Security forces shot dead a militant who was wanted for security-related matters after the man threw a hand grenade at them in Makkah yesterday. A policeman was lightly wounded in the incident. Police had tried to persuade the militant, in his mid-20s, to surrender, but were forced to open fire after he hurled the grenade, a security source said. The source said the man, identified as Saleh Al-Badrani, was not on the Saudi list of 26 most wanted terrorists, 11 of whom are still on the run. The incident followed a series of clashes with Al-Qaeda-linked militants who, 15 months ago, launched a campaign of suicide bombings and shootings aimed at destabilizing the Kingdom and forcing Westerners to leave the country. Earlier this month Saudi police arrested Faris Al-Zahrani, who was on the most wanted list. Zahrani was one of three clerics on the list.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2004 10:05:34 PM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under:
Hospitals have tightened security since recent warnings of potential terror attacks, with one area medical center banning deliveries from outside flower shops. The move comes after state counterterrorism officials warned hospitals they could be targeted by terrorists immediately following an attack, crippling efforts to treat victims. The warning was communicated through the state Department of Health and Senior Services. "Hospitals have been asked to improve their security, preparedness, and to test and drill," state Health Commissioner Clifton R. Lacy told The Star-Ledger of Newark. Saint Michael's Medical Center is only a few blocks from the headquarters of Prudential Financial, one of five locales cited Aug. 1 by federal officials as potential terrorist targets. "We are definitely making the hospital harder to penetrate," said Mary Danish, corporate director of emergency preparedness for Cathedral Healthcare System. It operates three Newark hospitals, including Saint Michael's, where deliveries from outside flower stores are now banned.
The state Office of Counter-Terrorism also warned ambulance operators earlier this week to guard against suspicious people. The bulletin came after workers at two rescue squads and one emergency room reported fielding strange inquiries. "These concern us enough to tell the community to be more vigilant regarding ambulances and other emergency vehicles," Sidney Caspersen, head of the Office of Counter-Terrorism told the newspaper. "That means not leaving them unattended and so forth." All three inquiries -- including one by three men "of Middle Eastern appearance" who went to a volunteer ambulance squad headquarters and asked about getting credentials to operate an emergency vehicle -- could be perfectly innocent, Caspersen said. Still, he deemed the bulletin necessary. At Newark's University Hospital, parking is now more restricted and people entering with boxes and packages are being screened.
#1
The move comes after state counterterrorism officials warned hospitals they could be targeted by terrorists immediately following an attack, crippling efforts to treat victims.
This would be another step in the "douple-tap" attacks the jihadis have been using the last few years -- one bomb to draw the police and rescue, second bomb to kill them. Now add a third bomb to kill the doctors.
Anyone still believe we're not in a fight for our existence?
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/11/2004 13:19 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Anyone still believe we're not in a fight for our existence?
Nope, I'm on board.
Try posing that question to Senator Kerry, I'd be curious to hear the answer.
A Queens man has admitted to smuggling money, night vision goggles and other military gear to a senior Qaeda leader in Pakistan near the border with Afghanistan, where he also set up a training camp for Islamic extremists and worked to aid a plot to blow up pubs, train stations and restaurants in Britain. The man, Mohammed Junaid Babar, 29, made the admissions in Federal District Court in Manhattan June 3, when he pleaded guilty to five counts of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists and providing the support, according to a transcript of the court proceeding, which was made public yesterday.
Another horrific case of the Patriot Act run amok. I blame John Ashcroft.
Mr. Babar, who agreed to rat out his pals cooperate with federal authorities and may apply to the witness security program, told Judge Victor Marrero of United States District Court that he sent military gear and money to South Waziristan, a tribal area near the border with Afghanistan, in the summer of 2003 and then traveled there himself with equipment and money in March 2004. There, he said, he met the unnamed Qaeda leader and turned over equipment including sleeping bags, waterproof socks and ponchos. He also admitted buying aluminum powder and trying to buy ammonium nitrate fertilizer, which can be used to make explosives. "I understood that the money and supplies that I had given to Al Qaeda was supposed to be used in Afghanistan you know, against U.S. or international, international forces, or the Northern Alliance," he said. The Northern Alliance fought the Taliban.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/11/2004 12:13:18 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Q: Isn't there a children's elephant book named "Babar"?
A: I don't know. I don't have any.
Q: Children?
A: No. Elephant books.
[from Fletch--sorry couldn't resist!]
Posted by: Fresh Air ||
08/11/2004 10:20 Comments ||
Top||
A Pakistani citizen is in federal custody after being arrested by a police officer who spotted him videotaping the 60-story Bank of America headquarters and another skyscraper in downtown Charlotte. The officer who arrested Kamran Akhtar, 35, said he tried to walk away when officers approached him on July 20 and gave conflicting statements about what he was doing and where he was going. Videotapes in Akhtarâs possession also showed buildings in Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, New Orleans and Austin, Texas, as well as transit systems in those cities and a dam in Texas, according to a federal criminal complaint filed last week.
"Hokay Mahmoud, now it works like this: we blow the dam in Texas, and it floods the transit system in Atlanta, and lots o' infidels die."
"You sure 'bout that, Kamran?"
"Sure I'm sure! I been there, I know things!"
Akhtar was charged in indictments unsealed Tuesday with violating immigration and naturalization laws and making a materially false statement, according to U.S. Attorney Gretchen Shappert. At a hearing Tuesday morning, a federal magistrate ordered Akhtar held on criminal charges; he had been in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. A detention hearing was scheduled for Friday. The federal prosecutor listed Akhtar as a resident of the New York City borough of Queens and said he also went under the name Kamran Shaikh.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/11/2004 12:25:20 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#2
I guess it is time to clean the country. Only while Christian race should stay in this country and everybody else should go back to his native region.
Posted by: Nick ||
08/11/2004 6:46 Comments ||
Top||
#3
He applied for political asylum in 1992. Five long years go by. In 1997 his asylum request is rejected. By an amazing coincidence he gets a green card in that very same year, because now he's married to an American citizen. So, he's still here in 2004.
The investigation into this matter ought to include a thorough, critical investigation of 1) the excessively delayed adjudication of his asylum claim, 2) his marriage, and 3) the granting of a green card to him in these circumstances. If the marriage was phoney, then his "wife" should be maximally charged with fraud.
In general, anybody who tries to immigrate by filing a bogus asylum claim should be denied a green card forever even if he does marry a US citizen.
.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
08/11/2004 7:41 Comments ||
Top||
#4
nice troll, "Nick". Dumf*&k misspelled white, thereby missing all the racial outrage. Back to Moby class for you!
