[Quqnoos] A US commander asks more Afghan troops to contribute the major US offensive in southern Helmand province. Brig Gen Lawrence Nicholson, commander of 4,000 US Marines who are carrying out an extensive operation against militants in the Taliban stronghold province of Helmand, said little Afghan forces are supporting the offensive.
"We're still very early into this operation. ... [I'm] very cautiously optimistic that things have gone well," Gen Nicholson said in a statement.
There are about 600 Afghan soldiers backing the massive US-led counter-insurgency offensive in Helmand's districts, the heartland of the Taliban-led insurgency.
Gen Nicholson said Afghan forces understand intuitively the situation and the area. "They can see guys on the street, and they can tell you that this guy's not a local, that he's not even an Afghan," he added. "So it takes away the enemy's ability to hide, which is just one more of a series of compelling reasons why we've been so insistent for more Afghans."
The US Marines have been fighting the Taliban in the outskirts of Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital for the past seven days. Only two districts have been recaptured from the Taliban so far.
According to reports, Taliban militants still control three district of Helmand where are termed safe havens for key Taliban leaders and foreign terrorists.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/10/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
I never understood the concept of fighting for someone else harder than they are willing to fight themselves.
Posted by: ed ||
07/10/2009 20:15 Comments ||
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[Maghrebia] Mauritanian presidential candidate Ahmed Ould Dadda pledged at a campaign stop in Nema to step up the fight against what he called "the Islamist terrorist phenomenon", PANA reported on Wednesday (July 8th). Daddah, also the Rally of Democratic Forces (RFD) party leader, said anti-terrorist measures would include "strengthening and restructuring" the armed and security forces. He said local troops would receive better training and pay hikes in order to fight terrorism more effectively.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/10/2009 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] The top leaders of banned JMB's splinter Islam O Muslim Abdur Rahim alias Shahadat and Selim alias Saifullah designated each other as the chief of the offshoot organisation during remand, police said yesterday.
Police said Shahadat, Selim and two others--Sajedur Rahman alias Hanif and Jalal Uddin--had already given important information but the police now need to put them face to face for interrogation.
M Abdul Kuddus Chowdhury, additional superintendent of police in Rajshahi, said, "A face to face interrogation has now become crucial as Shahadat and Selim are pointing at each other as the chief of the new group."
At the end of a five-day remand yesterday, Shahadat, Sajedur and Jalal were produced before the third court of judicial magistrate in Rajshahi in the afternoon. Police sought a seven-day fresh remand against them.
The court of Asaf-ud-Doula granted only three day's fresh remand, said M Hedayetul Islam, acting court inspector of Rajshahi. Arrested on June 30, they were taken on a five-day remand on July 4 by the Special Branch of police.
Meanwhile, the Chapainawabganj police placed Selim before a court seeking a seven-day remand after Rab-5 handed him over to police on Wednesday.
The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Basudev Roy sent Selim to jail custody deciding to hear on the remand prayer by Sunday, said police.
However, police had yesterday filed three cases--two for possessing illegal arms and one for attacking on the law enforcers hindering government task--against Selim with the Chapainawabganj Sadar Police Station.
Rab-5 and police seized a 9mm pistol, seven local one-shot guns and 20 bullets from Shahadat and Selim's possession.
Quoting Shahadat police said, Selim floated the new offshoot Islam O Muslim in a bid to save himself from JMB's wrath.
According to Shahadat, Selim as a regional JMB commander of Rajshahi used to handle JMB fund for collecting arms and ammunition. He swindled the JMB mainstream of Tk 1.5 lakh and fled to India several months ago.
One and a half months ago, some 10 to 15 militants, including Shahadat and Selim held meetings twice at Gomostapur in Chapainwabganj to discuss the new offshoot, said the police.
But they were yet to form a full-fledged committee, said the police quoting Shahadat.
In the meetings, they discussed fighting tactics, using small weapons instead of bombs and grenades, and their main goal--reorganising inactive JMB members.
Shahadat told police that Selim is the entrepreneur and chief of Islam O Muslim, not him.
Shahadat, during his remand, had also mentioned seven forearms that were recovered from Selim's possession.
