British Prime Minister Tony Blairâs pledge to ban militant Islamic groups will be seen by Muslims as âstifling legitimate political dissentâ, a member of Hizb ut-Tahrir said today. Imran Waheed, a spokesman for Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain, said the group would fight any ban through the courts and insisted it was a ânon-violent political partyâ.
I think it's pretty well established that it's an al-Qaeda front organization.
He added: âThere will be serious repercussions in terms of community relations if this ban goes ahead. We have a lot of support among the Muslim community in Britain and it will be seen by the Muslim community as stifling legitimate political dissent.
Sounds like a threat to turn Britain into something like Karachi on a hot day...
âHizb ut-Tahrir is a non-violent political party. It has had a history of non-violence for the last 50 years and these measures are like what we have seen in Uzbekistan where President Karimov has been burning his political opponents alive. Our members are all for political expression, not for violence.â
Hizbut's members also all call for the establishment of a caliphate to rule an Islamic world. They take the phrase "over my dead body" literally and look forward to it with anticpation.
Mr Waheed said the group had made its position on the London bombings clear - that it was ânot justified to take innocent livesâ.
"But since they're already dead, we should just move on. There's certainly no reason to actually do something about it."
âWe have been very clear about that and we will fight any ban through the legal system. We will continue our work. Our work is totally non-violent.â But he added: âOur views are very similar to those in the Muslim community. We want an end to Western interference in Muslim countries.â
In that case, you'll have nothing against those Muslim communities being moved to Karachi and left to their own devices...
Mr Waheed rejected shadow defence minister Gerald Howarthâs comments that Muslims opposed to the British way of life should leave the country even if they are UK citizens. âThis is nothing to do with not liking the country,â he said. âWe were born in Britain and there is nothing precluding a Muslim from a being a decent citizen in this country. By doing this, he (Mr Blair) is setting an example to the tyrant rulers of the Muslim world, encouraging them to further suppress their populations.â
There's nothing precluding a Muslim being a decent citizen of Britain. That doesn't explain why those who aren't decent citizens shouldn't be dumped...
The Hizb ut-Tahrir website says the groupâs aim is to âresume the Islamic way of life and to convey the Islamic daâwah (teachings) to the worldâ. A statement posted following the G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, last month said the âcolonialists, especially America and Britain, harbour a hidden hatred against Islam and the Muslims".
We just hide it really well, since we as nations go out of our way not to offend the sensitive little beasties...
It continued: âThey forget their differences when it comes to Islam and the Muslims. The London explosions, which took place at the time of the G8 summit, revealed this crusader viewpoint and hatred of Islam and the Muslims to the extent that every Muslim in Britain, even British citizens, have come under suspicion where even some British organisations have begun calling openly for âwaging a crusader war to expel Muslims from the streets of Europeâ.
Only those who've declared war against the host country. I use the term "host country" descriptively, to describe a nation that's afflicted with destructive parasites. Parasites, in fact, like Hizb ut-Tahrir...
âYou can see these states, especially the colonialist states and those which have ambitions over our countries, may disagree on everything but they are united against you and against your Deen (faith).â The site has several question and answer-style pages arguing that America is trying to create an âevil empire which will control the whole worldâ.
That's why we've imposed a tax on the countries we've liberated, right? That's why we've removed their treasure to our own countries. That's why we've slaughtered their military age males in batches... Oh. Wait. That's what Muslims would do. That's what Saddam did, in fact.
Other statements read: âWestern capitalism is a shameful and licentious civilisation for which there is no precedent known in history. Abnormal behaviour, mutilation and nudity can be found amongst human beings.â
If you don't like it, don't indulge. If you don't like being around it, go back to Karachi. The difference between Western civilization and Islamism is that we in the West have over the course of the years tamed our impulses somewhat to tell other people how to live their lives.
The common link between Al Muhajiroun and Hizb ut-Tahir is Sheikh Omar bin Bakri bin Mohammed. Bakri Mohammed has been investigated by police over his allegedly inflammatory language, but no charges have ever been brought.
We'll believe the Brits have actually caught on when he's booted...
After living in Syria and Lebanon, he was expelled from Saudi Arabia as an extremist and arrived in Britain in 1986. He set up a branch of Hizb ut-Tahrir (Party of Liberation), which recruited from mosques and colleges. He split from the group in 1996 and created Al-Muhajiroun (The Eyes and Ears of the Muslims), which praised the âMagnificent 19â hijackers after September 11. Last October, Bakri Mohammed announced he was disbanding Al-Muhajiroun in the interests of unity in the Muslim world, and has since adopted a lower profile.
Which means he's working behind the scenese and thinking of going underground if he thinks Tony's serious this time. Tony faces the choice to be Churchill or Musharraf...
However, he is now head of one of the âsuccessor organisationsâ referred to by Mr Blair today â the Saviour Sect (Ahl ul-Sunnah wal Jammah), which disrupted a Muslim Council of Britain press conference in April.
I think he sees this as a British equivalent of Jamaat-e-Islami...
A group of chanting militants stormed the meeting, condemning the Council as âa mouthpieceâ of Mr Blairâs and claiming that voting in the General Election would go against Islam. There were chaotic scenes as a group of more than a dozen men, two of them masked, broke down the door of the library in the Central London Mosque in Regentâs Park. The men who burst in said they represented the Saviour Sect, from the disbanded Al Muhajiroun group and headed by cleric Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed. They also targeted election candidates George Galloway and Oona King in violent scuffles during hustings in Londonâs East End in April.
Sounds a lot like the Islami Jamiat Talaba and the festivities at Punjab University, doesn't it?
Another Al-Muhajiroun offshoot is known as Al Ghurabaa, or âThe Strangersâ. This week, Al Ghurabaa spokesman Abu Izzadeen refused to condemn the July 7 bombings and said he hoped they would make people âwake up and smell the coffeeâ.
We're all hoping exactly the same thing, bub.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/05/2005 11:49 ||
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Slipspeak soft death fatwa? As a front group on the more accessible end (worse than mere apologist though) of the scale the words can't be issued as bluntly and with the same sort of calls to violence that the more hardcore mouthpieces can. "Nonviolent" is a term of art with these folks. They have nothing to offer a civilized, democratic and tolerant society do they.
#2
But he added: âOur views are very similar to those in the Muslim community. We want an end to Western interference in Muslim countries.â
And yet he attempts to interfere in a non Muslim country. No double standard at all.
#3
This week, Al Ghurabaa spokesman Abu Izzadeen refused to condemn the July 7 bombings and said he hoped they would make people âwake up and smell the coffeeâ.
#6
It looks like Bush and Blair are playing rope-a-dope with these people, giving them enough rope to hang themselves.
Posted by: john ||
08/05/2005 14:20 Comments ||
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Hopefully this new law means they can be deported back to wherever they came from..Lets see how opinionated they are in their own shithole....
Posted by: Kent Mccord ||
08/05/2005 14:23 Comments ||
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The London explosions, which took place at the time of the G8 summit, revealed this crusader viewpoint and hatred of Islam and the Muslims to the extent that every Muslim in Britain, even British citizens, have come under suspicion where even some British organisations have begun calling openly for âwaging a crusader war to expel Muslims from the streets of Europeâ.
You want a Crusader viewpoint? How about "Kill them all and let God sort them out"? Does the word "cauterization" make you lose any sleep?
Diluting the term "crusader" really isn't in your best interest, genius.
Prime Minister Tony Blair on Friday announced new deportation measures against people who foster hatred and advocate violence following last month's transportation attacks that killed 52 people and four suspected suicide bombers. Clerics who preach hate and Web sites or book shops that sponsor violence would be targeted. Foreign nationals could be deported under the new measures.
Blair said his government was prepared to amend human rights legislation if necessary if legal challenges arose from the new deportation measures. Britain's ability to deport foreign nationals has been hampered by human rights legislation. As a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights, Britain is not allowed to deport people to a country where they may face torture or death. "Let no one be in any doubt that the rules of the games are changing," Blair said, promising to crack down on extremists blamed for radicalizing pockets of Muslim youth.
By the year's end, Blair wants to pass legislation that would outlaw "indirect incitement" of terrorism â targeting extremist Islamic clerics who glorify acts of terrorism and seduce impressionable Muslim youth. The law would ban receiving training in terrorist techniques in Britain or abroad. A new offense of "acts preparatory to terrorism" would outlaw planning an attack and activities such as acquiring bomb-making instructions on the Internet. Blair said his government would hold a short, one-month consultation on new grounds for excluding and deporting people from the United Kingdom. "The Muslim community have been and are our partners in this endeavor," said Blair, who has appealed to community leaders to help roots out extremists in their midst.
Posted by: ed ||
08/05/2005 08:30 ||
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1. Is there a way to narrowly define this kind of measure so that governements aren't deporting anybody they feel like?
2. Bye-bye EU human rights legislation -- the UK is going to be just the first in a long line of European nations to decide that "human rights" is not more important than survival.