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/11/2004 8:35 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Living in the Charlotte area, this is kind of creepy. Good work Officer Maglione! People around here are 'suprised' to think Charlotte could be a target. People need to wake up, Charlotte is not the po-dunk city it was 10 years ago, we're the #2 Financial City in the country. That puts us on the target list.
#6
I'm surprised the ACLU ain't all over this cop for profiling an "innocent" Arabic-looking tourist. Thank God Charlotte's law enforcement isn't in Mineta's chain of command!
Posted by: Dar ||
08/11/2004 10:01 Comments ||
Top||
#7
Mike, the article says he did not get a green card. He just claimed to have one.
#8
Akhtar is also the family name of the guy they caught in Dubai. Maybe Dan Darling can tell us if he was telling the truth when he said he was just making videotapes for family members.
DEBKAfile's intelligence sources report: British forces in southern Iraqi towns of Basra, Kut and Amara are really fighting Iranian troops in civilian dress. Three Iranian units stole in from Iran to support radical Shiite Sadr's militia.
...
The US has launched a fierce clandestine war against Iranian subversives in Iraq. Tehran fortifies its undercover presence by smuggling hundreds of al Qaeda fighters into northern Iraq.
Muslim separatist rebels killed three civilians suspected of giving information to the military in the southern Philippines, police said Monday. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels swooped down on the village of Malingaw in Midsayap town, North Cotabato province, 900 kilometres south of Manila, on Sunday. Chief Inspector Eduardo Marquez, town police commander, said the guerrillas, led by an MILF commander identified as Samal Masgal, then opened fire on the victims who were then fishing in a river. "The guerrillas left after killing their targets and then proceeded to harass other civilians in the village," he said.
Marquez identified the victims as 32-year-old Kamsa Gampong, his 19-year-old brother, Salem, and 29-year-old Caisa Salik - all residents of Malingaw. MILF spokesman Eid Cabalu">Eid Cabalu confirmed that Masgal was the internal security chief of the rebel group in the area. "The attack was apparently in revenge for providing information to the military about their whereabouts that led to the death of his (Masgal's) followers," he said. Cabalu encouraged relatives of the victims to file complaints with the MILF, saying, "Within the organisation, we have a process with regards to cases like this incident."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/11/2004 12:45:58 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Does this means that the Phillipines will be withdrawing from the Phillipines?
ABU MUS'AB AL-ZARQAWI MOVED TO IRAN SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, SHORTLY AFTER THE FALLUJAH INCIDENTS, AND STAYED A FEW WEEKS AT A CAMP BELONGING TO THE IRANIAN REVOLUTIONARY GUARDS IN THE MAHRAN REGION ON THE BORDER WITH IRAQ, UNTIL LEAVING FOR THE CITY OF BAKUBA IN IRAQ. (AL-SHARQ AL-AWSAT, LONDON, 8/11/04)
THE COMMANDER OF THE AL-QUDS ARMY OF IRAN'S REVOLUTIONARY GUARDS, GENERAL QASEM SULIMANI, ACKNOWLEDGED THAT IRAN HAS BEEN MAKING CONCESSIONS TO ABU MUS'AB AL-ZARQAWI. A RELIABLE IRANIAN SOURCE REPORTS THAT GENERAL SULIMANI SAID THAT ZARQAWI'S OPERATIONS IN IRAQ 'SERVE THE SUPREME INTERESTS OF IRAN,' PARTICULARLY IN PREVENTING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A REGIME COOPERATING WITH THE U.S. (AL-SHARQ AL-AWSAT, LONDON, 8/11/04)
THE IRANIAN SOURCE SAID THAT AL-ZARQAWI AND 20 COMMANDERS OF HIS ORGANIZATION NEED NO PRIOR APPROVAL TO ENTER IRAN: 'THERE ARE BORDER POINTS FROM HALABJA IN THE NORTH TO ILAM IN THE SOUTH THROUGH WHICH ZARQAWI AND 20 OF THE ANSAR AL-ISLAM FIGHTERS CAN ENTER IRANIAN TERRITORY WHENEVER THEY WANT.' (AL-SHARQ AL-AWSAT, LONDON, 8/11/04)
THE IRANIAN DAILY HAMSHAHRI REPORTED THAT MORE THAN 15,000 IRANIAN VOLUNTEERS SIGNED UP TO CARRY OUT SUICIDE MISSIONS IN THE SHI'ITE HOLY CITIES IN SOUTHERN IRAQ. (AL-AYYAM, BAHRAIN, 8/10/04)
IRAN'S JUDICIARY HEAD AYATOLLAH MAHMOUD HASHEMI SHAHROUDI REFERRED TO U.S. ATTACKS ON HOLY SITES IN IRAQ AS DECLARATION OF A CULTURAL WAR. (KAYHAN, IRAN, 8/10/04)
PAKISTAN'S FOREIGN MINISTER MAS'OUD KHAN IS DENYING IRANIAN-PAKISTANI NUCLEAR COOPERATION. (AFTAB-E YAZD, IRAN, 8/10/04)
THE MANAGING DIRECTOR OF IRAN'S WEAPONS INDUSTRIES, MEHDI FARHI, SAID IRAN IS EXPORTING WEAPONS PRODUCTS AND TECHNOLOGY TO 12 COUNTRIES, INCLUDING EUROPEAN COUNTRIES. HE SAID THAT BY THE END OF THE IRANIAN YEAR (MARCH 20, 2005), SOME IRR 30 BILLION WORTH OF NEW CONTRACTS WOULD BE SIGNED, AND THAT 'SOME IRR 5.5 BILLION OF THIS FIGURE WERE ALREADY REALIZED IN THE FIRST FOUR MONTHS OF THIS YEAR.' (IRAN DAILY, 8/10/04)
IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER KAMAL KHARRAZI SAID THAT 'IN ORDER FOR IRAN'S DOSSIER TO BE TRANSFERRED TO THE U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL, THERE MUST BE VIOLATIONS [OF AN INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION] AND SO FAR IRAN HAS ⊠VIOLATED NONE OF ITS OBLIGATIONS. WE ARE CLOSE TO AN AGREEMENT WITH THE EUROPEANS AND WITH THE IAEA, AND WE WILL ANNOUNCE OUR POSITIONS IN THIS MATTER.' (AFTAB-E YAZD, IRAN, 8/10/04)
A SECURITY SOURCE IN IRAQ SAID THAT THE AMERICANS ARE BEHIND THE ABDUCTION OF AN IRANIAN DIPLOMAT. (JOMHOUR-YE ESLAMI, IRAN, 8/10/04) THE IRANIAN REFORMIST DAILY NASSIM-E SABA HAS CLOSED. (JOMHOUR-YE ESLAMI, IRAN, 8/10/04)
THE IRANIAN CONSERVATIVE PAPER KAYHAN SPECULATED THAT PERHAPS THE ABDUCTED IRANIAN DIPLOMAT IS IN THE HANDS OF AMERICAN SOLDIERS OR OF THE IRAQI POLICE. IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER KHARRAZI CONFIRMED THAT DIPLOMATIC CONTACTS ARE UNDERWAY TO SECURE HIS RELEASE. (KAYHAN, IRAN, 8/10/04)
#2
Note to Everyone: This is how MEMRI reports are created - all caps. If you had followed the link you would know this. If you've never been to MEMRI before, which is apparent, then you are way behind the curve.
