KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- NATO on Thursday said up to 150 insurgents were killed in an eastern Afghanistan battle after two large groups of fighters crossed the border from Pakistan.
The fighters were attacked with ground fire and airstrikes, NATO said. Gen. Murad Ali, the Afghan army regional deputy corps commander, said the insurgents had traveled into Paktika province with several trucks carrying ammunition.
A NATO statement said "initial battle damage estimates" indicated that as many as 150 fighters were killed. Ali said more than 50 fighters were killed late Wednesday and early Thursday. Mohammad Zahir Azimi, the spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, estimated the toll at 80.
It was not clear why there was such a disparity in the estimates. Independent confirmation of the death toll was not immediately possible at the remote battle site.
Azimi said one Pakistani fighter was wounded and captured. Rocket-propelled grenade launchers and machine guns were also recovered, he said.
Taliban militants last year launched a record number of attacks, and an estimated 4,000 people died in insurgency-related violence -- the bloodiest year since the U.S.-led coalition ousted the Taliban regime in late 2001.
The fight in Paktika province's Bermel district was the first major engagement of 2007, and appeared to be the largest battle since a multi-day operation killed more than 500 suspected Taliban fighters in the Panjwayi district of Kandahar province in September.
NATO did not say how it estimated that 150 fighters were killed. In early December, NATO said it had killed 70-80 fighters in Helmand province -- but days later, it said that only seven or eight were killed.
In the southern province of Helmand, meanwhile, NATO forces called in airstrikes on Taliban positions during a clash in the village of Gereshk on Wednesday, said a local police chief, Ghulam Nabi Mulahkhail.
Among those killed was a local Taliban group commander identified as Mullah Faqir Mohammad, the police official said. One Afghan soldier was wounded and evacuated to a NATO medical facility, the alliance said in a statement.
The troops recovered weapons and ammunition in the militant compound following the operation, the statement said.
#1
150 were killed, but to prevent fussing by fools, they'll only admit to 15. That's been the pattern in both Afghanistan and Iraq... and elsewhere they aren't even admitting to engagements, except when caught on camera. ;-)
Mogadishu exploded in violence on Wednesday morning after unknown insurgents attacked a transitional government barracks during the night and soldiers responded by sealing off large swaths of the city, searching house to house for guns.
The weapons raids immediately provoked stiff resistance, and squads of Ethiopian soldiers and troops loyal to the transitional government poured into the streets, where they battled outraged residents and a handful of masked insurgents. From dawn to afternoon, the pop of gunfire and the boom of explosives reverberated across Mogadishu, Somalias reliably chaotic capital.
But it is difficult to tell how many people here actually support the growing insurgency against Somalias transitional government and the Ethiopian troops backing it. On Wednesday, a group of masked men stood on the steps of a Mogadishu mosque and proclaimed themselves to be Somalias new freedom fighters. They were met by jeers.
Why cant you hit anything, then? shouted one woman, referring to a botched grenade attack that missed the Ethiopians and demolished a house. Were you scared? Were your fingers trembling? Ya cretinous punks!
Regardless of the insurgents popularity, or lack thereof, violence is increasing. And the transitional government, which entered the capital two weeks ago for the first time since it formed in 2004, now faces a critical test: how quickly, if at all, can it pacify a notoriously dangerous city, bristling with military-grade weaponry and split by deep clan divisions? Quagmire alert!
Most of the violence on Wednesday was concentrated in strongholds of the Ayr, a powerful clan-based group closely connected to the Islamist movement that had controlled much of the country until the Ethiopian military entered the fray last month. On the other hand, neighborhoods of the Darod clan, the clan of Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, the transitional president, were quiet. Many Darod members said they were happy about the weapons raids, especially the ones in Ayr neighborhoods. Heh. I bet.
Clan rivalries have been the curse of Somalia ever since there was a Somalia. They are the cause of its civil wars, its famines and its state of suspended decay. It seems that this new chapter is no different. The insurgents are still a mysterious bunch, but they are widely suspected to be members of the ousted Islamist movement. No shit, Sherlock
After being routed, the Islamists vowed to fight on as an underground army. As each night passes, more government troops are attacked. On Tuesday, insurgents launched one of their boldest strikes, firing rocket-propelled grenades at an army barracks downtown. Witnesses said at least two soldiers died, and the insurgents got away. But on Wednesday, residents said that Ethiopian soldiers were able to confiscate some guns and arrest several people suspected of being insurgents.
Doctors at Medina Hospital said Wednesday that in the past 24 hours 15 people had been admitted for gunshot wounds, including 3 government soldiers. The violence this past week has filled all of the hospitals 65 beds, leaving bleeding men and women curled up on the floor and under acacia trees in the courtyard. This is not something that is going to stop, said Dahir Muhammad, a hospital official. Until the Ethiopians leave, people will be determined to kill them. And I am sure the Aethiops will respond in-kind.
#1
On Wednesday, a group of masked men stood on the steps of a Mogadishu mosque and proclaimed themselves to be Somalias new freedom fighters. They were met by jeers.
Why cant you hit anything, then? shouted one woman, referring to a botched grenade attack that missed the Ethiopians and demolished a house. Were you scared? Were your fingers trembling?
wow, somali women are not afraid to speak their mind!
#4
The weapons raids immediately provoked stiff resistance, and squads of Ethiopian soldiers and troops loyal to the transitional government poured into the streets, where they battled outraged residents and a handful of masked insurgents. From dawn to afternoon, the pop of gunfire and the boom of explosives reverberated across Mogadishu, Somalias reliably chaotic capital.
Damn it, 1/2 of my retirement money is tied up in a Mogadishu comercial properties stock. Thank God Ima diversified in those shares of Bouncing Betty Bolders in Wazoostan.
#5
Why cant you hit anything, then? shouted one woman, referring to a botched grenade attack that missed the Ethiopians and demolished a house. Were you scared? Were your fingers trembling?
She's got bigger balls than any jihadi.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
01/11/2007 14:07 Comments ||
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#1
Amazing how the only aspect of the affair which merits "criticism" from these dolts is America's involvement. The time has long since come and gone that these "critics" and their paymasters be made to pay a price for their bigotry and their treason to civilization.
#2
The time has long since come and gone that these "critics" and their paymasters be made to pay a price for their bigotry and their treason to civilization.
So you're saying they should be forced back into doing the usual hack scripts for the Hollyweird based media?
No top Al-Qaeda suspects killed in Somalia air strike, says US official
NAIROBI (AFP) - None of the three top Al-Qaeda suspects in Somalia sought by the United States were killed in a US airstrike this week in the south of the country, a senior US official has said.
"The three high-value targets are still of intense interest to us as well as other Al-Qaeda affiliates," the official told reporters Thursday on condition of anonymity in Nairobi, the capital of neighbouring Kenya.
The official said there had been only one US airstrike, on Monday, and that it resulted in no civilian casualties and that the three had not been the primary target of the raid.
"They were not the primary targets. One of the group (that was hit) was a significant Al-Qaeda affiliated figure," the official said. "It was a targeted strike at a group of Al-Qaeda-connected or Al-Qaeda-affiliated people. There were a number of people killed as a result of the strike, but it is too early to say who those people were," he added. "One thing I am sure of is that no civilians were killed."
Clan elders and residents in the bombed region close to the Kenyan border have reported about 100 people killed but said they have so far accounted for 29 bodies, some burned beyond recognition, in more than one airstrike.
Among Al-Qaeda militants held to be in Somalia are Fazul Abdullah Mohammed and Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, whom the United States blame for the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 224 people, mostly Africans.
Another suspect is Abu Taha al-Sudani, a Sudanese alleged to be an explosives expert close to Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and whom the Somali government claimed led Islamist fighters in recent battles.