3. This took some balls. I wonder how Labor's loonier elements are taking this?
Posted by: Jonathan ||
08/05/2005 8:40 Comments ||
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Yes, balls big enough to come in a dump truck.(given his party's stance on most issues) I wonder if Americans are learning anything from all this? Like that you can pass laws that work, even if special interest doesnt like it.
#4
When I heard TB on the radio the first thing that popped into my mind is that Galloway and Red Ken will go ballistic over this. And in my book it makes it the right thing to do
#5
As valiant a move as this is, let's see what erosion in resolve there is in, say, six months or more.
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/05/2005 12:40 Comments ||
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I agree CA, the proof will be if anyone is actually deported, or whether this is just a sop the general voting public.
Posted by: john ||
08/05/2005 14:22 Comments ||
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About time. I can get two families in a car if they need a lift to Dover..
Posted by: Kent Mccord ||
08/05/2005 14:30 Comments ||
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KM, two families in one car? Would that leave any room for the rucksacks?
Posted by: john ||
08/05/2005 14:39 Comments ||
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I'll believe it when I actually see a deportation, hell thay can't even extradite someonme to the US.
Talk is cheap and at least 80% of the population will think you have actually done something when you haven't. The Laborites like Clare Short will never allow it.
British police have charged two sisters under anti-terrorism laws for failing to give police information regarding the botched 21 July attempts to bomb London. Police said Yeshshiembet Girma, 28, and Muluemebet Girma, 21, of London, would appear at the capital's Bow Street Magistrates' Court on Friday charged under the Terrorism Act 2000. They were arrested on 27 July in a raid on a public housing estate in the Stockwell area of south London. Police accused them of failing to give information to detectives which could help convict someone "for an offence involving the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism". The failed bombings on 21 July came two weeks after four bombers killed 52 people and themselves in three underground trains and a bus. Police have linked the bombers to al-Qaida.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/05/2005 00:00 ||
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Throwing relatives in jail, may do some good. Every little disincentive helps.
#5
I could just see the uproar now, about how Muslim womenfolk are being treated in jail. Penis Durbin is going to be all over this one. IMO, give them a rope let them kill themselves and call it a honor killing. BTW, has anyone figured out what female martyr's get when they go to heaven?
#7
This will serve as an incentive for Brits who don't want to be Brits to emigrate before they are deported. It'll work out better for everyone that way. And don't let the door hit you in the butt on the way out.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
08/05/2005 10:49 Comments ||
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If these lasses are Ethiopian I want the money back I gave to Band Aid in 1984.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
08/05/2005 11:05 Comments ||
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#6 - mmmm... sexy shoes.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
08/05/2005 11:05 Comments ||
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Howard, you've a small touch of the vicious in 'ya.
LONDON â British police investigating the botched London subway attack of July 21 said Thursday they had charged two women under anti-terror laws.
Weshshiembet Girma, 29, and Muluemebet Girma, 21, of separate addresses in south London, were charged with failing to disclose information that could have helped police secure the arrest, prosecution or conviction of a person involved in terrorism, a Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said. A quick search of RB doesn't show them appearing up to now. They appear to be typical "moderate" moslems, not actually performing jihad, but sheltering those who do.
Press Association reported that the women are sisters and that both were arrested on July 27, accused of failing to disclose the required information between July 21 and July 28.
They are the second and third persons to be charged in Britain in connection with the failed July 21 bombings on London's subways.
The first person charged â Ismael Abdurahman (search), 23, from southeast London â appeared in court Thursday to face charges of withholding information that helped suspected subway bomber Hamdi Issac avoid capture.
London police are continuing to detain 12 other suspects without charge. Amnesty International is gonna be unhappy about that.
#1
I guess Saladin's well-known demands of "No Women or Children shall fight in Allah's cause/name against the Crusaders" does not apply to contemporary Radical Islamism - maybe for Hillary except its NOT Der Waffen SS MarxFrau Hillary whose doing the self-explodin'!
Cardiologist Akmal Waheed told an intelligence agency last week he would give a statement in the trial of Joseph Thomas, an alleged Australian Al Qaeda member, only after seeing his photograph. Waheed was sentenced to 18-years imprisonment for sheltering and treating members of a Pakistani Al Qaeda-linked group. Sources told Daily Times the Australian Federation Police wanted Waheed to give a statement in Thomasâs trial. Thomas was arrested from Pakistan while trying to leave here using a fake passport. He was deported to Australia in June 2003.
Sources said that Australian authorities had asked the Interior Ministry for Waheedâs statement, alleging that the cardiologist had met Thomas in Afghanistan. Sources said a local intelligence agency met Waheed at Karachi Central Prison last week regarding this matter. âWaheed told the agents that he might have met Thomas at a Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) medical camp in Afghanistan but did not know anyone with such a name, especially since it was a Christian name and the man (most probably) had converted to Islam,â they added. The cardiologist had said he would only give a statement after identifying the man through his picture, said sources. A Melbourne Magistrate Court released Thomas, who converted to Islam in 1996 and changed his name to Jihad, on February 15, 2005. He claimed he had been tortured in Pakistan.
Osama Bin Laden allegedly recruited Thomas, a âsleeperâ agent in Australia, to recce Afghanistan. Thomas worked as a taxi driver there for several years. He is also accused of training at a militant camp near Kandahar, fighting for Al Qaeda and being funded by the group. Thomas could be awarded the maximum jail term of 50 years imprisonment if proven guilty.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/05/2005 00:00 ||
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Osama Bin Laden allegedly recruited Thomas, a âsleeperâ agent in Australia, to recce Afghanistan.
Does that just not sound right? Couldn't Osama just have asked his friends in the ISI?
Posted by: ed ||
08/05/2005 1:00 Comments ||
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Five Turkish soldiers have been killed in an attack by suspected Kurdish rebels, officials say. At least six others were reportedly wounded in the attack, in Turkey's south-eastern Hakkari province. It is the most serious loss of life for the Turkish army since six soldiers died in a bomb attack in early July. Kurdish rebels have stepped up their campaign of attacks on civilian and army targets in the past few months.
The attack happened in the early hours of Friday near the town of Semdinli, which is close to the country's borders with Iran and Iraq.
Private CNN-Turk television said a powerful explosion was set off before rebels opened fire on the soldiers. The rebels made their escape by fleeing into the mountains. A number of the injured soldiers were reportedly airlifted by helicopter to a military hospital in the main provincial town of Hakkari. Security forces have launched an operation to catch the rebels. The attack came only hours after Kurdish rebels freed a Turkish soldier they had held for more than three weeks.
The separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party, known as the PKK, has been fighting the government since 1984 in a campaign to create a Kurdish homeland in the south-east. More than 37,000 people have been killed since then. The rebels declared a unilateral truce in 1999, but ended it in 2004, saying Turkey had not done enough to meet their demands.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/05/2005 08:54 ||
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WASHINGTON (AP) - An Israeli businessman who conspired to ship controlled nuclear technology to Pakistan was sentenced to three years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Ricardo Urbina on Thursday imposed the sentence on Asher Karni, who pleaded guilty last year to helping ship devices that could be used to test, develop and detonate nuclear weapons.
Karni, who was based in South Africa, admitted routing sophisticated oscilloscopes and high-speed electrical switches through South Africa to avoid raising authorities' suspicions. The scopes and the switches were then shipped to Pakistan. A federal indictment is pending against Humayun A. Khan, a Pakistan businessman who the government says was Karni's partner. Khan remains at large. A Pakistani with the last name of Khan involved in smuggling nuclear weapons parts? Another "Family Affair" moment, perhaps, or are all guys named Khan crooked? More later.
The United States prohibits the export of the switches - also known as "triggered spark gaps," which can be used in medical and military devices - to Pakistan and some other countries to prevent nuclear proliferation. Karni was arrested on New Year's Day 2004 as he entered the U.S. at Denver International Airport.
Additional: Did a Google on Humayun A. Khan and found this guy:The most elusive character in the case of the U.S. nuclear triggers shipped illegally to Pakistan is Islamabad businessman Humayun Khan. Khan has been indicted by the U.S. Justice Department but he remains free in Pakistan, where he insists he is innocent. His South African collaborator, Asher Karni, has already pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing in a Brooklyn prison. Khan is the owner of Pakland PME Corporation, which has long-standing ties to the Pakistani military. Follow the link and check out Humayun A. Khan's photo. Now open this link in another window and check out a photo of Humayun Akhtar Khan, the Pakistani Minister of Commerce. Do they look like the same guy to you, with a better haircut.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/05/2005 13:16 ||
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Link to LA Times article
Bratt said in court Thursday that the U.S. government still did not know for whom Khan was purchasing the spark gaps or where the disabled components were.
But Bratt told the judge that the buyer was either the government of Pakistan and its nuclear program, another country that Pakistan was secretly helping with its nuclear program or a Pakistani political organization that supported "jihadist elements" or other rogue groups.
"The choices for the true recipient of the triggered spark gaps are not comforting," Bratt said.
