The emir of Kuwait, Sheik Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah, is recuperating in Switzerland after medical treatment in the United States, state television reported Wednesday. The prime minister, Sheik Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah, left Kuwait Wednesday to visit the emir, his half brother, in Switzerland, the TV reported. Sheik Sabah had said on the weekend that the emir was well and was going to Switzerland for convalescence. Sheik Jaber, 79, arrived in Zurich, Switzerland, on Monday. He had spent more than two months in the United States where he was operated on late May for a dilated blood vessel in his left leg. The emir suffered a brain hemorrhage in 2001. He has made few public appearances in recent years. Whenever he did appear, he spoke with difficulty and relied on support from his aides.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/04/2005 00:00 ||
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No hospital's in Kuwait? I've always noticed these guys never have a problem going under the Infidel knife. In fact, it seems to be just the opposite. I wonder if that pisses off Mo?
Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia and Chairman of Senior Ulema Commission and Religious Research and Ifta Department Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdallah Al Alsheikh on Wednesday asserted the country's allegiance to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz. In a speech, Al Alsheikh praised the Saudi pledge of allegiance, noting that it came in accordance with the Islamic laws and the teachings of Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him). He called on everyone to show commitment to national unity, and express loyalty to the Saudi leadership "as instructed by the teachings of Islam," praying to Allah "to bless Saudi Arabia and bring victory to Islam and Muslims.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/04/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
Bran Muffins keep me regular
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/04/2005 9:54 Comments ||
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Islam is the constitution in which will be followed to serve all citizens without any form of segregation, said Wednesday Saudi Arabia's Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdallah bin Abdul-Aziz. "I pledge to Allah and to all of you to follow the Quran as a constitution through the Islamic system" to equally serve all nationals, said King Abdallah in his first speech after Saudis pledged allegiance to him as the new monarch.
King Abdallah lauded his brother the late the late Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahad bin Abdul-Aziz in serving the Arab and Islamic nations, adding that the deceased was "my brother and my lifetime friend." While stressing the significance of the burden placed upon him as he assumes the responsibilities of the throne, King Abdallah prayed to Allah to be granted the wisdom and strength, with the assistance of all Saudis, to follow the path established by King Abdul-Aziz and his sons after him. In a similar speech, the new Saudi Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud said, at the time of need, Saudi Arabia, the Arab and Islamic nations, as well as the entire world have lost a leader, a pioneer and a devoted person. Prince Sultan said the deceased had many achievements, but the most important was expanding the two Holy Mosques and establishing the King Fahad Complex for the Printing of the Holy Qur'an.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/04/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
In Karen I trust, now back to your burqas
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/04/2005 6:54 Comments ||
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to serve all citizens without any form of segregation
So the chicks can drive now, eh? I thought not.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Two Yemeni men say they were held in solitary confinement in secret, underground U.S. detention facilities in an unknown country and interrogated by masked men for more than 18 months without being charged or allowed any contact with the outside world, Amnesty International charged Wednesday.
Amnesty and human rights lawyers argued that the report added to long-standing claims that the United States has held "secret detainees" in its war on terror. "We fear that what we have heard from these two men is just one small part of the much broader picture of U.S. secret detentions around the world," said Sharon Critoph, a researcher at Amnesty International who interviewed the men in Yemen.
"I mean, what did they do to warrant such treatment? Well okay, besides all that?"
Navy Lt. Commander Flex Plexico, noting that it was difficult to respond to a report he hasn't seen said, "We have said many times that the Department of Defense does not engage in the practice of renditions." Plexico, a spokesman for the department, said it was important to note that training manuals of al Qaida terrorist network "emphasize the tactic of making false abuse allegations."
AI clearly isn't aware of that, now are they ...
U.S. officials have denied allegations of secret detention facilities, saying they hold terror suspects only at the U.S. Naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and in Iraq and Afghanistan.
And other places Dan Darling knows about but I don't ...
In June, U.S. officials denied a suggestion from the U.N.'s special expert on torture, Manfred Nowak, that some undeclared holding areas could include American ships cruising international waters. Others have suggested "high-value" detainees could be held secretly in Diego Garcia, a British-held island in the Indian Ocean that the United States rents as a strategic military base.
Lawyers who represent detainees at Guantanamo have long believed that the CIA or other U.S. government agencies have used clandestine jails for terror suspects. "The fact that there are underground CIA facilities somewhere where people are being tortured has been known for a while," said Michael Ratner of the U.S. Center for Constitutional Rights in New York City.
Amnesty said it interviewed Salah Nasser Salim Ali and Muhammad Faraj Ahmed Bashmilah in a jail in Yemen in late June. The group also spoke to a Yemeni government official who said the men were being held in that country only because it was a condition of their release from U.S. custody.
And that they're crazed killers ...
Ali told the rights group that he was originally detained in Indonesia in August 2003 and then flown several days later to Jordan; Bashmilah said he was detained in Jordan in October 2003 while on a trip to visit his mother. Both men claimed they were tortured by Jordanian intelligence agents for four days and then flown to what they believe were underground jails in an unknown location.
Once there, they were held in solitary confinement for more than 18 months, interrogated daily by U.S. guards and blared Western music all day and night. No charges were ever filed against them, they said. The men said their first jail was underground, surrounded by high walls and that it took more than 4 hours to fly there from Jordan. After six to eight months they were transferred to a modern prison run by U.S. officials a three-hour plane journey away that also appeared to be underground.
"Good news, boys! We're transferring you to a Yemeni prison!"
"Um, can we stay here? We like the dark. Really!"
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/04/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
hey better than getting your head cut off.
"..important to note that training manuals of al Qaida terrorist network "emphasize the tactic of making false abuse allegations."
what part of this don't they get.
Posted by: Jan ||
08/04/2005 0:41 Comments ||
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#2
Must be Pledge Time again for AI. They're worse than PBS...
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/04/2005 6:56 Comments ||
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#4
...held in solitary confinement in secret, underground U.S. detention facilities in an unknown country and interrogated by masked men for more than 18 months.
Yeah, that sounds like it'll be easy to prove. But AI eats it up as gospel...
#5
I'm wondering...what if they were "flown" in a circle back to Jordan and it was Jordanians who were interrogating and holding them underneath Amman? What about that, AI? Yeesh, believing these goons (who have WRITTEN tactics of lying and crying "abuse, abuse")...AI = sad!
Posted by: BA ||
08/04/2005 10:07 Comments ||
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#6
AI clearly isn't aware of that, now are they ...
Who the hell do you think told them to put it in their training manuals?
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
08/04/2005 10:12 Comments ||
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Muslims opposed to the British way of life should leave the country, even if they are UK citizens, a senior main opposition Conservative MP said Wednesday.
"Pack your turban and get the hell out!"
Conservative Shadow Defence Minister Gerald Howarth told The Scotsman newspaper that extremists who saw the Iraq war as a conflict against Islam should be considered as treacherous as Soviet sympathisers were during the Cold War. Howarth also criticised remarks by British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and his own Conservative colleague Dominic Grieve, the Shadow Attorney General. Howarth said the majority of Muslims adhered to British values and he described how the British flag had been flown at a meeting he had with Muslims over last weekend. But the MP compared those who despised the British way of life with the traitors who spied for the USSR.
Same principle, isn't it? Treason is treason, no matter what flavor it is...
Those critical of him are left defending the idea that people hostile to Britain should be allowed to stay ...
"If they don't like our way of life, there is a simple remedy, go to another country, get out," Howarth said. Asked what if those people were born in Britain, he replied "Tough. If you don't give allegiance to this country, then leave. There are plenty of other countries whose way of life would appear to be more conducive to what they aspire to....They would be happy and we would be happy."
Sounds fair to me, but "fair" isn't what you'd call an Islamic ideal...
Howarth was apparently incensed by suggestions from Straw yesterday that the presence of British troops in Iraq was "part of the problem. And he criticised Grieve, who said yesterday that the London attacks were "explicable" because of the deep sense of anger felt by Muslims in the UK about various issues, including Iraq and the state of the Islamic world.
No other social groups seem to be capable of anger quite like it presents itself among Muslims, do they?
Posted by: Fred ||
08/04/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
Fred-Excellent find! Looks like we are seeing more and more European types beginning to get a good dose of self-preservation antijihadics...
#2
My hunch is, a few more of those high profile terrorists attacks, and we'll all see the largest forced repatriation of arabs and muslims the world has ever seen! Question though, how would we handle ALL of our citizens being forced back home?
#3
Question though, how would we handle ALL of our citizens being forced back home?
Yesterday, I thought you were a Leftist troll being 'subtle'. Today, I think you exhibiting the classic signs of long term brain damage caused by prolonged and excessive ingestion of recreational drugs - disordered thought processes and bizzare conspiracy theories.
Although I must admit its hard to tell the difference.
#11
".. If you don't give allegiance to this country, then leave. There are plenty of other countries whose way of life would appear to be more conducive to what they aspire to....They would be happy and we would be happy."
It's not about going back to a country of origin, it's about pledging alliegence to your country, and believing in it's credo.
Posted by: Jan ||
08/04/2005 11:27 Comments ||
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#13
Most Americans are descendents of immigrants who came here for a better life and increased opportunity but they did not retain their nationalistic allegiances except to find excuses for parades and to drink beer in stupid costumes. These immigrants despise our western culture and want to impose some Islamic land of Oz on the rest of us. If immigrants have no intention of assimmilating, I can only presume the reason they come west is nefarious. It's kind of like those who want to make the rest of learn Spanish and accommodate them, all the while living on welfare and housing subsidies courtesy of the citizen taxpayers. I think we need new qualifications for immigrants just as they did in the old days...a minumum of finances, employment skills, etc. This is a War on Terror and we have way too many enemy infiltrators among us. I agree with James Woolsey who said it needs to be fought just like the old Cold War spy days, because treacherous sympathizers are here. I'll pitch in and do my part by paying for a flight back to wherever.
(Picture at link)
..."At first, (almost) everything looks fine, but look closer... look at the guy with the white hat... check out his left arm (HIS left arm).... the lower of the rails of the railing is IN FRONT of his left arm... where of course it shouldn't be! I'm NO image specialist, but this sure looks ridiculous. I'd say itÂŽs a fake."
The CLG has also inspected this image. "The white-hatted man was apparently superimposed onto the photo. Not only is his arm 'behind' a railing that is supposedly several feet behind HIM, but also, upon magnification in Photoshop, part of the bar actually goes into his head. This was 'touched-up,' but pixels of his head mix unmistakably with pixels from the railing..."
Actually not. It's a function of a low-res camera with a transfer from videotape to a compressed video format.
Here's the man cropped from the original pic, original size.
And here's the same image enlarged...
In the smaller version, you can see that the light on his cheekbone appears distinct from the shading of the bar. The detail is lost on enlargement, making it appear that the bar runs into his head at an angle. Bars actually seldom do that. Note also that the bar appearing to run into his sleeve is also at an angle. Now, here's the cheekbone with more enlargement...
The bar running into the guy's head again resolves into two separate pieces (almost). The sleeve enlargement is here...
... and while it doesn't resolve as well as the bar-cheekbone meeting, it still retains its dip and then edges upward again, which probably makes it the stripe on the guy's jacket.
The moral of this story, of course, is that if you're an idiot you shouldn't dabble in conspiracy theories.
#5
If you look closely, you can plainly see that the dude wearing the white cap is George Bush himself, off to his side is Cheney, the dude wearing the black hat is Blair, and first guy through the doorway is my cousin.
Posted by: Rafael ||
08/04/2005 1:24 Comments ||
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#6
LC-Optical illusion.
Cameras can be funny that way.
Exactimundo! - His left arm is bent at the elbow and his forarm is parallel to and above the rail...
Of course the police do have that sophisticated holographic projection equipment {WINK}... They could ruin these guys image with their perverted followers by projecting each of them carrying a ham... {he he he}
#7
I zoomed in on it and it shows nothing of the sort. It's a security photo. The definition is too low to support the kind of naked eye analysis that this site is claiming.
I have to say that I've never understood these kinds of claims. Is it the thrill of hoaxing thousands? The need to prove that the government is intrinsically evil and must always be altering documents and test results? (I mean who knows what the Constitution originally said, dude? Like George Washington was a hemp farmer, if you know what I mean. The right to smoke reefer _must_ have been in the Bill of Rights.) All I know is that tomorrow it will be on the websites of thousands of unbalanced individuals who will accept the assertion of some unknown hoaxster without question while subjecting every claim and statement of the government to prejudiced scrutiny.
