The US has condemned a Taliban video of an American soldier captured by the militants in Afghanistan last June as an affront to his family at Christmas.
The man in the film, identifying himself as Private Bowe Robert Bergdahl, criticises the US over the Afghan war and relations with Muslims. A Taliban spokesman then calls for the release of captured insurgents in exchange for the 23-year-old.
His parents, Bob and Jani Bergdahl, responded by appealing for his release.
The Western military alliance Nato confirmed that the man in the video - seen wearing sunglasses, a military helmet and uniform - was Pte Bergdahl. It said he had clearly been forced to read a prepared statement. It is not clear when the video, released on Friday, was recorded. The airborne infantryman, originally from the US state of Idaho, spoke clearly and appeared healthy.
He was captured in Paktika province, a Taliban stronghold in eastern Afghanistan, on 30 June.
US Navy Rear Adm Gregory Smith said in a statement: "It reflects nothing more than the violent, deceitful tactics of the Taliban insurgency. To release this video on Christmas Day is an affront to the deeply concerned family and friends of Bowe Bergdahl."
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/26/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
refresh my memory... is this the guy that seemed to walk away from base with a couple of locals?
Posted by: abu do you love ||
12/26/2009 17:32 Comments ||
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#2
think so. Left behind his rifle?
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/26/2009 17:48 Comments ||
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A suicide bomber in a horse-drawn cart has killed eight people in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, police say. Police officers apparently tried to stop the bomber but he was able to detonate his explosives near a hotel and local government office.
Five of the dead were in a nearby car, with three pedestrians also killed. The care was destroyed, leading police to initially think the bomb was inside it.
Security guards at the hotel became suspicious of the man and ordered him to stop. Reports said he was fired on by the guards.
The target of the bombing was not immediately known, said deputy provincial police chief Fazel Ahmad Sharzad.
Perhaps the local wimmins and kiddies?
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/26/2009 00:00 ||
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[Maghrebia] A terrorist bomb exploded near Setif, on Wednesday (December 23rd), killing one Algerian civilian and injuring three others, Tout sur l'Algerie reported. The four pedestrian victims were walking near the entrance to the city of Ain Sebt when the homemade bomb detonated around 8 in the morning. Security services mounted a search operation after the incident.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/26/2009 00:14 ||
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At least 30 suspected al-Qaeda militants have been killed by an air strike in a remote mountainous area of Yemen, security officials say.
An unnamed official told reporters the strike took place as dozens of militants gathered in Shabwa province, east of the capital, Sanaa. Two senior al-Qaeda commanders in the Arabian peninsula could be among the dead, he said.
AFP news agency quoted the security official as saying Saudis and Iranians had been at the suspected al-Qaeda meeting.
"We are still unsure if two of the top leaders have been killed or not," Reuters news agency quoted him as saying. "One of them is the Saudi al-Qaeda member Nasser al-Weheshi."
Pray for sepsis ...
Another official told AFP that the suspected militants had been meeting to plan terror attacks in Yemen, in retaliation for Yemeni military air strikes carried out last week. Officials said the militants had allegedly been planning multiple suicide attacks, with eight of them preparing explosive vests at the time of the raids.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/26/2009 00:00 ||
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The plot to blow up an American passenger jet over Detroit was organized and launched by al Qaeda leaders in Yemen who apparently sewed bomb materials into the suspect's underwear before sending him on his mission, federal authorities tell ABC News.
Investigators say the suspect had more than 80 grams of PETN, a compound related to nitro-glycerin used by the military. The so-called shoe bomber, Richard Reid, had only about 50 grams kin his failed attempt in 2001 to blow up a U.S.-bound jet. Yesterday's bomb failed because the detonator may have been too small or was not in "proper contact" with the explosive material, investigators told ABC News.
Investigators say the suspect, Abdul Farouk Umar Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian student whose birthday was last Tuesday, has provided detailed information about his recruitment and training for what was supposed to be a Christmas Day suicide attack.
#1
PETN is a high explosive, with a detonation velocity of over 20000 ft/sec. We used to use it in the form of Primacord to lace drill holes full of explosives together without electric caps.
When you are on the defensive, you will never solve the terrorism issue. Big O's policy of appeasement engagement will yield more of these incidents, and some may be successful, God forbid. Our enemies sense our weakness, and smell blood.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/26/2009 16:03 Comments ||
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#2
Yesterday's bomb failed because the detonator may have been too small or was not in "proper contact" with the explosive material, investigators told ABC News.
The Al Qaeda Bomb Improvement Division thanks you dickheads. Could have as well said the bomb would have never worked because sweat and smegma are explosive inactivators.
Posted by: ed ||
12/26/2009 17:48 Comments ||
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Federal officials and police are interviewing a Nigerian man, who allegedly tried to "explode" a powdery substance aboard a Northwest flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, injuring himself and two other passengers, law enforcement officials said.
The man said he was directed by al Qaeda to explode a small device in flight, over U.S. soil, ABC News has learned. Authorities have no corroboration of that information, and the credibility of the suspect's statements are being questioned, officials said.
