Afghan police and US-led coalition forces clashed with Taliban insurgents in western Afghanistan early on Tuesday, leaving 18 suspected militants dead and four other people wounded, an official said. The latest violence occurred with Afghan officials claiming their forces had trapped up to 200 Taliban in a southern village, possibly including the militias military commander, Mullah Dadullah, a claim later denied by the Taliban.
After a winter lull in the violence, Afghan, NATO and US-led forces have stepped up operations in recent weeks hoping to pre-empt a feared spring offensive by militants that threatened the already shaky grip of President Hamid Karzais government. Afghan and coalition forces launched an overnight operation late Monday in Bakwa district in Farah province, said a spokesman for the provincial police Chief Baryalai Khan. He said two suspected militants were killed and two wounded, while two police personnel were also wounded and eight suspected militants arrested in the ongoing operation. Afghan and NATO soldiers setting up an ambush for rebel fighters in the early hours of Tuesday in the southern province of Zabul followed this. In the resulting exchange of gunfire, 11 Taliban were killed. There were no Afghan casualties, said General Rahmatullah Raufi. Five more enemy elements were killed in the northeastern province of Kunar in another operation.
Meanwhile in the relatively calm north, a bomb exploded outside the Sari Pul provincial governors home on Tuesday morning with no casualties, said Governor Eqbal Munib. He said it was the third attempt on his life in the past year in an area where attacks are generally rare.
Afghan police and government officials said up to 200 suspected Taliban had been surrounded in the mountain village of Keshay in Uruzgan province for three days. The Taliban had gathered in the area for a meeting. Deputy Interior Security Minster Abdul Hadi Khalid told a security commission in Parliament on Monday that it was possible that Mullah Dadullah was among those who were attending the meeting. He said Afghan officials had demanded that the Taliban surrender or face military action. He did not mention any deadline for them to surrender.
Provincial police Chief Gen Muhammad Qasim Khan said NATO troops were also involved in the siege but NATO and the US-led coalition said Tuesday they had no information to support the Afghans account. A Taliban spokesman in the south, Qari Yousef Ahmadi, admitted the Taliban were trapped but denied that Dadullah was in the area.
In other violence, assailants abducted and beheaded an Afghan intelligence service employee and struck one of the agencys vehicles with a remote-controlled bomb in a separate attack that killed six employees and wounded three, officials said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
How 'bout the other 182?
Bombs away!
Posted by: Captain America ||
04/25/2007 0:53 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Agreed. If even one gets away with all of his body parts it will be bad.
#3
"After a winter lull in the violence" Nancy and Harry have been telling us that's it's getting worse there. How could it be getting worse if there was a lull?
(SomaliNet) A suicide bomber has on Tuesday attacked an Ethiopian forces compound in Afgoye town, 30km south of the Somalia capital Mogadishu. There is no immediate casualty on the Ethiopian forces stationed on a farm belonging to former Somali minister.
Witnesses told Somalinet that an Islamist militant driving a car believed to be containing explosives entered the base and then went off. The explosion rocked the town. The Ethiopian soldiers sealed all roads in and out of Afgoi. It is the third time a suicide bomber attacked the Ethiopian forces since their arrival in the capital late December 2006.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
"Don't shoot him, you'll just make him mad." (Blazing Saddles)
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/25/2007 6:08 Comments ||
Top||
#2
I am curious to see if the Ethiopian response to this entirely foreseeable change of tactics is as weak-kneed as ours has been. Hears to hoping the Ethiopians take a more robust view of dealing with their devil-worshiping neighbors.
(SomaliNet) The fighting in the Somalia capital Mogadishu is continuing for the sixth day straight but with less magnitude as sporadic gun fire and artillery shells could be heard throughout the city. Unconfirmed report says that about 35 people, all civilians lost their lives in yesterdays exchange between the Ethiopians and the revolutionaries.
Meanwhile the Hawiye team of fact-finding mission issued a report on the latest civilian casualty which stands at about 293 people died and 600 wounded in the clashes between 19 to 23 April. This is according to teams spokesman Hussein Siad Qoor-Gaab. 80,000 people were displaced and property worth of millions of dollars were lost within five days of the clashes, reiterated Hussein.
He accused Somalis president Abdulahi Yusuf, his prime minister Ali Gedi and the Ethiopian prime minister Meles Zenawi of ordering what he termed as mass murdering of the Somali people. This is the second report from the Hawiye team on the clashes in the capital. Earlier the transitional government dismissed the report as hoax and baseless.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Hawiye team of fact-finding mission... accused Somalis president Abdulahi Yusuf, his prime minister Ali Gedi and the Ethiopian prime minister Meles Zenawi of ordering what he termed as mass murdering of the Somali people.
