A British man has been wounded in a shooting in the Omani capital, the embassy here said yesterday, adding that it was still unclear if the attack was politically motivated. "He is in hospital and the Royal Oman Police is investigating," a spokesman told reporters, adding that the shooting happened on Sunday afternoon in the city's Al-Khauwair neighborhood. "We would not wish to speculate on the motive at this stage." However, both the British and US embassies in Muscat informed nationals of the shooting as a precautionary measure. In London, the Foreign Office said the victim was shot in the neck and seriously injured in the attack, adding that the man's wife and children have been informed of the incident. An acquaintance said the victim works at Muscat Private Hospital.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/29/2004 11:21:22 AM ||
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Roger Harrison, Arab News Police have arrested three men suspected of involvement in the killing of French engineer Laurent Barbot in Jeddah early Sunday morning. The Ministry of Interior spokesman, Brig. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, confirmed the arrests. "Three suspects were arrested and police are still searching for a fourth," he said yesterday. The arrests, based on evidence at the site of the shooting near Giant Stores in the Al-Zahra district, led the police to Bahra, a suburb some 25 kilometers east of Jeddah. The suburb is home to a mixture of middle and low-income Saudis and is notorious for large numbers of illegal immigrants, many of whom work on nearby farms and in factories and shops.
Wonder if alk-runners live there as well.
Al-Turki confirmed that the suspects were traced to Bahra area and that their house and the surrounding area were searched. An area around the house owned by the fourth suspect — whom police described as an Arab national — was surrounded and sealed off.
No wonder he escaped!
Police moved in and made the arrests and a search of the premises revealed no weapons. The three who were arrested are, according to police, "closely related to each other."
"Hi, I'm Abdul. This is my brother Abdul and that there is my other brother Abdul."
Daniel Cousin, who began work in Jeddah less than two weeks ago, is convinced that Jeddah is still a relatively safe place to be in. "I feel safer in the Middle East than in some parts of Paris," he told Arab News.
Some of those Parisian suburbs can be pretty nasty, eh Daniel? Never know what kind of folks you might encounter.
He was formerly a hotelier in Baghdad in the 1980s where he survived a bombing.
"The French community was really shocked by the attack," said Jean-Louis Obeda, chairman of the French community group, Maison des Francais. "But it is not panicking over it. We had come to think of ourselves as privileged since France did not support the war in Iraq."
Isn't that a telling statement!
He felt that there had been no change in the commitment of French business to the Kingdom. "However, I sense that French companies will be sending fewer nationals to work in Saudi Arabia," he said. Maison des Francais has received no special instructions from the consulate as they are still waiting to find out who was responsible for the shooting before taking any action.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/29/2004 10:54:56 AM ||
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Badem timer on that stever
use it again when the sun
shinneth on the mackrel
A ship loaded with arms and ammunition seized off the southern Saudi coast originated from Yemen and was on its way to Sudan, reports said Wednesday. Saudi Interior Ministry spokesman Brig. Mansour Turki said the ship's crew members identified themselves as Sudanese and admitted they were trying to smuggle weapons into Sudan. Turki said the crew admitted having lost its way and entered Saudi territorial waters by mistake. "The rules adopted in this case are in line with internationally recognized norms, which the kingdom will be implementing after verifying the nature of the territorial violation at the end of the investigation," Turki said. "If we find out that the violation was committed intentionally the violators will be punished in Saudi Arabia, and if it was a mistake they will be repatriated."
"If they are carrying weapons to the valiant Arab fighters defending Sudan against the infidels, they'll be given a hero's send off......say, is this mike still on?"
Wonder which side was going to get the guns. Awful long way to cart guns from the Red Sea to the Darfur rebels.
The ship was intercepted Tuesday off the southern coast of Jazan carrying hundreds of automatic rifles and large quantities of ammunition.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/29/2004 9:32:06 AM ||
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And on the return trip, they can smuggle captured sex slaves for the Yemeni whorehouses. The very model of Arabian efficiency.
Posted by: ed ||
09/29/2004 9:47 Comments ||
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A Yemeni court has sentenced two men to death over the bomb attack on the USS Cole, which killed 17 people in 2000. Suspected ringleader Abdel Rahim al-Nashiri, who is currently in US custody, and Jamal Mohammed al-Bedawi, were both given the death penalty. Four others were given between five and 10 years in jail for the attack, blamed on Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda network. In October 2000, two attackers rammed the destroyer in the port of Aden with a small boat laden with explosives.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
09/29/2004 3:38:58 AM ||
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buh-bye......martyrs
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/29/2004 7:29 Comments ||
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#2
Umm, a little early for the dancing virgins, no ?
I put these Islamic court "death sentences for convicted terrorists" in the same category as the infamous "We have them surrounded, they can't escape" statements, after which the terrs invariably escape.
It's an egg-counting / hatching thing...
Posted by: Carl in N.H. ||
09/29/2004 7:46 Comments ||
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#3
Slow death? Public death? Both? How do they dispatch someone in Yemen?
I asked four questions and didn't get one answer.
(That's an old joke).
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
09/29/2004 8:42 Comments ||
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#5
Even better - wasn't there once (a VERY long time ago) a method of execution that involved strapping the offender to the mouth of a cannon, then pulling the lanyard? Cole's got two of 'em...
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
09/29/2004 8:49 Comments ||
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#6
Aye, I think the Brits did that to the Sepoys in the Indian rebellion. Nice aint we?
Posted by: Howard UK ||
09/29/2004 8:59 Comments ||
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#7
Mike...here ya go:
There's the wraith of young Neil Harvey; Neil was a yeoman on the Constellation's namesake 1799 frigate. The lad fell asleep on his watch, and the very unkind Captain Truxtun decided to make an example of the sleepy sailor: he had Neil bound to a cannon and blown to smithereens.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
09/29/2004 10:29 Comments ||
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#13
Mrs. D---Ya beat me to it!
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/29/2004 11:18 Comments ||
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#14
Aluminium ships and wooden men?
another reference to Kerry in VN?
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/29/2004 11:22 Comments ||
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#15
Aircraft, Frank. Heh heh..
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/29/2004 11:37 Comments ||
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..Truxtun wasn't quite as bad as Captain William Sterett of sloop-of-war Enterprise. Sterett thought one of his gunners was about to desert his post, so he ran the man through.
And there have been a couple of USS Steretts IIRC.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
09/29/2004 13:49 Comments ||
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A bomb went off in a building in a downtown Warsaw business district and injured one person, punching a hole in the building wall and shattering windows, police said. Police spokesman Mariusz Sokolowski said authorities do not suspect terrorism, but instead believe the bomb, hidden in a briefcase, was planted by someone with a grudge.
Yeah. That's what I always do when I've got a grudge against somebody, too...
Posted by: Fred ||
09/29/2004 10:41:44 AM ||
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I guess keying his car's paint job was out of the question.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/29/2004 19:01 Comments ||
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A passenger on a Kato Airline flight from Narvik went ballistic and attacked the pilots with an axe during the approach to Bodø airport Wednesday. The passenger, who is allegedly of foreign decent, was arrested and is now detained at Salten police district. Both pilots and one passenger are injured and have been sent to Nordlandssykehuset. «The two pilots were attacked during the approach, but still managed to make an emergency landing,» said Margrete Torsenter, police prosecutor, at Slaten police district, to TV 2 Nettavisen. «None of them are allegedly mortally injured.» ...
Looks like a small plane, and probably a small airport too, but still - being able to take an axe onboard !?!
Posted by: Lux ||
09/29/2004 6:30:51 AM ||
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#1
Yea small bush type plane these are Scandinavian names it appears.
#3
A north African... bingo. Islamist or mentalist? Same difference.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
09/29/2004 7:42 Comments ||
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#4
The fire axe is part of the aircraft emergency equipment.
Thereâs a significant Palestinian population in the Oslo area and thereâs been attempts by radical Jihadists to coopt them to the cause, but to this point the radicals had been unsuccessful.