The suspect was identified as Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, who according to federal documents is an engineering student at University College of London. He was flying from Nigeria to the United States for a religious ceremony, according to his entry visa, which was issued June 16, 2008 and was good until June 12, 2010.
Come to consecrate the 241,209th most holy site in all Islam?
The suspect had been in a law enforcement-intelligence database but was not on the government's no-fly list, according to a law enforcement official.
The subject is claiming to have extremist affiliation and that the device was acquired in Yemen along with instructions as to when it should be used," a federal situational awareness bulletin stated.
Delta spokeswoman Susan Chana Elliott said that "as the plane was getting ready to land" in Detroit "a passenger caused a disturbance" by trying to ignite what was initially reported to be firecrackers. The man was "subdued immediately," Elliott said. Northwest is a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta.
The suspect told authorities that he had explosive powder taped to his leg and used a syringe of chemicals to mix with the powder that was to cause explosion. This is of concert because it is a method of mixing that is consistent with terror techniques.
An in-flight emergency was declared when a fire indicator light when on in the cockpit, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The pilot asked for airport rescue and firefighting services, and for law enforcement to meet the flight at gate, the TSA said.
It is unclear how powerful the explosive could have been and what the man's intentions were. Initial reports were that fireworks or firecrackers had gone off on the plane.
TSA has a layered approach to security that the agency says allows it to surge resources as needed on a daily basis. It would not give specifics except that it has the ability to quickly implement additional screening measures including explosive detection canine teams, gate screening, behavior detection and other measures "both seen and unseen." The TSA said these measures are designed to be unpredictable, so passenger should not expect to see the same thing at every airport.
#3
PETN according to officials, who also suggested this was a dry run / experiment to see if the chemicals would be detected and how much damage might be done.
#4
Come to consecrate the 241,209th most holy site in all Islam?
Would that be Detroit or Dearborn or Hamtramck?
There was a time these guys got hung or shot fairly quickly. Now we have to wade with hip boots through the legal maze of courts and attorneys and political correctness. Well maybe it wasn't so recently--WWII era.
It was the passengers that subdued him. A pack, indeed. Hattip DrudgeReport.
EFL to the new stuff.
A Northwest Airlines passenger from Nigeria, who said he was acting on al-Qaida's instructions, tried to blow up the plane today as it was landing in Detroit, law enforcement and national security officials said. Passengers subdued the man and may have prevented him from detonating the explosives, the officials said.
A White House official said the incident was an attempted act of terrorism.
OMG -- they used the T word!
Federal officials imposed stricter screening measures after the incident.
There were 278 passengers aboard the Airbus 330. There was nothing out of the ordinary until the flight was on final approach to Detroit, said Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory. That is when the pilot declared an emergency and landed without incident shortly thereafter, Cory said in an e-mail message. The plane landed at 11:51 a.m.
One of the U.S. intelligence officials said the explosive device was a mix of powder and liquid. It failed when the passenger tried to detonate it.
The passenger created a disturbance by lighting what was reported to be firecrackers -- or perhaps a "powdery substance" -- onboard the flight, injuring himself and several other passengers, according to Delta Airlines.
The man was apparently already on the government's no-fly list of suspected terrorists, ABC News said a senior intelligence official told them.
That clearly worked well.
That report is disputed in other accounts -- those say that the man was in some database but was not on the no-fly list. 48 hour rule applies here.
President Barack Obama was notified of the incident and discussed it with security officials, the White House said. It said he is monitoring the situation and receiving regular updates from his vacation spot in Hawaii.
So much for relaxing with the family away from the office.
That's what happens when you're president ...
Not just presidents, either. But Mrs. Obama couldn't have expected otherwise when her husband refused to give up his Blackberry.
One passenger from the flight was taken to the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor, hospital spokeswoman Tracy Justice said. She would not say what the injuries were.
Hopefully just nerves instead of harm during the incident.
Because Delta Airlines in Detroit did not handle security for the flight, Elliott said she could not answer how the items that were ignited got on the plane.
Oh goody. Now all through passengers will have to get off and go through security at the way station instead of just waiting for the plane to be ready to continue on. However, given the security at places like Nigeria or Greece, it's long overdue.
She said Delta has a hub in Amsterdam and this one was among several flights today.
Security precautions raised in wake of attempted attack
The Homeland Security Department said passengers may see additional screening measures on domestic and international flights because of the incident. "We encourage those with future travel plans to stay in touch with their airline and to visit www.tsa.gov for updates," the department said.
Get there three hours ahead of flight time instead of two hours?
#1
I notice that the racist media refuse to run a picture of his face, because "all black people look alike, anyway." Also, they refuse to label it a "terrorist" attack, because he was obviously mentally ill. And they would never dream of identifying him as a "Muslim", because Islam is the religion of peace(tm), and *real* Muslims don't do that sort of thing.
#2
Update:
Mutallab has been in the U.S. before, having received a visa in June 2008. His listed residence was in Houston, Texas. Authorities had placed him on a preliminary watch list, meaning they wanted to gather more information about him, but law enforcement subsequently lost track of him.
