Caught this over at nicedoggie.net
A California law requires a trapping license in order to kill mice. The Animal Protection Institute of Sacramento pushed the bill, which mandates anyone who takes furbearing mammals or non-game animals must purchase a trapping license by passing a complex test and paying a fee of $78.50, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The Fish and Game Code 4005 defines non-game animals as including mice, rats, gophers and moles, the paper noted.
Bill Murray woulda been in trouble in Caddyshack...
However, Scott Paulsen, chief of law enforcement for the Department of Fish and Game, said the law would not be enforced for personal use. Nevertheless, he says, the statute is enforced for commercial use.
That means the Orkin man needs a permit to clean Mickey out of your house or office...
That means if a citizen hires a gardener or pest control service to set traps at his house, they could face arrest without a permit. Terry Knight of the Lake County Fish and Wildlife Committee said the DFG did not support the bill but it was promoted by the Animal Protection Institute. "I can see the headlines now, âMice trappers face jail term,â " Knight said. "But if you get the permit, the real problem youâre facing is that it takes too many mice to make a fur coat." This whole thing reminds me of a scene I read from one of Pushkinâs short stories where a couple was charged a duty for having âlivestockâ on a train in pre-revolutionary Russian. The livestock? A canary in a cage. Now, I may have this mangled since I read it in the original Russian, so someone please correct me, but I think the sentiment is applicable here: A runuaway government system.
Slightly EFL
Former Taleban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar was seen in the Pakistani border town of Quetta last week, according to Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Mr Karzai told The Times newspaper he had received information that Mullah Omar was spotted praying in a mosque. There have been no confirmed sightings of him since the Afghan war ended. Mullah Omar is one of the three men most wanted by US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, along with Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. As the supreme leader of Afghanistanâs deposed regime, he has periodically issued taped messages urging his followers to maintain their attacks on western forces.
President Karzai told the London-based Times newspaper that Quetta was a stronghold for fighters opposing the coalition forces. He called on Pakistanâs President Musharraf to prevent hard-line Islamic groups in the city from supporting those responsible for the recent upsurge in violence in Afghanistan, which has left more than 400 people dead in the past four months. But Pakistani Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed denied the report of the sighting and said it was "irresponsible". "Thereâs no truth in this report. We want good relations with Afghanistan. We supported them when they needed our help. We are still supporting them in the fight against terrorism," he told The Associated Press.
Guess it all depends on what you define as "terrorism," huh?
Posted by: Bulldog ||
11/29/2003 10:13:34 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Wonder if Perv would give us permission to test the latest MOABs in certain Pak border towns. It's not like he'd miss 'em.
And we certainly wouldn't miss 'em :-)
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/29/2003 15:04 Comments ||
Top||
#2
USE the B-@,It canstrike something like 36 targets with gps-bombs.Using the B-2 would give plausable deniability.
"What bomber,you got any radar tapes showing a U.S.bomber?"
With the former Iraqi regime gone, Kuwait faces no military threat of any kind, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Jaber Al-Sabah, said while visiting a number of military sites recently.
"There is another..."
"Oh. Thank you, Yoda. I forgot."
"The fact that we are not currently encountering any threats does not mean that we should drop our guard," he said, adding that "we should remain vigilant to any radical changes in our region." He emphasized Kuwait will not allow anyone to disturb domestic peace and will fight hard against terrorism.
You might even want to give some thought to that "iron hand" thing...
While he praised the armed forces for doing a good job in protecting the country, he acknowledged that changes in the region have engendered different defense-related strategies to keep Kuwait safe and secure. In that vein, a new naval base will be established on the island of Failaka, he revealed. He added it will be a totally Kuwaiti base. He said Kuwait was still honoring all security agreements that bear directly on the safety of the nation. He said also that the subject of military service will be soon be re-evaluated as will be bonuses given to all sectors of the armed forces.
"We want to keep you guys happy. We know that armies without a threat hanging over them sometimes find other things to do..."
Sheikh Jaber started his customary Eid Al-Fitr tour of the Armed Forces departments by visiting a police-training camp and a number of Army units located on Failaka, Bubyan and Warba islands. He was greeted at all these locations with officials and officers of the Department of Defense. Meanwhile, Ministry of Interior Undersecretary Lieutenant General Nasser Al-Othman praised the northern border security guards and officers and all units stationed there.
Those should be guys with something to do, catching bad guys. Maybe they should pay those bonuses to the guys that actually catch 'em?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/29/2003 20:03 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Thank God we freed the Kuwaitis to continue their democratic government's deomocratic ideals
#4
One of the charges by the left during the run-up to Gulf War I was that the Kuwaitis were "no different from the Iraqis" as far as their government was concerned. It's not the structure, but the execution that's important. Iraq had a parliament, but it was run by the Revolutionary Command Council, which was the same critter as the Baath Party, which in turn was the same critter as Sammy's family. Rather than pissing their money away on weaponry, the Kuwaitis were investing, against the day when the oil runs out. The shura attended to matters affecting the national interest, and the practice of diwaniyah provided the mechanism for citizen input into the councils of government. The Kuwaiti government made lots of decisions that weren't wonderful, starting with importing Paleostinians as a middle class, but the system was about as mild as you could get in Arabia at the time. Kuwait prior to the Iraqi invasion had the highest per capita income in the world. That was why they were invaded.
When it comes to making comparisons, it makes more sense to compare like to like, rather than setting up an idal and comparing a single incidence to that.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/30/2003 9:50 Comments ||
Top||
Police have closed down 34 massage parlors in the last two years in an attempted crackdown on a thriving illegal sex trade, a local official said yesterday.
That's... ummm... divide by 11... carry the six... 17 a year. A little over one a month...
âWe have closed 34 massage parlors that violated the law in the last two years. Of those we closed some were licensed while others were not and so they were closed,â Muhammad Hilal Al-Muroushedi, director of the compliance division of the department of economic development, told AFP. According to Dubai legislation, a massage for a male must be carried out by a male and a massage for a woman must be performed by a woman.
Eeewwww! That's perverted...
Al-Muroushedi said that spot checks on parlors showed that law was being violated and additional services were being offered after the massage.
What... kind of "additional services"? Heh heh...
Most of the women arrested and later deported came in on visas as part of tour guide companies, or posing as tourists, mostly from China.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/29/2003 19:28 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
A rub and a tug. Whats the problem, but then again it's not my call.
A well-known Saudi prince and poet has been shot and killed by suspected Islamist fighters in an ambush on his hunting party in the Algerian desert. Algerian newspapers on Saturday said Talal Ibn Abd al-Aziz al-Rashid died in an ambush on Thursday in which nine people were killed and several others injured. The attack is believed to have been carried out by the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC). The SGPC is recently known for the kidnapping of more than 30 European tourists sightseeing in the desert earlier this year. The group is fighting to set up a purist Islamic state and recently pledged its allegiance to the al-Qaida network. The hunting party was attacked in the region of Djelfa, 250km south of the capital Algiers, sources told the newspapers. It was not immediately clear if the victims were guides, Saudis or security forces accompanying the hunting group. Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq al-Awsat said his body was flown to Riyadh late on Friday for burial on Saturday. Al-Rashid was a businessman and popular poet who set up a literary magazine, al-Fawasil, 10 years ago. Two off-road jeeps were stolen in the attack. The Algerian desert is a popular destination for Saudis hunting game, including gazelles.
Bandidos? Just coincidence that he was traveling in ambush territory? Six months from now we may get a tidbit someplace else that'll shed some light on his departure from the gene pool...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/29/2003 18:59 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under:
Slightly EFL
Only one of the three men held in the latest round of police anti-terrorism raids remains in custody. The men were arrested in Manchester, Birmingham and Gloucester on Thursday, in three separate operations, on terror suspects. Only the suspect arrested in Gloucester, os [sic] still being questioned - with the other two released without charge.
The 33-year-old man arrested during dawn raids by armed police on six addresses in Birmingham on Thursday was released this morning. That followed the release last night of the 39-year-old man arrested in Manchester, who had also been detained on suspicion of involvement in terrorist activities. However, detectives were granted a 48-hour extension to question 24-year-old Sajid Badat, arrested in Gloucester suspected of al Qaida links. Police were given until Monday morning to either charge him, release him or apply for a further 36-hour extension.
Chechen leader Akhmed Zakayev, charged with murder and kidnapping by Russia, has been granted asylum in Britain, the Home Office said yesterday.
"After all, Percy, we have so many raving lunatic Islamists in here in Britannia already, what's another one?"
"You're right, Alistair. Where's my 'approved' stamp?"
Russia, which sees its fight against Chechen rebels as part of the global âwar on terrorismâ, has already criticized Britainâs decision not to extradite Zakayev, accusing London of double standard. The EU has criticized Russia for human rights abuses in Chechnya.
Taking 700 hostages in a theater in Moscosw isn't a violation of human rights? Only if you kill the Bad Guys will they stop doing such things. It's actually more effective to kill the head cheeses than the cannon fodder.
Zakayev has been in Britain since December last year and requested asylum within days of his arrival. He said he feared he would be killed if he returned to Russia, which accuses him of atrocities dating from the first of two wars in the breakaway Russian region from 1994-96.
And this is a bad thing because...?
Earlier this month Britain rejected Russiaâs bid to extradite him, saying there was a substantial risk he would be tortured if he were sent to Moscow for trial.
"Put the pliers away, Igor. He's not coming... Now, don't cry like that. I hate it when you cry."
That decision drew an angry response from Moscow, warning of damage to otherwise friendly Russian-British relations.
Britain may someday desire the presence of some Chechen who, say, blows up Buckingham Palace...
Russia had sought to extradite Zakayev on 13 charges from the mid-1990s. Russia first asked for his extradition during the notorious Moscow theater siege last year, when a Chechen suicide squad held hundreds of hostages prisoner.
But that was a long time ago, and we're all so much older now. Except for the dead people.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/29/2003 19:10 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Hmm what say you Bulldog? It's alway Ok to give the Brits a free ride--when will you extradite the Al-ja jeeziarns the French would like to have a word with?