The Hawiye clan is allied with the Islamists and if anyone is an expert in mass murder, it's these clowns.
#4
Hawiye is a large clan with many subclans in central part of Somalia. Well known subclan, Habar Gedir (Battle of Mogadishu - Blackhawk Down), was the last force resisting ICU before they took Mogadishu last year.
Current TFG interrior minister, Hussein Aideed, is a prominent member of Habar Gedir, as well as terrorist Dahir Aweys (ICU, Al-Itihaad).
I think that situation is much more complicated, and it is questionable who claims to speak in front of Hawiye.
#5
Hawiye is a large clan with many subclans
I have the feeling that it's going to be a much SMALLER clan, with or without subclans, if they keep messin' with the Ethiopians. The Ethiopians gave the Italians all they could handle during the short time Italy occupied the nation.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/25/2007 11:20 Comments ||
Top||
#6
My point was that in country like Somalia everyone can claim to speak for anybody else. I don't believe that thos Hawiye, as a whole, support anybody particular.
Tajikistan's highest court has sentenced 11 members of an Islamic terror group that has been linked to al-Qaeda to up-to life in prison for a series of bomb attacks in the capital, murders of policemen and armed robberies, a judge said Tuesday.
The Supreme Court found the 11 men, including two Uzbek nationals, guilty of terrorism, murder and robbery and sentenced them to terms of seven years to life, said judge Nur Nurov. He said the men were linked to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and were behind three bombing attacks outside the Emergencies Ministry in 2005 that killed two people and injured three.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
CHICAGO (AP) -- Authorities arrested a suspect Wednesday morning in the case of two pipe bombs that were mailed to financial companies in Chicago and Kansas City, Mo., along with threatening letters signed "The Bishop," the U.S. Postal Inspection Service said. The postal inspection service did not immediately release any further details. A news conference was expected later Wednesday.
Investigators have said "The Bishop" mailed more than a dozen letters to financial institutions for 18 months and appeared to have ties to the Chicago area. The letters include references to heaven and hell and threatened recipients if the prices of certain stocks did move to certain levels, often $6.66; the number '666' is associated with Satan.
I would have thought Satan's stock prices would have been a bit higher
There was a 6.66:1 split.
The two pipe bombs mailed to companies in Chicago and Kansas City in January included threatening letters with phrases such as "Bang you're dead" and "Tic-toc." Authorities have declined to discuss specifics of the bombs, but they have said each contained all the components of a workable device. Both were mailed in white cardboard boxes in late January from a post office in the Chicago suburb Rolling Meadows.
A sketch of a man considered to be a person of interest in the case was released in February, based on a witness description of a man seen in the post office lobby that day. According to postal inspectors, one of the pipe bombs went to American Century Investments in Kansas City, and the other was sent to Janus Small-Cap in Denver and was forwarded to an office in Chicago.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/25/2007 09:31 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
TOLEDO, Ohio - Four men pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges that they plotted to recruit and train terrorists to attack U.S. and allied troops overseas. Zubair A. Ahmed, Mohammad Zaki Amawi, Marwan Othman El-Hindi and Wassim I. Mazloum are accused of conspiring to kill or maim people outside the United States, including military personnel in Iraq.
Names I usually associate with Toledo are Bob, Hank, Tyrone and Jose.
A fifth man, Khaleel Ahmed, 26, pleaded not guilty to similar charges last month. He and Zubair Ahmed, 27, are cousins from Illinois. Amawi, El-Hindi and Mazloum live in Ohio. All are U.S. citizens except Mazloum, who came to the U.S. legally from Lebanon.
Want to bet the four who are citizens weren't born here?
The five sought recruits and sites for training in firearms, hand-to-hand combat and the use of explosives, according to the indictment. They also are accused of agreeing to raise funds for training and downloading Internet information on improvised explosive devices.
Prosecutors said Khaleel and Zubair Ahmed attended a Muslim convention in Cleveland in 2004 with El-Hindi and a former U.S. military man who helped foil the plot. The men talked about a five-year plan to carry out their mission, said Gregg Sofer, a Justice Department attorney, during a detention hearing. "This conversation is nothing short of devastating," he said.
Zubair Ahmed's attorney, Terry Gilbert, said the men never took any action. "Is that a crime to talk about guns?" asked Gilbert. "There's no talk about jihad. There's no talk about killing Americans."
That was next.
U.S. District Judge James Carr ordered that the Ahmeds be released upon posting bond, which he set at $500,000. He noted that the cousins had known for a year they and others were under investigation but did not try to flee. The five men face a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted of conspiring to kill Americans overseas, according to federal prosecutors.