Mutallab also had "significant UK links" and was "most probably radicalized" there, a British counter-terrorism official told CBS News.
One law enforcement official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said Mutallab's name had surfaced earlier on at least one U.S. ntelligence database, but he was not on a watch list or a no-fly list.
The suspect told authorities that he had explosive powder taped to his leg and used a syringe of chemicals to mix with the powder that was to cause explosion.
Coming soon:
"Please remove your pants"
ION: It's reported that Amsterdam does not permit US Air Marshals to board in that country for US-bound flights. So why the heck haven't we banned incoming flights from Amsterdam prior???
#11
OK Obumble, time to get in the game. Put down the grass skirt, hop back to DC and sign an executive order banning flights from nations that not permit US Air Marshals to board US-bound flights.
Posted by: regular joe ||
12/26/2009 14:18 Comments ||
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#12
If this young fellow runs into any trouble back in Holland he can always contact the local US Embassy LEGAT. They're always on top of things.
OFFICES / DEPARTMENTS
Office of the Legal Attaché
The mission of the FBIs Legal Attaché Program is to establish and maintain liaison with principal law enforcement and intelligence/security services in designated foreign countries. This liaison enables the FBI to effectively and expeditiously meet its international responsibilities in organized crime, international terrorism, foreign counterintelligence, and general criminal matters. The Legal Attachés Office supports the operational needs in Lagos, Nigeria with regional coverage of Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome and Principle and Togo. The liaison activities performed by the Legal Attachés are essential to the successful fulfillment of the international responsibilities of the FBI and United States interests. Liaising is carried out in accordance with executive order, statue, Attorney General Guidelines, and FBI policies.
US Consulate General
2, Walter Carrington Crescent
Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria
Telephone: (234)-1-261-0050, 261-0078
Fax: (234)-1-261-9856
#13
A White House official said the incident was an attempted act of terrorism.
Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong!
It was an act of terrorism, not an attempt. Ask anyone on the plane if it was an "attempt". It didn't kill anyone, so good for that, but this is just another denial and downplay of reality we're all too familiar with.
From the link:
"Then he has his secondary school in Curaçao and then killed in the Netherlands to study and ultimately selected the film academy in Miami, where also his passion. "
We need more guys like this on our aircraft. Unfortunately, Jasper was unable to demonstrate his Netherlands SAT qualification experience....
Federal officials and police are interviewing a Nigerian man, who allegedly tried to "explode" a powdery substance aboard a Northwest flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, injuring himself and two other passengers, law enforcement officials said.
The suspect had been in a law enforcement-intelligence database but was not on the government's no-fly list
The man said he was directed by al Qaeda to explode a small device in flight, over U.S. soil, ABC News has learned. Authorities have no corroboration of that information, and the credibility of the suspect's statements are being questioned, officials said.
The suspect was identified as Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, who according to federal documents is an engineering student at University College of London.
Different name than other stories have provided.
He was flying from Nigeria to the United States for a religious ceremony, according to his entry visa,
That detail seems to have gotten lost in stories I read this evening, oddly enough.
which was issued June 16, 2008 and was good until June 12, 2010.
The government had no immediate plans after the incident to raise the threat level, a federal government source said.
The suspect had been in a law enforcement-intelligence database but was not on the government's no-fly list, according to a law enforcement official.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/26/2009 00:00 ||
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the Ass-Covering begins. Resign, Janet!
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/26/2009 9:39 Comments ||
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Yes, he was probably in the data base because of his father's warnings to the Embassy in Lagos. Too bad no one bothered to follow-up and monitor.
U.S. officials say a Northwest Airlines passenger from Nigeria said he was acting on behalf of al Qaeda when he tried to blow up a flight Friday as it landed in Detroit. Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., identified the suspect as Abdul Mudallad, a Nigerian. King said the flight began in Nigeria and went through Amsterdam en route to Detroit. The flight left Amsterdam's Schiphol International Airport at 8:45 a.m. local time Friday morning and arrived in Detroit a 12:01 p.m. CST.
A senior U.S. counterterror official says Mudallad was planning to blow up Northwest Airlines Flight 253 carrying 278 passengers, but the explosive device failed. Mudallad reportedly ignited powder attached to his leg and was severely burned in the incident, CBS News reports.
Rather than having its intended effect on other passengers, however, the small fire only caused a commotion and some minor injuries.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/26/2009 00:00 ||
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appears to be a case of premature explode-u-lation.
Man on Flight to Detroit Claims Al Qaeda Ties; Obama Tightens Security
DETROIT -- A passenger on a Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines flight tried to detonate an explosive device that was strapped to his leg and later told investigators that he was trying to blow up the plane and had affiliations with al Qaeda, according to a senior U.S. official.
The man, who has not been publicly identified by officials, told investigators that he was given the device by Al Qaeda operatives in Yemen, where he was also given instructions on how to detonate it, the official said. The Associated Press reported that Rep. Peter King (R., N.Y.) has identified the man as a Nigerian named Abdul Mudallad.