Six men are being questioned in East Sussex under the Terrorism Act, police have said. The arrests in Eastbourne followed inquiries by Sussex Police into alleged large-scale cheque and credit card fraud. [A police spokesman] said one man had been arrested on Tuesday night and five others on Thursday and Friday. They are being held under section 17 of the Terrorism Act 2000, which relates to the arranging of funds or property for the purposes of terrorism. All six are currently in police custody in stations across Sussex and will continue to be interviewed on Saturday. The suspects are all in their mid 20s and are North African, the police spokesman said. Two are from Eastbourne, two from Hastings and two from London.
"North African" = "Algerian" in most cases...
Items have been seized from a flat in Eastbourne but police have refused to say what they were. Officers are continuing to search the property. Assistant Chief Constable Nigel Yeo, of Sussex Police, said: "At this stage there is no connection with the arrests that have been made elsewhere in the country. This is a Sussex Police operation but we have also been working closely with officers from the Metropolitan Police Serviceâs Anti-Terrorism Branch."
#1
But we bloody hell Won't send them to France ! They might find something out over there--we'll just keep them in custody with our be-wigged idiot judges that refuse to extradite terrorists to Feance
Investigators probing the suicide bombings of the British consulate, a bank and two synagogues in Istanbul earlier this month believe that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian-born Islamic militant linked to recent suicide attacks on Iraq, was responsible.
The attacks killed more than 50 people, including the British consul-general, and injured several hundred. Several groups have claimed responsibility including at least one that has been linked to al-Qaeda. Turkish politicians insist that al-Qaeda are responsible and the British government has said that the attack bears the 'hallmarks of al-Qaeda'. However The Observer has learned that it is Zarqawi, who leads a disparate network of terrorists and sympathisers in the Middle East and in Europe, who is the prime suspect for the attacks. Zarqawi follows a similar agenda to bin Laden's al-Qaeda group but acts independently of the Saudi-born fugitive.
Secret intelligence reports from European agencies obtained by The Observer reveal that Zaraqwi's al-Tauheed (Unity) group was set up several years ago. Interrogation of al-Tauheed members revealed that the group had operatives in the UK as well as in Germany and Italy.
Amazing! Who'd ever have guessed that?
'It is wrong to lump all these men together,' one Middle Eastern diplomat told The Observer. 'They may have the same goals but they are not the same organisation.'
They have the same goals because they are the same organization...
The focus on Zarqawi will be a boost for Washington. American officials say that the Jordanian Palestinian militant leader, who has been active for nearly 20 years, was treated by official doctors in Baghdad after being injured in fighting against American forces in Afghanistan and have repeatedly cited his presence in Iraq as evidence of a link between al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein. Though there is little strong evidence linking Zarqawi to the Baathist regime, and none linking him to al-Qaeda, the mere fact that he is actively targeting America, Britain and their allies in the region will be seized on as proof that he and Hussein shared aims. American intelligence specialists believe that Zarqawi, who has a $5 million price on his head, is currently hiding, or being sheltered, in Iran, and Washington hawks are likely to use this to reinforce demands for strong action against Tehran.
Of course, if you're al-Guardian, just because he's in Iran doesn't mean he has links to Iran...
Zarqawi is the leading suspect in the suicide bombing of the Jordanian Embassy in Baghdad on August 7 and arrests in Italy and Germany last week revealed how, earlier this year, his extensive network was activated to recruit suicide bombers among Muslims living in Europe for attacks on military, diplomatic and humanitarian targets in Iraq. Authorities believe that in the months leading up to the war in Iraq, Syrian-based leaders of Zarqawi's group co-ordinated the recruitment and travel of volunteers from Italy and Germany through Syria, Iran and Turkey to terrorist training camps in north-eastern Iraq run by a Kurdish militant group called Ansar al-Islam.
The Italian investigation has revealed that at least five North Africans, recruited in northern Italy before the war, have taken part in the violence in Iraq. Three were Tunisians who died in the vehicle bombing of a coalition military target in Baghdad in September, Italian officials said.
Journalism at its finest. Where do they get these guys?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/29/2003 21:20 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
According to this backgrounder on the Kurdish Islamists: Tawhid, led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Bazazi, was formed out of the mosques in Irbil, though the KDP banned it. Because the IMK leadership did not support Tawhid against the KDP, in 2000 a shadowy group formed within Tawhid named the Tawhid Islamic Group. This group initiated a terror campaign of throwing acid at unveiled women. When the KDP cracked down on the group, many relocated to Halabja, and have also operated a base in Hajji Umran. The relationship between Tawhid and Hamas developed in part out of a mutual dislike of Mullah Abdul Aziz' Islamic Unity Movement (the successor to the IMK). Two members of Tawhid - Mullah Abu Bakr Hawleri and 'Abu Qatada' - reportedly traveled to Afghanistan to cement relations with bin Ladin. On August 8, Abu Qatada gave a dinner reception in which he regaled his guests with stories about bin Ladin. In July 2001, Tawhid sent several other members to Afghanistan for training in Al-Qa'ida camps. These include: Muhammad Salih Umar, Swara Karim, Wahid Muhammad Mahmud, Usma Ahmad Baziani, and Hamin Salim Bani Shari. Following the merger with Hamas, Mullah Abu Bakr Hawleri became leader with the Hamas' Umar Baziani as his deputy
So maybe the Kurdish organisation called Tawhid, which merged with Ansar ul Islam, is a different organisation to Zarqawis Tawhid?
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
11/29/2003 22:58 Comments ||
Top||
#2
For lack of a more polished or elegant method of expression, "Fred, you are friggin amazing."
Posted by: af ||
11/29/2003 23:48 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Paul, great post, but can you make this clearer. A little at a time as your way ahead of me. Grab me by the nose, I will follow.
No, not the Chicken of the SeaCharles DeGaulle, another one. Hat tip to Merde in France.
A French Navy tug took the decommissioned aircraft carrier Clemenceau, stranded off the coast of Sicily for several weeks, in tow during the weekend, the French government said Monday. A joint statement from the defence and budget ministries said the ship was "heading for the western Mediterrean at a speed of two or three knots" but that the final destination of the Clemenceau "remained to be decided."
The ship is at the centre of a contractual dispute over asbestos and scrap rights. Decommissioned in 1997 after 35 years of service, the 33,000-tonne vessel was sold to a Spanish company which undertook to tow it for demolition in the port of Gijon in northern Spain, according to the French defence ministry. However on leaving its Mediterranean base at Toulon on October 13 the carrier was seen heading not towards the straits of Gibraltar -- and thus to Spainâs Atlantic coast -- but eastwards towards Turkey. "Effendi! Our glorious government provides us with an aircraft carrier!"
"Marvelous! Did we get the Kitty Hawk from the United States? A great ship!"
"Er, no, effendi."
"The Constellation? That would be excellent also."
"No, effendi. We got the Clemenceau from France."
"That old tub? Send it back, weâll do without!"
The French government said there were European conventions on the issue of asbestos removal and a clause in the contract had stipulated that the demolition had to take place in Europe and not in Turkey, where there was reason to believe the European rules were not respected. It therefore cancelled the contract. The French are so incompetent they canât even throw out an old aircraft carrier.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/29/2003 8:04:21 PM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
LMAO.
"... the ship was 'heading for the western Mediterrean at a speed of two or three knots' ..."
Instinctively heading away from the battle zone.
"The French government ... therefore cancelled the contract"
until additional palms could be greased.
Posted by: Matt ||
11/29/2003 22:00 Comments ||
Top||
by Michael Gonzalez, Wall Street Journal. EFL; read the whole thing.
"Follow the money" is an old adage, and it means that economic interest will eventually explain much human behavior. That France opposed the removal of Saddam Hussein because he owed millions to French banks is proof of this. Less well known, but much more troubling, are key French financial links with other U.S. enemies. They raise the belief that the Franco-American conflict over Iraq was just one slice of the action. For France was not just Baathist Iraq's largest contributor of funds; French banks have financed other odious regimes. They are the No. 1 lenders to Iran and Cuba and past and present U.S. foes such as Somalia, Sudan and Vietnam.
Posted by: Mike ||
11/29/2003 10:46:06 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Thanks for posting, Michael -- very interesting.
France is surely the worst case, but the phenomenon includes Germany, Russia, and others. That phenomenon is what I call (for lack of a zingier formulation) "free-ridership with a profiteering kicker".
As long ago as Gulf War I, I argued with foreign policy colleagues that the chief challenge the US faced in the post-Cold War era was free ridership. Not loose nukes, not a dissolving NATO, not even terrorism per se. All those problems are made far more difficult by free-riding.
Iraq was, of course, the ultimate example of the behavior, and illustrates the key elements clearly. First, the US shoulders the costs and risks of both containing/managing a problem AND whatever might be needed if containment breaks down. Second, in the meantime our "allies" and other free-riders actively profit from the situation. If things go south, the free-riders can change their tune, make token contributions to any coalition dealing with the crisis, and be glad of their past economic windfall. If somehow the target rogue state comes clean, the free-riders are ideally positioned to build on their previous stakes. By separating risk and reward, the key relationship in economic behavior, assigning all risk to the US and all reward to others, this phenomenon naturally produces perverse outcomes.
It's close to a win-win strategy for the free-riders, and quite rational, requiring only the magic ingredients of gross irresponsibility, no self-respect, and utter cynicism to enable it.
This was arguably in play during the first Gulf War and especially in the decade following. It's in play now with Iran.
It's a damn tough problem to counter. During the current war, the US is too busy to really do much more than work around it. Of course there's no public discussion of this problem -- instead we have, from the "opposition," empty and silly platitudes about gaining international cooperation to share the burden. As if asking nicely enough is the problem.
If the current administration and its "opposition" for different reasons cannot even bring themselves to mention the outrageous and irresponsible free-riding behavior of "allies" and partners, there's not much hope we'll soon muster the will or the ideas to counter it. It's wider than French dementia or counter-Americanism.
#2
French diplomacy has long relied on French loans.It was French loans that were instrumental in forging an alliance with Tsarist Russia.
