Turkey's foreign minister said Thursday that the US and Turkey are in close cooperation in the fight against Kurdish rebels. Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, after meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, said Turkey also communicates with Iranian authorities about fighting the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. The PKK has been fighting for self-rule in southeastern Turkey since 1984.
A top Turkish general said Turkey and Iran have been carrying out coordinated strikes against Kurdish rebels based in northern Iraq.
Rice said Turkey, the US and Iraq are "on the same page about the desire to see the PKK not capable of carrying out attacks against Turkey." "The PKK is an enemy of Iraq; it's an enemy of the United States, it's an enemy of Turkey; it's an enemy of the region," she said.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/06/2008 00:00 ||
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Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama did not rule out Palestinian sovereignty over parts of Jerusalem when he called for Israel's capital to remain "undivided," his campaign told The Jerusalem Post Thursday. "Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided," Obama declared Wednesday, to rousing applause from the 7,000-plus attendees at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee policy conference.
But a campaign adviser clarified Thursday that Obama believes "Jerusalem is a final status issue, which means it has to be negotiated between the two parties" as part of "an agreement that they both can live with." "Two principles should apply to any outcome," which the adviser gave as: "Jerusalem remains Israel's capital and it's not going to be divided by barbed wire and checkpoints as it was in 1948-1967."
He refused, however, to rule out other configurations, such as the city also serving as the capital of a Palestinian state or Palestinian sovereignty over Arab neighborhoods. "Beyond those principles, all other aspects are for the two parties to agree at final status negotiations," the Obama adviser said.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/06/2008 00:00 ||
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Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, appearing for the first time since his capture five years ago, said he would welcome becoming a "marytr" after a judge warned Thursday that he faces the death penalty for his confessed role as mastermind of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Wearing thick glasses and occasionally fussing with his turban or stroking his bushy gray beard, Mohammed seemed noticeably thinner than the image of a slovenly man with disheveled hair, an unshaven face and a T-shirt that the U.S. showed to the world after his capture in Pakistan.
Mohammed chanted verses from the Quran, rejected his attorneys and told Judge Ralph Kohlmann, a Marine colonel, that he wants to represent himself at the war crimes trial.
The judge warned that he faces execution if convicted of organizing the attacks on America. But the former No. 3 leader of al-Qaida was insistent. "Yes, this is what I wish, to be a martyr for a long time," Mohammed declared. "I will, God willing, have this, by you."
Posted by: Fred ||
06/06/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda
#1
after keelhauling just short of death - allow him to recover then 1000 little festering cuts.... and use him to troll for sharks... (small ones - really small ones will dull teeth and a sickly electric eel or two..)
#8
and he wants to represent himself in the tribunal proceedings
he probably also would like to sign a book contract (Simon & Shuster call your office - this could be the hottest thing since "It takes a Village" you could call it, "It takes a Sheik";
Pakistan's foreign minister says government peace deals with pro-Taliban militants are aimed at establishing a "peaceful coexistence" with the groups. Shah Mehmood Qureshi also said critics of the deal are "cynical."
Pakistan's peace agreements with Taliban militants have drawn concern from NATO forces, Afghan officials and the U.S. government who worry they will be short-lived truces that only undermine the war against Taliban and al-Qaida fighters.
But a day before leaving on his first trip to Kabul, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi pushed back against critics during a forceful speech before parliament. "When we talk of peace, we also have to tell our friends, who at times are cynical about the peace negotiations that Pakistan has undertaken," said Qureshi. "Look at the spirit behind that negotiation. The spirit is not capitulation, the spirit is not compromise, the spirit is peaceful coexistence."
Pakistan's border tribal regions, named FATA, are populated by fiercely independent tribes that have long opposed any central government control. But Qureshi says many people in the region have been caught in the crossfire between Taliban militants and the Pakistani army and the locals now mainly want peace. The foreign minister said if the government can win over residents by bringing peace through dialogue and, if necessary, military force - officials can try to end the regions' economic and political isolation. "This area has been deprived for the last 60 years," said Qureshi. "And that is why the government feels this area has to be amalgamated, has to be integrated into mainstream life."