"This guy claims he is tied to al Qaeda, specifically in Yemen," the official said. "He claims he was on orders from al Qaeda in Yemen. Who knows if that's true."
Bill Burton, a White House spokesman, said President Barack Obama, who is vacationing in Hawaii, was notified of the incident after 9 a.m. local time, and held two secure conference calls with his national security team to discuss the incident, but that his schedule had not changed. "The president is actively monitoring the situation and receiving regular updates," Mr. Burton said.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that airline passengers should expect to see additional screening measures put in place on both domestic and international flights.
An FBI spokeswoman, Denise Ballew, would only say that the Detroit field office is investigating the incident and would release more information "when it is appropriate."
The explosive, which was apparently carried onto the flight from its originating airport in Amsterdam, was originally believed to be a small firecracker, but the U.S. official said the device was "more complicated than gunpowder firecracker" and caught fire as the man tried to set it off.
One person was taken to the University of Michigan Medical Center and was still hospitalized Friday evening. "All I know is it was one person treated from the incident," said U of M Health System spokeswoman Tracy Justice. "Everything else is being handled by the FBI."
Shortly after the plane landed around 11:50 a.m. Detroit time, the Transportation Security Administration put out a statement indicating that "out of an abundance of caution" the jet's passengers were going through a special security screening and the luggage in the hold also was being re-examined.
TSA and FBI officials were interviewing passengers, even as the plane sat at a remote corner of the airport surrounded by a phalanx of law-enforcement and emergency vehicles. The Federal Aviation Administration was referring all questions to the TSA.
Regardless of what the investigation uncovers about the suspect's motives or the material that ignited, Friday's incident is likely to renew debate over whether additional security systems are necessary to allow flight attendants to alert cockpit crews about cabin emergencies.
In addition to calling pilots on the intercom, airlines and security experts for years have debated the concept of providing cabin crews with additional ways to warn pilots about potential threats from passengers, Video cameras, wireless alerting devices or some type of discreet alarm switch have all been discussed. So far, the Federal Aviation Administration and many airlines have been resisting such mandates, arguing that they would be expensive and unnecessary.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/26/2009 00:00 ||
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A male passenger reportedly linked to terrorist organization al-Qaeda ignited a powdery substance prior to landing on a Delta Airlines flight to Detroit Friday. The suspect is believed to be Nigerian, Fox News reported.
Several people were hurt and one person was admitted to the University of Michigan Medical Center at Ann Arbor, hospital spokeswoman Tracy Justice said. An emergency was declared aboard the flight, operated as Northwest flight 253, according to a Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson.
The suspect, who suffered second-degree burns, told federal investigators he was directed by al-Qaeda, though authorities are questioning the veracity of that statement, ABC reported. A federal situational awareness bulletin noted that the explosive was acquired in Yemen with instructions as to when it should be used, ABC said.
The FBI was on the scene, Detroit office spokeswoman Sandra Berchtold told NewsCore. Berchtold declined to comment on the reports of a terrorist connection.
All 278 passengers on the Airbus A330 wide-body jet, which landed at 11:53 a.m. local time, have since deplaned at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, Delta spokesperson Susan Elliott said.
"Out of an abundance of caution, the plane was moved to a remote area where the plane and all baggage are currently being rescreened. A passenger is in custody and passengers are being interviewed," the Transportation Security Administration said in a statement.
It was not immediately clear if the suspect was subdued by crew or passengers.
Since there is no statement about panicked passengers, I imagine some were involved. A pack, not a herd.
#6
From ABC News: The suspect told authorities that he had explosive powder taped to his leg and used a syringe of chemicals to mix with the powder that was to cause explosion. This is of concert because it is a method of mixing that is consistent with terror techniques.
#7
"Now why would anyone want to go to Destroit Detroit, anyway?"
This seems like a fool proof scheme to get the bomber to go through with the suicide.Send him where the alternatives are clear.
#11
Since there is no statement about panicked passengers, I imagine some were involved. A pack, not a herd.
He described himself and other passengers as being startled and that while some people started to panic, a large male passenger put the suspect in a head lock while other passengers and flight crew put out the flames.
#16
So, given the track record [horse, barn door] of TSA, besides taking our shoes off to go through security, expect we'll now be asked to de-pants in order to fly. This could be interesting.
#20
So will it be as bad as Gitmo? Four years and 30 extra pounds for Abdulmutallab. Then a promotion in the old outfit.
Posted by: ed ||
12/26/2009 10:40 Comments ||
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#21
Why did the White House rush to judgment and call it a terrorist act?...maybe since the poor fellow is from the turd-world he didn't know about the "no smoking" rule.
#22
Why did the White House rush to judgment and call it a terrorist act?
I believe they did so for a simple reason. Well, two --
1) It was.