Steve Hartman, El-Hindi's attorney, said his client has maintained his innocence from the beginning. Hartman said the government's informant overreached and instigated the investigation. "I think he created a vast majority of this case," Hartman said.
"Lies! All lies!"
The three men from the Toledo area were arraigned on new charges filed by federal prosecutors two months ago. They were first arrested in February 2006. The three were charged with conspiring to provide material support to terrorists. Amawi also was charged with verbally threatening the president of the United States and unlawful distribution of a video about suicide bomber vests. Amawi and El-Hindi also were charged with distributing information about explosive chemicals downloaded from the Internet.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/25/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Toledostan?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/25/2007 6:06 Comments ||
Top||
#2
The name I associate with Toledo is Corporal Max Klinger.
#3
Also, John Denver: "Saturday night in Toledo, Ohio
Is like being nowhere at all
All through the day the hours rush by
You sit in the park and watch the grass die..."
And in the old city of Toledo (pronounced "To-Lay-Do") there is a little cross-street named "Toledo d'Ohio". Really. I've seen pics of the street sign.
#5
The great probability is that this is the norm among US Muslim population. They are all conspiring at one level or another to destroy the host. Leave Iraq to be the natural shithole it is. Concentrate on expelling all vestiges of Islam from free our free society. Outlaw the practice of Islam as an enemy political subterfuge. Expel all practicers and deviants such as black Nation of Islam. This is the real danger faced by American citizens. Allow them to rot in their dumps. Starve them. If necessary innoculate them with high levels of energetic neutrons.
#6
"Have you ever been to Toledo, Ohio
I spent a week there one day".
Groucho Marx
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
04/25/2007 20:26 Comments ||
Top||
#7
Back when I was growing up, Toledo was that South-of-the-Border town where you could buy things you couldn't in Michigan (certain firecrackers, booze before 21). I'm sure that's no longer the case.
#8
Zubair A. Ahmed, Mohammad Zaki Amawi, Marwan Othman El-Hindi and Wassim I. Mazloum are accused
There's that silly ol' name again! How surprising to see it pop up in yet another terrorism case. What are the odds?!? I look forward to the day when naming your child Mohammad is about as popular as naming your kid Adolph. Rest assured, that day is coming. The only question is whether six million of us will have to die once again before the change happens.
#9
Jackal: Your comment brought back a long-buried memory about a summer day in 19and 68 when a friend and I blasted south from Kalamazoo in his 65 Ranchero to stock up the (highly illegal and muchly desired) M-80 firecrackers. It was a great day and we even made it safely back to scenic Gull Lake where we proceeded to light and toss several into the water (Dupont lure-style fishing) I guess the gunpowder residue has a bad effect on marine plant life, it took several years before the seaweed returned to that area...Thanks for the trip.
The sound of gunshots echoed at the small arms range at Forward Operating Salerno April 19, and to the normal observer it would have seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary. But a closer look at the weapons being fired, the slightly elongated barrels, nondescript camouflage tan paint and oversized scope, would serve as an immediate testament that this was not your ordinary weapons qualification range. Soldiers from Task Force Fury fielded a new sniper rifle, the XM110 semi-automatic sniper system, the first unit to receive the new weapon system in a combat zone.
The new rifle has several new features, but the most prominent is the improved rate of fire it offers. Its semi-automatic, so it allows for rapid re-engagement of targets, said Army Staff Sgt. Jason R. Terry, a sniper instructor with the U.S. Army Sniper School. Older style rifles, such as the commonly used M24 Sniper Weapon System, are bolt-action weapons that require the sniper to manually feed another round into the chamber after each shot. The automatic firing capabilities of the SASS will cut down on the lag time in between shots, Terry said. Image here.
#1
Looks like it can cook food. fire lasers or missles, watch TV and solve math probs at the same time. D ***NG IT, TOM BERENGER STILL HASN'T RETURNED MY ISLAND WEAR SHIRT ala SNIPER. HOW CAN A MAN IN RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION SHOOT NICHOLAS CAGE BACK IN THE 1960's OF THE 1980's of 2007 WID OUT HIS LUCKY SHIRT???
Posted by: Captain America ||
04/25/2007 0:55 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Is that a spring-loaded stock? Is that black rectangle thingy below the big end of the scope a camera? If so, are those video ouputs or something on the right side? The semi-automatic feature will be cool. Is the recoil on that thing reduced?
#7
Yeah, I think that a bolt-action rifle is still the best for snipers. The highly accurate long-range rifle is a technology that has long since been mastered. It hasn't changed much in 100 years.
And since when is rate-of-fire even an issue? Snipers fire once and then move.