In Afghanistan, local officials and NATO commanders have worried that those long-term plans will not get off the ground - and withdrawing Pakistani security forces from parts of the border region will mainly allow Taliban forces free reign to regroup and launch attacks. But Qureshi said that Pakistan should not shoulder all of the blame for the Taliban insurgency. "The insurgency if it's being tackled fully and completely across the border - it has to be seen and it has to be debated," he said. "To what extent has the government of Afghanistan been able to establish its writ outside the urban cities of Afghanistan?"
In recent years Pakistan and Afghanistan have accused each other of not doing enough to combat Taliban militants, stunting cooperation between the two sides. On Wednesday, the new NATO commander in Afghanistan U.S. General David McKiernan said a top priority is recreating a joint military commission including Pakistan and Afghanistan that addresses border issues.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/06/2008 00:00 ||
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Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Thursday vowed to re-establish the writ of the government in Swat and the Tribal Areas and invited the opposition to come forward and devise a joint strategy to combat terrorism. This is our country and we have to protect its sovereignty. I welcome the opposition to come to the Foreign Office and sit together to devise a national foreign policy, Qureshi said in his speech on the recent attack in Bajaur by the United States allied forces from Afghanistan. Several people were killed in the attack. The minister said Pakistan would not allow sanctuaries and safe heavens for terrorists on its soil. Qureshi said Pakistan was keen to monitor cross-border movement and it had established 1,000 checkposts for the purpose. As far as the issue of the Bajaur attack is concerned, Pakistan has lodged its protest at every forum. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has taken up the issue with US President George W Bush during their recent meeting in Egypt, he said. Earlier, former Interior minister Aftab Khan Sherpao condemned the Bajaur attack by allied forces and urged the government to form a policy in this regard.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/06/2008 00:00 ||
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The government is not holding peace talks with Al Qaeda or the Taliban as claimed by the Western media, and it is only negotiating with the Mehsud and other tribes in the country, FO spokesman Mohammad Sadiq said on Thursday.
Then his lips fell off.
In his weekly press briefing, he said the government was fully committed to countering terrorism with the support of the people of Pakistan.
But not Baitullah. He's incapable of terrorism.
Pakistan has a clear policy with regard to terrorism and terrorists, he said,
We've noticed...
adding, We are not holding talks with Al Qaeda or the Taliban ... we are only holding peace talks with the Mehsud and other tribes to bring peace in the region.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/06/2008 00:00 ||
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A senior Turkish general says Turkey and Iran have carried out coordinated strikes against Kurdish rebels based in northern Iraq. Over the past few months, Turkey has reportedly intensified its attacks against bases of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. For VOA, Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.
The deputy head of Turkey's armed forces General Ilker Basbug told Turkish television that Turkish forces have collaborated with Iran in attacking bases of the Kurdistan Workers' Party in northern Iraq, and will do so again if necessary.
In the past, Turkey and Iran have pledged to cooperate against the rebels, but the general's comment is the first confirmation that the two countries have been working together against the PKK, and PJAK, the group's Iranian wing.
International relations expert, Soli Ozel of Bilgi University says the cooperation is a watershed in Turkey's fight against the PKK. "Turkey bombed PJAK that is the anti Iranian Kurdish organization and it flew into the region using Iranian airspace," he said. "That tells you volumes what is cooking about PKK PJAK because PJAK is the twin of PKK for Iran."
Posted by: Fred ||
06/06/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
If Turkey and Iran are coordinating - should we be permitting Turkey entry into Iran?
#2
KURDISH MEDIA NEWS > Over 450 Kurdish families forced to leave areas due to Turkic-Iranian strikes, + claims over 92 Iranian Officers, SOldiers, and counetr-guerillas killed in recent fighting = operations, + SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY [Socialist?] OF KURDISTAN announces formation.
#3
PKK and PJAK are terrorist groups, same as the Sunni A-holes in Anbar. They are exploiting our affinity for the Kurdish people to wreak havoc in Turkey and probably Iran. But they are nothing more than terrorists who use hit and run techniques and their wives and kids as human shields.
(VOI) United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed al-Nahyan on Thursday revealed his country's plans to reopen its embassy in Iraq and to name an ambassador in the coming few days. "Talks are underway between the United Arab Emirates and the Iraqi government to name its ambassador to Iraq and reopen its embassy ," Sheikh al-Nahyan said during a joint press conference with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zibari in the Iraqi capital Baghdad. "We look forward to having Iraq as an active member in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)," Sheikh al-Nahyan added, praising the Iraqi government for what he described as its national reconciliation and security efforts.
