I spent the weekend with friends in Toronto, a sunny sparkly blue beautiful weekend with just the slightest hint of Fall as the Sun slid past the equinox and began its approach to the Solstice.
I drove up from DC in about ten hours, winding along Route 15 through the spectacular Susquehanna Valley and enjoying the view from the "Senator John Heinz Memorial Scenic Outlook" (Governor Ed Rendell, presiding). The Appalachians rose and then fell back as I sluiced north through Pennsylvania and headed west into the Empire State, across to not-quite-Buffalo before turning north again to pay my New Parity Dollar bridge toll and enter O Canada. As the last US talk stations faded out, I turned off the radio and basically left the news and current events behind me.
The plans had been set well in advance; Niagara on Saturday, Toronto on Sunday, the grueling drive home on Monday. We biked and hiked around Niagara Falls for almost the whole day, with groovy tours of their awesome Sir Adam Beck 1 [Hydroelectric Power] Generating Station and the adjacent Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory. The thought occurred to me that this is what civilised societies *do* - they generate power and conserve butterflies. We saved the Falls proper for evening, arriving as dusk fell and the last rays of the setting sun were still glimmering on the casinos. And really all I can say about that is: If you haven't been to see Niagara Falls, what the hell are you waiting for?
Sunday found us all on the bikes again, tooling around the placid shores of Lake Ontario and enjoying the hospitality of the local seagulls (long story, don't ask). We toured historic Fort York, which reminded me that there is one more thing that civilised societies do; namely, they build properly engineered military installations clearly marked as Forts, in which persons in Uniform (at Fort York they wear the regrettable Red Coats of the British Army) perform Duties that are easily identifiable as military in nature. I was particularly surprised to see a birthday party for a bunch of 8-year old boys on the grounds of the fort, parents smiling happily as the kids donned red jackets and took wooden musket weapons training from the fort staff.
The video linked at the top here is "Freewill" by Rush. It is posted here today because the song came on the radio at the exact moment I crossed the border on my way home. Right between the Canadian and US flags. Absolutely uncanny.
I put a link to the lyrics in the title, but here's an excerpt:
There are those who think that life
Has nothing left to chance
With a host of holy horrors
To direct our aimless dance
A planet of playthings
We dance on the strings
Of powers we cannot perceive
"The stars aren't aligned -
Or the gods are malign"
Blame is better to give than receive
You can choose a ready guide
In some celestial voice
If you choose not to decide
You still have made a choice
You can choose from phantom fears
And kindness that can kill
I will choose a path that's clear
I will choose free will
And those are my Notes on a Border Crossing, and here ends my Canada travelogue. Thank you to my Canadian friends (minus one, er, two seagulls) for a phenomenal weekend, and thank you Canada for your friendship and steadfastness.
Members of the 205th Afghan national army corps, advised by coalition forces, killed more than 60 insurgents during combat operations near the Musa Qalah Wadi in Helmand Province today. This makes about 300 plus in the last month in this one area.
The combined force was conducting a combat patrol in the vicinity of Regay Village in an effort to clear the area of extremist Taliban. Several dozen insurgents attacked the convoy from an extensive trench system and several compounds with small-arms, machine gun, mortars and RPG fire. Taliban fighters reinforced their fighting positions from the village of Musa Qalah throughout the day-long battle.
The ANSF-led force repelled the initial attack with accurate small-arms and crew-served weapons fire. As the enemy force continued to reinforce their positions with additional fighters and attack the Afghan national security forces and coalition forces from the buildings with machine gun fire, the ground force commander requested coalition artillery and close air support.
Coalition aircraft and artillery effectively engaged the positively identified Taliban positions. The initial estimate by the ground force commander assessed that more than 61 insurgents were killed in the engagement.
Afghan national security forces, and their coalition partners, continue to hunt down the enemies of peace and stability in Helmand Province, said Army Maj. Chris Belcher, a Combined Joint Task Force- 82 spokesperson. The end is near for the Taliban that believe Musa Qalah is safe from Islamic Republic of Afghanistan forces. This combined operation is just one more step to securing the Musa Qalah area of the Helmand Province.
One coalition service member was killed and four others were wounded in this engagement. There are no other reports of ANA, coalition or non-combatant killed or injured.
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/25/2007 21:11 Comments ||
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#2
"This makes about 300 plus in the last month in this one area."
It's a start....
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/25/2007 21:59 Comments ||
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#3
This is a sign of real desperation on their part. But it seems they are desperate for any conventional win they can pull off, since they're not getting anything else.
A Canadian soldier was killed in a mortar attack while repairing a tank in the northern part of Panjwayi in Afghanistan, Canada's defense ministry said Tuesday.
One other soldier was wounded in the blast, while three soldiers were wounded in a subsequent firefight with insurgents when they tried to come to the aid of their comrades, Brigadier-General Guy Laroche said in a televised briefing from Kandahar.
Hornburg had been trying to repair a broken tread on a Leopard tank when he was killed. Three of the wounded were hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, Laroche said.