#8
There is a book out by a marine sniper who was in on our last invasion of Iraq. It's called "Shooter". He says tactics are quickly heading away from the hide-shoot-scoot idea to guys who are part of the group now. They hop in a humvee, get into the middle of the action, and start laying waste to as many bad guys as they can find. It seems to be pretty successful, and they end up with way more kills, which is the whole point anyway.
#9
The image link looks like a gussied-up M16, while the photo at the end of the article looks more like a traditional sniper rifle.
Posted by: Bobby ||
04/25/2007 6:34 Comments ||
Top||
#10
Guns with this weapon's feature set have been winning at Camp Perry for some time now. Things just get worse for the bad guys with this in the field.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/25/2007 7:24 Comments ||
Top||
#11
The XM21, the big mac daddy of M14's, has been around since the 70's. It can shoot pretty fair for a semi-auto. I don't know why it has never caught on, not "technological" enough I guess. If they wanted to field a semi sniper why didn't they just issue the ones they already have? The only thing I can think of is the XM21 weighs in at 12 lbs or so with a scope and goodies.
#12
One benefit of the bolt-action sniper rifle is that the spent cartridge is not instantly and energetically ejected, possibly catching the light and/or somebody's attention. I've seen pix of snipers managing the dexterous trick of operating the bolt slowly while picking the brass up in a couple of fingers. Same hand, too.
Posted by: Richard Aubrey ||
04/25/2007 8:25 Comments ||
Top||
#13
The XM110 is an SR25 with new furniture. Not a true sniper rifle, more of a designated marksman rifle, replacing the M21 at 60% the weight and adding gizmos. It's classed as a 1.0 MOA rifle, but that's a limit of the military ammo. With match grade ammo, .75 MOA or better. For comparison, Remington 7400 semi auto rifles seem to shoot 1-1.5 MOA though not at the extreme ranges, and one can buy accurized versions at .5 MOA. Suited for tactics as gorb described.
Posted by: ed ||
04/25/2007 9:11 Comments ||
Top||
#14
Gorb, The rectangular object looks like a DBAL from Laser Devices. There's another similar device from someone else but can't remember. There is an ITAL also. The various versions of the DBAL are mainly target designation systems, visible and IR. Nice device. I've never seen one with a camera. Recoil absorbing stocks are becoming common for AR's. It is mainly a Designated Marksman type of rifle. That can may be a suppressor, but I don't see threads or cams on the barrel. Suppressors are a good thing, both for sound and accuracy.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
04/25/2007 12:05 Comments ||
Top||
#15
And ed wins the prize...you may pick anything from the middle row. No, sorry, that big kewpie doll on the top row requires three correct answers in a row.
The Marines have been moving in the direction of having a designated marksman in every squad for a couple of years. They have been using an accurized M-14 known as the DMR. It has a fiberglass stock and other goodies. These are made by the armorers at Quantico.
The SR-25 is a great rifle. The guys at Knight's Armaments who make the weapon also make lots of appendages from which you can hang your choice of firing aids.
#18
Is that black rectangle thingy below the big end of the scope a camera?
Whiskey Mike is on it. My own guess would be an IR laser diode pack with same-wavelength detector optics in the scope. Just watch out for targets wearing night vision systems.
Is there a deep IR wavelength that wouldn't be picked up by vision enhancement systems? Another approach might be to use laser PWM (Pulse Width Mudulation) or a high strobe frequency LC (Liquid Crystal) beam output chopper (i.e., +100Hz) that wouldn't even produce a flicker in night vision systems. Phase lock the scope's detector optics with the beam chopper and diddle the scope display's persistence and you'd have a nice bright dot to shot at.
Indian police shot dead three separatist rebels planning attacks in the troubled northeastern state of Assam on Tuesday, a senior official said.
The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) rebels were killed in the states main city of Guwahati, where militants have carried out several grenade and bomb attacks since a peace process with New Delhi broke down last year. We raided their hideout and the ULFA militants fired on us when we asked them to surrender. In retaliation, three of them were killed on the spot, Rajen Singh, a senior police officer, said.
"You are surounded. Come out with your hands up!"
"You'll never take us alive, infidel!"
"Hokay"
The ULFA is one of more than half-a-dozen insurgent groups in the remote region who are fighting for independence, accusing India of neglecting their local economy and culture.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
Unidentified men distributed pamphlets in the Bajaur Agency on Tuesday, demanding the release of mujahideen-e-Islam by May 1, and warning the government that action would be taken if the demand was not met.