"Fazul is not dead. We have a variety of assets in the area (and) we have reasons to believe that he is not dead," the official said.
The official denied reports that there are small numbers of US special forces in Somalia."No," he replied when asked about the presence of such US soldiers, "not that I am aware of and I would be aware."
#7
heh heh, ya missed me ima alive, only partial narrowly ded, not completely ded, yet!
Posted by: Fazul Abdullah Mohammed ||
01/11/2007 13:16 Comments ||
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#8
Maybe tomorrow, Fazul.
Spooky's got plenty of ammo...and all the time in the world.
And don't take it personal when nobody wants to be in the same town with you. They're just probably pretty averse to being turned into hamburger from above...not that that would bother you.
MOGADISHU, Somalia U.S. ships patrolling off the coast of Somalia have picked up a number of people suspected of having ties to wanted Al Qaeda terrorists who are being interrogated for any clues to the whereabouts of the group's key leaders.
For days, U.S. warships, including the aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower, have been positioned in the Indian Ocean to interdict vessels sailing from Somalia to make sure no terror suspects flee the country by sea. One of those warships, the amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland, is being used to detain anyone wanted for questioning.
After which it's off to Ice Station Zebra.
The senior military official said U.S. Navy personnel from some of the four warships enforcing a blockade off the Somali coast boarded vessels and detained less than a dozen people, including some who could be relatives of wanted Al Qaeda suspects or otherwise associated with the terror group.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/11/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
What I'd really like to see is
"In an unrelated item, US navy made a large purchase of chain and old anchors"
#2
Or just a short video of them dropping anchor through the AQ boat.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
01/11/2007 8:28 Comments ||
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#3
Stopped vessels experience a RDS moment.
(Rapidly Diminishing Seaworthiness)
Posted by: john ||
01/11/2007 8:35 Comments ||
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#4
After which it's off to Ice Station Zebra.
Where in an American prison on a British base in the Indian Ocean, Israeli specialists will question Saudi Arabian terrorists captured in Somalia by Ethiopians using Russian weapondry designed by their German Scientists.
#6
Ship left out the part where the Belgians express their dismay, the French declare a national day of mourning, and a bunch of old folks in Berkeley get nekkid.
#7
Ship left out the part where the Belgians express their dismay, the French declare a national day of mourning, and a bunch of old folks in Berkeley get nekkid.
Aw, geez - and I was just about to eat breakfast. Thanks a lot, Sea.
#11
The ice station zebra idea is not a bad one. A base in the freezing weather could easily made escape proof and it would be fun to see them go through Ramadan when the sun stayed up 24 hours a day that part of the year.
#12
Question for someone who isn't on most of the commenters level of military know-how.
I remember the last, oh, 3-4 months we've been hearing about carrier groups and such heading to Iran or going to the Indian Ocean. Then there's the US airstrike and now this report we're picking up AQ at sea. Is it possible we've been planning this for over half a year and used worry over us attacking Iran as cover?
Posted by: Charles ||
01/11/2007 13:48 Comments ||
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#13
I especially like the quote: "...detained." Seems we haven't learned a thing about Gitmo.
Second the dropped anchor close aboard the suspect vessel and the accompanying diminished seaworthiness....
#16
and a bunch of old folks in Berkeley get nekkid.
Jeebus, in between this comment and the one about Rosie's strap-on being named Barbara Walters, it's almost enough to make a red-blooded man leave the 'burg. "Calling .com, calling .com!"
Posted by: BA ||
01/11/2007 19:13 Comments ||
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#17
"Calling .com, calling .com!"
Say...where is .com anyway? Is he and OldSpook still having a lovers spat? And speaking of AWOL, where has Zenster been lately? He was my best source of material for bashing my Liberal associates.
Posted by: Chuck Darwin ||
01/11/2007 20:53 Comments ||
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#18
Last I read, he became a mod, and almost instantly, his posting quota dropped. Of course, he'll still show up for a good troll-thumping every once in a while.
Posted by: BA ||
01/11/2007 21:32 Comments ||
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Ethiopia's prime minister said Wednesday the U.S. military targeted 20 high-level members of an Islamic movement linked to al-Qaida in an airstrike this week in southern Somalia, attacking quickly before the Islamists could escape. The chief of staff for the Somali president claimed that a senior al-Qaida figure was killed in Monday's airstrike, although U.S. officials did not confirm it.
The air assault has been criticized internationally, with the usual suspects African Union, European Union and United Nations among those expressing concern. But British Prime Minister Tony Blair told lawmakers it was right to stand up to extremists who were using violence to ``get their way'' in Somalia.
Somali lawmaker Abdulrashid Hidig said the U.S. launched a new airstrike Wednesday around Ras Kamboni, a rugged coastal area a few miles from the Kenyan border where Monday's attack took place. He cited the Somali military as the source of the information. Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi told reporters in his country's capital, Addis Ababa, that eight suspected terrorists were killed in Monday's airstrike, five were wounded and taken into custody by Ethiopian forces, and seven escaped. Meles said most of the victims were Somali, but the identities would not be confirmed until DNA testing is completed.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
We need some carrier based Hinds for just such purposes, just sayn' it's useful to not be the "usual" suspect once and a while.
#3
Pretty quick reaction by the US forces (and civillian command authorities) in this deal. No hooplah, just doing the job right on time. Cornered and killed 'em. Didn't overthink this one.
#4
But British Prime Minister Tony Blair told lawmakers it was right to stand up to extremists who were using violence to ``get their way'' in Somalia.
How about standing up to the extremists that are using violence and intimidation to get their way in Britain? Tony? Old stick.
Posted by: Chuck Darwin ||
01/11/2007 22:00 Comments ||
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On Wednesday, Mogadishu, Somalias chaotic capital, exploded in violence after insurgents attacked a government barracks. Soldiers responded by sealing off large swaths of the city and searching house to house for weapons, according to reports in the New York Times. The raids immediately sparked resistance, and squads of Ethiopian soldiers and troops loyal to the transitional government poured into the streets, where they battled outraged residents and masked insurgents. At least one corpse lay on the street, witnesses said.
In another attack, at least one person was killed when Somali militiamen fired a rocket-propelled grenade at an Ethiopian truck, missing it but hitting a house, a government source said. From dawn through early afternoon, the pop of gunfire and boom of explosives echoed across the already bullet-pocked city.
Doctors at Medina hospital said at least 15 people were seriously hurt, including three government soldiers. Violence in the past few days has quickly filled all of the hospitals beds to overflowing, leaving bleeding men and women curled up on the floor and under acacia trees in the courtyard. "This is not something that is going to stop," said Dahir Mohammed, head of the interim governments medical department.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
It seems most of Somalia is calm, and the people are rather sensible. It's only Mogadischu where there's a problem. I think it's time to establish a government that includes everything BUT Mogadischu, cut the capital off at the knees, allow no one in or out, and blockade the port and airport. Let them stew in their own juices for a few years, killing each other off, dying of starvation and neglect. After five or ten years of that, go in and flush what's left. There probably wouldn't be any recurrence of the dreaded "warlord" disease for several decades, if then.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/11/2007 10:11 Comments ||
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#2
Establish a government. Establish the largest helo gunship and AC-130 firing range in the world.
There were reports that Ethiopian troops were taking heavy casualties in fighting against insurgents, including an incident in central Mogadishu where an army truck was blown up by a bazooka. Most of the violence on Wednesday was concentrated in strongholds of the Ayr sub-clan, a powerful lineage group that was closely connected to Somalias Islamist movement.