#5
Don't all Vikings carry axes? If the ragheads keep this up, they'll put those pacifistic Scandinavians in touch with their inner-Goth.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
09/29/2004 8:33 Comments ||
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#6
...heck, I want to hear more about Kato Airlines.
Do they have a subsidiary called Green Hornet Air?
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
09/29/2004 8:51 Comments ||
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They never give the name when the suspect is "foreign" in a way that points to Islam. If he was "foreign" in the manner of Tom Klanmonkey of Klansville, USA, his name would have been all over this story.
Now maybe this wacko isn't muslim, but this not giving the names out when they are is something I've noticed about the media worldwide for the last couple of years.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats ||
09/29/2004 9:04 Comments ||
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#8
I'm just old enough to remember when the whole black/white racial crime statistical disparity thing was still a big deal here in the U.S. It was pointed out to me then that when a white guy committed a crime his face was shown on the six o'clock news, and his name was announced. If the perp was black, there was Never any pictures, and if he had a "black" name(like Rufus or Tyrone), it always seemd to be omitted.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Sigh. I guess the threat (like the rest of our flawed and fallen world) isn't realy real to the LLL. And it wont ever be untill its far too late. Why do these loosers remind me of the Gnostics of the late classical/early mideval eras?
Posted by: N guard ||
09/29/2004 9:43 Comments ||
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#9
Yes, but on the positive side it may be a good thing that they are not naming him at this stage because naming him might interfere with him being found guilty and sentenced to being locked up and the key to his cell door thrown away.
Just a thought. But do they have juries in Norway?? If so they could get Hagar the Horrible on the jury. Though maybe he's Swedish?!
#10
N Guard, same thing happened in South Africa around the time of the transition to a black government. Everyone was so race-conscious that it was the unwritten rule never to mention the race of suspected criminals. So the ridiculous situation arose that if you saw five black guys in jeans and T-shirts hijacking a car and reported it to the police, it would be reported in the news as 'five men' in jeans and T-shirts, thereby making it more difficult for them to be caught. However, from time to time one heard descriptions of white criminals.
After a while, one couldn't escape the impression that the media were on the side of black criminals.
#11
Exactly what's happening in London - white criminals are described as 'white' - black criminals as 'man' or 'suspect' / no mention of race - I guess we're 10/20 years behind as in most things.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
09/29/2004 10:18 Comments ||
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#12
He is Algerian and he brought the axe onto the plane with him. He is described as a disgruntled asylum-seeker...
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/29/2004 11:21 Comments ||
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#14
In the Al-Aska Paul fleet (of one) aircraft, firearms and a crash hatchet are always carried aboard. Profiling takes care of the nutcases, except for the pilot in command. Heh heh.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/29/2004 11:36 Comments ||
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#16
Two of the passengers managed to drag the man out of the cockpit and force him down on the floor. They managed to keep him down until the plane had parked.
The 93rd Volunteer Infantry Brigade, Viking Division. Salute!
#17
Anyone else notice that Reuters called this "Random Violence"?
Posted by: H.D. Miller ||
09/29/2004 11:44 Comments ||
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(from Swedish news)
The man is Algerian. He received a few days ago a final decision denying refugee status. He also had a cutter. He hit the pilot and copilot, then threw himself onto the stick, throwing the plane into a dive.
The passengers only acted after the pilot called for help. They subdued the attacker when the plane was a mere 100ft above the ground.
There are no security checks in small airports across Scandinavia, but a new Eu directive will require changes by early 2005.
My conclusion: deport all Moslems, especially "asylum seekers". Now.
Two small bombs exploded in front of branches of the British HSBC Bank in Turkey yesterday and a third blast hit a Turkish-American Association in the capital Ankara. The Anatolian news agency said yesterday's explosions did not cause any injuries. A percussion bomb, which creates a loud blast but usually little damage, exploded in front of one HSBC branch in Istanbul, the largest Turkish city, smashing the windows. Anatolian said there was a similar blast next to an HSBC branch in the southern city of Adana at around 9.15pm, shattering the windows of nearby buildings and cars. The third explosion, caused by a similar device, was in the garden of a Turkish-American Association in Ankara, damaging the building and a neighbouring building belonging to the Agriculture Ministry. No-one claimed immediate responsibility for the blasts. However, Islamist militants, Kurdish separatists and leftist guerrillas have all carried out bomb attacks in Turkish cities.
In another development in the war against terror, an al Qaeda agent who helped plan the September 11 attacks has met leaders of a Salvadorean crime syndicate which controls the smuggling of illegal immigrants across the Mexican border into the US. The CIA fears Adnan el Shukrijumah, 29, a Yemeni with a £3m bounty on his head, is negotiating a deal to infiltrate terrorist network members into American cities to stage attacks in the run-up to the presidential elections in November. El Shukrijumah met Mara Salvatrucha gang leaders in Tegucigalpa, the Honduran capital, where security forces are on alert for al Qaeda operations against British and US embassies. Mara Salvatrucha runs a base in Matamoros, Mexico, and controls street gangs in Los Angeles, Washington and New York. El Shukijumah was identified in 2001 and from interrogation of captives at Guantanamo Bay as a key "fixer" in hijacking the aircraft used on September 11.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/29/2004 12:07:11 AM ||
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#5
I'm confused and ignorant about Turkish banking. Is this the only foreign bank branch system in Turkey, or the only British bank branch system in Turkey, or do the terrorists have something particular against this company?
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
09/29/2004 9:09 Comments ||
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#6
feeelthy breetish bankers and their infidel interest--the profit say no interest and da profit know--many yahoodi bankers were in mecca and medina--smote their feeelthy necks--and....beware of black dogs
Posted by: SON OF TOLUI ||
09/29/2004 10:22 Comments ||
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Indonesian police have reportedly arrested a key associate of alleged Southeast Asian terror mastermind Hambali on an island in the country's far northeast. Adrian Ali, alias Amin, was arrested on Tinakareng, north Sulawesi province, after police found equipment used to make identity papers in his house, Koran Tempo newspaper reported, quoting local police Colonel Johnny Hotma Hutauruk as saying. Two other suspects were arrested with Ali, the report said. The report did not say when the arrests took place, nor what the men would be charged with. Police were not immediately available for comment. Tinakareng lies just south of the Philippine's Mindanao island, where Jemaah Islamiah, al-Qaeda's Southeast Asian ally, is reported to run terrorist training camps. Hutauruk said Ali was a key associate of Hambali and accompanied him on trips to Afghanistan, Pakistan and the southern Philippines before Hambali was arrested in Thailand last year.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/29/2004 12:04:24 AM ||
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Police say they are hunting for as many as six Indonesian militants poised to become suicide bombers — a calling once alien to this predominantly Muslim country but one that now poses an increasingly common threat. The Jemaah Islamiah network, which police say is responsible for three terrorist attacks on Western targets in less than two years, continues to expand and attract new members in Indonesia despite a police crackdown and the arrest of many of its leaders, police and terrorism experts say. New leaders are being trained to replace those who have been captured, and the group — which can operate legally in Indonesia to raise funds and provide religious education — presents a constant danger, they say.
The ability of Jemaah Islamiah militants to evade police was apparently demonstrated with this month's truck bombing of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta. The blast outside the embassy gate, attributed to the group, killed at least 10 people, including at least one suicide bomber. Experts are analyzing unidentified body parts in an attempt to determine how many attackers were involved. The bomb, placed in a small truck, was so powerful that the largest piece of the vehicle recovered was a hubcap. A human torso was thrown across eight lanes of traffic into a construction site, and additional remains were found a week later on the fifth floor of a heavily damaged office building next to the embassy. Police are investigating whether the body parts belonged to any of the six recruits who pledged to Jemaah Islamiah leaders to become suicide attackers. Authorities believe they know the identities of the six, and have taken blood samples from relatives to see whether their DNA matches that of the remains found at the bomb site. So far, the results have been negative. They also recovered letters one of the men wrote to his parents and wife saying he would become a martyr and asking for forgiveness. "There are many people who are ready to carry out suicide bombings," said Brig. Gen. Pranowo, director of the national police anti-terrorism unit, who uses one name. "They believe the most important thing in their lives is their religious duty to carry out jihad."
