In the dark, a young Yemeni soldier nervously scans the row of battered cars approaching his dusty checkpoint situated amid the volcanic mountains of Yemen's remote north.
"Get out of this place, it's dangerous," he shouts at passing drivers, pointing the beam of his flashlight into the shadowy palm trees by the roadside.
Since last summer, nearly 1,000 people have been killed as Yemen's Army battles Zaidi Shiite insurgents throughout the bleak, fossilized landscape of northern Yemen. Rebel clerics have denounced the government's ties with America and demanded an end to its gradual social and democratic reforms. In the government's place, radical cleric Badr Eddin al-Houthi wants to install an Islamic theocracy.
Fighting escalated March 28 after members of Mr. Houthi's rebel group Al Shabab al-Moumin, the Youthful Believers, attacked police in Saada, an isolated town in the north. Since then, The Associated Press estimates, 43 Yemeni troops and 37 militants have been killed, while local media put the total at nearly 300.
While government troops seem to have emerged victorious from the latest fighting - they overran the main rebel strongholds last Wednesday - the rebel leader and hundreds of his armed followers remain unaccounted for.
Many observers worry that the government may not be able to stamp out entirely al-Houthi's group, which aims to topple the country's embryonic democracy. They are also concerned that thousands of anti-Western rebels defeated in their tribal heartlands could attack foreigners and Western interests. Earlier this month, both the American and British embassies temporarily closed and warned their nationals to leave Yemen.
"In Yemen, the two things which matter to people are tribes and religion," says Nadia al-Saqqaf, editor of the Yemen Times, an English-language newspaper. "And when someone combines the two, they can easily become a substantial political force."
This explosion of violence has been a devastating setback to the Yemeni government, which has tamed the threat from Al Qaeda and was beginning to enjoy the cautious return of tourists and foreign investors.
Most Yemenis agree that the revolt stands little chance of success against the full might of the government, pointing out that the minority Zaidi sect makes up only a fifth of Yemen's population.
But unlike last summer, when the rebels made their doomed final stand in an isolated mountain stronghold, this time they are choosing to fight in cities and towns.
In addition, al-Houthi's views have increasingly gained traction far beyond the Zaidi sect.
Many Yemenis are angry that Yemen's fledgling democracy has failed to bring prosperity or accountability to their impoverished nation, while members of the government are seen as entrenching themselves in power to make fortunes through corruption.
"Just saying that the country is a democracy is not enough. We need to change this culture that says that violence is the solution to all our problems," says Abdul-Rahman al-Marwani, who runs an NGO that tries to arbitrate in tribal wars.
Part of the government's problem, however, is that many extreme religious groups refuse to operate within a democratic system that they see as invalid.
"Al-Houthi's followers think that the government does not follow sharia," says Mr. Saqqaf, the editor. "Therefore they say that they have a right to take up arms and fight the government."
Yemen's struggle to reconcile democracy and popular fundamentalist readings of Islam has been long and violent. Last year, a three-month uprising by the Youthful Believers ended with the killing of the rebel leader Hussein al-Houthi.
The latest violence, led by his elderly father, may prove harder to crush as the rebels continue to carry out attacks on government forces across a large swath of northern Yemen.
The government-funded newspaper Al-Thowra reported that the Army is "convincing the rebels to surrender," although others say that the government is determined to annihilate them in a bid to deter any future uprisings.
"There are no grounds for negotiation with the rebels," says Dr. Ahmed al-Kibsi, a professor of politics at Sanaa University. "How can the government negotiate with a group whose only aim is to overthrow the government?"
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/20/2005 12:09:43 AM ||
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A car exploded Tuesday in the troubled southern Russian region of Dagestan, killing two people in what investigators believe was a botched attempt to kill a local prosecutor.
The blast occurred in the regional capital, Makhachkala, around 6 a.m., killing one of the occupants instantly, an unidentified official at the regional branch of the Interior Ministry said.
The second was hospitalized in a critical condition and died shortly afterward, Health Ministry spokesman Abdul Musayev said.
Russian television pictures showed the charred ruins of the car. The explosion had a force equivalent to about a pound of TNT, according to the Interior Ministry official.
Dagestan has been hit recently by a series of bombings on law enforcement authorities. A suspect detained in a clash last month was carrying a detailed hit list of high-ranking police officers, including their home addresses and license plate numbers, authorities said.
Prosecutor Makhmud Isayev said the two men appeared to have detonated the bomb on Tuesday by accident.
"The criminals ⊠blew themselves up," Isayev said. "Judging by the recent bombings, there appears to be a gang carrying out these attacks."
The men were preparing an attack in the neighborhood where a local prosecutor lives, the Interfax news agency reported. The two have been identified as residents of Dagestan and are suspected of a number of crimes, Interfax said.
A little-known radical Islamic group claimed responsibility Sunday for a bomb attack that started a fire and injured six people at a prosecutor's office in Makhachkala two days before.
The group "Shariat" said in a statement posted on a Web site linked to Chechen separatist rebels that the Friday bombings were intended to halt police operations against what the group said were the "lawful rulers of Dagestan." The group also warned there would be more attacks. The claim could not be immediately verified.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/20/2005 12:25:50 AM ||
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A rebel base was destroyed during a military raid in Chechnya's Vedeno district, the Russian headquarters for anti-terror operations in the Northern Caucasus reported Tuesday. Seven militants were killed in the clash, army spokesman Ilya Shabalkin told the RIA-Novosti news agency. Some 2,000 Russian commandoes, Chechen police and Ramzan Kadyrov's militia filled the Vedeno district of Chechnya, as the joint forces combed the vicinity of Dyshne-Vedeno, the native village of the notorious warlord Shamil Basayev, Gazeta.Ru reported. Seven Chechen militants were killed during the raid, but Shamil Basayev was not among them.
Chechnya has not seen operations of such a large scale for many months. Ramzan Kadyrov, first deputy prime minister and the son of Chechnya's pro-Moscow president Akhmad Kadyrov, killed on May 9 of the last year, oversaw the raid. He reported that members of illegal armed formations had been spotted in the area of Dyshne-Vedeno. The first clash occurred on Monday. A shootout between police and militants continued for about an hour. The raid continued till Tuesday morning. Observers believe the main goal of the raid was to apprehend Shamil Basayev. Earlier Kadyrov had pledged to arrest Basayev before Victory Day on May 9.
On Monday night Kadyrov's fighters discovered a rebel hideout four kilometers east of Dyshne-Vedeno. When the rebels realized they had been spotted, they opened fire at the federal forces, Shabalkin said. The federals responded with gun-fire. Some of the bandits, including several wounded, have escaped, he said. One PK machine-gun, five AK-74 assault rifles, an anti-tank grenade launcher and a large quantity of ammunition were found at the site of the fighting and at the base, Shabalkin said. The base included several dug-outs and tents, and facilities for providing medical care. A considerable quantity of medicines and plasma was also discovered.
The dug-outs along the perimeter of the base were mined. There were eight remote-controlled home-made explosive devices made with 152-millimetre artillery rounds. The base was subsequently destroyed. The weapons and ammunition were handed over to forensic experts. The Interfax news agency quoted Shabalkin as saying that federal forces had information that the base was home to a group under the command of warlord Shamil Basayev. It is possible that Basayev may have visited the base "periodically", the spokesman said. "Given that the base had medical equipment and security systems, and that the paths leading to it were mined, it is possible to believe that the most senior heads of bandit detachments were there," he added. Shabalkin also said that those killed could not be identified because the bodies were badly disfigured as a result of an artillery strike.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/20/2005 12:22:58 AM ||
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#1
Sounds like they were on to something on this operation since medical supplies and plasma were found. Kadyrov's pledge isn't worth much though. I doubt he'll get pegleg Basayev.
THE first Australian troops heading for Sudan to aid a UN mission will depart soon and numbers could eventually increase, Defence Minister Robert Hill said today.
Senator Hill said the Australian contribution to the 10,000-member United Nations Mission in Sudan would include logistics and air movement specialists and military observers.
