Posted by: Fred ||
06/24/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Happy Birthday/Daily Gam Shot
Minka Kelly aka River in "Devil's Highway" aka Tammy Boyles in "The Pumpkin Karver" aka Miss Ross in "The Kingdom" aka Autumn in "(500) Days of Summer" aka Sara Matthews in "The Roommate" aka Joanna Damon in "Just Go With It" aka Lyla Garrity in "Friday Night Lights (TV series)" (age 31)
Testifying before a Senate committee today, the commander of allied forces in Afghanistan confirmed under oath what many had suspected:
In his speech Wednesday evening, President Obama disregarded the preferred troop drawdown choice of his top general, David Petraeus, now headed to become director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Obama clearly appeared to be paying attention to the anti-war left wing of his party and to war-weariness reflected in polls after a 10-year conflict that began when he was a mere state senator.
That means that Champ owns the decision lock, stock and barrel. If Afghanistan blows up again he's responsible. If, god forbid, a terrorist group uses Pashtunistan as a base to launch an attack on the U.S., Champ will own that too.
The widely-admired four-star general was the architect of the successful Iraq troop surge that Obama also opposed as a U.S. senator but that has now enabled him to drastically reduce U.S. forces there.
The 58-year-old Petraeus couched his committee answers in the standard Washington etiquette acknowledging civilian control of an obedient military. However, his forthright replies rapidly reverberated across the Capitol, where so many in the political business are so ready to believe that the accelerated troop withdrawals were ordered by the Democrat more to enhance his troubled reelection plans, than because they would enhance the cause of crushing terrorist forces in Afghanistan.
Under questioning, Gen. Petraeus admitted today, "The ultimate [drawdown] decision was a more aggressive formulation, if you will, in terms of the timeline than what we had recommended."
He then quickly added, "The fact is, there has never been a military commander in history who has had all the forces that he would like to have, for all the time, with all the money, all the authorities, and nowadays all the bandwidth as well."
"Obviously, he preferred options that gave more time," Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates confirmed to Agence France Press. Gates too is leaving the Defense Department after years of service under two presidents and reportedly disagreeing with Obama over starting a third war by attacking Libya.
Michigan's Sen. Carl Levin, a Democrat who's been pressuring Obama for a quicker Afghan pullout, asked the general whether he considered resigning over his disagreement with the commander in chief.
Petraeus replied: "I'm not a quitter. I don't think it's the place for a commander to consider that kind of step unless you are in a very dire situation." Later, he added:
Each person above me -- all the way up to and including the president -- has a broader purview and has broader considerations that are brought to bear. The commander in chief has decided and it is then the responsibility, needless to say, of those in uniform to salute smartly and do everything humanly possible to execute it.
That's correct and to his credit. Our military should, however, be graced with a commander in chief who values them and gives them the tools, time and manpower to do a job right.
Obama, who as a candidate argued that Afghanistan was the right war to confront terrorism, not Iraq, has ordered two troop surges there -- in March and December of 2009. The latter, coming after a controversial protracted four-month review, involved 30,000 additional forces, raising the U.S. commitment there to just under 100,000. That was reported to be somewhat smaller than commanders had sought in order to effectively clear the entire country.
With the available assets, Petraeus forged an improved working relationship between special forces and the CIA and focused on southern Afghanistan. Allies have since regained control of much of that territory.
You rarely see the MSM admit that: Petraeus, once again, had a plan that has worked. This time, however, he had a President who pulled the rug out from under our people.
*shrug* It's a blog post. How many LA Times readers will actually see it?
The plan was to allow newly-trained Afghan security forces to come in behind the allies in the south. And next fighting season the troops would focus on subduing eastern Afghanistan closer to Pakistan.
Those plans, however, now seem at least jeopardized by the removal of one-third of U.S. troops by September 2012, just two months before the presidential election.
Petraeus is certain to be overwhelmingly confirmed as CIA director. However, his candid answers today, confirming latent suspicions, will endure in the political debate, especially if Taliban and Al Qaeda forces bide their time awaiting the announced pullout and either hold off allied progress or even reverse it.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/24/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
We making ice in the empty quarter, it's an amazing achievement, but to what end and cost?
#2
He's listening to General Axelrod with a strategery of polls
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/24/2011 9:49 Comments ||
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#3
with a strategery of polls
Polls are only as good as the wording of the questions asked and the insight of those analyzing the results. Getting polls telling you how much you are beloved because the questions guide the answer are a waste of money... though very gratifying to a certain type of ego, the kind which confuses cause and effect. What you want are polls which reveal your and your opponents' weak points, and how many people have noticed each.
#4
Petraeus is certain to be overwhelmingly confirmed as CIA director.
An interesting thought - can you imagine what he's going to find when he gets to the Agency? How hard people worked to sabotage Dubya's efforts, and how hard those same people may have worked to cover up Obama's mistakes?
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
06/24/2011 10:21 Comments ||
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#5
Mike, Petraeus will also discover (I predict) that those same people have a new assignment: neuter him.
And I'm guessing they have a fair chance of succeeding.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/24/2011 11:01 Comments ||
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#6
And I'm guessing they have a fair chance of succeeding.
The whole damn place, every agency needs to have the top management cleaned out.
