Kabul, 24 August (AKI) - The US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan have confirmed that they have killed seven men who they say were suspected al-Qaeda militants in a raid in the eastern Afghan province of Kunar, close to the border with Pakistan. According to the spokesperson for the coalition forces, Colonel Tom Collins, a child between 10 to 12 years old was also killed in the clashes and a woman was injured. According to the Pakistan-based, Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) news agency, the seven people killed were civilians.
The AIP, quoting deputy police chief of Kunar province, Abdul Baseer Allahyar, said that the seven were meeting in Shultan village of Shegul district when they were attacked by coalition forces. He said the attack killed seven civilians and injured a woman.
However the coalition spokesperson Col. Collins said that al-Qaeda fighters deliberately put women and children at risk in their efforts to protect their operations. The US-led forces referred to seven people as al-Qaeda "facilitators" and that the coalition forces and Afghan soldiers were fired upon when they approached the compound where the men were and had fired back to defend themselves.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/24/2006 09:06 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
From the original CentCom press release:
"Multiple weapons, ammunition and grenades were confiscated in the operation."
Somehow the AKI writers managed to miss that when they constructed this article from the press release.
Strange, you never hear much about northern Afghanistan.
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Clashes and NATO airstrikes killed at least 36 Taleban terrorists fighters in Afghanistans violence-wracked south as terrorist militant attacks left a NATO soldier dead and five others wounded, officials said on Wednesday.
Eighteen suspected grape-picking Taleban were killed in a clash with police Wednesday in the Khake-Afghan district of southern Zabul province, said Jailani Khan, the provinces deputy police chief. The terrorists militants left the bodies beside their weapons at the scene, Khan said. There were no police casualties.
Left the bodies and the weapons, did they? Must have been in a big hurry to bug out.
Militants also attacked an Afghan army patrol in Zabul, killing a soldier and wounding four, a Defense Ministry statement said. NATO warplanes responded to Tuesdays ambush, bombing a Taleban position and killing seven terrorists fighters.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/24/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
8:0? Well done, Afghani police!
And now even Afghani Army patrols get to call in air support? One almost feels sorry for the Taliban -- they can't win for loosing.
True, cause a movement rooted in Pashtun interests, Pashtun tribal honor codes, and Pashtun flavored Islamic extremism doesnt have much appeal to the Tajiks, Uzbeks, and Hazara of the north.
OTOH, from what I can gather, some in the north ARE losing confidence in Karzai, but cant really rally around one alternative.
Nato's claims to have killed 11 Taliban who were preparing an ambush in Afghanistan have been disputed by local people who have said that the dead were civilian grape-pickers.
"Yes! We are simple, but well-armed grape pickers!"
The Nato-led peacekeeping force in Afghanistan said its troops spotted 15 Taliban near a main road in Kandahar late on Tuesday. After realising they had been detected, the men then moved to a nearby compound which Nato aircraft then bombed, said Major Scott Lundy, a Nato spokesman. Lundy said: "11 Taliban were killed in the air strike, while two insurgents were later seen leaving the compound."
"Culy-toed slippers, don't fail us now!"
But civilians in the Zhari area to the west of Kandahar city, said the dead were farmers who had been working in their grape fields in the cool of the evening. "Those people who died in the bombing were civilians," Ahmad Shapour, a resident of the area, said by telephone.
"Really."
The killing of Afghan civilians by Nato troops threatens to weaken popular support for the US-backed government of Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, in his war against the Taliban.
That's what it's supposed to do, isn't it?
Posted by: Fred ||
08/24/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Lemme see. It's from al jiz...which is right up there with reuters, the NYT and the hezbollah daily news for integrity and truthfulness.
#2
Ummm, I think in a world of loosers, Al Jizz is at the front of the pack. NYT and LAT get extra points for being fifth columnists, however.
Posted by: Bobby ||
08/24/2006 6:19 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Al Jazeera gets extra points for having been spun off from the BBC a few years ago (I don't remember why the BBC decided to do that -- the local people getting a bit uppity, perhaps? Or cashing in on the spin-off craze?).
#6
"Oh, but moose-limb words must be taken as of equivalent worth as anyone else's, as the multiculturalist leftard will insist."
If locals who I suspected of sympathy with an antigovernment terrorist force were claiming that folks NATO siad were fighters were really civilians, id be skeptical of the locals, whether said locals were muslims, Serbian Orthodox, Reconstructionist Jews, or Missouri Synod Lutherans.
If I understand correctly Al Jizz was started with the backing of the govt of Qatar. The connection with the BBC, IIUC (and Im really foggy about this) is that a lot of the journalists came from the BBC Arabic service - just looking for better opportunities at a startup.
#8
Al Jazeera claims to be the only politically independent television station in the Middle East. It now rivals the BBC in worldwide audiences with an estimated 50 million viewers. Al Jazeera was started with a US$150 million grant from the emir of Qatar. It aimed to become self-sufficient through advertising by 2001, but when this failed to occur, the emir agreed to continue subsidizing it on a year-by-year basis (US$30 million in 2004,[1] according to Arnaud de Borchgrave). Other major sources of income include advertising, cable subscription fees, broadcasting deals with other companies, and sale of footage (according to Pravda,[2] "Al Jazeera received $20,000 per minute for Bin Laden's speech".) In 2000, advertising accounted for 40% of the station's revenue.[3]
The channel began broadcasting in late 1996. In April of that year, BBC World Service's Arabic language TV station, faced with censorship demands by the Saudi Arabian government, had shut down after two years of operation. Many former BBC World Service staff members joined Al Jazeera.
In the beginning, Al Jazeera tried to increase its viewership by means of presenting controversial views regarding the governments of many Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar; Syria's relationship with Lebanon; and the Egyptian judiciary. Its well-presented documentary on the Lebanese Civil War in 2000-2001 gave its viewer ratings a boost. However, it wasn't until late 2001 that Al Jazeera achieved worldwide popularity when it broadcast video statements by al-Qaeda leaders.
In response to Al Jazeera, a group of Saudi investors created Al Arabiya in the first quarter of 2003.
#13
Last night on "CNN Presents," there was documentary footage showing Binny's evolving position on the killing of American innocents.
He started out by insisting that American civies were not the intended target but that Al-Qaeda could not guarantee their safety in the Mid-East.
Years later, Binny Boy changed his tune and insisted that there was no such thing as innocent Americans.
Now he calls for 10 million American dead to settle the score.
Okay jerk, since no American innocents exist, we're returning the favor in the same coin, only a bigger and much heavier coin.
Remember this Talibunny, Hezbos, and Qaeda-creeps: You can pester us, annoy and occasionally disrupt our travel plans and such. We on the other hand are capable of ending your civilization in a 30-minute span on a given day.
#14
Lancasters Over Dresden, I object to using the term "civilization" in the same paragraph and context with Talibunny, Hezbos, and Qaeda-creeps, etc. Thx!
RIYADH - Militants fighting to bring down the government of the worlds top oil exporter will be spared if they surrender, Saudi Arabias interior minister said in comments published on Thursday. Prince Nayef was speaking days after four militants surrendered as Saudi security forces besieged a building in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah. Clashes with al Qaeda supporters over the last three years have often resulted in deaths.
We appreciate all those who respond to the security forces and we will deal with them on that basis, but those who do not respond and put the country in danger will get what they deserve, Prince Nayef was quoted as saying in Okaz newspaper.
Officials say more than 136 militants and 150 foreigners and Saudis, including security forces, have died in attacks and clashes with police since May 2003, when suicide bombers hit three Western housing compounds in Riyadh.
In June, King Abdullah renewed an amnesty he first offered to repentant militants two years ago when he was then crown prince and when the campaign by Islamic militants to topple the US-allied Saudi monarchy was at its height.
Militants appeared to reject the call when a statement signed by the al Qaeda Organisation in the Arabian Peninsula was then posted on a main Islamist Web site, saying they would not surrender.
Although the violent campaign has ebbed in the face of toughened security measures, Saudi Arabia has seen two prison break-outs this year that have raised concerns about security. Prince Nayef, one of the key Saudi royals, confirmed that two of the men arrested on Monday were among seven people who escaped from a detention centre in Riyadh in June. (We) will be able to find out if they were involved in other operations, he said, adding their arrest would help lead to other militant suspects.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/24/2006 09:56 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
Two out of the four suspected militants who surrendered on Monday night after a 17-hour gun battle here were identified as Turki Al-Mutairi and Ghazi Al-Otaibi. The two men were among seven prisoners who escaped from a prison near Riyadh in July. An official source in the Interior Ministry said that the two arrested men are being questioned.
Security forces came under gunfire on Monday as they attempted to storm and arrest the suspects in a residential building in Jeddahs Al-Jamia district. The operation was considered a success as no one was killed or seriously injured in spite of a 17-hour exchange of gunfire in a highly populated area of Jeddah.