"I am actually expecting the first of them to go within a matter of days rather than weeks," he said.
"I suspect the UN will be in Sudan for a long time. It's been a civil that has gone for decades. It is an historical opportunity. The fact that the international community is responding to support the peace agreement is very important.
"It is likely that we will be requested to stay longer. We may well be requested to provide different specialised elements during the course of the UN program.
"We could end up with some more but we have always said it would be a small deployment and it would be people with specialised skills."
Senator Hill said the UN appeared to have no difficulty getting large numbers of infantry for UN missions.
But it did have problems finding skilled personnel to perform such tasks as managing undeveloped airports in a safe manner and turned to nations such as Australia, he said.
Senator Hill said the Government indicated last year Australia would be willing to make a modest contribution to the UN force in Sudan. However, the UN only gave the official go-ahead last month.
Sudan has been the scene of the world's longest-running civil war, which has pitted the predominantly Muslim north against the Christian and animist south.
In early 2003, the conflict spread to the Darfur region of Sudan's west where pro-government militias called Janjaweed have killed up to 30,000 people, most of them black Africans, and driven more than a million from their homes.
Aid agencies have warned of a humanitarian crisis to rival Somalia or Ethiopia of a decade ago.
The UN Security Council authorised the establishment of UNMIS on March 24 under Resolution 1590 after the government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement to end the 20 year war.
The Australian contribution is intended to assist in the UN mission to facilitate peace moves to settle the north-south conflict.
However, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said UNMIS would also play a major role in supporting the African Union's peacekeeping mission in Darfur.
Posted by: God Save The World ||
04/20/2005 1:02:29 AM ||
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CULTURAL differences have been blamed for the arrest of the father of a celebrated Vanuatu singer, after the man told a Brisbane airport security guard he had a bomb in his luggage. Nigel Anthony Quai, 42, appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court today charged with one count of threats to aviation security. Mr Quai is the father of Vanuatu singing sensation Vanessa Quai, 16, who performed for Prime Minister John Howard and other federal ministers in Canberra last December.
Australian Federal Police arrested Mr Quai last night after he allegedly said his luggage contained a bomb as he was preparing to board a flight home with his daughter. Commonwealth solicitor Judy King told the court Mr Quai had commented "there's a bomb in there" as a security guard scanned his luggage.
The Quai incident is the second security drama at Brisbane Airport involving a high-profile South Pacific figure in the past month. Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare demanded an Australian Government apology after he was asked on March 24 to remove his shoes during a security check.
Mr Quai's nephew Albert Viranatuleo, who was farewelling his uncle at the airport, said he was "just joking". He put the arrest down to a misunderstanding caused by cultural differences. "We checked in our luggage and we took some parcels over to over-sized baggage and, as a security guard took a scan of what may or may not be in one of the parcels, my uncle made a comment to me," Mr Viranatuleo said outside court. "He was just joking to me of what was in the parcel and the security guard had just caught what he had said. From there protective services had come in. "At the time I don't think he (Mr Quai) knew how serious it is here in Australia. "Coming from Vanuatu, security wouldn't be as tight as it would be in the airport here. "You would be able to say that (there) and not get arrested. They would probably just have a talk to you."
Mr Quai, who sings back-up vocals in his daughter's band, was ordered to surrender his passport. He was bailed to reappear for mention in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday. Ms Quai, who has just finished a promotional tour of eastern Australia, is widely regarded in Vanuatu for her fusion of Islander and gospel music.
Posted by: God Save The World ||
04/20/2005 3:33:43 AM ||
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Istanbul police have taken into custody six men of Chechen origin who were allegedly trying to learn how to make bombs from Islamic extremists. The six were detained in Istanbul Tuesday by police in part of a campaign to combat Islamist militants. According to the Anatolia news agency police also seized several electronic devices as well as diagrams showing how to make a bomb ignition switch. It is also suspected that the group was trying to gather material to be used in the making of bombs. Police sources said that the men were planning to conduct activities in Chechnya against Russian forces there.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/20/2005 12:28:31 AM ||
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The trial of an Iraqi Kurd accused of belonging to a terrorist group got underway on Tuesday in Munich and was immediately suspended by the court to allow the defence more time to study evidence materials. The trial before the Bavarian State Superior Court is the first ever in Germany under a new law passed after the 11 September 2001 terror attacks under which membership in a foreign terrorist group is a punishable act. The 31-year-old defendant is charged with providing financial and logistics support from Germany for the 'Ansar al-Islam' terror group. Among others, he is also suspected of being involved in human smuggling. Both the federal prosecutors and the defence teams immediately filed motions to the court to suspend the proceedings over the issue of key evidence materials gathered in a separate investigation of the suspect by Stuttgart prosecutors.
"Y'r honor, we need a little more time...and some more Kevlar. T'anks!"
Both sides said that they had received those materials only a few days ago, too late to be able to prepare adequately for proceedings. After the 11 September 2001 attacks, Germany realised it was not a crime to be a member of groups like al-Qaeda and the law had to be changed.
"Whoops."
Previously, suspects were accused of forming local cells of foreign terror organisations. Prosecutors say the Iraqi, 31, who had a day job in a BMW car assembly plant in Munich, used the rest of his time to spirit people in and out of the country in defiance of immigration laws and to send funds to Iraq by back channels.
I'm sorta surprised he had a day job. Enterprising young man.
His lawyer, Nicole Hinz, says he admits to both trafficking and transactions but denies that either had any political purpose. She said that of 20 persons he brought into Germany, half were women or children, and the sums he sent twice to Iraq were for his family. German police who had been observing him swooped in December 2003 at Munich's main railway station. They say they only gradually realised that they had arrested a man who was himself a fighter in the mid-1990s and was now an important operator for Ansar al-Islam, a group believed to have employed suicide bombers. The group's Islamic hardliners have even reportedly attacked schools in Kurdish areas because they were educating girls. Federal prosecutors are expected to tell the state superior court in Munich that the man's "central task" was to arrange travel to Iraq for radicals wanting to join the rebellion against the new authorities. He had also supplied medical equipment to the group and arranged evacuation for wounded Ansar fighters for treatment in Europe. The trial is expected to last until at least August this year.
Posted by: seafarious ||
04/20/2005 00:00:00 AM ||
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Governments are building a "global registration and surveillance infrastructure" in the US-led "war on terror", civil liberty groups warned yesterday.
The aim is to monitor the movements and activities of entire populations in what campaigners call "an unprecedented project of social control".
The warning came from the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group, including the American Civil Liberties Union, and Statewatch, a UK-based bulletin which tracks developments in the EU.
They point to the system whereby all visitors to the US are to be digitally photographed and fingerprinted. The EU has agreed that member states must fingerprint all passport holders by the end of 2007. The information will be held on databases.
National ID cards, they warn, will become a "globally interoperable biometric passport". The setting up of airlines' passenger name records (PNRs) could include more than 60 different kinds of information, including meal choices which could reveal personal, religious or ethnic affiliations.
The US and EU governments are expanding legal powers to eavesdrop and to store the product of intercepted personal communications, the groups warn.
They also point to an agreement between Europol - the EU's incipient police headquarters - and the US giving what they say will be an unlimited number of American agencies access to sensitive information on the race, political opinions, religious beliefs, health and sexual life of individuals.
The groups point to increasingly close cooperation between national police, security, intelligence, and military establishments.
To achieve their ends, they say, governments have suspended judicial oversight over law enforcement agents and public officials, concentrated unprecedented power in the hands of the executive arm of government, and rolled back criminal law and due process protections that balance the rights of individuals against the power of the state.
These initiatives, say the civil liberty groups, are not effective in identifying terrorists. Unfortunately, government around the world are going to have to learn the hard way that keeping voluminous records, surveillance files, identity databases, medical profiles, personality trait indexes, and intense biographies on everyone really accomplishes nothing. It gives an illusion of control, of having godlike powers over others, but in the final analysis, just hurts people with no appreciable return. Look at all the good it did East Germany.
