Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed, everyone's second favourite bearded barking-mad Islamist cleric, has had a remarkable change of heart. His appetite for bloody jihad has dramatically waned; he would now like to engage in nothing more strenuous than a cup of tea with his family back in Britain who are, he says, terribly worried about him.
The man who from safe and agreeably leafy north London suburbia offered his continual support to suicide bombers and refused to condemn the attacks of 9/11 and July 7, all the while ranting against the perfidies of western civilisation and its infidel cockroach minions, now wishes to return to the bosom of Satan as quickly as possible.
Why the about turn? Marxists might call it an explosion of consciousness. But it is more likely the explosion of extremely powerful Israeli ordnance a bit too close to where he is holed up in downtown Beirut.
Continued on Page 49
#2
They are missing a bet, here. This guy's efforts to get out of Dodge could make a great reality show.
One week, hiding in a suitcase, the next, trying to sneak out dressed as a very pregnant woman, and every time he gets nicked, whining and complaining about how unfair it is, how he's got rights, and how he is such an important person that it's not fair that he should be in danger.
And then roundly curse Britain for kicking him out and demand that they take him back and give him more money.
There has been considerable disappointment in India over what is perceived as the continuing US reluctance to act against Pakistan for using terrorism against India.
The negative attitude of President Bush and the US State Department in the wake of the Mumbai blasts of July 11 is nothing new. Protection of Pakistan from the consequences of its wrong-doing against India has been a consistent element in US policy-making towards India and Pakistan ever since our independence in 1947 -- whichever party was in power in Washington, DC.
To illustrate this, I am giving below instances, which were within my personal knowledge as an officer of the Intelligence Bureau from July 1967 to September 1968, and of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) from September 1968 to August 31, 1994:
The Sino-Indian war of 1962 brought out the serious inadequacies in the IB's capability for the collection of technical intelligence about China. After obtaining then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru's approval, the IB sought the assistance of US intelligence for strengthening its TECHINT capability.
Posted by: john ||
07/23/2006 13:32 ||
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The bit about the timer is mind boggling...
Posted by: john ||
07/23/2006 13:35 Comments ||
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Oh come on. In the 70s-80s Pakland was our front line against the Russians and Iranians in the region while India was buying arms from the Soviets and boasting about their 'unaligned-ness'. Why should we have done anything for them?
Today with the Russians out of the picture and Afganinstan in control, thing might be different. But this whining does no good - grow up and take some international responsibility and you might get better treatment.
First is the Indian discovery of two spy rings.. one in the Navy war room, the other in the secretariat of the Prime Minister.
This follows the defection of a senior RAW officer to the US.
Reportedly the Indians have stopped all RAW sharing of intelligence with the CIA.
The cyber forum for counter-terror info sharing (run from the PMO secretariat) has also ben shut down after its penetration by the CIA.
Egos are bruised.
Then yesterday, while Indians were sending a team to Kenya to bring back Syed Abdul Karim `Tunda,', arrested in Kenya. He was a top LeT honch who planned a number of bombings and knew a lot about ISI backing of terror ops inside India.
The Kenyans then announced that it was a case of mistaken identity. 'Tunda' was in fact a west african man and he had been deported to a third country.
Kenyan papers report the FBI grabbed him.
The Indians don't believe the explanation about mistaken identity. They suspect that pakistan is being shielded.
Posted by: john ||
07/23/2006 16:47 Comments ||
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#4
India needs to give itself a serious housecleaning before considering even openly hostile other countries. Both India and China have new cultures of modernity and prosperity, but are overwhelmed by primitives and peasants who don't belong in the 20th Century, much less the 21st.
Their unwillingness to evolve means that St Darwin is going to kick their ass. And one of the best possibilities is the avian flu, like a wildfire in the tall grass.
Literally, one billion people could die on that side of the planet, the vast majority of them the uneducated, rural peasants.
#5
This is also a political spat between the Indian PM Manmohan Singh and the former foreign Minister Jaswant Singh.
