Glue inside a custard pie thrown in the face of a victim could effect a neat assassination, according to a terrorism manual produced as an exhibit at a court here in a case that could land terror suspect Belal Khazaal in jail. Another method recommended in the 102-page manual was enveloping the person to be killed in a strong plastic bag, the court was told Friday.
Khazaal, who titled his book Provisions on the Rules of Jihad, pleaded not guilty to knowingly making a document connected with terrorism. He also denied attempting to incite commission of a terrorist crime. The document, posted on the Internet in 2003, lists 12 methods of assassination including car bombs, booby traps, shooting down planes and “hitting with a hammer.” US President George W. Bush was on a list of assassination targets.
The doctored-custard-pie method was recommended because the victim would not know that the glue inside would block up his nose and mouth and cause suffocation.
August 18, 2008: The British Army is short of support troops for their force in Afghanistan. So a thousand sailors from the Royal Navy will go there to help out with things like driving trucks, communications and supply. The British are simply doing what the U.S. has been doing for years, and this has apparently made the Brits confident that their sailors will get the job done with a minimum of fuss.
Currently, over U.S. 10,000 sailors are serving with army units, mainly in Iraq (the "sand box"), but also in places like Guantanamo Bay and Afghanistan. This small army of sailors are assigned to fill army support jobs overseas. In the last seven years, over 50,000 U.S. Navy sailors have served as "IAs," (individual augmentees), to assist the U.S. Army. The number has been increasing, and it's no longer voluntary. While most of the IAs are still volunteers, many who have not been IAs, and are up for a new assignment, are being told to do an IA tour, or not be able to re-enlist. The navy has been downsizing over the past few years, so they can get away with this. The navy still has no problem getting the recruits it needs.
The IA work involves six, or, more usually, twelve month assignments. Most of the IAs possess skills similar to those performed by soldiers. The IAs get 17 days of training at an army base, to familiarize them with army procedures, weapons, and the specific dangers they will encounter. Most of the sailors never get out into combat, but concentrate on support tasks in well protected bases. This ranges from maintenance to handling logistics. Many navy EOD (Explosives Ordnance Disposal) technicians serve in the danger zones, taking care of roadside bombs, and other dangerous devices. But mostly, the sailors free up army personnel for things like base security. The IAs also help army morale, as they make it possible for the army to not send key technical people overseas so much. Most sailors volunteer because they want to get involved. As the old saying goes, "it's the only war we've got," and this one does not involve a lot of naval action.
The navy has been constantly tweaking the IA program, to make it less disruptive to a sailors career. This includes awarding a lot of Combat Action Ribbons. This is an award established in the 1960s, but not seen much, at least for ground combat, since the Vietnam war ended. Now, with so many sailors seeing ground combat (usually as EOD technicians clearing roadside bombs, or working convoy escort duty), the blue-yellow-red-white ribbon has now appeared on the uniforms of thousands of sailors.
The navy personnel procedures have also been adjusted several times to accommodate IAs. The latest wrinkle is to select sailors for IA duty at the end of a tour of duty (on a ashore or on a ship), so that they have more time to arrange their next regular assignment. By the time the fighting dies down in the sandbox, 15-20 percent of sailors will have had the experience of serving with the army. No telling what long term effects that will have.
When Britain rotates its force in Afghanistan this September, about 12 percent of the 8,000 troops will be sailors. British overseas tours are for six months.
#2
Back in the day, having a Naval Brigade was standard for British expeditionary forces. The sailors would generally man the extemporized field artillery unloaded off the warships, including Gatling guns.
Five suspects appeared in court in Sudan on Sunday in connection with the New Year's Day murder of an American diplomat and his driver that sent shockwaves through the Western community in Khartoum. The preliminary hearing at the eastern court in the capital lasted around 45 minutes and was attended by US Embassy personnel amid a heavy Sudanese security presence outside, AFP correspondents said.
Judge Said Ahmad al-Badri read out the names and ages of the five bearded Sudanese men, aged between 23 and 35, who sat in the dock in traditional white gowns, and at one point were smiling and chatting among themselves.
Badri then adjourned legal proceedings until August 31, asking the families of both victims to appoint a lawyer, either a Sudanese or American provided they spoke Arabic.
John Granville, 33, who worked for the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and his 40-year-old Sudanese driver Abdel-Rahman Abbas were hit in their car by a hail of bullets before dawn on New Year's Day.
Among those in the dock was a 23-year-old son of the head of Ansar al-Sunna, a pacifist Muslim sect in Sudan that has no political affiliations but has links to the orthodox Wahhabi sect dominant in Saudi Arabia.
The other four suspects were listed as an engineering student, a merchant, a former security officer from Khartoum and a driver from Atbara, in northern Sudan.
