MECCA, Saudi Arabia (UPI) -- Saudi security forces seized two terror suspects in a hotel in the holy city of Mecca, reports said Monday.
The security forces arrested the suspects at dawn Sunday after being tipped off to their presence in a hotel in the neighborhood of Markaziya, the Saudi newspaper Okaz reported. Interior Ministry spokesman Mansour Turki said, 'Police are interrogating the suspects at present.'
"WACK! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
In the meantime, security officers have been interrogating 11 people arrested following the confrontation last week between al-Qaida gunmen and police in east Saudi Arabia to check if they were involved in helping the terrorists.
"You helping terrorists?"
"Nope"
"OK, you're free to go."
The paper said the detainees include employees in car rental companies and the owner of the villa where the terrorists were hiding in Dammam.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/12/2005 11:57 ||
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A mob of around 700 people have taken to the streets of Belfast in a new wave of loyalist rioting, police said. Petrol bombs and missiles were thrown at security lines on Albertbridge Road in the east of the city. One police officer has been reported injured. A blast bomb also exploded outside New Barnsley Police Station in west Belfast, causing minor damage. The trouble follows the worst rioting in years on Saturday - sparked by the re-routing of an Orange Order march...
#3
Nobody plays well with others in the north. The Republic's citizens have come a long way in abandoning hate inspired madness (despite what they were sometimes not so subtley taught) though up in the north the political animals of both loyalist and nationalist stripes (less political than organized crime syndicates) can't seem to evolve in the least. Republicans can't bring themselves to fully abandon the rhetoric BS and it's trappings for a more pragmatic approach and the loyalists can't read the writing on the wall and accept the fact that it's not worth it to be "Loyalists" to something that just doesn't really want you. Everybody there seems to forget that they'll have to learn to live with themselves one day and the sooner the better for all concerned.
An FBI intelligence analyst with top secret clearance was charged Monday with passing classified information about Filipino leaders to current and former officials of that nation.
The analyst, Leandro Aragoncillo, sent some of the material to Michael Ray Aquino, a former deputy director of the Philippines National Police who lives in New York City, according to an FBI complaint made public Monday.
Both men were arrested Saturday at their homes.
Aragoncillo, 46, of Woodbury, was hired to work at the Army's Fort Monmouth in July 2004 and began sending classified information and documents in January, according to the complaint.
didn't take him long
From May to Aug. 15, Aragoncillo printed or downloaded 101 classified documents relating to the Philippines, of which 37 were classified "secret," the complaint said. Details of the documents' contents were not disclosed in court papers or in court.
U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie said there was no evidence that the administration of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was involved, but he would not say if the suspects were in contact with opposition factions. The Asian nation has been beset by persistent coup rumors since Arroyo was accused of rigging last year's elections.
Aquino is not related to former Philippine President Corazon Aquino.
Aragoncillo, a Marine for 21 years,
here or there? better not be here ....
and Aquino were ordered held without bail following an appearance before a federal magistrate.
After his arrest, Aragoncillo "essentially admitted that he took classified information," Assistant U.S. Attorney Karl H. Buch told the magistrate.
Aragoncillo, a Filipino who is a naturalized U.S. citizen, was suspended by the FBI on Monday. Leslie Wiser Jr., the special agent in charge of the FBI's New Jersey operations, said it was "disheartening" that one of the agency's workers faces such charges.
Christie would not say what motivated the suspects. In court, Buch said that Aragoncillo had $500,000 in debts and that Aquino had been investigated in the Philippines in connection with a conspiracy to murder two people.
The investigation began after Aquino, 39, was arrested in March, accused of overstaying the tourist visa he used to enter the country in July 2001.
The defendants face a charge of conspiracy and a charge of acting as unregistered foreign agents, the latter of which carries a sentence of up to 10 years and a $250,000 fine. Aragoncillo also was charged with unauthorized use of a government computer, which carries a sentence of up to 10 years and a $250,000 fine.
Both men were represented Monday by federal public defenders.
#1
In court, Buch said that Aragoncillo had $500,000 in debts..
Aren't people that handle classified material or in sensitive positions subjected to close and ongoing financial scrutiny? Seems to me that if such were the case, the FBI would have pulled the plug $450,000 ago.
A large portion of Los Angeles was hit with a blackout Monday afternoon. The city was investigating the cause and extent of the outage. But Sgt. Catherine Plows, a police spokeswoman, said terrorism was not suspected. Electrical power was knocked out shortly before 1 p.m. after two power surges, and traffic was snarled at intersections throughout the city when stop lights went dark. The lights also went out at downtown high- rises.
The Police Department went on "full tactical alert," meaning no officers were allowed to leave duty.
Looting in 10...9..8..BANG!.."rosebud"...looting canceled
The blackout came a day after ABC aired a videotape of a purported al- Qaida member making terrorist threats against Los Angeles and Melbourne, Australia, on the fourth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
I'm sure they'll claim credit
Heavy usage on hot days can lead to blackouts. But the weather in Los Angeles was not unsually hot Monday.
#6
Then he reconnected to the wrong point, causing surges up to roll up the valley, which caused the affected substations to trip out - an automatic safety procedure. So now, they're correcting the screwup and resetting the various substations. Truly, there's nothing to see here.
#11
Did they let the Blue Smoke out? If you let the Blue Smoke out of anything electrical it won't work anymore. That's what happened to my refrigerator.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
09/12/2005 19:14 Comments ||
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#12
Media and Democrats blaming Bush in 5, 4, 3, ...
Massive blasts rocked the armory of a Philippines police camp, which also houses a prison for Islamic militants, in suburban Manila shortly before midnight (1600 GMT) Monday, officials said. No casualties were reported in the explosions, which witnesses said tore through an underground magazine and surrounding buildings inside the sprawling National Capital Region Police Command in the Camp Bagong Diwa complex in eastern Manila. Several buildings were still on fire about an hour later, with the menace of exploding munitions preventing firemen from approaching the area. "The ammunition dump exploded, causing damage to several nearby buildings," national police chief Arturo Lomibao told reporters. "There is no indication" of sabotage, he said. "Based on evidence this was not caused by an enemy attack."
Even though they can't get near the place?
He said police did not know the cause of the blasts. "We should find out in due time," he added.
"Yasss...soon, very soon."
Chief Superintendent Aneto Tolentino, the logistics chief of the Manila police, said a police guard on duty was told to say he saw a lightning bolt strike the reinforced concrete bunker shortly before the explosions started. The magazine is one of two ammunition dumps at the site and contained "defective explosives that are due for disposal," he said over GMA television here.
I'm not a ammo or engineering maven...is it even possible that a lightning strike could ignite a reinforced concrete bunker full of 'defective' explosives?
Most of its contents are eventually transported to an air force bombing range in the northern Philippines where they are safely exploded, he added. Another ammunition dump for non-defective munitions was not affected by the blasts.
And by the way...
The police camp also houses a high-security prison for Islamic militants. Twenty-two inmates were killed in a prison revolt that was put down by force there last March. The blasts occurred shortly after President Gloria Arroyo put on her finest sash -n- sprockets ensemble and flew to New York to attend a general assembly meeting of the United Nations. Lomibao said it was just a "coincidence" that the fire occurred shortly after she left.
It's all so terribly coincidental.
Police in Manila had been placed on high alert amid rumors of possible destabilization attempts following the defeat of an impeachment complaint against Arroyo last week for alleged election fraud.
#1
Didn't something similar happen in Saudi Arabia a while back, resulting in the deaths of all the inmates in the prison? So, do we think this is sabatoge, incompetence, or malice aforethought?
International terrorist groups may use Southeast Asia to target India, says a leading expert.
According to a new book, the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM), the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami-Bangladesh (HUJI-B) and foreign branches of the Tablighi Jamaat have been responsible for most terror attacks in India since 1999.
All these groups are members of Osama bin Laden's International Islamic Federation (IIF).
"It is reasonable to feel concerned that in future they might begin using the Southeast Asian countries for operations mounted against India," says B. Raman, a former Indian government official. His paper, Jihadi Terrorism, forms part of the book, "Terrorism in Southeast Asia: Implications for South Asia".
Raman also points to the possibility of the jehadi groups in Southeast Asia forming sleeper cells in southern India.
"The increased interest displayed by the LeT in Southeast Asia could be an indicator of its interest in exploring the possibility of infiltrating into south India with the help of recruits from among the large number of south Indian Muslim migrants in Singapore and Indonesia," Raman says.
"South India has till now remained free of overt acts of international jihadi terrorism.
