A U.S. destroyer has entered Somali territorial waters in pursuit of a Japanese-owned ship loaded with benzene that was hijacked by pirates over the weekend, military officials said Monday. Ever since the destroyer was spotted by the pirates the tanker has been leaving a trail of pirate $hit in its wake making it that much easier to follow.
The guided-missile destroyer USS Arleigh Burke entered Somali waters with the permission of the troubled transitional government in Mogadishu, U.S. officials said. In recent years, warships have stayed outside the 12-mile limit when chasing pirates. Err, captain, things aren't going according to plan . . . .
The ongoing operation was confirmed to CNN by two military officials familiar with the details.
Gunmen aboard two skiffs hijacked the Panamanian-flagged Golden Mori off the Socotra archipelago, near the Horn of Africa, said Andrew Mwangura, a spokesman for Kenya's Seafarers' Assistance Programme. The Golden Mori radioed for help Sunday night. The Burke's sister ship, the USS Porter, opened fire and sank the pirate skiffs tied to its stern before the Burke took over shadowing the hijacked vessel. Hee hee! Didn't expect that either, didya?
Gee, they gots nowhere to go, eh ...
When the shots were fired, it was not known the ship was filled with highly flammable benzene. U.S. military officials indicate there is a great deal of concern about the cargo because it is so sensitive. The pirates are either supra-geniuses or stoopid. I'll bet the US Navy figures out how to prove they're stoopid.
Benzene, which U.S. authorities have declared a known human carcinogen, is used as a solvent and to make plastics and synthetic fabrics.
U.S. and NATO warships have been patrolling off the Horn of Africa for several years in an effort to crack down on piracy off Somalia, where a U.N.-backed transitional government is struggling to restore order after 15 years of near-anarchy. In June, the destroyer USS Carter Hall fired warning shots in an attempt to stop a hijacked Danish cargo ship off Somalia, but the American vessel had to turn away when the pirated ship entered Somali waters.
Next time don't turn away.
In May, a U.S. Navy advisory warned merchant ships to stay at least 200 miles off the Somali coast. But the U.S. Maritime Administration said pirates sometimes issue false distress calls to lure ships closer to shore. That's how you stop piracy? Who knew.
The pirates are often armed with automatic rifles and shoulder-fired rockets, according to a recent warning from the agency. "To date, vessels that increase speed and take evasive maneuvers avoid boarding, while those that slow down are boarded, taken to the Somali coastline and released after successful ransom payment, often after protracted negotiations of as much as 11 weeks," it advised.
The agency issued a new warning to sailors in the Gulf of Aden, between Somalia and Yemen, after Sunday's hijacking was reported. "Stay clear. Benzene is flammable."
#1
Don't we own the Somali government now, since we hired the Ethiops to kick out the Islamic Courts government? I should think they would give us a pirate-hunting license.
#5
Like the situation on the Afghan-Pak border, this will end when you go into the coastal villages these ass-hats operate out of and leave nothing but chard wreckage. This part time business to supplement their income will drop like an anchor strapped to their ankles.
#6
Benzene is some really nasty stuff. Very toxic and highly flammable. It will cause cancer in anyone exposed at high levels for even a short time if it doesn't killyou outright at the time of exposure. Theese guys gotta be stoopid.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
10/30/2007 9:53 Comments ||
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#7
Bad news Mamoud, our lunch was in the skiff, and all they have on board are ham sandwiches.
#8
Lol Procopius2k your spelly made a fun mental image for me! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chard is type of spinach. Is leaving leafy greenery all over coastal villages is a new tactic?
#11
Shoulda waited until the pirates took to their boats, then sunk them.(Not complaining mind you, more a suggestion)
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
10/30/2007 12:05 Comments ||
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#12
Its over. The crew are Norks and too back the ship and are sailing for Mog's harbour. Benzene for the Mog's? I think I would have rather had it blown up by the Burke.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
10/30/2007 12:23 Comments ||
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#13
I believe that gasoline is refered to in Yurp as benzene. Not necessarily carcinogenic. Certainly flammable.
#14
Treat benzine with a catalyst, high-pressure steam, and nitric acid and you get nitrazine, a really NASTY explosive. Of course I doubt any place in Somalia could come up with the catalyst or the high-pressure steam, plus the other complicated steps for the conversion.