Quoting US and French military sources, ABC News said US special forces were working with Ethiopian troops on the ground inside Somalia. But Interior minister Hussein Mohamed Aideed denied the report. "There are no American ground forces inside Somalia. The American involvement is limited to air and sea," he said.
Mondays attack was the first overt US military action in Somalia since a disastrous humanitarian mission ended in 1994.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Now we see that Ethiopians are made of (anybody, not excluding Belgium, can beat Muzzies in the field), the real test is not wavering when time comes to mow down Muzzi human shields.
Kenyan youth enlisted by the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) forces to fight the Ethiopian invasion in Somalia were killed in the battlefield. Government officials on Wednesday acknowledged the deaths but remained tight-lipped on the number of local recruits killed in the anarchic horn of Africa nation.
North Eastern Provincial Commissioner, Mr Kiritu Wamae, said intelligence reports indicated that several Kenyan youths fighting alongside UIC militia were killed as they confronted the advancing Ethiopian troops. He told a news conference at Liboi border point that the
Provincial security and intelligence committee compiled a list of the dead recruits, majority of who were Kenyan Somalis.
provincial security and intelligence committee had compiled a list of the dead recruits, majority of who were Kenyan Somalis. The PC did not give more details of the incidents or parents or relatives, who confirmed the deaths of their kin in the front-line. But he said:
"We want these sheikhs (religious elders) who still deny the reported deaths to show us where the missing boys are, because we have a list of the slain local combatants."
"When we revealed that local youths were being recruited (to fight for the UIC) we knew what we were talking about. We want these sheikhs (religious elders) who still deny the reported deaths to show us where the missing boys are, because we have a list of the slain local combatants."
Wamae also declared persona non grata recruits who survive the Somalia conflict who may wish to return home.
PC said the names of more than 4,000 local youths enlisted in the foreign force was already in circulation and warned the recruits that they risked facing treason charges if they set foot in the country.
The PC said the names of more than 4,000 local youths enlisted in the foreign force was already in circulation and warned the recruits that they risked facing treason charges if they set foot in the country.
He said some relatives of the slain fighters were mourning their dead in silence for fear of being identified. The PC cautioned locals against enlisting their children in the foreign militia.
The killing comes after a section of
Politicians and religious leaders late last year disputed Wamaes claims that a foreign force was recruiting hundreds of local youths.
politicians and religious leaders late last year disputed Wamaes claims that a foreign force was recruiting hundreds of local youths. He also told a Kenyatta Day celebration that some local leaders were working as agents of the foreign militia. His claims elicited angry reaction with religious leaders demanding that the PC retracts the statement. The Council of Imam and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK) and the supreme Council of Kenya Muslim (Supkem) officials gave the PC a seven-day notice to withdraw the statement or risk street protests. North Eastern CIPK branch chairman, Sheikh Hassan Amey, said Wamaes statement had portrayed locals in bad light. He said the local communities had no business in the Somalia conflict.
Last years Idd celebrations in the province was widely characterised by calls for the sacking of the PC over the remarks, as politicians joined the fray and demanded an apology. But Wamae stood his ground at the expiry of the apology notice and insisted that unemployed youths were being induced with $400 to enlist with the UIC forces in a war widely publicised as Jihad (holy war). He said the widely disputed remarks was now unfolding before the eyes of critics and challenged the leaders to prove their version with facts. He claimed that some of the parents of the killed youth had already confirmed the deaths of their sons. He invited the religious leaders locally referred to as Ullama to verify lists of the men he says were missing in action. Majority of them, he said, were from Garissa District.
Wamae cautioned the leaders to uphold the countrys sovereignty and stop taking sides in the conflict.
"Radical transnational Islam, Pan Somali nationalism and local Muslim leaders involved in Somali politics threatened the countrys sovereignty and NEP integration into the Kenyan mainstream and the trend should stop,"
"Radical transnational Islam, Pan Somali nationalism and local Muslim leaders involved in Somali politics threatened the countrys sovereignty and NEP integration into the Kenyan mainstream and the trend should stop," he said.
Wamae confirmed that one of the 23 Islamist fighters seized after escaping into the country was suspected to have links with terrorist cells in Somalia. Witnesses said some of the fleeing fighters joined a group of herdsmen at Ammuma border location. There were claims that some had sneaked into Dadaab refugee camps in Garissa District. And Kenyan security personnel manning the volatile border with Somalia retreated from the no mans land after the US forces bombed Dobley town.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2007 00:00 ||
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sounds like a roundup and severe beatings should be in order for the Imams? A couple dead to show who's in charge would work well...
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/11/2007 7:00 Comments ||
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The government of Yemen has sealed its sea border with Somalia in an effort to discourage armed human traffickers from bringing illegal immigrants to Yemen. According to news agencies in Yemeni capital Sana, a high-ranking navy official, who asked not to be named, said that several contingents of Yemeni navy forces were deployed to the Red Sea to tighten the security.
About six boats carrying hundreds of Somali and Ethiopian migrants have been averted by Yemen navy forces.
He said many armed human traffickers brought hundreds of illegal migrants from Somalia and Ethiopia to Yemen.
Most of the illegal immigrants travel from the Somali autonomous regional government of Puntland. He said about six boats carrying hundreds of Somali and Ethiopian migrants have been averted by Yemen navy forces. Yemen was one of the Arab countries trying to mediate Somalia's defeated Islamists and the transitional government, which is currently in control of most of the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2007 00:00 ||
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Saudi Arabia denied the arrest of an aide to Iraqi Shiite leader Moqtada Al Sadr in Madinah. Saudi Interior Ministry spokesman Major General Mansour Al Turki told reporters yesterday Hassan Al Zurkani of Al Sadr's office was not arrested but was called to Madinah to discuss with him safety measures during his visit to Al Hujra Al Shareefa (the room where the Prophet Mohammad [PBUH] is buried).
Al Zurkani immediately left, Al Turki said, adding that the Al Sadr aide understood the reasons for the discussion and its relationship to the public interest of visitors to the Prophet's Mosque.
News agencies alleged on Tuesday that Al Zurkani was arrested in Madinah. Some agencies even predicted that the Al Sadr official was caught distributing sectarian leaflets and books while others said that he has been involved in provocative actions to undermine the security of Saudi Arabia.
Al Zurkani is a close aide to Moqtada Al Sadr and he represented the group in a number of conferences outside Iraq.
He was among the first, in the aftermath of the US occupation of Iraq, to say security of religious centres and mosques is to be assigned to the Mehdi Army.
Regarding the return of Iraqi pilgrims from the Haj, an official at the Iraqi Accord Front appealed to King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz and King Abdullah II of Jordan to allow the pilgrims to return to Iraq across the border post with Jordan or to come to Baghdad by air to avoid arrest by Iraqi forces.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2007 00:00 ||
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Tater's expanding his sphere of bad influence, huh?
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/11/2007 7:02 Comments ||
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Italian right-wing lawmaker Daniela Santanche, a known opponent of the Islamic headscarf, said on Wednesday she had received death threats in Arabic with a photograph of murdered Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh. I yesterday (Tuesday) received a letter with four sheets in Arabic and photographs of Theo van Gogh and Hirsi Ali, she told AFP, referring to Somali-born former Dutch lawmaker Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Hirsi Ali gained international attention in 2004 after Van Gogh was murdered by a Muslim extremist. Van Gogh had produced a controversial film written by Hirsi Ali about the treatment of women in Islam. Since I dont understand Arabic, I gave the letter to the police and they told me it contained death threats, said Santanche.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2007 00:00 ||
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President Bush today presented the Medal of Honor, the nations highest decoration, to the family of Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham, who died shielding his fellow Marines from a grenade blast in Iraq in April 2004.
