Saudi police this week detained 135 suspected sympathisers of Islamist militants in the holy city of Mecca, a Saudi newspaper said on Thursday. The men of different nationalities were picked up in a security sweep of the city, the semi-official al-Riyadh daily said. Investigations were under way to establish if they had any links to wanted militants, it said.
Bahrain detains extremists: Bahraini authorities have detained a number of people belonging to a militant Sunni Islamic group as part of anti-terrorism measures.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/10/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Where is the revolving door picture????
Posted by: Paul ||
08/10/2007 5:56 Comments ||
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#2
I didn't even know that Riyahd had sewers.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
08/10/2007 6:08 Comments ||
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(AKI) - Armed militants in Yemen carried out two separate attacks - against an army post near a government complex and against a power station - in the province of Mareb, north of the capital Sanaa early on Thursday morning. No casualties were reported, but the attack on the power station caused an electricity blackout over the entire Mareb area.
According to a report on the local news agency, Mareb Press, the militants used rocket propelled grenades and other explosives on their targets. The Dubai-based Arabic language TV channel Al Arabiya, said the attack could have been linked to an operation carried out by Yemeni security forces on Wednesday against a suspected al-Qaeda hideout in which four militants were killed.
The authorities said that the four al-Qaeda militants were involved in an attack that killed eight Spanish tourists and two Yemen is last month. The Mareb Press news agency however linked Thursday's attack to the death of two members of the Ubeida tribe that were among the four people killed in Wednesday's raid by security forces and that Thursday's attack was carried out by the clan in revenge. Security forces are presiding the Mareb area amid concerns of other possible attacks.
Technicians are currently trying to restore electricity supplies as locals have been badly affected by the blackout in Mareb which is experiencing torrid weather . Government sources said on Thursday that the leader of al-Qaeda in Yemen, Qasim al-Raidi, known also as Abu Hureiera al-Sana'ani, was not among the victims of Wednesday's raid on the militant hideout because he had managed to escape.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/10/2007 00:00 ||
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French state rail operator SNCF stepped up security patrols and identity checks Wednesday on trains in eastern France following an intelligence tip-off about a possible attack.
French authorities were alerted overnight Tuesday by a third country of an attack risk on the line linking Luxembourg with the Swiss city of Basel
French authorities were alerted overnight Tuesday by a third country of an attack risk on the line linking Luxembourg with the Swiss city of Basel, which cuts across northeastern France, according to a source close to the case. Details of four suspects, all of Iranian origin, have been provided to all three countries concerned.
Regional French authorities earlier stepped up security procedures after receiving warnings of "a specific terrorist threat". Luxembourg and Germany have taken similar steps, the source said. A French official said such alerts were not infrequent, but that French intelligence services had been informed of the situation.
#1
Iranians, there's a shocker.
When I was a kid there were yellow ribbons on all the trees and nobody wanted to be them when we played "cowboys and iranians".
#3
This is payback to all those Euros including Mr. Dick (smarty-pants) Marty who dared interfere with our extraoridinary rendition plans and secret prisons. Little did they know that Hitlerburton Cheney is actually on the payroll of Iran and that these prisons were for Iranian "insurgents" not "anti-Ameican" ones. Now they have really pissed off Dick (Cheney, not Marty) and this is what you get in return. Never underestimate who you're real friends or enemies are today.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
08/10/2007 6:13 Comments ||
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#4
You should send more money to Palestinians, Europe.
#6
Actually, France got a fabulous return for helping Khomenei overthrow the Shah. They sold many billions of weapons into the Gulf and got to distract Les Americains for 30 years now. Iran is still France's largest middle east trading partner.
Posted by: ed ||
08/10/2007 8:43 Comments ||
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Helicopter gunships pounded militant hideouts in northern Pakistan as the military scoured mountains on Friday for 16 missing soldiers believed kidnapped by Taliban rebels.
As the US called for greater efforts against militants using Pakistan's remote Hindu Kush mountains as a base, the military said at least 10 Al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters were killed in the air attack on Thursday. The operation also involved ground forces in the restive North Waziristan region near the Afghan border, where military strikes on militants, suspected of launching attacks, have taken place all week.
Posted by: ed ||
08/10/2007 08:09 ||
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#1
It looks like the Taliban is doomed; they keep attacking their allies.
Posted by: Bobby ||
08/10/2007 8:46 Comments ||
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Five troops were injured and 16 went missing on Thursday after militants targeted army convoys in the tribal areas near the Afghan border, security officials said. A dozen militants were also killed in a follow-up operation by the Pakistan Army. "The army killed up to a dozen militants in North Waziristan, and destroyed two compounds after the five soldiers were injured by a roadside bomb," said ISPR Director General Major General Waheed Arshad.