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Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/29/2004 3:08:58 AM ||
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Jemaah Islamiah ... which can operate legally in Indonesia to raise funds and provide religious education â presents a constant danger, they say.
Sounds like Hamas, no?
President Megawati Sukarnoputri has declined to ban the group, apparently for fear of alienating Muslims who might be sympathetic to the militantsâ aims. "Jemaah Islamiah has been able to disseminate propaganda, recruit, raise funds, procure supplies and maintain safe houses," Gunaratna said. "As long as the Jemaah Islamiah support network stays intact, it will pose a significant threat to Indonesia and the region."
Sounds even more like Hamas. Time to drop the hammer on these maggots. They need to get over their "fear of alienating Muslims who might be sympathetic to the militantsâ aims." Labeling them "terrorists" might be a big leap forward in fighting the problem.
WASHINGTON: The US slapped sanctions on seven Chinese firms, two Indian men, and companies from Belarus, North Korea, Russia, Spain and Ukraine on Wednesday for selling weapons or cruise and ballistic missile technology and equipment to Iran.
The penalties were imposed for the transfer of "equipment and technology controlled under multilateral export control lists or otherwise having the potential to make a material contribution to the development of weapons of mass destruction or cruise or ballistic missile systems, the US State Department said.
The sanctions include a bar on the firms and individuals doing business with the US government, a ban on US assistance and the automatic denial of US export licenses to them, the department said in a notice published in the Federal Register.
The notice did not elaborate on the specifics of the alleged sales that are punishable under the Iran Non-proliferation Act of 2000.
Many of the companies, in particular the Chinese and North Korean firms, have been under US sanctions for previous transgressions and are unlikely to be significantly affected by the new penalties.The firms and individuals identified in the notice are:
The Beijing Institute of Aerodynamics of China, the Beijing Institute of Opto-Electronic Technology (BIOET) of China, Belarus Belvneshpromservice of Belarus, the Changgwang Sinyong Corporation of North Korea, the China Great Wall Industry Corporation of China, North Industries Corporation (NORINCO) of China, Dr C Surendar and Dr YSR Prasad of India, Khazra Trading of Russia, the LIMMT Economic and Trade Company of China, Oriental Scientific Instruments Corporation (OSIC) of China, South Industries Science and Technology Trading Company of China, Telstar of Spain, and the Zaporizhzhya Regional Foreign Economic Association of Ukraine. afp
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
09/29/2004 9:55:07 PM ||
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Don't get your hopes up too much. We've false-alarmed on this before. I'd like to see some confirmation...
Reports over the past 24 - 48 hours via several important information services such as SMCCDI, Peykeiran, Zagros and direct email reports and phone calls from Iranian citizens is beginning to shine light on what at this time looks to be country-wide fighting and quickly escalating into what could potentially become a freedom revolution. Several independent citizen sources have reported the formation of significant crowds throughout the country, and have heard many loud explosions and gun shots, including in the cities of Tehran, Esfahan, and Shiraz. SMCCDI and Peykeiran have both reported intense battles between freedom-loving Iranian citizens and the regime's fanatical militias in the village of Meeyan Do Ab. Both sources are reporting many deaths and injuries both to the villagers and regime's forces.
In the past week and recent days, many regional commanders and leaders of the regime's militias have been targeted and killed along with many of their militiamen. Initial reports from Iranian online news sources as well as from western satellite news media are reporting intense fighting throughout Iran, and report that such fighting is increasing at a constant rate. On September 28th, SMCCDI reported that in Iran's main southern port of Bandar-Abbas located by the Hormoz Strait on the Persian Gulf, heavy fighting between Elite commandos of the Pasdaran Corp and Iranian residents who were protesting the regime's murder of three fishermen broke out. Angry residents attacked several public buildings as well as regime vehicles with incendiary devices. Reports also indicate that Bandar Abbas is the main commercial entry to Iran and its paralysis could help spark unprecedented chaos that would severely threaten and likely cause the fall of the Islamic Regime.
Regime forces are also acknowledging the discovery of several ammunition depots used by Iranian citizens against the Mullah's militias. At this time and for several months now, regime security forces have remained heavily deployed in the most strategic areas of Iranian cities in an effort to prevent the spread and growth of any major uprising. The current situation appears to be quite explosive at this time.
#1
It will be interesting to see Sadr's funding and recruitment dry up if this is really wide spread and on a large scale. I'm not holding my breath though - got caught up in this same kind of story this spring.
Posted by: Yosemite Sam ||
09/29/2004 16:51 Comments ||
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#2
Who knows, maybe Taher (equivalent of Joe regular) is aware what is at stake. Mullahs still in power means a certain destruction in few short years. Taher does not have much time.
Time to seal off the the sunni triangle - no vote, no reconstruction aid, no power, no water and concentrate on iran.
Give these people a helping hand. It may well turn out that we do not need to do a bagdad style sprint for tehran.
Posted by: Dan ||
09/29/2004 17:49 Comments ||
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#9
SPoD, they are already here, most of the RG units are foreign mercenaries. It would be intresting to see where military stands, if things heat up. My bet would be that air force would join the rebels. The army may follow. Navy is small and inconsequential.
#10
Now this is from the Debka-file newsletters so a liberal sprinkling (several shovels) of salt is recomended:
"A. ... US special forces had begun training members of the Iranian opposition at a base in Tampa, Florida. The new units are learning tactics for waging a guerrilla war inside Iran to topple the government. The United States is well aware that unlike Afghanistan, there is no need for direct US military intervention to overthrow the ayatollahs regime in Tehran. With enough help, Iranian opposition groups can do the job on their own and expect many ordinary Iranians to flock to an insurrection. The veteran Mojaheddin-e Khalqh, the best-organized Iranian opposition group, had thousands of fighters in Iraq before the US-led invasion last year. More than 4,500 of its combatants are now in the Ashraf military base northeast of Baghdad under tight US supervision. The division-size force has fully stocked weapons depots, maintained by American crews, at its disposal near the Iranian-Iraqi border.
B. Washington also leaked to Tehran information about an operations center set up in the Iraqi Shiite shrine town of Najef as a facility for Iranian clerics in opposition to the Iranian regime. They include Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, Ayatollah Jalal Eddin Taheri and even the late Ayatollah Khomeiniâs grandson, Hassan, who fled abroad last year and even reached the United States before turning his back on the alien West and returning home. The Americans are taking pains to ensure that Najaf can become a safe base of operations for Iranian clerics prepared to move to the city. Khomeini himself spent many years of his exile in Najef, whence he waged his successful struggle against the Shah. If the US plan is implemented, Najef could become a particularly effective center of subversion against the religious leadership in Iran and be able to challenge the religious supremacy of Qom, the Iranian holy city and spiritual base for senior Shiite clerics.
C. The Americans have deployed forces in western Afghanistan, near the border with Iran, and established a military base at Shinada after deposing Ismail Khan as governor of the city of Herat. Iranian intelligence is convinced, and has passed on its assessment to the leadership in Tehran, that US agents arranged the murder of Khanâs son and incited local tribesmen to attack the governorâs militia. Afterward, US units and troops loyal to the central government in Kabul moved into the area on the pretext of protecting Khan. At the same time, they offered the governor the post of industry minister in the Afghan government, effectively persuading him to order his men to lay down their arms. As a result, US forces are out in strength on the Afghan-Iranian border, ready to go into action at short notice."
Sorry for the long post, its from the news-letter so I could not link.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
09/29/2004 18:12 Comments ||
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#12
Been looking around and found a couple of things: Exile call prompts Iran protests A call from a US-based Iranian TV personality has prompted thousands of Iranians to protest for more freedoms. People took to the streets of the capital, Tehran, and other cities on Sunday after Ahura Pirouz Khaleghi Yazdi urged protests across Iran. The exile has predicted Iran's Islamic government will fall on 1 October. Nobody had heard of Mr Yazdi until a few months ago when he set up a satellite channel in California to try to overthrow the Iranian government. Since then he has become a hot topic of conversation both among disaffected Iranians and exiled opposition groups. For several weeks he has been declaring that he intends to return to Iran on 1 October to end the rule of Islamic clerics. He has called on the Iranian diaspora to accompany him in his so-called liberation flight and has urged his supporters inside the country to stage protests.