General Pace with Dunham's family at Medal of Honor ceremonyWith this medal, we pay tribute to the courage and leadership of a man who represents the best of young Americans, Bush said before presenting the medal to Dunhams family at the White House. Jason Dunham's story at link
#2
I remember some here questioned his action of trying to smother the grenade, but damn, he was a f*&king hero. Giving his life to save his comrades, what greater sacrifice can you ask?
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/11/2007 17:25 Comments ||
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#3
While in hand to hand combat with an insurgent he see's the insurgent drop a grenade. Instead of running away, this guy had enough sense to tell his men to run, take his helmet off, put it over the grenade and jump on top of it. All in a matter of a few seconds.
I can imagine no greater
Take care of him for us Big Guy. He was the finest we had to offer.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/11/2007 17:25 Comments ||
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#4
Those type of decisions are made from the core of ones soul. He never had time to think or rationalize his situation. This guy was a true hero that knew what being a leader was all about to the core of his being. God bless him.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
01/11/2007 18:30 Comments ||
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#5
Actually, Cpl. Dunham had avidly discussed this and other details of soldierly art from the time he graduated from basic training. Based on his own thinking and that of others with more experience, he had sometime previously concluded that this was the safest and most effective way to handle the situation. He simply decided to take the action he felt necessary to protect his Marines, trusting that it would indeed work. No greater love, indeed.
A friend of a friend was embedded with Cpl. Dunham's unit during the 2003 invasion, reporting for the Wall Street Journal. Subsequently, he took a year off to write about Cpl. Dunham and his unit, a paen to these brave men, and a cri de cour about the imperfections of the Marines that cause such men to be killed. The book suffered from the failings of such an enterprise -- too many people and details, a typical journalist's lack of understanding of how organizations function, whether business or military, and an emotional requirement for perfection of execution on all levels from people all too human. But as a statement of love and respect for the men he so clearly had grown to love and admire, as that the book functioned very well indeed.
The Defense Department is warning its American contractor employees about a new espionage threat seemingly straight from Hollywood: It discovered Canadian coins with tiny radio frequency transmitters hidden inside.
In a U.S. government report, the department said the mysterious coins were found planted on U.S. contractors with classified security clearances on at least three separate occasions between October 2005 and January 2006 as the contractors traveled through Canada. The U.S. report does not suggest who might be tracking American defense contractors or why. It also doesn't describe how the Pentagon discovered the ruse, how the transmitters might function or even which Canadian currency contained them.
Further details were secret, according to the U.S. Defense Security Service, which issued the warning to the Pentagon's classified contractors. The government insists the incidents happened, and the risk was genuine. "What's in the report is true," said Martha Deutscher, a spokeswoman for the security service. "This is indeed a sanitized version, which leaves a lot of questions."
Continued on Page 49
#3
Russia typically uses countries adjacent to their target country for espionage. This is why they have an enormous "Canadian interest" branch, yet have always only engaged in very limited espionage against Canada.
#12
What it sounds like is someone was testing a rfi tagged coin for use in vending machines, ATMs, cash registers, etc and they got out into the 'wild'. I have read before about the US Treasury thinking about putting them in currency, but it was shot down.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/11/2007 14:30 Comments ||
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#13
What it sounds like is someone was testing a rfi tagged coin for use in vending machines, ATMs...
How would one use (deposit or receive) a coin (tagged or otherwise) from an ATM machine?
Posted by: Chuck Darwin ||
01/11/2007 15:00 Comments ||
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#14
Well, in the US, the biggest coin in use is $1. Other countries commonly use bigger denominations. I don't know if Canada does, but I just used ATM as an example of a machine that could use a rfi to read the coins value.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/11/2007 15:16 Comments ||
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#15
Well, in the US, the biggest coin in use is $1. Other countries commonly use bigger denominations. I don't know if Canada does, but I just used ATM as an example of a machine that could use a rfi to read the coins value.
Okay, I'll rephrase the inquiry. Name one instance of an ATM (Automated Teller Machine) that either dispenses, or accepts coinage. I've only seen ATM machines that dispense bills, and accept deposits of bills in a numbered envelope.
Posted by: Chuck Darwin ||
01/11/2007 16:04 Comments ||
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#16
Steve,
Canada has a C$1 coin, nicknamed the loonie. It has a C$2 coin, nicknamed the toonie.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
01/11/2007 23:14 Comments ||
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Adapting ideas tracing back from ancient history to modern Israel, US Marines have sealed off flashpoint towns with sand walls in a new counter-insurgency tactic to quell the wilds of western Iraq.
Driving across the desert to Haditha, one of the war's deadliest and most infamous battlefields, the grey plain suddenly collapses into a ditch and rises into an intimidating 12-foot (around four-metre) bank of bulldozed sand.
This is bleak territory in Al-Anbar province, bordering on Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Syria. Freezing wind howls across the desert in winter. The summer sun is merciless, sand storms a constant curse.
Continued on Page 49
#1
"What surprises me is how much the Iraqis look at that. 'You ought to do what the Israelis do. If someone plants an IED, you should bulldoze their house',"
-yeah, no shit. Of course our traitorous msm scum would never understand that tactic even if it was iraqi approved.
#9
Haditha has become even more notorious in the West since US Marines sowed their own brand of terror by killing 24 Iraqis after one of their buddies was ripped apart by a roadside bomb in 2005. Murder charges have been pressed.
Who wrote this? John ABSCAM Murtha. So much for the objective press. Those guys fighting for Western Civilization, even though many of us don't deserve it, should be given the highest measure of "innocent until proven guilty".
AFP you suck. I going to work-over my life size Dhimmi Carter punching bag now.
#11
Hey, I represent Shipman (living near Atlanta). The good news out of "da ATL" today though, is the fourteen people on the board resigning from the Carter Center over Jimmuh's book propoganda.
Posted by: BA ||
01/11/2007 19:36 Comments ||
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#12
Preview is your friend...meant:
Hey, I represent that, Shipman....
Carry on!
Posted by: BA ||
01/11/2007 19:36 Comments ||
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#13
To those of us northerners, Iraq in winter seems like paradise temperatures. However, winter in the desert is no paradise.
Indeed. As this story will attest. This SAS squad, hunting SUDs during Desert Storm, got lost in the boonies of the Iraq-Syria border and wound up losing three men to exposure during a snow storm.
Jan. 11 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. forces in Iraq raided Iran's consulate in the northern city of Arbil and detained five staff members, a state-run Iranian news service said. The U.S. soldiers disarmed guards and broke open the consulate's gate before seizing documents and computers during the operation, which took place today at about 5 a.m. local time, the Islamic Republic News Agency said. There was no immediate information on whether any of those detained are diplomats.
The raid follows a warning yesterday to Iran and Syria from President George W. Bush in his address to the American people on a new strategy for Iraq. Bush accused Iran and Syria of aiding the movement of ``terrorists and insurgents'' in and out of Iraq and said the U.S. will ``seek out and destroy the networks providing advanced weaponry and training to our enemies.''
Coalition forces arrested six people during ``routine security operations'' in the Arbil area, the U.S. military said in an e-mailed statement. The military didn't confirm that the consulate was raided and didn't say whether any of those detained were Iranians. The operation was ``part of an ongoing effort by coalition forces targeting individuals involved in activities aimed at the killing of Iraqi citizens and coalition forces,'' the military said. Arbil, about 320 kilometers north (200 miles) north of Baghdad, is the Kurdistan Regional Government's seat in Iraq's northern autonomous Kurdish area.
