Yemeni forces have ended a major offensive against an anti-U.S. cleric after more than a month of fighting but troops are still hunting the fugitive rebel and a handful of his followers, security sources said on Friday.
"Which way did he go, George? Which way did he go?"
They said troops had seized the last stronghold of Hussein al-Houthi in the mountainous Saada province on Thursday and are now conducting house-to-house searches for him.
[Knock knock!] "Can Houthi come out and play?"
"He ain't here!"
On Thursday, at least 40 people were killed in renewed fighting that erupted after efforts to mediate an end to the standoff failed.
"... an' dat's me final offer!"
"Well, we ain't takin' yer final offer!"
"Den take dat!" [BANG!]
"Oh, yeah? Take dat!" [BOOM!]
Government sources say hundreds of Houthi supporters have been wounded or arrested or have surrendered to authorities in Saada.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/06/2004 1:34:10 PM ||
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Fares al-Zahrani, one of the most wanted militants in Saudi Arabia, was arrested by security forces Thursday night in the south of the kingdom, Al-Arabiya television news channel said. The Dubai-based and Saudi-owned station said Zahrani, 27, surrendered to security forces "without putting up any resistance" in a park in the Abha region after a chase of several hours. He was not armed. Zahrani is one of the top suspects on a 26-strong most-wanted list issued by Saudi authorities last December, of whom 12 remained at large prior to news of his capture.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/06/2004 12:40:57 AM ||
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A British man wanted on an American extradition warrant used U.S.-based Web sites to recruit Taliban fighters and possessed a document with information on U.S. naval movements, U.S. government lawyers said Friday. They claim that Babar Ahmad, 30, had links to the e-mail account of a Chechen mujaheddin leader behind the October 2002 Moscow theater siege, and that he had a document on battle group plans for U.S. Navy vessels involved in operations against Taliban and al Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan. Ahmad made his first court appearance in London after being arrested there Wednesday on a U.S. extradition warrant from the state of Connecticut. Asked if he understood the charges, Ahmad told Bow Street Magistrates Court in central London: "Not really. It's all a bit confusing to me."
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, one of the Web sites contained a detailed description of its purpose. "Azzam Publications has been set up to propagate the call for jihad among the Muslims who are sitting down, ignorant of this vital duty," the affidavit quoted the site as saying. "Thus the purpose of Azzam Publications is to incite the believers and also, secondly, to raise some money for the brothers."
The site instructed people to become trained in martial arts and firearms and join clubs that emphasize street fighting, sword and knife fighting, and to research sniper training, land mine operations, mortars and combat, according to the affidavit. The affidavit also said investigators discovered a floppy disk at his parents' home in London. The disk contained a password-protected document containing detailed information about a U.S. Navy battle group, including its planned movements, the affidavit said. Investigators also found a compact disc with audio tracks praising Osama bin Laden, the affidavit said.
Ahmad stood in the dock as the four-count warrant was read aloud at Bow Street Magistrates Court in central London. Asked if he agreed to be sent to the United States, Ahmad said: "I don't, no."
He said he did not understand the charges: "It's all a bit confusing to me."
Rosemary Fernandes, representing the United States at the hearing in London, said the Navy document, dated April 2001, had been seized by British police in 2003 and verified by U.S. authorities. The extradition warrant alleges that between 1998 and Feb. 19, 2001, Ahmad sought through American Web sites and e-mail people in the United States "to give or otherwise make available money and other property" to commit terrorist acts in Chechnya and Afghanistan.
The police said anti-terrorist officers were searching three "residential premises" and one business in southwest London in relation to Ahmad's arrest on behalf of U.S. authorities. The warrant also alleges that between the same dates Babar "agreed with U.S. citizens based in the U.S.A. and others" on a plan to raise "contributions toward acts of terrorism."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/06/2004 1:21:19 PM ||
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A British man wanted on terrorism charges in the US has been remanded in custody for a week. Babar Ahmad, 30, of Tooting, south London, appeared at Bow Street Magistrates' Court on Friday. He was arrested under anti-terror laws and is being held on a US extradition warrant. It is alleged he solicited people to provide funds to further terrorist acts in Chechnya and Afghanistan using websites and e-mail. His arrest is not thought to be linked to 12 terror arrests on Tuesday.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/06/2004 8:48:51 AM ||
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One of the terrorist suspects arrested in Britain this week is the man named in the report by the Sept. 11 commission as the operative al-Qaida sent to the United States to review possible economic and "Jewish" targets a few months before the terrorist attacks in 2001, NBC News reported Thursday.
Two years earlier, the man, Abu Eisa al-Hindi, a British citizen of Indian descent, wrote a terrorist training manual describing how to kill enemy soldiers using remote-controlled explosives, grenades and automatic weapons, according to a copy of the manual obtained by NBC News.
Referring to al-Hindi by his nom de guerre, Issa al-Britani, the independent commission that investigated the Sept. 11 attacks quotes a CIA interrogation of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, al-Qaida's operations chief, as saying he sent al-Hindi "to the United States to case potential economic and 'Jewish' targets in New York City" in early 2001. Mohammed, who was captured in March 2003, said the trip was made as he considered "other possibilities for terrorist attacks" beyond those on New York and Washington that were carried out on Sept. 11.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/06/2004 12:49:10 AM ||
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The Pakistani computer expert at the centre of new allegations about al-Qaida activity in Britain and the US is known to have made several trips to Britain, having studied in London at the City University.
Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan is believed to have made visits to the UK with the help of his father, a purser with Pakistan International Airways (PIA). The preliminary results of an investigation by PIA indicate that his father Hayat Noor Khan, who has left his home in Karachi and is in hiding, claimed five family tickets which would have been available for use by his son.
During his time in London Mr Khan is believed to have met Abu Hamza, the extremist being held at Belmarsh prison, south London, awaiting extradition to face terrorism charges in the US.
He began taking evening classes in early 2003 in human resources management at City University. He signed up for a 10-week course but only attended for four weeks. He was judged, by dint of his non-appearance, to have failed.
Mr Khan's knowledge was better appreciated in Pakistan where he appears to have been responsible for amassing research and circulating information to al-Qaida activists around the world.
"The anti-terrorism community thinks that he is very important because he is at the centre of a communications network for al-Qaida," said Vince Cannistraro, a former counter-terrorism official. "He took computer discs that were couriered to him from al-Qaida, and then transmitted them to throwaway web addresses to a network of al-Qaida in the field."
Pakistani officials describe him as "one of the smartest persons to have been caught in connection with anti-al-Qaida operation because of his grip of computer technology and software expertise".
They believe he designed software, created graphics showing the structures of important buildings and provided computer calculations of the damage that explosions would cause to specific targets. He distributed the information to activists, most of it encrypted.
For all his efforts to work secretly, Mr Khan, also known as Abu Talha, is understood to have been under surveillance for several days. He was picked up in Lahore and the information on his computer has given a clear insight into the way al-Qaida operates.
One Pakistani intelligence source said: "We locked on tight and it is because of this that we have been able to get so much out of him. We have shared all of this with the relevant international quarters, the US and the UK are the more important ones. And you see the results."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/06/2004 1:03:27 AM ||
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A terrorist suspect now in custody in Britain directed the surveillance of financial institutions in New York, New Jersey and Washington during 2000 and 2001 and prepared the detailed reports about them that have prompted fears of an attack, senior government officials said on Thursday.
The suspect, known as Abu Issa al-Hindi, was described by the officials as by far the most important Qaeda figure detained as part of an American-led effort to unravel the tangle of clues uncovered with the discovery in Pakistan of computer files containing the surveillance reports.