#7
What you want are polls which reveal your and your opponents' weak points, and how many people have noticed each. I also want polls which indicate whether or not those questioned are in touch with basic realities.
#8
There are only a few ways that Pashtunistan will stop exporting terror and murder: The countries involved will become civilized in a real sense or it will become physically impossible for jihadis to move from there to the rest of the world. There are other possibilities to accomplish that goal, all involving massive loss of life.
#9
My guess is that agencies like the CIA and State have entire layers of management dedicated to the sole purpose of keeping the top man in the dark and/or carefully filtering which information makes it up the food chain to the top.
#10
"That means that Champ owns the decision lock, stock and barrel. If Afghanistan blows up again he's responsible."
Nonsense, Steve. He (and his pet attack dogs the MSM) will blame the military/Bush/Tea Party.
Posted by: Barbara ||
06/24/2011 16:06 Comments ||
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#11
My guess is that agencies like the CIA and State have entire layers of management dedicated to the sole purpose of
I think it's more like Jerry Pournelle's Iron Law: in any bureaucratic organization there will be two kinds of people: those who work to further the actual goals of the organization, and those who work for the organization itself. Examples in education would be teachers who work and sacrifice to teach children, vs. union representatives who work to protect any teacher including the most incompetent. The Iron Law states that in all cases, the second type of person will always gain control of the organization, and will always write the rules under which the organization functions.
#12
can you imagine what he's going to find when he gets to the Agency?
One thing he'll find is that many experienced analysts left the Agency either to retire or to go make money in industry. There's a huge turnover, a lot of analysts are kids whose grasp of things like history are somewhat limited ....
or so I've been told by someone who has a whole lot more reason to be credible than I do on this topic. But then, that's not hard ....
#13
One thing he'll find is that many experienced analysts left the Agency either to retire or to go make money in industry. There's a huge turnover,
A good thing the DoD has their own team, then, lotp. Then, too, as the new head of the CIA, General Petraeus can offer retiring military analysts opportunities on the civilian side. This could make things very, very interesting in his new organization...
* DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > [Top US] MILITARY LEADERS KNOW OBAMA'S DECISION IS A [high-risk] DISASTER, for US-Allied interests.
* SAME > {Afghan] TALIBAN DENOUNCE OBAMA TROOPS ANNOUNCEMENT, DISMISS PEACE TALKS DURING PULLOUT.
IOW, the Jihad = Afghan/AFPAK Insurgencies will go on.
The MILTERRS = RADICAL ISLAM know it > Political-Legal Jihad = THEY GET LEGAL/ELECTORAL CONTROL OF BOTH PAK = AFPAK GOVT-ARMY + PAKISTAN'S LR NUCLEAR ARSENALS.
WE-CANNOT-CONFIRM-OR-DENY-WE-WANT-NUCWEAPS ISLAMIST IRAN is only the beginning for the US-ALLIES + UNO.
[Emirates 24/7] Moammar Qadaffy lashed out at NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Originally it was a mutual defense pact directed against an expansionist Soviet Union. In later years it evolved into a mechanism for picking the American pocket while criticizing the style of the American pants... over civilian casualties and said Libya is prepared to fight on, calling the alliance "murderers" after an Arclight airstrike on a close associate's family home.
Few thugs around the world know as much about murdering civilians as the Duck of Death...
A few hundred supporters, most of them women, gathered Thursday in Tripoli's Green Square hours after the speech, vowing to defend the Libyan leader against rebels seeking to oust him and NATO forces giving them air support.
Qadaffy also warned the alliance that its more than three-month mission in Libya is a "crusader's campaign" that could come back to haunt the West.
"What you are doing will rebound against you and against the world with destruction, desolation and terrorism. You are launching a second Crusader war that might extend to Africa, Europe and America," he said in an audio address first aired on Libyan state television ... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
late Wednesday.
The address was the first from the Libyan leader since NATO targeted a compound Monday owned by Khoweildi al-Hamidi, a longtime regime insider whose daughter is married to one of Qadaffy's sons.
Qadaffy blasted the alliance for that strike, calling NATO "criminals" and "savages" and asking rhetorically: "Is this house a military target?"
Libya says 19 people, including at least three children and other civilians, were killed in that strike.
NATO has called that target a "command and control" center and says it regrets any civilian deaths.
That bombing came a day after NATO acknowledged that one of its Arclight airstrikes may have slammed into a civilian neighborhood in Tripoli. Libyan officials said nine non-combatants were killed in that strike, though a family member told news hounds at the scene that five people died.
Reports of civilian deaths have provoked intense anger among Qadaffy supporters.
Pro-Qadaffy protesters rallying in Tripoli on Thursday railed against NATO for striking civilians. Some women at the demonstration came armed, vowing to fight to defend their country and its leader.
"Everyone is training (to fight) since high school for a day like today," said dentist Hanin Khalil, 30, an aging Beretta submachine gun slung over her shoulder. "Not only (I) have a weapon. All people have their weapons to protect themselves from NATO."
A coalition including La Belle France, Britannia and the United States began striking Qadaffy's forces under a United Nations ...an idea whose time has gone... resolution to protect civilians on March 19. NATO assumed control of the air campaign over Libya on March 31. It's joined by a number of Arab allies.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/24/2011 00:00 ||
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[Emirates 24/7] Libya's rebel forces called on foreign allies to urgently provide them with weapons Thursday, amid a bloody stalemate on the ground and doubts about NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Originally it was a mutual defense pact directed against an expansionist Soviet Union. In later years it evolved into a mechanism for picking the American pocket while criticizing the style of the American pants... 's mission in the air.
