My guess is that these are those sleepers who got honked awhile back ...
A group of suspected al Qaeda supporters arrested in Kuwait for recruiting militants to attack U.S. troops in Iraq also planned to strike targets in Kuwait, an Interior Ministry official said on Saturday. "The maps found with them revealed that they also had plans to attack foreign troops in Kuwait, as well as Iraq," the official told Reuters.
Kuwait said on Saturday at least 12 suspected al Qaeda supporters had been arrested since last week and authorities were searching for two more on suspicion of indoctrinating young people in radical Islamist ideology and helping them enter Iraq via Syria to fight foreign troops. The official said police had arrested at least three of the 12 men after interrogating four Kuwaiti youths recently handed over by Syria. Two of them managed to enter Iraq and leave earlier, and the other two were arrested while attempting to infiltrate Iraq, he added. The Interior Ministry identified Kuwaiti nationals Khaled Abdullah al-Dossari and Ahmed Mohamed al-Mutairi as suspected al Qaeda supporters on the run. It called on citizens and residents to contact the ministry with any information on the two men. All suspects had been referred to the Public Prosecution where they would be further questioned, the official said.
The father of another Kuwaiti caught in Iraq, 16-year-old Abdul Rahman Mubarak al-Bathaly, said on Saturday his son would be handed over to Kuwait by the Red Cross within days. "My son called me yesterday and told me that he has been released from Abu Ghraib (prison), and that he will be returning home within a few days," said Mubarak al-Bathaly, adding his son had illegally entered Iraq via Syria in January. He said his son was accused only of illegally entering Iraq and was not connected with the group in Kuwait. Kuwait has tightened security after a surge in violence in Iraq and Saudi Arabia. It has also launched a crackdown on Islamists opposed to the presence of U.S. forces, which used Kuwait as a launchpad for last yearâs war against Iraq. The official also said authorities were investigating any possible presence of terror networks in Kuwait.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
07/24/2004 12:56:07 PM ||
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"Osama bin Laden is a good man. Osama bin Laden wants the same as me -- he wants to see the implementation of God's law," says Khalid Kelly as he sips coffee in a sun-filled London cafe and expounds on his allegiance to the man who has declared war on the West. Kelly, an Irishman, converted to Islam two years ago while imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for distilling and selling alcohol. Since then, he has become the public face of the tiny London-based organization called Al-Muhajiroun. The radical organization is led by Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed, who has long been linked to bin Laden's International Islamic Front for Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders. The presence of militants like Bakri has earned the British capital the sobriquet "Londonistan" among diplomats and terrorism experts, who see London as a worldwide center of Islamic terrorism.
"The Islamists use Britain as a propaganda base but wouldn't do anything to a country that harbors them and gives them freedom of speech," Camille Tawil, a terrorism expert at the Arabic daily Al Hayat, told the New Statesman magazine.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
07/24/2004 1:00:42 PM ||
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#1
Does anyone think that the first order of business in Britain should be tearing down the Finsbury Park mosque? It would be a good demonstration of just how seriously they are taking this threat.
The end of this article contains the real gem, though:
Despite the support network offered by al-Muhajiroun, Kelly says he hates life in free-wheeling Britain and wants "to go to an Islamic country to live a pious Islamic life." He thinks al Qaedaâs efforts to drive foreigners out of Saudi Arabia could open up new opportunities there ... "It would probably be easy for me to get a job there," he said. "But Iâm white, so they might kill me, too."
Great going their jihadito, you really wax persuasive with this bit of a corker:
"Before, I didnât know how I was supposed to feel about alcohol, about women walking in the street half-naked, about homosexuality and pedophilia, but now I know," he said. "Now, I have all the answers."
Let's put 2+2 together here:
"Now, I have all the answers ... But Iâm white, so they might kill me, too."
Tell you what, Khalid Kelly, f&%k off and die with your "Osama bin Laden is a good man." bullsh!t, and while you're at it, go back to your sacred Saudi Arabia so they can chop off your vacuous cranium before it implodes from the pressure differential.
#2
Does anyone think that the first order of business in Britain should be tearing down the Finsbury Park mosque?
Tear it down and replace it with a rib-and-beer joint that features topless dancers.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
07/24/2004 21:52 Comments ||
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#3
I HEARD THIS HEAD CASE TALKING ON THE RADIO THE OTHER DAY AND I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE ASKED HIM TO JUSTIFY THE ETHNIC CLEANSING OF THE POPULATION OF DARFUR. IS THERE ANY WAY HE COULD BE ASKED?
The United States and South Korea reached a formal agreement on Friday on a plan to move all American military forces in downtown Seoul, the South Korean capital, to bases south of the city as part of a major realignment of troops on the Korean peninsula, Pentagon officials said. The agreement on the status of about 8,000 United States troops now in Seoul will not reduce their total number in South Korea. Last month, American officials had said about one-third of the 37,000 troops in South Korea would be withdrawn and sent to Iraq.
Before the agreement on Friday, which was reached after several days of talks in Washington this week, the inability to reach a deal on American forces in Seoul had threatened to become a major irritant in the countries' relationship. In advance of this week's talks, senior Pentagon officials had said American and South Korean negotiators were working against a tight deadline to resolve their differences, which mostly focused on the costs of the move and how much land in the south the government in Seoul would make available to the Americans. If an agreement had not been reached and submitted to the South Korean Parliament by this fall, then the American timetable for completing the relocation would have had to have been extended, Pentagon officials said. With Friday's announcement, the relocation of American forces out of Seoul could be completed by December 2008. "This relocation agreement helps us meet our enduring commitment to the defense of Korea and to the security and stability of the region," said Richard Lawless, deputy under secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific affairs, in a statement released by the Pentagon.