Faisal Al-Shamrani, who has lived in the area all his life, said: Al-Jamia is the only district in Jeddah with three neighborhood ombudsmen (umdas). It is heavily populated and a person can easily hide in such a mixed district without being noticed. Al-Shamrani added that the building targeted was unregistered at the local office of the umda. We have more than 700 houses registered to both Saudis and non-Saudis.
Meanwhile, three security cars still blocked roads leading to the building. Police officers were also seen standing around and would not allow journalists to enter the area or interview residents. Vehicles belonging to authorities could also be seen at the scene gathering evidence.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/24/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
The operation was considered a success as no one was killed or seriously injured in spite of a 17-hour exchange of gunfire in a highly populated area of Jeddah.
"The A Team" on the tube over there?
"Ah pity da fool who actually hits somebody in a 17 hour gun battle!"
#2
Al-Shamrani added that the building targeted was unregistered at the local office of the umda. We have more than 700 houses registered to both Saudis and non-Saudis.
#4
As I recall the "A" Team never hit anything but tires either.
Which always exploded with a yellow flash and huge puff of dust when hit.
Meanwhile the bad guys (Who had real guns) always surrendered immediately.
Poor, Poor Television, McGuiver stunk too, I happen to know that everything he concocted would NOT work as shown.
Runaway PCism at it's worst.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
08/24/2006 18:43 Comments ||
Top||
Amid tight security in central London yesterday afternoon, 11 people appeared before the City of Westminster Magistrates Court charged with conspiracy to murder and a new offense of preparing acts of terrorism under the 2006 Anti-terrorism Act, which came into effect in April this year. All the 11 people were remanded in custody. They all deny the charges.
The 11 accused arrived separately at the court in vans with blacked-out windows, having been ferried from the high security Paddington Green police station in Edgware Road. The charges were in connection with an alleged terror plot to blow up nine trans-Atlantic airliners, using liquid explosives disguised in soft drink bottles and smuggled on to the planes in hand luggage. The proceedings were dragged out because Westminster Magistrate Court is very small and compact.
The demeanor of the suspects was described by one observer as unexceptional. Some of them glanced and waved to family members and friends who had packed the public gallery in the court. Eight of the suspects Tanvir Hussain, 25, from Leyton, east London; Umar Islam (born Brian Young), 28, from Stratford, east London; Arafat Waheed Khan, 25, from Walthamstow, east London; Ahmed Abdullah Ali, 25, from Walthamstow; Ibrahim Savant (born Oliver Savant), 25, of north London; Waheed Zaman, 22, from Walthamstow; Assad Ali Sarwar, 26, from High Wycombe and 19-year-old Adam Khatib, from Walthamstow were all remanded in custody until Sept. 4 when they will appear at the Old Bailey. They were charged with conspiracy to murder and with preparing acts of terrorism under Section 5 of the 2006 Anti-Terrorism Act. No applications for bail were made.
Two others Mehran Hussain, and Cossar Ali, a 23-year old mother of an eight-month-old baby and wife of accused Ahmed Abdullah Ali were charged with failing to disclose information which might be of material assistance in preventing others from the commission of a terrorist act. The eleventh person charged was a 17-year-old boy who cannot be named under the law because of his age and who is accused of possessing information of use to someone preparing a terrorist act including a book on bombs, suicide notes and the wills of people prepared to commit terrorist acts. The three were remanded in custody until Aug. 29 with no bail applied for on their behalf.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/24/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Some of them glanced and waved to family members and friends who had packed the public gallery in the court.
I would Be in the computer banks right now comparing the Court Cameras Footage with all the known and unknown Terrorists faces.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
08/24/2006 18:36 Comments ||
Top||
TOKYO Japan has confirmed vehicle activity at a North Korean nuclear testing site, but it was unclear whether tests were imminent, a news report said Thursday.
Vehicles have been seen entering and leaving a nuclear testing site in the northeast of the country, Kyodo News agency reported, quoting an unnamed government official.
It was unclear whether any nuclear tests by the North were imminent, but Japan will continue to closely monitor the situation, the official was quoted as saying.
A Foreign Ministry official who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing protocol, said Japan was continuously analyzing intelligence but said the government would not discuss specifics because of the sensitivity of the matter.
A news report last week that U.S. officials were monitoring potentially suspicious activity at a suspected underground nuclear site sent diplomats in the region scrambling to avert a possible test and get Pyongyang to return to multinational talks on its nuclear ambitions.
#2
Just saw this on Fox News. Don't know what means was used by Japan but the high-res satellite photo showed vehicles. The narrative said that vehicles had been removed and activity had stopped. I think we can expect a boom soon. Or not.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
08/24/2006 11:53 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Nightmare unfolding... North Korea and Iran both announce on the same day that they have the bomb!
How hard would it be for North Korea to get a Nuclear Weapon to Iran? I don't know the answer to that... maybe really hard... maybe not.
Either way... we know which direction the missles will be pointing
#4
Japan has built and launched at least three high-resolution imaging satellites, and may have launched more. Their primary duties are to monitor North Korea and China, as well as eastern Russia. I'm pretty sure that Japan also has electronic intercept capabilities as good as those used by the United States. I can only guess at what else they might have, but I'm sure they are quite up-to-date on what's going on in NORK. I'd certainly listen to whatever they say about that area. Old Spook and Fred can possibly add to what I know (or at least, what I THINK I know...).
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/24/2006 15:41 Comments ||
Top||
A man carrying a backpack has disappeared inside a tunnel at an underground rail station in central Melbourne, sparking a security scare.
Police said the man jumped from the platform at Melbourne Central railway station in Latrobe Street about 7am (AEST) and walked into a tunnel along the track towards Flagstaff station, about 1km to the west of Melbourne Central.
The man has not been found despite a police search of the underground loop.
Security footage also was being checked in an effort to locate the man, who had a backpack, police said.
Connex Trains spokesman Andrew Cassidy said some rail services were affected.
"It delayed services on the Epping and Hurstbridge lines by 30 minutes," Mr Cassidy told Southern Cross Radio.
"In these circumstances obviously you always take the safe course, which is to assume that there is somebody in there and respond accordingly.
"That's what we did, with some great support from police and from our own staff, who acted quickly."
#1
Apparently he left at the next station, evading inspectors as easily upon egress as entrance. From the same link:
A man who sparked a security scare when he entered one of Melbourne's underground rail tunnels wearing a backpack was on the run from ticket inspectors, police say. He was later seen leaving the tunnel at Flagstaff station where he again evaded security. Mr Ashby described the man as in his early 20s and about 175cm tall, with blond hair. He was wearing dark clothing and was carrying a dark backpack.
#1
A Danish prosecutor today charged four young Muslims with plotting a terror attack in Europe. The four suspects were arrested October 27th last year in connection with an investigation in Bosnia. The four men would face up to life in prison if found guilty. Under Danish law, life sentences are commuted after 16 years. Two of them are aged 17, and the others are 20 and 21.
Bosnian authorities have charged two men, Swedish national Bektasevic, 19, and Abdulkadir Cesur, an 18-year-old Turkish national living in Denmark, with planning the terrorist act. Three others have been charged with helping them obtain explosives. Police raiding their Sarajevo apartment allegedly found a suicide bomber belt, explosives, firearms and other military equipment, as well as a videotape showing masked men asking for Gods forgiveness.
German federal prosecutor's office in Berlin said a second suspect in last month's failed attempt to bomb two trains has turned himself in. A 19-year-old Lebanese man, identified as Jihad Hamad, surrendered to authorities in Tripoli, Lebanon Thursday morning, a day after an arrest warrant was issued. Another suspect was arrested in Germany over the weekend. Lebanon's Interior Ministry said Hamad turned himself in after authorities launched raids in his home village near Tripoli in recent days.
The bombs were packed into identical black suitcases -- each containing a gas canister, alarm clock, wires, batteries and soft drink bottles filled with flammable liquid. The suitcases containing the bombs were found on trains in Dortmund and Koblenz on July 31.
U.S. authorities have arrested a New York man for broadcasting Hizbollah television station al-Manar, which has been designated a terrorist entity by the U.S. Treasury Department, prosecutors said on Thursday.
Javed Iqbal, 42, was arrested on Wednesday because his Brooklyn-based company HDTV Ltd. was providing New York-area customers with the Hizbollah-operated channel, federal prosecutors said in a statement.
It did not say how long Iqbal's company had been providing satellite broadcasts of al-Manar, which the U.S. Treasury Department in March had designated as Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity, making it a crime to conduct business with al-Manar.
Iqbal has been charged with conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the statement said. Federal authorities searched HDTV's Brooklyn office and Iqbal's Staten Island home, where Iqbal was suspected of maintaining satellite dishes, the statement said.