The wounded soldiers are in stable condition, the ministry said.
#1
RIP - the Canucks are punching back towards their weight class and for good reasons - the political change needs to continue to support these sacrifices by the good Canuck military personnel....
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/25/2007 18:44 Comments ||
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MADRID, Spain - Two soldiers serving with the Spanish contingent in Afghanistan died Monday in a land mine explosion, the defence minister said. An Iranian interpreter traveling with the Spaniards also died in the attack and three other Spanish soldiers were seriously wounded, Jose Antonio Alonso said.
Alonso said Spain remains committed to the United Nations-led mission in Afghanistan, to which it has contributed some 700 troops, and that he will go ahead Tuesday with plans to ask Parliament to send 52 more Spaniards to help train Afghan forces. He called it a mission with a very clear purpose _ to rebuild Afghanistan civilly and administratively and keep terrorism from controlling the country.
Mondays attack occurred near the town of Shewan while the soldiers were returning from a patrol mission at the head of a column of five vehicles. The explosion apparently occurred when the lead vehicle detonated an explosive device with one of its rear wheels, the minister said.
One of the soldiers was Spanish and the other was an Ecuadorean serving with the Spanish contingent. Spain allows people from some Latin American countries to serve in its military forces while retaining their native nationality.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/25/2007 00:00 ||
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Three Afghan guards employed by a US private security firm were killed in an ambush by Taliban insurgents in western Afghanistan and 10 were missing, officials said on Monday. The Taliban attacked the convoy, killed three guards of the company and 10 of them have gone missing, Farah police chief Abdul Rahman Sarjang told reporters.
A provincial official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters however that 13 guards had died in the attack. Sarjang said 21 Taliban fighters had been killed in the clash. The Taliban could not be immediately reached for comment.
Of course not. They're dead.
Italian troops freed: Two Italian soldiers kidnapped in western Afghanistan last week were freed in a raid by NATO-led forces early on Monday, Italys Defence Ministry said. In a raid by ISAF forces in the early hours of the morning the two soldiers who had been kidnapped on last Saturday have been freed in the province of Farah, the ministry said in a statement, referring to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). The soldiers were wounded during the raid to free them, one of them seriously, the ministry said, adding that they had been taken to a hospital.
An Italian diplomat in Kabul said that some suspected kidnappers were killed in the raid, adding it was not clear who the abductors were. The ministry had said late on Sunday that it believed the two had been abducted while on patrol, together with two Afghans. Since Saturday, it had lost contact with the two soldiers, who were operating in the Shindand district of Herat province and were responsible for relations with civil authorities.
Seven policemen killed: Unknown armed men on Sunday fired at a car carrying police and government officials in the northeastern province of Badakhshan, a provincial police official said on Monday. Seven policemen and five others, including three civilian employees, were killed in the attack, which he said could have been the work of a criminal group. But a Taliban spokesman said his group had carried out the attack in a province which has been relatively secure compared to southern and eastern areas where the militants are mostly active. Also on Sunday, a NATO soldier was killed by small arms fire in eastern Afghanistan, the alliance said in a statement.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/25/2007 00:00 ||
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[11128 views]
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(SomaliNet) Islamist-led insurgents clashed on Sunday with Somali government troops in northern Mogadishu in some of the heaviest fighting in weeks, witnesses said, as three people died in attacks in the capital.
The upsurge in violence comes three days after Somalia's new Islamist-dominated opposition alliance said its forces had launched a bid to oust Ethiopian troops from battle-scarred Horn of Africa nation. Rival sides pounded each other with machineguns, rocket propelled grenades and anti-aircraft rockets around Mogadishu University and Barakat Cemetery, witnesses added.
"I saw around 50 heavily-armed insurgents attacking the government forces near the university and then fighting started," said Mohamed Ganey, who lives in the city's north. "I then saw smoke rising to the sky from the battlefied. They were exchanging machinegun fire, RPGs, anti-aircraft rockets for quite sometimes," said Ganey, adding the insurgents "were chanting Allahu Akbar (God is Great)."
Another resident Abdullahi Hassan Ali said the artillery duel was "heaviest" in recent weeks in Mogadishu, home to about one million. "It is face-to-face fighting and not like ambushes in the past," Ali told reporters
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/25/2007 00:00 ||
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[11125 views]
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Six people, including four soldiers, were killed in Mogadishu as violence raged between Somali government forces and an Islamist-led insurgency, witnesses and security sources said Monday. Fighting erupted late Sunday when around 50 insurgents attacked government forces with heavy weapons, according to witnesses. We have lost three government soldiers including Nur Warsame Hirey, the commander of the unit that was attacked last night near Barakat Cemetery, a military commander told AFP on condition of anonymity. The body of a fourth soldier was found near the scene of the fighting early Monday, said witness Husein Mohamed Osman. Gunmen also shot dead two local officials in northern Mogadishu on Monday, said Abdukadir Nur Barre, a local grocer who witnessed the incident.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/25/2007 00:00 ||
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Moderator note: this is how you trim a JU article.