In his book, Jaswant Singh mentions that Henry Kissinger confirmed the existence of a CIA mole within the cabinet of Indira Gandhi.
He then alleges that another mole exists. The PM has challenged him today to name the mole.
As I said, a lot of bruised egos.
Posted by: john ||
07/23/2006 17:16 Comments ||
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#6
"Literally, one billion people could die on that side of the planet, the vast majority of them the uneducated, rural peasants."
Actually the number is closer to 2 billion if you're counting India and China together. Fully 80% of the Indian population is uneducated and not that interested in changing. Tribalism is mostly to blame.
I'd root for H5N1 as well, except my wife is Indian, and the flu is indiscriminate. I suspect that War will be the mechanism that culls the herd. It's indiscriminate too. Islam and tribalism are the biggest hurdles facing humankind, and I don't see anything changing for a while.
#7
In wars before WWII (or WWI?) the largest cause of death among combatants was usually disease. A Sino-Indian war might well be a great breeding ground. It is also hard to see any disease striking China and India missing Bangladesh. That would run the numbers up and send it toward Indonesia. RAB needs to keep those vaccinations up to date.
#8
"They suspect that pakistan is being shielded."
Well, yes! is the US not being touchy feelly around India cos of the need to keep the paks onside on the WOT.
25 odd million deaders, more than ww2(inc russia) from the 1918 HN51
50%? Actually I'd say more than that.
Another sign that factions that prefer violence over dialogue are getting more isolated; this time the radical 'association of Muslim scholars' is being renounced by no less than their former allies in the Islamic Party.
This report from Radio Sawa quotes Omar al-Jubori the head of the human rights office in the Iraqi Islamic Party as saying that Harith al-Dhari, secretary of the association of Muslim scholars was "responsible for 50% of the blood of Sunni Iraqis who were killed in Iraq".
In his statement Mr. Jubori said that Sunni political and religious leaderships were wrong when they prohibited Sunni men from enlisting in the Iraqi police and army (Arabic audio available).
I realize that most of you do not know Arabic so I'm going to pick excerpts from that statement, in a part I found interesting Mr. Jubori said:
Sunni political powers now demand that American troops remain in Iraq for some time the American forces represent a balancing element between the people and the security forces that are not balanced in their sectarian composition the Americans should work on correcting this imbalance. [ ]
Harith al-Dhari is responsible for 50% of Sunni deaths in Iraq, the Americans are responsible for 25% and the Shia militias are responsible for the other 25% and this is something that most Sunnis admit
I kind of agree with the above statement but in somewhat a different way; it is probably correct that al-Dhari and his gangs were responsible directly for 50% of Sunni deaths but they are equally responsible for the other 50% but rather indirectly.
Ever since Saddam was toppled the al-Dhari's association was involved in most of the violence in Iraq in more than one way; they allied with Ba'athists, Saddamists and foreign terrorists and provided them with shelter and support. They preached hatred and sectarianism and provoked violence that we saw in the form of attacks in various regions in Iraq that killed thousands of Iraqis.
That's the direct way, the indirect way on the other and is that the violence they stirred left the US military with no choice but to attack at some cities and those attacks left a lot of collateral damage including the deaths of many Iraqis who were trapped in the crossfire of those battles like what happened in Fallujah or Ramadi or Mosul. Those civilians were mostly Sunni and al-Dhari is to blame for their death.
And when Dhari and his allies send their gangs to massacre civilians in mixed or Shia neighborhoods in Iraq they had also invited angry militias to take revenge and murder similar numbers of mostly Sunni civilians.
Same applies to Shia militias who I also want to hold accountable for civilian deaths among Shia civilians in almost the same manner. When Sadr fought the US military in Najaf or Baghdad he was responsible for the collateral casualties among civilians and whenever he sent his militias or death squads to snatch people off the street and shoot them in cold blood he had also invited Sunni extremists like Dhari to send their gangs to kill more or less an equal number of Shia civilians.