Do not blame the poster. If YOU want to retype the reports, then do so.
#3
An alternative that might not produce perfect results but would certainly take the poster more time would be to copy the text to word processing software, I hate to use the name of the Devil's software, and change the case to sentence case.
Posted by: Mr. Davis ||
08/12/2004 8:06 Comments ||
Top||
#4
MrD - Lol - your idea sounded good so I tried it on this article... it utterly failed - all lowercase after change to Sentence Case - lol - I guess the Word team didn't quite catch all the probable inputs, eh?
Interesting. I 404 on the link. When I go to MEMRI and look at this it shows up:
Question: "How serious is Iranian penetration into Iraq?"
Sha'lan:" Iranian penetration is extensive and unprecedented since the establishment of the Iraqi state. The Iranians have entered the crucial junction points of the country as a whole and established many intelligence and military positions in Iraq. We have begun dealing with this matter in a way both subtle and exacting. The prime minister, the foreign minister, and I all make our voices clear against Iran's blatant intervention in Iraqi affairs, which is a dangerous precedent. They admit to having spies in Iraq, whose task is to undermine the social and political situation. The Iraqi people, however, are immune to this."
in mixed case.
Posted by: Mr. Davis ||
08/12/2004 8:42 Comments ||
Top||
#6
Well shit!
First things first:
My apologies Friendly Advice! You are right!
Now I have to figure out when they awitched to mixed. I was blocked from MEMRI in Saudi and a friend who introduced me to the value of the site watched it for me and sent me emails of their best articles - all caps. I just accepted that was the price of the info.
So when did they change? I've looked all over their site and everything has been properly formatted in mixed case - so they cleaned up with some program. It's certainly a helluvalot better! But I'm perplexed - and I don't save emails forever so I haven't a trail to see when the change occurred. Sigh.
Now Mercutio can explain the broken link and, I guess, the all-caps of this post.
Iran's defense ministry said on Wednesday it had carried out a field test of the latest version of its Shahab-3 medium-range ballistic missile which defense experts say can reach Israel or U.S. bases in the Gulf. Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani said last week Iran was working on improvements to the range and accuracy of the Shahab-3 in response to Israel's moves to boost its anti-missile capability. A defense ministry spokesman confirmed a state television report that the test was carried out "to assess the latest developments implemented on this missile." He declined to give any further details.
Iran says its missile program is purely for deterrent purposes. Tehran also denies U.S. and Israeli accusations that it is seeking to develop nuclear warheads which could be delivered by the Shahab-3. Based on the North Korean Nodong-1 and modified with Russian technology, the Shahab-3 is thought to have a range of 810 miles which would allow it to strike anywhere in Israel. Shahab means meteor in Persian.
Amid media speculation that Israel may try to halt Iran's nuclear program by carrying out air strikes on some atomic facilities in Iran, Iranian officials have said Tehran would retaliate promptly and strongly to any such attack. Israel successfully tested its Arrow II anti-missile project in the United States last month. It was the seventh time the Arrow II had worked but the first time it had destroyed a Scud missile -- similar to the Shahab-3 -- in flight. "The Israelis have recently tried to increase their missile capability and we will also try to upgrade our Shahab-3 missile in every respect," the ISNA students news agency quoted Shamkhani as saying last week. He said the improvements to the Shahab-3 "will not be limited to the missile's range and will include all its specifications."
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: 2% ||
08/11/2004 10:06:23 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
"The Israelis have recently tried to increase their missile capability and we will also try to upgrade our Shahab-3 missile in every respect," the ISNA students news agency quoted Shamkhani as saying last week.
Interesting to note that Iran's response to an "increase" in Israel's missile capability (the Arrow II is a defensive missile) is to attempt to increase their missile's offensive capability.
#8
Real time flight telemetry is one of the most crucial data feedbacks during design and test of new missile technology. Perhaps we need to position an offshore cruiser group and simply blow any Iranian missile launches out of the sky after lift off.
I'd much prefer just crippling Kargh Island and starving out the mullahs, but aborting their launch vehicle tests for them would sure stunt any progress.
The current MEU offensive kicked off Aug. 9 when AIF, who fled into mosques and buildings surrounding the Imam Ali Shrine after an initial Marine assault on Aug. 5, began to once again operate and launch attacks from the cemetery. AIF today are conducting the same tactics -- launching attacks from the cemetery and surrounding areas, only to immediately run back and seek sanctuary in the mosques and buildings surrounding the Imam Ali Shrine.
This time the Marines and Army are documenting and publicizing their findings in the cemetery. Several photos of the arms caches in the sacred areas of the city reveal storage areas for assault rifles, RPGs, and mortar rounds. Sadr's thugs took advantage of the previous cease-fire by preparing new bases of operation to terrorize the populace and to launch attacks against Iraqi forces. US CENTCOM further describes the militia's use of the cemetery since the cease-fire
Using it as sanctuary, they began by staging large weapons caches there. Activity increased over time, to including sporadic offensive operations against Iraqi security forces and kidnapping Iraqi policemen. The AIF kidnapped their victims, including innocent civilians, bringing them to the cemetery for torture, execution, and burial. [emphasis added]
#1
In a close-up, the footage showed a masked militant holding a large knife to the man's throat, the militant chopped repeatedly at the neck, severing the head. A masked militant was then shown holding the head aloft.
They are so out of touch with western thought that they actually think this will scare us. They just canât comprehend that we are holding back, because the concepts of mercy and goodness are not key to their culture. What a pity for all of the Islam innocents who will be victims when we finally are forced to unleash our might at their expense.
