The US is planning to form the first 'local defense forces' similar to Iraq's Awakening Councils to combat the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The first such forces would begin operating early next year in Wardak Province close to Kabul, The New York Times reported on Wednesday.
The province is an area where the resurgent Taliban had largely assumed control. Similar forces would be quickly established across the country if the move proved successful, the newspaper quoted unnamed senior US and Afghan officials as saying.
However, there was "deep unease" among many Afghans that Pashtun-dominated militias could get out of control, terrorize local population and turn against the government, said the newspaper report.
The US recently said it would be sending a further 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, nearly doubling its force there by next summer.
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12/25/2008 00:01 ||
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#1
More likely we'd end up arming the Taliban themselves with such a program.
(AKI) - The leader of North Africa's Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Abdelmalek Droukdel, is to be tried in absentia with 56 others accused of terrorism and other crimes. According to Algerian daily, El-Khabar, the suspects linked to the militant Islamic group - including 40 who are now in prison - is scheduled to take place from the end of December to February.
The defendants face several charges, including belonging to terror group, committing premeditated murder and being murder accomplices.
Meanwhile, the Algerian media is reporting serious divisions have emerged inside the Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb recently.
According to the Arab daily, al-Hayat, Droukedel and the Al-Qaeda leader in the Sahara region, Yahya Jawadi, known as Abu Amar.
Abu Amar has reportedly expressed his desire for a truce with Algerian armed forces.
The decision is believed to have been taken after former leader of Al-Qaeda in the Sahara, Mukhtar Belmukhtar, distanced himself from Droukedel's group and recently abandoned armed conflict and sought refuge with several tribes in northern Mali.
According to Algerian security services, Droukedel brought the issue to the attention of the Sharia Council called to assess Jawadi's behaviour which could move distance him from the group if he is found to be untrustworthy.
Jawadi appears to have proposed a truce in exchange for an end to attacks on his men in Algeria and Mauritania. Several government mediators are reported to have met during November in the village of Minaka in northern Mali to discuss a national reconciliation proposal.
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12/25/2008 00:00 ||
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(AKI) - Leaders of a Yemeni Al-Qaeda cell have reportedly allied themselves with separatists opposing the government in southern Yemen. Unnamed security sources told the daily , al-Quds al-Arabi, that leaders of the Al-Qaeda cell in Yemen recently held a summit with leaders of the separatist group.
The separatists want to restore the former South Yemen regime, which was united with the Yemen Arab Republic, or North Yemen in 1994.
Among the Al-Qaeda leaders reported to have been at the meeting were Salem al-Radwui, who had returned from fighting in Afghanistan, and other militants wanted by police for allegedly taking part in terror attacks against Yemeni security forces and government institutions.
During the summit, the parties reportedly reached an agreement to carry out a series of attacks against businessmen and government buildings in the capital, Sanaa.
Police are reported to have discovered a terrorist hideout in the province of Abin in the past few days.
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12/25/2008 00:00 ||
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Three suspected Islamic militants were arrested in northern Bangladesh Thursday along with a "huge" quantity of explosives four days before the country goes to its first polls in seven years, police said.
The three are members of the banned Islamic extremist group Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), which has been blamed for a series of blasts in 2005 that killed at least 28 people, the police chief of northern Govindaganj district, S.M. Shibly said. "We raided their premises acting on a tip-off. We seized a huge quantity of explosives and shells of grenades. The explosives were enough to make at least 50 grenades," he said. Shibly said the three include a regional commander of the JMB, which intelligence officials said has been trying to reorganise in recent months after its leaders were arrested and executed in March 2007.
The triple arrest came just days after two suspected militants from the same group were arrested in the southeastern Comilla district after one hurled a grenade at a member of the country's elite security force.
The raid happened in an area where two hours earlier Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief Khaleda Zia was holding a rally ahead of Monday's election that will restore democracy after two years of an army-backed regime. Zia, an ex-premier, said the extremists were plotting to kill her ahead of elections.
Tuesday's busting of two JMB operatives with grenades and bomb in Comilla is another blow at the law enforcers who had a feeling that the militant outfit would not be able soon to organise again after the execution of their key leaders.
To their utter dismay, the law enforcers came to know how the operatives of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh were organising again under the leadership of Maulana Saidur Rahman, the outfit's new ameer after Abdur Rahman's execution in March last year.
The recovery of grenades and bomb and arrest of Aiyub Ansari alias Masud and Abdul Alim alias Nayeem was the outcome of an intelligence move based on information disclosed by recently arrested JMB operatives Mohammad Hanif and Rafiqul Islam, officials of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) said.