Mr. Hindi was described by a senior government official as "a key Al Qaeda operative in Great Britain,'' and was said to have been under surveillance by British authorities even before the computer files were discovered last week. The information drawn from those files served as "a catalytic event'' that provided the basis for his arrest on Tuesday, after the Central Intelligence Agency relayed information to its British counterparts.
Five al-Qaeda militants linked to an alleged plot to attack Heathrow are on the run in Britain.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/06/2004 12:34:02 AM ||
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Me thinks they have shaved their beards and are selling fruit near Trafalgars. Dastardly foe to say the least. Coppers don't have a chance. Unless...a certain Holmes is called. "The Case Of the Missing Jihadies, as the brass band plays old favorites" rated B12.
A Sydney fugitive imprisoned in Beirut on terrorism charges was a contact of the Middle East's most wanted man, al-Qaeda tsar Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, it was reported. The Australian newspaper has obtained a report which claims Saleh Jamal, who was arrested with four friends at Beirut airport en-route to France, had al-Qaeda connections.
Eight weeks after his arrest, the report was forwarded to the Australian police and intelligence agencies by Beirut chief military investigating magistrate Riad Talih following investigations by Lebanese prosecutors. The newspaper said the report states Jamal had connections to al-Zarqawi and several other al-Qaeda operatives. The prosecutors also claimed Jamal had planned to have sex withelope with travel to Iraq with one of the men, a Bosnian national.
The dossier reportedly stated Jamal, who fled Australia in February on a forged passport issued to another man, undertook three weeks of weapons training at a Palestinian refugee camp. A third man, Sydney terrorism suspect Bilal Khazal, allegedly told Jamal to meet up with a former Australian-based Muslim cleric at the camp.
Attorney-General Philip Ruddock would not address the claims. A spokesman for his office told the newspaper: "We have been taking an active interest in the proceedings in Lebanon."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/06/2004 12:55:50 AM ||
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AUGSBURG, Germany (Reuters) - Almost 300 German police raided 32 premises in a renewed crackdown on suspected members of a banned Islamist group, authorities said on Friday.
EFL: ALBANY, N.Y. — Information found in Iraq led federal investigators to become suspicious of an Albany, N.Y., mosque leader, FOX News has learned. Last summer, U.S. troops discovered Yassin Muhhiddin Aref's name, telephone number and address in a book left behind in a vacated terrorist training camp, a U.S. official told FOX News. The book also revealed that Ansar al-Islam, the group running the camp, had given Aref a title: "the commander."
They do have a compulsion for writing things down, like all fascists
Aref, 34, is the Imam of the Masjid As-Salam mosque in Albany, N.Y. He and one other mosque leader were arrested Thursday and charged with helping an undercover informant posing as a weapons dealer who was plotting to buy a shoulder-launched missile that would be used to kill the Pakistani ambassador in New York City.
Aref and Mohammed Mosharref Hossain, the 49-year-old founder of the mosque and owner of the local Little Italy Pizzeria, were allegedly collaborating with someone who was not a terrorist but an informant participating in a sting operation; no missile ever was exchanged.
The criminal complaint against the mosque leaders was filed Thursday in federal court in Albany. They are officially accused of attempting to launder money and conspiring to launder money from illegal activity to fund the purchase and use of a weapon of mass destruction. The criminal complaint says that during the summer of 2003, when the probe began, the FBI monitored and recorded most of the conversations between the FBI's informant and Aref and Hossain. The conversations were mostly in Urdu between Hossain and the informant; the conversations between the informant and Aref were mostly in English.
Urdu, the informant is Pakistani then?
According to the complaint, the informant had helped Hossain get his brother a fake New York state driver's permit, and the two got to talking about jihad, or holy war. The informant asked whether money could be made by jihad; Hossain first said no, then possibly and asked for a loan. The government says that in November, the informant showed Hossain a shoulder-fired surface-to-air missile and told Hossain that he imports weapons from China to New York City. The informant said Hossain smiled when he saw the missile and said that he had never seen such a weapon before except on television. The informant also said that Hossain said a lot of money could be made from such an importation.
During a December conversation in Hossain's pizzeria, the informant proposed that Hossain take $50,000 in cash proceeds from the missile importation, then repay $45,000 of that by writing the informant monthly $2,000 checks and keeping the remaining $5,000 for himself. "After initially indicating that he did not need that much money, Hossain agreed to the proposal," the complaint charges. Hossain allegedly then said that he could make it appear that the proceeds of the missile importation had been generated through Hossain's rental properties.
On Dec. 5, Hossain told the informant he had been questioned by FBI agents about others around Albany; they discussed having Aref as a witness to the transactions and Hossain allegedly said Aref is "not afraid of anything. He's only afraid of God." On Dec. 10, the informant met with Aref and Hossain and discussed the operation for "brother mujahadiin." They wrote down the details of the transaction. They met again on Jan. 2 to allegedly consummate the deal. Hossain wrote the information down and Aref signed as a witness.
Documentation, it's a wonderful thing.
Money was continuously changing hands. On Jan. 14, the informant told Aref that he was working with Jaish-e-Mohammed and that the purpose of the missile was to teach Musharraf a lesson. Aref said the Jaish-e-Mohammed are working for Allah and "it is wise for you to help them if you can."
The informant cited had been previously arrested in Albany and had pleaded guilty to a felony related to the fraudulent acquisition of documents. The informant, not a U.S. citizen, is cooperating in the hopes of getting a reduced sentence and has provided information leading to other arrests. Hossain, who emigrated from Bangladesh in 1985, worked as a dishwasher in diners before saving up enough money to open his own pizzeria in downtown Albany in 1994.
He's perfectly suited for his next job, in the prison kitchen.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/06/2004 9:30:39 AM ||
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Another justification for the liberation of Iraq.
BTW: I wanterd to post this article yesterday but could not. It would not let me submit (this is two days in a row).
Law enforcement officials on Thursday arrested a man who they say was plotting to blow up the Everett M. Dirksen Federal Building with a truck bomb containing ammonium nitrate fertilizer, the same material used in the Oklahoma City bombing.
Patrick J. Fitzgerald, the United States attorney here, said the man, Gale W. Nettles, 66, had acted alone and had no connection to international terrorism. He did not have fertilizer that could have resulted in an explosion, Mr. Fitzgerald said. "Never did it come to a point where the building or the people here were in danger," Mr. Fitzgerald said in a televised news conference. "He was not involved with any terrorist group, foreign or domestic."
Still, Mr. Fitzgerald said, the threat was taken very seriously. "These are times of danger," he said. "We have to watch for people from overseas and we have to watch for people from our own country."
Mr. Nettles, who Mr. Fitzgerald said was embittered at the federal courts after being convicted here of counterfeiting, told a fellow inmate in a Mississippi prison of his plot last fall. The inmate alerted law enforcement officials, leading to months of intense surveillance and a sting resulting in Mr. Nettles's arrest.
As a police friend of mine likes to say, "if the bad guys were smart the jails would be empty."
In December 2003, just after he was released from prison, Mr. Nettles called a man he was told would supply him with the fertilizer, Mr. Fitzgerald said. The man was actually an undercover F.B.I. officer. Mr. Fitzgerald said Mr. Nettles started counterfeiting again to finance his plan and sold some of his fake currency to an informant for the F.B.I. By the spring, Mr. Fitzgerald said, Mr. Nettles had asked the informant to put him in contact with a member of Al Qaeda or Hamas. He was soon introduced to yet another agent, this one posing as someone with ties to a terrorist organization.