The pamphlets written in Pushto were distributed early on Tuesday morning in Inayat Kalay Bazaar, seven kilometres from Khar. The unidentified writers of the pamphlets told the political agent and the assistant political agent to free Afghan and Pakistani mujahideen from jails, otherwise they would take extreme steps against the government and the political administration would be responsible for any untoward situation. The political administration has seized the pamphlets, but did not comment on the issue.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#5
There's not one honey wagon in all of Iraq? Anyone who has ever watched a honey wagon driver work knows they are not afraid of anything in that tank...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/25/2007 17:13 Comments ||
Top||
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Coalition Forces positively identified a terrorist killed in an operation April 20 northwest of Baghdad. Muhammad Abdullah Abbas al-Issawi, also known as Abu Abd al-Sattar and Abu Akram, was a known al-Qaeda terrorist leader known to operate in Karmah and Ameriyah areas and was the al-Qaeda in Iraq Security Emir of the eastern Anbar Province.
Coalition Forces were conducting operations targeting associates of a known senior leader within al-Qaeda in Iraq. During the operation the terrorists engaged ground forces with small arms fire. Coalition Forces used appropriate self-defense measures and engaged the armed men, killing two and detaining one. One of the terrorists killed has been positively identified as Abu Abd al-Sattar.
Coalition Forces recovered assault vests, weapons, hand grenades and suicide vests at the site. Abu Abd al-Sattar had links to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and was reported to have been in contact with him since late 2004, up to al-Zarqawi's death. He was also a weapons supplier to insurgent forces fighting against the Iraqi Army, Iraqi Police and Coalition Forces, and had links to the recent surge in chlorine VBIED attacks across Iraq.
Intelligence reports also indicate that his VBIED cell used 12- to 13-year-old children as VBIED drivers. "Abu Abd al-Satter's death is a serious disruption to al-Qaeda in Iraq's VBIED network," said Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, MNF-I spokesperson. "This represents one more victory in the war against those that would deny safety and security to the Iraqi people."
#3
Harry Reid's office issued a brief statement of condolence to the family and friends of Muhammad Abdullah Abbas al-Issawi/Abu Abd al-Sattar/Abu Akram/Whatsisname.
Posted by: Mike ||
04/25/2007 13:26 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Naaaahh, I don't think so, Mike. Ol' Harry will never read about this; it reads like a coalition press release, so is unlikely to be The New York Times.
Posted by: Bobby ||
04/25/2007 14:05 Comments ||
Top||
#5
We did it, we did it! oh yeah yeah yeah. No eating here tonight, no eating here tonight. He's on a Diet!
[that's my little happy dance borrowed from Finding Nemo]
Posted by: Captain Lewis ||
04/25/2007 14:21 Comments ||
Top||
#6
time to pass out the candy...
(if they can do it, so can we. And i keep the Cadbury Easter Eggs in cold storage for just such an occasion...)
#8
Intelligence reports also indicate that his VBIED cell used 12- to 13-year-old children as VBIED drivers.
Rot in eternal Hellfire, abu Akram. Your acts drive yet another nail into the entire Muslim world's coffin. The Arab ability to dispose of children like so much Kleenex is one of the most damning things of all about their seriously fucked up culture. The Muslims' utter disregard for human life will eventually force the West to entirely disregard theirs. Only the tipping point awaits.
#10
From all I read the Iraqis LOVE their kids. They show them off whenever possible. This is one reason, among many, that the locals are turning on Al Q.
But where is the outrage? Where is Human Rights Watch or Amnesty International? Why isn't Rosie jumping up and down about this since she cares so much about children. Spit.
These are monsters, nothing more. They need to be chopped down like wheat in a field. Those that support them should be likewise, starting with the so-called holy men that inspire them.
#14
Using 12 to 13 year olds. In the last days of Hitler, he sent children out to try to stop the allies as they moved through Germany, since the big boys had all been wiped out.
Sounds like things are desperate in Iraq for Al Qaeda, which just happens to coincide with when the Dhimmicrats stateside would be howling "America has Lost!!!!" How stupid the Dhimmicrats will look if that is true.
The Shaibah logistics base, once the main center of British military operations in Iraq, was turned over to the Iraqi national army on Tuesday for use as a training base. The brief ceremony by British and Iraqi forces was the latest example of the coalition's efforts to give Iraqi forces control over some parts of Iraq as British forces plan to begin withdrawing from southern Iraq where most of them are based. Two other British bases -- al-Saie and Shatt al-Arab -- were turned over to Iraqi forces in Basra, Iraq's second largest city, in the last month.
The bulk of British soldiers in the city will now operate from a British base at Basra's main airport.
After Tuesday's ceremony, during which British and Danish flags were lowered at Shaibah and an Iraqi one raised, Maj. David Gell, the British military spokesman in Basra, said: "It was a significant event marking the increasing capability of the Iraqi security forces. "
"Closing these British bases enables us to focus on more productive operations designed to disrupt rogue militia activity, with less of our manpower tied down on base security and administrative tasks," he said in an interview.