He is advocating peaceful means and civil disobedience.
He's a Zoroastrian mystic as well. And you also have the Islamic fund failures: Clashes as Iran Islamic fund fails One person was killed and 18 injured in clashes in Iran linked to the collapse of an Islamic loan fund in Nourabad, Iranian state television has reported. The violence is reported to have taken place after angry customers protested outside state offices in the city. The Zolfaghar-Ali fund was declared bankrupt, leaving some customers unable to reclaim funds they had deposited. One report said Nourabad residents had 360bn riyals ($41m; £23m) tied up in the fund. A Fars state official told Iranian television that security forces had intervened to quell the protests and calm had been restored. Damage was caused to some buildings by "a group of agitators and opportunists", said Abdollah Shahasani, head of political affairs in the office of the Fars governor general. He said the fund's managers had been arrested and a special committee was investigating customer complaints. Similarly structured Islamic funds allow depositors after several months to take interest-free loans of double the amount deposited. Fund managers invest the cash deposited but can be vulnerable to a run on the fund if too many depositors try to take loans or withdraw their deposits at once. Several such funds have collapsed in recent months, causing street protests, AFP news agency said.
Holy man promising to return, bank failures, may be a tipping point. Too bad there is no honest news agency reporting from there.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/29/2004 19:17 Comments ||
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#13
Much as I want to believe the Revolution is beginning,I cannot forget the similar stories this past Spring and how this Summer the people would revolt against the Mullahs,because all the students would be out of school.
#15
if we're not stirring the pot, and broadcasting VOA-Iran at full-tilt anti BT, we're missing out. Our CIA may be too busy undermining W to do this necessary work? The mullahs just need a push I think....like a couple assassinations of threatening loudmouths?
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/29/2004 20:12 Comments ||
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Posted by: Frank G ||
09/29/2004 20:28 Comments ||
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#18
Prolly too late in the year. Going to wait till spring when everybody's got cabin fever.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
09/29/2004 20:44 Comments ||
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#19
I would like to see freedom in Iran but I don't see how the MEK can help. I would think that a cult of Maoist-Islamists would be better off on-ice than encouraged.
If Iran does rise up against the mullahs, I hope to have 24 hours notice so that I can store gasoline in every possible container that I own.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/29/2004 20:47 Comments ||
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#20
Super, you see the petrol potentials very clearly ,,keep the tank on full!
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
09/29/2004 21:45 Comments ||
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#21
Also: According to the Oil and Gas Journal (1/1/04), Iran holds 125.8 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, roughly 10% of the world's total, up from 90 billion barrels in 2003 (note: in July 2004, Iran's oil minister stated that the country's proven oil reserves had increased again, to 132 billion barrels, following new discoveries in the Kushk and Hosseineih fields in Khuzestan province).
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
09/29/2004 21:47 Comments ||
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#22
Mark, if this were to go down, I wonder whether the anti-mullah resistence will be organized enough to take and protect the oil fields. I remember talking to an Iranian kid in the late 70's who says that they locally organized to protect the equipment when the Shah was ousted.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/29/2004 21:54 Comments ||
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#23
I hope that the US is making plans for the oil field contingencies. I sense a lot of special forces needs and I wonder how thin we are going to be. We have not seen remarks about air movements to the AO, but airlift may be paced to avoid being above the radar screen. I am sure that we are ramping up for eventualities, given the stakes involved. The Norks are contained somewhat, but the Iranians are such nutcases that they would give a nuke to a proxy or something else mad and stupid that the whole world cannot afford to have.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/29/2004 22:42 Comments ||
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#24
[Iranian] Navy is small and inconsequential.
About 14,000 personnel, mainly naval infantry. The navy may also control anti-ship missile installations. However, in the past they tended to be 'professional' in their encounters with USN assets. Even if they remain neutral, that's 14K less troops for the government and a bit less worry for sea traffic.
Two rival Palestinian militants were killed Wednesday in a clash in a Palestinian refugee camp in south Lebanon, security sources said. The violence erupted between Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement and a Muslim extremist group called Jund al-Sham, Arabic for Soldiers of Damascus, in the camp of Ein el-Hilweh, home for some 60,000 Palestinian refugees. A Fatah gunman and a Muslim extremist were killed in the fight which raged for several hours, using automatic rifles and hand grenades, sending panic waves in the shantytown and prompting many residents to seek shelter outside. The Lebanese army cordoned off the camp banning any gunmen from walking out. In the meantime, camp officials held an emergency meeting to settle the incident.
"More tea?" "Yes, thank you."
An estimated 350,000 Palestinians live in 12 refugee camps throughout Lebanon. The camps are armed and outside the control of the Lebanese authorities.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/29/2004 2:29:59 PM ||
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#1
seal it off and let em kill each other off
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/29/2004 14:42 Comments ||
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Obviously Joooooos, cleverly disguised as Arabs initiated these hostilities....obviously...
From Jihad Unspun
Beginning at dawn yesterday, the Iraqi Resistance used a C5K to strike a US Humvee near the governorate building in al-Qa'im city on the border with Syria. The vehicle was totally destroyed in the blast. Three US soldiers were killed and two others wounded. Immediately after the attack a US Black Hawk helicopter began shooting at anything that moved in the vicinity of the attack, wounding three civilians. ....
Iraqi Resistance forces attacked a US column on the Iraqi-Syrian border Tuesday morning, destroying several US military vehicles and probably inflicting casualties. The local correspondent of Mafkarat al-Islam reported that a column of six US Bradley armored vehicles was attacked by Resistance fighters firing SPJ9s and rocket-propelled grenades in al-Qa'im, destroying three Bradleys and killing all aboard. (Bradleys usually have a crew of four.) The other vehicles managed to flee. ....
US aggressor forces seized control of one of the Iraqi houses in the Makr adh-Dhib area of al-Qa'im on the border with Syria and turned the home into a barracks for themselves, according to the al-Qa'im correspondent of Mafkarat al-Islam. At 5:30am local time, Iraqi Resistance forces bombarded the house with about fourteen 82mm mortar rounds, then they opened up with rocket-propelled grenades and BKC automatic weapons fire. The attack totally demolished the structure, setting the wreckage ablaze. Seven US troops were killed inside the house and two Humvees were also destroyed in the attack. The Resistance fighters also managed to take away the Americans' weapons before the house completely caught fire. ...
At 5:00 pm Tuesday afternoon Iraqi Resistance forces fired rocket-propelled grenades at a US military fuel tank truck and a Humvee on the road between al-Qa'im and Hanah, killing at least four US troops, according to the al-Qa'im correspondent of Mafkarat al-Islam.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
09/29/2004 11:54:16 PM ||
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Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
09/29/2004 22:02 ||
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#1
In a hundred years, the Arabs of Paleostine and the surrounding Arab countries have not changed their intentions and actions when it comes to killing Jews, including Jewish children. This is why it's so strange that so many Israelis believe that withdrawal from Gaza will change the Paleostinian mind-set. All that the withdrawal will accomplish will be to give the Paleos more space and opportunity to increase the efficiency of their murderous attacks on Jewish civilian populations.
Withdrawal from Gaza = Land for Peace??
Withdrawal from Sinai = Weapons smuggling from Egypt to Gaza
Withdrawal from Lebanon = Rocket attacks from Hizbullah
If we go down this road, in years to come Israelis will be debating amongst themselves over whether withdrawal to the Tel Aviv beachfront will finally counterract the Arab lust to murder Jews.
#4
Strong reaction suggested. Jusr turn a blind eye towards the media. Grab the Mooselimbs by the balls, hearts & minds will follow (I paraphrase General Westmoreland thining he will approve).