Investigators also came to know from other JMB operatives arrested at different times that Saidur is hiding somewhere in the country and leading the regrouping move as the outfit's chief.
Intelligence officials have learnt that Saidur is a former ameer of Habiganj district unit of Jamaat-e-Islami. His son AHM Shamim, chief of JMB's IT unit, was arrested on September 7, 2005 during the crackdown on JMB and is now in jail.
"After Abdur Rahman's arrest in Sylhet in March 2006 we came to know that Saidur Rahman helped the JMB chief a lot when he was hiding in the north-eastern district. But we did not know then that Saidur was going to be the next chief of the militant organisation," Col Gulzar Uddin Ahmed, additional director general of Rab, told The Daily Star yesterday.
"Shamim was a close aide of Ataur Rahman Sunny [Abdur Rahman's younger brother and chief of JMB's military wing]," Gulzar said.
But even after the arrest of Shamim and Sunny in 2005, investigators did not have information on Saidur's involvement with the JMB let alone his status as its next chief.
While Abdur Rahman was looking for a safe hideout, Saidur arranged a house for him at Tilagarh in Sylhet town and ensured security, food and "everything he needed" until his arrest, said an intelligence official.
A Sylhet court tried Saidur in absentia and in January 2007 sentenced him to 14 years' rigorous imprisonment in an explosives related case.
When the Rab mobilised forces in Sylhet looking for him, Saidur went into hiding. The elite force conducted several raids to arrest him but to no avail.
"JMB operatives have changed their communication strategy. They now rarely use phone for communication and rather exchange information physically as they used to do just after coming into operation openly," an intelligence official told The Daily Star, requesting anonymity.
Hanif, arrested on November 16 in Mirpur with explosives including grenade-making materials, and Rafiq, arrested on October 25 in Shibganj upazila of Chapainawabganj, told investigators about their activities in different areas.
"It is certain that they [Hanif and Rafiq] had a plan for subversive activity. But we are yet to know whether they had any plan to lodge any attack on Khaleda Zia's rally or they had other targets," said another Rab official.
Meanwhile, Masud and Nayeem were brought to Dhaka yesterday morning for primary interrogation at the Rab headquarters and were taken back to Comilla in the evening. Investigators would interrogate the two if the court places them on remand.
Rab men recovered three improvised hand grenades and a 10kg bomb from a JMB den in Nabiabad village under Debidwar upazila of Comilla and arrested the two JMB operatives, around four hour after BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia addressed an election rally 4km away. Two militants Shahed and Mostak managed to flee.
A Rab-11 official said their forces defused the grenades and detonated the 10kg bomb recovered on Tuesday.
The Rab official said police would seek remand for Masud and Nayeem after they are handed over to Devidwar police.
Security was beefed up yesterday in border areas following the arrest of the militants and recovery of explosives in Debidwar.
Meanwhile, Rab men recovered two more improvised grenades from a pond and a canal in Nabiadi village early yesterday.
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12/25/2008 00:00 ||
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Inspector General of Police (IGP) Nur Mohammad yesterday ruled out any threat of organised attack on Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia.
"There is no strong or authentic base of it," he told an emergency meeting on law and order at the home ministry.
The meeting was convened following the recovery of grenades and arrest of suspected JMB cadres in Chandina of Comilla district after the election rally of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in a nearby place on Tuesday.
After the meeting, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) Director General Hasan Mahmud Khandaker said special measures will be taken to ensure foolproof security for the two former prime ministers
Meanwhile, the government yesterday said an investigation is underway to find if the suspected JMB activists arrested on Tuesday in Debidwar of Comilla district had planned to carryout any sabotage at the election rally of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, reports BSS.
"It is being examined if there has been any link between the possible acts of the arrested militants and the deterioration of law and order at Begum Zia's rally," said an official statement referring to Tuesday's incident in Comilla.
It said the government is pledge-bound to ensure " the highest security measures" for the two former prime ministers while the law enforcement and intelligence agencies, including the SSF, are taking all-out measures instantly on receiving any information regarding their security.
The statement, issued in view of media report, said on the basis of intelligence reports Rab on December 23 arrested JMB members Abdul Alim alias Naim and Ayub Ansari alias Masud in Nariabad area of Debidwar along with five grenades and a bomb.
It also said Rab action came as part of an intensified security vigil in and around the areas where Khaleda Zia was scheduled to address rallies.
