Saudi authorities on Monday clarified the identity of one of the terrorists killed in the Damam clashes last week, noting that the DNA investigations showed that one of corpses belongs to a brother of man on the list of top wanted outlaws in the kingdom. An interior ministry statement said DNA investigations of one of the corpses recovered from under the debris of the hideout of the deviant group in the eastern Saudi city of Damam proved to be for Ahmed Abdelrahman al Swailmi whose father reported his disappearance three months ago.
The corpse does not belong to Ahmed's brother Muhamed who is on the list of 36 wanted terrorists in Saudi Arabia, the ministry added. Mubarakia area in eastern Damam city was a scene of armed clashes between security forces and a group of terrorists that ended with the death of all insurgents and four policemen.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/13/2005 00:00 ||
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Well, we're not sure that it's Ahmed, but we're positive it's his ear.
Moscow policemen accused of beating to death suspected terrorist Aleksander Pumane last year and charged with official negligence have pleaded not guilty during a court session, Itar-Tass news agency reported Tuesday.
"Nyet!"
On Sept. 18, 2004, Moscow police found explosives in Pumaneâs car. The former submariner told investigators that he was offered $1,000 to take the car to a major thoroughfare that President Vladimir Putin uses to travel to and from the Kremlin. The car was reportedly registered in the name of a woman who is the wife of a Chechen rebel. Pumane died in hospital six hours after questioning, and the subsequent investigation said he had been beaten to death, apparently during police interrogation.
Really? Well, I'm surprised, that they had a investigation, that is.
Another source claimed at the time that Pumane had died of a heart attack.
Technically correct, his heart did stop
The Russian media published a number of controversial articles about the mysterious death of Pumane. Some reports even suggested that he may actually be alive and be part of a witness protection program as an important source of information.
Running a dry cleaners in Vladivostok
Advocates of that version claimed the fact that even the relatives of the man failed to identify his body proved this theory. It was also widely reported that Pumaneâs wife had not seen him for several years before she was told of his death.
"I don't know, he always seemed taller. And covered in less blood."
Another group has repeatedly said that the man arrested was using Pumaneâs passport and identity as a cover.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/13/2005 09:42 ||
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Oh very nice graphic, the case, but no works (Gears) in it.
Nice representation of incompetence.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
09/13/2005 13:58 Comments ||
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A roadside bomb struck a car in the Chechen capital of Grozny today, killing one Russian and wounding at least three others, government officials said.
The explosive was detonated by remote control as the vehicle carrying the soldiers passed, said Sergei Petrov, a duty officer of the southern regional branch of the Emergency Situations Ministry.
He said one serviceman was killed and five others were wounded. But Roman Shchekotin, spokesman for the southern district office of the Russian Interior Ministry, said one was killed and three were wounded in the blast.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/13/2005 00:45 ||
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Federal forces have killed the commander of a guerilla unit acting near the Chechen village of Avtury.
"Federal forces clashed with a group of militants in a special operation held near the village of Avtury in the Shali district. One of the militants was killed in the clash," a Russian Interior Ministry source in the North Caucasus told Interfax on Monday.
"The militant has been identified as Avtury illegal armed unit commander Movsar Botayev," he said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/13/2005 00:43 ||
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Italian secret services deny there being reports referring to a plausible nuclear attack by Al Qaeda on Italian soil, thus contradicting indiscretions published by national daily La Stampa. The likelihood of nuclear of chemical attacks according to AGI sources has been assessed and scenarios submitted by US analysts this year have been reviewed by Italian intelligence. The reports submitted looked at 15 scenarios ranging from a basic suicide bomber attack, to nerve gas to a portable 10 kiloton nuclear weapon attack. According to sources "the scenarios were reviewed solely for the purposes of analysis and referred to case studies for North America". Intelligence experts also confirm that delivering and transferring a nuclear device of any kind, anywhere, is extremely difficult to keep under raps since radiation can be satellite-tracked.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/13/2005 00:06 ||
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#1
Ya wanna mushrooms wita that?
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/13/2005 1:04 Comments ||
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"radiation can be satellite-tracked." - is that for real, i knew we could monitor radiation with portable tools and sht but from space! thats amazing if true.
#3
The reports submitted looked at 15 scenarios ranging from a basic suicide bomber attack, to nerve gas to a portable 10 kiloton nuclear weapon attack. According to sources "the scenarios were reviewed solely for the purposes of analysis and referred to case studies for North America".
In other words, the Italians think it won't happen in Italy because of credits taken for American security measures. Any evidence that Italy is implementing the SAME measures the US is?
Intelligence experts also confirm that delivering and transferring a nuclear device of any kind, anywhere, is extremely difficult to keep under raps since radiation can be satellite-tracked.
Bullshit: Plutonium and Uranium-235 are alpha and neutron emitters, which cannot go further than 50 meters max on a good day.
Al Qaeda does not have nuclear cells in Italy - of this Stefano Dambruso, the ex-Milan public prosecutor and an expert in terrorism who is currently working with the UN in Vienna on anti terrorism matters, is convinced. "We find ourselves faced with scenarios that are proposed by analysts - explains Dambruoso, commenting on the article in today's La Stampa that talks about nuclear devices already being in Italy. They are hypotheses, I don't mean purely academic ones but almost. There is no need for alarm therefore and above all we need to think about in strategic preventative terms considering the greatest risks but thinking concretely about emergencies requiring investigation. In this case there is no emergency requiring investigation that leads us to think that there are nuclear cells at Al Qaeda'a disposition in Italy."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/13/2005 00:05 ||
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#1
If AQ had one nuclear device, I can see they would use on the Vatican given their penchant for symbolism. Probably hoping Mecca is nuked in retaliation, a recruiting dream.
#5
She'll never figure it out. Skinny thing. I don't (slap) know what I was thinking. You know what I called her ex to his face don't 'ya? Ya, ya... Rosemia's Boo Boo.
Posted by: Frankie S ||
09/13/2005 15:16 Comments ||
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#6
Well they grade us on spelling... so you're out.
#9
Spelling only counts if you are writing in a recognized language. Mucky has his own language that we can only guess at. Perhaps someday we'll stumble on a Rosetta Stone (carved on the bottom of a skateboard) that will enable us to grasp the true beauty of his wisdom. Or not.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/13/2005 15:45 Comments ||
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#10
I'm not sure what they mean by "nuclear": that could mean covert Islamist cells working among the Muslim immigrant population that are at the absolute minimum size to enhance covertness.
On the other hand, if they mean a nuclear device. well yeah, there definitely are not-
-Mainly because if Al Qaeda HAD them in Italy, they'd USE them in Italy. The USA may be the Head Satan, but that didn't stop them from going after Aussies in Bali, Spaniards in Madrid, and Brits in London.
A month-old hunger strike at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has grown to include at least 128 detainees, 18 of whom are forcibly receiving intravenous fluids or nutrition in the prison hospital, military officials and detainee lawyers said yesterday.
The captives are protesting their indefinite imprisonment and what they describe as beatings administered by the prison's Immediate Response Force (IRF)-- squads of military personnel who are dispatched to put down disturbances in detainees' cells. Some have said they will refuse to eat until the military gives them a fair hearing or they die, according to their attorneys.
Dan, make sure you get them on the calendar for ... 2007.
Military officials first acknowledged the hunger strike, the second of the summer, on Aug. 25. Since then, the number of people hospitalized and in serious physical danger has grown to 18, according to Maj. Jeffrey J. Weir, a Guantanamo Bay spokesman. He said that step was taken to prevent any of the approximately 520 prisoners at the U.S. Navy base prison from engaging in a "form of suicide."
The hunger strike began in the first week of August, and, according to newly declassified accounts of detainees provided by their lawyers, has gradually spread across several camps at the prison. Detainees allege they have been severely beaten and are deeply frustrated at their indefinite detentions. Some have been held for 3 1/2 years without facing charges.
Lawyers for the prisoners assert that more than 200 detainees are refusing food. An earlier hunger strike in June and July ended after military authorities met with a small group of detainees and promised improvements in their living conditions. "They truly feel they have nothing left," said attorney David Remes, who represents several Yemeni detainees. "I'm not sure what the end point will be. But I do predict there will be death."
Yep. Looks like it. Lunch?
Military officials have characterized the protest as a "fast" of prisoners aimed at grabbing attention, and say it involves 128 prisoners. They say its significance is exaggerated by their lawyers. Weir said no detainees are in danger of dying and that the military's treatment is preventing them from losing critical nutrition. Of the 18 people hospitalized, 13 are being force-fed through nasal tubes and five are being given intravenous hydration.
