Houthi fighters say Saudi Arabia fired scores of missiles on Yemeni villages during over a dozen overnight airstrikes.
More than 145 missiles have been shot at Yemini towns in over 15 separate attacks on areas near the border with Saudi Arabia, the Shia movement said on Thursday.
Saudi forces have been carrying out attacks on Yemen's Houthis since early November.
The Saudi Defense Ministry has said it will keep up its air strikes until the Houthis retreat from the border between the two countries.
Riyadh has also imposed a naval blockade on northern Yemen's Red Sea coast, saying the siege is to stop weapons from reaching the anti-government fighters.
The Houthis took arms against the Sana'a rule in 2004 in protest at the Sunni-dominated government's repression and discrimination against the Shia minority in Yemen.
The fighters have repeatedly accused Saudi Arabia of collaborating with the Yemeni government in its military crackdown on the opposition movement based in the north of the improvised Arab country.
The United States has also joined the conflict by signing a military agreement under which it will provide Sana'a forces with intelligence and training to quell the Houthis.
Houthis accuse the Yemeni government of employing al-Qaeda mercenaries and terrorists to help the army with its ongoing offensive against the Shia fighters.
The Operation Scorched Earth which began in August is believed to have forced over 55,000 Yemenis to leave their houses.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/13/2009 00:00 ||
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The United States has also joined the conflict by signing a military agreement under which it will provide Sana'a forces with intelligence and training to quell the Houthis.
Hmm, I wonder which side Nidal Malik Hasan is on in this conflict?
#3
Lets see here now. In collaboration with a western super power a government is supposedly repressing a Muslim minority. There are missiles fired on villages. In addition, there is a naval blockadeÂ…or dare we sayÂ…a siege. Paging Mr. GoldstoneÂ… Paging Mr. Goldstone! WhatÂ’s that you sayÂ…the government is actually an Islamic Theocracy? Never mindÂ…sorry to interrupt your lunch Mr. Goldstone.
#4
I think a better word than "Theocracy" would be "Hypocracy" they aren't religious by any god's standards I know of.
However another Deity, Satan, qualifies in all respects.
Alert the Vatican, time for the Christian Knights to be reformed and ride once again.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
11/13/2009 11:59 Comments ||
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#5
The United States has also joined the conflict by signing a military agreement
US says no military cooperation deal with Yemen The Pentagon said on Friday the United States had not signed a military cooperation deal with Yemen, refuting a report from Sanaa's official news agency. "There were no agreements signed," spokesman Bryan Whitman told AFP.
But US military officers had recently held two days of talks with their Yemeni counterparts, he said. On October 4, the commander of the Joint Special Operations Command, Vice Admiral William McRaven, met Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to discuss cooperation against Al-Qaeda, the US embassy in Yemen said.
Posted by: ed ||
11/13/2009 12:54 Comments ||
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#6
Alert the Vatican, time for the Christian Knights to be reformed and ride once again.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Italy's top security official said Friday that authorities have smashed an international terror cell with the arrest in Italy and elsewhere in Europe of 17 Algerians who were raising money to finance terrorism.
Interior Minister Roberto Maroni, speaking to reporters in Rome, called the terror cell "significant."
"An Algerian terror cell that gathered money for terrorist activities outside of Europe has been dismantled," Maroni said.
"We have proceeded with the arrest of six people in Italy and 17 in total," Maroni said.
Italian police said a judge in Milan has issued a total of 17 arrest warrants for suspects in Algeria, Austria, Britain, France, Italy, Switzerland, and Spain but could not confirm whether all the suspects outside Italy had been apprehended.
At least one of the accused featured on a United Nations anti-terrorism blacklist, police said.
The investigation, started in 2007, showed the ring had a turnover of one million euros ($1.50 million) over three years and had counterfeited identity documents of Algerian professional footballers playing in Europe.
Italian authorities have periodically launched round-ups of North Africans accused of links to terrorist groups but so far the Mediterranean country has avoided any major attacks.
Last month, a 35-year-old Libyan man tried unsuccessfully to bomb a Milan army barracks, losing an arm and both eyes and slightly wounding an Italian army corporal who prevented him from approaching the building.