The suspects proclaimed loudly in Arabic "Peace Be Upon You" upon arrival and asked that they be allowed to perform their prayers on Fridays, the Muslim day of rest.
FBI officers from the US helped investigate the killings.
Although it was not clear whether the suspects belonged to a specific group, a group calling itself Ansar al-Tawhid claimed the killing in a statement posted on a militant Web site on January 4.
The organization said the attack was in response to attempts to raise the banner of Christianity over Sudan, according to the US-based SITE intelligence group which monitors Islamist Web sites.
SITE did not offer further details about the group, whose claim could not be authenticated. However, variations of its name, which means "Partisans of Unity," have been used by Islamist extremists abroad, including in Iraq.
Relations between Sudan and the United States are largely strained, most recently over the five-year conflict in the African country's western region of Darfur where Washington has accused Khartoum of genocide.
Granville was killed one day after US President George W. Bush signed a law encouraging divestment from companies which do business in Sudan in an effort to up economic pressure on Khartoum over Darfur.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/18/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
variations of its name, which means "Partisans of Unity," have been used by Islamist extremists abroad, including in Iraq.
Tawhid is "monotheism", not "unity". From the Encyclopedia Jihad, it also translates to "Or Else".
#3
Ansar al-Tawid is likely a branch or offshoot of Zarqawi's al-Tawhid organization that he and Abu Qatada established to overthrow the Jordanian monarchy. Parts of al-Tawhid were incorporated into Ansar al-Islam in the year prior to the Iraq invasion. There were indications that he kept al-Tawhid separate from his al-Qaeda in Iraq organization -- AQI for Iraq internal operations, al-Tawhid for international ops.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/18/2008 12:16 Comments ||
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Egyptian police detained 14 members of the country's most powerful opposition group, Muslim Brotherhood, in the Nile Delta province of Menufia on Sunday, Brotherhood and security officials said. Police detained the men while they were holding a meeting at a mosque after dawn prayer, a security official said. The group, however, said police took them from their homes in dawn raids. A security official said the men were held on suspicion of belonging to an illegal organisation and having organisational literature. The Muslim Brotherhood is outlawed but the group operates openly. Its members stand in elections as independent candidates. An unexpectedly strong showing in the 2005 parliamentary election led to an intensified government crackdown against the group. Since then, several Brotherhood leaders have been prosecuted and imprisoned.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/18/2008 00:00 ||
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Law enforcement agencies stepped up security in the capital and other places across the country to avert any attack by the activists of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) as August 17 was the third anniversary of the countrywide near simultaneous bomb blasts.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/18/2008 00:00 ||
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The pilot of a passenger jet was blinded by a laser device as the aircraft came in to land at Durham Tees Valley Airport, police said. The jet landed safely after the co-pilot took the controls as the plane made its approach on Sunday night.
A Cleveland Police helicopter was also targeted as it searched an area around the airport near Darlington.
A police spokesman said a 19-year-old man had been arrested and charged with two counts of endangering an aircraft. A Cleveland Police spokeswoman said: "The incoming flight was coming in to land at Durham Tees Valley Airport when a laser device was shone into the cockpit. The pilot was temporarily blinded and the co-pilot landed the plane.
"When the police helicopter was sent to investigate, it too was targeted by the laser device. Officers on the ground were able to arrest a 19-year-old man, who was outside the airport, and the device recovered."
#6
No details on the altitude or distance of the plane when it was hit by the laser. From my limited experience with lasers, it seems like it would be difficult for a person to hit the pilot of a moving plane with a laser. Who has access to lasers with sufficient energy to hit the cockpit of a moving aircraft? Laser beams do tend to spread some over distance.
Posted by: Bill Shusorong1219 ||
08/18/2008 20:16 Comments ||
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#7
$200 or so will buy one over the Net that will illuminate the cockpit and effectively blind a pilot during a landing approach.
#8
$200 or so will buy one over the Net that will illuminate the cockpit and effectively blind a pilot during a landing approach.
AND... $ 59.00 will buy you one of these at harbor freight, which can probably be reverse-engineered into a set of goggles sufficient to keep a pilot from getting blinded by a momentary pulse, and show you what you can use as a starting point to use as window protection, at which point hopefully the pilot can still use instruments.
#9
lotta pig banned me for this post. now i am getting even by telling indonesian, malaysian, pakistani student groups that this blog is run by retired intel agents. that's probably bs but you jokers make the claims. see ya
wxjames
Islam brings a whole new idea to the 'pursuit of happiness'. And, if it weren't so pathetic, this shit would be comical. I'm not sure that drinking bleach can be considered a sex act, but she is now clean and white, just like a virgin. Finally, I'm not 75 yet, but any 16 year old with a little muscle can beat the crap outta any 75 year old.
