North Koreaâs army accused the United States of preparing to attack and warned it could abandon a 50-year-old accord that ended the Korean war. The accusation came after South Korea said 12 days ago that the United States agreed to withdraw a large portion of its troops guarding the truce village of Panmunjom in the four-kilometer-wide (2.4 mile) buffer zone by October.
Panmunjom and its adjacent joint security area (JSA) have been guarded by North Korean soldiers and US troops since the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice accord. South Korean officials said the US troop cut in Panmunjom was designed to give South Korea more control over the defense of its border with North Korea. But a North Korean Peopleâs Army (KPA) spokesman said the US troop withdrawal showed it was giving up its duty as a signatory to the armistice accord (AA). At the same time, "The US is massively shipping ultra-modern arms and equipment into South Korea and staging war exercises against the DPRK one after another...," the official said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.
"The US decision to take even its small force out of the JSA in Panmunjom and DMZ (demilitarized zone) against this backdrop indicates that the US preparations for a preemptive attack upon the DPRK (North Korea) are under way at a final phase," he said. "This situation prompts the KPA side not to allow such a thing ... and compels it to take whatever strong measure to protect its own security," he said. North Korea will "comprehensively examine the issue of security" in Panmunjom and "all the provisions" of the accord, he said.
The spokesman said the United States should not forget it was technically at war with North Korea and "in an unstable state of armistice as they have not yet settled the belligerent relationship."
#1
The accusation came after South Korea said 12 days ago that the United States agreed to withdraw a large portion of its troops guarding the truce village of Panmunjom
"The spokesman said the United States should not forget it was technically at war with North Korea..."
That's right, just keep reminding us. Sooner or later, we might get annoyed and do something about it.
Posted by: Old Grouch ||
04/25/2004 15:57 Comments ||
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#5
The accusation came after South Korea said 12 days ago that the United States agreed to withdraw a large portion of its troops guarding the truce village of Panmunjom
Brahahaha.... Wheels within wheels... plans within plans within plans....
#6
B, I'm with you. Where's Kimmy?
Don't these threats and babblings usually come from him?
Posted by: Jen ||
04/25/2004 18:37 Comments ||
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#7
The spokesman said the United States should not forget it was technically at war with North Korea and "in an unstable state of armistice as they have not yet settled the belligerent relationship." So, basically, the conflict remains unresolved and all the 50-year old UN resolutions remain in effect. Ladies and gentlemen, I believe we have a UN mandate for some butt-kicking.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/25/2004 23:07 Comments ||
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#8
I thought that North Korea still considers itself at war with the US, but from the US point of view, they are beneath that level and are nothing more than an unresolved "police action".
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats ||
04/25/2004 23:55 Comments ||
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Top North Korean officials have vowed to push ahead with their nuclear programmes as long as the atomic standoff festers, saying time is not on U.S. President George W. Bush's side, an influential U.S. expert said on Saturday after meetings in Pyongyang. The officials also promised never to let nuclear weapons fall into the hands of al Qaeda or other militants, said Selig Harrison, of the Center for International Policy in Washington.
Their assurances make me feel so much better. I mean, if you can't trust Kim Jong Il, who can you trust?
Harrison, making his seventh trip to Pyongyang, told reporters on arrival in Beijing after days of meetings that the officials were not expecting a resolution before U.S. presidential elections in November. But they also had no deadline to test nuclear weapons or missiles if six-country talks on their programmes dragged on. Pyongyang laid out an offer for an initial freeze of its plutonium programme, continuing to dismiss Bush's demand for a complete, irreversible and verifiable dismantling (CVID) up front and deny they ever admitted to a covert uranium programme. "If Bush insists on his present policy of CVID first, we wouldn't be interested in having a deal with the United States," Harrison quoted Kim Yong-nam, who heads the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly and is the North's number two leader, as saying. "My feeling is Bush is delaying the resolution of the nuclear issue due to the presidential election," Kim said. "He (Bush) may be trying to gain time, but time is not on his side," he said. "We are going to use this time 100 percent effectively to strengthen our nuclear deterrent, both quantitively and qualitatively."
The comments come during a growing sense of urgency for progress after Beijing hosted two inconclusive rounds of talks. Cheney told China "time is not our side" to resolve the crisis and South Korean media reported Beijing, in turn, urged Kim to soften his stance. However, Kim Yong-nam said the North had no deadline on the talks, according to Harrison. Foreign Ministry officials told him they expected a third round of six-party talks comprising the two Koreas, China, Russia, the United States and Japan before the end of June, as scheduled, and working group meetings in late May. But there was no agreed agenda for the working group, Harrison was told. At a recent meeting in New York, the North's diplomats tried to introduce their initial freeze proposal while U.S. special envoy Joseph Detrani insisted solely on CVID. Harrison quoted Foreign Minister Paek Nam-sun saying of the talks: "Frankly speaking, I am not that optimistic."
Officials repeated to Harrison a message they say the United States distorted -- that they had no obligation to clarify the uranium question to their enemies. "Informally, they say their policy is not to confirm or deny," Harrison said. In response to allegations by Cheney that North Korea could proliferate nuclear technology, Kim said there was a clear distinction between missiles and nuclear material. "There can be trade in missiles, but in regard to nuclear material, our policy, past, present and future, is that we would never allow such a transfer to al Qaeda or anyone else."
So can we infer from this that you'd sell Binny a Scud, then?
Vice Foreign Minister Kim Gye-gwan, the North's envoy to the talks, detailed a freeze proposal under which the North would grant inspections to determine how much weapons-grade plutonium it had reprocessed and would pledge not to test nuclear material or transfer it to other parties, Harrison said. In exchange, the United States would allow the North to receive energy aid and electricity from South Korea, Russia and China, lift economic sanctions that have been in place since the 1950-53 Korean War and remove the North from its list of countries sponsoring terrorism, he said. Harrison said officials were very careful not to take sides in the U.S. elections but noted: "Their position is that they don't expect anything from the Bush administration."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/25/2004 1:43:29 AM ||
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I thought the Chinese were going to control their dog /sarcasm
British intelligence agencies are furious with their French counterparts after being refused assistance in their efforts to track terrorists in this country linked to the Madrid bombers. The row has led to the worst rift between British and French intelligence agencies for years and is hindering attempts to trace connections between Moroccans involved in the Madrid bombs and Islamic militants in Britain. A senior Home Office official said: "We are getting very good co-operation from the Moroccans and the Spanish but there appears to be a hiccup with the French." David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, is seeking to repair the rift in talks with Dominique de Villepin, the French interior minister. The row erupted after Britain declined a French offer to provide Arab speakers with local knowledge to help the coalition in Iraq.
With Dominique as interior minister we can probably expect more of this sort of thing.
Posted by: Bulldog ||
04/25/2004 11:17:50 AM ||
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"Arab speakers with local knowledge"
Hmmm. Of course these could be fine, useful individuals, who might contribute to coalition objectives in Iraq. Then again .... this reminds me of one of the billion idiocies that course unchallenged through discussions of Iraq: if only we were nicer to others, they'd help us out. Yet the same baggage or inimical interests that led such as France and Russia to make last-ditch stands to save Saddam are exactly why we, or Iraqis, would not trust these folks or their kind, post-Saddam.
#3
The French make it more clear each day which side they are on. Perhaps we shouldn't remove all those troops from Germany...just make sure the gates on the western sides of the bases can handle four M1A2s abreast.
Posted by: Mr. Davis ||
04/25/2004 18:42 Comments ||
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The head of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Alyson Bailes, says that al-Qaeda also poses a threat to Finland. Bailes says that although al-Qaeda primarily targets countries that supported the US-led war on Iraq, terrorists view all Western countries as part of the same Western secular and capitalist system. Bailes said she would consider it foolhardy to believe that only coalition members are under threat of terrorist attack. Bailes, who was formerly the British ambassador to Finland, warned Finns and Swedes that terrorists may consider the two countries less-prepared to counter attacks - and therefore attractive targets. Terrorists may also consider Finland or Sweden suitable transit countries or bases. Bailes stressed the responsibilty of all countries for common security; each nation must not only prevent terrorist attacks on its own territory but also on foreign ground.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/25/2004 1:40:58 AM ||
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Finland, Finland... Didn't we hear something from Finland a couple of days ago?
Posted by: Old Grouch ||
04/25/2004 16:04 Comments ||
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terrorists view all Western countries as part of the same Western secular and capitalist system
The clue bat strikes again.
Posted by: B ||
04/25/2004 21:02 Comments ||
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via Drudge - breaking; enjoy the smell of aristocratic auto-da-fe
In an interview published Friday in the LOS ANGELES TIMES, Dem presidential hopeful John Kerry claimed he "never ever implied" that he threw his own medals during a Hill protest in 1971 to appear as an antiwar hero.
But a new shock video shows John Kerry -- in his own voice -- saying he did!
ABCâs GOOD MORNING AMERICA is set to rock the political world Monday morning with an airing of Kerryâs specific 1971 boast, sources tell the DRUDGE REPORT.
The video was made by a local news station in 1971.
It directly contradicts Kerryâs own website headline: "RIGHTWING FICTION: John Kerry threw away his medals during a Vietnam war protest."
Kerryâs campaign refused comment Sunday afternoon, citing a policy not to respond to the DRUDGE REPORT.
Developing...
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/25/2004 6:33:19 PM ||
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citing a policy not to respond to the DRUDGE REPORT.
Bwahahaha! Feel the power of the Drudge!
Posted by: Charles ||
04/25/2004 19:00 Comments ||
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I don't want to pre-judge this 1971 video, but it seems to me that Kerry's getting awfully close to some sort of tipping point with this stuff. Much more of it, and the American public is going to adopt a "conventional wisdom" that John Kerry is a habitual bullshitter. And if that happens, he's a goner.
The same thing can happen in the press. Sure, many in the mainstream media are rooting for Kerry; but once they start smelling blood, and start seeing him as a rich source of juicy bloopers that'll make good headlines, they're likely to turn on him like a pack of sharks.
"Kerryâs campaign refused comment Sunday afternoon, citing a policy not to respond to the DRUDGE REPORT."
Waitaminnit... I thought it was the Bush campaign that was supposed to be out of touch with the Internet Generation. Bad move, Kerry.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
04/25/2004 19:10 Comments ||
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Cheesh, you guys can't wait to villify a proven hero who served in Viet Nam. Kerry's website is very clear:
"John Kerry threw his ribbons and the medals of two veterans who could not attend the event, and said âI am not doing this for any violent reasons, but for peace and justice, and to try to make this country wake up once and for all.â (italics in original)
Don't you (like that chickenhawk thimble brain Drudge) understand the difference between medals and ribbons? That's a distinction they drill into every anti-war progtester.
And besides that, he had given the medals to his mother for Mother's Day and so they weren't his medals, they were his family's!
This is an example of why people who want the true story read only the New York Times.
Posted by: Mr. Davis ||
04/25/2004 19:38 Comments ||
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#4
you have to close comments like that with /sarcasm, ot it screws up everyone else's comments that follow, Mr.D. Notice how often my comments seem cynical and sarcastic, through no fault of my own? That's why....
sure
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/25/2004 19:45 Comments ||
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#5
Mr. Davis, sarcasm or no, who really cares whose medals or ribbons he threw?
The fact still remains that Kerry showed nothing but disdain and contempt for American medals for bravery in battle and military service to our country and yet he says he wants to be Commander-in-Chief.
And I don't care for the use of the term "chickenhawk" applying to anyone, either.
As for Drudge, he ain't so dumb...I imagine Lurch is still pissed about the "intern affair" story of a few months ago.
I still don't think we've heard the last of that.
Posted by: Jen ||
04/25/2004 20:18 Comments ||
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#6
Oh! the joy, Hildebeast in the wings Lurking.........
Posted by: dorf ||
04/25/2004 20:35 Comments ||
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#8
seems to me that the usual suspects, who can always can be counted on to closely tow the party line, have decided it's time to stab Kerry in the back and dump his body next to Deans. Et tu Keri
Posted by: B ||
04/25/2004 20:46 Comments ||
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#9
The dominant LEFTmedia has been oddly referring to Komrade Kerry as the PRESUMPTIVE NOMINEE of late. Perhaps having determined sKerry cannot beat President Bush they will turn on the ridiculous myn as they did Dean in time for a THIRD candidate to be annointed at the Dim convention. Like others, I'll have to see with my own eyes the ABC wing of the ABCCBSNBCPBSBBCalJAZEERA network spin a story in a way that would HURT sKerry to BELIEVE the LEFTmedia is turning against their latest CHOSEN ONE.
Terry Nicholsâ attorneys may call dozens of witnesses who say they spotted Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh with others. A judge last week imposed stiff restrictions on his defense but allowed evidence of sightings of others with McVeigh at "relevant times." .... The judge ruled defense attorneys cannot try to blame the 1995 bombing on a gang of white supremacist bank robbers, residents of Elohim City or survivalist Steven Colbern. The judge said he found nothing linking these suggested alternative suspects to the bomb plot. Nicholsâ attorneys had been focusing their defense on the bank robber theory. .... The ruling leaves Nichols, 49, with the same basic strategy as his federal trial -- that McVeighâs true accomplice was the mysterious John Doe No. 2. ....