Weir said yesterday that the military does not allow beatings of detainees, and he believes the refusal to eat is part of a campaign to press for their transfer or release. "My understanding is that it's just because of their continued detention," Weir said. "They're trying to call attention to that."
Detainees began a new strike in late June to protest their treatment and the quality of their food and water. They complained about solitary confinement, alleged beatings by IRF teams, and the use of uniform colors to signify how detainees should be treated. Detainees given white uniforms are considered cooperative while those assigned orange uniforms are considered nancy-boys uncooperative and laughed at treated more harshly, detainees said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/13/2005 00:29 ||
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Pork: The Other White Meat.
Posted by: Chris W. ||
09/13/2005 0:53 Comments ||
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Yep, let them eat pork and kosher bagels, served with Magen David wine.
Posted by: Vlad the Muslim Impaler ||
09/13/2005 2:20 Comments ||
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As everyone assured us during the Terri Schiavo affair, starvation is a peaceful, even euphoric way to go. By all means, let them enjoy their euphoria.
Posted by: Mike ||
09/13/2005 6:46 Comments ||
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Somebody should put sibutramine in their water.
It will make them less hungry and more likely to starve + it will keep them happier.
#8
So like they're on the standard Paleo Authority diet offered in their facilities [or Syria, or Egypt, or etc.] How nice to have that old home style cookin'.
#1
Like the great command generals, there are other greats who rarely get into the limelight, but are just as important. There are some who are, in fact, piss poor as leaders, but brilliant in other ways.
Logisticians, bureaucrats, administrators and diplomats, in the tight circle of those who know, inspire as much awe and respect as the greatest of field commanders.
I knew one such individual, who as a young Colonel had been on MacArthur's staff. Now in his 90s, he can still recite every major personnel statistic by month for the entire US Forces Pacific Theater for the years 1944 and 1945.
Sounds trivial by today's standards, but remember that they didn't have computers back then. That volume of material in paper could have filled a thick book every month.
The ambitious reform programme launched by Kofi Annan, the United Nations secretary general, was close to failure yesterday, as America and Third World countries fought one another to a standstill over the plan.
Kofi Annan: âWe have reached a fork in the roadâ
With 150 world leaders, including Tony Blair and President George W Bush, about to arrive in New York for the UN's critical 60th birthday summit today, diplomats were still in negotiations over proposed changes to the world body.
With Mr Annan's aides gloomily predicting the failure of a raft of issues, the secretary general warned all 191 member states: "We have reached a fork in the road. If you, the political leaders of the world's nations, cannot reach agreement on the way forward, history will take the decisions for you, and the interests of your peoples may go by default."
Diplomats were working on a British compromise text, which omitted many of Mr Annan's original proposals and deferred decisions on others.
But even that was causing problems. The Palestinian representative, Somaia Barghouti, said: "The document deletes the ... distinction between terrorism and the right of people to resist foreign occupation. They can't do that."
For the past month there has been a brutal struggle between America, which demands radical reform, and some Third World states, which want very little.
Countries such as Pakistan, Egypt and Syria have rejected American proposals for reforms within the UN, such as allowing Mr Annan to select staff on the basis of ability rather than nationality.
One UN official said the Americans seemed prepared for failure rather than sign up to a document they disliked. In that case, diplomats would have to cobble together a "mere anodyne statement of principles".
Mr Annan's reform proposals were an attempt to bring the world back together on key issues following the divisive debate over Iraq.
But critics have accused him of seeking too much. A Pakistani diplomat said the "traffic was too heavy for the road to bear".
Mr Annan's credibility has been badly damaged by the oil-for-food scandal. Last week the UN's own inquiry used unprecedented language to describe the failings of the world body.
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/13/2005 21:17 ||
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"The Palestinian representative, Somaia Barghouti, said: "The document deletes the ... distinction between terrorism and the right of people to resist foreign occupation. They can't do that."
Waaaaa, sniff sniff, I wanna keep killing Jews, waaaaaa...
How many licks does it take to get to the heart of a Palestinian? The world may never know.
I'm happy to die, I'll be a martyr: embassy bomber
JAKARTA (Agencies): The South Jakarta District Court sentenced to death Iwan Darmawan, alias Rois, 29, for his involvement in the 2004 bombing of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, which killed 11 people.
"We declare the defendant guilty of carrying out a variety of acts while participating in the crime of terrorism, as well as intentionally hiding other suspected terrorists," presiding judge Roki Panjaitan told the court on Tuesday.
Prosecutors accused Rois of working with the accused masterminds of the attack, Malaysians Azahari bin Husin and Noordin M. Top, who are both fugitives and said by police to be senior members of the al Qaeda-linked Jamaah Islamiyah network.
Rois, 30, bought the vehicle and other materials used in the bombing and recruited the driver who drove the van to the embassy, prosecutors asserted.
Earlier, Roki said prosecutors had proved that Rois was guilty of the main charge of "planning to motivate other individuals to carry out the crime of terrorism."
Rois stood and defiantly thrust his fist in the air and shouted "Allahu Akbar" (Allah is great) after the verdict was handed down, exactly four days after the first anniversary of the attack.
"I am thankful to be sentenced to death. I am happybecause I will die a martyr," Rois claimed, but did add that the judgment was "stupid". (*)
#3
Although a different word is invariably used in the joke, one can hope that he will be sentenced to "Death by Booka!"(*)
(*)alternatively, "Death by Qxapoiu!", "Death by Ungubunga!" (var Ungabunga), "Death by Ugga Bugga!", "Death by Bulunga!", "Death by Bunga!", "Death by Bongo!" (var Bongo Bongo), "Death by Bonja!", "Death by Pungee!", and "Death by Kawabunga!"
The joke begins with three explorers in Africa, caught by a savage tribe and sentenced to "Death OR..." whatever.
After six months being held hostage by Philippine Islamic militants, Indonesian sailor Ahmad Resmiyadi was finally released on Sunday.
Ferry Adamhar of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the release, but declined to provide details. He was quoted by news portal detik.com as saying that Ahmad was scheduled to arrive in Jakarta late on Monday and would be reunited with his family.
Other officials of the ministry could not be reached for comment.
Ahmad was one of the three Indonesian seamen kidnapped late in March by a Philippine militant group calling itself the Jamiat al Islamiah of Southern Mindanao after their Malaysian-flagged boat was attacked off Malaysia's Sabah region.
Philippine troops in June managed to free two hostages, Yamin Labaso and Erikson Hutagaol, after troops clashed with the kidnappers on the southern Philippine island of Jolo, a known stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf group of Islamic militants, which in turn has been linked by the United States and Philippine governments to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.
It is not clear whether money was paid to the kidnappers for the release of Ahmad, with the militants reportedly demanding a US$790,000 ransom.
Security analysts have said that while the Abu Sayyaf may be on the run, it could also be building links with foreign militants from the Jemaah Islamiyah regional terror network who have sought refuge in the southern Philippines island of Mindanao.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/13/2005 00:26 ||
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The Bush administration yesterday warned Syria that its patience was "running out" because of its alleged support for Iraqi insurgents, while a UN investigation into the assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister extended its probe to Damascus.
Zalmay Khalilzad, US ambassador to Baghdad, told reporters in Washington Syria had to close down "training camps" and prevent Arabs sent by al-Qaeda from flying into Damascus international airport on their way to Iraq.
"Our patience is running out with Syria," the envoy said, as US forces in Iraq continued operations along the border with Syria. Asked if the US was considering military force, he said all options were on the table.
The US State Department also directly accused the Syrian government of "supporting groups and individuals who are killing Iraqis".
Separately, Reuters reported from Damascus that Syria had agreed to allow Detlev Mehlis, the chief UN investigator, to question Syrian "witnesses" in connection with the murder in Beirut of Rafiq al-Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister. The US suspects Syrian involvement in the killing.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/13/2005 00:22 ||
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#1
I am running out of patience with the US and its position vis a vis Syrian meddling and enabling of terrorists in Iraq. Rumsfeld, et al have made it clear how the US feels. Syria needs a stick-type message to understand the consequences of playing their dirty little game. If the US does not do this, there will be no credibility.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/13/2005 2:15 Comments ||
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#2
Yes. They need a "we don't make these anymore, but we have quite a few in stock" type message...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
09/13/2005 3:37 Comments ||
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#3
send a fleet of 10 B1 bombers over Syria at full afterburner on the deck straight over Assads house to give him a warning.