Posted by: Stephen ||
11/29/2003 15:33 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Historically, there have been three elements of the French government at work suborning African and Middle East leaders and feathering their own nests. They are the Ministry of Foreign Affairs people, the Prime Minister's people, and the Military people (which includes the DGSE). The corruption runs so deep that despite the competition no one squeals on the other. Really, not much has changed since the retired French DGSE spy chief Count de Marenche wrote "The Fourth World War: Diplomacy and Espionage in the Age of Terrorism" in 1992. The names might change, the methods of French diplomacy don't.
#5
It would be understandable if they were acting in their own interest. It seems like what's going on (see TotalFinaElf trials) that it's a competition to loot the French treasury.
#7
What is with you,NMM?
Are you an American citezen or French?
Why is it La Belle France can do no wrong(in your eyes)but America is the world's demon.
If you can't afford to imagrate to France.Why not the next best thing and move to Quebec?
#8
What is with you,NMM?
Are you an American citezen or French?
Why is it La Belle France can do no wrong(in your eyes)but America is the world's demon.
If you can't afford to imagrate to France.Why not the next best thing and move to Quebec?
Turkish police have arrested a man suspected of planning the suicide bomb attack on a synagogue two weeks ago. The attack on Beth Israel synagogue was one of four bombings against British and Jewish targets in Istanbul this month that killed more than 50 people. "The man was arrested as he tried to leave the country," a senior police official was quoted as saying. Police spokesman Halil Yilmaz said the man had been taken to the site of the wrecked synagogue early on Saturday.
Police in Italy and Germany have arrested three North Africans suspected of recruiting suicide bombers for attacks linked to al-Qaeda in Iraq. Guess the Ansar al-Islam #3 is feeling chatty after all ...
"We have managed to break up a mujahideen recruiting centre," Italyâs interior minister announced. The ringâs suspected leader, an Algerian known as "the Sheikh", was picked up in Hamburg early on Friday. A Moroccan and a Tunisian were detained in Milan late on Thursday but two other suspects managed to elude capture. The Italian authorities say the police sweep was jeopardised when news of the operation leaked to the media. Loose lips sink ships, people.
An Iraqi male suspect and a Tunisian female suspect remain at large and may have fled the country, the interior ministry said, confirming that five arrest warrants had been issued. The arrests come just over two weeks after a suicide bombing killed 19 Italian soldiers and policemen in Nasiriya, southern Iraq. Italian Interior Minister Giuseppe Pisanu said the alleged ring had been recruiting inside Italy. "People were being approached in Italy and then being sent to training camps in north-eastern Iraq," he said. "They were being given training by a group known as Ansar al-Islam... which is known to be allied to al-Qaeda."
I think it would be a really good idea to find out where those camps are, since we're supposed to be in control of the country. I'd also be curious as to how many Komala and Jamaat Islami yokels are involved.
One of the Italian intelligence services said it believed the suspected terror cell had already recruited Islamic militants who had committed suicide missions in Iraq. And now we know where all of those bombers were coming from ...
The Algerian suspect, 30-year-old Mahjub Abderrazak, had previously been detained in Hamburg in July on suspicion of involvement with bomb attacks in Spain but was released due to lack of evidence. He now faces possible extradition to Italy. Oh goody, more "North Africans" ...
Those arrested in Milan were identified by Italian officials as 20-year-old Housni Jamal from Morocco and 33-year-old Tunisian Bouyahia Maher Ben Abdelaziz. Reports say that a sixth suspect, a Tunisian man, was arrested last Saturday for allegedly providing logistical support and papers to the other five.
I wonder if he was arrested by carabinieri? They'd have an incentive to make him sing...
The BBCâs Frances Kennedy in Rome says the Milan prosecutorâs office has launched an inquiry into how news of the planned arrests was leaked before the police operation had even begun.
Mahmoud the Weasel, I'd guess. Which cop shop is running an affirmative action program?
They are being charged with subversive association aimed at international terrorism. This is not the first time the Italian authorities have drawn a link between Islamic extremists in Italy and suicide attacks in Iraq. In April, they said extremists were being approached in Italy and Germany and sent to training camps in Syria before joining a group connected with al-Qaeda in northern Iraq. Funny, I donât recall hearing about the Syrians running training camps for these folks ...
UK police are meanwhile questioning a man suspected of having al-Qaeda links, who was arrested at a house in Gloucester, western England, where explosive materials were found on Thursday.
This is the other, separate, case...
The 24-year-old is being investigated for possible links with British man Richard Reid, who was convicted of trying to blow up a plane with explosives hidden in his shoes.
What's this thing Islamists have with blowing their feet off?
It has also emerged that a 33-year-old man has been arrested under the Terrorism Act in the city of Birmingham, central England.
It sounds like they're getting cheesed at this nonsense...
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/29/2003 12:33:08 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[9 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Can you imagine the training of the smilling idiots. "Now Momah, Put the belt on thusly, yes well done, now put the coat on, very well my brother. This is the button, STOP, NOT YET! Oh you little fool, you had me worried! Just like your leettle brother, may allah bless...Hokay rrready."
An alleged high ranking member of Al Qaeda terror network has been arrested in northern Germany at the request of Italian prosecutors. A police spokeswoman has identified him as Mahjub Abderrazak, an Algerian known as "the sheikh". Prosecutors in Milan, northern Italy, had earlier issued arrest warrants for five people, including Mahjub Abderrazak, on suspicion of having recruited suicide attackers for strikes in Iraq. He was arrested by German police in July, but was later released for lack of evidence.
"Herr Abderrazak?"
"Ja?"
"Schtick 'em up!"
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/29/2003 12:26:22 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Now on the big screen "The Sheik". See how he smiles. Toothly.
Posted by: Pete Stanley ||
11/29/2003 3:46 Comments ||
Top||
#3
There are at least two Abderrazaks, one of whom was in Damascus with Mullah Fuad. One is a GSPC commander who was holding those European tourists hostage and the other is this clown.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/29/2003 11:05 Comments ||
Top||
An interview with Pierre de Bousquet de Florian, the director of DST (Direction de la surveillance du territoire: Franceâs version of the CIA). Translated by the Radical from LâExpress.
Q: What do you think of the Islamist threat affecting France?
Three types of threats are currently converging that may transform France into a target of Islamist terrorism. The first is the rise of Salafism [a radical form of Islam founded on a literal interpretation of the Koran]. For the past several years, Franceâs Muslim community has demonstrated a tendency to return to its religionâs sources. The Salafi fundamentalists are the most active in this domain. This results in a community-wide intransigence that is deadly for our secular society that embraces assimilation. I fear that this radicalization that is pronounced among the younger generations will be a breeding ground for terrorists. The second threat comes from our historical ties to the Maghreb that is currently shaken by extremist movements and terrorism. In Algeria this summer, a new emir assumed leadership in the Salafi Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC). This man, Nabil Sahraoui, is more attuned to the exportation of Islamist violence than his predecessor, and Sahraoui has sworn allegiance to Al-Qaeda. Finally, the third menace results from the fact that Iraq has become a land of jihadâa convergence point for young militants.
Q: There are rumors of dozens of French Islamists in IraqâŠ
What we know for certain is that, before the Iraq conflict began, several dozen French wanted to fight in Iraq. Some never made it past the border. Others were rejected by Saddam Husseinâs troops. To the best of our knowledge, no French citizen is a prisoner of the coalition forces today. No French citizen died in combat. However, some French would obviously like to find themselves in Iraq. Consequently, there is a significant risk that France will confront the emergence of a third generation that is returning to Europe and that was formed on the battlefields, after the Bosnian and Afghan-Pakistan generations. The Afghan-Pakistan conflict is responsible for the bulk of the terrorists arrested during the past few years.
Q: There has been no Islamist attack on French soil since 1996. How do you explain that?
Letâs not exaggerate. French soil may not have been targeted, but let us not forget that the French were specifically targeted at Karachi. Others were affected in the attacks on Bali, Djerba and Casablanca. The French oil tanker, Limburg, was the target of a suicide attack in YemenâŠ
Q: Have attacks on France been thwarted?
Yes, several times. A suicide bomber tried to explode a truck against the American embassy in Paris in 2001. In 2002, we took apart a cell in La Courneuve and at Romainville that was preparing an attackâprobably chemicalâagainst a Russian delegation in Paris. This group was linked to another group in the UK that planned to place ricinâthat can be fatal even if touchedâon door handles in public places. Since September of 2001, the DST has arrested 120 militants. Sixty have been locked away. Today, France may not be on the front lines with the US, Israel, the UK and the coalition members of âFreedom in Iraq;â however we shouldnât deceive ourselves. The Islamists include us in their hatred of the West and of its âcrusaders.â The threat remains.
Posted by: tipper. ||
11/29/2003 12:04:17 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Naw Pierre, France is above the fray. Hows that world cup tourney going?
Extracts Julie Burchill
Not only do I admire the Guardian, I also find it fun to read, which in a way is more of a compliment. But if there is one issue that has made me feel less loyal to my newspaper over the past year, it has been what I, as a non-Jew, perceive to be a quite striking bias against the state of Israel. Which, for all its faults, is the only country in that barren region that you or I, or any feminist, atheist, homosexual or trade unionist, could bear to live under.
I find this hard to accept because, crucially, I donât swallow the modern liberal line that anti-Zionism is entirely different from anti-semitism; the first good, the other bad. Judeophobia - as the brilliant collection of essays A New Antisemitism? Debating Judeophobia In 21st-Century Britain (axt.org.uk), published this year, points out - is a shape-shifting virus, as opposed to the straightforward stereotypical prejudice applied to other groups (Irish stupid, Japanese cruel, Germans humourless, etc). Jews historically have been blamed for everything we might disapprove of: they can be rabid revolutionaries, responsible for the might of the late Soviet empire, and the greediest of fat cats, enslaving the planet to the demands of international high finance. They are insular, cliquey and clannish, yet they worm their way into the highest positions of power in their adopted countries, changing their names and marrying Gentile women. They collectively possess a huge, slippery wealth that knows no boundaries - yet Israel is said to be an impoverished, lame-duck state, bleeding the west dry.
