(SomaliNet) The combined forces of Somalia and Ethiopia Monday arrested two Islamist suspects in the Somalia capital Mogadishu after they carriesd out security operations in parts of Mogadishu. The operation came after receiving a tip off that two Islamist supporters were hiding in the capital.
The news come as top Islamist leader Sheikh Sharif Sheik Ahmed has given himself up to the Kenyan government in Nairobi.
Witnesses told Somalinet that heavily armed Somalia-Ethiopian forces have began house to house search for weapons and explosives in Suqa Holaha (Market of livestock) neighborhood in north of the capital Mogadishu early this morning.
The Ethiopians have deserted the environs after they took the suspects and searched several houses for guns. During their raid, the allied caught two suspects from a house in the area after unidentified assailant fired gunshot at the Ethiopian forces. The troops responded with fire in return of the gunshot as the assailant ran away from the scene. At least one person was hurt in the crossfire.
Two weeks ago, the Somalia president Abdulahi Yusuf Ahmed said that Mogadishu is infested with the remnants of Islamic Courts Union, which ousted by the allied forces, Ethiopian and government troops, on late December last year in two-week gun battle.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/23/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
Three-vehicle caravan of Popular National Army was attacked by terrorists on Sunday in a place located in Al-Babur Mountains, between Jijel and Setif. The terrorist attack made killed one and wounded six. According to well informed sources, the military caravan, belonging to the army unit stationed in Al-Babur Mountains, was coming from the place called Bida, 10 km southeast of Iraghen Swissi commune, in Jijel, heading toward a locality in a Setif-side of El Babur Mountains when it was surprised by a blast in Meshta Al Frouda, a handmade bomb explosion touched one of the three vehicles. The attack made one killed and six wounded among the militaries, they were in the targeted vehicle. The rest of the caravans members tracked then the perpetrators of the attack through the forests surrounding the area.
The victims have been evacuated on a helicopter to the military hospital of Constantine while joint security forces launched a vast raking, in search of the terrorists groups hiding in Al Babur Moutains, stronghold of the leaders of Salafist Group for Preaching and Combats sixth region.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/23/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP) - A man claiming to be a member of al-Qaida was arrested Monday for trying to hijack a plane on a flight from Botswana to Johannesburg, police said.
If he claims to be a member of al-Qaeda we should take him at his word.
The man, whose nationality and identity were not released due to the usual MSM cowardice, was arrested on charges of attempting to hijack the Air Botswana aircraft and unlawful interference with a plane and its crew, police spokesman Senior Superintendent Vish Naidoo said. He said the man was overpowered and taken in for questioning shortly after the plane landed at about 6:15 p.m. at the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. "While passengers and crew were highly traumatized, there was no real threat to their safety," he said.
Details of exactly how he was overpowered are lacking in the article, but I'm betting the passengers took the man down.
Naidoo said the man had surrendered after seeing the plane surrounded and asked to speak to an officer.
Chris Hlakane, manager for the Airports Company South Africa, said there were 23 passengers aboard the plane and they were being questioned by police. The man, who was not armed, claimed to be a member of al-Qaida, he said. "He was unruly in the aircraft and tried to force his way into cockpit but was not successful. He claimed to be an al-Qaida member and claimed to have a list of demands," Hlakane said, without elaborating.
Hlakane said safety and security personnel conducted an emergency evacuation of the plane and isolated it on the runway.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/23/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
LOL! He more than likely got his ass kicked. Now let's hope they hang him. To please Allen of course.
Follow-up on the story posted late yesterday by TW.
Some 45 Jews in Sa'ada in Yemen have left their homes after being threatened by radical Muslims and are seeking the president and government's help, the Saudi daily Al Wattan reported yesterday. The extremists reportedly told the Jews to leave their homes within 10 days, and threatened that those who stayed would be killed or their children abducted and their homes looted.
The Jews moved into a hotel in the city of Sa'ada, north of the capital Sana. A formal complaint was submitted to Yemenite President Ali Abdullah Saleh, the report said.
The threats are attributed to followers of Shi'ite religious leader Hossein Bader a-Din al-Khouty, who was killed in clashes with government forces in 2005. The Jews have received letters alleging that they have been acting "first and foremost to serve global Zionism" and are working ceaselessly "at corrupting people and making them abandon their moral and religious values." A Jew named Yihya Yosef Musa told Al-Wattan that one of the Muslim leaders said he wanted no Jews to remain in the Sa'ada region. "We have been driven from our homes, our money has been lost, we cannot feed our children. We came to plead with the president and government to treat us properly because we are Yemenis," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/23/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
I didn't know there were any left in the whole Arabian peninsula.
#2
I didn't know there were any left in the whole Arabian peninsula.
Yep, when the (North) Yemen were expelling them in the sixties they realized that there would be no craftsmen left to make things, so they stopped the deportations. About 20,000 remained, subject to restrictions - not allowed to own cars, though they can fix them, not allowed to own knives other than kitchen cutlery, although they make the traditional (Rhino horn) daggers, etc.etc. for really good info read "Baghdad without a map" by Tony Horwitz.
#3
In fact if my memory is any good the Koran calls for teh explleing of Jews (and Christains) out of the Arabian peninsula so their presence in Yemen is unislamic. Ein Volk, ein Reich, Ein Prophet.
#4
I didn't know either, which is why I posted that story yesterday. Thanks for the book, Uleanter Ebbinenter1449. It's added to the veeeery long list I've accumulated from the wise and knowledgeable people here at Rantburg. :-)
#5
Note that children are considered property that can be stolen. The evil of this "religion" is so blatant and so monstrous it could hardly be a greater parody of itself. And yet the left cringes along behind these Orcs. I find it hard to say which is worse.
#7
Thank you, someone2. I've bookmarked the site for further reading, and plan to send the link to a friend, descended from a long line of Egyptian rabbis, who himself escaped from Egypt at the age of 15.
The jail authorities will issue death warrants for the six condemned members of Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) within the next three days in connection with the Jhalakathi judges murder case. The latest development came following receipt of a copy of the Supreme Court (SC) rejection of the condemned men's appeals against the death sentences by the jail authorities on Sunday, 54 days after the SC had delivered the order. The jail authorities started the process of executions yesterday. Executing the condemned now depends on a government clearance, although a number of provisions already exist to carry out the executions within 21 to 28 days following receipt of the court order by the jail authorities.
"We will fix the date of execution within the next two or three days."
The SC on November 28 rejected the six condemned JMB men's petitions seeking permission to appeal against a High Court (HC) judgment upholding the death sentences for killing two judges in a suicide bomb attack in Jhalakathi on November 14. On Sunday and yesterday, the jail authorities read out the SC rejection to all the six condemned JMB men, in accordance with the jail code. Inspector General (Prisons) Brig Gen Zakir Hasan told The Daily Star last night, "We will fix the date of execution within the next two or three days."