The Iranian Embassy in Baghdad sent a letter of protest to the Foreign Ministry, calling for the Iraqi government to secure the release of the detainees, IRNA said. U.S. forces detained two Iranian diplomats in Baghdad in December. The men, suspected of weapons smuggling, were later released to Iranian officials in the capital. Deputy White House Press Secretary Scott Stanzel said on Dec. 26 those detainees had diplomatic status, and an investigation would be completed before ``characterizing their activities.''
Bush's approach to Iran and Syria ignores a key recommendation of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group -- diplomatic engagement with Iran and Syria to help end the conflict. He announced plans yesterday to send 21,500 more U.S. soldiers and Marines to Iraq.
Just call them heavily armed diplomats
Calls to the Iranian Foreign Ministry in Tehran weren't answered.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/11/2007 07:44 ||
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#1
Good. Now line them up against a wall and have them shot for aiding the enemy.
#3
The men, suspected of weapons smuggling, were later released to Iranian officials in the capital. Deputy White House Press Secretary Scott Stanzel said on Dec. 26 those detainees had diplomatic status, and an investigation would be completed before ``characterizing their activities.''
Very strong diplomatic condemnation and 7 course dinner to follow. Meanwhile, muzzrats chuckle, as IED's continue to kill US forces.
Posted by: Chuck Darwin ||
01/11/2007 9:52 Comments ||
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#9
Do consulate personnel and consulate grounds have diplomatic immunity?
Depends. If they're only functioning in a lawful manner, we do nothing. If they play "gotcha" games, we neutralize them. Unless they're Mexican, that is, where we bend over and kiss their a$$es.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/11/2007 10:36 Comments ||
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#10
Uhm, did we just surreptitiously declare war on the Iranians?!?!
#18
I heard it was nothing more than a house with some Iranians. If the Iraqi government officially recognizes these "diplomats" or not could make a big difference.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/11/2007 13:17 Comments ||
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#19
If I were the Iranians, and depending what was in the house, I wouldn't claim it as a consulate, or the occupants as diplomats.
#25
Unless that "consulate" was issued the proper documentation from the Iraqi elected government, and the persons involved have gone through the formal documentation and rituals involved, then there is nothing about diplomatic immunity involved. The host country has to recognize the embassy or consulate, and the personnel there, for the immunity to be claiming or in force. Otherwise, the Iranians and anyone else could just setup anywhere they wanted and claim diplomatic privileges - not how the whole thing has been ironed out over the past 2 centuries.
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/11/2007 18:26 Comments ||
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#28
Note this Iranian headquarters is in Arbil, the capital of Kurdistan and under Kurdish diplomatic protection. Just as the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, who were recently arrested in Hakim's compound with bomb making kits and documents detailing Irainian operations, were invited and under the protection of Talibani.
Posted by: ed ||
01/11/2007 19:19 Comments ||
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#29
Do the Kurds actually have the power to grant diplomatic immunity?
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/11/2007 19:40 Comments ||
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#30
no, especially not on Iranians :-)
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/11/2007 20:06 Comments ||
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#31
They are operating with the knowledge of the Kurdish leadership and with Kurdish diplomatic immunity. Let's be honest here. Baghdad has no power in Kurdistan. It is the Barzanis and Talibanis who decide what goes on in Kurdistan.
Posted by: ed ||
01/11/2007 20:09 Comments ||
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#32
I think it was a dual message to both the Iranians and the Kurdish leadership that allowed them in
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/11/2007 20:26 Comments ||
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MEMRI blog: The Salahaldin Al-Ayoubi Brigades, the military wing of JAMI, Al Jabha Al-Islamiyya l'il-Muqawama Al-'Iraqiyya, announced via Islamist websites that today, January 10, 2007, it had fired four missiles loaded with chemicals at a U.S. base near Samara, Iraq. The organization posted a film showing militants wearing gas masks and filling the missiles with a liquid which the organization claims are chemicals. Below are images from the film. Source: an old Baathist stash? Syria? Iran? chemistry set from walmart?
The videos are an excellent first hand source from an individual who has more credibility and veracity than any of the dime a dozen anti-American bloggers, the Bogus Berkeley cum Chomsky travelers!
#3
I'm no chemical weapons expert so I have no idea what the "good stuff" looks like, but I would guess that what we see in those pics is Jihadi McGyver stuff.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/11/2007 0:21 Comments ||
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#4
home made Mike N? note the protection the eyeki chemical engineers are usin. If it were sarin they'd be ded as door nails. possibly old goat dung mixed with water from the two rivers.
This is a short translation of Saddam Fedayeen statement, you can download the statement [file in zip format, included: the statement in Arabic (PDF), images of a recent attack of Maliki convoy (inside the Green Zone and video of the operation].
#5
Painting cars requires more protection than what they're wearing. By law anyway. I've never tried the combo, but I wonder what a gunpowder/gasoline Mix would look like.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/11/2007 1:17 Comments ||
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#6
Oh please oh please oh please . . .
They probably haven't figured out that we're fighting with one arm tied behind our back and the other hand has one of those huge inflatable boxing gloves on.
#9
Chemical could be a mustard agent. V agents tend to look and behave much like dirty cooking oil (despite the pretty green colored ones in the movie "The Rock"), and G agents are much like discolored water.
These are most likely "splat" weapons, that don't have an explosive head to airburst and spread the chemical. For this reason, when they hit, they just make a few square feet of contamination.
For the US forces in the area, they would just put a couple of feet of dirt on top of the impact area with a bulldozer, put a marker on top of it, and walk away. If it was a good distance, empty a jerry can of gasoline on it when there is a good wind heading away from post, and fire decon it.
#12
I would think there is a good chance this was real chemical agent, because there were huge stocks of it made in Iraq, and a lot is still just sitting around.
As far as handling goes, what they were doing is typical for the Iran/Iraq area. I might suggest that this was an Iranian project, with their expertise in chemical weapons. Probably the guy with the mask in the pic is the expert.
#3
I'll believe it the first time we wipe out an Iranian naval port. I would suggest an ARCLIGHT strike on Khark Island. I'd also tell the local fishermen to move out of the way until it's all over, then go in and scoop up all the dead fish. Almost half of Iran's oil is exported through Khark.
Bandar Abbas would also be another nice place to hit, being right there on the Straits of Hormuz. Hitting it with about 30 Buffs loaded with 1000lb bombs would do wonders for our credibility as a warfighting nation. Wouldn't be too nice on the locals, but they're some of the ones that started this sh$$. Use F/A-18s and napalm to take out the Silkworm batteries along the coast. We'd neutralize the Iranian ability to do anything but seethe in about three days.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/11/2007 10:35 Comments ||
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#4
I suggest their refineries and gasoline offloading terminals. They can go back to donkey carts, just like the paleos.
#5
OP -
Let me go you one BETTER - TAKE Kharg. We can easily occupy and defend the place, and then tell the Mullahs you can have your oil terminal back when you start behaving. The Iranians will have some thoroughly unpleasant choices:
1. Sit there and scream about it and watch their money dwindle away,
2. Try and take the place back and watch their forces get creamed,
3. Or give in.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/11/2007 11:25 Comments ||
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#7
We polytheists just can't fight monotheists: the believers of the One, Unique God.
I'm surprised you monothesists have time to fight Americans, seeing how you spend most of it blowing each other up.
All in the name of the One, Unique God, of course...
WHY IS THE PREZ PLEDGING PATRIOT MISSILE BATTERIES?!?!
Wtf? Does AQ and the sunni/shia militias now have an air force? I mean... it's kinda out of left field. It's like saying he's deploying stealth bombers and fighters to support our operations in Iraq.