#2
Now look at them Hezbos that's the way you do it
You launch the rocket on the HEZ TV
That ain't workin' that's the way you do it
Killin' civilians - gettin' off scott free
Now that ain't workin' that's the way you do it
Lemme tell ya them guys ain't dumb
Gettin' world opinion wrapped around your finger
Gettin' lotsa weapons for your chums
We gotta kill some infidel mothers
Killin' kids is our specialty
We gotta move these Katyusha launchers
And stage atrocities on TV
The little faggot with the Koran and the raghead
Yeah buddy that's his own hair
That little faggot gets to kill some Jew kids
That little Hezbo he don't even care
We gotta kill some infidel mothers
Killin' kids is our specialty
We gotta move these Katyusha launchers
And stage atrocities on TV.....
Split occurs in protest of Lebanon war but group alleges Hezbollah support
Eight board members of the Muslim Canadian Congress have resigned their positions, apparently over internal disagreements about a Lebanon war protest at which Hezbollah flags and photos were displayed. "They resigned after the board passed a non-confidence motion against them," said Tarek Fatah, the congress' former communications director who is speaking for the organization until his position is filled.
"We went to the (Aug. 12) demonstration and found that there were Hezbollah flags and pictures of the Iranian president," Fatah said. "They (the resigned members) are Canadian supporters of Hezbollah ... This sort of blind following is not acceptable to us."
But former congress legal adviser Arif Raza called Fatah's charges "nonsense," saying, "There were allegations, but they were simply not true." Instead, Raza said, every single member of the executive quit because the congress is increasingly out of step with the opinions of mainstream Muslim-Canadians. "The message (MCC) was sending out was ... to make those who are opposed to the (Muslim) community, make them feel comfortable for themselves. We could not support that type of message," Raza said. More at link
#4
For background, Tarek Fatah (who often appeares on radio and TV as a moderate Muslim commentator; he also has a local cable show BTW) resigned himself a few weeks ago due to abuse and death threats he was receiving from within the Toronto muslim community.
Now it appears some of the more extreme leaders have themselves been outed.
Posted by: john ||
08/24/2006 15:51 Comments ||
Top||
An edgy Dutch security apparatus, after creating the impression of a foiled terror plot when it arrested 12 Indian on Wednesday following the return of a Northwest Airlines flight to Amsterdam, late on Thursday night brought the curtains down on the high-voltage drama by releasing all of them.
The 12 held were all Muslims, most of them Bohras from Mumbai. Their irrational exuberance during takeoff when they reportedly talked on mobile phones and exchanged them around seems to have aroused the suspicion of the air marshals.
The moral of the story: there is currently zero tolerance for any out-of-line behaviour in the air. Questions are also being raised about security profiling on the basis of race and religion.
It appears the alarm was triggerred also by the fact that some among the detained dozen sported beards, wore salwar-kameez and spoke in Urdu.
In days to come, this high-profile episode is certain to generate a debate on questionable biases in terror-combat operations.
Earlier on Thursday in Amsterdam, a spokeswoman for the national anti-terrorism office, speaking for Justice Minister Piet Hein Donner, said, "So far there are no signs this was a terrorist threat".
In New Delhi, minister of state for external affairs Anand Sharma told reporters that "the information we received says that they have been arrested for flight disruption and not terrorist acts".
From their names, a number of the 12 detained seem to be Bohra Muslims of Mumbai.
Posted by: john ||
08/24/2006 15:32 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
You wanna play with your computers and cell phones and speak loudly in tongues, then learn to love jail cells.
#2
When we lived abroad, I taught the trailing daughters to speak in the local language when we left the house. This achieved two goals: we improved our language skills (always good for toddlers to do!), and the locals didn't have cause to think we were talking about them in front of the faces. And of course, we were never embarrassed to discover that those around actually understood what we thought would be secret (as happened several times when I talked to the daughters in German on this side of the pond. It turns out that lots of people in Cincinnati, at least, speak German fluently enough to understand us, darn it! Another reason why I don't accept the canard that Americans don't speak foreign languages.
#4
I wonder if the really important and central lesson actually sank in to these twelve individuals. The one of not using electronically broadcasting devices while the pilot is calibrating navigational avonics.
On my way to Armenia, during roll-out at Schipol in Amsterdam, two Armenian men cheerfully ignored my glares and continued to chat loudly on their cell phones. I finally asked them if they wanted our plane to slam into a mountain because their cell phone yakking had compromised preflight loran recalibration.
#6
gromky, I believe you're confusing these twelve idiots with the two "Asian men" who were pulled off of a Malaga to Manchester flight earlier this week.
#7
My suggestion if you want to fly learn to do it naked and totally electronics free. That would eliminate most of these asshats right off the bat and make security easy.
#8
Can I sit next to Salma Hayek on the nekkid plane?
Posted by: john ||
08/24/2006 19:01 Comments ||
Top||
#9
At the beginning of the 19th century, German immigrants were about 5% of Cincinnati's population. By the time of the Civil War, Germans were one-third of the population, and by the end of the century, about 60% of Cincinnati's citizens were of German heritage. So not only did German immigrants influence society in Cincinnati, the changed it completely.
The balance of politcal power was shifting, as politicians catered to the German vote. Bilingual education and "continental" Sundays (allowing beer gardens to be open on Sundays) were hotly debated topics leading up to the Civil War.
Also on the rise were German language newspapers, so that well-educated and politically-active recent German immigrants could follow the events of their homeland, as well as the local news, theater, literature, the arts and society. Until World War I, most telephone operators in Cincinnati were bilingual, often speaking in German more often than English. Court cases were even conducted in German, in order to cut down on confusion amongst both parties and in some cases, the judges.
#10
John - OK, but I get the window, on the other side. Good taste...
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/24/2006 21:17 Comments ||
Top||
#11
What happened on board KLM flight NW042
Vipin Vijayan in Mumbai | August 25, 2006 03:58 IST
Nineteen-year-old Karan Singh landed in Mumbai more than 24 hours behind schedule. But he wasn't peeved at the delay. Instead, he was relieved. For Singh, a passenger in the Northwest Airlines flight NW042, a 48-hour ordeal had come to an end.
He was among some 18 passengers who had arrived in Mumbai on Thursday night after their flight was grounded in Amsterdam and subsequently cancelled.
The behaviour of a group of passengers aroused suspicion among the crew, who alerted Dutch officials on ground. Soon, two Dutch F-16s were out on the skies and escorted the flight back to Amsterdam.
Though he did not witness the drama that took place inside the aircraft, Singh said the authorities handled the entire operation well.
"We were told that the aircraft had some technical problem because of which it would land at the Schiphol airport in Amsterdam. But upon landing there, it became clear that the reason given to us was not true. Armed commandos had surrounded the aircraft and the presence of fighter jets made it clear that something was wrong," he says.
Among others on board the ill-fated flight was Central Reserve Police Force Deputy Commandant (Retd) Umesh Prasad Mehra was on board the aircraft.
Mehra says the air marshals did what he ought to have done. The group of 12 passengers was not heeding the instructions of the stewardesses, who had asked them to switch off their mobile phones and to remain seated. As their pleas fell on deaf ears, the stewardesses had to alert the air marshal, Mehra said.
"As an educated passenger I had asked them not to use the lavatory while the plane was taking off, but they did not listen," he said.
The air marshal tactfully used sign language to call out the erring passengers so as not to create panic among the other 148 passengers on board the aircraft, he added.
However, Mehra said the situation on the ground could have been handled better.
"There were a number of delays with regard to inquiry into the incident. These days, enquiry has to be quick. There was further delay with regard to lodging for the passengers. Nobody was there to take care of the passengers when the aircraft was at the airport." he said.
A few others felt that the situation during the flight and on the ground had been handled well. A Northwest Airlines crewmember, who preferred to be anonymous, said once it was informed over the passenger announcement system that the aircraft would land shortly, the marshals took over. According to him, the passengers were comfortable.
Nitin and Kiran Dalal too were among the lot that Mumbai. They said that the 12 passengers who were detained were passing around their mobile phones despite having been instructed to switch them off.
"They were moving around. Nobody moves around the aircraft soon after take off. Other passengers were frightened by their actions. As soon as we landed, some uniformed men took them in handcuffs," Kiran said.
"We were not informed about why we had landed in Amsterdam. I think they said it was a mechanical failure. We were all very suspicious. We knew something was wrong and that something was going on. Soon, the cabins and the area under the seats were scanned maybe for explosives. We didn't know. While waiting in the aircraft, we were not allowed to use the bathroom. We could not talk to each other. It was very confusing," she added.
Stewart Nicol confirmed what the Dalals had narrated.
Looking to put the harrowing 48 hours behind him, Nicol said the passengers were told that they will be briefed upon landing at Amsterdam.