Posted by: w x james ||
08/18/2008 21:49 Comments ||
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#16
Data Analist, see an Asshole Dr. ASAP, your mama is on the Prostitute Contagion LIST which means you will be one giant Anus Carbuncle very soon. is way disappointed with youse!
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
08/18/2008 23:15 Comments ||
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#17
eep.
Posted by: ima moron ||
08/18/2008 23:20 Comments ||
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Premier Wen Jiabao encouraged local workers and farmers to work harder to boost industrial and agricultural development of the landlocked Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in northwest China.
Wen told workers during his visit to a methanol and alkene production project Friday to work hard to build up an industrial base that meets the standards of scientific development. He urged workers to promote renovation and strengthen management to achieve the goal of top quality and technological standard based on resources conservation.
In Xihaigu, one of the most poverty-stricken regions in China, Wen urged local people to continue the forestation campaign and improve the ecological environment for sustainable development.
The Islamic Community in Serbia said on Monday it was not satisfied with the withdrawal of Sherry Jones' novel, The Jewel of Medina, from the country's bookshops.
Referring to the book released by Belgrade publisher Beobuk three weeks ago, the organisation's leader Muamer Zukorlic said it was "offensive to Muslims" and demanded all of the published copies be handed in. He also called for director Aleksandar Jasic to repent for what he had done.
After an initial complaint from the Islamic community, Jasic apologised saying the company "had no intention of insulting Muslims in Serbia" and announced the book would not be available in any bookstore in the country.
But Zukorlic said on Monday that this was not enough. "Jasic needs to sincerely repent because of the incident he caused," Zukorlic said.
Zukorlic has already compared The Jewel of Medina with the Mohammed cartoon controversy in Denmark. "Obviously someone wishes to join the ranks of those who produced the cartoons in Denmark several years ago and it is an insult to all Muslims of the world, especially for us here in Serbia," said Mufti Zukorlic.
The book was due to have a world premier in Serbia, since its US publisher decided against selling the book fearing the reaction of radical Muslims. Jasic explained that Macedonia, Croatia, Spain and France had also bought the rights for the book.
The novel is a love story about the life of Aisha, the seventh wife of the Islam prophet Mohammed, and follows her life from her betrothal to the prophet when she was six-years-old. According to the novel, Aisha was Mohammed's favourite wife and he died in her arms.
#2
The book was due to have a world premier in Serbia, since its US publisher decided against selling the book fearing the reaction of radical Muslims.
Oh the utter lack of backbone coupled with supreme hypocracy. If When publications that are an insult to Christ are published no one fears, but every hates on the Christians anyway. Now some gutless wonder doesn't even have the guts to publish something offensive to radical Islam (despite his probable humanistic or atheist beliefs).
...and follows her life from her betrothal to the prophet when she was six-years-old.
According to the novel, Aisha was Mohammed's favourite wife...
From what I understand this is pretty much canon, historically speaking.
Sorry you bunch of unbathed murderers are offended that the founder of your bloodthirsty "religion" was a pedophile.
#4
America's alcoholic president is owned by Saudi Arabia. He spoke out against "blasphemy" against their cult. If you support that piece of crap, then you are in the anti-blasphemy camp. If the shoe fits, don't try to take it off. Germans loved Hiter; Fox Amerikans love Bush
Posted by: Data Analyst ||
08/18/2008 19:14 Comments ||
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#5
Every American president since FDR has suffered being called or compared to Hitler.
Nowadays it is almost axiomatic that any new president will be compared to Hitler.
Obama will be called Hitler if he gets the White House.
John McCain will be compared to Hitler if he wins.
It's part of our national landscape. Any more it means that those who come to boards and websites to spew this garbage know no more about American politics than they do about f*cking.
Doesn't mean it's true; it just means that some folks can't tell the difference between a national socialist and a hole in the ground.
Italian police have arrested a Muslim cleric for extradition to his native Morocco to face terrorism charges linked to suicide bombings in Casablanca in 2003. Police said in a statement that Abdelmajid Zergout, imam of a mosque in Varese, was arrested on Saturday at his home in the northern city.
Zergout, aged 43 and also known as Abou Al Bara, had already been arrested in Italy in 2005, along with two other Moroccans, on suspicion of raising funds and recruiting for the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group. The group was blamed for the 2003 Casablanca attacks in which 45 people were killed, including 12 suicide bombers.
Zergout and the other two men were acquitted by a Milan court last year but faced expulsion. This was suspended at the urging of the European Court of Human Rights which argued that they would face mistreatment by authorities back in Morocco. However, the latest arrest was in response to a fresh Moroccan extradition request dating from the end of July, on more serious charges of "participating in acts of terrorism".
