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Al Qaeda deputy killed in Algeria: report
Today's Headlines
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Afghanistan
Afghan clashes leave 14 Taliban, one police dead
Kabul - Afghan police killed at least ten militants after they attacked their post in western province of Farah, while four other militants were killed in a separate clash in the country eastern region, officials said on Tuesday.

A group of Taliban militants attacked Bakwa district of Farah province on early Tuesday morning but faced a counter-offensive by local police, Abdul Rahman Sarjang, provincial police chief told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa. 'During the firefight that took place at 3:00am, more than ten Taliban fighters were killed,' Sarjang said, adding that the rest escaped the area leaving behind the dead bodies of their three comrades. He said that one police officer was also killed in the firefight.

In a separate incident, NATO-led forces killed at least four suspected Taliban militants as they were crossing the border from Pakistani soil into Paktika province late on Monday, Ghamai Khan Mohammadyar, provincial spokesman for Paktika's governor told dpa. He said that the bodies of the militants were brought to the provincial capital.

Due to a rise in Taliban-led violence, more than 5,000 people, most of them insurgents but also including hundreds of Afghan and international forces, have been killed since the beginning of the year in Afghanistan.
This article starring:
Abdul Rahman Sarjang, provincial police chief
Ghamai Khan Mohammadyar
Posted by: anonymous5089 || 10/09/2007 10:59 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under: Taliban

#1  In a separate incident, NATO-led forces killed at least four suspected Taliban militants as they were crossing the border from Pakistani soil into Paktika province late on Monday,

I hope NATO has a videotape of that. If they do, I'd like to see them send a dozen copies to Perv.
Posted by: Old Patriot || 10/09/2007 15:11 Comments || Top||


German hostage held in Afghanistan pleads for help on new videotape
A German engineer held by Taliban insurgents since July said he lives with the militants "like family" but pleaded with Germany and Afghanistan to help facilitate his release, according to a new videotape Monday.

Blechschmidt says he had been recently released into the custody of the International Committee of the Red Cross but was taken back into Taliban custody. "Now we plea to German government and Afghan government, give us some help and make a deal with the Taliban to release us before the winter time starting."
A dimly lit video of Rudolf Blechschmidt shows the German in what appears to be a simple mud-brick Afghan home. Blechschmidt says he had been recently released into the custody of the International Committee of the Red Cross but was taken back into Taliban custody. "And this time we (were) with the Red Cross on the way to Kabul, but the Taliban stop us and bring us back to the mountains," Blechschmidt says on the tape obtained by AP Television News. "Now we plea to German government and Afghan government, give us some help and make a deal with the Taliban to release us before the winter time starting."

Four employees with the International Committee of the Red Cross were kidnapped September 27 while trying to facilitate the German's release. The four, taken hostage by the Taliban, were released in good health two days later.
This article starring:
International Committee of the Red Cross
Rudolf Blechschmidt
Posted by: Fred || 10/09/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Taliban

#1  Damn Indian-givers!
Posted by: Jack is Back! || 10/09/2007 17:12 Comments || Top||


Africa Horn
Govt raid kills 40 in Darfur town
Sudanese army raid has killed at least 40 people in the Darfur town of Muhajiriya, where bodies were still lying in the streets, the rebel faction which controls the area says.

"Until now the number of dead civilians are at least 40, with 80 missing and a large number of injured," the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) said in a statement sent to Reuters.

The SLA faction led by Minni Arcua Minnawi was the only one of three rebel negotiating groups to sign a May 2006 peace deal with Khartoum and became part of the government.

"Bodies are still lying around the town as this statement is written," the statement by SLA Minnawi's military spokesman Mohamed Hamid Dirbeen said.

"Some of the victims looked like they had been executed," it said.

The African Union force commander said reasons for the attack were unclear, but it was either tribal tensions or a spillover as government troops clashed with other rival rebel factions.

Minnawi's group said the attack had damaged the hopes for peace talks due to begin in Libya on October 27.
Posted by: anonymous5089 || 10/09/2007 11:18 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Sudan


Africa North
Algerian security forces kill 22 presumed Islamic rebels
Algiers - Algerian security forces have killed 22 suspected members of an Islamic terrorist group believed responsible for a suicide bombing last month that targeted President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Algerian media reported Monday.

The operation was carried out Thursday and Friday of last week against elements of the group al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in the vicinity of the cities of Biskra and Batna, south-east of the capital Algiers.

According to press reports based on security service sources, the information as to the location of the group was provided by some of the 11 people arrested on suspicion of having participated in the September 6 bombing in Batna, in which 14 people died and more than 60 were reported injured.

The bomber apparently targeted Bouteflika, who was expected in Batna, but panicked and set off the explosives in a crowd that had gathered to welcome the president.
Posted by: anonymous5089 || 10/09/2007 10:57 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in North Africa


Al Qaeda deputy killed in Algeria: report
ALGIERS (Rooters) - The deputy chief of al Qaeda's North Africa wing, believed to be the group's operational leader, was killed along with two other rebels in a gun battle with Algerian troops, local newspapers said on Tuesday.