"However, the LeT has been trying to set up pan-Islamic jihadi movements in south India... In this connection, an LeT presence in Southeast Asia should be of concern to India."
Two years ago the Tamil Nadu Police uncovered a plan to set up a new group called the Muslim Defence Force by some locals who were allegedly in touch with a Gulf-based cadre of LeT identified as Abu Hamza.
"Though this plan has been thwarted for the time being, renewed attempts are likely in future."
Raman pointed to the growing strategic relations between India and Western countries such as the US, Britain and France. Western military ships have also called on south Indian ports.
Referring to the detention of 13 suspected members of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) in Singapore in 2002 who were of Indian origin, he said this showed the Southeast Asian-based group "has already made some inroads into the community of Indian origin in this region.
"It would be reasonable to presume that there could be others who remain undetected so far."
Raman called for greater interaction by India, at the governmental and non-governmental levels, with the countries of the region and their security and counter-terrorism agencies.
"Bilateral cooperation with some countries such as Singapore has been quite good. Much more needs to be done."
The writer pointed out that Tablighi Jamaat was an Islamic humanitarian organisation with headquarters in India and was formed during the British Raj with the ostensible purpose of making Muslims better Muslims.
While its workers in India have confined their activities to its stated aims, its branches in Pakistan and Bangladesh have helped the Pakistani members of the IIF to recruit cadres for terrorist activities.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/12/2005 03:32 ||
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If this AP story title isn't infuriating enough...
Screw the Road Map
Palestinian boys waded fully clothed into the Mediterranean on once-forbidden beaches. Parents guided children through demolished Jewish settlements, where scavengers grabbed everything from red roof tiles to light posts. Hundreds climbed over a wall separating Gaza and Egypt to reunite with relatives.
Gaza's Palestinians got their first taste of freedom after Israeli troops left the coastal strip Monday. They took full possession of the territory for the first time following hundreds of years of subjugation by the Ottoman Empire, the British, the Egyptians and finally the Israelis.
''These are days of glory,'' Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas declared. But he warned of the long road ahead to Palestinian statehood.
The storming of the Egyptian border marred the celebrations, as did a series of deaths.
The Palestinians who clamored over the walls included Islamic militants waving the green Hamas flag, raising Israeli concerns about whether Palestinian and Egyptian security can control the territory and its border.
Egyptian border guards shot and killed one Palestinian; four others, who did not know how to swim, drowned after jumping into the ocean, Palestinian health officials said.
Yet for one day, euphoria poured over this overcrowded and economically depressed sliver of land. Traffic jams paralyzed Gaza as Palestinians marveled at the remnants of Israel's 38-year occupation and went to places that had been off limits for years.
''Since last night, I have been in the street, for no reason, just to breathe the air of freedom,'' said Samir Khader, a farmer in northern Gaza who had needed Israeli permits to go in and out of his village, flanked by Jewish settlements. ''I don't know what the future will bring, but at least, I can come in and out of my house at any time.''
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/12/2005 20:14 ||
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#1
"Four [Palestinians], who did not know how to swim, drowned after jumping into the ocean."
#3
The first thing the IDF should do is immediately install counter mortar-arty/counter rocket lasers in an overlapping pattern along the entire Gaza border facing Israeli populated areas. If they have not done so already, they are remiss.
The technology exists, the Israelis certainly have it. The also have the industries that can make it, and they should easily be able to afford it.
Here is a large scale map of the area. It should be abundantly clear where just a few of those weapons could counter most of what the Gazans could throw at them:
#4
I might also add that by looking at the map, you see the instant contrast between the amazing development years of Israeli labor has done to their side, while the Paleo side has remained as desolate as it ever was.
The only difference was that the Israelis used their money wisely, and the Paleos wasted theirs on corrupt leaders and hatred.
A Palestinian man has been shot dead Monday afternoon and other injured on the Egyptian â Gaza border, after Egyptian border troops opened fire on Palestinian crowds who were attempting to infiltrate Egypt. An Egyptian source has denied the reports. Lies! All lies!
Gonna be a tough day when the Paleos get a clue.
The Palestinian man has been named as 37 year-old Nafez Atiya. He was shot in the neck after trying to cross the fence and get into Egypt.
Israel had left Gaza over the previous night, and the IDF had removed its soldiers from the Philadelphi Strip. Egyptian soldiers took their place, following an agreement between Cairo and Jerusalem on the deployment of Egyptian border troops on the border.
According to witnesses, Egyptian security forces opened fire after thousands of Palestinians crossed the Egyptian â Gazan border, dancing and celebrating Israelâs withdrawal from Gaza. Egyptian soldiers first fired warning shots into the air, before firing in the direction of the crowds crossing into Egypt.
I don't think the Paleos understand the meaning of 'warning shots'. Head-high shots, however, they understand.
Palestinian security forces stood on the side and did not act to restrain the crowds, and failed to prevent the chaotic scenes. Nope. Surprise meter didn't twitch.
In Kfar Darom, dozens of gunmen from the Popular Front wondered around unchallenged by Palestinian Authority security forces, who sat underneath trees in silence. I'm not gonna arrest them. You arrest them.
Foreign Minister Silvan slammed the burning of Gaza synagogues, characterizing it as âa barbaric act by people who have no respect for holy places.â Unless it's one of the 23769 holy places of islam.
I don't think that was meant for domestic consumption.
#3
Well, that didn't take long, did it? It may be uncharitable, but I look forward to watching the Palestinians stew in their own seething juices. I am sure the Egyptians are *not* going to be happy with their Paleo 'brothers'. Pass the popcorn, please.
#5
MSM rage and UN sanctions against Egypt in 5..4..3.. oh, they aren't Jews? Nevermind. Continue as needed Egypt.
Seriously, this is why I support Israel pulling out of the territories and walling them off. The paleos will kill each other and their arab "brothers" will kill them if they try to escape.
Cut 'em off and let them wither.
#8
So whats the difference between Gazans and Egyptians?
Congenital seething and victimhood is a Paleo trait
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/12/2005 15:08 Comments ||
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#9
Egypt doesn't need more seething, unemployed wingnuts. On top of that they are seething, unemployed Paleo wingnuts. I think everyone understands this âbrotherhoodâ stuff only goes so far in the âUmmah.â
#10
Regular Egyptians can live anywhere in Egypt. Gazans can only live in Gaza (or Israel). They're a breed apart.
Just like most Jordanians can live anywhere in Jordan, and probably most of Syria, Arabia, Iraq, etc. But those on the West Bank can only live on the west bank (or Israel).
#11
I get the impression that part of the reason Arabs want an independent Palestine is so they can send the ones among them back where they came from.
#12
I wonder why is it that The Guardian, et al have not picked up on these news and showed to the world how "cruel-inhumane, etc,etc" are Egyptians towards the "poor" Palestinians.
#13
In another incident, five Palestinian teenagers from Khan Yunis drowned in the sea near the former settlement of Neve Dekalim. Hundreds of Palestinians rushed to the beach on Monday morning, complaining that they had been prevented from swimming for more than four years.
#17
Gaza was part of Egypt until occupied by Israel- in the Six Day War (I think.)So whats the difference between Gazans and Egyptians?
Actually, Gaza was "occupied Palestine" under the Egyptians from the 1948 Israeli War of Independence until the 1967 six-day war. The same is true of the West Bank - it was (Jordanian) "occupied Palestine". In truth, both were "given" to the Jews as part of the Balfour Declaration, and Israel should have kept them. They'd have to kick out the Arabs living there, but what the heck, they're going to have to do it eventually, anyway. Either that or kill them all. Anything less would be like keeping alive a deadly parasite in your legs, but not "allowing" it to creep into your torso.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/12/2005 18:00 Comments ||
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#18
Hope they don't complain too much if the Israelis remove that eyesore mosque sitting on top of the ruins of the temple of Solomon.
Won't matter.
Posted by: Abu al-MacSuirtain ||
09/12/2005 19:23 Comments ||
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#19
Egypt doesn't want the Paleos infiltrating/fomenting in Egypt. They'll finally start enforcing the no-smuggling border, adn whacking Paleos to get some semblance of control. Israel's dumped the steaming pile back on the Arab's doorstep
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/12/2005 19:24 Comments ||
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#20
..after Egyptian border troops opened fire on Palestinian crowds who were attempting to infiltrate Egypt.
Sheesh, can't those Paleos at least respect their fellow Arabs just a teeny bit??