Zergout's Italian defence lawyer, Luca Bauccio, said the new charges had been "fabricated against an innocent man who has not set foot in Morocco for 10 years". The lawyer said he would be appealing against the extradition request. An Italian anti-terrorism law passed after the July 2005 suicide bombings on London's transport system allows authorities to quickly expel foreigners considered a threat to security.
I believe that is one of the intents of the Donks who worked to pass the law. Remember they are the ones who want to bring back the draft not for national security but to undermine the military as a viable institution. Same here. If you can't overtly destroy your target, you can employ covert methods to achieve the same goal.
#4
Scott Silliman, a law professor and executive director of the Center on Law, Ethics and National Security at Duke University, says it has little to do with questioning military decisions and everything to do with whether a service member committed a crime.
"From a legal point of view, there is no difference in law between war and peace," he said.
Bloody nonsense. Legally, manslaughter is a form of murder, that is an extrajudicial killing. Soldiers obeying legitimate orders coming down from the chain of command during war cannot by definition be committing either manslaughter or murder. Or so I'd think. Perhaps this case will be useful when the Supreme Court finally gets around to so ruling.
Besides, the Duke University staff have made rather a name for themselves in recent years for being on the wrong side of a number of major issues.
#5
This is like a bad movie, agreed. Especially with a voluntary forces dependence. However, I would say it is VERY unlikely he'll be convicted by a jury of peers in Riverside. For this, we ought to be hopeful, because it will become a precedent and, perhaps, discourage other follies and a waste of our public monies.
#6
Woozle Elmeter 2700, if he is aquitted it won't discourage the ones who would destroy the Military. They will work harder to provide "evidence" in the future.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
08/18/2008 11:04 Comments ||
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#7
I thought they are supposed to bring him back into service and try him under the UCMJ. How can you even judge the incident from an LA courtroom?
#8
so does that then make the President an accesory if Joe Private is found guilty? And that would be a hoot of Pres. Nobama were brought up on such charges.......
#9
This bullshit law that the dhimocrats passes is unconstitutional and completely wrong. Nothing more than institutionalized sedition and designed to erode the military so the dhimocrats can destroy and control it.
#10
According to common International Law (If such a thing really exists) an individual from country X carrying out military orders from country X in country Y cannot be held responsible for actions committed in country Y as he was acting as an agent of country X.
Therefore, it seems to me that in this case, NCIS (I think that was who the article said was bringing the charges) is technically suing itself.
(See Individual's Legal Capacity, Section 4.1 of 5th edition Fundamental Perspectives on International Law, William R. Slomanson for more details pertaining to this. Quite interesting.)
NCIS is suing itself because it is an actor of the military/government bringing forth a suit against what is technically an action made by the same military/government.
#12
[Caveat - I know SCOTUS can make it up as they go along] Given that this is a civilian court, with an American citizen [remember all the talk about the rights of our American detainee being different from foreigners being held], and the defense has not voluntarily requested change of venue - its really going to be a hell of a pretzel to get round this on appeal -
Amendment 6 - Right to Speedy Trial, Confrontation of Witnesses. Ratified 12/15/1791.
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.
#13
After the Haditha accusations, Bush went on Al-Arabiya TV to attack the accused marines. That is: hanging them out to dry. Military justice took a 2nd look at Bush's sharia enforcement.
Srinagar: Hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani on Monday demanded the merger of Jammu and Kashmir with Pakistan, as leaders of the moderate Hurriyat faction spoke about independence and a dialogue over the state. Addressing a mammoth gathering at the tourist reception centre here, Gillani said there was "no solution to the Kashmir issue other than merger with Pakistan". If you sometimes lose track of who's who at the Islamic zoo, Gilani's an old-line Jamaat-e-Islami boy who's been thumping this tub since at least 1950. He's head of the All Parties Hurriyet Conference. He's got a heart condition and we denied him entry to the U.S. for treatment about a year ago. I was hoping he'd be dead by now, but no such luck.
"We are Pakistanis and Pakistan is us because we are tied with the country through Islam," he roared, as the crowd cheered him and chanted: "Hum Pakistani hain, Pakistan hamara hai" (We are Pakistanis, Pakistan is ours). "Tomorrow belongs to me!"
Taking a dig at the moderate Hurriyat leaders who shared the stage with him, Gillani said the leadership issue of the Kashmiri separatist movement was "solved today". "I'm in charge now, by Gar!"
"Do you have faith in my leadership? I will be faithful to you till my death and will carry everyone along," he said, as the crowd applauded him shouting in unison "zaroor" (certainly). Right. If I lived in Kashmire, I'd be sure to put all my faith in Gilani, so that I, too, could be carried along to his impending demise. Wotta promise.