Jail authority sources said they are in a dilemma about whether they will follow the new jail code or the old one, because the two codes provide two different timeframes for carrying out executions after receiving court orders. The jail authorities will seek the help of the law ministry to clarify the matter, said jail authority sources.
Jail sources said, they are already aware that the families of at least three of the condemned JMB men, including JMB chief Abdur Rahman and another lynchpin Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai, are eager to submit petitions to the president for clemency. The IG (Prison) said, "I am also aware that some of the condemned are eager to submit mercy petitions, but I'm not sure who they are. Even if the families submit mercy petitions, they will be sent to the president for his consideration."
Senior assistant judges Jagannath Pandey and Sohel Ahmed were killed in a suicide bomb attack at Purba Chadkati in Jhalakathi town on November 14 last year in the wake of a series of bombings carried out by JMB militants across the country. The High Court on August 31 upheld the trial court verdict that had sentenced seven JMB men to death on May 29.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/23/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Execution by Shutter Gun would be especially cool. I realize they'd have to clean it afterwards before returning to the RAB, but still...
Two men have been arrested under terrorism laws in West Yorkshire, police have confirmed. The men, aged 25 and 29, were held in Halifax at about 0600 GMT on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. They were arrested at separate houses in the town. Officers are searching both premises as well as two others in the area and a flat in north London. They are in custody and will be brought to a London police station later. A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: "At approx 6am today in an intelligence-led operation two men were arrested in West Yorkshire under the Terrorism Act 2000.
"They were arrested by officers from the MPS Counter Terrorism Command supported by officers from West Yorkshire Police.
"As part of the same operation, officers from the Counter Terrorism Command today began searching a flat in north London. This search continues."
A spokesman for the West Yorkshire force confirmed that four addresses in the Halifax area were being searched following the arrests. Could be interesting... how about searching the local mosque while you're there?
Posted by: Howard UK ||
01/23/2007 03:25 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
apparently, 3 more were detained afterwards.
hmmm....the article doesn't say who they were. Were their names Nigel or Roger?
#5
LONDON (Reuters) - Police arrested five men in northern England under the country's security laws in two separate operations on Tuesday.
Two men, aged 25 and 29, were arrested at separate locations in the city of Halifax by detectives from London's Counter- Terrorism Command and local officers, a police statement said. "This is not about bomb-making or planting bombs," a police source said, adding the men were suspected of being involved in logistical work.
The source said the operation was not linked to any other investigation nor the attack on July 7, 2005, when four British Islamists blew themselves up on three London underground trains and a bus, killing 52 people.
Three other men held on Tuesday were arrested as part of a separate operation by detectives in Manchester on suspicion of "terrorist support and facilitation". "At this stage, there is no intelligence of any planned terrorist activity in the UK and the arrests are part of an ongoing investigation," Manchester Police said in a statement.
A police source said the operation was believed to be linked to the disappearance of a terrorism suspect who had absconded after being placed under a control order. The man, a British citizen who had been living in Manchester, vanished earlier in the month just days after he was put under the order which sets strict conditions on a suspect's movements.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/23/2007 8:30 Comments ||
Top||
#6
"This is not about bomb-making or planting bombs," a police source said, adding the men were suspected of being involved in logistical work.
I fear to contemplate what other logistics might be involved, beyond bombs.
Eleven Iraqis carrying false passports and heading to California were arrested at Monterrey's airport, immigration officials said Monday. Nine men, a woman and a two-year-old girl traveled from Madrid, Spain, to Monterrey, where they were detained Saturday, an immigration official said on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to speak publicly about the arrests.
None of the Iraqi citizens appear on terrorist watch lists and they told authorities they were Chaldean Christians trying to get to California were they would request asylum, the official said. They are being held at an immigration detention center in Mexico City pending charges for using false documents. Chaldean Christians have a sizable community in southern California and frequently try to enter the United States through Mexico, saying they face persecution in Iraq.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/23/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#2
I have to agree with Annon on this one. Question, and I hope it doesn't bother our masculine contingent too much: In the Arab world, do the Christians circumcise their boys as do the Jews and the Muslims? If not, that would be an easy way to separate the legitimate refugees from the fakers. Otherwise knowledge of the New Testament and local Christian traditions would be a start.
#4
like San Diego County needs another couple liquor/convenience stores...jeebus
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/23/2007 14:59 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Anguper Hupomosing9418, I know nothing about Chaldean Christian traditions, but I have a pretty good idea where to find out -- the article says Chaldean Christians have a sizable community in southern California.
#6
Well Hell, the Mexicans are Christians, so why not let them in too? Long as they don't read the wrong fairy tales to their children, it should be fine.
Brother of Hafeez Saeed, founder chief of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, has been asked to leave the US, where he is a cleric at a mosque in Massachusetts, a report said.
Muhammad Masood, a controversial cleric at Sharon mosque that is the headquarter of the Islamic centre of New England, Massachusetts, has been issued notice by the US authorities to "leave soon", The Daily Times today quoted Attorney George Garfinkle as telling local newspaper patriot ledger. Garfinkle also confirmed that some former members of the board of the Islamic centre have been called before a federal grand jury in boston over the past months in connection with the investigation of Masood's alleged visa violations.
Masood's brother Saeed currently heads Pakistan's Jamaat-ud-Dawa, which has been accused of being involved in terror activities in many countries including India. Masood, his son Hassan, and a Chelmsford cleric were picked up by immigrations and customs enforcement agents on November 15 as part of a multi-state sweep on 33 immigrants, mainly Pakistanis. Most of them were charged with having fraudulent obtained religious-worker visas.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/23/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
You give a good chance to these stupid Islamist and they are sure to misuse your trust. Well it is time to throw them all out for they have no intention to assimilate in our country. I am sorry, most of the people in the west never learned from the history nor they learned from the actions of the islamofastist recently. Hey folks, if you do not destroy the Islamists, be ready to see the Islamists raping your grand daughters in front of you. You may not belive it but this has happened all the time in history when Islamists had power. Islam is not a religion, it is the cult of murders, torture and the end of civilization. Well you have your choice to let them do you or wake up and destroy Islam, There is no moderate or extremeist, they are all Islamists, period.
Security forces rounded up around 80 suspected terrorists in Sibi district and continued their search operation in parts of Balochistan. Sources said the suspects were arrested carrying weapons from the Babar Kuch area of Sibi district. The detained persons have been taken into custody in an unidentified location for further investigation. This search operation was a small part of the recent hunt for suspected Baloch insurgents. The members of the Marri tribe are accusing the security forces of starting an operation against the innocent civilians which has killed around 20 people over the past ten days. These claims could not be substantiated through independent or official sources.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/23/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Interesting. Pakis have no problem finding Balochi nationalists. However, when it comes to Taliban...