Rebel colonel Ahmed Omar Bani made a plea for foreign allies to provide the arms, training and communications systems needed to defeat Muammar Qadaffy ... Custodian of Wheelus AFB for 42 long years ... 's better armed and better drilled army.
"Quick -- wave your magic wand and turn us into a proper army with strategy and tactics and counter marching and stuff -- my guys think holding a gun turns them into warriors!"
"It is so urgent" he said, "we will fight, just support us, just give us the equipment."
Suggestion: issue warrants for future oil production from the eastern half of the country, to be redeemed once the civil war is over. Sell those warrants abroad, and use the cash to finance your rebellion. You'll have to honor the warrants, of course, or find yourselves in another civil war financed by the people you stiffed...
Speaking at the Rajma military installation, 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the rebel stronghold of Benghazi, Bani said the rebels were up against vastly superior firepower.
The mostly volunteer force has, with the help of NATO air strikes, kept Qadaffy's forces at bay on several fronts across the country, but has made limited progress toward Tripoli -- allowing loyalist forces to dig in to key positions.
Much of the rebels' arsenal is comprised of Soviet-era tanks and artillery, which is up to 50 years old.
While the allied forces have supplied rebels with some non-lethal equipment, there has been a reluctance to transport large quantities of weapons after experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq.
But Bani's comments came amid unease in Benghazi about statements from Washington and Rome, that hinted backing for the war had ebbed.
As some US Republicans sought to clobber President Barack B.O. Obama over US involvement in the conflict, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini called for "an immediate humanitarian suspension of hostilities" in Libya.
That suggestion was quickly shot down by officials in other European capitals and at NATO, but not before questions were raised about the durability of the coalition that has banded together to protect Libyan civilians and oust Qadaffy.
"It would be a shame if the world did not support us now, because everyone knows Qadaffy the tyrant is not our enemy only, he is the enemy of humanity," said Bani.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/24/2011 00:00 ||
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Sell those warrants abroad, and use the cash to finance your rebellion. You'll have to honor the warrants, of course,
Send 'em the Acme Catalog of Doom and a 1 billion dollar gift card. Don't even bother trying the warrant route.
[Yemen Post] At least three Al-Qaeda members were killed Wednesday when 63 Al-Qaeda prisoners beat feet from their jail in Yemen's city of Mukalla, the Interior Ministry reported on Thursday.
When the authorities tried to thwart the escape, the prisoners resisted that forcing the authorities to control the situation with force, it said, adding, "three prisoners were killed and two tossed in the slammer".
A hunt was launched for the other prisoners, who could escape through a 35-meter tunnel they dug under the ground, it added. "The prisoners, including those who had been sentenced to jail terms and others under trial, killed one of the jail guards."
A panel was formed immediately to investigate the escape, the ministry said, urging the people to cooperate with the authorities and report to them information about any of those who beat feet.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/24/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Lots easier to arrest them after they're killed, plus they probably won't escape again.
[Yemen Post] A civilian was killed on Thursday in Yemen's business capital Aden after guards at Al-Nasr Military Post in Khour Maksar district fired at a car suspected of carrying armed people, website reported on Thursday. The website quoted a medical source at Al-Naqeeb Hospital as saying that Salah Muhammad died of his injuries at the hospital.
On Wednesday, battles were reported in some parts of Aden, but no casualties were reported. Locals said the forces were battling gunnies in Al-Mualla and Crater districts, amid reports that suspected Al-Qaeda hard boyz are infiltrating from Abyan to other cities.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/24/2011 00:00 ||
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[Yemen Post] Assistant Secretary General of the General People's Congress, the ruling party, Sultan Al-Barakani, denied on Wednesday reports that President-for-Life Saleh ... exemplifying the Arab's propensity to combine brutality with incompetence... will be back on Friday.
"President Saleh still needs more weeks, at least two weeks, to convalesce," he said.
The announcement coincided with reports that Saleh has already recovered from injuries he got in the attack on his palace earlier this month and that his plane landed in Soddy Arabia two days ago to take him home soon.
Earlier this week, information advisor to Saleh, Ahmed Al-Sofi, said the president, who along with several bigwigs was maimed in the attack, would come back from Soddy Arabia next Friday, triggering the anger of the youth-led protesters in most Yemeni cities.
The protesters said the return should be resisted and urged to form an immediate transitional council, as they urged the relatives of Saleh to leave Yemen.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/24/2011 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] The High Court yesterday rejected a bail petition jointly filed by three juggedBangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami ... a Pakistani catspaw remaining active in Bangla politix, loosely affiliated with the Pak religious party of the same name and closely affiliated with most of the terror organizations in Bangla. A member of the BNP's four party governing coalition.... leaders in Rajshashi University student Faruk Hossain murder case.
A single member HC bench of Justice Hasan Foyez Siddique delivered the verdict.