This week, the undercover agent Mr. Nettles had contacted when he left prison supplied him with 2,000 pounds of fertilizer. But Mr. Nettles could store only 500 pounds. On Thursday morning he sold the rest to the second undercover officer. Mr. Nettles told the second officer "he has a target in mind: the U.S. courthouse downtown," according to an F.B.I. affidavit. The Dirksen Building has federal courtrooms.
Mr. Nettles was arrested after the sale. Mr. Fitzgerald said Mr. Nettles, who expressed knowledge of bomb making, was fooled into thinking that the fertilizer he possessed could be used for a bomb when in fact, he was given a "nondangerous" type.
Mr. Nettles never had the materials the authorities said he needed to create the explosion he planned - one that would rock the building in the late morning, when he believed the judges would be around, officials said. If convicted, he could spend up to 20 years in prison.
Thomas J. Kneir, special agent in charge of the Chicago office of the F.B.I., said, "Some of the biggest attacks on the United States have been domestic, and obviously Mr. Nettles is one of those guys who absolutely hates the U.S. government."
Anyone who can tell you how many terror cells are operating in the United States can also tell you how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.
Or so says a former CIA operative.
But he and other intelligence experts say it's all but necessary to assume terror cells are here. And several revelations this week suggest that far more than prudence is at play. New reports indicate that an Al Qaeda operative captured in Pakistan had contacted people in the US as recently as this year.
There are also the disturbing details about the discovered case studies of the targeted buildings in Washington, New York, and Newark that prompted last weekend's heightened terror alerts. The English was perfect, probably written by someone who had lived in the United States for a long time and was professional and meticulous, according to reports. The studies were three and four years old, which indicates that whoever wrote them could be long-term resident.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has accused the United States military of strengthening its "listening devices" in Mindanao by way of its joint military exercises with Filipino troops. "It is to strengthen their 'listening devices' in the South for intelligence purposes. We all know the US has interests in Mindanao and that is why their armed forces are here in the guise of conducting joint military training with their local counterparts," said MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu.
"Spies! All spies!"
Kabalu cited the increasing presence of American troops in Mindanao, including those undertaking Balikatan exercises at the Armed Forces' Southern Command headquarters in Zamboanga City. A US military contingent is also engaged in the Balance Piston 04-03 joint training at the headquarters of the Army's 602nd Infantry Brigade in Carmen, North Cotabato, until Aug. 13. "They want to know more and gather more information for their interests," Kabalu said.
Outstanding command of the obvious.
He said the ongoing joint exercises could be part of the efforts of the US military to track down members of the Al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah, an Indonesian-based terrorist group said to have links with Moro rebel groups.
Kabalu, however, said the MILF remains unfazed by the presence of US troops in Mindanao. "We are not afraid of them. We are very secure and we have enough forces on the ground," he said.
"We are, however, afraid of their UAV's, their special forces, their Marines, their tanks, their CIA, their JDAMs, ... Egad, maybe we should be afraid of them!"
Besides, Kabalu said the MILF is open to American intervention in the ongoing peace process. He said MILF officials have talked with representatives of the US Institute of Peace (USIP), who were accompanied by US Embassy officials during their visit.
Meanwhile, MILF representatives in the Joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities, led by Benjie Midtimbang, were given the chance to see for themselves the ongoing Balance Piston 04-03 exercises at the 602nd IB's Camp Lucero in Carmen town, last Monday.
"And if you look off to the right, you'll witness a firepower demonstration by a AC-130 Spectre gunship"
"And now we're really afraid!"
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/06/2004 12:03:50 PM ||
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Spying on the MILF? Do you suppose they're using USENet?
I move that we henceforth refer to the Moros as "The Mommies".
MANILA, Philippines (AP) - Government forces battled Communist rebels in the deadliest fighting in months in the Philippines, capturing a major insurgent camp, officials said Friday. Twenty-one militants and soldiers were killed.
The New People's Army camp was overrun in southern Agusan del Norte province on Thursday. Twelve rebels and five soldiers were killed and 13 troops were wounded, the military said.
On Friday, two guerrillas and two members of police special forces were killed and four other officers were wounded in clashes in Zambales province northwest of Manila, provincial police chief Senior Superintendent Wilson Victorio said.
The captured camp in the village of Guinbasan was used as a staging area for rebel operations in the area, about 480 miles southeast of Manila, a military report said. It said the rebels were preparing a raid on the nearby city of Nasipit when two platoons attacked.
The government and the rebels have opened talks to end the 35-year-old communist insurgency, but have not agreed to a cease-fire. Another round of talks, the fourth this year, has been scheduled later this month at a still undisclosed location. Previous talks have been held in Oslo, Norway.
Meanwhile, army chief Lt. Gen. Efren Abu refused to suspend military operations in Camarines Sur province on the main island of Luzon where rebels are holding an army lieutenant and a private who were captured following a gunbattle in March. "We will not negotiate with the communists," he said. However, he said the military would "cooperate" if private parties, including the families of the captives, negotiate with the rebels.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/06/2004 8:58:41 AM ||
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more people die fighting terrorism in the Philippines than in iraq...wonder if they pull out if it gets too hot ...
Posted by: Dan ||
08/06/2004 12:17 Comments ||
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They're probably going to have a two-front war at home before next summer.
Posted by: joe ||
08/06/2004 14:03 Comments ||
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This is a very old war. Actually two old wars - one vs Moslems and against Communists.
Both are past their thirtieth birthday.
Six Muslims arrested in Indonesia were members of a martyrdom squad awaiting attack orders from leaders of the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) group, a top security official said yesterday.
The men told their families in letters recovered by police that they intended to blow themselves up in attacks on unspecified targets, Mr Ansyaad Mbai, the top anti-terror official at the security ministry, said.
'They were awaiting orders from their bosses, Azahari Husin and Noordin Mohammed Top,' Mr Mbai said, referring to two wanted Malaysians who police say are JI leaders.
The six suspects were arrested on June 30 at a house in Sukoharjo, about 400km east of Jakarta. They are being held on Bali island and are cooperating with the police. One of the six was identified as Mustaqim, a leading member of the JI group.
According to the police, the men also played a role in the Oct 12, 2002, Bali bombings, which killed 202 people, and the Aug 5 attack last year on the JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta that killed 12.
Indonesian police have arrested scores of alleged JI members since the Bali bombings. But Azahari and Noordin escaped a police dragnet in West Java last year. The authorities have warned the two are armed with explosives and could be planning fresh attacks ahead of the final round of Indonesia's presidential elections on Sept 20.
Posted by: tipper ||
08/06/2004 2:01:03 AM ||
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Southern Command has directed its troops in Tawi-Tawi to check the veracity of the reported sighting of over-all Abu Sayyaf Chieftain Kaddafy Janjalani in their area of responsibility.
According to a Southcom source, Janjalani is considered the most wanted terrorist in the country with P10 million bounty on his head.
Janjalani has reportedly slipped out of his pinpointed lair in Maguindanao, Central Mindanao, to escape from pursuing troops on a massive manhunt operation against him in the area.
Janjalani and his elite group have reportedly returned to Western Mindanao with Tawi-Tawi as his possible destination.
However, Naval Task force 62 Commander Navy Captain Feliciano Angue neither denied nor confirmed Janjalani's reported sighting in his area of responsibility.
"We are looking into this report. But I declined to give details lest it will jeopardize our operation," Angue replied.
He asked the media to tone down on Janjalani's possible whereabouts for the military's anti-terror campaign in the South to succeed.