Last week, Iraqi troops also took charge of security in the southern province of Maysan, a region that borders Iran. It was the fourth province to come under full Iraqi security control since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, the others being the southern provinces of Dhi Qar, Muthanna and Najaf. Iraqi National Security Adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie has said three Kurdish provinces in northern Iraq would follow next month, and then the southern provinces Karbala and Wassit.
Some British troops are still based in Maysan and are expected to continue training Iraqi security forces and patrolling Maysan's borders. British forces also will remain on call, if Iraqi officials decide they are need to support Iraqi security forces during fighting.
But U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker and the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, have said the transition of responsibility in Maysan represented another step toward Iraqi self-reliance and its path toward national unity and improved security.
A British handover of security control in Basra is anticipated in months, but British forces have lately suffered their heaviest losses for more than two years in an intensifying battle against Shia militias in southern cities such as Basra.
#1
Michael Yon wrote a couple of weeks back about the Brits in Basra and noted that their bases in town were getting rocketed and mortared on a daily basis. Sounded like the situation remained very hot.
So I don't really get how the locals are ready to take over, especially since I've also read that the locals in that part of the country are paid schills for the Iranians.
#2
The British have a long standing problem that they assume they *know* Arabs, associated with an "Arabophile" outlook. This sometimes distorts their view of the big picture of what is going on around them.
Americans have no illusions about Arabs, so they have a WYSIWYG attitude. It initially means their relations with Arabs are rockier, but in the long run you get a more honest appraisal of who is doing what to whom.
(AKI) - Al-Qaeda-led insurgent group, the Islamic State of Iraq, has claimed responsibility for the suicide bomb attack which killed nine US servicemen on Monday. "God guided us in the use of new explosive tecnhiques, so we were able to hit the enemy objective," read a statement by the terrorist formation, posted to the Internet. The statement from the Islamic State claims two suicide bombers carried out the attacks at a patrol in Diyala, northeast of Baghdad, and that twenty soldiers were killed.
The message appeared on a website frequently used for comuniques from militants, but its authenticity was not independently confirmed. According to the coalition forces, 20 US soldiers and several civilians were wounded in the attack on soldiers of Task Force Lightning in Diyala. The province has seen fierce fighting involving US and Iraqi troops, Sunni insurgents and Shiite militias. The use of a suicide bomber against US forces is unusual. In a bid to avoid American firepower, insurgents generally favour hit-and-run ambushes or roadside bombs against US troops.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Most of the losses were caused by a building collapse. Neither car bomb penetrated the inner security.
Following Tuesday's barrage of dozens of Kassam rockets and mortar shells on the western Negev area by Hamas terrorists, the top military and political echelons once again considered a large-scale offensive into Gaza.
Prime Minister Ehud OImert, Defense Minister Amir Peretz and top IDF officers and officials met on the topic for several hours today (Wednesday). Following the meeting, Olmert announced that the army forces in the area of Gaza had been instructed to take the necessary steps to thwart kidnappings and attacks. "Israel will not hesitate to take sharp action against those who attempt to strike out at our sovereignty by firing rockets, attempting to kidnap our soldiers, and in other ways," the Prime Minister said.
The head of the Shaar HaNegev Regional Council, senior Labor Party member Shmulik Rifman, had earlier called upon Prime Minister Olmert to "respond sharply" to the rocket attacks. In a letter to the Prime Minister, Rifman writes, "Enough restraint in the face of the continued Kassams! I call upon you to respond sharply. Do not [despite the recent war in Lebanon] repeat the Sabra and Shatila syndrome [a reference to the fear to act militarily that overtook Israeli leaders following the events of 1982 - ed.]. The longer we wait, the more painful and complex it will be."
The IDF, whose tunnel-searching and local Kassam-thwarting operations have continued all the while, has long sought permission to carry out a stronger offensive against the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza.
Many military experts have long warned that a large-scale offensive in Gaza - along the lines of Operation Defensive Shield of 2002, in which dozens of terrorists in Shechem and Jenin were killed - will soon be necessary. Now, in light of Hamas warnings of additional attempts to kidnap IDF soldiers, Israel's military option has taken on increasing urgency.
Olmert did not appear ready to go for broke, however, especially in light of Mahmoud Abbas's call from both Hamas and Israel for calm. The head of Fatah, Abbas shares a contentious leadership of the Palestinian Authority with Fatah's rival Hamas. Abbas is anxious that the relative quiet that has reigned in and near Gaza of late continue, so as not to destabilize his new unity government with Hamas.