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - An explosion rocked a street in Beirut late Wednesday, wounding three people, police said. The blast, apparently a hand grenade, was thrown from a car around 9:30 p.m. in the Muslim neighborhood of Cola, police officials said. The extent of the injuries was not immediately known.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/20/2005 4:36:25 PM ||
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LONDON - Iran will end nuclear talks with three European powers unless its ideas for a compromise are accepted as the basis for future negotiations, a senior Iranian official said in remarks published on Wednesday.
Hassan Rowhani, head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said Iran would walk away from the negotiations with Britain, France and Germany if no "tangible progress" were made soon.
Finally Sharing Washington's suspicions that Iran may be planning to develop nuclear arms, the EU trio has offered Iran political and economic incentives to scrap its uranium enrichment programme, which can produce reactor fuel but could also give Tehran the capability to make bomb-grade material.
Rowhani gave no specific details of Iran's proposed compromise, but diplomats have told Reuters Tehran wants to run a small plant for enriching uranium and keep the door open to fitting it with tens of thousands of centrifuges to produce enriched-uranium fuel on an industrial scale. "The Europeans should tell us whether these ideas can work as the basis for continued negotiations or not," Rowhani told Britain's Financial Times newspaper in an interview.
"If you're not going to give us the store, we'll just have to leave."
"If yes, fine. If not, then the negotiations cannot continue. These ideas are the very last possible ideas that we could come up with as compromise options."
Two days of EU-Iran nuclear working group talks began in Geneva on Tuesday and are due to continue at a more senior level in London on April 29. "If we see tangible progress, we are willing to continue," Rowhani said in a transcript of the interview carried on the newspaper's Web site. "We have informed the Europeans of the nature of the progress we must have by April 29. We have put a number of very clear ideas on the table. The ball is now in the European court."
It always was. Either the Euros come to see the Mad Mullahs for what they are, or they learn to live -- again -- under the threat of nuclear anniliation.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/20/2005 00:00:00 AM ||
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#1
Maybe Jim Morrison would have put it this way:{scream}
April 20 (Bloomberg) -- Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said the bodies of more than 50 civilian hostages were recovered from the River Tigris today. The killings marked a broadening of the Sunni insurgency from attacks on security forces. ``They were killed and they threw the bodies in the Tigris,'' Talabani, 72, said today at a news conference aired by Qatar-based al-Jazeera television. ``We have the full names of those who were killed and of those criminals who committed those crimes.''
The dead, 57 Shiites abducted by Sunni gunmen from al- Maidan, which lies on the Tigris, 30 kilometers (18 miles) south of Baghdad, included women and children, Agence France-Presse reported, citing an unidentified Iraqi police lieutenant-colonel based in Suwayrah.
Insurgents have mainly targeted U.S. and Iraqi security forces since the March 2003 U.S-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, a Sunni. Insurgents shot dead 19 members of the country's National Guard in the town of Haditha, northwest of the capital, Reuters reported today. In one of the largest mass executions carried out by Sunni insurgents, as many as 49 Iraqi Army recruits were found shot dead northeast of Baghdad on Oct. 24. The terrorist group led by al-Qaeda-linked Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has claimed responsibility for those killings and many similar ones.
To date, there have been few deliberate attacks on civilians, according to analysts including Stephan Wolff, professor of Middle East politics at the University of Bath and a consultant to the U.K. Foreign Office. ``The insurgency has moved in the direction of a civil war, not in terms of intensity but in terms of who is being affected,'' Wolff said in a telephone interview today from Bath, western England. ``If you look at how the targets have evolved, it's clear they're trying to target Iraqis more than they did before.''
Iraqi politicians and media said on April 15 that Sunni Muslim gunmen were holding up to 100 people captive in al-Maidan. Iraqi soldiers took the town on April 18 and found no hostages, Iraq's interim government said in an e-mailed statement at the time.
Well, now we know what happened to them. Looks like the Iraqi governments info was correct after all.
``Terrorists committed crimes there and it is not true that there were no hostages, there were,'' Talabani said. The victims were buried in a cemetery in Suwayrah, 40 kilometers west of Baghdad and close to where the bodies were recovered, after police had photographed the victims, AFP said. The killing of the civilians at al-Madain is a direct challenge to the new Shiite dominated government, Wolff said. ``Even with a more or less democratically elected government, the insurgency has not crumbled as some people had hoped it would.''
The United Iraqi Alliance, backed by top Shiite Cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, 75, won the most seats in Iraq's Jan. 30 vote for a 275-seat National Assembly. Ibrahim al-Jaafari, 58, a member of the Shiite Dawa party, which is part of the alliance, was named prime minister On April 7 and may reveal the names of his 31 cabinet members tomorrow, Talabani said today, according to AFP.
Jaafari is trying to incorporate Sunnis, who largely boycotted the poll, into the government and the drafting of Iraq's permanent constitution in a bid to quash violence. His government may also extend an amnesty to rebels, to the same end. ``The Shiite population has shown remarkable restraint so far,'' University of Bath's Wolff said. ``The question is now how long they will that last and at what state will they no longer take it,''
Posted by: Steve ||
04/20/2005 1:47:10 PM ||
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#1
This hostage thing could be a blog all by itself. The story keeps changing, and getting wierder.
#2
How long can it continue before things start to get really ugly is exactly the question. Badman Z's statement yesterday seems to suggest his people intend to play the sunni sectarian victim of the shia govt. angle to the hilt. Considering recent events in Iran, it's shaping up to be a long and exceptionally hot summer.
The leader of an Algerian Muslim extremist group has surrendered to the authorities, reports said Wednesday. Daily Sawt al-Ahrar quoted a well-informed source as saying Rachid Abu Turab of the Armed Islamic Group surrendered Friday in western Algeria. Forty-one gunmen from the group are expected to follow suit. The source said Abu Turab agreed to surrender following contacts with the head of the Amnesty Committee in the province of Ghlisan, 350 kilometers (218 miles) west of Algiers. The notorious GIA was blamed for many massacres during the 1990s. Only a few GIA members remain active in eastern and western Algeria.
This article starring:
RACHID ABU TURAB
Armed Islamic Group
Armed Islamic Group
Posted by: Steve ||
04/20/2005 11:47:14 AM ||
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I thought he was captured? Or is he back to being dead?
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/20/2005 13:36 Comments ||
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For the second time in five months, Hizbollah militants operating an Iranian-made drone successfully penetrated Israel's air defenses and flew unmolested for nearly nine minutes on April 11 over Western Galilee cities and settlements before returning safely to southern Lebanon. Local residents first reported the UAV. hich was not initially picked up by Israel's elaborate, overlapping sensor-fused early warning network.
Current air defenses are not designed to detect and recognize small, low-flying, slow-moving objects like small UAVs, whose flight profile on radar and even through electro-optical and other sensors is obscured by ground clutter, glare and other environmental conditions. "It's like catching a mosquito with a net," said Brig. Gen. Ruth Yaron, the IDF's chief spokeswoman.
By the time the Israel Air Force vectored fighters and combat helicopters to intercept, the camera-equipped Mirsad-1 UAV had already crossed back into Lebanese territory with fresh video streams from its estimated 18-mile roundtrip flight. While the flight itself had little military value, some analysts have expressed concerns that future incursions of UAVs equipped with more deadly payloads like biological or chemical agents could become a more potent threat.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/20/2005 10:55:39 AM ||
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#1
This raises a very profound theological question.
Assumption: a UAV filled with explosives is crashed into a school and kills a bunch of kids.
Question: is the controller of said UAV eligiable for 72 virgins?
Posted by: Michael ||
04/20/2005 12:16 Comments ||
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mojo - That's exactly it, hit the site it lands at with a huge air strike immediately.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats ||
04/20/2005 16:26 Comments ||
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#7
Any bets the area it lands would be a residental neighborhood - right next to a school? You know how the brave Islamic fighters like to hide behind innocent women and children.....