WoT background noise, except for the fact that the Paks are claiming to have helped bag them... US-led troops in Afghanistan captured 15 Afghans on Wednesday with the help of Pakistani troops. It was not clear whether the 15 detainees, described as "local nationals", had taken part in the attack in insurgency-hit Shkin district, which faces Pakistan's remote tribal area where Al Qaeda and Taliban fugitives have hidden. "They were detained for questioning and then later released," spokesman Mark McCann told AFP. "We do not have definite information that these people were part of the anti-coalition militia who were being pursued by the coalition forces."The suspects were captured when Pakistani troops prevented a group of insurgents from crossing into their side of the border as coalition forces pursued them after a brief gunbattle, another US spokesman Major Scott Nelson said. There were no reports of deaths in the gunfight.
Three Al Qaeda suspects were arrested on Tuesday night from two different places in Swat. Law enforcement agencies also arrested three men from Nawabshah and moved them to an undisclosed location. Daily Times learnt that security agencies, accompanied by the local police, raided houses of Shafiq-ur-Rehman and Hidayat-ur-Rehman of Charbagh and Sardarul Mulk of Khwazakhela and arrested them. The raids were part of the ongoing crackdown on the accomplices of slain Qaeda operative Amjad Farooqi. Sources said the arrested were suspected supporters of banned militant outfits Jaish e-Muhammad and Tanzim Nifaz-e-Shariah Muhammadi (TNSM). Police seized explosives from their possession.
Security agencies had arrested three more suspects in Nawabshah and were interrogating them about Amjad Farooqi, the Online news agency reported on Wednesday. According to sources, security officials were gathering information on individuals staying in hotels, guest houses and rented houses in Nawabshah and Sukkur. Intelligence sources told Daily Times that Farooqi's telephone index, recovered from his house, may lead to the arrest of over three dozen militants of Harktul Jihad e Islami, Jaish Muhammad and Al Qaeda from different parts of the country. Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao told a Cabinet meeting in Islamabad that security forces had "broken the back of Al Qaeda in Pakistan" by killing Farooqi, Online reported. He said about 50 terrorists had been detained after Farooqi's killing.
A senior Italian politician says he believes a ransom of $1m or more was paid for the release of two female Italian aid workers kidnapped in Iraq.
Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini has said no money was paid.
But Gustavo Selva, head of the Italian parliament's foreign affairs committee, said the denial was purely "official".
Meanwhile, British hostage Ken Bigley has appeared in a new video aired by Arabic TV channel Al-Jazeera, accusing Tony Blair of ignoring his plight.
Squatting down in a cage and dressed in an orange jumpsuit, Mr Bigley said his captors did not want to kill him, and he accused the UK prime minister of "lying".
The hardline group which seized Mr Bigley nearly two weeks ago, the Tawhid and Jihad group, beheaded two Americans kidnapped with him.
Italian controversy
Allegations of an Italian ransom, first made in a Kuwaiti newspaper, have been widely reported in Italy.
The government has denied this but, I dare to say, this is an official denial which is part of a government's obligations so as not to give the impression that it has given in to blackmail
The BBC's Guto Harri in Rome says Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has fuelled the rumours by talking of "a difficult choice which had to be made".
Mr Selva, a member of the Northern League, one of the parties in Italy's governing coalition, told French radio: "The young women's life was the most important thing.
"In principle, one should not give in to blackmail, but this time I think we had to give in - even though this opens a dangerous path because it is obvious that both for political or criminal reasons, this path can make others want to take others hostage to make some money."
Security experts have told the BBC that money is likely to have played some part, but they also point to intensive behind-the-scenes negotiations on the part of the Italians.
Mr Berlusconi has spoken of 16 separate negotiations to free the women.
Hope for hostages
Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Bigley's brother Paul said he had received a written message confirming his brother would be released alive.
Ken Bigley has been threatened with beheading
He had said he was 90% sure the message was genuine, but after seeing the video said he was now 100% sure.
Meanwhile, a French negotiator says he has reached a deal with kidnappers to free two French journalists, Georges Malbrunot and Christian Chesnot.
The envoy, Philippe Brett, told al-Arabiya TV he had seen the two men, kidnapped on 21 August, and they would be released soon.
However, the French foreign ministry said it had no knowledge of any deal and said Mr Brett was not part of any official negotiations.
'Treated with respect'
The two Italian women, Simona Pari and Simona Torretta, flew back to Rome on Tuesday night to a rapturous welcome, after three weeks of captivity.
Two Iraqis seized with them on 7 September and four Egyptian telecom workers taken in a separate kidnapping last week have also been freed.
"There were times when we feared we'd be killed," Ms Torretta said. "But at other times we laughed together."
The women, both 29, told Italian officials they had been kept blindfolded for almost all the time and had never seen their captors' faces. They were kept together and in the same place all the time.
"We have been treated with a lot of respect," Ms Torretta said.
Many different groups are thought to be operating in Iraq. Some are criminal gangs seeking ransoms, while others have made political demands.
About 30 foreigners, including several from Arab countries, are still being held, while several Iraqis have been kidnapped for ransom.
The group holding Ken Bigley is said to have links to al-Qaeda. Its suspected leader, Jordanian-born militant Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi, is also accused of masterminding a string of bombings in Iraq.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
09/29/2004 3:31:12 PM ||
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#1
In principle, one should not give in to blackmail, but this time I think we had to give in - even though this opens a dangerous path because it is obvious that both for political or criminal reasons, this path can make others want to take others hostage to make some money
Now that's coherent. Mark my word, fellow 'mericans, the Coalition is Less Than Willing to hang tough. Tony's the only Euro leader we can really count on, and we can't count on even him when it comes to hanging tough with Iran.
#4
"We have been treated with a lot of respect," Ms Torretta said.
I didn't know that Italians considered getting kidnapped and blindfolded as a display of respect.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats ||
09/29/2004 16:03 Comments ||
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#5
They paid ransom??? That's just ducky. Way to go, shitheads.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
09/29/2004 16:08 Comments ||
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#6
It appears that this was a normal kidnapping not a "terrorist" one. There were no pictures of the hostages, no contacts with the normal arabic propaganda outlets. If that is the case Italy did what it normaly does paid the ransom. If it had been terrorists they would have not paid. That is SOP for Italy.
#7
Once Islamic terrorists get paid huge sums of money for grabing Italian hostages, then they will grab more in the near future for more $$$$$$$$$$$
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
09/29/2004 18:53 Comments ||
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#8
Is there a doubt in anyone's mind that this million dollars will not finance the murder of Americans, in the near future? Our government needs to find an appropriate penalty for all countries who finance our enemy, including countries who give into these ransom demands. We've reached the point where members of our own coalition are financing our enemey right in front of our eyes. This cannot be tolerated.
#9
I am not sure these unarmed Italian women thought that Iraq was a good place to volunteer to go.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/29/2004 22:03 Comments ||
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#10
Lets just say lives of two people is more than worth $1m. And I am sure we can inflict more than $1m of damage by closing some more "Islamic Charities" and freezing the accounts. I amy be day dreaming, but if the bloody press just looks the other way for a week or two, we can get rid of a lot of terrs.
#1
16 Sept: Two Americans and Ken Bigley taken hostage
18 Sept: All three appear in video with captors
20 Sept: American Eugene Armstrong beheaded
21 Sept: American Jack Hensley beheaded
22 Sept: Ken Bigley appears on video, appealing for help from Tony Blair
29 Sept: Second video plea made by Bigley
Spain and Italy have given in. The Islamofacists know that America under Bush will NOT give in (hear that all you idiotic Rantburg "clandestine" troll twerps?). They are now testing Britain, hoping they will give in, hoping to weaken the coalition and isolate America regarding the war on terror. They want to get rid of Tony Blair in the worst way.
U.S. and Iraqi forces will retake rebel-held cities in Iraq in October, Defense Minister Hazim al-Shalaan told Reuters on Wednesday. "You wait and see what we are going to do. We are going to take all these cities in October," Shalaan said. The western cities of Falluja and Ramadi, as well as some parts of Baghdad and the town of Samarra, north of the capital, are effectively controlled by insurgents. The U.S. military has previously said it will retake these areas by the end of the year so elections can go ahead as scheduled in January. U.S. commanders say they are waiting until Iraqi forces are large enough and sufficiently trained for the offensive.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/29/2004 11:56:36 AM ||
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#2
The western cities of Falluja and Ramadi, as well as some parts of Baghdad and the town of Samarra, north of the capital, are effectively controlled by insurgents.