Hareg Zoheir, also known as Sofiane Abu Fasila, was said to be the second-in-command of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and suspected of being behind planning most of the suicide bombings in Algeria in the recent months. He was shot dead on Sunday at a check point in the eastern region of Tzizi Ouzou, the country's leading dailies reported.

"Sofiane is a big, big fish. In a way, he was the real boss of the organization in Algeria," Eshorouk's editor and security specialist Anis Rahmani told Reuters, adding that " he was a man of action not a man of religion."

Two other rebels were also killed alongside him during a clash with government troops at the check point, El Watan and Eshorouk newspapers added. Both were also suspected to be involved in preparing suicide attacks, said the newspapers.

In September, 60 people were killed in bomb attacks in Algeria, which included an attempt to assassinate President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Seventy-five people died in political violence during the same period and 369 people since the beginning of this year, according to a Reuters count based on newspaper reports.

Algeria is emerging from more than a decade of conflict that began when the military-backed government scrapped 1992 legislative elections a radical Islamic party was poised to win. The bloodshed has subsided in recent years and last year the government freed more than 2,000 former Islamist guerrillas under an amnesty designed to put an end to the conflict. But a surge of violence began when Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat guerrillas aligned themselves with al Qaeda in January and vowed attacks on the government and foreign interests.
I remember it a little differently: GSPC went from being a problem to being an irritant as most of its leadership and big chunks of its cannon fodder were bumped off in ill-conceived actions against the government or adventures in Niger or Mali, even as the government was rearming and re-equipping the military. When things looked darkest, Mephistopheles appeared in a puff of sulfur and offered them new turbans and some money — all they had to do was sell their souls to Binny. Since they'd already been leasing him those souls since about the time the GAI went under, they took the offer and all the other North African riff-raff was rolled into the new organization, so if they need more cannon fodder they can send off to Morocco or Libya or Tunisia for it.
Analysts say the introduction of suicide bombers, more lethal bomb-making technology, fund-raising from protection rackets and smuggling, and an increasingly sophisticated Web-based publicity machine have helped the rebels stay active.
The money and the cannon fodder from over the neighbors' fences help, too.

This article starring:
Anis Rahmani
HAREG ZOHEIRal-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika
SOFIANE ABU FASILAal-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb
Posted by: anonymous5089 || 10/09/2007 08:21 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in North Africa


Morocco holds five as terror suspects
Moroccan authorities are holding five men on charges of planning terrorist attacks, judicial sources said on Monday. The five, from a village near the capital Rabat, were formally detained on Monday after appearing before a court, the sources said, without further identifying those arrested. They had been picked up at the end of last month.

The five face charges of "forming a criminal group with the aim of preparing and committing terrorist acts... of belonging to a banned organisation (Salafia Jihadia) and organising public meetings without authorisation", one of the judicial sources said.

Morocco has stepped up security since a deadly blast in Casablanca in 2003 left 33 dead, with three further suicide bomb attacks earlier this year in the same city.
This article starring:
Salafia Jihadia
Posted by: Fred || 10/09/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in North Africa


Europe
Norway: Mullah Krekar and his apartment linked to pro al-Qaida sites
The web site Dorbeen.com, which is linked to pro al-Qaida web sites, is registered in the name of the wife of controversial mullah Krekar.

NRK (Norwegian Broadcasting) reports that Mullah Krekar, born Najmuddin Faraj Ahmad, former leader of the Kurdish guerilla group Ansar al-Islam in Northern Iraq, runs several web sites from his Oslo apartment.
According to a 9/13/2007 Aftenposten article, Krekar claims that his wife, a worker in a day-care center, is the family's sole supporter. No more Norsky welfare, no more voting rights; he just sits at the desk, hatin' hatin' hatin'
Dorbeen.com is an Islamist news portal that reports on American setbacks in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as linking to sympathizers of the al-Qaida terrorist organization.
Norway has troops stationed in Afghanistan.
Despite Dorbeen.com being registered in his wife's name, Krekar told an Oslo court last month that he "in the name of God, did not know" who was behind the web site.
That's blasphemous, of course, but al Qaida likes to put it this way: "Our god is a plotting god"
"Really. It ain't ours. Somebody left it here."
On Tuesday the Supreme Court will begin to determine whether an expulsion order for Krekar should be reconsidered. Four days have been set aside for this process.
If Norway deports Krekar to Kurdistan, it's curtains for 'im.
Norway won't deport Mullah Krekar. He's a national treasure.
NRK also reports that the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) is monitoring mullah Krekar's Internet activities. The PST considers Krekar a danger to national security, even if only indirectly. "We must be prepared that a form of radicalization,including the support of violent Islamism, can also occur in Norway. We have some tendencies in this direction which we must take seriously, that young boys begin to waver and become dominated by a manipulative man," PST chief Jørn Holme said in a debate two weeks ago. NRK claimed that his remark was a reference to Krekar, among others. NRK also reported that they had been in contact with several translators who had worked on Dobreen.com but none would come forward "for fear of what might happen".
They're "terrified", eh?
This article starring:
MULLAH KREKARAnsar al-Islam
NAJMUDIN FARAJ AHMEDAnsar al-Islam
PST chief Jørn Holme
Ansar al-Islam
Posted by: mrp || 10/09/2007 07:15 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Ansar al-Islam