Our Jhenidah correspondent adds: Police yesterday arrested a suspected member of banned Islamist militant outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) from the town following an arrest warrant.
Officer-in-Charge of Kotchandpur Police Station arrested Abdul Matin, 32, from his drug shop at Arabpur around 5:00pm.
Police said a Chapainawabganj court issued the arrest warrant against Matin after his name was disclosed by five JMB men accused in a case filed on October 25 last year.
Matin, son of Taib Ali, hails from Laxmipur village under Kotchandpur upazila.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/10/2009 00:00 ||
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URUMQI, CHINA: A Chinese official said that mosques in riot-hit Urumqi have been ordered to stay closed for Friday prayers in the wake of ethnic violence that left 156 dead, and another city in Xinjiang province has suspended visits by foreigners. ( Watch )
The official who identified herself as a government worker but refused to give her name said on Friday that the decision to close mosques had been made for public safety and that "people should stay at home today and pray."
Separately, officials in Kashgar in southwestern Xinjiang have told visiting journalists that they and other foreigners had to leave the city.
The city's foreign affairs office says that although the city has had no unrest, the decision was made to ensure the safety of the visitors.
Uighur Muslims said they had been directed to pray at home, as armed forces saturated the streets of the northwest Xinjiang region's capital five days after clashes that authorities said left 156 people dead.
"The government said there would be no Friday prayers," said a Uighur man named Tursun outside the Hantagri mosque, one of the oldest in the capital, as about 100 policemen carrying machine guns and batons stood guard nearby.
"There's nothing we can do... the government is afraid that people will use religion to support the three forces."
The "three forces" is a Chinese government term referring to extremism, separatism and terrorism, forces it says are trying to split the remote Xinjiang region from the rest of the country.
Xinjiang's eight million Uighurs have long complained about religious, political and economic repression under Chinese rule, and this deep-set anger spilled out on Sunday in protests that quickly turned violent.
The Chinese government said 156 people were killed and more than 1,000 others were injured, as Uighur Muslims attacked people from China's dominant Han ethnic group.
But Uighur exiles have said security forces over-reacted to peaceful protests. They said up to 800 people may have died in the unrest, including the security crackdown.
The unrest continued early in the week as thousands of Han Chinese took to the streets wielding knives, poles, meat cleavers and other makeshift weapons vowing vengeance against the Uighurs.
AFP witnessed Han Chinese mobs assaulting two Uighurs in separate attacks, and Uighurs alleged many other beatings took place, but the extent of the violence throughout the week was unclear.
China poured in thousands of extra police and army troops on Tuesday, and the Urumqi government said the situation was under control the next day.
Many security forces remained in place on Friday, and the traditional Muslim day of prayer passed with many Uighurs and other Muslims such as from the Hui ethnic group unable to attend mosques.
"Go home to pray," said handwritten notices on the front gates of five shuttered mosques that AFP visited on Thursday.
The Liu Daowan mosque in a Uighur and Hui district of eastern Urumqi, which normally holds about 1,000 people, was also closed on Friday, according to an AFP reporter who went there.
The small Xida mosque that Hui normally attend was also shut.
"According to an order from higher up, out of concern for the safety of the people and during this special time, we ask all people to go home and pray there," a notice outside said.
"We don't want to give the criminal element a chance to ruin the situation. The government fears that the bad elements will try to use Islam to promote the three forces," said an assistant imam named Feng.
When asked if all mosques in Urumqi were closed on Friday, a spokesman for the Xinjiang regional government told AFP that "all religious activities should go on normally", without elaborating.
China's leaders vowed on Thursday to severely punish those responsible for this week's unrest, the nation's worst ethnic conflict for decades.
"The planners of the incident, the organisers, key members and the serious violent criminals must be severely punished," President Hu Jintao and the other eight members of the ruling Communist Party's elite Politburo said.
Local party leaders in Urumqi had on Wednesday warned that people involved in any killings would be sentenced to death, and earlier announced that more than 1,400 people had been arrested for their involvement in the unrest.
Posted by: john frum ||
07/10/2009 11:04 ||
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#1
That ought to put their turbans in a knot. Well, a tighter one anyway.