The man, who wanted Italian to pull out of Afghanistan, had accomplices and belonged to a group that had more explosives ready, police said.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/13/2009 00:00 ||
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From the Sonoma County news post; I put the non-medical information into the post and edited heavily to make it readable, something the MSM reporter didn't do.
President Barack Obama has ordered a review to determine if warning signs were mishandled of contact between Hasan and a radical Islamic cleric who encouraged Muslims to kill U.S. troops in Iraq.
Obama said he wanted all intelligence related to Hasan preserved and reviewed to determine whether it was properly shared and acted upon within the government. The first results are due Nov. 30. John Brennan, assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism, will oversee the review.
A joint terrorism task force overseen by the FBI learned late last year of Hasan's repeated contact with the cleric. The FBI said the task force did not refer early information about Hasan to superiors because it concluded he wasn't linked to terrorism.
Members of Congress also are pressing for a full investigation into why Hasan was not detected and stopped. A Senate hearing on Hasan is scheduled for next week.
Rep. Peter Hoekstra, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, and others have called for a full examination of what agencies knew about Hasan's contacts with a radical imam and others of concern to the U.S., and what they did with the information. Hoekstra confirmed this week that the U.S. government knew of about 10 to 20 e-mails between Hasan and a radical imam, beginning in December 2008.
Months before the shootings, doctors and staff overseeing Hasan's training reported viewing him at times as defensive and argumentative in his frequent discussions of his faith, according to a military official familiar with several group discussions about Hasan. Hasan was characterized as a mediocre student and lazy worker, which concerned the doctors and staff at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, a military medical school in Bethesda, Md., the official said.
Not everyone who graduates from medical school is a Rhodes scholar. The person who graduates last is always addressed as, "Doctor." It's unfortunate, and some telling, that Hasan didn't take advantage of the education offered by Virginia Tech and the Uniformed Health Sciences medical school.
Even outside the military, Hasan's behavior drew attention. Golam Akhter, a civil engineer from Bethesda, Md., said Thursday that he had spoken with Hasan about 10 times at the Muslim Community Center in Silver Spring before Hasan left for Texas last summer.
"He used to not believe that 9/11 was solely the work of Middle East people," Akhter said. "His main thing was, 'America is killing Muslims in the Middle East.' That made him very, very upset."
Akhter said he sensed that Hasan was "a troubled man" and feels guilty for not alerting others. "I tried to convince him to try to be a moderate Muslim," Akhter said.
I would like to believe that Mr. Akhter is a moderate Muslim. I would have liked to have had the reporter ask Mr. Akhter what he thinks a moderate Muslim is.
Hasan repeatedly referred to his strong religious views in discussions with classmates at Walter Reed, his superiors and even in his research work, the military official said. His behavior, while at times perceived as intense and combative, was not unlike the zeal of others with strong religious views.
But some doctors and staff were concerned that their unfamiliarity with the Muslim faith would lead them to unfairly single out Hasan's behavior, the official said. Some questioned Hasan's sympathies as an Army psychiatrist, whether he would be more aligned with Muslims fighting U.S. troops. There also was some concern about whether he should continue to serve in the military, the official said.
But they saw no signs of mental problems,
... other than the ones staring them in the face ...
no risk factors that would predict violent behavior. And the group discussed other factors that suggested Hasan would continue to thrive in the military, factors that mitigated their concerns, the official said.
Such as?
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday he was appalled at news leaks about the investigation into last week's deadly shootings at Fort Hood. "Frankly if I found out with high confidence anybody who's leaking on the Department of Defense, who that was, that would probably be a career-ender," he told reporters traveling with him to Oshkosh, Wis. "Everybody ought to shut up."
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/13/2009 11:23 ||
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Ever see a cat franticly scratching a Tile floor trying to bury it's poop?
Watch here and you'll see it again.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
11/13/2009 11:52 Comments ||
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#2
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday he was appalled at news leaks about the investigation into last week's deadly shootings at Fort Hood. "Frankly if I found out with high confidence anybody who's leaking on the Department of Defense, who that was, that would probably be a career-ender," he told reporters traveling with him to Oshkosh, Wis. "Everybody ought to shut up."
The "news leaks" are taking place because people within the community are mad as HELL and reporting the TRUTH! Have any of the "leaks" been found to be FALSE? No you say?