On March 24, a two-member division bench delivered a split judgement on the petition filed by Jamaat Ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami ...During the liberation war of 1971, Nizami formed the Al-Badr Force and acted as its supreme commander. The Al-Badr militia took active part in rape, extortion, looting and killing of Bangladeshis who supported the liberation, including a pre-planned massacre on December 14, 1971, when the Al-Badr militia along with Pakistan Army rounded up hundreds of doctors, professors, writers, and other Bengali intellectuals, and executed them... , Secretary General Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mojaheed and Nayeb-e-Ameer Delwar Hossain Saydee in August last year.
Senior judge of that bench Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury granted them bail while junior judge Justice Nazrul Islam Talukder rejected the petition.
The chief justice then formed the single member bench for final disposal of the bail petition.
Deputy Attorney General ABM Altaf Hossain told The Daily Star that the HC bench upheld the decision of Justice Nazrul Islam Talukder.
Petitioners' lawyer Tajul Islam said they were yet to decide whether they would appeal against the HC verdict with the Supreme Court.
Rajshahi University Chhatra League ... the student wing of the Bangla Awami League ... leader Faruk Hossain was killed in a clash between Islami Chhatra Shibir ... the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh... and Chhatra League on February 9 last year. The murder case was filed on the day with Motihar Police Station.
Attorney General Mahbubey Alam yesterday appeared for the government and barrister Abdur Razzaq argued for the petitioners.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/24/2011 00:00 ||
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[Emirates 24/7] Heavily armed police Wednesday patrolled the streets of Belfast and local officials held talks to try to avert a third night of violence after some of Northern Ireland's worst sectarian festivities in years.
On Tuesday night, a photographer was shot in the leg and rioters threw petrol bombs and other missiles at police, who responded by firing water cannons.
Up to 400 people rioted near a Catholic enclave in mainly Protestant east Belfast, a flashpoint during the civil strife which plagued the province from the late 1960s to late 1990s.
Several gunshots were fired in Tuesday's violence, police and witnesses said, and a photographer working for Britannia's Press Association news agency was hit in his lower right leg. He was taken to hospital but was in a stable condition.
Police blamed pro-British paramilitaries the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) for starting the violence but said the shots were fired by dissident republicans, who oppose the grinding of the peace processor and want the province to be part of Ireland.
"The UVF in East Belfast started this," said Assistant Chief Constable Alistair Finlay.
"Their hands are upon this, whether by direction, by omission or commission."
Like most paramilitary groups, the UVF decommissioned its weapons and declared a ceasefire following the 1998 peace accords which largely ended the bombings and shootings in the British-ruled province.
But it was blamed for a brutal murder last year when a Protestant man was rubbed out in broad daylight in an apparent execution-style killing.
Peter Muhly, an AFP photographer covering Tuesday's riots, saw a hand holding a gun emerge over a brick wall and then heard about four or five shots ring out before he saw his colleague had been hit.
He said the shots appeared to come at random from the Catholic enclave of Short Strand.
A police front man later confirmed: "Dissident republicans were responsible for the shots that were fired during last night's disorder in east Belfast."
Posted by: Fred ||
06/24/2011 00:00 ||
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"Their hands are upon this, whether by direction, by omission or commission."
For a map, click here. For a map of Durango, click here. To read the last Rantburg story on the Durango mass graves, click here.
The death toll in Durango city's mass graves rose to 250 as partial remains of three more individuals were found, according to Mexican news reports.
Reports say a skull was unearthed on calle Valentin Trujillo in Valle del Guadiana colony, and a hand and a leg were discovered in Caminos del Sol colony.
In a related story five individuals were found shot to death in Canatlan municipality Thursday, including the four year old child of one of the victims. All were shot once in the head.
SEATTLE -- Two men have been arrested in a plot to attack a Seattle military recruiting station, reports the U.S. Justice Department and FBI. Abu Khalid Abdul-Latif, who also went by Joseph Anthony Davis, 33, of Seattle, and Walli Mujahidh, also known as Frederick Domingue, Jr., 32, of Los Angeles, will face terrorism and firearms charges for the suspected plot.
But they were mostly known as Abu and Walli. Booking pics of both mutts at the link.
The pair were arrested Wednesday night after nearly a month of surveillance and recordings by FBI, with the help of an informant recruited to join the plot. During that time, law enforcement say they learned Abdul-Latif and Mujahidh intended to shoot people enlisting in the armed forces at the Military Entrance Processing Station on East Marginal Way (MEPS).
"Driven by a violent, extreme ideology, these two young Americans are charged with plotting to murder men and women who were enlisting in the Armed Forces to serve and protect our country," said Todd Hinnen, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security.
Let's remember that they were indeed driven by a violent, extreme ideology. Further, let's put a name on it: Islamicism.
Before shifting to MEPS as a target, FBI officials said the attack was initially planned for Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Abdul-Latif said he and Mujahidh would drive a van through the gates of Fort Lewis and open fire. Abdul-Latif said the specific target was soldiers and not civilians, according to agents.
Unless the civilians got in the way or were infidels...
Or were innocent Muslims being sent straight to Paradise, who should be grateful for the opportunity.
Mujahidh was described as the driver for the attack, the FBI said, suggested to occur on July 5, 2011.
According to the FBI, Abdul-Latif was outwardly angry about the current United States military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan, and even in Yemen. Charging documents show Abdul-Latif believed "murdering American soldiers was justifiable."