#8
Aww, the game is afoot! Why would Scotland Yard insert the 4th man, when obviously he wasn't there? Was it to 'team them up' for a nice conviction wrap up? or more sinister; the fact that they don't want to tip someone off to where he truly was surveilled!
#9
unbalanced individuals who will accept the assertion of some unknown hoaxster without question
You got that right.
Posted by: Rafael ||
08/04/2005 2:15 Comments ||
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#10
Bollocks.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
08/04/2005 5:38 Comments ||
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#11
11A5S, before you wholeheartedly dismiss all conclusions, remember the Lee Harvey Oswald 'Gun In The Yard' photo? An obvious tamper by our government, to set a conclusion of doubt, at the time! Aptly explained in the critically acclaimed "JFK"!
#12
[span class=PeterLorre]
It's a conspiraceee, I tell you, a conspeeraceeeeee!
[/span]
Posted by: Mike ||
08/04/2005 6:24 Comments ||
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#13
smn, may I suggest a higher grade aluminum foil for your headgear?
Posted by: leader of the pack ||
08/04/2005 7:04 Comments ||
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#14
I zoomed in on it and it shows nothing of the sort. It's a security photo. The definition is too low to support the kind of naked eye analysis that this site is claiming.
Might I suggest the effects described are a side effect of interlaced video?
Specifically, each "frame" of video -- NTSC and PAL -- is made up of TWO pictures. For PAL, they're each taken 1/50th of a second apart. Any motion between those two pictures will cause odd effects when it's viewed as a single frame.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/04/2005 7:24 Comments ||
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#15
Much ado about nothing.
Posted by: W Shakespeare ||
08/04/2005 7:46 Comments ||
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#16
Nah. He was beamed in there by the Mossad.
I thought everybody knew that...
#17
Hmmm. Obviously a MI5/mossad/cia conspiracy to perpetuate the rape of the two beautiful arab daughters of Baghdad and Jerusalem. I knew this even before I zoomed in on the so called man in the white hat aka Bush! This message was revealed to me by magik text written in code in a pile of dogcrap I saw in the gutter yesterday. And no, I was not drinking too much green tea at the time!
#19
If it was faked you can guarantee there would be no sign. They would have cleaned up everything.
This reminds me of the lunar landing photos that some idiots claim are faked (yet actual photographers can easily explain). I don't get the conspiracy folks, they live in a twisted world.
#23
They are Mossad agents..in sports casual attire
Posted by: Kent Mccord ||
08/04/2005 15:13 Comments ||
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#24
The conspiracy Conspiracy:
Buwahaaahaaa! Little do they know; the real master plan involves sowing panic, fear and confusion among the Moonbats by promoting lunatic conspiracy theories.
It's a hell of a lot cheaper than a jackboot gestapo and unlike, say, a nuclear strike, it preserves our real estate and other capital assets.
In all seriousness, lurid conspiracy theories can be (and are in fact) a very successful component of our "black" propaganda.
The objective is to appeal to the vanity of idiotarians, always an easy task, while planting the seeds of doubt, fear, dissension, and confusion.
A good (if somewhat simplified) example would be a claim that Rovian forces have introduced some new kind of mind-control technology. This appeals to the individual Moonbat's elitist vanity, confirming its place on the cutting edge by virtue of knowing what others do not. However, upon reflection, it can also cause the Moonbat to doubt its own sanity.
Similarly, criticism of fellow radicals for various inconsistencies and shortcomings can be seen as ideologically rigorous, appealing to pseudo-Maoist elements in particular, but it will inevitably sow dissension and resentment.
It is always possible to raise suspicion that a devoted radical may in fact be a COINTELPRO plant or wing-nut troll. The target may resist this successfully, but the stain will linger. Accusation, the act of denunciation, has a hypnotic appeal for radicals, probably for its associations with absolute power, and they will not easily give one up once it is made.
Stories of unvincibly sinister assassination squads and flawlessly concealed disappearances appeal to leftist egoes, helping them to identify with glamorous Latin American revolutionaries and Hollywood rebels. If seriously believed or even seriously suspected, though, they have the same effect as actual assassinations and disappearances; paranoia, suspicion, and intimidation.
Finally, as I just intimated, conspiracy theories attribute real power to the conspirators. Totalitarian sympathizers ultimately fear and respect nothing else. A steady diet of conspiracy will embed the power of their enemies firmly into the leftist worldview, with an obvious potential for generating conflict and divided loyalty.
#25
Isn't there also a very real danger if you use this domestically? I know very little about psyops, but it seems to me that you run the risk of cementing in the minds of neutral / moderate people a false picture that the government is out of control and should be voted out of office.
#26
There is a danger, curious, which is why the theories must be designed to appeal only to those who are not moderate or neutral. This is a fairly difficult task, but there are ways.
#29
A final note: have you noticed that a strong propensity to conspiracy theories seems to be a characteristic of all of the countries that were conquered by the Mongols or the Turks back in the day? It seems to be built into the structure of the government the same way the Mukhabarat is.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
08/04/2005 23:36 Comments ||
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#30
A large portion of the population either can't read or are barely literate, so they believe anything printed on paper. And, in most cases, the governments are not participatory, so what the people experience really is the result of secret plans in unknown places. Finally, the media feed them the most egregious nonsense all the time. So you get a society living on its nerves, incapable of judging reality from fairy tales.
Chechnya took a step closer to its predominant Islamic faith yesterday by announcing that Europe's largest mosque would be built in the shattered capital, Grozny, and that "one-armed bandit" gaming machines would be banned across the republic.
Ramzan Kadyrov, the deputy prime minister, whose private army is said to run Chechnya under brutal martial law, demonstrated his Islamic credentials when he gave the country's estimated 1,000 gaming halls a week to close. The Itar-Tass news agency quoted him as saying: "One-armed bandits are against Islamic norms ... I give these bloodsucking businessmen one week. If they don't comply, I will smash their installations myself." The machines "acted like drugs" on children.
His plans included a 10,000-capacity mosque. "Grozny has not built a single mosque since the 1930s, when all mosques were destroyed," Mr Kadyrov said in reference to the Stalinist purge of religion.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/04/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
No No The Chechens are fighting the Russians they although a little over zealous at times dont give a flying f*ck about any rules of war. Mosques are just another target of oportunity. The US is the only country in the world that feels compelled to fight with one hand tied behind thier back.
#4
hmmm, building in any proverbial flys on the wall?
What a wonderful window of opportunity here
Posted by: Jan ||
08/04/2005 13:42 Comments ||
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#5
Steve, C-Low:
Y'all do realize that Kadyrov is an ally of the Russians who is fighting against Basayev and Dooku and company... I'd suggest searching on his name in the thingey in the upper-right-hand-corner... y'all can then read about how ruthless this guy allegedly is.
I could add, as an aside to any of the "we need more ruthlessness" crowd who might be reading this, that the Russians had been following those procedures for about the past five years or so, in a country with one-twenty-eighth the surface area of Iraq and one-twenty-sixth the population of Iraq. And there's still a significant terrorism problem there.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
08/04/2005 17:56 Comments ||
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#6
And Fred, if you're out there... is Ramzan Kadyrov a good candidate to add to the searchable database?
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
08/04/2005 18:44 Comments ||
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BEIJING - A scheduled meeting of the top envoys to talks on North Koreaâs nuclear program failed to take place on Wednesday because delegates from the Stalinist state did not show up, a source close to the negotiations said.
Did he faint from hunger?
South Koreaâs chief envoy Song Min-Soon had said the meeting, on the ninth day of six-party talks, would begin at 3 pm (0700 GMT). It was supposed to put final touches to a Chinese-drafted joint statement on how the North might abandon its atomic arsenal. But the meeting did not take place.
Oh I am just so surprised.
The source said the Northâs chief delegate Kim Kye-gwan and his team went to the venue Wednesday morning but returned to their embassy soon afterwards. âThe North Korea delegation has not come out of its embassy compound since midday today,â he told AFP.
And just try making them.
Christopher Hill, leading the US delegation, told reporters they had not received North Koreaâs comment on the fourth draft of the Chinese document aimed at setting out the principles of how North Korea should disarm. âWe donât know about the status of the DPRKâs comments and their attitude to the Chinese draft,â he said, referring to North Korea by its official name Democratic Peoplesâ Republic of Korea.
"But we can guess," he added.
âI suspect the Chinese may want further discussions and we will be happy to do whatever the host wants,â he added.
"Ya, sure, you betcha, give us a call when something happens, okay?"
âI think we are really getting to the end of this negotiating process. I am not going to predict it is over today or tomorrow, I just donât know.
âBut, certainly, in terms of the negotiating process, through this week and the past ten days, I think we are getting to the end of this.â
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/04/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
The 'other shoe' is about to drop. I suggest the US trains it's eyes in the sky on all of those facilities poised to emit steam from this day forward!
#2
Maybe that theorized Ebola-bird flu (link) made its way to Korea. Just the bird flu, without all the sexy recombination would be bad enough. In what sort of condition is the average Nork immune system?
#6
Don't worry about the Bird Flu or Mister A-Bomb gents, their ass belongs to me. Little inside info for friends under Denver International. CUMALONA Dinga DONGA lama lama. Mexico IS wood! Silver Halide WILL RETURN! Thunder in the North, Rain in the East, they CALL THE NUTZ MARIA, MARIA!
Australian police and intelligence agencies are keeping tabs on as many as 60 known terrorists operating within the country.
The estimate, made by a former counter-terrorism chief, has been confirmed by Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty and comes as fears mount of an attack on the continent.
A poll shows Australians overwhelmingly reject the Government's claim that involvement in Iraq has not increased the risk to the country, and want even tougher laws to protect them.
But there are growing concerns that the fear of terrorism will trigger a violent backlash against Muslims, underlined by plans that could see them becoming subject to random searches and other measures.
The latest specific warning of the danger to Australia was made by Michael Roach, who retired two years ago as an assistant director with the domestic spy agency, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, responsible for the security of government facilities.
He told ABC television's Lateline that a network of Islamic terrorists was operating in Sydney and Melbourne, most of them known to ASIO.
"Perhaps the number is around 50 or 60 in Australia, who are working in separate cells," he said.
"The threat is real. It's a matter of when will this happen.
"They have precision with regard to their planning, their techniques and their methodologies.
"They are divided into groups within the cell structures, for example, having the co-ordinator of the group down to those people who will actually deliver the bomb."
Roach's claim was supported by Keelty, who said the estimate of the number of terrorists at work in Australia was not news to the intelligence community or police.
"We've been aware for some time of roughly the number of people who have trained overseas and they've been the focus of the attention of both ASIO and the AFP [federal police], and also the state police in our joint operations."
Keelty said the suspects had been the focus of a number of agencies "for the past few years".
"A lot of good hard work has been put into this and we are steadily keeping on top of it," he said.
ASIO has consistently warned of attacks and has blocked dozens of people suspected of links with terror groups from entering the country.
Anti-terror agents have uncovered plans to attack national landmarks in Sydney and Melbourne, and charged a number of people with terror-related offences.
The Government has listed 18 groups under legislation that bans any links to, support for, or membership of, extremist organisations.
They include al Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah, the latter responsible for the Bali bombings.
An ACNielsen poll in the Sydney Morning Herald yesterday reported that Australians are afraid enough to support a range of new measures, such as wider security camera coverage, random searches, a national identity card and the deportation or limited detention of terror suspects without charge.
Only 1 per cent believed the invasion of Iraq had lowered the threat of terrorism, and less than one-third accepted the Government's position that Iraq had not increased the danger of attack.
The official view was also dismissed by Michael Scheuer, the former head of the American CIA unit that tracked al Qaeda.
He told Lateline it was hard to doubt that Iraq had made Australia more vulnerable, given that it was the first United States ally to be attacked - at Bali - and that al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had made it clear those supporting the US in Iraq would be hit.
"The facts are so clear as to be irrefutable," he said. "As is almost always the case with bin Laden, he matches his words to deeds, and to continue to ignore that is to proceed in the world at our own peril."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/04/2005 15:14 ||
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#1
Bin Laden always matches his words to his deeds? I wonder what the statement he wanted "to die in the belly of Eagle" means? I fear his absence in the last few videos means he doesn't want to give a clue to where he is at and wants us to focus on Zawarhiri, he is probably up to something very big and no good and no where near the Afghanistan
border. The previous threats to America are maybe about to be carried out?