#9
FOX NEWS AM > Dare KIMMIE = TED KENNEDY + write a letter to the VATICAN???
* GUAM K57 NEWS > ADMIRAL WILLARD [future-design Cdr, USPACOM] WARNS NORTH KOREA COULD SPARK A REGIONAL ARMS RACE [Limited].
It remains my belief that NOKOR covertly and successfully fired its July 4th missles at GUAM -it also my belief that these Missles' end-stages were ameant to intentionally "burn up" AMAP in the atmosphere as over + near Guam = Hagatna Bay/Offshore WESTPAC. BY DEFIN, THE CLOCK NOW TICKS FASTER FOR ISRAEL + ENTIRE MIDDLE EAST + FUTURE OWG-NWO NUKULAAR "ISLAMIST ASIA"!?
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il attended a memorial rally at Pyongyang Indoor Stadium on the 15th anniversary of his father Kim Il-sung's death on Wednesday morning, a recorded video clip by the North Korean Central TV Broadcasting Station shows. It was the first footage showing Kim moving around in three months since the 12th Supreme People's Assembly went into session on April 9.
Kim is seen walking with a slight limp but appears to have no trouble getting around, stands up without help and bows his head for a brief silent tribute.
Then he topples over to his left, gibbers, and screams in pain. The nurses give him a slug of cognac but it never helps ...
But when his mouth is closed, the right corner appears to be raised. The footage shows visibly thinning hair on the crown of his head when he bows his head for a brief silent tribute or sits reading.
Prof. Cho Kyung-hwan of Korea University Anam Hospital said, "The crooked appearance of the mouth may have something to do with sequelae of paralysis of the left side of his face" as a result of a stroke. "Hair on the crown of the head often thins when a person suffers metabolic disorders like diabetes or kidney trouble."
North Korea has held memorial rallies for Kim Il-sung every five years, and Kim Jong-il has attended all of them. His only sister Kim Kyong-hee, the head of the light industry department of the Workers' Party, also showed up on the leaders' platform.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/10/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
He is going down fast... ohh.. and so is Fidel.
[Kyodo: Korea] Chief nuclear negotiators from China and Japan on Thursday affirmed the need to cooperate to break the impasse in negotiations on denuclearizing North Korea, but stopped short of agreeing on whether to convene so-called five-party talks without the North, Japanese envoy Akitaka Saiki said after the talks. Saiki and Wu Dawei, China"s vice foreign minister and chairman of the six-party talks aimed at denuclearizing North Korea, also agreed that the two countries are ""fully committed"" to the implementation of a U.N. Security Council resolution designed to punish the North following its second nuclear test in May, Saiki said.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/10/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
ION GUAM PDN > CHINA'S NAVY: THE NEW "GREAT WALL" MOVES INTO THE PACIFIC {China's PLAN = Geopol Ambitions].
* ALso, SAME > GUAM PDN FORUMS > seems JAPAN will spend US$2.4Bilyuhn to renovate US MilBase housing, which begs the Subby to ask what will be the consequences of this move for GUAM!?
[Kyodo: Korea] The health of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il continues to decline and he may have only one more year to live, the Washington Times reported Thursday, citing U.S. and diplomatic sources. There are signs that Kim is still not well nearly a year after he suffered a stroke, the newspaper said, referring to a U.S. official familiar with the North Korean situation.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/10/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
ok, so you have a diabetic who has already had a stroke, is known to have heart and kidney problems ... doesn't have access to "world class" medical treatment ... my guess is you could make the "has only a year left" prediction at any time and have a good chance of being correct ... or not.
[Geo News] The Quaid Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Altaf Hussain has strongly deplored the threats posed by the Taliban to journalist Rehman Buneri residing in NWFP's Buner locality.
In a statement released from here on Thursday, Altaf urged the PNS and Human Rights Organization to take swift notice of the life threats and harassments being posed by terrorists to journalists who are vigilantly bent upon rendering their services for the nation.