#10
J:RTS. I had a nice chuckle at your posts. We're losing, blah blah blah. It's too bad that it's muslim killing muslim. The only Americans being killed are the ones caught in the crossfire. I'd also like to say that the only 'god' your pedophile prophet (may donkey's anally rape him daily) worshipped has horns and a pointy tail. Islam is nothing but a satan worshipping, murderous cult. It's not a coincidence that Jesus, Son of the One True God, said to beware the false prophets who would follow (Matthew 7:15). It's also no coincidence that the mahdi bears a striking resemblence to the Anti-Christ.
#11
I think a better set of targets in Iran is every single plant, truck or trailer that has the ability to generate electricity. Follow up with water treatment plants, bridges and rail yards and every single oil and gas refinery while blockading the ports and continuously bomb every road and rail line in and out of the country.
Then check back in a year and see how they are doing.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats ||
01/11/2007 14:34 Comments ||
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#12
Poor JUSTICE:RETURN TO SPLENDOR. He hit almost all the Muslim-speak cliches, and his knowledge of English is pretty good. Third year student, perhaps? But he still needs to work on
o subject-verb agreement and subject-pronoun agreement (never, ever mix singulars with plurals)
o it's mental outlook, not mental constitution
o capitalization -- in English we only capitalize proper names and titles, not descriptors, hence one, unique god, and it would be helpful to provide his name, Allah, for those who don't know what it is J:RTS believes. Lots of religions out there, and the more provincial followers assume everyone knows what they're talking about when they spout cant.
o never explain insults -- that blunts the sting. If the insult can't stand without explanation, it isn't worth doing, because the need for an explanation just makes the insultor look stupid.
JUSTICE:RETURN TO SPLENDOR, I suggest you rewrite your post correcting these basic errors, and if you succeed we'll address the problems you have with simple logical argument.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
01/11/2007 18:32 Comments ||
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#20
hmmm - I got mine from WhoIs....
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/11/2007 18:38 Comments ||
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#21
We might both be wrong, and he's some 5-year-old in Oshkosh.
Who knows...
Posted by: Dave D. ||
01/11/2007 18:49 Comments ||
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#22
Naw, Dave D., a five year old acts a LOT more mature than that! And, TW's snark definitely backs up my vote for her being Sec. of State in Rantburia!
Posted by: BA ||
01/11/2007 19:19 Comments ||
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#23
Dang, I forgot all about that: I wanted to be Minister of Armaments...
Posted by: Dave D. ||
01/11/2007 19:38 Comments ||
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#24
I wanna be the Keeper of The Holy Hand Grenade...
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/11/2007 19:52 Comments ||
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#25
I also wanna wield the Wire Brush Of Enlightenment...
Posted by: Dave D. ||
01/11/2007 20:06 Comments ||
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#26
You make me blush, gentlemen. Please help yourselves to these fresh-baked brownies, by way of thanks. :-)
As for Armaments, Dave D., I'm afraid you're going to have to fight off all the military guys, both current and retired. Would you consider weapons research under Swamp Blondie and Barbara Skolaut? ;-)
Eleven Iraqi Shia returning from haj were shot dead in cold blood on Wednesday. At least 18 Iraqis died in bombings and shootings and the authorities also discovered 60 corpses in Baghdad.
Eleven Shias were killed when masked gunmen stopped their bus returning home from Saudi Arabia, Karbala governor Akil al-Khazali said. Another 14 were wounded after the gunmen travelling in three cars leapt aboard the large bus and pumped bullets at random into the passengers, 130 kilometres west of Karbala, he said.
In northern Iraq, four people were killed and 12 hurt when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowded market in the Al-Khadra neighbourhood of Tal Afar, town councillor Brigadier General Najem Abdullah said. Abdullahs own vehicle had earlier in the day come under car bomb attack in Mosul. He was not in the vehicle at the time but his driver was wounded, police said.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2007 00:00 ||
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The sounds of furious battles filled Baghdad's skies for the past two days. In the largest battle Haifa street and its surroundings were the field in which all sorts of guns were used.
Actually yesterday was the first time in months that I hear the familiar characteristic sound of the 30 mm cannon that is usually mounted on A-10's and Apache helicopters. This particular weapon is an indication of the seriousness of the battles even though was fired only a few times. Anyway, military aircrafts are still roaming the skies above us occasionally at low altitudes and making significant sounds.
The battles left more than 50 militants killed and more than a dozen captured, seven of whom are Syrians and this supports what we reported in our last post that eyewitnesses said. Meanwhile there have been more clashes in Al-Aamil district in western Baghdad yesterday and we learned that all roads and bridges leading to that area are now closed, with helicopters hovering above.
With all of this going on, the government still insists that the new security operation in Baghdad hasn't started yet according to the spokesman of the government Ali al-Dabbagh who, in a statement to Al-Mada has also denied the news about the Peshmerga or The Badr brigade being involved in the new security operation:
The operation will be conducted by the troops of the Interior and defense ministries supported by the MNF redeployment of units and relocating them from one area to another within the borders of the nation is a normal action
Al-Dabbagh also told l-Mada paper that this operation would be different: This one will differ in terms of tactics, supervision, deployment plans and size of the participating troops who are well equipped and prepared this plan is built on what we learned from the shortcomings of previous ones
Al-Dabbagh delivered more details to al-Sabah: He denied the reports that the government had set a specific starting date or duration for the operation but he said that the operation would be decisive, focus on confiscating unlicensed arms, strike militants no matter what their backgrounds or affiliations were and would commit to enforcing peace and order by all possible means putting the issue of militias on the top of its priorities.
What al-Dabbagh said reflects that the government is determined on dealing firmly with any security breach "this time there will be raids on targets without putting in consideration that they represent this or that political or partisan front" and asserted that troops would reach their targets no matter what side effects
The debate among politicians here about the operation continues; some are for and others are against and perhaps among the major points of controversy is the participation of the Peshmerga. This one is already clarified after the participating units have been identified. It appears that some of the participating brigades in fact have a Kurdish majority but they are IA brigades though and they answer to the defense ministry, not the Peshmerga organization.
The Peshmerga Minister of Kurdistan made this explanation to Al-Mada (same link as above): "The news reports show some confusion, the media considers all Kurdish troops as Peshmerga while in fact there are three brigades; one in each of Duhok, Sulaymaniya and Erbil that are part of the IA and they receive orders from the Iraqi defense ministry." Sheikh Mustafa denied there would be any role for the Peshmerga in Baghdad's operations.
The other point of controversy, and the more important one indeed is the fear from having the operation turn into a selective operation that targets one sect and ignores the other. I think that although this might possibly be the case but those who are marketing this idea are the extremists in the first place; the ones who see a serious threat for them in this operation. For example, the association of Muslim scholars which was yesterday calling the former army officers to lead a coup said the new operation would target Sunnis only. This sounds like a replay of a broken record that al-Qaeda always uses to deepen the sectarian tension, terrify, and win the sympathy of nonviolent Sunnis who still believe the political process has a chance. The statement came like this:
Reuters reported that a website carried a call from the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq to his followers to be prepared to confront the new American-backed security plan of Baghdad, calling the plan an Iranian conspiracy to strike the Sunni people.
Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, the leader of the so called the Islamic Emirate in Iraq sent an order to all armed groups to be ready to confront what he called Iranian gangs preparing to launch an offensive on Baghdad's Sunni neighborhoods using the cover of the security plan to "annihilate Sunni Muslims and destroy their mosques"
Most people here expect the major operations to begin by Friday or early next week at maximum and actually it looks like nothing is going to stop the government from doing it.