Nicholsâ attorneys plan to call new witnesses and witnesses who testified before. "Over 50 different witnesses saw Timothy McVeigh and a man resembling the composite sketch of John Doe 2 in Kansas and Oklahoma the week before the bombing," attorneys told the judge. "Most of these sightings were at times that eliminated Mr. Nichols as Mr. McVeighâs accomplice." .... In legal filings, attorneys wrote some witnesses saw McVeigh with other men inside the Murrah Building the week before the bombing. They wrote that some witnesses saw McVeigh and another man "in or near" the Ryder truck the morning of the attack. "The car was described as being distinctive for a variety of reasons, including unusual rust patterns on a back panel and a dangling Arizona license plate," attorneys wrote. The defense witnesses include Jeff Davis, who delivered Chinese food to McVeighâs motel room in Junction City, Kan., on April 15, 1995. Davis insists the man who took the food was not McVeigh. Another witness is Nancy Kindle, a waitress who said she served coffee to McVeigh and two other men at the Dennyâs in Junction City on April 16, 1995.
Attorneys also are expected to seek to show jurors a sworn statement by Danny Wilkerson, who claimed he sold McVeigh cigarettes and two cans of soda at his store in the Regency Tower apartments moments before the explosion. Wilkerson, who died in 1997, said he saw another man in the Ryder cab. Also still admissible is testimony from David Paul Hammer, a convicted murderer. In a new book, Secrets Worth Dying For, Hammer claims McVeigh identified the real accomplices during conversations on death row. Prosecutors say he is a con man. ... Jurors in the state case already heard from the retired owner of a Kansas body shop. Eldon Elliott testified McVeigh was with another man when he picked up the Ryder truck April 17, 1995. Elliott identified an FBI artistâs sketch of John Doe No. 2 -- in a hat -- as the second man. ....
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
04/25/2004 2:22:46 PM ||
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Tell him to call Jose Padilla as a witness. Maybe it's just a wild, unrelated coincidence, but Padilla kind of resembles the sketch of "John Doe #2."
.... Now Mr. [Jose] Padillaâs mother, his ex-wife in Florida, his second wife in Egypt and friends have broken their anxious silence. Together with accounts from former and current government officials and court papers, they trace Mr. Padillaâs journey from Pentecostal child preacher to Muslim convert to suspected terrorist, from a Taco Bell in Davie, Fla., to a pilgrimage site in Mecca to the Charleston, S.C., brig. ....
At 14, he got involved disastrously with an older friend in a murder that began as a petty robbery. Mr. Padilla and his friend were drinking on a street corner in Chicago when they decided to rob a couple of Mexican immigrants. The immigrants put up a fight and chased them until Mr. Padillaâs friend tired of running and, for the net gain of a watch and about $9 in pesos, stabbed one of the immigrants, Elio Evangelista, to death. Mr. Padilla then kicked the victim in the head "because he felt like it," according to his juvenile records. Mr. Padilla was placed in juvenile detention until he was 19. When Mr. Padilla was 19, his first son, Joshua, was born. ....
Several months [later], Mr. Padilla, who was 20, got into a traffic dispute on a thoroughfare in Broward County, according to law enforcement records. He cut off another driver and, for punctuation, flashed a revolver at him. The other driver, trying to read Mr. Padillaâs license plate, then followed him to a gas station. Mr. Padilla responded by firing off a single shot â into the air, he later told the police. He was charged with three felony counts and sent to the Broward County jail. A few months into his detention, Mr. Padilla got aggressive with a guard and was charged with battery on a law enforcement officer. ....
Pleading guilty to both sets of charges, Mr. Padilla got out of jail after 10 months. It was the summer of 1992, he was 21 .... He spent the six years after his release â from jail, not from prison â living in Florida. On his release, Mr. Padilla applied for a job at the Taco Bell in Davie .... Muhammed Javed, a Pakistani-American and co-founder of the Broward School of Islamic Studies, was the manager. .... With the exception of traffic infractions, Mr. Padilla kept out of trouble with the law. He became a quiet, studious regular at Arabic and scripture classes at the Darul Uloom mosque in Pembroke Pines and then at Masjid Al-Iman in downtown Fort Lauderdale. ...
In 1998, Mr. Padilla decided that he wanted to immerse himself more fully in the Arabic language and in Islam. Mr. Awad said it was common for mosques in America to encourage converts by offering them scholarships to study abroad. At Masjid Al-Iman, he said, a collection was taken to pay for Mr. Padillaâs ticket and travel expenses. ....
In Egypt, Mr. Padilla called his wife once a month for the first six months. He offered little information. .... After a year or so in Egypt, the man said, Mr. Padilla expressed an interest in marrying. .... [An acquaintance] presented Mr. Padilla to a villager, Abu Shamiaâa, as a suitor for his daughter, Shamiaâa, who was then 19. .... Mr. Padilla had only $480 in savings, Abu Shamiaâa said, so he married his daughter off not for financial reasons but for religious ones. .... In Florida, [his wife] learned of her husbandâs betrothal from an Egyptian-American friend. Horrified, she called and pleaded with Mr. Padilla not to proceed with another marriage. ... The marriage was dissolved.
After his second wedding, in July 1999, Mr. Padilla moved his new wife to Cairo, where he worked days teaching English at a private school and nights as a gym trainer and martial arts instructor. In early 2000, he traveled to Saudi Arabia for the hajj, the annual religious pilgrimage to the birthplace of Islam. Some time after returning from the hajj, Mr. Padilla told his wife that he had an offer to teach English in Yemen. ....
In the spring of 2002, Abu Zubaydah, a senior official of Al Qaeda who was in American custody at an undisclosed location overseas, told his interrogators about Mr. Padilla and the alleged dirty bomb plot, government officials say. He did not name Mr. Padilla but described him physically and referred to him as a Latin American man who went by a Muslim name .... At about the same time, Mr. Padilla was briefly detained in Pakistan on a passport violation. This helped a customs intelligence agent link the name given by Abu Zubaydah to "an Arab alias not mentioned by the detainee" .... That "alias" led the agent to Mr. Padillaâs Florida driverâs license ... the photo was shown to "a detainee," presumably Abu Zubaydah, who confirmed that Mr. Padilla was the "Latin American" he had been describing. The Pakistanis also viewed the photo and made a confirmation.
In the weeks leading to his arrest, Mr. Padilla made two trips to Zurich, possibly just in transit between countries in the Middle East. ... On April 4, Mr. Padilla arrived in Zurich on a flight from Karachi and checked into a downtown hotel, his movements and phone calls closely monitored by Swiss officials working with the C.I.A. He made several calls to Pakistan, the European official said. After four days in Zurich, Mr. Padilla returned to Egypt to see his family. .... Mr. Padilla spent a month in the village, renting his wife her own house there and leaving her with her yearly allowance plus rent, she said.
In early May, Mr. Padillaâs Egyptian family drove him to the airport for what they thought was a long-overdue trip to the United States to see his American family. "This was the last time we saw him," Shamiaâa said, tears dripping onto her veil.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
04/25/2004 9:51:29 AM ||
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"pure as the driven snow"; "wouldn't hurt a fly"; ...yadda yadda ....STFU - throw away the key on this cretin
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/25/2004 10:08 Comments ||
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#2
Davie's gone downhill since they outlawed horeses in the street.
Trivium: BushWood Country Club is actually which golf course in Davie?
Arsons that destroyed two new homes, and attempts at several others this week, were the work of the environmental extremist group the Earth Liberation Front, a statement released by the group claims. The ELF "press office" has not received direct communication from the arsonists, but "a note found at the site of one the fires was signed 'ELF' and reportedly contained statements condemning suburban developments," the statement reads. "In absence of other information, this note does indicate a claim of responsibility for the fires and fire attempts by ELF activists," according to the e-mail sent to the media. FBI agents have been investigating the possibility of ELF involvement since the note was found Tuesday at the Cedars Crossing development, about 13 miles from Lobo Ridge, the site of the arsons, FBI spokesman Ray Lauer said Friday. "It's a rambling letter, and ELF indirectly took responsibility for the fires," he said. "It doesn't say specifically, but it's tough to read it and think it wasn't done for a domestic terrorist cause." Investigators have not released the exact contents of the note. A witness said it contained an anti-development message. "If it says ELF, and it is within the guidelines of what they stand for, it's ELF," said Gary Perlstein, a professor of criminal justice at Portland State University in Oregon who has studied and written extensively about the elusive extremist group. ELF activists have claimed responsibility for dozens of incidents across the country, including torching new developments in California and Michigan last year.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2004 12:21:51 AM ||
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I say that this is an Orc disinformation campaign...
Posted by: Mark O ||
04/25/2004 0:48 Comments ||
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Years ago I read 'The Monkey Wrench Gang' an eco flake novel that I really enjoyed. But I wish these pricks do feel the boot. Cowardly is their way. Like all terroist.
#3
You would think they would be concerned about the danger that fire poses to trees not to mention the greenhouse gases produced.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/25/2004 2:40 Comments ||
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#4
I just find it funny that these idiots left a note at the site of the fire. Assuming it was paper (and with these morons I wouldn't be surprised), does anyone else see a problem with this?
Posted by: The Doctor ||
04/25/2004 9:37 Comments ||
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#5
Terrorists by any name still deserve the chair.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
04/25/2004 10:13 Comments ||
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#6
"It was necessary to destroy the forest in order to save it."
A JUDGE ruled that a man convicted of aiding in the 1988 killings of two British soldiers in Ulster committed a "purely political" crime and should not be deported, a United States government official said. An immigration judge said that the motive of Sean OâCealleagh is not grounds for his removal from the US. OâCealleagh, 35, was arrested in February after returning to LA from a visit to Ireland. The US government was seeking his deportation for committing a crime of âmoral turpitude.â
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2004 12:21:08 AM ||
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Fred, I found more information at SF Gate.com, but still haven't found the name of the judge.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/25/2004 2:38 Comments ||
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#2
This is utter stupidity. Murder is murder, no matter what the alleged political motive.
Californians need to think long and hard about who they put on the bench.
#3
O'Cealleagh, who was convicted for aiding and abetting in the murders, spent 81/2 years in prison and was freed in 1998 .... He emigrated to the United States in 1999 and was granted permanent residency in 2001. .... the government has 30 days to appeal.
Did he admit this in his application for residency? If he didn't, he ought to be simply deported for making false statements in his application. We still deport Ukrainians whose immigration applications contained false statements about their activities during World War Two.
If he did admit his criminal record, then the INS official who granted him residency should be fired.
.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
04/25/2004 8:45 Comments ||
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#4
RKB - this would be a Federal judge - not a State judge
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/25/2004 9:06 Comments ||
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SH, the immigration judge's name is Rose Peters.
With U.S. troops threatening Sunni insurgents in Falluja and Shi'ite rebels in Najaf, a U.N. envoy says force can not solve Iraq's problems. "I think that there is always a better solution than shooting your way into anywhere," Lakhdar Brahimi said of the standoffs in Iraq's flashpoint cities.
Perhaps he should mention that to the Bad Guys...
A few families who had fled fierce fighting in Falluja earlier this month walked back into the battle-scarred city on Saturday, hours after Iraq's U.S. administrator warned that "major hostilities could resume at short notice". Paul Bremer said "armed bands" in Falluja must give up their weapons and "submit to national authority" if a shaky ceasefire negotiated with civic leaders was to last. The United States, trying to shore up a shrinking coalition in Iraq, wants Brahimi to help choose an interim government to take back sovereignty from the U.S.-led occupation on June 30. Brahimi said he wanted Iraq's U.S.-backed Governing Council to dissolve on June 30 and the politicians who dominate it to be excluded from a caretaker government of technocrats that he thinks should see Iraq through to elections in January 2005. In an interview with the ABC News programme "This Week with George Stephanopoulos", due to be aired on Sunday, Brahimi dismissed the idea of any expansion of the existing 25-member council. "The fear is that, you know, as somebody put it, perhaps a bit too unkindly, they will clone themselves. And why do you want to have that?" said the former Algerian foreign minister, who is the U.N. secretary-general's special envoy to Iraq.
Yasss... I think the original idea was to turn them into something like the General Assembly...
President George W. Bush acknowledged that "tough work" lay ahead, saying the "enemies of freedom" would kill anyone in their way to try to evict America from Iraq. "But the stakes are too high for us to leave," he said on Friday at a fund-raiser in Florida for his November re-election campaign.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2004 12:23:48 AM ||
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We're taking a huge risk by giving Brahimi all this authority. Whose idea was this? What's the advantage for the USA?
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
04/25/2004 8:52 Comments ||
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#2
That's Brandini dammit
Posted by: John Kerry ||
04/25/2004 9:20 Comments ||
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#3
So we just sit there and let them kill us, since we acknowledge that force never solved anything? Oh, good plan, UN! Now we can see how you became so marginalized!
And I suppose that they won't object if the terrorists some day invade their headquarters . . .