They just donât get it that the only resolve that they are loosening, is our resolve for restraint..
Posted by: B ||
08/11/2004 15:43 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Ibrahim al-Jaafari, Iraq's interim vice president, called on the U.S. troops to withdraw from Najaf.
"Only Iraqi forces should stay in Najaf, these forces should be responsible for security and should save Najaf from this phenomenon of killing," al-Jaafari told Arab TV network Al-Jazeera from London on Wednesday.
Coalition forces said they were operating in the city at the request of the government.
The top health official in Najaf, Falah al-Mahani, said the deteriorating security situation was causing "a real catastrophe" for the health services.
"Ambulances are prevented from reaching the injured people by the clashing parties. Our staff are not able to reach their hospitals. We are paralyzed," he said, adding that the fighting injured 18 members of his staff.
Once again, Iraqi politicians, Kerry-like, jostle for politicial advantage. I guess everyone wants to be the good cop, by saying later on that the mission needed to be accomplished, but that US troops went about it the wrong way. Actually, I shouldn't say these guys are talking like Kerry - it's that Kerry is talking like a Muslim.
#3
Good. I hope that the Iraqiâs do move in and do it themselves. If the Americanâs raid the mosque, it will be endless grist for the propaganda mill. If the Iraqiâs do it, that news will be lucky make page A41.
Posted by: B ||
08/11/2004 15:47 Comments ||
Top||
#4
hell it must be nerve racking for everyone on the battlefield in and around Najaf,hope theres a good reason for the delay - like maybe some AC-130's coming into the area for the night,how big is this gonna be , i'm reackoning about 2500marines plus alot of hardware ,flame tanks would be nice and sturmtigers lol,no but seriously how much armour will be cruisin in and what other suprises might the marines have for the Jihadis? i wanna see a thermobaric warhead blow up in that big mosque.could this be the the end of Al-Sadr, could Najaf be levelled,how bads it gonna be for those scummy Jihadis, only time stands in the way of us knowing.Sorry went off on one,MOAB?
Posted by: Shep UK ||
08/11/2004 16:03 Comments ||
Top||
#5
I wonder if temps near 130F have anything to do with it?
Posted by: Yosemite Sam ||
08/11/2004 16:07 Comments ||
Top||
#6
YS...how, um, tactical of you. Thanks for bringing the obvious into the discussion. Makes me want to slap my forehead. I like Shep's theory too. Could be a combination of the two.
Posted by: remote man ||
08/11/2004 16:11 Comments ||
Top||
#7
is there a source of fresh water inside the shrine?
Local chapter of International Khatme Nabuwat Movement Bangladesh will hold a rally at Babri Square on August 13 demanding government statement declaring Ahmadiyyas non-Muslim. Gazette notification in respect of banned books and brochures published by Ahmadiyyas is the other demand they will press for. Laying siege to Kadiani mosque at Nirala Residential Area will follow the rally slated for Friday after jum'a prayers. Mohammad Salah, ameer of IKNMB's Khulna unit in a press conference announced the programme yesterday. Speaking at the press conference Saleh said the holy Quran does not entitle Ahmadiyyas to enter the holy Makkah and Madina, wed any Muslim girl and be buried in any Muslim graveyard.
Posted by: TS(vice girl) ||
08/11/2004 11:12:18 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
The Daily Star refered to the Islamists bigots in the title of the article.
A bomb exploded in a car between two Israeli army checkpoints outside Jerusalem on Wednesday, killing two Palestinians and wounding 16 people, in what Israel Radio said was a suicide attack. The blast, which broke a lull in such bombings, occurred after border police declared a security alert and began combing the area between the Qalandiya and A-Ram checkpoints on a main road between Jerusalem and the West Bank city of Ramallah. Medics said seven Israelis and nine Palestinians were wounded in the explosion.
Israel Radio said a Palestinian in a car being checked by Israeli policemen was believed to have detonated a bomb either hidden on his person or rigged to the vehicle. But the Israeli army said it could not confirm that it was a suicide bombing. "The car exploded in front of us and our car caught fire," a relative of a dead Palestinian said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast.
Posted by: 2% ||
08/11/2004 10:00:41 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
The Great Zionist Exploding Paleo Car Conspiracy continues! Where's the outrage!
The two young men sitting cross-legged in a small room off the courtyard of the Imam Ali shrine looked like any of the fighters around them. Their beards were short and neat, their feet bare and their dress the simple dishdasha, the Arab robe. They were deferential to their militia commander and spoke idealistically of defeating the military might of America in Iraq's holy city of Najaf. But both were from London, the first traitors Britons known to have joined the Mahdi army, one of the most prominent fighting groups in the Islamic insurgency that has gripped Iraq in the year since the invasion.
Though the two men were born in Iraq - one in Najaf, the other in Baghdad - their families took them to England as children. They went to school and college in the capital, picked up strong London accents and British passports and finally returned to the country of their birth for the first time on Monday. Their sole aim: to fight a "jihad" with a ragtag Shia militia loyal to the young cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. The Mahdi army and its allies have staged violent uprisings across south ern Iraq and are now battling the US and British armies and the Baghdad government. Neither would give his name, but the elder, a confident 23-year-old, used the nomme de guerre Abu Haqid (father of fury). He said he had studied English and worked in a supermarket. The younger, quieter man - his 21-year-old nephew -called himself Abu Turab (father of dust, the connotation of death). He had been studying to be a computer teacher.
The pair had travelled secretly into Iraq in the past few days, via a "not legit" route, according to Abu Haqid. They had talked to others in London about coming out to fight. "Some said they would wait and see what happens to us," he said. "We told them 'our brothers are fighting down there, they are not eating well, they are not sleeping well, we have to be in the same place as them, the same position as them'." They had the support of their families, Abu Haqid added: "It is our religion and our families can't stop this thing. We all have a belief, me and my family, when it comes to jihad. We asked our families and they said yes. It is good to protect your country and be there with your brothers."
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: tipper ||
08/11/2004 10:09:56 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
The Times On Line also carries the story, but there is an annoying registration required.
However the Times carries this extra bit of information the the Guardian censored,
"The pair revealed a visceral antipathy to Jews, evincing an anti-Semitism that, Abu Hakid insisted, was borne out the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with their brother Arabs.