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12/25/2008 00:00 ||
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More than a half of the election campaign fund of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh central leader, Delwar Hossain Saydee, is coming from 'voluntary contributions' of 44 persons, according to his wealth statement submitted to the Election Commission (EC). The donors hail from Pirojpur, Dhaka, Barisal and Khulna.
Saydee, who is contesting in the parliamentary election in Pirojpur-1 constituency, disclosed that he will spend Tk 10.1 lakh for his campaign, Tk 3 lakh of which is coming from his own coffer while Tk 6.41 lakh is coming from donations. Most of the donors are college, school and madrasa teachers hailing from Saydee's home district Pirojpur.
The lowest contribution of Tk 5,000 is coming from Abdur Rab of Khalisha Khali of Pirojpur while the highest donation of Tk 50,000 is coming from Shah Jamal Sikder of Sikder Trading of the same district. Professors Mojibur Rahman, Mosharraf Hossain, and Amirul Islam of Shaheed Zia Degree College at Nazirhat of Pirojpur are donating Tk 10,000 each.
Md Faruquzzaman of Daruls Islam Trust at Tongi is donating Tk 25,000 while Principal Idris Ali of Darul Quran Siddiquia Kamil Madrasa at Khulna is contributing Tk 20,000. Principal of KC Technical College Yunus Ali and Head Master of Horina Girls High School Monirul Islam are donating Tk 10,000 and Tk 8,000 respectively.
Abdul Halim of Khanakunia Fazil Madrasa is contributing Tk 10,000. In addition, Saydee is getting Tk 60,000 in cash from his four sons Rafiq Saydee, Shamim Saydee, Masud Saydee, and Nasim Saydee, while his party is contributing Tk 1.50 lakh to his campaign fund. He annual earning is Tk 4.67 lakh while his expenditure is Tk 3.14 lakh.
The major chunk of the earning amounting to Tk 2.44 lakh comes from the royalties from sales of books authored by him, bank interests, and remunerations for speaking at meetings and seminars. His earning from teaching amounts to Tk 1.20 lakh.
Saydee, who identified himself as a writer in the statement, has Tk 6.14 lakh in cash, and Tk 4.65 lakh deposited in different banks and other financial institutions. Besides, he has shares in Islami Bank and Barakah Hospital. Interestingly, he owns more gold than his wife does. The wealth statement says Saydee owns 25 tolas of gold, the value of which he does not know, while his wife owns 10 tolas of gold worth Tk 60,000.
The Jamaat leader is also the part owner of three houses and an apartment. Saydee, who owns a pistol worth Tk 1.50 lakh, declared in his statement that he also owns a book store which has an estimated value of Tk 3 lakh. He owes Tk 2.71 crore to Islami Bank.
Delwar Hossain Saydee played an active part in organising the Razakar, Al Badr and Al Shams forces in Pirojpur during the country's liberation war to assist the occupying Pakistani army.
"Saydee was not associated with any political party in 1971, but conducted his activities in his individual capacity as a maulana or Islamic scholar. There are allegations that he actively helped the Pakistani forces in their campaign of killings, looting, rape, and arson by forming local para-military forces," says a report of The People's Inquiry Commission.
"During the war, he along with four of his associates formed an organisation called 'Fund of the Five'. The principal aim of the organisation was to loot and grab property of freedom fighters and Bangalee Hindus. He used to sell the looted property and run a profitable business from the proceedings of the sales," the report adds.
This article starring:
Delwar Hossain Saydee
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12/25/2008 00:00 ||
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The actual headline is even longer!
Hearing on the case of former officer of Azerbaijani Army Kamran Asadov and 19 others was held in the Court of Grave Crimes. APA reports that judge Islam Neymanov presided over the process.
Defendant Orkhan Alizadeh gave testimony. He did not agree to the points related to him in the indictment and said they met with the other defendants to speak about the virtues of Islam. Answering the prosecutor's questions, Alizadeh said the accusations brought against them concerning armed jihad were groundless. He said he had invited his acquaintances to jihad in the way envisaged in Islam. "I offered and promoted jihad against those opposing to Islam. I support struggle against the enemies of Islam in the world. The US is number one enemy of Islam," he said.
Public prosecutors and lawyers had a dispute with the defendants concerning jihad. Defendant Ramin Karimov's lawyer Yaver Huseyn called the accusation "nonsense and groundless". The public prosecutors objected to his statement. Orkhan Alizadeh said they had not have talks against Azerbaijan's statehood, Constitution, or discussions for exploding any embassy. Defendant Hajibala Huseynov said he had received religious education in Syria and Saudi Arabia. Huseynov did not agree to the accusation brought against him. The hearing will continue in the second half of the day.