This article starring:
Syed Ali Shah Geelani
Posted by: john frum ||
08/18/2008 11:21 ||
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#1
Note to Geelani... the green Pakistani passport isn't exactly a desired item nowadays.
Posted by: john frum ||
08/18/2008 11:48 Comments ||
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#2
Time to revoke his citizenship and catapult him into Pakistan.
"We are Pakistanis and Pakistan is us because we are tied with the country through Islam,"
I believe that India has the worldÂ’s second largest Muslim population after that of Indonesia. On second thought, perhaps he should be catapulted to Indonesia.
Now that the concept of Westphalian sovereignty (the bedrock of International Law) is in tatters following the West's unedifying rush to kiss the OIC's ass, by recognizing Kosovo, only to discover a hornets nest, we can expect to see more of these sort of actions
TENS of thousands of Muslims took to the streets of Indian Kashmir's main city today to demand that the United Nations recognise the Himalayan region's right to self-determination. Security was tight as crowds marched towards a local UN office, in defiance of official warnings against holding the rally in revolt-hit Srinagar, which remained tense after deadly clashes last week.
The UN office in Srinagar houses personnel who monitor ceasefire violations along the heavily militarised Line of Control, the de facto border dividing Kashmir between India and Pakistan.
"I have never seen such a big rally in Srinagar," said Abdul Aziz, a 75-year-old shopkeeper who was taking part in the procession. "I couldn't resist coming out to demand freedom from India," he said, as he marched towards the UN office carrying a placard reading "If freedom for Kosovo, why not for Kashmir?"
The marchers chanted slogans including "We will give blood for Kashmir's freedom." Many also carried green or black flags - symbolising Islam and mourning.
Kashmiri separatist leader Shabir Shah said the demonstrators delivered a plea for UN intervention in the wake of last week's shootings of "peaceful protesters." Another separatist urged the UN to "help us in achieving the right to self-determination."
There are decades-old UN Security Council resolutions calling for a referendum to allow the Kashmiri people to choose between India and Pakistan, but they have never been implemented.
Last week 22 Muslim demonstrators were shot dead by security forces in the Kashmir valley as they vented their anger over a blockade of the area by Hindu hardliners.
Today's protest, which included doctors, lawyers and women, ended peacefully when senior separatists told the crowds to disperse. Some protesters had tried to provoke Indian troops by chanting anti-India and pro-Pakistan slogans near their bunkers but the troops did not react.
The latest tensions between Muslims and Hindus centre around a small piece of Kashmiri land that was awarded to a Hindu pilgrimage trust, sparking Muslim protests. The land transfer order was then rescinded, sparking a blockade by Hindus who dominate the south of Jammu and Kashmir state - from where the main road access to the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley comes.
Meanwhile, thousands of Hindu activists continued demonstrations in the south of the state, taking advantage of a relaxation of a daytime curfew in and around the winter capital Jammu, witnesses said. The regional headquarters of one of Kashmir's mainstream political parties, the People's Democratic Party, was ransacked by Hindus, police said.
#2
Kashmir, Kosovo, Mindanao, southern Thailand...who can name some more? Hmmmmmm. Are those separatists in South Ossetia muslim by any chance? Then, of course, there's Chechnya. They never give it a rest, do they?
#4
According to a quick, superficial Google/Wikipedia check the majority of Ossetians are Orthodox Christians but the ones seeking independence are Muslims who will most likely want to impose Sharia. If so, it could well be that the Georgians are better off without them and the Ruskies will end up wishing they had left it alone.
Even as Ahmedabad crime branch got the custody of 9 accused in the serial blasts case for two weeks, the profiles of some of those involved in the blasts have made the security agencies sit up and take notice.
Usman Agarbatiwala holds a diploma in human rights from the MS University, Vadodara.Today, he's one of the 9 suspects in the custody of the Gujarat crime branch for their alleged role in the Ahmedabad serial blasts.A month before the blasts Usman even sought admission to a mass communication course, but failed to get through.
Investigators claim a laptop seized from him, now sent for forensic tests, could unravel many sinister designs. But his family says he's innocent.
Mohammad Rais, his brother, says, "He has never gone out of home even for a day. He is being implicated in the case just because he was associated with SIMI and is a Muslim."
But Chief Minister Narendra Modi was quick to congratulate his police force for what he called the fastest breakthrough in any of the terror strikes in the recent past.And he attacked the Prime Minister for not clearing the Gujarat Control of Organised Crime bill that has been pending with the home ministry for the last 4 years.
"Don't you think that the time has come to ignore political pressures and clear the bill so that the terror network is foiled?" he asks.