âI donât know if you have been to Golders Green, itâs full of Jews. We had many chances to go there and kill people. I even had Jewish friends, I could easily have got them home and killed them. I might have got away with it, I might not. But we believe in fighting in the right place.â "
#2
tipper - You comment is another example of the fact that Moslems are not your friend - ever. You may be his friend, but never be so foolish as to think that it's mutual. It's all over the Qu'uran - we ignore this fact at our peril. Your comment made me think of Danny Pearl and how he was so easily fooled because he read the social cues that "told him" he was among rational friendly people, when he was actually amongst killers. We cannot rely upon our social training - assume the worst - the foes now include many who are well-versed in Western ways.
Posted by: B ||
08/11/2004 10:34 Comments ||
Top||
#4
I donât know if you have been to Golders Green, itâs full of Jews.
Maybe Abu should join the BNP ;)
Move Abu back to 1938, hed fit in well with Oswald Mosely types.
Your comment made me think of Danny Pearl and how he was so easily fooled because he read the social cues that "told him" he was among rational friendly people, when he was actually amongst killers
Yeah, thats happened to Jews before in places were muslims were rarer than hens teeth.
#5
I'm very happy that these guys are being sent out to fight after a mere two weeks using an AK-47. They are sure to be killed, and get their 72 raisins.
#7
Raj - We did, back in WWII (sort of). At least a lot of the Brits felt all our troops plunked down on their island was an "invasion" of sorts. I believe they used to say something to the effect that the only thing wrong the Americans was they were "overpaid, oversexed, and over here." :-p
(guess 2 out of 3 still apply!)
I love the Brits (not including the assholes in this story), but I wish they would rise up and take their country back from the LLL.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
08/11/2004 13:11 Comments ||
Top||
#8
Hey Barb, these guys aren't Brits. If they were they would be supporting the government of Britain, not fighting against it.
Posted by: remote man ||
08/11/2004 13:26 Comments ||
Top||
#9
B, lemmings is right. At least they are helping the economy of the west, since it cost them money to travel to thier death, and saves us looking for them.
#11
#9 Plus they never cash in their miles. Good deal all round
Posted by: Michael ||
08/11/2004 14:30 Comments ||
Top||
#12
On the bright side, at least Britain has figured out how to export instead of import. So long as they funnel these untrained Islamist rotters into one or another kill zone, its better than seeing Britain fall under Sharia law. But only barely.
#13
"Neither would give his name, but the elder, a confident 23-year-old, used the nomme de guerre Abu Haqid (father of fury)... The younger, quieter man - his 21-year-old nephew -called himself Abu Turab (father of dust, the connotation of death)."
Is it just me or do these names sound like they should be TM'd by Marvel Comics?
Police have arrested a close aide of a senior Pakistani al-Qaida operative who used to run a terror training camp in Afghanistan and was recently captured in the United Arab Emirates, an official said Thursday. The aide, identified only as Arshad, was arrested in a raid late Monday on a hideout in Sialkot, a city about 80 miles northwest of Lahore in eastern Pakistan, said Sialkot police chief Nisar Saroya. He said two of Arshad's associates escaped. Police seized 12 rockets, three rocket launchers, two AK-47 assault rifles, three pistols and ammunition.
The usual religious artifacts.
Arshad is believed to be a close aide of Qari Saifullah Akhtar who used to run a terror camp near the Afghan capital Kabul that trained 3,500 men in combat skills, including assassination and kidnapping. The Rishkhor camp was visited by Osama bin Laden and Taliban chief Mullah Mohammed Omar. Akhtar disappeared just before the U.S. bombing of Afghanistan in October 2001 that led to the ouster of the Taliban regime. He was arrested recently in Dubai, and Pakistani officials at the weekend that he had been flown to Pakistan for questioning. It wasn't immediately clear if the suspects arrested Monday had been planning to carry out any attack. "I can't disclose their plans until investigations are completed," Saroya told The Associated Press. Arshad is also suspected of links with two militant organizations - Harkat-e-Jihad-e-Islami and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, an al-Qaida-linked Sunni Muslim organization blamed for involvement in the killing of minority Shiite Muslims. Arshad, who had trained in Afghanistan, was wanted in the killings of 13 Shiites in attacks in various parts of Pakistan, Saroya said. It was unclear when those attacks had occurred.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/11/2004 9:45:51 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
EFL:
Insurgents fired mortar shells at U.S. forces moving into Najaf's vast cemetery and American jets roared overhead Wednesday, as the radical Shiite cleric leading the fight against coalition forces urged his followers to battle on even if he is killed. The U.S. military said U.S. and Iraqi security forces in Najaf were preparing to launch a major assault against the Mahdi Army militia loyal to cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. "Iraqi and U.S. forces are making final preparations as we get ready to finish this fight that the Muqtada militia started," said Col. Anthony M. Haslam, commanding officer of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
It was unclear whether that assault would involve raiding Najaf's holiest site, the Imam Ali Shrine, which would infuriate Iraq's Shiite majority. The military says the insurgents are using the golden-domed shrine in Najaf's old city as a refuge and the governor had given U.S. forces permission to raid it. Iraqi police set up checkpoints that cut Najaf in two as U.S. troops skirmished with Mahdi Army fighters near the shrine in the seventh day of fighting in the city. Gunbattles between militants and coalition forces in two other southern cities killed 18 people. In Najaf, militiamen were once again firing on U.S. troops from a building just 400 yards from the Imam Ali Shrine. On Tuesday, U.S. helicopter gunships pummeled the multistory hotel with rockets, missiles and 30 mm cannons, killing 20 people, the military said, in one of the closest strikes yet to the shrine. "We keep pushing south and they just keep coming," said Capt. Patrick McFall, from the 1st Cavalry Division.
Ibrahim al-Jaafari, Iraq's interim vice president, called on the U.S. troops to withdraw from Najaf. "Only Iraqi forces should stay in Najaf, these forces should be responsible for security and should save Najaf from this phenomenon of killing," al-Jaafari told Arab TV network Al-Jazeera from London on Wednesday. Coalition forces said they were operating in the city at the request of the government. Sporadic explosions could be heard elsewhere in the city. U.S. Marine Maj. David Holahan said Mahdi Army militants attacked three police stations Tuesday, two with small arms fire, one with eight mortar rounds. "We've pretty much just been patrolling and flying helicopters all over the place, and when we see something bad, we blow it up," said Holahan, executive officer of the 1st Battalion, 4th Marines Regiment. "I hope that you keep fighting even if you see me run away detained or martyred," al-Sadr said in a statement Wednesday. "I thank the dear fighters all over Iraq for what they have done to set back injustice." To control movement in Najaf, Iraqi police and national guards blocked roads that connect the city's northern and southern parts Wednesday.