He demanded President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and Interior Advisor Rehman Malik of taking strict notice of the threats to bombard the residence of journalist Rehman Buneri posed by Taliban and urged need for action against the responsible culprits.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/10/2009 00:00 ||
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[Geo News] British Foreign Secretary David Miliband called on President Asif Ali Zardari here Thursday at the Presidency and discussed matters relating to relations between the two countries.
Efforts for the relief and rehabilitation of the displaced people and ways and means for the economic turnaround of the country were also discussed during the meeting.
Those who attended the meeting included Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Interior Minister Senator A. Rehman Malik, and Foreign Affairs Secretary Salman Bashir other senior officials. Robert Brinkley, British High Commissioner in Pakistan was also present.
Spokesperson of the President former Senator Farhatullah Babar said the President highlighted that Pakistan's economy had been bruised by the war against militancy and emphasized the need for access of Pakistani products to the US and EU markets to help the country meet the challenges of poverty and unemployment.
The President welcomed the support and assistance of the British government towards the relief and rehabilitation of the displaced people.
David Miliband assured full support of his government for the rehabilitation of the IDPs and in helping Pakistan overcome its economic challenges.
Referring to his visit to a camp of the displaced people, David Miliband said that displaced people have rendered immense sacrifices in war against terror and needed more attention of the world community.
Later the President hosted dinner for the British Foreign Secretary.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/10/2009 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] The long standing fight between neighboring countries Iraq and Kuwait over the wars they have endured seemed to come to an end Wednesday as the Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament announced his country has reached a preliminary settlement with Kuwait.
In a visit to Kuwait to discuss the issue of compensation for Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait, Iraqi Parliament Speaker Ayad al-Samarrai suggested that Kuwait should invest the monetary compensation of $25 million it is to get from Iraq for its 1990 invasion in different development projects in Iraq.
"If this proposal is adopted, it will be in the interest of both countries," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/10/2009 00:00 ||
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Keeping it in the family
One hundred Gaza widows - veiled, wearing long black dresses and gloves - celebrated their second marriages on Friday in a mass wedding arranged by Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip.
To how many man men?
The 100 women, many of them mothers, lost their husbands during the 22-day Israeli military offensive carried out on the impoverished enclave.
None of the 100 men, some getting married for the first time, or 100 women were older than 25, and all were dressed in black and loyal to Hamas.
And here I thought we'd have five 'sheikhs' as the grooms, ten at most ...
They were accompanied at the mass ceremony by their relatives, friends and their children - the daughters wore white dresses, while the sons wore black suits.
"Just remember sonny, when I marry yer Mudder you're getting a boombelt as a gift!"
Many of the bridegrooms, who received 2,800 dollars from Hamas in recognition of their marrying a widow, are taking on another wife, and a majority of the men are brothers-in-law of the widows, the late husbands being Hamas militants killed in the Israeli invasion.
Ahmed al-Fayoomi, a 22-year-old former single, proudly said he decided to marry his brother Alla's 24-year-old wife Sabrin because 'according to our Islamic rules as well as to our traditions, I believe I'm the one who should take care of my brother's wife and their children.'
"And she's hot, hot, HOT!"
Alla, who died in the conflict, left behind seven children, he said.
At age 24 she has time to turn out another eight to fifteen ...
Mohamed Taha, 23 years old, also married his brother's wife Iman, who is one year older than he. 'Because I love my brother so much, who is now a martyr, I decided to take care of his wife and his only child.'
Who will now have a dozen step-siblings ...
One young man, Jibril al-Na'ooq, 20, married the 25-year-old wife of his dead uncle, and thus taking on the care of his two young cousins.
A widow from the city of Khan Younis who declined to give her name said 'today I'm getting married to the brother of my martyr husband. I am so happy for this marriage.'
'I feel that my husband is resting in peace now because his brother will take care of me and my children,' she added, speaking out from the black veil that revealed only her green eyes.
#1
I suppose it's a silly question asking if the widows wanted to marry, or not.
And whether they got to chose their new husbands.
The whole thing sounds exactly like being sold into slavery.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
07/10/2009 13:33 Comments ||
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#2
The widows had multiple children in many cases, probably little in the way of savings, and equally probably no salable skills, Redneck Jim. Their choices are limited.