The agents, James Brigham and David Poole, said they could not comment on the case or on their continuing investigation, for which they have tried to travel to Pakistan to conduct interviews.
They and others have been unable to do so, authorities have confirmed, in part because the departments of Commerce and Homeland Security have failed to gain adequate support from within the Bush administration to pressure Pakistan into letting them in the country
Posted by: john ||
08/05/2005 14:26 Comments ||
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The SA Tribune link is written by:
By M T Butt & Syed Saleem Shahzad
Boy, that one's too easy! Can hear Beavis & Butthead now!
Posted by: BA ||
08/05/2005 15:04 Comments ||
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john: They and others have been unable to do so, authorities have confirmed, in part because the departments of Commerce and Homeland Security have failed to gain adequate support from within the Bush administration to pressure Pakistan into letting them in the country
Possibly because this is part of some giant sting operation, where Khan's creds are being pumped up so that jihadis will come calling. We can only speculate.
#5
Why on earth did Karni only get 3 years? I do hope it's because he is talking just as fast as he can. Otherwise this is a travesty, and sets a dangerous precedent for others thinking of exporting dangerous toys under the table.
Quite possibly, the blood of many Jews are going to be on your hands, you stupid moron. You maybe out in 3 yrs but, you rebelled against the God of Israel by selling tech. to the Jewish enemy.
Numbers 26: ..were among Korah's followers when they rebelled against the LORD. v.10 The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them along with Korah, whose followers died when the fire devoured the 250 men. And they served as a warning sign.
#7
PR-
That's the first reference to the Korah Curse I have ever seen on line.
Karni is probably still arranging the payoff from both sides before he declares he converted to Islam before the transaction. It would be simpler for everyone if he just announced this. Everyone should payoff.
#8
It is interesting that the Pak nuclear weapon program is reliant on medical devices - triggered spark gaps designed for lithotripters imported from abroad.
Posted by: john ||
08/05/2005 16:52 Comments ||
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Penquin,
Jew converting to Muslim = Traitor
Jew selling tech. to Muslim= Traitor
#10
Unfortunately there are Jewish traitors, just like everyone else. The description sounds like he was in it strictly for selfish financial gain, not for idealistic reasons (like imminent conversion to Islam). Convict the man, then give him a couple of years in solitary confinement without any sunlight, and let his family disown him from shame.
#11
Israeli Businessman? Sounds to me like South African businessman, who happened to be a Jew and therefore eligible for an Israeli passport (and had obtained one, very common for south africans). If he had a british born grandparent and hence been eligible for a UK passport and obtained one, would he have been described as a British Businessman? I doubt it.
#13
Karni was born in Hungary and has lived for 20 years in South Africa, moreorless as long as he lived in Israel (I'm not sure when he left Hungary).
#14
Why was South African Karni flying into DIA? Denver just had a (Saudi national, I think) U of Co professor sentenced for mistreating his Asian slave/maid. Denver is also on the list of previous mentioned targets. They are a sanctuary city that seems to harbor illegal gang members from south of the border, but I didn't know about a Muslim population. Couldn't doctors access these dual-use kidney stone busters? Maybe that's how the rumor Bin Laden needed dialysis got started...I also read in Bill Gertz' book Treachery that a German company, Siemens, had sold some to Iraq, also via South Africa, I think. I hope they are doing a sting and onto something here.
A U.S. citizen in Maryland, accused of attending a terrorist training camp in Pakistan, has been charged with conspiring to support a terrorist organization. Federal authorities say Mahmud Faruq Brent, arrested Thursday, allegedly admitted during a conversation secretly recorded by the FBI that he had attended the Pakistani terrorist camp, The Washington Post reported Friday. Brent, who once worked as a paramedic in Silver Spring, Md., is accused of supporting Lashkar-e-Taiba, a militant Islamic group the U.S. government has designated a terrorist organization.
A criminal complaint says the FBI listened in during a conversation between Brent, who also uses the name Mahmud Al Mutazzim, and Tarik Shah of New York, a jazz musician and self-described martial arts expert. Shah was arrested in May and has pleaded not guilty to charges that he provided material support to al-Qaida. The complaint also links Brent to Seifullah Chapman, a member of the "Virginia jihad network" now serving a 65-year sentence for conspiring to support Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Post said.
Nice bunch of friends ya got there, Brent
Posted by: Steve ||
08/05/2005 13:14 ||
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[cough] yesterday [cough] :-)
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/05/2005 14:35 Comments ||
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I was waiting for you to show up. Yes, Steve, he was arrested yesterday. This is an update with additional data on his friends, So there.;-)
Posted by: Steve ||
08/05/2005 15:02 Comments ||
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Is an inter-Steve insurgency about tyo break out in the AoS?
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
08/05/2005 15:26 Comments ||
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Is an inter-Steve insurgency about to break out in the AoS?
We prefer to call it a minor disagreement between factions. Or as some people call it, civil war.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/05/2005 16:26 Comments ||
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#5
Steve across the board for 500 pls.
Posted by: George C P ||
08/05/2005 19:32 Comments ||
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WASHINGTON: An international organisation representing police chiefs has broadened its policy for the use of deadly force by telling officers to shoot suspected suicide bombers in the head, The Washington Post reported on Thursday. The International Association of Chiefs of Police issued new guidelines to its 20,000 members about two weeks before British police shot dead a Brazilian electrician because they mistook him for a suicide bomber, the newspaper said. US law enforcement officers typically had been authorized previously to use deadly force if lives were in imminent danger, the newspaper said.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/05/2005 00:00 ||
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"Use of unnecessary force in the apprehension of the Blues Brothers terrorists... has been approved."
#2
Most US cops lack the shooting skills to make headshots consistently or at all under pressure. Many of them can't hit anything at all when under pressure as a matter of fact. This is really mostly propaganda. This organization is also anti firearms ownership (supports gun bans and gun banning politicians.)
#3
I don't doubt it was intended to be propaganda - but if it is, it's piss poor propaganda. As propaganda, it has the exact opposite effect of what they want. I would guess that it's a planned event so that someone ACLU type, already prepped and ready, can file a law suit that will attempt to restrain lethal force.
#5
Maybe it was put out for the consumption of jihadis and heavy-coat-in-the-summertime folks?
Posted by: Bobby ||
08/05/2005 12:38 Comments ||
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FYI..
I just read an article on WND stating that, Congress has been asked to investigate the ACLU for frivolous lawsuits, including subway searches. This should keep the ACLU busy, for a while.
Jees, stop with the piercings dialogue. Multiple, folds of flesh. I keep getting this obese Roseanne Barr image in my head, uuuugggghhh. Folds and folds of fat oozing over a steel piercing. Freakin horrible.
I'll puke up those beer battered fries I had for lunch indeed if I can't shake that image loose.
I'm trying to come up with another image of piercings in folds of skin that's much more pleasant,maybe, maybe, but nope here comes Roseanne again...Damn you, you cruel bastards!
The Iranian government has deployed large numbers of troops in cities in the northwestern region which borders Iraq in an effort to quell three weeks of civil unrest that has left up to 20 people dead and more than 300 wounded, according to reports from dissident groups. They said as many as 100,000 state security forces, backed up by helicopter gunships, had moved into the region to crack down on pro-Kurdish demonstrations.
The claims, from Kurdish groups in Iraq, could not be independently verified, and Iranian officials remained silent about the unrest.
The state-owned news agency IRNA said the trouble was due to "hooligan and criminal elements".
How 'soviet' of them.
News agencies have reported trouble in the northern areas over the past two weeks, though the scale of the unrest has been unclear.
The protests in the Kurdish areas came after the killing of a Kurdish activist by Iranian security forces in the city of Mahabad on July 9. Since then, anti-regime demonstrations have erupted in the mainly Kurdish towns of Sanandaj, Mahabad, Sardasht, Piranshahr, Oshnavieh, Divandareh, Baneh, Sinne, Bokan and Saqiz. In the worst violence so far, Iranian security forces are reported to have killed at least 12 Kurdish demonstrators and injured more than 70 in a clash in the city of Saqiz on Wednesday.
Witnesses said the unrest began just before noon as hundreds of protesters attacked a paramilitary outpost with sticks and stones. Government buildings, including the governor's office, were also attacked and some were ransacked. Protesters then gathered in the main square, chanting "Down with Khamenei", the country's supreme leader.
Witnesses said that security forces responded with live bullets, and some protesters were fired at by helicopters. Kurdsat, an Iraqi-Kurdish satellite channel based in Sulaimaniyah, reported yesterday that police had detained as many as 1,200 people after the incident.
Further unrest was feared yesterday in Bokan and Sinne, where up to 6,000 special forces soldiers were said to have gathered. Opposition leaders appealed for calm and called for the international community to put pressure on the Iranian authorities to halt the crackdown.
In a statement, the Kurdistan Democratic party of Iran, which is based in Iraq, urged "international organisations, human-rights supporters and the international community to make efforts to stop the bloodshed of the Iranian Kurdish people by the Islamic republic regime of Iran".