Janjalani and 4 of his remaining top Abu Sayyaf leaders are listed in the order of battle of the Armed Forces in the Philippines and the Department of National Defense (DND) as most wanted criminals with corresponding rewards at stake to civilians who provide the right tips for their capture dead or alive.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/06/2004 12:52:48 AM ||
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Abu Musa al-Hindi, whose arrest sparked off terror alerts in the US last week, was born into a Hindu family in India, according to reports. Al-Hindi, who later converted to Islam, is believed to have written surveillance reports for al-Qaeda, the discovery of which sent US intelligence agencies scrambling last week, MSNBC.com reports.
A British official said that al-Hindi was actively involved in plotting strikes at Heathrow airport. Al-Hindi has been named in 9-11 Commission report as al-Qaeda operative sent to US to review "other possibilities for terrorist attacks" besides on New York and Washington, a few months before the September 11 attacks in 2001. Two years back, Al-Hindi had also authored a terror manual, 'The Army of Madinah in Kashmir', which teaches jihadis "how to kill Indian soldiers in Kashmir", according to the website. The biography of the author in the terror manual says al-Hindi was born in a Hindu household but converted to Islam to fight Indian forces in Jammu & Kashmir before coming to Britain in mid 90's.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
08/06/2004 7:21:26 PM ||
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self-hating Hindu huh? Kinda like a svelte Michael Moore, confused about both beef and pork
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/06/2004 19:43 Comments ||
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Recent arrests have exposed an intricate web of al Qaeda contacts in which the terror network's operational information flowed among Pakistan, Britain and the United States. Pakistani intelligence sources said the information flow centered around four key al Qaeda operatives, three of whom are now in custody. Those suspects have been identified as:
* Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan: A suspected al Qaeda computer expert who was apprehended in mid-July in Pakistan. Within al Qaeda, the sources said, he was known by the name Abu Talha.
* Esa al-Hindi: Arrested in Britain earlier this week in a roundup of suspected al Qaeda suspects, he is believed to be a senior leader of al Qaeda. U.S. government officials have described him as a "major player" who moved operational information between key components.
* Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani: A Tanzanian arrested in Pakistan last week who was on the FBI's "Most Wanted" list with a $5 million bounty for his alleged role in the bombings of U.S. embassies in East Africa in 1998.
* Abu Hamza: Pakistani government officials believe Hamza, an Egyptian who uses at least eight aliases, is one of the main al Qaeda organizers in Pakistan. He escaped arrest last week in Punjab when Ghailani was apprehended, the officials said. (This is a different Abu Hamza from the fiery British cleric who CNN has reported on in the past.)
These four men worked closely together on different projects and Hamza was a close associate of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who masterminded the attacks of September 11, 2001, the Pakistani sources said. The four men held a meeting in Lahore, Pakistan, just three months ago, according to the sources.
They said photographs of London's Heathrow Airport were found on Ghailani's computer as a potential terror target and that al Qaeda was planning to hit airports in Nairobi, Kenya, and Katmandu, Nepal -- both of which have heavy tourism traffic. These sources said Ghailani also was a computer expert and that intelligence officials found a long list of words used by him and Khan as code words.
In addition, al Qaeda counted on Ghailani to forge passports, the sources said. Authorities have found more than 50 scanned Pakistani national ID cards on his computer, they said. This is the first time authorities have provided such detail on Ghailani.
Previously, authorities described Khan as a computer expert whose arrest led to the elevated terror threat level around key financial institutions in three U.S. cities. A computer seized from Khan contained hundreds of images, including photographs, drawings and layouts of various potential U.S. targets, a senior U.S. military official told CNN.
Some images showed underground garages, leading to the conclusion these areas had been under surveillance. But the information did not include details of any specific plot.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/06/2004 12:37:14 AM ||
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The apparently Canadian based operator of a recently defunct Yahoo group known as Global Islamic Media (GIM) may have ties to Islamic militant Ramzi Ahmed Yousef. GIM is believed to be a means of communication for al Qaida members.
Yousef was sentenced in 1998 to 240 years in prison for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and to a life term for plotting to blow up U.S. airliners in Southeast Asia and kill as many as 4,000 Americans. Prior to starting the Global Islamic Media group on Yahoo, Abu Banan operated a site called www.guraba.com.
A spokesman for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Phil Gibson, said he was unable to confirm whether Banan was a subject of interest to the Canadian government. "Investigations are matters of operational interest and we don't ever talk about them," Gibson said. However, an e- mail from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said the agency "can't comment on ongoing investigations." A spokesman for the FBI's Washington office declined to say if Banan is wanted or a person of interest in the United States.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/06/2004 12:39:24 AM ||
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I know this can't be newsworthy, 'cause I haven't seen it in the MSM, but maybe some of the idly curious among us may want to see this . . .
July 16th: Mass Arrests of Girls in Tehran by the Militia, Girls Not Allowed to Contact their Families
News source in Iranian: http://web.peykeiran.com/net_iran/irnewsbody.aspx?ID=16889
Incoming news from Rooydad from all over Tehran, are reporting widespread clashes between young girls and women and the regime's militia. In recent days, patrol groups belonging to the militia have been stationed in Tehran's main squares, such as Vanak which is a gathering place for young boys and girls, where they are arresting girls wearing short pants. Rooydad News, reporting on Thursday July 15th wrote that the arrested girls are kept for 24 hours after their files are completed without any contact with their families. Before this, some web sties were reporting from Mashhad that girls wearing short pants were being flogged. There are also widespread reports of the militia visiting clothing stores and ordering them to remove Manteaus and pants, 'Chador' alternatives, from their displays. At certain malls, girls who are poorly veiled are not allowed in. It is obvious that the hardliner clampdown as a result of the 7th Parliament and the Ansar e Hezbollah takeover is fully in progress. Last week, Yalsarat Al Hussein, the official news of Hezbollah reported on orders issued by Hezbollah to Commander Bagher Ghalibaf, including stopping wedding cars, closing shops selling the manteau 'chador' alternative, confiscation of drivers licenses of poorly veiled women, and not issuing passports for any woman with a poor veiling history. So far the closure of shops selling manteaus, 'chador' alternatives, phase has started.
Also, for the video inclined: At least PBS is doing a video expose of the forces in play that led to the murder of the Canadian journalist, Zahra Kazemi. You can watch the video clips at this link.
This is what CNN wrote on their website about what happened yesterday here in Mosul:
Mosul clashes leave 12 dead
Clashes between police and insurgents in the northern city of Mosul left 12 Iraqis dead and 26 wounded, hospital and police sources said Wednesday.
Rifle and rocket-propelled grenade fire as well as explosions were heard in the streets of the city.
The provincial governor imposed a curfew that began at 3 p.m. local time (7 a.m. EDT), and two hours later, provincial forces, police and Iraqi National Guard took control, according to Hazem Gelawi, head of the governor's press office in the Nineveh province.
Gelawi said the city is stable and expects the curfew to be lifted Thursday.
Now here's what really happened:
This is a hell of a blog from a guy with sand in his underwear.
Once we got to the FOB, and parked near the motor pool to re-supply, a Sgt ran up to us holding all his gear and his kit and asked, "Hey you guys rolling back out? Do you have room for one more?" This guy who asked us if he could ride with us back out, was in that vehicle that was right in front of us earlier that got RPG'd. They had to drive back to the FOB and the LT was seriously hurt. And now he was now asking us if he could come with, to go give em some more hell.
#5
Gentlemen, if you have never been there - this guys is in what we used to call "the shit". And being scared, angry, tired, wired and wierded out all at the same time is about what its like. The sights, and sounds - and for me, the smells... this brave kid will remember them when he's 40 as if they happened just yesterday. And other days, it will seem like someone else's life and a million years ago.
And he has it right - you just keep going back out, "because you have to". Something inside says to, not someone outside making you go. "Get Some" - glad to see they still use that one.