Posted by: The Doctor ||
04/25/2004 9:41 Comments ||
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The Doctor asks:
And I suppose that they won't object if the terrorists some day invade their headquarters
I wouldn't, as long as the terrorists guarantee no damage to the surrounding property and people.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/25/2004 12:13 Comments ||
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The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the main Muslim insurgent group in the country, demanded Sunday the release of three of its guerrillas arrested in an anti-terror crackdown targeting suspected Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militants. Four suspected operatives of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terror network were arrested, foiling major bomb attacks being plotted by the group, President Arroyo said Sunday. Arroyo presented the four suspects, in handcuffs and tightly guarded, to the media while visiting the southern city of Davao. The four -- Sammy Abdulgani, Montaser Esmael, Datu Puti Ungka and Badrodin Dalungan -- were arrested Friday after a month of eluding security forces in the south. They were caught by military intelligence operatives after a brief chase near the town of Tacurong in the main southern island of Mindanao, Arroyo said.
Various âcomponents to make high-grade explosive bombsâ were found on them, she said. âI was informed that this group is directly being financed and supervised by a top Jemaah Islamiyah personality,â Arroyo said. âThey were also involved in several foiled attempts to bomb different targets in Mindanao.â Arroyo said the four confessed during interrogation that they were involved in a car bomb attack on an airport in Mindanao in February last year and a sports gymnasium this year that left six dead and 39 others wounded. Military sources said earlier that the suspects confessed to being associates of Indonesian Taufek Refqe, a top JI liaison officer operating in the south who was arrested in October last year. Arroyo said the four were nearly captured early this month when they attempted to plant bombs on two passenger ships in the south, but they managed to escape. Arroyo also warned terrorist groups that their âremaining days are overâ.
But the MILF said three of those in custody were regular members of the group and did not belong to JI. MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu called for their release and warned the arrests could affect peace talks with the government being brokered by Malaysia. "We are seeking the release of the three MILF fighters, because this is in violation of the ceasefire agreement," he told AFP. "If the arbitrary arrests of legitimate MILF members continue, it could affect the peace process," he warned, adding that the three were held "simply because they were MILF members."
And booming passenger ships had nothing to do with it?
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/25/2004 10:18:54 AM ||
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Authorities in Mindanao seized about 500 kilograms of a banned chemical that could be used to make explosives, the military said Saturday. Bomb-sniffing dogs discovered the chemical, ammonium nitrate, in a container in the southern port city of Ozamis on Thursday, military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Renoir Pascua said. One man was arrested and was being questioned, officials said. Details about the origin and destination of the container were not immediately available. âAn investigation is ongoing to determine exactly the nature of the usage of the banned item even as authorities in the area are tracing the origin of the chemical explosive,â Pascua said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/25/2004 2:14:38 AM ||
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Soldiers captured three suspected members of the Southeast Asian al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah in the southern Philippines, a military source said on Saturday. The three men were arrested late Friday in a village outside Datu Odin Sinsuat town in Maguindanao province. They are accused of being recruits of Taufiq Rifqi, an Indonesian who is the alleged treasurer of Jamaah Islamiyah in the Philippines, said a military officer. Rifqi was arrested in southern Cotabato city last year. The officer said the three men - Munta Bunggao, Datu Puti Ungka, Sammy Abdulgani - were apprehended at their hideout in the village of Tabiran. He gave no other details. Military spokesman Lt. Col. Daniel Lucero said in Manila he could not immediately confirm the report.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/25/2004 2:10:26 AM ||
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On April 4, 2004, Sheik Moqtada al-Sadr, a pro-Iranian Iraqi cleric, called on his followers to "terrorize your enemy," meaning the Americans and all those Iraqis cooperating to bring about a constitutional government. This led tens of thousands of the cleric's armed and unarmed followers to attack U.S. and Coalition forces in four Iraqi cities. This was a preview of the violence and turmoil Iranian covert action could inflict in the coming months. This threat is the current September 11, because the administration has not yet "connected the dots" revealing Iran's secret but discernible activities.
Following removal of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq, the Iranian clerical dictatorship began a covert effort to set up an allied Shi'ite Islamist extremist regime in 60 percent Shi'ite Iraq. Iran has prepared this for many years and recruited political, military and covert agent assets among the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Shi'ites who fled Iraq to live in Iran. The Iranian dictatorship is acting to bring about a "second Iran" in Iraq in five ways:
(1) Those Iraqi Shi'ite clerics who agree with the heretical Khomeini view that the clergy should rule society in all aspects are used by Iran to build a power base from their mosques and associated social services. Iran views as the future religious leader of Iraq Ayatollah Al Haeri, an Iraqi cleric who has lived in Iran for the last 30 years and who, when Baghdad was liberated last year, issued an edict telling Iraqi clergy not to cooperate with the United States.
(2) Iran established the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq as a political movement that could win elections or take power town by town with the help of covert Iranian funds and propaganda. This organization also has an Iranian-trained and -armed paramilitary group of about 30,000. Both the political and the armed wings began moving from Iran into Iraq in March 2003. Iran also funds the Dawa Party. Leaders of both these Iran-linked parties are on the Iraqi Governing Council.
(3) Iran is working covertly with Iraqi extremist Sheik al-Sadr to use political and coercive means, including murder, to intimidate and take over Iraq's Shi'ite leadership. The murders of several prominent Shi'ite clerical leaders who favored democracy and cooperation with the coalition repeats Iran's covert actions since December 2001 in post-Taliban Afghanistan. There, a number of moderate Muslim clerics and political leaders were killed. It was Sheik al Sadr who issued the call to violence in Iraq on April 4, 2004. The next day, the coalition announced an Iraqi judge had issued an arrest warrant for Sheik al Sadr for the April 2003 murder of the respected moderate cleric, Ayatollah Al Khoei.
(4) Hezbollah, the Iranian-supported and often -directed terrorist organization has moved hundreds of cadres into Iraq as reported since last November. They along with Hamas, another Iranian-supported terrorist organization, have opened offices in Iraq and are recruiting Iraqis to be the foot soldiers and suicide killers in the massive terrorist attacks planned against U.S. and coalition forces. Iran is most likely to order these to begin fully after the planned July 1, 2004, turnover of civil authority to the Iraqis. It also is quite likely Iran will use its links with Hezbollah and al Qaeda to facilitate major terrorist attacks inside the United States this summer and fall to try to force the U.S. out of Iraq and increase the odds of an electoral defeat of President Bush.
(5) Iran has spent heavily seeking to dominate radio and television broadcasting in Iraq. A survey by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty found Iran is the source of 33 of 59 AM broadcasts and of 41 of 63 AM/FM/TV broadcasts heard in Iraq. In comparison, the U.S.-supported Iraq Media Network has one television station, two radio stations and one newspaper.
The Bush administration must immediately counter Iran's covert assets and planned actions or risk major setbacks to its goals in Iraq. Indeed, if Iran brings about an anti-U.S., pro-Iranian Shi'ite extremist regime in Iraq, the risks to the United States and its allies from terrorism and weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) would dramatically increase. And it would defeat the Bush "forward strategy for freedom" in the entire Middle East.
A first step is recognizing, analyzing and understanding the intent of Iran and its Iraqi allies and what they have done to date. Next, there is an urgent need to work with moderate Shi'ite leaders to build pro-democratic political parties and a broad pro-democratic political coalition that can withstand and overcome the pressures, coercion and terrorism of the pro-Iranian Shi'ite groups. This means revising the currently self-defeating and much-too-limited efforts to aid genuinely democratic Shi'ite and other political parties and groups. The pro-democracy Iraqi media also needs to be enlarged, and, as a corollary, the pro-extremist, Iranian-funded media needs to be restricted. This is an inescapable element of the early stages of a post-dictatorship transition where anti-democratic groups and media have sources of support far greater than those now available to moderates. It also is necessary to quickly arrest all extremist leaders advocating violence and disarm their thousands of armed followers. It is may be necessary to detain many of these armed extremists for some time, to assure they are cannot join anti-U.S. terrorist operations. Such detention should be humane. Efforts should be made to educate these misguided people about the values of political democracy and tolerance and to counter lies they have been told by extremist leaders for the last year.
The best defense against Iranian destabilization of Iraq is helping Iran's people to politically liberate themselves from their dictatorship. While the Iranian regime has a 25-year record of effective and brutal terrorism and secret action abroad, it is weak, fragile and vulnerable at home. Ironically, while the United States may face difficulty fending off covert Iranian political action in Iraq, it has the symbolic credibility of its democratic institutions and the knowledge and experience to encourage the Iranian people to free themselves. President Bush has spoken eloquently and often about the Iranian people's right to freedom. Now he needs to instruct his State Department to cease all its open and secret "dialogue and engagement" activities with the clerical regime. These legitimatize the dictatorship and discourage those in Iran who might otherwise act to bring about a democratic future. Taking these actions now in Iraq and encouraging the Iranian people to liberate themselves this summer could result in two democracies. Otherwise, there is grave risk the removal of Iraq's Saddam Hussein will ultimately result in two Irans â two Shi'ite extremist regimes in the region.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/25/2004 1:51:59 AM ||
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#1
Anybody have a solution regarding Iran. It's always been the tough nut for me.
#2
As I remember, Reagan had us destroy their entire navy as an object lesson. In this case I would think that we have thoroughly debriefed all of Sadaam's stooge Iranians about where the infiltrators and AQ personnel might be staging.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/25/2004 2:47 Comments ||
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#3
I take it the Iranians are intending to bring together the politicised clerics, al Sadr's followers, Hezbollah/Hamas and Al Dawa in one Shi'ite movement calling for the rule of Ayatollah Haeri, supported by all those nice propaganda outlets they have set up?
Or will they continue to leave these different groups alone as part of a divide an rule policy.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
04/25/2004 3:58 Comments ||
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#4
Why aren't we funding the revolutionary movement in Iran? It does have one and with some outside support could become much stronger. There are also a substantial number of Kurds in Iran. Given finacial and military (equipment only) they would probably give the Mad Mullahs a real headache.
A bit of this should have them too busy to worry about Iraq.
It would be fairly easy to implement.
Posted by: Michael ||
04/25/2004 5:55 Comments ||
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#5
The scary thing is that Tom Clancy called this one at least five, six years ago in Executive Orders, which I don't have on my bookshelf at college so I don't remember exactly when it was published.
In the book, an Iranian mole assassinated the *unnamed* Iraqi President, nicknamed "The Mustache." In the chaos that followed, as the generals were scrambing to protect themselves, Iran stepped in with social services and such, and eventually the two merged into a "United Islamic Republic."
Only difference today is that they're having to move a lot more quietly thanks to our presence there, but the similarities in many cases are striking and scary. Wonder if employing "The Ryan Doctrine" of dropping precision-guided bombs on our enemies would work . . .
Posted by: The Doctor ||
04/25/2004 9:35 Comments ||
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#6
Only if we employ more John Clarks
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/25/2004 10:10 Comments ||
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Now imagine the same scenario, but with the Black Hats having nukes.
Posted by: Matt ||
04/25/2004 11:30 Comments ||
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Matt-
Let me point out that whether or not the Black Hats have nukes, they're going to do this anyways. They think that once they have one weapon - which took decades to build - we will quail in fear and allow them a free hand.
All it really does isprove how badly they understand the lessons of the last sixty years or so, and how restricted their view of the world is (Most have never been more than a short journey from their home towns before going to Teheran or Qom). They think that if we never vaporized the USSR, we won't do it to them either. They think that we will not go to war for Israel. They think that a nuclear strike is an E-ticket to Paradise and the 72 Virgin Raisins(TM).
They're wrong on all counts. First, the Soviets just never pissed us off that badly. Secondly, when it comes down to it, it's not the American people who will go to war for Israel - it's the President of the United States.
Third - and most importantly - there is no real Iran. It's a bunch of provinces and tribal areas that share a common religion. If we cut Teheran out - a city where like most 3rd world thugocracies, ALL the communications and ALL the bureaucracy run through a single set of government buildings - there IS no Iran. You'll have a bunch of surviving Black hats run to Qom (the 2,89,546th holiest site in Islam), but they have no way to command anything there...and they KNOW it. That's why they stay in Teheran - because that's where the power is and if they lose it, it's over. Look what happened when Baghdad went down.
A 'Ryan Doctrine ' strike wouldn't bring a nuclear response, assuming they had a deliverable weapon- if anything, it might bring about the Revolution.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
04/25/2004 12:08 Comments ||
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Mike, Good post. To me the perplexing issues arise out of the timing and sequence of events when you factor in election year politics. (Of course, it is arguable that election year politics shouldn't be factored in at all. The strength of that argument depends on whether you think that Kerry is electable and what he would actually do if he were elected, as opposed to his campaign rhetoric. I personally think that Kerry can beat Bush in the right circumstances, and that as a war president Kerry would be close to a disaster. Both those points are debatable.)
Factoring in election year politics, here are a couple of imaginable scenarios.
1- We do nothing until November. This "plays it safe" on the political side, but takes the risk that the Iranian offensive in Iraq cannot be contained and/or that the Iranian nuke program reaches fruition.
2- We go full speed ahead now. Take out the Telephone Building in Tehran, give the Iranian dissidents some muscle, crush their stooges in Iraq. Very positive strategically, but could put Kerry in the White House.