Six recon pathfinders from 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, recently jumped into the Iraqi night sky and into history from a Marine KC-130 Hercules cargo plane belonging to the joint Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadrons 234 and 352, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. The high altitude high opening jump took place in western Iraq, July 23. Although reconnaissance Marines have religiously practiced air insertions time and time again, they have been virtually nonexistent in combat. According to Headquarters Marine Corps historical reports, the last combat airdrop a Marine Corps unit successfully performed was nearly 35 years ago.
The first was on June 14, 1966 during the Vietnam War. A small team of recon Marines made the low altitude night jump determined to quietly insert and set up an observation point within enemy territory. The team made it to the ground with only one small injury and was later extracted. The jump was hailed as a success by most involved and the combat jump was accepted as a viable means of placing Marines in hostile areas. The second, on Sept. 5, 1967, almost killed the combat airdrop idea for the Marine Corps. A group of nine Marines jumped into the night sky for a supposed 700-foot elevation drop. Because of mechanical malfunctions with the plane, the Marines unknowingly jumped from around 1500 to 2000 feet. The team was blown off course by unexpected winds and landed separately in dense jungles far from their intended target. They suffered numerous wounded, three of which had to be medically evacuated, and some of the team barely escaped capture by the enemy. The failure of this mission halted the process for two years until Nov. 17, 1969, when the last jump occurred and the three Vietnam jumps marked the end of the Marine Corps combat jump history - until now.
Theoretically, the jump was nothing different from the numerous training jumps the seasoned veterans have completed in their careers. What made this particular jump so special was the location and circumstances, claimed Master Sgt. Todd Smalenberg, primary jumpmaster, 1st Recon Bn. When the Marine Corps first implemented the parachute insertion program, the purpose was the clandestine insertion of troops to prevent enemy counter movement. The reasoning behind the July 23 mission was along similar lines, according to Maj. Douglas B. Davis, Hercules aircraft commander, Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 234, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. Davis was in charge of the Hercules aircraft that delivered the group of six pathfinders to their destination. "We were called in for this mission because the ground inserts were attracting a lot of attention and taking a lot of fire," the 36-year-old, McAllen, Texas native said. "They wanted to go in by parachute in order to avoid detection." [snip]
HUNDREDS of Nepalese troops launched raids yesterday on guerrilla hideouts in a remote mountainous area in the west of the country believed to be a stronghold of communist rebels, military officials said. The action came as the Maoist rebels threatened their first-ever blockade of Katmandu, saying they would block food and other supplies from reaching the hill-ringed capital unless the government gives in to a series of demands. Rebels want the release of detained guerrillas, a probe into alleged killings of Maoist activists and information about thousands of their missing comrades. They have ordered vehicles to stay off roads leading to Katmandu from next week. "We urge the blockade of all entry points to Katmandu," the Maoists said in a statement. "Anyone violating the call will themselves be responsible for the consequence arising from such defiance."
Nepalese army officials yesterday said they planned to penetrate rebel-held areas in Accham district, about 375 miles west of Katmandu, and flush the guerrillas out. The remote district has a dirt-strip airport and only few roads. Army helicopters dropped pamphlets warning villagers about the raids and urging them to stay away from rebel-organised rallies. Authorities have asked villagers not to gather in groups of more than three and to stay home as much as possible. The army received information suggesting that top rebel leaders were gathering in the district for a rally, Colonel Yagya Bahadur Rajaure said.
Fighting between rebels and government forces has escalated since peace talks broke down last year. The rebels say they are inspired by the Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong and want to replace Nepal's monarchy with a communist state. The Maoists control large swathes of the countryside in the desperately poor Himalayan nation and have had sufficient influence in the capital to enforce transport strikes there in the past. Since walking out of peace talks last August they have sponsored a series of largely effective blockades of provincial towns and villages, attacking cars, buses and lorries whose drivers defied their orders. The anti-monarchist revolt has claimed more than 10,000 lives, scared away investors and tourists and threatened the stability of multiparty democracy set up in 1990.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Anonymous5089 ||
08/11/2004 9:01:26 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
I'd keep an eye on this one. These things are usually bloodbaths.
AP Now reports 2 car bombs...anybody remember the drivel posted yesterday whining about Israeli checkpoints in the west bank hurting Paleo travel opportunities?
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/11/2004 8:58:36 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
An official in the Kremlin-backed regional administration of Chechnya says four Russian soldiers were killed and 13 wounded in guerrilla attacks and land-mine explosions in the last 24 hours. Speaking to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, the official said two soldiers died when rebels fired on Russian bases and checkpoints in the region. He said five Russian servicemen were wounded in the attacks. The official said a military vehicle hit a land mine in the capital, Grozny, killing one soldier and wounding three. A Russian sapper also was killed and another wounded while defusing an explosive device in Grozny's outskirts. He said four soldiers were wounded when rebels shelled a military vehicle outside Chiri-Yurt in the southern Shali District.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/11/2004 12:36:35 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
This is the other ongoing jihad.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
08/11/2004 1:25 Comments ||
Top||
#2
I got no problem with the Russians protecting their soil from these jihadi ass clowns. I think it flat sucks that the US goverment does not back total war on these Chechin ass bites. It makes no sense we do not support totally Russia against this scum.
#3
I agree fully FlameBait93268. I think we should cooperate militarily with the Russians. Wouldn't that be awesome? Imagine us truly working together, pooling our resources in Chechenya. We could kick their butts! We could use the Russian conscripts to probe & when contact is made with the enemy they could call in American airpower & spec ops forces. That's my dream anyway...
American troops fought simultaneous battles on Tuesday with rebel Shiite militiamen in Najaf and the Baghdad slum of Sadr City. But American commanders, preparing new battle orders, appeared to have deferred for the time being any decision to mount full-scale assaults on the rebels, weighing the consequences for their wider aim of bringing stability to Iraq.
On the sixth day since fighters loyal to the rebel Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr renewed their challenge to the American presence here, American units showed signs of rising impatience. In Najaf, loudspeakers atop patrolling Humvees urged residents to evacuate the city and warned Mr. Sadr's fighters to "leave the city, or you will die." As night fell in Sadr City, tanks and attack helicopters moved into militia-controlled neighborhoods, and American attack jets and pilotless Predator drones patrolled overhead.
With elections planned by the end of January, many Americans and Iraqis here say that Mr. Sadr's challenge offers a difficult choice. Either it will have to be answered with force now, at the risk of igniting an explosion of anger among Iraq's majority Shiite population, or with negotiation as it was at the time of Mr. Sadr's last lengthy uprising in the spring, with consequences that could cause the election plans and much that lies beyond them to unravel.