#6
Have these ladies considered gentlemen of the Jewish persuasion? I mean those gents have good educations, steady jobs and salaries, electricity and plumbing, don't physically abuse, and a lot less likely to die horribly in combat. What more could a recently single woman with children ask for?
Posted by: ed ||
07/10/2009 21:04 Comments ||
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#8
IIRC the Moonies, while nuts on the Paleo level, weren't trying to remediate for their stupid "kick me" action/consequences...
they've got all these widows & kids with no support, now they draw some dumb family bastard in with the "honor, p*ssy" offer, and Hamas is off the hook. Hey! Call me cynical. You'd be right
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/10/2009 22:20 Comments ||
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#9
One young man, Jibril al-Na'ooq, 20, married the 25-year-old wife of his dead uncle
The IDF is considering allowing the Palestinians to establish a specially trained counterterror squad qualified to carry out pinpoint operations against Hamas terrorist cells in the West Bank, The Jerusalem Post has learned. Such a force would be able to carry out special operations against Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist infrastructure in the West Bank more effectively than could existing Palestinian security forces. The French have already offered to train such a team.
The decision to consider the establishment of such a team was made following the Palestinian Authority's operation against a Hamas cell in Kalkilya last month, during which five Hamas terrorists and four members of the US-trained Palestinian security force were killed. The four Palestinian battalions trained by the United States in Jordan and already deployed in the West Bank were taught how to enforce law and order and conduct regular police-like operations, but were not given military training. Their equipment consists of pistols and Kalashnikov rifles, and the content of their training is approved by Israel. The IDF is therefore considering allowing the establishment of a small, elite Palestinian squad that would be capable of conducting operations like the one in Kalkilya more effectively and with fewer casualties.
The army recently vetoed a PA request to receive explosives training. The Palestinians also asked Israel for permission to set up an advanced military communication system. This too was denied by the army, due to concern that the Palestinian system would interfere with IDF communications. While the IDF Central Command, under the direction of Maj.-Gen. Gadi Shamni, has succeeded in dramatically reducing the level of terrorist activity in the West Bank, a top officer warned on Thursday that the army fears that Hizbullah will activate terrorist cells and have them attack Israel.
#6
ION PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > {Breaking] INDIANS AMONG EIGHTEEN KILLED IN AFGHAN TALIBAN ATTACK. Afghan Talibs warn will attack INDIAN FIRMS-COMPS. engaging in local-area bizz.
[Iran Press TV Latest] Iran's Police Chief Brig. Gen. Esmail Ahmadi-Moqaddam says there is no question that Britain has played a role in the post-election riots in Iran.
"The role that the British embassy [in Tehran] and the BBC have played is too obvious to be denied," IRNA quoted Ahmadi-Moqaddam as saying on Thursday.
Iran blames foreign powers especially the UK for interfering in its internal affairs and for playing a significant role in fueling the post-vote unrest.
Tehran-London relations turned sour after nine local members of the British Embassy staff were detained over their role in fomenting mass public protests following the June 12 vote.
However, the Iranian Intelligence Ministry released most of the detainees following investigations into their role in the post-vote unrest.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/10/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
"I say, steady on old boy! What say we tone down the rhetoric a tad? And do feel free to engage reflexively in sexual congress."
A new book published by Al Qaeda shows that the terrorist group is under intense pressure and in "deathly fear" of U.S. counterterrorism efforts in Pakistan, terror experts say.
The 150-page book, titled "Guide to the Laws Regarding Muslim Spies," was recently posted on jihadist Web sites. It was written by a senior Al Qaeda commander, Abu Yahya Al-Libi, and features an introduction by Ayman Al-Zawahri, the No. 2 man in Al Qaeda.
The book accuses some in Al Qaeda's ranks of being spies who provide intelligence, including information about Al Qaeda camps and safehouses, to U.S. forces. According to the book, these "Muslim spies" have allowed the U.S. to use its Predator drone campaign to paralyze Al Qaeda leadership.
