The Taliban has metamorphosed into a truly Al Qaeda clone. Analyzing a series of recent events in the badlands of Pakistan, security specialists opine that the Taliban is beginning to look and act more like al Qaeda. Firstly, the Taliban, which is based in the tribal belt of Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP), is executing collaborators. Warning notes are pinned to the victims saying American spies will face the same fate.
The badlands on Pakistan's side of the border is a key region for intelligence operations; that is where the Islamists and Jehadis have secure sanctuaries.
Secondly, the Taliban have embarked on a media blitz to communicate with friends and enemies alike. They have been recording videos of the executions and posting them on the Internet.
If these two developments are considered together along with other trends in Taliban working, a very interesting story begins to unfold. The Mullahs have gone Hollywood says Fred Burton, the Stratfor expert on global terrorism, in a tongue in cheek remark. In his view, this tactic (of publicity through video) is borrowed directly from the al Qaeda work book and it is the most striking of several other shifts in Taliban style. One of the more prominent Taliban commanders, Mullah Dadullah, has even given an interview to UKs Channel Four. It is some thing not expected of a fundamentalist Jihadi Islamist group which traditionally considers using image-making technology as a sin.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
03/09/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
See also WORLDNEWS > AL Qaeda's CHINA Problem > China has an Al Qaeda problem and why no one is watching; OR STRATEGYPAGE > LEFTIST TERRORISTS MAKE A COMEBACK. Secualr SOcialists + God-based Socialists want World under BENEVOLENT? ANTI-CAPITALIST DESPOTISM; OR SLATE.com > DEATH TO [Captain] AMERICA article. Intent was to link/allude to real-life political and other issues. *All together now, wid feeling, "SAY IT TAINT SO".
#2
Taliban and al-Qaeda were always 2 sides of the same coin. Talibs were Pashtos who sought to implement an Arabized version of the "Pashtun Code." Al-Qaeda ut-Jihad ("Base of Holy War") were Arab remnants from the anti-Soviet, Sudan, and Bosnian crusades who sought to inspire copy cat cells throughout the world. Anyone who has a shred of understanding of the ends of these savages would strongly support the status given to the "Gitmo" terrorists. However, I would have executed them wholesale. As I write, another 40 are being prepped for release.
I have a copy of a book, "The Taliban Phenomenon" by Kamal Matinuddin, which is fairly comprehensive on the period from 1994-1999. The author reports that Taliban charged "10%" for each opium shipment out of Afghanistan. Over 90% of opium poppies are cultivated in Helmond and Kandahar districts. Many Pashtos in the drug trade are funneling proceeds to terror recruiters in Pakistan. They want foreign troops out, so they can deal drugs unimpeded.
#5
Napalm a few opium fields, and watch the source of Taliban funding dry up. We need to establish a secondary crop, with a reliable market, for farmers in the area. Heck, let 'em grow stuff to be converted to ethanol, if nothing else, just as long as they don't fund the tallibrainless.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/09/2007 14:51 Comments ||
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In other news, Tweedlededum is found to be related to Tweedlededee....
(SomaliNet) The ousted Islamic Courts Union has for the first time sent an audiotape message calling on all Somali Muslim people to carry weapons to liberate the motherland (Somalia) from what they called Ethiopian colony and its puppets. No date was mentioned on the tape but it looked to be issued recently.
30 minute audiotape purportedly from the Islamists in Somalia warned the people of Somalia against the occupation of what they called infidels that made the country back to colony era. Copies of the new tape were given away to local and international media.
The tape contained the voice of Aden Hashi Ayrow, a senior Islamist commander known as Teacher Aden asserting that Somalia is a muslim country and has fallen into crusaders and enemy of Somali people.
The tape contained the voice of Aden Hashi Ayrow, a senior Islamist commander known as Teacher Aden asserting that Somalia is a muslim country and has fallen into crusaders and enemy of Somali people which he meant the transitional federal government led by president Abdulahi Yusuf. Thanks to Almighty God who endowed us the religion of Islam. We are urging all Somalis from old to young including women should carry the weapons to fight against the invaders... the struggle must begin from the era of Somali Youth League who fought for the independence in the country, said the statement read out by Hashi Ayrow. To any power exerted by the infidels, the Islam would not be defeated Insha Allah... Muslims will lastly get the upper hand and Allah will give them the victory,
Hashi Ayrow, who was not known to deliver speech, said in his tape that Somalis would never accept the occupation of the Ethiopian forces in the country and will continue the insurgence attacks till their death. He said that he is still alive denying US claims that he was killed in air strike on the southern tip of Somalia two months ago. He did not revealed his whereabouts in Somalia on the tape. Despite I dont like to speak through the media, I could not stand with the harassments being subjected to the Somalis by their enemy... it goes without saying that Somalis were troubled for their Islamist belief... look every corner in world, you can find Muslims being offended and occupied by the crusaders. The Ethiopian invasion in Somalia is part of the problems on Muslims in the world, Hashi Ayrow said reciting some verses of the holy Koran indicating that infidels would never be pleasant of Muslims until you follow them.
The Islamists accused the Ethiopian government of being responsible for the total destruction of Somalia dividing Somalis into opposing clans and blocking all roads to developments.