NATO-led coalition forces in Afghanistan fired on a Pakistani check-post near the Afghan border on Monday, killing a paramilitary soldier and wounding two others, a military spokesman said. Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan told Daily Times that Islamabad had lodged a strong protest with the coalition authorities for mistakenly firing on the Pakistani check-post near Shawal in North Waziristan. The Pakistani check-post was attacked at 2:55pm and the coalition forces told the Pakistani military establishment that the incident was the result of similar fire from the direction of the check-post, the army spokesman said. A strong protest has been lodged with coalition authorities about the incident asking them to investigate the matter and take necessary steps to ensure that such incidents are not repeated in future, a military statement read. Coalition forces have violated the international border between Pakistan and Afghanistan in the past, but this was the first time a soldier was killed. Official sources in Miranshah told Daily Times that three rockets were fired at the Frontier Corps-manned Zoe Narai post overlooking Afghanistans Paktika province where Taliban militants are fighting the coalition forces.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/23/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
A suicide car bomber attacked an army convoy on its way from Bannu to Miranshah in North Waziristan on Monday, killing four soldiers. The attack comes seven days after a military strike against suspected militant hideouts in Zamazola, South Waziristan. Pro-Taliban militant leader Baitullah Mehsud had vowed to avenge the attack on Zamazola with a suicide attack.
Today at about 1030 hours an administrative convoy moving from Bannu to Miranshah (the main town in North Waziristan) was attacked by a suicide bomber with an explosive-laden car near Khajuri (check-post). Four security forces personnel embraced shahadat while a few were injured including one who is in critical condition, an ISPR statement said.
Military spokesman Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan held enemies of peace responsible for the suicide attack, the first such incident since the government struck a peace deal with pro-Taliban tribal militants on September 5 last year. Those who do not support the peace deal are likely to be behind the attack, he told Daily Times.
A student of Government Elementary College, which is a few metres from the site of Mondays suicide attack, said the vehicle used in the attack and the army vehicle that was hit by the bomber were completely destroyed.
We were playing volleyball inside the college when we heard a big bang and when we came out we saw human flesh all over the road, Nisar Dawar told Daily Times by phone from Mir Ali town.
Abdullah Farhad, a spokesman for militants, distanced North Waziristan-based militant groups from the attack, saying in calls to newspaper offices: We still stand by the September 5 accord.
The college student said a woman travelling in a passenger van was injured in the attack by flying shrapnel. However, no official confirmation was available. Khajuri check-post is an entry point into North Waziristan and the government removed all check-posts following the September 5 peace deal with pro-Taliban militants.
A tribal source in Miranshah said that a 15-member peace committee was holding talks with senior Taliban leaders in Miranshah to convey NWFP Governor Ali Jan Orakzais concerns about the threat to the peace accord when the army convoy was attacked. Orakzai had warned the committee on Saturday that any damage to the peace agreement would be disastrous for the region.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/23/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
KALSU, Iraq - Iraqi Army troops, Multi-National Division - Baghdad Soldiers and a special Iraqi police unit from Hillah teamed up to detain four insurgents suspected of involvement in the Jan. 20 attack at the Karbala Provincial Joint Coordination Center.
Paratroopers with the 2nd Battalion, 377th Parachute Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, and Iraqi security forces detained the four.
The suspects were found in a house near the area where the vehicles used in the attack were abandoned after insurgents made their get away from the scene.
The suspects are being held for further questioning.
One morning's work (the part reported) from a couple of small areas. It all adds up. 16 Terrorists Killed, 10 Detained In Raids
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Coalition Forces killed 16 terrorists and detained 10 suspected terrorists while conducting operations Tuesday morning in the Baghdad and Haditha areas. Intelligence reports indicated foreign terrorist facilitators were operating in an area northwest of Haditha. As Coalition Forces approached the area, several armed men exited buildings. Coalition Forces killed two armed terrorist and detained six other suspected terrorists as they attempted to flee the area.
Three terrorists made their way to a boat along the bank of the Al Qadisiyah Lake. They sped away to the opposite end of a small peninsula where they met up with four more men and were seen entering a tent. As Coalition Forces approached the area, the men exited the tents with weapons and ammunition vests.
Coalition Forces engaged the enemy force with rotary wing aircraft killing seven terrorists. Several weapons including grenades, machine guns and pistols were found in the tents.
In other operations in Baghdad, Coalition Forces approached a targeted building and called for the occupants to come out. Two men, a woman and four children exited the building, while several armed men were seen moving across the rooftop from an adjacent building.
Coalition Forces moved the women and children to a safe area away from the buildings and directed the men to surrender. The men began shooting at Coalition Forces and throwing grenades. One of the grenades started a fire in the building. Coalition Forces returned fire killing six terrorists. The two men who surrendered were detained for questioning.The woman and her children were placed under Coalition Forces care until the area was deemed safe for return.
A raid in Yusufiyah targeted foreign fighter facilitators and individuals involved in the production of vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices. Upon arrival at the objective building, one terrorist fled the building and maneuvered toward the ground forces. Ground forces assessed the terrorist as hostile and shot and killed him. One suspected terrorist was detained.
While searching the building, Coalition Forces discovered materials and equipment used in the detonation of explosive devices.
During a raid in Mosul, Coalition Forces detained a suspected foreign terrorist facilitator. Coalition Forces are working diligently to eliminate foreign terrorists trying to prevent the development and building of a new stable and peaceful Iraq.
#2
I was home on leave yesterday and while channel surfing I unfortunately came across "the view" - according to Rosie O'Fatfuck we lost more soldiers this past weekend (39 was the number the heinous pig gave) than at any point during the war. If Rosie says were in trouble then it must be a quagmire I tell ya!
#5
Broadhead, I saw this bumper sticker on the back of a pickup on my way in to work this morning (in NYC, no less): "GUNS KILL PEOPLE like spoons made Rosie O'Donnell fat."
Posted by: Tibor ||
01/23/2007 19:28 Comments ||
Top||
About 600 fighters and 16 leaders of the radical Shia militia, the Mehdi Army, have been captured by security forces in Iraq, the US military says. The statement said 52 operations had been conducted in 45 days targeting the militia, which is loyal to Najaf-based cleric Moqtada Sadr. Sunni extremists were also the focus of the crackdown, the US military said. US and Iraqi forces are currently preparing for a broad offensive in the strife-torn Iraqi capital Baghdad. I'd consider this even better news if it had disclosed how many have already been released.
#1
I'd consider this even better news if it had disclosed how many have already been released.
It doesn't matter. Once they've been picked up and processed (no doubt getting fingerprinted and a DNA reference sample taken), they can be added to that "friends and family" computer program we've been building since the invasion, the one that teases out relationships and connections. Which means that their mere existence serves to put in ever bolder relief the truly bad guys. Plus it makes all of them realize they aren't really fooling anybody, which leads to nervousness, distrust of comrades, and the kind of stupid errors that get bad guys killed.
Unless, in my ignorance, I'm idealizing things again.
#4
RD dear, you flatter me inordinately. One of these days you'll notice the rose-coloured glasses you're wearing, and there will go my aura, like the rosy-fingered dawn. (extra points for the reference, for you literary types who haven't yet gone to bed!)
