicultural broadcaster'.
Posted by: Paul Moloney || 10/20/2004 9:26 Comments || Top||

#5  That's probably why they let him go.
Posted by: Bryan || 10/20/2004 9:35 Comments || Top||

#6  Could Google trace back the query to an IP number? someone's got to be able to track Internet traffic and the exact location of network access points in Iraq.
Posted by: Kalle (kafir forever) || 10/20/2004 9:57 Comments || Top||

#7  Kalle,

Unfortunately, you cannot trace it back to the PC in question. The public ip address on the PC in question could be dynamically allocated by ANY ISP in the world. So tracing the ip address can ONLY result in which ISP has the public ip address pool. The ISP is usually an innocent bystander. The only way it can be traced to the PC, is to use a internet mapping software while the terrorist is online e.g. tracing a phone call. Ascertaining the exact or triangulating the ip address on a PC on the internet, at a particular given time, is next to impossible. I can get into more details about tracing, brute force attacks, or DoS, but it will be boring. Hopefully, you have a better understanding, now.
Posted by: Poison Reverse || 10/20/2004 11:35 Comments || Top||

#8  Yeah these guys are really smart, if the CIA can forge identification documents how hard is it gonna be to forge a fake website or two. Create a dozen blogs to link to it to ensure it gets to the top of the google listings. Put the guys face on it and some insane anti_american rantings. It could be done in a day or less. Yeah they're really smart.
Posted by: rjschwarz || 10/20/2004 13:45 Comments || Top||

#9  Poison Reverse, actually the first link to the Internet, from the computer to the ISP should be easy to track down -- once an IP number has been identified we know which ISP they use.

If I dial up to Earthlink, they know who dialled up, at what time, and which IP number I got. Would they record where the dial up call came from? maybe.

If I use a broadband connection such as DSL (not sure they have such in Iraq yet), then I have a more or less permanent IP number which my ISP can easily trace and reveal.

My point is that connecting to the Internet always leaves certain tracks. I hope someone is working on it in Iraq, e.g. looking at connections to the Islamofascist websites.
Posted by: Kalle (kafir forever) || 10/20/2004 16:06 Comments || Top||

#10  Monitoring all Google queries coming out of Iraq would probably be a good idea too.
Posted by: Kalle (kafir forever) || 10/20/2004 16:07 Comments || Top||

#11  Who should I talk to if I have specific ideas to help Homeland Security and the WOT in relation to my professional expertise?
Posted by: Kalle (kafir forever) || 10/20/2004 16:08 Comments || Top||

#12  Kalle,

It's funny that you mention, Earthlink. They are not going to give up a damn thing.

Now, getting back to your point. Yes, when you dialup to Earthlink they know that "someone with your username & pass" has dialed in which results in the PC receiving an DHCP address. Again, Earthlink does NOT know whether its you or someone else that spoofed your username & pwd. Also, Earthlink or any ISP would have to be looking (logging) for a specific username&pwd, in order to start tracing it. EARTHLINK DOES NOT KNOW whether its you or a terrorist that has spoofed your username & pwd, when the PC dialed in. This goes for DSL or Cablemodem. If its is a DSL or Cablemodem the terrorist can use split tunneling via VPN and use terminal server or private connection "hairpinning" from, for example, a legitimate private ip network. This can make source and destinaion packet identification, difficult to determine. Without knowing the time (dialin) and location or whether the user is a terrorist or a law abiding citizen, it is next to impossible to track the person down via IP. Tracking certain ip's will lead to legitimate heads of state and that is a diplomatic NO NO. The NSA & FBI have been installing tracking software at ISP's such as "Magic Lantern" & "Carnivore" for a while now, but to no avail.

Tracking terrorists in a "ip world" would require the cooperation from EVERY ISP around the world. The truth is, 98% of the foreign countries will NOT help us. Hell, some U.S. ISP's will not help.
Posted by: Poison Reverse || 10/20/2004 17:35 Comments || Top||


Afghanistan/South Asia
Pakistan bans zakat to jihadi outfits
Pakistan government has directed the provincial governments to take special measures for curbing the collection of Zakat, Fitrana and other kind of donations (religious donations) by any proscribed or Jehadi outfit during the fasting month of Ramazan, according to a report here on Tuesday. The News cited sources in the Interior Ministry as saying that all the law-enforcement and intelligence agencies had been directed to keep an eye on the activities of those workers of proscribed and Jehadi organisations who were on government's watch list to ensure that they would not involve in any kind of donation collection activity. The sources said special instruction were issued to the provinces not to allow Millat-e-Islamia Pakistan (erstwhile Sipah-e-Sahaba), Islami Tehirk Pakistan (erstwhile Tehrik-e-Jaffria), Khuddamul Islam (erstwhile Jaish-e-Muhammad), Jamaatul Furqaan and others banned outfits to collect donations during Ramazan and on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr.