The fact that many Gentiles and Arabs are rabidly Judeophobic, while many others are as horrified by Judeophobia as by any other type of racism, makes me believe that anti-semitism/Zionism is not a political position (otherwise the right and the left, the PLO and the KKK, would not be able to unite so uniquely in their hatred), but about how an individual feels about himself. I canât help noticing that, over the years, a disproportionate number of attractive, kind, clever people are drawn to Jews; those who express hostility to them, however, from Hitler to Hamza, are often as not repulsive freaks.
#1
No surprise here...I have read some of her columns and always do a double take to see if it is really the nihilistic Guardian this common sense women is writing for. Good luck Julie!!
At least 65 people were killed in road accidents and 41 people were murdered during the Eidul Fitr holiday in Bangladesh, reports said on Saturday.
Uhhh... Happy holidays!
The Bengali-language Prothom Alo daily said 65 people were killed and 208 injured on the roads between Tuesday and Friday as millions packed cars, buses, trains and ferries to go home to their families on Islamâs biggest annual festival, which was celebrated here Wednesday.
I thought that was the usual toll in a Bangla two-car collision?
The figure included 16 deaths reported by the BSS news agency on Thursday. The Daily Jugantor said 41 people were murdered during the same period, including one housewife who was allegedly set on fire by her husband.
"Look what I got you for Eid, honey!"
"Oooh! How sweet! It's... ummm... gasoline?"
An official at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital told AFP that Munni Akhter, 22, was allegedly killed after her family failed to give 2,000 taka (35 dollars) as an Eid gift to her husband.
"Cheap bastards. Just for that, I'm burning her to the ground!"
Officials could not confirm either the accident or murder figures.
Stuck in traffic?
Many offices and businesses were open Saturday for the first time since Monday after the Eid holiday, which ran from Tuesday to Thursday, and the weekly Friday holiday.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/29/2003 20:41 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
Violence erupted in Boat Basin area of Clifton on Thursday at a variety cultural show when a group of young men went wild, occupied the stage and tried to kidnap a dancing girl.
"Yar! Bring me the sultry wench with the fire in her eyes!"
In the violence that followed at least four vehicles, including two police motorcycles, were set ablaze and two men received bullet injuries.
"We be horny Paks! Outta the way, coppers!"
On the second day of Eid, a variety cultural show was arranged in the empty area behind Fun Land without official permission, but, reportedly, with the connivance of the area police. Witnesses said Rs 250-Rs 400 was charged for admission to the show, and more than 300 turned up to watch the dances performed by about a dozen girls.
"Girls? Wimmin? Yarrr! Honkers! Where's the babes!"
A group of young men tried to abduct one dancer, Shehnaz Khan.
"Come wid me, me proud beauty!"
Violence erupted when organisers tried to resist the unruly elements.
"Hey! Knock it off, youse guys!"
The attempt angered the abductors who set fire to the chair, the stage, and the tent which housed the event.
"Mahmoud! Grab the wench! Chaudry! Set fire to something!"
An exchange of gunfire then took place between the organisers and the hooligans which collapsed into a free-for-all as both sides used firearms, sticks and daggers. The police fired teargas shells and fired shots into the air to disperse the crowd. As people fled, one car and three motorcycles were set on fire. Bullets hit two men, Yousuf and Rahman, and fifteen more were injured by chairs and sticks.
"Damn, Ahmed! Wotta party!... Duck!"
Sources said SHO (Station House Officer) Preedy, Asif Razzaq, and five other policemen were also injured in the violence. The police said Dilshad, who managed the dance group, was arrested along with 80 others. The police also denied that they allowed the Mujra in the first place after taking a bribe.
"Who? Us? A bribe? Cert'nly not! Oooh! We got any more of that ice?"
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
11/29/2003 1:15:14 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Boys will be boys. Shehnaz must of been a real cup cake. Olive skin and eyes. Ruby slippers with a silk shaw. A hint of skin about the ankles, what! Ladies what say!!!
During the 30-odd years he was in power, Saddam Hussein murdered at least 300,000 of his own people. These are the ones we are finding in mass graves in Iraq. Another 300,000 â at least â were killed in his war with Iran and his two conflicts with the US. Those are bare-bones, undeniable, non-speculative, minimums.
That darling arithmetic works out to no less than 20,000 people a year killed by that lunatic, or about 1,700 people a month.
So how many innocent people have not died as a result of the Iraq war?
I get about 13,000 so far.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/29/2003 22:03 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
But what about the Iraqi civilians crushed by our invasion?....oh, wait...but...uh....
never expect little things like facts to get in the way of MoveOn.org and the DU.... Bush OBVIOUSLY lied....he said we'd save 14,000 by now
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/29/2003 23:13 Comments ||
Top||
Yes GWB, though the visit was brief, it was very meaningful. We know that you have come, not as the President of an invading nation, but as the friend who wishes to renew commitment to our people, and as long as your intentions are what you have repeatedly said (and we don't doubt your sincerity), the land and the hearts welcome you.
It gives us pain that the visit is so short and that the masses cannot in the present circumstances come out to give you the welcome that you deserve, but the day will come, the day will come (God's Willing). Yes the day will come when the millions will come out to welcome the best friend that the Mesopotamian people have ever had, and he will be amongst the most devoted and allied people that America will ever have.
The bones in the mass graves salute you, Avenger of the Bones.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/29/2003 20:32 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Thank you, Mesopotamian.
I'm sure the Times and the Post will be publishing this on their front pages soon, and the "mainstream" media (CNN et al.) will make this their headline story - any day now.
Waiting.....
*crickets chirping*
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
11/29/2003 22:42 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Glad you got to this, Fred. It took an Arab to come up with "Avenger of the Bones". Instapundit Glenn, (Reynolds not me) with grasp of obvious, goes ahead and links muses aloud about the obscene nightmare at www.9neesan.com/massgraves/ being Alaa's vision here. Imagine this greeting in the mainstream media. Juxtaposed with bones. MoDo and Krugman et al would be apopletic.
Iraqi police nabbed a huge arms cache Saturday evening on the Kirkuk to Mosul road in northern Iraq that insurgents could have been planning to use in anti-US attacks, said the regional police commander. Police found 55 boxes, each containing 16 120 mm mortar shells, three launching pads, Kalashnikov shotguns, 50 kilos of TNT explosives, detonators, wire cable and time switches, said Abdel Karim al-Jabburi.
Seems like not all cops are on the take in Iraq...
The boxes were found on a disused former Iraqi military base, 40 kilometres west of Kirkuk not far from a near-by US base. Jabburi said he suspected that the arms stash could have been used in anti-US attacks that have plagued the area since the fall of president Saddam Hussein in April. Police have asked US troops to destroy the ammunition, he added.
"You guys want to blow this for us?"
The commander also said that a plot to blow up a bridge on the Kirkuk to Mosul road had been foiled Saturday, after a tip-off from villagers.
And there are still lotsa people who're tired of the nonsense...
Iraqi police and US forces defused a 75-kg (165-pound) device packed with TNT, he said.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/29/2003 19:39 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
The US military is restructuring its forces in Iraq to create a lighter, more mobile force with a bigger intelligence capability, better suited to the sort of low-level insurgency facing its troops, its top commander here said yesterday.
I understand that virtually all the troops in Iraq are doing the same quasi-infantry thing. F'rinstance, there aren't a lot of artillery fire missions, so ammo humpers are standing guard and going on patrol. Best to fix that...
As a major troop rotation sees the combat units and heavy amour that took part in the six-week spring invasion return home, Washington will deploy more infantry and lighter armored cars, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez said. âWe are in fact going to change the composition of our forces to give us additional infantry,â the general told a Baghdad briefing. âWeâre moving to a more mobile force, one that has the right blend of light and heavy. What weâre in search of is a very mobile, very flexible, lethal force that can accomplish its mission. Those terms are dictated by the enemy.â
Something we should probably look into is forming security battalions, similar to those the Sovs formed in Afghanistan — ours should be a bit more effective, of course. This isn't going to be the last reconstruction mission we see, and battalions made up of two comapnies of light infantry, one of MPs, and maybe one of intel makes more sense for that mission than tanks and artillery. And I hope the new force structure involves kill squads...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/29/2003 19:20 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Isn't this what Rumsfeld has been trying to do, and getting hammered by the tanker generals for? Like it or not, light infantry/recon, civil affairs/police, and intel is the way our forces are going to HAVE to fight for the foreseeable future. He cancelled that crusader lemon (which couldn't even deploy on a c17) and got the business for it. We're trying to turn heavy armored forces into infantry and cops in Iraq right now, and it's a huge pain in the ass.
#2
I have heard that Special Fores are the next step in Iraq. But the war on terror must not be bogged down in Iraq. Adapt and move on. Mopping up opperations in Iraq will take time but the war must move on.
#3
I think there are two tools that are needed: one for breaking an enemy force, the other for occupation. The one needs to be heavy on tanks and artillery, the other needs to be heavy on cops and guards.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/30/2003 9:54 Comments ||
Top||
Slightly EFL
Two Japanese citizens who may have been diplomats have died in an apparent ambush near the Iraqi city of Tikrit. A non-Japanese driver accompanying them was wounded, a Japanese foreign ministry spokesman said in Tokyo, quoting the embassy in Baghdad. AFP news agency reports that a single attacker shot the two Japanese near Tikrit on Saturday. Foreign ministry spokesman Hatsuhisa Takashima told Reuters news agency there was "a good possibility" that the victims were Japanese diplomats but identification could only be carried out properly on Sunday morning. Mr Takashima said the vehicle in which the two Japanese had been travelling had been identified as a black, four-wheel-drive armoured car registered in Lebanon. "That identification resembles [a vehicle] of the Japanese embassy in Baghdad," he said. The two victimsâ bodies had been taken to a hospital in Tikrit but full identification would not be possible until Sunday because of security concerns, he explained. "Unfortunately, it is night right now and because the area of Tikrit is not safe, they cannot move at the moment. As soon as the sun rises... the Japanese embassy will dispatch someone to Tikrit. Poor bastards. What with the Spanish deaths, now Japanese, are we seeing a strategy emerging?
Jordanian Embassy, UN headquarters, the International Red Thingy, the Italian cops... Not very subtle, is it?