#1
There don't appear to be any reporters imbedded in the Baghdid assault. This is a goooood thing, I wonder if it is one of the refinements in the ROE.
were you guys involved yesterday or is that anoth "sector"
DW: that is our sector but it wasent our unit in it and they didnt call for us
DW: we watched the whole battle from 500 meters away on our roof
Ki: so you guys get to cross the bridge that has to fun
DW: yea we cross it at least twice a week to go to the green zone
Ki: I was telling bobs mom that you most likely had a good view on things
Ki: that makes sense--px and chow
DW: oh yea very good i caught an F-15 swooping in at 500ft and firing and an apache firing a hellfire missle on video
DW: yea its just so many buildings
DW lol
DW: you know the media lol
Kirk2579: if only they were on your side
DW: lol
Ki: more guys coming your way soon they say
DW: yea supposedly a lot
Ki: is that good or bad in your eyes
DW: I think its good because of the future assault on Sadr city
DW: that is going to be at least a 2 BDE mission
DW: they say sadr city has 300,000 insurgents
Ki: 2 us bde or combo
DW: 2 us
Ki: i would say that may be sympathizers but hopefully not actice support
Ki: if that amny active you may just wan t to start leveling buildings now to get a start on it
DW: oh believe me there will be a huge airstrike before we go in
Ki: first target--the mosques
DW: something compared to shock and awe in 2003
Ki9: it better be better than that if 8000 us to go against 300000
DW: oh yea definatly
DW: sadr city alone has 2.6 million people
Ki: at least the carriern groups are coming in off shore--several onsite and more soon to be there
DW: thats a third of Baghdad...so you can imagine
DW: yea
Ki: circlet he dam area and then close noose day by day
DW: yea
DW: its going to be a hell of a fight
Ki: just what we dads want to see
BobK | 01.10.07 - 12:46 pm | #
#6
I just can't help getting the feeling that the President has finally decicded that no matter what he does he will be damned so he is now going to do what needs to be done. No more trying be be Mr sensitive touchie-feelie Mr. Nice Guy.
We may just make it yet. Hoora!
Posted by: kelly ||
01/11/2007 17:47 Comments ||
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Haifa Street in Baghdad, the subject of recent communications from the Islamic State of Iraq regarding successful confrontations between the groups Mujahideen and Iraqi forces of the National Guard and Police, is featured following battles on Sunday, January 7, in an eight-minute video issued today, January 11, 2007, by al-Furqan Foundation for Media Production. Al-Furqan is the Islamic States designated official producer of multimedia. The video seems to have been captured with a cellular phone and shows roaming shots of dead bodies, indicated to be carcasses of members of the National Guard, Iraqi police, and al-Mahdi Army, and the street itself containing destroyed vehicles.
The Islamic State of Iraq stated in a communiqué issued Monday, January 8, that in a confrontation with the enemy forces the previous day in Haifa Street, more than eighteen members of the National Guard and Iraqi police were killed and several vehicles burned and destroyed. Pictures were indicated to be forthcoming and this video is the result.
The video and transcript are provided to our Intel Service members
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Baghdad: Videos, the first vid has one Western Score [music] at the end, lol.
#8
by way of explainion for lurkers or RB visitors.
al-Qâ`ida Iraq, doesn't often release any videos that show them being sent on to allen [piss be upon him] by the US Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, and or the US Coast Guard.
Later the real story is, is that our American men and women chopped these islamo-tards up pretty good!
Correction #7: The eairler vids are not from 2007 but 2004. small detail eh? I apoligize on the Baghdad vids upthread, I thought they were related and in my haste I missed that detail even though it's in the Link itself!
/crow don't taste too bad with hot sauce on it. >::
Israeli authorities who arrested the former imam of Ohio's largest mosque after he was deported from a jail in Monroe County, Mich., have questioned him about the militant Palestinian group Islamic Jihad, his attorney said Thursday. Fawaz Damra, 46, was arrested because of ties authorities say he had 15 years ago with Islamic Jihad, said Smadar Ben-Natan, Damra's Israeli lawyer. Islamic Jihad, which is responsibly for numerous suicide bombings and other attacks on Israelis, is classified by Israel and the U.S. as a terrorist organization,
Ben-Natan met her client for the first time on Wednesday at the Kishon prison in northern Israel and said he was being treated well. She said she would appeal his arrest later Thursday.
Damra, 46, a Palestinian from the West Bank city of Nablus, was deported by U.S. authorities last week because he was convicted of concealing his ties to terrorist groups when he applied for American citizenship in 1994. During his trial in 2004, jurors were shown evidence that Damra raised money for the organization, along with footage of a 1991 speech in which he called Jews "the sons of monkeys and pigs." He later apologized for making anti-Semitic statements.
Relatives expecting him to enter the West Bank on Friday reported he never showed up. Ben-Natan said he was apprehended by Israeli authorities at the Allenby crossing with Jordan and taken into custody.
Israel's internal security service, the Shin Bet, confirmed Tuesday that Damra, 46, was arrested because of his ties to Islamic Jihad. It provided no other details. On Wednesday, an Israeli judge extended Damra's detention by 15 days, Ben-Natan said.
Ben-Natan said authorities say Damra had contacts with the Islamic Jihad took place in 1991. He said that Damra was unaware the money was going to the militant organization.
Damra, whose wife and three daughters remain in the U.S., served as the imam, or religious leader, of the Islamic Center of Cleveland. Despite a campaign by his family and supporters to keep him in the U.S., Damra was deported after spending a year in the Michigan jail. His relatives in the U.S. said they hadn't been notified he had been deported, and found out only when his lawyer arrived at the jail and found him gone.
Hamas acknowledges the existence of Israel but formal recognition by the group will only be considered when a Palestinian state has been created, the movement's leader Khalid Meshaal said yesterday. Softening a previous refusal to accept the Jewish state's existence, Mesha'al said Israel was a "reality".
"There will remain a state called Israel, this is a matter of fact," Meshaal said in an interview in the Syrian capital, where he lives in exile. "The problem is not that there is an entity called Israel," said Mesha'al. "The problem is that the Palestinian state is non-existent."
Meshaal said Hamas would defy Western conditions and refuse to consider formal recognition of the Jewish state until a Palestinian state was established. Changing the Hamas charter, which calls for the destruction of Israel, was also a matter for the future, he said. "The distant future will have its own circumstances and positions could be determined then," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2007 00:00 ||
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#6
Please, oh please, recommission two battleships, strip off the turrets, replace them with GMLRS launchers, and anchor them about two miles off the coast of Gaza. Send out a few UAVs, then start firing. With a 50-mile range, they can even target the West Bank. Just keep firing until all that's visible is a munitions-generated duststorm. THAT will solve the "palestinian" problem once and for all. It's about all that ever will. Those too stupid to leave won't matter any more.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/11/2007 10:44 Comments ||
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Dire Revenge (TM) for General Sabban's effective anti-Sayyaf campaign?
Three bombs within hours of each other rocked the southern Philippines on Wednesday, killing at least six people and wounding 27 others, officials said, amid warnings that Muslim militants may try to disrupt this weekend's Asian regional summits.
Officials insisted security was tight, with police and troops on the highest alert. Philippine National Police Chief Oscar Calderon had warned that militants may try to embarrass the government snipped pointless dig at US by staging attacks during the meetings.
Calderon spoke to reporters in central Cebu city, where he was overseeing security for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and East Asian summits.
The first explosion ripped apart a stand selling lottery tickets across the street from a public market in General Santos city, 620 miles southeast of Manila and about 310 miles south of the summit site, said Senior Superintendent Alfredo Toroctocon, the city police chief.
Three people died instantly and another two succumbed to their injuries. Staff at St. Elizabeth Hospital reported another person died on arrival, bringing the death toll to six. Among the dead were two children boys aged 8 and 12, the hospital staff said. Another 22 were wounded.