#4
Asked if the US was considering military force, he said all options were on the table that sometimes happens when diplomacy clearly isn't working. Ask Saddam.
#5
send a fleet of 10 B1 bombers over Syria at full afterburner
Given the cost of a B1 divided by the expected life length of its cell, a B1 flying to Syria costs a million dollars a pop and that before we factor fuel consumption, spare parts, pilot salary and last but not least the (cost of B1*probability of losing the bomber through accident or enemy action). Sounds quite silly to me to use B1s for such kind of bravado (or for knocking the Taliban air defences, ie fourth world air defences, as it was done.
#8
I'm running out of patience with the US and its fawning treatment of the Saudis. These people murder 3000 Americans, then hike the price of oil in an attempt to murder the US economy, and what do they get? Kisses and hand-holding.
Posted by: John Lemmon ||
09/13/2005 10:48 Comments ||
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#9
Patience is also wearing thin within Syria. At the onset of the war in Iraq, Syria decided to freely issue Iraqis visas. The ones with suitcases full of cash will eventually move on to Lebanon and beyond. Whats left will be mostly poor families. With no incentive to return to a violent Iraq, the refugee camps will continue to grow. Charity for fellow Muslims usually ends up with a "not in my backyard" attitude.
Two people were wounded Monday as a result of armed clashes in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ein Al-Hilweh outside the southern Lebanese port city of Sidon, a security source said.
They were watching the festivities in Gaza on the teevee and suddenly developed an urgent need for some gun sex.
"The incident resulted from a personal dispute in the Taameer area. The dispute occurred between, on the one hand, Lebanese individuals close to the Sidon-based Popular Nasserite Movement and, on the other, Islamic extremists led by Abu Ramez Al-Sahmarani," the source told KUNA.
"Go fer yer guns, Popular Nasserite scum!"
The dispute developed into an exchange of fire between the two sides.
"Take that, beturbanned yokel!"
Al-Sahmarani was injured in his leg while another person called Adnan Kallas was also injured.
"Ow! My leg!"
"Ow! My elbow!"
Al-Sahmarani and his cadre followers took refuge in the camp following the 2000 clashes between Islamic extremists from the Dinnieh area and the Lebanese army. The clashes caused dozens of casualties including 12 dead on the army side.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/13/2005 00:00 ||
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Lebanese legislator Bahiya Al-Hariri, sister of slain former Prime Minister Rafik Al-Hariri, said she had recently received advice cautioning her against making too many movements for fear of being targeted by a criminal act.
"She knows too much, Muggsy! We gotta rub her out!"
Speaking to KUNA, during a phone interview, the MP said she remained in her residence in the town of Majdelyoun near the southern port city of Sidon.
"And we have the drawbridge up. There are fresh crocodiles in the moat. And I've got a new food-taster. The other one... ummm... got sick. And died. Slowly.
She added that the advice had come to her "from local and foreign officials."
"Bahiya! Watch yer back! I can say no more!"
She said she was not scared, "but concerned about the likely repercussions of the current investigation on Hariri's murder probe." She stressed that after her brother's assassination, "there is no point being afraid. However, one should be cautious."
"... and always wear Depends!"
Her nephew, MP Saad Al-Hariri, is currently living abroad in fear of his life. Others like him include MPs Walid Jumblatt, Ghazi Al-Aridi and Naela Muawwad. Saad Al-Hariri had said, on a number of occasions that he had received telephone threats.
No caller ID?
"Whoever killed Rafik Al-Hariri, is capable of killing Saad al-Hariri and all the Hariri family," Saad was quoted as saying.
"And everybody else in sight!"
Posted by: Fred ||
09/13/2005 00:00 ||
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Pakistani forces recovered an unmanned drone aircraft and seized 21 militants in a raid on suspected Al-Qaeda hideouts in the tribal areas near Afghanistan, a top commander said.
Militants used the Chinese-made vehicle to spy on security forces in the rugged area, where Pakistani soldiers have battled Islamic militants for more than a year, Lieutenant General Safdar Hussain told reporters.
The find in North Waziristan, believed to be the first of its kind in Pakistan, came as President Pervez Musharraf unveiled plans to build a fence along part of the border with Afghanistan to curb the movement of militants.
"The busting of this stronghold has broken the back of Al-Qaeda in the tribal area," Hussain, who commands troops in northwestern Pakistan, told reporters in Peshawar.
The 21 suspects detained in Monday's raid on a compound and religious school near the region's main town of Miranshah included "important" militants and some were foreigners, Hussain said. He did not give their nationalities.
"The terrorists used the RPV (remotely-piloted vehicle) to check the position of security forces and attack them," the general said, adding that the drone was capable of carrying weapons.
The vehicle was shown to the media along with audio and video CDs about the anti-Soviet "jihad", or holy war, in Afghanistan, motivational songs in Arabic and a number of maps, mostly in Russian.
A military officer from the army's Signal Corps said the vehicle had a sophisticated, wide-angle camera to take pictures of targets on the ground, while Hussain said they had seized a CD which pinpointed Pakistani troops.
Security forces also found a "suicide jacket" and Jordanian, Afghan and Pakistani passports along with Al-Qaeda training material from the compound, Hussain said.
Additionally they uncovered a cache of weapons including 17 machine guns, 29 rockets, 51 grenades, eight improvised bombs and 10 landmines, he added.
Around 4,000 troops took part in the operation, which included raids on two other sites.
Pakistan's network of Islamic schools, or madrassas, came under international scrutiny because one of the July 7 London suicide bombers attended one.
"This madrassa (religious school) was an Al-Qaeda and Taliban stronghold and operational centre which we have secured now," General Hussain said.
The buildings are owned by relatives of former Taliban minister Jalaluddin Haqqani. He was a former anti-Soviet fighter who later served as the Islamic regime's minister for frontier regions. He is still on the run.
Last week key US ally Pakistan said it was sending 9,500 more troops to the border before the Afghan elections, bringing the total to 80,000.
Around 250 Pakistani soldiers and many more alleged militants died last year in a crackdown on insurgents who fled to the area from Afghanistan in late 2001 and early 2002, after US-led forces toppled the Taliban regime.
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/13/2005 21:02 ||
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Chinese equipment. Direct purchase, or through the NorKs?
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
09/13/2005 21:40 Comments ||
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#2
Looks like a RC hobby airplane
Posted by: john ||
09/13/2005 21:49 Comments ||
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#3
adding that the drone was capable of carrying weapons.
Thanks for the laugh General. It's a $100 RC hobby plane setup with about a 3' wingspan. Payload is a few ounces. The "surveilance system" is probably nothing more than a fixed focus wireless camera with an attached RF amplfier.
Posted by: ed ||
09/13/2005 22:06 Comments ||
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#4
I got $20 that says that if this is turns out to be true that it is a Iranian drone like the ones Hezbollah has been flying over northern Iran. No discription but I dont think the Chineese care to see the Muslim radicals gain any more power in thier backyard. Thinking caucases and the Norks well thiey are just a Chineese proxy like Cuba was to Russia back in the day independent but any major moves with high risk would have to approved by the leadership.
BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. forces along the Euphrates River attacked the insurgent stronghold of Haditha early Tuesday, capturing a militant with ties to al-Qaida in Iraq and killing four others, the military said. The assault on Haditha followed a recent offensive to retake Tal Afar, another northern town, which U.S. commanders said netted more than 400 suspected militants. The Iraqi military said its troops had detained 36 others, including a Yemeni citizen, just south of Tal Afar.
In southern Iraq, a roadside bomb exploded near a convoy of Iraqi security guards and foreign contract workers outside Basra, killing four people, police said. While one Iraqi official said the four dead were Americans, U.S. officials were unable to confirm the report.
Insurgents in Baghdad shelled the heavily fortified Green Zone, with two mortar rounds exploding near a military hospital inside the protected area that houses the Iraqi government, parliament and foreign missions, but there were no reports of casualties. Security inside the Green Zone was boosted earlier this month after reports that suicide bombers were trying to penetrate the area.
Associated Press Television News video of the aftermath of the Haditha attack showed at least three demolished homes. There were no American casualties, the military said. "Coalition Forces engaged the terrorists and called in close air support. Coalition aircraft destroyed one of the vehicles being used by one of the terrorists," the statement said.