#8
"tres interesant"............so the IDF lets "again"an UAV penetrate their air defense.........facisnating.........i guess that they let lots of things go by........i wonder why.........tra, la, la, la
#9
Interesting that the IDF would claim that they didn't recognize the drone in time -- are they trying to lull Hezb'Allah and Iran into a false sense of security? Especially when American satellites are watching closely, and can map takeoff/landing points within a meter or so? What do you think, Mr. ladidah?
#10
Interesting that the IDF would claim that they didn't recognize the drone in time -- are they trying to lull Hezb'Allah and Iran into a false sense of security? Especially when American satellites are watching closely, and can map takeoff/landing points within a meter or so? What do you think, Mr. ladidah?
By Bill Gertz
Recurrent intelligence reports say al Qaeda terrorist Abu Musab Zarqawi has obtained a nuclear device or is preparing a radiological explosive -- or dirty bomb -- for an attack, according to U.S. officials, who also say analysts are unable to gauge the reliability of the information's sources.
The classified reports have been distributed to U.S. intelligence agencies for several consecutive months and say Zarqawi, al Qaeda's leader in Iraq, has stored the nuclear device or dirty bomb in Afghanistan, said officials familiar with the intelligence. One official said the intelligence is being questioned because analysts think al Qaeda would not hesitate to use a nuclear device if it had one.
As we have discussed here.
However, the fact that the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has reported the nuclear threat in several classified reports distributed since December indicates concern about it. A DIA spokesman had no comment.
The Jordanian-born Zarqawi, who last year formally linked up with Osama bin Laden's terror network, is thought to be operating inside Iraq and has specialized in suicide bombings and large-scale vehicle bombings. He had several close encounters in recent weeks with Iraqi and U.S. forces.
Senior U.S. intelligence and security officials said in congressional testimony in February that a terrorist attack with weapons of mass destruction -- nuclear, chemical or biological arms -- is likely. CIA Director Porter J. Goss said such a terrorist strike "may be only a matter of time." Dirty bombs are made by mixing radioactive material with conventional explosives.
A report by the Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction faulted U.S. intelligence agencies for not understanding al Qaeda's unconventional weapons programs in Afghanistan prior to 2001, when U.S. forces helped oust the Islamist Taliban government.
"There are critical intelligence gaps with regard to each al Qaeda unconventional weapons capability -- chemical, biological and nuclear," said the report, made public March 30.
The commission said bin Laden told a Pakistani newspaper reporter in November 2001 that al Qaeda has both nuclear and chemical weapons. The CIA then "speculated" in a report that the terrorist group "probably had access to nuclear expertise and facilities and that there was a real possibility of the group developing a crude nuclear device," the commission report said. The commission also said U.S. intelligence agencies think development of a radiological bomb is "well within al Qaeda's capabilities."
Dirty bomb - yes, nuclear weapon - not likely.
The reported threat of nuclear terrorism comes amid other intelligence indicating that Zarqawi is planning an attack on the United States. Still other intelligence says Zarqawi was planning a chemical weapons attack in Europe, officials said. In February, U.S. intelligence and security officials said information showed bin Laden had asked Zarqawi to focus future attacks on targets inside the United States. The threat was contained in a classified bulletin to state and local security officials.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/20/2005 9:32:07 AM ||
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#1
Maybe this was why Bin Laden claimed something about dying in the belly of the enemy. Everyone at the time thought he was going to do a spectacular attack on the US. Except, I believe he is past due on his threat. Or is He? Does anyone know?
#7
Lets say three months after Dallas, and nine months after Houston. I think it might take a couple of times to drive the idea into the heads of some of the idiots in DC.
After the first there will be a big showing of 'controlling the border' (perhaps along with a general amnesty...) but nonthing practical wil be done.
#8
Nothing new here. Not sure why we bother to win elections when we loose every policy argument or fail to turn it into policy. Borders, judges, Bolton at the UN...
#9
Three months after Dallas becomes uninhabitable. Why couldn't it be Los Angeles, or San Francisco?
Becasue W is from Texas and it would be more symbolic to them to hit his home state.
When the f*** will this country's political class get serious about controlling the border?
After a part of a major US city is rendered un-inhabitalbe, after the left crucifies W and his team, after the MSM wrings their hands saying we deserved this for invading Iraq, after the lawyers file class action lawsuits against the govt for not doing their job, after Congress sings 'God Bless America' again on the capitol steps so they can be attention whores, and finally after citizens start popping off rounds on the illegals on their own (because its bad PR for the govt)
Posted by: Yosemite Sam ||
04/20/2005 12:12 Comments ||
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#10
I live in Austin, and I was just teasing with my brother about joining the Minutemen in AZ. Maybe we should start our own militia/border patrol her. But damn, what a huge boder we have.
Posted by: Bill ||
04/20/2005 12:43 Comments ||
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#11
So we know for certain that "bin Laden has asked Zarqawi to focus future attacks on targets inside the United States", and fairly sure that these planned attacks will include at some point a dirty bomb. We also know that a very effective way to terrorize a population is to use 10-20 jihadists with small arms to hit a school or other soft target where children are concentrated-- a mall, for ex.
I can't join the minutemen, and in any case the MSM will do their best to spin it as Son of Militia. We won't have another presidential election for 3 years. How the hell do you get the attention of our political class?
#12
Maybe this is naive, but why wouldn't AQ/Z-man and Co use forged identity papers to get their operatives into the country legally by posing as legal aliens or their relatives?
I'm sure there's no shortage of willing narco-politicians and cops in Mexico, Honduras, etc who'd be willing to supply the docs for the right price. Or in Chavez's case, no price at all.
#15
We also know that a very effective way to terrorize a population is to use 10-20 jihadists with small arms
Thats whats really scary. They could pull a "DC Sniper" stunt in a bunch of cities all at the same time.
Posted by: Yosemite Sam ||
04/20/2005 14:11 Comments ||
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#16
Not sure why we bother to win elections when we loose every policy argument or fail to turn it into policy. Borders, judges, Bolton at the UN...
#17
Though I maintain that the party that dominates the White House and Congress needs to step up first, I'll agree with .com that blame on this goes to both parties.
There's something deeply troubling about the notion of a political class that cannot even grasp what a huge and present danger this porous border poses to our people.
The word "decadence" comes to mind. The system isn't working. We can't wait until 2008 to get serious about this.
#20
They're already working with at least one gang. From Command Post (see January 6 2005 article) http://www.command-post.org/gwot/2_archives/cat_al_qaeda.html
Boston Street Gang Linked to Al Qaeda
The Boston Herald reported yesterday that federal law enforcement agencies have warned the Boston police that an East Boston street gang with roots in El Salvador is cooperating with Al Qaeda:
A burgeoning East Boston-based street gang made up of alleged rapists and machete-wielding robbers has been linked to the al-Qaeda terrorist network, prompting Boston police to âturn up the heatâ on its members, the Herald has learned.
MS-13, which stands for La Mara Salvatrucha, is an extremely violent organization with roots in El Salvador, and boasts more than 100 âhardcore membersâ in East Boston who are suspected of brutal machete attacks, rapes and home invasions. There are hundreds more MS-13 gangsters in towns along the North Shore, said Boston police Sgt. Detective Joseph Fiandaca, who has investigated the gang since it began tagging buildings in Maverick Square in 1995.
In recent months, intelligence officials in Washington have warned national law enforcement agencies that al-Qaeda terrorists have been spotted with members of MS-13 in El Salvador, prompting concerns the gang may be smuggling Islamic fundamentalist terrorists into the country. Law enforcement officials have long believed that MS-13 controls alien smuggling routes along Mexico.
The warning is being taken seriously in East Boston, where Raed Hijazi, an al-Qaeda operative charged with training the suicide bombers in the attack on the USS Cole, lived and worked, prosecutors have charged.
#22
If it must come to pass (Lord we hope it doesn't) make it a blue state. We can start anew.
Posted by: Dennis Kucinich ||
04/20/2005 16:38 Comments ||
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#23
"A burgeoning East Boston-based street gang made up of alleged rapists and machete-wielding robbers has been linked to the al-Qaeda terrorist network..."
If it's sexual and pathological, AQ is at the front of the line to join up.