In South Waziristan, security forces launched a search mission for the 16 missing paramilitary troops amid reports that suspected militants had kidnapped them, officials said. "We have not heard from 16 paramilitary soldiers who this morning left for Sararogha village in South Waziristan in their vehicles," a security official told AFP. Earlier, troops travelling in another convoy between Miranshah and nearby Mir Ali had a narrow escape when a bomb exploded minutes after it passed by.
That incident followed an early morning rocket attack on a military base in Miranshah, which triggered retaliatory artillery fire by troops. No casualties were reported. "Militants lobbed five rockets, they all missed the target," the official said, adding that one landed near the helipad outside the army base but caused no damage. To the west of Miranshah, eight Pakistani helicopter gunships fired rockets at suspected militant hideouts in the village of Daigan, but there were no casualties, security officials said. A plan to blow up a police station in Hangu with rocket attack by unidentified persons was foiled the other day.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/10/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Isn't this typical Pashto logic. If your side is suffering more dead boys then you give up and join the other side. Somehow I don't see these guys as prisoners.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
08/10/2007 6:15 Comments ||
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Federal soldiers in India's restive northeast went on maximum alert Thursday after separatists killed 15 people in a string of attacks ahead of Independence Day, officials said. "Army, police, and the paramilitary troopers were deployed in strength across the state to foil rebel attacks with militants trying to step up violence in the run-up to India's Independence Day celebrations," on August 15, Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi told AFP.
The latest violence left eight Hindi-speaking migrant workers dead on Wednesday in Assam's eastern Karbi Anglong district. The shooting was blamed on militants of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (Ulfa) and the Karbi Longri North Cachar Liberation Front (KLNLF). "The attack on innocent civilians, particularly the Hindi-speaking workers, is nothing but acts of desperation by the militants," said LR Bishnoi, Deputy Inspector General of Police in Karbi Anglong.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/10/2007 00:00 ||
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The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has closed two FM radio stations in Mardan district. "PEMRA, in its recent drive against illegal FM radio stations, has closed down two FM radio broadcasts operating illegally in Mardan," said a PEMRA spokesman here on Thursday. "PEMRA has closed down around 175 illegal FM radio stations in the NWFP and other areas of the country in the last one year," the spokesman added. Under the drive, the official said, a close coordination with the NWFP government and local administration was being maintained.
The transmission of two FM radiobroadcasts -- Madrassa Tafheem-ul-Quran Parhoti, Mardan, which was being run by Maulana Faisal Bari and Madrassa Arabia Islamia Sahwal Dher, Mardan, ran by Maulana Hussain Ahmed -- has been suspended.
The PEMRA spokesman said the authority solicits continued support from people and provincial governments to act against illegal FM radio stations spreading "hatred and sectarian strife" in society.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/10/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Why not shut down the madrassas instead. This is like taking the keys to the car but letting the kid still be able to hot-wire it and go cruising on Saturday night.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
08/10/2007 6:17 Comments ||
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From The Fourth Rail -- By Wesley Morgan, who is currently embedded in Iraq. Wes writes for The Daily Princetonian and was invited to embed in Iraq by Gen. David Petraeus. His assignment in Iraq is sponsored and financed by Public Multimedia Inc. A must read -- with a history lesson at the beginning. Settle back -- it's a good read
In the tactical operations center here on Forward Operating Base Union III, a huge poster is emblazoned with the slogan Army Strong Cav Tough. From what Ive seen in the past few days as Ive lived and ridden with the Stryker cavalry Task Force based here, called Task Force Warhorse, that slogan is true enough, but could just as well read Army Strong Cav Smart. This unit two cavalry troops and an infantry company, headquartered by the 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry has been in three different areas of operations in the past year and has been engaged in an enormous spectrum of operations, from neighborhood cleanup to a multiple-day, full-squadron assault on enemy positions. snip
Peterson is also a strong leader of combat soldiers: the troopers and infantrymen of the Task Force have overwhelmingly expressed their admiration for him to me while Ive been out with them. One infantryman told me that Petersons a jackass and another that the colonels all right, I guess, but many more cavalry troopers have said to me, either when asked about the squadron commander or spontaneously in conversation, that hes the smartest officer Ive ever been under or I dont know what were doing in this country, but he does. Even the fiercest critic of the cavalry (and of the war, and of the Army, and of Maliki, and of Petraeus) that I have met, a ferociously angry infantry sniper from Charlie Rock, had this to say about Peterson: Yeah, hes cavalry, but hes a good leader. He fights for us, tries to get us the gear we need, and hes really smart. Hes a good commander. (This from a soldier who moments before had condemned the leadership of cavalry officers out of hand.) snip
That many Iraqi security personnel are risking not just their lives but the lives of their entire families is easy to forget under these circumstances. It isnt a recipe for trust and patience, but patience is whats required there is no other way. Eventually, as senior sergeants tell me wherever I go in this country, the Iraqis are going to have to get their act together and do it themselves. Until then, our soldiers are stuck with the important but often miserable job of training them.