What I want to say is that it's good to finally see Sunni political parties renounce the doings of fellow Sunnis who took the far end of extremism And I'd so much like to see Shia political parties do the same and renounce Sadr and whatever other violent factions within the Shia community.
See, addressing the bad elements is the key to having good plans but in contrast with that you read reports such as this one from the Daily Telegraph (via Pajamas) that talks about some Iraqi politicians considering plans to partition Baghdad into a Sunni west and Shia east. That idea is totally unacceptable and is not inline with the reconciliation plan some of them ironically support. What these politicians are saying is equal to saying that people of different sects should reconcile but at the same time they should not come near districts of other sects!
And what about the million Shia who live in the west, or the million Sunni who live in the east? Does it make sense at all to tell them to simply relocate because the government and the coalition cannot or don't want to put in enough effort to stop the fanatics form slaughtering them?
What makes sense in my opinion is to neutralize the gangs that commit atrocities on both sides and that's the only plan we should have and implement if we still want to keep Iraq in one piece.
Relocating civilians will be a humanitarian catastrophe and cannot solve the real problem because unless troublemakers are defeated or neutralized they will keep causing troubles no matter how many partitions are in place.
I was thinking the other day that military priorities of the US and Iraqi forces need to be reorganized according to the challenges imposed by the intentions of the bad guys to take over Baghdad. I mean why does the US keeps thousands of combat troops in relatively less turbulent areas that are of much less strategic value to the bigger picture!?
This redistribution of forces should've been considered months ago.
Posted by: DanNY ||
07/23/2006 14:21 ||
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America should not leave Iraq for a long time, and this has little to do with the internal security of Iraq.
Most of the remaining work inside Iraq is the job of Iraqis, both to create their own security and to find their balances of power and mutual respect.
However, the US is there for when these issues are settled, and the day comes when Iraq again looks out into the world. For their biggest deficit, and one which for years only the US can fill, is their strategic security.
And this next level happens only when Iraq settles down. For their military, it means building heavy armored divisions and combat air wings; but only when they are calm enough to have them. When by US standards, their democracy is stable.
At that point, Iraq will be able to defend itself against Iran, the only real threat to Iraq left in the region. And not just to defend itself, but to win.
In the process, Iraq will be to the US as was Germany. With the US providing protection, and Germany providing a force-projection outpost against the Soviet Union. But in this case, the US in Iraq will keep its eyes on the Middle East, Africa, central and southern Asia.
And this will be of great value, not just for Iraq and the region, but for the far side of the planet.
TEHRAN, July 22 (MNA) -- The Zionist regimes assaults and atrocities against the innocent citizens of the Lebanese nation, which Hezbollah responded to with resolute resistance, and the silence of the malleable Arab countries are evidence of a joint U.S.-Israeli plot to eradicate all resistance to U.S. blackmail. Israel began its all-out attack on Lebanon with vast air, ground, and sea operations, on the assumption that it would be able to achieve an immediate victory over the Lebanese Islamic resistance and impose its conditions on Beirut. Yet, despite its state-of-the-art military equipment, the Israeli army has still been unable to penetrate deep into the Maroun al-Ras region of southern Lebanon.
The death of about 50 Israeli infantrymen and the destruction of 14 Merkava 4 tanks, which is one of the most modern types of tank in the world, were the outcome of the 10-day war between Hezbollah and the Israeli army. In a great victory for Hezbollah, the Lebanese resistance forces also seriously damaged an Israeli Sa'ar 5 class missile boat, which is considered the Israeli fleet's most advanced surface ship. Over the course of the conflict, Hezbollah missiles have targeted Naharia, Haifa, Safed, and northern Al-Jalil in the north of the occupied territories of Palestine, forcing some 1.7 million residents to evacuate the region.
Naturally, since the Zionist regime never imagined the Lebanese Hezbollah could be a match for the Israeli army, it is not prepared for a war of attrition with Lebanese resistance forces. Although one can not deny the Israeli militarys air superiority, the bombardment of residential areas in Lebanon has not broken the Lebanese nations spirit of resistance and they still support the Islamic resistance forces.