I'd check that ship thoroughly for Scuds, nukes, and grass clippings...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/30/2007 13:16 Comments ||
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#15
Glolurong Jones1696 might be on to something. In any case, I suspect the pi-rats were likely after "ship's stores" and personal items, similar to the piracy around SE Asia.
The crew of a North Korean cargo vessel, Dai Hong Dan, regained control of their vessel Oct. 30, after fighting with the pirates who had taken over their ship Oct. 29.
NKors versus Somali pirates. There's a tough one to sort out. Who to cheer for, who to cheer for ...
The crew was able to control the steering and engineering spaces of the ship, while the pirates had seized the bridge. The ship is approximately 60 nm northeast of Mogadishu.
Three corpsmen from USS James E. Williams (DDG 95), an Arleigh-Burke-class destroyer operating as part of the maritime coalition, along with a boarding team, provided medical assistance and other support as needed to the crew of the Korean vessel. Three seriously injured crew members have been transferred to Williams for treatment. Initial reports from the crew are that five pirates were captured and two are dead. The pirates remain aboard the Dai Hong Dan.
The Combined Maritime Forces Headquarters, based in Bahrain, received a call from the International Maritime Bureau, located in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, Tuesday morning, providing the current status of the Dai Hong Dan. At that time, Williams was about 50 nm from the vessel and sent a helicopter to investigate the situation. Williams arrived in the vicinity of the Korean ship midday local time and contacted the pirates via bridge-to-bridge radio, ordering them to give up their weapons.
At that point, the Korean crew confronted the pirates and regained control of the ship, and then began communicating with Williams, requesting medical assistance. The crew said the pirates had been in control of the bridge, but the crew had retained control of the steering and engineering spaces.
#10
provided medical assistance and other support as needed to the crew of the Korean vessel.
Anybody else think our Navy decided to have a little gunfight on the request of the Norks? I can't imagine who won that...
Posted by: Charles ||
10/30/2007 20:42 Comments ||
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#11
REDDIT > DECLINE IN PIRACY LEAD TO GLOBAL WARMING, aka BULLWINKLE > US NAVY THREATENS TO GO BACK TO COAL-AND-SAIL; ergo NOSI.org's > AIR FORCE: THE US NAVY WANTS SEVEN [new] CARRIERS.
TAMPA - A University of South Florida student charged with transporting explosives will not be released on bail, a federal judge ruled Thursday. In ruling that Youssef Megahed poses a flight risk and a danger to the community, Judge Steven D. Merryday overturned a Sept. 14 ruling by federal Magistrate Elizabeth Jenkins, who said the defendant could be released on $200,000 bail under strict conditions.
Merryday wrote in a 25-page ruling that no conditions would stop Megahed if he "wants to blow something up or cause a disturbance. ... I am unwilling at the prospective cost of property damage, injury or death to assume he will not do so."
My gawd, common sense from the bench. How long before the leftie lawyer groups take aim?
Megahed's attorney, public defender Adam Allen, said, "We respect the court's ruling but are disappointed. We are going to review our options, including the possibility of an appeal."
Megahed, 21, was arrested Aug. 4 in South Carolina along with fellow USF student Ahmed Mohamed, 26, after deputies found explosives in the trunk of the car in which the two men were riding, authorities said. Mohamed was driving the care, which was registered to Megahed's brother.
Mohamed has waived his right to a bail hearing. Both defendants are Egyptian nationals. Megahed is a legal, permanent U.S. resident, and Mohamed has a student visa.
So the flight risk is about 99%.
Both are charged with illegally transporting explosives. Mohamed also is charged with trying to help terrorists by teaching or demonstrating the use of explosives. Authorities say Mohamed posted a video to the Web site YouTube in which he showed how to use a remote-controlled toy to detonate a bomb.
"The evidence fails to establish or even suggest any innocent or wholesome explanation for the events that led to Megahed's arrest," Merryday wrote. "Guns, explosives, fuses, canisters of gasoline, ammunition, welding equipment, GPS devices, all-night interstate drives to an unstated and indeterminate destination, stops to check gun prices and availability, and computers with a recent history of visits to sites that feature the advocates and the means of violence are not attributes that a disinterested but cautious observer associates with a safe and tranquil citizen of the community," the judge said.