The third and fourth elements of Task Force Warhorses mission rebuilding municipal infrastructure and government are also frustrating for many soldiers who feel like they should be in Baqubah killing the enemy, but others, often cavalry troopers rather than infantrymen, seem to find them rewarding at some level, if tedious. Soldiers in many parts of Iraq Rashid district, Baqubah, Arab Jabour will probably not stay long enough to see these parts of the mission pay off, but on Haifa Street, 1-14s efforts have improved civil infrastructure drastically: the main street, at least, is no dirtier than, say, Delhi, clean water is widely available, and newly installed generators ensure that many of the high rises have lights on in some apartments well into the night.
The political side, where the Mahdi Army dominates absolutely everything, has seen much less progress and is not likely to advance as quickly as the civil works side, if at all, but that subject is worth a whole other article. This hearts and minds bull is boring for some soldiers and infuriating for others, but the majority of the troopers and many of the infantrymen I spoke to do recognize the necessity of the work and even if they dont recognize it, they soldier on and get it done, collecting trash or cleaning soccer fields as ordered even as they understandably groan about the dull, pedestrian nature of the job that so many combat troops now find themselves doing. It is how the Army works, and with a bit of luck and lot of patience, it is how counterinsurgency will work not just on Haifa Street but in many other neighborhoods in Baghdad after they have been cleared.
Only time will tell, but it seems that on Haifa Street, the monotonous, frustrating duties that counterinsurgency operations entail are paying dividends: Task Force Warhorse has not suffered a casualty since it began patrolling the area and, although vast amounts of work remain to be done, the civilian infrastructure and economy are slowly improving. One can only hope that the unit replacing 1-14 Cav, 4-2 Cav out of Germany, proves as patient and adept at the difficult task of building and keeping Baghdads peace.
#1
Well worth the read. At first I thought that Jeff Peterson ought to come back home and stand for office. But he'll be doing just as much good at West Point.
Light moments can be as scarce as a cool breeze in Iraq, especially for soldiers in the 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, who spend their days and nights hunting down terrorists. It's a nasty job that can sometimes cost them their lives. Their day-to-day life rivals scenes out of a Hollywood action movie -- chasing insurgents from house to house, rooftop to rooftop, all while dodging bullets and bombs.
During a raid on Aug. 6, soldiers experienced something straight out of an action-packed summer blockbuster, complete with special effects and stunt doubles -- only they were real. But the intense, stressful raid ended with something the troops would have never expected: a smiling terrorist.
It all began during a raid in northeast Nahrawan when the soldiers stumbled upon someone at the top of their list: the division's most wanted insurgent. But before they could capture the man -- whose name has not yet been released -- he darted from the house, leaving one valuable item on the roof -- his wallet.
In a cat-and-mouse search winding in a maze of nearby homes and rooftops, soldiers finally tracked the now-identified man down in a neighbor's house. Before bringing in bomb-sniffing dogs, soldiers had to evacuate women and children from the home. Pfc. Doug Jones, a member of the brigade's Time Sensitive Target team, was searching the closets in one of the rooms when he saw one of the beds move. "He must have been shivering a little because I saw the bed just barely move," Jones says. "I thought it may have been a kid hiding because he was scared."
Jones flipped over the bed and still didn't see anything -- until he caught a glimpse of the man's arm and realized he had been hiding in between the bed and the wall. "I was smiling and I guess that made him smile because he smiled back up at me," Jones says. "I told him to stand up and then get on his knees. He smiled really big then, like he was happier about this than I was."
Soldiers apprehended the man and searched the rest of the house, where they found a video depicting insurgents preparing to launch rockets against FOB Hammer, the unit's main operating base. The footage showed men setting up 49 rockets aimed at FOB Hammer, which were launched July 11, killing one soldier and wounding 15 others. The video also showed the set-up and execution of an Aug. 5 rocket attack against FOB Hammer. Eight other men were taken into custody after the raid.
Posted by: Bobby ||
08/10/2007 12:45 ||
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#1
There was actually a brief interview with the capturer on the radio last night!
Posted by: Bobby ||
08/10/2007 12:47 Comments ||
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#2
He's smiling because he knows they can't do shit to him. He'll be back on the street in a couple of weeks, after his "interrogators" ask him some very polite questions. They may talk roughly to him, but they can't keep him up past his bedtime or anything extreme like that.
#3
It's at points like this where I'm willing to back track and see if annointing these maggots with pork products in fact does produce any beneficial effects. I've always argued against the potential efficacy of such measures but if they actually proved to be of worth, then I'd have no problem with them becoming SOP. Assclowns like this one represent a perfect place to start.
Inside Iraqs notorious Camp Cropper, an unusual pilot program is trying to reform youths whove been brainwashed for jihad.