Analyzing recent developments in Lebanon, one can easily perceive that Hezbollah is determined to impose another defeat on the Zionist regime through a war of attrition, similar to the one they finally won in the year 2000, which forced the Zionist regime to withdraw in disgrace from an Arab territory for the first time in over 50 years.
The outcome of this war will definitely determine the regions fate. Clearly, Hezbollahs insistence on resistance ensures the victory of Muslim nations, and this victory will alter political calculations in the region. Yet, unfortunately, leaders of some regional Arab countries are illogically criticizing Hezbollahs actions, which indicates that these leaders are moving in line with the expansionist policies of the United States and the Zionist regime because they believe that a Hezbollah victory would increase the movements popularity and legitimacy among all Muslim nations. Therefore, over the past ten days, some of the Arab media have focused on the necessity of disarming Hezbollah without referring to the Zionist atrocities in the region, which shows that narrow nationalism still dominates the political atmosphere of these countries.
Nevertheless, time will prove that popular resistance can successfully confront the conspiracies of the United States and Israel and that Hezbollahs victory will pave the way for nations to overcome the global arrogance and the major powers.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/23/2006 10:36 ||
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There will be no popular resistance if the Israeli's are smart. They will sweep through with overwhelming force. Isolate blocks and clear them out as the Marines did in Somalia (you can bury and AK-47 but not a rocket). Then they will move on. When the area is clear they declare victory and pull-out leaving Hezbollah sputtering and attempting to claim they drove the Zionists out despite everyone having seen they hid like little girls.
Then what's left of the Leb army moves in and secures the area.
The only catch is how involved is the Leb army with Hezbollah. Will there be enough of them willing and able to secure the area or will they be drawn into the battle and destroyed by Israel.
#3
These wholesome nuts are even more optimistic about enemy losses than Kavkaz.
Posted by: ed ||
07/23/2006 11:02 Comments ||
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#4
Anti Israel forces are pointing to a so-called, "failed Israeli blitz." Actually "blitzkrieg" (lightning war) is an advance without halt. The IDF advance was slow and measured, and followed IAF and artillery rendering of terrorist areas. Because of the tunneling and underground stocking of Hizbollah arms resources, specified captured areas had to be completely secured. The security strip is being created with a minimum loss of IDF troops, while the enemy is being killed wholesale. Hizbollah can only win if its Iranian planners get away with their escalation plan.
The Lebanese army is about 50% Shiite, and these are avid supporters of Iran. Any Israeli pullout will involve little more than permitting re-creation of the missile threat that led to the war. What has to happen is: destruction of Shiite power en toto, from Lebanon to Iran. And Iran is counting on using their Iraq Parliament puppets to pressure an American' go-it-alone policy towards Israel. Condi's "Sunni umbrella" crusade, which starts in earnest on Tuesday, will cause much ridicule because Sunnis and Shiites are united against Israel. The Organization of the Islamic Conference is poised to formalize that unity.
Rather than attempting to buy nominal support for a so-called "buffer" between Sunni Arabs and Shiite Iranians, the solution is: seize the fact of Ahmadinejad's inter-generational threats to the US Homeland, as a pretext to eliminate the Shiite threat. And I would use the Hiroshima-Solution.
#8
We are half way through a 3 week event... battlefield prepared, now the targets have been painted...next comes the real ground level "whack a mole", accompanied by the sounds of Hizzis crying like little girls.
#9
Exactly right, #1. The essence of Blitzkrieg is to use rapid movement to isolate the opponent and defeat them in detail. OK, so we hide in holes and make a "Fortress Hezbollah".
Trouble is, you now cede the initiative to the Israelis. They can isolate a region by air inderdiction and taking key terrain, concentrate on one and toss them out of the holes.
I don't think they have the morale or the skill to handle a protracted engagement with the IDF.