Reuters. Samarra has been retaken, though there are still insurgents there, and coalition and Iraqi forces are this day attacking in part of Baghdad where the insurgents are strong.
Is Al-Shalaan a dumb ass? I dont know, i think we could come up with some really stupid things Rummy has said over the last couple of years. I can only presume hes responding to his own domestic political pressures. Or perhaps signaling civilians to leave Fallujah and Ramadi before the attack takes place.
#3
Hell, tell them and then make it happen. Tactical surprise is damn near impossible anyway... maybe a little local surprised dialed in with trash talk may make the zits jump about.
#6
Nothing dumb about stating a strategic objective. The Marines can clean up Fallujah and Ramadi in less than two weeks if given permission and diplomatic cover. This looks to be the first phase of providing the cover. If you're still in Fallujah in October, you're a target.
#7
BAR: Atta boy, tell them the plan, you dumbass.
That's not a plan - it's a goal. And the insurgents know about this goal - they've been waiting for the hammer to fall for a while now. The recent bombs against terrorist targets are hopefully helping to convince the area's civilians to leave. If not, well - they'll have to suffer the consequences from stray munitions.
#8
It reads like a plan to me. It tells them where, when, who and why.
Posted by: Jacob ||
09/29/2004 15:08 Comments ||
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#9
Jacob: It reads like a plan to me. It tells them where, when, who and why.
The high-level where, when, who and why topics addressed here are journalistic questions about the big picture, not battle plans. Battle plans involve the route of the attack, the exact timing of the attack, the pace of the attack, the placement, types and numbers of the units used in the attack, the objective of the attack (unconditional victory or an advance conditional on low US casualties). General statements about an attack will not help the terrorists. What he said was too general to be of operational use. These guys know American forces are going to go after them. The question is what they'll do - fight in place, or scatter like guerrillas in the Baghdad area? Coalition troops will find out when it happens. And the guerrillas will know about the timing of the attack - US troops will have additional supply shipments and ammunition all stacked up for the operation, and move into positions indicating they are about to move. There's just no hiding the movements of a large uniformed force. The guerrillas undoubtedly have eyes all over the place.
#10
You wait and see what we are going to do. We are going to take all these cities in October,
1. he didnt say US troops. He could mean Iraqi forces. He could mean a political deal, a la Samarra. Or some combination. Theres no news here, other than the timing.
Taliban militants crept up to an Afghan government office under cover of darkness early Wednesday and launched a gunbattle that left four attackers and three Afghan troops dead, police said. Elsewhere, an explosion killed a motorcyclist in what an Afghan commander suggested was a botched suicide attack, and U.S. troops skirmished with insurgents near the Pakistani border.
[VROOM! VROOM!]
"Die, cursed infide- [KABOOM!]"
The violence comes in the run-up to Afghanistan's Oct. 9 presidential election, which insurgents are trying to derail. The mayor's office in Khaki Afghan, a district of southeastern Zabul province, was targeted Wednesday by rebels armed with machine guns and rifles, deputy police chief Jailani Khan said. In four hours of fighting, four Taliban were killed and two more captured along with their weapons, Khan said. Three Afghan soldiers died and two were wounded. "We are holding the bodies of the four dead Taliban," Khan said. Reports from the scene suggested there were also Arabs among the assailants, he said, but had no further details.
The motorcyclist was killed Tuesday in Khost province by an explosion which tore apart his body, set fire to his bike and injured a farmer riding a passing tractor, Gen. Fazel Mohammed Sahel said. "He came across the fields and drove onto the main road near the police checkpoint," said Sahel. "There was a military vehicle driving toward him, and suddenly he blew up." Sahel said the man appeared to be a suicide bomber, but that he had no idea why the explosion occurred on the open road or what kind of mission the dead man might have been on. "We think he had explosives around his body. Half of him was simply gone," he said. The commander said investigators identified pieces of one tank shell and found another unexploded round with a wire attached to it at the scene, just outside Khost city.
The American military said suspected Taliban shot at one of its patrols on Monday near Shkin, a border town in Paktika province where U.S. forces man a lonely base. The patrol returned fire and pursued the assailants toward the nearby Pakistani border, where Pakistani forces tried to block their escape, spokesman Maj. Scott Nelson said. American warplanes fired at the rebels, destroying a vehicle. Fifteen local men detained for questioning were subsequently released, said another spokesman, Maj. Mark McCann. There were no reported casualties. While the attackers apparently slipped away, the military said the operation was evidence of blossoming cooperation with Pakistan. "This would never have happened a year ago," Nelson said. "We are exceptionally pleased by that and hope for a continued improvement."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/29/2004 10:48:58 AM ||
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I think you're right. "And, ever so slowly, bit by bit, he exploded..."
It just doesn't have that zing, y'know?
Posted by: Fred ||
09/29/2004 14:59 Comments ||
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#4
There was a military vehicle driving toward him, and suddenly he blew up." Sahel said the man appeared to be a suicide bomber, but that he had no idea why the explosion occurred on the open road or what kind of mission the dead man might have been on.
A little more detail on the previous post. We just can't make this stuff up... Maybe Reuters can, but we can't.
U.S. and Iraqi forces raided suspected insurgent hideouts in the heart of the capital Wednesday, sparking clashes along a main Baghdad thoroughfare... Kadhim al-Dafan is believed to be a key neighborhood leader operating on Baghdad's bloodied Haifa Street, responsible for car bombs and other attacks in the area, said Col. Mohammed Abdullah. Five other suspected insurgents were also taken into custody as U.S. and Iraqi forces clashed with rebels on the street. Wait for it...
Iraqi security forces backed by U.S. troops arrested the suspected terrorist leader Kadhim al-Dafan, cornering him Wednesday in a closet as he tried to conceal his face with his wife's underwear, an Iraqi National Guard commander said. Yep, put the panties on his own head, saving us the trouble!
Did he have a banana up his butt, too?
Posted by: OldSpook ||
09/29/2004 9:22:33 AM ||
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#1
falling off my chair laughing - it must be true, like you said, you can't make that stuff up!
#2
This ** joke ** may be taken the wrong way but here goes anyways...
Iraqi security forces backed by U.S. troops arrested the suspected terrorist leader Kadhim al-Dafan, cornering him Wednesday in a closet as he tried to conceal his face with his wifeâs underwear, an Iraqi National Guard commander said
A pilot flying a Delta Air Lines jet was injured by a laser that illuminated the cockpit of the aircraft as it approached Salt Lake City International Airport last week, U.S. officials said. The plane's two pilots reported that the Boeing 737 had been five miles from the airport when they saw a laser beam inside the cockpit, said officials familiar with government reports of the Sept. 22 incident. The flight, which originated in Dallas, landed without further incident at about 9:30 p.m. local time. A short while later, however, the first officer felt a stinging sensation in one eye. A doctor who examined the pilot determined that he had suffered a burned retina from exposure to a laser device, the officials said.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) spokeswoman Yolanda Clark confirmed the incident, but declined to provide details. "TSA is aware of the incident, and we are working with the airline in conducting an investigation to try and determine the cause of the incident," Miss Clark said. She would not say whether TSA considers the incident a possible security threat to commercial aircraft. Other officials said the incident was serious enough that the pilot will be unable to fly for at least a week. "So far, it doesn't sound like there will be permanent [eye] damage," one official said. The identity of the pilot could not be learned, and Delta spokesman Anthony Black declined to comment. Officials were unsure of the source of the laser and could not determine whether the exposure was deliberate or accidental. John Mazor, a spokesman for the Air Line Pilots Association, said commercial pilots have been exposed to laser illumination. "The Air Line Pilots Association has received reports in the past of incidents where lasers penetrated cockpits and, in at least one case, caused injury," Mr. Mazor said. Several years ago, a pilot flying into a Western airport was hit by a light from a laser light show. The causes of the other incidents are not known, he said. Asked whether a laser aimed at pilots could cause a plane to crash, Mr. Mazor said: "I think that's highly improbable. In every case in the past, the flights landed safely."