"Shut up" about what? The damage is already done. There are 13 soldiers and civilians dead along with one unborn, and 42 more wounded. Lets have a look at who knew what and when they knew it. A little transparency if you will Mr. Secretary. And when the dust settles, heads of the guilty on the rail of the Memorial Bridge please.
#3
What is completely missing from every call for investigation is the following phrase:
"So that the Army can better conduct an informed review of any similar scenarios/individuals that currently exist within the broader Army population."
Rules against "profiling" be damned - this is about an existential conflict between Islam and EVERYTHING ELSE - in which the outcome will ultimately be a battle of annihilation.
I certainly hope that "non-Islam" wins that battle.
#4
Please Please tell me that you guys and gals are not that far from reality Some of You sound just plain stupid and full of That old dying word RACISM.
"THIS GUY IS A DEAD WALKING DEAD MAN"
ANY BETS??????
#5
Right, Dickhead. Cause Maj. Hasan is a "Darkie".
Oops, no he isnt. He could pass for any schmoe walking down a DC or TX street, except for the man dress, pistols, cries of allah ackbar and murderous intent in the service of islam.
Try peddling your Gramscian crap where the rubes eat it up like chocolate pudding. Like at Daily Kos.
Posted by: ed ||
11/13/2009 19:09 Comments ||
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#6
...old dying word RACISM....play4keeps, are you kidding? It used to be the race card your ilk threw down, now it's the race-deck.
#7
Let's deal with it in the perspective that instead of Islam, an officer in Hasan's position had been spouting white supremacist dialogues and attending white supremacist aligned meetings advocating that others where inferior and killing them was justified. Do you really believe for a minute, the dude would have been out of the service a long time ago? Now go lie to yourself, that he wouldn't.
As a Muz he gets a Pass. We are bending over backwards to give them the angle on our butts.
Muz are just misunderstood religious people who are under "stress." Yeah?
They also kill you if you criticize them...so naturally the fairyboy Journalists will mince their words. Euphemisms are the order of the day for PC Liberals. Call it anything but what it IS!
Hasan was a TRAITOR. He also is a MOSLEM traitor.
He actually IS a Moslem traitor who MURDERS unarmed people. We got him alive now. Yeah.
And we get to kill him after a fair trial. We arent going to parole him, or send him to prison for life, we are going to hang his ass. Unless the military can have an old terminal and traditional Firing Squad. Sure we can.
Am I jumping to conclusions calling him a murderous Moslem coward and traitor? Am I being racist? He murdered 13 people who had every right to TRUST him as one of their own. He Tried and failed to kill another score. Lets have a trial and then stretch his neck. Yes we can.
I volunteer to pull the trigger if you dont want to do it yourself. (In a heartbeat.)
Hi, Hasan, got somethin' for 'ya.
The attorney for the Army psychiatrist accused of killing fellow soldiers at Fort Hood says doctors have told the soldier he may be paralyzed from the waist down.
The heart [urp] bleeds ...
Attorney John Galligan told The Associated Press on Friday that Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan told him that he has no feeling in his legs and doctors say the condition may be permanent. Galligan says Hasan also told him he had extreme pain in his hands.
Hasan was shot by police officers responding to last week's shootings at Fort Hood. Galligan spoke with him Thursday in the intensive care unit at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. Hasan was coherent during his first meeting with his defense lawyer in a hospital intensive care unit, the attorney said Friday. Galligan told the CBS "Early Show" that Hasan was alert but began to fade toward the end of their hour-long session Thursday.
Galligan said Hasan's medical condition remains "extremely serious." But he says Hasan was alert enough to know he was speaking with his lawyer.
"He understands who I am. We can talk .... But I was only there for an hour and towards the end of the one-hour session, I could tell I was kind of pushing him in terms of my ability to keep him fresh and alert in a discussion with me," Galligan said.
Hasan has been charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder in the attack at the sprawling Texas post that also left 29 people wounded. Hasan was charged in the hospital without his lawyers present, Galligan said.
"What I find disturbing is that my client is in ICU, and he's 150 miles south of his defense counsel, and he's being served with the charges," he told The Associated Press. "Given his status as a patient, I'm troubled by this procedure and that I'm not there. I'm in the dark, and that shouldn't be the case. I am mad."