#10
Nope. I suspect there was a lot of internal division in the Israeli senior command last week about beginning this. But now that it's started, it's going to be like a machine, moving slowly and carefully, to minimize casualties, but inexorably to the removal of all traces of Hezb'Allah from southern Lebanon.
#11
Is there any charitable organisation here in the west where i can donate money in order to support the random fire of anti-personnel rockets into a muslim country?
#12
Is there any charitable organisation here in the west where i can donate money in order to support the random fire of anti-personnel rockets into a muslim country?
No, but there are some entities in the west that seem to support the random fire of anti-personnel rockets from a muslim country into non-muslim civilian areas.
#13
Israel = America > the burden is on Israel, and only Israel, to prove or disprove everything the terror groups claim to be, to fight for, or threaten against. If Israel fails to do, or is "proven" wrong in the MSM/Court of public opinion, e.g. "NO WMDS IN IRAQ", Israel = Amer > will be blamed for all war, controversy, casualties and chaos, NOT its enemies. It doesn't matter to Israel's enemies how many IDF soldiers or civilians are killed or kidnapped, nor how many rockets are fired into Israel, nor how many suicide bombings take place inside Israel borders, etc. ISRAEL AND ONLY ISRAEL WILL BE UNILATERALLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY BLAMED FOR EVERYTHING. Muslim PC > Hezbollah is NOT Hizbollah is NOT Hezzbollah is NOT ... is NOT ...
is NOT ... ........................@ cells-orgs! JUS AS AMERICA IS FACING A MANIC, POWER-MAD GLOBAL ANTI-DEMOCRACY MOVEMENT AND WAR, SO ALSO IS ISRAEL AND AMER'S ME-MUSLIM DEMO ALLIES FACING A REGIONAL ANTI-DEMOCRACY MOVEMENT AND WAR. America's own US DemoLeft > Clintonian America is a [LEFTIST]SOCIALIST NATION THAT IS BEING LED, vv DUBYA, BY THE SSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHH "WRONG KIND/BRAND" OF GOVT-CENTRIC NATIONAL SOCIALISM OR NATIONAL GOVERNMENTISM-ABSOLUTISM.
The biggest foreign policy question today is whether the President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is really as utterly irrational as he talks. When he calls for wiping Israel from the map, is he serious? When he talks about privately communing with the Twelfth Imam, and of the Second Coming complete with Armageddon, is this guy for real? Does he understand that the Israelis can wipe him out with 200 real nukes if they are ever driven to that extreme?
Well, now we know. Ahmadinejad just sent a letter to German Chancellor Merkel, apparently trying to persuade her to help him wrap up Hitlers unfortunately failed effort at a Final Solution to the Jewish Problem.
Obviously Ahmadinejad is living in a way different mental universe. According to German government sources, the letter to Merkel: is all related to Germany and how we have to find a solution to the Palestinian problems and Zionism and so on. Its rather weird, The official, who has seen the letter, said.
Theres nothing about the nuclear issue (in the letter), the official told Reuters on condition of anonymity due to the extreme sensitivity of the issue for the German government.
Angela Merkel is no fool. In February, Merkel compared Ahmadinejads statements and stance to Adolf Hitlers rise to power when he and his Nazi party began threatening to exterminate European Jewry. Remember that in 1933 many people said it was just rhetoric, she said.
#3
I don't know if its insanity or a big misunderstanding of how the world works. If you really believed that the Holocaust was faked than Germany would be a huge loser on that faked-deal and might be up for some vengence.
So the question is, does living in a bubble and having really bad information make you insane or uniformed?