FBI officials said Abdul-Latif "wanted to die as a martyr in the attack."
If they had attacked Fort Lewis that would have been arranged.
After further Internet research, the men later decided on MEPS as a target because it was a place where people who "wanted to go to Iraq and Afghanistan" would be, and most of the people there would be unarmed.
"It's a confined space, not a lot of people carrying weapons, and we'd have an advantage," Abdul-Latif said in a recording.
So in addition to being murderers, they were cowards...
Abdul-Latif believed the attack at the MEPS would inspire other Muslims with similar feelings.
"Imagine how many young Muslims, if we're successful, will try to hit these kind of centers," said Abdul-Latif in a recording. "Imagine how fearful America will be, and they'll know they can't push the Muslims around."
Police first found out about the plot on June 3 when a citizen alerted a Seattle Police detective, saying he was initially approached about the plot by Abdul-Latif on May 30 at Abdul-Latif's SeaTac apartment. FBI agents said the informant was recruited because Abdul-Latif believed he held similar beliefs, and that he would be able to get a hold of the weapons needed for the attack.
Why didn't they just apply to the ATF and offer to walk some guns into Mexico?
FBI officials said in charging documents that the informant had known Abdul-Latif for several years already, and that Abdul-Latif trusted the informant. After the initial contact, the informant went to Seattle Police.
With the help of the informant, law enforcement then began recording the suspects, both on audio and video tape, discussing the plot. The informant was instructed to learn the layout of the MEPS, and buy machine guns used to carry out the attack, all with the intention of killing military men and women, according to the FBI.
Charging documents show on June 6, Abdul-Latif and Mujahidh as well as the informant spoke on the phone about general aspects of the plot, including the need to get a hold of firearms and even train with them in Wenatchee, Washington, prior to the attack. Documents show during that conversation, Mujahidh assured Abdul-Latif that he was committed to carrying out the plan.
The next day, federal officials say Abdul-Latif told the informant it was time to check out the MEPS location and "make a plan from there."
Abdul-Latif and the informant met together on June 8 to do so, according to the FBI. The pair drove to the MEPS, parked and looked around the property. Peering inside the front doors, Abdul-Latif noted a security guard inside, but said, "We'll just kill him right away...we can kill him first."
On the same day, the informant was instructed by Abdul-Latif to get a hold of machine guns, ammunition, magazines and grenades to use during the attack, charging papers show.
During the next week, law enforcement learned Mujahidh made plans to come to Seattle via bus from Los Angeles on June 20. On June 21, the trio met together to discuss the plotted attack at a restaurant. FBI agents said Abdul-Latif left the restaurant, and the informant and Mujahidh continued the discussion.
The informant, according to FBI recordings, said he was going to do some work on his car sound system if they lived through the attack.
"We're either gonna get killed or end up locked up," said Mujahidh, according to the FBI.
Mujahidh indicated to the informant, based on recordings, that he'd rather carry out the attack at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
"Yeah so we are going in and killing everybody?" he asked the informant on an FBI tape. "I'd rather do Fort Lewis, man."
Mujahidh also told the informant that before leaving Los Angeles, he told people he was going to Seattle on a jihad and that "[the attack] is my way of getting rid of sins, man...I got so many of 'em...I got a bunch of 'em."
Now that I believe.
Charging documents show Mujahidh even predicted a media headline for the plot: "Three Muslim males walk into MEPS building, Seattle, Washington, and gun down everybody."
After further discussion, Mujahidh and the informant joined back up with Abdul-Latif at his SeaTac apartment. There, they discussed further aspects of the plot, and even considered buying rocket-propelled grenades for the attack.
Where exactly does one buy those in America?
Again, recordings show the trio discussed military involvement in the Middle East as the fuel for the attack.
"We're not only trying to kill people, we're trying to send a message" said Abdul-Latif. "We're trying to get something that's gonna be on CNN and all over the world."
Several times, backing out of the plan was brought up, and what to do if anyone was caught by law enforcement.
"If any of us gets caught, and we survive...don't' ever say anything to the police..." said Abdul-Latif. "We have to promise, if any of us gets caught or thrown in jail for any reason before this happens, if they offer you a deal to talk, don't talk."
On Wednesday, June 22, both Abdul-Latif and Mujahidh and the informant went to a warehouse in Seattle, where the informant said they could pick up their machine guns he purchased. The warehouse, at an undisclosed location, was equipped by FBI with audio and visual recording devices.
Inside the warehouse, the suspects inspected the weapons, holding them and discussing their features, FBI reported. Abdul-Latif instructed the weapons were to be taken to a place in Burien at "First and Burien," prompting FBI and law enforcement to enter the warehouse and place Abdul-Latif and Mujahidh under arrest.
Charging documents show Mujahidh admitted to plotting to kill soldiers, and carry out the attacks with guns and grenades. He also asked agents how long they had known about the plot. Abdul-Latif, however, made no statements.
The FBI acknowledged that the informant does have an extensive criminal history, including five felony convictions, but has never been convicted of any "crimes of dishonesty."
Doesn't matter. They have the audio and video.
Over the course of a month of planning, FBI officials said neither men knew the guns they purchased were inoperable, posing no public safety risk. Among the weapons the men possessed were a Heckler & Koch MP5 9x19 mm caliber sub-machine gun and Colt M16A2 Commando 5.56 mm caliber assault rifles, charging documents show.