#21
their fellow Arabs treat the Paleos as "Arab n*ggers". They were useful to tweak the Jooooos and play victim, but no Arab country wants them, especially assimilated. See: "Camps and UN"
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/12/2005 21:43 Comments ||
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Afghan officials say they have arrested two people they believe were intending to carry out suicide bomb attacks in the capital, Kabul. The officials told the BBC the two men were found with explosives on them when they were arrested. The past year has seen the worst violence in Afghanistan since 2001. There are fears of more attacks by the Taleban and other militant groups in the run up to parliamentary elections on Sunday.
The suspected suicide bombers were arrested on Sunday, officials said, in a central area of Kabul. Two vehicles were also seized in the operation, they said. The officials said they believed the two men had been trained in neighbouring Pakistan, although they did not provide any evidence. Afghan officials in the past have accused the Pakistani authorities of failing to prevent extremists operating on their soil who then infiltrate Afghanistan. There have been several suicide bomb attacks this year. The last one in Kabul in May killed three people. An official said Kabul was on high alert because it was a particular target before polling day.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/12/2005 08:33 ||
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#1
No virgins for you if you boom yourself didn't you get the fatwah?
Insurgents staged a classic guerrilla retreat from Tal Afar yesterday, melting into the countryside through a network of tunnels to escape an Iraqi-U.S. force that reported killing about 150 rebels while storming the militant bastion.
With the city swept clear of extremists for the second time in a year, Iraqi and U.S. military leaders vowed to redouble efforts to crush insurgents operating all along the Syrian frontier and in the Euphrates River valley.
"Tal Afar is just one piece of an overarching operation. We are not going to tolerate a safe haven anywhere in Iraq," said Army Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, deputy chief of staff for coalition forces in Iraq.
As Baghdad kept a border crossing into Syria closed about 60 miles west of Tal Afar, Defense Minister Sadoun al-Dulaimi issued a warning: "The Syrians have to stop sending destruction to Iraq. We know the terrorists have no other gateway into Iraq but Syria."
The United States and Iraq routinely charge that Syria's government does little to stop the flow of Arab fighters across the border. Syrian leaders contend they are doing all they can to prevent that.
While insurgents were retreating from Tal Afar, militants elsewhere killed one U.S. soldier and a British soldier in separate roadside bombings yesterday and assassinated an official in Iraq's Interior Ministry.
A Task Force Liberty soldier was killed and two were wounded during a pre-dawn patrol near Samarra, 60 miles north of the capital. At least 1,897 U.S. personnel have died since the Iraq war started in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.
In the southern city of Basra, a British soldier was killed and three were wounded in an attack on their convoy, the British Ministry of Defense said in London. Britain has reported at least 96 deaths since the war began.
Police said Maj. Gen. Adnan Abdul Rihman, the Interior Ministry's director of police training, had been fatally shot in front of his west Baghdad home as he waited for a ride to work.
Tal Afar had been cleared of militants a year ago, but insurgents moved back after U.S. troop numbers in the area were reduced.
U.S. warplanes bombed several suspected militant targets in the city last week, and the long-expected assault to again take Tal Afar was launched early Saturday by 5,000 Iraqi soldiers backed by a 3,500-strong American armored force.
By last night, the joint force reported 156 insurgents killed and 246 captured. It said troops had found a big bomb factory, 18 weapons caches and the network of escape tunnels beneath Tal Afar's ancient Sarai neighborhood.
After stiff initial resistance Saturday, insurgents fell back, and their stronghold was nearly deserted when the joint force moved in.
"The terrorists had seen it coming [and prepared] tunnel complexes to be used as escape routes," Lynch said.
As troops continued house-to-house searches in Tal Afar, a group claiming to be an offshoot of al Qaeda in Iraq said it would strike U.S. positions and the Iraqi government in Baghdad with "chemical and unconventional weapons... unless the military operations in Tal Afar stop within 24 hours."
The Mujahedeen of the Victorious Sect posted the threat on an Islamic Web site known as a clearinghouse for militant messages. The claim could not be authenticated, but it was the second such threat since Friday, when al Qaeda in Iraq said it would use chemical weapons against Baghdad's Green Zone, which houses the Iraqi government, parliament and the U.S. Embassy.
The al Qaeda leader in Iraq also purportedly criticized U.S. and Iraqi forces for the fighting in Tal Afar and urged his fighters to prepare for a "final" battle in an audiotape posted yesterday on the Internet.
The recording attributed to Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi claimed that the insurgents had inflicted casualties on the allied troops in the Tal Afar battle.
"The Crusaders mobilized their big armies and used the most destructive and lethal weapons and the most deadly and hurtful poison gas together with their stooges," he said. "But God made them drink at the hands of the mujahedeen the different kinds of death and made them face horrible things that they will never forget."
The man on the audio recording also urged his fighters to be ready for a "final" battle and show no kindness to the Americans, whom he called "cowards who always seek to run away."
The voice could not be authenticated. However it was similar to previous recordings attributed to the Jordanian-born al-Zarqawi. The tape was posted on an Islamic Web site often used as a clearinghouse for militant statements.
U.S. officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
The U.S. military, meanwhile, said it killed a key al Qaeda leader, identified only as Abu Zayd, during a raid on a safe house in Mosul, 45 miles east of Tal Afar.
Al-Dulaimi said the offensive in Tal Afar would be a model as his forces soon thrust farther west toward the Syrian border and south into the Euphrates valley.
"We are warning those who have given shelter to terrorists that they must stop, kick them out or else we will cut off their hands, heads and tongues as we did in Tal Afar," al-Dulaimi added, seemingly using figurative language.
He said only five government soldiers had been killed and three wounded in the Tal Afar fighting, the biggest military operation in Iraq for months.
Most of Tal Afar's residents fled before the fighting, and tens of thousands are living in tent cities to the north and east. Food, water and medical supplies are scarce.
"This camp is suffering from the lack of medicine. I need an ambulance to evacuate the critical cases," said Dr. Abdullah Jassem, the only physician at a camp near the village of al-Alouliyah.
Women and children lined up with bowls waiting for small rations of rice, chicken and tomato gravy.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/12/2005 03:15 ||
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#1
Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi is losing. When complaints and threats like this are made it's a sign of sure defeat to follow.
#2
"We are warning those who have given shelter to terrorists that they must stop, kick them out or else we will cut off their hands, heads and tongues as we did in Tal Afar," al-Dulaimi added, seemingly using figurative language.
#3
As troops continued house-to-house searches in Tal Afar, a group claiming to be an offshoot of al Qaeda in Iraq said it would strike U.S. positions and the Iraqi government in Baghdad with "chemical and unconventional weapons... unless the military operations in Tal Afar stop within 24 hours."
I thought there weren't any chemical and unconventional weapons in Iraq.
#4
Nah! No unconventional weapons, but a lotta hot air!
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/12/2005 7:29 Comments ||
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#5
"...Insurgents staged a classic guerrilla retreat from Tal Afar yesterday, melting into the countryside through a network of tunnels to escape an Iraqi-U.S. force that reported killing about 150 rebels while storming the militant bastion...."
The reporter was obviously delighted that terrorists escaped here. The terrorists, having won the hearts and minds of the liberal press, are breaking the hearts of their fanclub.
Al Qaeda has marked the fourth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington with a warning of future strikes in Los Angeles and Melbourne, and this rebuke to the American people: You don't get what we're fighting for.
The 11-minute message, purportedly from Al Qaeda and produced by its video production house As-Sahab, was delivered to ABC News in Pakistan and seen by the Monitor in Kabul. In the video, a masked combatant identified as Azam al-Amriki, or Azam the American, speaks in American-accented English; Arabic subtitles are included.
Mr. Azam says Western leaders have misled the public about Al Qaeda's motivations.
"Four years after the blessed raids on New York and Washington, we find the people of the West continuing to speculate about their causes and objectives," he says. "We see no acceptable excuse for this continuing uncertainty, especially since the mujahideen have been unambiguous in stating their methodology on justice and the reasons for their armed struggle against the crusaders, and they have not heeded anything."
For some US analysts, the frustration expressed in the most recent tape is more a reflection of the failings of Al Qaeda since the success of their Sept. 11 attacks than of the world's inability to understand their cause.
"Once again this expresses Al Qaeda's complete naivete about the real impact of their actions," says Michael O'Hanlon, a military affairs analyst at the Brookings Institution in Washington. Most terrorist organizations have internal debates about their tactics and appear to adjust them based on results, Mr. O'Hanlon says. But not Al Qaeda.
"If you look at the terrorist groups targeting Israel, you see they debate what targets and means are legitimate, there is some indication of a debate about the ethics of terrorism. But we don't see any of that in Al Qaeda," he says.
Rather, recent statements by Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, suggest that it is the lack of debate in the West about the political aims behind Al Qaeda's terror attacks that seems to be bothering Al Qaeda.