Chief Superintendent German Doria, the regional police chief, said police had no suspects immediately but that the regional militant network Jemaah Islamiyah and its ally, the local Abu Sayyaf group, "usually are the ones doing all these explosions in the region."
But he said police were also looking into the possibility that the blast stemmed from the failure of the kiosk operator to pay winners of a lottery draw.
The second explosion occurred about 2 1/2 hours later in Kidapawan city, about 65 miles north of General Santos city. An improvised bomb placed near the fence of a police outpost along the national highway exploded just after officers on duty left to go on patrol, senior police office Pascual Peroy said. Two male passers-by were wounded.
The third blast, at a dumpsite along a major street in Cotabato city, appeared to be from an improvised bomb, although it could also have been a grenade, said city police spokesman Senior Inspector Samson Obatay. At least three garbage collectors were wounded.
"We think it was planted there on purpose, and was mixed with the garbage," he said in a telephone interview from Cotabato, about 106 miles northwest of General Santos.
Obatay said police suspect the third blast was the handiwork of terrorists and linked to the two earlier blasts. All three cities have been hit by terror bombings blamed on the Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaah Islamiyah in the past.
Chief Superintendent Romeo Ricardo, director of the national police intelligence group, said police and army troops had launched operations against militants throughout the archipelago to prevent them from carrying out attacks.
Troops killed a senior al-Qaida-linked militant who allegedly led an urban terror unit of Abu Sayyaf, military officials said Wednesday. Binang Sali's death "translates to one bomber less that could carry out an attack on any target" during the summits in the Philippines' second-largest urban center, military Chief of Staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon said.
Army spokesman Maj. Ernesto Torres said authorities were also looking at the possible involvement of "saboteurs" to ongoing peace negotiations between the Philippine government and the main Muslim separatist group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which has waged a decades-old struggle for a homeland in the south.
He said the bombing occurred at the culmination of a two-day meeting between rebel and government representatives in General Santos.
At least 16 Tamil Tiger rebels were killed in clashes with security forces and rival rebels in Sri Lankas embattled eastern province, the defence ministry said Wednesday. At least 10 members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were killed and another 25 wounded when troops retaliated against a rebel artillery attack in Batticaloa district Wednesday, the defence ministry said. In a search operation which followed, troops recovered three T-56 rifles, two Claymore mines, one hand grenade, 95 rounds of T-56 ammunition, electric detonators and 100 meters of wire, the statement said. There was no immediate rebel reaction to the military claim.
The bodies of four Tamil Tiger rebels were found by troops in the same district after a fight with a splinter group known as the Karuna faction, the ministry said. It said two of the dead were members of the Karuna group, led by V Muralitharan, better known as Colonel Karuna. They were killed when the main LTTE guerrillas attacked them on Tuesday evening, it said. The LTTE has accused the military of collaborating with the Karuna group to carry out attacks against the main rebel outfit, a charge the security forces deny.
Colonel Karuna led an unprecedented split in the Tamil rebel leadership in March 2004 and has since been leading a campaign against the Tiger guerrillas, especially in the islands restive eastern province.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2007 00:00 ||
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Link ||
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I just tried to say 'implications of the imprecations' and I think I broke my lipths.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/11/2007 16:25 Comments ||
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#7
I tried it and I started sounding like Sylvester the cat. Thufferin thuccotash!
Posted by: Mike ||
01/11/2007 18:17 Comments ||
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#8
:-)
Posted by: Go Gators!!!!! ||
01/11/2007 20:31 Comments ||
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#9
Do we have a future Army here too? The Army of Mike (AoM) sounds really good. Especially since the AoS will be defending Rantburgia so well, from all enemies, foreign and domestic.
Posted by: BA ||
01/11/2007 21:36 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.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- NATO on Thursday said up to 150 insurgents were killed in an eastern Afghanistan battle after two large groups of fighters crossed the border from Pakistan.
Mogadishu exploded in violence on Wednesday morning after unknown insurgents attacked a transitional government barracks during the night and soldiers responded by sealing off large swaths of the city, searching house to house for guns.
MOGADISHU, Somalia U.S. ships patrolling off the coast of Somalia have picked up a number of people suspected of having ties to wanted Al Qaeda terrorists who are being interrogated for any clues to the whereabouts of the group's key leaders.
On Wednesday, Mogadishu, Somalias chaotic capital, exploded in violence after insurgents attacked a government barracks. Soldiers responded by sealing off large swaths of the city and searching house to house for weapons, according to reports in the New York Times. The raids immediately sparked resistance, and squads of Ethiopian soldiers and troops loyal to the transitional government poured into the streets, where they battled outraged residents and masked insurgents. At least one corpse lay on the street, witnesses said.
There were reports that Ethiopian troops were taking heavy casualties in fighting against insurgents, including an incident in central Mogadishu where an army truck was blown up by a bazooka. Most of the violence on Wednesday was concentrated in strongholds of the Ayr sub-clan, a powerful lineage group that was closely connected to Somalias Islamist movement.
Kenyan youth enlisted by the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) forces to fight the Ethiopian invasion in Somalia were killed in the battlefield. Government officials on Wednesday acknowledged the deaths but remained tight-lipped on the number of local recruits killed in the anarchic horn of Africa nation.
The government of Yemen has sealed its sea border with Somalia in an effort to discourage armed human traffickers from bringing illegal immigrants to Yemen. According to news agencies in Yemeni capital Sana, a high-ranking navy official, who asked not to be named, said that several contingents of Yemeni navy forces were deployed to the Red Sea to tighten the security. 
Italian right-wing lawmaker Daniela Santanche, a known opponent of the Islamic headscarf, said on Wednesday she had received death threats in Arabic with a photograph of murdered Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh. I yesterday (Tuesday) received a letter with four sheets in Arabic and photographs of Theo van Gogh and Hirsi Ali, she told AFP, referring to Somali-born former Dutch lawmaker Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Hirsi Ali gained international attention in 2004 after Van Gogh was murdered by a Muslim extremist. Van Gogh had produced a controversial film written by Hirsi Ali about the treatment of women in Islam. Since I dont understand Arabic, I gave the letter to the police and they told me it contained death threats, said Santanche.
The Defense Department is warning its American contractor employees about a new espionage threat seemingly straight from Hollywood: It discovered Canadian coins with tiny radio frequency transmitters hidden inside.
Adapting ideas tracing back from ancient history to modern Israel, US Marines have sealed off flashpoint towns with sand walls in a new counter-insurgency tactic to quell the wilds of western Iraq. 
Eleven Iraqi Shia returning from haj were shot dead in cold blood on Wednesday. At least 18 Iraqis died in bombings and shootings and the authorities also discovered 60 corpses in Baghdad.
Did the operation actually begin?
With all of this going on, the government still insists that the new security operation in Baghdad hasn't started yet according to the spokesman of the government Ali al-Dabbagh who, in a statement to Al-Mada has also denied the news about the Peshmerga or The Badr brigade being involved in the new security operation: 
Hamas acknowledges the existence of Israel but formal recognition by the group will only be considered when a Palestinian state has been created, the movement's leader Khalid Meshaal said yesterday. Softening a previous refusal to accept the Jewish state's existence, Mesha'al said Israel was a "reality".
At least 16 Tamil Tiger rebels were killed in clashes with security forces and rival rebels in Sri Lankas embattled eastern province, the defence ministry said Wednesday. At least 10 members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were killed and another 25 wounded when troops retaliated against a rebel artillery attack in Batticaloa district Wednesday, the defence ministry said. In a search operation which followed, troops recovered three T-56 rifles, two Claymore mines, one hand grenade, 95 rounds of T-56 ammunition, electric detonators and 100 meters of wire, the statement said. There was no immediate rebel reaction to the military claim.