#2
Nothing here to indicate it. Typically sparse direct information, just descriptive crap spun per the NYT agenda.
The second sentence is idiotic, since it is dealing with the rebels that will bring stability, not waffling. But, of course, this is the NYT and confusion, hand-wringing, indecision, failure is the message they wish to convey.
Then we have the only quote from the American military: Still, American commanders insisted that they were ready to press ahead if Mr. Sadr fails to surrender. "All indications are that we are committed this time," said Lt. Col. Myles Miyamasu, who commands the First Battalion of the Fifth Cavalry Regiment, the Army unit that took over the fighting in the cemetery on Sunday, relieving units of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit. "Thereâs a will to win this fight. There are a lot of people we donât want to let down, including ourselves."
That is fairly definitive - and I'll bet it's the weakest quote they had, so they went with it. Fuck the NYT assholes.
#3
But American commanders, preparing new battle orders, appeared to have deferred for the time being any decision to mount full-scale assaults on the rebels, weighing the consequences for their wider aim of bringing stability to Iraq.
I see nothing wrong with this sentence. The commanders have several options, which include full scale assault,including on the mosque or continuing to use the cemetary as a kill zone, moving in quickly or allowing more time for civileans to depart, going in with more or fewer accompanying Iraqi forces, etc. All of these options have implications for the stability of Iraq, and its not necessarily obvious which ones are to be preferred to that end. None of the options imply not being committed, or not having a will to win. Ergo, the sentence does not contradict the quote.
Pardon if I seem nitpicky, dot com, but Ive followed John Burns since before the war, and IMHO hes one of the best American reporters in Iraq, he was one of the few who made it pretty clear pre-war how much American reporters in Baghdad were censored by the regime, he was one of the few who made clear how well we were doing militarily during the initial "quagmire" panic, etc. Im going to read him through the assumption that we he writes is reasonable, and doesnt represent a NYT line.
"Terror, totalitarian states, and their ways are nothing new to me, but I felt from the start that this was in a category by itself, with the possible exception in the present world of North Korea. I felt that that was the central truth that has to be told about this place. It was also the essential truth that was untold by the vast majority of correspondents here. Why? Because they judged that the only way they could keep themselves in play here was to pretend that it was okay.
There were correspondents who thought it appropriate to seek the approbation of the people who governed their lives. This was the ministry of information, and particularly the director of the ministry. By taking him out for long candlelit dinners, plying him with sweet cakes, plying him with mobile phones at $600 each for members of his family, and giving bribes of thousands of dollars. Senior members of the information ministry took hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes from these television correspondents who then behaved as if they were in Belgium. They never mentioned the function of minders. Never mentioned terror. "
#5
I repeat - the only attribution does not support the pull-back idea, just the opposite. If there is substance behind it, why no quote from the Mil Cmd spokesperson?
Personally, I would like them to simply report what IS going on, rather than speculate - and I assert that without corroboration from someone with a name and a position in the Mil Cmd, it is merely reporter blather, not substance.
Burns might be a fine reporter. He may be a great guy. You may have designs on his person. But this story is contradictory - no?
#6
Posters -- ALL story postings should include the source outlet, whether EFL, the reporter's name (if not staff only) as well as the date / time - especially if it's a reg req'd site - and a login when req'd if not posted in full. Use BugMeNot if you need to - but be complete and help the RB users - one lookup by the poster saves hundreds by the users.
LH -- Here's an AP Breaking News link chock full of quotes - which fairly fly in the face of Burns' wishy-washy limp-dick assertions. It's not stopping, slowing down, calling a hudna or anything of the sort. Even though it's AP, it's actually a NEWS story, full of facts and backup quotes, not a blather piece. I subscribed to the NYT, on and off (since in and out of the US), for more than a decade. I don't want their style of news anymore because they've lost almost all credibility - same for the BBC thing about "Demand a broader view" - unspun that means we'll tell you what to think. Aunty can FOAD, too!
I guess it's just a matter of taste. You can divine the facts from their posts, if you're able, I'll go elsewhere for the facts... and decide for myself what they mean, heh. Mebbe you enjoy the challenge, lol! I've become too curmudgeonly for it, I guess.
#7
The AP story was filed at 8:48 AM EST, this morning. Burns story, to make the AM NYT, would have had to have been filed a good ten hours earlier. Some stories resolve themselves with time. And this story has been changing, and quickly - three days ago Allawi and US authorities were asserting that the violence might be rogue mahdi army fighters acting without Sadrs consent, and Allawi was inviting Sadr into the political process (apparently with US consent). Just yesterday someone here was claiming that the USMC was using the cemetary as a kill zone, to attrit the Sadr fighters, and was ragging on the NYT and Burns for missing that - good thing, since it turns out the USMC was moving THROUGH the cemetary as fast as they could.
Look, Burns aint Edward R. Murrow - hell, Edward R Murrow probably wasnt the legend "Edward R. Murrow" - and everyones free to follow the sources that work for them - but it bugs me when we dont seperate out the wheat from the chaff, the John Burns' from the Maureen Dowds'.
#8
Touche' - I certainly don't equate this piece with Dowdism, heh, that would be truly cruel! Dowdy is the stupidest US twit excuse for a reporter / writer I've ever read. And she's a featured NYT columnist. Nuff said? Lol!
I agree it's moving fast. What irks is that this operation has been ongoing for days and for Burns to imply, as he did quite clearly, that there was some lull with re-think going on, is dead wrong and running the story without corroboration was disingenuous. I'll shift the blame for such outright deceptive tactics to the editorial staff, if that helps! The piece is shit, however, from the POV of truth - and nothing assuages that fact. I just watched the Fox report and the ass-kicking proceeds apace.
No sweat, bro - you can read the NYT and pick 'n choose what makes sense (like I said - you may enjoy the challenge, heh) and I'll get my news elsewhere!
#9
to get back on topic, it DOES seem like the decision has been made to finish Sadr off, and to do it as quickly as possible, while trying to avoid major damage to the shrine. Civilians evactuated, effort to surround the shrine. Cut them off from supplies - is there water available in the shrine? Then go in with light weapons, or maybe even just non lethals - gotta watch out, dont want a Waco where the tear gas gets set on fire. Sistani seems to have left to keep his hands clean of Sadrs fate. Im not sure about Jaafaris angle - he cant really think Iraqi forces can handle this alone - so is it a backhanded way of pressing for negotiations, or is just positioning himself for future political rivalry, not expecting to be taken seriously?
