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London: Four men plead guilty to explosives plot
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Africa Horn
Chinese oil workers massacred in attack by army of 200 rebels linked to Islamists
The rebels arrived just before dawn as the Chinese oil workers slept.

The assault lasted less than an hour. But by the time an estimated 200 gunmen left the remote oil installation, 74 people lay dead in the biggest and most bloody attack mounted by Somali separatist rebels in a dusty corner of Ethiopia.

The Ogaden National Liberation Front, a group with links to the ousted Islamic courts in Somalia, later claimed responsibility in a military communiqué sent to The Times. It is fighting for a separate homeland for the Ogaden region’s population of Somali nomads, with the backing of Eritrea.

Last year the group gave warning that it would target foreign oil companies.

Ethiopia watchers said that they were surprised by the scale of the attack and that it was likely to be linked to unrest in Somalia, which has long threatened to drag the Horn of Africa into a regional war. Nine Chinese oil workers and 65 Ethiopians died, according to officials from both countries.

Bereket Simon, spokesman for the Ethiopian Prime Minister, said that the attack was an act of terrorism.

“This is a cowardly act that has been done under the cover of night,” he said by telephone from the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. “They have been planting bombs in many places but this is the first time they have killed so many people in cold blood. We will do whatever it takes to bring the perpetrators to justice.” Mr Simon said that reinforcements had been sent to the oilfield in Abole, about 240 miles (390km) from the state capital, Jijiga.

A Chinese oil worker who witnessed the attack said that about 200 gunmen arrived at 5am. They opened fire on 100 soldiers guarding the site in a battle that lasted almost an hour, said Xu Shuang, acting manager of the oil company involved. He said that the gunmen took control of the oilfield briefly before escaping with another seven hostages.

The workers were employed by the Zhongyuan Petroleum Exploration Bureau, part of China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation, the Chinese Xinhua news agency reported.

A statement released by the Ogaden rebels said that their “Dufaan” commando unit had completely destroyed the oil installation and three units of Ethiopian government forces.

“The ONLF has stated on numerous occasions that we will not allow the mineral resources of our people to be exploited by this regime or any firm that it enters into an illegal contract with so long as the people of Ogaden are denied their rights to self-determina-tion,” the statement said.

The region, which is the size of Britain, is one of the poorest in Ethiopia. Roads are scarce and vast swaths are entirely inaccessible during the rainy season. Barely 15 per cent of children attend schools.

David Shinn, a former US Ambassador to Ethiopia, said that the scale of the attack was unprecedented and could be linked to Addis Ababa’s role in Somalia. “It might indicate growing unrest in the region generally and particularly in Somalia itself, and that might be giving additional support to the ONLF in the Ogaden.”

Last year a United Nations arms-monitoring report revealed that ONLF leaders were frequent visitors to the Somali home of Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, who later rose to power as hardline leader of the Union of Islamic Courts. ONLF members visited his home in central Somalia to collect arms sent from Eritrea, which has a history of supporting Ethiopia’s opponents. Sheikh Aweys is wanted by the US in connection with Islamic terrorism.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 04/26/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Shucks, China, why'd anyone want to disrupt your harmless forays into the region?

Memo to the PRC Politburo: FOAD.
Posted by: Zenster || 04/26/2007 0:29 Comments || Top||

#2  "National Liberation Front" > so a Commie-led/suppor group has attacked other comrade Commies??? Lest we fergit, NEWSMAX [Y2000] > CHINA IN SUDAN: AN ARMY, OR WORKERS? 700,000 alleged soldiers of the PLA, wid large numbers wilfully disguised, and PAID, as "civilian" labor.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 04/26/2007 0:39 Comments || Top||

#3  Whatcha gonna do? Watcha gonna do? Watcha gonna do, when the islamists come for you? PRC. PRC.
Posted by: anymouse || 04/26/2007 0:54 Comments || Top||

#4  I look forward to more mischief against the ChiCom interests in the area. When the Muslims start beheading and kidnapping for ransom, I'm waiting to see the ChiCom response. Might be a good area to test some of their nifty new weapons systems.
Posted by: Woozle Elmeter2970 || 04/26/2007 1:27 Comments || Top||

#5  Somali Separatist Rebels? Somali was seperate from Ethiopia last time I checked...
Posted by: Vinegar Ulogum7733 || 04/26/2007 4:12 Comments || Top||

#6  WE: Might be a good area to test some of their nifty new weapons systems.