2) Claiming it to be anything else would have exposed Bambi at a time when his poll numbers and reputation are taking a serious hit. The American people are beginning to see that the clothes have no Emperor, as it were -- we have an empty suit in the Oval Office. A fair number of independents and moderates are near the tipping point, and both Axelrod and Rahm know it. Trying to call this anything other than a terrorist act could well be a catalyst to push a fair number of the people in the middle against Bambi, and irreversibly so.
Just my opinion, of course, YMMV.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/26/2009 12:34 Comments ||
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#23
Remember all the hassles the press gave to Bush about his vacations? They apparently thought he was totally out of touch while vacationing.
Well, yesterday, one stand up reporter was caught saying, "And even when the President is on vacation, he is always still working. Never out of touch with what is happening in the world."
#27
Heard a report from a former Northwest Airlines security guy, saying the type of exlosive that was being used was one that would NOT have been detected with any of the now available equipment being use.
"Full body scan" was the only way to detect what he was carrying. He was mixing chemicals with a syringe in something strapped to his upper leg.
One report I read, said the flame was about a "meter" high -- Sheeezzzz that's about 39 inches in height! No wonder there was panic!
#29
An official said the U.S. had known for at least two years that that the suspect identified as a Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab could have had terrorist ties and was on a list that includes people with known or suspected ties to a terrorist organization
#30
Just wondering if he used some sort of Ammonium nitrate oil mix with a blasting cap? Back in high school in the late sixties a greaser got a hold of some blasting oil from a quarry,it burned rather than detonating. Just filled the halls with foul smelling smoke.
#33
Sort of. Reid had a small quantity of the prepared explosive and was caught trying to light the fuse. Yesterday's attempt involved mixing the explosived from precursors, IIUC.
#34
I don't trust airport explosive detectors. Had a car accident on a business trip that popped the airbag. A few hours later I was at the airport. Both me and the luggage were scanned using an air sampling detector. Nothing, even though the screener was warned airbag explosives went off less than 3 hours ago.
Posted by: ed ||
12/26/2009 18:29 Comments ||
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Investigators say the suspect had more than 80 grams of PETN, a compound related to nitro-glycerin used by the military. The so-called shoe bomber, Richard Reid, had only about 50 grams kin his failed attempt in 2001 to blow up a U.S.-bound jet. Yesterday's bomb failed because the detonator may have been too small or was not in "proper contact" with the explosive material, investigators told ABC News.
#36
I think it's time to retrofit all US-manufactured aircraft with a drop-chute from the toilet area, controlled from the cockpit. Any time there's one of these types of events, just knock the perp unconscious, lay him on the trap door, stand back, and activate. Try to do it over pasture land or water, so there's no chance of collateral damage. Both Lake Huron and Lake Ontario were close by.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/26/2009 19:18 Comments ||
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#37
I love your trap-door idea, but i also love the terror he Has due to his "Programming" he'll be scared shitless at talking to the feds.
I do question wheher or not we have COMPETENT feds, they seem worthless to me.
This shit goes on, and on, and on, and on.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
12/26/2009 23:16 Comments ||
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LAHORE: A Pakistani court today dismissed a petition seeking asylum in the name of 'holy war' for five American Muslim youths recently arrested in the country for allegedly planning terror attacks, saying that it was not the duty of the judiciary to define 'jihad'.
The Lahore High Court dismissed the petition filed by Khalid Khwaja, a former Inter-Services Intelligence official now associated with a rights organisation.
In his petition, Khwaja had contended that the youths came to Pakistan for 'jihad' (holy war) and since this was not a crime, their detention is illegal.
In his petition, Khwaja had contended that the youths came to Pakistan for 'jihad' (holy war) and since this was not a crime, their detention is illegal.
Lahore High Court Chief Justice Khwaja Mohammad Sharif, who heard the petition, observed that it was not the duty of the court to define 'jihad'. The judge did not comment further and dismissed the petition.
Khwaja also asked the court to direct authorities to grant the youths asylum in Pakistan as the US administration might "not spare them".
He claimed the accused are innocent of any wrongdoing, either through their actions or intentions.
"They are being suspected of a crime they never committed nor ever intended to commit. In such a case, the US constitution protects all its citizens of wrongful accusations and wrongful imprisonment.
We must have faith in our system of laws that they will seek out truth and deliver justice," Khwaja said in his petition.
Posted by: john frum ||
12/26/2009 08:21 ||
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#1
Keep 'em.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
12/26/2009 23:19 Comments ||
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The FBI dossier on David Coleman Headley, the Lashkar-e-Toiba operative charged in United States with helping plan the 26/11 Mumbai terror strikes, states that two serving Pakistani Army officers, Major Iqbal and Major Sameer Ali, were actively involved in handling Headley, directed the terror plots, and that Major Iqbal handed him $25,000 before sending him to India.
Sources said the Headley dossier shared with India also states that Abdurrehman Syed, a Lashkar commander, was attached to 6 Baloch of the Pak Army. He joined the Lashkar in 2002. It is believed that Syed and another Lashkar commander, Sajid Mir, with whom Headley was in regular touch, were part of a reconnaissance mission to India in April, 2004. The FBI learnt that Headley made as many as eight trips to India as a Lashkar operative between September 2006 and July 2008 and once after the Mumbai terror attacks -- in March 2009 -- for reconnaissance of potential targets. Headley was said to have joined the Lashkar in 1999, motivated by speeches of Lashkar founder Hafiz Muhammad Saeed.