#1  Ya know what headline I'd like to see?
Mullah Krekar Hit By Norwegian Bus.
Posted by: tu3031 || 10/09/2007 11:09 Comments || Top||

#2  It sure took long enough! The Mullah Krekar was employed along with Abudllah Azzam at the Islamic University of Islamabad when the Soviets invaded Afgahanistan in late 1979. He was an early leader of the Ansar al-Islam. Following his move to Denmark in 1991 he made his mark as the very Salafist Mullah Krekar. He should have been jugged a long time ago but the Scandanavians are well known for their "tolerance".
Posted by: Balthazar || 10/09/2007 11:21 Comments || Top||

#3  Mullah Krekar Hit By Norwegian Bus.

A dozen times at least and preferrably after exhaustive interrogation.
Posted by: Zenster || 10/09/2007 11:24 Comments || Top||

#4  Norway's supreme court to hear case against Ansar al-Islam mullah
Posted by: anonymous5089 || 10/09/2007 11:33 Comments || Top||

#5  Krekar's falling victim to the Kraken would be a close second.
Posted by: doc || 10/09/2007 11:39 Comments || Top||

#6  Mail him back to Kurdistan in 50gram pieces, postage due.
Posted by: Old Patriot || 10/09/2007 16:47 Comments || Top||

#7  Lutefisk writ large: fillet the f*cker, dry him, and soak him in lye
Posted by: Frank G || 10/09/2007 19:28 Comments || Top||

#8  I love it when you talk that way, Frank.
Posted by: Zenster || 10/09/2007 19:40 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Battles, Airstrikes in Pakistan Kill 250
Fierce fighting between Islamic militants and security forces near the Afghan border has killed as many as 250 people over four days. The battles marked some of the deadliest clashes on Pakistani soil since it threw its support behind the U.S.-led war on terrorism in 2001, the army said Tuesday.
Airstrikes hit a village bazaar in North Waziristan tribal region on Tuesday afternoon, killing more than 50 militants and civilians and wounding scores more, said resident Noor Hassan. "The bombing destroyed many shops and homes," Hassan said dolefully by telephone from the village of Epi. "We are leaving." Twelve huge explosions rocked the village and bombs also hit the nearby village of Hader Khel, Hassan said.

Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Waheed Arshad said military aircraft struck "one or two places" near the town of Mir Ali and there were unconfirmed reports that about 50 militants were killed. Also Tuesday, a roadside bomb killed two soldiers, the army said. Epi lies about 2 1/2 miles from Mir Ali.

The fighting began Saturday after a roadside bomb hit a truckload of paramilitary troops, sparking bitter clashes. The bodies of dozens of soldiers, many with their throats slit, have been recovered from deserted areas of the region, fleeing residents said. The army appeared to be resorting to heavy firepower. Pakistani troops have suffered mounting losses as they try to reassert state authority in a swath of mountainous territory where warlords supportive of the Taliban and al-Qaida have seized control.

Before Tuesday's airstrikes, the army had reported that battles have killed 150 fighters and 45 soldiers since Saturday. About 12-15 troops are missing. Another 50 militants and 20 soldiers had been wounded. Security forces have rejected a cease-fire proposed by the militants and will "continue punitive action till complete peace is restored" in the area, an army statement said.

Pakistan struck a cease-fire deal with militants in North Waziristan last year. U.S. officials criticized the pact, claiming it gave a safe haven for al-Qaida and provided a rear base for Taliban guerrillas fighting NATO troops in Afghanistan. In July, Pakistan's army redeployed troops at key checkpoints in the region, sparking fresh hostilities.

After Saturday's bombing, about 300 militants ambushed an army convoy traveling to the scene, killing 22 troops and wounding 11. Others were captured alive and could be still held by militants, an intelligence official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to journalists. One resident of Isu Khel village said three soldiers came to his home asking for protection but he refused, fearing militants might target him. The three soldiers later escaped in a military truck, said the villager, speaking after fleeing to the region's main town, Miran Shah.

Other residents of Isu Khel and nearby Melagan village said they spotted soldiers' bodies abandoned in deserted areas and a roadside, many with their throats slit. A woman, who fled to Miran Shah, said the bodies of eight soldiers shot dead were covered in dust and one was badly mutilated.
This article starring:
Maj. Gen. Waheed Arshad
resident Noor Hassan
Posted by: anonymous5089 || 10/09/2007 08:13 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Taliban

#1  sounds like pervs army may be getting tired of looking like pussies
Posted by: sinse || 10/09/2007 10:47 Comments || Top||

#2  Breaking News Paki-Waki-Stan:

The Assholes are'a'murderin other Assholes.
Posted by: Red Dawg || 10/09/2007 11:29 Comments || Top||

#3  I almost feel sorry for the Paki army.These Taleban need to be slaughtered as they are clearly deranged/brainwashed!!!!
Posted by: Paul || 10/09/2007 12:00 Comments || Top||

#4  Popcorn! Getcher hot, buttered popcorn!
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/09/2007 12:19 Comments || Top||

#5  Last week the Talibunnies were bragging about having 20,000 ready to cross into Afghanistan.
So this kill rate needs to be kept up for at least 100 more incidents provided all the dead are talibunnies. Otherwise it needs even more repeats.
Posted by: 3dc || 10/09/2007 12:28 Comments || Top||

#6  After Saturday's bombing, about 300 militants Muslim terrorists ambushed an army convoy.