The Islamists accused the Ethiopian government of being responsible for the total destruction of Somalia dividing Somalis into opposing clans and blocking all roads to developments. You could remember the instant developments made by the Islamic Courts Union which won to reopen seaport and airport in Mogadishu after years of closure by the warlords who had divided the capital into fiefdoms. You must known that the enemy of Islam dont want Somalia for peace and prosperity but likes to keep Somalia remain in anarchy and stateless,
It was the first audiotape sent by the Islamists since they were ousted from the capital late December 2006 by the Ethiopian backed interim government forces.
This article starring:
ADEN HASHI AIROW
Islamic Courts Union
TEACHER ADEN
Islamic Courts Union
Islamic Courts Union
Somali Youth League
Posted by: Fred ||
03/09/2007 00:00 ||
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I wonder how many days it will be before "leftists" march in defense of the Islamic Courts and their traditional Orcish folk-ways.
The alleged mastermind of the 11 September attacks on the US and 13 other terror suspects are set to face hearings at the US Guantanamo Bay camp. The closed-door sessions will decide whether Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the others can be deemed enemy combatants and therefore face military trials. They were transferred to Guantanamo after years in secret CIA jails. This is the first time they have faced any court. But human rights groups say the hearings are sham tribunals.
The hearings are being held with no defence lawyers present, and human rights groups say the panels of three military officials could consider evidence obtained by force. The hearings do not rule on guilt or innocence, but are the first step towards charging a detainee with crimes. Officials declined to say which of the 14 would go first or how many have refused to take part in the proceedings, AFP news agency said.
Many detainees face the prospect of indefinite detention without trial. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who was captured in Pakistan in March 2003, has been described by US President George W Bush as "the man believed to be the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks" which killed about 3,000 people.
Another key suspect is Ramzi Binalshibh, an alleged senior al-Qaeda figure who was captured in Pakistan in September 2002. A third man, Abu Zubaydah, who is believed to have been the chief al-Qaeda recruiter, was also captured in Pakistan in 2002. The group also includes an Indonesian, Hambali, who is accused of planning the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people. They were moved from CIA detention last September.
In the past, initial hearings have been open to outside observers, but the Pentagon decided that these cases were too sensitive to be reported freely. The BBC's Justin Webb in Washington says that in particular, there is concern that the men might reveal information about how they were captured. Edited transcripts will be posted on a Pentagon website, a spokesman said. Lawyers acting for the detainees have said this decision undermines the credibility of the whole process.
Five years after the first prisoners arrived, Guantanamo Bay is soon to see a new phase with the expected start of military tribunals or commissions in March or April. The camp currently holds about 385 suspects accused of fighting for al-Qaeda, the Taleban or associated militant groups. It is seen by the Bush administration as a vital tool in the "war on terror". It enables the US to interrogate suspects who are not US citizens and hold them - indefinitely if necessary - in territory it controls but which is not subject to normal US court rules. Critics say it is a legal black hole in which suspects have been abused and face either military tribunals or open-ended imprisonment.
This article starring:
Abu Zubaydah
Hambali
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
Ramzi Binalshibh
Posted by: Steve ||
03/09/2007 09:52 ||
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This is from DEBKA, so salt to taste.Minefields await Bush in his five-nation Latin American tour - laid jointly by Iran, Venezuela and Hamas. The three-way conspiracy to darken the US presidents tour was put together in Tehran Tuesday, March 6, by Iranian leaders, visiting Venezuelan foreign minister Nicolas Maduro Moros and Hamas hard-line leader Khaled Meshaal, who arrived in Iran for the second time in a month.
Moros took the opportunity of calling George W. Bush a criminal at a joint news conference with Iranian FM Manouchehr Mottaki, so setting the tone for anti-US demonstrations awaiting him in Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, Mexico and Guatemala. Meshaal said he was in Tehran to hear Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejads report on his talks with Saudi King Abdullah in Riyadh last Saturday but, according to DEBKAfiles Iranian sources, he came for a briefing on Hamas role in the broad Iranian plot to overshadow the US presidents Latin American tour.
He learned from Moros that the Chavez government would advance forthwith to his movement and the Palestinian Hamas government the sum of $50m and finance future arms deals. Iran offered to arrange the money transfer through Persian Gulf banks.
During the Bush tour, the Venezuelan government and Hamas plan to ceremonially open a Hamas Office in Caracas, licensed to handle the affairs of the substantial and affluent South American Palestinian colonies. The largest are in Chile and Nicaragua. Meshaal and his entire Damascus-based political bureau will be invited for a formal visit to Caracas. Hugo Chavez, whose nickname is a Fidel Castro with $50m dollars, will extend the Palestinian terrorist leader a welcome befitting a head of state.
These steps by the head of the worlds third largest oil-producing nation are more than a slap in the face for the US president; they have far-reaching strategic significance, say DEBKAfiles analysts:
1. Chavez is extending his feud with the United States beyond the American continent to the Middle East.
2. Caracas is placing its vast cash resources at the disposal of a Tehran-sponsored Palestinian terrorist militia, thereby lining up with the Islamic Republic against the United States and Israel on a new world front.
3. The upsurge of funds will make available to the jihadi Hamas sophisticated and heavy weaponry which they could not afford before.