God help this young man and bring him and his buds home safe and sound, by way of a victory.
And to anyone who disparges him, like Michael Moore, you'd best not talk down to me of guys like him when you are around.
#6
I hear ya, Old Spook!
This account was stunning...being a peacetime "girl" and all.
God Bless these "grunts" and keep them safe and bring them home safe, sound and victorious.
Sounds like the enemy has regrouped and is giving the jihad a last push, but why can't they figure out those black clothes make them that much easier to put in the cross hairs?
There's a career in either writing and/or films for this young man--can he express himself and describe action OR WHAT?!
#8
Interesting that he uses Picasso's "Guernica" for his artwork, which depicts the Luftwaffe's "dry run" bombing of a Spanish village in 1936, practicing for Hitler's invasion of Poland 3 years later.
Picasso was a member of the Communist Party and never returned to Franco's Spain after the fascists won the Spanish Civil War.
The painting has become an icon of the anti-war crowd.
Being from San Francisco and with his affinity for Hunter S. Thompson, wonder why this grunt's in a volunteer army if he's such an apparent peacenik?
#10
spiffo, I think the idea is to look like ninja or assassins, but realistically, who cares? Seeing any discernable uniform on teh enemy must be a welcome change for our boys.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
08/07/2004 2:47 Comments ||
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#11
He seems like a good kid. He will have some interesting stories for his class reunion. I wonder if he actually listens to the Smiths or just likes the Meat is Murder albun cover.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
08/07/2004 2:55 Comments ||
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JPost - Reg Req'd
IDF troops operating near the village of Salfit, near the West Bank city of Ariel, shot and killed an armed Hamas member, Muhammad Balasma, Friday morning. Following a gun battle that erupted between soldiers and armed Palestinians near the village, IDF forces arrested Ibrahim Nagi, the head of the Tanzim in the area, Army Radio reported.
Earlier Friday, special IDF forces arrested Samah Barghouti, a Tanzim terrorist, in Ramallah. Security forces suspect that Barghouti shot and killed an Israeli citizen, Moshe Yohai, a month ago near Ramallah. Yohai, 63, of Ashdod, was murdered during an unauthorized visit to the Ramallah area in June. Apparently Yohai had entered the PA-controlled area for business purposes. His body was found in his truck, having been shot through the chest. A long-standing order issued by OC Central Command specifically forbids Israelis from entering PA-controlled areas. Security forces reiterated that the entry of Israelis into these areas is strictly forbidden for their safety killed a 63 yr old man? Another fabled victory for the Islamic Heroes™!
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/06/2004 2:07:03 PM ||
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Pakistan is hunting two top North African al-Qaeda "masterminds" who head one of the terror network's cells, officials said on Friday, after cracking a major worldwide al-Qaeda wing plotting new attacks in Britain and the United States. The men, identified as Libyan national Abu Farj and an Egyptian known only as Hamza, are close associates of senior al-Qaeda operatives arrested in major anti-terror swoops in Pakistan since July 12. Abu Faraj is the head of North African ops, whereas Abu Hamza is one of KSM's lieutenants.Farj and Hamza "are extremely important al-Qaeda operatives and they are hiding in Pakistan," a senior security official said, on condition of anonymity. "We are now desperately searching for these two al-Qaeda masterminds with the help of information obtained from the already captured al-Qaeda operatives." Farj and Hamza both had a $5-million (about R30-million) bounty on their heads, offered by the United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The Pakistani official said the plots were for attacks "in coming months."
Their arrests had broken a major al-Qaeda wing planning attacks by al-Qaeda sleeper cells on Britain and the US in coming months, he said. Computer files and email records seized from Ghailani and Khan showed they were communicating with al-Qaeda operatives from the US to south Asia to south-east Asia, to plan imminent attacks in Britain and the United States. "Their email records showed correspondence between groups in the United Kingdom, the US, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Nepal, in which they were exchanging information about targets to be attacked in coming months," the official said. "Our information so far is that the targets were in America and the UK."
The official declined to say what sort of attacks were being planned, nor would he identify the targets. The computer records showed that the Pakistan-based wing of al-Qaeda was "in regular touch with al-Qaeda sleeper cells in the US, Britain, Indonesia, Malaysia, and some South Asian countries." The capture of senior al-Qaeda operative Abu Eisa Al Hindi in Britain was an "important blow" to the network's planning capabilities, he said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/06/2004 1:17:14 PM ||
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U.S. officials revealed the name of captured al Qaeda suspect Mohammad Naeem Noor Khan while he was still cooperating with Pakistani authorities, a Pakistani intelligence source told Reuters on Friday. Khan e-mailed comrades on Sunday and Monday as part of an ongoing Pakistani sting operation against Osama bin Laden's network, the source said. But his name appeared in the New York Times on Monday following anonymous briefings, raising suggestions the U.S. officials' disclosure could have jeopardised the sting.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/06/2004 1:18:51 PM ||
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#1
"could have jeopardised the sting" seems like an odd choice of words. From the sound of it, the leakers completely wrecked it.
#2
thanks, unnamed suckup to NYT and the Times itself!
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/06/2004 20:50 Comments ||
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#3
Reuters is reporting that Khan had been turned, was providing deep information and was outed way too soon .... a real loss as a result of the partisan bitterness this election year.
Pakistan is hunting two top North African al-Qaeda "masterminds" who head one of the terror network's cells, officials said on Friday, after cracking a major worldwide al-Qaeda wing plotting new attacks in Britain and the United States.
They seem to have one "mastermind" for every ten gunnies in the field.
The men, identified as Libyan national Abu Farj and an Egyptian known only as Hamza, are close associates of senior al-Qaeda operatives arrested in major anti-terror swoops in Pakistan since July 12. Farj and Hamza "are extremely important al-Qaeda operatives and they are hiding in Pakistan," a senior security official said, on condition of anonymity. "We are now desperately searching for these two al-Qaeda masterminds with the help of information obtained from the already captured al-Qaeda operatives." Farj and Hamza both had a $5-million (about R30-million) bounty on their heads, offered by the United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Must be the un-named high-value targets mentioned before. Thought they had already caught them.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/06/2004 12:57:16 PM ||
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#1
Pssssst...look in the "nerve centers". You don't know me...
U.S. marines have killed an estimated 300 fighters loyal to a firebrand Iraqi Shi'ite cleric in fierce clashes around the holy city of Najaf in the past two days, a senior U.S. officer said Friday.
A spokesman for radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr denied that many fighters had been killed. He said 36 militiamen had been killed in several Iraqi cities from clashes that have fueled fears of a new rebellion of radical Shi'ites.
The fresh fighting, which still raged Friday, marks a major challenge for the interim government of Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and appears to have destroyed a two-month-old cease-fire between U.S. forces and Sadr's Mehdi militia.
"The number of enemy casualties is 300 KIA (killed in action)," Lieutenant Colonel Gary Johnston, operations officer for the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, said at a military base near the city, 160 km (100 miles) south of Baghdad.
Johnston told reporters the Mehdi fighters were badly coordinated and shot at random against the heavily armed marines who were backed up by helicopter gunships and fighter planes.
"There is fighting right now. In some ways it is not as intense as yesterday," he said.
"If you are on the ground, it makes no difference. But the marines are here and I think you know how they operate. If you kill a marine, the marines are going to fight back."
U.S. military officials said there were indications that foreign fighters had joined the Mehdi militia.
Criminal gangs were also involved, they said.
Asked about American casualties, Johnston said there were two dead and 12 wounded from the two days of fighting.
The U.S.-appointed governor of Najaf put the militia death toll at 400, with 1,000 captured. He said he had information that 80 Iranians were fighting alongside Sadr's militia.