"Rather, a person about whom these attributes are discovered is a person whose means, motive and degree of determination are unknown and unpredictable and who is highly suspicious and threatening."
More common sense!
Merryday also concluded Megahed does not have strong ties to the community. Noting the defendant moved to the United States about 10 years ago and to Tampa four years ago, the judge listed Megahed's different residences and the fact that he and his family live in a rental home. "Only since 2007 has Megahed begun employment, first (and only briefly) at an automobile dealership and afterward at a mental health service as a $10-per-hour 'technician.' ''
So how did he survive for nine years in the US? Who's got the bankroll?
The judge said Megahed has a $3,000 balance in his checking account, but his parents do not require him to contribute to household expenses. "Neither Megahed's father nor his mother works outside the home, but the family enjoys substantial business ties and interests in Egypt."
So why does he get a public defender?
Merryday said he gave little or no weight in making his decision to a video the prosecution offered of Megahed's brother, Yahia, making faces and gestures when he had gone to visit his brother in jail. The defense said Yahia Megahed was aping for a camera while he waited for his brother, who was in his cell and unable to view him at the time.
We'll make faces at him, too, when he finally comes to the dock for whatever scheme he's planning now, and you know he is.
The judge also said he didn't consider the fact that investigators found a remote-controlled toy boat in the Megahed home. "I find none of these matters compelling or deserving of weight in considering Megahed's detention (although the Falkenburg video is mightily peculiar and the remote control toy is a provocative coincidence)," the judge wrote.
#3
The Egyptian government is paying for at least one guys lawyer. The same lawyer that got Debra LeFavre no time in the slammer for having sex with one of her students.
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (AP) -- A suicide attacker set off a bomb at a checkpoint a quarter-mile from the military headquarters where President Gen. Pervez Musharraf was staying Tuesday, killing seven people, police said. The man walked up to the checkpoint in the city of Rawalpindi a quarter-mile from Army House. Musharraf was safely inside at the time, his spokesman Rashid Qureshi said.
Police said three of their officers and four civilians were killed along with the lone assailant. Fourteen policemen and four civilians were wounded, he said. "When police officers asked him to halt, the attacker got panicked. And as the police tried to capture him, he blew himself up," city police chief Saud Aziz told The Associated Press. "Our officers died to protect the citizens of Pakistan."
The attack left the area around the checkpoint, which guards a road leading to Army House and the residences of several top generals, strewn with flesh and torn clothing. An Associated Press photographer saw emergency workers remove the body of an elderly man killed as he was riding by on a bicycle.
Police said women and children aboard a passing minibus were also among the dead and wounded. Television footage showed schoolbags abandoned on the seats of the vehicle, whose windows were blown out.
Investigators cordoned off the area to retrieve evidence. A policeman climbed an overhanging tree to dislodge part of the bomber's severed head. ewwwwww
Fortified army posts at the checkpoint and the nearby gate to the residence of Gen. Tariq Majid, the army's No. 3 commander, were scarred with shrapnel and spattered with blood.
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/30/2007 09:01 ||
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#1
"Investigators cordoned off the area to retrieve evidence.A policeman climbed an overhanging tree to dislodge part of the bomber's severed head."
Bannu police have arrested three foreigners under the Foreign Act for illegally staying in Pakistan, Bannu DPO Dar Ali Khattak said on Monday. Two foreigners belong to Azerbaijan, while the nationality of the third is being investigated, Khattak told APP by phone. However, an official of Bannu Town police station, in whose jurisdiction the foreigners were held, said the third foreigner belonged to Turkey.
The three men were identified as Ismail from Turkey and Alwail Abbass and Mir Ahad Oglo from Azerbaijan, police added. Khattak said the foreigners were intercepted near Township Gate on Bannu-Kohat Road when they were coming from Peshawar to Bannu. They were produced in the court of Civil Judge Malik Hussain, who sent them on judicial remand to jail, according to town police. Travelling tickets, books, refugees cards, etc were recovered from their possession, police said, adding that no arms or narcotics were found in their custody.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/30/2007 00:00 ||
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Pro-Taliban militants and security forces agreed a temporary ceasefire in Swat district on Monday after four days of clashes in which up to 60 militants have been killed. There is a temporary (truce) arrangement, NWFP Inspector General Police Sharif Virk told Daily Times on Monday. Both sides were holding fire and no clashes were reported in the district. District Coordination Officer Arshad Majid told AFP that the ceasefire came into effect at 8:00am.