#24
We know were Abu Musab Zarqawi's family and friends are. Perhaps a couple of them should loose their heads to some dull sword on al that jizz tv by some unknown guys wearing burkhas.... Threats to the the rest of his nabbed relations unless he turns himself in. Same for binny boy. Its something the Arabs seem to relate to.
'Criminal' killed in 'crossfire'
A man with criminal records was killed in an alleged encounter between police and his accomplices, eight hours after his arrest in the city's Kafrul area. The incident, which took place in the early hours of yesterday, also left a police constable injured. The dead, identified as Pichchi Jahangir, alias Russell, 25, son of Abdul Quddus Sheikh of Pabna, was accused in eight criminal cases, including two for murder.
On Monday at noon, Jahangir and several accomplices shot one Kabir Uddin, a guard of a building under construction at Ananda Road of Ibrahimpur, in a bid to extort Golam Ahmed Babul, the owner of the land. Jahangir was caught while fleeing from the scene. When quizzed in police custody, Jahangir disclosed his plan to meet his mates near a lake in the Bhasantek area of the Kafrul Police Station.
"OK, I'll take you to my mates, but I ain't hidden no guns, see?"
Police then went on a hunt with Jahangir to nab his accomplices - Anu, Taj, Mintu and others - at various places in Mirpur on Monday. Three teams of Kafrul police, following his statement, reached near the lake at 12:30am, said Jane Alam, Officer-in-Charge of the Kafrul Police Station.
It was a dark night, 30 minutes past midnite, on the deserted lake shore when suddenly a shot rang out.....
Jahangir's mates opened fire on the police teams, injuring police constable Mashiur Rahman in the right leg, Jane Alam said, adding the police returned fire in defence.
"Jahangir tried to flee when he found Mashiur injured but received bullets in the head and chest, shot by his accomplices during the shootout," Jane Alam said.
Yeah, it always happens that way
Jahangir's mates fled the scene in the dark, after which police recovered a local-made pistol, five bullets, two shells and a mobile phone from the spot.
Injured Jahangir and Constable Mashiur were rushed to the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital where doctors declared Jahangir dead.
"He's dead, Jim"
Mashiur was shifted to Rajarbagh Police Lines Hospital. Jahangir's body was sent to the DMCH morgue.
"Doctor Quincy, we got another one."
Maksuda Akhtar Chobi, wife of Jahangir and the mother of a three-year old, said the police 'deliberately' killed him.
Really? That's never happened before
Earlier the police had taken Jahangir to his Mirpur section 14 residence at around 4:30pm to confirm his identity. Maksuda said. "As I did not disclose his real name, the police picked me up along with my brother Mizanur Rahman and my daughter," she told The Daily Star yesterday at the DMCH. Police held Maksuda and her daughter in custody for the night and released them in the morning.
Meanwhile, police rescued an unidentified youth, aged around 15, clad in a white vest and black trousers, from a road in front of the Motijheel Ideal Government Primary School at 1:15am yesterday. Doctors at the DMCH declared him dead. The youth was unconscious when police recovered him.
Well, that's their story. It could be true
His mouth and body were tied with tape and he had marks of bruises on his neck and right ear, said a police report.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/20/2005 8:41:59 AM ||
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#1
You guys better be careful printing things like " alleged encounter" might get you in some hot water ( out by the lake at 12:30 dark thirty.)
#2
If what the Shi'ite group says is true . . . then the mission should go swimmingly and allow for the early withdrawl of the Aussies when training reaches the benchmarks they have set. Achieving those benchmarks should be gravy in a province which is completely pacified.
Especially if there is no CORRUPTION within the militia, like taking bribes at checkpoints or allowing large arms shipments to move through their province to other areas in exchange for peace . . . . no problems at all.
Posted by: Jame Retief ||
04/20/2005 7:38 Comments ||
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#3
The Australians are there to protect Japanese engineers. They may well be doing other things like training, I presume at the behest of the Iraqi government. The Badr spokesman is just drawing lines. I don't see a problem.
BTW, JR smuggling arms into Iraq is like smuggling heroin into Afghanistan. Anyone who things this is happening (and has a material effect) is a fool.
#4
Well, it being a militia and all, I would suggest that the acid test would be their willingness to be integrated into the Iraqi army. If they are just a sectarian militia, then they serve a different master than their nation, a unified Iraq. It implies that they do not believe that even a Shiite majority government will be able to protect them, or has their best interests in mind, which plays into the mindset of an eventual civil war to the point of their being a force for destabilization, rather than a force for local protection.
Two people were injured, one of them seriously, when unidentified men threw a hand-grenade into a childrens hospital in Somali capital Mogadishu at midday on Tuesday, hospital staff said.
One of the injured, a doctor, who was taken to another hospital, said he did not know the attackers.
"I saw the grenade coming toward us, and then it exploded'', he said.
The hospital, managed by the Austrian SOS organization, is located near a kindergarten run by the same group. None of the more than 2,000 children were injured.
An employee at the hospital, Fadumo Hassan Hamud, told Deutsche Presse Agentur dpa that "we dont have another hospital (for children) in Mogadishu, if they ambush and close SOS our children will be without a hospital''.
The grenade attack follows a shooting Monday, in which a woman working for a Scandinavian aid group, IAS, was shot dead by gunmen after the organization had been accused of trying to "Christianize'' Somali youth.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/20/2005 12:34:02 AM ||
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#1
Why anyone outside of Somalia's crazed inhabitants are in that country is beyond me.
Iraq security forces are detaining two men suspected of working for al-Qaida-linked terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Iraqi government said in a statement e-mailed from Baghdad. Hamza Ali Ahmed al-Widmizyar, known as Abu Majid, and Salman Aref Abdulkadir Khwamurad al-Zardowe, also called Abu Sharif, were arrested at the beginning of April during a raid on Ramadi, said the government, without explaining why the information was just released Tuesday.
They have squeezed them dry of info and their friends have noticed they ain't returning their calls.
Abu Majid met with al-Zarqawi at least five times and helped with communications, weapons and money for the Jordanian-born terrorist, according to the statement, which didn't provide details of the assistance. Abu Sharif confirmed Abu Majid's role and "confessed his involvement in terrorist activity," including the manufacture and detonation of bombs, the government said.
This article starring:
ABU MAJID
al-Qaeda in Iraq
ABU SHARIF
al-Qaeda in Iraq
HAMZA ALI AHMED AL WIDMIZYAR
al-Qaeda in Iraq
SALMAN AREF ABDULKADIR KHWAMURAD AL ZARDOWE
al-Qaeda in Iraq
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/20/2005 12:15:42 AM ||
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A suspected al Qaeda agent who divulged a plot to attack Britain is due to go on trial on terror-related charges in Algeria on Wednesday, officials said. Mohamed Meguerba, 37, was arrested in Algeria in December 2002 after jumping bail in Britain, where he had given police information in the biggest British terrorism case since the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States. Information he gave interrogators led to the arrests of 100 people in an anti-terrorism sweep in Britain. One of them, Kamel Bourgass, was convicted last week of a plot to launch chemical and bomb attacks.
Meguerba faces accusations of being a member of a terrorist organisation operating abroad and of one active in Algeria. He also faces charges of using fake documents and other more minor crimes. A government official said he expected a trial on Wednesday, but the Justice Ministry declined to comment and an Algiers court official said: "We have nothing to say. This is a matter for the security services."
Fearing extradition, Meguerba told Algerian authorities that plotters in Britain were keeping deadly ricin poison in a skin-cream jar and planned to smear it on door handles. British police did not find the poison but found recipes to make it. "After his arrest, he eventually gave information about a terrorist plot in England, in which he admitted playing a part," said prosecutor Nigel Sweeney in Britain.
The two-year-long British trial convicted Bourgass, who was accused of being the ringleader. But the jury cleared the four North Africans alleged to have been co-conspirators. Prosecutors then decided to drop charges against another four North Africans.