China has developed some new weapons systems. But "nifty" isn't a word I hear much in association with Chinese-made goods. That goes double for weapons systems. Think cr*ppy, sh*tty, et al.
Posted by: Zhang Fei || 04/26/2007 4:17 Comments || Top||

#7  They're building a lot of ships now, but the guys who work for my company say the quality is pretty low. Certainly not up to Korean standards and orders of magnitude below Japanese standards.
Posted by: Mac || 04/26/2007 6:22 Comments || Top||

#8  And certainly not up to the standards of the Mightiest Military Force In The World - the Stupendous, the Colossal, the Speeding-Express-Train-Without-Brakes, the one, the ONLY --- Islamic Republic of IRAN!
Posted by: Bobby || 04/26/2007 7:13 Comments || Top||

#9  They're building a lot of ships now, but the guys who work for my company say the quality is pretty low.

Same old communist ethic - quantity instead of quality. Worked okay at Kursk (although an argument can be made that a large portion of the Russian tanks at Kursk were at least as good as what the Germans were able to field in force); proven incorrect time and again with the Israeli's vs whomever especially in the 6-Day War (Israeli Merkava's vs Egyptian/Syrian Russian-made T-10s).

Posted by: FOTSGreg || 04/26/2007 10:33 Comments || Top||

#10  In Kursk the engines of Panthers catched fire spontaneously due to Panther being ten tons heavier than initailly planned. Also superhevay assult guns completely unpenetrable to Soviet AT weapons fell to mere infantrymen armed wuth flamethrowers: they had no machine guns to protect themselves against infantry and they had continued advancing after froiendly infantry and tanks had beeeen stopped.


In Middle East it was Merkavas against Soviet Tanks but it was also Israeli crews against Arab ones. In the 1956 war, the Egyptians had by far the best tanks and they were still clobbered.
Posted by: JFM || 04/26/2007 11:54 Comments || Top||

#11  In 1956 and 1967 it was mainly dieselized Shermans and Cheiftains against commie steel. Then M60s and Cheiftans aginst T-62z et.al. in '73, don't think the Merkava was around in numbers till after '73.
Posted by: Shipman || 04/26/2007 14:50 Comments || Top||

#12  According to Dayan's book, in 1956 the mainstay of Israeli armor was the by then hopelessly obsolete Sherman M3 (his own words). In addition to early Sherman models inherent defects, Israeli Shermans suffered from lots of track problems during thed campaign since they lacked purposefully built desert tracks. In anumber of occasions, israli tanks were left scattered on the road due to meachnical problems and the first ones arrived after the battle.

Fortunately, they got some state of the art AMX tanks from the French a few months before the war. It is not clear these had desert tracks.
Posted by: JFM || 04/26/2007 17:13 Comments || Top||

#13  Ah, for the good old days when France liked Israel; unlike today, when a Canadian friend commented to me that over there recently her son used his French more than his Hebrew. Ariel Sharon would have been pleased that so many French Jews followed his advice, and saddened that it proved necessary.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/26/2007 17:48 Comments || Top||

#14  Not Chieftains.... Churchillz. Getting gray-brained.
Posted by: Shipman || 04/26/2007 17:48 Comments || Top||


Somali Islamists claim attacks on Ethiopians
An Islamist militant group on Wednesday claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing and a car bomb attack on Ethiopian forces in Somalia. The group, calling itself the Young Mujahideen Movement in Somalia, also said in an Internet statement that its fighters detonated a car bomb near an Ethiopian military convoy in the Somali capital, destroying two trucks. It said a Kenyan member named Othman Otibo carried out Tuesday’s suicide bombing at an Ethiopian military base in Afgooye, a small town 30 km (19 miles) west of Mogadishu. “Following this blessed martyrdom operation, a seven-minute clash broke out between the victorious lions of unification Islam and the remnants of the defeated Ethiopians,” the statement said. The authenticity of the statement could not be verified. But it was posted on a Web site used by Islamist militants in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia. The attacks followed a week of artillery duels and gun battles between allied Somali-Ethiopian forces and rebels in which 300 people were killed. The surge of violence has frustrated the government’s bid to restore central rule in the Horn of Africa country for the first time in 16 years.
Posted by: Fred || 04/26/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  An Islamist militant group on Wednesday claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing and a car bomb attack on Ethiopian forces in Somalia.

No sh*t.

/Sherlock
Posted by: Excalibur || 04/26/2007 9:08 Comments || Top||


Africa North
Al-Qaeda #2 In Algeria Killed
The No. 2 official of al Qaeda in Algeria was killed Thursday in a clash with an army patrol, the country's official APS news agency said, citing security officials. Samir Mousaab was killed near the village of Si Moustapha about 25 miles east of the capital, Algiers, the radio reported.