3- We play it halfway and assume that Bush has the political breathing room for one limited offensive move. In that scenario, the question I would ask you is whether taking out the Iranian nuke program is feasible, or in other words, can we pull off an Osirak? It would be much easier to justify this politically than it would be to justify an attack on Tehran. Or better yet, can the Isrealis with their extended-range F-16's pull off an Osirak for us?
Posted by: Matt ||
04/25/2004 12:56 Comments ||
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#10
What "covert" action? There's nothing covert about what those Islamonazi asshats are doing, except in the mind of the "news" media.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/25/2004 15:31 Comments ||
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#11
They think that if we never vaporized the USSR, we won't do it to them either.
I think this is a key point. But from 9-11 to now, the American population - as well as the free world - has come to understand the kamakazi nature of the Islamists. I just posted about this on another thread and I strongly believe that we now better understand our enemy than we did before. They only understand strength. Truces, words, agreements are meaningless. Anything short of MAKING them comply is not understood by them.
We understand that now - we didn't before this war began. As everyone starts to grasp this, it makes it easier for us to act with the understanding of the American public....just like Israel's current hit lists are understood.
As for Kerry - I agree, he has a chance, if the dead come out in force, which they might. You raised some interesting questions, that I'm sure Bush lays awake at night pondering.
Posted by: B ||
04/25/2004 15:47 Comments ||
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#12
Anybody have a solution regarding Iran. It's always been the tough nut for me.
Yes..Judicious Application of Tactical Nukes. :)
As the saying goes "There are few problems in this world that cannot be solved with the judicious applications of high explosives."
Spanish soldiers killed two Iraqis Sunday in the Iraqi city of Diwaniya in self defense when they came across a vehicle that apparently had been readied for an ambush, Spainâs Defense Ministry said Sunday.
The incident happened in the southern city of Diwaniyah, some 180 kilometers south of Baghdad, when a suspicious vehicle exploded as three Spanish armored cars passed by, the ministry said in a statement.
The Spanish soldiers came under grenade and gunfire from Iraqi insurgents. The Spanish soldiers stopped their vehicles and returned fire, killing two armed men, the ministry added. There were no casualties among the Spanish soldiers who returned to the Spanish base once normality was restored.
News reports on Sunday suggested troops had already started to withdraw from the Najaf. A reporter from national news agency Efe said he had seen a dozen armed trucks and other vehicles leaving the Al-Andalus base.
However, a Defense Ministry spokesman denied the report and said it was a "routine convoy" between two Spanish bases in Najaf and Diwaniya.
I wrote something last week that I thought might be fairly controversial, but found to my surprise it wasnât. The remark was a buttressing aside, a judgement about what is and isnât possible in what is sometimes called "the real world" (to distinguish it from the numerous fantasy worlds in which we actually live). In this "real world", not everything that seems desirable can happen, and "wishing doesnât make it true". There are big and consequential facts of life, and any attempt to deny or to ignore them will be repaid in grief.
My supposedly controversial thesis was, "Islam and democracy are incompatible." This drew some sporadic fire from letter-writers, both in the paper and in my inbox. But I didnât sense anyone had put his heart into resisting the proposition. Rather: limp, throwaway, easily predictable arguments were used. Positively, "Since democracy has come to places we thought previously unreceptive, such as Eastern Europe, Latin America, and East Asia, why not to the Muslim countries?" Negatively, "I donât see how Islam is any more opposed to democracy than Catholicism once was."
The first proposition is irrelevant. It does not follow from the fact that Peter, Paul, and Patrick have learned ballroom dancing, that William can do it -- especially should it turn out that William is missing a leg.
The second is simply false. Iâve looked fairly carefully and there is nothing in Catholic doctrine to oppose the separation of civil and religious orders, nor the use of voting within either. (Even the Popes are elected.) Nor is there anything to prevent a Catholic from accepting the legitimacy of non-Catholic rulers (elected or otherwise). The whole religion began in "give unto Caesar that which is Caesarâs", and thus in acknowledgement of a civil power that was not even Christian. And it is founded in such wildly libertarian assertions as, "that you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free". St. Paul writes that we should not only tolerate, but embrace, "whatsoever is good, whatsoever is pure, whatsoever is beautiful, whatsoever is of good report". God reaches us not only through scripture and the mass, but through every other mediation. And all modern ideas of civil liberty emerged from that Christian tradition, borne around the world by European proselytizing and imperialism. We call it "the West" today -- but the West became the West through being Christian.
Whereas the whole idea of the Sharia, universal in Islam, runs counter to the notion that human beings can vote to determine anything of importance. God -- Allah -- has decreed the right structure for society from the beginning of time. Ours is to live exclusively by the light of his Koran, which specifies an entire social order, both civil and religious, in remarkable detail. And in particular, Muslims may never acknowledge the civil authority of a non-Muslim ruler. The principle that even a bad and unjust Muslim ruler (Saddam Hussein, for instance) is preferable to a good and just non-Muslim, has been universally accepted within Islam throughout its history. I believe any reasonably well-informed imam will back me up on each of these points.
Other points, while true, have become today more controversial, because Muslims living in our "modern Western" world are compelled to live certain contradictions. For instance, the very existence of Muslim communities under non-Muslim rule, in the West today, is in defiance of Sharia. Traditionally, the only reason a Muslim could have for even visiting the Dar al-Harb (the abode of war, beyond the frontiers of Islam), was to negotiate the return of hostages.
It is after staring at such hard truths, and many like them, for a long time, that one concludes Islam and democracy are incompatible. Moreover, where democracy has been successfully introduced into an Islamic culture -- the one clear example is Ataturkâs creation of modern Turkey -- it could be done only by directly attacking and suppressing all public expressions of Islamic authority. In other words, Turkey could only be democratized by being simultaneously de-Islamicized.
One may argue that Islam is better than democracy. But one cannot argue that they are marriageable. One might hope that they will make room for each other -- but they can only do so by mutual retreat. Indeed, the very root of "Islamist" terrorism is the violent rejection of essentially Christian ideas about human liberty and responsibility.
Nota bene: Iâm not saying democracy canât come to Islamic countries. Rather, that it can only come at a terrible cost.
#1
The second is simply false. Iâve looked fairly carefully and there is nothing in Catholic doctrine to oppose the separation of civil and religious orders, nor the use of voting within either.
As such, I think he's right. In practice, though, there were numerous clashes between the spiritual and temporal realms in Middle Ages Europe. Of course that was Catholicism vs. Feudalism, not vs. capitalism.
I suspect this is probably what Mr. Warren's correspondents may have had in mind when making the second argument.
A leading Lebanese terrorist accused of blowing up the American embassy in Beirut in the 1980s is being held responsible for the increase in suicide bomb attacks against coalition targets in southern Iraq.
Western intelligence officials have uncovered evidence that the attacks are being co-ordinated by Imad Mugniyeh, a leading figure in Lebanon's extremist Hizbollah Shia Muslim terror organisation.
Mugniyeh, who is now in his fifties and has a close relationship with Iran's Revolutionary Guards, has been based in Teheran since the end of the Lebanese civil war, and is also known to have close links with Osama bin Laden's al-Qa'eda terrorist network.
Intelligence officials in Iraq have uncovered evidence that Mugniyeh has been helping to train the self-styled al-Mahdi army set up by Moqtada al-Sadr, the dissident Iraqi Shia leader.
Mugniyeh, the head of Hizbollah's external security apparatus, has deployed scores of Lebanese Hizbollah fighters in Iraq, and set up secret training camps along the southern part of the border with Iran.
The Hizbollah fighters are working closely with members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, with whom they developed a close relationship during the 1980s when their terror tactics forced the Reagan administration to withdraw US forces from Beirut.
"This is all part of a strategy devised by hardliners in Iran to repeat their success in Lebanon and drive coalition troops out of Iraq," said a senior intelligence official.
"Their main aim is to create an Iranian-style Islamic republic in Iraq."
Attempts by Iranian hardliners to encourage attacks on coalition targets are being undertaken against the wishes of the Iranian government, which earlier this month sent a team of diplomats to Iraq to persuade Sadr to end his stand-off with American troops.
But at the same time as Iranian officials were negotiating with Sadr, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's hardline spiritual leader, was circulating a cassette tape in Arabic to a number of Iraqi mosques in which he called on the Iraqis to "unite and expel the occupiers to ensure the establishment of a new power based on Islam."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/25/2004 7:03:47 PM ||
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#1
Thanks, Dan. Well here's Mugniyeh's aura finally explicitly reported. Connected to this, two questions: 1) is it true that the Iranian "diplomat" hit in Baghdad recently was an al-Quds/IGRC biggie, and 2) while I think the "more troops" mantra is over-simplified, this item raises the more pertinent question of tactics and priorities, namely why have Hezbollah and Hamas been allowed to set up (open) shop in the south, and why the hell have camps been allowed to operate? (if true) Given the geography, I wonder if this is another item on which CPA and the Brits have differed, and if that explains anything. Oh, another matter: who would have the motive to hit the al-Quds guy (besides commenters on this site, that is)?
The ceasefire brokered by Iraqi mediators in the Iraqi city of Falluja appears to have weakened the fighters battling US marines while also creating divisions within the Sunni Muslim community. The fighters have been trapped by the US siege in the flashpoint city west of Baghdad for the past three weeks, after having initially succeeded in winning national support for their cause. "The city has been completely surrounded for the past 10 days and the fighters are trapped inside and cannot leave," said one local tribal chief, Mansur al-Hadithi, who is sympathetic to the resistance. "Most of these fighters are from Falluja and determined to defend their city in case of an attack." The Islamic Party and the Association of Muslim Scholars, composed of top Sunni clerics, which helped broker the truce, have now come under fire from within the Sunni minority over their mediation. A communique signed by the "Iraqi resistance in Falluja" said the truce was "an inspiration from Satan because it shifted the balance power in favour of the occupation forces."
Uhhh... You were getting your ass whupped, remember?
"Our mujahideen had the situation under control, and the truce weakened them," said the statement. A nationalist leader accused the Islamic Party of campaigning for a truce from the first week of fighting "to extricate the Americans from the Falluja quagmire."
"Yeah! We had 'em right where we wanted 'em!"
"The insurgents enjoyed unprecedented support. Iraqis, by the hundreds, Sunnis or Shia, were flocking to Falluja with a single goal: prevent the Americans from crushing the resistance," said Abd al-Jabbar Kubaisi who leads "the National Iraqi Coalition".
Is that what they call themselves?
"Four provinces rebelled in the south, some Baghdad neighbourhoods were in a state of insurrection, villages around Falluja were controlled by armed men, supply lines of the Americans were cut. It was the beginning of civil disobedience," he said. But news of the ceasefire "disorganised the guerrilla movement and the solidarity movement ran out of steam," he added, pointing out that new recruits who came to Falluja to swell resistance ranks had now left.
"Sorry, guys! We... uhhh... left somethin' on the stove! But good luck, though!"
However Sunni nationalists say Iraqi fighters who travelled to Falluja and have now returned to their homes are still likely to continue their struggle against occupation forces. "The Americans are deluding themselves if they think they can subdue Iraqis by force or through bribery. When an Iraqi is humiliated, he rebels," said Muhammad Hamadani, a Falluja official.
"And when he's well-treated, he rebels!"
The Islamic Party announced on Sunday it had negotiated a new accord with the US-led occupation forces to indefinitely extend the ceasefire. "We have reached a new deal that extended the ceasefire indefinitely and secured an agreement on several new points," said official Hashim al-Hasani. He said the deal includes a ban on carrying weapons starting on Tuesday and the start of joint patrols by Iraqi police, para-military Iraqi Civil Defence Corps forces and occupation troops in the city on the same day. But the Association of Muslim Scholars was more cautious and warned that US troops were trying to play for time and were determined to storm the city. The lifting of the Marines' siege is the key demand of Falluja residents who face shortages fuel and bread.
I'm more in favor of making a desolation and calling it peace, myself. Luckily for them, I'm not in charge.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/25/2004 2:41:57 PM ||
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#2
The lifting of the Marines' siege is the key demand of Falluja residents who face shortages fuel and bread.
That will happen when all the insurgents are captured or killed (preferably killed), and not a moment before. Either these unnamed Fallujah residents can turn them in, or the Marines can go in and do what has to be done and get it all over with. The choices are rather simple, really.
#3
Time to set up the first armored Mikey D's. Bring out the womens, children and infirm. All eat at Mickey D's and camp on the grounds. Bring out an RPG luancher and win a happy meal. Serious, make food and water easily avilable outside of the kill zones.
#6
"Most of these fighters are from Falluja and determined to defend their city in case of an attack."
Locals who moved in from Iran and Syria in the last couple of months is what he means.
Posted by: Charles ||
04/25/2004 18:58 Comments ||
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#7
But the Association of Muslim Scholars was more cautious and warned that US troops were trying to play for time and were determined to storm the city
Why on earth would we be playing for time? Time to let the rebels gather into one, large group to ease their way into the next life?
Posted by: Benjamin L Silver ||
04/25/2004 20:00 Comments ||
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#8
Abd al-Jabbar Kubaisi: supply lines of the Americans were cut.