"It would be no exaggeration to say that the first line in the raging Crusader campaign waged by America and its allies against the Muslims and their lands is the network of spies, of various and sundry sorts and kinds," says the book, translated by the Washington-based Middle East Media Research Institute, or MEMRI
"Their effects are seen: carnage, destruction, arrest, and pursuit, but they themselves remain unseen, just like Satan and his ilk who see us while remaining unseen."
Terror experts have called the book unique in its weak and worried tone.
"I haven't ever seen this kind of language from senior Al Qaeda commanders before," said Daniel Lev, who works for MEMRI. "In general, Al Qaeda speaks in a very triumphant tone," but in the new book Al-Libi speaks of the group's dire straits and serious problems, Lev added.
"Such an admission of distress on the part of a senior Al Qaeda commander makes this a very unique book in terms of the author."
FOX News military analyst Tom McInerny said the book is a "gold mine" that attests to the success of the Predator strikes that are decimating Al Qaeda's ranks in Pakistan.
"They are in deathly fear of airpower," said McInerny, a retired lieutenant general in the U.S. Air Force. "Whether it's unmanned drones or whether it's fighters or bombers using precision weapons, they are deathly afraid."
The books also displays a deep-seated paranoia of hidden enemies, according to MEMRI. It claims that anyone from the old and infirm to the imam of a mosque could be a U.S. spy.
"The danger of these spies lies not only in the ability of these hidden 'brigades' to infiltrate and reach to the depths," the book says.
"They include the decrepit, hunchbacked old man who can hardly walk two steps; the strong young man who can cover the length and breadth of the land; the infirm woman sitting in the depths of her house; the young woman whose veins still flow with youth; and even perhaps the prepubescent adolescent who has not reached the age of legal maturity [in Islam]."
Lev, of MEMRI, said that the group's suspicions could be used as an excuse to conduct a purge, which could further harm the Al Qaeda's stature in Pakistan.
"In the situation that they're in, they're entirely dependent on the natives, on the Pakistanis and the Afghans, and they definitely do not want to be facing a situation like Al Qaeda in Iraq, where you have the tribes turning on you," he told FOX News.
#11
It has been shown again and again that terrorist leaders are only generous with the lives of followers. The crap about "enjoying death as you enjoy life" is for the gullible.
#12
Ptui... We only use Predators for drone-zapping because our trained pigeons and hawks can't carry large enough weapons. Wait until we deploy the 53rd Pig Brigade to guard the borders. Then we can retire some of the dogs, cats, and large rats we've been using. Anything, anybody may be our spy - only WE know for certain (and sometimes we're not sure).
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
07/10/2009 16:35 Comments ||
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#13
make them afraid of too-small-to-be-seen infidel webcams in mosques, madrassas, markets and safehouses
There, Lord garth. Fixed it for you. :-)
Old Patriot, do not forget the squirrels so successfully deployed in Iran.
#14
Their effects are seen: carnage, destruction, arrest, and pursuit, but they themselves remain unseen, just like Satan and his ilk who see us while remaining unseen."
Their X-ray eyes can see under your burqa and know if it's a woman or a coward under there. And some of the operators are taking pictures and showing them to their buddies.
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.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il attended a memorial rally at Pyongyang Indoor Stadium on the 15th anniversary of his father Kim Il-sung's death on Wednesday morning, a recorded video clip by the North Korean Central TV Broadcasting Station shows. It was the first footage showing Kim moving around in three months since the 12th Supreme People's Assembly went into session on April 9.
[Kyodo: Korea] The health of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il continues to decline and he may have only one more year to live, the Washington Times reported Thursday, citing U.S. and diplomatic sources. There are signs that Kim is still not well nearly a year after he suffered a stroke, the newspaper said, referring to a U.S. official familiar with the North Korean situation.
[Geo News] British Foreign Secretary David Miliband called on President Asif Ali Zardari here Thursday at the Presidency and discussed matters relating to relations between the two countries.
[Iran Press TV Latest] Iran's Police Chief Brig. Gen. Esmail Ahmadi-Moqaddam says there is no question that Britain has played a role in the post-election riots in Iran. 
A new book published by Al Qaeda shows that the terrorist group is under intense pressure and in "deathly fear" of U.S. counterterrorism efforts in Pakistan, terror experts say.