Kamran Asadov, Bakhtiyar Orujov, Farid Jabbarov, Elshan Mammadov, Kamran Babayev, Samir Mehbaliyev, Terlan Karimov, Edgar Aliyev, Ramil Karimov, Shirvani Babayev, Samir Aliyev, Yalchin Maharramov, Orkhan ALizadeh, Hajibala Huseynov, Azer Ibadov, Shahriyar Mehraliyev, Ramin Jalilov, Rovshan Abdulaliyev, Ilkin Ismayilov and Vugar Aliyev are accused of setting up a radical religious group, attempting to start military struggle, attacking on LUKoil petrol station in Baku, preparing terror attack on the U.S. and UK embassies in Azerbaijan.
Around 100 families on Wednesday left Shaho area of Hangu district for safer places in order to flee attacks by the Taliban. Talking to reporters, elders among the displaced families said the Taliban had enforced their own rules in Shaho and no one was safe there any more, adding the abduction and killing of innocent people had become a routine. The elders said even the security forces were helpless against the Taliban activities in the area. Hangu Nazim Haji Khan Afzal and District Co-ordination Officer Mujeebur Rehman said the government had deployed paramilitaries and police for the security of the people, adding the government would not assist the families, as they had left the area without informing the local administration.
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12/25/2008 00:05 ||
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The Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) has brought exemplary peace to Bara tehsil, and criminal elements of the area have been completely eradicated, LI Khyber Agency spokesman Haji Misri Gul said on Wednesday. The spokesman said that a recent report in Daily Times and Daily Aaj Kal about the group was misleading and not based on facts. He said the LI was working to eradicate evil from society and the residents of Bara supported LI chief Mangal Bagh for that. Stressing that the LI's hard work had made the local criminals forego crime, the spokesman challenged media teams to visit Bara and witness first hand the 'freedom' the local people had. He said even the Sikh and Christian residents of Bara appreciated the LI. He warned the media to ensure that reports about the LI were based on facts, and to avoid publishing news that provoked people.
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12/25/2008 00:05 ||
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The Crime Investigation Department (CID) has issued the 12th edition of its 'Red Book' of high profile cases -- including the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and attempts on the life of former president Pervez Musharraf and former prime minister Shaukat Aziz -- police sources told Daily Times on Wednesday.
The sources said that Rawalpindi police had been given 164 copies of the book that contains the names of more than 43 proclaimed offenders, 'most-wanted terrorists' and 'highly dangerous sectarian terrorists' along with the sums to be paid as head money.
The sources said the five most-wanted alleged terrorists in the Bhutto case were Baitullah Mehsood, Ubaidur Rehman, Faiz Muhammad, Abdullah alias Saddam and Ikramullah. They said the government had put up Rs 2 million as head money for each of these men. They said the book also includes the names of four men wanted for an attempt on Musharraf's life: Matiur Rehman, a resident of Bahawalpur, with Rs 10 million as head money; Mansoor alias Chota Ibrahim with Rs 5 million as head money; Umar Aqdas, a resident of Sheikhupura with Rs 5 million as head money; and Qari Ehsanul Haq alias Shaheed also with Rs 5 million as head money.
They said the book also mentions would-be suicide bomber Sikandar Sultan from Hangu -- who was part of an assassination attempt on Shaukat Aziz but did not blow himself up.
The sources said the suspected sectarian terrorists -- linked to a banned organisation -- include Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, wanted in the 'Church attack case'; and Sajjad, wanted in the 'Iran Cadet College' case and the 'Shah Najaf attack' case.
They said that four proclaimed offenders wanted for Pakistan Air Force Sargodha base attack were Muhammad Haroon, Muhammad Tayyab, Bilal alias Raheem and Hafiz Saeed Ghani.
The sources said the book also mentions the names of other most-wanted suspected terrorists: Nafeesur Rehman with Rs 2 million as head money; Rana Muhammad Afzal; and Abdul Hameed and Muhammad Imran -- both wanted in the Lahore General Post Office suicide attack case.
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12/25/2008 00:01 ||
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(AKI) - By Syed Saleem Shahzad - Relations between India and Pakistan remained tense on Wednesday with security forces on both countries on high alert in the aftermath of the Mumbai bombings in late November. Indian armed forces have activated three bases near the Pakistan border, said top analyst Dr. Farrukh Saleem, Executive Director of Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) in an interview with Adnkronos International (AKI).
"Indian forces have activated three bases including Rajasthan, Gujarat and Ladkah and its shows a military build-up on part of India," Saleem said.