After his initiation, Headley underwent training from 2002 to 2004. He wanted to go to Kashmir but Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Lashkar operations commander, had other ideas. It was on Lakhvi's direction that Headley visited India eight times for reconnaissance work.
Unlike Headley, Tahawwur Hussain Rana, his alleged accomplice, visited India only once -- a week before the Mumbai terror attacks.
Headley surveyed 30 potential targets and submitted details and photographs to his handlers. These included:
Hotels Taj and Oberoi, Leopold Cafe, Nariman House and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus
He was specifically told to do a recce of the Ruby Room, Crystal Ballroom at the Taj
Shiv Sena headquarters
Siddhivinayak temple
Maharashtra Assembly
Bombay Stock Exchange
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
World Trade Centre, Mumbai
National Defence College, New Delhi.
Posted by: john frum ||
12/26/2009 08:04 ||
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[Dawn] Ten people, three women and four children among them, were killed when military planes bombed a house in Feroze Khel area in lower Orakzai Agency on Friday.
Officials said the house of tribal elder Zikria Khan was razed to the ground and four members of his family were killed. Tribesmen pulled out the bodies from the debris of the house. Two other houses that were empty were also destroyed.
Officials said that except the women and children most other people who died in the attack were militants.
Independent sources said Zikria Khan and his family had nothing to do with militants and all the victims were civilians. The officials said that members of the Tehrik-i-Taliban who had escaped from Waziristan were living in the house, adding that the headquarters of Hakimullah Mehsud was earlier located in the area.
MASTERMIND HELD: Security forces arrested an explosives expert from Doaba area in Hangu district on Friday.
The militant was identified as Khan Qasim.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/26/2009 00:14 ||
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[Dawn] A suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance to an imambargah here on Thursday night, leaving a little girl dead and two other people injured, including a policeman.
Private security guard Masood Hussain Shah and head constable Ittefaq averted a major disaster when they forcibly stopped the teenaged bomber from entering the Qasr-i-Sakina Imambargah in Shakrial along the Islamabad Expressway. Almost 500 people, including women and children, were present at the imambargah.
The security guard remained unhurt, but the policeman was injured. Six-year-old Urooj was hit by shrapnel and died, while her father was injured. The explosion took place a few minutes before a procession was due to reach the place.
A police official said the attacker appeared to be 17 years old.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/26/2009 00:14 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Pakistan
PESHAWAR: Two policemen were killed in a terrorist attack in the early hours of Friday, police said. According to an official, unidentified gunmen shot dead two policemen at a checkpost in Taj Abad locality. The official said the two policemen were identified as Shaukat Ali and Muhammad Javed, both from Swabi district. According to the officials, the attackers managed to escape after killing the policemen.
The funeral prayers of the slain policemen were offered at the Malak Saad Khan Police Lines. NWFP Assembly Speaker Kiramatullah Khan Chagharmatti, Inspector General of Police Malik Naveed, Capital City Police Officer Liaquat Ali and Senior Superintendent (Traffic) Syed Hammad Abid were also present.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/26/2009 00:00 ||
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PARACHINAR: A government official said on Friday the Pakistan Army had killed at least nine suspected terrorists in the countrys northwest tribal region near the Afghan border. Muhammed Yasin said the military had used helicopter gunships to destroy three Taliban hideouts in Orakzai Agency.
Many Taliban fighters are believed to have fled to Orakzai since the army launched a major offensive against them in South Waziristan Agency in October.
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has also hinted that the army would pursue a full-scale offensive in Orakzai. Official sources in Islamabad said that the prime ministers remarks did not mean the army was being recalled from South Waziristan Agency.
Orakzai Agency lies north of South and North Waziristan tribal regions.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/26/2009 00:00 ||
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LAHORE: Intelligence agencies have warned of possible terrorists attacks on the occasion of Benazir Bhutto's death anniversary. "Terrorists are planning to attack rallies and ceremonies to be arranged on December 27 in connection with Benazir's death anniversary," the reports said.
Good thinking, inspector ...
The law enforcement agencies have been ordered to make foolproof arrangements to prevent any untoward incident on the occasion.
Sorta like the foolproof arrangements Benazir had for her security detail ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/26/2009 00:00 ||
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These five likely couldn't have blown up a mailbox with an M-80, but it's good that they're in stir.
LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: The five US nationals arrested from Sargodha on suspicion of planning terrorist attacks in the country, revealed on Friday that they intended to attack the Chashma Nuclear Power Plant and other important installations in the country, a private TV channel reported. Sargodha Cantonment Station House Officer Amir Sherazi said the terrorists disclosed their plans during interrogation.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that police had won more time from a court to interrogate the five Americans, who are suspected of using the Internet to contact militants.