Officially, Abdul-Latif and Mujahidh are charged by complaint with:
conspiracy to murder officers and employees of the United States
conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction (grenades)
possession of firearms in furtherance of crimes of violence.
Additionally, Abdul-Latif is charged with two counts of illegal possession of firearms.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/24/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Police first found out about the plot on June 3 when a citizen alerted a Seattle Police detective, saying he was initially approached about the plot by Abdul-Latif on May 30 at Abdul-Latif's SeaTac apartment
American Muslim hero. We don't hear enough about these people.
#3
Perhaps it would be more accurate to call them "Islamophiles", 'lovers of Islam', which is like pedophiles, 'lovers of prepubescent children'. Like Mohammed.
#4
There, they discussed further aspects of the plot, and even considered buying rocket-propelled grenades for the attack.
Where exactly does one buy those in America?
at Gun Shows™. Haven't you been listening to Chuck Schumer, Nanny Bloomberg, or Janet Incompetano?
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/24/2011 10:35 Comments ||
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#5
According to Aaron Goldstein, blogging at The American Spectator, the three gentlemen met while in prison. No word yet if it was there that they converted to Islam.
#8
There's just something about criminals and Islam...kinda like peas and carrots or peanut butter and jelly...think I need some sausage pizza for lunch.
#9
There, they discussed further aspects of the plot, and even considered buying rocket-propelled grenades for the attack.
Where exactly does one buy those in America?
Why...at "Rocket Propelled Grenades R' Us", of course.
(KUNA) -- Two men have been locked away in an alleged plot to attack a military recruiting center in Seattle, Washington, the Justice department confirmed Thursday.
Abu Khalid Abdul-Latif, also known as Joseph Anthony Davis and Walli Mujahid, also known as Frederik Domingue Jr. were locked away late Wednesday by agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigations(FBI).
Investigators said they have video and audio recording of the men plotting to destroy the Military Entrance Processing Station, a screening and processing center for all branches of the military. The men allegedly planned to attack using grenades and machine guns.
"The complaint alleges these men intended to carry out a deadly attack against our military where they should be most safe, here at home," Seattle Attorney Jenny said in a news release. "This is a sobering reminder of our need to be vigilant and that our first line of defense is the people who live in our community. We were able to disrupt the plot because someone stepped forward and reported it to authorities," she added.
Agents became aware of the plot through someone the men tried to recruit as a participant and monitored the plot. The weapons the men purchased had been rendered inoperable, government officials said.
Abdul-Latif and Mujahidh are charged by complaint with conspiracy to murder officers and employees of the U.S., conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, and possession of firearms in furtherance of crimes of violence. Abdul-Latif is also charged with two counts of illegal possession of firearms.
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06/24/2011 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] Two brothers, both associated with the Awami National Party, were bumped off in a Korangi locality on Wednesday, police said.
They said that four assailants riding two cycle of violences targeted the two brothers -- Habibullah and Nasarullah -- who were taxi drivers, outside their home in Korangi No. 1 in the morning.
"Nasarullah, who was in his mid-20s, was standing outside his house when two men on a motorbike fired at him, leaving him badly maimed," said Sub-Inspector Raheem Khan, the SHO of the Awami Colony cop shoppe. "Hearing gunshots, Habibullah came out to help his younger brother, but two more assailants on a motorbike emerged and fired at him."
"Both brothers died on their way to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre."
He said that the police found several spent bullet casings that suggested that 9mm and .30-bore pistols were used in the attack.
The bodies were handed over to the family after completing medico-legal formalities. The police were unaware about the motive and the people behind the killings, the area SHO said.
A front man for the ANP said that the victims were party activists and associated with the Awami Colony ward of the party organizational structure in the city.
He said that the two brothers were targeted only for their political association. "It's really unfortunate that the incidents of assassinations on ethnic and political grounds were increasing after the last week peace talks between parties in the ruling
coalition."
He said victim Habibullah was the father of three. Both brothers hailed from Mardan and their funeral prayers were offered outside the ANP office in Awami Colony, he added.
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06/24/2011 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Explosives loaded into three shopping carts destroyed a crowded market in the Iraqi capital on Thursday, killing at least 21 people and wounding 107, an interior ministry official said.
"Explosives loaded in three shopping carts killed 21 people and maimed 107 at the Shurt al-Raba market," the official said, adding that the attack happened at 6:45 pm (15:45 GMT) when the area was crowded with shoppers.
"There were a lot of people at the market because it is Thursday, the evening before the weekend" which begins on Friday, he said.
Also on Thursday, an American contractor with USAID was killed and another U.S. citizen maimed in a kaboom as their armored vehicle was leaving a Storied Baghdad ...located along the Tigris River, founded in the 8th century, home of the Abbasid Caliphate... university, the U.S. embassy and witnesses told Agence La Belle France Presse.
The attack that killed the American was an improvised bomb that penetrated their armored vehicle, a witness said.
"An American civilian working with an implementing partner of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Iraq was killed in a terrorist attack today in Storied Baghdad," said David J. Ranz.
"Three additional civilians were maimed in the attack, including one American citizen," he said, without giving any details of the attack.