Reiterating his country's willingness to maintain sound relations with Iraq, the minister said that the issue of Iraqi debts will be dealt with in a timely, efficient and effective manner. On Thursday morning, Sheikh al-Nahyan arrived in an unannounced visited to the Iraqi capital and discussed with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki means of boosting diplomatic relations between the two countries. The visit is the first by a United Arab Emirates minister to Iraq since the collapse of the former regime in 2003.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/06/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
How bold of them, it's only been more than 5 years.
The High Court of Justice on Thursday rejected a petition filed by nine human rights organizations which charged that the state was supplying smaller amounts of fuel than it had promised to maintain the minimum humanitarian standard of living in the Gaza Strip as required by international law.
A panel of three justices headed by Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch wrote that it was satisfied that the state was taking reasonable and appropriate measures to open the border crossings and transfer gasoline, diesel fuel and industrial diesel fuel to Gaza in keeping with its promise.
The court blamed Hamas for incessantly trying to strike at the crossings and said the fighting in the area made it difficult to keep the crossings open consistently. One of the petitioners, Gisha, expressed "regret that Israel's Supreme Court has once again authorized the collective punishment of 1.5 million civilians in Gaza in violation of international law."
No mention whether Gisha thought Qassam rockets are a violation of international law.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/06/2008 00:00 ||
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Judea and Samaria Police on Thursday arrested two Havat Gilad residents, including a minor, on suspicion of throwing stones at Palestinian cars.
I'm not at all sure why, unless they expect Israelis to act civilized and don't expect the same from the Paleostinians.... Oh. Wait. My bad.
Police said that the two were being uncooperative during their interrogation. It follows several stone-throwing attacks on Palestinian vehicles in the area.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/06/2008 00:00 ||
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Syria told a 35-nation meeting Thursday that it will limit what UN nuclear inspectors can see when they check allegations that Damascus has a hidden atomic program, diplomats said.
The main purpose of a planned June 22-24 visit later this month by International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors is to investigate US assertions that a target flattened in September by Israeli war planes was a nearly completed plutonium-producing reactor built with North Korean help.
But the agency also would like more information on three other sites identified by US intelligence as hidden nuclear facilities, possibly linked to attempts to produce atomic arms. Agency officials have said they hope for Syrian cooperation in that regard as well.
Diplomats already told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Ibrahim Othman, the top Syrian nuclear official, had said it would not let any IAEA probe extend beyond the bombed site at Al Kabir.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/06/2008 00:00 ||
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The US Treasury Department has added three al Qaeda operatives from the Gulf States to the list of Specially Designated Global Terrorist Individuals. The three operatives have provided logistical, financial, and material support to al Qaeda and the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group throughout the Middle East. Two of these operatives have provided direct support for al Qaeda leaders based in Iran and two have operated in the tribal regions in Pakistan.
The US has designated Khalifa Muhammad Turki al Subaiy, a Qatari national; and Adil Muhammad Mahmud Abd al Khaliq and Abd al Rahman Muhammad Jaffar 'Ali, Bahraini nationals, as Specially Designated Global Terrorist Individuals under Executive Order 13224. The designation allows the US to freeze their assets, prevent them from using financial institutions, and prosecute them for terrorist activities.
Subaiy is currently in custody in Qatar after being convicted in a Bahraini court for financing terrorism, undergoing terrorist training, facilitating the travel of others abroad to receive terrorist training, and for membership in a terrorist organization. He has funded senior al Qaeda leaders inside Pakistans tribal areas as well as helped recruits reach al Qaedas terror camps inside Pakistan. Additionally, Subaiy has served as a diplomatic and communications conduit between al Qaida and third parties in the Middle East.
Khaliq is currently in custody in the United Arab Emirates and is accused of being an active member of both al Qaeda and the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group. He trained in al Qaeda camps in the Waziristan tribal area in Pakistan and has worked with senior al Qaeda leaders inside Iran.