Boy howdy that's just a shame. If you're that unhappy we could always unplug your client, throw him on a gurney and toss him in the back of a Hummvee for the ride to the courtroom. Texas has some scenic back roads ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/13/2009 11:17 ||
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"The last time that bear ate a lawyer, he had the runs for thirty-three days." - Judge Roy Bean
#7
Does that make it ok to give the injection through his legs?
Posted by: Keith G ||
11/13/2009 12:24 Comments ||
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#8
Well well well, look like the a-hole woke up in a little bit of hell on earth. Now we just need to make sure he is getting care from a mean spirited and incompetent 72 year old virgin nurses who don't believe in overtreating with pain medicines.
#9
"Think of the money the murdering mooslim bastard will save on lap dances."
-true. Yet I cringe at all the tax $$ wasted on keeping this p.o.s. alive for trial and the eventual media circle jerk this trial will be. Pump him for info then slit his throat.
#10
If Galligan's so pissed off, he could always move to be closer to the poor little flower in his time of need. No one's stopping him from renting a nice little place in San Antonio, are they?
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought you only needed an attorney present when you are being interrogated, unless you waive that right. You need to be told of what the charges are, but there is no requirement to have a lawyer hold your "extremely painful" hands at that time.
#13
How convenient! We've got another p.o.s. up here in the Seattle area who assassinated a cop on Halloween. He was just caught last Friday after a shoot out, and now he's paralyzed as well.
Posted by: Dar ||
11/13/2009 14:28 Comments ||
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#14
Thanks for the link Dar - I was stunned to hear about the murder and hoped they would catch the SOB.
#15
If true this is almost as good as the death penalty, unless some Scottish court releases him to Libya...
Posted by: regular joe ||
11/13/2009 16:18 Comments ||
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They won't feed you three squares in Libya--typically the family must care for the prisoner, making it hell for those without relatives in the area.
WASHINGTON -- Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and four others accused in the attacks will be put on criminal trial in New York, Attorney General Eric Holder is expected to announce later Friday.
Brilliant, Bambi, just brilliant. It's a guaranteed media circus for starters, and it'll likely compromise a big chunk of our intel assets just as the 1993 WTC bombing trial did. All so you can look good to the progressive Left, many of whom would like Khalid's birthday to be a national holiday.
The decision, described by people familiar with the matter, is part of wider announcement planned on how to bring to justice detainees held at the Guantanamo Bay prison. It's the first set of decisions before a Monday deadline on how to deal with the more than 200 prisoners remaining at the facility, which President Barack Obama has ordered closed.
Also expected in the announcement Friday will be plans to hold a military tribunal for Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, alleged to have planned the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole.
President Barack Obama, speaking after a meeting in Tokyo with Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, sought to assure Americans that Mr. Mohammed "will be subject to the most exacting demands of justice." The meeting ended as news was breaking about Mr. Muhammad's trial.
Most exacting for the prosecution, of course, but the defense legal team will have the usual assortment of connivers and sharps. They won't be interested in 'justice' as we know it ...
Mr. Mohammed's trial in New York was widely expected since the Obama administration announced a preference to hold criminal trials, instead of military commissions for terror suspects held at Guantanamo. New York's Manhattan U.S. attorney competed with the district in northern Virginia, home to the Pentagon, to prosecute the 9/11 accused and senior al Qaeda leader. A team of prosecutors from both districts will handle the government's case, people familiar with the matter said.
Formal charges aren't expected to be announced for another few weeks. Mr. Mohammed has claimed authorship of the attacks, but he has also accused U.S. interrogators of torturing him.
Right out of the al-Q playbook, and Alinsky's as well ...
U.S. officials have acknowledged the use of harsh tactics, including water boarding, a technique intended to simulate drowning, which Mr. Obama and other government officials have called torture.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/13/2009 11:13 ||
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this will turn out well. What could possibly go wrong?
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/13/2009 11:40 Comments ||
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#4
Bambi thinks this will embarrass the US but he doesn't realize how much it will embarrass his administration.
President Obama WANTS an aquittal, and he's going to get at least one. The sooner he can look a camera in the eye and say, "We can now close the book on September 11th," the happier he's going to be, for then there will be no justification for the GWOT.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
11/13/2009 14:26 Comments ||
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#5
Also, distraction from lack of decision on Afghanistan.