Just as success in Iraq is a myth, so is the war is over propaganda in Chechnya as the Mujahideen continue on the steadfast path with more attacks reported as Chechen President Dokku Umarov released a Ramadan statement on the state of affairs in the Caucasus.
According to reports from Qoqaz on September 10, 2007, a Russian official and 3 other soldiers were killed in Najiorot. The unit of Commander Maqrabi the leader in the Najirot quarter destroyed a military Jeep (Wazak) that was carrying a Russian officer along with three of his soldiers. All on board were killed in this operation that comes after careful tracking.
Officer Killed In Vendeno
In Vedeno, the intelligence of the Mujahideen tracked a house of one of the Chechens, where a Russian officer frequented to drink and gamble with his friend. Immediately, Commander Taifoon, one of the leaders of the Vedeno quarter, along with his assistant went to the house, raided it and killed the Russian officer. As for the owner of the house he accepted his mistake and declared his repentance and regret. He was released.
President Dokku Umarov, Assures The Steadfastness Of The Mujahideen And More Operations In Ramadan
Guess the check from Arabia cleared, huh?
President Dokku Umarov in a letter directed to the Muslim Ummah on the occasion of the blessed month of Ramadan that operations of the Mujahideen and their steadfastness in the face of the Russian occupation would continue. He said that the daily operations of the Mujahideen against the Russian army are harvesting what is unimaginable in lives and equipment. The greatest evidence for this, Umarov said is the banning of the media and preventing journalists from entering Chechnya, in fear that the world will see the failure that Russian army.
Chechen President Umarov also called on the Muslims Ummah, especially during the blessed month of Ramadan to stand by the Chechen issue and the Chechen Muslim nation who has chosen freedom and Islam over slavery and Russian imperialism that has resulted in occupation and the exile of its people.
This article starring:
Dokku Umarov
Chechnya
Posted by: Fred ||
09/25/2007 00:00 ||
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[11127 views]
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#1
Another reason why TOTTEN is premature to say AQ = Radical Islamism has "lost".
#6
Dr. Steve for once forgot to check the original, which was concise enough to post untrimmed. It's a nice little judgement call thingy. I try to err on the side of trimming, assuming that anyone who wants to read the entire thing can click through to the original. Mike S, you did that beautifully with that PDF document yesterday. (I didn't click through because I badly needed a nap, but I appreciated the exerpt.)
#8
Moderator: Mike, don't be a tendentious idiot. At least, don't do it if you want to continue to enjoy the privilege of posting on Fred's site.
It would be a tragedy if Rantburg began allowing comments to be posted by tendentious idiots. Thank God that the moderators vigilantly stand guard against that remote but real possibility.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
09/25/2007 13:50 Comments ||
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#9
A few slip through, those are quickly purged.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
09/25/2007 14:07 Comments ||
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#10
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
09/25/2007 15:08 Comments ||
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#11
Rantburg is a great website, where arguments and ridicule are shared, tolerated, indulged and enjoyed. The moderators themselves have thick skins, and so they are a good example for all Rantburgers. This is a website with a wide variety of opinions and perspectives.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
09/25/2007 15:33 Comments ||
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#12
That's really true.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
09/25/2007 15:42 Comments ||
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#13
I meant to say that #9 is really true.
#10 and #11 disappeared for a while and then reappeared.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
09/25/2007 15:46 Comments ||
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#14
All true. And Mike S., you're very good at not being a tendentious idiot when you want. ;-) Unintentionally rubbing people the wrong way on occasion due to the difficulties of non-face-to-face communication (like my own unintentionally egregious tactlessness more often than I would like), is not at all the same thing.
#16
He'd better not be, HalfEmpty. If you're right, the moderators will ban him again, and I'll feel as gullible as I did the last couple of times I mistakenly stood up for a troll.
A Swedish terror suspect has been extradited from the Czech Republic to the United States almost two years after his initial arrest. Czech Justice Minister Jiri Pospisil authorized the move following an application from the United States for Oussama Kassir to be sent there to face trial.
A Czech court approved the extradition of Kassir, 41, back in April. His Czech lawyer appealed the decision, but an appeal court in Prague rejected the appeal, paving the way for him to be handed over to American custody. "The Minister of Justice decided about the extradition of Oussama Kassir to the United States on the 18th of September 2007," said Kuncová, adding that the Swedish embassy had been informed of the move. Prague said it won assurances that the 40-year-old would be detained in a civilian jail and brought before a federal judge, not at the Guantanamo military base or before a military court.
Kassir, a Swedish citizen of Lebanese origin, is suspected of trying to establish a terrorist training camp in Bly, Oregon in 1999.
Kassir, a Swedish citizen of Lebanese origin, is suspected of trying to establish a terrorist training camp in Bly, Oregon in 1999 to offer weapons training for Muslims wanting to fight in Afghanistan. Kassir had long been sought by US authorities but Stockholm refused to hand over the Swedish national. He was arrested at Prague Airport in December 2005, as he was transiting during a trip between Stockholm and Beirut.