4. Venezuela is helping Iran break the economic and financial embargo the United States, Europe and Israel have clamped down on the Hamas government. Its ministers will no longer need to bring suitcases full of banknotes through the Rafah crossing into Gaza. The transfers will be wired from Venezuelan banks to institutions in the Gulf.
5. Hamas hand in power-sharing negotiations with Fatah has been strengthened. The blacklisted Hamas will no longer need the services of the internationally- recognized Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas and his connections with Washington to finance Palestinian government operations. The cash will flow without the Hamas government being subjected to the conditions laid down by the Middle East Quartet to recognize Israel, renounce violence and honor previous accords with the Jewish state.
6. The rejectionist Meshaal find himself strengthened in his Hamas movement after being demoted by Saudi King Abdullah.
Posted by: Steve ||
03/09/2007 09:10 ||
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#1
Silver lining. Unlike the Magic Kingdom, Chavez is a one man show. And Mosad can wax him with all the blame/credit going to CIA.
#3
hugo bobo chavez will bring real poverty to venezooala, just like bush said. Its apparent that all governments with oil are socialist prime targets, because the dictators can fund/siphon international events, create chaos and exploit everyone in their path when they have the cash.....the great venazuayzooo is just gettting started.....stupid stupid stupid.
the price of socialismis being ripped off by the International.....local largesss= backseat.
#4
Hugo's got PDVSA (the state oil Co.) in the market for a $10 billion loan which will naturlich will pass thru to Huggie without stopping at the central bank.
The embassy of the Republic of Georgia said Thursday the former Soviet republic is raising the number of soldiers it has with the US-led coalition in Iraq to more than 2,000 from its current 850.
A statement sent to The Associated Press and attributed to Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said the country was committing its troops for one year. Georgian officials were consulting with their US and Iraqi counterparts about how the troops would be deployed. "We understand that the next year will be decisive in terms of stabilizing the situation in that country," Saakashvili said in the statement. "We want to do everything possible to help the Iraqi people and coalition partners bring stability, peace and freedom to Iraq."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/09/2007 00:00 ||
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A top North Korean official said the US must lift sanctions against his country before it will shut down its nuclear reactor as part of an international disarmament deal, news reports said Friday.
The backsliding begins.
North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan, making a brief, surprise stopover at Tokyo's main international airport late Thursday en route to Beijing from New York, said Pyongyang would be watching Washington's moves closely, the mass-circulation Yomiuri newspaper said. "The United States promised to resolve the problem of sanctions against our country within 30 days. If this promise is kept, then we will shut down our nuclear facilities in 60 days," said Kim, the chief negotiator to the disarmament talks, the Yomiuri reported. The Asahi newspaper and Kyodo News agency carried similar reports.
This article starring:
Kim Kye Gwan
Posted by: Fred ||
03/09/2007 00:00 ||
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Naw, how about you shutting down reactors first and we then lift sanctions?
FIVE of the nation's most powerful Islamic clerics, including Sheik Taj al-Din al-Hilali, have been banned from talking to the media by Muslim leaders for delivering "anti-Australian" messages.
The Lebanese Muslim Association has gagged the imams from Lakemba Mosque in Sydney's southwest from media commentary - especially to Arabic news outlets - because of the "immeasurable damage" they have caused the community.
A letter was yesterday sent by the Lebanese Muslim Association to its five imams, including Sheik Yahya Safi - the official Australian representative to the Mufti of Lebanon - Sheik Shady Suleiman, and Sheik Hilali. The letter, obtained by The Australian, demands the imams "shut the hell up" "pause and desist" from talking to any media outlet, in particular Sydney's Arabic community radio station Voice of Islam. The imams have been told they could lose their positions as spiritual leaders at the nation's largest mosque if they defy the LMA's orders.
LMA president Tom Zreika yesterday told The Australian the letter was issued to end the "perceived un-Australian viewpoints given by some clerics". "One of the big issues is the double-speak by the various imams," Mr Zreika said.
He added that the messages some clerics delivered in Arabic contradicted comments given in English while talking to the mainstream media.
Is that a fact? Golly, that's never happened elsewhere in the Islamic world.
"They go on to the Voice of Islam and talk about something which really isn't in accordance with our views as Australians.
"(While) most of our clerics are selected on the basis that they have Australian values and Australian characteristics ... some of them haven't (lived) up to that."
The LMA's hardline approach towards silencing its clerics comes after the furore sparked by Sheik Hilali last year, following revelations in The Australian last month that the mufti was banned from delivering sermons at Lakemba Mosque. Sheik Hilali caused national and international uproar last October when The Australian uncovered a sermon in which he compared women to "uncovered meat" and joked about Sydney's infamous gang rapes.
The cleric, who has been the nominal head of Australia's Muslim community for years, further compounded the controversy by subsequently appearing on Egyptian television to dismiss the furore over his insults to women and make disparaging remarks about Australia's convict beginnings. Sheik Shadi yesterday told The Australian that he supported the LMA's decision, saying it was in the best interests of the Muslim and wider community.
The widow of one of the Madrid bombers told on Thursday of her husbands last call before he blew himself with six other terrorists.
In an interview with the Spanish daily El Pais, Rosa told how Jamal Ahmidan, known as The Chinese, called her from a flat where he was surrounded by police.
The group of Islamic radicals said to have planted the train bombs were staying in a flat near Madrid when they were surrounded weeks after the train bombings in the Spanish capital.