Furthermore, the sources said, the provincial governments have also been advised to direct district and city governments to issue permission to known welfare organisations for collection of Zakat, Fitrana and other donations after thoroughly reviewing their applications. Local governments were directed to keep in touch with the provincial Home departments before issuance of any such permission. The sources said if any of the known charities tried to collect donation claiming they are helping Mujahideen in held Kashmir or elsewhere, the government would immediately take action against it, which might include a ban on its activities and freezing of its bank accounts. "We will take strict action against any individual or party, which would collect Zakat, Fitrana or other kind of donations in the name of Jihad or for any of the proscribe party," said a senior Interior Ministry official, requesting not to be named.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Dan Darling || 10/20/2004 1:57:28 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Even if, as is likely, this is only partially enforced, money flows to terror organizations should decrease noticeably.
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/20/2004 7:32 Comments || Top||

#2  if any of the known charities tried to collect donation claiming they are helping Mujahideen in held Kashmir or elsewhere...

Ahh...but tis for the children, the children, ya see!
Posted by: 2b || 10/20/2004 10:12 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine
Al-Qaeda threatens further attacks on Israel
The al-Qaida affiliated terrorist organization that claimed responsibility for the series of brutal attacks two weeks ago in Sinai published a threatening message promising to continue attacks against Israel and Israeli interests. "Message to the damned [Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon and [Defense Minister Shaul] Mofaz: We have prepared for you an army of martyrs and we will not rest until you reach the depths of hell," the message reads. "We promise the masses of the Islamic nation to continue the Jihad until we destroy the Zionist enemy," Channel 1 TV quoted the message.
Posted by: Dan Darling || 10/20/2004 1:48:59 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  How is that different from Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Hizballah? Jews must die? because Allah demands it?
Posted by: Kalle (kafir forever) || 10/20/2004 2:13 Comments || Top||

#2  er, isn't this the same incident that muslims blame on mossad/US/zionists/tooth fairy? MEMRI.org has a summary of how the arab world seems to uniformly blame others on this.
Posted by: PlanetDan || 10/20/2004 3:15 Comments || Top||

#3  I have looked everywhere and for the life of me, I can't find the "surprise meter". Damn the Mossad and the Jooooos!!!!
Posted by: Poison Reverse || 10/20/2004 9:59 Comments || Top||

#4  In light of Arafish saying one thing in English and another in Arabic, how does one say "Bring it on" in Hebrew?
Posted by: BA || 10/20/2004 10:49 Comments || Top||

#5  In light of Arafish saying one thing in English and another in Arabic, how does one say "Bring it on" in Hebrew?

I don't know the current colloquialism,(where is Elder of Zion when we need him?) but boyheh'nah (accent on the 2nd syllabubble) means "come here." I s'pose one could say more expansively, boyheh'nah habibi (friend in Arabic) if there were any uncertainly.
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/20/2004 12:17 Comments || Top||

#6  habibti if it's a she
Posted by: Kalle (kafir forever) || 10/20/2004 19:14 Comments || Top||

#7  Thanks, Kalle. 'Twas my husband who studied Arabic, not I, so I am ignorant of these critical little nuances. Although saying, "boyhenah habibti" could have dire consequences for the IDI man in question, if her brothers find out!
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/20/2004 22:26 Comments || Top||


Iraq-Jordan
al-Tawhid merges with al-Qaeda
Tawhid and Jihad, the Iraqi militant group of terror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, apparently has changed its name two days after announcing its merger with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda organization. An Internet statement released Tuesday under the purported new name, al-Qaeda of Jihad in the Land of Two Rivers, claimed responsibility for an attack on a U.S. military convoy west of the Iraqi city of Fallujah the same day. The two rivers in the new name refers to the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in Iraq.