An Egyptian embassy worker was kidnapped Monday in Baghdad while on a trip outside the compound, an Iraqi foreign ministry official said. In Cairo, Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alaa Hadidi confirmed that the man did not show up to work and said the ministry was in contact with Iraqi authorities to learn his fate. He did not give the name of the worker. The embassy worker did not return to the embassy hours after he left, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/23/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
Bombs ripped through markets killing at least 100 people on Monday as Al-Qaeda claimed it shot down an American helicopter and US and Iraqi forces readied an offensive against militias in Baghdad. Another 15 people died in other attacks in Iraq.
Two car bombs exploded just after midday at the crowded Haraj market in the heart of Baghdad, killing 88 Iraqis, security officials said. A few hours later, mortar fire and a roadside bomb killed 12 people at a market in the town of Khalis, northeast of Baghdad. And late in the day, mortar fire killed six pilgrims as they marched in a procession south of Baghdad to commemorate the Shiite mourning period of Ashura.
Meanwhile, Al-Qaeda claimed it shot down a US helicopter on Saturday, after a US official said it might have been hit by a shoulder-fired missile.
In Baghdad, the Haraj bombs exploded seconds apart, sending twin columns of thick smoke billowing above the Bab al-Sharki district on the east bank of the Tigris river. It was the worst attack in the capital this year and came less than a week after twin bombs killed 70 people, mostly students, outside a Baghdad university. Hospital and security sources put the casualty toll at 88 dead and 160 wounded in the Haraj market, which is usually filled with traders selling used electronic goods, watches, old clothing and medicines. "There were so many victims they were piled up on wooden market carts, the wounded on top of the dead, and hauled to ambulances and police vehicles," an AFP photographer at the site said. Police prevented him from recording images of the slaughter. "Improvised rescue workers made their way through the carnage amid the cries of those wounded," he added.
At the nearby Al-Kindi hospital, some of the victims' relatives squatted down, holding their heads in grief, while others cried before bodies lined up on the ground and covered with light blue plastic sheets.
But the deadly mayhem did not stop there. The Khalis bomb was placed in a vegetable cart and tore through a crowd of shoppers in the volatile Diyala province, Lieutenant Ahmad Mohammed said. In Suwayra, south of Baghdad, Shiite pilgrims were marching in an Ashura procession when two mortar rounds exploded, killing three women, two men and a baby, a security source said. Six others were wounded.
Ashura, which commemorates the seventh-century slaying of the Prophet Mohammed's grandson Imam Hussein in Karbala, has been marred in recent years by Sunni extremist attacks that have killed scores of people.
Elsewhere in Baghdad and Baquba, another nine people died in mortar and gun attacks, and police recovered 27 corpses of men shot to death execution-style, a security official said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/23/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
The Sunnis seem intent on proving the need for the Mahdi Army.
Unless the 'Sunnis' are actually Iranian Shi'ites....
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/23/2007 6:35 Comments ||
Top||
An explosion ripped through the office of Al Arabiya television in Gaza City on Monday, causing no injuries, police said. The newsroom was empty when an explosive device placed outside detonated, police said, destroying the outside door of the office of the Dubai-based Arabic satellite television station and damaging some walls inside.
Militant groups Hamas and the Fatah-linked al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades condemned the attack. Palestinian journalists in Gaza said they would hold a strike on Tuesday to protest the bombing. Arabiya executive editor Nabil al-Khatib said in Dubai the station had received threats against its office but it was not clear if the blast was linked to them. Palestinian police said they were investigating the attack. The explosion smashed the door of the office of Reuters across the hallway.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/23/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
Responding to an Israeli search (and offers of quick sales) for anti-rocket/ mortar systems, the company (Raytheon) that makes the Phalanx anti-ship missile system, has adapted a Phalanx to use a laser instead of a 20mm automatic cannon. The Phalanx radar can spot incoming object at up to 5,000 meters, and destroy them at up to 2,000 meters with its 20mm cannon. But by using an off-the-shelf solid state laser, Raytheon was able to detect and destroy a 60mm mortar shell (which is smaller than any current rocket) at a range of "over 500 meters". The laser used can be powered by a generator, or commercial (off the grid) electrical power. Previous high powered lasers required a chemical energy system that was bulky, messy and expensive. If this modified Phalanx system is reliable, they could be used to protect towns and villages in areas, like southern Israel, where Palestinians fire home made rockets from Gaza. While the 20mm cannon has a longer range, the ammo is more expensive, and the shells will eventually come down in Gaza, where they may hit civilians. Then there's the expense. Even second hand Phalanx systems cost over a million dollars each. New ones can cost ten times that, although the price with the laser, instead of the complex, six barreled 20mm cannon, would be lower (perhaps $6 million each). The laser version would also be lighter, weighing no more than three tons.
#1
While the 20mm cannon has a longer range, the ammo is more expensive, and the shells will eventually come down in Gaza, where they may hit civilians
consider it the cost of protection.
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/23/2007 8:58 Comments ||
Top||
#2
While the 20mm cannon has a longer range, the ammo is more expensive, and the shells will eventually come down in Gaza, where they may hit civilians.
There are civilians in Gaza? Who knew?
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
01/23/2007 9:00 Comments ||
Top||
#3
While the 20mm cannon has a longer range, the ammo is more expensive, and the shells will eventually come down in Gaza, where they may hit civilians
In a normal world, that would be a feature, not a bug.
#5
If Israel could afford the ammo, then a system of standard Phalanges all tied together would be neat. If any rocket fires anywhere, they all go off, spraying all the Paleo lands as well as the rocket.
#6
I still think that Israel could profit by running up cheap balloons with cameras on them, to give the Israelis a great field of view of what is going on in Gaza and the West Bank.
They only need 10k of observation for Gaza, which they could probably do with off-the-shelf tethered weather balloons.
The best part is that it would make it hard as hell for the Paleos to do things while hiding them from the Israelis. And by putting up just two balloons, one to the East and one to the North, the Paleos would probably go nuts.
There are even off-the-shelf 360 degree cameras they could use, which would do a lot to help image stabilization.
#7
I still think that Israel could profit by running up cheap balloons with cameras on them, to give the Israelis a great field of view of what is going on in Gaza and the West Bank.
What I liked about this is they can spy in thier houses, and put the video's on youtube. Like Paleos Funniset Video's.
#8
If they put up tethered balloons they could beg for a distance enhanced version of Radar Vision from TimeDomain to let them see through the roofs and walls right into the buildings in Gaza.
#9
No reason to go ultra high tech, when cheap and cheerful will do. I think they would get some information, but far more would be the value in unnerving the Paleos that they are being watched.
The funny part about it is that the Paleos will assume that because the balloons are looking at them from one direction, if they hide what they are doing on the backside of a building then the Israelis won't be able to see them.
Not realizing that the Israelis can watch them from the sea, too. And if a bunch of Paleos are mucking about on the backside of a building, it will be a dead giveaway that they are up to no good.