They blew themselves up rather than be taken alive, killing a police officer in the process.
Rosa told the paper: He told me it was better to die, that he was not going to give himself up.
I heard a lot of praying and chanting. He didnt speak much with me. When he spoke to his mother the place blew up.
In the first interview given since the bombings in March 2004, Rosa - who is not linked to the attacks claimed the leader of the group was Serhane, known as The Tunisian.
She said her husband was an operative but added: I am sure that he didnt want to dirty his hands and left others to plant the bombs.
Rosa is a protected witness for the prosecution in the trial of 29 people who are accused of being involved in the attacks which killed 191 people and injured more than 1,800.
She said she received a call from her husband hours after the attacks.
He told me he was going to France. I asked him How are you going to disappear like this? Anyone could think that it is you, she said.
He answered How? He remained silent then put down the phone.
How quaint. Democrats are attempting to extort votes from their own party in the US House while simultaneously pushing stalled legislation in the US Senate through the back door.
House leaders have added legislation raising the federal minimum wage to an emergency spending bill for the Iraq war. They hope to break a logjam with the Senate over the wage bill, a top Democratic priority that was once seen on Capitol Hill as a relatively easy compromise. House leaders also hope the addition of the wage provisions will induce House liberals to vote for the $105 billion war package, which authorizes funds for Iraq while setting a timeline for withdrawal that would require combat operations to end by August 2008. The Culture of Corruption era appears to have been replaced by the Ethnicity of Extortion.
#1
If it passes, then vetoing it is a twofer for W. Win-Win.
Posted by: Jonathan ||
03/09/2007 17:05 Comments ||
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Don't count on W. to veto anything. He may be the least vetoing president in history. Plus he has not shown a lot of opposition to the minimum wage increase anyway.
House Democratic leaders vowed Thursday to pass legislation setting a deadline of Sept. 1, 2008, for the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq, a challenge to President Bush's war policy that drew a blunt veto threat in return. "It would unnecessarily handcuff our generals on the ground, and it's safe to say it's a nonstarter for the president," said White House spokesman Dan Bartlett.
Little more than two months after Democrats took control of the House and Senate, Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said the bill would set "dates certain for the first time in the Congress for the redeployment of our troops out of Iraq." Officials said the deadline would be accelerated possibly to the end of 2007 if the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki failed to meet commitments for taking over security operations, distributing oil revenue and opening his nation's constitution to amendments. Pelosi said Democrats would add their war-related provisions to the administration's request for nearly $100 billion to pay for the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/09/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
See also ASIA TIMES > THE FUTURISTIC BATTLFIELD Pages 1-3. Despite rants agz Dubya-USA over Iraq, Amer under Dubya is proceeding hell-bent to prepare for ANY KIND OF CONTINGENCY, from individual troubles wid Camel-kazes or related Terror-centric small groups, TO [FULL-SCALE?]WARS AGAINST RUSSIA AND CHINA. Interesting - Army's FCS + US Navy's desire for a 313-ship fleet, including 3 extra Carriers-CBGs. Article - SAFE FOR WORLD TO PRESUME THAT EACH AND EVERY OTHER GLOBAL WANNABE WILL BE HIDING/WORKING UNDER THE SHADOW OF US TECH, MIL AND GLOBAL DOMINANCE FOR many Many M-A-N-Y MMMMMMAAAAAAAANNNNNYYYY YEARS AND DECADES TO COME. IOW, DAY WILL COME WHEN AMER WON'T BE SCARED NOR CARE IFF OTHER WORLD NATIONS DEV NUKE ARSENALS BECUAZ WILL BE NO THREAT TO USA..
#3
DAY WILL COME WHEN AMER WON'T BE SCARED NOR CARE IFF OTHER WORLD NATIONS DEV NUKE ARSENALS BECUAZ WILL BE NO THREAT TO USA.
Fascinating to see that idea develop. Just now the possession of nukes is, if you'll forgive the imagery, a "bigger balls" thingy. Interesting that some thinkers foresee a time when that will be, ummm, emasculated... because the US will have developed even bigger ones.
#4
Obviously the core provisions of a "Date Certain" and "Troop Readiness" in the Democrats Defense Appropriations Bill are not only a means to extort votes but are logically absurd. Just in case that isnt sweet enough, check out some of the Pork that is proposed to buy votes within their own party.
$4.3 billion to the Agriculture disaster program.
$2.9 billion to Gulf Coast Recovery programs.
$735 million to State Childrens Health Insurance Program.
$400 million to Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
$500 million to Wildfire Suppression programs.
Remember, these are just some the proposals contained in the Bill itself. The real earmark swine doesnt appear until after committee markup. Hold on to your wallets folks the Democrats are here to save us from ourselves. If this pathetic bill gets to Bushs' desk he better have the balls to use his veto pen.
#6
Wonderful piece in the Wall Street Journal's OpinionJournal today. Between Iraq and a Hard Place:
Antiwar liberals endanger the Pelosi Democrats. Well worth your time to go read, and to submit to the free registration, even for those of you who like to cruise anonymously through the electrons. The delicious opening:
The meltdown among House Democrats over Iraq is rightly being described as the first big test of Nancy Pelosi's leadership. It's also an early example of just how much political damage the antiwar left is capable of inflicting on their new speaker.