Sheik Raed al-Qathimi, a spokesman for Sadr, rebuffed the American version of the death toll.
"I categorically deny these American lies," he said.
British and Italian troops also fought the Mehdi militia across Shi'ite-dominated southern Iraq -- in Basra, Amara and Nassiriya -- while fighting raged in Sadr City and Shoula, two Shi'ite districts of Baghdad.
The Health Ministry said fighting in Sadr City alone had killed 20 Iraqis and wounded 114 since early Thursday, while in Nassiriya six were dead and 13 wounded.
The flare-up of tension with radical members of Iraq's majority community comes after Shi'ite militants rose up across south and central Iraq in April and May.
Iraq's interim government expressed confidence it would deal with the crisis.
"We have every confidence in our new government, our security forces and our allies to contain this conflict," Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said.
In the previous uprising, hundreds of Iraqis and dozens of U.S. troops were killed.
Yet Sadr, a young cleric with an ardent following among poor, disaffected youths, appeared keen to stop the latest fighting. Via another spokesman in Baghdad, he called for a resumption of a truce struck in June.
"We have no objections to entering negotiations to solve this crisis," Mahmoud al-Sudani told reporters. "As I have said in the name of Sayed Sadr, we want a resumption of the truce."
While Sadr may be popular with frustrated young Shi'ites, many of Iraq's mainstream community follow Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the most influential Shi'ite cleric in Iraq who has carefully and quietly tried to keep a lid on Sadr's agitating.
In a worrying move for his followers, Sistani, a 73-year-old Iranian-born cleric, flew to London Friday for treatment for a heart problem, sources said.
Tension has been rising in Najaf since Iraqi security forces surrounded Sadr's house earlier this week.
U.S. marines recently replaced the U.S. Army in Najaf and analysts have suggested the upsurge in violence is linked to the marines taking a more aggressive approach with Sadr's militia.
At the same time, attempts by the interim government to draw Sadr into the mainstream appear to have faltered, which may have prompted the cleric to redouble his militant approach.
Militiamen shot down a U.S. helicopter as it was trying to evacuate a wounded soldier Thursday. No one was killed, but the pilots were wounded.
Early Friday F-16s, AC-130 gunships and helicopters patrolled the skies over Najaf, covering U.S. troops battling insurgents in and around Najaf's cemetery, the largest in the Arab world and a safe haven for militants.
Fighting also flared near Najaf's shrines, some of the holiest in Shi'ite Islam, and some said that gunfire had damaged the dome of the Imam Ali shrine.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/06/2004 11:59:52 AM ||
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#1
U.S. marines recently replaced the U.S. Army in Najaf and analysts have suggested the upsurge in violence is linked to the marines taking a more aggressive approach with Sadr’s militia.
Looks like they made the same mistake the Fallujah guys did, thought that the Marines would use a softer touch. Let's go over this one last time: Do NOT shoot at the Marines. They will kill you in massive f*ckloads.
#3
U.S. marines recently replaced the U.S. Army in Najaf and analysts have suggested the upsurge in violence is linked to the marines taking a more aggressive approach with Sadr’s militia. Thassssss right...it's our fault. It's always our fault. Who the f*ck are these "analysts" anyway? EUnuchs most likely. F*ckwits.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
08/06/2004 12:27 Comments ||
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#4
Hmmm...US goes to code orange, Paks Brits and Yanks roll up key al-Q operatives & intel, Sistani gets outta town, and the Marines deliver a message and a big pile o' bodies to Tater. Plus some stuff in Afghanland that I haven't paid much attention to. Soddies also caught some big fish trolling in their tank. Keep up the good work!
#5
Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: God has a hard on for Marines, because we kill everything we see. He plays His games, we play ours. To show our appreciation for so much power, we keep heaven packed with fresh souls. God was here before the Marine Corps, so you can give your heart to Jesus, but your ass belongs to the corps.
Posted by: Chris W. ||
08/06/2004 12:33 Comments ||
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Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
08/06/2004 12:51 Comments ||
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#7
While it is true the Marines are aggressive, the prior Army unit, 1st Armoured Division really kicked some butt. I have read there were thousands of TaterTots killed. 105 or 200:1 is a nice kill ratio.
#14
Iraqi police are now saying that another 1200 "taters" surrendered, and Najaf is secure.
I believe the correct military term for this is "a stomping."
Posted by: Mike ||
08/06/2004 17:37 Comments ||
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#15
"Johnston told reporters the Mehdi fighters were badly coordinated and shot at random against the heavily armed marines who were backed up by helicopter gunships and fighter planes."
Yep. Sounds like a good way to get dead in a hurry.
#16
#10, .com
Thanks for the hat-tip! I picked up "Tater-Tots" from my brother, recently returned from Iraq. It is the actual the GIs use for the chubby one's militia.
#17
#10, .com
Thanks for the hat-tip! I picked up "Tater-Tots" from my brother, recently returned from Iraq. It is the actual the GIs use for the chubby one's militia.
Al Qaeda member Mohammad Naeem Noor Khan emailed contacts in Osama bin Laden's network while in custody as part of a sting operation by security agencies, a Pakistani intelligence source said Friday. A series of arrests in Britain this week resulted from Khan's capture. A high alert for U.S. financial institutions against a possible al Qaeda attack was also attributed to information gathered from the Pakistani computer engineer, who was caught early last month, according to intelligence and government sources.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/06/2004 12:02:48 PM ||
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#1
Dumb. Very dumb.
"Gee, I'm in custody, and they let me have network access! What a stroke of luck..."
Pakistan will intensify a crackdown on al Qaeda in coming weeks, moving against nerve centres of Osama bin Laden's network in the country, Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat has said.
That would be mighty nice of them...
He said a string of arrests of al Qaeda operatives in Pakistan in recent weeks had helped security forces get a better picture of the network, but added it was not known where bin Laden, the most wanted man in the world, was holed up.
Did you look in Fazl's guest house? I mean, thoroughly, including under the bed and in the closet?
"In the weeks and months to come we hope to further intensify our efforts in hitting at those nerve centres and at those crucial and sensitive areas where by hitting hard, al Qaeda will certainly be hurt the most," Hayat told Reuters.
That'll cause Qazi to squeal like a pig. Maybe he'll have another heart attack...
Pray for complications.
Asked whether the recent arrests, said to be about 20, had brought Pakistan any closer to catching bin Laden or his deputy Ayman al Zawahri, the minister said security agencies were better placed than before. "As far as these two top notches are concerned we do hope... we are certainly in a much better position today to have a better view of where al Qaeda stands," the minister said. He added it had never been determined whether the two al Qaeda leaders were hiding in Pakistan or over the border in Afghanistan where U.S.-led forces are battling Taliban fighters, driven out of Kabul in late 2001 for sheltering al Qaeda.
"No, no! Certainly not! There's no proof, y'know... Well, no credible proof... None that's credible to us anyway..."
Iraq's most influential Shia leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, has left Iraq and is on his way to London to be treated for a heart condition.
Airport officials in Beirut said the ayatollah arrived on a chartered jet from Iraq before departing for London. The ayatollah lives in the holy city of Najaf and has been receiving treatment from cardiologists. But aides have said they fear the flaring violence in Najaf could hamper his access to proper medical care.
"The ayatollah suffered a health crisis related to his heart a few days ago," his spokesman in Beirut Sheik Hamed Khafaf told the Associated Press.
Hummmmmm
"A team of specialist doctors are treating him and providing care," he said of the ayatollah who is the prime marja, or spiritual reference, for Shias everywhere. He added that although the ayatollah needed special treatment he was not in a deteriorated state. Fighting broke out once more in the ayatollah's home town of Najaf on Thursday.