"This could turn into yet another tragedy for our people," said Hussein Yazdanpanah, the general secretary of the Revolutionary Union of Kurdistan, who is in exile in the city of Irbil. "Our people want their rights and to demonstrate and work for them peacefully. But they are being met with a brutal force."
Is it time for us to help the Iraqi Kurds help their cousins?
Iranian agents provocateur were moving among the protesters, he said, "ensuring chaos and violence and thereby justifying an extreme reaction from Iranian authorities".
How soviet of them, too.
A UN report released last Saturday said authorities were denying basic amenities to Iran's ethnic and religious minorities and in some cases seizing land. "Regions historically occupied by Kurds ... seem to suffer disproportionate inadequacy of services such as water and electricity and unsatisfactory reconstruction efforts," the report concluded. But Tehran dismisses such charges and is extremely sensitive about any hint of ethnic unrest, particularly by the Kurds. Anti-government demonstrations are dealt with harshly.
Mahabad, where the activist Shwana Sayyed Qadr was killed, was the capital of the short-lived Republic of Kurdistan, established by the Kurdish leader Mustafah Barzani in 1945. It has since become a symbol for Kurdish nationalism.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/05/2005 00:00 ||
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"Is it time for us to help the Iraqi Kurds help their cousins?"
Past time. Won't be easy.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
08/05/2005 6:35 Comments ||
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#2
How about the U.S. JDAM's, among other arsenal, taking care of the Iranian troops right before reaching "northwestern region"? A chance to take out 100K Iranian "security force" terrs is just so juicy.
#3
The Kurds shouldn't make the mistake of letting the government take the fight to their neighborhood. They should turn the tables and take the fight to Tehran. Also Qom, where so many of the mullahs are trained.
#4
here here moose, I agree. But what's he chance of any number of Kurds making it to Tehran? About 150,000 to 1?
Their every move is monitored and their travel extremely limited. Their best bet is to high tail it over the border into Iraq where the Peshmerga can back em up, then launch cross border attacks and retreat back into Iraq to escape impending Iranian destruction, just like the baathists do to avoid American reprisals when attacking targets inside Iraq.
You know neither the Americans nor the Kurdish autonomous govt wouldn't do anything to try to stop em. Hell we would secretly help them and facilitate such action.
#5
Elvis, Iran is a multi-ethnic state where ethnic Persians are a bare majority. A non-Persian in Tehran would not be noteworthy.
What we are likely seeing is the result of Kurds crossing into Iraq, getting military training and returning to Iran. This is a bad dynamic for the Mullahs and will get worse as crackdowns will send more across the border accelerating the process.
Also Thursday, Jordan announced the arrest of 17 terrorists linked to Abu Musab al Zarqawiâs al Qaeda network in Iraq and an affiliated Saudi group for plotting attacks on US personnel.
On July 16, DEBKA-Net-Weekly 214 revealed the plot's huge scale:
An ambitious attack in Jordan was foiled this week. It was to have been Zarqawiâs crowning venture. The scheme had four parts: One, to blow up the Iraqi-Jordanian oil pipeline from Kirkuk to Zarqa; two, to torch the hundreds of American and Jordan tanker trucks waiting outside Jordanian pumping stations including H4. The Jordanian-Iraqi border terminals were to have been attacked at the same time and the villages around the terminals and oil pipeline set on fire.
Four would have emanated from the first three: the cutoff of the main energy lifeline from Jordan to the US army in Iraq and Baghdad.
Jordanian intelligence got wind of the danger in time and aborted the multiple attacks.
DEBKA-Net-Weeklyâs anti-terror sources reports that Zarqawi placed one of his lieutenants, Abu Abd al Raham al-Afghani in charge of this operation. His real name is believed to be Ismail Abu Awda. The man on the ground in Jordan was to have been Fahd Faiqi, a Saudi Arabian aged 26, who lives in Jordan and acts as Zarqawiâs main contact with Jordanian crime gangs.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The U.S. military has launched a new offensive against insurgents and foreign fighters in western Iraq's Anbar province, an area that has been the scene of a string of deadly attacks on American forces this week.
About 1,000 U.S. Marines and Iraqi soldiers are participating in Operation Quick Strike, which began Wednesday.
The offensive was not retaliatory but planned in advance of three insurgent attacks that killed 21 Marines earlier this week in Haditha and Hit, Sunni Arab cities along the Euphrates River, said Lt. Col. Steve Boylan, director of the U.S.-led Combined Press Information Center.
Since spring, several American offensives have been conducted in this region along the Euphrates that snakes into Syria. The U.S. military said it is hunting down fighters reportedly infiltrating Iraq from the country's long, porous border with Syria.
On Friday, Iraqi special operations forces directed a Marine airstrike on insurgents firing from buildings near Haqliniya, southwest of Haditha.
A U.S. military statement said Quick Strike's "objective is to interdict and disrupt insurgents and foreign terrorists' presence in the Haditha, Haqliniya and Barwana area."
The military said intelligence gathered in recent operations shows "that terrorists are operating in these cities and surrounding areas."
Stronger explosives
The military also said it was concerned that insurgents were developing stronger explosive devices, such as the weapon used in an attack that killed 14 U.S. Marines near Haditha on Wednesday.
Military sources said they believe recent evidence suggests neighboring countries are being used as routes to smuggle "shaped charges" into Iraq.
These types of explosives produce concentrated blasts that penetrate targets such as armored vehicles. The Marines killed in Wednesday's roadside blast were using an amphibious assault vehicle.
It's not known whether U.S. forces have captured such shipments or if these explosives were used in the deadly Haditha attack.
The blast that killed the 14 Marines marked one of the deadliest attacks on American forces in the Iraq war.
Six Marines also died Monday in a firefight in Haditha, and a suicide bomber killed another Marine that same day in Hit. Twenty-eight U.S. troops have died in Iraq this week.
Maybe I'm becoming unduly sensitised to this sort of thing, but here is yet another case where the headline does not match the article.
From the head, it sounds like this is an attempt by the Marines to strike back at their tormenters, but by the 3rd para, we find that The offensive was not retaliatory but planned in advance of three insurgent attacks An impressive display of 'journalism', CNN!
#6
Better yet, Speash Elmineque1256, I hope the Marines capture or kill all the "insurgents" (Al Qaeda, former Baathist, and common criminal), destroy all their weapons materials, discover all their connections, restore all their hostages, and make them look like the losers that they are.
Israeli diplomats in Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania, fear that a mob might assault the embassy and are considering moving to Senegal. The Military Council for Justice and Democracy - the group now leading the country after Wednesday's coup - has asked the police to increase security around the building. Mauritania, along with Egypt and Jordan, is one of the three Arab states officially recognising the state of Israel. The decision to recognise Israel was taken by the former regime which was overthrown in the coup.
I think of it as kind of a litmus test. If they trash the Israeli embassy or otherwise start making faces at the Zionists, then the coup is pushed by the Islamists and we're going to have trouble. Since they're increasing security around the embassy, I'm still moderately hopeful. If the additional cops disappear in the dead of night or at the approach of a magickally appearing howling mob, then I'm wrong...
The Mauritanian population strongly opposed the former regime's international policies, in terms of its diplomatic ties with Israel and military cooperation with the United States on the war of terror.
Pretty categorical statement, that. Are there no Mauritanians to be found who're in favor? Aren't there any who don't care one way or the other?
Last month Mauritania's foreign minister - Mohamed Vall Ould Bellal - called on Arab countries to build closer diplomatic ties with Israel and contribute to the Middle East peace process. After Wednesday's coup, the people in Mauritania are asking for a change in strategy, demanding the closure of diplomatic relationships with Israel, according to the Al-Quds Al-Arab newspaper.
Again we have that presumption of unanimity. Surely Mauritania, with the entire continent of Africa between them and Israel and a breath-taking level of poverty and backwardness, has more important things pushing toward the top of the national attention span?
The Mauritanian population was also critical towards the former regime's cooperation with the US on the war on terror, according to the paper.
A bit worried, is the Mauritanian population?
In July, Mauritania hosted the first Sahara anti-terrorism summit attended by its military chiefs, as well as those of Algeria, Mali and Niger - the other countries within whose border the Sahara desert extends - and US military chiefs. The four countries are keen to combat armed Islamic extremist groups crossing their borders, who are operating and carrying out attacks on military personnel in the Sahara. The United States had troops stationed in military bases in Mauritania and Mali three years ago, for the war on terror, helping Mauritanian troops patrol the country's northern border with Algeria. Militants from the Algerian extremist formation, the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), use the desert as a logistic base.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/05/2005 11:48 ||
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#1
The home language of the site is Italian, fwiw, and the Italians generally aren't keen on Israel. And neither are journalists, in general. So perhaps the writer's assumptions are not the Mauritanians's... or the Military Council's. (Are Military Councils in the habit of consulting the wishes of the peepul?)