All they said was that there was some sort of mechanical problem with the plane, he said.
He however denied having seen anything suspicious. Everybody was just calm, he said.
Posted by: john ||
08/24/2006 22:10 Comments ||
Top||
#12
Just so, Nimble Spemble. And now we've got the first branch of the Hofbrauhause to be built outside of Munich -- although according to the manager there will be further franchises built in suitable American cities in the near future... so y'all pray for one to go up near you! And our Oktoberfest is second only to Munich in size and beer flow, apparently (although Cincinnatians tend to eat themselves silly on giant cream puffs and such instead of drinking 'til they throw up in the corner like ther real Germans do, as I've been told).
#14
The group of 12 passengers was not heeding the instructions of the stewardesses, who had asked them to switch off their mobile phones and to remain seated.
End of story. I hope they all were treated to complimentary deep cavity searches upon debarking.
KOLKATA: Investigations by the Crime Investigations Department (CID) of the West Bengal police have revealed that Mohammad Ali alias Abu Osama and Mohammad Riaz Nababuddin, the duo killed by the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Mumbai Police at the Antop Hill operation on Tuesday, had come to Mumbai after infiltrating the Indo-Bangladesh border along West Bengal.
The CID came across this information in the course of interrogation of the Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jash-e-Muhammad terrorists, Mohammad Sohail and Mohammad Zubair, who were arrested by the Border Security Force (BSF) on August 14, 2006 at Hingalgunj border in West Bengal during their attempts to cross the border.
The killing of Pakistan-backed terrorists in Mumbai on Tuesday has once again corroborated that the Indo-Bangladesh border along West Bengal has emerged as the favoured corridor for infiltration by terrorists since vigil has been beefed up along the western borders.
The CID of West Bengal Police has got definite clues that Ali and Nababuddin got training in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir along with Sohail and Zubair. Interrogations have also revealed that the ammunition and explosives recovered by the ATS following its Antop Hill operations has also come into the country from Bangladesh through West Bengal.
The border waterfront in the Sunderbans area is now utilised as the transit route for arms from Bangladesh to West Bengal, from where it reached Mumbai. It is also suspected that Sohail and Zubair, arrested on August 14, were also heading for Mumbai to link up with Ali and Nababuddin.
The CID is attempting to ensure the internal links between Ali, Nababuddin, Sohail and Zubair and for that purpose it had sought the pictures of Ali and Nababuddin from ATS of Maharashtra Police. Meanwhile, CID sources told DNA that another ATS team from Mumbai is likely to come to Kolkata shortly to interrogate Sohail and Zubair.
The state police have arrested two other persons, Nimai and Asim Mandal from Hingalgunj. Interrogations revealed both of them were working as the local linkmen of Jash-e-Muhammad in the area. Investigations are on to tap other local linkmen in the area
Posted by: john ||
08/24/2006 10:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
Pakistani intelligence agencies arrested six Al Qaeda suspects, including two foreigners, on Tuesday night from the Hayatabad locality, sources said. Intelligence agencies, including the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), police and Inter-Service Intelligence, arrested the six Qaeda suspects when they were travelling in a passenger van.
A CID official, on condition of anonymity, told Daily Times that on a tip-off CID and ISI officials arrested the suspects from the van. A senior CID official, however, confirmed the arrest of one Al Qaeda suspect from Mira Kachuri. Intelligence agencies have arrested a number of Al Qaeda suspects time to time and shifted them to undisclosed location. A majority of Afghan refugees have been living in the Hayatabad area for the last three decades and the two foreigners arrested could be Afghans, source said.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/24/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
Another chapter in the continuing story of "Militants blow up gas pipeline in [location goes here]...
QUETTA: Suspected tribal militants blew up a gas pipeline in Dera Murad Jamali on Wednesday, disrupting the supply of gas to the Uch Power Plant till Wednesday afternoon. Sources told Daily Times that unidentified people had blown up a 24-inch diameter gas pipeline, which supplied gas to the Uch Power Plant. Sources said that the Dera Murad Jamali administration was searching for the culprits. No group has accepted the responsibility for blowing up the pipeline.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/24/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
LOL. Bugti, Jamali, WackaWackaLand, SSDD. Long cylindrical things just drive them mad... perhaps it's jealousy, perhaps compensation issues...
A day after an anti-terrorism squad (ATS) team gunned down an alleged Pakistan national at Antop Hill in Mumbai, a captured terrorist in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday reportedly revealed that the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) had carried out the 7/11 serial blasts in the city. According to a defence spokesman, Al-Badr divisional commander for Jammu and Udhampur Akmal Hashmi alias Abu Ahmad was arrested around 3.30 am on Tuesday at Nandmarg mountains in Kulgam in south Kashmir.
"Aaaaaiiiieeee! I'll talk! Whaddya want me to say?"
During interrogation, Hashmi disclosed that the LeT had sent 17 terrorists to Mumbai to plant bombs in local trains, the spokesperson said. "I was told by LeT terrorists that they had carried out the Mumbai blasts. While 16 of the 17 members they had sent to Mumbai returned safely, one, Abu Janar, was missing," he reportedly said. After the Mumbai blasts, intelligence agencies had intercepted several wireless conversations between Kashmir-based LeT terrorists and their mentors in PoK.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/24/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
BAGHDAD, Iraq - An Army soldier was killed in fighting during a raid to capture foreign terror suspects south of Baghdad, the U.S. military said Thursday, while police freed an Iraqi hostage and arrested his two alleged kidnappers. The soldier was killed Wednesday "when his unit came in contact with enemy forces," the U.S. military command said in a statement. "Two terrorists were also killed during the firefight." "The unit was conducting operations to rid Iraq of foreign terrorists known to be operating in the area," the military said, without giving further details.
In southern Iraq, police raided a house on the outskirts of Nasiriyah, about 200 miles southeast of Baghdad, arresting two alleged kidnappers and freeing an Iraqi civilian abducted four days ago, said police Col. Karim al-Zaidi in Basra, the main city in the south. The kidnappers had demanded a ransom from the man's family, al-Zaidi said. Abductions in Iraq are widespread, with many carried out for ransom. Last week, a Catholic priest was kidnapped in Baghdad, and Pope Benedict XVI appealed for his release.
Elsewhere in Iraq, police found four handcuffed bodies dumped separately in the streets of Kut, a city 100 miles southeast of Baghdad. All had been shot, said Mahmoud Khazim of the city morgue.
Overnight in Baghdad, police said gunmen killed at least three people, two of them in the predominantly Sunni area of Amariyah that has been part of a new security strategy to tackle violence neighborhoods in the capital.
Gunmen killed a police captain and wounded his father outside their home in Amariyah on Wednesday night, while an Iraqi soldier was shot dead at a checkpoint in the same western Baghdad neighborhood, said 1st Lt. Maytham Abdul Razzaq. Gunmen also killed a city council member in the upscale Baghdad neighborhood of Mansour, Razzaq said.
The killings came a day after Iraq's interior minister narrowly escaped a roadside bombing in a mainly Sunni part of Baghdad that U.S. officials said last week had been virtually cleared of death squad cells...repeats self... insurgent sympathizers and extremists as part of a new strategy to secure the capital. About 12,000 additional U.S. and Iraqi troops have been brought into Baghdad as part of the security effort.
Political and sectarian violence across Iraq last month claimed 3,500 lives, making July the deadliest month since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003. Liars. Maybe the worst in several months, but not 3,500. And August looks like it'll be less than July.
Iraqi Security Forces and Civilian Deaths
Period Total
Aug-06 750
Jul-06 1280
Jun-06 870
May-06 1119
Apr-06 1010
Mar-06 1092
Feb-06 846
Jan-06 779
Note: This is an estimate based on news reports. This is not a definitive count.
Source: http://icasualties.org/oif/ Worth a look!
Since then, Sunni Arab insurgents have been regularly attacking U.S. and Iraqi troops, mostly in the Baghdad area and in the Anbar province to its west. So the civil war is off? Back to attacking real men? No wonder there is so little going on!
Posted by: Bobby ||
08/24/2006 06:24 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
We're winning !
Of course we wouldn't want the democraps to lose their main campaign issue would we ?
#2
IIUC the 3500 a day includes ALL deaths from violence, including crime (which is not all that easy to tell from terr violence) bodies that show up at morgues, etc. Sounds like your lower numbers represent incidents reported in the news - bombings, shootings etc. Alot of sectarian killings, IIUC, happen quietly, and dont get counted till the bodies show up at the morgue. OTOH the 3500 is probably in over statement, since the bodies showing up at the morgue include victims of murder having nothing to do with politics, and which were never zero in Iraq.
It IS my impression that August will be better than July. Lets hope September represents further improvement.
#3
Good post, Bobby, and thanks again to your son, a hero to us all.