In a November 2004 message to the American people, a yellow-robed Mr. bin Laden sought to play more statesman than terrorist, explaining the roots of his wrath towards the US and suggesting his goal was to bankrupt Washington through costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A Sept. 1, 2005 statement by Al Zawahiri, meanwhile, went even further, calling the British people "idiots incapable of understanding."
In the latest tape, Azam, flanked by two automatic rifles, demands a withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as changes in Western governments.
"Rid yourselves of your current leaders and governments and their anti-Islam, anti-Muslim policies or suffer the consequences," Azam says.
Unless Western leaders "heed the mujahideen's demand for justice" in the Muslim world further attacks can be expected, he says. "Yesterday, London and Madrid. Tomorrow, Los Angeles, and Melbourne, Allah willing. At this time, don't count on us demonstrating restraint or compassion."
Azam chastises European leaders for "arrogantly dismissing" a bin Laden truce offer "with the false claim that, 'We don't negotiate with terrorists, and that in any case, Al Qaeda has no demands to meet.' "
For O'Hanlon, the expectation that a group can go around the world "targeting innocent people, and then expect those same people to see the rightness of its cause is just absurd thinking." What that suggests to him, is that "Osama bin Laden is not the mastermind of hearts-and-minds warfare that he is often portrayed to be."
Others say the frustration expressed in the tape probably reflects more than anything the reality of an Al Qaeda that is unable, four years after Sept. 11, to mount a terrorist action in the US at will.
"Had the terrorists had any residual ability to strike in the US they would have done it in the wake of Katrina and with the 9/11 anniversary, but all they could do was make a tape," says Ralph Peters, a retired Army intelligence office and terrorism expert.
The real source of frustration for the Al Qaeda leadership, Mr. Peters says, is that "9/11 has backfired horribly on them. What's infuriating them is that they have failed to gain traction in the Muslim regions where they thought they would."
Just back from a swing through east Africa, Peters says he saw repeated signs of Al Qaeda's failure to raise anything beyond occasional individual interest.
"Since 9/11, Al Qaeda has not been able to excite a mass international movement," Peters says. "Their frustration, despite their occasional success at mounting a dramatic operation or inspiring other groups to do one, is that no matter what they do, on the broader scale they are unable to make progress."
US authorities believe Azam is the nom du guerre of Adam Gadahn, a California native and Muslim convert believed to have joined Al Qaeda. He was the front man on an earlier As-Sahab video released just days before the 2004 US presidential elections that warned of colossal terrorist attacks.
The tape was delivered to an ABC producer in Islamabad, Pakistan on Sept. 10 by a courier who would not identify himself. It was the second time a courier delivered an As-Sahab release to the US network.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/12/2005 00:17 ||
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#1
IOW, the USA was attacked on 9-11 by an organized entity(s) of hate other than Al Qaeda per se, where Osama and the Burqua Boyz, etc. are mere puppets in the control of their shadow masters, and whom prefer political or propaganda-based achievements or victory over military. Something or some persons as absolutist, "conservative", and violence-oriented as Radical Islam yet is NOT Radical Islam - SUb-IOW, SOcialists, Orientalsits, Anarchists and Commmies!?
#2
Adam needs to be hunted down and killed. Easy to say but harder to do. I'd like to think the gov't is at least trying.
Posted by: Mark Z. ||
09/12/2005 7:55 Comments ||
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#3
to convey our legitimate demands to friend and foe alike
You have no friends, only like minded sociopaths and that fucked up "culture" that worships a pedophile and the moon god. How many innocent heads need to be hacked off in order to get into heaven?
You disgusting traitorous pig.
Hey, I have a demand! Your ungrateful, spoiled, pyscho raghead on a pike.
4Q scumbag.
Sorry. I didn't mean that. Forget the whole thing.
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/12/2005 13:03 Comments ||
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#5
Sung to "I've Been Working on the Railroad"
He's been workin' on the goat farm,
All the live long day!
Jihadis came and they convinced him,
Blow yourself up is the way!
Can't you hear those virgins callin'?
Talibanis have a job for you.
Take a Camel to the Pak-lands!
Time to give your all!
Adam give your all!
Adam give your all!
Adam give your all to Jihadi cause!
Adam give your all!
Adam give your all!
To the Jihadi cause!
#6
Now here's a fellow I think the Russians would be best in dealing with. Russians *understand* his kind, and really appreciate the finer things in life, like the existential joy of pounding cartridge cases into their kneecaps.
They might even get real Oriental on his ass, and stake him out under the sun. With stakes 20' apart from each other. That takes skill.
The government on Sunday announced a bounty for the arrest of Mohammad Abdur Rahman, believed to be the mastermind of the August 17 countrywide chain-bombing, and also for his operational commander, Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai. The failure of law enforcement and intelligence agencies to arrest the two terrorists has prompted the government to announce the bounty, said home ministry sources. The government had earlier identified the banned Islamic outfit, Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh, and its chief, Abdur Rahman, as being responsible for the unprecedented August 17 attack, and ordered law enforcers to arrest him âat any costâ. âBut the failure to arrest them irked the government and finally it decided to give a bounty to those who arrest them,â said an official, adding that the initiative was taken as the âgovernment is very sincerely trying to apprehend the clique behind the bombingâ.
I'll believe government is sincere when I see the RAB after them.
RAB's on the case...
Hokay, they're sincere ...
Police headquarters started circulating posters, containing their photographs in different poses and telephone and e-mail numbers, throughout the country, urging everyone to inform police of the whereabouts of the two men. The poster reads, âHelp arrest Moulana Mohammad Abdur Rahman alias Ehsan Moulana alias Ehsan, and Mohammad Siddiqul Islam alias Siddiq alias Azizul Islam alias Omar Ali Litu alias Bangla Bhai, both responsible for the planned explosions in 63 districts, out of 64, on August 17. Your valuable information will help identify and arrest them. Those who provide accurate information leading to their arrest will be awarded a handsome amount of money. Identity of the informer(s) will be kept secret.â
Though no amount was mentioned, a home ministry official told New Age last night that it would be Tk 10 lakh for an informer. He said law enforcers could make substantial headway in investigating the attack, and arrest of the two men has become inevitable as there is enough proof that they unleashed the attack.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/12/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
Are we allowed now to call people "cunts" on Rantburg?
Or is only .com allowed?
.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
09/12/2005 0:48 Comments ||
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#2
Mike S.: enough. If you're going to behave like a troll, you'll be treated like one.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/12/2005 0:52 Comments ||
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#5
Here's a quotation from a previous Steve White comment:
Yes, we will ban regulars if sufficiently abusive/foul. Ask Aris for details -- oh right, you can't, we banned him :-)
Why is .com allowed to constantly mention fellatio, cunts, and other sexual organs in his comments about other Rantburgers, and his comments are never even moved into the Sinktrap?
Aris was banned for being "abusive/foul".
.com is not even put into the Sinktrap.
That's why I say there is a Rabble here that is allowed to conduct relentless ad hominem dog-pack attacks on dissidents and that the moderators watch and even participate.
.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
09/12/2005 7:05 Comments ||
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#6
Here is a quotation from a previous Steve White comment:
Yes, we will ban regulars if sufficiently abusive/foul. Ask Aris for details -- oh right, you can't, we banned him :-)
Why was Aris banned for being "abusive/foul"
... while ....
.com is allowed to use vulgar expressions for vaginas, fellatio and other sexual organs and functions while talking about other Rantburgers?
That's why I say that Rantburg has a rabble that is allowed to conduct relentless ad hominem dog-pack attack on dissidents while the monitors watch and even participate.
.
#9
To illustrate how the monitors watch and allow abusive, foul ad hominem attacks on other Rantburgers, here are some excerpts from an obviously "monitored" thread on July 31.
-----
#34 BIG MODERATOR SIGH
If we can't make this useful, maybe I should just delete the whole thing?????
Life's too short, people.
Posted by rkb 2005-07-31 18:58
---------------
#36 At some point this sort of repetitive annoyance both degrades Rantburg for others. I've had backchannel complaints by people who have been longtime, USEFUL Rantburg commenters and article submitters. Some of them are getting fed up. ....
Posted by rkb
---------------
#37 ....
Recently I was involved in long discussions about 1) whether Joseph Wilson ever claimed he was sent to Niger by Cheney and 2) whether extraordinary interrogation methods at Gitmo led to the arrest of KSM. In both of those discussions I provided many facts and links to support my arguments. If you think back, you will remember that I have discussed many, many subjects in that manner.