Senior Bush administration officials have insisted that plans to reduce the overall number of American troops in South Korea - and to move those remaining on the peninsula far from the range of North Korean rockets and artillery - would not be viewed as a lessening of America's commitment to South Korea's security. The repositioning of troops on the peninsula reflects an assessment that keeping American forces within range of 10,000 artillery pieces and rockets that North Korea keeps along the border presents an inviting target for a first strike, American officials said.
No source on this one...
Yoikes! Fixed.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/24/2004 12:08:00 AM ||
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#1
This moves the US troops from a "tripwire" position to a warfighting postition.
#3
BAR: An even better move would be to move them from a Korean warfighting position to a position not associated with warfare in Korea at all.
I bet our 37,000 guys in Korea, if deployed to Iraq, would more than replace the 3,000 non-combat troops the Koreans are sending to Iraq. I know the ROK's are extra-tough, but Shirley 10 GI's are worth at least 1 ROK.
#4
Too funny. The Koreans wanted to get the US Army out of Seoul since Yongsam garrison is the last undeveloped real estate in the city. I don't think they bargained the US would move so far south and pull out 1/3 of the troops (and 2/3 of the heavy combat brigades). Greed kills.
Posted by: ed ||
07/24/2004 16:53 Comments ||
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Dedicated to .com...
Twelve people arrested trying to enter the United States illegally from Alberta have been ordered to leave Canada. The 11 women and one man were part of a group of 15 people nabbed at the Chief Mountain border crossing between Alberta and Montana Tuesday. The 12 people ordered to leave — 11 from South Korea and one from China — admitted they lied about coming to Canada as tourists. The immigration and refugee board ordered the 12 deported and prohibited them from reentering Canada for two years. "The cases that have come to our attention, all the people have been detained, they've all been found, described and ordered removed from the country," said Robert Ferguson, head of immigration enforcement in Calgary. "And I believe that's a deterrent for people in the future."...In February, 10 South Koreans were caught trying to get into the U.S. near a border crossing in Coutts, Alta. They were deported. Immigration officials claim that smuggling large groups of people into the U.S. via Canada is a lucrative criminal activity that can fetch up to $30,000 per person, a practice that has U.S. officials worried.
Posted by: Rafael ||
07/24/2004 8:04:17 AM ||
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With the Democratic Convention right around the corner, emergency responders got an early test Friday in Boston's North End when a small explosion in the Copp's Hill cemetery gave neighbors quite a scare. A cemetery, eh? An obvious attempt by eviiiil forces to terrorize potential Dem voters.
NewsCenter 5's Gail Huff reported that the explosion occurred at about 8 a.m. in the graveyard near Snow Hill Street. It shattered a window in the Michael Angelo building, which provides housing for the elderly. "It sounded like a bomb, a real bomb," said Theresa Delelalio, 92. The blast frightened neighborhood residents, one of whom witnessed the Sept. 11 World Trade Center attacks. "We saw the second plane hit, and honestly, when I came out here and I saw the bomb squad and everybody out here, it kind of brought back a bad memory to me. It's quite frightening when something like this happens," she said.
No one was injured, but Boston Police Department's bomb squad and federal investigators were called to the scene. "With things going on, the convention and what have you, you have to be concerned. I mean, is it going to be like this all week?" resident Michael Magner said. "You're always nervous when something like this happens." Police said that the explosion was most likely kids throwing firecrackers that could have been stuffed in a bottle. Lots and lots of firecrackers to shatter a window.
"People have to understand that since 9/11, the world has changed. This isn't funny. If it was kids putting firecrackers in a bottle for a joke -- it is not a joke," resident Susan Weinstein said. North End residents are angry about the prank and they said they would like to see someone arrested for it.
A woman who ran a church in her Brooklyn home and the owner of an immigration services business in Harlem were indicted Friday, charged with cheating as many as 50 people in a green-card scam with a religious twist. Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau charged that the pair, Ereline Simmons and Christopher Pendarvis, scammed Caribbean immigrants by promising to get them green cards through a special exemption available to religious workers. "We believe as many as 50, and perhaps even more people, may have been victimized," Morgenthau said in a statement.
Simmons, known as "Mother Bishop" to the congregants of her nondenominational church at 337 Winthrop St. in Brooklyn, allegedly referred people to Pendarvis's Immigration Business Consultants at 278 W. 117th St. in Manhattan, Morgethau said. Pendarvis, for a fee ranging widely from $200 to $8,000, provided contracts in which he promised to file the paperwork needed to obtain green cards, which allow immigrants to work legally before they gain citizenship. Pendarvis is alleged to have used Simmons' church as the basis for claiming a religious worker exemption. Simmons' church, which like Pendarvis' business is no longer operating, was called Saint Barbara of Sardis.
She generally charged $250 to $500 for "sponsoring" the applications, said the district attorney. The investigators also found that the pair did not file paperwork on any of their clients that would help them obtain green cards. Most of the victims were from Guyana, Jamaica, Belize, Trinidad and Tobago and St. Lucia, Morgenthau said. Simmons and Pendarvis pleaded not guilty to the charges of scheming to defraud and grand larceny, both felonies punishable by up to 7 years in prison total, and to a separate charge of grand larceny, which carries up to 4 years in prison. Morgenthau asked anyone who might have been affected by the alleged scheme to call his office at 212-335-8900.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
07/24/2004 5:52:54 PM ||
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In June 2000, a former San Diego State University student named Mohdar Abdullah and two new friends from Saudi Arabia drove from their apartments in San Diego to Los Angeles International Airport. The trip, Abdullah would later say, was designed to show the men how to get to LAX because one was leaving the country the next day. After renting a motel room, the three visited the King Fahd Mosque in Culver City to pray. To Abdullah's surprise, his friends already knew several people at the mosque, one of whom would meet them that night at the motel.