American supply lines were cut? The Wehrmacht weren't able to cut American supply lines and these punks can? It's good that the opposition have both feet planted firmly in the air - the fight would probably be more difficult if they were more clear-sighted.
Taliban insurgents have threatened to kill Afghans if they vote in September elections .... The threats were carried in pamphlets distributed in Logar province close to the capital Kabul .... "We advise all Afghans not to risk their lives for attending the elections," the pamphlets warned. "Women especially will face the death penalty if they try to take part in the elections. Husbands are responsible for the blood of their wives if they fail to stop them voting in elections." ....
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
04/25/2004 2:40:50 PM ||
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#1
Interesting campaign add. Do as we say or we'll kill you. Very simple. See, peace is there just do what we say.
Time to arm the wimmin. They know who the bad guys are.
#2
Well, f*ck, b*tch ... there's only one way to find out -- drive into the nearby US Army ambush as the womenfolk point and laugh, eh?
(Sorry if that made no sense :( )
Posted by: Edward Yee ||
04/25/2004 16:01 Comments ||
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#3
So, all these people can vote as soon as they kill the Taliban. I guess that OK as long as you don't require a Taliban ear as a poll tax or anything. Besides so bozo will go out and kill 300 Taliban just so that he can stuff the ballot box and elect his cousin to the office of local magistrate.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/25/2004 23:12 Comments ||
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Full version of the extracted item below...
U.S. troops will likely enter parts of Najaf soon in a move to clamp down on the rebel militia of a radical Shiite cleric but will stay away from sensitive holy sites in the center of the city to avoid rousing the anger of Shiites, a U.S general said Sunday. Shiite leaders have warned of a possible explosion of anger among the countryâs Shiite majority Yawn.
if U.S. troops enter Najaf, and until now U.S. commanders have been saying troops would not go in. With the new move, the military seeks to impose a degree of control in Najaf, while hoping that a foray limited to the modern parts of the ancient holy city would not inflame Shiites. Brig. Gen. Mark Hertling did not say when troops would move in, or how many.
American officials were attempting a similar limited step in the war-torn city of Fallujah, the other main front of fighting in Iraq this month. U.S. troops will begin patrols alongside Iraqi security forces in Fallujah, a top Iraqi negotiator, Hachim al-Hassani, said Sunday an apparent attempt to restore control over the insurgent stronghold without a full-scale Marine assault, which would spark new bloodshed. But like a previous agreement aimed at reducing the violence in the city, the new step hinged greatly on the response of Sunni guerrillas, who are called on to turn in their heavy weapons and not carry any weapons in public. ââWe hope the U.S. soldiers will not be attacked when they enter the city. If they are attacked, they will respond and this will lead to problems,ââ al-Hassani told The Associated Press. No shit Sherlock
He said Fallujah residents have promised no attacks will take place. But U.S. officials have questioned whether Fallujah civic leaders who have been negotiating with the Americans have enough influence with the cityâs guerrillas. Guerrillas have not been abiding by a previous call from the civil leaders to surrender their heavy weapons, U.S. commanders say. Tap-Tap, Nope nothing
Violence across the country flared Saturday, killing 33 Iraqis in various attacks and four U.S. soldiers whose base was hit by two rockets north of Baghdad. On Sunday, a rocket hit near a hospital in the northern city of Mosul, killing three people including two women working at the hospital doctors said. Elsewhere the city, a mortar hit a residential area, killing one Iraqi. In Baghdad, a roadside bomb hit a U.S. military convoy in an eastern neighborhood, setting a Humvee on fire. Witnesses reported U.S. casualties, but there was no immediate confirmation from the military. Meanwhile, U.S. military officials in the Gulf were trying to determine the launching point of an unprecedented suicide boat attack on two offshore oil terminals that are the sole outlet of Iraqi crude from the south. The attacks, using explosive-packed dhows, killed two U.S. Navy sailors and forced the shutdown of the two terminals for several hours.
A third sailor, a Coast Guardsman, died today...
Asked if the attackers came from inside Iraq or neighboring Iran or Kuwait, Navy Commander James Graybeal, of the U.S. Navyâs Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, said, ââThatâs what were trying to determine.ââ Insurgents often attack oil pipelines in Iraq and have repeatedly shut down exports from northern oil fields to Turkey. Saturdayâs bombings were the first such maritime attack on the industry and appeared to be a new tactic in the Iraqi conflict resembling al-Qaida-linked attacks in 2000 and 2002 against the USS Cole and a French oil tanker off the coast of Yemen that killed 17 American sailors and a tanker crewman. The blasts Saturday caused little damage to the facilities, and Sunday morning tankers resumed loading crude at the two terminals, al-Basra and Khawr al-Amara, about 100 miles in Gulf waters off the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr, said Shamkhi Faraj, head of the State Oil Marketing Organization.
I'm leaning toward the Iran interpretation, myself, but I could be wrong. I doubt it, though.
The new steps in Najaf and Fallujah came after President Bush held a conference call Saturday with his top commander in the Middle East, Gen. John Abizaid, over the situation in Iraq. U.S. commanders have been threatening a full-scale offensive to take Fallujah and uproot insurgents unless guerrillas hand over their heavy weapons within days. But a new assault would revive bloody fighting that killed hundreds of Iraqis this month, helped set off a surge of guerrilla attacks across the country that killed at least 109 U.S. troops killed in Iraq since the beginning of April the deadliest period ever in Iraq for the Americans. The Fallujah siege also fueled anti-U.S. sentiment, rallying the Sunni minority and angering even U.S. allies among the Iraqi leadership. Al-Hassani told The Associated Press that joint U.S.-Iraqi patrols would begin in the city on Tuesday, when orders will be issued forbidding Fallujah residents from carrying weapons in the streets. He said 75 families who fled Fallujah during the fighting will be allowed to return on Sunday. ââIf things go well, all families will be allowed to return,ââ he said. Nearly a third of the cityâs 200,000 residents fled the city since the siege began on April 5. The attempt to have guerrillas hand over their heavy weapons will continue, he said. So far, insurgents have only turned in a small number of weapons, most of them rusted, broken or otherwise unusable, U.S. commanders have said. As was Expected
I don't think the commanders' surprise meters are pegged, either...
The new U.S. intention to move into parts of Najaf also carried heavy risks. ââWe probably will go into the central part of the city. Will we interfere in the religious institutions? Absolutely not,ââ Hertling, a deputy commander of the 1st Armored Division, told reporters outside Najaf. He did not say when the move would occur, but it appeared unlikely for several days. Hertling said the move aimed to tighten the clampdown on radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and his militia. ââItâs not going to be large-scale fighting, the likes of other places, but itâs going to be critical,ââ he said. ââWeâre going to drive this dead man walking guy into the dirt.ââ And 6 feet under
ââEither he tells his militia to put down their arms, form a political party and fight with ideas not guns or heâs going to find a lot of them killed,ââ he said.
I'll buy that for a dollar...
Also, an Army reservist missing in Iraq since a convoy attack April 9 was confirmed dead. The remains of Sgt. Elmer Krause, 40, were found Friday, according to a statement Saturday from the Department of Defense. It gave no other details. Another soldier and a U.S. contract worker abducted in the same attack remain unaccounted for. The latest deaths brought to 109 the number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq since the beginning of April. At least 718 servicemembers have died in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion. Anywhere from 900 to 1,200 Iraqis have been killed in April depending on various reports of the death toll from Fallujah.
Posted by: chinditz ||
04/25/2004 9:03:46 AM ||
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Although the 'cease-fire' talks have been extended through April 27, this could certainly get nasty shortly thereafer. Quoted on CNN: '"Iraqis are stockpiling weapons in mosques, shrines and in schools", Coalition Provisional Authority spokesman Dan Senor said'. My vote: at the first round or RPG fired from any such facility, the Marines go in (accompanied by the local forces of course) clean it out, arrest all found inside until it can be sorted out, and close the facility - "Holy Site" or not. It should be reopened only when the "Civic Leaders" and the CAP can agree on security procedures to prevent these from becoming armed strongholds again in the future. PS: Good rule-of-engagement: anyone seen carrying a weapon in any such site (mosque, school or hospital) is shot on sight.
Posted by: BK ||
04/25/2004 13:21 Comments ||
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#2
Quoted on CNN: '"Iraqis are stockpiling weapons in mosques, shrines and in schools", Coalition Provisional Authority spokesman Dan Senor said'. y vote: at the first round or RPG fired from any such facility, the Marines go in (accompanied by the local forces of course) clean it out, arrest all found inside until it can be sorted out,..
No need to arrest anyone. Marines are not cops, and shouldn't be expected or asked to perform police duties. If cleaning out the mosque requires the use of Marines, then the objective should be to kill the people that are causing the problem.
#3
Sorry, I'd disagree: the local Iraqi patrols who will be accompanying U.S. Marines in such operations will need to assist in detaining and interrogating subjects swept up in such actions, possibly using the facilities already constructed for exactly this purpose just outside of Fallujah.Much as it might be gratifying, the CAP cannot allow bloodbaths or 'take no prisoner' operations in places like mosques or hospitals. It would be politically unsupportable and probably counterproductive in the long run.
Posted by: BK ||
04/25/2004 15:21 Comments ||
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#4
This is madness. Whoever is making the decisions in Iraq doesn't know what the fuck he's doing. Maybe Ted Kennedy was right. This will turn into Vietnam if this continues. If Fallujah is not conquered NOW, six months from now it will be the same shit all over again. The jihadis will resupply, get reinforcements, and continue ambushing the troops. Nothing will change.
Posted by: Rafael ||
04/25/2004 17:42 Comments ||
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#5
Have to agree with Rafael. We all watched Kimmit swear that we were going to get retribution in Fallujah. "Wait and see," he said. Well, here it is almost a month later. We're still waiting, and frankly we're not seeing a whole hell of a lot. This stand down is going to be presented by the insurgents as a tremendous victory for their side. It will likely be presented the same way by both our own and the world press. Bush said he had the stomach for this fight, but for the first time I'm starting to think he doesn't. If we're going to do things by half measures like this, let's just get our men and women the hell out of there before any more of them get hurt. It's stupid to ask them to die for nothing. If we're going to cut and run, let's cut and run now, instead of pretending that we're "staying" some stupid "course" and getting a lot of good people killed. Fallujah would have been over and done and forgotten about weeks ago if the Marines had been given their heads. Now it's a huge clusterf**k. Same with Najaf. Methinks the War on Terror is starting to look a lot like that war in a certain jungle country. Fight to win, or don't fight at all.
Posted by: Infidel Bob ||
04/25/2004 20:08 Comments ||
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#6
Patience, boys, patience.
Our Marines are staging the Siege of Falluja (although no one in the LLL press will call it that).
Remember Sun Tzu: "When you are near, appear far."
Time is on our side.
Posted by: Jen ||
04/25/2004 20:11 Comments ||
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#7
Jen:
I'll believe it when I see it. The only thing I see us appearing so far is brain dead.
Posted by: Infidel Bob ||
04/25/2004 20:42 Comments ||
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#8
I hate to say it, but I'm afraid Bob is right. We had momentum, we had 'em on the ropes, and then the "negotiation" charade started.
On the dusty road to the Jordanian Hospital on the edge of besieged Fallujah a skull and crossbones flew defiantly from the bonnet of a US military Humvee yesterday as preparations were made for a renewed offensive.
I'm pretty sure that neither our generals in Iraq nor the Pentagon will politely inform the media or even quietly tip off Drudge as to what our real attack plans are.
Posted by: Jen ||
04/25/2004 22:27 Comments ||
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#11
the local Iraqi patrols who will be accompanying U.S. Marines in such operations will need to assist in detaining and interrogating subjects swept up in such actions,..
I don't know of what value interrogation would be, unless there is a plan to capture the local leaders. I say find and kill them, and be done with them and their kind.
Much as it might be gratifying, the CAP cannot allow bloodbaths or 'take no prisoner' operations in places like mosques or hospitals. It would be politically unsupportable and probably counterproductive in the long run.
This is not a good sign. If something needs to be done, then for God's sake, get on with it and explain the necessities clearly to the proper people later. It's like firings or layoffs; can't spend time worrying about the effect on the remaining employees when the company is in dire straits and losing money.
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/25/2004 12:44 ||
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I mentioned about a year ago that I saw a UFO hanging in the air very high up. It caught my eye as it was between high altidude airlanes and approach lanes to SeaTac International and McChord AFB. It was a bright sunny day and this object just stood there hovering. We put Binoculars on it but it was still to high to get a good glimpse of. The size of a BMW Mini I would guess. It slowly started moving south at the pace of about 25mph.
The next week my inlaws were over and I was telling them about the UFO we had seen. I pointed to the area and behold there it was again slightly lower in the sky so we got a better visual on it. It was very reflective, polished allow, the shape was like two whiskey barrels on end attached together at their center with two rods. Like the letter H. Very ungainly it would articulate about the rods. It again slowly moved of south. Again it was really high. Being that Ft Lewis was about 25 miles from the craft I suspected a UAV. But it was a wierd animal.
#2
"the shape was like two whiskey barrels on end attached together at their center with two rods"
uh...Lucky...had you been drinking from some whiskey barrels before you saw them??