Aug. 9, 2007 - Wiry and lean, Abdullah looks on with a glassy stare as the instructor explains the subject for the day: revenge. The case study is the first gulf war, and the instructor lists religious and moral reasons why it was wrong for Iraqi soldiers to loot and kill in Kuwait. Abdullah, 17, and the nine other teenagers sitting with him on wooden benches in the class nod impassively. This isn't an ordinary high school. The teens, all decked out in orange uniforms, are detainees at Camp Cropper, the high-security facility in Iraq that once held Saddam Hussein.
Some of the teens may have tried to kill American or Iraqi soldiers, others may have been picked up for smaller offenses like breaking curfew. But the group, all Sunnis, have one thing in common: they've all been brainwashed for jihad. "They get their education from Wahhabis," says Sheik Abdul Jabbar, 37, an Iraqi cleric working with the teens, as he looks on from the side of the class. "They say their enemy is the Shia first and then the Americans." Abdullah has had his dose of radical education. He is convinced that his stepmother, who is Shiite, is a kafir, or nonbeliever. He has told the instructors in the class that, given the chance, he would kill her. "If they let them out, they would all become suicide bombers," says Jabbar. "Soon we will have two generations of terrorists."
And that's what the "religious education" program at Cropper is trying to prevent. It's not exactly "Scared Straight," but the goalwinning back hearts and mindsis the same. Last week, NEWSWEEK was given an exclusive tour of the facility and allowed to sit in on classes. The program was started two months ago and the classes are taught by imams, psychiatrists and counselors, all Iraqis, who are trying to bring the most hardened youth back into the fold. It's an uphill battle. The number of detainees in U.S. custody has increased by 56 percent since January to a whopping 23,083. A disproportionate number of those in custody, roughly 85 percent, are Sunni. A large part of this is due to the stepped-up security operations linked to the "surge" and the Baghdad security plan. Detainees are now being brought into Cropper at the rate of roughly 60 a day.
As the detainees come in, the insurgents already in custody fan out, looking for new recruits. Many detainees may leave the facility more radicalized than the day they came in. "That's a very real concern," says Maj. Gen. Douglas Stone, the deputy commanding general for detainee ops in Iraq who started the "religious education" program. "[Gen. Ray] Odierno is out there killing Al Qaeda. I'm trying to kill the idea of Al Qaeda."
Until now, American detainee ops, still carrying the baggage of the Abu Ghraib scandal, have been a major contributor to losing hearts and minds in Iraq. These days, it's the Iraqi security forces, particularly the police, who are often accused of abusing detainees. A U.N. human-rights report issued in March expressed concern about the "continuing failure of the Iraqi government as a whole to seriously address issues relating to detainee abuse and conditions of detention." But the American system is still problematic, too. Last April, Lt. Col. William Steele was charged with "aiding the enemy" for passing an unmonitored cell phone to a detainee while running one of the camps at Cropper. He is also accused of having a relationship with a female translator and fraternizing with the daughter of a detainee. If convicted by a military court, Steele could face the death penalty.
There are approximately 3,800 detainees at Cropper, 747 of them juveniles. For now, the religious education classes target a focus group of 10 young men. At Camp Bucca, a facility with nearly 20,000 detainees near the Kuwait border, the religious classes are aimed at adults. General Stone, who says he reads the Koran every day, looked at classes aimed at de-programming jihadis in the region, including one in Saudi Arabia, and pushed to have a similar program started within the U.S. detention system in Iraq. This class is part of the broader counterinsurgency efforts within the detention system. The premise is simple: imams use the Koran and Hadith to teach extremist detainees that their beliefs are not supported by Islam. Sheik Jabbar, who currently lives outside Iraq, came to work on this program on contract. He says he wasn't prepared for the bile many of the teens spewed at him. "I was shocked," he says. Some of the students couldn't even read and weren't particularly knowledgeable about the Koran but there was no shaking their conviction. Jabbar, a pudgy, lively man dressed in a simple button-down shirt and slacks, marked out the ayat, or passages, in the Koran that could be misinterpreted for extremist beliefs. "Jihad comes from the word juhoodstruggle. You can make something good or bad with this. We show them that jihad means doing something good for the people."
Despite the efforts, the prospects of changing these teens seems bleak. Part of it is the way the detention system is set up: all the detainees at Cropper and Bucca are separated by sect. But many of them seem too far gone. It's during the 90-minute general education classes, the only time when the Shiite and Sunni juveniles are put together, that the stark sectarian divide becomes most apparent. All of the juveniles like one thing: the Harry Potter movies, dubbed in Arabic, which line a bookcase in the classroom. That fondness for Harry Potter may be the only thing they have in common.