Former Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, currently the Infrastructures Minister, said today that if another Israeli soldier is kidnapped, "Israel will not hesitate to abduct [PA prime minister] Ismail Haniye [of Hamas] from his home."
Col. Yogev: Take Over Northern Gaza Now!
Col. (ret.) Moti Yogev says that Israel must re-capture northern Gaza and the Philadelphi Route in southern Gaza. Writing today in the Yisraeli daily, Yogev says this is the minimum required for the protection of Israel's citizens in the south and around Gaza.
"We abandoned the Philadelphi Route as part of the Disengagement," Yogev writes, "which was an illusion devoid of any realistic thinking or evaluation; we discarded the border between Gaza and Egypt not based on intelligence, but based on fantasies... We must hold, forever, the area from northern Gaza to what was the Netzarim Junction - the area from which Kassams are fired at the western Negev and Ashkelon. We must, as quickly as possible, comb the entire area and destroy or collect all the weapons."
Back to Pre-Oslo Days
Yogev goes even further, saying that Israel must "impose a humanitarian and security administration, as there was before the Oslo Accords."
Col. Yogev blames Olmert and Peretz for endangering the lives of hundreds of thousands of Jews: "They both understand that the Disengagement was a failure, yet they continue their wanton policies..."
#1
Once again, they choose between doing nothing and trying to keep the status quo. It is obvious that they have no concept of "winning", by creating a situation that is "win-win" for Israel: either the Paleos quit attacking, or they are forced out of the Gaza Strip entirely.
This would be an excellent opportunity to Israel to occupy, clear, and build new wall around an "exclusion zone" adjacent to the existing wall, to make it a no-man's land occupied by no one. Anyone who enters will be shot on sight.
The next attack, enlarge the exclusion zone. And enlarge it again and again and again. Until either they stop with the attacks, or the entire Gaza Strip is an exclusion zone, with no one living there. Empty and peaceful.
#3
If the Israelis cannot see the threat and act what hope for the rest of us. At this point the only hope we have lies in the incompetence of the enemy.
#4
If I was in charge of Israeli military I would nix such a plan also. A invasion of Gaza will require balls BIG BALLS of a leader that can stand up to the UN and the world pansies at least long enough for the military to do thier thing. Ohh and and not to mention it takes leadership willing to actually make a decision.
A Palestinian man was seriously injured on Tuesday in an explosion in his home in the Gaza Strip town of Jabalya. The blast was seemingly the result of an accident which occurred while the man was working with explosive material, Israel Radio reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Gotta love that subtle Israeli understated humor!
The IDF fired artillery shells and heavy artillery at targets in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanun on Tuesday night, Palestinian sources reported. The sources said that no one was wounded. The IDF denied the report.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Yeah, man. Nobody got hurt by the nothing that happened.
Posted by: Bobby ||
04/25/2007 8:19 Comments ||
Top||
#2
The IDF fired artillery shells and heavy artillery at targets
that makes sense...to a journalist
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/25/2007 8:51 Comments ||
Top||
#3
You should seen those 105's flying through the air, wheels spinning and the barrel whirling.
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/25/2007 10:44 Comments ||
Top||
#5
My dad landed at Normandy four days after D-Day. He said you could see the battleship 16-inch shells flying overhead. I've heard a few people claim they could see the shells from 175MM cannon in flight, but I never believed it. I think the "artillery attack" and the work accident listed above are one and the same. You KNOW when HE starts re-arranging the landscape, especially anything bigger than 105mm. Israel SHOULD use heavy artillery on Gaza, but I don't think they have quite enough ammunition to turn it into a copy of the moon as it deserves.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/25/2007 11:35 Comments ||
Top||
#6
Maybe they could run a couple tests to see if their nukes really work. As long as the wind is blowing from the west that day, no downside.
Posted by: Weird Al ||
04/25/2007 13:50 Comments ||
Top||
#7
Missile in, artillery barrage out. Sounds like the Israelis are finally waking up again. A little fine tuning on the dead and wounded numbers from their big guns is all that's needed.
#8
OP if the 175 in question is a howitzer you most certainly can see them.... Far as flat guns from battleships... for sure at night, but my Dad sez, its not so much seeing them as Visualizing them as a BoxCar flying overyour head at Mach 2.
#9
There are reports from Admiral "ABC" Cunningham that you could indeed watch 15" down to about 6" (381 to 152mm, if you want to use the French measurement system).
Four women were injured Wednesday morning when insurgents detonated a bomb at a restaurant in Narathiwat's Rueso district. Police said insurgents hid the two-kilogramme time bomb, detonated by a clock, under a table of the restaurant selling local food. The bomb was set to go off at 8.20 a.m.