The Lions of Islam need to stick to machine gunning children on their way to school. They don't do so well against strong men (and wimmin) armed.
Posted by: Matt ||
08/24/2006 11:22 Comments ||
Top||
#4
We should also post non-accidental deaths civilian or military in the CONUS side by side with those in Iraq, on a day-by-day or week-by-week basis, just for comparison.
A sergeant who examined the scene hours after Marines killed two dozen Iraqis in Haditha last year said the shootings appeared to be an appropriate response to a coordinated insurgent attack, according to a sworn statement obtained by The Washington Post. Sgt. J.M. Laughner, part of a Marine human-intelligence exploitation team that was hunting down insurgent bombmakers, went from house to house in Haditha on Nov. 19, 2005, and acknowledged finding two dozen bodies, including some of women and small children.
But Laughner said the scenes of the slayings appeared to match the version of events the Marine squad provided that day and did not seem especially out of the ordinary, according to a transcript of Laughner's interview with military investigators in March. Laughner's account supports the argument made by some Marines in Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines -- that they believed they were following their rules of engagement when they opened fire on groups of people inside at least three homes after a roadside bomb killed a member of their unit. Several Marines are under criminal investigation in connection with the civilian deaths that day, but no one has been charged.
Laughner's statement, although just one viewpoint, is further evidence that Marines who were on the ground that day viewed the civilian deaths as accidental rather than the result of a vengeful rampage. Not the cold blooded massacre characterized Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) one week before he received any briefing by the Marine Corps.
A roadside bomb exploded in Baghdad on Wednesday just after the interior minister had passed by in a convoy, police said. The minister was unhurt, but two civilians were killed and several traffic policemen were wounded. The blast in the predominantly Sunni neighbourhood of Dora occurred just after Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolanis convoy of about 10 cars had passed, said Dora police officer Mohammad al Baghdadi. The intended target was not immediately clear, but Interior Ministry spokesman Col Sadoun Abu al-Aula insisted it was not the ministers convoy. He said the bomb was likely aimed at a US convoy travelling about 500 meters behind.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/24/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
The soldiers of the Queen's Royal Hussars will today board a fleet of stripped-down Land Rovers, festooned with weapons and equipment, bound for the depths of the Iraqi desert.
Their mission is to adopt tactics pioneered by the Long Range Desert Group, the forerunners of the SAS, more than six decades ago in the campaign against Rommel in North Africa. They will leave Camp Abu Naji, the only permanent base in Maysan province near the local capital of Amarah, and head into the remote region near the border with Iran.
Rather than staying in a fixed spot well known to enemy fighters in the most violent of all the Iraqi provinces under British control, they will live, camp and fight on the move. Roaming through the sparsely populated areas of Maysan, an area as large as Northern Ireland, they will travel without heavy armour that would become bogged down in the sand dunes and sleep under the stars.
Resupply will come from air drops or transport aircraft landing on temporary runways. Lt Col David Labouchere, the regiment's commander, said that when they needed to act they would "surge" from the wilderness. "Maysan is and will always be a problem child," he said. "These people are a little like Texans - armed and against anyone who is not one of them. They do not like foreigners and we are a foreign tribe in their midst."
The men are stoical about the prospect of living in gruelling desert conditions. One captain said: "Those who have been on desert training exercise are less keen. They know that after six days, you realise this is not so special after all. But it is good not to be a fixed target any more. Being here is very wearing on the nerves."
The Army stresses that this redeployment is not linked to constant mortar and rocket attacks on the old base of Camp Abu Naji. At least 281 mortars and rockets have hit the camp since the Hussars arrived in April. In the early months of the British presence, attacks were limited to one or two rounds a night. Now the Shia militiamen loyal to Moqtada al-Sadr, the fiercely anti-western cleric, have taken to firing barrages. One night in May, 54 mortar rounds detonated one after another.
Today the Union flag that has fluttered over the camp since the British arrived in April 2003 will be taken down and the base handed over to the local Iraqi authorities. Brig James Everard, the commander of British forces in south-eastern Iraq, stressed that responsibility for security in Maysan province would not be transferred to Iraqi control.
The adoption of tactics from an older era of British desert warfare would allow proper control of the border area for the first time, he said. America has frequently alleged that weapons and volunteers are being brought in by Iran. One of the first tasks of the Queen's Royal Hussars will be to discover whether this is true.
#6
I remember reading on one Milblog, just a snippet of our special forces going out "bare".. without up-armoured vehicles. Was their perferred way. Was in a discussion of the overturning of HUMMVEs (sp) due to the extra weight.
About this assassination rule we have, of no assassinations, does Britain serve under that same rule?
Man -- if only our movie makers would get some smarts, and make movies of all of this.. so many dollars to be made!!
And just imagine, all that "stuff" that is being tested and used in this fight, that years from now, the Military Channel will be telling us about.
Winning a huge lottery, I think I would make even more money, 'cause, the producer that begins to turn out some war movies of the exploits of our warriors that have and continue to happen in this fight, would make some great movie making. And, we love our heros. We do so need some new ones.
I know very little about making a movie, but I'm very good at finding and hiring folks to get a job done.
Wish me luck in the lottery! For now, close your eyes tight, take a deep breathe, and will these warriors to be safe, and come home to their nation, their families and friends.
#9
Wearing corduroy breeches and smoking Players if what Grandfather told me was true...
Posted by: Howard UK ||
08/24/2006 3:32 Comments ||
Top||
#10
"These people are a little like Texans - armed and against anyone who is not one of them."
LOL. He doesn' know any many Texans, LOL. Armed, yes indeed. Against? Naw, not unless you talk funny, LOL. Then we take you from bar to bar and show you off to the real hicks, the Okies and ArkoAmericans. :)
#11
Article: These people are a little like Texans - armed and against anyone who is not one of them.
Another obligatory oblique reference to Bush. You gotta love these Brit officers. It's a compulsive thing with them - they can't resist getting their licks in. Only it used to be that they used snide remarks with respect to the heathens - today, they only dare to do it to Uncle Sam, who's good-natured enough to shrug it off as a misunderstanding.
#15
Hey, let me know if you win that lottery, Sherry, and I'll take care of the rest. But it will cost you anywhere between $85-$125 million for budget, and there are location problems to consider . . . of course the script has to be written first, so plan on 1-3 years for that, considering the research that will have to go into it to make it accurate and worthwhile. But we all liked Black Hawk Down, yes? I'd love to see some good stuff coming out of this war that truly reflects the everyday heroism of the soldiers on all sides battling terrorism and theological facism ala Islam, but most in the industry can't see past their own brainwashed idiotic liberal ideology and misinformation.
"These people are a little like Texans - armed and against anyone who is not one of them."
Yup, and there be cowboys and indians out there in them wild western plains--not at all a suitable place for more civilized activities--tea time and all. Cheerio.
#16
Mph. Only half of Maysan province is sand-dune. The rest is half-restored swampland, including some of the most-fought-over sections from the Iran-Iraq War. More to the point, the locals are swamprats by descent and inclination, not desert-nomad Bedouin types. I doubt much smuggling is going on over the open dunes. Marsh Arabs are much more likely to be smuggling through the restored wetlands on the eastern fringes of Maysan than sneaking through the salt-pan desolations of the northern or central border.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
08/24/2006 9:59 Comments ||
Top||
#17
Hunting, huh? Well, let me tell you there are no size restrictions and screw the limit!
You mean defense in depth, interdiction of his sea lines of communication, establishing air superiority, and use of massed armor in close conjunction with coordinated close air support, artillery and infantry? Those tactics?
The LRDG was a bunch of brave men, but their efforts were hardly decisive by themselves. Like the SEALION article below, this article misses the point. Modern military forces (and I include jihadist and guerilla forces here) are highly redundant and survivable and have to be engaged in depth to be defeated. It takes a team of teams, as someone once said. Of course articles about combined arms and joint warfare don't sell magazines and books.
#24
" I remember reading on one Milblog, just a snippet of our special forces going out "bare".. without up-armoured vehicles. Was their perferred way. Was in a discussion of the overturning of HUMMVEs (sp) due to the extra weight."
That made me think about when I was in Fallujah during the 04-05 timeframe. I had 6 hummves in my section and only one was up-armored. I liked the regular hummves better because you could see the IEDs before you ran over them. Let's face it, a hummve will never be a good source of protection from a 155mm shell that goes off 5 meters away. In the up-armored vehicles, you could not see as well, so you were more likely to drive pass and IED without knowing it. Of course, if one goes off, the armor will help, but I'd rather not be by it at all if I can. But, a friend of mine who in Fallujah with me back then, and now is in Ramadi, swears by the up armored hummves. He said there are so many IEDs (in Ramadi) that you can't find them all of the time like we did in Fallujah. So in that case, maybe you want an uparmored vehicle.