There are approximately 3,800 detainees at Cropper, 747 of them juveniles. For now, the religious education classes target a focus group of 10 young men. At Camp Bucca, a facility with nearly 20,000 detainees near the Kuwait border, the religious classes are aimed at adults. General Stone, who says he reads the Koran every day, looked at classes aimed at de-programming jihadis in the region, including one in Saudi Arabia, and pushed to have a similar program started within the U.S. detention system in Iraq. This class is part of the broader counterinsurgency efforts within the detention system. The premise is simple: imams use the Koran and Hadith to teach extremist detainees that their beliefs are not supported by Islam. Sheik Jabbar, who currently lives outside Iraq, came to work on this program on contract. He says he wasn't prepared for the bile many of the teens spewed at him. "I was shocked," he says. Some of the students couldn't even read and weren't particularly knowledgeable about the Koran but there was no shaking their conviction. Jabbar, a pudgy, lively man dressed in a simple button-down shirt and slacks, marked out the ayat, or passages, in the Koran that could be misinterpreted for extremist beliefs. "Jihad comes from the word juhoodstruggle. You can make something good or bad with this. We show them that jihad means doing something good for the people."
Despite the efforts, the prospects of changing these teens seems bleak. Part of it is the way the detention system is set up: all the detainees at Cropper and Bucca are separated by sect. But many of them seem too far gone. It's during the 90-minute general education classes, the only time when the Shiite and Sunni juveniles are put together, that the stark sectarian divide becomes most apparent. All of the juveniles like one thing: the Harry Potter movies, dubbed in Arabic, which line a bookcase in the classroom. That fondness for Harry Potter may be the only thing they have in common.
The Shia and Sunni kids never sit next to each other or talk to each other in class. The teacher, a young Iraqi woman named Huda, says she even tried to force interactions, like a game of chess, but the kids refuse. Fights are common. When a tape of the recent Asia Cup soccer-match final was aired for the class, the Shia kids were jumping up and down and singing. Some of the Sunni kids refused to even look at the TV. The Iraqi national team, which won the cup, is mostly Shia. "They hate. They hate. They hate," says Huda, clearly frustrated. "I ask them what changed? The Sunnis say these are rafidha [a derogatory term for Shiites] and we will kill them. The Shia also say bad things. They are so afraid of each other. It makes me sad."
Even General Stone admits that the jury is out on how well the religious classes may work on juveniles. Still, more imams are on the way. Standing on the side of the classroom, Sheik Jabbar looks at Abdullah with a worried expression. He says he has noticed a positive change in the way some of the juvenile detainees interact with the American guards but he's not sure it's going to last. "This is not only a problem for Iraq, it can be a problem for Europe or the U.S.," Jabbar says. "We have to succeed to show them what is the real Islam."
#2
Some of the teens may have tried to kill American or Iraqi soldiers, others may have been picked up for smaller offenses like breaking curfew. But the group, all Sunnis, have one thing in common: they've all been brainwashed for jihad. "They get their education from Wahhabis,"
Killing all the Wahhabis oughta help things a teensy weensy bit. Just sayin'.
They painted themselves blue and wore wee kilts?
Building upon recent success in the Diyala River Valley, Iraqi and Coalition Soldiers conducted Operation William Wallace, Aug. 8, to destroy al-Qaeda elements in the Abu Tina area.
Conducting an early-morning air assault, the 2nd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division, partnered with Soldiers from Troop B, 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, attached to 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, cleared the village; resulting in four terrorists killed, two suspected terrorists detained and a weapons cache discovered.
This mission is important because while it provides a secure environment for the citizens of Abu Tina, it also reduces elements within the area that are known to target nearby villages, said Col. David W. Sutherland, commander of Coalition Forces in Diyala province. Al-Qaida and other terrorist groups have no place in Diyala. We will find them and they will be brought to justice.
While conducting a thorough clearance of Abu Tina, Coalition Forces killed two al-Qaeda members after being engaged in separate incidents. Attack helicopters from the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade killed an additional two armed men as they tactically maneuvered in a canal system around the objective area.
The detainees, one of whom was discovered with the weapons cache, were transferred to a facility for further questioning.
We will continue to take advantage of the increased forces in Baqouba, allowing Iraqi and Coalition Forces to aggressively target other key areas that the terrorists perceive as their safe havens, said Sutherland.
#1
I wonder if we explain the meaning of some of these names to the Iraqis?
Heck, I wonder if we explain them to our own troops, although many, no doubt, have seen Braveheart. Come to think of it, I doubt I would've known who William Wallace was without the movie.
Posted by: Bobby ||
08/10/2007 8:44 Comments ||
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#2
"The Lord tells me He can get me out of this mess. But He's pretty sure you're fooked!"
Do you remember the story of Bill Millin of the 51st Highlanders? Forty years ago today, British troops were pinned down near a bridge, waiting desperately for help. Suddenly, they heard the sound of bagpipes, and some thought they were dreaming. Well, they weren't. They looked up and saw Bill Millin with his bagpipes, leading the reinforcements and ignoring the smack of the bullets into the ground around him.