#6
for 0bama et al, compromising our intel assets is an added bonus.
traitors
Posted by: abu do you love ||
11/13/2009 17:40 Comments ||
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#7
You just know that KSM is going to call Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Colin Powell, and every CIA agent involved in tracking him down and capturing him. If any of them refuse to testify, his lawyer will move for a mistrial or a directed verdict of not guilty.
KSM's lawyer will also require every single piece of intel that was used to capture KSM to be read in open court. Again, if the government demurs, which they have to, his lawyer (probably paid by the Saudis, CAIR and the ACLU) demand his acquittal.
KSM will then walk out a free man, and piss on Ground Zero.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
11/13/2009 17:49 Comments ||
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#8
Please Please tell me that you guys and gals are not that far from reality Some of You sound just plain stupid and full of That old dying word RACISM. "THIS GUY IS DEAD A WALKING DEAD MAN"
ANY BETS??????
#9
Mr. Playswithself, Islam is not a race. Is Christianity a Race? How can being anti-Islam be rascist? Maybe you should check your logic circuits.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
11/13/2009 18:33 Comments ||
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#10
#9 Mr. Playswithself, Islam is not a race. Is Christianity a Race? How can being anti-Islam be rascist? Maybe you should check your logic circuits.
Posted by: Deacon Blues 2009-11-13 18:33
======================================= Slow Down Willing tiger of stupidity.
"LOL" YOU ARE STUPID
The Racism Im speaking of is towards who you cal ZERO (AKA OBAMA)
Anything some people Rantbabies and Fox will say to make this man look like lesser of a president. OPPS DID U FORGET COMMANDER IN CHIF Its like some grunts in the military cannot stand the fact that someone BLACK is Giving them orders believe whatever floats ya boat though ive seen it.
#3 Bambi thinks this will embarrass the US but he doesn't realize how much it will embarrass his administration.
Posted by Skunky Angeack7024 2009-11-13
#4 Bambi thinks this will embarrass the US but he doesn't realize how much it will embarrass his administration.
President Obama WANTS an aquittal, and he's going to get at least one. The sooner he can look a camera in the eye and say, "We can now close the book on September 11th," the happier he's going to be, for then there will be no justification for the GWOT.
Mike
Posted by Mike Kozlowski 2009-11-13 14:26
#5 Also, distraction from lack of decision on Afghanistan.
Posted by g(r)omgoru 2009-11-13 14:50
#6 for 0bama et al, compromising our intel assets is an added bonus.
traitors
Posted by abu do you love 2009-11-13 17:40
#7 You just know that KSM is going to call Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Colin Powell, and every CIA agent involved in tracking him down and capturing him. If any of them refuse to testify, his lawyer will move for a mistrial or a directed verdict of not guilty.
KSM's lawyer will also require every single piece of intel that was used to capture KSM to be read in open court. Again, if the government demurs, which they have to, his lawyer (probably paid by the Saudis, CAIR and the ACLU) demand his acquittal.
KSM will then walk out a free man, and piss on Ground Zero.
Posted by Rambler in Virginia 2009-11-13 17:49
??????????????????Piss on ground Zero???????????????????????
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/13/2009 19:43 Comments ||
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#12
It Never Ends (Sigh)
No, it does not. That kind of behaviour may be acceptable in Spokane, but not here, my dear. Keep it up and you will be banned until Mr. Pruitt himself decides you have learnt to behave like a civilized adult instead of a hysterical thirteen year old.
Until he started shooting in my direction and I realized I was unarmed. Then the female cop comes around the corner. He shoots her. (according to the news accounts she got a round into him. I believe it, I just didn't see it. he didn't go down.) She goes down. He starts reloading. He's fiddling with his mags. Weirdly he hasn't dropped the one that was in his weapon. He's holding the fresh one and the old one (you do that on the range when time is not of the essence but in combat you would just let the old mag go). I see the male cop around the left corner of the building. (I'm about 15-20 meters from the shooter.) I yell at the cop, "He's reloading, he's reloading. Shoot him! Shoot him!) You have to understand, everything was quiet at this point. The cop appears to hear me and comes around the corner and shoots the shooter. He goes down.
Doesn't lessen the fact that this gal did the right thing, of course, and ate a bullet doing her duty saving others. Plus, it's only incidental to the real story (IE Sudden Jihad Syndrom from an "US" muslim).