Do you hold other posters to the same standard? Do other posters have to add their own observations, pro and con, to every post to satisfy you?
Also, do you hold other people here to the same standard about provoking other Rantburgers? Do you not notice that several people here provoke constantly? How often do you remark about that with regard to other people? ....
Posted by Mike Sylwester 2005-07-31 19:06
---------------
#39 I like to fellate myself. Because I like it, other people like it too. Simple logic. Because other people like it, I'll keep posting articles about me licking myself. If anyone objects, they're wrong. Because someone else out there is right, even if they don't speak up in support of me licking myself.
Remember: Kofi can't be proven guilty until someone proves him innocent! It's LOGIC, I tell you!
Posted by sylvester the cat 2005-07-31 19:10||
---------------
#40 rkb, do you have any opinions about #39?
.
Posted by Mike Sylwester 2005-07-31 19:12
---------------
#41 Yes. I think both parties are wasting my time reading this stuff.
Fred can defend his bandwidth further if he choses. And you all can just go on doing stupid troll tricks with one another in the meanwhile.
Posted by rkb 2005-07-31 19:14
======================
The moderators' automatic permission for the Rantburg Rabble to conduct foul, abusive attacks against other Rantburgers -- while banning normally civil dissidents who ever bite back -- is why so much Rantburg discussion is like this (#18) and why people leave this echo-chamber mosque.
(P.S. I retract my comment #7 in this thread.)
.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
09/12/2005 7:38 Comments ||
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#10
This is a distraction utterly irrelevant to anything in the item posted or the thread. It cheapens Rantburg.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
09/12/2005 8:28 Comments ||
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#11
OK, a lecture on multiculturalism for Mikeys benefit. 'Cunt' may be an extremely coarse term where you live, but its common usage in large parts of the english speaking world. It approximates to fucker or wanker. Its abusive but not seriously so. The problem here is Mikey's narrow parochialism and intolerance of other cultures, typical of the Left.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/12/2005 11:16 Comments ||
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#15
Still trolling for disrespect, I see, and whining when the response doesn't match the internal fantasy.
The Troll asked in #96:
"If you don't like the word "dissident" then what's the right word for people who are personally hounded here for disagreeing with the Rabble on a couple of issues. Suggest a better word and I'll use it."
Although I didn't accept the framing of the question, since it's The Troll's typical load of hypocritical shit, nonetheless I overlooked the whine and provided an answer that fits the facts.
The Troll hijacks this totally unrelated thread to continue its endless whine and spin about its "victimhood". It's no victim, it's an attention whore and professional shit magnet. The Troll has many, but one particularly silly pretentious affectation suggested the response: The Troll always ends with a prominant and pointless period. Q.E.D.
#16
Good God. I just jumped over to that thread; I hadn't read Rantburg all weekend.
Mikey has truly achieved "IT'S ALL ABOUT MEEEEEE" status, hasn't he?
So his little girl didn't get to do her turn on the catwalk. Sorry to hear that. AFAICR, another little girl was on her way to Disneyland with her parents when her plane was hijacked and rammed into the Pentagon.
But, hey, at least her modeling career wasn't ruined, right?
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
09/12/2005 11:59 Comments ||
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#17
Still whining,Monkey Spit(aka:Mike Sylwester)give it a rest cry baby.
#22
I could not imagine what there was about this article to generate 19 comments -- now I know. Grow up, Mike, and go get yourself a web site so you can be master of your own destiny.
As a general rule, anyone who can't accept advice from TGA should get troll status.
#23
Mike S.: I know you've been on Rantburg a long time, like me. So I know that YOU already know it gets dicey here from time to time--both regarding language, and regarding expressed feelings toward perceived enemies/enemy politics. If people here are beating you up--hit 'em back (in a manner of speaking). That's what makes for lively debate.
My two-cents is that I don't want to see Rantburg turn into a "politically correct" (as in whose politics?) slice of polite society. I need a break from that sort of thing, and so I come here. In fact, some of people in the O Club got me wrong a couple of weeks ago, and I let 'em have it. Thats's how it works. Otherwise, it's all gonna be posturing and tea cups. People have to be real, and when those guys hurt my feelings, I let them know, and I got some very useful answers to the problems I had after that.
Now if people can't be free, then Rantburg should be changed into a simple listing of articles--no comments. Or if the moderators don't have time to monitor the site, maybe they just need to say so, so others can get involved and take the load off.
Personally, I miss Aris. I miss the Troll brigades.
.com: " . . but why's the rum gone?"
Now, everyone be nice to Mike. It's going to get too homogenous around here without him. Besides, he's always been the way he is. So if you can't say anything nice--don't say it to Mike.
Now Mike, stop thinking everyone is going to be nice to you, and play with the ones you get along with.
#27
Yes! What EE said, bunch of damn meanies with no couth nor nuance. You'll be cut cold in any decent blog.
Hell with the dessert spoon gimme the big fork and the sharp knife.
The al-Qaida leader in Iraq purportedly criticized U.S. and Iraqi forces for recent fighting in northern Iraq, where hundreds of insurgents were killed or captured, and urged his fighters to prepare for a "final" battle in an audiotape posted Sunday on the Internet. Ready or not, Zarq, it's comin' to get ya
The recording attributed to Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi claimed that the insurgents inflicted casualties on the allied troops in the Tal Afar battle. U.S. and Iraqi forces attacked the insurgent stronghold on Saturday and by Sunday night reported 156 militants were killed and 246 captured.
"The Crusaders mobilized their big armies and used the most destructive and lethal weapons and the most deadly and hurtful poison gas together with their stooges," he said. "But God made them drink at the hands of the mujahedeen the different kinds of death and made them face horrible things that they will never forget."
The voice could not be authenticated, however it was similar to previous recordings attributed to the Jordanian-born al-Zarqawi. The tape was posted on an Islamic Web site often used as a clearinghouse for militant statements.
U.S. officials could not immediately be reached for comment, but the Americans have consistently denied using poison gas in warfare.
The man on the audio recording urged his fighters to be ready for a "final" battle and show no kindness to the Americans, whom he called "cowards who always seek to run away." He also referred to Iraqi effort to adopt a new constitution that their U.S. backers hope will be a step toward stabilizing the security situation in Iraq and allowing foreign troops to withdraw. "Your enemy is now witnessing his worst days on the land of Iraq, seeking to get out of it but he can't find the way out; trying to get out of the swamp through the oppressive constitution," the speaker said.
The only people who believe that are, unfortunately, the American left.
"Be aware and keep your fingers on the triggers. The final and decisive battle is approaching and we are determined to uproot them and make them taste the horrors of the battle," he added.
The speaker also called the Hurricane Katrina disaster in the United States an answer to prayers. "The hurricane was the result of a prayer from a father who lost his son or from a woman assaulted in the land of Iraq or Afghanistan. Heaven's door was opened and the response came from God," he said.
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/12/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
What a wanker.
Posted by: Homer from London ||
09/12/2005 2:25 Comments ||
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#2
i 2nd that !
Posted by: Oztralian [AKA] God Save The World ||
09/12/2005 2:29 Comments ||
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#3
but the Americans have consistently denied using poison gas in warfare.
That's because we learned a long time ago how indiscriminate gas is. Ask the sheep at Dugway.
make them taste the horrors of the battle
Really? Would that be by running away, of just blowing up people indiscrimately? Ironic, isn't it? Suicide bombers are just like poison gas!
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/12/2005 7:26 Comments ||
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#4
The al-Qaida leader in Iraq ... urged his fighters to prepare for a "final" battle...
Zark, of course will be behind his men during this "final battle" ... Way Behind.
#7
"I would hope to be with you on this final assault, BUT THEY NEED ME HERE. However, I will be some 5,000 yards away, observing through heavy lenses." [/Jonathan Winters]
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/12/2005 11:19 Comments ||
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#8
Well, if Zarqawi isn't available for front line command duty in the final battle, maybe Mike Moore is.
#9
Clearly this is to put the bad guys on the defensive in preparation of the upcoming elections. If can keep herding them into towns killing them becomes much easier. I like the way the Iraqi forces are talked up, whether true or not it will have a good affect on our side and on theirs. I really hope that after the battle they find the charred and badly shot up remains of this scumbag and his associates.
#10
Horrors of battle? Where? How much? Do you have to be alive to play?
Posted by: Georgie P ||
09/12/2005 13:11 Comments ||
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#11
"Now the freaks are on television, the freaks are in the movies. And it's no longer the sideshow, it's the whole show. The colorful circus and the clowns and the elephants, for all intents and purposes, are gone, and we're dealing only with the freaks."