Lord Lovat was with him -- Lord Lovat of Scotland, who calmly announced when he got to the bridge, ``Sorry I'm a few minutes late,'' as if he'd been delayed by a traffic jam, when in truth he'd just come from the bloody fighting on Sword Beach, which he and his men had just taken.
#7
Doon by Sterling Brig, the Wallace lay in hiding
As the Anglish host northward came a'riding
Tae the river Forth. At Tweedham Forth was roaring.
Onward still they came, o'er the Brig o' Sterling.
Wallace gave a shout - out his men came running,
Stopped the Anglish host at the Brig o' Sterling,
Forcing them around. The bridge was small for turning -
Murray cut 'em down on the Brig o' Sterling.
All the Anglish men ran intae each other,
Nane could turn about, nane could gae much further.
Some fell o'wr the side, in the Forth were drowning,
Some were left to die on the Brig o' Sterlin'.
Surrey he was wild - could nae cross the river,
Wished wi' all his might that the Brig was bigger.
Then he rode awa', with all his breath was cursing
Wallace and his men and the Brig o' Sterlin'.
Surrey and King Edward figured the Scots were tired, divided and demoralized and would be pushovers. So Surrey sent his knights forward across a narrow bridge with marshy land all around rather than spend two extra days to find a ford where the horses could cross. Edward was also too cheap (too close to bankruptcy) to send Welsh longbowmen to cover them. It was a slaughter.
And did My High Lord Surrey cover himself in martial glory?
He did not. While his men were being slaughtered he cut and ran with a few bodyguards.
Edward did manage to lure Wallace via false promises and had him publicly tortured to death. But perhaps not with the result he'd hoped for:
Oh, they murdered the Wallace for treason,
His body has long since decayed.
But no Anglish force can destroy him,
for Wallace is with us today,
#11
the scotts could use a break from england about now, they've retained their sanity throught the last 600 years of english abuse and now seem to the clearest seers in the isles
Posted by: Chiter Dark Lord of the Geats7878 ||
08/10/2007 11:24 Comments ||
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#12
The Scots have been holding their end up.
And while they're wearing kilts, too! How rude!
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
08/10/2007 13:02 Comments ||
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#13
Never, ever, mess with the guys carrying bagpipes.
A security guard shot and killed an Arab
attacker in the Old City of Jerusalem on Friday after the man shot and moderately wounded another security guard, police said.
... The late-morning incident occurred near the Latin
Patriarchate by the Jaffa Gate, when the assailant grabbed the guard's gun and shot him twice in the chest, Jerusalem Police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said. The second guard killed the man as he tried to flee the scene.
...Immediately following the attack, an eyewitness told Israel Radio that the security guards had killed the assailant after he had already been neutralized.
"They continued to shoot [the attacker] after he was on the ground," the witness. Too bad the guard didn't get you too, motor mouth
After examining footage from CCTV tapes, police have determined that the security guard acted appropriately.
Israel yesterday captured an Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades member while he was engaging in terror-supporting activity but let him go after it was determined he was on a list of wanted gunmen granted amnesty by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, WND has learned.
Part of the amnesty deal required the 178 terrorists all of whom are members of the Brigades, the declared "military wing" of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah's organization to sign a document stating they will not engage in terrorist activity and that they would restrict their movements to the city in which they reside for three months.
The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades took responsibility along with Islamic Jihad for every suicide bombing in Israel the past three years. The amnesty agreement reportedly was made as an Israeli gesture to Abbas' and to bolster Fatah against Hamas in the West Bank.
The incident in question occurred last night at 8:30 p.m. Jerusalem time when the Israel Defense Forces stopped what security sources said were four suspicious Palestinians entering the al-Badin checkpoint outside the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
Two Palestinians were immediately let go when it was determined they were civilians, but the two others known Brigades members were detained after they were found to be carrying large quantities of bullets security sources said were being smuggled from the city of Jenin to Nablus.
According to security sources, the Brigades members normally reside in Nablus and had left the city and purchased the bullets in Jenin. They were captured upon trying to reenter Nablus. In line with the amnesty agreement, the one terrorist on the list had pledged to restrict his movements and remain in Nablus. The sources said the listed militant told the IDF repeatedly he was on Israel's amnesty list and that arresting him would "blow up" relations with the PA.
After consulting with superiors, the IDF released the Brigades member on the amnesty list but arrested the other gunmen.
Posted by: ed ||
08/10/2007 07:24 ||
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#10
Well, that didn't take very long, now did it? I'd say "I told you so" but it's doubtful that anyone here bought into Olmert's amnesty idea for even a nanosecond. What part of "taqiyya" does Olmert not understand?
The sources said the listed militant told the IDF repeatedly he was on Israel's amnesty list and that arresting him would "blow up" relations with the PA.