#3
Well said CF. Professionals and interested civilians (I count myself amongst the latter) read this and see 'conflicting reports from participants involved in deadly combat. Who would have guessed?' Sadly, the MSM will look strangely at anyone who tries to tell them this.
In my experience, it is just too much to ask of journalists that they remember that they are children sitting at the grown-ups table; and this is true of many more subjects than armed combat.
An Austin congressman said Thursday that he has confirmed that Fort Hood massacre suspect Nidal Malik Hasan wired money to Pakistan, which Muslim extremist groups use as a base to raise funds and carry out terrorist attacks.
Rep. Michael McCaul's statement followed a Dallas Morning News report that authorities were looking into whether such wire transfers had occurred. It also came as Army officials announced charges of premeditated murder against Hasan, who could face the death penalty.
"I have confirmed through independent sources that there were communications and wire transfers made to Pakistan," McCaul said in a prepared statement provided by his spokesman. "This Pakistan connection just raises more red flags about this case and demonstrates why it's important for Congress to exercise its oversight authority."
The spokesman, Mike Rosen, said McCaul wouldn't name his sources. The congressman's statement didn't address who Hasan's contacts in Pakistan were, when he communicated with them or how much money he sent. Intelligence Community sources no doubt. The same sources that have been watching Hasan for some time.
McCaul is the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee's intelligence subcommittee. He typically is briefed on classified material but had yet to be formally briefed on the Fort Hood killings.
He "has been actively seeking information from as many credible sources as possible," Rosen said. "It has been more difficult than usual to obtain information from our intelligence community." The damage assessment is not yet completed. We do not have all the facts quite yet congressman.
Asked about McCaul's comments, an FBI spokesman in Washington said he couldn't comment on any aspect of the investigation.
Evan Kohlmann, a terrorism expert who has consulted with the FBI and the Defense Department, noted that Hasan is a U.S. citizen of Palestinian descent, with no known family ties to Pakistan. Kohlmann said that leaves only two reasons for the psychiatrist to wire money to the South Asian country: to support charity or to support jihad.
Westerners who want to give to a legitimate Pakistani charity typically would do so by putting money in a U.S. or British bank account, he added. Or by leaving it in a jar at the mosque or handing it off in a bag to a strange visitor wearing a man-dress.
Aside from the reporting and non-reporting of his observed behavior in professional settings, mosque activities, and communiques with known terrorists, the wiring of money abroad, particulary to Pakistan, should have immediately caught the eye of law enforcement. Two potential scenarios appear to now be unfolding. Either US Intelligence was totally ignorant of Hasan's placement and access, or he was part of an ongoing source operation gone terribly bad. At the moment, neither scenario has a promising outcome.
A homicide car bomb devastated Pakistan's main spy agency building in the northwest Friday, killing at least 8 people and striking at the heart of the institution overseeing much of the country's anti-terror campaign. Parent/child conflict? Or, reap what you sow Think this will be enough for the ISI to turn on the Talibunnies? Nah, me neither ...
Perhaps the next attack on an ISI stronghold will lead to the epiphany, or the one after that, or the one after...
The blast in Peshawar was the latest in a string of bloody attacks on security forces, civilian and Western targets since the government launched an offensive in mid-October against militants in the border region of South Waziristan, where Al Qaeda and Taliban leaders are believed to be hiding out. Teen-age rebellion? ISI parents have got to be in shock! They are coming for us
The early-morning blast, heard across the city, destroyed much of the three-story building belonging to the Inter-Services Intelligence agency and many cars on the street outside. An Associated Press reporter on the scene within minutes saw several dead or badly wounded bodies being taken away. So glad that AP reporter could get there so fast --- probably his/her first scoop -- dead bodies always brings attention
Seven bodies and 35 wounded people were admitted to the nearby Lady Reading Hospital, police officer Ullah Khan said.
Peshawar Police chief Liaqat Ali Khan said a car bomber attacked the main gate of the complex.
Just over an hour later, another homicide car bomb wounded 10 people at police station in Bakakhel, a town in the semiautonomous tribal regions, intelligence officials said on condition of anonymity because of the nature of their work. Hum -- seem to be going after those who are charged with protecting the population. Isn't that the root of a revolution?