Haditha, 140 miles northwest of Baghdad, is one of a series of towns in the Euphrates River valley controlled by militants.
On Monday, officials said the insurgent death toll in three days of fighting in Tal Afar totaled 200. Seven Iraqi soldiers and six civilians also died; the U.S. military said no American soldiers were hurt. "Now, (the guerrillas) are just trying to save themselves by hiding in houses and communities," said Col. H.R. McMasters, commander of the American contingent from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. "The enemy no long enjoys any kind of a safe haven or a support base in the city." "This operation was very precise. We've had access to all the terrorist safe havens," said Brig. General Muhsen Yahya, commander of the Iraqi Army's 1st Brigade in Tal Afar. Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari flew to Tal Afar on Monday to congratulate his army, and Al-Iraqiya state television said he went despite insurgent threats "to attack the city with chemical and biological weapons."
There was no known public threat from the insurgents to use unconventional weapons in Tal Afar, but militants made two Internet postings in recent days vowing to stage chemical attacks on the Green Zone. The Islamic Army in Iraq, which has previously claimed responsibility for kidnappings and killings of foreigners, made a bounty offer for the assassination of key Iraqi officials. The militant group called in a Web posting for its "holy fighters to strike the infidels with an iron fist." It offered $100,000 to the killer of al-Jaafari, $50,000 for the interior minister and $30,000 for the defense minister.
Iraq's U.S.-trained forces and U.S.-backed government are waging their own media offensive, using the Tal Afar operation to position themselves as a confident and strong team leading the fight to wipe out insurgent forces. "I met today with the commander of the 3rd Division in Tal Afar and his officers and soldiers and found them in high spirits," al-Jaafari said. Hundreds of Iraqis danced, sang and waved flags as the prime minister toured the region.
In the Basra bombing, APTN video showed a wrecked SUV at the side of the highway about 20 miles south of the city, near the town of Zubair. British soldiers and Iraqi police blocked off the area. Capt. Mushtaq Kadim of the Basra Rapid Response Unit said the four dead were Americans. But U.S. diplomatic and military officials in Baghdad were unable to confirm the report, saying only that the victims were not diplomats or soldiers. Although southern Iraq, where some 8,500 British troops are deployed, has been mostly calm since U.S. and British forces occupied Iraq more than two years ago, there has been increasing violence there in the past two months.
On Sept. 7, a roadside bomb exploded near a passing convoy of U.S. diplomatic security guards, killing four Americans.
In other developments Tuesday:
⢠Gunmen shot and killed two Sunni clerics in Baqouba, a town 35 miles northeast of Baghdad.
⢠Two truck drivers delivering concrete blast walls from a factory in Iraqi Kurdistan were ambushed and killed in Baghdad. The blast walls are used throughout Baghdad to secure government buildings, hotels, embassies and other potential targets from suicide bombers.
⢠Police found the body of a former judge in Baghdad's eastern neighborhood of Sadr City. A note left next to it said: "This is the destiny of those who support Saddam."
⢠A bomb planted aboard a minibus exploded in Hilla, a town 60 miles south of Baghdad. Two civilians were killed and six injured, police said.
⢠In Samarra, north of Baghdad, U.S. soldiers killed two insurgents who were trying to plant a roadside bomb, the military said.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/13/2005 10:01 ||
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Just let the record show that the Tal Afar offensive effective wiped out an entire enemy battallion. And did so with minimum friendly casualties.
How many equivalent battallions can the enemy still muster in Iraq? How many more such losses can they endure before they collapse?
"Coalition Forces engaged the terrorists and called in close air support. Coalition aircraft destroyed one of the vehicles being used by one of the terrorists," the statement said
#5
this off topic but why does my name keep changing?
Posted by: Uninetle Hupating2229
It's a cookie thing. Does your computer allow cookies? Are you entering a name of your choice in the "Your Name" block before you submit a comment? (If you are doing everything right so far, then you'll have to wait for feedback from the moderators or someone who actually knows something about programming. Good luck!)
#6
Police found the body of a former judge in Baghdad's eastern neighborhood of Sadr City. A note left next to it said: "This is the destiny of those who support Saddam."
Special forces, or the Iraqi 93rd Volunteer Infantry?
Posted by: Mike ||
09/13/2005 12:52 Comments ||
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I'm glad they left a note, so we could tell the good murders from the bad ones.
Or maybe they just want us to think the good guys are doing what the real bad guys are doing?
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/13/2005 14:35 Comments ||
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The assault on Haditha followed a recent offensive to retake Tal Afar, another northern town, which U.S. commanders said netted more than 400 suspected militants.
A question for anyone in the know... how accurate do you all think these numbers are?
September 13, 2005: Hereâs another example of wartime needs speeding up the development of new equipment. It also shows how a lot more military equipment innovation is coming bottom-up, instead of top-down. The Special Forces have been doing their own thing for decades, but now divisions and brigades run their own little R&D operations. An example of how this works is ROVER (Remote Operations Video Enhanced Receiver). This device uses a satellite data link to get the video from overhead UAVs or aircraft. A Special Forces soldier, just back from Afghanistan, walked into the Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in January 2002, and asked the technical people why his guys could not have a device that would allow them to watch the video being generated by a Predator, AC-130 or other aircraft overhead. Since it was the Special Forces troops on the ground who were running, and fighting, the ground battle, it would help them a lot if they could see the real time video from above. At that time, the video was being viewed by people in the aircraft, or the UAV operators (who often were back in the United States, running things via a satellite link.) The ground troops had to ask the air force what could be seen on the video, and there was usually a delay in getting that information. It would be much better for all concerned if the ground troops could see that video in real time.
The air force people went to work, and in two weeks had a ROVER prototype that Special Forces personnel could take back to Afghanistan. ROVER I was not terribly portable, but the Special Forces could haul it around in a hummer, and see what any Predators overhead were seeing. This proved very useful. A few months later, ROVER II appeared, which allowed troops to view UAV vids on a laptop computer. Last Fall, Rover III, a 12 pound unit built to be carried in a backpack, was put into service. Although ROVER IIIs cost $60,000 each, they address dozens of suggestions and complaints from the troops who used earlier ROVERs. Some 260 are on order, and 700 are expected to be in service by next June. They are being used in Afghanistan and Iraq, and can grab video feeds from army, marine and air force UAVs and bomber targeting pods (which have great resolution, even when the aircraft are 20,000 feet up.)
The Rover IV appears next year. It will allow the users to point and click on targets to be hit. With ROVER III, the guys on the ground can see what they want bombed, or hit with a missile, but have to talk the bombers to it. This happens often, especially when the target is behind a hill or buildings, preventing the ground troops from using their laser range finders to get a GPS location. With ROVER IV, the bomber pilot, or UAV operator, will be looking at the same video as the ground troops, and can confirm that the indicated target is what is to be hit. This is particularly important in urban warfare, where the building next door might be full of innocent civilians.
The ROVER gear is operated by air force ground controllers, but the army is eager to get even smaller and lighter units into the hands of platoon and patrol leaders. Because itâs wartime, thereâs not much to stop this from happening. And happening in the next year or so. Without the wartime pressure, it would have taken a decade or more to get ROVER to where it is in only three years.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/13/2005 09:37 ||
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They are being used in Afghanistan and Iraq, and can grab video feeds from army, marine and air force UAVs and bomber targeting pods
I sincerely hope it also includes a half-pound of C-4 so it can be remotely destroyed if lost or captured.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
09/13/2005 10:17 Comments ||
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Why can't border patrol use them? After 9-1-1, as an experiment,law enforcement and the media went to the remote mountainous area of our northern border and monitored how many came across on little used paths from Canada and were quite surprised at the regular smuggling. I bet they would be useful to those on the ground in a terrorist attack, too.
#3
I love to see bottom-up procurement like this. The fact of the matter is that we have highly intelligent soldiers, many of whom are "cross-trained" and experienced both in science and technology, and military science and military technology.
If not hindered with either a tight purse from above or inter- and intra-service rivalries, these personnel will develop extraordinary innovations and in record time.
Their great limitation is fabrication. That is, unless these soldiers could direct civilian expert engineers to fabricate larger and more complex systems, those systems will remain top-down. That is why it is unlikely that even a special forces division will ever get a vehicle truly tailored to their wants and needs.
While organizations like DARPA and ONR can somewhat act as a bridge, this fabrication issue is still a major dilemma that needs to be resolved in the future.