The reclusive al-Sistani, who is in his 70s, is one of only five living grand ayatollahs and the most senior Shia cleric in Iraq. The UK Foreign Office confirmed that Ayatollah Sistani was visiting the UK on a private medical trip for which the UK would make no special security arrangements.
Uh huh
A Foreign Office spokesman said there was no political aspect to the trip but that the FO had helped out with the logistical elements like visas.
Of course, he could really have a heart problem, but the timing is ....interesting.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/06/2004 8:40:42 AM ||
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#1
why didn't he go to any of those well known, accomplished muslim heart specialists in the arab world? oh. never mind.
#5
Isn't it interesting how Sadr and his militants jumped back into the fray after Sistani was known to assistance for his heart condition.
Posted by: Capt America ||
08/06/2004 11:13 Comments ||
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#6
Remember what happened the last time an Iranian tyrant went out of the country for medical treatment?
Posted by: Mike ||
08/06/2004 13:38 Comments ||
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#7
Duh-oh! For some reason, I was reading "Sistani" as "Kahmehni." Never mind. Note to myself: make eye doctor appointment . . . .
Posted by: Mike ||
08/06/2004 13:40 Comments ||
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#8
Here's Zayad's take on it from HealingIraq:
"One also can't help but wonder about the timing of Sistani's departure from Najaf to London for treatment. The man is known for his subtle messages, could this be a sign for his tacit approval to finish Sadr and his militia once and for all? The remaining Hawza clerics are highly unlikely to issue a collective statement in the absense of Sistani, even more so when they have been threatened and attacked by Sadr's supporters on many occasions. An aide of Sadr mentioned today on Al-Jazeera that Sistani was forced to leave Najaf and that the medical report of his ischemic heart condition was forged."
#9
Assuming that Sistani's cardiac problems are genuine, while it would be a major PR coup for Britain to heal this renowned cleric, it would be a complete disaster if he dies under the knife in some British hospital.
I'd prefer to think that Sistani is in fine fettle and just getting out of Dodge while Sadr is cacked the fur flies.
The radical Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr called for a national uprising against American and allied troops Thursday morning, then backed off near midnight after a day of fighting between his guerrillas and American and Iraqi forces.
The heaviest fighting occurred mainly in Najaf, a Shiite holy city 100 miles south of Baghdad that is a stronghold for Mr. Sadr. A Marine helicopter was shot down there, but the crew members were evacuated safely, the United States military reported.
Baghdad, even in the Shiite slum neighborhood of Sadr City, appeared to be mostly quiet until 11:15 p.m., when three large explosions, probably from mortars, rocked the city's center. Small-arms fire followed.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/06/2004 1:01:06 AM ||
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#1
Dan - do you sleep? :-)
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/06/2004 1:09 Comments ||
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#2
No ;)
Next question?
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/06/2004 1:10 Comments ||
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#3
Is it true Osama's in Iran and had plastic surgery that makes him look like a 6'-5" RuPaul in a Burqa?
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/06/2004 1:15 Comments ||
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#4
Yes, at least as of October 2003, yes, and not sure.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/06/2004 1:16 Comments ||
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#5
disturbing visual...
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/06/2004 1:18 Comments ||
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#6
Tater should do his flip-flopping at the end of a rope.
The Tater-tots might have learned the hard way that the Iraqi forces are tougher than they thought and they may well have more permissive rules of engagement ROE than the Americans. This could be a factor in Tater's sudden retreat.
Don't worry, I'm sure .com has a picture that will cause us all to gouge out our eyeballs.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/06/2004 1:28 Comments ||
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#8
Well, Steve, some think he's dead. But insiders know he survived and had rather radical plastic surgery. Some think he went on the offensive or is biding his time building up expertise, while others say he stayed close to home in this diabolically clever disguise. But those of the inner circle know the truth - he's hanging out in Bavaria and waiting for Oktoberfest. So there you have it, and now I'll have to kill you. :-)
#9
Dang .com you are one motivated individual! All praise to Allan (piss be upon him) that you are on our side. I've reserved judgement on the great Spud in regards to what service he might provide. At this point, grease the mook....be done with it. NEXT!
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
08/06/2004 2:22 Comments ||
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#10
RexM - It took me awhile to find something to work with - but here's a first pass. I'll do better when I locate better raw material!
#11
"...called for a national uprising against American and allied troops Thursday morning, then backed off near midnight after a day of fighting..."
1. The man is delusional.
2. The man flip-flops faster than Kerry. Well, maybe not.
3. I'm sure that if Kerry wins, Kerry will sit down with him and form an enduring alliance of peace. Peace in our time.
Posted by: Tom ||
08/06/2004 9:01 Comments ||
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#13
This may be a dumb conjecture because it is so simple, but it seems that Tater is getting frisky because al Sistani is preoccupied with ticker issues. Allawi needs to call up for Tater Take-Out and be done with the problem. Tater may be delusional and a pain in the behind, but he will always be a thorn in the side and mobilizing fighters like he does is a direct threat to the Iraqi government's authority and survival, IMHO.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/06/2004 9:41 Comments ||
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#14
Just heard on FOX that 3 Americans have been killed in Najaf and 300 of Tater's men are now collecting their white raisins.
#16
IIRC the last time we were fighting the Mahdi "army" al-Sistani was criticizing us and pushing for a cease fire. Now that he's out of the country perhaps he will be too preoccupied to intervene on al-Sadr's behalf. Particularly since the Iraqi forces seem to be fighting against Sadr's people this could be significant.
Intelligence indicates some al Qaeda training camps have been reactivated along Pakistan's border with southeastern Afghanistan, defense and intelligence sources told CNN. Overhead surveillance imagery gathered in the past month seems to show vehicles and people recently moving into areas known to be training sites for al Qaeda, they said. One official said the camps "are of interest to the U.S. and Pakistan" but nothing indicated the recent activity at the camps was tied to the raising of the terrorist alert level in financial districts in New York City, Newark, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C. The official said the United States prefers that Pakistani military forces move against the camps, situated west and southwest of Quetta.
Activity ebbs and flows at known al Qaeda training sites in the region, and the U.S. official said local Pakistani forces would be best able to stage a military operation, with the help of timely U.S. intelligence. On Wednesday, two U.S. government sources said that intelligence found in Pakistan indicates that suspected al Qaeda operatives in that country recently contacted an individual or individuals in the United States. Two senior Pakistani intelligence sources said evidence exists that at least six individuals in the United States were contacted by Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan, an alleged al Qaeda operative and computer expert recently taken into custody in Pakistan. U.S. officials have not confirmed that information.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/06/2004 12:50:53 AM ||
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Rebel cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called on his supporters Thursday to rise up anew against U.S.-led security forces, his spokesman announced after a fragile two-month truce in the holy city of Najaf ended with clashes that brought down a U.S. helicopter.
"If they want it to be war, let it be," said Ghalib Hashim Jazaeri, the police chief in Najaf. "We have enough men and equipment to defeat them."
"We are inside the city," he said into his radio as gunfire and mortars exploded in the city. "We are chasing them.
... in Baghdad, Interior Minister Falah Naqib pledged to find and arrest al-Sadr. "We will not negotiate," he said at a news conference. "We will fight these militias. We have power to stop these people, and we'll kick them out of the country."
Naqib said the decision for Iraqi forces to fight al-Sadr's militia came from the governor of Najaf province, not the U.S. military. On that point, al-Sadr's spokesman agreed.
"We were forced to do this after the governor started his stupid idea to invade the city," al-Shaibany said.