But what if both pilots get blinded on final approach?
Posted by: Steve ||
09/29/2004 8:52:10 AM ||
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#1
The North Koreans and Chinese have also tried to blind our pilots. I also remember reading the Chinese have lasers to blind ground troops. Soon laser safe goggles will be required combat equipment (and airline pilot gear it seems).
PS. A near infrared laser is better. The victim would not realize anything is happening until his retinas were burned out.
Posted by: ed ||
09/29/2004 9:40 Comments ||
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#2
Does any person have the ability to hold steady a laser for more than a split seconnd. "ed" has an idea to have goggles that filter out the wavelengths of the lasers that are harmful. Perhaps what could be developed is like virtual reality headgear that the pilots wear, showing to them the approach with a TV like image, two cameras which give depth, but only the tri-color of TV without letting any light in, plus autopilot stuff from the airplanes computer to assist the landing
Several years ago, a pilot flying into a Western airport was hit by a light from a laser light show.
I remember hearing about this at the time... It was LAX, and the Laser show was the Hollywood Bowl, who had John Williams come out and do a Star Wars thing.
Posted by: Max K ||
09/29/2004 12:58 Comments ||
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But what if both pilots get blinded on final approach?
Using GPS and advanced autopilot ground approach technologies, some passenger jet liners are capable of taking off and landing at an overseas destination without any pilot assistance, once the craft is lined up on the runway. This is why China needed congressional approval to buy Boeing 767s. Their onboard avonic guidance system is sufficiently accurate for dual-use in ICBMs.
"ed" has an idea to have goggles that filter out the wavelengths of the lasers that are harmful.
BigEd, all wavelengths are "harmful" when you concentrate watts of power on a spot size of no more than a few square millimeters. This is the nature of the beast with coherent radiation. The human retina is not able to disperse so much concentrated energy, regardless of frequency. While costly, it might be possible to provide fast response LCD "shutters" on the cockpit windows so that they would black out when incoming coherent radiation was detected.
Manufacturers already utilize LCD shutters for gating the output of high power industrial lasers used in machining and cutting of materials. While the cockpit windows could not be water cooled, which would enable resistance to prolonged high wattage exposure, they could certainly give pilots time to don goggles and switch the plane over to autopilot controlled evasive maneuvers.
#6
I recently got a Baretta 96 with a laser site built into the grip. I can tell you from experience that its nearly impossible to hold that laser on target for more than a few seconds. It bounces all over the place with every breath or pulse of your blood.
Posted by: Lil Ronnie Spektre ||
09/29/2004 16:47 Comments ||
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#8
one wonders what the effect of the shutters closing might be just the instant before wheels on the ground.....
Sheemp, please go back and read the part about, "some passenger jet liners are capable of taking off and landing at an overseas destination without any pilot assistance." It would be a simple matter to create overlay software whereby pilot handling can be instantaneously released into autopilot control that is fed with prior flight path information and ILS (Instrument Landing System) runway approach data. There is no reason why the plane should lose any significant degree of touch-down accuracy due to handover during final approach.
#10
one wonders what the effect of the shutters closing might be just the instant before wheels on the ground.....
PS: One would have to direct different laser beams at each individual cockpit window to make that happen. The only other way of doing so would involve being situated directly in the aircraft's approach path and using a rotating scanning mirror (like at your supermarket but far more expensive) to scatter a tightly distributed incident beam over all of the cockpit windows at once. They would have better luck recruiting a "black widow" bomber first.
Another one? Isn't there anything else to do in Mauritania? They need a drive-in or something...
No wonder Yasser doesn't want to go there.
Mauritania has foiled a coup attempt, the third in 15 months, says the interior minister. Mohamed Ghali Ould Cherif Ahmed said "a vast plan of destabilisation and sabotage" had been planned this week. Security forces have seized a large quantity of arms and arrested several people, including a former military captain, Abderahmane Ould Mini. He is considered to be one of the most senior figures responsible for an attempted coup in June last year.
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Just don't get caught.
The minister said a confession by Mr Ould Mini after his arrest had let to the seizure of an arms cache outside the capital, Nouakchott.
(Wack!) "Ouch, OK, I did it! I'll talk, just put that down!"
The last attempt to topple President Maaouiya Sid'Ahmed Ould Taya was in August. The Mauritanian government has accused Burkina Faso and Libya of supporting earlier coup plots. President Taya took power in a bloodless coup in December 1984 and has been re-elected three times since.
That makes him a senior statesman
Posted by: Steve ||
09/29/2004 8:42:50 AM ||
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Iraqi security forces today arrested a suspected terrorist operating on Baghdad's blood-soaked Haifa Street, an Iraqi commander said. Five other suspected insurgents were also taken into custody as US and Iraqi forces clashed with rebels on the main thoroughfare, said Col. Mohammed Abdullah. Acting on tips from local residents, Abdullah said Iraqi security troops backed by US forces caught Kadhim al-Dafan as he hid out in his home.
"Maw! They're comin' for me, Maw!"
The suspected terrorist reportedly told Abdullah he was hurriedly trying to disguise himself with his wife's underclothing.
"That's a stunning bassiere y'got there, Kadhim! Stick 'em up!"
Posted by: Howard UK ||
09/29/2004 7:52:42 AM ||
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The suspected terrorist reportedly told Abdullah he was hurriedly trying to disguise himself with his wifeâs underclothing.
Let's see if I have this right. This terrorist, in order to escape capture, puts his wife's underclothing on.
Hey, the U.S. guards at Abu Ghraib prison should be getting medals, not courts martial. Remember the prisoner with the panties on his headâ¦he was trying to escape!
#8
The suspected terrorist reportedly told Abdullah he was hurriedly trying to disguise himself with his wifeâs underclothing.
Senator Bagogas aka Sen JarJarBinks will blame our MPs anyway...
NEVER FORGET THIS QUOTE BY BAGOGAS-JARJAR: "Shamefully, we now learn that Saddam's torture chambers reopened under new management â U.S. management."
Posted by: Dave D. ||
09/29/2004 16:07 Comments ||
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#12
You have to hand it to the Iraqi security forces. They kept their cool and arrested him, when most of us would have been ROFLOAO. :-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/29/2004 17:46 Comments ||
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#13
I just say they are taking Hashish in proper dosage. More of the same and ALZAHWARI will be caught too in a mini skirt and halter top. "Hey Ayman u sure look like them western hussies, u wannah bend over"
#4
Hey Paul - thanks for ruining my morning. No really - good insightful article. Now I understand many more things than I did before.
Jeeze - sounds like lots of people in Pakistan would want to be sure this guy never talked. And are we REALLY sure this guy is dead? I mean really, really, really sure? Seeing how these guys tend to be like Night of the Living Dead and all that
#5
They had a picture of somebody purported to be him stuffed and mounted, like we did Uday and Qusay. It was just a head shot, though; couldn't see if there was a stake through his heart.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/29/2004 15:49 Comments ||
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Gunmen carrying flags of Iraq's most feared terror group surfaced in force in the central Iraqi city of Samarra on Tuesday for the first time since U.S. troops briefly entered it in a deal with tribal leaders that the Americans had portrayed as a success story in battling the insurgency.
Dozens of masked gunmen carrying automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades drove through the main streets of Samarra, 60 miles north of Baghdad, in about 20 vehicles. Some carried the black flags of Iraq's most-feared terror organization, Tawhid and Jihad, which is run by Jordanian-born Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
Two of the cars carrying the gunmen were police pickup trucks that appear to have been confiscated by the insurgents. The gunmen stopped some cars and asked passengers to hand over music tapes, giving them tapes with recitations from the Muslim holy book, the Quran, in exchange.
After a two-hour drive-through, the convoy dispersed around noon and the gunmen could not be seen in the streets. It was not clear why they left.
Samarra has been under insurgent control and a virtual ''no-go'' area for U.S. troops since May 30.