DEBKAfileâs Exclusive sources in Eilat report that a new US fuel supply line to Iraq began operating through Jordan last month. Every few days, a US supertanker puts in at the Jordanian Red Sea port of Aqaba and transfers the oil to escorted overland convoys cutting through the Hashemite Kingdom to US forces in different parts of Iraq. Jordan provides the port installations (built with financing from the defunct Saddam Hussein regime); Israel, the port tugboats and a naval-aerial protective umbrella.
Our Eilat sources report that the Israeli tugboats are fitted with state of the art navigational electronic gear for guiding the supertankers into harbor for unloading and then out to sea. They access Jordanian port waters for this operation. However the Israeli naval-air force umbrella provides environmental protection without entering Jordanian air space or waters. Our sources report that Israeli transport minister Meir Shitrit paid an unpublicized visit to Eilat last week to inspect the protective shield for the new US oil route.
According to DEBKAfileâs counter-terror sources, the July 23 al Qaeda Katyusha attack on Aqaba and Eilat was planned to disrupt this route by blowing up the first US supertanker due to enter Aqaba port the night before. The two US warships which the rockets missed were there to escort the tanker. This attack held up the start of the new route until the new protective measures were put in place in September.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/13/2005 08:53 ||
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Every few days, a US supertanker puts in at the Jordanian Red Sea port of Aqaba
#2
This ought to really torque Zarqawi. I just have a bad feeling about his threats of a chemical attack, and preparing for the "last battle". I think they must have come damn close to him lately and he's preparing to make his last stand. With the King of Jordan visiting the Head Crusader in Italy, I'm afraid he's been branded an infidel and high on the target list.
#5
Well, at least it explains why New Orleans was destroyed.
Posted by: Frankie S ||
09/13/2005 15:23 Comments ||
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My son is on the USS Ashland,I severely doubt the accuracy of this story simply because the Ashland and the Kearsarge,the 2 US ships in the port when the terrorists struck,are not the type that would escort a tanker.
That would be a destroyer,frigate or cruiser,the above 2 are Landing ships and helo carrier that take Marines to the battle.
I think debka is as reliable as al jazeera.
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. So where's the outrage at the "evil" Egyptians? Oh, wait, they weren't Joooos, so no criticism is necessary.
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." Until Abbas declares Palestine a police state, which I expect will happen within about a week.
Children jumped in the dunes along the Gaza-Egypt border, where Israeli watchtowers topped with machine guns once stood, and collected spent shell casings from the sand. Sobhey Khader stood along the Philadelphi Road, Israel's former security zone on the border, and looked back on the wide field of rubble and bullet-pocked houses lining the edge of Rafah in southern Gaza. Israeli bulldozers destroyed hundreds of houses there in their search for weapons-smuggling tunnels under the border. "I'm trying to see us from the Israeli's perspective," he said. Try harder. Get back to us in a year after living under the Palestinian "government".
Important issues lie ahead, including a decision over who will control the border crossing between Gaza and Egypt and whether Gaza will be allowed to open a seaport and airport, providing it unfettered links to the world. Israel retains control of Gaza's airspace and coastal waters. Abbas raised a Palestinian flag over the Rafah border crossing to Egypt. The crossing remained closed; Israel shut it last week, and the Israelis and Palestinians have not reached agreement on whether it will be reopened. It's the border between "Palestine" and Egypt? Go ahead, open it. Give Egypt a chance to deal with these people.
Concerned over increased weapons smuggling, Israel initially hesitated to leave the Gaza-Egypt border as part of the pullout. It agreed only after the Egyptian government promised to deploy 750 troops on the frontier to stop the smuggling. But the border turned to chaos just hours after the Israelis withdrew early Monday, with hundreds of Palestinians climbing over - or going around - the towering wall on the Gaza side and then jumping over the low wall on the Egyptian side. Hooded Palestinian gunmen stood atop the Palestinian wall. Several trucks filled with gunmen from the Hamas and Islamic Jihad militant groups patrolled the border road Monday. Few Palestinian police could be seen. I am shocked, I tell you. Shocked!
Five boys ran along the Egyptian patrol road waving a Hamas flag and another group danced around a Hamas flag in full view of Egyptian forces. Although some Egyptian soldiers warned the Palestinians to stay in Gaza, many soldiers smiled and shook hands with teenagers who climbed over. One Gazan unsuccessfully tried to buy an Egyptian soldier's rifle. *wipes away a tear*
There was some traffic in the other direction as well, as Egyptians - mostly boys smuggling cartons of cigarettes - climbed into Gaza. Egyptian border guards said they were letting the Palestinians blow off steam and visit relatives whom they had not seen in years. The Egyptians said they would tighten security in coming days. The guards later shot and killed a Palestinian when dozens of teens tried to climb over the border wall, Palestinian security officials said. It was not clear why the guards took such action after letting others cross. Target practice. These Pals have no idea how bad it going to be for them. They'll be begging for Joooish protection soon enough.
Militant groups, especially the powerful Hamas, have been vying with the Palestinian Authority for credit for Israel's pullout. Whoever wins the battle for public opinion is likely to reap the benefits in parliamentary elections next year. Gaza is also seen as a trial run for how Palestinians would handle an independent state, and the world will be watching to see whether the Palestinian Authority is able to rein in militants and bring order to Gaza's lawless streets. Doing a great job so far. Keep it up.
Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz urged the Palestinians to impose order and prevent attacks on Israel from Gaza - or face a tough response. "We shall know how to act decisively and intensively in the face of any terrorism," he said. Abbas took a tough line against the border crossings. "It is absolutely unacceptable for the border to be stormed," he said. "We must resolve this problem in a civilized manner."
Still, Abbas declared Monday "a day of joy and happiness that our people were deprived of in the past century," adding that statehood, not just self-rule in Gaza, remains the ultimate goal. Palestinians want a state in Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem, areas that Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast War.
Militant leaders said they would not disarm as long as Israel controls the West Bank and Jerusalem. "These weapons liberated the land and by these weapons, we will continue the liberation process," said Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas. "We will not stop until the Zionist entity is pushed back into the sea."
Throughout Gaza, though, people were mainly interested in testing the wider new boundaries. Ten factory workers toured the remnants of the Morag settlement, wandering past scavengers. Nearby, Imad Shaath brought four of his children, aged 6 to 9, to see the settlement. He had told them the violence was over, "but they needed to feel it also," he said. You see, it's not "violence" unless Joooos are doing the shooting. Egyptians shooting? Fellow Pals shooting? Nothing to see here.
Hundreds of giddy teenagers ran to a once off-limits beach and jumped into the water fully clothed. Mahmoud Barbakh, 15, said it was his first time in the ocean: "It's the sweetest thing in the whole world." There were family reunions for thousands of Palestinians living in al-Muwasi, which lay inside the Gush Katif bloc of settlements and was isolated from Gaza by a security fence. "We didn't sleep at all," said Abdel el Gun, who hosted nearly 20 relatives since his brother Khalil knocked on his door at 2 a.m. Along the Egyptian border, Juma Abu Amr, 18, emerged from a new tunnel under the Palestinian wall and smiled "I wanted to make sure there were no Israelis still there," he said. You have no idea what you're in for, Pals. I actually feel sorry for most of them.
Posted by: Chris W. ||
09/13/2005 00:33 ||
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So it looks like the light at the end of the tunnel might just be an Egyptian train?
#2
Abbas declared Monday "a day of joy and happiness that our people were deprived of in the past century," adding that statehood, not just self-rule in Gaza, remains the ultimate goal
And the Jooos gave it to you. Not two other Muslim Nations that ruled you. Dirty Jooos. What trickery.
#4
The guards later shot and killed a Palestinian when dozens of teens tried to climb over the border wall, Palestinian security officials said. It was not clear why the guards took such action after letting others cross.
#6
I read a little while ago where the greenhouses the Israelis and som Palestininas built that were worth several million dollars and that provided quite a few jobs and income money were looted today. Here they were given a valuable asset and the first thing they do is destroy it. There is no hope for those people.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
09/13/2005 11:37 Comments ||
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DB you don't expect them to degrade themselves by eating joooo vegetables do you?
Posted by: Scott R ||
09/13/2005 17:39 Comments ||
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Actually, I'm pleased with the looting of the greenhouses: Some paleos and Euros put the squeeze on the Jews who owned them, knowing they'd get a sweet deal from people being forced out of their business and needing to sell quickly. The Jews sold and walked away.