Posted by: Oldspook ||
08/06/2004 1:05:38 AM ||
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#1
Looks like his own people are coming after him this time. I hope the Iraqi Police and Iraqi National Guard shoot his ass deader-than-a-doornail.
#6
Hasn't this loser gotten to where he declares war...and then peace at least once a day?
He must have gotten his casuality report:
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Coalition forces battled militiamen loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in several Iraqi cities Friday, saying they killed about 300 militants in Najaf over two days of fighting. Battles in other Shiite areas of the country have killed dozens more, according to Iraqi authorities.
More please, and faster.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/06/2004 10:43 Comments ||
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From Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
The Kurdish weekly Hawlati reported on 4 August that 14,000 Kurdish families have returned to the city of Kirkuk and the surrounding areas since the fall of the Hussein regime in April 2003. The weekly also reported that some 3,400 Arab families have left the city and returned to southern Iraq. The governor's deputy for settlement and compensation matters, Hasib Rozhbayani, told Hawlati that 3,332 Arab families left Kirkuk, many of them selling their houses. He claimed that many Kurds displaced from the city under the Hussein regime's Arabization program have been able to reclaim their land in the city.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
08/06/2004 1:01:20 AM ||
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#2
Am I the omly one who sees this as being used by the Paleos to excercise the "Right of Return" and reclaim lands abandonned, note I said abandonned in the 1948 and 1967 wars
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/06/2004 16:05 Comments ||
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#4
Paleos' right of return "argument", such as it is, bears no relation whatsoever to the Kurds' situation. For one thing Kurds are not Arabs, and are hated by Arabs and they were quite literally ripped out of their homes by Arabs under Saddam's orders. Furthermore, Kurds actually existed as a legitimate separate group historically dating back to ancient times. According to historian
William Westermann, "The Kurds can present a better claim to race purity...than any people which now inhabits Europe." However Paleos as a distinctive group in Arab culture is a fairly recent separate entity as compared to the history of Kurds.
Read the following for the historical background of the cultural entity known as Palestinians: http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110003690
"Where Hatred Trumps Bread: What does the Palestinian nation offer the world?"by Cynthia Ozick, June 30, 2003 Wall Street Journal When, some years ago, Golda Meir contentiously remarked, "There are no Palestinians," she was historically correct and evolutionally mistaken. She was right because the people who had only recently begun to take on the name "Palestinian" were ethnically and civilizationally Arab, part of what the Arabs themselves were pleased to call, with the poetic resonance of indivisibility, "the Arab Nation." Palestine, moreover, had its origin as a term of malice, the Roman invaders' way of erasing Judea by naming it after the Philistines who warred against the Jews. And like the Palestinians today, who deny the ancient reality of the Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount, the emperor Hadrian also had the distinction of reassigning the history of Jerusalem; he dubbed it Aelia Capitolina, in honor of Jupiter.
Yet at the same time Golda Meir was mistaken: She declined to recognize a growing sectarianism rooted not merely in the bitterness of contemporary politics--the Arab war against the Jews--but far more comprehensively in a particularized and developing cultism. Whether the Palestinians nowadays constitute a cult or a sect or a nation within the greater Arab world is scarcely to the point. They have become a nation in their own eyes--and, with the blessings of the road map, internationally as well. Nevertheless it is not the determination of political borders that makes a nation; a nation is defined by its traits and usages, by its heroes and aspirations--in short, by its culture.
History, in Benedetto Croce's formulation, "is about the positive and not the negative." No one can refute the truth that the Palestinians have fashioned a culture peculiarly their own--but one so steeped in the negative as to have been turned into a kind of anti-history. In order to deprive Jews of their patrimony, Palestinians have fabricated a sectarian narrative alien to commonplace knowledge. Although the Arab invasion of Palestine did not occur until the 17th century, Palestinian Arabs are declared to be, according to activist Salah Jabr, "the descendants of civilizations that have lived in this land since the Stone Age." With equal absurdity, other such deniers of Jewish patrimony claim a Canaanite bloodline. By replacing history with fantasy, the Palestinians have invented a society unlike any other, where hatred trumps bread. They have reared children unlike any other children, removed from ordinary norms and behaviors. And they have been assisted in these deviations by Arab rulers who for half a century have purposefully and pitilessly caged and stigmatized them as refugees, down to the fourth generation. Refugeeism, abetted also by the United Nations, has itself been joined to the Palestinian cult of anti-history. A people respectful of history, including its own above all, will work to fructify and invigorate life; it will not debase and vitiate it.
The salient attribute of any culture is originality and its legacies. Genius, no matter how rare, is a human universal. It sends into the world new perception and new experience, inspiring duplication: Out of Israel came monotheism, out of Greece philosophy, out of Arab civilization science and poetry, out of England the Magna Carta, out of France the Enlightenment. What has been the genius of Palestinian originality, what has been the contribution of the evolving culture of Palestinian sectarianism? On the international scene: airplane hijackings and the murder of American diplomats in the 1970s, Olympic slaughterings and shipboard murders in the 1980s. And toward the Jews of the Holy Land, beginning in the 1920s and continuing until this morning, terror, terror, terror, terror...
Posted by: rex ||
08/06/2004 16:29 Comments ||
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via Times of India
JOSY JOSEPH - THURSDAY, AUGUST 05, 2004 06:47:31 PM
NEW DELHI: The eight month-old ceasefire between India and Pakistan has been violated. Ironically, the exchange of fire between the two armies came on the eve of crucial talks on Siachen, in which effort are being made to firm up the ceasefire. According to sources in the Army Headquarters, the two sides exchanged fire on Wednesday night at Bandar forest area in Handwara, in Kupwara district of the Kashmir Valley. The exchange of fire is believed to be the first breach of the longest-held ceasefire between the two sides in over half-a-century of bloody violence. The ceasefire came into existence on November 26, 2003, after India accepted a unilateral proposal from the then Pakistan Prime Minister Mir Jafarullah Khan Jamali.
Sources said the 3/5 Gurkha Rifles, stationed along the Shamshabari Ridge in the forest area, initially opened fire on a group of militants trying to infiltrate across the newly-erected fencing. "The Pakistan side retaliated," a source said, confirming that the two armies exchanged several rounds of fire for a long time. More than one Army post on each side is believed to have exchanged fire. There is no indication of the violation extending to other areas along the 740-kilometre Line of Control or the 110-kilometre Actual Ground Position Line in the Siachen area. Sources said the Chief of Army Staff, General NC Vij, would be visiting the area on Friday to assess the situation. The General was supposed to visit Doda region on Thursday but has cancelled the visit, instead taking stock of the violation of the ceasefire.
The ceasefire violation came on the eve of the crucial Siachen talks between the two Defence secretaries, which began in New Delhi on Thursday morning. It is not known if the incident was discussed at the meeting. Army sources said General Vij would also be given a demonstration on Friday of how militants are using techniques such as sliced rubber tubes, plastic ladders etc to scale over the multi-layered fencing that India has erected along some 580-kilometre of the LOC. Militant groups have already mastered the art of scaling the fencing, proving India's costly effort along the challenging terrain ineffective. Tit meet tat... just keep the buttons boxed and locked, children.
Posted by: .com ||
08/06/2004 12:53:38 AM ||
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#1
Well somebody's got to keep the fire lit. That's all it is.
Posted by: Rafael ||
08/06/2004 4:05 Comments ||
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#2
Ironically, the exchange of fire between the two armies came on the eve of crucial talks on Siachen, in which effort are being made to firm up the ceasefire.
Nothing ironic about it. Look how the "palestinians" get busy blowing sh*t up anytime it looks like their leaders are going to make peace overtures. They want to keep this going.
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