"However, Indian forces are not capable of any surgical strikes inside Pakistan and if they try to do so, Pakistan Air Forces are capable of shooting down the aircraft."
A senior defence analyst and retired Pakistan army officer who was in India at the time of the Mumbai bombings says that a deep anger and frustration after the attacks forced the Indian leadership to think about 'war' not only against Pakistan but also against Muslims living in India.
"I have been to India many times but I never saw such hatred against Pakistan and Muslims," retired Brigadier A.R Siddiqui said in an interview broadcasted by a local TV station.
"However, there are several reasons of war mongering statements from the Indian leadership and the foremost is the upcoming elections. Indian political parties aim to use the Mumbai attacks as an election issue," Siddiqui said.
Siddiqui, who is the author of several books and served as head of the Pakistani military's public relations arm ISPR, said that the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks and a possible war could result in a rift between the Muslim and Hindu communities as it happened in the pre-independence period of 1947.
"The most ironic aspect of this situation is that even Muslims living in India are facing the consequences of the Mumbai attacks and they are seen as the enemy," Siddiqui said.
"I am afraid of a reaction and think that in case of war, a pre-1947 situation might emerge in which all the Muslims of south Asia were on one side and the Hindus were on another side."
There are at least 154 million Muslims in India who make up almost 14 percent of the population. India's Muslims are the third largest after Indonesia and neighbouring Pakistan.
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12/25/2008 00:00 ||
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Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud said on Wednesday that 'hundreds of thousands of suicide bombers' are ready to defend Pakistan in case of war with India. According to a statement, he said, "Despite our differences with the government, the protection of Pakistan and its people is as much our duty as it is of the armed forces." "The armed forces and the nation do not need to worry about the western borders in case of an Indian attack," he added.
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12/25/2008 00:00 ||
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President Asif Ali Zardari said on Wednesday that Pakistan is a 'great power' that will make no compromise on its sovereignty.
The president's comments came amid a spike in US drone attacks in the Tribal Areas and rising tensions with India along the border in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks. On Wednesday, the Pakistan Air Force continued its state of high alert and started aerial surveillance of the Chashma power plant and other sensitive sites. Reports have hinted at a possible Indian attack on Pakistan, with an Indian deadline for Pakistan to crack down on terrorists coming to an end on December 26. Indian leaders have been blaming Pakistan for the Mumbai attacks.
Addressing the annual parents' day of Cadet College Petaro (CCP), Zardari said that freedom was the country's ideology, and the nation would never make a compromise on the sovereignty of Pakistan. "We will defend the country till our last breath," he said.
He said that the country was passing through a critical phase, and a better education system could guarantee better and stronger democratic norms. He vowed to live up to the expectations of the masses, overcome the current crisis and progress democracy in the country.
The president -- himself a CCP cadet -- announced a Rs 100 million grant for development work at the college. He also announced a Rs 5 million personal donation for the college, and a month's bonus salary for the faculty. Zardari also praised the training procedures of the cadets at the college.
The president awarded medals and certificates to cadets with outstanding achievements.
Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza and Sindh Minister Murad Ali Shah also attended the CCP parents' day.
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The Senate on Wednesday ruled out the possibility of allowing India 'surgical strikes' in saying such attacks would be taken as aggression. "Any violation of Pakistani territory would be considered as war and would be repulsed with full force," Leader of the House Raza Rabbani said while winding up a debate on national security in the Upper House. He rejected reports that US Chiefs of Staff Chairman Michael Mullen had asked Pakistan not to retaliate in case of an Indian strike. "We were neither conveyed such a message by Mullen nor are we ready to accept such advice," Rabbani said. He dismissed reports of differences between the military and civilian leadership. Rabbani offered India co-operation in the Mumbai probe but said Pakistani citizens would not be handed over to India.
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12/25/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Planning or covering up for a terrorist strike is an act of war already.
NEW DELHI: The top-level security meeting held by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last Saturday was actually a meeting of Nuclear Command Authority (NCA). The meeting, kept under wraps so as not to fuel the current war hysteria between India and Pakistan, coincided with the first strong sign of Islamabad backtracking on its promise to crack down on the masterminds of 26/11.
Sources, however, denied the NCA meeting on December 20 had anything to do with the current stand-off with Pakistan in wake of the Mumbai terror strikes. They, in fact, stressed the meeting's "only intention'' was "to take decisions on the further consolidation of India's nuclear deterrence''.
The UPA government this week has tried to play down apprehensions of an imminent military conflagration, with the PM making it clear on Tuesday that "nobody wanted war''.