Today, investigators believe the encounter of two future Sept. 11 hijackers with a man later deported by the U.S. government demonstrated that Al Qaeda had put a terrorist support network in place in Southern California long before the attacks of 2001. That conclusion is contained deep in the final report published this week by the bipartisan commission investigating the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The finding is both alarming and probably unprovable.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
07/24/2004 1:11:40 PM ||
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EFL: hattip to WND
A Dearborn man was in federal court Thursday, accused of lying when he applied for his job as a TSA screener at Detroit Metro Airport. 25-year-old Sadeq Ahmed spoke to reporters as he walked out of the Detroit Federal Courthouse Thursday afternoon, released on bond. Back in October of 2002, Ahmed allegedly said he had never had his security clearance suspended, when in fact he had. His security clearance and access to classified information was suspended in 2001, while he was in the Air Force serving at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. "I have no idea what the charges are," he said, " but as soon as we talk to my lawyer, we'll figure it out. "
Ahmed is also accused of saying he never left a job under unfavorable conditions, when in fact he was discharged from the Air Force because he allegedly made statements that he supports Osama Bin Laden, that the U.S. deserved the 9/11 attacks, and that U.S. aircraft flying over Iraq should crash. Ahmed denies it all. "No way," he stressed. "People take things out of context. That's not the right information. Thank you."
All together now, 1, 2, 3, "LIES, ALL LIES!"
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/24/2004 3:28:10 AM ||
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#1
I find it difficult to think of a "context" in which such statements could be misinterpreted. Guess I'm just really stupid.
#2
Ahmed is also accused of saying he never left a job under unfavorable conditions, when in fact he was discharged from the Air Force because he allegedly made statements that he supports Osama Bin Laden, that the U.S. deserved the 9/11 attacks, and that U.S. aircraft flying over Iraq should crash.
If proven, shouldn't this qualify him (if he is not a natural born citizen), not just for dismissal, but DEPORTATION?
The Jemaah Islamiyah terror group has tried to organize new terror attacks in Southeast Asia in the last year, but failed because it didn't have enough money, support from other militant groups, or "thinkers and planners among its ranks," officials said. The al-Qaeda-linked organization was gutted by the arrest of scores of militants after Sept. 11, 2001 — including Hambali, the group's alleged operations chief, a Malaysian government official told The Associated Press on Friday.
Remnants of Jemaah Islamiyah have made several unsuccessful attempts to regroup in Indonesia so they could launch more strikes, he said on condition of anonymity. One of their biggest problems was they "could not agree on a leader to take over from Hambali," he said. The alleged high-ranking al-Qaeda leader and the brains behind Jemaah Islamiyah was Southeast Asia's most-wanted fugitive before his August 2003 arrest by Thai police, who turned him over to U.S. custody. In an interview with the British Broadcasting Corp. on Saturday, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the Jemaah Islamiyah threat in Malaysia has been minimized. "I do not say that they are destroyed, but if there is any more, we are able to contain them," Abdullah said.
A Malaysian security official agreed that the network had been crippled by arrests in Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines and Indonesia in the last two years, but said now is not the time to be complacent. "The threat has subsided but there is still a small group out there which could pose problems if authorities in the region let down their guard," the official said on condition of anonymity. The first government official said authorities in Southeast Asia have in the past year gained the upper hand in cutting off Jemaah Islamiyah's support from militant groups in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Pakistan. That official said the crackdown on Jemaah Islamiyah cells in the region had also left the group without funds to mount attacks. "The threat posed by Jemaah Islamiyah, especially in Indonesia, is still there as several key members are still at large," the official said. "But they are on the run ... it is important that authorities keep up this pressure."
Abdullah said that the Indonesian authorities "are working very hard to trace and nab" several Jemaah Islamiyah operatives who were on the run. Two of them are Malaysian explosives experts Azahari Husin and Nordin Mohamad Top. Malaysia's intelligence chief, Yusuf Abdul Rahman, said Indonesian police last month discovered a will written by Nordin for his wife, expressing his intention to be a suicide bomber, The Star daily newspaper reported. The Star cited regional security sources as saying that Nordin was heavily armed and is believed to have strapped his body with explosives.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
07/24/2004 1:04:58 PM ||
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Remnants of the al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiah (JI) are regrouping and planning more terror attacks in Southeast Asia despite the arrest of their leaders, Malaysia's police intelligence chief said on Friday. As well as JI, the group blamed for the deadly bombings on Indonesia's Bali Island in 2002, other militant groups including the little-known Indonesian Battalion Abu Bakar (BAB) could also cause trouble, said Mohamad Yusof Abdul Rahman. "Although the threat has subsided, there is a small number who want to continue their jihad struggle like Dr Azahari Husin," Yusof told a conference on terrorism, referring to the JI's suspected master bomb maker. "However, a big group of them are preserving their strength while reorganising themselves," he said in a rare speech outlining the work of regional militants. JI, believed to be the Southeast Asian arm of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network, is suspected of carrying out the Bali nightclub blasts that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists.