Witnesses in Habaniyah, west of the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah, reported seeing three American Humvees burning, but the U.S. military didn't comment on the alleged attack. "A lion from the martyrdom brigades ... plowed into an American convoy that had entered Habaniyah," said the statement. The authenticity of the statement could not be independently verified. "The brother, God accept him, managed to destroy five Hummer vehicles and all those inside," the statement added. The claim was posted under the new name by Abu Maysara al-Iraqi, a pseudonym that al-Zarqawi's Tawhid and Jihad group had said was its legitimate source of information. The statement, written in similar language to previous Tawhid and Jihad statements, also was posted on a Web site known as a clearing house for Islamic militants.
Posted by: Dan Darling || 10/20/2004 1:35:28 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  A.k.a. Monist Beheaders merge with Nihilist Murderers.
Posted by: Kalle (kafir forever) || 10/20/2004 1:44 Comments || Top||

#2  Oh no! This will change everything.
Posted by: .com || 10/20/2004 2:21 Comments || Top||

#3  Merger, huh? I see a lot of job duplication here, so you gotta wonder about layoffs.
Posted by: tu3031 || 10/20/2004 9:25 Comments || Top||

#4  Yeah but if they cut heads it may help them ride out the coming market collapse. At least they've got a lot of experience.

BTW, is this subject to SEC approval?
Posted by: Mrs. Davis || 10/20/2004 9:33 Comments || Top||

#5  Don't expect any attacks from the a-QoJitLofTR anytime soon; they have to integrate their personnel software and the paycheck software and get with their accountants and downsize the company motor pool and maybe pick a new food services company to run the commissary, and let's not forget letterhead, people! And with a name like al-Qaeda of Jihad in the Land of Two Rivers, they will have to do all of their printing landscape.
Posted by: (lowercase) matt || 10/20/2004 15:37 Comments || Top||

#6  LOL! OBL is their prime liquid (pls!) asset. $25 million would go a long way in covering the merger expenses.
Posted by: Shipman || 10/20/2004 16:45 Comments || Top||

#7  My understanding is that OBL was reallocated to a sinkin fund where he's acretin.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis || 10/20/2004 20:13 Comments || Top||


Afghanistan/South Asia
3 Pakistani soldiers killed near the Afghan border
Three Pakistani soldiers were killed when suspected Al-Qaeda linked militants attacked an Army convoy in South Waziristan, bordering Afghanistan. The convoy came under attack Raghzay locality, where the military launched a major operation to capture a militant who kidnapped two Chinese engineers last week, sources said. Reports from Wana, the headquarters of South Waziristan said the military is using heavy weapons including artillery to hit the suspected hideouts of Abdullah Mehsud, whose men had had held two Chinese hostages, one of whom died during a rescue bid. Security Chief of tribal region Mehmood Shah said yesterday that the security forces have identified location of Abdullah Mehsud, who according to him is 'rapidly shifting positions'.
"Get 'im!"
"He won't hold still, sahib!"
The visiting Chinese vice foreign ministar Du Dwei yesterday asked Pakistan to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens in the country.
"Did I mention how large our army is?"
"Ummm... Yes. You did. Twice."
Mehsud was freed in March after 25 months in US custody in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. He had refused to hand over the Chinese until safe passage had been granted for his men.
Posted by: Dan Darling || 10/20/2004 1:30:08 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Iraq-Jordan
Video shows kidnapped aid worker
Posted by: Classical_Liberal || 10/20/2004 00:40 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Israel-Palestine
Gun-battles erupt between rival Palestinian groups
At least six Palestinians were wounded, one seriously, in a gun battle that erupted between rival Palestinian Authority security forces in Gaza City on Monday. In a separate incident in the northern Gaza Strip, a Hamas activist was killed during an armed clash with members of Islamic Jihad. Eyewitnesses said the Gaza City clashes started around noon, when members of the Preventive Security Service affiliated with former security minister Muhammad Dahlan opened fire on a number of security officers from Military Intelligence, headed by Gen. Musa Arafat. The confrontation began when Preventive Security personnel tried to arrest Muhammad Abu Jarrar, a top Military Intelligence officer, at his home. Jarrar and some members of his family opened fire at the force, seriously wounding Tamer Daghmash.

In the evening, the clashes spread to other parts of Gaza City, with both sides using hand grenades and assault rifles. Daghmash's friends attacked Military Intelligence headquarters, wounding two officers. In retaliation, scores of Military Intelligence officers attacked the Preventive Security headquarters. The tension started on Saturday, when Arafat's security officers kidnapped a member of the Preventive Security in response to the abduction of one of their men a few days earlier. The two kidnapped men complained that they had been tortured. The armed clashes ended on Tuesday morning, following the intervention of senior Fatah officials. Tensions have been running high between the two security services since the appointment of Arafat as overall commander of the PA security forces in the Gaza Strip last July. Dahlan's supporters have launched a series of attacks on Arafat's men and offices in different parts of the Gaza Strip. Earlier this month, Arafat narrowly escaped an assassination attempt when a car bomb was detonated near his convoy. No group claimed responsibility, although many Palestinians believe that Dahlan's supporters were behind it.