Fixed that
Posted by: Icerigger || 10/09/2007 12:37 Comments || Top||

#7  Jez a leetul blowback for shootin' down that 'copter of Perv's.
Posted by: Zenster || 10/09/2007 13:42 Comments || Top||

#8  It's about time to try baiting the kill zone with a goat again.
Posted by: wxjames || 10/09/2007 15:39 Comments || Top||


Grenades thrown into girls' college in Khyber Agency
Unidentified assailants threw two grenades into the Jamrud Girls College in Khyber Agency on Monday, a private channel reported.
The local administration arrested two suspects and has started investigation.
According to Geo news no casualty was reported, however, some part of the building was partially damaged by the blasts. The local administration arrested two suspects and has started investigation, the channel reported. Students and teachers of the college were horrified by the incident and demanded the authorities concerned provide them with security, the channel said.
Posted by: Fred || 10/09/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Taliban

#1  No! Let me guess.

I'll take "Lions of IslamTM" for $100, Alex.
Posted by: anymouse || 10/09/2007 1:54 Comments || Top||

#2  I'll take two DumB Fartwas for $$100 Alex.
Posted by: Red Dawg || 10/09/2007 4:04 Comments || Top||

#3  No one has ever accused the brave Lions of fighting above their weight. Maybe it's time for some ROTC classes at Jamrud Girls College.
Posted by: SteveS || 10/09/2007 7:17 Comments || Top||

#4  For as tight as the clans are in Khyber guessing more blood will flow.
Posted by: Icerigger || 10/09/2007 13:01 Comments || Top||


30 more soldiers and 65 militants killed in clashes
Fifty troops and 130 pro-Taliban and Al Qaeda militants have been killed in fierce fighting in North Waziristan since Saturday, officials and local residents said. Twenty soldiers and 65 militants were reported killed in clashes on Sunday, after militants attacked two military convoys near Mir Ali.

Security sources told Daily Times that the bodies of 31 soldiers had been airlifted from Mir Ali to Bannu, and 19 more bodies were awaiting removal from the military camp in Mir Ali. They said 50 wounded soldiers had also been airlifted to the Bannu Combined Military Hospital. However, military spokesman Maj General Waheed Arshad said that 45 soldiers had been killed in clashes since Saturday.

Pro-Taliban cleric Maulvi Deen Dar arranged the transfer of the soldiers’ bodies through a local jirga after the militants agreed to allow local residents to hand them over to military authorities in Mir Ali. Earlier, Gen Arshad said around 50 soldiers had gone missing in the Mir Ali area and they were feared kidnapped or killed. He later told AFP that contact had been established with most of the soldiers and only 10 or 12 had not been accounted for, but it was not clear if any of those had been killed.

Air strikes: He said more air strikes were carried out on Monday against targets around Mir Ali town, east of Miranshah. “We used the air force in areas where ground troops cannot be used,” he said.

This was the first time the military used jet fighters in the area since 2004. Local residents saw two bombers fly over Mir Ali at around 1:00pm on Monday. They reappeared soon after sunset and dropped bombs.

“Many of them are getting money and weapons from across the border,” he told AFP, adding that the militants were “in contact with members of a hostile country in Afghanistan,” an apparent reference to India.
Militants getting help from Afghanistan: Gen Arshad said the militants were well-trained and had links with Afghanistan. “Many of them are getting money and weapons from across the border,” he told AFP, adding that the militants were “in contact with members of a hostile country in Afghanistan,” an apparent reference to India.

According to residents of villages around Mir Ali, some 54 people, including civilians and militants, were killed in clashes on Monday. Eighteen dead were reported from Khasookhel village, 12 from Mir Ali village, 15 from Khadi village, four from Harmuz village, three from Khedherkhel village and two from Mir Ali bazaar. “All 15 killed in Khadi village were militants, among them four foreigners,” a resident of Mir Ali told Daily Times. He said many civilians were also killed. “They were caught in the cross-fire.”

A security official in Miranshah told AP that two Arabs who were low-ranking Al Qaeda men and an Uzbek died in a battle in an area called Malagam. About a dozen civilians, including women and children, died when a stray mortar struck their home in Mir Ali.
A security official in Miranshah told AP that two Arabs who were low-ranking Al Qaeda men and an Uzbek died in a battle in an area called Malagam. About a dozen civilians, including women and children, died when a stray mortar struck their home in Mir Ali, said the official.