Police and intelligence officials say JI, which seeks to establish an Islamic state across much of Southeast Asia, has also planned or carried out other attacks in the region. Though JI members have been arrested in the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, Azahari, a Malaysian, is still at large. Yusof, director of the Special Branch at the Royal Malaysian Police, said two Indonesian madrassa or religious schools — one in Solo and the other in Semarang — had sent clerics to teach in other such schools throughout Indonesia. "The authorities view these people as 'sleepers' who will one day wake up and spring into action when the need arises."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
07/24/2004 1:03:13 PM ||
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From Yahoo News (Reuters; link found in Free Republic)
Gunmen burst into a church in eastern Indonesia and shot dead a female reverend and wounded four of her congregation as she delivered her sermon, sparking fears of fresh religious violence, officials said on Monday. All four of the wounded were teenagers and one of them, an 18-year-old girl shot in the left eye, had only a slim chance of surviving after the raid late on Sunday in Palu city in Central Sulawesi, a police spokesman said. Palu is near the regency of Poso, where more than 2,000 people have died in Muslim-Christian clashes 1999. "Five men opened fire at the front door of the Effata church after threatening the security guard," said spokesman Victor Batara from Palu, about 1,500 km (900 miles) northeast of Jakarta. The gunmen fled on two motorcycles. Protestant minister Susianti Tinolele, who previously lived in Poso died at the scene, he said. Local media reported Tinolele, 29, fell straight to the church floor after a bullet rammed through her skull, prompting around 100 churchgoers to frantically run for safety. ....
The incident comes after an Easter shooting in April in Poso town that wounded seven people, including a four-year-old girl and last May's murder of a prosecutor in Palu after he attended a Bible-reading session. Some 85 percent of Indonesia's 220 million people are Muslim. In some eastern parts, such as the Poso-Palu area, Christian and Muslim populations are about equal in size. ....
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
07/24/2004 10:15:22 AM ||
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#1
Ah... yes... the religion of Peace. Strange how this is not being reported on CNN/ABC/NBC/CBS/etc...
Do you think they are deliberately not covering this news report?
The CIA has intelligence agents inside Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network -- as it did before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks -- but they are not within the terrorist leader's inner circle where key information about any future attack would be discussed, a senior intelligence official said yesterday. "They are beyond foot soldiers but not in the inner circle," the official said. The agents -- Afghans, Pakistanis, Uzbeks, and others recruited and run by CIA case officers -- "are more senior than the agents [the US had] three years ago who were on the periphery," the official said.
Aided by these agents, electronic intercepts, satellite imagery, and extensive help from foreign intelligence services, the United States during the past two years has captured or killed two-thirds of bin Laden's top aides and broken up plots against US embassies, US and foreign aircraft and ships, and other targets worldwide. Although the US intelligence community believes that Al Qaeda today is far less capable than the team that put together the Sept. 11 attacks, bin Laden "looks to the United States still as the brass ring," another senior intelligence official said. The Wednesday briefing was held on condition that reporters not disclose the names or the identity of three senior intelligence officials who spoke.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
07/24/2004 12:54:32 PM ||
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#1
Could this be an attempt to sow discord and mistrust in AlQ? Have them do a mole search? Torture and kill likely suspects (like Afghanis, Pakis and Uzbeks)? We can only hope!
#3
Keeping the "leadersip" of any terrorist-organisation or indeed any totalitarian intelligence service just a little more paranoid then is considerd healthy, usually tends to create "opportunitys for swift career-advancement" within the organisation, on the face of it I would say that this is a psy-op and the merricans have several pawns positioned for a possible break-through to the next level of Al-Q's hierarchie.
Now veering violently off topic: could someone a little more airforce-savy than me take a look at this and this and give your opinion on wether its a fake or the real thing, (its for a bet and I am betting fake)
#6
Seems I remember something about the first one from several years back... Took place on a carrier in the Pacific, not in the Persian Gulf or anywhere else. Apparently there was a "minor technical glitch" and part of the propellent of a Navy Sidewinder being uploaded onto an F-18(???) "spontaneously ignited" and sent the missile about 200 feet down the carrier's flank and into the Pacific ocean. IIRC, one person was injured, but no damage to aircraft or other equipment, and a bunch of Sidewinders (an entire production lot of about 200) were returned to the manufacturer with propellent cracks and some other internal problems. OF course, there's on guarantee that even the information I heard wasn't a set-up...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
07/24/2004 17:51 Comments ||
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#7
I believe its a fake. There should be much more flame.
#12
Heisenbrg-
Its a photoshop, and they ALMOST got it perfect - trouble is they left the exhaust cover on the rocket motor.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
07/25/2004 0:01 Comments ||
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#13
Late reply, but it's real, not a photoshop. Any carrier sailor will tell you that the flight deck is a dynamic environment. In this case the Hornet successfully trapped, but the missile came off the rail at 100+ knots and just kept going.
BTW, ask a Navy guy about these tough operating environments, not one of those 10,000 foot runway Air Force types.
From The New York Times
The Zanin family of the Gaza Strip faced a familiar, and agonizing, choice: whether to let Palestinian militants use their land to fire mortar shells at Israel, and risk having their home razed in retaliation by Israeli troops. They balked, and ended up losing one of their own, a 15-year-old boy. For days, militants used the family's orange and olive groves in the Gaza village of Beit Hanun to set up launchers. On Friday, four members of Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades, an armed branch of Yasir Arafat's Fatah movement, returned to try to set up a launcher in front of the family's house. The family protested, said Amna al-Zanin, a member of the family. The militants drew weapons. Three shot into the air, but a fourth fired directly at the family, wounding Ms. Zanin and hitting her 15-year-old nephew, Hassan al-Zanin. He died later at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City; doctors said the bullet had penetrated his heart. .... Her 18-year-old nephew was hit in an ear, and her 20-year-old nephew was struck in the hand. ...