In other scenes of lawlessness in the West Bank, gunmen belonging to the Aksa Martyrs Brigades closed down the offices of the Palestinian Legislative Council and PA Tax Authority in Jenin. They entered the offices and ordered all workers to leave within 10 minutes before closing them indefinitely. Zakariya Zubeidi, commander of the Aksa Martyrs Brigades in Jenin, said the move was to protest against the failure of the PA to pay salaries to the families of Palestinians killed in the violence. "The Palestinian parliament has approved a series of laws that harm the monthly fees allocated for the victims of the intifada and the families of the martyrs," he said. "This is at a time when senior PA officials are wasting public funds and spending money on themselves." He also accused the tax department of deducting almost half of the payments sent to the families.
Posted by: Anonymous6092 || 10/20/2004 9:00:59 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  This is amazing, the PA actually pays salaries to "the victims of the intifada and the families of the martyrs"?

When families get paid for sending their kids off with semtex strapped to their chest, it's no wonder the violence doesn't end.

Heck, Mom and Pop probably make out nicely. The more kids the old lady pops out, the bigger the Martyr Check!
Posted by: gb506 || 10/20/2004 0:39 Comments || Top||

#2  These "scenes of lawlessness" are perfect illustrations of what anarchy means in practice (as opposed to the theoretical paradise that some "libertarians" advocate).
Posted by: Kalle (kafir forever) || 10/20/2004 0:49 Comments || Top||

#3  Achmed, you were not *supposed* to publicly endorse John Kerry! I must kill you now.
Posted by: Brutus || 10/20/2004 0:57 Comments || Top||

#4  "I hate the infidel more!"
"No, I hate him more! He put panties on my head!"
".......Pansy."
"Die Jew-lover!"
Posted by: Charles || 10/20/2004 8:57 Comments || Top||

#5  when members of the Preventive Security Service affiliated with former security minister Muhammad Dahlan opened fire on a number of security officers from Military Intelligence, headed by Gen. Musa Arafat

this aint anarchy. This is the PLAN, folks. We do have a dog in this fight.
Posted by: liberalhawk || 10/20/2004 9:35 Comments || Top||

#6  Course we're not supposed to say it too loudly.
Posted by: liberalhawk || 10/20/2004 9:35 Comments || Top||

#7  Gang wars, "families" blasting away at each other, corrupt government officials. This is better then watching "The Untouchables" with my dad on Friday nights when I was about 8...
Posted by: tu3031 || 10/20/2004 10:38 Comments || Top||

#8  Anyone have any figurative gasoline to pour on this development?
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama || 10/20/2004 13:53 Comments || Top||


Iraq-Jordan
CARE Halts Iraq Operation After Abduction
CARE International has suspended its operations in Iraq following the kidnapping of its director there, the head of the aid agency's Australian arm said Wednesday. "Our staff are not operating currently there, they're certainly not working there now in light of the current situation," Robert Glasser told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio Wednesday. Hassan, who holds British, Irish and Iraqi citizenship and is married to an Iraqi, is among the most widely known humanitarian officials in the Middle East. She is also the most high-profile figure to fall victim to a wave of kidnappings sweeping Iraq in recent months. The Arab television station Al-Jazeera broadcast a brief video on Tuesday showing Hassan, wearing a white blouse and appearing tense, sitting in a room with bare white walls. An editor at the station, based in Qatar, said the tape contained no audio. It did not identify what group was holding her and contained no demand for her release. Hassan, who is in her early 60s, was kidnapped early Tuesday while being driven from her home to CARE's office in a western neighborhood of the capital, a CARE employee said. The employee said the group did not employ armed guards. The organization would not evacuate its staff because of the kidnapping, Glasser said.
Posted by: Fred || 10/20/2004 9:55:03 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  When they (the terrorists),hold up her head for all the world to see, eyes glazing straight ahead in horror, we'll see just how much care is left in CARE! Even now, Blair is rehearsing his 'horror' speech.
Posted by: smn || 10/20/2004 0:40 Comments || Top||

#2  Gosh, once again al-Jazeera is johnny-on-the-spot with a fresh report from another hostage. How do they do it?
Posted by: gromky || 10/20/2004 6:45 Comments || Top||

#3  Another money-grab a la 2 Simonas... until I see the T&J flag and towel-heads.
Posted by: Howard UK || 10/20/2004 6:58 Comments || Top||

#4  How do they do it?