:-)
Posted by: B ||
04/25/2004 14:20 Comments ||
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#3
the shape was like two whiskey barrels on end attached together
Please be discreet. The whiskey bomb is still in development and will require a minimum of 7 years before use.
Posted by: Field Marshall Jack Daniel ||
04/25/2004 14:25 Comments ||
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#4
Forget I said anything. Lies all lies. There wasn't anything in the sky in the shape of an H. And it didn't move south very slowly.
FM JD. There is that depth charge thing though. A shot glass of bourbon droped into a glass of beer with chants of "Go on, it's your birthday". Deadly!
#9
I was aware of the advances in facial recognition, but I had to see it in the same paragraph as Israel for the lightbulb to go on. I have been puzzling for weeks why Israel's intelligence suddenly seems to have got a lot better. I think they are using covertly placed cameras linked wirelessly to computers to crunch the images. BTW a couple of Israeli companies are world leaders in human image processing.
Posted by: Phil B ||
04/25/2004 20:23 Comments ||
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AFGHAN police have arrested a man who was allegedly preparing to throw a bomb at the passing convoy of President Hamid Karzai, security officials in the city of Kandahar said today. "A suspect was arrested with a hand-bomb this morning in Shekar Tur bazaar, close to a road which was to be used by the presidential convoy a few minutes later," provincial military spokesman Abdul Ali told AFP. "The individual was hiding behind a house close to the road. He was probably waiting for information from his accomplices on the coming of the convoy," he added. Karzai, who has been in the southern Afghan city since yesterday, was returning from his home village of Karz, around 20 kilometres south of the city, where he was visiting his fatherâs grave. The apparent assassination attempt was foiled just minutes before Karzaiâs convoy was due to pass, Ali said. Local police chief Sadiq Hulla said the man was being questioned by intelligence officers.
"Oooch! Ouch! Hey! Stop that! Ooooow!"
He described the weapon the man was allegedly handling as a small bomb or a grenade.
Posted by: tipper ||
04/25/2004 10:26:29 AM ||
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the safest thing Karzai could do is get attacked by a thrown device from Hek's boyz...undoubtedly someone 40 yds away would suffer from the poor aim and weak arm....
"thrown like a little girlâ¢"
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/25/2004 12:02 Comments ||
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#2
Yeah, but one of these days he might be buying a new cape at the market when one of the bad boyz tosses a grenade at a passing patrol. Then it's curtains.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2004 12:13 Comments ||
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Are they throwing grenades, devices or infernal machines?
U.S. troops will likely enter parts of Najaf soon to clamp down on a radical Shiite cleric's rebel militia, but they will stay away from sensitive holy sites in the center of the city to avoid rousing religious outrage. Shiite leaders have warned of a possible explosion of anger among the country's Shiite majority if U.S. troops enter Najaf. Until now, U.S. commanders have been saying troops would not go in. With the new move, the military seeks to impose a degree of control in Najaf, while hoping a foray limited to the modern parts of the ancient city would not inflame Shiites. Brig. Gen. Mark Hertling did not say when troops would move in, or how many. American officials were attempting a similar, limited step in the war-torn city of Fallujah, the other main front of fighting.
#1
This one has been popping up around the net this morning:
Bring the good olâ Bugle boys! Weâll sing another song,
Sing it with a spirit that will start the world along,
Sing it like we used to sing it fifty thousand strong,
While we were marching through Fallujah.
Hurrah! Hurrah! We bring the Jubilee.
Hurrah! Hurrah! The flag that makes you free,
So we sang the chorus from Najaf unto the sea,
While we were marching through Fallujah.
... President Bush and his senior national security and military advisers are expected to decide this weekend whether to order an invasion of Falluja, even if a battle there runs the risk of uprisings in the city and perhaps elsewhere around Iraq. ... Mr. Bush flew to Camp David for the weekend, where administration officials said he planned consultations in a videoconference with the military commanders who are keeping the city under siege. .... The military is planning swift raids by Marine riflemen â backed by helicopters and gunships â aimed at the insurgentsâ leaders and their gunmen, while encouraging others in the city to evacuate or stay under cover. ...
The president and his advisers ... are keenly aware that if the operation to root out the insurgents kills many civilians â or simply appears to when reports are broadcast on Arab networks â it could spark uprisings elsewhere around Iraq, from Baghdad even to some Shiite strongholds where tolerance of the American occupation has worn thin. In Washington, officials still describe the fear of uprisings in Iraq as a theory, one they say may be overblown. .... Mr. Bush is described by many officials as convinced that if the insurgents hold off American forces there, they will try to do the same in other Iraqi cities. "The stakes are too high for us to leave," he said on Friday evening at a campaign event in Florida. "This is an historic moment. You see, a free society will be a peaceful society. A free society in the heart of the Middle East will begin to change the world for the better. No, theyâre trying to shake our will, but America will never be run out of Iraq by a bunch of thugs and killers." ....
The chief Iraqi intermediary with the coalition forces has been Hajim al-Hassani, of the Iraqi Islamic Party. This mainly Sunni group has a place on the Iraqi Governing Council, but its position has been challenged by the events in Falluja. Its credibility has been undermined because it could not prevent the Americans from fighting in Falluja and it has been accused of collaboration with the occupation authorities. Helping to avert an attack could restore some of its prestige. Another person involved in the talks is the mayor of Falluja, Mahmoud Ibrahim. But it is unclear how much power he wields. Marine officers who have dealt with him say he is roundly disliked by many of the residents. He had been the mayor for several years under Saddam Husseinâs rule. The political situation has been somewhat murky, with rival city councils appointed by American civilian and military officials, and it is unclear how Mr. Ibrahim remained mayor. In any event, he told Marine officers earlier this week that he had no control over three sections of the city â Jolan, Hayal Askeri and Shuhada â which make up about half its area....
The American military surrounding Falluja â and, indeed, all across Iraq â took quiet and nearly invisible steps to prepare for an attack that increasingly seemed inevitable to commanders.... All across Iraq, American and allied forces were repositioning and preparing for bombings, mortar attacks, ambushes and even popular uprisings in case an attack on Falluja prompted violence elsewhere, according to Pentagon and military officials. .... Behind the scenes, senior American officials reached out to members of the Iraqi Governing Council, some of whom had publicly criticized the initial combat missions to pacify Falluja after violence flared two weeks ago. The goal of the talks, Pentagon and military officials said, was to guarantee the Iraqisâ support for an offensive to quell the insurgency in Falluja should all other attempts to pacify the town fail. A final information campaign also was being prepared, senior officials said. Just before an allied offensive into Falluja, messages would be broadcast into the town urging all noncombatants to leave the city and seek refuge in designated areas where food, water, medicine and shelter would be provided by the American military.
It shouldn't have gotten to this point. All that bitching and moaning about Vietnam and quagmires could come true if we have control over militargy objectives run directly from the White House through the State Department. The decision on how and when should rest with the commanders on site. This is one of the rare times when I think Bush has been making a mistake. I hope he rectifies it quickly.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
04/25/2004 9:31:03 AM ||
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Not to fret. The investment of Fallujah involves strategic military and diplomatic considerations far beyond Fallujah itself. Only the President is high up enough to make sure that all the other regional military commanders are aware of the situation, just in case somebody tries on a "second front" sneak attack during it. He also makes sure that the State Department has all its diplomats in Iraq and the region prepared and that allies and world powers are advised. Likewise the Homeland Security people for a heightened state of security for the duration of the attack.
The tactics of the attack, however, when ordered, I am pretty confident that Bush will leave up to the field commanders. You will notice that they frequently include their *own* self-imposed "rules of engagement" when they make public comment. As in "We will not attack mosques unless we receive fire from them", etc.
This is a LOT different from Vietnam, where even congressmen would direct field commanders not to attack certain targets, and "fields of fire" were limited by often alternating "no fire zones", where the enemy could hide once he figured out where they were.
#3
Good, good. If preparations are being made, it looks like Zero Hour ... this article reassures me about the strength of our military, about how in fact they dominate the battlefield despite the causalties you hear about (by inflicting hundreds more upon the enemy), and how in fact command and control of the battlefield is almost enitrely on the American side, with far better training and rifle skill ... go with God, guys, and may He impart on you a measure of His Glory.
Posted by: Edward Yee ||
04/25/2004 12:34 Comments ||
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#4
This is a LOT different from Vietnam, where even congressmen would direct field commanders not to attack certain targets,..
The impression I got from reading about Vietnam was that Johnson was pretty much responsible for all that micromanaging bullshit, something GWB hasn't done up to this point. And GWB's probably not going to change that approach, either.
#5
I feel bad for the civilians trapped there - they are really hostages, most of them. But it looks more and more like Muslims only to respond to strength and see olive branches as only being useful to take a stab at the person who handed it to them. It took us awhile to understand that, but now we do. They force us to act accordingly and that's a shame. We'd be happy to let the civilians out unharmed.
Posted by: B ||
04/25/2004 15:28 Comments ||
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I think that the attack will be quite late on a clear night where NOD's provide a tactical advantage and civilians are less likely to be out of bed. I don't think there will be a bombardment. I guess it depends on how organized the insurgent forces are.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/25/2004 16:21 Comments ||
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[Omar says this - see his Friday Apr 23 post]
I didnât know how stupid and âinnocentâ I was until I got this mail. [The American Leftist says this]
"I want to take this opportunity to personally thank you. I am an American who "knows" why her country has invaded Iraq. Your personal reaction to this invasion of your country has left me overwhelmed and therefor I need to thank you.
Thank you for helping my country become richer and more powerful from the riches of your country. Thank you for accepting that your countryâs oil gets stolen in order for us to have a steady source of oil for many years to come. Thank you for insuring that the world oil prices are controlled by us and not by any other region and power...Iâm sure you understand that the murder of women, children and militants alike is necessary for the survival of a terrorist state, you have a very believing heart, so thank you for understanding the tactics of this military state of Israel.
Posted by: mhw ||
04/25/2004 9:13:12 AM ||
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too bad he didn't post the individuals name and e-mail address...heh..heh.
#2
Absolutely incredible. Apparently he's too stupid to be outraged at the fact that we freed him, too blinded by the propaganda of the *JOOOS* to realize that the Left understands things better than the people who are actually there!
How much more freaking hypocritical can you get?
Posted by: The Doctor ||
04/25/2004 9:28 Comments ||
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#3
I bet "antiwar" sent that message. It seems her speed.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
04/25/2004 10:11 Comments ||
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#4
Antiwar participates with us in our discussions, bravely posting her contrary opinions. She is not responsible for comments made by other people in other places.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
04/25/2004 10:19 Comments ||
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#5
trolling is not bravery. Her comments lack logic, content, and humor in any sense. She is not responsible for the drivel posted by others, just her own drivel
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/25/2004 10:22 Comments ||
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#6
Mike, how's that broom feel? Never seen one shoved up quite that far.
As Frank pointed out, antiwar is not "brave" -- she trolls. She spews her crap and never bothers to actually make a point or try to rationally support a position. She simply asserts, insults, and whines. She shows all the "bravery" of a two-year-old throwing a tantrum.
Naturally I wasn't seeking to hold the silly bint responsible for the message to Omar; I was pointing out that the mentality is the same. I guess the point was too subtly made; though for God's sake I'm not sure how I could have made it any more clear.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
04/25/2004 10:44 Comments ||
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#7
I am reminded of the words of a Czech friend, who said "Communists (by this he meant 'Leftists') in your country (the US), whine and complain and demand that unless things are done their way, it is not 'fair'. In my country, Liberals(sic) would shoot you in the back of the head in a basement. The only proper treatment for Liberals(sic) and Nazis is to hang them from light poles."
He was one of these unforgiving souls, who had lost his entire family in 1968, due to a Leftist(sic) Russian tank.
#8
Mike, how's that broom feel? Never seen one shoved up quite that far.
????
.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
04/25/2004 12:03 Comments ||
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#9
I don't think much of Antiwar's mentality but at least she is not trying to demoralize Iraqis. With respect to her participation in discussion, I come to Rantburg to learn and change through interaction with others. Her views are static and uninteresting. She performs as a qunitain for those who sharpen their skills through argument, but a person can only improve so much hacking at a block of wood.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/25/2004 13:11 Comments ||
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#11
SH...lol! I just scroll on by "her". She's just a parrot...squawk...Americans are bad...squawk. Americans are bad...squawk. She never says anything deeper than that.
Doctor...it wasn't the Iraqi who said this, it was an e-mail he got from a self-hating liberal.
Posted by: B ||
04/25/2004 14:05 Comments ||
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Anti-war never answered or elaborated on anything I ever tried to lay on her(lay on her Lucky?) and she never brought out any challenge that I could tear into. An empty pants suit.
I dislike dealing with the humorless, and Mike appears to qualify as one.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
04/25/2004 16:56 Comments ||
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#17
It's all so much more clear, Berxwerksen is the keeper of the cheese and Mike knows Berxwerksen and Murat is somehow confused.
Hey Ship, thx. I'll be pulling For Lance again but you know I'm a fan of Gilberto Simone and I hope he gives it fight this year. Prolly fade after the Giro though.
#18
Robert, thanks for setting Mike straight--to call Antiwar "brave" when some of her insults to me about President Bush have been so disgusting was more than I could stomach!