Militants have launched rockets and other missiles from Beit Hanun at nearby villages in Israel like Sederot. Last month a rocket killed a 3-year-old Israeli boy on his way to kindergarten and a 50-year-old Bukharan immigrant from the former Soviet Union. Israeli forces responded by blocking off roads, bulldozing fruit trees used as cover and sending patrols into Beit Hanun. Militants responded by seeking new vantage points. ... A Palestinian Authority security official confirmed that Israelis had not been involved in the killing of Hassan al-Zanin. ... He speculated that the clan was particularly angry at the militants because members had lost a house, a car and part of an orchard in a previous Israeli retaliation. ...
Hundreds of residents in Beit Hanun demonstrated last year to protest the launching of rockets from their town by militants, though the militants who bore the brunt of the anger then were from Hamas, which is frequently at odds with Fatah. According to news reports at the time, 600 demonstrators marched down the main street, burning tires and chanting slogans against Hamas, saying that because of its activity, the Israeli Army was destroying their orchards and their homes. One of those quoted at the time was Omar Zanin, who said: "We've had enough, because the people here have paid a very heavy price. The Israelis have turned our lives into hell because of the rockets." ....
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
07/24/2004 11:48:05 PM ||
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The Israelis have turned our lives into hell because of the rockets.
You're welcome! Don't say the Israelis never did anything for you.
Al-Qaedas leaders have faced increasingly aggressive Pakistani military operations in June and July, a senior CIA official said as the agency came under attack for failing to combat the threat from Osama bin Laden before September 11. US intelligence officials think bin Laden is hiding somewhere along the rugged Afghan-Pakistani border. Military and intelligence agencies from numerous countries, but most significantly Pakistan as of late, have assisted in the search for him over the nearly three years since the September 11 attacks.
Acting CIA Director John McLaughlin has pledged recently that bin Laden will still be caught. "We have pins on a map. We have reports," said a second senior CIA official, speaking of bin Ladens whereabouts. The officials briefed reporters at CIA headquarters about a highly critical report released on Thursday by the presidential commission investigating September 11.
Still, bin Laden remains elusive. The commissions report detailed a series of strategic and tactical mistakes made by the intelligence community, including missed opportunities to go after terrorist operatives and thwart the attack. Even today, intelligence veterans have said the agency has no useful idea where bin Laden is. Federal officials have warned of a heightened risk of attack leading up to this countrys November elections. The first CIA official said credible evidence suggests that bin Laden and other senior leaders called "al-Qaeda central" are thought to be currently planning attacks. Other groups sharing the same militant ideology are plotting as well.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
07/24/2004 5:56:48 PM ||
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#1
How can you catch someone that is already dead?
Afghan President Hamid Karzai, during his three-day visit to Pakistan starting from July 26, will announce the repatriation of 400 Pakistanis languishing in Afghan jails, a source in the interior ministry told Dawn on Friday. During the visit, the Afghan president will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah and other senior officials. More than 700 Pakistanis were put behind bars in Afghanistan after the downfall of the Taliban government. These Pakistanis were accused of having links with the Taliban and Al Qaeda.
Talking to Dawn, Foreign Office spokesman Masood Khan confirmed that Pakistani prisoners would be released soon. He said that besides the issue of repatriation of jailed Pakistanis, other matters to figure in talks with the Afghan delegation would be terrorism, border security, trade and economic uplift of Afghanistan. Responding to a question, the FO spokesman said that during Mr Karzai's visit, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed between the two countries under which Afghan refugees in Pakistan would take part in the presidential elections in Afghanistan scheduled to be held in October this year.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
07/24/2004 1:06:05 PM ||
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That is a mistake. Pakis knew what was coming after 9-11, and any who stayed in Afghanistan were almost certainly al-Qaeda/Taliban. My reading of prior stories of releases, tells me that this scum leave Afghanistan for the loving arms of Qazi's Jamaat-i-Islami terrorists.
In Gaza on Saturday, militants torched an empty Palestinian police station south of Gaza City before dawn in the town of Zwaida, 4 miles south of Gaza City, pouring gasoline on mattresses and blankets and setting the building on fire. The fire damaged an upper story of the town council, which had recently been renovated with donations from the Danish government.
That's okay. Most people in Denmark have jobs. Lotsa tax euros where those came from...
No one was injured, officials said, but police files, computers and communications equipment were destroyed. No group immediately claimed responsibility. Ahmed Abu Zaid, the mayor of the town, said the purpose of the raid appeared to be to "spread lawlessness and terror among the people."
... which is a pretty easy task in Paleostine...
As town residents gathered to view the damage, Abu Zaid said the incident showed the need for measures to "make the people feel that there is law and order."
"... whatever the hell that is. We ain't never seen it in these parts, y'know..."
"The police cannot even protect their own station. Who's going to protect us," said one angry resident, accosting the mayor.
"Protect you? Somebody was supposed to protect you? That's news to us cops!"
Hassam Abu Zaid, the local leader of Arafat's Fatah political movement, called the raid a "shameful act," and said, "we call on the president (Arafat) to make sure that law and order are being implemented, and that good leaders and good commanders are fulfilling their duties."
"Yes, by Allan! We shall complain to the management!"
In Khan Younis, in the southern sector of Gaza, militants of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades took over the building of the local administration, demanding the reinstatement of 50 comrades fired from their sinecures security jobs, a member of the group said. "We want to confirm our loyalty to Arafat, as the leader and commander of the Palestinian people," said the militant who identified himself only as Abu al-Haj. "We still call on the president to fire all the people involved in corruption," he said, before evacuating the building and ending the siege.
"Fire 'em all! But not us. With us, it's different."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/24/2004 2:23:58 PM ||
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So close, just alittle more fuel to the burning carwreckage and we'll have too buy alot of popcorn.