#2
Remind me again infidel beach bunnies and club hoppers when the Bali atrocities occurred? It's enough that you exist to set the jihadis off.
If the Australians know who the sleeper terrorists are, why waste a second before rounding them, their imams, and friends up. Fuck good it did British subway riders that MI-5 knew who all the members of Al-Muhajiroun were. How about beating the beating these terrorists to a bloody pulp and then using them to troll for Great Whites.
Posted by: ed ||
08/04/2005 17:35 Comments ||
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Oh-oh. Looks like the countdown's begun:
500,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
499,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999
499,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,998...
VIENNA (Reuters) - The European Union will call a meeting of the U.N. nuclear watchdog's governing board for early next week to warn Iran against restarting atomic work that could be used to develop weapons, diplomats said on Thursday. Okay! Uncle! We give! We give! Just no more meetings with you people! We'll do anything! Please!
Iran threatened to resume uranium processing this week. The EU responded by saying any resumption of nuclear fuel activities would mean an end to two years of talks on Iran's nuclear program. Oh, no. And end to a two year waste of time. Can we stand it!
"This board meeting is just to warn the Iranians," a diplomat close to negotiations between Tehran and the EU's three biggest powers -- France, Britain and Germany -- said, adding the meeting was tentatively scheduled for Tuesday. Means nothing, really. But so does everything we've done in two years...
A second diplomat confirmed there would be a meeting early next week. ...and probably another one a couple of weeks after that. We will schedule another meeting at that time.
An another take on yesterday's british military cemetery desacration. My suspicions went to "racailles" (muslim juveniles) too, northern France (high muslim pop) plus firebomb (a stapple of racailles) plus beer bottles (another stapple, highlighting their hypocrisy) were not indicative of a leftist involvement.
#1
Racaille means scum. I also have suspicions about muslim juveniles gangs (thet the PC french call simply "jeunes" ie young people) in plain words but use of racist language has no place in rantburg.
#2
Oops my bad typing stroke again. Here is the corrected version.
Racaille means scum, lowlife. I also have suspicions about muslim juvenile gangs (that the PC french call simply "jeunes" ie young people like if not being in a gang made you old) and to say it in plain words but use of racist language has no place in rantburg
#3
Ok, will keep it in mind, sorry if I offended you, but IMHO this is not a racist term and I certainly didn't use it as such, as it differentiates between "mainstream" muslims and the ones who have that "homeboyz" mentality.
It is actually non race-related, as it represents thugs from various ethnic origins including "ethnic french". It is a criminal juvenile way of life, not an ethnicity, the direct equivalent would be "yogs" (?) in british english IIRC, the french "lascars" beings "lads". Still, I admit most people think of africans or arabs when they hear that word, but then again, a large part of criminality, especiually violent street crimes, is done by theses groups (though most of their members are law-abiding persons).
Since it looks like we are both French, we both know about the high proportion of Muslims between petty or not so petty criminals (despite the statistic being censored) in France. But a law abiding Muslim is not a "racaille" and a "racaille" is not necessarily a Muslim.
In Rantburg we fight some ideologies (and religions are a special kind of ideology) and the last thing we want is giving IndyMedia and similar moonbat sites the arguments they need to call us racist (I don't doubt they do it, but they are not able to show a proof).
Interesting tidbits about Joe Wilson's not quite undercover wife, Valerie Plame Wilson. Hat tip NRO:
I'm just a regular working mom, says America's most famous spy
10/07/2005 - America's most famous spy was doing her best to stay out of the unwelcome limelight last week. "I'm just a mom getting dinner ready for my kids," Valerie Wilson said with a smile at her hilltop home in one of Washington's best neighbourhoods. "You better talk to my husband." Blah, blah, now the interesting item:
While Miller languishes in jail, Mrs Wilson has quietly returned to work at the CIA's headquarters in Langley, Virginia, after a year's unpaid leave. Her work remains classified, although she is no longer a covert operative. She spent much of her enforced leave of absence helping to counsel women suffering from postnatal depression, a condition that strikes an estimated one in 10 new mothers and which Mrs Wilson herself experienced. "years unpaid leave" and "enforced leave of absence" sounds a lot like what we'd normally call a "suspension", doesn't it? Novak wrote about Plame in July 2003. If the Telegraph is correct, she was not put on âunpaid leave of absenceâ until a full year later, about July of 2004. That would be around the same time as this:
WASHINGTON, July 31 - The Central Intelligence Agency was told by an informant in the spring of 2001 that Iraq had abandoned a major element of its nuclear weapons program, but the agency did not share the information with other agencies or with senior policy makers, a former C.I.A. officer has charged. In a lawsuit filed in federal court here in December, the former C.I.A. officer, whose name remains secret, said that the informant told him that Iraq's uranium enrichment program had ended years earlier and that centrifuge components from the scuttled program were available for examination and even purchase. The officer, an employee at the agency for more than 20 years, including several years in a clandestine unit assigned to gather intelligence related to illicit weapons, was fired in 2004. Say, doesn't Valerie work in the WMD section?
In his lawsuit, he says his dismissal was punishment for his reports questioning the agency's assumptions on a series of weapons-related matters. Among other things, he charged that he had been the target of retaliation for his refusal to go along with the agency's intelligence conclusions. Now the CIA wouldn't do anything like that, would they?His information on the Iraqi nuclear program, described as coming from a significant source, would have arrived at a time when the C.I.A. was starting to reconsider whether Iraq had revived its efforts to develop nuclear weapons. The agency's conclusion that this was happening, eventually made public by the Bush administration in 2002 as part of its rationale for war, has since been found to be incorrect. I see three posibilities, 1 - this guy is lying to cover his ass, 2 - the CIA missed the clue Iraq was dropping their nuclear program and are practicing CYA, or 3 - CIA knew Iraq was dropping the program, but covered it up and gave Bush the wrong data to damage him at a later date. What did Valerie know, and when did she know it? Interesting
Posted by: Steve ||
08/04/2005 12:04 ||
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Cue 007 Theme
Plame, Valerie Plame and this is my past prime husband, Wison, Joe Wilson....
EFL:WASHINGTON (AP) - The front-line fighter jet of the Navy and Marines has suffered a series of recent accidents blamed on brake failure, exposing a problem that has spurred urgent warnings from commanders, military documents obtained by The Associated Press show. Brake problems affecting the F/A-18 Hornet pose "a severe hazard to Naval aviation" that could kill pilots and ruin valuable aircraft, a Navy air wing commander wrote last year after one of his jets roared off a runway and splashed into San Diego Bay, destroying the $30 million plane.
Many of the brake failures have been traced to a $535 electrical cable - about as thin as a drinking straw - that controls the jet's antiskid brakes, the equivalent of antilock brakes on a passenger car. Investigators say the cable can chafe or break, since it runs close to where heavy tie-down chains secure the jets to a carrier deck.
In the San Diego crash, Navy investigators cited "a trend of similar, if not identical, emergencies" that date to 1990 but went unnoticed until a series of failures last year, according to records the AP obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. One Navy pilot aborted a landing last fall when his brakes failed after a combat mission over Iraq. He took off again, circled the runway in Kuwait for a second landing attempt, then lowered his tailhook and caught the emergency arresting cable on the ground. He was not hurt and there was no damage to the jet. A month earlier, a Marine commander was seriously injured when he ejected after he lost his brakes landing on a short runway at Marine Corps headquarters in Quantico, Va. Other failures have occurred as recently as February.
Making matters worse, some pilots did not know the proper procedures for brake emergencies and took actions that contributed to crashes, the records show. The Navy ordered fleetwide inspections last fall and is continuing to investigate whether it needs to redesign the Hornet's brakes, as some commanders have urged. "This matter is by no means closed," said Navy spokesman James Darcy.
The maker of the jet, Boeing Co., deferred comment to the Navy. More at the link
Posted by: Steve ||
08/04/2005 14:09 ||
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Well, at least its not like a sudden unexplained loss of fly by wire control. Even better that it doesn't happen at 10 angels.
#5
How in the world did I miss this posting? I just posted the same darned thing. (So go ahead and kill Mine as duplicate if it shows up.)
If the Navy is really doing everything they can about this (retraining aviators, training maintenance crews, doing frequent inspections, consulting with Boeing on fixes), then this is a problem, but it will be worked out.
If they are sweeping it under the rug (which the MSM always assumes is the case, and unfortunately, really is the case maybe one in a hundred), then we have a problem.
Darn. I wrote a bunch of comments on the copy I posted, but can't remember them now.
NEW YORK -- The suicide bombers cooked up their explosives using mundane items like hydrogen peroxide. They stored them in a fancy commercial refrigerator that was out of place in their grimy flat. And cell phones likely were used to set them off. Those details from the July 7 London bombing emerged on Wednesday at an unusually wide-ranging briefing given by the New York Police Department to city business leaders. The briefing -- based partly on information obtained by NYPD detectives who were dispatched to London to monitor the investigation -- was part of a program designed to encourage more vigilance by private security at large hotels, Wall Street firms, storage facilities and other companies.
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly warned the materials and methods used in the London attack were easily adaptable to New York. "Initially it was thought that perhaps the materials were high-end military explosives that were smuggled, but it turns out not to be the case," Kelly said. "It's more like these terrorists went to a hardware store or some beauty supply store."
The NYPD officials said investigators believe the bombers used a peroxide-based explosive called HMDT, or hexamethylene triperoxide diamine. HMDT can be made using ordinary ingredients like hydrogen peroxide (hair bleach), citric acid (a common food preservative) and heat tablets (sometimes used by the military for cooking). HMDT degrades at room temperature, so the bombers preserved it in a way that offered an early warning sign, said Michael Sheehan, deputy commissioner of counterterrorism at the nation's largest police department. "In the flophouse where this was built in Leeds, they had commercial grade refrigerators to keep the materials cool," Sheehan said, describing the setup as "an indicator of a problem."
Among the other details cited by the NYPD officials:
-- The bombers transported the explosives in beverage coolers tucked in the backs of two cars to the outskirts of London.
-- Investigators believe the three bombs that exploded in the subway were detonated by cell phones that had alarms set to 8:50 a.m.
-- Similar "explosive compounds" were used in the attempted attack in London on July 21. However, the detonators were hand-activated, not timed.
Sheehan said the NYPD was troubled by information it had received about the bombers' links to "organizations," but he did not name any groups.
"We know those same types of organizations that they're affiliated with are very much present in New York City," he said. "That's something we're studying very, very carefully. ... This could happen here." After the briefing, police spokesman Paul Browne said the department had clearance from British authorities to present the information about the July 7 attack, which killed 52 people.
The session at police headquarters in lower Manhattan was attended by officials from police departments and law enforcement agencies in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and other jurisdictions. The officials were in the city discussing plans to beef up security along Amtrak's New York-Washington route.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/04/2005 09:02 ||
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The Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said Wednesday that deliberations related to setting timing for holding the Arab summit, which had been delayed due to death of King Fahad of Saudi Arabia, have started, and that Arab countries are now debating a suggested timing. Moussa denied news reports on the cancellation of the summit set to be held in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh. Moussa said he would also leave to Sudan on Saturday to take part in the funeral of the late Sudanese Vice President John Garang, who has died earlier this week in a helicopter crash accident. He stressed the need for the implementation of the peace process in Sudan.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/04/2005 00:00 ||
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What is wrong with Moussa's tounge in the photo. He chewing tobacco?
PENANG, Aug 3 (Bernama) -- Malaysia will form a Border Patrol Regiment soon to guard the border with Thailand.
Army Field Command chief Lt Jen Datuk Masood Zainal Abidin said the regiment would further tighten security at the border to prevent encroachment, smuggling and other illegal activities. The regiment would be of brigade strength and made up of military personnel, he told a news conference after attending the Malaysia-Thailand Regional Border Committee (RBC) meeting here Wednesday...
Masood said the details of the new regiment would be announced by the armed forces chief soon. Currently, soldiers were already patrolling the border from Perlis to Kelantan but the formation of the regiment would help strengthen border security.
Asked on the security problem in southern Thailand, Masood said it was a domestic affair of Thailand and Bangkok had not sought any form of assistance from Malaysia.