Ms. Pelosi has been backed into a tight corner over President Bush's $100 billion request for war funding. Hoping to quell a revolt from a liberal bloc that wants out of Iraq, pronto, the speaker unveiled a new, new plan yesterday that includes a timetable for withdrawal--to begin as early as July. Ms. Pelosi needs to win this vote, the first real showdown over Iraq. But it's becoming increasingly clear she can do that only by sacrificing her moderate wing, which opposes her plan and could pay heavily for it in next year's election.
#7
"ut it's becoming increasingly clear she can do that only by sacrificing her moderate wing, which opposes her plan and could pay heavily for it in next year's election."
Remember all those Republican districts that went to "Pro Gun, Pro Defense, Anti-Immigration, Blue Dog" Dems?
Guess what - they're up for grabs if the Republican party can get their sh*t together and quit acting like Democrats.
A former sailor in the U.S. Navy has been arrested in Phoenix and charged with supporting terrorism with the intent to kill U.S. citizens.
Federal prosecutors say Hassan Abujihaad, who was charged Wednesday, exchanged e-mail messages, while serving on a U.S. Navy destroyer in 2001, with the administrator of a Web site that supports terrorist causes, The New York Times reported Friday.
Abujihaad is accused of contacting the man to purchase DVDs promoting the cause of Muslim separatists in Chechnya in Russia and other regions and in 2001 sharing information about his ship's whereabouts and vulnerabilities.
Abujihaad, who is scheduled for transfer to Connecticut, was arrested as part of an investigation into an alleged terrorist network operating out of Britain, the Times said.
The arrest stems from e-mail records discovered in the possession of the Web site operator, Babar Ahmad, who was indicted by a federal grand jury in 2004 for organizing the purchase of possible terrorist tools. He is scheduled to be extradited from Britain.
I heard about this on WTOP radio this morning, but it is not easy to find in current news. Google was my friend, however. Much more background about the Hanifi movement at link.
A sectarian dispute in the United States was transformed into a mass hostage taking by Hanafi Muslims in Washington, DC in 1977. The Hanafi Movement in the United States was founded by Hamas Abdul Khaalis in 1968. Khaalis, formerly Ernest 2X McGee, had been the Nation of Islam's first National Secretary and a friend of Malcolm X. He had converted to orthodox Islam and founded the Hanafi Movement with money donated by Kareem Abdul-Jabar.
On 09 March 1977, Khaalis and about a dozen of his followers armed with shotguns and machetes seized control of seized the District Building [city hall], the B'nai B'rith building, and the Islamic Center, in the District of Columbia. Khaalis said they were seeking revenge for the murders of Khaalis' family members by Black Muslims in 1973. They held 134 hostages for more than 39 hours, they shot Washington DC city councilman Marion Barry in the chest, and they shot a radio reporter dead. The standoff ended and the hostages were freed after ambassadors from three Islamic nations joined the negotiations. The Hanafis were convicted and sentenced to long terms in prison.
Posted by: Bobby ||
03/09/2007 05:46 ||
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Thanks for the reminder Bob. Lest we forget the Religion of Pieces has been drawing blood since Jefferson's time. Nor Kareem Abdul-Jabar's part in funding Muslim terrorist.
Sectarian dispute? Not really. The Animals for Allan had another demand. In a precursor to the Cartoon Jihad, Khaalis got his turban in a knot over the movie Messenger. They wanted the movie squashed.
The leader of Pakistan's six-party Islamist alliance, Maulana Samiul Haq, on Thursday appealed to the Taliban to release Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo, who the militants have accused of spying for Britain. "International journalists have the right to interact with all groups including the Taliban," Samiul Haq said in an interview with Adnkronos International (AKI).
The Pakistani political leader has been dubbed the "father of the Taliban" - a reference to the fact that top ranking Talibans, including their fugitive leader, Mullah Omar, once studied in an Islamic seminary run by Samiul Haq in the town of Akora Khattak in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP) which borders Afghanistan.
Samiul Haq leads the six-party Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) which in the past has been highly critical of Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf because of his support for the United States' 'war against terrorism', including the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan which toppled the Taliban.
However, the MMA which is the ruling political group in the North West Frontier Province has recently softened its anti-Musharraf and anti-Washington stance. Bearing evidence of the MMA's more moderate approach was Maulana Samiul Haq's presence on Thursday at the farewell luncheon in honour of US ambassador Ryan C. Crocker who is leaving Pakistan to take up his new posting in Baghdad. At the lucheon the Chairman of Pakistan's Senate Foreign Relations Committee, jokingly adressed Samiul Haq as a "friendly fundamentalist" and "former terrorist".
Mastrogiacomo, a veteran war reporter for the Rome daily La Repubblica, was allegedly kidnapped by Taliban fighters together with two Afghan nationals, Ajmal and Ghulam Haidar, while on an assignment in Kandahar, in the volatile southern Afghan province of Helmand. On Wednesday the Taliban released a recorded message - attributed to one of their leaders Mullah Dadullah - saying that Mastrogiacomo had confessed he is a spy working for the British.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/09/2007 00:00 ||
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Dr. Kissenger has an intelligent and alert expression even yet. The good maulana appears to have experienced an unfortunate meeting of his head with a donkey's foot, back in his youth. Or perhaps he just got a shipment of hashish from the Afghani cousins the day before... I don't know what that looks like. ;-)
India has provided a passport to a hardline Kashmiri separatist to enable him to travel abroad for cancer treatment, officials said on Thursday. We have handed over Syed Ali Geelanis passport to his son, an official at federal passport office told AFP in Kashmiri summer capital Srinagar.