#1
I don't know what effect these attacks are having on anyone else, but CNN is officially ready to surrender. Those jerks have been in a real funk since they missed the Big Plane Ride to Baghdad on Thursday.
Posted by: Matt ||
11/29/2003 18:32 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Not very subtle, is it?
I think by the law of averages, if attacks were aimed at the coalition in general, not just the Americans, there would be attacks against just about every nation or organisation comprising or seen to be supporting the occupying forces, at one time or another. Two incidents in one day against a 'wobbly' contributor the coalition forces and a musing member, looks to me like it could be the start of a serious attempt to start stripping down the number of nations sctively involved in the coalition, weakest first.
On the other hand, perhaps the attack on the Spanish was just a regular mob thing, and/or the passing Japs were a random target of oportunity. Were the Italians targetted because of a perceived political weakness, as an attempt to scare their relatively small force out of Iraq, or because their base had lax security? Likewise the UN, Red Thingy, hotels and embasssies? If it's a genuine nationally-targetted strategy as opposed to part of a non-discriminatory general anti-coalition campaign with bonus points for soft targets, these'll be repeated, I suppose...
I'm pretty reluctant to credit the Ba'athists/jihadis with recognising more than the minimal potential of action and consequence.
#3
My best guess from the news about the Spanish -- thank you, Spain, and condolences on your loss -- was that their car simply happened to be the first target to move into a prepared ambush zone.
Posted by: Matt ||
11/29/2003 19:14 Comments ||
Top||
#4
No Matt, these guys do eveything to have the maximum effect. The whole situation is compromised, but not lost.
Task Force âAll Americanâ continued to conduct operations in order to bring peace to Iraq and assist the reconstruction efforts. These missions will continue to move Iraq toward becoming a free and independent nation. During the past 24 hours, the 82nd Airborne Division and subordinate units have conducted 19 offensive operations, including 16 raids and three cordon and searches. Soldiers also conducted 155 patrols, including 6 joint patrols with the Iraqi Border Guard and Iraqi police. During these operations, 37 enemy personnel were captured and there were no U.S. soldiers wounded.
In 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Divisionâs area of operations, elements conducted a raid in eastern Ar Ramadi to apprehend individuals suspected of an attack on the family of the Ar Ramadi Police Chief two weeks ago. The information was acquired by the investigative efforts of the Ar Ramadi Police Special Response Team. The operation was conducted without incident and three individuals were captured. This event highlights the growing cooperation between the local police and coalition forces in the area. In addition, elements of the 1-5 Field Artillery conducted a cordon and search in Ar Ramadi and apprehended Fowaz Khalaf, a suspected Mujahadeen cell leader who is reported to have facilitated the trafficking of foreign fighters into and out of Iraq. Fowaz Khalaf is also suspected of providing weapons and other aid to anti-coalition elements in the Al Anbar region. At Trebil on the Jordanian border, the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment refused entry to 173 personnel because they had no passports or documentation. Operation Rifles Blitz continued with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment establishing eight traffic control points and conducting precision raids on 15 separate locations resulting in the capture of 11 personnel. Each of these missions incorporated the Iraqi police and recent Iraqi Civil Defense Corps graduates.
Civil affairs teams working with 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, met with officials from the Fallujah Brick Factory to make final preparations for the installation of two prime power generators. Once installed, they will provide additional power to the production lines and help employ approximately 700 workers. In 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Divisionâs area, Civil Affairs teams met with local officials in Khalidiyah to review the status of police station renovations. Repairs to the police station began on 20 November and are estimated to conclude around the 30th of December at a cost of $15,000. Civil Affairs teams with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment met with officials in Ar Rutbah to review the status of repairs to an electrical sub-station. Repairs began on the 10th of November and are scheduled for completion by the 10th of December at a cost of $5000. Once complete, it is estimated that these repairs will affect 25,000 residents.
Slightly EFL
Four members of Spainâs National Intelligence Centre have reportedly been killed in an attack south of Baghdad, Sky News has learned. They were members of an eight-man team returning from a mission, a Spanish defence spokesman said. Sky News correspondent David Bowden arrived at the scene of the attack, near Hillah, shortly after it happened. He said he was told by eyewitnesses guerillas had killed eight people in three vehicles and had captured two. Two hostages were driven away in the third vehicle. However, Bowden said he and his crew only counted four bodies in the road and two burnt-out vehicles. They could not confirm that hostages had been taken. "We were actually driving from Hillah and we saw these men lying by the side of the road after the ambush. Locals said that 30 minutes earlier the convoy had been attacked." The team were forced to leave after the crowd turned on them. "We filmed for a couple of minutes but the crowd were shouting âPraise to Saddamâ, so we left," Bowden said.
We saw the footage on Fox News this afternoon. I suppose since the dancing thugs were "civilians" it would be a war crime or something for the allied forces to simply shoot them down when they arrived on the scene. On the other hand, if that happened a time or two, there would be fewer such incidents in the future.
Sky cameraman Adam Murch said the crowd were kicking the bodies. Bowden said it was a very busy road but the white vehicles of the convoy would have stood out and been easy targets. The Polish military, which operates in the area, said it was investigating the incident.
Posted by: capt joe ||
11/29/2003 17:27 Comments ||
Top||
#2
The kicking of the bodies is a big deal. Is that true or is it staged. The enemey is well instructed on media psyops. But lets not be easily led. 25 million people and 5 millon want the US gone and their status maintained.
There is no evidence that al-Qaida terrorists have taken part in the long string of attacks on U.S. or Iraqi targets, but some U.S.-trained Iraqi police appear to have coordinated some of those assaults, the top U.S. military official in Iraq said Saturday. The New York Times, true to form, begins its article with a boldface lie, "there is no evidence that al-Qaida terrorists have taken part in the long string of attacks...." They are one disgusting cadre of pseudojournalists.
U.S. military officials are concerned that some attacks on Americans have been coordinated by a few of the numerous Iraqi civilians hired by the U.S. military, who may glean intelligence on troop movements and travels of high-ranking officers, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez told reporters at the Baghdad Convention Center. If you are truly worried about that, begin by reinstating Lt. Colonel West, who is now in a legal limbo because he threathened a so-called Iraqi policeman.
As a way of conclusion, several points:
* This should put to rest the myth that disbanding the Iraqi Army was a mistake; if the cops are unreliable, then the soldiers would be even worse.
* I repeat my doctrine: Islam itself is the problem and secularism is the solution. One of the reasons cooperation from Iraqis is difficult is the Islamic rule that prohibits Muslims from recognizing the rule of non-Muslims.
* A lesson from History: auxiliary troops, such as the Iraqi cops allegedly are, must be made dependent on their authority from the new rulers. If, instead of "Iraqi Policemen", we would have made them "Coalition Authority Policemen", the situation would be different. (By cooperating so closely with us, their very lives would depend on our victory.)
I'd be very surprised if this was unexpected. In January, the same cops working for us were the same guys who were working over enemies of the regime. What surprises me is how effective they are, not that there are bad guys mixed in among them.
#1
To be fair to the NYT, this is an AP wire story that was printed verbatim from the feed. Of course this doesn't change much - IF AP hadn't written it someone at NYT or Reuters would have.
#2
Your doctrine needs modification: Islam itself is the biggest problem and secularism will never survive in Islamic countries due to non-tolerance and uncontrolled population explosions of Muslims. Another reason for the lack of cooperation from Iraqis is that Islamic rule prohibits a Muslim from talking behind another Muslim.
Posted by: SK ||
11/30/2003 5:39 Comments ||
Top||
Hundreds of Iraqis have marched in the capital, Baghdad, to protest against "terrorism" and continuing violence. Standard Beeb "scare quotes," notice those werenât there when the UN got bombed.
Among the demonstrators were relatives of some of those killed in recent bombings in Baghdad and elsewhere. There was a heavy Iraqi police presence as the protesters marched through the city centre, with American military helicopters hovering overhead. "Yes to Iraq, no to terrorism," chanted protesters, who gathered at Baghdadâs al-Firdos square. Three empty coffins adorned with Iraqi national flags were brought to the rally to honour civilian victims of attacks by militants. "We demand peace," Ali Sahib, who lost his daughter in a recent suicide bombing, was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency. "We demand that all criminals, whether they are Saddam [Hussein] loyalists or al-Qaeda members, be chased and tried for their crimes against the Iraqi people," Mr Sahib added. Iraqi police and US troops kept a close watch at the rally, searching a suspect vehicle at one point but finding no explosives.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/29/2003 12:35:23 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
I wonder if the turd bags at Al Jizz covered this. I didn't see it on any US station either. Zayed and the other Iraqi bloggers were pushing it, but since it was against the terrs I guess it was not news.
Posted by: Remote Man ||
11/29/2003 13:25 Comments ||
Top||
Police in Indonesiaâs restive Aceh province have arrested a man they suspect was involved in the bombing of a Jakarta shopping mall in 2001, a police chief said Saturday. Abdul Yasin, 34, was arrested Tuesday at his home in Sigli, northern Aceh on suspicion of involvement in the Aug. 1, 2001 bombing of the Atrium shopping mall in central Jakarta, said Lt. Col. Agus Salim.
A witness at the trial of four Thai Muslims accused of belonging to the Jemaah Islamiyah terror group says the defendants were planning simultaneous truck bomb attacks on foreign embassies in the Thai capital, Bangkok.
Another pattern. Everything is patterns...
Special branch Colonel Pirapong Duangamporn told the Thai Criminal court Friday that on June 6 the four, along with a Singaporean suspect, were planning to bomb simultaneously the U.S., British, Israeli, Singaporean and Australian embassies in Bangkok, as well as tourist spots in Phuket and Pattaya districts. He said their goal was to create the maximum amount of chaos. Colonel Pirapong, who arrested the suspects, said three of the accused Thai Muslims were arrested in June and the fourth, accused of being the groupâs bomb maker, turned himself in in July. They pleaded not guilty at earlier hearings.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/29/2003 12:46:38 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
The alleged Singaporean ringleader of a terror group discussed with a Thai Muslim, on trial for terrorist activities in Thailand, a plot to kidnap foreign ambassadors and bomb embassies, a policeman testified yesterday. Police Colonel Pirapong Duangamporn told the Bangkok Criminal Court that the Singaporean, Arifin Ali, confessed while in police custody in the city-state to discussing the plan with Samarn Wae-kaji.