Meguerba's story is similar to that of many Algerians who left home for Europe in the early 1990s. Among them were exiles who attended London's Finsbury Park Mosque, where some Islamic extremists met, later going to training camps of the Taliban and Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. The Afghan camps were full of thousands of men, many North Africans, willing to fight an Islamic holy war against "infidels".
"He was a normal guy, who did not regularly pray at the mosque. There's very little on him before he went to Europe," said an Algerian security expert, who declined to be identified.
He is believed to have left Algeria in the 1990s and married an Irish woman in 1997. After a move to London, when he attended Finsbury Park Mosque, he left for bin Laden's El-Farouk camp in Afghanistan in late 2000 where he learned combat, chemicals and explosives, security experts said. "He is believed to have fallen off a horse in combat with the Taliban and has since had a bad back and poor left leg," one said.
The authorities believe Meguerba, who was able to travel and fit in easily with fluent French, English and Arabic, was asked by al Qaeda to take part in the first attacks in Europe. But after an arrest in Amsterdam he later made his way to Britain. He was later arrested there, but skipped bail and made his way back to Algeria, apparently with the help of Algerian rebels.
This article starring:
El-Farouk camp
Finsbury Park Mosque
KAMEL BURGAS
al-Qaeda
MOHAMED MEGUERBA
al-Qaeda
prosecutor Nigel Sweeney
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/20/2005 12:11:32 AM ||
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The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government has banned a monthly magazine 'Shahadat' owned by the militant organisation Tehreekul Mujahideen, sources told Daily Times on Tuesday.
Guess it must be time to change the masthead to "Shahadat Times"...
Sources said it was for the first time that a militant publication had been proscribed by the AJK government during the last 15 years. Tehreekul Mujahideen, led by Sheikh Jamilur Rehman, had been publishing the magazine for the last eight years from Muzaffarabad. The magazine focussed on the Kashmir movement in the Indian-held Kashmir. Tehreekul Mujahideen is member of the United Jihad Council (UJC) and Rehman is the UJC secretary general. Sources said the magazine in its recent issue published a few articles on the recent visit of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the split in the All Parties Hurriyat Conference and the role of Pakistan, India, and the US in starting the Muzaffarabad-Srinagar bus service and had condemned these governments along with the AJK government. The magazine was especially critical of Pakistan's policy on Kashmir. Interior Ministry of the AJK government notified the imposition of the ban on the basis that such articles could promote sectarianism in the region.
This article starring:
JAMILUR REHMAN
Tehreekul Mujahideen
JAMILUR REHMAN
United Jihad Council
All Parties Hurriyat Conference
Tehreekul Mujahideen
United Jihad Council
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2005 12:06:08 AM ||
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A suicide bomber killed six people outside an Iraqi army recruitment center in Baghdad, as insurgents stepped up attacks on targets ranging from would-be recruits to top military officers in their homes.
The latest bloodshed Tuesday came as politicians wrangled over the make-up of the next government, more than 11 weeks after general elections, a delay that many fear plays into rebel hands.
A suicide bomber blew up a car outside a palace of ousted president Saddam Hussein, now used by the army, killing six people and wounding 40, a defense ministry spokesman said.
Most of the victims were soldiers or would-be recruits.
At least seven civilians were wounded when a second car bomber later the same day targeted a US patrol in west Baghdad, an interior ministry official said.
A spokeswoman for the US military confirmed there had been an attack, but declined to give a toll.
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's Al Qaeda-linked group said it had carried out the latest deadly attack in a statement posted on a website that it habitually uses to claim operations in Iraq.
The defense ministry spokesman said at least three more soldiers were killed in another attack against an army patrol in Khalidiyah, west of the capital.
Several men in army uniforms late Monday forced their way into the southern Baghdad home of Major General Adnan Faush Farawni, a senior advisor to the defense ministry.
Both he and his son, Captain Alladin Farawni, who worked in intelligence, were shot dead, the interior and defense ministries said.
Meanwhile, Brigadier General Hussein Hato al-Jabeeri, an inspector general for southern provinces, and his driver were shot dead in their car in Amara, some 350 kilometers (210 miles) southeast of Baghdad, a police captain said.
On Sunday, another top-ranking officer, Brigadier General Yunis Mohammed Sulaiman, was killed on his way to work in the main northern city of Mosul.
Civilians were the targets as three men in a car gunned down Fuwad Ibrahim al-Bayatie, head of the German-language department at Baghdad University, outside his west Baghdad home, an interior ministry official said.
In Stockholm, the foreign ministry said a Swede of Iraqi origin had gone missing in Syria while on his way to Iraq and had not been heard from for three weeks.
According to Swedish news agency TT, the man, whose name was not disclosed, is a senior member of the Iraqi Communist Party and was working as an economic adviser to the Iraqi government when he disappeared.
Meanwhile, politicians pushed on with their efforts to reach agreement on the makeup of the new Iraqi government, 11 weeks after general elections won by the Shiite majority and the Kurds.
An representative involved in the negotiations, Mariam al-Rais, from the majority United Iraqi Alliance, said the government should be announced by the end of the week.
A last sticking point involved the number of ministries to be given to members of outgoing Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's party, she said.
The Shiite-based alliance were expected to be handed 17 ministries, including interior, oil and finance, while the Kurds would get nine, retaining the foreign ministry, she said.
Sunnis were slated to get four ministries, Turkmans one, Christians one and Allawi's party four, she added.
Angry delegates suspended a sitting of parliament for an hour and then passed a motion demanding an official apology from the United States after one of them was manhandled by a US soldier at a checkpoint in Baghdad.
They called for the soldier to be disciplined.
The US army meanwhile said a 51-year-old man detained at Camp Bucca, in the south of the country, died, apparently of natural causes.
Camp Bucca, the country's largest US-run detention facility, has more than 6,000 inmates. US and Iraqi forces are holding more than 17,000 people.
On the economic front, Iraq has officially resumed crude oil exports to Turkey's Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, a State Oil Marketing Organization official said.
He declined to give any new export statistics for security reasons.
Oil exports through Turkey, previously averaging 350,000 barrels per day from Kirkuk oil fields in northern Iraq, have repeatedly been brought to a halt by sabotage.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/20/2005 12:07:33 AM ||
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A suicide bomber killed six people outside an Iraqi army recruitment center in Baghdad, as insurgents stepped up attacks on targets ranging from would-be recruits to top military officers in their homes.
When ya can't kill Americans, the next best thing is to kill your fellow Muslims.
Afghan forces and US-led warplanes and troops killed eight Taliban and Al Qaeda-linked rebels and captured 16 others following a gun battle in south eastern Afghanistan, officials said on Tuesday.
The fighting took place on Monday after rebels clashed with government troops in Deh Chopan district of Zabul province, defence ministry spokesman Gen Mohammad Zahir Azimi told AFP.
"Eight Taliban were killed and 16 others were arrested," he said, adding that four of the captured men were wounded. At least two of the dead rebels were thought to be Chechen fighters from Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda terror network.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/20/2005 12:06:05 AM ||
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EFL
The decision by Pakistani and Chinese authorities to cancel the program for the formal inauguration of the newly constructed Gwadar port by Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao during his recent visit to Pakistan gave a clear indication of the further deterioration in the situation in Balochistan. Though the Pakistani authorities have attributed the decision to serious damage to the roads in the area due to the recent heavy floods in some parts of the province, Pakistani media have reported that the cancellation was for security reasons. It is said that the Pakistani authorities were worried that the Baloch nationalists, who have been opposing the port, might stage a spectacular incident during Wen's visit to the province to draw world attention to their opposition. On the other hand, the Chinese were reportedly worried that the Uighur terrorists, who have been sheltered by the Taliban in its camps in the province, could pose a threat to Wen.