In Pattani, a Muslim man was killed and his wife injured in a drive-by shooting here yesterday morning. Two motorcycle gunmen carried out the 9.30am attack on a village road in Tambon Tanyong Juanga of Yaring district. Ayu Tayeh, 46, died at Panare Hospital while his wife Mualah Yayeh remained in critical condition late yesterday.
Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels set off a bomb in northern Sri Lanka, killing five bus passengers and wounding another 33, defence officials said Tuesday.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) set off the blast in the district of Vavuniya, 250 kilometres north of Colombo just before midnight on Monday, the ministry said. Military officials said the blast was caused by a mine planted by the side of the road to target the vehicle. It came two hours ahead of a rebel air attack against government troops in the Jaffna peninsula, further north of Vavuniya, officials said. The rebels said they staged the air attack using two of their light aircraft.
Earlier this month the Tigers were blamed for a blast that hit another bus in the same area of Vavuniya, killing eight passengers and wounding 25. That attack came five days after a bomb exploded inside a bus in the east of the island, killing 17 people and wounding 25.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
(AKI) - The rebels of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have claimed responsibility for the air attack on a Sri Lankan military base in the northern Jaffna peninsula. According to the Sri Lankan ministry of defence in Colombo, the Tamil Tigers tried to get close to the Palaly base, 400 kilometres north of the capital, but they were prevented from doing so. A spokesperson for the Sri Lankan military however said that during the aerial attack, eight bombs were launched. The Tamil Tigers insisted that the Palaly base was hit.
According to the rebel website, following the bombardment, several successive explosions were heard, a sign that an arms depots was hit in the attack. The first air raid conducted by the Tamil Tigers was on 26 March when they succeeded in dropping three bombs on a military airbase near the international airport in the capital Colombo. In the past 15 months, clashes between the separatist rebels and government forces have claimed the lives of about 4,000 people.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#4
Beautiful woman. She had a strange life. She was married to Lex Barker (Tarzan). She got involved with Turner Johnny Stompanato; a guy with underworld ties. The relationship was stormy and ended when Lana's daughter Cheryl Crane stabbed and killed Stompanato. Whewee--Hollywood.
#6
I've never seen any of Lana's movies, but I was in a play in high school where one of the punchlines was a reference to "filling Lana Turner's sweater." That image has stayed with me all these years.
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.
Afghan police and US-led coalition forces clashed with Taliban insurgents in western Afghanistan early on Tuesday, leaving 18 suspected militants dead and four other people wounded, an official said. The latest violence occurred with Afghan officials claiming their forces had trapped up to 200 Taliban in a southern village, possibly including the militias military commander, Mullah Dadullah, a claim later denied by the Taliban. 
(SomaliNet) A suicide bomber has on Tuesday attacked an Ethiopian forces compound in Afgoye town, 30km south of the Somalia capital Mogadishu. There is no immediate casualty on the Ethiopian forces stationed on a farm belonging to former Somali minister. 
CHICAGO (AP) -- Authorities arrested a suspect Wednesday morning in the case of two pipe bombs that were mailed to financial companies in Chicago and Kansas City, Mo., along with threatening letters signed "The Bishop," the U.S. Postal Inspection Service said. The postal inspection service did not immediately release any further details. A news conference was expected later Wednesday.
TOLEDO, Ohio - Four men pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges that they plotted to recruit and train terrorists to attack U.S. and allied troops overseas. Zubair A. Ahmed, Mohammad Zaki Amawi, Marwan Othman El-Hindi and Wassim I. Mazloum are accused of conspiring to kill or maim people outside the United States, including military personnel in Iraq.
Unidentified men distributed pamphlets in the Bajaur Agency on Tuesday, demanding the release of mujahideen-e-Islam by May 1, and warning the government that action would be taken if the demand was not met.
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Coalition Forces positively identified a terrorist killed in an operation April 20 northwest of Baghdad. 
Coalition Forces recovered assault vests, weapons, hand grenades and suicide vests at the site. Abu Abd al-Sattar had links to 
(AKI) - Al-Qaeda-led insurgent group, the Islamic State of Iraq, has claimed responsibility for the suicide bomb attack which killed nine US servicemen on Monday. "God guided us in the use of new explosive tecnhiques, so we were able to hit the enemy objective," read a statement by the terrorist formation, posted to the Internet. The statement from the Islamic State claims two suicide bombers carried out the attacks at a patrol in Diyala, northeast of Baghdad, and that twenty soldiers were killed. 
by Hillel Fendel
A Palestinian man was seriously injured on Tuesday in an explosion in his home in the Gaza Strip town of Jabalya. The blast was seemingly the result of an accident which occurred while the man was working with explosive material, Israel Radio reported.