Perhaps because they are the only major none western news broadcaster with a world wide reach in that corner of the globe. If you were an arab terrorist in the middle east who would you send propaganda tapes to?
Posted by: AmericanIdiot || 10/20/2004 7:07 Comments || Top||

#5  AI - they're media partners with the terrorists
Posted by: Frank G || 10/20/2004 8:38 Comments || Top||


At Least 8 Women Abducted in Iraq
Posted by: Fred || 10/20/2004 10:02:24 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Al-Zarqawi's Group in Iraq Changes Name
Tawhid and Jihad, the Iraqi militant group of terror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, apparently has changed its name two days after announcing its merger with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida organization. An Internet statement released Tuesday under the purported new name, al-Qaida of Jihad in the Land of Two Rivers, claimed responsibility for an attack on a U.S. military convoy west of the Iraqi city of Fallujah the same day. The two rivers in the new name refers to the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in Iraq.
I see they kept the "jihad" but ditched the "unity" (tawhid). Wonder who their marketing consultant was for this name change. Did they do any focus group testing?
Kinda dumb to have "unity" in the name of a jihadi terrorist group, isn't it?
Witnesses in Habaniyah, west of the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah, reported seeing three American Humvees burning, but the U.S. military didn't comment on the alleged attack. "A lion from the martyrdom brigades ... plowed into an American convoy that had entered Habaniyah," said the statement. The authenticity of the statement could not be independently verified. "The brother, God accept him, managed to destroy five Hummer vehicles and all those inside," the statement added. The claim was posted under the new name by Abu Maysara al-Iraqi, a pseudonym that al-Zarqawi's Tawhid and Jihad group had said was its legitimate source of information. The statement, written in similar language to previous Tawhid and Jihad statements, also was posted on a Web site known as a clearing house for Islamic militants. Al-Zarqawi's group declared allegiance to bin Laden, citing the need for unity against "the enemies of Islam," in an Internet statement posted Sunday. That statement also could not be verified. The group has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks on American troops, Iraqi security personnel and the kidnapping and beheading of several foreigners.
Posted by: Fred || 10/20/2004 9:58:36 PM || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Good plan. Declare allegiance to a rotting corpse feeding worms in an Afghan cave. Next?
Posted by: Kalle (kafir forever) || 10/20/2004 0:59 Comments || Top||

#2  The Unity translation of Tawhid isn't very accurate, since Tawhid is a specific Islamic concept referring to the absolute oneness of Allah, as opposed to the Trinity of Christianity.

If you look around the Internet, you will often see Islamists (including al-Zawahiri) with a clenched fist with the index finger sticking up. That is the symbol of political Islam, and comes from this concept of Tawhid.
Posted by: Paul Moloney || 10/20/2004 1:26 Comments || Top||

#3  Thanks for the information Paul. A better translation may then be "Monism" (all is one).

Better plan: declare allegiance to a rotting, monist corpse.
Posted by: Kalle (kafir forever) || 10/20/2004 1:31 Comments || Top||

#4  Tawhid and Jihad, the Iraqi militant group of terror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, apparently has changed its name two days after announcing its merger with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida organization.

"Cannon Fodder Boys" might be an appropriate new name.
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama || 10/20/2004 10:34 Comments || Top||

#5  Anybody got an Arabic translation for "Dead Motherfuckers"? I'd like that one.
Posted by: tu3031 || 10/20/2004 10:40 Comments || Top||

#6  The Security Council committee monitoring sanctions against al-Qaida and the Taliban said it had added al-Zarqawi's network, Jama'at al-Tawhid Wa'al-Jihad - known as Tawhid and Jihad - to the list on Monday. It said the group is also known as the Monotheism and Jihad Group.

oops...they changed their name. Darn! Back to the conference table guys, we need to draft a whole new resolution.

But first, LUNCH!
Posted by: 2b || 10/20/2004 11:19 Comments || Top||



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Wed 2004-10-20
  Another Cross-Dressing Saudi Busted
Tue 2004-10-19
  Cap'n Hook accused of soliciting to murder
Mon 2004-10-18
  Iraqi cops take down Kirkuk "hostage house"
Sun 2004-10-17
  Soddies wax AQ shura member
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  Fallujah Seeks Peace Talks if Attacks End
Fri 2004-10-15
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Wed 2004-10-13
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Mon 2004-10-11
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