Whichof courseis entirely different from how this scumbag wants to "blow up" relations Jews.
The Philippine government is deploying extra troops to the south after some of the bloodiest clashes with militants left more than "50 people dead". BBC speak for al Qaeda, Dr Mengele, or the Philippine Army.
The military said it had lost 26 soldiers and killed around 31 militants in three days of fighting on the volatile island of Jolo. Thursday saw the heaviest toll after militants ambushed a military convoy. hummm The Philippine Army must have acquired the Golden Rulz Ambush Reaction Techniques from somewheres? ;-)
The military said the arrival of extra forces would bring to 4,000 the number of troops stationed in the area. Government troops, backed by US military trainers, have been fighting Islamist militants affiliated to various groups who have been hiding in the island's mountainous terrain for several months. hummm US military trainers! ;-)
The stakes were raised last month after 14 marines were killed on nearby Basilan island, with 10 of them beheaded. awww lets all recognize BBC's humanity; they're just "people" afterall. Militants from Abu Sayyaf and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) were suspected of being behind the attacks.
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
08/10/2007 07:47 ||
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Three terrorists insurgents were killed and one police officer was wounded when a Border Patrol Police unit was ambushed Friday. Ambushed in Narathiwat's Sungai Padi district by suspected terrorists insurgents, the police unit called for reinforcements. The exchange of gunfire lasted for 30 minutes before the attackers retreated. Police Pvt. Pavee Chart, wounded in the leg, is being treated in hospital.
Follwing the clash, three dead assailants and four weapons, including two assault rifles, were recovered. The bodies were identified and sent to hospital for forensic tests.
Elsewhere in Friday, one local resident was killed, another wounded, and three soldiers were wounded in separate terrorist insurgent attacks. Two local men were shot several times in separate attacks by suspected terrorists insurgents. Mayukee Jemalae, assaulted and wounded while on his way to tap rubber in Rangae district, is now being treated in hospital. Elsewhere, Niasae Tuanku was gunned down at about the same time on a road in Rangae district.
In Yala's Krongpinang district, a seven-man military squad on patrol was hit when a roadside bomb blew up, wounding two of the soldiers.
#1
Thai Border Patrol Police are well-armed and well-trained. The operate much more like a military unit than the popo. Most have trigger time from up north in the counter narc mission. 'Bout time Allen gets a little what for.
Posted by: Bankok Billy ||
08/10/2007 10:33 Comments ||
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#2
Sorry - I corrected my name. Those who poot pasa Thai gaeng mak will khao jai.
Posted by: Bangkok Billy ||
08/10/2007 11:03 Comments ||
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Police in this southernmost Thai province found the missing head of a victim of the ethnic cleansing insurgency who was killed and beheaded Wednesday night, used as the centrepiece of a booby trap to lure government security personnel to possible death as well.
Jitr Techawanto was one of two local men killed and beheaded at home in Pattani's Yaring district Wednesday night. The homes of the two were set afire and burned to the ground with their bodies inside.
Mr. Jitr's missing head was found on a provincial road early Friday as part of a booby trap. A powerful remote-controlled bomb was found 10 metres from the severed head, intentionally-placed by terrorists insurgents. Police believe that the eight-kilogramme bomb was placed on a tree to kill security forces responding to the incident. However, police located the device and bomb disposal experts defused it before the bomb was detonated.
Meanwhile, more than 100 schools in Pattani's four districts closed Friday as teachers fear continuing jihad violence. More than 100 schools in Nongjik, Yaring, Yarang, and Mayor districts have closed after 12 schools closed last week because students and teachers were left stranded at school when suspected terrorists insurgents ambushed a teacher protection unit, felling trees to block roads, and strewing spikes on roads.
Continuing attacks on innocent people, public health officials, and school arsons prompted more than 100 schools to close, said Somnuk Meesaeng, director of the Pattani Education Office, Zone 1. He said the schools are expected to reopen on Tuesday.
The Philippine military suffered heavy casualties on Thursday after Muslim rebel group Abu Sayyaf ambushed a convoy on the remote southern island of Jolo, the army said. Major-General Ruben Rafael said nine soldiers were killed and two were wounded when they were attacked by dozens of rebels while on their way to a public market to buy food. "We've sent reinforcement to evacuate our casualties," Rafael told reporters as helicopters flew to the scene of the fighting to ferry troops and bring back the wounded.