Anyway, for what the British are doing, I think light is the way to go.
#25
LOD, if you didn't have the lunchbox WITH the graphics-covered thermos inside, you didn't have squat! So there :-)
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/24/2006 15:53 Comments ||
Top||
#26
If the people of Maysan province were more like Texans, there wouldn't be any problems. If we let the Texans handle their own southern border with Mexico, nobody would be crossing that border illegally. The problem is, we hogtie those that really WANT to do something, instead of letting them get on with it. Turn the SF loose on the Iran/Iraq border with shoot-to-kill orders, and the border will be closed, period. Too bad we're trying to "play nice" instead of playing "kick their a$$".
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/24/2006 15:59 Comments ||
Top||
#27
--These people are a little like Texans - armed and against anyone who is not one of them.--
Israeli forces crossed into the Gaza Strip early Thursday in a raid that captured a local Hamas militant leader and left his brother dead near a Gaza border town, Palestinians witnesses and officials said. As the forces - backed by tanks and helicopter gunships - moved into the area of Abasan and took up positions on rooftops, militants began firing at them, sparking gunbattles that wounded two militants, Palestinian officials said. Hamas officials identified the captured man as Younis Abu Daka, a local Hamas leader and a lecturer at Islamic University in Gaza City. His brother, Yousef, was killed in the fighting, the militant group said. The army confirmed that a senior Hamas operative was arrested, and at least one militant was killed. It did not identify the men
Posted by: Fred ||
08/24/2006 08:42 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
The US State Department rejected on Wednesday demands by a previously unheard-of Palestinian group for the release of all Muslim prisoners in US prisons in exchange for the release of two kidnaped Fox News journalists. "We don't make concessions to terrorists, and we continue to call for the release of these journalists without conditions," State Department press officer Gonzalo Gallegos said.
He added that the State Department had no information on the group that claimed responsibility for kidnappings, the Holy Jihad Brigades. He said US diplomats have been in touch with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on the issue.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/24/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
How about demanding Fox reporters return in say 6-8 hours or Gaza is history.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/24/2006 0:29 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Where is Ross Perot when we need him? Kinda expected Murdock to do the same..... hire some mercenaries and get his guys out.
Forget the name of the book of Perot's sending guys in to get his folks, but it was a good read.
That rescue took some planning.... so maybe, soon, we will have a cheering moment.
After 9-11, during that hype of whether or not television "reporters" and "anchors" should be wearing a flag during broadcast, most major stations choose to make their commentators remove the flag. I remember on Fox a person stating, "We heard from Roger Ailes from the very beginning, be fair, be balanced, be an American."
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/24/2006 5:42 Comments ||
Top||
#7
The US State Department rejected on Wednesday demands by a group of chaps who've worked out that nobody will talk to them or give them humanitarian aid money if they call themselves Hamas previously unheard-of Palestinian group for the release of all Muslim prisoners
#8
I like them collective theme - no real significant compromises when greeted with the kidnapping threat. From Bigely (taken by Zaqarwi) through the Israeli soldiers and now the Fox news reporters, no demands met. The only weak link was the Filipinos, who fled Iraq, otherwise the coalition (and friends) have stood firm. Let's hope the terrorists learn that kidnapping is a dead end street.
#9
If we could get the germans to quit paying $100million apiece for hostages, those animals would quit doing this. Israel doesn't help the matter either, they always give them something.
Starve, you mother f*ckers!
#10
These little bastards are in a no win situation. Release the reporters without receiving their 'demands' in return = lose. Release them due to pressure from Hamas' 'political wing' (no such thing, but that's what they call it) = lose. Hold them indefinitely and further galvanize opinion against them - even in the middle east = lose. Kill them and REALLY galvanize opinion against them, as well as cause a new Israeli offensive and possibly an American response = lose BIG time.
#11
US State Dept. Rejects Fox Kidnappers' Demands
We're not the Italian Government. However, there are some Italians in Jersey we could contact to ... maybe .. you know ... convince you of changing your ways.
#12
The correct way to play this situation is to issue an ultimatum stating that the two journalists be released in 48 hours or the US will take out the kidnappers, their families, dogs, cats, parakeets, and pet cockroaches. Or whoever is in the area. When you hurt the psychopath, he will stop. The rest is window washing.
When Carter played footsie with the so-called Iranian students, he set the stage for more of this nonsense. It cost us more dead than dealing with kidnappers harshly in the beginning. How far we have fallen, also the Israelis. There are few consequences these days for kidnappers.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/24/2006 9:42 Comments ||
Top||
#13
Why do there have to be losers in this? I see a win-win-win-win solution for everyone involved. They want all Muslim prisoners in U.S. prisons released? Fine. Let's do that and send them to Gaza. Make sure the gaurds let all the prisoners know that Muslims get to go free, and ask them who's Muslim.
"Who's Muslim?"
Yo! I'm muslim!
Yo es Mooslem
Then we can ship them all to Gaza. For good measure Britain and Australia should probably join in just to make sure everyone is happy. Gaza gets all their lost Muslims, Fox gets their reporters, we get some much needed jail space, and we show the world we can be diplomats.
#14
Why do there have to be losers in this? I see a win-win-win-win solution for everyone involved. They want all Muslim prisoners in U.S. prisons released? Fine.
Does that include child molesters, rapists, murderers and terrorists?
Let's do that and send them to Gaza. Make sure the gaurds let all the prisoners know that Muslims get to go free, and ask them who's Muslim.
Ummm... In case you haven't noticed, Gaza's pretty small. Cant fit all the muslims there and even if we did, we'd have to give it the most impregnable border fences and guard towers the world has ever seen, turning Gaza into the world's largest SuperMax Prison. Believe it or not, there are at least some people in Gaza who don't deserve this.
Thoth, my dear, you do have a nasty sense of humour. ;-)
Does that include child molesters, rapists, murderers and terrorists?
Unfortunately, the culture there appears to encourage, whether overtly or covertly, all those behaviours. The locals who don't participate are already under threat. As for walls and guards, the Israelis provided those some time ago, much to the frustration of the suicide bombers and such who need Israeli victims.
#18
Well of course the culture there encourages those behaviors. I'm only pointing out that we should release these types from US prisons when hell freezes over. Let them rot.
#19
If they asked for money you can bet they would be free by now. Between Germany, France, Lybia and or loving FBI the Gaza would be a wealthy state. FOX is the most pro Israel station in the US, I am certain Moussad is working overtime for them.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
08/24/2006 13:49 Comments ||
Top||
#22
I like what john66 said. My twist would be: "give our reporters back and we won't waste you." After said reporters are returned carpet bomb them anyways. F*cking *sshole islamonutz.
An IDF force operating in the southern Gaza Strip early Thursday captured a senior Hamas operative and killed his brother, Palestinian sources reported. The IDF would only confirm that forces operated in southern Gaza, but would not give any specific details.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/24/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
another chip
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/24/2006 0:16 Comments ||
Top||
JERUSALEM (AP) - A top Palestinian militant leader in the West Bank was shot in the head and seriously wounded, militants and hospital officials said. Hospital officials said Hossam Jaradat, the West Bank leader of Islamic Jihad's militant wing, was shot by Israeli soldiers in the Jenin refugee camp. But Islamic Jihad said they were not sure Israel was behind the shooting.
The Israeli army said it was checking into the report.
"We'll get back to you as soon as we can extract the bullet from his head."
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/24/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
"We'll get back to you as soon as we can extract the bullet from his head."
#2
"liberal leftie dove surrender govt" continues to demonstrate the diff between the Israeli flavor of liberal leftie dove and other flavors. Missteping in Lebanon, doesnt mean they wont continue to whack terrs where they can find them.
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has dismissed Deputy Director of Internal Security Operation Command (ISOC) Gen Pallop Pinmanee after one of his officers was arrested with a huge bomb in his car near the premier's residence. Police explosive experts defused a bomb hidden in the car near the residence of the prime minister. They charged Gen Pallop's lieutenant in the alleged plot to assassinate the prime minister.
Pallop told reporters he had nothing to do with any plot, but that if he had wanted Thaksin dead, he would be dead. "It's impossible that I would assassinate the prime minister. If had wanted to do it, I would have done it more subtly," said the retired soldier who fought in Vietnam and Laos during the Vietnam War. "If I had wanted to kill him, the prime minister would not have escaped."
Now that's a defense you don't hear every day
National Intelligence Agency chief Pol. Gen Chumphol Munmai said he believed the car bombing plot was intended to assassinate the caretaker prime minister, given the size of the explosive charges, which could have levelled a one-kilometre radius had they been detonated. The explosives-laden car was also near a school.
Mr Thaksin held an emergency, 30-minute meeting with top brass of the military - Defence Minister Gen Thammarak Isarangura na Ayutthaya, Army commander Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, Navy commander Adm Sathiraphand Keyanond and Air Force commander ACM Chalit Pukphasook.