"However, we are prepared to extend our assistance if it is needed to ensure peace in the border areas," he said...
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 3 (Bernama) -- While the United States (US) is ready to help enhance security in the Straits of Melaka, an international sealane, it will leave it to the littoral states to decide the kind of help they want.
"We stand by to assist the countries in the region and we will be looking forward to hear from them what is that they need to further enhance the security in the straits," US Ambassador to Malaysia Christopher J.LaFleur said Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters after presenting an Amcham-Macee Scholarship award worth US$20,000 to a Malaysian student here, he said the US was concerned with the straits' security in the wake of rising piracy which could threaten some 50,000 vessels plying the waters yearly -- ferrying mostly cargoes and oil.
"Security after all is important to all of us. It is important to our countries as trading nations. It think it is important to Malaysia and other countries in the region because your goods come through the same straits, there is lot of business.
"So we all share the interest of having safety and security in the straits strengthened and if needed we can cooperate with regional countries," he added.
LaFleur was commenting on Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak's statement yesterday that Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore would consider offers of aircraft from the US and China to conduct air patrols to avert sea piracy along the straits, but such move should not infringe littoral states' sovereignty.
However, LaFluer added that the US government fully respected Malaysia and other littoral states' responsibility to maintain security along the 900km Straits of Melaka.
Iran's top nuclear negotiator has accused EU foreign ministers of making factual errors and unacceptable threats over Iran's nuclear programme. Hassan Rowhani said that since Iran's suspension of some of its nuclear activities was voluntary, there would be nothing illegal about resuming them. Britain, France, Germany and the EU warned Iran against re-starting the enrichment of uranium. They said this would end two years of talks on Iran's nuclear activities.
Behind the European letter is the threat to refer the whole issue to the United Nations Security Council, which might lead to sanctions against Iran. The United States, which accuses Iran of wanting to develop nuclear weapons, has been seeking this course of action for some time.
Mr Rowhani said uranium enrichment activities would remain suspended for the time being. He accused the Europeans of failing to respond to Iran's proposal to give objective guarantees which would allow it to continue developing nuclear technology. "The three European ministers have said that if we restart [nuclear activities] this would mean the end of negotiations. This is a threat, this is unacceptable," said Mr Rowhani. "There is no judicial or political logic to send the issue to the UN Security Council, this would mean that the Europeans have given in to US pressure and they must assume the consequences," he said. "Once the Isfahan plant restarts, we want to continue the negotiations with the Europeans."
Mr Rowhani expressed his indignation over a warning by Britain, France and Germany that they would call "in the next few days" an emergency meeting in Vienna of the International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-nation board of governors, the body that would send the Iranian nuclear dossier to the United Nations Security Council. In their letter, the Europeans had questioned why Iran was in such a rush to produce its own nuclear fuel, when it currently had no operational nuclear power plants.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/04/2005 08:49 ||
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Mr Rowhani expressed his indignation
"Do they know who I am? This is offensive."
Excuse me? These are the nice guys. Thwew is now someone named Bolton waiting in the wings. Don't be so offended so fast...
France, Britain and Germany hardened their tone toward Iran, warning that Tehran risked triggering an international crisis and could face U.N. sanctions if it follows through with a threat to resume its nuclear program. The toughened stance on Tuesday came a day after Iran said it would resume nuclear processing at its plant in Isfahan, beginning Wednesday, and follows the election of a new ultraconservative government in Tehran.
In a letter to Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Hasan Rowhani, the three nations' foreign ministers and the EU foreign policy chief warned that restarting work would "terminate our dialogue" and push the Europeans to seek a special session of the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The agency's board can report countries to the U.N. Security Council, which in turn can impose sanctions. The Tehran government rejected the European stance. "The way is not to issue threats. Iran will not give in to threats," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said.
Earlier on Tuesday, France and Germany urged Iran to wait for a proposal from European negotiators that is expected this week. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said the European Union was prepared to offer extensive economic incentives to Iran, which he hoped could succeed in "de-escalating this dangerous situation." France warned that Iran would have to face the U.N. Security Council if it reopens its Isfahan Nuclear Conversion Facility and resumes uranium processing. "This Iranian affair is very serious," said French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy. "It could be the beginning of a major international crisis."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/04/2005 00:00 ||
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I'm sure the Iranians are really 'thumbing their nose' at the EU3 over that threat! They know that when that would translate to 'boots on the ground' later, the EU3 will have to come crawling to pappa US for resolution; by that time, the Iranians will have made critical progress in their quest to resolve the nuke containment "packaging problem" before they 'cry uncle'!
#2
Oh, the dreaded 'Sanctions' threat. I'm sure the Iranians are shaking in their robes, as they are loading more ships with oil distined for Europe. The only card the Europeans have to play is the real willingness to turn to the US to lay waste to the country without remorse. That the mullahs know Europe is totally incapable of doing. The Europeans also know that the US can be counted upon to provide them protection cause of good allies like the Poles and Danes. Its all a free ride. Its all show.
#3
One constant in this universe on this matter, is that Israel is the wildcard. The rest of us nations can 'jawbone', 'hobknob', and cajole; but Israel has it's ass in the crack from Iran. The rest of us can grin and spin...but high noon is coming!!
#7
Sanctions you say!?!!?
If history is any guide,there will be some high level meetings in Russia, Germany, France & the UN to figure a way to cash in on them.
Or does that only happen when the US is the one pushing for them?
#12
sanctions might not be so ineffective - the mullahs can deal with university students, and with ethnic minorities, but can they deal with millions of unemployed youth? If we can cut off investment in their oil industry, theyve got a major economic headache.
Of course that assumes the Euros have the cojones to even take this to the UN. But then they may not have the cojones to keep pissing off Uncle Sam, either. And then theres the Russians. So i wouldnt count on anything happening.
#13
"If we can cut off investment in their oil industry, theyve got a major economic headache."
What? You can't back that up because it's demonstrably wishful thinking. The Euros have backed off on sales of tech gear and investments, as stories posted here a few months ago pointed out (featuring Germans and Halliburton, IIRC), and who's jumped in? Russia and China - who laugh at the Punch 'n Judy show called the EU3. To suggest otherwise is facile and superficial. They are rolling in money, thanks to oil prices. There won't be an uprising of unemployeds. Now the "youth", well now, that's a different story... that has absolutely nothing to do with any "threatened" foofoo sanctions.
The population bubble, the "youth" of Iran, was created, ironically, by the Ayatollah Khomeini's "revolution" (devolution is more accurate) which outlawed all forms of birth control. Their dissatisfaction with the MM's is due to the fact that their parents remember pre-MM Iran - and have planted the seeds of freedom, of an open society, of electing a "reformist" and have it actually mean something. To be overthrown by them would be irony of the first order. They are the only hope for an internal end to the MM Mullahcracy.
#14
I share your skepticsm that the Russians and Chinese would allow the Iranians to be cut off - theyd stop it at the UNSC, or ignore the sanctions. Still, anything that sets the Euros against the Russians and Chinese is good, and I suspect is why the admin has been pushing the EU3 forward on this.
#15
Problem is they live in a police state. It takes a long time as we have seen for it to reach a tipping point, this point is years in the future, us trying to help it will just make it farther off. We may hjave to take action well before the tipping point is reached.
#16
lh - Now the juxtaposition of the EU3 vs Russia / China sounds like fun, lol! But they'd cave in the minute a few bucks hit the table. The socialist nanny-state situation has made them weak. I won't say all three are falling, the UK is doing fairly well, but France is at the tipping point now and Germany, well, we'll see how Madame Merkel handles things. She doesn't have forever to undo the socialist program burden and she won't last if she moves too fast.
I like the idea of screwing Puttyputz and Hu. If only the EU3 weren't paper tigers.
#17
SPo'D - I hope like hell we are doing something to hasten the tipover - like clandestinely cooperating and organizing the anti-Mullah groups. And that is likely more a case of wishful thinking than the EU3's sanctions having an effect. Sigh. We shall see, but I hold out no real hope it will happen internally because I seriously doubt we have the assets to help them. And they're just thug-bait as things are now.
#18
I keep hearing this bullshit about sanctions, but am not impressed, even though it is a necessary first step towards Iran's destruction.
However I am glad we're allowing the Europeans to take the lead on the "negotiations" so that the socialist Euro protestors don't lay out the old "America is just looking for an excuse to go to war" bullshit.
In fact we're not looking for an excuse, We've got plenty of reasons to go ahead, including some righteous revenge on yonder new "president" for his role in the embassy takeover.
We're just biding our time, preparing for the foreseable eventuality we know is coming.
#19
Western sanctions won't matter more than a cup of warm spit. China is Iran's largest oil customer. Even if Europeans can work up the nads to isolate Iran, China will gladly take 100% of Iran's production. Any Iranian imports can more than adequately be made up by Chinese (thanks western, esp. US, rope selling capitalists) or Russians.
No one, including the US is going to invade Iran. Europeans better get used to living with the nuclear threat again, but this time with the added bonus of jihad and colonization. Eventually the threat will reach US shores.
Posted by: ed ||
08/04/2005 18:14 Comments ||
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And then it will be toooooo late! The Imperial Persian State will have overrun all of Europe, destroyed the Zionist Entity in 12 nuclear blasts and escaped without a blemish. Post-Putin Russia works closely with the Perisans because of an ethnic affinity going back thousands of years. The only hope for the west is maybe, just maybe thousand and thousands of little tiny asdf;lkjdfas
WHAT?
Goldie: Were going to type the salvation of the west against the Perisan Empire will rely on thousands and thousand of tiny slipper eating robots? That's stupid. Matter of fact the whole concept of a fierce modern Perisa is stupid.
#21
Once the MMs are armed with more than a few, it will be too late. Conjecture #3 looks more and more likely because it seems that we cannot summon the will before we loose a city or two.
An hour before dark on July 23, a huge bomb buried on a road southwest of Baghdad Airport detonated underneath a Humvee carrying four American soldiers.
The explosive device was constructed from a bomb weighing 230 kilograms, or 500 pounds, or more that was meant to be dropped from an aircraft, according to military explosives experts, and was probably Russian in origin.
The blast left a crater 2 meters deep and 5 meters wide, or 6 feet deep and nearly 17 feet wide. All that remained of the armored vehicle afterward was the twisted wreckage of the front end, a photograph taken by American officers at the scene showed. The four soldiers were killed.
In recent months, as was shown in the catastrophic bombing in Haditha on Wednesday, in which 14 marines were killed, the roadside bombs favored by insurgents in Iraq have grown significantly in size and sophistication, adding to their deadliness. But what happened in the aftermath of the attack further alarmed U.S. military officers.
A special squad of explosive experts, formed to investigate major insurgent bomb attacks, was sent immediately to the site to begin looking for evidence about who was responsible, several American officers said.
Examining the area in the dark, a British explosives expert stepped on a second smaller bomb buried nearby and was badly wounded, two American officers said. He would later have an arm and a leg amputated, the officers said. A third device, hidden a few yards away, was found and defused.
"This was a catastrophic event," said Sergeant Jason Knapp, a U.S. Air Force bomb technician who arrived at the scene of the attacks the next morning.
Military personnel said the attack last month indicated that a new and deadly bomb-making cell targeting American patrols was probably operating near the large coalition military base at the airport, an area that two officers said had seen little insurgent activity in months.
There was further evidence for that on Saturday. Less than a mile from the July 23 attack, four more American soldiers were killed when their Humvee was struck by another hidden bomb. They were from the same Georgia National Guard battalion as the four soldiers killed in the previous attack.
The episode illustrates the constantly evolving war of moves and counter-moves happening every day in Iraq between insurgent bombers and soldiers trying to stop the roadside bombs and suicide attacks.
As the threat from bombs and suicide attacks has grown, the Pentagon has rushed 24,000 armored Humvees to Iraq since late 2003. But the insurgents have responded by building bombs powerful enough to penetrate the vehicles' steep plating.
As the military has begun conducting post-bombing investigations, insurgents increasingly have begun planting multiple devices at the same location, apparently to disrupt investigative teams sent to the blast site, or at least delay their work while they clear the site of any secondary bombs.
The British officer who was wounded investigating the site, whose name has not been released, was a member of the Combined Exploitation Cell, an American-led organization that is charged with identifying the insurgent bomb-makers using clues recovered at bomb sites.