His cops on the other hand were busy grilling Abu Bashr, the alleged mastermind behind the blast who was arrested in UP and brought to Ahmedabad late on Saturday.
Sources in crime branch said that the investigators were trying to grill Abu Bashr in order to ascertain the identity of the youths who had attended training camps at Kerala and Halol in central Gujarat. With this they hope to get leads on other blast cases as well.
Buoyed by the arrests, Chief Minister Narendra Modi demanded that the Centre clear the Gujarat Control of Organised Crime bill (GCOC) that has been pending with the Union Home Ministry for the last 4 years.
Rizvi is the deputy opposition leader in the National Assembly, and on Friday had said that MQM will support President Pervez Musharraf.
MQM senior leader Haider Abbas Rizvi escaped an alleged assassination attempt on Sunday unhurt, said the party. Rizvi's car was attacked in the Pak Colony area as he was on his way to a graveyard, said MQM spokesman Faisal Sabzwari. He added that Rizvi's gunman was injured and was taken to hospital. The attackers fled from the scene, and no group has taken responsibility for the attack. Rizvi is the deputy opposition leader in the National Assembly, and on Friday had said that MQM will support President Pervez Musharraf.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/18/2008 00:00 ||
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A protest demonstration was held against the military operation in Bajaur here on Monday. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman gave the province-wide call for protest demonstrations. The demonstrators marched from Jamia Hadia, Gulbahar, to Ring Road, carrying banners and placards with messages against Bajaur offensive.
The JUI-F leaders alleged that the operation was launched to please the US and that the civilians were being targeted under its garb. They demanded immediate halt to the operation.
They accused Awami National Party (ANP) of becoming a tool in the hands of Americans and lashed out at the party leadership for not protecting life and property of Pakhtuns.
JUI-F leaders Maulana Rahat Hussain, Amanullah Haqqani, Hafiz Akhtar Ali, Khalid Waqar Chamkani and Haji Jalil Jan were prominent among the speakers. The demonstrators later dispersed peacefully.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/18/2008 00:00 ||
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Tehreek-e-Taliban PakistanMohmand Agency Commander Khalid Umar on Sunday threatened Bajaur Agency's administration with war if the government did not stop operation against the people of the agency. Khalid called upon the federal government to stop oppressing the people of Bajaur Agency otherwise they would announce a state of war against the agency's administration. He also warned that those involved in spying against Taliban would be severely punished.
This article starring:
Bajaur Agency
Mohmand Agency
KHALID OMAR
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan
Posted by: Fred ||
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More than 3 million Shiites marked the annual pilgrimage to Kerbala amid tight security and attacks on the way to the holy city that killed dozens of people, officials said on Sunday. Shiite worshippers from across the Muslim world converged on Kerbala over the past week to celebrate Shabaniyya, the birth anniversary of the eighth century Imam Mehdi, who vanished as a boy and whom Shiites believe will return one day as the messiah.
The celebrations culminated overnight on Saturday with over 3 million Shiites having visited the central Iraqi city over the past week, Akhil Khazali, the governor of Kerbala, told AFP. "All the government offices and services were on alert during the ceremony," Khazali said.
Iraqi Shiites braved sustained militant attacks which claimed at least 36 lives since Thursday as they walked on foot from across the country to Kerbala for the ceremony.
Kerbala police chief Major General Raed Shakir Jawdat said the security plan in place for the celebration was a success. "The security plan required thousands of security personnel, including more than 2,000 women police workers," he said.
Over 40,000 soldiers and police had been mobilized, including 2,000 female officers, to boost security in and around Kerbala ahead of the festival.
Jawdat added that the security measures would remain until all the pilgrims had left the city. "The pilgrims were aware that these measures were for their safety and to protect them from terrorist attacks," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/18/2008 00:00 ||
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The navy has been ordered to turn back two boats carrying 44 pro-Palestinian foreign activists who are attempting to "break the siege of Gaza," The Jerusalem Post has learned. Officials said the navy had a number of options in dealing with the boats, which have set out from Crete, en route to Gaza, via a stop-over in Cyprus. The boats are due to approach the Strip in the second half of this week.
Israeli officials said Sunday that the Mediterranean waters around Gaza fell under Israeli sovereignty due to an agreement with the Palestinian Authority. Gaza has also been declared a combat zone, giving the navy the legal right to patrol the sea around the Strip, the officials said.
The officials dismissed the claim by the Free Gaza Movement organization, which organized the boats, that they were on a humanitarian journey. They said Hamas was keen to exploit the boats to undermine Israel's blockade of Gaza.