She says she didn't write the email to Omar, but she very well could have.
Let's face it--when it comes to their "arguments" against the war and America (a/k/a talking points), these pinkos really are all alike.
Lucky, if you go to the Austin American Statesman online and sign up, they'll send you email alerts about Lance and US Postal.
Posted by: Jen ||
04/25/2004 18:03 Comments ||
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#19
Lucky - Jen, US Postal announced that this is their last year of sponsorship. It'll be hard to imagine Lance riding for a different team next year. That is if another sponsor doesn't step forward.
Posted by: Scott ||
04/25/2004 19:58 Comments ||
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#20
I'd like to see Motorola get back in the game.
#21
"at least she (Antiwar) is not trying to demoralize Iraqis"
Well, that's just a crazy thing to say. OF COURSE she tries to demoralize Iraqis! Everything she says has been against a free, democratic Iraq. If that's not demoralizing . . . Besides, she never answers any serious questions, any questions of merit. She just wants to publish anti-western propaganda. She's not "brave" at all. So there.
Musharraf whipping Pakistan into (US) line
High-level officials familiar with government thinking have told Asia Times Online that both administrative and political restructuring will begin in the coming weeks to further bolster the country against "traditional forces". Musharraf, who came to power in a military coup in 1999, has agreed to step down as chief of the army by December 2004, but before that several changes will be implemented. Meanwhile, on April 14, a National Security Council was approved by parliament that allows the military a legally sanctioned role in governance. *The unification process of all pro-Musharraf parties has started. In the first phase (minus the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz Group) all Pakistan Muslim League (PML) factions have been united. Now, in the second phase, another pro-government grouping, the National Alliance, is being merged with the PML. The PML was split up into about a half dozen warring factions during the last period of democracy, and the National Alliance consists of another half dozen political parties with limited followings. But they all see that there will be rewards for them to be within the government. The logic of gathering all these minor players together is probably that each of them has a small following, so a dozen of them all supporting Musharraf will bring in lots of support. But it probably isnât a good recipe for stability.
*By October, two full generals, including General Aziz Khan, will retire. Two officers will therefore be promoted, and one of them will fill the vacated vice chief of army staff position, most likely present Corps Commander Lahore, Lieutenant-General Shahid Aziz. Shahid is a relative of Musharraf and has been given fast-track promotion throughout his career. Aziz Khan is the most prominent Jihadi General, and when he retires he will probably start speaking his mind and hanging out with Hamid Gul.
*After achieving these primary targets, the consolidated PML and then the federal cabinet will appeal to the president that, in the broader national interest, he should not shed his uniform. The president will comply, but with a twist: he will accept the title of field marshal, and give the chief of army position to the trusted Shahid Aziz, and increase the powers of the president with relation to military appointments. The Field Marshsal rumor has been around for a while.
In this way, Musharraf will retain his grip at the helm, and will continue in reshaping Pakistan-Afghanistan and Pakistan-Indian relations in line with US interests. To achieve this, Musharraf will have to win over large sections of the grass-root electorate. Already, the powerful rural base of Punjab (the largest province) , which used to be the source of power of the ruling PML - Nawaz group, has been won over to the PML-Quaid-i-Azam group, a pro-Musharraf party. The remaining power pillars of Punjab and North West Frontier Province are dominated by the Pakistan Peopleâs Party led by former premier Benazir Bhutto, now organized under the Patroit group and the Sherpao group, both pro-Musharraf parties. All independent "feudal lords" who once dominated national politics, like former president Farooq Laghari and former interim prime minister Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi, have been united under the National Alliance, a pro-Musharraf group. And all these will be gathered under the umbrella of the PML, whose leadership will eventually go to Musharraf. Getting the Feudals onside is probably more important for the continuation of the current rule then merging a hundred different meaningless parties, and I would expect an attempt to merge the pro-Musharraf Pakistan Peopleâs Party splinters to follow soon.
Effectively, the mainstream political parties will be turned into compliant horses. The only potential counterforce is the alliance of six religious parties, the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, but since the death of its president, Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani, it has been seriously weakened. Of its real election force, the factions of the Jamiat-i-Ulema-i-Islam are essentially passive towards Musharraf, which leaves only the Jamaat-i-Islami as a stand-alone challenge. Essentially Pakistan will become Russia, with Musharraf as Putin, the new Pakistan Muslim League will be all things to all people United Russia, and Fazl will play the roll of Vladimir Zhironovsky, the extremist rabble-rouser who remains loyal to the system. Like Russia, the system will be run by the siloviki, serving and retired Generals who will be given even more control of the economy, who will be played off against the oligarchs, the feudal lords who support the government. There will probably be some liberals dealing with the economy too.
That setup would seem to marginalize JUI-S, since Sami's ego can't seem to get along with Qazi or Fazl, nor with Perv...
Of course, the best-laid plans can go awry, especially in a volatile country such as Pakistan, and a single spark could derail the whole process. "All Musharraf needs to do is a few more Wana operations [sending the army into the tribal areas in search of radicals] and he will not remain, either with or without his uniform," Syed Munawer Hasan, the general secretary of the Jamaat-i-Islami, warned at a meeting with the press in Karachi on Monday. So I would guess that the Afghanistan and Kashmir Jihadâs will continue, being calibrated depending upon the prevailing political conditions. The foreign terrorists might be eliminated if it can be done easily, but I would expect Lashkar-e-Taibaet al to continue business as usual.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
04/25/2004 3:52:16 AM ||
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From the Far Eastern Economic Review
The Pakistan military is said to have suffered far heavier casualties than it has admitted to during a major push in March against Al Qaeda militants in the tribal border region of South Waziristan. Senior government officials and local tribesmen say that 150 soldiers were killed in the fighting, though the official death toll has been put at 46. They add that the high number of casualties has caused considerable embarrassment for the military and angered officers in the field, who were not given sufficient intelligence about the militants. The high number of fatalities among the paramilitary Frontier Corps and the regular army during the 12-day operation against foreign and local militants linked to Al Qaeda has also triggered a storm of protest from Islamic parties, who dominate two provincial governments along the border with Afghanistan.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
04/25/2004 2:36:00 AM ||
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A tip to the Paki's - don't retreat from casualties. It sends the wrong message. Go scorched earth.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/25/2004 2:42 Comments ||
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Then again, a lot of the jihadi sources said in the first couple months of the war that we were losing thousands of troops there. So I suspect that the casualty reports should be taken with a large grain of salt.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
04/25/2004 10:43 Comments ||
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Three hundred Algerian militants have agreed to lay down their arms, a newspaper reported on Thursday, a huge boost to government efforts to put an end to a dwindling Islamic insurgency. The surrenders occurred across Algeria and involved members of the Salafist Group for Call and Combat, one of several groups waging an Islamic insurgency in Algeria, Liberte newspaper reported.
I believe it's the only one left that's still combat effective...
If confirmed, the massive surrender represents a major blow to both the Salafist group, known by its French acronym GSPC, and the Armed Islamic Group.
Which was last reported to be down to around 30 hard boyz...
The Algerian Interior Ministry and the army in 2003 estimated the number of insurgents belonging to the groups, the nation's two principal terror groups.
And that number was...?
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika offered insurgents an amnesty under which they could surrender without fear of retribution if they were not accused of committing violent crimes like rape and murder. But the amnesty offer expired six months after it was implemented in September 1999, so it remained unclear what would happen to those insurgents who gave themselves up. Surrenders were reportedly taking place among insurgents in Chlef, 220km west of the capital of Algiers; Medea, 80km south of Algiers; and Jilel, 360km east of Algiers, where 70 GSPC members turned themselves in, Liberte said.
Talks between the fighters and the authorities have already resulted in the "installation of cantonment sites" for disarmed guerillas, of whom 70 have "already discreetly gone to Medea", 70 kilometers (42 miles) south of the Mediterranean coastal capital Algiers, said the paper. "The loss of their main members, pressure exerted by the security forces and open warfare between factions of the GSPC have resulted in a higher surrender rate," said Liberte. "These surrenders will also allow radical factions to be identified and decisions to be taken, because the government will strike even harder against those who continue to sow terror through armed violence," said the paper, quoting observers.
"The (majority of the) terrorist group...has seized the opportunity of Bouteflika's re-election to surrender and benefit from the civil concord," said a security source in Medea, a city 80 km (50 miles) south of Algiers where a large number of GSPC are believed to be hiding. The sources said it was not a done deal yet. One sticking point was whether the rebels met conditions set out under the general amnesty plan. A surrender of up to 300 GSPC rebels would probably mark the end for an organisation believed to currently number around 400 fighters who have since 1999 rejected a peace deal, analysts said.
So now we're down to 130 snuffies in all of Algeria? Seems unlikely...
"We're talking about up to 80 percent of the GSPC surrendering. It's a breakthrough for Algeria," said an Algiers-based security expert, commenting on the outcome if the rebels did in fact surrender. "It would be the nail in the coffin for the GSPC."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/25/2004 2:15:45 AM ||
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Magomed Khambiyev, a Chechen separatist leader and former "interior minister of Ichkeria," who surrendered in early March, said all his subordinates have surrendered their arms and have turned themselves in to the law enforcement agencies. "I can say confidently that all the rebels who were with me or reported to me have voluntarily refused to continue armed resistance and have applied for amnesty," Khambiyev told reporters in Gudermes on Thursday. Khambiyev refused to give the exact number of rebels who have surrendered, saying he was not authorized to release such information.
At the same time, Ramzan Khadyrov, the head of the Chechen president's security service, has confirmed that "practically all the rebels who reported to Khambiyev have come out of the woods and have turned themselves in to the law enforcement agencies. After Khambiyev turned himself in and made a public address to the rebels, calling on them to surrender their arms, 27 people who reported directly to him, not including members of other groups operating in the Urus-Martan, Achkhoi-Martan, and Vedeno regions, surrounded [sic] their weapons."
Khambiyev repeated that he does not know anything about the fate of Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev. "Everybody in Chechnya knows that we have never liked each other, and after the military action began we became enemies because I realized that the path chosen by him and people close to him would lead to tragedy," Khambiyev said. Speaking about Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov, Khambiyev said that "up to ten people could be with him" at this time.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/25/2004 2:04:37 AM ||
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In Shakai, a remote village around 400 km southeast of Islamabad, the surrendering men gave traditional peace offerings of garlands, turbans, pistols and swords to the army officers. "We give amnesty to these people in return for their pledge of brotherhood and loyalty," said Lieutenant-General Safdar Hussain, the regional army commander, who arrived at the jirga to chants of "Allahu Akbar", or "God is Greatest". The commander said the foreign militants had until April 30 to surrender and receive a pardon or he would send troops after them. He also announced the release of 50 tribesmen arrested after fierce clashes with Pakistani forces last month.
Most of these guys were picked up fighting the Pakistani military and there's a good chance that some of them killed Pakistani troops in the Waziristan festivities and now they're letting them go in return for a promise of good behavior. Isn't this pretty much the same song and dance that Yemen tried not so long ago? Didn't turn out too well, as I recall ...
Soddy Arabia did the same thing. That worked well, too.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/25/2004 1:56:07 AM ||
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And take a look at Nek Mohammad's surrender
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
04/25/2004 2:40 Comments ||
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Chechen field commander Lecha Islamov, most commonly known among the separatists under the nickname Beard, has died in jail of illness, sources at the Russian Justice Ministryâs department for penitentiaries said Friday. Islamov, 43, served a term in a high security jail. March 23, he was moved to a penitentiary medical center in Russiaâs southern Volgograd region in the wake of health deterioration. âThe sick inmate was placed into the section for somatic diseases, where he was given a complex course of treatment,â the sources said, adding that his relatives and lawyer had been allowed to visit him there.
"Oleg! Give him the complex treatment!"
"Not... the complex treatment!"
âDespite intensive therapy, he died April 21 of toxicodermia,â they said. The prosecutors launched examination of the causes of his death as stipulated by law.
"Oleg! How did that man come down with massive pustules all over his body?"
"It was... the complex treatment."
"Not... the complex treatment!"
Operatives of the Russian Security Service (FSB) detained Islamov in Chechnya in July 2000, and the Krasnodar territory court sentenced him to nine years in jail May 31, 2002, for organizing paramilitary units and involvement in hostage taking. In November 2002, however, Russiaâs Supreme Court overruled the sentence and returned the case for reinvestigation to the Krasnodar territory court.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/25/2004 1:51:05 AM ||
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Must have been an infected, ingrown hair.
Live by the beard, die by the beard, I always say.
Posted by: Dar ||
04/25/2004 2:10 Comments ||
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Lecha Islamov
Not to be confused with the Polish equivalent, Lech Islamski.
Posted by: Rafael ||
04/25/2004 7:14 Comments ||
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Whoa, I was making reservations for Cuban bonefishing.
From yesterday's story on Pakistan's Fab 5 being pardoned ...
The report said army Commander Lieutenant General Safdar Hussain accepted the guarantees offered by the militants to refrain from any activities against Pakistan. Geo said the rebel tribesmen would not be arrested. The report said Hussain asked foreigners hiding in the region to give up by April 30, furnish guarantees to live peacefully, or face military action.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/25/2004 1:46:30 AM ||
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Hey!! The motorcycle helmet guy is back!!