The vehemently anti-India Geelani has not been allowed to leave the country since an insurgency began in Indian-held Kashmir in 1989, except in 2005 when he was permitted to visit Saudi Arabia to attend the hajj. Geelani, 72, heads the hardline faction of the regions main separatist alliance, the Hurriyat Conference, which supports union with Pakistan. The ailing leader had a kidney removed two years ago after doctors found cancer and now the disease has been detected in his second kidney.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/09/2007 00:00 ||
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And just where might he be heading for said medical treatment?
More than 550 Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) personnel with 600 Multi-National Division-Baghdad soldiers began a clearing operation in the eastern Baghdad district of Sadr City March 4. Local residents were receptive and cooperative with both ISF and Coalition Forces (CF) as they worked to set secure conditions for the district.
Soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division, with two Stryker companies from the 2nd Infantry Division, began their combined clearing operation in the early morning of February 4, along with the 8th Brigade, 2nd Iraqi National Police Division and the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 10th Iraqi Army Division.
CF also began establishing a Joint Security Station at an Iraqi police station, creating the first permanent Coalition presence in the district in two years.
Despite Progress, the New Iraq Security Plan Will Take Months to Accomplish:
Although there has been recent progress with the new Iraq security plan, Lieutenant General Odierno, the commander of Multi-National Corps-Iraq, cautioned against unrealistic expectations and urged patience, saying the new Iraqi security plan will take months, not weeks, to accomplish.
LTG Odierno said the key is to be able to maintain security in Baghdad over a long period of time - from six to seven months - enabling the Iraqi government to mature.
Attacks Kill 112 Shiite Pilgrims in Iraq:
According to media reports, insurgents killed 112 Shi'ite pilgrims traveling to the holy city of Karbala in attacks across Iraq March 6. In the worst attack, two suicide bombers strapped with explosives detonated themselves in a street lined with tents in the city of Hillah, killing 77 people.
ISF Take Control of Baghdad Security:
Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) took control of Operation Fardh al-Qanun March 1, as Iraqi Army Lieutenant General Abbud Gambar and his staff began executing their security plan from their new command post established in Adnan Palace in the International Zone.
ISF Conducting Joint Operations in Baghdad in Support of Fardh al-Qanun:
The ISF has moved 18 battalions into the Baghdad area in support of Operation Fardh al-Qanun. Although unit end-strength improved over time as more units deployed, the Iraqi battalions did not report at full strength. Seven battalions deployed to the area at 55 to 65% of their end-strength and another seven deployed at 65 to 85%. The final four deployed at over 95% of their end strength, demonstrating an improvement as Iraqi military leaders gained experience in the process.
Specialized and Advanced Training Graduates:
The Iraqi Police Service graduated 75 Iraqi police from specialized and advanced courses, including Executive Leadership, Mid-Level Management, Basic Criminal Investigations, Advanced Firearms, Forensics, and Dignitary Protective Service.
Ministry of Interior Cleans House:
The Ministry of Interior has fired or reassigned more than 10,000 employees, including high-ranking officers, who were found to have tortured prisoners, accepted bribes or had ties to militias. A ministry spokesman said that reports that an internal inquiry included details of numerous human rights abuse at the ministry.
Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki Condemns Illegal UK Raid:
Prime Minister Maliki has criticized a raid by British forces on the Iraqi interior ministry's intelligence office in Basrah. A British military spokesman said that the raid on the National Iraqi Intelligence Agency office, where 37 people were held prisoner, had uncovered evidence of torture. However, Maliki has ordered an investigation into the raid, demanding that those behind this illegal and irresponsible act be punished.
Iraqi Prime Minister Bids for Peace with Sunnis:
Prime Minister Maliki offered an olive branch to Iraqi insurgents waging war against his government, saying We do not need to implement security measures except against those who reject the language of reconciliation and dialogue, those who insist on restoring the past. He added that the new US-backed security plan launched in Baghdad would be extended to every inch of Iraq.
CCCI Convicts 10 Insurgents:
The Central Criminal Court of Iraq (CCCI) convicted ten security detainees February 18 - 22 for various crimes, including possession of illegal weapons, possessing fake identification, use of explosives, passport violations and illegal border crossing.
The trial court found an Iraqi man guilty of illegal possession of special category weapons in violation of Order 3/2003 Section 6, Paragraph 2B. On January 19, 2005, Multi-National Forces (MNF) conducted a raid on several houses in Taji in search of the defendant and several other individuals. Once inside, MNF found one RPK machine gun, one AK-47, a pistol, one G3 assault rifle, Iraqi and CIA intelligence manuals and documents, as well as fake identification documents and photographs. MNF then searched outside the house using metal detectors and found more buried weapons and ammunition. Some of the ammunition was found in American ammunition boxes with serial numbers that matched the serial numbers of ammunition boxes taken from Humvees which had recently been destroyed by improvised explosive devices in which two American soldiers died. On February 18, the trial panel found the defendant guilty and sentenced him to 30 years imprisonment.