The aim was to secure the release of arrested members of the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terrorist group in Singapore, Col Pirapong said. âArifin said they had to threaten the embassies of the United States, Israel and Singapore to bargain for the release of JI members,â he said. In addition to plotting the bombings of embassies, they also spoke about kidnapping ambassadors or businessmen from the US and Israel and possibly killing them afterwards, he added. Thai police arrested Arifin, also known as John Wong Ah Hung, in May and deported him to Singapore. A month later, three Thai Muslims were arrested. Samarn surrendered to the authorities in July. The four are accused of planning to bomb the embassies of Australia, Britain, Israel, Singapore and the US, as well as Bangkokâs Khao San Road backpacker district, the Nana red-light district and the resorts of Phuket and Pattaya. They are on trial on charges of conspiring to harm national security, being members of an unlawful group, and assembling illegally to commit a crime.
Also threatening Thailand's livelihood...
They have denied the charges, which carry a maximum 10-year prison term.
"Nope. Nope. Wudn't us."
All are alleged to be members of the JI, the regional wing of Al-Qaeda. Col Pirapong said Arifin mentioned only three of the suspects in the alleged plot - medical doctor Waemahadi Wae-dao, Islamic preacher Maisuri Haji Abdullah and manual labourer Samarn - but not the fourth defendant, Maisuriâs son, Muyahi. He said Arifin had surveyed the areas around the targeted embassies. He quoted the Singaporean as saying that Waemahadi suggested adding Thai tourist destinations Pattaya and Phuket to the bombing list. Col Pirapong said they scheduled the attacks for June because the tourist season would be at its peak then.
... and all those scantily-clad maidens are so un-Islamic.
âSamarn and Arifin planned to drive the cars to carry the bombs to the targets, which were to be detonated at the same time on June 6 in order to create the maximum amount of chaos,â he said. Waemahadi also allegedly told Arifin that ammonium nitrate, a fertiliser that can be used for making explosives, would be easy to obtain from Thai farmers, Col Pirapong said. Arifin suggested that Waemahadi lead the Thai branch of the JI, he said. The police colonel said Samarn arranged a fake Thai identity card for Arifin for 35,000 baht (S$1,540). Col Pirapong is the first of 60 witnesses to testify in the trial, which is expected to run for years before a verdict is reached.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/29/2003 12:28:41 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
AKA, John Wong Ah Hung, Sounds like a porno star, Ladies?
A new al-Qaeda news website called Al-Lewa, Arabic for âThe Banner,â has appeared on the web. Attempting to reach a widespread audience, the website even has a section for PDA users wishing to download the news to their Palm Pilot. Aside from being an outlet for news about al-Qaeda, the website also carries statements by the terrorist group and its leaders. One such posting is from the Al-Sahab Company, known as al-Qaedaâs video production company. The company maintains that a new tape of Osama bin Laden will be released shortly, which, according to some reports, may have already been sent to some media outlets.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
11/29/2003 1:21:29 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
The new tape, from what I've heard, is a compilation(?) of past hit recordings and new releases that show Osama's depth, in an artsy way, of both country and eastern influences. 3 starz! And that's a wrap!
#2
How exciting! If it is truely a new recording of Binny then its going to be a still picture of a lump of bloodstained dirt scraped off of a cave wall in Tora Bora. I wonder what the message will be (besides seething & whining)?
The prime minister of the provisional Somali government, Othman Jama, announced that he had submitted his resignation to the Somali President Abdul Qasem Salat Hassan, who accepted the resignation.
"To hell with this. I quit!"
"Then get the hell out!"
Jama denied the existence of political differences between him and President Salat Hassan "because both of us dream of a united and peaceful Somalia," adding he will make "visits to all parts of the country in order to give an impetus for peace efforts."
"We ain't got no political differences. We just hate each other's guts!"
The Somali provisional government was established in August 2000 during a conference for peace on Somalia near Djibouti. Othman Jama was appointed a prime minister four months later. However, this government enjoys influence and authority on only a small part of the country because of the control of the competing warlords since the collapse of Muhammad Seyad Barre in December 1991.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/29/2003 19:51 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
A million bucks? First Billy Carter, then Alamoudi, and now this... Why the hell don't the Libyans try to bribe me? I could be rented for half that amount!
One of Weld Hedallah's lawyers and the other 14 persons detained with him, who are accused by the authority of preparing for a coup announced on Thursday that the file of accusations includes "evidence" to paying this money and Seidi Muhammad was in charge of this money. According to Weld Abatai "the elements stated in the (charges) file do not constitute any proved evidence." The lawyer confirmed that the charges are completely without merit, stressing that his clients "are innocent from all accusations alleged by the authority."
"Lies! All lies!"
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/29/2003 19:48 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Fred, your day will come. If OJ can still find the moxie to search for the real killer...
The hardline Palestinian Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades denounced the Geneva Initiative on Saturday, slamming its instigators as "Israeli collaborators" and threatening those who "play" with Palestinians' future.
That means they're going to bump them off. It's okay when Paleostinians do it...
Those who drew up the controversial plan are "Israeli collaborators and play to the tune of Zionism and the Americans," the group said in a statement obtained by AFP.
The largely autonomous armed offshoot of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's mainstream Fatah movement lashed out the initiative's instigators for renouncing the previously sacroscant right of millions of Palestinian refugees to return to Israel. "We will never give up this right and we warn those who do not have the right to play with the future of our people," the statement said.
"We'll kill you."
The 50-page Geneva Initiative — due to be signed in the Swiss city on Monday — was drafted by both leading Israelis and Palestinians. The plan notably calls for the creation of a demilitarized Palestinian state covering a vast majority of the territories seized by Israel in June 1967, and it also calls for shared sovereignty over Jerusalem. In return, the initiative waives the right of return for some 3.8 million Palestinian refugees. But Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has firmly rejected the initiative, warning against attempts to bypass governments, while Arafat has declined to endorse the detailed effort.
We've been pretty much ignoring the Geneva Initiatives, since they're nothing but political posturing by the "outs" in Israel and Paleostine — but it's fun to watch the Aqsa Martyrs turning themselves inside out...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/29/2003 19:43 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
What the hell did these starry-eyed idiots think, that the Paleo thugs would jump at this chance for "peace"?
Posted by: Dave D. ||
11/29/2003 21:18 Comments ||
Top||
#2
If this initiative goes much farther, I expect the peace-loving palestinians will start killing off those "collaborators".
'Demilitarized' palestinian zone, yeah f*cking right. Right after monkeys come flying out of al-aqsa's ass.
Sudanese President Omar Bashir fired his chief adviser on the peace process, Ghazi Salah Eddin Atabani, the official Sudan News Agency reported yesterday. âThe president ... issued a presidential decree yesterday relieving Dr. Ghazi Salah Eddin, the presidential adviser on peace affairs, from his post upon his (Atabaniâs) request,â SUNA said. The dismissal came as a surprise as state media had reported that Atabani would lead the government delegation when peace talks with the rebel Sudan Peopleâs Liberation Army resumed in Kenya next week.
"Surprise! You ain't going!"
It was known that Atabani had differences with other members of the government over a number of issues in the peace process. Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail had denied that such differences existed.
"So I lied. I'm a Muslim. What'd you expect?"
The government and the SPLA have agreed on a six-year transitional period and are now negotiating a final settlement to the 20-year civil war. Atabani was due to be replaced in five days time by Sudanese First Vice President Ali Osman Taha as the talks with SPLA leader John Garang continue. No reason was given for Atabaniâs resignation, but observers have speculated that he was angry at being replaced by Taha in the August round of talks, despite being included in the governmentâs delegation in October.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/29/2003 19:23 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
An explosion has damaged the offices of a Georgian political party critical of the movement which swept President Eduard Shevardnadze from power. The blast, apparently resulting from a device thrown from a car overnight, caused no injury but shattered windows at the Labour Partyâs HQ in Tbilisi. It came just days after the countryâs bloodless "rose revolution".
Still bloodless, just smelling a bit of cordite...
A Labour spokesman suggested the new government had begun a campaign of violence against dissenters.
Or partisans of the old government have begun a campaign of Dire Revenge™...
Gela Danelia said that a car had pulled up outside the party HQ at 0530 on Saturday and the explosion came just after it moved off again. "I can tell you that Shevardnadzeâs methods are maintained in a fight against the Labour Party," Mr Danelia told a Georgian TV station. "It seems that the revolution named a rose revolution is continuing but, sadly, with explosives and hand grenades rather than roses."
That's what I said...
The Labour Party is opposed to the interim administration led by Nino Burjanadze which is steering Georgia towards a new presidential election on 4 January. Its leader, Shalva Natelashvili, said on Saturday that the party had been targeted because of its popularity and he dismissed the new administration as "Shevardnadzeâs heirs". According to the official results of the Georgian parliamentary election on 2 November - since annulled by the Supreme Court after widespread allegations of vote-rigging - the Labour Party came in fourth place.
Posted by: Bulldog ||
11/29/2003 11:36:19 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
Kenyan authorities have arrested more than two dozen suspects wanted for two al-Qaida attacks, a senior government official confirms. They are accused of taking part in the 1998 car bombing of the US Embassy in Nairobi and the November 2002 attack on a coastal hotel in Mombasa. Most of the men are foreigners and were taken into custody by Kenyan authorities and foreign security agencies in a recent anti-terror operation. Some were arrested in neighbouring Somalia, a country without an effective government for more than decade, Murungaru said. Heh. Nice work.
Although a few are wanted by the FBI, the Kenyan government does not plan to extradite them to the United States.
Assuming they actually jug them and they don't "escape," I'd be perfectly happy to see them spend 20 years or so in a Kenyan jail...
Posted by: Bulldog ||
11/29/2003 11:21:44 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
I imagine 20 years in a Kenyan jail would be a life sentence.