As well as the conspiracy charges, Kassir is also accused of setting up an Internet site which gave instructions on how to produce chemicals or a bomb that could be used in a terrorist attack. Both charges, which Kassir has denied throughout, carry life sentences in the United States.
French police took 13 people into custody Monday in connection with the bombing last year of a Basque country resort run at the time by celebrity chef Alain Ducasse, prosecutors said.
Two small bombs exploded in June 2006 at two unoccupied villas of the hillside resort, Ostape. The bombings caused limited damage, and no one was hurt.
Some 200 police were mobilized for Monday's arrests, an operation led by two anti-terrorism magistrates, the Paris prosecutor's office said. The motive for the attack was not clear, but Basque nationalist militants are present in the region.
The prosecutor's office said police were searching suspects' homes.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/25/2007 00:00 ||
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[11125 views]
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Indian troops shot dead a top Muslim militant in Kashmir on Monday, police said. Abu Haider Ali, operational commander of the Al Barq militant group, died in a gunfight late Sunday near the northern town of Sopore, Deputy Inspector General of police B Srinivas said. Haider is a big catch for the police as the alleged militant commander was among the most wanted in northern Kashmir, he said.
This article starring:
Abu Haider Ali
al-Barq
Posted by: Fred ||
09/25/2007 00:00 ||
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[11128 views]
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Suspected militants set fire to a pro-government tribal elders residence, while a remote-controlled bomb injured a paramilitary soldier in North Waziristan, officials said Monday. Taliban militants set the house of Malik Khan Asghar Khan on fire early Monday, housekeeper Karanti told Daily Times. Asghar Khan had earlier escaped an attack on his life from suspected militants and had gone to Peshawar for security reasons. Meanwhile, a Frontier Corps jawan was seriously injured when a remote-controlled bomb was detonated near a checkpost southeast of Miranshah early Monday morning, security officials said. He [jawan] was bringing water from a nearby place when the bomb went off, they said.
Two killed in Peshawar police encounter: Two unidentified people were killed in a police encounter in the Yakkatoot police precincts late on Monday. Kabuli Police Station Moharir Muhammad Noor told Daily Times that police, on a tip-off, tried to stop a car of alleged criminals in the Kohati area when the car riders opened fire at the police party. The police retaliated, killing two alleged criminals while their third accomplice fled.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/25/2007 00:00 ||
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[11131 views]
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(badly translated)
A statement by the American forces as the large member in a cell of the Abu going Qaeda organization and who was arrested by the forces of the Iraqi army reconnaissance during raids by helicopters near Taji in September 16 that Salem Ismail Alehyale also known as Abu Bakr.
It is suspected that the "Bubacar" operations targeting citizens in Tarmiyah area who join the police forces and the Iraqi army attacked and captured by the battalion's Task Tarmiyah ninth of the Iraqi army and guards from the Karkh water project and coalition forces in Taji.
The cell Abubakar has promoted rumors and Alcetarat a sham. Suspected Abu Bakr, as the second man in the Abu Ghazwan and personal assistant of Abu Ghazwan.
That this crime committed crimes of robbery and kidnapping and murder and is responsible for the attack, which targeted a convoy of British contractors near Tarmiyah.
The statement said that the terrorist network responsible for the kidnapping of Nasr Company for industry and the attacks of the whole region.
The network provides salaries and materials for trapping cars to detonate in Baghdad and the storage and distribution of arms Ksoarej surface-to-air missiles, mortars and mortar launchers and heavy machine guns to be used in terrorist attacks.
This article starring:
ABU BAKR
al-Qaeda in Iraq
SALEM ISMAIL ALEHYALE
al-Qaeda in Iraq
Posted by: Anonymoose ||
09/25/2007 17:09 ||
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#1
His real name is Salem Ismail Alehyale...I tried a Google search and came up empty..
I've been waiting for this. Remember, Mookie said the south would be safer with the Brits gone - Sadr said that Basra would become a safer place after the British military left.Rantburg article
A suicide car bomber struck the police headquarters in Basra on Tuesday, killing at least three officers and wounding 20 people amid fears over the southern city's deteriorating security situation.
Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, 340 miles southeast of Baghdad, had been relatively peaceful for much of the war but has seen tensions rise as Shiite militias battle for control of the oil-rich area. Maj. Gen. Abdul-Jalil Khalaf, Basra's police chief, said one of the suicide bomber's legs had been found tied to the steering wheel, and he blamed al-Qaida in Iraq for the attack.
"It seems that al-Qaida wants to make use of the fragile situation in the city caused by the tension among the parties and the city's officials," he said. "We cannot say that there is a security vacuum, but the security measures are less strong in the day than the night. After this attack, we will increase the police patrols in the day."