FM radio announcement: A deputy to cleric Maulana Fazlullah announced the ceasefire on his unlicensed FM radio station. The ceasefire was reached to facilitate wounded persons treatment, Maulana Shah Dauran said. He did not say how long the ceasefire would last. Later on we will hold negotiations with the government on establishing Sharia in the region, he said.
Sources said militant leaders approached Federal Minister Amir Muqqam to suggest a temporary ceasefire. I have told these people that unless they lay down their arms the government cannot discuss peace with them, the minister told Daily Times. Officials and sources close to militants said the truce was reached to allow both sides to gather their dead. Despite the truce, helicopters flew over areas controlled by the militants for surveillance, security sources told Daily Times. We flew the copters to monitor their movement, they said.
Casualties: NWFP Home Secretary Badshah Gul Wazir told AFP there were reports around 60 miscreants were killed in three days of fighting. The toll could be higher.
He told AP that a total of 20 security forces and civilians were killed since Friday. Another eight troops and four police were missing, he said. Movement in the area is still restricted and we are still gathering details to confirm the exact number of casualties among miscreants, he said.
Dauran, Fazlullahs deputy, said five people, including three militants, a woman and a child, were killed during the clashes. They targeted innocent people, he said.
Army spokesman Major-General Waheed Arshad also said up to 60 militants had been killed. He had no reports of casualties among security forces, although residents saw at least nine dead paramilitaries. Sirajuddin, a spokesman for Fazlullah, said they had killed 30 troops near Charbagh and would hand over the bodies only after the army releases an unspecified number of prisoners.
Civilians flee: Residents of Imam Dheri, where Fazlullahs headquarters are located, Barbanda, Manglor and adjoining villages used the lull in fighting to move to safe places, witnesses said. Residents of Kot Manglor told AP that paramilitary troops had asked them to leave the village.
Ali Rahman, a local police official, told AP that about 600 people fled the conflict zone on Monday, many crammed into buses and others on foot. Television footage showed villagers wading across a river and struggling across fields clutching bags of possessions. Wazir told APP he had issued directives to the Swat district administration to make accommodation arrangements in Mingora for people displaced due to the fighting. Around 200 residents of Manglor also held a rally in support of peace, calling on both the Taliban and the government to settle their differences through negotiations.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/30/2007 00:00 ||
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[4 views]
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Pakistani troops have killed between 50-60 Islamist militants during fierce fighting in the restive northwestern Swat valley, the army says. "The reports which I have from the police and Frontier Corps people who were doing this law enforcement action was about 50-60 militants died yesterday," Army spokesman Major-General Waheed Arshad said.
Swat, a scenic valley close to Pakistan's lawless tribal belt bordering Afghanistan, has seen a surge in militant activity since Maulana Fazlullah, a pro-Taliban cleric, reportedly launched an illegal FM radio station and urged a jihad, or Muslim holy war.
This article starring:
Major-General Waheed Arshad
Maulana Fazlullah
Posted by: Fred ||
10/30/2007 00:00 ||
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[2 views]
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#1
Frontier Corps reports firing 50-60 bullets instead of surrendering immediately, so the assumption must be that they killed 50-60 militants.
#2
or someone finally tought one of these4 idiots how too aim. you would think after all the years of fighting the russians indians and anyone else around that they would learn ! too aim @ quit shooting straight up in the air they have too come down sometime
#3
Or the militants' own bullets came straight down again. Or 50-60 of the thousands of randomly fired bullets shot off by both sides actually hit some of the bad guys. Or it's really ten, because the person responsible for counting isn't terribly good at it, or someone has an ego need to match NATO numbers in Afghanistan. I've no idea how one would tell from this distance.
Iraqi police in Anbar province scored a victory against al Qaeda in Iraq's leadership in Anbar province on Monday. Iraqi police killed Abu Tiba al Karbuli and two aides and captured another during an engagement north of Ramadi.