Now they're looted and nearly worthless, with the new owners stuck with a debt, while the Jews got something for their trouble.
/waiting for cries of "Those damn JOOS cheated us!"
"Israel initially hesitated to leave the Gaza-Egypt border as part of the pullout. It agreed only after the Egyptian government promised to deploy 750 troops on the frontier to stop the smuggling. But the border turned to chaos just hours after the Israelis withdrew early Monday, with hundreds of Palestinians climbing over...the towering wall on the Gaza side and then jumping over the low wall on the Egyptian side."
The world is watching you, Palestine, to see whether others have "forced" you to become miserable, or whether you are yourselves miserable.
Where did the notion ever come from that Arab cultures are gracious? Whata crock.
Some paleos and Euros put the squeeze on the Jews who owned them, knowing they'd get a sweet deal from people being forced out of their business and needing to sell quickly. The Jews sold and walked away.
Not according to this: Rewarding jihad terrorism with charity Within 48 hours, Mr. Zuckerman said, he had his $14 million. And the Palestinians had a shot at inheriting relatively intact the greenhouses whose vegetables and flowers have been a major source of Israeli export income, and, not incidentally, about 3,500 desperately needed Palestinian jobs.
Looks like American Jews elected to hold the bag. Palis get twice the satisfaction in destruction and 3,500 unemployed families. Guess the US will have to up the aid contribution.
Posted by: ed ||
09/13/2005 23:33 Comments ||
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Iraq's prime minister toured the ancient northern city of Tal Afar on Monday â ignoring an alleged Al Qaeda threat to strike with chemical weapons â to congratulate Iraqi forces for rousting militants from their stronghold near Syria, Iraqi television reported.
In Baghdad, a huge car bomb exploded outside a popular restaurant in the upscale Mansour neighborhood Monday night, witnesses said. Hospital officials reported at least two people were killed and 17 were wounded. A doctor at Yarmouk Hospital said most of the victims were women.
Al-Iraqiya television, which showed no pictures, said Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari was in the Tal Afar area despite an insurgent threat to unleash chemical and biological weapons against the force of 5,000 Iraqi soldiers and commandos, backed by 3,500 troops from the U.S. 3rd Armored Cavalry regiment, who stormed into the city Saturday.
The offensive "was a great shock to Al Qaeda. They were thrown off balance and issued this threat. We will be on the lookout," Interior Minister Bayan Jabr said at a news conference.
Militant positions were found mainly deserted Sunday, and the invading force discovered a network of tunnels below the city through which the insurgents were believed to have fled to the surrounding countryside.
The offensive, however, exacted a heavy toll on the insurgents, leaving almost 200 suspected militants dead and more than 315 captured, Iraqi military officials said.
Forty insurgents were killed in fierce clashes between militants and Iraqi troops who raided suspected hideouts late Monday afternoon. The raids were launched in response to a roadside bombing that targeted an Iraqi patrol earlier in the day, killing one soldier and wounding three, said Capt. Mohammed Ahmed, an Iraqi army spokesman in Tal Afar. Ahmed said 27 militants were arrested.
Before the afternoon clash, Brig. Gen. Abdul Aziz Mohammed-Jassim had said 157 suspected insurgents were killed in clashes with Iraqi forces over the course of the operation. He said 292 militants were arrested. In all, at least six Iraqi soldiers and six civilians died in the fighting, he said.
No American soldiers were reported killed in the fighting.
Al-Iraqiya reported that al-Jaafari was in Tal Afar in defiance of "a terrorist threat to attack the city with chemical and biological weapons."
There was no known public threat from the insurgents to use unconventional weapons in the area, but they have issued two Web postings since Friday, vowing to use chemical weapons against U.S. and Iraqi government interests in Baghdad. The threats mentioned the Green Zone that houses the U.S. Embassy, Iraq's parliament and government offices.
The Islamic Army in Iraq, which previously claimed responsibility for kidnappings and killings of foreigners, called on its "holy fighters to strike the infidels with an iron fist." It offered $100,000 for killing al-Jaafari, $50,000 for Jabr and $30,000 for al-Dulaimi.
"What the American forces and Iraq's traitors, the tails of the infidels, did in Tal Afar is a genocide to the Sunni people in this great city," the statement said.
In the days leading up the Tal Afar offensive, U.S. forces carried out airstrikes and joined the Iraqi army in encircling the city about 60 miles from Syria.
The insurgent fighters, thus, had plenty of warning the city would be attacked and fled the onslaught in a classic guerrilla retreat. Tal Afar has now been swept clear of extremists for the second time in a year.
"The terrorists had seen it coming (and prepared) tunnel complexes to be used as escape routes," said Army Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, deputy chief of staff for coalition forces.
Signaling their frustration in having to repeat the assault on the city, Iraqi and U.S. military leaders vowed to redouble efforts to crush insurgents operating along the Syrian frontier and in the Euphrates River valley.
As Baghdad kept a border crossing into Syria, 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."
A Syrian Foreign Ministry official reacted angrily Monday, rejecting the Iraqi claim as "absolutely untrue." The official SANA news agency in Damascus did not name the official it quoted as saying, "Iraqi officials are fully aware that Syria is exerting all-out efforts to control the borders."
The United States and Iraq routinely charge that Syria's government does little to stop the flow of Arab fighters across the border.
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, apparently using figurative language.
Most of Tal Afar's residents â 90 percent of them Turkmen â 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. The Iraqi and Turkish Red Crescent societies have rushed aid to the refugees.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/13/2005 00:29 ||
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Militants have killed three people accused of being spies for the US in North Waziristan Agency bordering Afghanistan, local officials said on Monday. The attackers slit their throats and left a note in the local Pashto language saying âanyone working as an American spy will meet the same fateâ, the official speaking on condition of anonymity said. Their bodies were found on Monday in a drain in the town of Tappi, 16 kilometers east of Miranshah, capital of the semi-autonomous region. Insurgents in the tribal areas, where Pakistani forces last year fought pitched battles with suspected Al Qaeda militants, have issued a hit-list of 28 local elders whom they called âgovernment spiesâ.
In July, a Pakistani intelligence official was shot dead in nearby Mir Ali town, while another two tribesmen were killed in the same area in May for allegedly spying for the US.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/13/2005 00:20 ||
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You know, it would be funny to take the Thugburg data base, mark them "CIA payroll," put some dollar values, then leave copies lying around Pakland.
Posted by: DanNY ||
09/13/2005 5:59 Comments ||
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Their bodies were found on Monday in a drain in the town of Tappi
Ya know, it must really bite working for Roto-Rooter in Pakistan.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
09/13/2005 7:44 Comments ||
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#4
Yep, all it's a problem all through out the moronic crescent. Remember the old fart in Bagdhad bitching when the US engineers put in small circular manhole covers? He like the old 4 ft. sq. ante bellum one... to more easily dispose of his donkey when the time came. LOL I sensed problems at that point.
One of the four London suicide bombers made numerous calls to a stolen mobile phone in Pakistan up to three days before the July 7 attacks, British newspaper Telegraph reports.
Pakistani officials say they have traced the stolen phone after receiving requests from Britainâs MI5 to investigate. They suspect that it was used by terrorists linked to the bombers, and then discarded after the London attacks, the newspaper says. The phone number was rung several times - as late as July 4 - by Shehzad Tanweer, one of the bombers who visited Pakistan more than six months ago along with Mohammad Sidique Khan, the cellâs suspected ringleader. The disclosure has deepened suspicions that a âmastermindâ based abroad was guiding the gang, the report adds.
Pakistan is considered vital to the investigation into the London attacks, which killed 56 people. Last weekend The Sunday Telegraph disclosed that MI5 officers suspect that the video message of Sidique Khan was recorded in Pakistan, possibly with the assistance of Al Qaeda.