Posted by: Charles ||
07/24/2004 15:45 Comments ||
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#2
Screw it, let's just cook some ribs instead. Sorry in advance for our cultural insensitivity, Yasser...
Palestinian Police don't work nights?Or did deputy Abu al-Fife decide his one bullet wasn't going to stop the mob?
Posted by: Stephen ||
07/24/2004 16:15 Comments ||
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#4
The fire damaged an upper story of the town council, which had recently been renovated with donations from the Danish government.
Try and see how quickly the Danes will fork over more of their Kroner to replace your smoking little sh!tpile.
... the purpose of the raid appeared to be to "spread lawlessness and terror among the people."
How can you tell?
"The police cannot even protect their own station. Who's going to protect us," said one angry resident, accosting the mayor.
Try asking all those masked guys who come and collect the "protection" money.
"we call on the president (Arafat) to make sure that law and order are being implemented, and that good leaders and good commanders are fulfilling their duties."
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
"We still call on the president to fire all the people involved in corruption,"
REBELS in Chechnya launched new raids against federal troops in the past day, killing six servicemen and wounding 12 others, an official in the Moscow-backed administration said today. Five of the troops died and seven were wounded in rebel attacks on Russian positions which came under fire 19 times in the previous 24 hours, the official said on condition of anonymity. Another serviceman died when rebels detonated two explosive devices late yesterday outside the main mosque in the Chechen capital, Grozny. The soldier was an ethnic Chechen who served with a federal military unit made up of local residents. Another three soldiers of the same unit were wounded by the blasts, the official said. The bullet-riddled body of a pro-Moscow Chechen police officer, who was kidnapped several days ago, was found today in the eastern city of Gudermes, according to the official. Late yesterday, Russian forces engaged a group of rebels near the southern village of Vedeno and captured one of them after a skirmish which left two federal soldiers wounded, he said. And in the province of Ingushetia west of Chechnya, a police officer suspected of involvement in last month's rebel raid detonated a hand grenade while being interrogated. The man died in the explosion which also killed two senior police officers, said Yahya Khadziyev, a spokesman for the Ingush police force.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
07/24/2004 1:15:52 PM ||
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At least one person was killed and seven were injured when a roadside bomb exploded near a religious seminary vehicle early today in the Pakistani port city of Karachi, police said. "It was a timer bomb fixed at the footpath near northern part of the city. When the van came near it, the bomb blew off," senior police officer of the city, Munir Khoro, said. The van was carrying staff and students of Jamia Al-Rasheedia Trust whose bank accounts have been seized by government on suspicion of aiding al-Qaeda members in the country and abroad. Meanwhile, police dismissed reports that the explosion occurred inside the vehicle.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
07/24/2004 1:02:00 PM ||
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"I mean, hell! It's been almost a month! What the hell's he been doing all this time?"
Posted by: Fred ||
07/24/2004 12:35:07 PM ||
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#1
This is an AP story on a Washington DC channel. Anything done by Bush, Allawi, or anyone that might diminish Kerry's chances of election will never be good enough. Those folks believe that all Kerry needs to do to end the problems in Iraq is to bring the troops home, put Saddam back in power and send Michael Moore and Linda Ronstadt as good-will ambassadors to the new regime.
Posted by: Random thoughts ||
07/24/2004 14:47 Comments ||
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#2
Sending Michael Moore and Linda Ronstadt to North Korea is a damn good idea. He gets a well needed diet and she gets to live in her 'paradise' with her hero ....
EFL - damned if you do ...
"The Fallujah Municipal Council has been replaced with the armed groups leaders and Islamist extremists, who control the important decisions," the Iraqi official said. "In addition, former Baath party members use the city as an assembly point," he continued. "Lately, these former Baathists began meeting in the city to plan a strategy aimed at spreading destruction in other cities, primarily Baghdad. They also make bombs and rig vehicles with explosives in the city and send them to Baghdad." The current Fallujah Brigade charged with maintaining law and order is "doing nothing," the official said. The 2,000 troops "disobey our orders and some of them even threaten to join the armed groups. It is difficult to tell friend from foe in the city," the official said. Some 70 Saudi nationals were captured in the city and were handed over to the Fallujah Brigade leader who "allowed them to leave Fallujah safely," the officer said. "The result is that these and others moved to other cities, including Baghdad, Baqubah and Samara."
Saudis, huh? What a su.....nah.
The officer also said Iraqi security troops are monitoring the movements of Zarqawi terrorists and the intelligence was passed to U.S. military forces, which bombed their hideouts. However, the survivors also were allowed to leave the city freely. The officer said Iraqis opposed the decision of Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez to form the Fallujah Brigade, and several Iraqi leaders protested the decision.
Really? Must have missed that one, I could have sworn ya'll were dancing in the streets.
Asked what Iraqi intelligence plans to do, the officer said: "We would prefer to enter the city with a large number of Iraqi soldiers with the possible backing of the Americans." Preparations for an assault on the city of 250,000 would take several hours days months, and U.S. officials fear the deaths of civilians would trigger further unrest. The new Iraqi government has made Fallujah a lower priority because of efforts to seal the borders of the country and stop the influx of terrorists from nearby countries, the official said. The influx of foreign terrorists is less a problem than the terrorists already in the country, he added. Meanwhile, a senior Iraqi security source said Saddam Hussein's daughter, Raghad, has been funding insurgent attacks in Iraq. The source said she is living in Jordan.
Daddy's little girl, he'd be so proud. Of course, she'll also have every phone call and visitor monitored.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/24/2004 3:23:46 AM ||
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#1
Asked what Iraqi intelligence plans to do, the officer said: "We would prefer to enter the city with a large number of Iraqi soldiers with the possible backing of the Americans."