"A police patrol came under fire from two civilian cars carrying al-Qaeda members," said Colonel Salan al Gi'ud, a senior police official in Anbar province. Police returned fire, and killed al Karbuli and two aides. Abu Hamza al Iraqi, another aide, was captured and is said to be providing intelligence information on al Qaeda's operations in western Iraq.
Like he majority of al Qaeda's leadership in Iraq, al Karbuli was foreign borne. Although Karbuli is the name of a major Iraqi tribe, he is actually from Afghanistan.
Al Qaeda in Iraq has suffered a major setback in Anbar province. The rise of the Anbar Awakening and the integration the tribes and former insurgent groups into the security forces has deprived al Qaeda in Iraq of its former safe haven.
The Awakening weathered a winter and spring of fierce fighting and deadly chemical suicide attacks from Al Qaeda. The terror group's last major attack in Anbar was defeated by US and Iraqi forces at Donkey Island just south of Ramadi. Al Qaeda was able to assassinate Sheikh Sattar Abu Rishawi at the onset of Ramadan, but the Awakening held its ground.
Iraqi and Coalition forces continue to target al Qaeda's leadership throughout Iraq. Today's raids against al Qaeda's network resulted in four al Qaeda operatives killed and 17 captured.
Posted by: Glenmore ||
10/30/2007 12:59 ||
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[2 views]
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#4
Abu Hamza al Iraqi, another aide, was captured and is said to be providing intelligence information on al Qaeda's operations in western Iraq.
"Attention all Iraqi police and military personnel. Report to your unit of assignment immediately. A large number of brown trails need t be followed. All leaves and furloughs are hereby cancelled. Report immediately."
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/30/2007 15:10 Comments ||
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BAGHDAD (AFP) - Iraqi troops on Monday rescued eight of 11 kidnapped tribal leaders after a gunbattle with their captors, defence ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Askari told AFP. "We have rescued eight of the hostages and are working to free the others. We killed four of the kidnappers," Askari said.
Excellent! Iraqi army once again steps up.
The 11 tribal leaders from the restive province of Diyala were kidnapped on Sunday from northern Baghdad's Al-Shaab neighbourhood after a meeting with a top official from Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's office.
The US military earlier on Monday accused Arkan Hasnawi, a former Shiite militant from radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia, of kidnapping the group of Shiite and Sunni leaders. It was not immediately known whether Hasnawi was among those killed in the military operation to rescue the hostages.
Pray for sepsis ...
The US military said Hasnawi was a rogue Shiite militant who had broken away from the main Mahdi Army militia. "Arkan Hasnawi's actions clearly demonstrate he has chosen to dishonour Moqtada al-Sadr's ceasefire order and that he has joined forces with Iranian-supported special groups that are rejecting" the order, the military said. "Arkan Hasnawi and his gang of criminals continue to intimidate and terrorise innocent Iraqi citizens, taking actions that mirror the tactics used by Al-Qaeda in Iraq."
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/30/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
The US military said Hasnawi was a rogue Shiite militant who had broken away from the main Mahdi Army militia. "Arkan Hasnawi's actions clearly demonstrate he has chosen to dishonour Moqtada al-Sadr's ceasefire order and that he has joined forces with Iranian-supported special groups that are rejecting" the order
A few things here. One, MNF-I is naming names, something they really haven't done in the past with Shi'ites. Tantamount to painting a target on the clown's family and tribe.
Two, it's a backhanded compliment to Sadr; propping up the facade of him as a leader while reminding the Shi'ites that he's incompetent, and suggesting that he's an Iranian tool.
Three, it's a prelude to forcing the Shi'ites to make a decision as to whether they're going to back Baghdad or Qom.
Gaza smackdown forthcoming....*ad nauseum rant*: Turn off the f*cking water and power, dammit!
Hamas will move from the state of self defense to that of attacks against Israel, a Hamas political leader said on Tuesday, adding that he was told so by a senior military commander.
"A few days ago, I have met Hamas' military wing chief, Mohammed al-Def, and he told me we will start attacking Israel instead of just defending ourselves," Hamas political leader Ahmed Nimr told Hamas supporters during a rally in southern Gaza Strip. "The al-Qassam Brigades are ready now and wait the orders from the political levels to strike inside the heart of Israel, the occupation entity, if they did not stop the killings and operations in Gaza Strip," Nimr added, quoting al-Def, according to Ynet.
Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Tuesday warned of an impending military operation in the Gaza Strip against Hamas and rocket infrastructure. "Every day that passes brings us closer to a broad operation in Gaza," Barak told reporters in northern Israel, according to AFP.
"We are not happy about it and we would be happy if circumstances would prevent it, but the day is definitely nearing," he said.
On Tuesday evening, Palestinians fired a barrage of some 10 mortars that landed south of the coastal town of Ashkelon, causing no casualties or damage. HT to Sondra K
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/30/2007 18:38 ||
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#1
Can you just feel the "mutual" peace!? HAARETZ > ISRAEL'S TACTICAL HAND OVER HAMAS IN GAZA IS DIMINISHING. IDF is a relatively small force/organz wid enormous responsibilities - must weigh ever increasing potential for IDF-specific indiscriminant fire, wid sub-risk for further escalation; versus deterrent=gross effect(s) on Israel's political leadership [and by extens Israeli society and national prestige/credibility].
#2
Hamas is posturing right now. Big talk. They want to wear down Israel into some accommodations or concessions.
This behavior is the natural result of appeasement by Israel. Hamas is goading Israel into a big smackdown of Paleos, which will result in a propaganda victory of sorts for Hamas.
I would tell Condi to get Hamas to talk nice and then give them $400 million. That should give everyone a warm, fuzzy feeling. Heh.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/30/2007 19:33 Comments ||
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#3
Well, you choose your destiny, Hamas. You were, afterall "democratically" elected.
So this should be a lesson to the entire world that your actions have consequence.
Pity you did not wait for the "peace conference" to make such a determined statement. Was that hooplah to get you better public opinion, or were you just born yesterday?
I can tell you this just I would have at great personal pain. GOD the Almighty loves the Jews. That is how it is, and that is probably how it always will be.
#6
Not just HAMAS but the Hezzies = Hizzies = Huzzies as well. ION, REDDIT > RENSE > AIR FORCE: ISRAEL HAS OVER 400 ATOMIC AND HYDROGEN BOMBS. Zionist Israel can hit every Euro capital and city, + is the true nuclear threat to Europe??? Also, HERALD[UK] > SECRET [US]UPGRADE OF AIR BASE FOR IRAN ATTACK PLANS. Diego Garcia and B-2's for Iran. RENSE - JAPAN REFUSING TO REFUEL US WARSHIPS.
#8
I think the palestinians are bored with thier lives, instead of cow tipping they fire homemade rockets at Israel. Maybe we need to import some cows to Gaza for a diverson.
Suspected Islamic terrorists rebels shot dead five people in separate attacks in Thailand's restive south, as the country's new army chief began a two-day visit to the troubled region.
A Muslim couple in their 20s was gunned down by terrorists militants in their house in Yala, one of three violence-plagued provinces bordering Malaysia, police said. In nearby Pattani province, a 35 year-old Muslim religious teacher was killed in a drive-by shooting, while two Muslim workers were shot dead in neighboring Narathiwat province. Police added a 32-year-old Buddhist woman and her teenage daughter were wounded in a drive-by shooting on Tuesday in Yala.
General Anupong Paojinda, who became army chief on October 1, began a two-day visit to the violence-torn region on Tuesday and is scheduled to hold talks with army commanders, police and local officials, the army said.
#1
i obviously dont ahve any of the facts, but this sounds more like reprisals by the non-muslim on the islamic poplulation for the previous violence than a new round of islamic terror.
just my $.02
Posted by: Abu do you love ||
10/30/2007 16:05 Comments ||
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#2
From my extremely limited and poorly informed understanding, I believe that the general consensus is that the Islamists are killing many of the Muslims who are dying. Some because they are suspected of cooperating with the authorities or have voiced opinions against the Islamists and sometimes they will kill random people just to make sure no one in the area feels safe.
However, much of the security seems to be provided by private groups, and there are all sorts of rumors about vigilantes and even secret government death squads. These rumors are encouraged by the Islamists, naturally, so it's quite difficult to get any good idea of exactly who is doing what to whom.