#12
The Phalanxes, laser or no, would work better aimed at ground level.
Posted by: ed ||
01/23/2007 12:35 Comments ||
Top||
#13
this might be the time to dust off the ole caterpults and seeramic blowing spheres blueprint.
yep, holler dem out and den filler dem plumb up wid HE.
gawda sight to behold for paleotard gazans, caterpults lined up sholder to sholder wid 100, 000 multi kollured blowing balls flying at em up in de sky at any onetime!
*seriously who cares about 20 mike mike rounds that fall out of the sky when defending your home, except you wouldn't want them falling back on Israel or Israeli troops in Gaza.
**U knows the cool GE GAU 30 mm Cannon we all love ..thats used on the A-10... I don't have the time find it cause I'm off to work, but the Swedes have a version on their ships with radar controled firing system.
#14
...Actually, the Israelis could really torque some shorts putting this into service by just using 20mm TP (target practice) rounds. They're solid, inert material that doesn't go boom when they hit anything, and that drastically limits their penetration. (Range is several thousand yards, and I'm guessing the Israelis will set them a few clicks back from the border to keep the local yoots from taking pot shots at 'em) By the time they get into Gaza, remember that they're going to be on a reciprocal heading from the inbound - they may well be landing on the bad guys who were shooting and scooting.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/23/2007 14:57 Comments ||
Top||
#15
Counterbattery fire with 155s should work as well.
#19
*U knows the cool GE GAU 30 mm Cannon we all love ..thats used on the A-10... I don't have the time find it cause I'm off to work, but the Swedes have a version on their ships with radar controled firing system.
#21
Go back to the 20mm cannon. 10-20 shooting at each incoming Katusha and mortar would be nice. 100+ rounds land at random, 1 takes out the projectile, that sort of thing.
Rename it "Galanx".
Indeed ... as stated in another comment ... there are features and then there are FEATURES ...
An anti-terror squad raided an Islamic militant stronghold in central Indonesia today, touching off a gunbattle that killed nine suspected fighters and one officer, the local police chief said. Security forces arrested 18 other alleged militants and seized a large haul of bombs and weapons in the three-hour exchange, a sharp escalation in the fight against terrorism in the world's most populous Muslim nation. "If they did not fire at us, there is no way we would have attacked them," Brig Gen Badrodin Haiti told reporters. We guessed that...
The raid took place on Sulawesi island, the scene of bloody fighting between Muslim and Christian gangs six years ago and sporadic bombings and shootings by Islamic extremists since then. The raid was part of a series of operations in recent weeks targeting Muslim militants on Sulawesi that police allege were behind scores of bombings, shootings and other attacks on Christian men, woman and children. On January 11, Poso police killed a man they said was a senior member of the al-Qaeda linked Jemaah Islamiyah, which was blamed for the 2002 Bali bombings and other deadly attacks in Indonesia in recent years.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/23/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
"Suspected"?
Main Entry: mil·i·tant
Pronunciation: -t&nt
Function: adjective
1 : engaged in warfare or combat : FIGHTING
Sri Lankas government vowed on Monday to stamp out Tamil Tigers from swathes of jungle in the islands east after capturing a key stronghold, but said the rebels could avoid more fighting if they agree to peace talks.
Sri Lankas government drove out the Tigers from their last coastal enclave in the east on Friday - territory which belonged to the rebels under the terms of a now tattered 2002 ceasefire - after weeks of fierce artillery duels.
The governments ultimatum came hours after the military and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) clashed at sea off the islands northern tip and as troops scoured for routed Tigers trying to withdraw to camps in the jungles of Toppigala in the east.
Toppigala is a bit of a volatile area, which runs the risk of forces being attacked from time to time, so we will have to eliminate that risk as well, defence spokesman and government minister Kehelia Rambukwella said in a telephone interview.
If tomorrow the LTTE says we are ready to stop hostilities and get back to the negotiating table, we will stop immediately, he added. If they do not, then well have to liberate the Tamil civilians in the east and then call (the Tigers) for negotiations. He said the government was not threatening to banish the Tigers from their main northern base, which analysts say would trigger an all-out return to a conflict that has killed more than 67,000 civilians, troops and rebels since 1983.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/23/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
The seven Indian crew members onboard a merchant ship that was attacked by LTTE rebels off the Jaffana Peninsula were safe, the ship's owners said on Monday. They said the MV City of Liverpool which was damaged in yesterday's suicide attack by the Tamil Tigers was now in the port of Kankesanthurai and undergoing repair.
The seven Indian crew members were safe but an Indonesian chief engineer was wounded in the attack and has been hospitalised, a spokesman for the owner said. The vessel had unloaded 440 tonnes of wheat flour when the attack took place and the balance 1,400 tonnes of flour will be unloaded today, he said. The Lankan Navy and the LTTE were locked in a sea battle after the Tamil Tigers rammed an explosive-laden boat into the cargo vessel.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/23/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
Tuesday night, prime minister Fouad Siniora vowed he would not surrender to the violence, after 3 people were killed and 110 were injured in disturbances which on their first day succeeded in paralyzing the country and plunging Beirut into chaos. Hundreds of thousands of pro-Syrian protesters laid Beirut to siege at the bidding of Hizballahs Hassan Nasrallah and his pro-Syrian allies, Gen. Michel Aoun and the north Lebanese Faranjieh clan.
DEBKAfiles Beirut sources report they orchestrated the crippling of normal business in Lebanon step by step by means of text messages to the 300,000 cell phones distributed to the local ringleaders.
Except for some Beirut districts, Lebanese army and security forces were willing collaborators of the pro-Syrian demonstrators in the rest of the capital and in central and northern Lebanon. In most places, they were outnumbered. The army or police made no attempt to restore order and the casualties of the day were caused by clashes between pro-Syrian and anti-Syrian factions.
Tuesday night, a senior intelligence source described the crisis in grim terms to DEBKAfile: "Today they laid siege to government offices and the premises of the anti-Syrian government parties, burning tires and cars," he said. "Wednesday, they start burning government buildings and the headquarters of anti-Syrian movements. The Siniora government does not command sufficient loyal security personnel to stem the tide of more than a million pro-Syrian demonstrators. Only outside military intervention can save the day, but I dont see it coming."
Our military sources report that, to deter foreign intervention - and shift the blame for toppling the government away from the Shiite Hizballah - the pro-Syrian camp used the subterfuge of placing Maronite Christian activists, followers of Gen. Aoun and the Faranjiehs, at the head of each group of thugs. Nasrallahs organization and the pro-Syrian Sunni Muslims provided the solid masses in the rear.