Abdul Samad, a 23-year-old of Bangladeshi descent, worries about what is in store for him back home in Britain as he talks about Pakistan's plan to expel foreign students from the country's Islamic schools.
Responding to worries after the July 7 London bombings that some of the schools, known as madrasas, were militant recruiting grounds, President Pervez Musharraf announced a ban last week on foreign students coming to Pakistan for religious education.
Musharraf said an estimated 1,400 overseas students, mostly from Southeast Asia, Europe, North America and Africa, enrolled in Pakistani madrasas would be sent home.
Facing up to the stigma of becoming a deportee, British-born Samad derided the directive as a violation of human rights.
"I came here on a proper visa. But since they are sending us back forcibly, we will be treated like deportees," he told Reuters at Jamia Binoria, one of Karachi's largest madrasas.
"Given the mood back home, they will interrogate me. But I have nothing to hide. I am not a jihadi," says Samad, whose family settled in England after his grandfather left Bangladesh.
Revelations that one of the suspected London suicide bombers, Shehzad Tanweer, a Briton of Pakistani descent, had visited madrasas in Pakistan months before the attacks stoked alarm in the West that some schools were preaching hatred.
Musharraf says all madrasas should register by December as part of a plan to introduce a mainstream curriculum in the schools and to correct any leaning towards extremist teachings.
The number of foreign students fell sharply after al Qaeda's Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States spread alarm among governments abroad that their nationals were being indoctrinated with radical ideas preached by some Pakistani madrasas.
Analysts say the government will have to tread carefully on the issue of madrasas, as there are about 12,000 in the country, many of which provide food, lodging and at least a rudimentary education to close to a million boys from poor families.
Most students from the West, however, go to madrasas recognised for teaching Islamic thought, jurisprudence and Arabic.
A national organisation of madrasas wants Musharraf to rethink the ban on foreign students and plans for madrasa reform.
Maulana Mohammad Hanif Jallundri, liaison secretary of the Ittihad Tanzeemat Madaris Dinya Pakistan (Alliance of the Organisations of Religious Schools Pakistan), said the expulsion of foreigners was "an emotional decision".
"We are trying to meet General Musharraf, and if the issue is not resolved through talks then we will go to the Supreme Court," he told Reuters from the central city of Multan, where he runs a huge madrasa, Jamia Khair-ul-Madaras.
Almost half the foreign students registered at Pakistani madrasas study in the southern city of Karachi.
But madrasa officials say the number of foreign students is probably more than officially estimated, as many were admitted to schools without a student visa or a government "no objection certificate".
Some madrasas, officials said, took in overseas students who entered Pakistan on tourist or business visas.
Imtiaz Baksh, a Canadian national, had no student visa when he first began studying at Jamia Binoria.
"I have been in this madrasa for the last five years. My wife and son are with me. We do nothing but study Islam," he said, berating the government for punishing every foreign student for the actions of a few.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/05/2005 11:29 ||
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Posted by: john ||
08/05/2005 13:43 Comments ||
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#2
No we shouldn't. We're a western society, and we have laws. We don't jug people who are innocent. Yes, yes, I know the old saw about how the splodydope is 'innocent' til he pushes the button, but these folks, most of them anyways, are truly innocent.
They may also be mopes, and may be excitable and prone to eye-rolling and face-making, and that's something the Brits have to fix.
So Samad, for example, needs to return to Britain, get a degree in something useful (accountant, registered nurse, teacher, social worker, mechanical engineer, systems analyst, something). Then he needs to get a job and join a club. Then he needs to marry a nice, professional Muslim woman (doctor, lawyer, etc) and have a couple of kids, buy a house, identify with a good soccer club (Arsenal?), learn to like a pint of warm beer, put a good English garden in behind the house --
-- in other words, he needs to become British.
And if he can do that, he won't have any trouble at all.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/05/2005 14:29 Comments ||
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#3
Sorry, I was thinking of the other devout student quoted, Imtiaz Baksh. He appears to need peace and quiet to continue his studies.
Posted by: john ||
08/05/2005 14:37 Comments ||
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#4
Hans Island has oil. If Imtiaz studies there, it will soon become the 13,753rd holiest place in Islam.
#6
It sounds like Imtiaz Baksh has gone native. He needs to buy a nice little house in Pakistan, put his son down for a good local public school, get a job -- perhaps teaching English? He must do better than the locals -- plant a garden, etc. It's time for his mummy and daddy back in Canada to stop supporting him, and force him to grow up.
Iran is shipping more powerful and sophisticated military-caliber bombs to Iraqi guerrillas for use against U.S.-led coalition forces, NBC News reported yesterday.
Citing U.S. military and intelligence officials, the network said U.S. soldiers intercepted a large shipment of high explosives last week, smuggled into northeastern Iraq from Iran.
"The officials say the shipment contained dozens of 'shaped charges' manufactured recently. Shaped charges are especially lethal because they're designed to concentrate and direct a more powerful blast into a small area," NBC reported.
"They'll go right through a very heavily armored vehicle like an M1-A1 tank from one side right out the other side," retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey told the network.
Military officials said insurgents in Iraq began using shaped charges to kill U.S. forces three months ago. Recent weeks have brought a spate of deadlier roadside-bomb attacks on U.S. forces.
In one attack earlier this week, 14 U.S. Marines were killed inside a 28-ton armored vehicle that would be immune from most improvised explosive devices, but vulnerable to shaped charges, which were developed by militaries worldwide specifically to pierce armor.
Intelligence officials believe the explosives were shipped into Iraq by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard or the terrorist group Hezbollah, most likely with the consent of the Iranian government, NBC reported.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
08/05/2005 11:23 ||
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#1
What an OBVIOUS attempt at disinformation! The US Mil Intel clearly wants to make Iran into the bad guys - providing IEDs to Iraq - so that the Bushits can have an excuse to make war with Iran. I don't believe a word of this crap.
#3
What an OBVIOUS attempt at disinformation! The US Mil Intel clearly wants to make Iran into the bad guys - providing IEDs to Iraq - so that the Bushits can have an excuse to make war with Iran. I don't believe a word of this crap.
Spererong Snong, isn't IRAN a bad guy tho, or is America the bad guy? IRAN is the #1 state sponser of terrorism, they supply palestine with cargo ships full of AK-47 and other weapons, why wouldn't they do the same in Iraq. I guess you never hear the massive rallies declaring America the "GREAT SATAN", so OBVIOUSLY there are the BAD GUYS.
How come nunayou english-major types figgered this out before? ;-)
Posted by: Bobby ||
08/05/2005 12:45 Comments ||
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Bobby I always thought that the Web term "troll" derived from Norwegian mythololgy. Where a Troll (n)is defined as: Ugly, powerful and generally dangerous humanlike creatures, but stupid and naive. Seems to fit better than the fishing term-- especially the ugly, stupid and naive part.... ;)
#7
MSNBC still has the NBC report up on msnbc.com, but without the video that NBC broadcast during its Nightly News program.
From what I recall, the mines had a cylindrical top with a cone-shaped bottom. So far, I haven't seen any stills or video of the intercepted mines , so the closest item I could find on the web that matched was this mine .
Caveat: I know next to nothing about land mines. The link is for illustrative purposes only (the FFV 028 and the mines on last night's program look similar). The cylindrical portion of the intercepted mines appeared taller, but that could have been from lens (wide-angle) distortion. And there is no way I could tell how the mines were fused.
#9
Yes, what an obvious attempt to mislead us. Just because the parliment chants "Death to America" when they pass a law obligating the country to pursue uranium enrichment doesn't mean they are our enemy.
Just because they have a history of kidnaping our citizens and supporting terror groups(ever heard of hezbollah, Spererong Snong5027?). But yeah, youre probably right, they are trying to fool us.
SRINAGAR, India - Police in Indian Kashmir said on Friday they had arrested six men suspected of being militants involved in three car-bomb blasts that killed 16 people and injured 75. The powerful blasts that have cast a shadow over the ongoing peace process between India and Pakistan occurred in June and July in the disputed regionâs main city of Srinagar which has a population of over one million people.
âWe have arrested six people involved in three major car-bomb blasts in Srinagar,â the regionâs police chief Gopal Sharma told a news conference. Sharma said four men were arrested Friday in different parts of Indian Kashmir. Two others were arrested earlier in the week.
The police chief alleged the suspects belonged to the militant group Hizbul Mujahedin. âWe are conducting raids to arrest two more militants who have been masterminding these attacks,â Sharma said, adding unnecessarily one of them is a Pakistani.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/05/2005 10:25 ||
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August 5, 2005: The average number of IED (âImprovised Explosive Deviceâ â mostly. car bombs and roadside bombs) attacks in Iraq are down, and the percentage of attacks that are intercepted has been rising. But the casualty rate from IEDs has been rising as well. The primary reason for this is that the terrorists are using increasingly larger bombs. In addition, some attacks have been coordinated so that automatic weapons or RPG fire is used to draw attention away from the actual bomb, thus making it more likely that the distracted drivers will take their vehicles close enough to the bomb to get hurt. This indicates that the terrorists are using more experienced people to set up and use IEDs. The bombs are increasingly detonated by wire, because of the increasing use of jammers by American forces. UAV surveillance is also spotting more IEDs, and even the people setting them up. All of this has forced the terrorists to concentrate on fewer, but much more skillfully set up, IED attacks.