A witness said that attack took place at the capital's al-Mustansariyah University, just as the delegation was leaving the college in the reinforced vehicle.
Thursday's attacks came at a time of surging violence in Iraq, with three assaults against foreign officials in four days.
On Wednesday, gunnies fired on a visiting Iranian oil delegation in Storied Baghdad that maimed two Iraqi guards, but the foreigners were unharmed.
On Monday, a roadside kaboomwent kaboom! next to a French embassy car in southern Storied Baghdad. Four French security personnel inside the armored vehicle were unhurt, but seven Iraqis were maimed.
Violence is dramatically down in Iraq since its peak in 2006 and 2007, but attacks against government officials and institutions, including security forces, have shot up in recent months, as Iraqi leaders bicker over key security posts left vacant since a March 2010 general election.
On Tuesday, two suicide car booms destroyed a guard post killing 26 people outside the provincial governor's home in the city of Diwaniyah in the center of the country.
The surge in the number of attacks comes with only months to go before U.S. forces are due to complete a pullout under the terms of a 2008 security agreement.
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06/24/2011 00:00 ||
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A triple bombing by suspected terrorists insurgents killed two villagers and injured nine others in southern Thailand on Friday. At least four of those injured were police who had rushed to the scene of the initial explosion to help the victims. The bombs were buried in three different locations around a reservoir in Narathiwat province.
Thailand's opposition party Puea Thai, which leads the ruling Democrat Party in most opinion polls ahead of a July 3 general election, has promised, if elected, to turn the region into a special administrative region.
[Al Jazeera] Iran's ex-deputy foreign minister - an ally of President Mahmoud Short Round Ahmadinejad - has been jugged on unspecified charges, an unnamed official has told the semi-official Fars news agency.
Malekzadeh had resigned from his position as deputy foreign minister on Tuesday.
"Mohammad Sharif Malekzadeh was jugged a few hours ago," Rooters news agency reported citing Fars on Thursday.
His resignation came in the wake of pressure by hardline politicians, who accused him of being part of a "deviant current" trying to undermine the role of Iran's influential religious leaders.
Some members of parliament also accused him of financial corruption.
Malekzadeh was considered close to Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, the president's controversial chief of staff, whom the conservatives accuse of being the head of the "deviant current".
Malekzadeh had been at the centre of a dispute between members of parliament, who opposed his nomination, and Ali-Akbar Salehi, Iran's foreign minister.
Salehi's initial refusal to remove him prompted more than 30 parliamentarians to petition the speaker for the minister's impeachment.
The row over his position is part of a wider power struggle among the country's ruling conservatives, who are divided between an absolute majority supporting Ayatollah Ali Khomenei, the supreme leader, who has the final say in all state affairs, and a minority who back Ahmadinejad.
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06/24/2011 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] U.S. authorities Thursday charged firms in La Belle France and the United Arab Emirates for conspiring to export components for attack helicopters and fighter jets to Iran without a license.
The Justice Department said that among the individuals and five corporate entities charged were Aerotechnic, based in Pinsaguel, La Belle France, its president Philippe Sanchez and sales manager Luc Teuly. They remain runaways.
"The indictment alleges that they were involved in the financing of such illegal arms deals and that they helped purchase and route U.S. military components they received from the United States to Iran in violation of the Iran embargo and various U.S. export laws and fraud laws," the Justice Department said in a statement.
Officials said two defendants based in the UAE have also been indicted: Aletra General Trading, a company in Dubai doing business as "Erman & Sultan Trading Co;" and Syed Amir Ahmed Najfi, an Iranian national and purchaser for Aletra. Najfi remains a runaway.
Three defendants based in Iran have also been charged in the case including Sabanican Company, its president Hassan Seifi, and managing director Reza Seifi.
"The defendants in this case are alleged to have conspired to defraud the United States by illegally acquiring and exporting fighter jet and attack helicopter components," said Todd Hinnen, acting assistant attorney general for national security.
"Keeping such advanced weaponry, which is designed to protect the men and women of our armed forces and to defend our national interests, from falling into the hands of state sponsors of terror has never been more important."
Four U.S.-based defendants have also been charged in the investigation. They are The Parts Guys LLC, a company in Port Orange, Florida, and the company president Michael Edward Todd, who is a U.S. national. Also charged were Galaxy Aviation Services, a company in St. Charles, Illinois, and its president, Hamid Seifi, an Iranian-born U.S. national.
Hamid Seifi is a brother of Hassan Seifi, one of the Iran-based defendants.
Todd was incarcerated last year in Atlanta based on the original indictment in the case. Todd and his company The Parts Guys pleaded guilty to federal charges, and Hamid Seifi and his company pleaded guilty on February 24.
On Wednesday, Seifi was sentenced to 56 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Todd is awaiting sentencing.
The new charges filed include violations of the U.S. Arms Export Control Act (AECA), the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and the Iranian Transactions Regulations, as well as conspiracy to defraud the United States, money laundering and false statement violations.
Some of the charges call for up to 20 years in prison.
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06/24/2011 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] The European Union on Thursday announced fresh sanctions against President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad One of the last of the old-fashioned hereditary iron-fisted fascist dictators. Before going into the family business Pencilneck was an eye doctor... 's regime, adding 11 individuals and businesses to a list of Syrians already targeted.