Continued on Page 49
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12/25/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Appears the horrors of nuclear confrontation will soon be revisited. I suppose it was only a matter of time. I hope and pray the Chinese stay out of it.
(AKI) - Christians will be able to go to church in Iraq without fear, after an improvement in the security situation, a Christian MP said on Wednesday. "Having seen that security in the capital Baghdad and other provinces has improved, a more peaceful climate has been created for us Christians for the Christmas celebrations," said the leader of the Iraqi Christian Parliamentary group 'al-Rafidein', Younadim Kana in an interview with Adnkronos International (AKI).
"This year we will be able to go to church on Christmas eve without fear," he said.
"From a security point of view, we live - without a doubt - in an improved security situation compared to previous years, when we witnessed violence and attacks against various sectors of Iraqi society. This new situation helps all of us, including us, Iraqi Christians."
Kana also invited Iraqi Christians who left the country to return without fear. Despite the recent killing of Iraqi Christians by Shia militias in Mosul, Kana said that in the last five years, the Christmas mass had been held in Baghdad and Mosul.
Iraq is home to the Chaldean Catholic Church, one of the oldest Christian churches in the world, but hundreds of thousands of Christians have been forced to flee Iraq to escape the violence and the economic crisis caused by the war.
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12/25/2008 00:00 ||
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Hamas on Wednesday remained as defiant as ever and said it would continue to fire rockets at Israel as an act of "self-defense." Hamas also mocked what it described as the "state of confusion" in Israel over how to react to the latest spree of rocket and mortar attacks.
The movement also claimed that the Egyptians had given Israel a "green light" to launch a limited military operation in the Gaza Strip to overthrow the Hamas government. "Israel will pay a heavy price for its crimes against the Palestinians," said Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum. "Israel's actions enhance our determination to pursue the path of resistance through all means available."
The armed wing of Hamas, Izzadin Kassam, said it would not be deterred by Israel's threats of a military operation. The group also threatened to expand the range of its rockets and missiles so that they would reach more Israeli communities. "We won't succumb to the logic of threats made by the Zionist war criminals," the group said in a leaflet. "Today we are prepared more than ever to foil any aggression against our people." The Hamas wing also warned that if Israel carried out its threats it would face a "volcano of fury that would turn the Zionists' tears into blood."
Boasting that it had fired dozens of rockets and mortars at Israeli towns in the past few days, the group pointed out that Israel was "hopeless and desperate" because it doesn't know what to do to stop the attacks. "The enemy is in a state of confusion and doesn't know what to do," the leaflet read. "Their fragile cabinet has met in a desperate attempt to stop the rockets while thousands of settlers have found refuge in shelters which, by God's will, will become their permanent homes."
Hamas legislator and spokesman Mushir al-Masri said Wednesday's rocket attacks on Ashkelon and nearby communities were a warning message to Israel as to what awaits it when and if it decides to enter the Gaza Strip. He too threatened that Israel would pay a "heavy price" if it launched an attack. "Israel's threats don't scare us," he said. "We're not afraid of assassinations and invasions and we are prepared to sacrifice our leaders."
In another development, a top Hamas official in Gaza City told The Jerusalem Post Wednesday that the Egyptians have given Israel a "green light" to target Hamas figures and installations. The official claimed that Egyptian Intelligence Chief Gen. Omar Suleiman told Defense Ministry envoy Amos Gilad last week that Cairo would not oppose a "limited operation" that would lead to the downfall of the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip.
The allegation by the Hamas official followed a report in the London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper, in which Suleiman was quoted as saying that the time has come to "teach the Hamas leaders a good lesson." Citing "informed" Palestinian sources, the report added that Suleiman made it clear to Gilad that Egypt was not opposed to a limited operation that would bring down the Hamas regime.
The report said that Suleiman was furious with Hamas because of the movement's last-minute decision to boycott a "national reconciliation" conference he was planning to convene in Cairo in early November. According to the newspaper, Suleiman referred to Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal as the head of a "gang" and said told Gilad that Cairo would like to see the movement's leaders punished.
"The Hamas leaders have become very arrogant," the report quoted the Egyptian official as saying. "It's time to teach these leaders a lesson so that they would wake up from their dreams."
#3
article doesn't say but apparently the Saudis are increasingly ticked at Hamas for a number of reasons, the most incendiary of which is that Hamas is growing closer and closer to Iran
#4
I believe that all of this plays into a larger Iranian strategy of creating the mayhem some of the Iranian leadership believes will precipitate the coming of the 12th imam. It is very childlike thinking. The prophecy says the mahdi will come during such a period of turmoil so they believe they can cause the coming by creating mayhem.