An additional problem is that U.S. forces are increasingly taking the fight into enemy territory (western Iraq), where most of the terrorists have their bases and hide outs. This means itâs easier for the terrorists to set up more, and larger, IEDs. The overall American casualty rate has been going down, but thatâs because the terrorists have pretty much given up trying to have gun fights with U.S. troops, and are having a harder time firing mortar shells or rockets at American bases.
The pressure on Syria to stop being a transit area for foreign terrorists entering Iraq has had some effect. Syria claims that it has 5,000 troops on the Iraq border, which carry out 50 patrols each day, in addition to maintaining 557 fixed posts. The Syrians insist this is sufficient to severely limit illegal crossings in the day time. Night time security is dependent on night-vision equipment the U.S. and Britain said they would supply, but so far have not. There are also complaints that the Iraqis have not made a similar effort on their side of the border. This is not true, but the Iraqis have only recently put border police back on the border (they largely disappeared two years ago.)
The Syrians also claim that, recently, they have stopped 1,240 foreign Islamic militants, and some 4,000 Syrian Islamic militants, from crossing into Iraq. Still, Iraqi officials have been blunt in accusing Syria of providing sanctuary for Saddamâs henchmen, who are still allowed to operate freely in Syria. This includes building car bombs in Syria and driving them across the border illegally, along with suicide bombers, as well as weapons and money for terrorists operations in Iraq. The Syrians are caught in a bind. While they want to please they Iranian allies, they are getting mixed signals from Iran. The Islamic radicals in Iran, who control parts of the military, police and intelligence forces, encourage Syria to assist the Iraqi terrorists, even though these guys are anti-Iran (Saddamâs followers and al Qaeda). But the Iranian radicals hate the United States so much (as the âGreat Satanâ), that they will deal with the devil in order to hurt American efforts to bring real democracy to Iraq. The Iranian radicals tolerate democracy only if religious officials have veto power, like they do in Iran.
Meanwhile, the Iranian government is trying to support the Iraqis, because they understand that an Iraqi democracy will be controlled by Shia Arabs, and their Kurdish allies. This is good for Iran, even if the Iraqi government is not dominated by the Shia clergy if Iraq. Moreover, the Iranians, who are supporting religious groups in Iraq, believe they have a chance of getting a new constitution adopted that gives the religious authorities a lot of power. The Iranian leadership knows that most Iraqis, even Iraqi Shias, donât want a clerical dominated government as exists in Iran. But as the Iraqi committee hustles to write a draft constitution by August 15th, there is still a chance that the religious leaders will get a lot of power. But in the long run, Iran has more influence in Iraq than it has had for centuries. While the Iraqis are mostly Arabs, and the Iranians mainly Indo-European, and have traditionally been enemies for thousands of years, they are united by their Shia religion, which has long been persecuted by the Islamic Sunni majority. Al Qaeda, and the Sunni Arab minority in Iraq, are particularly deadly foes of Shia Islam. Thus, in the grand scheme of things, Iraq and Iran both want these two groups defeated. Itâs a small, but influential, bunch of radicals in Iran who are obsessed with destroying the United States, and the West in general, that offer some help to al Qaeda. Fanatic flakes like this are what make the Middle East such a dangerous place. These guys are not only way out there in terms of philosophy and goals, but are willing to use murder and suicide in hopeless attempts to achieve their goals. You have to deal with them, if only to kill them.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/05/2005 09:51 ||
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#1
An additional problem is that U.S. forces are increasingly taking the fight into enemy territory (western Iraq),..
Taking it into true enemy territory like Syria or Iran would be ideal.
These guys are not only way out there in terms of philosophy and goals, but are willing to use murder and suicide in hopeless attempts to achieve their goals. You have to deal with them, if only to kill them.
#2
I call bullshit on some of this article's points, mainly that the Iranian and Syrian govts don't control the forces that are allowing the suicide bombers and Sunni war architects to operate out of their countries.
They know and are coordinating the allowance of these activities. They have much to gain from a populace of Shiia that are in fear of and at war with the Sunnis.
Civil war would benefit the Iranians in that their boyz in Iraq, the Badr Brigades aka the Red Guard, will then be needed to protect the populace from the Sunnis. Sure some Shiia die as a result of this, but that's a small price to pay for the increased loyalty to the Ayatollah that comes with a fear of the Sunnis. Imagine the Shiia Ayatollah's in charge of a Iran friendly Iraq, what a coup for the Iranians.
The article does make mention of, correctly I think , of the Iranaian moves to place more power in the hands of Ayatolla Sistani and his army, but its not without some coordination with the Al Q and Sunni militantss, as ludicrous as cooperation may seem between the traditional enemies. Politics make strange bedfellows.
A Shiia populace afraid of the Sunnis is a Shiia populace in need of Iranian leaning politicos and groups.
#3
I seem to recall that, post-liberation, there was a massive flow of Iranian pilgrims to Shiite holy places in Iraq. The discussion at the time was that the Iraqi holy places outranked the Iranian holy places. Also, that the Iraqi ayatollas were more highly respected for their knowledge than their Iranian counterparts. I suspect this must concern Khameini, et al, because Sistani is speaking up in support of Iraqi democracy, to which the Iranian version can't compare. Not to mention that the Iranians could follow Sistani without giving up being good little Shiites, a real threat given the dissatisfaction of the Iranian masses.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - About 1,000 U.S. Marines and Iraqi forces launched attacks in western Iraq in an operation aimed at disrupting insurgents and foreign fighters in the Euphrates River valley, the U.S. military said Friday. The operation, dubbed Quick Strike, began Wednesday with Iraqi soldiers and Marines positioning their units, said a military statement. They focused on an area centered around the cities of Haditha, Haqlaniyah, and Parwana, about 130 miles northwest of Baghdad. On Wednesday, 14 Marines and their civilian translator were killed when their vehicle was hit by a massive roadside bomb near Haditha as they were traveling inside a lightly armored vehicle.
On Friday, U.S. and Iraqi troops, including Special Operations forces, moved into the city of Haqlaniyah, the Marine statement said. U.S. jets conducted an airstrike on insurgents hiding in buildings outside of the town. Residents in the area said U.S. and Iraqi forces had cordoned off Haqlaniyah, about 140 miles northwest of Baghdad, and began conducting house to house searches. American warplanes were hovering overhead and a number of heavy explosions were heard. Witnesses said 500-pound bombs were being dropped in the area. The U.S. military has defended its operations in western Iraq, insisting it is reducing insurgent attacks, despite the deaths of the 14 Marines. The extremist Ansar al-Sunnah Army claimed responsibility in a Web posting and said its fighters used two bombs to destroy the vehicle. Four more U.S. service members were killed in action Wednesday, the military said - three in Baghdad and one in Ramadi.
U.S. military spokesman Brig. Gen. Donald Alston said American military operations in Anbar province, which includes the area where the Marines died, have succeeded in disrupting insurgent activities. "We still have deaths. We still have suicide car bombs," he said. "But the numbers we see indicate (the insurgents) can't generate the same tempo, and I think that's because we've had some degree of effect in interdicting these forces." Alston cited figures showing there were 13 car bombs in Iraq last week - the lowest weekly number since April. "There's a clear indication to me that the tempo has decreased."
U.S. troops have stepped up operations in recent months in Anbar, the center of the Sunni Arab-dominated insurgency and a major avenue for foreign fighters infiltrating the country from Syria. Alston warned that militants will likely rally their forces in a concerted effort to derail the country's political progress, including a referendum on the constitution in October and an election in December.
The president's office said a key meeting scheduled for Friday by political leaders to hammer out differences in the draft constitution has been postponed until Sunday. The statement issued Friday did not say why the meeting was delayed. The gathering was called by constitutional committee chairman Humam Hammoudi, who promised the National Assembly that the draft charter would be ready by the Aug. 15 deadline, provided the country's political leaders reach compromises on key issues including federalism, the role of Islam, and distribution of national wealth. Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari spent Friday in Najaf meeting with the country's top Shiite Muslim cleric, the highly influential Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. The two were expected to talk about developments with the constitution. U.S. leaders, who pushed hard for the committee not to seek an extension on completing the charter, considers the constitutional process vital to maintain political momentum, undermine the insurgency and pave the way for the Americans and their coalition partners to draw down troops next year.
U.S. commanders have warned that although the number of vehicle and roadside bombings are decreasing, they are increasing in potency and sophistication. Bombs on the roads or planted in vehicles account for 70 percent to 80 percent of the U.S. deaths in Iraq, command spokesman Lt. Col. Steven Boylan said. A roadside bomb late Wednesday killed three U.S. soldiers in Baghdad, the U.S. command said. A Marine was killed Wednesday by small arms fire in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province 70 miles west of Baghdad, the command added. At least 1,826 members of the U.S. military have died since the Iraq war started in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.