Security officers also suspect that Khan and Tanweer may have received advice on bomb making at a training camp in Pakistan or Afghanistan. Pakistani intelligence officers have discovered that the mobile phoneâs SIM card microchip originally came from a phone used in Sukkur, in Sindh province, which is renowned as a militant city. It was originally owned by a tailor, but fell into criminalsâ hands. It has not been used since the London attacks, the Telegraph report says. It emerged on Friday that seven terrorist suspects wanted over possible involvement with the London bombings are facing extradition from Pakistan to Britain under a new agreement. One is thought to have met one or more of the suicide bombers. Whitehall officials refused to confirm details of the MI5 request to Pakistan for âoperational reasonsâ, but conceded that mobile phone calls, including some made abroad, were now central to the investigation.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/13/2005 00:19 ||
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An Iranian military source has disclosed an initiative on behalf of al-Quds Corps, which is affiliated to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, to reinforce its relations with Ansar al-Islam Organization in Iraqi Kurdistan and the Qa'idat Al Jihad Fi Bilad Al Rafidain (The Base of Jihad in the Land of the Two Rivers) in the center and south of Iraq. Qods Force is the elite of the IRGC. They're the ones who run Hezbollah and are currently protecting Saif al-Adel, Suleiman Abu Ghaith, Saad bin Laden, and the rest of the al-Qaeda leadership. They also supported Sadr and are apparently giving the insurgents IEDs originally designed for use by Hezbollah against Israelis in Lebanon.
The Iranian officer, who is a former colonel in al-Quds Corps told Al Sharq Al Awsat that officials from the Revolutionary Guard have recently met with leaders of Ansar al-Islam and the Jihad organizations in Ramadan headquarters near the Iranian-Iraqi borders. They discussed the acceleration of military operations against the British forces in the south of Iraq. He added that the commander of a commando group in 'Badr Corps' which is affiliated to the supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq has previously received instructions from the command of 'Badr Corps' stating the acceleration of attacks targeting British militants. The source connected between the last attacks against the British forces, and the new Iranian military strategy and the competent security authorities for the affairs of the Kurds. There were several indications that the Kurdish-Iranian parties have received aids from Kurds in Iraq. Iran has accused the Iraqi Kurds, the US, and the UK of stirring up trouble in Iranian Kurdistan and the ethnic Arab region of Khuzestan. It may well be true, though I tend to doubt it - Iran is brutal enough to provoke low-level rebellions without any significant outside meddling.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/13/2005 00:11 ||
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unfortuantly us Brits dont have the will and or gear for a scrap with Iran as we've already seen in that fckin Royal Marines patrol boats/speed boats capture a year or so ago, have they given us are fckin boats back yet anyone? They also carried out mock executions on the marines that were in the boats before they let them free didnt they. We need iraq sorted in the next few years to free up forces for the Iranian fight before they become fully nuked up.
As the US and Iraqi forces continue their week long occupation in Tel Afer, an al-Qaeda linked organization has threatened for a chemical attack if the operation is not ended within 24 hours.
An Internet notice from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi from the Iraqi division of al-Qaeda and other organizations like Ansar al-Sunnah said, âIf the Tel Afer operation does not end in 24 hours, Ceyh al-Taif al-Mansura military office has decided to organize attacks towards important and strategic targets of the occupation and Iraqi forces using chemical weapons developed by the Mujaheeden.â
Zarqawi condemned the occupation in Tel Afer and called on insurgents to take up arms.
âThose who had been defeated many times reside in Tel Afar where they have tasted defeat and pain,â Zarqawi challenged in the tape recording broadcast on an Internet site.
The most advanced weapons and the most poisonous gases are used in Tel Afer, he claimed, admitting, âOur enemies are experiencing their hardest days in Iraq.â
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/13/2005 00:07 ||
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Believe we have now exceeded the supposed deadline. Your time has expired Zark.
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/13/2005 1:01 Comments ||
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Sounds like we struck a major nerve. Threats ring pretty hollow when the Iraqi PM is sightseeing around this place of "defeat & pain".
#3
lol sightseeing - made me laugh that, looks like old zarky is gonna look pretty stupid to those he's trying to win over in this chapter, next chapter will be the final defeat of zarky and his goons.
Posted by: Shep UK ||
09/13/2005 5:32 Comments ||
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#4
Al Quaida never barks when it is able to bite. Be it for the embassies, the USS Cole, the twin towers or the nightclubs in Indonesia there was never an announce boasting they would strike the US or the Australians.
On the opposite, when Al Quaida barks it is because it finds itself unable to bite.
#7
I dont know about everyone else but the low casualties reported and the messages from Zark and the crew are making me think that the tide is turning......
A booby-trapped car exploded in Mansour area here on Monday killing a couple of Iraqi civilians and critically wounding at least 15 others, police said. The police said the car exploded near a restaurant in crowded commercial Mansour district this evening destroying cars and neighboring stores. The police, however, denied the presence of any Iraqi or American forces at the explosion scene when the explosives went off.
The Iraqi Interior Ministry had previously said today that a booby trapped car driven by a suicide bomber targeted the US occupation forces, killing one solider during the last 24 hours. The ministry, however, had not specified the attack's site. Also in the Iraqi capital, a similar car exploded without causing casualities in Karadah area. Another two attacks were also carried out by light arms and a booby trapped car targeting a patrol of the US-led forces in Mansour injuring five of the patrol's members.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/13/2005 00:00 ||
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Say! What happened to the reports of surging, swelling, growing numbers of insurgent bombers? Has that tapered of a bit?
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/13/2005 7:52 Comments ||
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It seems reality has pierced that particular boil.
Iraqi regular troops and American forces are engaged in house-to-house ferocious fighting in the town of Tal Afar abutting the Syrian-Iraqi border in a major assault aimed a crushing hideouts of armed insurgents, Iraqi Interior Minister Baqer Jabr Solagh said on Monday. "The terrorists have been dealt a harsh blow that caused them to lose balance," Solagh said at a news conference, briefing the public about latest develpments in the town that has been vacated of civilians before the Iraqi-allied thrust, combing its narrow alleways, bursting into rooms and underground chambers.
The terrorists booby trapped houses in the district of Al-Sarai in a bid to inflict heavy casualties among the advancing forces, but their plan failed, he said, adding that the insurgents, entrenched in the town were estimated at 900, including Arabs, Afghans and Iraqis. On civilians' condition, he said up to 11,259 inhabitants of the town were relocated to spare them the fighting, and affirmed that all necessities were secured for them, adding that 50 million dollars were earmarked for rebuilding the town. Earlier today, Iraqi security officials said 80 percent of the town was under the control of joint security forces, Iraqi and American, and that it had been rid of militants.
Head of Iraqi Police Commandos Rasheid Fleih told reporters that army and police forces, with US forces backup, liberated 80 percent of the town from militants' control and were close to freeing Al-Sarai area completely. He added scores of terrorists were arrested including some Arab nationals and foreigners. He said 47 out of 121 arrestees in commandos' custody would face trial. Many locals come forward every day and provide information and tips that help lead to terrorists' hideouts and result in arrests, he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/13/2005 00:00 ||
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On civilians' condition, he said up to 11,259 inhabitants of the town were relocated to spare them the fighting, and affirmed that all necessities were secured for them, adding that 50 million dollars were earmarked for rebuilding the town.
Maybe these guys could help out in New Orleans?
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/13/2005 16:33 Comments ||
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Pakistani security forces have arrested at least eight suspected militants and 40 Afghan refugees in two different operations in its lawless tribal belt bordering Afghanistan, said security officials on Monday.
In an operation in Machi Khel and Dandyderpa Khel remote villages and Miranshah city in the North Waziristan tribal agency, forces arrested eight suspected militants, officials told KUNA. They said operation was carried out after a tip-off that wanted former head of Afghan forces, Badshah Mir Khan, has taken in the area. Officials added that gunship helicopters and local tribal elders also assisted forces in the operation. They did not give identities of the suspects but a source revealed that three of the arrested suspects hold Afghan nationalities. The source said one is a Taliban rebel and the two others are brothers of Badshah Khan.
Meanwhile, officials said further, the main road of Miranshah, the main headquarters of North Waziristan agency, leading toward Afghanistan has been closed due to the operation. Pakistani forces are carrying a series of search operations in its tribal agency, a home of more than 100 foreign suspects, ahead of landmark legislative elections in the neighboring war-ravaged country, Afghanistan. It has deployed 80,000 troops along the border and established 16 mobile checkposts to assist the neighbor in security issues during the elections.
In a related incident, officials said further, forces also carried out operation against Afghans in Miranshah, who failed to follow the directives of the government to evacuate the agency by August 31. They said at lest 40 Afghans were wounded in the operation.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/13/2005 00:00 ||
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Rangers firing on an angry mob protesting against an attack on a local prayer leader, Monday, killed two and sparked tension in the Pakistani commercial city of Karachi, known as hotbed of sectarian violence, said police. Unknown masked gunmen on late Saturday opened indiscriminate fire at Qari Abdul Razaq, prayer leader of a Mosque and local leader of Jamat-i-Ulema Islam (JUI), in Sohrab Gotth area, local police official Ghayoor Shafaq told KUNA. He said Qari Razaq was seriously injured in the firing and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he is said to be in stable condition now.