The organization is composed of specialists from the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms and from Britain and Australia.
Senior American commanders say they have also seen evidence that insurgents are making increased of use of "shaped" charges that concentrate the blast and give it a better chance of penetrating armored vehicles, causing higher casualties.
Bomb-making techniques used by the anti-Israeli militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon increasingly have begun appearing in roadside bombs in Iraq. A senior American commander said that bombs employing shaped charges closely match Hezbollah's homemade bombs used against Israel.
"Our assessment is that they are probably going off to school," to learn how to make bombs that can destroy armored vehicles, the officer said.
Sometimes improvised explosive devices, known as IEDs, are placed in the open to draw in American disposal units. "A lot of times they plant fake IEDs and wait until you come on site to open up," said Sergeant Burnell Zachary. "Once the mortar rounds stop, the drive-bys come." Last week, as an American bomb team was defusing a bomb in the predominantly Sunni Baghdad neighborhood of Ameriyeh, a passing black BMW opened fire on the unit and its security detail, according to an after-action report.
An Iraqi police detachment that was providing security for the team returned fire and struck the passenger in the car in the chest, the report said.
Meanwhile, a few blocks away, American snipers were watching an Iraqi man who was stacking rocks along a street the bomb disposal unit would have to take leaving the neighborhood, according to the report. They suspected he was building a hiding place for a bomb.
"Snipers engaged and killed the individual who appeared to be emplacing an IED," the report says.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/04/2005 15:20 ||
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Seems to me that these tactics call for spies enlisted from among the friendly local population, or the bringing in of recruits from other parts of the country. Vehicles aren't going to keep on growing in size and armorplate in response to ever bigger roadside bombs, so the logical action is to go after and kill the bomb-makers in the first place. There's no way they're planting those big bombs in complete secrecy; someone is seeing them doing their work.
As for Hezbollah, a Tomahawk detonated right in Nasrallah's living room would probably make a pretty clear statement.
The Israel Defense Forces expressed serious doubts Wednesday about the veracity of an Israeli media report that Al-Qaida has established a presence in the Gaza Strip.
IDF sources said the report was not believable and that the ostensible Al-Qaida activity - firing mortar shells - does not reflect the organization's regular field of interest. Nevertheless, the sources said there could be a local Islamic organization in the Strip with loose connections to some kind of international jihad group.
In recent years, security forces have uncovered a number of attempts to establish Al-Qaida-affiliated groups in the West Bank and Gaza.
In June 2000 the Shin Bet security service arrested Nabil Ukal, a Palestinian resident of the Gaza Strip, who was convicted of attempting to create an Al-Qaida network in the territories. Ukal attended Islamic extremist trainng camps in Afghanistan, and was in contact with Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, whom the IDF assassinated in 2004.
Two years ago a Palestinian with Canadian citizenship was arrested on suspcicion of having been sent by an international jihad group to Israel and the territories to carry out terror attacks.
Israeli intelligence officials say Al-Qaida has been trying to gain access to the country for a long time, but there is little evidence of any such efforts. In addition, it appears that Hamas and Islamic Jihad are afraid of being identified with Al-Qaida head Osama bin Laden's struggle.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/04/2005 15:01 ||
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Between Fatah, Islamic Jihad, Hamass, and Hiz-ebola, if Al Qaeda WAS in Gaza - what possible difference would it make.
Well, that removes Qaddafi as being among its possible backers ...
The African Union today suspended the membership of Mauritania after yesterday's bloodless military coup deposed President Maaouiya Ould Taya.
The AU Peace and Security Council said that the suspension would remain in place until "constitutional order" is returned to the west African state.
"In light of the coup dâetat that took place on August 3... Mauritaniaâs participation in all AU activities should be suspended until the restoration of constitutional order in the country," the council said in a statement.
Shops and businesses reopened and traffic was flowing again in Mauritaniaâs capital today, just a day after a military junta announced it had toppled the desperately poor west African countryâs president while he was abroad. The international airport in the capital, Nouakchott, also reopened.
Mauritania's fortunes are expected to be transformed next year when the Australian oil company Woodside is due to start pumping oil for the first time from offshore reserves.
The quick return to calm appeared to suggest there was widespread acceptance of President Tayaâs overthrow. Islamic opposition parties celebrated the deposition of a ruler who had looked increasingly to the West, in response to alleged threats from al-Qaeda linked militants with ties to radical groups in Algeria.
"The armed forces have unanimously decided to put an end to the totalitarian practices of the deposed regime under which our people have suffered much over the last several years," the junta statement said. It promised to yield to democratic rule within two years.
The junta, calling itself the Military Council for Justice and Democracy, said that Colonel Ely Ould Mohamed Vall was its president.
This was seen as symbolic of a shift of mood in the country, as Colonel Vall, 55, the national police chief since 1987, was considered a close confidant of Taya for more than two decades and supported him through previous coup attempts.
The junta statement identified 16 other army officers as members. Except for one captain, all are all colonels, the highest rank in the countryâs armed forces.
Meanwhile Mr Taya arrived last night in nearby Niger from Saudi Arabia, where he had been attending King Fahdâs funeral. He made no comment to reporters, but the secretary-general of his political party, Boullah Ould Mogueya, said that it wouldnât recognize "anti-constitutional change".
Mr Taya seized power in a coup in 1984 and dealt ruthlessly with those who opposed him. He has since won two elections, which opponents have either boybotted or dismissed as rigged. He allied his overwhelmingly Muslim nation with the United States in the war on terror, and offended many of his people by opening full diplomatic relations with Israel.
Today Israelâs embassy in Mauritania was operating normally, although security had been tightened as is standard at such times, Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said in Israel.
After the coup was announced, hundreds of people celebrated in the city centre, saluting soldiers guarding the presidential palace, clapping and singing slogans in Arabic against Mr Taya. Most people stayed home, but dozens of civilian cars moved through the streets, horns blaring.
"Itâs the end of a long period of oppression and injustice," said Fidi Kane, a civil servant. "We are very delighted with this change of regime."
State television and radio were back on air by yesterday afternoon, with journalists reading the juntaâs statement repeatedly, interspersed with Koranic readings - normal in the Islamic nation.
But abroad there was disapproval. Britain, in its capacity as current president of the European Union, issued a statement today condemning "any attempt to seize power by force" and called for "full respect for democracy, human rights and the rule of law" in Mauritania.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Tom Casey called for "a peaceful return for order under the constitution and the established government of President Taya."
And Nigeria, the most influential country in west Africa, condemned the coup.
"As far as we are concerned, the days of tolerating military governance in our sub-region or anywhere are long gone," said Femi Fani-Kayode, a spokesman for Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo. "We believe in democracy and we insist on democracy."
The AU said it welcomed international condemnation of the apparently bloodless coup in Mauritania and urged concerted action against those behind it.
"Council firmly condemns the coup dâetat in Mauritania on Aug. 3 and demands a prompt restoration of constitutional order," the statement said.
The AU said an African ministerial delegation would be sent to Mauritania "to reiterate the AUâs positions to the perpetrators of the coup dâetat and to engage them on the modalities for a speedy restoration of constitutional order".
Mr Taya had survived several coup attempts, including one in 2003 that led to several days of street fighting in the capital. After that, he jailed scores of members of Muslim fundamentalist groups and the army accused of plotting to overthrow him. His government also has accused opponents of training with al-Qaeda linked insurgents in Algeria.
On June 4, a border raid on a remote Mauritanian army post by al-Qaeda-linked insurgents led to a gunbattle that killed 15 Mauritanian troops and nine attackers. Algeriaâs Salafist Group for Call and Combat claimed responsibility for the attack, saying in a message on a Web site that the assault was "in revenge for our brothers who were arrested in the last round of detentions in Mauritania".
The US military has sent special operations troops to train Mauritaniaâs army, most recently in June as part of efforts to deny terrorists sanctuary in the under-policed Sahara desert region.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/04/2005 14:54 ||
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#1
Isn't being kicked out of the African Union like being thrown out of the local quilting group?
With an AK-47 at his side, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Al Qaeda's No. 2, appeared in a videotape broadcast Thursday and claimed that the 7/7 bombings were payback for British participation in America's "policy of aggression against Muslims."
The video is another Al Qaeda message apparently intended to turn Western democracies against their leaders by explaining acts of terrorism as rational decisions from a group with specific political goals. It challenges the position of British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Bush administration officials, who have insisted that the London attacks have nothing to do with Iraq and that terror attacks will continue regardless of policy.
"By linking the bombings to Iraq, he basically sent the message that no matter what Blair says, Iraq is the reason," says Bob Ayers, a counterterrorism expert at Chatham House, a think tank in London. "He's calling Blair a liar."
This latest tape was released on a day when an unprecedented police security operation was under way in London.
While Mr. Zawahiri didn't directly take credit for the London attacks, he promised more attacks on Britain, the US, and other allies, saying "tens of thousands" more American troops will be killed in Iraq if there isn't an immediate withdrawal.
It was one of three taped statements, all aired on Al Jazeera, that Zawahiri has made since the end of February, a pattern of rising communication from the Al Qaeda leaders that appears to belie statements from Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf that Osama bin Laden and his aides are on the run.
Zawahiri, an Egyptian exile whose terrorist career began at home and who hates the Egyptian regime of Hosni Mubarak, did not mention the terrorist attack on Egypt's resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh on July 23. The omission, analysts speculate, suggests the tape was made before the Sharm attacks, and the second subway attacks in London.
While some of his audio and video tapes seem generally targeted at mobilizing Al Qaeda's "base," filled with Islamic illusions and glorification of martyrs designed to reassure adherents and draw new members, this communication from Al Qaeda's chief ideologue falls into a category of tapes that targets primarily a Western audience.
Rather than casting his jihad as an inevitable clash of civilizations, he frames acts of terrorism as justified by the US-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and offers to end attacks on the West if a full withdrawal is made from "Muslim lands."
"Blair has brought to you destruction in central London, and he will bring you more destruction, God willing,'' Zawahiri said, addressing the British people.
"As for you Americans, what you have seen in New York and Washington, what losses you see in Afghanistan and Iraq, despite the media blackout, are merely the losses of the initial clashes," he said. "If you go on with the same policy of aggression against Muslims, you will see, God willing, things that will make you forget the horrors of Vietnam and Afghanistan."
"To the people of the crusader coalition ... our blessed Sheikh Osama has offered you a truce so that you leave Muslim land. As he said you will not dream of security until we live it as a reality in Palestine,'' he said. "Our message to you is clear, strong and final: There will be no salvation until you withdraw from our land, stop stealing our oil and resources and end support for infidel [Arab] rulers."
Analysts cautioned that Zawahiri's statement is not evidence of direct Al Qaeda knowledge of the London attacks, and said it probably fits into Al Qaeda's evolution into an ideological motivator, rather than organizer, of attacks.
"Such messages are usually a call-to-arms, sort of top-down guidance to go forth and do your thing," says Ayers. He says while Al Qaeda was "tightly organized" before the invasion of Afghanistan, the dispersal of members since has left a "confederation of groups that adhere to the same fundamental principles.... essentially they are functionally autonomous groups."
Magnus Ranstorp, a terrorism expert at St. Andrews University in Scotland, agrees. "This is more of him rallying the troops - giving the green light to carry out attacks.... Here we have a clarion call to action. It is serving as an inspiration for like-minded extremists."
Some analysts, though, see it as an oblique claim of responsibility. "In many ways, this videotape can almost be seen as a claim of responsibility, bin Laden style,'' says Evan Kohlmann, a terrorism expert and author in New York. "When Al Qaeda is responsible for a big operation like the embassy bombings, 9/11, or London, it is much more characteristic for them to issue a statement such as this one, hinting at Al Qaeda involvement without removing that shadowy mystical aura that Al Qaeda leaders love to propagate."
Both Messrs. Kohlmann and Ranstorp point out that Zawahiri tapes are frequently followed by new attacks. "Zawahiri's latest ode may once again herald renewed terrorist violence. Even beyond the West, countries like Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, and Pakistan are steeling themselves for possible future strikes," says Kohlmann.
The coordinated bombings of Madrid's train system in March 2004, which killed more than 200 people, came just days before elections in Spain that brought to power Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who had vowed to pull Spanish troops from the US coalition in Iraq. Though it's not clear whether that attack swayed voters enough to alter the result of the election, it's seen that way on jihadi websites.