The tropical isle, a base for Muslim militants in the largely Catholic country, has seen an escalation in violence after the army started collecting unlicensed guns from civilians. It was the second deadly ambush in as many months in the south and marked a deterioration of the situation on Jolo. An army spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Ernesto Torres, said about 100 rebels from the Abu Sayyaf and a rogue faction of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) were believed to be behind the attack, retaliating for losses in an earlier clash. On Wednesday, soldiers killed four Muslim rebels in a brief gunbattle in nearby Parang town, where a soldier was also killed and five were wounded. But, the mainstream MNLF, which signed a peace deal with the government in 1996, claimed it was behind the ambush, saying it was retaliation for the deaths of five people during an army offensive a day earlier.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/10/2007 00:00 ||
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Tamil Tiger rebels killed at least four police commandos and wounded several others in a confrontation in eastern Sri Lanka, the guerrillas said Thursday.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said they launched counter attacks Wednesday against the police Special Task Force units in a jungle area known as Westminster Abbey. "More than four STF personnel were killed and several others were injured in the one-hour confrontation," a statement said. There was no immediate word from government forces.
However, the defence ministry said a soldier and a paramilitary trooper were killed by the Tigers in the northern district of Vavuniya on Wednesday. Five security personnel were also wounded in the same incident.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/10/2007 00:00 ||
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Two Lebanese soldiers and six al Qaeda-inspired militants were killed on Wednesday in pitched battles at a Palestinian refugee camp, taking the death toll from nearly 12 weeks of fighting to 267. Security sources said the men were killed in overnight and morning clashes at Nahr al-Bared camp in north Lebanon during which artillery, rockets, grenades and machine guns were used. Troops made some advances inside, seizing a number of buildings, arms and ammunition, they said.
The military control a large part of the camp and its vicinity, home to 31,000 refugees before the fighting, but Fatah al-Islam militants have been putting up fierce resistance. The army has now lost 136 soldiers since the battle erupted on May 20. More than 90 militants and 41 civilians have also been killed in Lebanon's worst internal violence since the 1975-1990 civil war.
Lebanese authorities said this week that a senior Fatah al-Islam military commander, Shihab Qaddora, also know as Abu Hureira, was killed late last month in a clash with security forces in the nearby city of Tripoli. There was no confirmation of when or how Qaddora, 35, a well-known Lebanese militant who had spent more than six years in a Syrian prison, managed to sneak out of the camp but he was at one stage leading the battles at Nahr al-Bared.
Some local media reported he had fled the besieged camp by swimming for five hours. They said Qaddora was contacting sleeping Fatah al-Islam cells in Tripoli to prepare for attacks against the security sources.
Fatah al-Islam, which split from a Syrian-backed Palestinian faction last year, has Lebanese, Palestinians and other Arabs in its ranks, including some who have fought in Iraq. It says it supports al Qaeda's ideas, but has no direct links with it. The conflict has further undermined stability in Lebanon, already crippled by a prolonged political crisis and shaken by bombings that have killed six U.N. peacekeepers and two anti-Syrian lawmakers in the past eight months. The assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri in 2005 marked an end to the relative stability Lebanon had experienced since it emerged from the civil war.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/10/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Fatah al-Islam
#1
Qaeda-inspired militants?
If pasty little waifs hiding in caves is enough to inspire these guys, they need a part time job or something. The Qaeda lifestyle has really gone to shit in the last 5 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.
Saudi police this week detained 135 suspected sympathisers of Islamist militants in the holy city of Mecca, a Saudi newspaper said on Thursday. The men of different nationalities were picked up in a security sweep of the city, the semi-official al-Riyadh daily said. Investigations were under way to establish if they had any links to wanted militants, it said. 
French state rail operator SNCF stepped up security patrols and identity checks Wednesday on trains in eastern France following an intelligence tip-off about a possible attack.
Five troops were injured and 16 went missing on Thursday after militants targeted army convoys in the tribal areas near the Afghan border, security officials said. A dozen militants were also killed in a follow-up operation by the Pakistan Army. "The army killed up to a dozen militants in North Waziristan, and destroyed two compounds after the five soldiers were injured by a roadside bomb," said ISPR Director General Major General Waheed Arshad. 
The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has closed two FM radio stations in Mardan district. "PEMRA, in its recent drive against illegal FM radio stations, has closed down two FM radio broadcasts operating illegally in Mardan," said a PEMRA spokesman here on Thursday. "PEMRA has closed down around 175 illegal FM radio stations in the NWFP and other areas of the country in the last one year," the spokesman added. Under the drive, the official said, a close coordination with the NWFP government and local administration was being maintained.
Inside Iraqs notorious Camp Cropper, an unusual pilot program is trying to reform youths whove been brainwashed for jihad. 
Tamil Tiger rebels killed at least four police commandos and wounded several others in a confrontation in eastern Sri Lanka, the guerrillas said Thursday.
Two Lebanese soldiers and six al Qaeda-inspired militants were killed on Wednesday in pitched battles at a Palestinian refugee camp, taking the death toll from nearly 12 weeks of fighting to 267. Security sources said the men were killed in overnight and morning clashes at Nahr al-Bared camp in north Lebanon during which artillery, rockets, grenades and machine guns were used. Troops made some advances inside, seizing a number of buildings, arms and ammunition, they said.