EFL
Japanese officials have blown up a rocket carrying two spy satellites intended to monitor North Korea. Officials at the Japanese space programme said the rocket had to be destroyed after take-off because of an unspecified technical failure. The original launch had been scheduled for September, but was postponed three times because of technical problems. "Shortly after the launch, we sent a destroy order to the rocket as we concluded that the mission cannot fulfil the purpose," said spokesperson Shoko Yamamoto. "We cannot tell further details, but at least we can say this mission ended in failure." Japan already has two satellites monitoring North Korea, which is suspected of developing nuclear weapons.
The BBCâs Jonathan Head [*snigger*] in Tokyo says the incident is an embarrassing setback for Japan, just weeks after China - a technologically less advanced country - put a man into space. North Korea has denounced the deployment of the first two satellites as a "hostile act" that could trigger a renewed arms race. The satellite project was intended as a response to North Koreaâs firing of a ballistic missile over Japan into the Pacific in August 1998. "It really shocked the Japanese. They realised that theyâve got to wake up and not be 100% reliant on the US," Victor Cha, Professor of Government and Asian Studies at Washington DCâs Georgetown University told BBC News Online. Until then Japan bought commercial satellite photos from the US and France.
The launch came at a sensitive time for Japan and North Korea as the two countries prepared to sit down at six-way talks to resolve the crisis over Pyongyangâs nuclear ambitions. Some 400 police were around the launch site on the southern island of Tanegashima. Coast guard ships were patrolling waters to thwart possible terrorist attacks or a possible attempt by North Korea to disrupt the launch.
Posted by: Bulldog ||
11/29/2003 6:19:24 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
"It really shocked the Japanese. They realised that theyâve got to wake up and not be 100% reliant on the US,"
They shouldn't sweat it. We're 100% reliant on them to build hybrid cars. Hell, we can probably give them the satellites with all the money we are going to save on gas.
#2
"It really shocked the Japanese. They realised that theyâve got to wake up and not be 100% reliant on the US,"
They shouldn't sweat it. We're 100% reliant on them to build hybrid cars. Hell, we can probably give them the satellites with all the money we are going to save on gas.
#4
We got any surplus KH-1s sitting around?
If we do, they're in a museum, where they belong! We're talking 1950's technology. I'm sure Japan can create something quite a bit more sophisticated than something that produces 6-meter resolution. Even SPOT, the French satellite, and the US LandSat produce 1- and 3-meter resolution, respectively. I'm sure the Japanese will have their launch vehicle problem straightened out soon. As for the Chinese launch, brute force will work every time. Just look at the old F-4 - proof positive that if you provide enough power, even a lead brick can be made to fly.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
11/29/2003 10:38 Comments ||
Top||
#5
OP ole Bud, something is wrong with your sense of aerodynamics... the F-4 is a a sleek article of flying fun. You're just jealous cause the Navy invented it.
Of course you're right tho, a brick with attitude.
In a move likely to infuriate China, Taiwanâs President Chen Shui-bian said Saturday that a new law allows him to call a referendum vote on Taiwanâs "sovereignty" on March 20 if he chooses to. Chen Shui-bian said a new referendum law passed Thursday lets him to call for a public vote on sovereignty on March 20, the day of the next presidential elections, if he wants to. "Next year, on March 20, we can still organize a referendum, to protect our countryâs sovereignty," Chen told supporters. "In order to prevent Taiwanâs national security and Taiwanâs national sovereignty from being threatened by any outside force, and from undergoing any change, I have the duty, I have the responsibility to be able to call for a referendum if the government approves," Chen said. I think we ought to have a carrier group a little ways northeast of Taiwn say, oh, March 18th.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/29/2003 3:18:32 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
The ChiComs appear to think that threatening Taiwan is the way to get it back. When all that will do is scare Taiwan into demanding independence all that much sooner. It appears they think that Bush will discard Taiwan, possibly for a deal on North Korea. I don't think this is viable either, that such would be a gross misreading of the President.
Posted by: Ben ||
11/29/2003 4:22 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Chinese war on Taiwan would crush both economically, and a boycott would surely follow - I'd start looking at relocating manufacturing facilities in China to elsewhere, and publicly explain why. Whatever face they think they'll gain by trying to retake Taiwan would be nothing compared to the devastation it would do to the mainland....can you say revolt by the starving and broke masses? I knew you could
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/29/2003 9:57 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Not too sure Frank, the mainland economy is lot more fragile currently than you can probably imagine, hell of it is the military is what probably is keeping it together over there, they might not have a revolt, well not a successful one at least. I suspect what we'll see is a speeding up of that plan the US Navy decided earlier last month to have 4 aircraft carrier battle groups in the region early 2004 that was originally to meet while China was doing its own naval ops.
Posted by: Val ||
11/29/2003 13:44 Comments ||
Top||
Iranians blame official for covering up Kazemiâs death
The Iranian Parliament implicated a chief Tehran prosecutor (and veteran fallguy)
Tuesday for failing to provide information, forging documents and making incorrect statements about the death of Iranian-Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi. The Parliament condemned Saeed (aka Shorty) Mortazavi for refusing to come before it and justify Kazemiâs detention, for accusing Kazemi of spying and announcing the cause of her death as a stroke. (with a club?)
Kazemi was detained after taking photos (bad dog) of Tehranâs Evin prison. She died on July 10 from head injuries while in (protective?)custody. As Iranâs Prosecutor General, Shorty Mortazavi briefed Canadian officials on the investigation into Kazemiâs death in late August. He may have interrogated her personally. (but she was in good spirits last I saw, honest)
"The detention of KazemiâŠwas not justifiedâŠand against legal procedures," the Parliament said in its report. The report was read out in an open session of the Parliament, dominated by reformers, and broadcast live on state-run Tehran radio. (read that again, itâs important)
The report calls on the judiciary to review the findings and investigate the violations it claims were carried out by Shorty Mortazavi. The report could affect the trial of an Iranian intelligence agent charged with "semi-premeditated murder" in the death of Kazemi. "Who me!"
Mortazavi could(might/maybe) be questioned about his involvement and face charges. Intelligence Ministry agent Mohammad Reza Aghdam Ahmadi(AKA BIG Mo) pleaded innocent of Kazemiâs murder on the first day of his open trial earlier this month. He was released after posting $50,000 bail. (chump change)
Kazemiâs death has led to a diplomatic row (Pissing contest)between Canada and Iran (with Iran clearly in the the lead). Kazemiâs Montreal-based son and the Canadian government called for the return of her body, but she was buried in Iran (per allahâs will and out of curious minds scrutiny).
Canada threatened to impose sanctions and briefly withdrew its ambassador. He has since returned and is attending the trial.
(standing tall with spine erect)
Canadien spokeswoman Faith Lovejoy-Holmes, who is is expecting a child soon, was quoted, "We shall leave no stone unturned." Iranian mullahs are shamed but undeterred!
Posted by: Lucky ||
11/29/2003 1:03:04 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Wonder how long it will take the canucks to ask the hated U.S. to do something about this.
#2
If this is the best little hissy-fit they can raise over this, then Canadians certainly shouldn't travel overseas.
Posted by: Tom ||
11/29/2003 12:31 Comments ||
Top||
#3
You guys seem to forget that Kazemi had dual citizenship. With dual citizenship the Canadian government can't (and won't) do anything to help if you get in trouble inside the country of your other citizenship. It even says so in every passport (in fact Canadian Immigration advises people to stay away from their old countries). The best they can do is raise a stink. Kazemi took a big risk and lost. It isn't Canada's fault that Iran is ruled by asshats. On the other hand, the Sampson case illustrated how impotent the Canadian government really is. So maybe it is safer for Canadians to stay at home.
Posted by: Rafael ||
11/29/2003 15:18 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Useful illustration then of why dual citizenship for US citizens is a bad idea, and why we shouldn't allow it.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/29/2003 17:02 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Not allowing dual citizenship has another benefit, though it borders on the sinister. Suppose only one citizenship is allowed. Then you'll find that many people would actually be unwilling to give up their original citizenship, prefering to stay with their permanent resident status only. In this case, if such a person gets into serious trouble (ie. becomes a terrorist), then it would be easy to deport their ass to their old country. With dual-citizenship, there is the additional complication of having to take away the terrorist's citizenship first, then deporting him.
Posted by: Rafael ||
11/29/2003 18:45 Comments ||
Top||
A Kenyan high court judge on Friday ordered the release of two suspects charged with murder over last Novemberâs bombing of an Israeli-owned hotel in Mombasa, a year to the day after the attack which killed 18 people. Justice Kaplana Rawal ordered the release of Faiz Abdalla Shariff and Mohamed Ali Hassan, two of nine suspects in the bombing who appeared in court on Friday, after the state prosecutor withdrew charges against them. "The proceedings of the hearings of this case have been terminated and the accused persons are free to go," Rawal said. "The attorney general has ruled that, after evaluating the evidence in totality and taking into account the fact that investigating terrorism takes a long time, and in view of the faceless nature of the people involved, it has been found necessary that the charges against the accused persons be withdrawn," Prosecutor John Gacivih said.
That means something, no doubt, even though it doesn't appear to make any sense...
On Friday, the state also reduced charges from murder to conspiracy to commit a felony against three others accused in the bombing: Mohammed Kubwa Seif, Said Saggar Ahmed and Salmin Mohamed Khamisi. "This is being done strictly in view of the evidence available. The three, whose charges (of murder) have been withdrawn, will be charged with conspiracy to commit a felony in a lower court," Gacivih said.
Keep working on it. Maybe you can get them for jaywalking or spitting in public...
Wonder what the charges will be reduced to then...
Twelve Kenyans, three Israelis and three presumed bombers died in the attack on the hotel, carried out almost simultaneously with a failed missile attack on a charter jet carrying Israeli tourists shortly after take-off from Mombasa airport. Osama bin Ladenâs al-Qaeda network has claimed responsibility for both attacks. About 250 people, victims and relatives, gathered outside the Mombasa hotel, weeping, wailing and praying as they marked the one-year anniversary of the tragedy. Among the mourners was receptionist Mercy Mwagambo, was on duty last November 28, when a car laden with explosives slammed into the hotel lobby. "I had many injuries and my right leg had first to be amputated before being sewn back at hospital after the bombing," Mwagambo, 25, said, supporting herself on crutches. Mwagambo lamented that her injury had completely ruined her family, as she was the sole breadwinner. She was only recently discharged from hospital and is still awaiting compensation, she said.