The boats are expected to pass from international waters into waters within Gaza territory, unload equipment and pick up Palestinians living in the Strip, before setting sail again. A confrontation was not expected as the activists have stated they were not seeking a standoff, the Israeli officials said.
Speaking from Cyprus last week, Free Gaza spokeswoman Gretta Berlin said the activists "do not intend to turn around" if confronted by the navy.
"Why should we turn around? Israel doesn't own that property. We have been invited by the people of Gaza," she said. "We'll stand in line, link arms, and tell them they're not wanted."
Israeli officials did note that Gazan fishing boats had access to the waters.
The boat journey was largely a publicity stunt, the Israeli officials said, adding that its organizers were hungry for international and Israeli media attention. So far, the Israeli media had shown the most interest in the boats, the officials added.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Free Gaza Movement, Ramzi Kysia, has claimed that a member of the movement, Lauren Booth, received a threatening phone call at her home in France on Thursday.
"An anonymous man called my home in France as my daughters played hide and seek in the garden. This stranger spoke to my husband, warning him that 'your wife is in great danger. These ships will be blown up.' My husband asked how it was this person had obtained our private home number. No response was forthcoming, but the illicit threats carried on," Booth said in a message posted on the group's Web site.
#1
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Free Gaza Movement, Ramzi Kysia, has claimed that a member of the movement, Lauren Booth, received a threatening phone call at her home in France on Thursday.
Most likely your group itself make the threatening phone call themselves. Why would Israel need to make threatening phone calls?
Why? Because anyone who still thinks Gaza is 'occupied' would be just too stupid to understand a threat.
Me? I would have searched the boats (with full video coverage) on the way in and on the way out -- and then perhaps not let them out.
The Israeli cabinet on Sunday overwhelmingly approved the release of some 200 Palestinian prisoners as a goodwill gesture to the Palestinian government.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's spokesman Mark Regev called the move a "confidence-building measure" towards Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, saying "we hope the release will help strengthen the peace process."
A senior government official told AFP that the list, which will be considered for final approval by a ministerial committee on Monday, includes two veteran prisoners implicated in deadly attacks on Israelis in the 1970s.
The two are an exception to Israel's general long-standing refusal to release those with "blood on their hands," but the official said the security establishment "believes the risk of the release is very low."
Israel had first announced the move on August 6 following a face-to-face meeting between Olmert and Abbas, the latest in a series of discussions held since they re-launched peace talks at a U.S.-hosted conference in November.
Once the ministerial committee approves the decision, Israelis will have several days to appeal against the release of individual prisoners before the actual release takes place on August 25.
There are currently more than 11,000 Palestinians jailed in Israel, including at least 85 women and children, and 11 seriously ill people, according to the Palestinian Authority.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/18/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Palestinian Authority
#2
Perhaps the Israelis are tired of feeding so many at taxpayer expense. Let them go home and take part in the internecine fighting in Gaza and the West Bank. Better yet, ensure that by returning those who came from one to the other.
#6
Of the 200, some will probably make good intel assets for the IDF in return for a few shekels or in return for the IDF not telling Hamas what said officials told them while in custody.
Iran says it has successfully launched a rocket capable of carrying its first domestically built satellite. Officials said only the rocket had been fired, correcting state media reports that the communications satellite itself had been sent into orbit.
The White House voiced concern, saying the technology could also be used for launching weapons. Tehran has pursued a space programme for years, despite international concern over its nuclear plans. In February it sent a probe into space as part of preparations for the launch of the satellite.
Long-held ambition
Footage aired on Irinn (Islamic Republic of Iran News Network) showed the launch of the Safir rocket in darkness. The presenter said that the satellite launch was a trial which was successful. State and military officials confirmed the launch had taken place. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was at the event, said one report.
In October 2005 a Russian-made Iranian satellite named Sina-1 was put into orbit by a Russian rocket.
Sunday's launch comes amid a long-running dispute over Iran's nuclear activities. White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said: "The Iranian development and testing of rockets is troubling and raises further questions about their intentions. "This action and dual use possibilities for their ballistic missile programme are inconsistent with their UN Security Council obligations."
The US and some European countries have demanded that Iran curtail uranium enrichment - but Iran protests that its purposes are peaceful and says it has a right to continue.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/18/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
My dear Malaysian Soul, in America every university and college has required courses in writing viruses, trojans, etc. It's been a standard requirement for a BA/CompSci for ages. The cleverer children play hack wars against one another in secondary school, while Malaysian children are still chasing the family chickens under the house. We invented the tools of cyberwarfare, after all, and we wouldn't want our students to use them accidentally. Perhaps if you work very, very hard at your courses, you'll get to come to America for graduate school and see for yourself. You might want to give over cruising the internet for foreign sites, though; based on your post I wouldn't think you have the intelligence to succeed at the universities where my brother and sister teach. In the meantime, I hope you were clever enough to conceal your computer's IP effectively; some very interesting people read Rantburg, and I'd hate to think one of them thought you were worth his or her attention. You did read the site owner's biography, right?