The Americans returned briefly on Sept. 9 under a peace deal brokered by tribal leaders by which U.S. forces agreed to provide millions of dollars in reconstruction funds in exchange for an end to attacks on American and Iraqi troops.
U.S. and Iraqi commanders portrayed the deal as a success story in their attempts to put down the 17-month-old insurgency that aims to drive foreign forces from the country.
In recent weeks, however, the city witnessed sporadic clashes between U.S. troops and insurgents.
A suicide attacker detonated a car bomb on Sept. 19, near a U.S.-Iraqi checkpoint in the city, killing three people and wounding seven, including four U.S. soldiers. More deadly clashes broke out there Sept. 22.
American military commanders have indicated that Samarra, along with Fallujah and the Baghdad slum known as Sadr City may have to be subdued prior to a general election in January.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/29/2004 12:25:52 AM ||
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I hope that they do it again. And it that would not be missed by Coalition. Three words: Target Rich Environment.
#2
I hope our UAVs followed some of them home. Expect a knock on the door and Virginians in the afterlife.
Posted by: ed ||
09/29/2004 0:46 Comments ||
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More melodrama from AP. In the view of AP reporters, the mere existence of a guerrilla war is a defeat for US forces. The reality, of course, is that guerrilla wars last a while, mainly because the guerrillas try to avoid fighting in favor of creating mayhem. They try to outlast conventional forces so as to win by not losing. But usually, even with outside funding, they lose - because it's hard to outlast conventional forces.
#4
If I were in-charge of the military effort in Iraq, I would stage a massive offensive into these "no-go" areas during the debates. The idea would be to teach them to keep their head down durin anythig associated with an election.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/29/2004 2:25 Comments ||
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Hackers have attacked a website of an Al Qaeda-linked group, that beheaded two US hostages in Iraq, re-routing visitors to a page showing a penguin toting a machine gun and warning against hosting such sites. The site of the Tawhid and Jihad Group of Al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, set up on a site providing free web hosting, last week carried a tape of British hostage Kenneth Bigley appealing for his life as well as videos of the decapitation of the two US hostages. "Host them and your next!" was the message left on the site by the hackers, calling themselves TeAmZ USA, who have already attacked several Islamist and pro-Al Qaeda websites.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/29/2004 12:01:17 AM ||
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Yup. If you host terrorists I got no sympathy for what the hell happens to you or any of you clients "free" or not. All the damm sites can get owned for all I care. I wonder if it was a PLF (Penguin Liberation Front) image. All the PLF Logos have a penguin toting a assult rifle of some sort. That doesnt mean the crackers who defaced the site are related to the PLF in any way however.
#5
Netcraft reports "BSD is dying" :Ã
LOL I looked to see if anyone had recorded the defacements for history and couldn't find any working links. I would be happy to host them if I could find them.
#1
Sounds like things are on the upswing. OT- LtCol Dave got a birthday message from home at Greenzone.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/29/2004 2:54 Comments ||
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This was such a breath of fresh air and such a break from the junk coming through the networks, I have included it below. ( If you go to the article link, you can link directly to contribute.)
"Dear Dad:
Not much to report on here in Najaf. Its been quiet but we have heard about things being hot in other parts of Iraq so we are still being vigilant.
Just recently the Mosques here in Najaf have re-opened and people are returning to them for prayer for the first time in almost a year. When the militia cameinto the city they took over the Mosques and used them as hideouts, eventhough it's against their own religious beliefs to use a holy site in such a way,but they did so because they knew that we wouldn't bomb there. The people kept asking us to just go in and get them, but we didn't want to destroy their Mosque, and some of my friends died as a result of sniper fire from inside, but we know it was the right thing to do.
As we were driving through the city on a security patrol the other day we drove by the newly re-opened Mosque. As we drove by many people came out and waved at us and some parents even held up their children and said "thank you America."
I remember thinking that how lucky I was to be able to be from a country where I don't have to worry about someone using my church as a battle position, or that someone might shoot me and my family for trying to go to church. Some times I forget how lucky I am and I can't ever believe that I thought of going to church as being a "chore" We should feel blessed to be able to go in and pray as we choose. And I thank God every day that you and my family are safe and sound in the U.S. I love you guys so much that I would gladly lay down my life so that you never loose a single freedom that you enjoy today. And if anything should happen to me, don't worry there are a lot of guys like me out there who will never let that happen.
Lately we have been doing public affairs stuff, going around to different schools and seeing what kinds of stuff they need to be fixed. Things like desks and chalkboards and stuff. The hard part is dealing with all the little kids that come out to see us and they all think that we are going to be giving away food and candy. And it's not like it's just a couple of kids, we get
mobbed by like a hundred kids. Instead of more candy or chocolate or stuff me , if you could send some basic school supply stuff to me we can get it right to the school kids. Things like pens, pencils, protractors, rulers, etc andwe will get it out. I will also get some pictures of the kids for you that I will send. Oh, and don't forget those little hand held pencil sharpeners.
Apparently they need some of those too......
A bomb blast in Kathmandu caused slight damage to a bank today during a strike called by Maoist rebels that shut down much of Nepal as soldiers killed 12 guerrillas in gunbattles across the kingdom.
Fred, what's our graphic going to be for dead Maoists?
I dunno. Got anything good? I was going to use the Beagle Boys for the guys going off to jug, but then I figured Disney would sue me or something...
Police said no one was wounded in the blast, which took place after a panic-stricken taxi driver threw a package containing the bomb into a deserted street during the strike, the latest move in the Maoists' violent campaign to overthrow the constitutional monarchy and establish a communist republic. In the hours before the strike, rebels set fire to about a dozen vehicles, including two cars carrying participants of an international tour to promote peasants' rights, officials said. No one in the tour, the People's Caravan for Food Sovereignty, heading to Kathmandu from India, was hurt.
(scratches head) You'd think something called the "People's Caravan" would be welcomed by Maoists as fellow travelers.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/29/2004 12:00:19 AM ||
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oo oo can I suggest a pic of chairman mao with a steve martin arrow through his head?
Some valuable 'Arab targets' do exist in Pakistani tribal areas, including Abu Faraj al Libbi, who is believed to be head of the al-Qaeda operations in the country, claims western diplomatic sources. These sources believe that the American CIA had gathered valuable evidence through satellite images and radio equipment that suggested presence of some of the most-wanted men there. There was a possibility that some 100 militants were present in the South Waziristan agency, said Pakistani sources, without identifying their names or ranking on the list of wanted al-Qaeda figures. However, no one was confirming or denying the presence of Osama bin Laden or Ayman al-Zawahri in the tribal areas. In fact, the operation in tribal areas has not yielded any significant target so far. All key arrests were made from the major urban centres of the country. There are also indications that Washington wants Islamabad to step up anti-terrorism activities to produce some more high value targets ahead of the November 2, US Presidential elections.
#1
All valuable âArab targetsâ are now required to wear targets on their turbans.
Posted by: ed ||
09/29/2004 1:13 Comments ||
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In addition, all villages in the region have now been required to adopt the new Concentric Contour Plowing Pattern⢠method, resulting in a majority of dwellings being exactly centered with respect to the perimeter.
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.
Police have arrested three men suspected of involvement in the killing of French engineer Laurent Barbot in Jeddah early Sunday morning. The Ministry of Interior spokesman, Brig. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, confirmed the arrests. "Three suspects were arrested and police are still searching for a fourth," he said yesterday. The arrests, based on evidence at the site of the shooting near Giant Stores in the Al-Zahra district, led the police to Bahra, a suburb some 25 kilometers east of Jeddah. The suburb is home to a mixture of middle and low-income Saudis and is notorious for large numbers of illegal immigrants, many of whom work on nearby farms and in factories and shops. 
A Yemeni court has sentenced two men to death over the bomb attack on the USS Cole, which killed 17 people in 2000. Suspected ringleader 
Two rival Palestinian militants were killed Wednesday in a clash in a Palestinian refugee camp in south Lebanon, security sources said. The violence erupted between Yasser Arafat's 