Okay...
Preparations for an assault on the city of 250,000 would take several hours days months, and U.S. officials fear the deaths of civilians would trigger further unrest.
So what's the deal? An operation can't be mounted without expectations that a few civilians are going to get it, so what's the point of being fearful of "further unrest"? Either you do it or you don't. Sakes.
#2
Seal it off completely, and I mean completely - nobody goes in or out. No Food, no Red Thingy weapon trucks ambulances, limited medicine, but nothing else.. Let them stew in their own juices. Tell them they can come out as soon as they deliver the heads of the terrorists and not sooner.
#3
Some 70 Saudi nationals were captured in the city and were handed over to the Fallujah Brigade leader who "allowed them to leave Fallujah safely," the officer said ...
The officer also said Iraqi security troops are monitoring the movements of Zarqawi terrorists and the intelligence was passed to U.S. military forces, which bombed their hideouts. However, the survivors also were allowed to leave the city freely ...
Meanwhile, a senior Iraqi security source said Saddam Husseinâs daughter, Raghad, has been funding insurgent attacks in Iraq.
Let's do the math: You release Saudi infiltrators, permit terrorist accomplices to depart strike sites and acknowledge that your deposed dictator's spawn is funding the near-daily mass murder bombings in your country.
In the same breath you complain that the country which liberated you and desperately attempted to demonstrate (way too much) "cultural sensitivity" in your (so-called) sacred city is not taking the correct tack.
Reel that sh!t back in right quick sucker or we'll take you at your word and walk away from this cesspool you call a country.
From Jihad Unspun
At least 14 Americans were killed in ar-Ramadi yesterday as a day of fierce and heavy fighting that raged from about 11:00am local time until sunset got under way which occurred at around sunset.
"Oh what a glorious battle for jihad it was! ..."
The fighting correspondent of Mafkarat al-Islam in the city reported that the clashes began when a group of Resistance fighters ambushed an American patrol consisting of four Humvees and a number of foot soldiers. Resistance fighters led by Al-Robin the Fair pounded the Humvees with rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) destroying all of them and sparking a battle on al-'Ishrin ("1920") Street that lasted until sunset as US reinforcements poured into the area. The American side threw Apache helicopters and tanks into the fray but in the end 14 US troops were killed and eight others wounded, most of them the troops who were aboard the Humvees that were attacked during the morning.
"... There we was, 'Merkins to the left of us, 'Merkins to the right of us ...!"
The Resistance also shot down one US Apache helicopter in the course of the fighting. During the fierce battle the US forces blew up the 'Abd ar-Razzaq Science and Terrorism Library, the most famous library and a meeting place for ar-Ramadi's jihadis students. In another incident, as the battle raged, a group of US snipers took up positions on the third floor of a building opposite the local American aggressor headquarters set up in the Republican Palace, located behind the Chamber of Commerce. The American sharpshooters positioned to provide covering fire for the US headquarters picked off people in the nearby areas. Eyewitnesses who live in the building told Mafkarat al-Islam's correspondent that Iraqi Resistance fighters led by Al-Robin the Fair took out the seven American snipers in a two-stage operation. The Resistance first fired a head-on barrage of RPGs at the third-floor position of the American snipers. An armed detachment of the Resistance then stormed the position, raking it with automatic weapons fire to make sure that the American snipers were dead.
"... 'Merkins in front of us, 'Merkins behind us ...!"
An officer in the Iraqi puppet police reported that Iraqi Resistance forces shot down an American aggressor helicopter on Wednesday during a fierce battle in the city of ar-Ramadi. Three of the personnel who had been aboard the helicopter were killed in the crash, the source told Reuters. Reuters reported several lying eye witnesses as saying that the helicopter had been brought down. .... According to the fighting correspondent of Mafkarat al-Islamlying eyewitnesses reported that 16 Americans were killed by an cowardly Iraqi Resistance car bomb in Ramadi as they tried to launch a flanking attack on Resistance fighters engaged nearby. The witnesses reported that at about 1:00pm Wednesday afternoon, as the fighting on al-'Ishrin Street grew intense, the US invader troops attempted to encircle the Resistance fighters by advancing around the large mosque located to the east of al-'Ishrin street. The Americans sent a force of Humvees and a number of tanks preceded by infantrymen into the neighborhood around the mosque through which they proceeded cautiously lest they fall into a Resistance ambush. But after advancing only a little way into the neighborhood, a booby-trapped GMC car parked nearby suddenly blew up, killing sixteen of the footsoldiers instantly, according to eyewitnesses. The blast compelled the remaining US troops, tanks, and Humvees to call off their planned flanking attack and retreat from the area.
"... 'Merkins above us, 'Merkins underneath us ...!"
"Gosh, Father, what did you do?"
"Why, we DIED of course, child! Now, enough monster stories, it will ruin your sleep. Say your prayers to Allan and then off to bed you go!"
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
07/24/2004 10:40:40 AM ||
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#1
Why are you posting this obvious lie Mike?
An officer in the Iraqi puppet police
Does this phrase not give you an idea that this is pure propoganda? Really, this is just a waste of Freds bandwith.
Posted by: Charles ||
07/24/2004 10:53 Comments ||
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#2
Hey Charles, it's from Jihad Unspun ferchrissakes, of course it's all lies. But we like to keep up with the enemy's delusions, all the same. It gives us insight into the workings of their tiny, twisted minds.
#6
This kind of "news" is the reason why more Arab dupes will be sent to their deaths and this "war" will last more than a generation. It's also the reason why the Arabs keep attacking Isreal after 4 failed attempts.