Iraq Neighbor Conference:
On March 10, Iraq will host a sub-ministerial preparatory conference meeting in Baghdad of Iraqs neighbors plus Egypt, Bahrain, and the P-5, as well as one representative each from the Arab League, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, and the UN. The content of the Neighbors agenda includes general support for Iraq, the Iraqi people and the Iraqi government.
Latvia Plans to Decrease Troop Commitment in Iraq:
The Latvian government announced it will withdraw the majority of their 115-man contingent, leaving 15 troops to assist in training operations for the Iraqi Army.
Republic of Georgia to Increase Iraq Presence:
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili announced his country will enlarge its participation in the Coalition forces in Iraq during a speech at the construction site of a new NATO-standard military base near the Georgian town of Gori March 4, stating that Georgia is ready to help American and Iraqi colleagues at the critical phase of the peacekeeping operation.
UN Warns of Impending Refugee Crisis:
The UN warned that if sectarian violence in Iraq does not decrease, up to one million new people could become displaced in 2007. Of Iraq's population of about 27 million, 1.8 million have already been displaced within the country and another one million have gone to Syria, 750,000 to Jordan and 150,000 to Egypt.
Iraqs UN Ambassador Says Syria Can Help Prevent Terrorists from Crossing Border:
Iraq's UN Ambassador, Hamid al-Bayati, said that Syria could do more to prevent terrorists from crossing their border into Iraq and that the Syrian government could play an important role in improving the security of Iraq by taking control of monitoring its border.
Government of Singapore to Train Iraqi Diplomats:
At the request of the Iraqi government, and as part of Singapores effort to assist in the reconstruction of Iraq, the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be organizing a three-week training program for a group of Iraqi diplomats March 6-23. The program comprises English language training and the work of foreign service officers.
Posted by: Bobby ||
03/09/2007 14:22 ||
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Interesting. From The Muslim Brotherhood website, which I noticed while scanning the article about the dhimmi professor.
The statistics made headlines all over the world when they were published in The Lancet in October last year. More than 650,000 Iraqis one in 40 of the population had died as a result of the American-led invasion in 2003. The vast majority of these excess deaths (deaths over and above what would have been expected in the absence of the occupation) were violent. The victims, both civilians and combatants, had fallen prey to airstrikes, car bombs and gunfire.
Body counts in conflict zones are assumed to be ballpark hospitals, record offices and mortuaries rarely operate smoothly in war but this was ten times any other estimate. Iraq Body Count, an antiwar web-based charity that monitors news sources, put the civilian death toll for the same period at just under 50,000, broadly similar to that estimated by the United Nations Development Agency.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Bobby ||
03/09/2007 05:57 ||
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GAZA CITY - Ineffectual Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said on Thursday that a government of national unity with the Islamist Hamas movement is 99 percent ready and could be unveiled next week. Beginning on Monday the ministers will be designated, as we have completed 99 percent of different dossiers in the unity government, Abbas said during a meeting with prime minister-designate Ismail Haniya of Hamas in Gaza city.
Abbas and Haniya have met several times over the past week to shoot hammer out details of a unity cabinet, with one of the sticking points being who will serve in the key post of interior minister. Under the terms of the power-sharing agreement reached in Saudi Arabia last month, Hamas will occupy nine cabinet seats plus the premiership and their blood erstwhile rivals Fatah will take six.
Hamas will nominate another three independent ministers and Fatah two. The radical Islamist movement will also name an interior minister whose candidature must be approved by Abbas.
Since that will be the minister who controls the 'interior' police.
Abbas tasked Haniya with forming the new cabinet on February 15. He has five weeks to select the new line-up and win parliamentary approval for a government that Palestinians plead hope wistfully will end international embargoes and deadly infighting.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/09/2007 00:00 ||
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#5
TW---that was a parody on the Firesign Theater radio skit on the car heading for the Antelope Road exit. The highway signs were talking to the driver as he passed them, complete with doppler effects.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
03/09/2007 21:42 Comments ||
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(AKI) - Israel's defence minister Amir Peretz is reported to be studying a plan to build by the end of this year a 14 kilometre wall in the Sinai desert along the border with Egypt, according to the Moheet Arabic website. The planned security fence is reported to be in response to a series of suicide bombings, the most recent of which in January killed 3 people and injured 7 others in the southern Israeli coastal town of Eilat.
The Israeli authorities believe the Eilat suicide bombers slipped across the border with Egypt to enter the Jewish state. The Egyptian authorities say they have confiscated caches of arms and explosives near the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt since the January attacks. The Israeli government, however, has asked its neighbour to step up its efforts to safeguard security along the border. Peretz told journalists on Thursday that "every option that may guarantee the safety of Isreali citizens will be considered."
The Egyptian authorities have always denied past reports that such a security barrier is being mooted. If the Israeli authorities confirm plans to build such a wall, this could further stoke recent tensions between the two countries that have flared up over a documentary purporting to show unarmed Egyptian soldiers being killed by Israeli troops at the end of the 1967 Six-Day War.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/09/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Oooo. Finest Egyptian algodon linen turbans and knickers just tightened accross all North Africa...