Security concerns also rose after the British military last month pulled back its troops out of the city to a nearby airport to allow Iraqi security forces to take over a move being closely watched by the U.S. military as it anticipates the eventual withdrawal of American forces in other areas of Iraq.
The violence to the north and south of the capital reflects the political and security obstacles that have slowed the progress of the Shiite-led government as it tries to assert control and stability so U.S.-led troops can go home.
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/25/2007 13:02 ||
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[11127 views]
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#1
Michael Yon Is Headed To Basra
Posted by: Hugh Hewitt at 9:19 AM
When conditions improved dramatically in al-Anbar, defeatists in the U.S, talked up the alleged collapse of Basra into chaos. I asked Mahor General Simmons, Deputy Commander General of Multinational Forces for Support, about the reports. He replied:
They are not accurate, and that is a fabrication at best. This was a planned turnover of the Palace and the PJCC to Iraqi control, to the Iraqi legitimate government forces. It was done to standard with, and to well-trained, well-equipped Iraqi Security Forces. There were some peaceful demonstrations that were celebratory in nature, but at no time was any Coalition forces threatened, and the local Iraqi officials under General Mohan, kept a good handle on the situation in Basra.
We'll soon have excellent reporting from Basra as Michael Yon is headed that way. I spoke with Yon yesterday.
HH: Are you headed back into Iraq tonight?
MY: Yes. Im in Kuwait right now, should be in Iraq probably in the next ten hours or so, and Ill stay for another long haul. First, Ill go with the British down in Basra, stay with them for a month. Then Ill go with the United States Air Force, and then Im going to head back with an Infantry unit.
HH: Now tell me, Im glad youre going to Basra, because weve heard so many stories out of Basra about whether or not its all gone to hell in a hand basket after the withdrawal of the British back from a forward deployment. What are you hearing prior to your deployment there?
MY: I dont think those reports are accurate. You know, I was just over in London, and also, Ive been with the British before in Basra earlier this year, and the reality, its probably time for them to draw down their forces. I think theyre doing the prudent thing. Theyve got a huge commitment in Afghanistan, and their army is a lot smaller than ours is. And the problems in Basra are not like the problems in other places. I dont see it as a its not like a crack in the egg. In fact, I hate to make predictions too far in advance, but I would not doubt that we would see a very precipitous drop in violence over the next few months throughout Iraq as more and more people come to the table. You know, out in Diyala Province, 20 of the 25 major tribes just signed an agreement to work with the Coalition and the Iraqi Army, so thats tremendous. I mean, we see people in Nineveh Province starting to rise up against al Qaeda. Everybody is coming to the realization, many people are coming to the realization that its time for a change. You know, we made some mistakes early on, and we learned from them. Our own military has just morphed in the last couple of years, and they work very well with most of the Iraqis now, and the Iraqis have learned how to work with us. Hugh, I just wouldnt doubt it to see that in the future, Iraq is actually going to be a good ally of the United States.
#2
I sure would hate for ol' snagglepuss to be right, Sherry, but I like the perspective of Yon!
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/25/2007 16:12 Comments ||
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#3
The Shiites definitely have some things to work out among themselves. Remember that during the Mehdi revolt, they tortured and murdered a lot of the faction of the Shiites who are now in power; and those memories are still fresh.
We will probably just insure that the payback is one sided, and done with reasonable calmness.
Truly an epic battle is about to unfold.
Let them decimate each other then we'll move in and
"take their oil". Karl Rove and Tricky Dick Cheney have GOT to be behind a caper like this.
excellent as usual from Michael Totten - hit his tipjar if you can. This is the message that the Defeatocrats DON'T want to hear. Murtha, Reid, Clinton, Pelosi will lose sleep over this
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/25/2007 00:00 ||
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[11125 views]
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#1
Like any news outlet besides blogs will let this see the light of day.
#2
No, its premature to say that AQ has lost. HOTAIR > NORTH KOREA TRAINING SYRIAN MISSLE ENGINEERS. Poster asks what iff NK is deliber specializing in LIGHTWIEGHT, MAN-PORTABLE?, LOW-YIELD? MINI/MICO-NUKES? Read - becuz larger more potent indigenous NK designs will make China angry. IN ANY CASE, IFF TRUE ABOUT MINI/MICRO-NUKES THEN WOT JUST GOT MORE DANGEROUS. Catalyst for use of high-yield, wide area CHEM-BIO TERROR just arrived - DUBYA NOW HAS MORE REASON FOR USA TO UNILATER ATTACK IRAN + NORTH KOREA.
#3
I dont know, he finally said. One advantage we had here was that the tribes are like small communities, like in rural America. The sheikhs are politically powerful. If we turn them, we turn the people. Urban areas erode tribal affiliation. Its still there in Baghdad, but its weaker. So I dont know. It did work in the urban parts of Ramadi, though. If we can get it to work in all the provinces in Iraq and it is working in Diyala Province right now, I know it is then maybe it can work in Baghdad. Its hard to say.