Posted by: ed ||
07/24/2004 16:33 Comments ||
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#7
This crap is written by the same clowns that bring us "Thousands of Muslims are kiiled every day by the US infidels!" Funny as hell unless you are a Mozlimb then it's the truth right from the ass of Whalla.
Twelve US soldiers were killed and six Taliban were martyred as clashes erupted in Uruzgan province of Afghanistan. Taliban spokesman Abdul Latif Hakimi said that the US troops surrounded Taliban Mujahideen in the Deh Rawood district of the province and violent clashes erupted between the two sides. The Mujahideen were able to take down twelve US soldiers. The battle broke out Tuesday after troops crept up on about 50 Mujahideen on a mountainside near the town. "The soldiers demanded that they surrender, but they opened fire," according to Mayor Amir Jan, killing twelve US soldiers. Six Taliban were martyred and three are said to be brothers of a close associate of Omar called Mullah Abbas. The US military had no comment on the battle. American planes bombed the area afterwards and there are reports that five local were injured as the results.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
07/24/2004 10:34:34 AM ||
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#1
These clowns have to be ScrappleFace wannabes. That's the only explanation.
Only a MidEast muslim-p, or someone who would vote for Sheila Jackson would believe this crap.
#2
It has to do with the inbreeding. If your Maw's not your Aunt Boo or your Paw's not Uncle Mahmoud this stuff doesn't make sense.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/24/2004 14:13 Comments ||
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anymouse: Only a MidEast muslim-p, or someone who would vote for Sheila Jackson would believe this crap.
I understand why they do it - to keep morale up and the recruits and funding coming. Sure - the real situation does eventually leak out, but most of the Muslim press is cooperating with the effort. The good thing about this? Even the fence-sitters will be drawn into the fighting - meaning that when it is over, and they're defeated, they really are defeated - no ands, ifs or buts about it.
A Palestinian teenager has been shot dead in the Gaza Strip in what appeared to be a clash between Palestinian militants and local residents. He died in the northern town of Beit Hanoun, where militants have often launched missile attacks on Israel. A BBC correspondent says militants may have been planning a rocket attack, which the residents opposed for fear of Israeli retaliation. I'll take "Cause and Effect" for $1000, Alex.
Last month a missile fired from the area killed two people. Israeli troops moved in soon afterwards to try to prevent further attacks. They have demolished homes and orchards and blockaded residents for more than 3 weeks. The BBC's Gaza correspondent Alan Johnston says conditions in the town are difficult and dangerous. Where does that danger come from? Certainly not from outside of the fence. Now that the Palestinians are finally beginning to be caged in, they've begun to eat their young, that's all.
Missile strike
Meanwhile in Gaza City, funerals were held on Friday for two Palestinian militants killed by an Israeli missile strike on Thursday evening. The Islamic Jihad militant group identified them as its members and said one once was a local field commander. Go right ahead and parade around with the remains of an Israeli soldier. See what happens again.
The details of exactly what happened in Beit Hanoun are sketchy. Some witnesses said the young man was killed by militants whom he saw burying an anti-tank mine near his house on a track used by Israeli patrols. Other reports suggest he was shot by Israeli troops. Of course he was shot by Israeli troops, even if there weren't any in the area at the time.
Our correspondent reports there was an exchange of fire between the residents and the militants. Several people were injured. In the past, ordinary people in the town, which lies close to Gaza's border, have said they support efforts to confront Israel. But our correspondent says they have also made clear that they feel their town is being made to bear too heavy a burden - that militant action is causing them to suffer too much at the hands of the Israeli army. One piping hot clue, coming right up!
Posted by: Zenster ||
07/24/2004 4:16:11 AM ||
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#1
" We support the Jihad! Just as long as it doesn't trample over my rose garden. "
Posted by: Charles ||
07/24/2004 10:56 Comments ||
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The Paleo situation is like having red and black ant wars in a terrarium. More popcorn?
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
07/24/2004 14:14 Comments ||
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Butter on mine please. If I'm going to watch entertainment, I have to have butter on popcorn. By Allan, it's tradition!
Posted by: Charles ||
07/24/2004 15:46 Comments ||
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#2The Paleo situation is like having red and black ant wars in a terrarium.
Sorry, Alaska Paul, but just this once I've definitely got to disagree with you. The Palestinians are most definitely not like industrious red or black ants. My vote is for hissing cockroaches:
Hissing plays an important role during male-male inter- actions. Winners of encounters hiss more than losers. The hisses of males also contain information about the size of the male hissing and may be used to assess the opponent's size. Males can also discriminate among the hisses of familiar males and strangers. These hisses are audible and can be heard by observers. Although this species is primarily nocturnal, you can see males fighting during the day.
Males also hiss during courtship interactions with females ... Although hissing plays an important role in colony hierachy and courtship interactions, it is the disturbance hisses that most people are familiar with.
To continue:
They are omnivores, although carrion is probably their principal diet. In captivity they are quite happy to eat their dead brothers and sisters ...
They targetted Rahim because he was involved with the desecration of the dead Israeli soldiers on May the 11th. It hints that they haven't finished yet.
The helicopter missile 'pulverised' their Subaru - nice!
Javier Solana is bleating;
Europe "is a very important international power and is going to play a role whether you like it or not," he said, speaking to Israeli media Friday.
This was after the EU voted as a bloc for a resolution in the General Assembly demanding that Israel dismantle the fence. Something I'm deeply ashamed that my government went along with (more shit to leave at the door of the EU when we leave it).
This from Shimon Peres;
"I think that a country that has not experienced terror cannot judge a country that did experience it," Peres told reporters before Solana's departure Friday.
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
07/24/2004 8:22 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