Shucks. That's too bad.
He said the attack triggered protests in the city and has rekindled a revenge wave between rival Shiite and Sunni groups. He remarked that in order to put down the voice of the angry mob early Monday, rangers opened aerial fire, killing two activist of JUI and wounding three others. He said that following the incident, security has been beefed up in the city, where violence has already claimed hundreds of innocent lives in recent past.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/13/2005 00:00 ||
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He said Qari Razaq was seriously injured in the firing and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he is said to be in stable condition now.
Is that "stable" like King Fahd was for so many years, or "stable" like Arafat was for his "last" week?
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
09/13/2005 8:48 Comments ||
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"Generallisimo Francisco Franco is still dead."
Iraqâs prime minister toured the ex-insurgent stronghold of Tal Afar yesterday as security forces rounded up over 300 rebels who failed to make their escape from a 10,000-strong Iraqi and US assault. Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari visited the northern town of Tal Afar on a road to Syria âto show his defiance of the terrorists,â Interior Minister Bayran Baker Solagh said. Jaafari authorized the operation on Tal Afar on Friday after days of deadly clashes failed to dislodge rebels.
Responding to Internet pledges by Al-Qaeda linked groups to launch deadly revenge â including chemical â attacks over the Tal Afar assault, Solagh said they had âlost their senses.â In a series of Internet postings Sunday whose authenticity could not be verified, insurgents promised retaliation and offered rewards for killing top Iraqi officials. One site contained a voice recording attributed to Al-Qaedaâs Iraq frontman Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi that accused the US military of using chemical weapons in the assault, while another Al-Qaeda-linked group threatened to retaliate against US forces with chemical weapons.
Iraqi and US troops continued to search the town, but it appeared that many insurgents had melted away after initially resisting. âA majority of terrorists left the town without fighting,â according to Interior Ministry commando Gen. Adnan Sabet. The Defense Ministryâs Gen. Adel Azis Mohammed said that âa total of 157 terrorists had been killed over the past 24 hours,â while over 300 people had been arrested and 24 weapons caches discovered. One member of the Iraqi forces was killed and âfive to sixâ civilians also died in fighting over the same period, Mohammed added, although more detailed civilian casualty figures were unavailable.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/13/2005 00:00 ||
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This should be under Iraq, no?
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/13/2005 0:01 Comments ||
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An Iraqi militant group has offered up to $US100,000 for killing Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari and top officials who launched an offensive on rebels in a northern town, an Internet statement says. The Islamic Army in Iraq, among several insurgent groups fighting US troops and Iraqi forces, says Mr Jaafari and the defence and interior ministers should die for the fighting in Tal Afar. "The leadership of the army has issued orders to all the mujahideen to intensify their attacks ... to avenge the mass extermination occurring in Tal Afar," the statement said, which was not dated but bore the group's logo. It put a $US100,000 price on Mr Jaafari, $US50,000 for Interior Minister Bayan Jabor and $US30,000 for Defence Minister Saadoun Dulaimi.
About 10,000 US and Iraqi troops are hunting rebels and foreign fighters in Tal Afar, a city of 200,000 near the Syrian border. Mr Jaafari said on Friday he had given the go-ahead for the assault after days of deadly clashes failed to dislodge the rebels. Inhabitants were told to leave before the all-out offensive started. The men who remained behind faced arrest.
On Sunday, the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, accused the US army of using poison gas on the town to "finish off the mujahideen". A third Al Qaeda-linked group threatened to retaliate against US forces with chemical weapons. An Internet statement posted in the name of the Jaish al-Taefa al-Mansura, or Army of the Victorious Community, warned of reprisal attacks using "non-conventional and chemical weapons ... developed by the mujahedeen ... unless the armed onslaught against the city of Tal Afar stops within 24 hours".
Posted by: Fred ||
09/13/2005 00:00 ||
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100 grand ya say? Must be in a post-Saddam budget crunch. And what is the mechanism, pray tell, is the transferring of funds if the nefarious deed(s) is/are done?
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/13/2005 2:10 Comments ||
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Sounds like the best time to announce a decrease in price for Zark's head - oh, the humiliation!
President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan said yesterday that he believed that a Pakistani nuclear expert who ran the world's largest proliferation ring exported "probably a dozen" centrifuges to North Korea to produce nuclear weapons fuel. He added, however, that after two years of interrogations there was still no evidence about whether the expert also gave North Korea a Chinese-origin design to build a nuclear weapon.
General Musharraf's comments, which echo statements he made last month to Japanese reporters, were made in an interview a day before the United States was to reopen talks with North Korea about its nuclear program in Beijing.
The Pakistani leader's comments about the results of the interrogations of the expert, A. Q. Khan, a national hero who is under a loose form of house arrest in Islamabad, are significant because they tend to confirm the accusations American intelligence officials made against North Korea in 2002.
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/13/2005 00:00 ||
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Now he just have to figure out where those North Korean missiles came from.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
09/13/2005 0:16 Comments ||
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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.
Saudi authorities on Monday clarified the identity of one of the terrorists killed in the Damam clashes last week, noting that the DNA investigations showed that one of corpses belongs to a brother of man on the list of top wanted outlaws in the kingdom. An interior ministry statement said DNA investigations of one of the corpses recovered from under the debris of the hideout of the deviant group in the eastern Saudi city of Damam proved to be for Ahmed Abdelrahman al Swailmi whose father reported his disappearance three months ago. 
A month-old hunger strike at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has grown to include at least 128 detainees, 18 of whom are forcibly receiving intravenous fluids or nutrition in the prison hospital, military officials and detainee lawyers said yesterday.
The Bush administration yesterday warned Syria that its patience was "running out" because of its alleged support for Iraqi insurgents, while a UN investigation into the assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister extended its probe to Damascus.
Two people were wounded Monday as a result of armed clashes in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ein Al-Hilweh outside the southern Lebanese port city of Sidon, a security source said. 
Lebanese legislator Bahiya Al-Hariri, sister of slain former Prime Minister Rafik Al-Hariri, said she had recently received advice cautioning her against making too many movements for fear of being targeted by a criminal act.
Militants have killed three people accused of being spies for the US in North Waziristan Agency bordering Afghanistan, local officials said on Monday. The attackers slit their throats and left a note in the local Pashto language saying âanyone working as an American spy will meet the same fateâ, the official speaking on condition of anonymity said. Their bodies were found on Monday in a drain in the town of Tappi, 16 kilometers east of Miranshah, capital of the semi-autonomous region. Insurgents in the tribal areas, where Pakistani forces last year fought pitched battles with suspected Al Qaeda militants, have issued a hit-list of 28 local elders whom they called âgovernment spiesâ. 
A booby-trapped car exploded in Mansour area here on Monday killing a couple of Iraqi civilians and critically wounding at least 15 others, police said. The police said the car exploded near a restaurant in crowded commercial Mansour district this evening destroying cars and neighboring stores. The police, however, denied the presence of any Iraqi or American forces at the explosion scene when the explosives went off.
Iraqi regular troops and American forces are engaged in house-to-house ferocious fighting in the town of Tal Afar abutting the Syrian-Iraqi border in a major assault aimed a crushing hideouts of armed insurgents, Iraqi Interior Minister Baqer Jabr Solagh said on Monday. "The terrorists have been dealt a harsh blow that caused them to lose balance," Solagh said at a news conference, briefing the public about latest develpments in the town that has been vacated of civilians before the Iraqi-allied thrust, combing its narrow alleways, bursting into rooms and underground chambers.
Rangers firing on an angry mob protesting against an attack on a local prayer leader, Monday, killed two and sparked tension in the Pakistani commercial city of Karachi, known as hotbed of sectarian violence, said police. Unknown masked gunmen on late Saturday opened indiscriminate fire at Qari Abdul Razaq, prayer leader of a Mosque and local leader of 
Iraqâs prime minister toured the ex-insurgent stronghold of Tal Afar yesterday as security forces rounded up over 300 rebels who failed to make their escape from a 10,000-strong Iraqi and US assault. Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari visited the northern town of Tal Afar on a road to Syria âto show his defiance of the terrorists,â Interior Minister Bayran Baker Solagh said. Jaafari authorized the operation on Tal Afar on Friday after days of deadly clashes failed to dislodge rebels.