Fouad Siniora is due to fly to Paris Wednesday to attend a conference of the donor governments for Lebanons reconstruction. He may return to find his government buildings in ruins. Our sources report that Nasrallah and Aoun have decided to let him leave and return home safely, while using his absence to muscle their way to power. Siniora is to be left with the empty title of prime minister with no real authority.
according to Debka, that is. Builds on previous Hezbollah-Called Strike article
Tuesday night, prime minister Fouad Siniora vowed he would not surrender to the violence, after 3 people were killed and 110 were injured in disturbances which on their first day succeeded in paralyzing the country and plunging Beirut into chaos. Hundreds of thousands of pro-Syrian protesters laid Beirut to siege at the bidding of Hizballahs Hassan Nasrallah and his pro-Syrian allies, Gen. Michel Aoun and the north Lebanese Faranjieh clan.
DEBKAfiles Beirut sources report they orchestrated the crippling of normal business in Lebanon step by step by means of text messages to the 300, 000 cell phones distributed to the local ringleaders.
Except for some Beirut districts, Lebanese army and security forces were willing collaborators of the pro-Syrian demonstrators in the rest of the capital and in central and northern Lebanon. In most places, they were outnumbered. The army or police made no attempt to restore order and the casualties of the day were caused by clashes between pro-Syrian and anti-Syrian factions.
Tuesday night, a senior intelligence source described the crisis in grim terms to DEBKAfile: Today they laid siege to government offices and the premises of the anti-Syrian government parties, burning tires and cars, he said. Wednesday, they start burning government buildings and the headquarters of anti-Syrian movements. The Siniora government does not command sufficient loyal security personnel to stem the tide of more than a million pro-Syrian demonstrators. Only outside military intervention can save the day, but I dont see it coming.
Our military sources report that, to deter foreign intervention - and shift the blame for toppling the government away from the Shiite Hizballah - the pro-Syrian camp used the subterfuge of placing Maronite Christian activists, followers of Gen. Aoun and the Faranjiehs, at the head of each group of thugs. Nasrallahs organization and the pro-Syrian Sunni Muslims provided the solid masses in the rear.
I can absolutely imagine Syria and Iran planned all this with the Hezzies. Step by step. Iran is no doubt gleeful about the power it wields in the region.
Fouad Siniora is due to fly to Paris Wednesday to attend a conference of the donor governments for Lebanons reconstruction. He may return to find his government buildings in ruins. Our sources report that Nasrallah and Aoun have decided to let him leave and return home safely, while using his absence to muscle their way to power. Siniora is to be left with the empty title of prime minister with no real authority.
One of America's most influential neocons says President Bush is prepared to use military force against Iran if he believes it will acquire nuclear weapons.
This past Sunday, Richard Perle, speaking in Israel at the Herzliya Conference, said he had no doubt of President Bush's intentions. "President George Bush will order an attack on Iran if it becomes clear to him that Iran is set to acquire nuclear weapons capabilities while he is still in office," Haaretz reported of Perle's remarks.
Perle, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, served as chairman of the Bush administration's Defense Policy Board. Perle had been a strong advocate for the liberation of Iraq in the early days of the Bush administration. Recently, Perle has been critical of the administration's handling of the war after the successful removal of Saddam Hussein. Perle argued that sanctions against Iran, pushed by European nations, will do little to stop Iran's ambition to become a nuclear power.
Perle was joined at the conference by former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu called for a phased program to address the Iran menace, beginning with economic sanctions and divestment from companies doing business with Iran. "I call on the world that did not stop the Holocaust to stop investing in Iran to prevent genocide," Netanyahu said, referring to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's comments that the Jewish state should be wiped from the map.
#1
Bush adresses the nation tonight; He may expand on Mr. Perle's statements.
For those who watch Bush's state of the union, I bet he does not mention a border fence. I hope I'm wrong, but I believe he does not intend to build a fence.
Posted by: ed ||
01/23/2007 12:50 Comments ||
Top||
#4
President George Bush will order an attack on Iran if it becomes clear to him that Iran is set to acquire nuclear weapons capabilities while he is still in office
#5
That statement has an out built in. Every word of of that was very deliberate.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/23/2007 14:16 Comments ||
Top||
#6
Bush will be sucked into the conflict as soon as Israel will attack this March or April. Or do we think that Iran won't attack US forces in he area when Israel has attacked?
#7
Or do we think that Iran won't attack US forces in he area when Israel has attacked?
If you're speaking of the IDF attacking Persian proxies then I think you're right. I think it unlikely anyone is going to attack Iran except maybe a few Kurds and arabs.
Posted by: Captain America ||
01/23/2007 18:37 Comments ||
Top||
#10
IMO the ball is now in Moud-Mullah's court, vv " Imam/Mahdi + Jesus in Spring". Moud = Radical Islam, etc. will likely be humiliated iff there is no "appearance" of the Imam/Mahdi, andor in altern any "personage" allegedly appearing proves to be more MAGICIAN-ILLUSIONIST THAN MADONNA FAN MESSIAH <> SERVANT OF GOD. Wanna be GOD/Christ = gotta do Godly/Christly [Allahly] thingys.
At least 38 people were wounded in mushrooming riots between anti and pro-government factions in Lebanon Tuesday as the general strike called by the opposition to topple Premier Fouad Saniora's government developed into a bloody confrontation.
And getcher programs an' scorecards out, can't tell the players apart without yer programs.
Security sources told Naharnet 25 of the casualties suffered bullet wounds in the running confrontations that spread across most of the country after the army and security forces failed to re-open roads blocked by the Hizbullah-led opposition.
Tongues of flame shot up into the sky and thick-black smoke billowed from thousands of blazing rubber tires that blocked roads in Beirut, north, east, central and south Lebanon. Meanwhile, trucks flying Hizbullah flags unloaded tons of debris, dirt and stones in at least 12 spots along the highway leading to Rafik Hariri International airport as army troops watched without trying to prevent them. Hizbullah-run bulldozers moved to erect earth mounds along the highway, to prevent citizens from reaching the airport. A statement by the civil aviation authority said the airport remains operational, but passengers have not been able to make it to the facility.
In Beirut's Mar Elias commercial thoroughfare, hooded supporters of Hizbullah and the Shiite Amal movement also blocked traffic by blazing rubber tires and rocks. However, some motorists insisted on driving through the blockade. A lady, driving a dark blue Mercedes, was attacked by protestors who tried to smash her vehicle's wind shield. The apparently determined lady sped-on hitting three of the protestors, who were evacuated later by an Amal ambulance.
Paging Green Helmet Guy, paging Green Helmet Guy...
In Beirut's Corniche Mazraa commercial thoroughfare, a two-hour confrontation raged between Hizbullah-Amal elements, on the one hand, and Sunni supporters of al-Mustaqbal movement, headed by parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri. The confrontation started when the Hizbullah-Amal elements erected a barrier made up of blazing rubber tires along the main highway and blocked traffic. A crowd from the predominantly Sunni Tariq Jedideh residential district took to the street, equipped with sticks, stones and iron rods, and engaged the Amal-Hizbullah elements.Both factions hurled rocks at each other and all of a sudden staccato bursts of automatic rifle fire echoed across the area. At least six people were wounded before an army patrol intervened and managed to re-open the road. Cautious calm prevailed, but groups of young men were seen staking it out at street corners, which indicates that the confrontation could break out again.