Ali was convicted by the Bahraini High Criminal Court for funding al Qaedas operations, assisting recruits with transiting to training camps, and training with and being a member of a terrorist organization. He attended training camps in Pakistan and traveled to Iran to meet with al Qaeda leaders. Although `Ali was in custody after being convicted, he was released with credit for time served.
Operating in Iran
The designation of Ali and Khaliq as Specially Designated Global Terrorist Individuals highlights the prominence of al Qaedas network inside Iran, and continuing Iranian support for al Qaedas operations in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Scores of senior and mid-level al Qaeda operatives are known to be based out of Iran. Senior al Qaeda leaders known to be inside Iran include Said bin Laden, Osama bin Laden's son and potential successor; Hamza bin Laden; Saif al-Adel, al Qaeda's senior strategist who is said to be third in command of al Qaeda; Suleiman Abu Ghaith, the former spokesman for bin Laden; Abu Hafs, al Qaedas director of personnel; Sheikh Said al Masri, bin Ladens chief financier; Mafouz Ould Walid; a senior aide to bin Laden and the leader of the Mauritanian Group for Preaching and Jihad; Thirwat Saleh Shihata; Ayman al Zawahiris deputy; and Abu Dahak, al Qaedas liaison to Chechen-based terrorists.
Saif al Adel is said to have struck up a close personal relationship with several prominent [Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps] commanders. He personally ordered the bombing attack against US assets in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2003. Five Americans were killed in the attack. He has written numerous strategy documents from Iran, including a seven phase plan to conquer the world by 2020.
Iran claims the al Qaeda leaders are in custody and are prevented from carrying out terrorist activity, but no charged have been brought against the terrorists. Attempts to have the terrorists extradited to their home countries have been rebuffed.
Both Ali and Khaliq have extensive ties to senior al Qaeda operatives based inside Iran. Ali, who is described as a financier and facilitator who has provided significant funding to al Qaeda, has moved money to an unnamed senior al Qaeda facilitator inside Iran.
Khaliqs activities are better documented His activities show that al Qaeda operatives inside Iran are still active, with the active support of the Iranian regime. He was recruited by al Qaeda in 2004 to raise money and provide equipment for al Qaedas operations in Afghanistan. After receiving extensive training inside Pakistans tribal areas, he traveled to Iran at least five times to meet with senior al Qaeda facilitators.
During this same timeframe, Abd al-Khaliq provided material support to al Qaeda and the LIFG [Libyan Islamic Fighting Group] by equipping them with electrical parts used in explosives, laptop computers, jackets, GPS devices, and other equipment, The US Treasure Department stated. Additionally, Abd al-Khaliq arranged the transportation of fighters, money, and material to LIFG camps in Pakistan.
Iran supports the Taliban
Iran's support for Sunni terror groups extends beyond al Qaeda operatives inside its borders. In October 2007, the US Treasury designating the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist Entity. The Qods Force, the external arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, has been funding and arming the Taliban in an effort to derail the effort to secure Afghansitan.
"The Qods Force is the Iranian regime's primary instrument for providing lethal support to the Taliban," the US Treasury stated. "The Qods Force provides weapons and financial support to the Taliban to support anti-U.S. and anti-Coalition activity in Afghanistan. Since at least 2006, Iran has arranged frequent shipments of small arms and associated ammunition, rocket propelled grenades, mortar rounds, 107mm rockets, plastic explosives, and probably man-portable defense systems [anti-aircraft weapons systems] to the Taliban... Through Qods Force material support to the Taliban, we believe Iran is seeking to inflict casualties on U.S. and NATO forces."
Iran, al Qaeda and the 9-11 Commission report
The 9-11 Commission documented the cooperation between al Qaeda, Hezbollah, and Iran prior to the attacks on the US in 2001. The relationship between al Qaeda and Iran demonstrated that Sunni-Shia divisions did not necessarily pose an insurmountable barrier to cooperation in terrorist operations," the 9-11 Commissions final report noted.
Contacts between Iran, Hezbollah and al Qaeda were established in Sudan in the early 1990s. Al Qaeda members received advice and training from Hezbollah, the report stated. Intelligence indicates the persistence of contacts between Iranian security officials and senior al Qaeda figures after bin Ladens return to Afghanistan.