It doesn't help that press coverage is generally sporadic and confused. Many times I will see a report of an incident in one of the major Thai newspapers that never gets covered by any of the others. And, sometimes, the story will be from a wire service and none of the Thai papers reports it. With so much real investigating to be done in the world, it's sad to see how things are "covered" in the MSM.
Security forces in oil-rich Azerbaijan prevented a planned terrorist attack on the U.S. embassy in the capital Baku by fundamentalist Islamic militants, officials said.
An Azerbaijani terrorist group aimed to attack government buildings and the U.S. Embassy in Baku, National Security Ministry spokesman Arif Babayev said in a telephone interview today.
Law enforcement officers killed one of suspected militants when he resisted arrest and detained others during an early morning operation outside the capital on Oct. 27, Babayev said.
The United States and the U.K. today closed their embassies in Baku in response to ``security concerns.'' The mainly Muslim Caspian Sea nation has sought closer ties with the U.S., helping complete a U.S.-supported oil pipeline from the Caspian to Turkey and sending troops to support military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The militants included an army officer who deserted from his unit a few days ago, taking a store of automatic weapons and grenades with him, the security official said. Authorities are searching for the officer, Babayev added. He provided no further details about the group.
U.S. officials in Baku late yesterday sent a statement to Americans living there to be on guard and to bolster their personal security.
While there is no information at this time that other American or Western interests in Azerbaijan are being targeted, the U.S. Embassy encourages Americans to maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to bolster their own personal security,'' the message said.
In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the embassy had scaled back operations while it works with Azerbaijani authorities on ``threat information'' it received. He gave no specifics of the threat.
I think we're in a good posture now,'' McCormack told reporters. I would expect that they will resume normal operations in the days to come.''
U.S. Embassy spokesman Jonathan Henick said by telephone from Baku that only a few of the 400 U.S. and local staff at the embassy were working today.
A British Foreign Office spokeswoman said by telephone from London that, owing to ``local security concerns,'' the U.K. closed its embassy in Baku to the public. The spokeswoman declined to be identified in line with Foreign Office rules.
#1
Do you know what a Wahini is? It's what you put on a buh-hun with muh-hustard.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
10/30/2007 18:59 Comments ||
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#2
when my kid sister learned to play the piano - one of her practice pieces was the "Hukilau Song". If I ever hear that again, someone's gonna get hurt.
if you've ever heard the same badly-performed song 30-40 times a day, you'll understand
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/30/2007 19:03 Comments ||
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Project Valour-IT, in memory of SFC William V. Ziegenfuss (Captain Chuck Ziegenfuss' father), provides voice-controlled software and laptop computers to wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines recovering from hand and arm injuries or amputations at major military medical centers. Operating laptops by speaking into a microphone, our wounded heroes are able to send and receive messages from friends and loved ones, surf the 'Net, and communicate with buddies still in the field without having to press a key or move a mouse.
Link takes you to Blackfive's donation page; he's on the Army team. There are other teams as well around the blogosphere. Reach into yer wallets, citizens, and donate. I did.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/30/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
All you USAF vets - go to www.mudvillegazette.com Greyhawk is sponsoring a USAF link to Valour IT but I have to tell you when I used it Valour IT gave me someone elses receipt for more than I contributed.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
10/30/2007 12:21 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
A U.S. destroyer has entered Somali territorial waters in pursuit of a Japanese-owned ship loaded with benzene that was hijacked by pirates over the weekend, military officials said Monday.
The crew of a North Korean cargo vessel, Dai Hong Dan, regained control of their vessel Oct. 30, after fighting with the pirates who had taken over their ship Oct. 29.
TAMPA - A University of South Florida student charged with transporting explosives will not be released on bail, a federal judge ruled Thursday. In ruling that 
Pakistani troops have killed between 50-60 Islamist militants during fierce fighting in the restive northwestern Swat valley, the army says. "The reports which I have from the police and Frontier Corps people who were doing this law enforcement action was about 50-60 militants died yesterday," Army spokesman 
By Bill Roggio October 30, 2007 9:11 AM 
BAGHDAD (AFP) - Iraqi troops on Monday rescued eight of 11 kidnapped tribal leaders after a gunbattle with their captors, defence ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Askari told AFP. "We have rescued eight of the hostages and are working to free the others. We killed four of the kidnappers," Askari said.