Gen Arshad said the security forces targeted homes from where militant fire was coming. “Our policy is to pick a target from where fire is coming against the security forces and if the militants are using the local population as shelter and using their houses against the security forces, we cannot be blamed for collateral damage,” he said. Eyewitnesses said Mir Ali bazaar was “completely sealed off and it looks like a curfew as security forces are patrolling empty streets “.
Posted by: Fred || 10/09/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Iraq
Michael Yon: "I am in Basra and there certainly is no chaos here."
Kathryn Jean Lopez, "The Corner" @ National Review

In response to this Newsday piece — "British pullout in Iraq leaves Basra in chaos" — Michael Yon e-mails from Basra: "This report is false. I am in Basra and there certainly is no chaos here."

If it's a credibility duel between the MSM and Michael Yon, I know who I'd believe.
Posted by: Mike || 10/09/2007 12:46 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under: Mahdi Army

#1  If it's a credibility duel between the MSM and my 11 year old son, I know who I'd believe.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 10/09/2007 15:07 Comments || Top||

#2  At this point it would be a tie vs. Castro and the MSM at who is most credible.
Posted by: DarthVader || 10/09/2007 15:29 Comments || Top||

#3  I'm in your Basra

soaking up the Peace
Posted by: Chris W. || 10/09/2007 16:09 Comments || Top||

#4  At this point it would be a tie vs. Castro and the MSM at who is most credible

Castro knows more about American agricultural policies. I gotta lean towards the beard.
Posted by: Thomas Woof || 10/09/2007 16:52 Comments || Top||

#5  Well, yeah, but you guys overlooked this little detail:

Last month, Sen. Chuck Hagel, a prominent Republican on the Senate Armed Services committee, alleged at Senate hearings on Iraq that southern Iraq was out of control.

"What I was told ... is lawless gangs of marauders of Shia militia are in charge in Basra and the four [southernmost] provinces. As you both know, two governors have been assassinated in the last two months. I was told by one individual who has been down there recently that we are essentially paying tribute to these people to keep open the port."


See? So it must be true!
Posted by: Bobby || 10/09/2007 17:06 Comments || Top||

#6  If it's Michael Yon versus the MSM and Chuck Hagel in the Credibility Bowl, I'm taking Yon to beat the spread.
Posted by: Mike || 10/09/2007 17:14 Comments || Top||


Michael Yon: "Under Distant Stars"
. . . Soon after my embed with the 2-7 CAV ended, I made one other visit to a CSH. Among the many wounded was one soldier who had been terribly maimed by an IED during an ambush. It is hard to describe the extent of his injuries. These CSHs host a daily array of gunshot wounds of every description, traumatic amputations, and severe burns, but his wounds were horrible even by those standards. As blood soaked through his bandages, a pretty young nurse walked out into the hall and burst into tears. A doctor called the soldier’s father, and gravely related the truth: the staff would try to keep him alive until Germany, so his family could be there at the end.

Still wearing full combat gear, some of his buddies were there to see him off from the CSH. Other off-duty soldiers were there to help load the wounded onto the buses, which drove us all to the C-17 parked on the tarmac. We roared into the night, heading to Landstuhl, Germany. During the flight, the nurses steadily checked the patients, especially the dying soldier, farthest back on the plane. . . .

Go read it all.
Posted by: Mike || 10/09/2007 10:37 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Iraqi Insurgency

#1  It’s been many months since the soldier was killed with the IED, and the subsequent call asking who would get the money for his death, and then his organs were harvested.

He laid down his life for us.. and continued to give in death... can't ask a Soldier or Marine for much more than that eh...

From Yon's report it seemed that some members of his family didn't care... but we do and salute you Soldier! RIP
Posted by: Red Dawg || 10/09/2007 11:22 Comments || Top||

#2  Thank you, Mike, for posting this, and my thanks to Mr. Yon for telling the story of yet another to whom we owe so much. May his memory be a blessing to those who loved him.
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/09/2007 12:13 Comments || Top||

#3  Our nation needs to remember men like this for as long as there are citizens under the Stars and Stripes. Wars always seem to take the best from us, leaving us depleted just a small bit from what we could be. Remembering these heros, and honoring them as such, will go a long way toward bridging that gap.
Posted by: Old Patriot || 10/09/2007 16:59 Comments || Top||


Turkey threatens to send troops into Iraq
TURKEY will step up measures to end the safe haven that separatist Kurdish rebels enjoy in northern Iraq, including a cross-border operation "if necessary".

"The Government has given orders and instructions to the competent authorities to take all legal, economic and political measures, including a cross-border operation if necessary, to end the presence of the terrorist organisation in a neighbouring country," a statement said.

The statement was implicitly referring to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and Iraq, respectively.

It was issued after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met senior government and military officials to discuss tougher action against the PKK, listed as a terrorist group by Ankara and much of the international community, after the rebels killed 15 soldiers in weekend attacks.
Posted by: tipper || 10/09/2007 10:20 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Not good. Not good at all.
Posted by: RWV || 10/09/2007 11:14 Comments || Top||

#2  Someone should email a map of Turkey that shows the Kurdish regions and Constantinople areas removed. "You really want to side with Iran because we don't think it's really in Turkish best interests."
Posted by: rjschwarz || 10/09/2007 13:19 Comments || Top||

#3  Turkey can get stuffed. It's an American holiday tradition.
Posted by: Zenster || 10/09/2007 13:50 Comments || Top||

#4  Nothin like someone hairin up the butter.
Posted by: JohnQC || 10/09/2007 17:13 Comments || Top||

#5  US Military personnel were seen trembling on fear and dread of the vaunted Turkish military.
Posted by: mcsegeek1 || 10/09/2007 17:57 Comments || Top||

#6  Nothin like someone hairin up the butter.