Iran also played a supporting role in the 9-11 attacks by facilitating the movement of al Qaeda operatives in the Middle East. Many of al Qaeda's 9-11 hijackers transited through Iran during their training. Our knowledge of the international travels of the al Qaeda operatives selected for the 9-11 operation remains fragmentary, the report said. But we now have evidence suggesting that 8 to 10 of the 14 Saudi muscle operatives traveled into or out of Iran between October 2000 and February 2001.
Iranian intelligence and Hezbollah tracked the movement of al Qaeda operatives involved in the 9-11 attacks. One of the operatives was on the same flight as a senior Hezbollah operative, who is believed to be Imad Mugniyah, the former leader of Hezbollahs military arm who was killed in a bombing in Syria in February 2008. Other such encounters between al Qaeda operatives and Hezbollah and Iranian agents were documented.
The 9-11 Commission did not find evidence of Irans direct knowledge of the attack, but believes it provided support for al Qaeda operations. "After 9-11, Iran and Hezbollah wished to conceal any past evidence of cooperation with Sunni terrorists associated with al Qaeda," the report stated. We believe this topic requires further investigation by the US government.
#1
"[This] highlights the prominence of al Qaedas network inside Iran, and continuing Iranian support for al Qaedas operations in Pakistan and Afghanistan."
Didn't McCain receive wide ridicule for suggesting that Iran and Al Qaeda were connected?
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
06/06/2008 14:49 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Call me nuts, but somehow I get the feeling that members of these supporting governments and even the governments themselves are using the WoT to make money to line their own personal pockets and to attain strategic political objectives. This practice has to be made painful to both the individuals and the governments involved if there is ever going to be a hope of stopping this crap, or they will just grow another crop of idiots and continue the practice. Maybe it's time for certain key private and government individuals to seem to disappear by the hand of the terrorist orgs they support.
Fighting transnational terrorism often involves making unsavory choices between protecting civil rights and providing security. The following regimes have opted for the latter and are definitely not the kind of places you want to get caught if youre plotting some terrorist mayhem.
France
Key tactics: Though many Americans view them as softies when it comes to the war on terror, the French actually have some of the worlds toughest and arguably most effective antiterrorism laws. In France, terrorist investigations are overseen by a special unit of magistrates with unprecedented powers to monitor suspects, enlist the help of other branches of law enforcement, and detain suspects for days without charges. Additionally, prosecutors have a mandate to pursue terrorists abroad if the suspect or victim is French. France is also not shy about deporting Muslim clerics it views as threatening. It shouldnt be surprising that French law enforcement is well set up for counterterrorism: France was the first European country to fall victim to Middle Eastern terrorism during the Algerian war in the 1950s.
In action: France has not had a terrorist attack on its soil since 9/11, but it claims to have foiled several, including a chemical attack planned by Chechen operatives against Russian targets in Paris, a planned bombing of one of Pariss airports, and a 9/11-like airline plot against the Eiffel Tower.
Concerns: French civil libertarians have raised concerns about detentions that, in some cases, can last for years without trials. Allegations of police brutality are also common in Frances predominantly Muslim suburbs.
Jordan
Key tactics: Since the November 2005 hotel bombings carried out by al Qaeda in Amman, Jordans King Abdullah II has made it a priority to stop the infiltration of terrorists from neighboring Iraq and Syria. Jordans intelligence service, the General Intelligence Department, has exploited close ties with Sunni tribes in Iraqs Anbar province to provide its U.S. and Israeli counterparts with valuable intelligence about the structure and financing on terrorist organizations. Jordan also takes pride in the prowess of its Special Forces units and has opened a special operations training center to teach counterterrorism tactics to elite military units from around the world.
In action: Its widely suspected that Jordanian spies tipped off the U.S. military to the location of al Qaeda in Iraqs Jordanian-born leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leading to the U.S.-Iraqi military raid that killed him.
Concerns: Jordan has been criticized by human rights groups for its alleged participation in the rendition of U.S. terrorist suspects for torture.