Al-Jaafari announced a new 12-point security plan. He gave few details but said it included steps to improve intelligence, protect infrastructure and prevent foreign fighters from entering the country.
"We will not hesitate in saying this: We are in a state of war. It is one of the most dangerous types of war because it is not a conventional or a war of borders," he said.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/05/2005 09:27 ||
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#1
wretchard has a lot more on the military side of this at his site:
http://fallbackbelmont.blogspot.com/
its a bit hard to believe all this action is being done with only 1000 people
#2
U.S. military has defended its operations in western Iraq, insisting it is reducing insurgent attacks, despite the deaths of the 14 Marines.
There's a fair and balanced statement - 'defended its operations against' who/what Media turds, or just the specific author of this "article".
insisting it is reducing insurgent attacks, despite the deaths of the 14 Marines. So only when the deaths stop will the 'reduction in attacks' be believed? I hate the AP.
Why should I try to finish this piece of political campaigning drivel?
Posted by: Bobby ||
08/05/2005 12:01 Comments ||
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The trick to reading AP or Wapo or NYTimes stuff is similar to the trick used for many years to read Pravda (allowing for the ideological view and correcting accordingly as well as comparing the instant document to the previous chain of similar documents.
Of course it would be better if the MSM was objective (or even if they didn't outright hope for a terrorist victory).
#4
From the Belmont Club site - Speculation alert) There are probably many similar operations that are taking place along the river and to its north, as per the Di Rita briefing. One of them may have been undertaken by the US Marines at Haditha, during which 21 Marines were killed. One possible reason why this operation has been kept low key, despite its size, is that it may be literally ripping up the insurgent base of support along the upper Euphrates. If the LA Times article is accurate, the insurgents essentially took the whole population of Rawah with them; if the phenomenon is being repeated elsewhere, the displacement of the Sunni population must be huge. To the north there is the unsustaining desert; to the south across the river there is the sweep of the Marines; for the insurgents to leave the population in place would risk leaving intelligence in the hands of the Americans. This has got to hurt and it is only the beginning. The LA Times notes the abandonment of RPGs, sniper rifles, mortars -- stuff you wouldn't leave behind -- not willingly. The whole point of strangling the enemy lines of communication while building support bases is to set up the stage for pursuit. And they will be pursued. The focus of newspaper coverage in the coming days may abruptly shift from 'poor helpless Marines from Ohio' to 'we're slaughtering them! We're killers!' These are the hard choices of war, and as Hemingway once wrote "all stories, if continued far enough, end in death, and he is no true-story teller who would keep that from you."
I'm crossing my fingers the press will soon be complaining how mean our troops are! Go git 'em, guys!
Posted by: Bobby ||
08/05/2005 16:36 Comments ||
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The focus of newspaper coverage in the coming days may abruptly shift from 'poor helpless Marines from Ohio' to 'we're slaughtering them! We're killers!'
I suspect that is why we're getting CNN headlines stating the operation is taking place as a result of 21 dead marines, and not the other way around.
A New York police officer working with the US army was killed by a sniper near Baghdad, said a Multinational forces (MNF) statement, issued on Thursday. The 27-year-old American soldier was on duty at an American military camp near Baghdad when he was targeted by a sniper's shot, killing him immediately. The US army announced that 14 American soldiers were killed yesterday and another seven the previous day, which has been the biggest US human losses in Iraq in two days since major military operations to oust the Iraqi regime were seized.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/05/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
the biggest US human losses in Iraq in two days Maybe he meant the biggest two-day loss? Not only mean, but incompetent.
It's always the biggest something, isn't it? Biggest since this, biggest since that, biggest in two months, biggest since I woke up this morning.
Guadacanal was the biggest. Then D-Day was the biggest. Then Monte Casino was the biggest since Guadacanal. Battle of the Bulge was the biggest setback since Dunkirk - biggest setback in four years! Then Iwo Jima was really big. Okinawa was the biggest yet.
Then we won.
How did the press manage way back then?
Posted by: Bobby ||
08/05/2005 12:11 Comments ||
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#2
Back then they were Americans first and journalists second.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/05/2005 19:20 Comments ||
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Five soldiers including a junior officer of the Pakistan Army were killed in a remote-controlled bomb explosion in North Waziristan on Thursday afternoon, a military official said on Thursday. The improvised explosive device was placed between Dattakhel and Miranshah area to targeted a military convoy, said the official who asked not to be named. The condition of two wounded soldiers is stated to be serious. "Four jawans were killed on the spot. The fifth died on his way to hospital," the source said. He did not say where the convoy was heading. The dead soldiers were a havaldar, a JCO and three sepoys.
This is the highest number of soldiers killed in a single attack in North Waziristan this year. The official said that no arrests were made so far. "In this type of activity, it is not easy to make quick arrests. But the (political) administration will use local tribal laws to apprehend the perpetrators of the crime," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/05/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
"But the (political) administration will use local tribal laws to apprehend the perpetrators of the crime"
In other words, it's time to charge the batteries on the DeWalt circular saw and drill combo pack.
Come to think of it, this is an excellent politically correct quote. The Pentagon spokesman should memorize this quote. Anytime we are accused of torture, we say that, we are using "local tribal laws" to obtain information.
BTW, why not use the local tribal laws to apprehend Been Laden?
#2
Because using the local tribal laws effectively means finding out if the perps are connected with any big turbans. If they are, well, it must have been somebody else.
Binny's connected with the Learned Elders of Islam. Therefore, it musta been the Zionists, which is why they're peculiarly lackadaisical in looking for him. Expect the same if the perps belong to a status subtribe.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/05/2005 18:48 Comments ||
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A suspected militant blew himself up while planting a landmine on a dirt road in a remote northwestern tribal region near the Afghan border here on Thursday, said a security official. Asking not to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media, the officials said the incident happened in Miranshah's outskirts and "we believe that this man was planting the land mine for soldiers deployed in the region." He gave no other details. The blast came two days after an army vehicle carrying troops hit a land mine in the same area and wounded four soldiers.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/05/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
No matter how bad my day is, these storys always manage to brighten it up...
Or as the local villager would say, "I just painted my house, and now there are red spots all over it. Also, my dog is gnawing on an odd looking bone..."
Two people acting suspiciously were arrested outside the US consulate in Lahore and later released in the past week, sources in the police told Daily Times on Thursday. A man was arrested outside the consulate six days ago. He had been writing down the registration numbers of cars visiting the consulate. He was released after interrogation, in which he said he was unemployed and bored and noting down the registration numbers as a hobby.
My son shares this strange fixation with vehicle registration information. He often spends his entire day stopping motorists and demanding such information, in fact. He claims it's connected with his job — he's a Maryland State Trooper — but we know better. I wonder which police agency this guy works for?
The second man was arrested a couple of days ago. He had collected some trash and sat down with it outside the main gate of the consulate. He was found to be mentally-ill and later released. A senior police officer confirmed the incidents and said that security was being tightened outside the consulate.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/05/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
was unemployed and bored and noting down the registration numbers as a hobby
RAMALLAH: Israeli troops detained the West Bank spokesman of the militant Islamic Jihad group on Thursday, Palestinian security sources said. Khader Adnan was taken into custody during a raid in the West Bank city of Ramallah, the sources said, a day after the group said it would suspend rocket attacks on Israel to facilitate an Israeli pullout from occupied Gaza in two weeks. An Israeli army spokeswoman said an "Islamic Jihad activist was arrested in Ramallah" but did not identify him or provide further information. Israel has detained dozens of Islamic Jihad militants since the movement, which is dedicated to the destruction of the Jewish state, carried out a suicide bombing on July 12 that killed five Israelis. Adnan, 27, has been held without charge by Israel several times in the past. Islamic Jihad said Israeli troops detained four other members of the group on Thursday in Jenin, a militant stronghold.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/05/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
Why just "detain" this guy? If he's IJ or Hamas, he needs to disappear permanently.
Posted by: mac ||
08/05/2005 5:39 Comments ||
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#2
"Islamic Jihad activist was arrested in Ramallah" but did not identify him or provide further information"
This statement is not good for the jihadi. Sacraficial singing Canary bird comes to mind.
#3
Senior bad guys are detained until their brains are emptied, I suspect. Also, any changes in the command structure must then be only temporary, pending the alpha male's return. This would lead to uncertainty and plotting for control amongst those left behind.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/05/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
That would, of course, be 130 where officials are bothering to count. Never mind the tens of thousands the Arab Muslims have murdered in the last decade for being either not Muslim or not Arab.
#2
It is not tens of thousands. It is well over a million and counting. BTW, anyone noticed the deafening silence of the left about it? A Palestinian dead (provided he was killed by the Joooos) is a tragedy, a thousand niggers Black Soudanese is a statistic.
Anyone coming with an explanation about why the progressists are mute about this?