I don't know whether to laugh or cry that our success is the least bit dependent upon tribal politics. Lieutenant Colonel Mike ("The Forty Pound Brainer") Silverman certainly has my respect and I can only hope that the majority of our troops in Iraq enjoy that kind of leadership-by-example.
It's even more difficult to decide which is more pathetic; The Sunnis, whoas a minority and needing our protection most of allhate us with such ferocity, or the Shi'ites thatafter G.H.W Bush's betrayallook for support from totalitarian Iran and do so with such admiration.
What I do know is that this represents the sort of success we need on a daily basis and hope that senior command officers are able to muster even more soldiers like Lt. Colonel Silverman. Any victory in Iraq will hinge upon his sort of ability and professionalism.
Finally, Michael Totten certainly deserves a national medal for making sure thateven while risking life and limbthe truth about Iraq gets out. Per Frank G's worthy request, I'll be mailing Totten a personal check in the next week or two. Please consider doing the same.
#4
ALTERNET > IRAQ SETS THE STAGE FOR WAR BETWEEN US AND IRAN, or title to that effect. Iraq > "Tis the greatest crucible for US-Iran conflict, and SSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHH World conflict, between now and january 2009. Not much on NK-TAIWAN on other side of the world.
#5
A good step one. Now you have to have a plan to make it sustainable. That is the real tough problem that needs to be solve.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
09/25/2007 9:19 Comments ||
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#6
Two more bits that really stuck out for me:
Whats the most important thing you have learned in your time here? I said.
Well, he finally said thoughtfully. I learned something here that I had heard but never believed. I expected a huge kinetic fight, and thats what we got. I was told that you win that kind of fight not by focusing on the enemy, but by focusing on the civilians. But I didnt believe it. Its true, though. I know because I have seen it.
And Whats the most important thing Americans need to know about Iraq that they dont currently know? I said.
That were fighting Al Qaeda, he said without hesitation. [Abu Musab al] Zarqawi invented Al Qaeda in Iraq. The top leadership outside Iraq squawked and thought it was a bad idea. Then he blew up the Samarra mosque, triggered a civil war, and got the whole worlds attention. Then the Al Qaeda leadership outside dumped huge amounts of money and people and arms into Anbar Province. They poured everything they had into this place. The battle against Americans in Anbar became their most important fight in the world. And they lost.
But you really do want to go and read the whole thing.
#11
RE: #1 - I'm not so sure, Mr. Vader. My staff is picking through it looking for cherries we might publish. Like, "Lt. Col. says 150 insurgents held off US Army for ..." (how long was it again? Weeks?)
And this one has promise: Anbar Province as a whole isnt completely secured yet.
So Petreaus was lying! Samantha! Contact The New York Times! We got a story to create!
Posted by: Dan Rather ||
09/25/2007 10:14 Comments ||
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#12
Al Qaeda leadership outside dumped huge amounts of money and people and arms into Anbar Province. They poured everything they had into this place. The battle against Americans in Anbar became their most important fight in the world. And they lost.
Wish we could hear/read more paragraphs like this in the Western Press!!!!!
Posted by: Paul ||
09/25/2007 13:07 Comments ||
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#13
Totten: "Al Qaeda Lost"
Of Super Nasty Shrillary Lies
We See Plumb Thru Her Super Thighs
By 2008 Everyone Will Be Sharp And Wise!
Posted by: Scourge of Mr.& Mrs. Hectors y Hectares ||
09/25/2007 18:44 Comments ||
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A suicide bomber targeted a reconciliation meeting of Shiite and Sunni tribal leaders in Baqouba on Monday, killing at least seven people, including the city's police chief, security officials said.
The attacker blew himself up about 8:30 p.m. as guards searched him at the entrance to a Shiite mosque where the meeting was being held.
Baqouba's police chief Brig. Gen. Ali Dalyan and the Diyala provincial operations chief Brig. Gen. Najib al-Taie were near the bomber and were among the seven killed, according to the security officials.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to release the information, also said 17 people were wounded, including several other senior provincial leaders.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/25/2007 00:00 ||
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A suicide truck bomber blew up his vehicle Monday by an Iraqi security checkpoint near a northern city, killing five people, including two Iraqi soldiers and a police officer, the city's mayor said. Seventeen civilians were also wounded in the explosion which took place at the checkpoint at the entrance of the village of Ashiq, some 25 kilometers (16 miles) east of Tal Afar, said mayor Najim Abdullah. Several houses and shops were also damaged in the blast. No other details were immediately available.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/25/2007 00:00 ||
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Indonesia's Supreme Court has rejected final appeals from all three Islamic militants on death row for the 2002 Bali bombings, meaning they face execution by firing squad.
A request by one of the bombers, Amrozi, for a case review - the final legal avenue for appeal under Indonesian law - was rejected earlier this month. Now his two accomplices have also had their requests rejected, Supreme Court spokesman Nurhadi told the online Detikcom news agency. "Their appeals have all been rejected," he said, referring as well to Imam Samudra and Ali Gufron.