In north and Mount Lebanon, members of Samir Geagea's Lebanese Forces took to the streets to reopen roads blocked by followers of Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement and Suleiman Franjieh's Marada faction, the two Christian groups allied with Hizbullah. Violence broke out nearly three hours after the opposition blocked roads and the army refrained from intervening to reopening them. In the Northern Akkar province, seven members of Hariri's Mustaqbal movement were wounded when armed elements of the Syrian Social National Party (SSNP) opened fire at them as they arrived at the town of Halba on their way to work, security sources reported. They said one of the wounded was in a critical condition.
In the Sofar mountain resort east of Beirut, three SSNP members were wounded when unidentified assailants opened fire at their car, the sources added.
The opposition has been trying in vain since Dec. 1 to topple the Saniora government. The confrontation Tuesday pushed the nation a step further towards the threat of civil unrest that the majority alliance has been trying to avoid. The MSM isn't moving on this story. They're missing a big one.
Hezb(Shiite Islamofacscist)-Amal(slightly more sane Shiite)-SSNP(secular proSyrian Fascist)-Aoun and Franjieh (renegade Maronites) vs Harirri supporters (Sunni) Geaga (Mainstream Maronites)
Only surprise (to me) is Franjieh, but I dont really follow them. And no mention of the Druze and Jumblatt, but they have to be with the govt and against Hezb.
Ive said here before the Aoun is not to be trusted.
And what clever technology are the bad guys using? They are using a lot of stuff you can buy via the internet. These are items that can assist Islamic terrorists in collecting information, in preparation for attacks. Take, for example, the Trackstick. This looks like a large USB memory stick. Actually it is, but only has a megabit of memory. The rest of the space is taken up by a GPS receiver and a small computer that records where TrackStick has been at 1-15 minute intervals (you choose) for up to a week (on two AAA batteries). Plug the TrackStick into your computer and, using the TrackStick software, you get a map, or a list, of where the TrackStick has been. Googe Earth maps can be used. You could hook the TrackStick up to a transmitter, which would produce a slightly larger package, but one that would send you the current location of the TrackStick.
With this simple technology, you can do all sorts of sneaky, or simply practical, things. You don't need a lot of money. TrackSticks cost $240 each, no questions asked (although there is a warning that it's illegal to track someone without their permission.) But if you're on a mission from God, you already have permission.
#4
I wondered when the bad guys would start using this stuff. Pretty much nowdays in Iraq, you find anyone with unusual electronic equipment you arrest them on the spot. If they have guns too, shoot them.
#6
Yep, pretty soon those terrorists are going to be getting phased-plasma rifle in the forty watt range by mail order.
Harumph. First of all, the bad guys have to know what a trackstick is. Then they have to get one to Iraq, by mail order, I guess. But then the hard part happens. Some Iraqi has to sneak up to a US vehicle and plant the thing on board. *And* some time later retrieve it for its information.
This matters if the vehicle takes the same route or goes to the same secret destination every day, or at the same time, but how many military vehicles do that?
The bottom line is it does not provide information useful to criminals and terrorists, but *does* provide information useful to *our* side, about what *they* are doing. That is exactly the intel policemen want to have.
I expressed myself poorly. A better formulation would have been: if you are unable to prevent your bases against bad guys putting tracksticks on vehicles then you can't prvenet them of placing bombs, or in other terms if your bases are well guarded enough so they can't place bombs then they will have a difficult time placing datasticks.
I see.
I think most terrorists are too stupid and too impatient to use these things. Now an Iranian intel guy using kids to track American units... I can see happening.
Al-Qaida's deputy leader mocked President Bush's plan to send 21,000 more troops to Iraq, challenging him to send "the entire army" and vowing insurgents will defeat them, according to a new videotape released Monday by a U.S. group that tracks al-Qaida messages. The Washington-based SITE Institute said it had intercepted the video from Ayman al-Zawahri, which had not yet been posted on Islamic militant Web sites, where his messages are usually posted. SITE did not elaborate on how it received the message.
Al-Zawahri said the U.S. strategy for Iraq, outlined by Bush in a Jan. 9 speech, was doomed to fail. "I ask him, why send 20,000 (troops) only - why not send 50 or 100 thousand? Aren't you aware that the dogs of Iraq are pining for your troops' dead bodies?" said al-Zawahri in the footage released by SITE, which assesses and analyzes intelligence related to terrorism. "So send your entire army to be annihilated at the hands of the mujahideen (holy warriors) to free the world from your evil, because Iraq, land of the Caliphate and Jihad, is able to bury ten armies like yours, with Allah's help and power."
The video showed al-Zawahri in a full gray beard and wearing a white turban, in front of a black backdrop. The message was the first reaction from al-Qaida's leadership to the new Iraq strategy. The U.S. has said the extra troops aim to crack down on al-Qaida fighters and other Sunni Arab insurgents in Iraq, as well as Shiite militiamen blamed in the country's spiraling sectarian violence.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/23/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
At last check, or since yestiddy, most civilian casualties in Iraq [NLT 80%] are still Muslim-on-Muslim. GEORGE WILL > by his quantitative calculations, the "troop surge" is about the approximate level needed for US milfors to stay and exert control in Iraq. IOW, THE LOCAL INSURGENCY/SECTARIAN VIOLENCE IS DOING EVERYTHING EXCEPT DE FACTO THREATENING US-ALLIED CONTROL OF IRAQ. ANTI-DUBYA DEMOCRATS=CRITICS INSIDE AMER + US NPE ARE THE TRUE THREAT.
#2
Ah, so the real problem is the majority of American citizens. Check back with me in a year, after the "surge" fails to do anything but send thousands more into the arms of the Islamist militas.
#4
Geez, Blind, congrats on getting something perfectly 100% backwards. If Coalition and govt. forces are used aggressively, it will directly diminish the utility, power, and problem of militias. And "islamist" motivation isn't sufficient to provide more than minor formations on either side of the sectarian divide.
#5
For one so versed in hyperbole, old Ayman doesn't get out of his cave much.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
01/23/2007 3:31 Comments ||
Top||
#6
It is the stupidity of American politicians who send the nation's brave and young to fight and die with their hands tied. You never ask your army to kiss the ass of the enemy. You tell your army to do whatever they need to do and give them all the destructive power, including use of nuclear bombs, to do the winning without interference from the politicians. It is not the job of the army to please the stupidity. The job of the politicians is to calm the waters after the army finished the job they were asked to do. I do not think that the majority of Americans are against sending their loved spouse, sons and daughters to fight in Iraq, they are against sending their young and the braves to die in a stupid war with their hands tied behind. Give them the freedom to do whatever they have to do, never ask your army to kiss the ass of the enemy and give them all the destructive power you have for them to use without asking a question. The stupid politicians of our nation have no clue what to do instead the same stupid send thousands of our young and braves to die in a mission which is not for the army to do.