US intelligence analysts say it's likely that bin Laden and Zawahiri are living in the mountains along the lawless border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, something that President Musharraf appeared to confirm at a press conference last month. He said Pakistani troops in the Waziristan region had obliterated Al Qaeda's "command and communications" infrastructure, and said the group is now relying on couriers who take "months" to carry messages out of the region.
But this video was recorded since the first London attack, less than a month ago. It shows Zawahiri sitting on the ground, outside, with a brown backdrop. "It is also a reminder that the US has failed in its mission to bring the ultimate mastermind to justice,'' says Ranstorp.
Ranstorp notes that Zawahiri has made repeated threats against Pakistan. "There is a duality to the message," he says. "There's the focus of making Iraq like Vietnam for the Americans, but there's also a threat to Pakistan. It could accelerate the confrontation between Musharraf and the the extremist religious elements."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/04/2005 14:49 ||
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Iraqâs Al Qaeda group said on Thursday that Islamic sharia law should be the only legislation to govern the country, according to an Internet statement.
âThe Islamic sharia is the right religion and anything else is wrong and rejected, including the constitution. No human being is allowed to legislate laws which are the right of God alone,â said the statement posted on a Web site frequently used by the Al Qaeda organisation in Iraq.
âParticipating in drafting legislations and the constitution is equal to infidelism and blatant polytheism. Whoever believes in it or calls for it or rules by it is an apostate and an infidel.â
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/04/2005 14:48 ||
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"In other words, anyone who in anyway disagrees with anything I believe is an apostate and an infidel."
I pray for this f'ing guy's painful death.
The videotape of al-Qaeda deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri broadcast on Thursday is the latest in a series of recent messages sent by the terrorism network's top leaders that analysts believe may be part of a campaign to reassert themselves, even as they remain isolated by US and Pakistani forces.
Since April 2004 there have been at least nine tapes from al-Qaedaâs two leaders â Mr al-Zawahiri and Osama bin Laden â all of which have drawn close scrutiny from security agencies and terrorism analysts, since Mr bin Laden has repeatedly said his public statements were important sources for those wishing to understand the network's ideology and political goals.
A report sent to Capitol Hill in June by the Congressional Research Service (CRS), the non-partisan analysis agency, found that despite Mr bin Laden's limited ability to provide command and control to al-Qaeda operatives he and other leaders have stepped up their issuance of such tapes.
Given the increased public profile of foreign fighters in Iraq, and the concomitant rise of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian militant believed to be leading the Iraqi insurgency, the CRS report said there was a growing belief that Mr bin Laden and his aides were trying to use the public pronouncements to return themselves to the centre of the jihadist campaign.
âThe ideological content and highly political tone of the recent statements have led some terrorism analysts to speculate that the messages may signal a renewed attempt by bin Laden and his associates to create a lasting leadership role for themselves and the al-Qaeda organisation as the vanguard of an emerging, loosely organised internationalist movement,â the report stated.
âOthers have argued that the presently limited operational capabilities of al-Qaeda's central leaders have inspired them to revive ideological outreach efforts.â
As part of that effort, the tapes have increasingly used Iraq as a touchstone for the jihadi cause. Many of them are addressed directly to Western audiences, in what appears to be an effort to discourage support for European and US foreign policies in the Islamic world.
Mr Zawahiri used that tactic again yesterday, blaming the London attacks on the policies of Tony Blair, the British prime minister. Mr bin Laden took a similar attack before the November US presidential elections, in which he blamed President George W. Bush's policies in Iraq for continued attacks on US interests.
The CRS argued that the shift towards Iraq was a reflection of Mr bin Laden's âpragmatic messianismâ, in which his overall goals the expulsion of Western forces and influences from the Muslim world, and the creation of a pan-Islamic state ruled by religious law remain constant, but his short-term tactical goals shift.
The report notes that Mr bin Laden has, in the past, cited the presence of US troops in Saudi Arabia â since withdrawn â and the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict as rallying cries, only to drop the causes in later appeals. Similarly, Mr bin Laden's earlier broadcasts mentioned Iraq only on occasion, but analysts note that since a December tape, in which the al-Qaeda leader specifically embraced Mr Zarqawi, mentions of Iraq have increased.
Despite the repeated mention of Iraq, analysts emphasise that the underlying ideology of al-Qaeda has not changed and continues to focus on getting rid of Western influences from the Middle East and creating a puritanical Islamic state.
That theme was repeated by Mr Zawahiri's broadcast yesterday. Although the attack on Mr Blair was prominent in the excerpts broadcast on al-Jazeera, the Arabic television news channel, much of it was dedicated to al-Qaeda's insistence that attacks will continue until allied forces are withdrawn.
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08/04/2005 14:47 ||
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This is the second part of an article I posted here Tuesday. It's pretty good, but again is mainly for the general public, not for WoT sophisticates like many of RB's regulars. But still, it does have some good stuff in it.
In Tuesday's edition, a report in this space looked at the origins and goals of Islamist militancy, and of Al Qaeda in particular. This briefing explores how the movement is evolving at a time of concern about terror cells in Western cities such as London. Is the global jihad spreading to Europe?
It seems clear that this is happening. Events like the London bombings, as well as online postings by Islamist extremists calling Muslim brethren in Western countries to action, suggest to many counterterrorism experts that the global jihad has entered a new phase. All of the members of the London terror cells were longtime residents of Britain, and some were born there, confirming the view that Islamist extremism has taken root. While attacks appear to have ebbed in places such as Indonesia, they have spread to what experts consider the fertile ground of the "ummah" or Islamic community of Europe.
Who is joining the jihad?
Experts don't foresee jihadism becoming a mass movement. Still, if the Al Qaeda ideology hooks a few hundred followers in countries with many Muslim immigrants, that is enough to wreak havoc. Recruitment in Europe is fueled by the sense of isolation and disappointment in Western culture.
Another factor may be freedom of speech. Hate-filled rhetoric and extremist ideals have been spread in European mosques and over the airwaves, some experts point out, even as the governments of these countries have pressed Muslim nations to curb the freedom and teachings of radical clerics.
Is the same thing happening in America?
Perhaps not, or at least not as fast. Mainstream Muslim organizations in America note that US Muslims differ from their counterparts in Europe - they are generally more prosperous (often from more prosperous backgrounds in their home countries) and less confined to Muslim ghettos. Still, experts point out that the British Islamist bombers were not living in poverty. The key problem appears to be alienation that opens minds to radical thinking. And in that sense, America may have a problem. Recent cases in Virginia and California involving clerics allegedly recruiting young Muslims for jihad suggest the dissemination of extremist ideals exists in isolated cases.
Are new groups emerging as Al Qaeda franchises, such as in Egypt?
The word "franchise" can be useful, hinting at how Al Qaeda might inspire or indirectly fund an attack without organizing it. But the word is misleading if it implies that terrorists are organized into neat, understandable groups. For instance, if the "Abdallah Azzam Brigades" were in fact behind last month's resort bombing at Sharm el-Sheik, its surviving members are now on the run. If they manage to evade capture, they may well emerge to strike again, but could do so under a different name. Conversely, the brigades' claim of responsibility could have come from an uninvolved sympathizer. The key question is the overlapping personal relationships of those involved.
It's useful, therefore, to think of Al Qaeda as an ideological force that reaches beyond its organizational structure. While groups like Southeast Asia's Jemaah Islamiyah (Islamic Group) and the pan-Islamic Hizb ut-Tahrir (Party of Liberation) have some doctrinal differences with Al Qaeda, they have overlapping interests.
Are the goals of jihadists changing?
Not much, experts say. The targets and tactics may be influenced by current circumstances - such as the US presence in Iraq - but an unchanging worldview underlies it all: The jihadists see Muslims as locked in a life-or-death struggle with a West that hates Islam. While the goal of an Islamic superstate remains central, the impetus for jihad can shift. Ideologues motivate adherents by citing specific cases of perceived injustice. The Southeast Asian militants behind a deadly October 2002 attack in Bali wanted to undermine the Indonesian state in order to create an Islamic caliphate there. They also subscribed to the broader vision of an eventual caliphate running the whole globe.
What's Al Qaeda's view of democracy movements in muslim countries?
Al Qaeda is against democracy as most in the West would understand it. What it wants is the replacement of existing authoritarian regimes with religious states. These would impose a rigid view of the Koran on citizens. In Al Qaeda's view, Western democratic ideas stand in the way of God's will on earth. Al Qaeda ideologue Ayman al-Zawahiri and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi - the self-proclaimed mastermind of Al Qaeda in Iraq - have attacked democracy as a "trick" to deny Muslims the full flowering of Islam.
In his most recent videotaped statement on June 17, Zawahiri lashed out at Egypt's democracy protestors for playing an American game. It was an attack on the nation's secular democracy and reform movements such as Kifaya. Analysts also saw it as a thrust at Islamist groups like Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, which favors Islamic law and says it is committed to democratic institutions. To Zawahiri, such groups can only thwart the utopian vision of a vast Islamic state. If the U.S. left the Middle East, would militants focus their attacks on Shiites? Ah, the civil war equation, already happening IMHO too.
The Islamist extremists whose rage the world is feeling today are primarily Sunni Muslims. In Iraq, which was ruled and dominated by a Sunni minority since the British created the country in the early 20th century, Sunni extremists are already targeting the ruling Shiite majority. Those extremists see the Shiites as impure and have no compunction about targeting Shiite civilians. For some scholars of Islam, the US, in replacing a Sunni regime with a Shiite-dominated one, faces unforeseen challenges as the shift in power is worked out. Some see wider dangers as its neighbors jockey for influence: What happens if turmoil in the new Iraq leads to an open confrontation between a Shiite-dominated Iran and the Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia?
Experts also see trouble for the US if its eventual withdrawal from Iraq opens the door to a Shiite-led cleansing of Sunni Muslims - the much-discussed "civil war" that some Iraqis, including former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, say has already began. I concur, and point to American journalist Vincent's murder as evidence that Shiite's are hard at work eliminating all opposition to this movement towards a Shiite dominated Iraq South of Kirkuk
"It could be very dangerous if the US pulled out entirely," says Martha Crenshaw, a terrorism expert at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. "The jihadists would say that is what the US wanted all along, the extermination of the Sunnis in Iraq.... It could mean huge new problems for the US." Huge problems like Saudi Arabia being rolled over y Iran? While an attractive prospect in many ways, this might not be so good for our energy needs. Oh what a tangled web.
Is a backlash against jihadism building from within Islam?
Contrary to the complaints of critics, mainstream Muslim clerics have taken steps to combat terrorism. American Muslim leaders have quickly condemned attacks, and have established programs, notably with the FBI, to assist in rooting out extremism.
Such commitments have been amplified since the London bombings. Last week, Muslim scholars in the US and Canada issued a fatwa, or judicial ruling, condemning terrorism and declaring violence against civilians - including suicide bombings - impermissible in Islam. Islamic scholars in Britain have taken similar steps. However, many experts worry that this focus on mainstream clerics is missing the mark, since the radicalized young often do not listen to religious leaders they see as Westernized.
At the same time, debate grows about whether more needs to be done. Some experts argue that jihadist violence can be ended only through opposition from within Islam. So far, such opposition hasn't stopped attacks.
The reason, some argue, is a chicken-and-egg scenario: The climate within Islam might change if Western policy changes. The establishment of a Palestinian state and the departure of US troops from Iraq could leave extremists with fewer arguments that resonate with Muslims.
Thus, both Islam and the West face pressure to change their ways. But both sides confront risks of appearing weak in the process. An apparent retreat by the US and its allies could embolden jihadists. (Notice jihadists is interchangable with targets here.)
Similarly, mainstream Islamic clerics could lose credibility if a fatwa appears to have come in response to Western demands.
#3
Part of Islamist anger is that they gener believe it is illogical and unfair for JudeoChristians to dominate the world in almost every aspect but not the sons of Ismael - to paraphrase the actress Annette Benning, again, in THE SIEGE,"THEY HAVE NO POWER [like the Christian nations]"!? GLOBAL MONOTHEISM IN 2005 = the Jews and Christans, not Muslims, with the two former getting bigger and bigger, like US hyperpower and Western Democapitalism-Materialism-Consumerism. ISLAM IN 2005 > akin to JudeoChristianity's poor or mostly homeless, problem-plaqued, SOCIALLY UNKNOWN/
IGNORED cousin, with ETHNIC/STATE-SPECIFIC MANIFEST DESTINY > occur via OWG Legislation, andor Global Corporate Takeovers!