#12
You notice it's always the top two or three percent that get to escape, while the cannon-fodder are killed and captured. Wonder when the cannon-fodder are going to figure this out, and turn on their bosses...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/12/2005 15:02 Comments ||
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#13
Well, first they'd need to figure out that their bosses ain't doing them any favors by sending 'em out to be slaughtered, OP...
#14
The man on the audio recording urged his fighters to...show no kindness to the Americans
Our boys are sure gonna miss that famous mooj hospitality. No more falafel handouts, full body massages, group hugs or kumbaya song circles. Things will be a lot tougher from here on out. We have been warned.
Posted by: Baba Tutu ||
09/12/2005 16:33 Comments ||
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#15
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=745
US forces in Iraq and Baghdad threatened with a chemical attack unless they halt Tal Afar offensive in 24 hours.
September 11, 2005, 4:01 PM (GMT+02:00)
The threat was issued by the âOrganization of the Victoriousâ linked to Abu Musab al Zarqawi. The chemical agent was described as self-produced by the group. The statement was released at the same moment as the Ground Zero ceremony was held in commemoration of the victims of al Qaedaâs attacks on New York and Washington four years ago.
The US military reports 141 terrorists killed in Tal Afar and 211 captured with arms caches since the offensive was launched by thousands of troops at the end of the August. They expect it to be over by Sept. 15
Posted by: Fred ||
09/12/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
Day is done....
Gone the Sun....
Israel wants to retain some control, at least temporarily, fearing that militants will smuggle weapons into Gaza.
well like yeah.
don't they have an electrical plant rather close to the border that could be a target.
I hope that the Paleos don't bust up the synagogue's.
Posted by: Jan ||
09/12/2005 3:26 Comments ||
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#3
There will be another Arab/Israeli war within the next three years - things are getting desperate enough among Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Sudan, and Saudi Arabia to require it for the people in power to remain in power. When it happens, any land Israel captures, regardless of how much or where, should automatically become Israeli territory, and all Arabs forced to evacuate. If that includes half the Sinai, all of Lebanon south of Sidon, Syria up to and including Damascus, the West Bank, the lower half of Jordan, and a big piece of Saudi Arabia down to Jedda, so be it. It's time the people responsible for killing any peace effort in the Middle East pay for their arrogant stupidity.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/12/2005 15:31 Comments ||
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A voice recording attributed to Al-Qaedaâs Iraq frontman Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi and posted on the Internet yesterday accused the US military of using chemical weapons in its assault on rebels in the northern town of Tal Afar. âO nation of Islam, your heroic children are writing with their own blood the most beautiful of epics ... in the towns of Al-Qaim and Tal Afar... where your Crusader enemies are using more destructive weapons including poison gas,â the voice said. It was the first voice recording attributed to the Al-Qaeda frontman since early July when he lashed out at Sunni insurgent groups that had been tempted into truce talks with US commanders.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/12/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
The only way that poison gas was used in Tal Afar would be if one of AQ's stalwarts had a work accident.
Iraq moved to seal off its border with Syria yesterday and US and Iraqi troops hunted down rebels and foreign fighters they say have infiltrated Tal Afar. US Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch told a Baghdad news conferece the operation in Tal Afar would continue until all rebels and foreign fighters had been wiped out. âWe will continue to work away so we have covered every inch of Sarai, and then every inch of Tal Afar, until weâve killed all the terrorists and foreign fighters there,â he said.
As part of the operation against the insurgents, Iraq closed its border with Syria yesterday and Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari said he was imposing an overnight curfew in the northwestern region of Rabiah, on the main road from the border to the northern city of Mosul, near Tal Afar. Journalists kept on the outskirts of Tal Afar saw and heard little fighting yesterday and Iraqi defense officials said troops were in control of most of the town. Many residents have fled in recent months; thousands, forced to leave in recent days by Iraqi and US forces, were camped out close to Tal Afar.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/12/2005 00:00 ||
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Jordanâs State Security Court (SSC) yesterday sentenced 12 Islamists to jail terms ranging from 18 months to three years after convicting them of plotting to attack US and Israeli targets, judicial sources said. The tribunal acquitted four suspects for lack of evidence, they added. The 16-strong group was led by Abd Shehadeh Al-Tahawi.
After settling down in the northern city of Irbid, Al-Tahawi âcontinued to propagate his views and recruited young followers, including the defendantsâ, the statement said. The defendants, who were arrested earlier this year, had planned to target tourists and archaeologists frequenting hotels in Irbid, as well as personnel of the General Intelligence Department, it added. The SSC is currently trying scores of other suspects, most linked to the Jordanian fugitive Abu Mussab Zarqawi, who is widely believed to be leader of the Iraqi branch of Al-Qaeda.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/12/2005 00:00 ||
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Jordan sentenced 12 militants Sunday to prison terms ranging from 1œ years to 3 years for a terror conspiracy targeting the U.S. and Israeli embassies in this Arab country. Prosecutors accused the defendants of planning attacks on the embassies, located in the Jordanian capital, Amman, plus a hotel popular with Israeli tourists in the northern city of Irbid. The 12 defendants, who entered no pleas, were also accused of planning to attack the home of a cultural festival director as well as an American troupe performing at the annual event. The defendants were in court Sunday for the handing down of the guilty verdicts, which can be appealed. Another four defendants were acquitted for insufficient evidence.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/12/2005 00:00 ||
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The groups, al Mansoorian, Harakat al Ansar and the Harakat al Muhajedeen jointly claimed responsibility for the attack. A man who identified himself as Omar Taliban contacted a local news agency and said the assault would serve as a warning for citizens to refrain from watching films, a practice he described as contrary to the teachings of Islam.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/12/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
I have heard of a movie bombing before, but now the theaters...
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/12/2005 13:34 Comments ||
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#2
One of these days India will repeal the article in its consitution that prevents other Indians from settling in Jammu and Kashmir.
Then the hordes will come and all this nonsense will end.
Posted by: john ||
09/12/2005 18:15 Comments ||
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#3
WTF? Why was that inserted John? A noble olive branch?
#4
Nehru was himself a Kashmiri. Thought his people were special.
The article restricts the role of the Indian governemnt to defence, external relations etc.
No law or tax passed by the Indian parliament is valid in Kashmir unless the Kashmiri state legislature also agrees. This despite the fact that Kashmiri MPs sit in the national parliament and in the cabinet as ministers.
It is actually representation without taxation.
Really nice setup. Especially when the average kashmiri has the best socio-economic indicators
of any Indian (thanks to massive subsidies).
Because the J+K consitution resricts land holding rights to a certain category of Kashmiri, other Indian citizens cannot own land there. This is an effective bar on settlement and keeps the demographic nature of the state stable.
Posted by: john ||
09/12/2005 20:10 Comments ||
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#5
To be fair, there is another article that applies to the NE of India.
"Special provisions in the Constitution of India to preserve the ethnic cultural, religious identity of the people, and maintain demographic uniqueness of the region".
These apply to Nagaland, Assam Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh.
They effectively prohibit outsiders from exploiting the local people, logging, mining etc and swamping their society.
India is not China. It does not allow its minorties to be swamped by the majority community.
There is nothing like the monolithic Han chinese ethnic group but there are states with massive populations (bigger than the entire pop of germany) that could obliterate the smaller states with their settlers.
Posted by: john ||
09/12/2005 20:28 Comments ||
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#6
In contrast, Pakistan has treated its portion of Kashmir quite differently.
It annexed a portion into Pakistan proper.
It ceeded another portion to China
It renamed the remainder Azad Kashmir or "free Kashmir" but installed a governent there appointed by Islamabad. There has never been a free election in Pakistani Kashmir.
It also settled the region with army vets and other punjabi settlers.
Posted by: john ||
09/12/2005 20:43 Comments ||
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Fighting eased Sunday, the second day of a sweep through Tal Afar â a militant stronghold near the Syrian border â as insurgents melted into the countryside, many escaping through a tunnel network they dug under the ancient city in the north of Iraq. Iraqi and US military officials vowed to expand the offensive. The 8,500-strong Iraqi-US force continued house-to-house searches, and military leaders said the assault would push all along the Syrian frontier and in the Euphrates River valley.
Cities and towns along the fabled river are bastions of the insurgency, a collection of foreign fighters and disaffected Sunni Muslims, many of them Saddam Hussein loyalists. About 5,000 Iraqi soldiers, backed by a 3,500-strong American armoured force, reported 156 insurgents killed and 246 captured. The force discovered a big bomb factory, 18 weapons cache's and the tunnel network in the ancient Sarai neighbourhood of Tal Afar, 100 kilometres east of the Syrian border. "The terrorists had seen it coming (and prepared) tunnel complexes to be used as escape routes," Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch told reporters in Baghdad.