Police displayed 67.5 kg (149 lb) of ammonium nitrate fertiliser blended with fuel oil, nearly 5 kg (11 lb) of TNT, 1.6 kg (3.5 lb) of powdered C4, a plastic explosive, and a remote control circuit. "The bomb was ready to explode. The circuit was completely connected. There were seven sandbags to be used to steer the explosion in the direction of the prime minister's motorcade," government spokesman Surawong Suebwonglee told a news conference.
Made a directional charge, did they? That's a pro job, not surprising for a military hit
Mr Thaksin said he had left his home in Bangkok's Bang Plad neighbourhood at about 8.30am - an hour earlier than originally scheduled. The bombing suspect was arrested by his security agents and police in a busy street barely half a kilometre away.
Lt Thawatchai Klinchana, of ISOC was arrested. Investigators said Lt Thawatchai admitted to being Gen Pallop's driver.
Oops!
Police said they had followed the driver for several days and detained him after he parked a car at a busy intersection near Thaksin's house in Bangkok.
They'd been tipped off
"Yes, I signed an order to fire him," said Thaksin, who has been fighting a campaign to oust him since late last year led by foes accusing him of corruption and abuse of power, charges he denies.
General Pallop is a military ``tough guy'', infamous for his heavy-handed management of the Krue Se mosque incident years ago, as well as his hawkish views on the insurgency in the deep South. Gen Pallop told local reporters earlier this year that a military coup could not be ruled out if political instability persists.
Guess he tried, and failed
The caretaker prime minister admitted he would have to take more precautions, especially outside Government House, and indicated that he would delegate others to attend some official commitments on his behalf.
Mr. Thaksin did not comment if the attempted plot on his life might have been connected with repeated calls for him to stay out of politics - at least until after the approaching general election, adding he could not say anything until the police probe into the incident has been completed.
Mr Thaksin cancelled his afternoon schedule, including a plan to discuss Khao Phra Vihear with his Cambodian counterpart and taping an address for the 14th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) scheduled to take place in Havana next month.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/24/2006 11:36 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Sounds like somebody wanted to go hardass on our Muzzie friends and wanted Mr. Origami outta the way...
Thai police have deactivated explosives hidden in a car near the residence of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Police said bomb-making ingredients were found in the boot of a car belonging to an army officer, who has since been detained. Police chased the car after it was seen driving up and down near Mr Thaksin's home, reports said.
Mr Thaksin's security team said that they had received a tip-off about a potential threat. "We have had information for several months that there will be a car bomb," a representative for the security team told French news agency AFP.
Police said different kinds of explosives had been found in the car. "We found TNT weighing five pounds, 10 bags of fertilizer mix with gasoline and three sticks of C-4 explosives," Police Colonel Sathorn Saisomboon told AFP.
That would have made a fair sized boom
The detained man, Lieutenant Thawatchai Klinchana, was being questioned, police said.
Sucks to be you, LT
Security around the prime minister has been tight in the run-up to the 15 October polls. The courts annulled the general election held in April after the main opposition party boycotted it, leaving Mr Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai as the only major party standing. Thais are hoping fresh polls will end months of political turmoil, but a number of unresolved issues remain.
There is no election commission in place to organise the polls, because of the five officials, one died, one stepped down and three were jailed in July for their mishandling of the election. Mr Thaksin has not confirmed whether he is looking to become prime minister in a new government, if the ruling party wins.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/24/2006 09:21 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
when will the Thais get serious?
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/24/2006 9:38 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Yet another wake-up call from the *Amish insurgents, militants, radicals, fighters, resistance* that have/has been terrorizing Thailand for the past few years.
Philippine troops killed at least 6 Muslim guerrillas after a dawn swoop on their camp on the remote southwestern island of Jolo, a senior military official said on Thursday. Around 3,000 troops, backed by U.S. equipment and intelligence, are hunting about 200 militants from the Abu Sayyaf group, who regularly set up camp in the interior jungles of Jolo. Two Indonesians suspected of carrying out deadly bombings on the resort island of Bali in 2002 are also believed to be hiding out with them.
Marines Brigadier-General Juancho Sabban said four soldiers were wounded in the clash with around 80 members of Abu Sayyaf, the smallest of four Muslim rebel groups in the mainly Roman Catholic country. The rebels, who are believed to be sheltering Indonesians Umar Patek and Dulmatin, killed two commandos and wounded 17 others in fierce fighting on Wednesday. Despite numerous offensives on Jolo, including one with 5,000 troops in 2004, Abu Sayyaf leaders and their foreign colleagues have eluded capture.
#1
Congrats to Sabban for the promotion! He is one bad ass Marine, pro US, and believes in taking the fight to the enemy. Of all the Phillipino officers I knew, this guy was focused and not on the take. If anyone can help clean up Jolo it's Sabban.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
08/24/2006 12:56 Comments ||
Top||
Jakarta Post, 24 August (AKI/Jakarta Post) - Police have arrested two men for allegedly using cybertechnology to support terror attacks in Indonesia. Cyber Crime Unit chief Sr. Comr. Petrus Reinhard Golose said Wednesday that the two men were Mohammad Agung Prabowo, 23, and Agung Setyadi, 31. They were detained separately earlier this month in Semarang, Central Java. Police arrested 23-year old Prabowo, known as Max Fiderman in hacker circles, on 12 August. He allegedly helped register a website, www.anshar.net, with UK-based hosting site www.openhosting.co.uk and German site www.joker.com late last year, said Golose.
Golose added that the www.anshar.net website had been designed between June and August of last year by Abdul Azis, who is currently on trial in Bali. He's accused of creating the site for Noordin M. Top, the alleged mastermind of several bombings in Indonesia, including the Bali I and II bombings.
The website was used to deliver information related to their operations. The information included tips on how to carry out attacks in public places during traffic jams and backups at freeway interchanges or shopping malls and hotels. Some of the specific public places mentioned as possible locations for attacks were the Planet Hollywood restaurant, the Jakarta Convention Center, and Senayan Golf Driving Range, all in South Jakarta, and Ancol Recreation Park in North Jakarta.
Police arrested the other suspect, Agung Setyadi, on 16 August in Semarang, Central Java. Setyadi is accused of smuggling a laptop to Imam Samudera in Krobokan prison in Denpasar, Bali, after being sentenced to death for his role in the 2002 Bali bombing. "Setyadi used a delivery service to send the laptop to the address of an official at the Krobokan prison, who then forwarded it to Imam," said Golose. He said Imam used the laptop to communicate with Setyadi and other militants about how to use the Internet to carry out credit card fraud to fund terror attacks, before he was moved to the high-security Nusa Kembangan prison in October following the second Bali bombing on 1 October, 2005.
Imam also allegedly engaged in intense communication with unidentified people before the second Bali attack, but police have yet to find evidence he was in contact with anyone directly involved in that bombing, added Golose. The police said they seized a laptop along with its warranty card from the suspected terrorists, as well as two cell phones, three Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards, one flash disk, one Bluetooth USB, two hard disks, six CDs, one CD box, two bank books, and several documents released by Osama bin Laden.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/24/2006 08:41 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
"Setyadi used a delivery service to send the laptop to the address of an official at the Krobokan prison, who then forwarded it to Imam," said Golose.
Delivery agencies tend to keep detailed records of their work orders. So, why haven't we heard of an "official at the Krobokan prison" being apprehended and charged with complicity in the second round of Bali atrocities?
This all leads me to think that Prabowo and Setyadi are undergoing a grueling interrogation that involves iced drinks, young women on soft cushions and soothing music.
Karlsruhe, 24 August (AKI) - A man suspected by German authorities of plotting to blow up passenger trains three weeks ago was arrested in Lebanon on Thursday. The federal prosecutor in Karlsruhe said Jihad Hamad, 20, of Lebanese origin, handed himself in to police in the port city of Tripoli. On Wednesday the German authorities issued an international arrest warrant for the man accusing him of membership of a terrorist group, attempted murder and attempting to cause an explotion. Another alleged train attacker, Lebanese student Youssef Mohammad, 21 was arrested in Kiel, Germany, last week.
The two supects were filmed by security cameras on 31 July at Cologne railway station. Police later found two explosive devices on separate trains - they had failed to go off because of a construction flaw.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/24/2006 09:10 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Why would he turn himself in? That part puzzles me.
Three Lebanese soldiers were killed Wednesday as they dismantled an unexploded missile in southern Lebanon, Lebanese security officials said. The three, including an officer, were killed near the village of Tibnine early afternoon. There was no immediate comment from the army command. It was unclear whether the missile was Israeli or from Hizbullah guerrillas.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/24/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
well, depending on their intent (sad that caveat is necessary), condolences
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/24/2006 0:15 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Let's give credit to someone in the comments of Rantburg today (Uhh, maybe yesterday's comments) who commented.... We will know the terrorist have the bomb, when they have a major "work accident." (I'm so sorry. I forget which Rantburg University professor stated that fact)
Let's hope, this is how the "Islamic Bomb" is revealed! A work accident... gotta love that!