"Blow up one of our pride and joy nuclear plants, eh son? Mahmoud, I'm sure the judge will give us more time. Hand me the number seven!"
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/26/2009 00:00 ||
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Pakistani fighter jets have targeted suspected militant hideouts in the Orakzai tribal agency, south-west of Peshawar, killing at least 10 people. Officials say the dead were militants, but eyewitnesses told the BBC the bombs destroyed the home of a tribal chief, killing three women and four children.
Plus the usual number of kittens and fluffy bunnies ...
Pakistani troops have been engaged in an major offensive against the Taliban in South Waziristan, further south.
The army believes many insurgents fled from there to areas such as Orakzai. A number of air strikes have targeted militant targets in Orakzai in recent weeks.
The UN says more than 40,000 civilians have left their homes in Orakzai and are in need of humanitarian assistance.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/26/2009 00:00 ||
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26 December 2009 GUWAHATI - Two dreaded tribal separatists were killed on Friday in Assam, bringing to four the number of militants gunned down since Thursday in the stepped up offensive against the outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB).
A police spokesperson said a group of three armed NDFB militants challenged a security patrol early on Friday near Rangapara in Sonitpur district.
And I thought it was tough to find upazailas on a map ...
Well sure, silly, if you're looking on a map. They found it in the real world. There all one need do is ask a p'liceman for directions.
"The NDFB rebels opened fire at the security team and that led to the encounter in which two militants were killed. The third managed to escape under cover of the early morning fog," a senior police official said.
A cache of weapons and explosives was recovered from the dead militants.
"The NDFB group was in the area for an extortion drive when security forces challenged them," the official said.
Two other NDFB rebels were killed in separate encounters with security forces in the same district on Thursday.
So are these 'challenges' or 'cross-fires'?
We shall have to await the newspaper reports to find out. School yourself to patience, my dear.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/26/2009 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] Eighteen people including six Shiite worshippers were killed in a spate of attacks across Iraq on Friday, despite ramped up security for Christmas Day and Shiite Ashura rituals.
Also among the dead were three teachers in northern Iraq and a Kurdish peshmerga security force member while dozens of others were wounded.
In eastern Baghdad's Sadr City district, a roadside bomb killed six people and wounded 26 when it struck a procession marking the Ashura commemorations.
Most casualties were children, some of whom were under the age of 13, defense and interior ministry officials said on condition of anonymity.
The afternoon attack came just days ahead of the climax on Sunday of the 10-day rituals to commemorate Ashura, which marks the killing of Shiite Imam Hussein in 680.
Later at night, four people were killed and five wounded by mortars fired into the residential area of Obaidi, in eastern Baghdad, said a spokesman for the military command in the capital.
In the restive northern city of Mosul, meanwhile, three teachers, who were working with Iraq's census authorities, were found shot dead, according to a police officer who did not want to be named.
Also in Mosul one civilian was killed and another was wounded by a bomb targeting a police patrol in the center of the city while in the western part of town police said they found the corpse of a strangled woman.
Violence
Meanwhile, in the central province of Diyala, two brothers of Mustafa al-Azawi, the Sunni Arab mayor of the town of Mansuriyah, were found dead after they were kidnapped on Friday morning, police said.
The two men were aged 29 and 24. Azawi has two other brothers.
A suicide car bomb along a road connecting the northern Iraqi towns of Rabiyaa, near the Syrian border, and Sinoosi also killed a Kurdish peshmerga security force member and wounded 15 others, a force spokesman said.
"Some of the wounded are badly injured and they have been transferred to Zakho (a town in Kurdistan) for medical treatment," Colonel Simi Borsli said.
The car bomb was targeting a patrol of the peshmerga, the main security force in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region.
The latest violence follows a spate of attacks across Iraq on Thursday in which dozens of people died.
A hospital official put the final toll from twin bomb attacks at a bus station in the southern town of Hilla on Thursday at 19 dead and 80 wounded, up from an earlier death toll of 15.
Iraqi authorities have stepped up security in the run-up to Christmas and Ashura deploying more security forces in cities with significant Christian populations such as Baghdad, Mosul and the ethnically-mixed northern city of Kirkuk.
Some 46,000 policemen and soldiers have also been deployed in the Shiite shrine cities of Najaf and Karbala, the latter of which is where Imam Hussein is buried and where around one million people are due to visit for Ashura.
Security for Christians was increased after the army received intelligence of attacks targeting members of the minority community around Christmas.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/26/2009 00:14 ||
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IDF soldiers shot and killed two Fatah members on Saturday in Nablus, according to Palestinian sources. The soldiers reportedly surrounded the homes of the two Fatah members, opened fire and killed them.
The Jerusalem Post could not independently confirm the report.
According to the report, the two Palestinians belonged to the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, which took responsibility for Thursday's terror attack, in which Rabbi Meir Chai was killed. The IDF had no comment on the incident. If true, it's a start
#1
Update: Three terrorists killed in Nablus
In a joint operation with the Shin Bet overnight Friday, IDF soldiers in the West Bank gunned down three terrorists who murdered Rabbi Meir Chai in a shooting attack near Shavei Shomron on Thursday.