"The Council today adopted a decision ... imposing restrictive measures on seven additional persons and introducing such measures against four entities associated with the Syrian regime, in view of the gravity of the situation," said a statement from the office of EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.
After already targeting 23 Syrians, including Assad and members of his inner circle, the new list includes three Iranians who will also be hit by an asset freeze and travel ban, diplomats said.
The three Iranians, whose named will be released along with the others on Friday, are accused of militarily aiding Syria's crackdown on dissent.
The expanded sanctions, spearheaded by La Belle France and Britannia and agreed in principle by the bloc's 27 foreign ministers this week, were adopted under a special procedure for urgent decisions and will come into force Friday when the EU Official Journal publishes the names of those on the latest list.
The Iranians face sanctions for "providing military equipment and support to help the regime suppress protests in Syria," a diplomat said.
Another EU diplomat said their inclusion sent "a clear message to the government of Iran that its provision of equipment and technical advice to help the Syrian regime quash protests is unacceptable."
Syria has reacted angrily to Europe beefing up its sanctions, with Foreign Minister Walid Muallem this week slamming the measures as "equivalent to war" and denying receiving assistance from Iran or Leb's gang Hizbullah in putting down the protests.
EU foreign ministers looked to toughening action against Syria after Assad's latest pledges of change in a public address this week failed to convince.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Assad should "reform or step aside."
Several European nations however have joined Washington in pushing for a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning the Syrian crackdown, but Russia has warned it would veto such a move.
U.N. leader the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon ... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan... on Wednesday urged the Security Council to overcome divisions on the Syria crisis, saying: "I do not see much credibility (in) what he has been saying."
The U.N. leader said it would be "very helpful" for the U.N. Security Council to speak out on the Syria crisis.
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt this week said it was vital for the Council "to express the outrage of the world."
"The silence of the Security Council until now can be seen as an indirect tolerance of what is going on in Syria and that is unacceptable," he said.
German counterpart Guido Westerwelle said Moscow's U.N. position "goes in the wrong direction".
More than 1,300 civilians have been killed and some 10,000 people placed in long-term storage, according to Syrian rights groups, in the crackdown that has seen troops dispatched to crush revolt in cities across the troubled country.
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06/24/2011 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Hundreds of displaced Syrians poured into Turkey on Thursday after Syrian troops backed by tanks approached their makeshift camps along the border, an Agence La Belle France Presse journalist reported.
Several hundred people broke through the barbed wire marking the frontier between the two countries and were seen advancing into Turkish territory on a road used by Turkish border guards, a few kilometers from the Turkish village of Guvecci.
They were flanked by Turkish paramilitary police vehicles and minibuses, called apparently to ferry the refugees to tent cities the Turkish Red Islamic Thingy has erected in the border province of Hatay, where more than 10,000 Syrians are already sheltering.
Another group of several hundred people was seen further down the same road, walking towards the Turkish security forces vehicles.
Thousands of Syrians fleeing a bloody crackdown on anti-regime protests have flocked to the border but hesitated to cross into Turkey, gripped by uncertainty over their future on foreign soil and wary of leaving behind their properties.
Once at the border they have being living in squalid conditions, in the open air or in makeshift shelters of branches and plastic sheets, surviving on scarce food and water.
They have said Turkish authorities have assured them they can cross over if they felt threatened.
Earlier Thursday, Syrian troops backed by tanks stormed a Syrian border village, where many of the displaced have massed, an activist at the scene told AFP.
Syrian security forces surged into the northern village of Khirbet al-Joz in the early morning, the activist told AFP in Nicosia by telephone, as witnesses on the Turkish side said they saw soldiers and tanks approach the frontier.
A Guvecci resident said he saw soldiers crossing a hill on the Syrian side less than a kilometer from the border at around 6:00 am (03:00 GMT).
A Turkish flag that was raised a few days earlier by Syrian refugees in gratitude for Ankara's hospitality was replaced by a Syrian flag, an AFP journalist witnessed.
People in Guvecci could hear shots and kabooms on Tuesday that seemed to come from the hill where the tanks were seen Thursday.
An AFP correspondent saw Turkish police laying sandbags and mounting precision binoculars on tripods on the outskirts of Guvecci.
At the weekend, the Turkish Red Islamic Thingy announced it had begun providing urgent humanitarian aid to those massed on the other side of the border.
More than 1,300 civilians have been killed and some 10,000 people tossed in the slammer, according to Syrian human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... groups, in the crackdown that has seen troops dispatched to crush pro-democracy protests across Syria since March.
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06/24/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Memo to Hamid Karzai:
This is how normal civilians behave when approached by hostile military forces. The fact that certain Afghan civilians do not flee when approached by the Taliban seems rather...abnormal, don't you think? That is, unless they don't perceive the Taliban as hostile. Well, anyway, it won't be long before they don't have to flee from our guys anymore. Hope your jet is in good working order.
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.
SEATTLE -- Two men have been arrested in a plot to attack a Seattle military recruiting station, reports the U.S. Justice Department and FBI. 
cycle of violence
Mahmoud 
President-for-Life Bashir 
the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
[An Nahar] Hundreds of displaced Syrians poured into Turkey on Thursday after Syrian troops backed by tanks approached their makeshift camps along the border, an Agence 