#4
I thought the Gaza territory squated between Egypt and Israel and that a fence already exists and the Pals already busted through it and tunneled under it.
#5
Gaza is on the coast between Israel and Egypt, rjschwarz. I do believe that's fenced, and yes, the Palestinians break through it periodically. It's on the other side, where the Egyptian portions of the Sinai lies, that isn't fenced. It was thought that the empty-ish desert was enough of a barrier... and that the Egyptians would actually control their part of it.
Qom, 9 March (AKI) - Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad travelled to the holy Shiite city of Qom on Friday to meet leading ayatollahs and obtain their political backing. Ahmadinejad met grand ayatollahs Nasser Makarem Shirazi, Fazel Lankarani and Safi Gholpayeghani. The formal reason given for the trip was that the president wanted to brief religious authorities on domestic politics and upcoming foreign policy moves of the government. However, Friday's was the second trip in a month by the president to Qom, where he also travelled on 7 February, to meet leading conservative ayatollahs after recent criticism from clerics of his government.
"So, Mahmoud, tell us about this Ali Reza Asghari person."
Posted by: Steve ||
03/09/2007 07:52 ||
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The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Thursday unanimously approved major cuts in aid to Iran as part of United Nations sanctions on the Islamic Republic over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment, a spokesman said.
Diplomats said that while developing nations serving on the IAEAs 35-member board of governors had expressed concern that politically motivated action might set a precedent that could hurt their aid, they had nevertheless backed the cuts on the recommendation of IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei. Speaking for the European Union, German ambassador to the IAEA, Peter Gottwald, told the board on Wednesday that although nations clearly had a right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy it is the EUs understanding that no assistance shall be provided to the Islamic Republic of Iran in the proliferation-sensitive areas of enrichment related, reprocessing or heavy water related activities or the development of nuclear weapon delivery systems.
Instead, he said Iran-directed aid would be restricted to food, agricultural, medical, safety or other humanitarian purposes, in accordance with last Decembers UNSC resolution. Similarly, Egyptian ambassador to the UN nuclear watchdog, Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy, told reporters that while aid should be immune from political pressures, in the case of Iran because of the special circumstances, I think something creative has to be done. Examples from an IAEA report show approval of a project to help Iran prepare therapeutic sources . . . and radio-pharmaceuticals for cancer treatment, saying that this was entirely for medical purposes. But the agency rejected a project to strengthen ... capabilities ... for provision of safe and reliable nuclear power generation capacities, saying that this was outside the limits of the UNSC resolution.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/09/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
What? Did IAEA's ElBaradei and Ahmadinejad have a falling out, or something?
He keeps flipping in-and-out of a "sometimes Irans program is ok" and "sometimes its not ok" syndrome...
WARNING: do not, repeat do NOT, embed the source URL in the text. Put it in the source box. Next time the story WILL be deleted. AoS.
UNIFIL would like a more aggressive mandate for its forces to engage Hizbullah on their own, The Jerusalem Post has learned.
According to the mandate's rules of engagement, UNIFIL soldiers are not allowed to engage Hizbullah guerrillas independently. They must first contact the LAF and wait for their arrival and decision whether they request UNIFIL assistance. "There is a feeling of frustration within UNIFIL that under the current rules of engagement they are not free to do their job, which is to prevent Hizbullah rearmament in southern Lebanon," an Israeli defense official told the Post.
UNIFIL, commanded by Maj.-Gen. Claudio Graziano of Italy, cannot make changes to the rules of engagement on its own. The decision needs to be made by the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, in conjunction with countries that contribute forces to UNIFIL. UNIFIL is considering rules of engagement that would allow its forces to engage Hizbullah if the LAF does not arrive after being alerted to an incident within a specified, and as yet undetermined, length of time. According to Israeli officials, UNIFIL sometimes waits a long time before the LAF arrives at the scene of an incident. Guess UNIFIL's backers are really concerned about Cedar rev
Note that you do not "embed links" in the Title box; you simply copy and paste the raw URL, the "http://blah.blah.blah.com" part. No HTML anchor tag, the "<A HREF=..." stuff, is necessary.
Also note that the source URL goes in the SOURCE box, not the TITLE box.
Here's a screen cap showing a properly filled out Poster page just prior to clicking the SUBMIT button.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
03/09/2007 6:08 Comments ||
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Also, DO NOT replace the original title of the article with a snarky comment. Doing so makes it difficult for anyone in the future to search article titles for keywords, such as "UNIFIL" in this case. Use HILITE, in the body of the article, to insert your snarkies.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
03/09/2007 6:13 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
(SomaliNet) The ousted 
FIVE of the nation's most powerful Islamic clerics, including 
The leader of Pakistan's six-party Islamist alliance, Maulana Samiul Haq, on Thursday appealed to the Taliban to release Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo, who the militants have accused of spying for Britain. "International journalists have the right to interact with all groups including the Taliban," Samiul Haq said in an interview with Adnkronos International (AKI).
GAZA CITY - 
(AKI) - Israel's defence minister Amir Peretz is reported to be studying a plan to build by the end of this year a 14 kilometre wall in the Sinai desert along the border with Egypt, according to the Moheet Arabic website. The planned security fence is reported to be in response to a series of suicide bombings, the most recent of which in January killed 3 people and injured 7 others in the southern Israeli coastal town of Eilat. 