Details are only now available of the 10-hour-long battle between the Frontier Corps (FC) troops and Balochi nationalists belonging to the Bugti tribe on March 17. Twenty-eight members of the Bugti tribe and 33 Hindus living under the protection of the tribe were killed during the exchange of fire. Of the Hindus killed, 19 were children. Since this incident, there has been an exodus of Hindus from Balochistan into Sindh. Even earlier, the military-intelligence establishment had forcibly removed a large number of Hindus and some Sikhs who were living in the Gwadar and other areas on the Mekran coast, since it viewed them as a possible threat to the security of the port. The prestigious Friday Times of Lahore has reported as follows in its issue for the week ending March 31: "Because of the clash, a large number of Hindu residents of Dera Bugti have reportedly migrated to Sindh's Khandkot, Kashmore and Jacobabad towns ... Hundreds of Hindus and Sikhs have migrated to the towns and villages of Sindh and Balochistan adjacent to Dera Bugti. There are still many who have sent off their families, but stayed back themselves, to lend support to Akbar Bugti [leader of the tribe], whose ancestors have protected them for over 400 years." I had a feeling the local Hindus would be sympathetic to the Baluchi uprising. Old Bugti must be happy that his serfs are so loyal too.
While the Baloch nationalists have claimed to have killed 35 FC personnel in the clash, the FC has asserted that it lost only eight. According to the Baloch nationalists, during the clash of March 17 and thereafter, the Pakistan army and the FC have diverted to Balochistan from South Waziristan in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas some of the troops deployed there for operations against anti-US foreign mercenaries and much of the equipment given by the US for use against the remnants of al-Qaeda, such as helicopter gunships and communication equipment. This equipment is now being used to crush the Baloch nationalists. To enable it to focus on its campaign against Baloch nationalists, the Pakistan army has reached a ceasefire agreement against the leaders of the pro-al Qaeda tribes in South Waziristan, after paying them large amounts as bribes in return for a promise by them that they would not indulge in any violent incidents in South Waziristan when the army was engaged in its counter-insurgency operations in Balochistan. Islamists have historically been used by the State in Muslim nations when there is a need to combat separatism, since the Islamists believe there should only be one Islamic state, they are almost always loyalists, whether in Bangladesh, Indonesia or Kurdistan.
Musharraf has embarked on a three-pronged strategy. First, to remain firm in his determination to go ahead with the construction of new military cantonments in Balochistan and Gwadar and other projects involving non-Baloch labor to which the Baloch nationalists are opposed. Second, to show flexibility in settling the grievances of the individual tribes in matters relating to their tribal rights with regard to issues such as payment of royalties for the utilization of the natural resources found in their territory by entering into separate negotiations with the leaders of each tribe. Third, to refuse to negotiate with the Baloch fighters and to crush them through the army and the paramilitary forces. He is emulating the policy of divide and rule followed by the Zulfiquar Ali Bhutto government in the 1970s when it crushed the Baloch freedom struggle, which had erupted after the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971, by creating differences between the Bugti tribe on the one side and the Marris and the Mengals on the other. Bhutto then used the Bugti tribe to crush the Marris and the Mengals. Ruling a Tribal society has its advantages, you just have to hope that they keep fighting each other and not put aside their differences to fight the outsider.
Now, the Baloch fighters, wise from the experience of their predecessors of the 1970s, remain determined that they will not allow Musharraf to succeed in his policy of divide and rule. They know that this is a "now or never" struggle for them and their success will depend on their remaining united. Musharraf has not only been trying to create differences among different tribes, but he has also been trying to drive a wedge between the Baloch Sunnis, who are in a majority, and the Shi'ites. "Remain united. Don't betray the Baloch cause." That is the call reverberating across the hills and valleys of Balochistan. Remaining united and resolute in the pursuit of their objective is the sine quo non of their new freedom struggle. But that alone may not be adequate. They need to strengthen their capability for waging a relentless struggle inside and outside their homeland. It's no suprise the Indians would be so sympathetic to the Baluchs.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
04/20/2005 12:03:44 AM ||
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#1
Pakistan is really an empire of almost 200m people incorporating various nationalities (that speak distinct languages) in South Asia who happen to be Muslim. I can see why some of those people might not be too thrilled about being part of the empire. (India's kind of the same way, except they're all Hindus).
#3
IIUC in 1970 the Baluchi rising was supported by USSR, and soviet leaning Afghanistan, and i think India - opposed by Pakistan with support from the US and China (and Iran?) Soviet drive to a warm water port, and all that. great game sort of thing.
So whos on the side of the Baluchi rebellion now? India, I suppose. Sounds like China isnt keen on it, nor the Islamists, nor the US (and presumably not Karzai either). Iran? Russia?
#4
LH: So whos on the side of the Baluchi rebellion now? India, I suppose. Sounds like China isnt keen on it, nor the Islamists, nor the US (and presumably not Karzai either). Iran? Russia?
Pakistan is China's ally in its rivalry with India. Anything that weakens Pakistan would be against Chinese interests.
Palestinian Authority Chairman Abbas told Israeli correspondents PA had collected weapons of all wanted men listed by Israel in Jericho and Tulkarm. These two West Bank towns transferred to Palestinian security control last month. "We've taken many steps, some overt, some unpublished," he said
Abbas then accused Israeli government of discrediting PA. DEBKAfile: Israel's security chiefs are not familiar with data released by Abu Mazen. Shortly after his statement, Palestinian Authority circles contradicted his claim to have disarmed wanted men.
US Marines units are taking part in large-scale amphibian joint exercise with Israeli special operations units, including navy and air force. The Americans practiced landings on Israel beaches - one of which Nitzanim shore north of Gaza Strip.
DEBKAfile's military sources report: Long convoy of dozens of unmarked American military including Stryker light armored infantry carriers loaded with US troops sighted on Israel's Highway 40 heading out of Lod in central Israel to the south.
Troops sitting in open turrets. DEBKAfile adds: In past two weeks, US and Israeli special units holding joint training exercises in Israel's southern Negev.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2005 00:00:00 AM ||
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United States and Afghan forces exchanged fire with suspected Taliban militants and killed 17 and captured 16 while combing through a mountainous area, officials said on Tuesday. American military spokeswoman Lt Cindy Moore confirmed that American air and ground forces had been involved in the fighting on Monday in the mountains of Zabul province and that a US helicopter was forced to make a "precautionary landing" because of mechanical problems. She said there were no American casualties and the helicopter quickly returned to base. Zabul governor's spokesman Ali Khail said that the militants were mostly Chechens and Arabs. He said eight Taliban suspects were killed in an initial clash and nine others were killed trying to counterattack Afghan army forces. Khail said no Afghan soldiers were killed or wounded.
That's pretty significant, I'd say. Just off the top of my head, I'd guess they were US/NATO-trained...
Khail said the US military provided air support for Afghan forces and that some captured militants were handed over to US custody. Khail added that a local Taliban commander Mullah Abdullah may have been among those killed but that there was no confirmation of his death.
I think he was part of yesterday's action, so this looks live yesterday's 10 plus 7...
In another incident, suspected Taliban militants ambushed a Afghan soldiers patrol in Oruzgan province, sparking a one-hour fire fight, said Governor Jan Mohammed Khan. Two Taliban were killed in the fighting on Sunday and Afghan soldiers arrested a regional Taliban commander named Mullah Allah Noor. The other militants escaped into the mountains.
This article starring:
MULLAH ALLAH NUR
Taliban
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2005 00:00:00 AM ||
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#1
Keep on chipping away... looks like mook season's off to a good start.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
04/20/2005 5:13 Comments ||
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#2
no chechen or arab should make it out alive. Park Dostum's tanks close to the interrogation center
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/20/2005 8:27 Comments ||
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#3
is this THE Mullah Abdullah? There a "THE Mullah Abdullah" right? Or is memory failing me?
And yeah, it looks like the Afghan Nat. Army is coming right along.
PESHAWAR: A senior military official on Tuesday threatened the tribes in North Waziristan Agency with a military operation if they did not expel foreign terrorists from their areas. "You people should flush them out, otherwise the military will start an operation," Brig Sajjad of the Pakistan Army told a jirga (council) of Utmanzai tribes in Miranshah, regional headquarters of North Waziristan Agency. "We have been telling you people that there are foreign terrorists in North Waziristan, but you don't listen. We don't want to repeat what happened in South Waziristan Agency," he told Utmanzai elders.