On today's episode of "The Blind Leading the Blind"...
MOGADISHU (Reuters) - A top United Nations envoy said on Wednesday the 14th attempt to reinstate government in lawless Somalia in as many years had hit a "political impasse" due to a deep rift within the fledgling administration. Damn! And they were so close I'll bet!
"After finishing these meetings, I can say there are clearly many differences among the members of the Somali federal institutions," the U.N. special representative to Somalia, Francois Fall, said in the capital Mogadishu. Wow. You can tell he's a smart guy.
He was speaking after meetings on Monday and Wednesday with both factions in the new Somali government -- one based in Mogadishu, the other in the nearby town of Jowhar."It seems like there's a political impasse we are facing now," Fall told reporters before leaving Somalia. Wow. You can tell he's a smart guy.
On Wednesday, Fall met powerful ministers and warlords Mohamed Qanyare, Muse Sudi Yalahow and Osman Ali Ato and parliamentary speaker Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan in Mogadishu. He presented a roadmap to start dialogue on the problems of reconciliation, relocation of the government, the creation of a security force and the presence of foreign peacekeepers. Oh good. A roadmap. Gotta have that. They work so well.
Fall presented the same proposals to President Abdullahi Yusuf and Prime Minister Mohamed Ali Gedi on Monday at their temporary base in Jowhar, 90 km (55 miles) north of Mogadishu.
Gedi and Yusuf say that Mogadishu must be pacified before they can return there. See ya in about 3005, boys...
But the faction led by Internal Security Minister Qanyare says Mogadishu is safe and must be the capital straightaway under a transitional constitution guiding the peace process. "The security situation is ... good and the U.N. delegation will go anywhere in Mogadishu and its surrounding areas," Qanyare told local radio before Fall's arrival. Yes, yes. Call my travel agent about those Mogadishu vacation packages. ARMS EMBARGO
The rift has sparked warlike rhetoric and increasing military preparations by both sides in recent weeks. Really? In Somalia? Can ya beat that...
The new administration was formed last year in the relative security of neighboring Kenya. Fractious militias have been the only real authority in the Horn of Africa nation since warlords ousted military dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. Fall said both factions in Jowhar and Mogadishu had responded positively to his proposals. Sure, buddy. How much money do we get?
"We accept and welcome his initiative," speaker Hassan told Reuters in Mogadishu. "We want dialogue and we are ready to reconcile in order to end the problems that exist so that our people can enjoy peace and stability." Hey, ya got a roadmap now. Should be only a matter of time...
The U.N. wants the issues of relocation, reconciliation and security solved before it considers lifting a 1992 arms embargo. Which has really worked out well.
That embargo, though completely ineffective in stopping the flood of arms into Somalia, is preventing foreign peacekeepers from bringing heavy weapons into the country. See.
Earlier this month, the U.N. Security Council refused an African Union (AU) request to modify the embargo to enable AU peacekeepers to enter the country with their weapons. That was on yesterday's episode of "The Blind Leading the Blind".
A delegation led by AU envoy to Somalia Mohamed Ali Faum arrived in Jowhar on Tuesday to set up an Africa Union office there, Abdurahman Dinari, the prime minister's spokesman said. Who did Francois piss off to end up as the UN envoy to Somalia?
#2
Wow, tu goes OldSkool Rb. Seems like the lerned elders of RB are picking it up a notch today, or maybe it's the mushrooms, who knows, I'll let you know, the lawn has scheduled a press conference at 1:30. Raking news maybe.
NEW DELHI - Indian military sources said on Thursday an investigation has been launched into alleged espionage by a soldier at a major air base near China, in which documents on troop deployments and high-level strategy were stolen. The investigation was prompted after the arrest last month of a corporal who worked in an area of the base with access to computer data. He was found with 100 pages of computer printouts of strategic importance, said a senior army officer who declined to be named. âIt seems (the corporal) last year passed on copious data on missile locations, deployment of infantry battalions at Chinaâs borders, weapons technology upgrades and classified minutes of commander conferences,â the officer said. Some documents, he added, had been stolen and passed on to rival Pakistan, which is a close ally of China.
The army officer said the thefts likely happened in a two-month period last year. âWe are in the process of ascertaining what we have lost but from the surface it appears there has been a serious breach (of national security),â the officer said. A military intelligence official said the thefts were from a âwar roomâ at the Tezpur base in northeastern India and were likely passed on to Pakistan and then China.
The heavily-fortified base acts as a shield against three Chinese airfields in Tibet. The suspectâs father, who is a retired air force sergeant, and five others were picked up July 16 from the New Delhi suburb of Noida in connection with the case, the military intelligence official said. The Indian military declined any official comment.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/04/2005 09:46 ||
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NOUAKCHOTT - Mauritaniaâs capital was calm on Thursday as the country waited for announcements from a group of officers who said they had seized power to end more than two decades of âtotalitarianâ rule by the president. Triumphant crowds cheered a statement broadcast on state media on Wednesday that President Maaouya Ould SidâAhmed Taya had been overthrown in an apparently bloodless coup, the latest in a series of attempts to oust him in recent years. Officers said in the statement signed by the âMilitary Council for Justice and Democracyâ that they would rule for up to two years in the West African country, which aims to start pumping offshore oil next year.
Opposition leaders welcomed the prospect of a change of government, but said the army must not outstay its welcome. âIn this crisis situation, a regime change was inevitable. But we would have wished that this be done in a controlled democratic way with all the parties involved,â said Messaoud Ould Boulkheir, president of the Popular Progressive Alliance. Many people headed to work as usual in the capital early on Thursday. Traffic flowed freely and small groups of soldiers guarded key buildings, though in smaller numbers than on Wednesday, witnesses said.
State radio said the 17-member military council would be headed by Colonel Ely Ould Mohammad Vall, naming a list of members comprised of officers in the countryâs various security forces. The African Union, South Africa and United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan all condemned the seizure of power by force in Mauritania, a country of 2.9 million people. The United States demanded that Taya be restored to power. âWe join the African Union in condemning the violence in Mauritania. And we call for a peaceful return for order under the constitution and the established government of President Taya,â State Department spokesman Tom Casey told reporters.
A Western oil executive, who declined to be named, said the apparent support of senior figures in the security establishment would bolster the coup leadersâ position, although they may still come under international pressure. âIf your chief of police and your head of national security have gone you have got to wonder how many friends you have got left, itâs now a diplomatic game, the question is whether anyone is going to come to Tayaâs side,â he said, adding that the countryâs close-knit society may discourage violence. âIn Mauritania everybody is everybody elseâs brother or cousin, so they are not going to start fighting in the streets,â he said.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/04/2005 09:38 ||
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August 4, 2005: Mauritanian president Maaoya Sid'Ahmed Taya was apparently deposed in a military coup on August 3rd. Taya himself came to power in a 1984 coup. He has ruled as a dictator since, despite some sham elections recently. Early on, Taya was an admirer of Saddam Hussein, and backed Iraq in the 1991 Gulf War. But after seeing Iraqi quickly crushed, Taya became an ally of the U.S. Taya went further than that, and established relations with Israel, and cracked down on Islamic conservatives who opposed this move. After September 11, 2001, Taya supported American efforts against Islamic terrorists. In 2003, Taya faced down an unsuccessful military coup, one of many he has defeated over the years.
Mauritania is a large, dry country with only about three million people. Half the population is Arab, and half are black Africans. The country has long been one of those border areas between the Arab and black African worlds. Oil has been found in Mauritania, about $10-15 billion worth (at current prices.) But getting this oil out of the ground won't begin until next year. Currently there are some 500 foreign oil workers in the country, setting up the oil production operation. This oil wealth probably has something to do with the recent coup.
The UN, the African Union and most nations have condemned the coup. President Tava landed in neighboring Niger yesterday, and vows to regain power. This past June, American military personnel trained Mauritanian troops in counter-terrorism techniques. The Mauritanian armed forces are composed of about 15,000 troops, organized into twenty battalions and some smaller units. The army units are spread all over the country, and president Taya, with the help of some foreign nations, may be able to organize a counter-coup. Such an effort will rely more on cash than bullets. Meanwhile, most Mauritanians appeared to favor the removal of Taya and his small group of key supporters.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/04/2005 09:34 ||
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#1
The country has long been one of those border areas between the Arab and black African worlds.
Old - got it through one of my ML - but a reminder and backgrounder since there is an increased rumor about the possible use of nukes by AQ (WND & TFP's "American Hiroshima", Tancredo's remark,...). I'm so relieved to know that any use of a WMD on the infidels would be hallal! Wouldn't want the pious Lions of islam to offend allan by hijacking the ROP.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan reiterated appeals for calm and called on all Sudanese to refrain from actions which may lead to tension during this time of mourning. Annan is concerned about the reports of continuing violence in Khartoum and elsewhere in Sudan following the recent tragic death of Dr. John Garang de Mabior, said his spokesman. While all available information suggests that the helicopter crash was a tragic accident, the United Nations system stands ready to assist the authorities concerned in an investigation conducted in accordance with internationally established standards and practices, he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/04/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
United Nations system stands ready to assist the authorities concerned in an investigation conducted in accordance with internationally established standards and practices
hahahaha those idiots crack me up.
Proper translation: searching for 5 star hotels, gratis cocktails and whores.
Palestinian Hamas movement said on Wednesday the Israeli pullout is the harvest of the resistance and sacrifice the Palestinian people have devoted.
And so the myth-making begins...
Speaking to reporters on the possible Israeli withdrawal from some Palestinian cities mid August, Hamas member Ismael Hanniyah said the Palestinian people are reaching a historic victory that has taken the life of many resistance fighters for several generations. To liberate Gaza Strip and the northern parts of the West Bank is the first step to liberate the Palestinian territories and return the rights to Palestinians, he said. "Under our governance, the liberated cities will witness a prosperous future and will be peacefully defended," Hanniyah added.
Oh, we can well believe it. Paleostinian governance is legendary...
He further said the Israeli withdrawal will not be at the expense of Al-Quds and the West Bank, in addition to other surrounding cities. He affirmed the determination to further defend the Palestinian national heritage and independence. Hanniyah expressed optimism that the Palestinian Authority will not in anyway attempt to halt Hamas' activities and its legitimacy, adding that all Palestinian factions and resistant groups stand together for a unified perspective.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/04/2005 00:00 ||
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I just don't see them being happy or satisfied with only the Gaza strip. They will keep pushing and pushing to gain all, which is very scary.
Due to the Palies resistance? Whoa.
Posted by: Jan ||
08/04/2005 0:34 Comments ||
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#2
The should be careful. With no more settlers gloves can come off much faster.
#4
The only thing these bastards understand is force. I truly hope that the first time they shoot something over the fence the Israelis retaliate on a scale of 1000 to one. Lots of dead Paleos seem to send a message to the terrorists that nothing else does, and what they need to hear and understand is that if they continue to kill innocents, they themselves will be either exterminated or driven out permanently.
Posted by: mac ||
08/04/2005 4:28 Comments ||
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#5
Wait until they find all the bombs left behind by the Israelis.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/04/2005 7:29 Comments ||
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#6
Must've been all those successful rocket attacks... like yesterday's.
What a great future these folks have to look forward to.
#10
2b: That goes back to an old e-mail joke running around....it was a notice that they no longer wanted to be called "towel heads", but they preferred "lil' sheet heads."
Posted by: BA ||
08/04/2005 10:24 Comments ||
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#11
they have to say its cause of their bombings. If its cause of Israeli restraint, then the credit within Pal society goes to Abbas and Dahlan, their bitter enemies.
#14
Anyone who keeps tabs on Hezbullah agitprop via the "Beirut Daily Star" is well aware of the voluminous b.s. to be spewed after the Israeli withdrawal. South Lebanon redux...all hail the "RESISTANCE" and etc...
NEW DELHI - India said on Wednesday militants were waiting in a large number of camps in Pakistani Kashmir to sneak across a ceasefire line into Indian Kashmir. âRecent reports indicate a large number of launching camps along the Line of Control (LoC) have been activated where militants have been kept in readiness for infiltration,â Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee told the upper house of parliament.
Fred, the surprise meter is getting very warm to the touch. Overuse?