The horrific 2002 Bali bombings killed 202 people, mostly foreign holidaymakers, and dragged the south-east Asian region into the so-called global "war on terror".
The attacks were blamed on the regional extremist network Jemaah Islamiyah, which was then linked to Al Qaeda. The three bombers had been appealing on the grounds of a constitutional court ruling that anti-terrorism laws used to convict them introduced after the bombings could not be applied retroactively. None of the trio has expressed remorse over the attacks. A lawyer for the men said earlier this month that they were ready to die after signing a last statement reportedly vowing their deaths would lead to "hell for infidels."
"If we are executed, then the jets and drops of our blood will, God willing, become a ray of light for Muslims and become hell for infidels and hypocrites," reported the Koran Tempo, which obtained the statement.
Besides the three death sentences, Indonesian courts have issued two life sentences and more than 30 other long jail terms for people involved in the Bali attacks or for helping hide the key players when they went on the run.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/25/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
The horrific 2002 Bali bombings killed 202 people, mostly foreign holidaymakers, and dragged the south-east Asian region into the so-called global "war on terror".
Ummmm ... no. That distinction belongs to Abu Bakar Bashir whose name is conspicuously absent in this article, despite his need of a swift execution.
None of the trio has expressed remorse over the attacks.
All of which positively indicates that they weren't tortured enough.
A lawyer for the men said earlier this month that they were ready to die after signing a last statement reportedly vowing their deaths would lead to "hell for infidels."
Nor do they manage to admit that their acts willone daybe used to properly justify why some 90% of this world's Muslim population somehow was incinerated.
"If we are executed, then the jets and drops of our blood will, God willing, become a ray of light for Muslims and become hell for infidels and hypocrites," reported the Koran Tempo, which obtained the statement.
Those "jets" sound suspiciously like the ones that collided with our World Trade Center towers. If so, those "jets" will most likely have proven to be Islam's death knell. At least if the West's political and military leadership have one whit of common sense.
Besides the three death sentences, Indonesian courts have issued two life sentences and more than 30 other long jail terms for people involved in the Bali attacks or for helping hide the key players when they went on the run.
Heavy fighting between security forces and Tamil rebels in northern Sri Lanka has left at least 27 people dead, military officials said Monday.
The LTTE lost at least 20 men in pre-dawn clashes Monday on the Jaffna peninsula, according to the defence ministry. Another three Tigers were killed in the Wanni region further south, it added. Government troops were attempting to break into territory in Wanni where the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) run a mini-state.
The fighting also left two security personnel, including an officer, dead and 30 soldiers wounded on Sunday. Another two were killed and 15 wounded in Jaffna early Monday, officials said. There was no immediate word from the LTTE about its losses, which could not be confirmed independently. A pro-rebel website said both sides traded artillery fire in the Mannar district, part of the Wanni region.
The Sri Lanka army had suffered casualties in a ground operation launched Sunday in Thampanai area (in the Wanni), Tamilnet said without elaborating. The clashes came after the governments top defence official offered Sunday to halt military action in exchange for a resumption of peace talks stalled since last October.
Troops would not press ahead with an offensive if Tamil rebels agreed to talks, defence ministry secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse told a newspaper amid pressure from the islands key foreign backers to halt the carnage. The decision (of war or peace) is theirs and I believe they wouldnt reject this opportunity, Rajapakse told the Sunday Island newspaper.
Well not take advantage of the ground situation, if the Tiger rebels agree to negotiate. Rajapakse, who is also the presidents younger brother, made the comments after the United States urged Colombo to abandon a military drive. There has been no reaction from the Tigers to Rajapakses offer of talks.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/25/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under:
#1
well, there goes the truce sri lanka offered yesterday
#3
The problem for the Sri Lankan troops is that the farther they go into that area, the deeper they get into true enemy territory. The LTTE has held those areas for years, and have bunker systems and minefields all laid out. Plus the local population is thoroughly penetrated and/or cowed. So, the Sri Lankans have to be willing to take dead and wounded for each metre of ground, and the political will just is not there right now.
Six Syrians were detained in Panama on Tuesday after the crew on their flight from Cuba alerted authorities to suspicious behavior. An aviation official denied police reports that the Syrians tried to open the cockpit door.
"This is not a hijacking," said Victor de la Hoz, spokesman for the Panamanian Civil Aviation Authority.
"That is not an airplane. This is not an airport. I am not wearing clothes."
Panama's National Police director, Rolando Mirones, said earlier that the passengers approached the cockpit "apparently with the intention of opening a door."
But de la Hoz said the Copa Airlines crew simply notified authorities on the ground that a knife was missing after they served the meal in the first-class cabin, where the Syrians were sitting. He did not say whether the Syrians were suspected of taking the knife.
Mirones said the suspects "did not commit any violent acts inside the airplane, but they raised suspicions," adding: "That is why we are investigating."
The passengers, who were not identified, were being held at Panama City's international airport, he said. Like many airlines, Panama's Copa ordered cockpit doors locked on commercial jetliners after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States.