Just a civilian. She doesn't count. She's not even Muslim. Become a Muslim and the Soddies will probably throw some compensation your way, assuming you can come up with a male guardian...
The Mombasa attacks highlighted the enormous security challenges faced by Kenya, which has long, remote and highly porous borders with Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda, but has limited financial and human resources to patrol them. Somalia has been without a central government since 1991, when dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted and the country fell into a cycle of clan warfare and lawlessness. The United Nations has said in a report published early this month that Somalia served as a rear base for extremists who planned and carried out the Mombasa bombing, and that the missiles fired at the jet were smuggled into Kenya by sea from Somalia in August last year, three months before the attacks.
I used to know some Rangers who were hoping for an opportunity to go back and visit Mogadishu...
Businessman Said Omar - one of the four accused who will go on trial in January on murder charges - has been accused of helping other suspects flee to neighbouring Somalia following the attack. Kenyan police are still hunting for Ali Saleh Nabhan - a brother of one of the suspects who will go on trial in January - suspected of having bought the car used in the suicide attack on the Paradise Hotel, and of allowing the bomb used in the explosion to be built up in his apartment. They are also hunting Comoran national Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, already on a wanted list in the United States for his alleged involvement in twin attacks on the US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in 1998, in which 224 people died.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/29/2003 12:40:59 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
So'oo. Omar's back in town. And from what I hear Somalia is black tying it.
A top U.S. intelligence analyst who supervised the production of the U.S. governmentâs key prewar findings on Iraqâs weapons of mass destruction programs says he believes those conclusions were sound, even though many have not been validated. Stuart A. Cohen, the vice chairman of the National Intelligence Council, a body of senior intelligence analysts which advises CIA Director George J. Tenet, argued in an article Friday that with all the evidence the U.S. government possessed, "no reasonable person could have ... reached any conclusions or alternative views that were profoundly different from those that we reached."
Cohen was the acting chairman of the council when he oversaw the production of a National Intelligence Estimate summarizing U.S. evidence on Iraqâs alleged weapons programs. Distributed in October 2002, it judged that Iraq had prohibited biological and chemical weapons and missiles and was producing more. It also concluded that Iraq had a nuclear weapons program but did not have a finished weapon, while noting the State Departmentâs intelligence branch dissented from that view. "We have re-examined every phrase, line, sentence, judgment and alternative view in this 90-page document and have traced their genesis completely," Cohen wrote on the op-ed page of The Washington Post. "I believed at the time the estimate was approved for publication, and still believe now, that we were on solid ground in how we reached the judgments we made," he said.
A longer version of Cohenâs defense was posted on the CIAâs web site Friday afternoon. Only a small portion of the classified National Intelligence Estimate was made public, in July. Last year, as the estimate was circulated within the government, the CIA released an unclassified paper that summarized its key points. The estimateâs findings served as a foundation for the Bush administrationâs case for war.
In his article, Cohen stayed away from discussing any divide between the U.S. intelligence communityâs judgments on Iraq and the way President George W. Bush and his administration characterized these conclusions to the public. Some Democrats have said the administration exaggerated what the intelligence community knew, ignoring uncertainties as it tried to persuade the world to support the war. Cohen did acknowledge some uncertainties, but did not speak to the politics of the issue. "There is a reason that the October 2002 review of Iraqâs WMD programs is called a National Intelligence ESTIMATE and not a National Intelligence FACTBOOK," he said. "On almost any issue of the day that we face, hard evidence will only take intelligence professionals so far. Our job is to fill in the gaps with informed analysis."
Cohen also set out to correct what he describes as myths that have emerged about the intelligence estimate on Iraq. The estimate made no recommendation on whether to go to war, he says. It relied on intelligence reports not from a single source, but many. So far, weapons hunters in Iraq have found no finished chemical or biological weapons, but what they interpret as possible signs of a program to ramp up production of biological weapons on short notice. They also describe an Iraqi intention to acquire prohibited long-range missiles. Cohen said solid evidence of Iraqâs weapons programs may yet be found. "Finding physically small but extraordinarily lethal weapons in a country that is larger than the state of California would be a daunting task even under far more hospitable circumstances," he says.
Cohen, a 30-year veteran of the CIA, also worries that in the face of criticism, intelligence analysts will become averse to reaching - and pronouncing - conclusions on a given issue unless they have "ironclad evidence," something in short supply in the murky intelligence world. "Fundamentally, the intelligence community increasingly will be in danger of not connecting the dots until the dots have become a straight line," he wrote. Still, Cohen acknowledged the possibility the prewar judgments on Iraq were inaccurate. "If we eventually are proven wrong - that is, that there were no weapons of mass destruction and the WMD programs were dormant or abandoned - the American people will be told the truth; we would have it no other way," he said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/29/2003 12:38:55 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
I could care less about WMD. UNLESS they actually had them. Then that means, ME IN TROUBLE. Thank's GW. You did good.
#2
Whether Saddam actually had them or not, he made a show of having them, and did his best to make us believe he did. All the games he played with the UN over the last 12 years, that ALONE legally justified the war, as noted by 1441. In any event, Iraq is better off without Saddam, and we are better off without him as well. Even the French are better off without Saddam, although their oil stock will take a hit.
Posted by: Ben ||
11/29/2003 4:37 Comments ||
Top||
#3
I care about R&D programs as well as production WMDs. A small quantity of weaponized anthrax or nerve gas could be a major problem if it was transferred to Ansar al Islam or any other terror group. So too would a relatively small amount of fissible uranium ... say, enough to make a dirty bomb or two.
It may be many years, if ever, before we know for sure what happened to the WMD that Hussein did deploy in the 90s. But one thing McKay's interim report makes clear is that they were trying to keep a research program going and that they were trying in particular to make advances in biological substances and in acquiring some nuclear capabilities. I was and am actually more concerned, in the short run, about the results of these programs getting out to terror groups than I was about production quantities of armed warheads. Those would be awful if used, of course, but it is harder to hide a full manufacturing program than a few mobile labs.
#5
Interesting and good to see this unusual step. The country could use a lot more educational and substantive PR from the administration. The "debate" concerning intel, like most of the discussion on the war, has been extremely sophomoric and mostly substance-free. As noted in a comment above, the burden of proof and risk in this situation was on Iraq, both legally and more importantly strategically. The US has no obligation to bare its throat to psychos and low-lifes known to be dangerous and hostile merely because it can't provide ironclad advance proof of a threat.
In that connection, there's a typically amusing and off-base article by Pincus in the WaPo on intel and pre-emption. As usual, the simple logic of pre-emption is mangled beyond recognition, and again the burden is absurdly placed on the target (us) instead of the perpetrator (them). There are even people quoted who cooperate in standing the world on its head -- you see, if we can't be confident of the precision of our intel, we can't use pre-emption. Wrong!
Naturally we want the best possible intel, and the Iraq intel must be subjected to rigorous review (apparently it has already, at least to some extent), but as the Cohen column implies but doesn't state clearly enough, intel is fallible and people have to stop pretending that we can attain well-founded certainty on a regular basis.
The logic of pre-emption is precisely the reverse of that implied in the WaPo piece. Uncertainty about a serious and probable but incompletely understood threat LOWERS the threshhold for actionable intel, it doesn't raise it. Uncertainty -- deriving from imperfect or incomplete intel -- is precisely the BASIS for pre-emption. In an era of catastrophic WMD technologies in the reach of states or groups not amenable to the usual deterrence, pre-emption is the prudent recourse when intentions or precise capabilities cannot be assessed.
Tony Cordesman's work is cited in the WaPo article -- he's to be taken seriously, and it's hard to believe he doesn't understand the pre-emption logic. But who knows.
It's deplorable how vapid and upside down the "debate" on these matters is, as typified by the WaPo article. This Cohen column should just be the start on injecting some logic and reality into the situation -- these are life and death matters, after all.
Sorry for the rant, but this is "Rantburg" after all, and I haven't had my coffee yet ....
Syriaâs prime minister has criticized the U.S. presence in Iraq and labeled the anti-U.S. fight inside the Mideast nation a ``liberation movement.ââ
Yeah. Yeah. They label their country a "republic," too...
``Despite all accusations that they are terrorists, these are Iraqi terrorists citizens who are fighting to stop the liberation of the Iraqi people the occupation,ââ Prime Minister Naji al-Otari said in remarks were published Friday in the Egyptian magazine Al-Mussawar.
He also vowed Syria would never endorse the U.S. actions in Iraq not that that matters any, and he quavered at the mere thought of sanctions dismissed the threat of sanctions. Congress approved a measure enabling the president to impose economic sanctions on Syria unless it ceases its alleged support to, among other things, anti-U.S. fighters in Iraq. Al-Otari said that any sanctions would have only a ``very modestââ affect because Syria has minimal economic ties with America. You havenât figgered it out yet, Al-O: this is just a first step.
The prime minister indicated he saw the bill as part of the pressure that Syria has encountered because of its staunch opposition to the U.S. occupation of Iraq, and its different definition of terrorism to that of Washington. "Yep, we donât see Hezbollah as terrorists! Why, they think just like we do!"
The U.S. State Department has long listed Syria as a sponsor of terrorism owing to its support for militant Palestinian groups. Syria categorizes these Palestinians as freedom fighters. In the interview, al-Otari said Syria would continue to give ``moral supportââ to the Palestinians. "And bombs and guns are the definition of moral in our book!"
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/29/2003 12:20:08 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
They may not do much direct buisness with the US, but they'd be in a tight spot if their harbors ended up being mined, and Turkey sealed their border.
#4
What exactly is the point of a Syrian "prime minister"?
Posted by: g wiz ||
11/29/2003 16:34 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Otari was convicted of corruption in the nineteen eighties and somehow managed a comeback. His government is composed of more Baathists than at any time in years. Reports from Damascas indicate cracks in the Alawite structure, and the creation of a Syrian exile group in Washington indicates that the Bush people are taking a revolt in Syria quite seriously and they are probably helping it along.
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.