Posted by: Rafael ||
04/25/2004 7:06 Comments ||
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More wackiness from Pakistan's resident mad mullah ...
Acting President Qazi Hussain Ahmed while denying any existence of al-Qaeda in Pakistan, said America itself patronising cruelties across the world and blaming al-Qaeda for it. He was speaking to a large gathering at the Jamia Mansoora here. Taking strict notice of the utterances of Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri regarding sending Pakistani troops to Iraq, he said nearly every country is considering on getting its troops back but the Pakistani foreign minister says, "We can send troops to Iraq." He said the whole nation is against this decision adding such a statement is shameful and condemnable.
Qazi Hussain Ahmed also said that by vetoing UNâs resolution condemning Israelâs unlawful assassination of Sheikh Yassin and Abdul Aziz Rantisssi, America proved itself to be accomplice of terrorists. He said that Pakistan had nothing to do with Palestine but came forward at once at the question of sending its troops to Iraq. He made it crystal clear that the entire nation was with the Muslims of Palestine and Iraq. Meanwhile, on the appeal of the MMA, workers of allianceâs component parties staged a demonstration outside Muslim Masjid Lohari Gate to protest against the killings of Palestinian leaders Sheikh Yassin and Abdul Aziz Rantissi. The protesters, who were carrying placards and banners with various demands inscribed on them, chanted slogans against Israel and the United Stated. Addressing the gathering, Jamaat-e-Islami, Lahore Naib Ameer Chaudhry Shaukat, Shahid Latif and MPA Haji Abdul Jalil Farooqui urged the Pakistan government to use its influence to get stopped Israeli atrocities towards innocent Palestinian on international level. They said killings of Sheikh Yassin and then Rantissi are the outcome of the US, Israel and Indian intrigue. They stressed the Muslim countries to shed their differences, get united and foil conspiracies being hatched against them.
It's those Dark Conspiracies™ again. Y'just can't get away from them...
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/25/2004 1:41:55 AM ||
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foil conspiracies being hatched against them
more like tin-foil
Posted by: B ||
04/25/2004 20:57 Comments ||
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American troops fighting insurgents killed scores of civilians in protracted battles in a remote town on Iraq's Syrian border last week. The deaths, not previously reported due to the remoteness of the area, will raise tensions still further in the country and make the increasingly frantic attempts by the US-led coalition to ensure security and stability even harder.
My sympathy meter hasn't stirred. Sorry, al-Guardian...
The battles on the western frontier - seen as critical to cutting off the flow of logistic support and volunteer fighters from Syria - are going unnoticed. Last Saturday in al-Qaim, a city of around 100,000, US marines were surprised by a contingent of 'anti-coalition fighters' - a loose alliance of former Baath party cadres and foreign militants behind the recent upsurge in violence. Five marines were killed and nine wounded. Medical sources in al-Qaim said the main hospital in the city had recorded 31 deaths, including the city's police chief, two women, a seven-year-old boy and a five-month-old baby, and 47 wounded. Locals claim the dead were civilians shot by snipers or caught in crossfire. US official sources say most of those killed were armed fighters. The news will further inflame public opinion in Iraq where many have been angered by heavy-handed US military tactics.
I wonder why nobody's fired up over the heavy-handed Bad Guy tactics? No one on our side shoots babies intentionally. Seems like everyone on the Bad Guy side's happy to blow up buses full of little kids.
Locals say the number of civilian casualties in al-Qaim could be much higher as street fighting prevented many dead and injured being taken to hospital. Islamic custom is to bury bodies as soon as possible and many casualties are said to have been interred in makeshift graves. Medical sources in al-Qaim say doctors treated people by telephone because fighting made it impossible to bring the wounded to hospital. 'They just gave instructions on the telephone,' said a source. 'That means we don't know how many were injured or might have subsequently died of their injuries.'
My heart bleeds. Maybe the local gunnies and the imported snuffies will help with the burials.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2004 12:53:23 AM ||
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For them, civilian = muja who got offed and they then took the weapons/ammo off him before turning around to the press and claiming him as a "civilian" casualty. They ought to do poweder residue tests on the hands of these "civilian" casualties. 10 to 1 says they'll find enough to indicate they had been firing. That cheap AK ammo is pretty dirty.
#3
So the hospitals are treating wounded civilian "babies" over the telephone and not even Al Jizz has pictures of the ambush.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/25/2004 2:58 Comments ||
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US marines were surprised by a contingent of 'anti-coalition fighters'
The US Marines didn't start this battle, but they sure will end it.
.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
04/25/2004 9:00 Comments ||
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Hey Al-Guardian - doesn't it bother you that nobody believes you anymore? That you've lost ALL credibility except for those who frantically want to believe?
#6
Erasing any doubts about the propoganda value of the UK Guardian:
Why is it necessary for the writer(s) of the story to point out a gunfight will increase tensions in the area, all without attribution. Isn't that a little like saying a firefight will increase the chances of combat?
Is the writer a sociology expert? Unlikely.
Is the writer a political expert? Unlikely.
Is the writer bound by ethics to identify him/herself as being an expert trained in any of these fileds? Apparently not at the UK Guardian.
Should the writer have at least tried to get some attribution to the argument that a gunfight will raise tensions in the area? Absolutley.
In an area now known for gunfights and being a cachement area for enemy troops and supplies, why does the writer insist the gunfight will increase tensions in an area that is already a combat zone. Is the writer some Rambo type that sees gunfights as a mere annoyance? First part: the writer wouldn't make a boil on the balls on a Rambo type, and the second part, absolutely not.
The writer does, however, have an agenda, and that is to downplay the ingress of hostile troops and supplies and to overplay our troops' response to such military actions. I.E. The writer is merely being a good Marxist, making sure as many American soldiers get killed as possible justifying their deaths by pointing out 'civilians' have been dropped by hostile fire, and by making certain the world understands, that Islamists and Baathist socialists are the good guys and the US are the evil ones.
I know I am evil for even suggestion this, but sometimes battlefield interdiction also means to remove the enemy's means of propoganda in the area. To me this is a critical matter. The writer is engaging in war propoganda by suggesting atrocities without any formal means of showing such. The writer is actively engaged in combat for the enemy IMO.
The writer is endangering our military oeprations.
#7
...And why hasn't anyone pointed out that even if we never killed a single Iraqi - military, civilian, or otherwise - the Islamofascists would still be swearing unto Allah (with much rolling of eyes and seething) that we have killed so many civilians that there aren't any left?...
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
04/25/2004 11:46 Comments ||
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Seven Palestinians were killed in the West Bank over the weekend, six of which were wanted by the IDF for planning suicide attacks in Israel in the coming days. The security establishment registered 49 terror attack warnings and noted that while there was an increase in warnings, none were specifically planned for Israel's 56th Independence Day, this Monday night and Tuesday. "All the terrorist organizations are keen to launch attacks and we expect the warnings to increase," one security official told The Jerusalem Post.
On Saturday, a border policeman was moderately wounded from the house where Palestinian fugitives were hiding. Troops responded by opening fire, killing three Palestinians. The policeman, who was operating undercover, was moderately wounded and taken to Ha'emek Hospital in Afula. Ali Samoudi, a Palestinian journalist for Reuters and Al-Jazeera, was wounded by gunfire and taken to a local hospital. The three Palestinians were identified as Kamel Abdullah Tubasi, 29, of Jenin who planned to launch a suicide bomb attack in Israel in the coming days, Said Ahmed Mohammed Hardan, 30, of Jenin, a member of the Fatah Tanzim who had served in Palestinian security forces, and Mazzen Azzouqa, 28.
According to security officials, Tubasi was planning a suicide attack in Israel and was involved in trading weapons and components used to make bombs destined for terrorism. Tubasi recruited Hiba Daraghmeh, the perpetrator of the May 2003 suicide bombing at the Afula mall, in which three Israeli civilians were killed, and also brought her to the site of the attack. Tubasi collaborated on a thwarted suicide attack, to be carried out by Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah Tanzim in Jenin last year.
In the early morning, security forces arrested two Fatah and a Hamas activist in the old city of Nablus. Palestinians identified the three as Abdullah Abu Samra, 24, Majed Abdel Karim, 26, and his brother Majdi, 37.
Also on Saturday, a Hamas fugitive surrendered to security forces in Talluza, north of Nablus. IDF forces had raided the village on Friday in an attempt to arrest him. According to Palestinian reports, the suspects was armed with a Kalashnikov rifle and was wounded when he turned himself in.
On Friday, also in Talluza, special IDF forces killed a Palestinian who they claimed was a Hamas member. IDF officials said one Palestinian was killed and another wounded in a gunbattle. The former was identified as Dr. Yasser Ahmed Laimun, a lecturer at the Arab American University in Jenin. Palestinian reports stated Laimun was killed in the crossfire.
Also on Friday, three Palestinian fugitives were killed and a fourth wounded during a gunbattle in the center of Kalkilya. IDF officials said security forces spotted four fugitives standing next to a vehicle in the center of the city who attempted to evade arrest. The injured was identified as Atef Sharif, the local al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades commander. He was taken to a local hospital by Palestinian emergency workers. According to security officials, Sharif's deputy, Abud Rahman Sharm Nazzel, 22, and two other accomplices Muhammad Qotqot, 32 and Muhammad Nazzel were killed in the incident. Sharif and Nazzel had been planning a suicide bomb attack in Israel for the near future, they said. Palestinians claimed the three had left a wedding celebration and were getting sloshed drinking juice when they were shot and killed by soldiers wearing civilian clothing.
Early on Friday morning, security forces arrested 6 Palestinian fugitives in raids in Tubas, northeast of Nablus, Nablus and Beit Anan, southwest of Ramallah.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2004 12:32:29 AM ||
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Ali Samoudi, a Palestinian journalist for Reuters and Al-Jazeera, was wounded by gunfire and taken to a local hospital.
3-Strikes Rule!
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/25/2004 9:10 Comments ||
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Is it just my perception or are the Israelis starting to whip serious butt and not in a particularly circumspect manner?
#3
the leash is off and they're tired of their civilians being killed. Accelerated removal of the Paleotrash before the Arafat kicks the bucket and civil war begins
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/25/2004 10:31 Comments ||
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A Palestinian suspected of planning to carry out a suicide bombing in southern Tel Aviv was arrested Saturday afternoon after police received intelligence information that a terrorist was on the loose. The Palestinian, 19-years-old and illegally residing in Israel, was nabbed by security forces on Shocken Street near the Central Bus Station in the southern part of the city. Security forces were on high alert in Tel Aviv most of the day Saturday after receiving information that a suicide bomber was on the loose. Large police forces spread out across the city, and conducted searches for an explosives belt. Helicopters joined ground forces in the searches and following the suspect's arrest, the terror alert was lowered. "Within ten minutes of receiving intelligence information from the Shin Bet regarding the suspect's identity, a patrol car located and apprehended the suspect on Shocken Street," Tel Aviv District Police Chief Cmdr. Yossi Sedbon told Army Radio. "After ensuring that no other suspects were at large in Tel Aviv, we lowered the alert." The suspect was transferred to Shin Bet investigators for further interrogation.
Hopefully it'll be painful...
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2004 12:30:19 AM ||
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From J-Post
The shaheed gang that shot and killed an Israeli Arab student in Jerusalem was apprehended.
Posted by: marek ||
04/25/2004 9:34 Comments ||
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US officials have criticized the Palestinian Authority for failing to prevent the escape on Wednesday night of three Palestinians who were being held in a Gaza City prison on suspicion of involvement in the attack on a US diplomatic convoy last October. As part of the criticism, the US State Department on Saturday published for the first time since the PA announced its decision to put the men on trial two months ago an advertisement in the daily Al-Quds offering a reward to anyone who provides information leading to their capture. Three US security guards were killed in the attack. Last week, gunmen belonging to the Popular Resistance Committees, an alliance of various Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip, stormed the prison and helped three of the four suspects escape. The gunmen claimed they had come to visit the detainees, but once they were inside they began shooting indiscriminately, eyewitnesses said. A fourth suspect, who is being held in solitary confinement by the Preventative Security Service, did not escape, they added. Palestinian journalists in Gaza City said they believed the "attack" on the prison was coordinated with senior PA security officials. "I don't think this was a raid," said one journalist, noting that the prison was heavily guarded and it didn't seem logical that a few gunmen would be able to overcome all the policemen there. "Someone in the PA wanted the suspects freed."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2004 12:27:17 AM ||
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Why do we care? We know that as PLA identified suspects, they are more likely to be innocent than any three other randomly selected guys of simular demographics that were within 500 miles of the scene of the crime when it was committed.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/25/2004 3:07 Comments ||
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Escape, my ass. They were set free by the PA for some nefarious reason. And, as SH says, they're likely not the ones who did it anyway.
Finish the wall, level Ramallah, and be done with the "Palis."
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/25/2004 12:10 Comments ||
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LOL! Heavens! A mass escape! I'ma stunned. They will go back to the peaces loving family and continue to cultivate their centuries old Olive Oil press. Or not.
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.