Mukherjeeâs statement came despite assurances from Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf last week in response to Indian concerns about militant camps, when he said the âsituation is on the brink mendâ.
Guess Perv will need to serve up some more pablum ...
Last month, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the âinfrastructure of terrorâ in Pakistani Kashmir remained intact, despite a 20-month-old peace process between the subcontinental rivals. Mukherjeeâs comments were a sign of Indiaâs growing concern about violence in Kashmir.
Indian figures show that in the first half of 2005, 463 terrorists militants were killed in Kashmir, against 495 in the same period of 2004.
Dang, that's a lot of virgins ... 72 times 463 ... carry the 7, times the square root of 11, two toes, ...
But the Indian army reported a spike in militant infiltration last month, when it said it killed dozens of terrorists militants trying to cross the ceasefire line.
Analysts say the violence, which has included high-profile bomb attacks and raids in Srinagar, summer capital of Indian Kashmir, has contradicted past comments by Indian officials that militants were on the back foot and infiltration down.
Dang, a smart analyst ...
âWhatever may be the official spin...the militants have dramatically registered their formidable presence in the state,â columnist Harish Khare wrote in The Hindu newspaper. âIf the last few weeks are any indication, the security forces are barely able to contain the militants.â
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/04/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
You know, hadn't considered the use of J-Stars in India, but maybe 1 could be loaned on approval.
KATHMANDU - Maoists facing increasingly hostile press and warnings from human rights groups Wednesday released 22 persons they abducted in southwestern Nepal over the past few days, police said on Wednesday.
Was it the bad press or the Gurkhas?
The police said the Maoists released the abducted persons, inmcluding a number of women, near Butwal, about 200 kilometres south west of the capital. The police gave no further details.
Nepalese media reports said the Maoists on Sunday and Monday abducted at least 22 persons living in a squatters colony near the Butwal Municipality. All were abducted from a forest near Butwal. The Maoists informed the families about the abduction, according to media reports, and warned them not to tell government security forces about the abduction.
"Sssshhh! It's a secret!"
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/04/2005 00:00 ||
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ISLAMABAD - Pakistanâs President General Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday called for increased cooperation between the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan in defence production. He said this while talking to the UAE chief of staff, Lieutenant-General Hamad Mohammad Tahni Al Rumeithi, who met him in Rawalpindi.
There has been close cooperation between the armed forces of Pakistan and the UAE in the areas of military training and education. The UAE is also one of the potential buyers of Pakistani small arms and ammunition, manufactured in just about every nook and cranny at the countryâs premier Ordnance Factories, located some 30 kilometers south of Islamabad.
Cadets and officers from the UAE army, navy and air force regularly attend training courses at Pakistani military academies and the National Defence College.
'cause there's just no better training anywhere. ... 'specially in infiltration ... ... and subverting and compromising gummint officials ... ... and Quran reading ... ... and duplicity, don't forget duplicity ...
âThere is a need to further strengthen ties between the two countries in the fields of defence and defence production,â an official statement issued after the meeting quoted President Musharraf as telling General Al Rumeithi.
Al-Rumeithi, presently on an official visit to Pakistan, also met naval chief Admiral Shahid Karimullah and vice chief of army staff General Ahsan Saleem Hayat and discussed ways to boost cooperation between armed forces of the two countries.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/04/2005 00:00 ||
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Afghan National Army soldiers recently conducted artillery live-fire training at the D-30 Howitzer range to improve their proficiency. More than 120 Afghan soldiers conducted two months of training to prepare for the annual range time.
The D-30 Howitzer, which takes a crew of seven to fire, is a 3.5-ton weapon with a range of over 15,000 meters. It can fire seven to eight rounds per minute. Afghan Army Capt. Mohammed Mohsin Hamdard, artillery commander for the 4th Combat Support Kandak (Battalion), 3rd Brigade, of the ANAâs 201st Corps, said the range time gave his soldiers the opportunity to reinforce what they learned in school and strengthened their training. "Today, the soldiers are doing exercises to increase their level of readiness. They are improving what they already know," he said. "We are soldiers and we need to learn more about our profession and we want to learn modern technology..."
Although the kandakâs primary mission is artillery, its soldiers are also used in support of many different missions throughout Afghanistan, such as presidential details and security patrols. "This kandak plays a large role in ensuring the stability and security of Afghanistan," said Marquart. "They are prepared to deploy to support their country at any time. This training gave them the opportunity to strengthen their skills."
A new Italian and British unit will assume command of the Nato-led peacekeeping force in Afghanistan at a ceremony in Kabul on Thursday. For the past six months, Turkey has led the 8,000-strong International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) - set up after the fall of the Taleban in late 2001. More than 30 nations contribute troops to the force, which was placed under the control of Nato in August 2003.
Afghan parliamentary polls take place in six weeks amid major security fears.
Command of the international peacekeeping force changes every six months. This time it is being taken over by one of five rapid reaction units in Nato. Most of its troops are Italian, including the commander.
But his deputy is British and no stranger to Afghanistan. He is Maj Gen Roger Lane, who led a Royal Marine force sent here in 2002 to hunt remnants of al-Qaeda and the Taleban - a mission that ended controversially, with his troops barely seeing any action.
This time, the key task is safeguarding September's parliamentary and provincial elections. Extra troops are on their way to help, with Nato promising to boost the strength of the force to 10,000 by polling day.
The main threat still comes from al-Qaeda and the Taleban - who have been blamed for an upsurge in violence this year that has claimed hundreds of lives. In fact, most of these deaths have occurred in the south and eastern border areas - controlled by the 19,000-strong US-led coalition force.
Isaf is still largely concentrated in Kabul, with smaller units in northern and western areas where security has been less of a problem. But plans are underway for Nato to move gradually into some of the more difficult areas.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/04/2005 00:00 ||
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Vigilante groups used to fight against Maoist rebels in Nepal have caused an overall escalation in violence there, Amnesty International says.
Wonder if AI ever thinks it right for people to defend themselves ...
A new report by the human rights group criticises the government of Nepal for supporting these armed civilian groups.
In its report, Amnesty International says it is alarmed, accusing these forces of being responsible for a growing number of human rights abuses. "The creation of these village defence forces blurs the distinction between combatants and non-combatants, resulting in an increased number of civilian casualties," said Purna Sen, Amnesty's Asia-Pacific programme director.
Mostly Maoists ....
The forces are also, Amnesty says, putting more civilians at risk because Maoist rebels consider them a legitimate target.
The Maoists consider them a target anyway, which is why they formed self-defense groups ...
"Villagers told Amnesty International delegates that they were being terrorised by the (vigilante) groups, who were forcibly recruiting them, beating them, searching their houses and sexually harassing local women," the Amnesty statement said.
Some forces just act as guards, but others engage in active military-style patrols and search people's homes at night. The Amnesty report says there is ample evidence the Nepalese government is giving them practical help, including military training.
Which makes them more efficient, professional and competent; all bad according to AI ...
Nepal's home affairs minister told the BBC that was not true - but he did defend the idea of the defence forces. He supported them, he said, as a form of self-defence at this time of insurgency because government security forces simply did not have the resources to protect every village.
Concerns about these groups first surfaced last February when members of one village defence force killed 12 men accused of being Maoists. Amnesty International is now calling on the government to incorporate village volunteers into the police or military and to ban these armed civilian groups.
"Hey! You can't defend yourselves! That's ucky!"
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/04/2005 00:00 ||
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The strategy of using village self defense units is actually paying off for the Nepal Government. They are killing maoists in numbers the Nepali army cannot yet accomplish.
This of course is problematic for the human rights activists. When maoists kill villagers the human rights groups urge the Nepal Government to seek a peaceful settlement. They claim that no military solution is possible.
Well, a military solution is possible. The village self defense units and the Nepalese army can simply kill them all, or at the very least degrade them by attrition until they fade into irrelevancy.
Which is the problem (for Amnesty Interntional)
The human rights activists seek a delegitimization of the Nepali state (and neighboring Indian states as well), leading to incorporation of maoists within the government and eventual takeover.
The self defense units are exposing the lie. The problem is not violence. It is maoism. This is the 21st century and mao, marx and lenin have been consigned to the cesspit. The solution is for the maoists to stop being maoists, either voluntarily of at the end of a machete being wielded by a pissed off villager.
Being an uneducated villager, they have little tolerance for commies, unlike Amnesty International.
Posted by: john ||
08/04/2005 14:27 Comments ||
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#3
The other problem it creates for AI is the growing movement to have th4e U. N. make the right to bear arms a universal right.
And have you ever heard AI complain that in Iraq terrorists "blur the distinction between combatants and non-combatants, resulting in an increased number of civilian casualties,"
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
08/04/2005 16:20 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.
The emir of Kuwait, Sheik Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah, is recuperating in Switzerland after medical treatment in the United States, state television reported Wednesday. The prime minister, Sheik Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah, left Kuwait Wednesday to visit the emir, his half brother, in Switzerland, the TV reported. Sheik Sabah had said on the weekend that the emir was well and was going to Switzerland for convalescence. Sheik Jaber, 79, arrived in Zurich, Switzerland, on Monday. He had spent more than two months in the United States where he was operated on late May for a dilated blood vessel in his left leg. The emir suffered a brain hemorrhage in 2001. He has made few public appearances in recent years. Whenever he did appear, he spoke with difficulty and relied on support from his aides.
Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia and Chairman of Senior Ulema Commission and Religious Research and Ifta Department Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdallah Al Alsheikh on Wednesday asserted the country's allegiance to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz. In a speech, Al Alsheikh praised the Saudi pledge of allegiance, noting that it came in accordance with the Islamic laws and the teachings of Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him). He called on everyone to show commitment to national unity, and express loyalty to the Saudi leadership "as instructed by the teachings of Islam," praying to Allah "to bless Saudi Arabia and bring victory to Islam and Muslims.
Islam is the constitution in which will be followed to serve all citizens without any form of segregation, said Wednesday Saudi Arabia's Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdallah bin Abdul-Aziz. "I pledge to Allah and to all of you to follow the Quran as a constitution through the Islamic system" to equally serve all nationals, said King Abdallah in his first speech after Saudis pledged allegiance to him as the new monarch.
Muslims opposed to the British way of life should leave the country, even if they are UK citizens, a senior main opposition Conservative MP said Wednesday.
BEIJING - A scheduled meeting of the top envoys to talks on North Koreaâs nuclear program failed to take place on Wednesday because delegates from the Stalinist state did not show up, a source close to the negotiations said.
The Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said Wednesday that deliberations related to setting timing for holding the Arab summit, which had been delayed due to death of King Fahad of Saudi Arabia, have started, and that Arab countries are now debating a suggested timing. Moussa denied news reports on the cancellation of the summit set to be held in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh. Moussa said he would also leave to Sudan on Saturday to take part in the funeral of the late Sudanese Vice President John Garang, who has died earlier this week in a helicopter crash accident. He stressed the need for the implementation of the peace process in Sudan.
France, Britain and Germany hardened their tone toward Iran, warning that Tehran risked triggering an international crisis and could face U.N. sanctions if it follows through with a threat to resume its nuclear program. The toughened stance on Tuesday came a day after Iran said it would resume nuclear processing at its plant in Isfahan, beginning Wednesday, and follows the election of a new ultraconservative government in Tehran. 
NEW DELHI - Indian military sources said on Thursday an investigation has been launched into alleged espionage by a soldier at a major air base near China, in which documents on troop deployments and high-level strategy were stolen. The investigation was prompted after the arrest last month of a corporal who worked in an area of the base with access to computer data. He was found with 100 pages of computer printouts of strategic importance, said a senior army officer who declined to be named. âIt seems (the corporal) last year passed on copious data on missile locations, deployment of infantry battalions at Chinaâs borders, weapons technology upgrades and classified minutes of commander conferences,â the officer said. Some documents, he added, had been stolen and passed on to rival Pakistan, which is a close ally of China. 
Palestinian Hamas movement said on Wednesday the Israeli pullout is the harvest of the resistance and sacrifice the Palestinian people have devoted.
NEW DELHI - India said on Wednesday militants were waiting in a large number of camps in Pakistani Kashmir to sneak across a ceasefire line into Indian Kashmir. âRecent reports indicate a large number of launching camps along the Line of Control (LoC) have been activated where militants have been kept in readiness for infiltration,â Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee told the upper house of parliament.