Lynch said operations in Tal Afar were part of a much larger, countrywide plan to destroy insurgent and Al Qaeda bases, which included ongoing operations in Mosul, Qaim and the western town of Rutba. But in a separate statement, a group claiming to be an offshoot of Al Qaeda said it would retaliate against the government and security forces in the capital. "The Taifa Mansoura Army has decided to ... strike at strategic and other targets of importance for the occupation and the infidels in Baghdad by using chemical and unconventional weapons developed by the mujahedeen, unless the military operations in Tal Afar stop within 24 hours." It was not immediately possible to determine the authenticity of the statement, which was posted on a website known for its militant contents.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/12/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
I am impressed with the level of competence of the Iraqi forces involved. Jafaari has finally begun to get it... And the Sunnis are getting it, too - just 2 yrs late.
#2
Does seem like the Iraqi forces have acquitted themselves well on this operation.
Key issue will be, in the after-action review and report, whether Iraqi non-coms and officers can handle the critique. If they can and they can learn from the inevitable mistakes, then they'll really have something.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/12/2005 0:54 Comments ||
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#3
When the other side starts talking about final battles, things aren't going well for them. If these guys are beaten in anything less than five years, it will have been the best-prosecuted large-scale counter-guerrilla war anyone's seen in a while. Note that the Russians are still fighting the Chechens, and it's been over a decade since they started. Note also that the Iraqi guerrillas started out with Saddam's billions (Iraq's pre-war treasury) - something you can't say about the Chechens, who operated on a shoestring.
#4
If they're demanding that the operations in Tal Afar cease or else they'll attack soft targets in Baghdad, it means they are taking a colossal beating. Holy warriors should relish a good fight with the infidels, possibly leading to matyrdom and copious virgin pussy.
Posted by: Homer from London ||
09/12/2005 2:31 Comments ||
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#5
156 killed
246 captured
I'd like to see the ratio reversed but good news non the less.
#6
Wonder the breakdown between Iraqi's and foreign fighters. Like to know what's happening to the foreign boyz sent back to their homelands. I hear Maummar is handing out full metal jackets.
#8
I think some of you may be missing the point - or Zark's point, anyway.
I think he means the final battle to drive the Americans out and win the war, like cheering on the Soviet soldiers outside of Berlin in 1945. He's losin' it!
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/12/2005 12:50 Comments ||
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#9
Bobby: I think he means the final battle to drive the Americans out and win the war, like cheering on the Soviet soldiers outside of Berlin in 1945. He's losin' it!
Well - when the other side starts talking about a final battle, and it involves a remote area like Tal Afar rather than Baghdad, I don't think it's a sign that they have the upper hand.
Egypt has deployed the first batch of 750 border troops along its desert frontier with the Gaza Strip in line with Israel's withdrawal from the volatile Palestinian area, an Egyptian official said. Mohammed Youssef, an official with the Egyptian State Information Service based in the Egyptian border city of Rafah, said 200 soldiers were deployed on Saturday and the remainder would take their places during the next week.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/12/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
If the Palis start shooting at the Egyptians, will the Palis still be referred to as "militants" in the press?
Several areas of Karachi plunged into darkness when two bomb blasts damaged the 220 kilovolt ampere (KVA) transmission line tower opposite the Zulfiqarabad Oil Terminal of Pakistan State Oil (PSO) in Razakabad on the National Highway at midnight on Saturday. One of the 52-metre high towers supported by four pillars fell due to the explosions, eyewitnesses said. An initial survey revealed that two of the tower's pillars each had half a kilogramme of explosives attached to them. The powerful impact of the blasts uprooted the other two pillars as well, bringing the tower down.
According to the KESC spokesman, engineers have made arrangements to continue electricity supply through one circuit to meet the city's demand for power. Efforts would be made to repair the tower soon, he said, adding that re-erecting the tower might take 20 days.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/12/2005 00:00 ||
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KARACHI: A cleric was shot and wounded in Jannat Town near Hasan Square late Sunday night. The police said unidentified men shot Qari Abdul Raziq, pesh imam of a Jannat Town mosque in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, several times. He was rushed to hospital in critical condition. A group of youths blocked the Super Highway in protest. A Ranger was reportedly injured while dispersing the protesters.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/12/2005 00:00 ||
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SUKKUR: Five people, including three army personnel, were injured and several vehicles including two of the army were partially damaged, in a powerful bomb explosion at a service station at Dera Mor, about four kilometres from Kashmore, on Sunday morning. The bomb was planted on a bicycle standing near the service station. Two double-cabin vehicles of Kashmore cantonment, which were passing by when the explosion happened, were damaged partially. A truck and other vehicles standing at the service station were also damaged and windowpanes of nearby buildings were shattered.
A heavy contingent of the army, Rangers and the police rushed to the scene and cordoned off the entire area. According to Kashmore TPO Niaz Ahmed Farooqi, the bomb was remote controlled and the army vehicles were the target, carrying 12 personnel, but only driver Bashir Ahmed and two other army personnel were injured. Later, the police raided various places, including nearby hotels, and arrested more than 12 of the usual suspects.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/12/2005 00:00 ||
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DHAKA: Bangladesh police stepped up the hunt for Islamic and other militants on Sunday as they moved to reinforce security in the capital after seizing a huge stockpile of bombs and explosive materials three days ago. Black-robed members of the police elite Rapid Action Battalion and plain clothed intelligence officers fanned out across the city of 10 million people and its suburbs, trying to find those who brought in the explosives, a police officer said.
Police said they were acting on information given by eight suspects detained on Thursday when police busted two militant dens in cityâs Purbo Bashabo and south Goran areas. The militants were believed to be preparing to launch another wave of bomb attacks in the capital after the simultaneous explosions of 500 small bombs across the country on Aug 17. A Dhaka newspaper on Sunday reported there were more than 100 militant hideouts in the capital alone. Police declined to confirm the report but said they were out to capture all militants hiding in the overcrowded city. âWe are working relentlessly to ensure no militants can shelter or operate in the city. There will be no let up in our operation,â said Mohammad Abdul Quayyum, Inspector-General of Police, on Sunday. âThey wonât be able to hide for long as we have spread the hunt all over the country,â said another police officer. No one has claimed responsibility for the Aug 17 serial bombings, which were apparently aimed more at creating panic than taking lives.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/12/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
Good. Eventually the bad guyz will run out of things that go boom, and of things to make the boom things out of.
#2
Do the bad boyz know that we've secretly placed special chemicals in all purchased explosives that render them sterile and impotent?
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/12/2005 12:53 Comments ||
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#3
Bobby - most of the explosives the islamofascinutjobs use come from the former Soviet Union. There were several million tons left over, scattered in thousands of places, not to mention another couple of million tons dispersed as part of the Russians' attempt to buy influence in the region. Cleaning up the excess explosives in that part of the world is like trying to pick up all the leaves in the Amazon rainforest.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/12/2005 13:13 Comments ||
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#4
Actually, OP, you probably meant to address that comment to me. I had no idea there was so much of the stuff around. Still, every bit that booms is that much less to be boomed later, yes?
#8
Is there potassium nitrate in explosives? Even as a by-product? That's what they used to put in schoolboys' porridge to keep them from getting unmanageable during their adolescent years. And truly, if a Quran is lying atop an explosive device when it goes off, the Quran will not survive undamaged. ;-)
Police arrested Bahadur Munshi, 27, a suspected Janajuddha activist, in Dhaka on Sunday. âBahadur fled his home in northwestern Bathiaghata village months ago and took a job in a garment factory,â a police officer said. âMore like him may have hidden themselves in the city, disguising as factory workers or under other covers,â said the officer.
Police have arrested more than 200 Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen members and other activists for suspected involvement in the explosions, but have yet to find the groupâs spiritual leader, Shayek Abdur Rahman, who they say might have bravely fled the country. Analysts and diplomats said the attacks were a âwake up callâ for Bangladesh - a Muslim democratic country which had long ignored the presence of Islamic militants. The US has offered to assist Bangladesh to hunt down the bombers.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/12/2005 00:00 ||
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Triumphant Palestinians poured into abandoned Jewish settlements Monday, setting empty synagogues on fire and shooting in the air, while Israeli troops left in convoys in the final phase of Israel's pullout from the Gaza Strip after 38 years of occupation. Palestinian police stood by helplessly as gunmen raised flags of militant groups in the settlements and crowds smashed what was left in the ruins or walked off with doors, window frames, toilets and scrap metal. Initial plans by Palestinian police to bar the crowds from the settlements for the first few hours quickly collapsed, illustrating the weakness of the Palestinian security forces and concerns about growing chaos after Israel's departure. Women ululated, teens set off fireworks and crowds chanted "God is great."