Now that's a keeper!
Posted by: Zenster || 10/09/2007 18:41 Comments || Top||

#7  Similar article also in DEBKA, where RBurgers can also read about US plans to build a new air base in Lebanon close to Syrian border. *KOMMERSANT > SEPARATISM WILL NOT HELP THE MIDDLE EAST. To be successful in Empire = Nation(s)-reading like the Brits, the USA must be a Colonial Empire for 200-plus years like Britain. Other factors.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 10/09/2007 22:58 Comments || Top||


Car bombs kill 22 in northern Iraq
Posted by: anonymous5089 || 10/09/2007 08:17 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under: Iraqi Insurgency

#1  "One of those killed told me earlier that he wanted to lead prayers tomorrow."

AQ continues to work to win the hearts and minds of Iraqis (for us.)
Posted by: Glenmore || 10/09/2007 8:23 Comments || Top||


Iraqi forces foil al-Qaeda plot to control Tikrit
Iraqi forces have foiled an al-Qaeda plot to seize control of the city of Tikrit, security officials said Monday, while a Polish soldier was reportedly killed in a separate incident in Diwaniyah.

The al-Qaeda in Iraq terrorist network was planning to attack numerous targets in central Tikrit, 175 kilometres north of Baghdad and the capital of Salahaddin province, in order to control the city and link it to the so-called Islamic State of Iraq, an al-Qaeda affiliate, according to the officials. The plan involved assaulting the relatively stable city from the south, the west and the east, avoiding the northern part where US troops are based in a former air force facility, the source added.

Director of the Salahaddin National Security Centre Colonel Jasssem Hussein Mohammed said that Iraqi security forces had managed to raid the militants' dens, arresting dozens of gunmen, killing scores of others and confiscating large amounts of explosives and weapons. Among those killed were Saudi national Abu Obada, who headed al- Qaeda in the north Tigris area, and Ali Youssif al-Jabouri, the mufti of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq, said Major Ahmed Sobhi of the Salahaddin police command anti-terrorism unit. Al-Jabouri was responsible for a fatwa (a religious judgment) that stipulated the killing of at least 100 residents of Duluiyah for resisting al-Qaeda militants.

Meanwhile, Iraqi independent Sharkiya TV reported Monday that a Polish soldier, from the Multi-National Forces in Iraq, was shot dead by a sniper in Diwaniyah, 200 kilometres south of Baghdad. No further details were immediately available.

In the Kazimiya district of northern Baghdad, a roadside bomb went off Monday morning on a main road, injuring 15 people, some seriously, an Iraqi police source said. Most of the victims were in buses on their way to work, media reports said. Two civilian cars were damaged in the attack. Security forces sealed off the area, while ambulances rushed the victims to a nearby hospital.
This article starring:
Islamic State of Iraq
Abu Obadaal-Qaeda in Iraq
Ali Youssif al-Jabourial-Qaeda in Iraq
Ali Youssif al-JabouriIslamic State of Iraq
Major Ahmed Sobhi of the Salahaddin police command
Posted by: Fred || 10/09/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Iraq

#1  Saudis and Pakistanis are are a common theme in all Sunni terrorism!!!!

Pakistan,Saudi and Iran must be tackled in the WOT!!!!
Posted by: Paul || 10/09/2007 5:51 Comments || Top||

#2  It's pretty obvious that they were heavily compromised. Getting raided like that before they launch a high value attack, taking out their leaders as well. Ouch.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 10/09/2007 8:05 Comments || Top||

#3  AQ needs a spectacular attack or two to regain street cred. The problem they have is that bigger attacks require more people and more and longer planning, all of which leads to increased exposure to leaks.

In the listing of thugs killed they don't mention any emirs. Are they running out of emirs? But they got a mufti. What's a mufti - a substitute emir?
Posted by: Glenmore || 10/09/2007 8:28 Comments || Top||

#4  Muftis interpret Islamic law.

Emirs are commanders.
Posted by: lotp || 10/09/2007 9:05 Comments || Top||

#5  Emirs are 5 points. Muftis are 7 points.
Posted by: Fred || 10/09/2007 9:31 Comments || Top||

#6  arresting dozens of gunmen, killing scores of others

They're starting to get the proportions right.
Posted by: KBK || 10/09/2007 11:50 Comments || Top||

#7  Just heard on the radio that we have access to al Qaeda's network, but some traitor shared that news with the media. Bush had better take the gloves off on this one. There's just no way we can allow the media to tell al Qaeda 'ha,ha, we tapped your phone'. Let's see if this hits big news in a big treasonous way, or will it be page 21 ?
Posted by: wxjames || 10/09/2007 12:25 Comments || Top||

#8  Director of the Salahaddin National Security Centre Colonel Jasssem Hussein Mohammed said that Iraqi security forces had managed to raid the militants' dens, arresting dozens of gunmen, killing scores of others and confiscating large amounts of explosives and weapons.