The government has vowed that the surging militant attacks will not dent the country's resolve to pursue the offensive in South Waziristan, where officials say the most deadly insurgent network in Pakistan is based. The army claims to be making good progress in that campaign.
The ISI agency has been involved in scores of covert operations in the northwest against Al Qaeda targets since 2001, when many militant leaders crossed into the area following the U.S. led invasion of Afghanistan. The region is seen as a likely hiding place for Usama bin Laden. Let's see --- they have billions and billions and billions of our money, our military goodies, and they can't get control of some mountain tops?
Its offices in Peshawar are on the main road leading from the city to Afghanistan. The agency was instrumental in using CIA money to train jihadi groups to fight the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the 1980s. Despite assisting in the fight against Al Qaeda since then, some Western officials consider the agency an unreliable ally and allege it still maintains links with the militants.
The insurgents are waging a war against the Pakistani government because they deem it un-Islamic and are angry about its alliance with the United States. Duh
The insurgency began in earnest in 2007, and attacks have spiked since the run-up to the offensive in South Waziristan.
Areas in and around Peshawar have experienced the brunt of the recent militant attacks. A car bomb exploded in a market in Peshawar at the end of October, killing at least 112 people in the deadliest attack in Pakistan in over two years. Wonder if anyone emailed the local florist and wanted to send a dozen Texas yellow roses?
On Oct. 10, a team of militants staged a raid on the army headquarters close to the capital, Islamabad, taking soldiers hostages in a 22-hour standoff that left nine militants and 14 others dead. Another hummmmm. 22 hours stand-off -- since these "militants" are the Masters of Pull and Spray -- must have been lots of down time between the pullings. Maybe they were sampling the locally grown products. Those poppies are so pretty.
#4
More likely "taking one for the side" to enhance credibility? (Yeah, I know, credibility doesn't seem like the appropriate word to use in this case...)
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
11/13/2009 9:56 Comments ||
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[Dawn] Taliban put up stiff resistance in South Waziristan on Thursday, killing at least 17 soldiers in the military's deadliest day since launching a major offensive there, security officials said.
Troops were dragged into clashes when trying to clear militants from areas adjoining Taliban stronghold of Kaniguram. At least 15 soldiers were killed in the fighting, while a roadside bomb killed two soldiers in Sararogha area further east, officials said.
The Inter-Services Public Relations had said earlier that five soldiers had died in fighting since Wednesday evening. However, army and security officials in the area said the military death toll stood at 17.
'Fifteen soldiers were killed in the clashes,' an army officer said on condition of anonymity, releasing 15 names.
'It is the first time we have seen such stiff resistance,' he said. Another official, also requesting anonymity, said the clashes included 'face-to-face fighting'.
Security officials speaking on condition of anonymity have frequently released information from the South Waziristan battlefield that was later corroborated by the army headquarters in Rawalpindi.
Thursday's losses come just one day after a landmine and separate ambush killed 10 Pakistani troops in the tribal district of Mohmand, further north along the Afghan border, in a sign that a guerilla campaign is spreading.
The ISPR said that 22 militants were killed in South Waziristan, which would bring to 524 the number reported dead since the offensive began.
The military says 53 soldiers have been killed in the campaign, a fraction of the number lost in past campaigns as security officials say that many militants have fled to nearby tribal districts North Waziristan and Orakzai.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/13/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUMS > TALIBAN HAVE SHADOW GOVERNORS IN 20 OF AFGHANISTAN"S 34 PROVINCES, BBC RELUCTANTLY ADMITS WEST IS LOSING WAR AGZ INSURGENTS.
#2
Hard to tell whether the resistance was stiff or the Pak army units were not very good (or just unlucky), but in the past when Taliban/al Quaeda resistance gets really stiff it's because you're getting close to someone important. Otherwise, they prefer to hit and change into their burkas and run.
[Dawn] Karachi police have arrested seven suspected militants planning to attack security agency offices and officials in the commercial hub of Karachi, police said on Thursday.
The militants belonged to the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or Taliban Movement of Pakistan, an alliance of factions accused of a wave of attack in urban areas and facing an army assault on their South Waziristan stronghold on the Afghan border, they said.
The suspects were arrested after a shoot-out in an eastern, middle-class neighbourhood of Karachi on Wednesday, city police chief Waseem Ahmed told reporters.