Posted by: B ||
08/11/2004 11:04 Comments ||
Top||
#13
BTW - the Fox report wasn't just reporters - it was a Jarine Colonel (IIRC) who told the story himself and said we're ready, we have all the firepower we need, and this is it.
'It was unclear whether the assault would involve raiding Najaf's holiest site, the Imam Ali Shrine , which would infuriate Iraq's Shiite majority. The military said the insurgents are using the golden-domed shrine in Najaf's old city as a refuge and the governor has given U.S. forces permission to raid it.
Marine Major David Holohan, an executive officer of the 1st Battalion 4th Marines in Najaf, told FOX News that the American troops are taking their cue from the Iraqi forces, "who obviously know best what to do to defeat al-Sadr."
"We have enough firepower and training and equipment to deal with al-Sadr," Holohan continued. "There's really do doubt on our end ... as soon as we're given the signal to go" they'll strike.
Holohan said the people in Najaf have been supportive of the mission to root out the militia and actually have been "somewhat dismayed" that more hasn't been done sooner.
"The people in the town, they really want us to go forward," he said.
But Holohan clarified that it's al-Sadr's militia that's the target, not the cleric himself.
"We are going after the militia and the signal we're trying to give is, 'fight us and we'll destroy you,'" he said. "They're trained and they make us work a little harder to defeat them ⦠it's not light and it's not easy but they're not capable of defeating us," he added.'
Earlier Wednesday, the Marines said they were training Iraqi security forces in preparation to launch a major assault to root out the fighters. But later, a Marine commander said the offensive was postponed. No timeframe was given. "Preparations to do the offensive are taking longer than initially anticipated," U.S. Marine Maj. David Holahan. "It doesn't matter now, they know we're coming."
#18
yeah, but wapo actually managed to quote a 1st Cav officer
The people will tell you they want it to end," said Army Lt. Col. Myles Miyamasu, a battalion commander in the 1st Cavalry Division's 5th Regiment, which hurried from Baghdad on Thursday to reinforce the Marines. "They're ready for this to be over."
#20
It sounds like the Marines are using Najaf as an Isolated Arena/Free Fire Zone. Inviting Tater and his local yokels to come in and get their asses waxed. Time and time again.
Eventually, I'd like to see a Jimmy Dean's Sausage factory springing up from the city's rubble.
Just to let them know that we care.
Posted by: Jack Deth ||
08/11/2004 18:28 Comments ||
Top||
#21
They got the Marines AND the "First Team" (First Cav) in on 'em? God help 'em. They're ph00ked, they just dont know it yet.
Supporters of the militant Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr challenged authorities in Baghdad on Tuesday by setting up makeshift checkpoints and attacking police stations in a bid to widen a confrontation centered in the southern city of Najaf. An official at the Health Ministry said 10 people were killed here and more than 100 wounded. Gunmen briefly asserted control of some Baghdad neighborhoods and called for a curfew over the entire city. Authorities rejected the demand and said the city remained securely under government control, despite scattered reports that some policemen had chosen to hide rather than fight.
Residents of several neighborhoods said streets emptied when members of the Mahdi Army, the militia loyal to Sadr, came through, apparently unchallenged by the police. "They send small groups to the streets to set up checkpoints and terrify people," said a police official in Zayouna, an upper-class neighborhood of Baghdad, speaking on condition of anonymity. "It is difficult to fight them in the residential neighborhoods and narrow alleys because the Mahdi Army controls these places."
But Sabah Kadhim, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, dismissed the accounts of roving Mahdi Army patrols as "rumors and lies. They are cowards, and they use a hit-and-run method to create chaos to confuse the police. We will not give them a chance to control the streets." The Mahdi Army appeared to control Sadr City, a Shiite stronghold in northeast Baghdad, flouting a government-imposed curfew in the area. U.S. troops remain largely outside Sadr City, and Iraqi police and security forces have not challenged Sadr's forces there. A resident of Sadr City said Tuesday that it was quiet there until evening, when clashes resumed. Heavy clashes were reported in Baghdad's Mansour district, and there were numerous mortar strikes in Baghdad on Tuesday morning, many of them targeting police stations and government buildings. The ministries of oil and information both were struck, but they sustained minimal damage.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/11/2004 12:08:17 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
Two British men have joined the Mehdi Army of radical cleric Moqtada al Sadr in fighting coalition forces in Iraq. The two Iraqi-born men travelled to the holy Shia city of Najaf, the centre of the al-Sadr uprising, to take part in the battle against US forces besieging the city. The two Londoners, an uncle and nephew with just two years between them, explained their motivation to The Times.
The continuing Excellent Adventures of Clive and Trevor!
Interviewed by the newspaper in the shrine of Imam Ali in Najaf, they insisted that they were ready to die alongside their fellow Muslims in the country in which they were born. The elder Briton told the newspaper: "It is our country and there are invaders here. We have taken the side of Moqtada al Sadr because we believe it is the right side." The tall, bearded, Arabic-speaking 23-year-old, was asked why he came to fight. He replied: "It is evil against the angels." His 21-year-old nephew, added: "Bush said you are either with us or against us. We had to decide whether to be with him or against him, so we are against him, obviously." Obviously.
Posted by: Seafarious ||
08/11/2004 12:14:41 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
I'm sure they will be assigned to stand in front of a more valuable experienced jihadi fighter so that they can learn the ropes.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
08/11/2004 3:22 Comments ||
Top||
#2
A 23 year old and his 21 year old nephew - fuggin hillbillies. I'm sure the UK press will be catching up with the families in a couple of days.. can't wait to see the remains coming home in a cigarette packet. Repatriation time..
Posted by: Howard UK ||
08/11/2004 4:49 Comments ||
Top||
#3
They got Hillbillies in the U.K.? Oh my bad, Now I remember where most of those folks in Kentucky originally came from long ago. Some of them were my Mothers antecedents but they all moved and became "okies" I don't think her family was much into wedding first cousins like these clowns. I think they should be brought home and put on trial if they survive long enough. They prolly are not "angles or saxons" claiming to be born in Iraq as they do.
#4
"The elder Briton told the newspaper: "It is our country and there are invaders here."
I would take this as a renunciation of their British citizenship. What say, Bulldog? AFAIC any Islamist in the West is an invader and we should treat them like this pair want to treat our soldiers.
#5
"The elder Briton told the newspaper: "It is our country and there are invaders here."
I would take this as a renunciation of their British citizenship. What say, Bulldog? AFAIC any Islamist in the West is an invader and we should treat them like this pair want to treat our soldiers.
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.