Nice work by the Iraqi police!

And may that sniper be at the receiving end of a bullet through his scope. Poland continues to punch above their weight.
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/09/2007 12:25 Comments || Top||

#9  "Emirs are 5 points. Muftis are 7 points"

One of the reasons I love rantburg.

Posted by: 3dc || 10/09/2007 12:33 Comments || Top||

#10  As usual Master Fred gets to the heart of the matter. ;-)
Posted by: lotp || 10/09/2007 12:34 Comments || Top||

#11  Shoulda shot every male al-Tikriti over the age of 14 right off the bat.

The method is brutal, but it works.
Posted by: mojo || 10/09/2007 15:34 Comments || Top||

#12  Shoulda shot every male al-Tikriti over the age of 14 right off the bat.

Isn't that like what Saddam did in Dujail? (and elsewhere)

This way takes longer, but we don't go to Hell for it.
Posted by: RhusLancia || 10/09/2007 15:46 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
4 Palestinian boys injured after playing with tank shell
A Palestinian boy was seriously injured in the Gaza Strip on Monday after playing with a tank shell. According to Israel Radio, the boy brought the shell into his home in southern Gaza, where he and several other boys played with it. Four of the boy's friends were lightly injured in the incident. The IDF Spokesman said in response that there were no tank shells fired into the Gaza Strip on Monday.
Posted by: Fred || 10/09/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Hamas

#1  Paleo + Tank Round + Hammer.

"I think I'll hit the pointy end here first!, damn Smoke!!"
Posted by: Red Dawg || 10/09/2007 3:38 Comments || Top||

#2  Boys, they explode so soon, these days.
Posted by: anonymous5089 || 10/09/2007 5:50 Comments || Top||

#3  Educational toy
Posted by: Spats Elmoger1734 || 10/09/2007 8:28 Comments || Top||

#4  Kids, even non-Paleos, aren't generally too bright. I was luckier than these - the shotgun shells I found and took apart didn't blow up.
Posted by: Glenmore || 10/09/2007 8:31 Comments || Top||

#5  top darwin award nominees i would say
Posted by: sinse || 10/09/2007 10:49 Comments || Top||

#6  Highly unlikely it was a "Tank" shell, or that it came from an Israeli Merkava or similar type. Those shells weigh over 60 lbs. Unless this was a rather stout paleo "boy", he couldn't just carry this thing around. More likely a paleo mortar shell.
Posted by: mcsegeek1 || 10/09/2007 18:04 Comments || Top||


Science & Technology
Battle Droids on the Ground in Iraq - Terminator III
Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC || 10/09/2007 11:42 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Iraqi Insurgency

#1  I needs to speak with the governator's voice.
Posted by: 3dc || 10/09/2007 12:23 Comments || Top||

#2  Such 'cyborgs' would only be truly 'dangerous' if the embedded AI core were allowed autonomous decision making capability – self preservation or mission critical as have been portrayed by the sci-fi giants.
Posted by: CB || 10/09/2007 17:34 Comments || Top||

#3  Even if we tried to create "evil terminator" type robots we could not do it yet. Machines may malfunction these days because of the GIGO principle but creating true self-willed AI is a complex evolutionary feat of massive parallel processing we can not even approach at this point. Besides, an ego and sense of self-preservation as the highest ideal would not form spontaneously.

There is a lot of potential to use these as guard drones in isolated and inhospitable areas or to augment our conventional military. And just as the internet was a military invention which eventually found wide application in civilian life, practical robotics for the home will definitely be developed more rapidly because of these military research efforts.
Posted by: Grumenk Philalzabod0723 || 10/09/2007 19:59 Comments || Top||

#4  Of course we could just wire them into WoW and watch the fun begin!
Posted by: 3dc || 10/09/2007 20:13 Comments || Top||

#5  Like a promotion for a level 70 warrior with live video feed.... WoW ...
Posted by: 3dc || 10/09/2007 20:14 Comments || Top||

#6  Wait til Unreal Tournament 3 comes out. All your base are belong to us...and we shoot remotely, bitches
Posted by: Frank G || 10/09/2007 20:43 Comments || Top||

#7  There is a lot of potential to use these as guard drones in isolated and inhospitable areas

A description which more or less fits parts of our unguarded borders.
Posted by: lotp || 10/09/2007 20:51 Comments || Top||

#8  Good catch, lotp, and quite the "testing ground" too. I prefer the .50 cal sniper rifles along the Rio Grande.
Posted by: BA || 10/09/2007 20:53 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
30 terrs arrested in Lebanon
Authorities have arrested some 30 Islamic militants who allegedly plotted to bomb the main police headquarters in Beirut and attack Arab and European ambassadors in Lebanon, court and security officials said Monday. The 30 militants were detained nearly two months ago in and around the southern port city of Sidon when the Lebanese army was engaged in fierce fighting with militants of the al-Qaida-inspired Fatah al-Islam group in a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon.