They need to go. The world should be getting tired of idiots like this.
Israel is doing a massive public affairs initiative prior to the operation.
This includes going on Al Aribiya, appealing to Gazans to overthrow Hamas, etc. Of note was this from Olmert (on Al Arabiya)
: "Israel left Gaza about three years ago with no intention of returning... Is the spirit of Islam to kill innocent children, to fire rockets at kindergartens and civilians? I don't think that is the spirit of Islam.
"That Hamas does this in opposition to the spirit of Islam is the main reason for your suffering, and ours. I say to you in a last minute call, stop it. You, the residents of Gaza, can stop it."
A special "VIP tunnel" was recently dug to smuggle wealthy or important people under the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, Palestinian sources report.
The tunnel has electricity and telephone service, and it is high enough that people can walk upright. In most of Gaza's numerous smuggling tunnels, people have to stoop or even crawl.
The tunnel is also unusually wide, enabling cattle or large electrical appliances, such as refrigerators, to be brought through it. Passage through this tunnel, however, is more expensive than it is at any of the others.
Altogether, there are thought to be hundreds of tunnels leading from Egypt into Gaza. Some specialize in conveying fuel, others focus on other merchandise and still others are for human transit. Hamas collects taxes on all the tunnels and uses this money to reinforce its government in Gaza.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/25/2008 00:00 ||
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The defense establishment is currently preparing for a military move against Hamas targets in Gaza, after the Islamist group launched more than 70 rockets into Israel on Wednesday.
As an initial retaliatory measure, an Israel Air Force strike killed a Hamas gunman in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday. Israel's response will go beyond the air raid, an Israeli official told Haaretz. "Our response will be substantial and painful to Hamas," the official said.
By late morning Wednesday, the Magen David Adom rescue service declared its highest level of alert.
One of the rockets exploded next to a children's playground in the southern town of Netivot and a mortar shell scored a direct hit on a house in Kibbutz Sha'ar Hanegev, causing extensive damage. A house in the community of Sdot Negev was also severely damaged after it absorbed a direct rocket hit.
Two more rockets, including a Grad-type missile, exploded in a public area in the northern Negev city of Ashkelon.
During a cabinet meeting about the situation in and outside the Gaza Strip, a senior Israel Defense Forces officer gave ministers in attendance an overview of the potential retaliatory moves that the defense establishment is planning against Hamas' regime.
Most strikes will come from the air and be aimed at facilities believed to be of strategic importance to Hamas' political and military leadership. However, the officer said that weather conditions are currently preventing the air force from launching the raids.
According to officials in Jerusalem, the overview also included a special reference to the possible implications of attacking Hamas.
"We are not eager to strike, but we will not hesitate to act," one official said. "If Hamas is looking for noise, we will make Gaza very noisy."
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's government said it had shown restraint until now but vowed to act if the salvoes continued.
The same official said that Israel would be willing to extend the June cease-fire, which expired last week, if Hamas would agree to resuming it.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is expected to arrive on Thursday in Cairo for a meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, whose administration helped facilitate the cease-fire. Sources close to Livni said she intended to tell Mubarak that Israel will not accept Hamas' current terms for a ceasefire. Hamas' statements also contained a similar mix of threats and assurances.
"Hamas will hit not only Sderot, but also what lies beyond Sderot," Hamas legislator Mushir al-Masri said, in a possible reference to extended ballistic capabilities.
Other spokespeople said the organization will agree to "resume" the ceasefire, if the organization's conditions are met. Hamas is demanding an improved ceasefire agreement, that also includes the West Bank.
In a statement by Hamas' military wing, Iz al-Din al-Qassam, a spokesperson warned that "thousands of additional Israelis will soon be within the range of our rockets if Israel continues with its aggression."
"The residents of the south will stay in the bomb shelters for a long time," the Hamas statement continued, adding that "threats of an [Israeli] military offensive don't scare us because we are more prepared than ever."
All Israeli towns within a 30-kilometer radius of the Gaza Strip were hooked up on Wednesday to an early warning system designed to deliver rocket launch alerts. Among the newly-connected towns and cities are Ofakim and Netivot.
Ashdod, with its center just outside the 30-kilometer mark, is expected to be connected to the system within the next 24 hours. Some towns are already connected to the "Color Red" system, which alerts residents living within a seven-kilometer radius of the Strip.
Meir Yifrach, head of Sdot Negev Regional Council, said that the current situation was intolerable and that "the people of the southern region of Israel are demanding that the government order the army to act in Gaza so that civilian life may be allowed to return to normal."