And I mean true racism and not the 'you didn't respect me enough' B-S the left is always spewing about.
Why else whould they expend so much energy on one blonde, white, rich girl who went drinking in Aruba and got into trouble while ignoring the million(s) of black who are being routinely targetted, murdered and gang-raped in Sudan?
#4
Hear, hear, CF! Africa is one continent that completely befuddles me as to why there's a lack of coverage. It's not as if there's nothing going on there. Heck, you have daily landgrabs/murders in ZimBOBwe, Arab/Muslim "conflicts" with the Christians/Animists in Sudan, chaos in Mauritania, famine in Niger, even lesser events in Algeria. Sadly, I thought we learned our lessons over Rwanda, but I don't think we did. It always cracks me up when I talk to some blacks here about Africa and even they don't know what's going on, and are amazed at my (basic) knowledge of the violence going on over there. And, I'm not pushing the black on white violence of ZimBOBwe, but usually tell them of the African on African or Arab on African violence of Sudan.
Posted by: BA ||
08/05/2005 9:56 Comments ||
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#5
It's dangerous over there and how will they blame the US if they get killed?
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
08/05/2005 10:00 Comments ||
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#6
CF: American media spent as much time as they did on "one blonde, white, rich girl who went drinking in Aruba" because she was American. Had she been blonde, white, rich and Finnish, I don't think we would have heard anything about it.
I agree that there's racism on the hard Left, but the young woman who died in Aruba is not an example of that.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/05/2005 10:33 Comments ||
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#7
Another reason is because they hope the Arabs will "finish the job Hitler left unfinished". Since the invasion of Soviet Union it is politically uncorrect in left circles to use the same themes than the Nazis. But the Palestiaians akllow to circumvent the problem: after sobbing upon the "poor Palestinians" (and not a tear upon the Soudanese), they can go to phase two "I am not anti-Jew just anti-Sionist" and then to phase III "Death to the Jew" like it was openly told during the demos against the Irak war.
#1 Arabs/Muslims killing again cause we're in Iraq right.....
Posted by MACOFROMOC 2005-08-04 15:03|| Front Page|| Comment Top
#2 No MAC the Root cause is the Reagan budget cuts. Don't you get the newsletter?
Posted by Shipman 2005-08-04 15:20|| Front Page|| Comment Top
#3 maybe it'll spread the whole waste of a continent and they will kill each other off
Posted by Thraing Hupoluper1864 2005-08-04 16:09|| Front Page|| Comment Top
#4
WOT: Wouldn't it be wiser to arm and train up the Christian side Thraing Hupoluper1864?
Posted by Red Dog 2005-08-04 16:33|| Front Page|| Comment Top
#5 well since the christian side is a very little minority then no i it wouldn't be wise. Just give them a few more years and they'll each other off if we stop sending aid. Between spreading AIDS and fighting they have nothing better too do evidently.
Posted by Thraing Hupoluper1864 2005-08-04 17:14|| Front Page|| Comment Top
#6 The language and thinking of your commentators is of the worst I have ever read. As A Sudanese and an African I feel great offense. Grow up you fools and try to understand the gravity of possible Civil War. It seems that British Civil War and the American Civil War donot feature in your simple minds. The late Colonel John Garang would have greatly disappointed that fellow Christians harbour such contemptuous thought.
Posted by Javique Grorong8527 2005-08-04 19:00|| Front Page|| Comment Top
#7 After that South America! You with me Thraing! Let's Roll!
Posted by Shipman 2005-08-04 19:08|| Front Page|| Comment Top
#8 Actually what JG just said, way better than my poor sarcasm.
Posted by Shipman 2005-08-04 19:10|| Front Page|| Comment Top
#9 Re #6: Well said!
Posted by borgboy 2005-08-04 20:00|| Front Page|| Comment Top
#10 The language and thinking of your commentators is of the worst I have ever read.
I blame it on the free use of computers at the public library and the cheap PCs they hand out with AOL subscriptions.
Posted by Pappy 2005-08-04 21:29|| Front Page|| Comment Top
#11 I can certainly empathise with JG's comment at #6, since war generally sucks and the Rantberg Motto is "Civilized, Well-reasoned Discourse"
However, at first glance, the Sudan situation looks like business as usual in Africa: tribal feuds, ethnic hatreds and the settling of old scores.
The Americal Civil War has been described as "two mobs chasing each other around the country", but there was a point and purpose to it other than just killing people - the question of whether the Union would survive.
Perhaps someone who has been following Sudan more closely can explain it, assuming there is more to it. I have a hard time keeping track of who is killing whom and why around around the world.
Posted by SteveS 2005-08-04 22:50|| Front Page|| Comment Top
#12
The language and thinking of your commentators is of the worst I have ever read. As A Sudanese and an African I feel great offense. Grow up you fools and try to understand the gravity of possible Civil War.
Lump my #4 question in... did ya Javique Grorong8527.
It seems that British Civil War and the American Civil War donot feature in your simple minds.
Lump me in that declaration, did ya Javique Grorong8527?
Assuming for a moment that you are Sudanese Javique Grorong8527, why not enlighten us with your direct experience and insights, putting context [historical] to the current events in Sudan?
/instead of wagging the finger.
Posted by Red Dog 2005-08-04 23:06|| Front Page|| Comment Top
Still waiting Javique Grorong8527. I didn't see any blood on the comments thread yesterday JG did you?
Posted by: Red Dog ||
08/05/2005 12:34 Comments ||
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#10
Steve, you may be right - I hope so. I don't see much of this wall-to-wall coverage about anyone who is non-white.
Hmm... I could will be wrong - and I'm willing to accept that. (have been wrong before....).
#11
why don't you see wall to wall non-white suburban coverage? Because...oh man...don't get me started....too late...
because these people have been raised in cultures where anything goes. In places where life is good, no one is getting their heads chopped off and everyone is for the most part nice and kind, the biggest sin of all is to point out someone else's sin. So - since the sins of their own world consist mostly of indulgence, they have this disassociative need to go outside their own little bubble worlds and meddle in communities that actually do have problems - with the intent of helping by sharing their own lack of experience in real conflict with platitudes such as, "can't we all just get along". Because they are bubble children, they don't understand that sometimes these conflicts go beyond just looking away and saying "to each his own".
How do I know. These are my people, my friends, my family, my neighbors. The sheltered and shallow...and yes, I suppose I am among them. With no real problems of their own, they look to analyse the problems of others. They really just want to help. The problem is that they haven't a clue.
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.
Prime Minister Tony Blair on Friday announced new deportation measures against people who foster hatred and advocate violence following last month's transportation attacks that killed 52 people and four suspected suicide bombers. Clerics who preach hate and Web sites or book shops that sponsor violence would be targeted. Foreign nationals could be deported under the new measures.
British police have charged two sisters under anti-terrorism laws for failing to give police information regarding the botched 21 July attempts to bomb London. Police said 
Cardiologist 
WASHINGTON: An international organisation representing police chiefs has broadened its policy for the use of deadly force by telling officers to shoot suspected suicide bombers in the head, The Washington Post reported on Thursday. The International Association of Chiefs of Police issued new guidelines to its 20,000 members about two weeks before British police shot dead a Brazilian electrician because they mistook him for a suicide bomber, the newspaper said. US law enforcement officers typically had been authorized previously to use deadly force if lives were in imminent danger, the newspaper said.
The Iranian government has deployed large numbers of troops in cities in the northwestern region which borders Iraq in an effort to quell three weeks of civil unrest that has left up to 20 people dead and more than 300 wounded, according to reports from dissident groups. They said as many as 100,000 state security forces, backed up by helicopter gunships, had moved into the region to crack down on pro-Kurdish demonstrations.
(you only see it in the pop-up and can't link)
Five soldiers including a junior officer of the Pakistan Army were killed in a remote-controlled bomb explosion in North Waziristan on Thursday afternoon, a military official said on Thursday. The improvised explosive device was placed between Dattakhel and Miranshah area to targeted a military convoy, said the official who asked not to be named. The condition of two wounded soldiers is stated to be serious. "Four jawans were killed on the spot. The fifth died on his way to hospital," the source said. He did not say where the convoy was heading. The dead soldiers were a havaldar, a JCO and three sepoys. 
A suspected militant blew himself up while planting a landmine on a dirt road in a remote northwestern tribal region near the Afghan border here on Thursday, said a security official. Asking not to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media, the officials said the incident happened in Miranshah's outskirts and "we believe that this man was planting the land mine for soldiers deployed in the region." He gave no other details. The blast came two days after an army vehicle carrying troops hit a land mine in the same area and wounded four soldiers.
Two people acting suspiciously were arrested outside the US consulate in Lahore and later released in the past week, sources in the police told Daily Times on Thursday. A man was arrested outside the consulate six days ago. He had been writing down the registration numbers of cars visiting the consulate. He was released after interrogation, in which he said he was unemployed and bored and noting down the registration numbers as a hobby. 
RAMALLAH: Israeli troops detained the West Bank spokesman of the militant 