"Today is a day of joy and happiness that our people were deprived of in the past century," said Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, adding that the Palestinians still have a long path toward statehood. He denounced Israeli rule in Gaza as "aggression, injustice, humiliation, killing and settlement activity." Just before daybreak, Abbas was heading to what was once the largest Jewish settlement, Neve Dekalim, his aides said. Israel had demolished nearly all buildings in its 21 Gaza settlements, but decided at the last minute to leave 19 synagogue buildings intact, a decision criticized by the Palestinians and the United States.
Palestinians carried off what was left in the debris of the settlements, including chairs, tables and shopping carts. Young men tore down electricity poles, grabbing the wires. In the Netzarim settlement, a group of men took turns hitting a column in a building with a hammer. Two empty synagogues and a Jewish seminary were set on fire. Palestinian police appeared overwhelmed, watching the destruction from the sidelines. Police Col. Abdel Khader Abu Tayr said police didn't have enough time to deploy because Israeli troops left without sufficient warning. "Now we are expending every effort to kick the people out and protect the buildings," Abu Tayr said.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/12/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
I wonder if they will still be Ullulating and
"expending all their efforts" two weeks from now when the JDAMs beging raining down on them after they make their first mistake and shoot a couple of "innocent" Kassam rockets over the border ?
Anybody's guess ??
Posted by: Elder of Zion ||
09/12/2005 4:09 Comments ||
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#2
Cut down those distribution lines, get that copper, tear up the streets and destroy the sewerage system. It'll be more home-like.
#8
Gromgoru,
Thats why I said "a couple of Kassam"
I was quoting from some israely general
who said that we will not respond to the first rocket but there will be a disproportionate response to the second one.
Whether they deliver on the promise or not I cant say, but I will tell you one thing, It will be the political end of both Sharon and Ex general Mophaz if they dont pull the promised "Iron Fist" out of their assholes and show the Pali's who's boss.
They will practically be commiting political suicide as far as the current mood of the Israeli public is involved.
So, I'm still bullish on JDAM manufacturer's stock.
Posted by: Elder Of Zion ||
09/12/2005 12:30 Comments ||
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#9
A bunch of 105's just outside Kassam range, running counter-battery radar. Backtrack the missles and fire for effect. 15-20 rounds ought to be noticed in the neighborhood.
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.
MECCA, Saudi Arabia (UPI) -- Saudi security forces seized two terror suspects in a hotel in the holy city of Mecca, reports said Monday.
Massive blasts rocked the armory of a Philippines police camp, which also houses a prison for Islamic militants, in suburban Manila shortly before midnight (1600 GMT) Monday, officials said. No casualties were reported in the explosions, which witnesses said tore through an underground magazine and surrounding buildings inside the sprawling National Capital Region Police Command in the Camp Bagong Diwa complex in eastern Manila. Several buildings were still on fire about an hour later, with the menace of exploding munitions preventing firemen from approaching the area. "The ammunition dump exploded, causing damage to several nearby buildings," national police chief Arturo Lomibao told reporters. "There is no indication" of sabotage, he said. "Based on evidence this was not caused by an enemy attack."
A Palestinian man has been shot dead Monday afternoon and other injured on the Egyptian â Gaza border, after Egyptian border troops opened fire on Palestinian crowds who were attempting to infiltrate Egypt. An Egyptian source has denied the reports.
Afghan officials say they have arrested two people they believe were intending to carry out suicide bomb attacks in the capital, Kabul. The officials told the BBC the two men were found with explosives on them when they were arrested. The past year has seen the worst violence in Afghanistan since 2001. There are fears of more attacks by the Taleban and other militant groups in the run up to parliamentary elections on Sunday. 
The government on Sunday announced a bounty for the arrest of 
The al-Qaida leader in Iraq purportedly criticized U.S. and Iraqi forces for recent fighting in northern Iraq, where hundreds of insurgents were killed or captured, and urged his fighters to prepare for a "final" battle in an audiotape posted Sunday on the Internet.
Only a Dumb Ass would believe him. 
A voice recording attributed to Al-Qaedaâs Iraq frontman Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi and posted on the Internet yesterday accused the US military of using chemical weapons in its assault on rebels in the northern town of Tal Afar. âO nation of Islam, your heroic children are writing with their own blood the most beautiful of epics ... in the towns of Al-Qaim and Tal Afar... where your Crusader enemies are using more destructive weapons including poison gas,â the voice said. It was the first voice recording attributed to the Al-Qaeda frontman since early July when he lashed out at Sunni insurgent groups that had been tempted into truce talks with US commanders.
Iraq moved to seal off its border with Syria yesterday and US and Iraqi troops hunted down rebels and foreign fighters they say have infiltrated Tal Afar. US Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch told a Baghdad news conferece the operation in Tal Afar would continue until all rebels and foreign fighters had been wiped out. âWe will continue to work away so we have covered every inch of Sarai, and then every inch of Tal Afar, until weâve killed all the terrorists and foreign fighters there,â he said.
Jordanâs State Security Court (SSC) yesterday sentenced 12 Islamists to jail terms ranging from 18 months to three years after convicting them of plotting to attack US and Israeli targets, judicial sources said. The tribunal acquitted four suspects for lack of evidence, they added. The 16-strong group was led by Abd Shehadeh Al-Tahawi.
Jordan sentenced 12 militants Sunday to prison terms ranging from 1œ years to 3 years for a terror conspiracy targeting the U.S. and Israeli embassies in this Arab country. Prosecutors accused the defendants of planning attacks on the embassies, located in the Jordanian capital, Amman, plus a hotel popular with Israeli tourists in the northern city of Irbid. The 12 defendants, who entered no pleas, were also accused of planning to attack the home of a cultural festival director as well as an American troupe performing at the annual event. The defendants were in court Sunday for the handing down of the guilty verdicts, which can be appealed. Another four defendants were acquitted for insufficient evidence.
In the latest attack on recreational establishments in the troubled Indian province, Islamic militants attacked on Wednesday the Neelam cinema in the Kashmiri capital. This follows an earlier call by the head of a female separatist group, 
Fighting eased Sunday, the second day of a sweep through Tal Afar â a militant stronghold near the Syrian border â as insurgents melted into the countryside, many escaping through a tunnel network they dug under the ancient city in the north of Iraq. Iraqi and US military officials vowed to expand the offensive. The 8,500-strong Iraqi-US force continued house-to-house searches, and military leaders said the assault would push all along the Syrian frontier and in the Euphrates River valley. 
Several areas of Karachi plunged into darkness when two bomb blasts damaged the 220 kilovolt ampere (KVA) transmission line tower opposite the Zulfiqarabad Oil Terminal of Pakistan State Oil (PSO) in Razakabad on the National Highway at midnight on Saturday. One of the 52-metre high towers supported by four pillars fell due to the explosions, eyewitnesses said. An initial survey revealed that two of the tower's pillars each had half a kilogramme of explosives attached to them. The powerful impact of the blasts uprooted the other two pillars as well, bringing the tower down.
SUKKUR: Five people, including three army personnel, were injured and several vehicles including two of the army were partially damaged, in a powerful bomb explosion at a service station at Dera Mor, about four kilometres from Kashmore, on Sunday morning. The bomb was planted on a bicycle standing near the service station. Two double-cabin vehicles of Kashmore cantonment, which were passing by when the explosion happened, were damaged partially. A truck and other vehicles standing at the service station were also damaged and windowpanes of nearby buildings were shattered.
DHAKA: Bangladesh police stepped up the hunt for Islamic and other militants on Sunday as they moved to reinforce security in the capital after seizing a huge stockpile of bombs and explosive materials three days ago. Black-robed members of the police elite 
Police arrested 
Triumphant Palestinians poured into abandoned Jewish settlements Monday, setting empty synagogues on fire and shooting in the air, while Israeli troops left in convoys in the final phase of Israel's pullout from the Gaza Strip after 38 years of occupation. Palestinian police stood by helplessly as gunmen raised flags of militant groups in the settlements and crowds smashed what was left in the ruins or walked off with doors, window frames, toilets and scrap metal. Initial plans by Palestinian police to bar the crowds from the settlements for the first few hours quickly collapsed, illustrating the weakness of the Palestinian security forces and concerns about growing chaos after Israel's departure. Women ululated, teens set off fireworks and crowds chanted "God is great."