#3
But de la Hoz said the Copa Airlines crew simply notified authorities on the ground that a knife was missing after they served the meal in the first-class cabin, where the Syrians were sitting.
Cuz it makes all the sense in the world that an airline in a post 9/11 world would have an actual metal knife for food service? Are you kidding me?
Lebanese opposition group Hezbollah and its allies say they will boycott a parliamentary session called for Tuesday to elect a new president.
Pro-Syrian opposition members say they will stay away from parliament if there is no consensus with the anti-Syrian ruling majority on a presidential candidate.
Pro-Syrian opposition members say they will stay away from parliament if there is no consensus with the anti-Syrian ruling majority on a presidential candidate.
Lebanese parliament speaker and opposition leader Nabih Berri called the session to pick a successor to his Syrian-backed ally, President Emile Lahoud, whose term ends November 24. An opposition boycott of parliament would prevent it from mustering a two-thirds quorum required for a vote. Lebanon's president is chosen by parliament, rather than the public. Berri said Monday he is optimistic a deal can be reached with the Western-backed government on a new president by November.
This article starring:
Nabih Berri
President Emile Lahoud
Posted by: Fred ||
09/25/2007 00:00 ||
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[11136 views]
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#1
They must figger they're gonna lose, so this means they can squeal that the election was unfair because they did not participate.
Good grief! Am I beginning to understand the middle eastern mentality?
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/25/2007 8:34 Comments ||
Top||
#2
bobby yes you are. also, seems too me that it would be better for lebanon if pro syrian and hezbully would stay away from the elections
Many more examples, though the text is German, at here.
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/25/2007 8:28 Comments ||
Top||
#6
The real nose art link is http://www.airventure.de/nose-art.htm and if you click on the Betty link, it's easy to miss her at the top of the page.
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/25/2007 8:30 Comments ||
Top||
#7
Ahh, nose art, a blast from the not-so-PC-past. Most of the stuff from WWII wouldn't fly today (pardon the pun) because there would be some segment of society that took offense. We were restricted from writing messages on the bombs we were ropping during Desert Storm I due to fear of 'offending' somebody. But I guess death is OK.
#9
Another moron spamming a respected and respectable site. Mods, please see that this guy is not only removed, but forever banned. I'd prefer his being dropped from 35K onto a hard surface, but you take what you can get.
That's why I don't have Betty as the nose art on the B-17 I don't have...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/25/2007 13:57 Comments ||
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#10
Fucking Asshole
Moderators, Troll cleanup on aisle one please.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
09/25/2007 13:58 Comments ||
Top||
#11
Mods: Re. the troll: It would probably be best to deny anything with over five links. Much of the spam that makes it through has a bazillion links like this guy.
#12
Cleaned up. Gorb, Fred has all sorts of filters installed. Sometimes stuff gets by, especially when he's got the hood propped up and is working on the engine.
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.
MADRID, Spain - Two soldiers serving with the Spanish contingent in Afghanistan died Monday in a land mine explosion, the defence minister said. An Iranian interpreter traveling with the Spaniards also died in the attack and three other Spanish soldiers were seriously wounded, Jose Antonio Alonso said.
Three Afghan guards employed by a US private security firm were killed in an ambush by Taliban insurgents in western Afghanistan and 10 were missing, officials said on Monday. The Taliban attacked the convoy, killed three guards of the company and 10 of them have gone missing, Farah police chief Abdul Rahman Sarjang told reporters.
(SomaliNet) Islamist-led insurgents clashed on Sunday with Somali government troops in northern Mogadishu in some of the heaviest fighting in weeks, witnesses said, as three people died in attacks in the capital. 
Just as success in Iraq is a myth, so is the war is over propaganda in Chechnya as the Mujahideen continue on the steadfast path with more attacks reported as Chechen President 
French police took 13 people into custody Monday in connection with the bombing last year of a Basque country resort run at the time by celebrity chef Alain Ducasse, prosecutors said. 
Indian troops shot dead a top Muslim militant in Kashmir on Monday, police said. 
A suicide bomber targeted a reconciliation meeting of Shiite and Sunni tribal leaders in Baqouba on Monday, killing at least seven people, including the city's police chief, security officials said. 
A suicide truck bomber blew up his vehicle Monday by an Iraqi security checkpoint near a northern city, killing five people, including two Iraqi soldiers and a police officer, the city's mayor said. Seventeen civilians were also wounded in the explosion which took place at the checkpoint at the entrance of the village of Ashiq, some 25 kilometers (16 miles) east of Tal Afar, said mayor Najim Abdullah. Several houses and shops were also damaged in the blast. No other details were immediately available.
Indonesia's Supreme Court has rejected final appeals from all three Islamic militants on death row for the 2002 Bali bombings, meaning they face execution by firing squad.
Lebanese opposition group Hezbollah and its allies say they will boycott a parliamentary session called for Tuesday to elect a new president. 