Some of the arrested belong to Fatah al-Islam and the rest are members of another al-Qaida-inspired group, said the security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. Interrogation of the detained militants showed that they planned to blow up the headquarters of the Internal Security Forces with an explosives-laden military vehicle, the officials said. Police have since tightened security around its headquarters in Beirut. Concrete blocks have been set up around the building and people living in the vicinity have been barred from parking their cars.

Officials said some of the militants were linked to a roadside bomb that struck a U.N. jeep in the village of Qassimiyeh in July near the southern port city of Tyre, causing damage to the vehicle but no casualties. The group was also planning to help some 200 Fatah Islam members and 50 other al-Qaida-inspired militants escape from the central Roumieh prison east of Beirut, according to officials. Prison security guards, backed by a group of army commandos, foiled an escape attempt last Thursday when relatives of the prisoners tried to storm the prison, the officials said.
Posted by: Fred || 10/09/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under: Fatah al-Islam


Lebanese authorities on manhunt for Russian terrorist fugitives
Russian officials are trying to verify reports that Lebanese authorities are still hunting for three Russian citizens who they believe are involved in terrorism. It had been reported earlier that Lebanese police had already arrested one Russian on the same charge. The Russian men are thought to be part of the radical Palestinian movement Fatah al-Islam and could face the death penalty if found guilty. Russian diplomats are expected to meet Lebanese authorities on Monday to clarify the situation.

Dr Imad Rizk is writing a book about Fatah al-Islam. Its members are known to come from across the Arab world. “Maybe there are some 12 to 50 persons came to Lebanon to have lessons about how they can make special attacks. When they finish the preparation, maybe, they will go to Chechnya, Pakistan, or Uzbekistan to make special attacks,” he said.

Rumours of Russians fighting in Lebanon have been circulating inside the country for some time. But the Russian Embassy in Beirut says it still needs to verify that this is the case. If true, the four men will become the first known non-Arab foreigners to be members of Fatah al-Islam accused of serious charges. “We were greatly surprised by this news because until now we have not had information like this; no one from the Russian citizens took part in this battle and standoff between Lebanese troops and Fatah al Islam,” noted Vladimir Cherepanov, the press attaché at the Russian Embassy in Lebanon.
Posted by: Fred || 10/09/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under: Fatah al-Islam


G'morning...
Posted by: Fred || 10/09/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Damn.. watch the Load on that Strap..

********************************************
She's cute as hell here, maybe 20yrs younger?
Posted by: Red Dawg || 10/09/2007 11:42 Comments || Top||

#2  She needs to work on her "come hither" look. That one says "come hither and I'll bite your ear off"....
Posted by: Vinnie VanGogh7033 || 10/09/2007 12:35 Comments || Top||

#3  Ban the bastards ISP.
Posted by: Redneck Jim || 10/09/2007 12:40 Comments || Top||

#4  Fred does. They rotate IP addresses.
Posted by: lotp || 10/09/2007 12:45 Comments || Top||

#5  I thought VVG7033 was kinda funny.
Posted by: Thomas Woof || 10/09/2007 16:50 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
43[untagged]
17Global Jihad
8Iraqi Insurgency
5Palestinian Authority
5Taliban
4Govt of Iran
3Jemaah Islamiyah
3al-Qaeda in North Africa
3Hezbollah
2Fatah al-Islam
2Hamas
2Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal
2al-Qaeda
2Govt of Sudan
1al-Qaeda in Europe
1Mahdi Army
1ISI
1al-Qaeda in Iraq
1Jamaat-e-Islami
1Ansar al-Islam
1Govt of Syria

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Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
Steve White
Seafarious
tu3031
badanov
sherry
ryuge
GolfBravoUSMC
Bright Pebbles
trailing wife
Gloria
Fred
Besoeker
Glenmore
Frank G
3dc
Skidmark

Two weeks of WOT
Tue 2007-10-09
  Al Qaeda deputy killed in Algeria: report
Mon 2007-10-08
  Tehran University student protest -- 'Death to the dictator'
Sun 2007-10-07
  Support network in Pakistan accused of helping Taliban, others sneak across border to attack U.S
Sat 2007-10-06
  Paleo arrestfest as Hamas, Fatah detain each other's cadres
Fri 2007-10-05
  Korean leaders agree to end war
Thu 2007-10-04
  US-led team to oversee N. Korea nuclear disablement
Wed 2007-10-03
  3 die in explosion at Hamas HQ
Tue 2007-10-02
  Bhutto may allow US military strike
Mon 2007-10-01
  Hamas renews call for cease-fire with Israel
Sun 2007-09-30
  Indian troops corner rebels in Kashmir mosque
Sat 2007-09-29
  Court Lets Perv Run for President
Fri 2007-09-28
  AQI #3 Abu Usama al Tunisi bites the dust
Thu 2007-09-27
  Over 100 Taliban killed in Afghanistan
Wed 2007-09-26
  NWFP govt calls for army's help
Tue 2007-09-25
  Hezbollah, Allies Scuttle Leb Presidential Vote


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