As for dirty bombs, they sound awfully frightening to the ignorant, I know, but they don't accomplish terribly much. And it's ever so easy to trace the radiation sources used. Which means the supplier would soon be experiencing the full range of toys the U.S. Marines and the U.S Navy have to play with when they're feeling destructive.
You shame your teachers and your God when you display such childish ignorance, Malaysian Soul. You make those who read your childish threats laugh. And you guarantee that any Malaysian who hereafter applies to an American college or university will be assumed to more ignorant and more vicious than his resume indicates. Quite an outcome for only three sentences posted in the middle of the American night. Although not quite the one you had hoped for, poor man.
#3
*sigh* Once again the moderators beat me to it. I really must work on my timing.
It claimed to be a student learning to fight a cyberjihad, and was a bit overexcited at the thought of dirty bombs. It seems the moderators didn't think it qualified to have an opinion.
#8
Well, the obvious concern is that if one can put a satellite into orbit, they are capable of launching a warhead to any place on the planet. Basically it says Iran would have global range on warheads if they launched such a thing.
Hizbullah will sign on Monday a memorandum of understanding with 15 Sunni Salafist groups in a step aimed at easing Sunni-Shiite tensions and banning the use of violence to settle political disputes between Shiite and Sunni political parties. Hizbullah's information department said on Saturday that the agreement would be inked at 10 a.m. on Monday at the Safir Heliopolitan Hotel in Beirut. News reports on Sunday said that Hizbullah and the Salafist groups had agreed to the move after a series of recent meetings between representatives of different Salafist groups and Hizbullah's leadership.
In a related development, a Salafist delegation visited Future Movement MP Samir Jisr at his residence in Tripoli to brief him on the content of the memo. Salafist figure Hassan Shahhal said after meeting Jisr that the relations between Salafist groups and the Future Movement of parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri would not change because of the deal with Hizbullah. "Our relation with our brothers in the Future Movement will not be affected by signing this understanding ... We assure everybody that the Sunnis will remain united," he said.
Shahhal added that all Salafist groups believed in dialogue as a way to sort out political disputes.
For his part, Jisr said that the Future Movement had prior knowledge of the meetings that were taking place between Hizbullah and different Salafist groups. "We welcome such a move," he said. "We are against violence and we repeatedly said that most Salafist groups are also against violence," he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/18/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Hezbollah
KNAISSEH, Lebanon -- For years, residents of this Lebanese village have slipped in and out of Syria over a border that was never officially marked. Even after Syria set up sand barricades in 2006 to stop smuggling, they found ways to make the journey.
Last week, after agreeing to establish diplomatic ties for the first time in their complex history, the leaders of Lebanon and Syria announced that they will resume work on officially demarcating the border.
But the residents of Knaisseh say such talk means little to them.
"They could build walls. We would still find a way to cross to the other side," said Fadlallah Khodr, a shepherd and father of 10 who lives in Knaisseh. "It is a matter of survival. Half of my family lives on the other side. I cross there on a daily basis, to see them and to shop."
The villagers say any move toward formalizing the border would disrupt their lives. Like Khodr, many here have family and friends in Syria, and marriages between Syrians and Lebanese are common. The nearest major city, Homs, is a 30-minute motorbike trip away in Syria, closer than any large village on the Lebanese side... More WaPo style human interest at the link. Can't say I'm all that interested, which prob'ly makes me inhuman.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/18/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
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.
Glue inside a custard pie thrown in the face of a victim could effect a neat assassination, according to a terrorism manual produced as an exhibit at a court here in a case that could land terror suspect Belal Khazaal in jail. Another method recommended in the 102-page manual was enveloping the person to be killed in a strong plastic bag, the court was told Friday.
Italian police have arrested a Muslim cleric for extradition to his native Morocco to face terrorism charges linked to suicide bombings in Casablanca in 2003. Police said in a statement that 
Srinagar: Hardline separatist leader 
Hizbullah will sign on Monday a memorandum of understanding with 15 Sunni Salafist groups in a step aimed at easing Sunni-Shiite tensions and banning the use of violence to settle political disputes between Shiite and Sunni political parties. Hizbullah's information department said on Saturday that the agreement would be inked at 10 a.m. on Monday at the Safir Heliopolitan Hotel in Beirut. News reports on Sunday said that Hizbullah and the Salafist groups had agreed to the move after a series of recent meetings between representatives of different Salafist groups and Hizbullah's leadership. 