Egypt
Key tactics: No less an authority than al Qaedas No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahiri recently said of Egypts State Security, They know more about the Islamic movements than many of those movements members know about them. Zawahiris followers have good reason to worry. After a wave of terrorist attacks and political victories for the Muslim Brotherhood in the early 1990s, Hosni Mubaraks government opted for a strategy of ruthless repression in combating the threat from terrorism and political Islam. The states strategy is to inhibit the Brotherhood from participating in the political process while carrying out wide-ranging arrests of militants and routinely using torture on prisoners.
In action: During the 1990s, the Egyptian regime essentially eliminated the domestic threat of groups such as the Islamic Group and Zawahiris Egyptian Islamic Jihad, largely by attacking their bases of operations and blocking their ability to transform into legitimate political movements. Overreaches by the groups themselves contributed greatly to their downfall.
Concerns: Human Rights Watch has complained that the Egyptian regimes liberal use of torture simply leads prisoners to confess to crimes real or imagined. Analysts also question the strategy of repressing the Brotherhood, which they say only strengthens the groups appeal.
Singapore
Key tactics: Singapore, which is 15 percent Muslim, has had enormous success in combating regional terrorist groups such as the al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah through a combination of tough Special Forces tactics and savvy rehabilitation programs. After 9/11, the island country strengthened its crackdown on terrorist funding, and it recently passed legislation giving the Army wide-ranging powers to pursue terrorists domestically. But Singapores approach goes beyond enforcement. Since 2003, a landmark government program has aimed to rehabilitate arrested militants. The state employs volunteer clerics who counsel detainees and rebut extremist arguments. The United States has studied the approach as a possible alternative to indefinite detention.
In action: A major operation in 2001 resulted in the arrest of 15 Jemaah Islamiyah operatives who were planning terrorist attacks within Singapore. Around 70 people have been detained since then, and about one third have been released after rehabilitation. Police continue monitoring those who are released.
Concerns: Democracy activists argue that the Singaporean government plays up the terrorist threat to justify its authoritarianism. The police also suffered a major embarrassment in February when a Jemaah Islamiyah militant escaped through the bathroom window of a detention center.
Russia
Key tactics: In 1999, Boris Yeltsin elevated an obscure midlevel politician named Vladimir Putin to the rank of prime minister and entrusted him with putting down a raging insurgency in the breakaway region of Chechnya. Ever since, counterinsurgency and counterterrorism have been the hallmarks of Putins tenure, and he has largely built his popularity around his success in these areas. Russia has carried out a ruthless campaign of military suppression in Chechnya, and when it hasnt been attacking militants, it has joined with them by elevating former rebel Ramzan Kadyrov to the presidency of the now largely peaceful region. Russian security forces were also willing to put down terrorist sieges by force even at the expense of high civilian casualties.
In action: After Chechen rebels took a Moscow theater hostage in 2002, Russian Special Forces pumped an unknown gas into the theaters ventilation system and then stormed the building, killing nearly all the hostage-takers along with hundreds of hostages.
Concerns: Though Russia has largely succeeded in pacifying Chechnya, the neighboring regions of Dagestan and North Ossetia remain havens for militant groups. The government was widely criticized for the secrecy surrounding the Nord-Ost and Beslan school operations and the high number of hostages killed during the rescues.
#5
RUSSIA's seeming aggressiveness or
"belligerence" vv former SSR's has more to do wid its silent recognition that RADICAL ISLAMISM IS SPREADING AND REMAINS A POTENT LOCAL-NATIONAL THREAT TO RUSSIA = PSOT-USSR RUSS "MANIFEST DESTINY" IN ASIA, than as per ANTI-US GEOPOL COMPETITION OR RUSS DESIRES FOR "NEW IMPERIALISM".
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.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, appearing for the first time since his capture five years ago, said he would welcome becoming a "marytr" after a judge warned Thursday that he faces the death penalty for his confessed role as mastermind of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The High Court of Justice on Thursday rejected a petition filed by nine human rights organizations which charged that the state was supplying smaller amounts of fuel than it had promised to maintain the minimum humanitarian standard of living in the Gaza Strip as required by international law. 
The US Treasury Department has added three al Qaeda operatives from the Gulf States to the list of Specially Designated Global Terrorist Individuals. The three operatives have provided logistical, financial, and material support to al Qaeda and the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group throughout the Middle East. Two of these operatives have provided direct support for al Qaeda leaders based in Iran and two have operated in the tribal regions in Pakistan.