#4
We will know the terrorist have the bomb, when they have a major "work accident."
That might have been yours truly. While I wish it was easier to summon a more sympathetic light upon the situation, as Frank has so admirably done, I can't.
#5
We all used to be a lot more sympathetic, Zenster, a lot more patient, a lot more willing to believe alternative explanations than simple hatefulness and deliberate evil. But that was before we'd seen the weight of the evidence presented day after bloody day here at Rantburg (thank you, Fred!) Now there are people who read my posts and think "Neonazi!!!!", rather oddly amusing given my family history.
#10
Now there are people who read my posts and think "Neonazi!!!!"
I'm truly sorry to hear that tw. I, too, have encountered the same thing. Other musicians I ocassionally perform with treat me like a leper due to my outspoken intolerance of terrorism and jihadist Islam. The fact that they cannot name a single capital in the Middle East or identify any of the sub-sects of Islam matters not. They just "feel" that I'm wrong.
I've enountered a gay man who openly stated "America had 9-11 coming! We should keep our noses out of the Middle East!" It took hours of patient explanation to convey that, should Islamic theocracy be visited upon us, he would immediately be stoned to death. He and another guy, an enlisted Army man to boot, both have braggingly declared, "Whenever I'm abroad, I pretend to be Canadian."
I asked them if they were ashamed of America and they loudly agreed. I could only shake my head and point out the cognitive dissonance of their self-loathing.
#12
I don't take such ignorance seriously, guys. gromgoru, you gave her a grandchild, so she's getting over her silly territoriality. Clearly she's one of those "Speak first and think years later" types. Thank goodness her daughter is smarter, eh?
Sources in Beirut said the Lebanese army was deploying along the Syrian border on Wednesday, Israel Radio reported. According to a French news agency, several brigades deployed at points in northern and eastern Lebanon in order to prevent cross-border smuggling. The source said that the Lebanese army also intended to send helicopters to the area in the near future.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/24/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
call the Syrian bluff - deploy UN or IDF troops and dare them to do sumpthin!
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/24/2006 0:16 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Why do I doubt that any prevention of missile smuggling will occur? Could it be that 40% of the Leb army is Shiite?
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/24/2006 5:45 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Not just that, Snease Shaiting3550, but because elected Lebanese leaders (president, PM, whatever) recently declared that Hizb'allah's victory is all Lebanon's victory, and the Lebanese Army will stand shoulder to shoulder with Hizb'allah as brothers against Israel... or something like that. I tend to get lost in all the high flying rhetoric, I'm afraid.
#5
Syria raises a huff to prevent UN from placing troops along it supply route to Hezbolla.
The next day Lebannon army is on the border to 'stop' smuggling?
Give me a break... even if Lebannon was trying to stop smuggling they couldn't do it... to many people are willing to take a bribe. Under the current situation though... I figure there are a lot of people in the Lebannon army who would fill a little miffed at the offer of money to allow shipments of arms through to Hezbolla.
"Sir your money is no good here... you insult me with the offer. You just bring your donkey right on across the border. While your at it... I have to go to the bathroom for about two hours... do you think you could watch this border crossing for me"
#6
Id wait a while to see what this means. On the one hand the assertion of the Leb govt authority in ANY part of leb that hasnt seen it for awhile is a GOOD thing.
OTOH given the Syrian govt loud threat of a blockade if the UN force were placed along the border, I share the skepticism that the Leb army is going to do anything serious to stop weapon smuggling from Syria - they simply arent going to risk the economic counterpressure from Syria at this point. On the other hand, if and when the Leb economy has been strengthened, and Syria is more isolated, the Leb army will be in position to do more.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/24/2006 08:20 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Good morning, Fred! Still on vacation time, I see -- good!
For Janissaries, though, they need quantities of dhimmi boys to steal, and unfortunately the remaining Christians are all in the West Bank and the Jews are armed better than the Palestinians. A bit of a puzzler, but I'm sure they'll work it out.
#13
Them basselopes sure make for some fine hunting. Slow on the takeoff and a fine set of points too. Just keep 'em out of the tall grass and you'll do swell.
#16
Darnit' ya'll! Don't ya'll recognize the difference 'tween Basselopes (3rd one from the left) and Bassezelles (all the others with the curlicue horns - a rare species found only on the African savannah)!?
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.
Nato's claims to have killed 11 Taliban who were preparing an ambush in Afghanistan have been disputed by local people who have said that the dead were civilian grape-pickers.
Two out of the four suspected militants who surrendered on Monday night after a 17-hour gun battle here were identified as Turki Al-Mutairi and Ghazi Al-Otaibi. The two men were among seven prisoners who escaped from a prison near Riyadh in July. An official source in the Interior Ministry said that the two arrested men are being questioned.
Amid tight security in central London yesterday afternoon, 11 people appeared before the City of Westminster Magistrates Court charged with conspiracy to murder and a new offense of preparing acts of terrorism under the 2006 Anti-terrorism Act, which came into effect in April this year. All the 11 people were remanded in custody. They all deny the charges.
U.S. authorities have arrested a New York man for broadcasting Hizbollah television station al-Manar, which has been designated a terrorist entity by the U.S. Treasury Department, prosecutors said on Thursday.
Pakistani intelligence agencies arrested six Al Qaeda suspects, including two foreigners, on Tuesday night from the Hayatabad locality, sources said. Intelligence agencies, including the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), police and Inter-Service Intelligence, arrested the six Qaeda suspects when they were travelling in a passenger van. 
QUETTA: Suspected tribal militants blew up a gas pipeline in Dera Murad Jamali on Wednesday, disrupting the supply of gas to the Uch Power Plant till Wednesday afternoon. Sources told Daily Times that unidentified people had blown up a 24-inch diameter gas pipeline, which supplied gas to the Uch Power Plant. Sources said that the Dera Murad Jamali administration was searching for the culprits. No group has accepted the responsibility for blowing up the pipeline.
A day after an anti-terrorism squad (ATS) team gunned down an alleged Pakistan national at Antop Hill in Mumbai, a captured terrorist in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday reportedly revealed that the 
A roadside bomb exploded in Baghdad on Wednesday just after the interior minister had passed by in a convoy, police said. The minister was unhurt, but two civilians were killed and several traffic policemen were wounded. The blast in the predominantly Sunni neighbourhood of Dora occurred just after Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolanis convoy of about 10 cars had passed, said Dora police officer Mohammad al Baghdadi. The intended target was not immediately clear, but Interior Ministry spokesman Col Sadoun Abu al-Aula insisted it was not the ministers convoy. He said the bomb was likely aimed at a US convoy travelling about 500 meters behind.
The soldiers of the Queen's Royal Hussars will today board a fleet of stripped-down Land Rovers, festooned with weapons and equipment, bound for the depths of the Iraqi desert.
Israeli forces crossed into the Gaza Strip early Thursday in a raid that captured a local Hamas militant leader and left his brother dead near a Gaza border town, Palestinians witnesses and officials said. As the forces - backed by tanks and helicopter gunships - moved into the area of Abasan and took up positions on rooftops, militants began firing at them, sparking gunbattles that wounded two militants, Palestinian officials said. Hamas officials identified the captured man as Younis Abu Daka, a local Hamas leader and a lecturer at Islamic University in Gaza City. His brother, Yousef, was killed in the fighting, the militant group said. The army confirmed that a senior Hamas operative was arrested, and at least one militant was killed. It did not identify the men
The US State Department rejected on Wednesday demands by a previously unheard-of Palestinian group for the release of all Muslim prisoners in US prisons in exchange for the release of two kidnaped Fox News journalists. "We don't make concessions to terrorists, and we continue to call for the release of these journalists without conditions," State Department press officer Gonzalo Gallegos said. 
JERUSALEM (AP) - A top Palestinian militant leader in the West Bank was shot in the head and seriously wounded, militants and hospital officials said. Hospital officials said 
Three Lebanese soldiers were killed Wednesday as they dismantled an unexploded missile in southern Lebanon, Lebanese security officials said. The three, including an officer, were killed near the village of Tibnine early afternoon. There was no immediate comment from the army command. It was unclear whether the missile was Israeli or from Hizbullah guerrillas.
Sources in Beirut said the Lebanese army was deploying along the Syrian border on Wednesday, Israel Radio reported. According to a French news agency, several brigades deployed at points in northern and eastern Lebanon in order to prevent cross-border smuggling. The source said that the Lebanese army also intended to send helicopters to the area in the near future.