#5
Insane? Hardly. Ahmadinejad completed a multi city tour of Iran, days prior to the kidnapping terror incidents on the Israel's borders. At each stop, he claimed that the end of Israel was near. Everything that has occured, has been part of a plan to escalate the current tension. The destruction of much of HizboLebanon was expected. As I see the plan, Syria will transfer long range missiles to north Lebanon, and launch them en masse at Tel Aviv. Launchers will be returned to Syria, and Israel will be forced to engage Syria. When that happens, Iran will directly engage Israel. What will US troops do while this is happening? Iran expects that US relations with Iraq's Shiite leadership will inhibit direct US intervention, thus leaving Israel alone to fight the Shiites. If Israel is overwhelmed, then Sunnis will also intervene. Of course, there is the "Sampson Option," but the US would prefer that Israel sue for a humiliating peace.
They could do it through Turkey, including through Turkish airspace.
Iran and Turkey have been cooperating well militarily lately, and both are benefitting from this little diversion in Lebanon.
Why not keep a good thing going?
Posted by: Azad ||
07/23/2006 12:37 Comments ||
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#8
Iran would intervene by missile launches from its own territory. Also, as many as 20,000 Iranians visit Iraq daily. Once in they could pass through Syria. US occupiers grant an absolute right of Shiites to visit Karbala, for martyr rites. Freedom of religion - including self-flagellation and martyr incitement - was part of the package offered post-Saddam Iraq. Infiltration would be easy.
#9
So these 20000 troops walk thru Iraq into Syria and fight the IDF --- how? By throwing rocks at them?
Thats just more POWs for the IDF to feed.
The hype is going on because Syria is cut off from Iran once shooting starts and you cant rely on 'passenger jets' to fly supplies in. And even firing missiles will have no military effect on the equation - not even nukes. They just don't have the accuracy to do anything but kill civilians. And they will only get one shot, the US will see to that.
The status-quo-ceasefire and anti-Shiite "umbrella" options are non-starters. It will soon become clear that Israel will not accept a permanent missile threat. And if you listened to Gingrich on Hannity this week, you would probably agree that we are in World War 3. We are the rear-base; Israel is the front-line. If we leave the problem of Shiite aggression to diplomats, then we will be on the front-line. Try to justify your pension to the next generation, when they ask us why we indulged a Homeland threat.
ITALIAN Prime Minister Romano Prodi has a "solution" to the Israeli-Hezbollah war. He wants to beef up the United Nations peacekeeping force in south Lebanon. I bet you didn't know there was a U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon. It's called UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon), and it's been there since 1978. Been doing a crackerjack job, hasn't it?
Can you name a single instance in which U.N. peacekeepers actually kept the peace? Mostly - as in Lebanon and Bosnia - they stand idly by as terrorists launch attacks. Sometimes - as in the Congo - they commit atrocities themselves.
The current crisis began July 12 when Hezbollah launched a cross-border raid in which three Israeli soldiers were killed and two were kidnapped. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah told the left-wing British journalist Robert Fisk the raid was five months in the planning. In 2000, Hezbollah had kidnapped three Israeli soldiers, who were later killed. Israel did not respond then with bombs and bullets. It traded 430 prisoners in Israeli jails for the bodies of its soldiers. Hezbollah and its sponsors in Iran and Syria probably expected as timid a response this time. Their surprise must have been unpleasant. Hezbollah has responded by raining rockets on Israel (1,600 as of this writing).
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
07/23/2006 00:00 ||
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In past wars, counter-attack against the type of defenses that Hizbollah has devised, was effected through use of Napalm, which is no longer lawfully usable.
Posted by: Captain America ||
07/23/2006 0:47 Comments ||
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#3
Napalm is legally usable, just banned by US policy from US use. Also, the Marine Corps has a very nice incendiary bomb that is effectively the same thing, except that the formula is changed a touch to make it Not-Napalm. Flame weapons are not banned by the Geneva Conventions, nor is white phosphorous - stupid politicians in the West have restricted their use, simply for political gain.
#4
"Can you name a single instance in which U.N. peacekeepers actually kept the peace?"
IFOR perhaps or Cambodia after the kmer, mozambique or Namibia?
Course the fighting was over by then, but you get the point, anyhoo, is it just me or does the name romano prodi as a pm sound like the ieties are hankering after a historic past.
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.
ITALIAN Prime Minister 