A Thai court has ordered the crew of a cargo plane transporting weapons from North Korea to remain in jail for 12 more days.
Twelve days of Christmas!
The five crew members, consisting of one Belarus national and four Kazakh nationals, were arrested in mid-December after their cargo plane was seized during a stop in Bangkok. The plane was carrying 35 tons of heavy weapons, including explosives and rocket-propelled grenades. A lawyer for the crew members says they believed they were transporting oil drilling equipment.
They can believe that throughout their prison stay ...
The destination of the shipment is not clear. The United Nations imposed sanctions in June banning North Korea from exporting any weapons, in response to Pyongyang's testing of nuclear and missile weapons.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/26/2009 00:00 ||
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Three bombs planted under a car exploded south of Beirut on Saturday, wounding two people in an attack that apparently targeted an official from the Palestinian militant group Hamas, the state-run news agency said.
Then it wasn't some clever Israeli gadget in an arms depot. Interesting. Why would a Hamas official call on Hizb'allah, one is forced to wonder.
The official National News Agency said the explosion was caused by "three bombs tied to each other" that were placed under the car of an official believed to be from Hamas.
But Lebanese security officials told The Associated Press they could not independently confirm what caused the blasts or who the explosions targeted. The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which controls the area, sealed off the streets in the southern suburb of Haret Hreik and prevented journalists from getting close to the scene.
One senior police official said the blast occurred in a neighborhood that houses an office belonging to Hamas.
Wait -- Hamas has an office there? But aren't the two H's supposed to be operating independently, with completely separate objectives and areas of operation?
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
A Hezbollah official contacted by The Associated Press declined to comment, saying he had no information.
Osama Hamdan, the Hamas representative in Lebanon, was not available for comment Saturday. A person who answered his mobile phone aid he was not available and that he had no information on the explosion.
The explosion comes on the even of Ashoura, Shiite Islam's most important religious holiday.
But of no interest, one would think, to the Sunni Hamas.
Posted by: lord garth ||
12/26/2009 18:42 Comments ||
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#2
"But aren't the two H's supposed to be operating independently, with completely separate objectives?"
Naaahhhh - they're both dedicated 100% to killing Joooooos.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
12/26/2009 19:18 Comments ||
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#3
update from Haaretz
two are now dead, both Hezbollah grunts
reports says they died from wounds incurred from trying to disarm bomb but since it would be idiotic to disarm a bomb you didn't know anything about when you could have towed the vehicle to a safe place and detonated it, it is reasonable to assume the Hezb grunts had a work accident
Posted by: lord garth ||
12/26/2009 19:41 Comments ||
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#4
"three bombs tied to each other"
Amazing how fast and accurate their forensics investigation is. Incredible actually.
Posted by: Mike Hunt ||
12/26/2009 20:07 Comments ||
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#5
update= dead Hezbollah count now up to 3
Posted by: lord garth ||
12/26/2009 22:20 Comments ||
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#6
My first idea is "Work Accident" they were really setting, not disarming the car when it went "Kabloomie".
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
12/26/2009 22:57 Comments ||
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Iranian security forces beat protesters in central Tehran on Saturday, a sign of mounting tensions ahead of planned opposition rallies to mark a religious festival and the death of a dissident cleric a week ago, a reformist Web site said.
The Rah-e-Sabz site said forces, including the elite Revolutionary Guard and the paramilitary Basijis, used tear gas and pepper spray in an attempt to disperse demonstrators, and broke the windows of cars that were honking horns in protest.
It said protests occurred in at least three areas: Imam Hossein Square, Pol-e-Choobi and Ferdowsi Square.
The report could not be independently confirmed because the Iranian government has banned foreign media from covering opposition protests.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/26/2009 13:23 ||
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#1
Faster please.
Protests in more than 27 cities throughout Iran - At least ten big turnouts including Mashad . women in Isfahan are in the first line of demonstrations agains Yazid rule.
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 suicide bomber in a horse-drawn cart has killed eight people in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, police say. Police officers apparently tried to stop the bomber but he was able to detonate his explosives near a hotel and local government office.
At least 30 suspected al-Qaeda militants have been killed by an air strike in a remote mountainous area of Yemen, security officials say.
PARACHINAR: A government official said on Friday the Pakistan Army had killed at least nine suspected terrorists in the countrys northwest tribal region near the Afghan border. Muhammed Yasin said the military had used helicopter gunships to destroy three Taliban hideouts in Orakzai Agency.
Pakistani fighter jets have targeted suspected militant hideouts in the Orakzai tribal agency, south-west of Peshawar, killing at least 10 people. Officials say the dead were militants, but eyewitnesses told the BBC the bombs destroyed the home of a tribal chief, killing three women and four children.
Three bombs planted under a car exploded south of Beirut on Saturday, wounding two people in an attack that apparently targeted an official from the Palestinian militant group Hamas, the state-run news agency said.