'They were planning to target offices of the law enforcement and intelligence agencies as well as the officials active in the crackdown against militants,' Ahmed said.
Police recovered two jackets which suicide bombers use to pack their explosives, 300 kg (660 lb) of explosives, hand grenades, rockets and other ammunition, he said.
Karachi is home to Pakistan's main stock exchange, central bank and its main port. Many foreign companies also have offices in the city.
While Karachi has been spared a major militant attack in recent months, officials and investors fear the country's biggest city could become a target as government forces attack in the northwest.
Officials also say that organised crime in the city, including robbery and kidnapping, is a source of funding for militant groups.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/13/2009 00:00 ||
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Unknown gunmen have shot dead a local official at Iran's consulate in Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar.
Abul Hassan Jafari, director of public relations at the consulate, was attacked by assailants on Thursday as he was on his way to work, police said. He died of severe injuries on the way to hospital.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
Iranian Ambassador to Islamabad Mashallah Shakeri has confirmed the incident.
Iran's consul general Abbas-Ali Abdollahi condemned the attack, saying it was a 'plot by the enemies of Iran and Pakistan' aimed at straining the relations between the two countries
According to the consul general, the official was killed by two motorcycle riders, who escaped after the shooting.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi also condemned the 'heinous crime' and said the culprits would be brought to justice.
The chief minister of North West Frontier Province, Ameer Haider Khan Hoti, has ordered an investigation into the assassination.
This is not the first time that an official at Iran's consulate in Peshawar comes under attack. Last year, Iran's commercial attache, Heshmatollah Attarzadeh-Niyaki, was kidnapped on his way to the consulate.
Iran has urged Pakistan to tighten security measures in the violence-stricken region in which hundreds have been killed as a result of terrorist attacks and bombings.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/13/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
ION WMF > US TERRIFIED: CHINA WILLING/MAY SELL IRAN EX-MING CLASS ATTACK SUBMARINES [PLAN Type 035].
SAME > PM HATOYAMA: JAPAN'S ECONOMY WON'T DEVELOP/PROGRESS WIDOUT CHINA; + TOPIX > JAPAN LOOKS TO ASIA [espec China] FOR FUTURE ECONOMIC GROWTH.
This is one case where your sources are probably a little off - the Ming class boats are reverse engineered Soviet Romeos, which in turn are reverse engineered German Type XXI U-boats from WWII. The newest Ming would be 25 years old and they are most charitably described as obsolete, one of them in Chinese service killing its entire crew when its snorkel malfunctioned and the diesel engines used up all the air in the boat. The only people who should be 'terrified' are the Iranians who will have to run the darn things.
Best regards,
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
11/13/2009 8:18 Comments ||
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#4
Ditto, Joe. The Ming Class/Romeos are extremely easy to find and kill -- those that don't self-destruct. It's like Iran's obsolete F-4 Phantoms and F-5 Freedom Fighters up against Israeli F-15s. It's called target practice...
Posted by: Paul Zimmerli ||
11/13/2009 8:41 Comments ||
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#5
They didn't blame the US or UK? Odd, that's been their go-to speech
Posted by: Keith G ||
11/13/2009 13:10 Comments ||
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#6
Ditto Mike's and Paul's comments. Plus, Romeo/Ming class submarines are extremely noisy compared to modern submarines. The hunt would be like hunting deer that had all been tagged with a large cowbell. Akula class, now you're talking about something that makes most ASW commanders nervous. IF the Chinese were selling them some of their newest subs, the US would be nervous, especially in confined waters such as the Persian Gulf.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
11/13/2009 13:23 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.
Houthi fighters say Saudi Arabia fired scores of missiles on Yemeni villages during over a dozen overnight airstrikes. 
[Al Arabiya Latest] Italy's top security official said Friday that authorities have smashed an international terror cell with the arrest in Italy and elsewhere in Europe of 17 Algerians who were raising money to finance terrorism.
WASHINGTON -- Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and four others accused in the attacks will be put on criminal trial in New York, Attorney General Eric Holder is expected to announce later Friday.
[Dawn] Karachi police have arrested seven suspected militants planning to attack security agency offices and officials in the commercial hub of Karachi, police said on Thursday.
Unknown gunmen have shot dead a local official at Iran's consulate in Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar. 