#7
Nope. War is continuation of politics by other means so Army must fight with the ROE required to reach the politic goals searched for.
However, you also hacve to be present in the propaganda front, as this has an influence on the ROE that you can assign to the troops. For instance, decades of neglect in this front, have alowed teh ennemeies of teh West, mainly the Communists, to set into the public's mind that we are supposed to treat unlawful combattants as if they were uniformed, Geneva compliant ones (1). Result uis that now shooting captutred guerrillas has an unacceptable political, cost
(1) We should have tiold, repetaed and re-repeated that Geneva conventions are based on the idea that in order to have factions respecting them they should get no advantage on violating them. For that reason once you violate them the enemy is no longer restrained by them. That this provision is essential for making war less cruel and that allowing factions violate them wiyth impunity means encouraging war crimes. But now we will need years, perhaps more, in debrainwashing people used to western armies not shooting captured non-uniformed guerrillas.
#8
To continue on the sme theme, the Vienam war was lost the day a South Vietnames colonel shot a captured VietCong on the head in front of the cameras. It was lost because then teh American public thought South Vietnam was as bad as North Vietnam so tehre was no sense in continuing the war. It was lost because nobody had explained to them that the Vietcong was an unlawful combattant and, in this particular case, had been part of a unit who had killed in cold blood the women and children of South Vietnamese officers so according to teh lmaws of war tehre were not one but two motives for summary execution. But we failed to tell that to the public and the home front crumbled.
#14
Very well said, JFM. Many here may recall my whining over the past two years about how we have utterly failed to participate in the discussion of Geneva, and how in fact the US was UPHOLDING the Conventions, not skirting them or carving out exceptions for ourselves, and further that the ones damaging the Conventions were the war criminals (our enemies) AND states/organizations advocating the application of Geneva rules to non-compliant AQ combatants.
I was actually in a position to inquire at State WTF was going on with this topic, and while some there were as clear-headed and upset as we are, they didn't think that meaningful action was in the offing. There was/is a debate about whether to convene another convention to update the rules in the post-9/11 era. Those agin' fear, probably with some cause, that the world is so morally upside-down and anti-US right now that the obvious amendments to account for AQ-type issues would be blocked by otherwise sensible countries (or should that be "formerly otherwise sensible countries"?).
#15
Ayman Mocks Bush from his hidey hole under a bed somewhere in Pakistan.
"Never interrupt the enemy when he is in the process of making a mistake." Does Zawahri going out of his way to interrupt mean the new plans might be hitting closer to the mark?
#16
Someone needs to explain to Ayman that Iraq has nothing to do with Al Qaeda.
Posted by: Baba Tutu ||
01/23/2007 14:21 Comments ||
Top||
#17
#8 - the Viet Nam war was lost in 1975 when the US Congress blocked the sending of aid to our allies in South Viet Nam when the North send a massive conventional invasion force south.
Seeing people shot to death on TV horrifies the children.
#18
Sounds like the feels the need to rally his chumps because so many of them are getting snuffed. If he can "bury ten armies" like ours then why hasn't he even managed to bury the first one yet? Why does he target innocent civilians while avoiding the Americans? Why does he hide in Pakistan while his jihadis die at the hands of Bush's army? Trash talk. That's all.
Redacted by moderator. Comments may be redacted for trolling, violation of standards of good manners, or plain stupidity. Please correct the condition that applies and try again. Contents may be viewed in the sinktrap. Further violations may result in banning.
#3
She was William Randolph Hearst's main squeeze for about 35 years. And you don't have to be an accomplished actress when your lover's company is the producer of all the films.
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.
(SomaliNet) The combined forces of Somalia and Ethiopia Monday arrested two Islamist suspects in the Somalia capital Mogadishu after they carriesd out security operations in parts of Mogadishu. The operation came after receiving a tip off that two Islamist supporters were hiding in the capital. 
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP) - A man claiming to be a member of al-Qaida was arrested Monday for trying to hijack a plane on a flight from Botswana to Johannesburg, police said. 
Two men have been arrested under terrorism laws in West Yorkshire, police have confirmed. The men, aged 25 and 29, were held in Halifax at about 0600 GMT on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. They were arrested at separate houses in the town. Officers are searching both premises as well as two others in the area and a flat in north London. They are in custody and will be brought to a London police station later. A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: "At approx 6am today in an intelligence-led operation two men were arrested in West Yorkshire under the Terrorism Act 2000. 
Brother of 
About 600 fighters and 16 leaders of the radical Shia militia, the Mehdi Army, have been captured by security forces in Iraq, the US military says. The statement said 52 operations had been conducted in 45 days targeting the militia, which is loyal to Najaf-based cleric Moqtada Sadr. Sunni extremists were also the focus of the crackdown, the US military said. US and Iraqi forces are currently preparing for a broad offensive in the strife-torn Iraqi capital Baghdad.
Bombs ripped through markets killing at least 100 people on Monday as Al-Qaeda claimed it shot down an American helicopter and US and Iraqi forces readied an offensive against militias in Baghdad. Another 15 people died in other attacks in Iraq. 
An explosion ripped through the office of Al Arabiya television in Gaza City on Monday, causing no injuries, police said. The newsroom was empty when an explosive device placed outside detonated, police said, destroying the outside door of the office of the Dubai-based Arabic satellite television station and damaging some walls inside.
An anti-terror squad raided an Islamic militant stronghold in central Indonesia today, touching off a gunbattle that killed nine suspected fighters and one officer, the local police chief said. Security forces arrested 18 other alleged militants and seized a large haul of bombs and weapons in the three-hour exchange, a sharp escalation in the fight against terrorism in the world's most populous Muslim nation. "If they did not fire at us, there is no way we would have attacked them," Brig Gen Badrodin Haiti told reporters.
The seven Indian crew members onboard a merchant ship that was attacked by LTTE rebels off the Jaffana Peninsula were safe, the ship's owners said on Monday. They said the MV City of Liverpool which was damaged in yesterday's suicide attack by the Tamil Tigers was now in the port of Kankesanthurai and undergoing repair. 
At least 38 people were wounded in mushrooming riots between anti and pro-government factions in Lebanon Tuesday as the general strike called by the opposition to topple Premier Fouad Saniora's government developed into a bloody confrontation.
Both factions hurled rocks at each other and all of a sudden staccato bursts of automatic rifle fire echoed across the area. At least six people were wounded before an army patrol intervened and managed to re-open the road. Cautious calm prevailed, but groups of young men were seen staking it out at street corners, which indicates that the confrontation could break out again.
Al-Qaida's deputy leader mocked President Bush's plan to send 21,000 more troops to Iraq, challenging him to send "the entire army" and vowing insurgents will defeat them, according to a new videotape released Monday by a U.S. group that tracks al-Qaida messages. The Washington-based SITE Institute said it had intercepted the video from Ayman al-Zawahri, which had not yet been posted on Islamic militant Web sites, where his messages are usually posted. SITE did not elaborate on how it received the message. 