"It defies logic that the firing of so many Qassam should be allowed to cause so much fear and damage to the people of Israel during Hannukah," he said. "It started with a drizzle, then the Qassams began to rain down hard, and now we're already experiencing a deluge."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/25/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
I anticipate a substantial rise in throat lozenges' sales through EUrope, Turtle Bay neighborhood, and any places frequented by MSM members.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
12/25/2008 0:56 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Make it clear to the world this is an attack on civilians and will be responded to without regard to collateral damage. Leave Gaza or Die.
Then attack until nothing moves. You have nothing to lose. US support will dry up in the next administration. The rest of the world is inconsequential.
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.
(AKI) - The leader of North Africa's Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Abdelmalek Droukdel, is to be tried in absentia with 56 others accused of terrorism and other crimes. According to Algerian daily, El-Khabar, the suspects linked to the militant Islamic group - including 40 who are now in prison - is scheduled to take place from the end of December to February.
(AKI) - Leaders of a Yemeni Al-Qaeda cell have reportedly allied themselves with separatists opposing the government in southern Yemen. Unnamed security sources told the daily , al-Quds al-Arabi, that leaders of the Al-Qaeda cell in Yemen recently held a summit with leaders of the separatist group.
Three suspected Islamic militants were arrested in northern Bangladesh Thursday along with a "huge" quantity of explosives four days before the country goes to its first polls in seven years, police said. 
Around 100 families on Wednesday left Shaho area of Hangu district for safer places in order to flee attacks by the Taliban. Talking to reporters, elders among the displaced families said the Taliban had enforced their own rules in Shaho and no one was safe there any more, adding the abduction and killing of innocent people had become a routine. The elders said even the security forces were helpless against the Taliban activities in the area. Hangu Nazim Haji Khan Afzal and District Co-ordination Officer Mujeebur Rehman said the government had deployed paramilitaries and police for the security of the people, adding the government would not assist the families, as they had left the area without informing the local administration.
The Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) has brought exemplary peace to Bara tehsil, and criminal elements of the area have been completely eradicated, LI Khyber Agency spokesman Haji Misri Gul said on Wednesday. The spokesman said that a recent report in Daily Times and Daily Aaj Kal about the group was misleading and not based on facts. He said the LI was working to eradicate evil from society and the residents of Bara supported LI chief Mangal Bagh for that. Stressing that the LI's hard work had made the local criminals forego crime, the spokesman challenged media teams to visit Bara and witness first hand the 'freedom' the local people had. He said even the Sikh and Christian residents of Bara appreciated the LI. He warned the media to ensure that reports about the LI were based on facts, and to avoid publishing news that provoked people.
The Crime Investigation Department (CID) has issued the 12th edition of its 'Red Book' of high profile cases -- including the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and attempts on the life of former president Pervez Musharraf and former prime minister Shaukat Aziz -- police sources told Daily Times on Wednesday. 
(AKI) - By Syed Saleem Shahzad - Relations between India and Pakistan remained tense on Wednesday with security forces on both countries on high alert in the aftermath of the Mumbai bombings in late November. Indian armed forces have activated three bases near the Pakistan border, said top analyst Dr. Farrukh Saleem, Executive Director of Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) in an interview with Adnkronos International (AKI).
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud said on Wednesday that 'hundreds of thousands of suicide bombers' are ready to defend Pakistan in case of war with India. According to a statement, he said, "Despite our differences with the government, the protection of Pakistan and its people is as much our duty as it is of the armed forces." "The armed forces and the nation do not need to worry about the western borders in case of an Indian attack," he added.
President Asif Ali Zardari said on Wednesday that Pakistan is a 'great power' that will make no compromise on its sovereignty. 
NEW DELHI: The top-level security meeting held by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last Saturday was actually a meeting of Nuclear Command Authority (NCA). The meeting, kept under wraps so as not to fuel the current war hysteria between India and Pakistan, coincided with the first strong sign of Islamabad backtracking on its promise to crack down on the masterminds of 26/11.
(AKI) - Christians will be able to go to church in Iraq without fear, after an improvement in the security situation, a Christian MP said on Wednesday. "Having seen that security in the capital Baghdad and other provinces has improved, a more peaceful climate has been created for us Christians for the Christmas celebrations," said the leader of the Iraqi Christian Parliamentary group 'al-Rafidein', Younadim Kana in an interview with Adnkronos International (AKI).
Egypt gives "green light" to Gaza operation?
A special "VIP tunnel" was recently dug to smuggle wealthy or important people under the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, Palestinian sources report. 