"It would be so embarrassing!"
However, tribal elders sought some time to discuss the problem. "We need some time to discuss it among ourselves and we need the government to share its intelligence on foreign terrorists with us," the tribal elders said.
Yeah, yeah. Been there. Done this. Substitute "south" for "north" Waziristan, somebody else's names for Nek Mohammad and Abdullah Mehsud.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2005 00:00:00 ||
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#1
Fire up the Laskar drums for percussion for the yawn festival.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
04/20/2005 0:26 Comments ||
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KATHMANDU - Maoists shot dead a top police official while he was on duty at Janakpur in Nepal's southeastern Dhanusha district, the third high-level officer to be gunned down since King Gyanendra's power grab, police said on Tuesday. The incident took place Monday night, a police spokesman said, naming the official as Bishnu Pokhrel, deputy superintendent of police in Janakpur, about 378 kilometres (236 miles) southeast of Kathmandu.
In February, deputy superintendent Bikram Bahadur Chand was shot dead in Butwal, west of here, while on March 31, deputy superintendent Mahesh Khatri Chhetri, 48, was killed by rebels in the tourist resort of Pokhara, 225 kilometres (140 miles) west of the capital Kathmandu.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/20/2005 00:00:00 AM ||
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SRINAGAR: Indian troops shot dead two commanders of the banned militant outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba in held Kashmir during a clash in northern mountains, an Army spokesman said on Tuesday. "The two commanders from Lashkar-e-Taiba group were killed in a clash by army soldiers in the Lolab forests of Kupwara district," spokesman Lieutenant Colonel VK Batra said. Batra identified one of the commanders as Waqar Bhai. "He was the divisional commander for the group," Batra said. Indian troops have shot dead seven rebel commanders from various groups, including the top brass from al Badr group, in the past week. "The successes are the results of beefed-up operations against the militants in Kashmir," Batra said.
This article starring:
Lieutenant Colonel VK Batra
WAQAR BHAI
Lashkar-e-Taiba
al Badr
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2005 00:00:00 ||
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2 Pak dead, again
Posted by: an dalusian dog ||
04/20/2005 1:31 Comments ||
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#2
Almost didn't catch that . . . very subtle an dalusian . . . very subtle . .
Posted by: Jame Retief ||
04/20/2005 7:28 Comments ||
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Four bombs exploded in two cities in Balochistan on Tuesday, Geo TV reported. A bomb exploded in Wahdat Colony in Quetta, damaging nearby houses, the report said. Three explosions rocked the Kalat city. A bomb exploded near the revenue office, the another near a telephone exchange and the third near a school, the TV channel quoted the Levies force as saying.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2005 00:00:00 ||
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BAGHDAD - Two Iraqi generals were gunned down in separate attacks Monday evening, one by men in army uniforms who forced their way into his Baghdad home, officials said on Tuesday. Major General Adnan Faush Farawni, a senior advisor to the defence ministry, and his son, Captain Alladin Farawni, who worked in intelligence, were shot dead by the unidentified gunmen who escaped aboard three cars, an interior ministry official told AFP.
One other family member suffered wounds to the head and leg in the attack in a southern district of the capital, the official said.
In another attack Monday evening, Brigadier General Hussein Hato al-Jabeeri, and his driver were shot dead in their car in Amara, some 350 kilometres (210 miles) southeast of Baghdad, police captain Karim Assaf told AFP. The general was an inspector general for the interior ministry responsible for three southern provinces.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/20/2005 00:00:00 AM ||
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I have to wonder if there are not ambitious Colonels in the Iraqi Army that arrange for the occasional assasination to ease the problems of promotion. No hard facts . . . just a passing thought.
Posted by: Jame Retief ||
04/20/2005 7:27 Comments ||
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A big part of the problem is that these guys insist on living the civilian life, which is cushy, but exposes them to all kinds of dangers. The smart thing to do would be to relocate military men and their families to fortified bases.* Note that we haven't had a senior American official killed, ever. That's because we don't let them come out and play, except on selected ceremonial occasions.
* That approach has its own problems, of course. The premise underlying fortified bases is that the troops are loyal to the government rather than to individual commanders. If the troops can't be trusted, then fortified bases are an invitation to coup plotters, who can plan their schemes any time they want, behind closed doors. This is why Uncle Sam can let its troops can do it with impunity, whereas Iraqi troops are another matter altogether.
The Australian soldiers assembling in Kuwait before moving into southern Iraq for a six-month mission say they will pay special attention to the local power blocs in Al Muthanna province. The rules of engagement for the Iraq deployment are meant to emphasise the minimum use of force during the mission. But the troops will rely on political stability as much as military force to keep the province secure.
Warrant Officer Class 1 Bob Aboud says keeping the locals in Al Muthanna on side will be a top priority. "For our mission to succeed and for us to do our job as the way we intend to do it, we need the consent of the local population," he said. Ninety-seven per cent of the province's people are Shiite Muslims and many of them are intent on preserving the relative calm in their province, repelling outsiders from the north who come to make trouble and building their own political power. "Understanding the Muslim culture, understanding the Shiite population and the tribal factions that exist in the province will be very important," Warrant Officer Aboud said.
The troops will have 40 light-armoured vehicles armed with 50-calibre machine guns capable of firing at a target and hitting it up to two kilometres away. Lieutenant Dave Herbertson says the vehicles give him a certain feeling of security. "[It has] a lot of mobility, a lot of firepower, very good communications and it also offers the crew a very good amount of protection," he said. Trooper Daniel Flynn says their rules of engagement will keep the use of force to a minimum. "When we feel there's hostile intent taken towards us or the people around us, like our mates or who we are assigned to protect, and if their lives or our lives come in danger - that's when we use it," he said. While there have been some concerns that the troops would arrive under-prepared, Sergeant Jeff Rolfe says he and his colleagues are ready for their mission. "All the training has come together and we have honed in our skills and are pretty confident about what we're doing here," he said.
Posted by: God Save The World ||
04/20/2005 00:00:00 AM ||
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Sip a little tea, eat a few rattlesnakes, a good time will be had by all.
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.
A rebel base was destroyed during a military raid in Chechnya's Vedeno district, the Russian headquarters for anti-terror operations in the Northern Caucasus reported Tuesday. Seven militants were killed in the clash, army spokesman 
Istanbul police have taken into custody six men of Chechen origin who were allegedly trying to learn how to make bombs from Islamic extremists. The six were detained in Istanbul Tuesday by police in part of a campaign to combat Islamist militants. According to the Anatolia news agency police also seized several electronic devices as well as diagrams showing how to make a bomb ignition switch. It is also suspected that the group was trying to gather material to be used in the making of bombs. Police sources said that the men were planning to conduct activities in Chechnya against Russian forces there.
The trial of an Iraqi Kurd accused of belonging to a terrorist group got underway on Tuesday in Munich and was immediately suspended by the court to allow the defence more time to study evidence materials. The trial before the Bavarian State Superior Court is the first ever in Germany under a new law passed after the 11 September 2001 terror attacks under which membership in a foreign terrorist group is a punishable act. The 31-year-old defendant is charged with providing financial and logistics support from Germany for the '
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - An explosion rocked a street in Beirut late Wednesday, wounding three people, police said. The blast, apparently a hand grenade, was thrown from a car around 9:30 p.m. in the Muslim neighborhood of Cola, police officials said. The extent of the injuries was not immediately known. 
The leader of an Algerian Muslim extremist group has surrendered to the authorities, reports said Wednesday. Daily Sawt al-Ahrar quoted a well-informed source as saying 
PESHAWAR: A senior military official on Tuesday threatened the tribes in 
Four bombs exploded in two cities in Balochistan on Tuesday, Geo TV reported. A bomb exploded in 
The Australian soldiers assembling in Kuwait before moving into southern Iraq for a six-month mission say they will pay special attention to the local power blocs in Al Muthanna province. The rules of engagement for the Iraq deployment are meant to emphasise the minimum use of force during the mission. But the troops will rely on political stability as much as military force to keep the province secure.