It said Mousaab's body was identified by former members of the Salafist Group for Call and Combat, an insurgent group that changed its name to al Qaeda in Islamic North Africa when it announced its alliance with al Qaeda in January.

The group was built on the foundations of an Algerian insurgency to topple Algeria's secular government that erupted in 1992 after the army canceled elections that a Muslim fundamentalist party was set to win. Up to 200,000 people — militants, security forces and civilians — have been killed.

Thursday's clash came weeks after double-suicide bombings on April 11 that killed 33 people and wounded 57 in Algiers. Al Qaeda in Islamic North Africa claimed responsibility for the attacks, coordinated suicide bombings targeting the prime minister's office and a police station. The attacks were the deadliest in the Algiers region since 2002, when a bomb in a suburban market killed 38 people and wounded 80.

Algeria has tried to turn the page on the insurgency through military crackdowns and amnesty offers. Until recently, its efforts appeared successful, with militants' ranks decimated and the holdouts isolated in rural hideouts.

Reassured, foreign businesses returned to oil- and gas-rich Algeria, and many foreign workers moved out of hotels and into apartments. Yet violence has surged again recently, and al Qaeda's North Africa wing has claimed responsibility for several recent attacks on foreigners. A March 3 bombing of a bus carrying workers for a Russian company killed a Russian engineer and three Algerians. In December, an Algerian and a Lebanese citizen were killed in an attack that targeted a bus carrying foreign employees of an affiliate of the U.S. company Halliburton.
This article starring:
SAMIR MUSAABSalafist Group for Call and Combat
al Qaeda in Islamic North Africa
Salafist Group for Call and Combat
Posted by: Gromogum Elmereter5708 || 04/26/2007 18:48 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The Halliburton Earthquake/Tsunami Division is located in Algeria? Sly choice that was...which means, of course, the decision was made by the Dark Lord Rove!
I wondered where they went after WTC7 went down for the insurance money and gold reserves.
Posted by: $400 haircut America || 04/26/2007 19:48 Comments || Top||


Casablanca Bombing 'Mastermind' Is Head Of A Jihadist Cell
Casablanca, 26 April (AKI) - Moroccan police believe a suspected mastermind of the deadly May 2003 Casablanca bombings who they arrested last month - 44-year-old Moroccan national Saad Hussaini - is the brain behind a terrorist cell allegedly responsible for the recent wave of suicide bombings in Casablanca and the head of a jihadist network that has been sending would-be suicide bombers to Iraq, Spanish daily ABC reports.

It was Hussaini's arrest on 8 March that sparked a series of seven suicide bombings in Casablanca between 11 March and 13 April, ABC said, quoting police sources. Police believe Hussaini recruited the suicide bombers and trained them in the use of explosives and weapons. At the time of his arrest, Hussaini was identified by the official Moroccan news agency MAP as the military leader of the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (Groupe Islamique Combattant Marocain, or GICM), an Islamic fundamentalist group operating in North Africa.

Hussaini's activities signal the existence of an extensive terror network stretching from North Africa to Spain and the Middle East, say Moroccan investigators. He studied chemisty at the University of Valencia in the 1990s when police arrested him for having falsified documents for Islamist extremists. Hussaini in 1997 escaped to Afghanistan where he was in contact with al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and second in command Ayman al-Zawahiri, according to ABC.

He returned in 2002 to Morocco and assumed a prominent role in the GICM and was one of the main organisers of the 16 May 2003 bombings of Casablanca tourist locations which killed 33 civilians and the 12 bombers and injured over 100 civilians - the deadliest attacks in the country's history.

Investigators are trying to establish whether Hussaini was in Spain on 11 March 2004 - the date of the Madrid train bombings which killed 191 commuters and injured 1,800 over which 29 mainly North African suspects are currently standing trial in the Spanish capital. Moroccan sources quoted by ABC allege Hussaini was in contact with the Madrid train bombing cell and analysis of DNA evidence is reported to be key to the investigation. Hussaini has been detained in Sale near the Moroccan city of Rabat since 8 March.
This article starring:
AIMAN AL ZAWAHIRIal-Qaeda
SAAD HUSEINIMoroccan Islamic Combatant Group
Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group
Posted by: Steve || 04/26/2007 13:02 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Al-Qaeda Leader In Sahara Ready To Surrender, Report
Algiers, 26 April (AKI) - The leader of the Organisation of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Mokhtar Belmokhtar, who is in charge of the area of Algerian Sahara is ready to surrender, according to a report in Algerian daily al-Shuruq published Thursday. The paper, which quoted unnamed informed sources, said authorities are negotiating directly with the family of Mokhtar considered the Emir of the so-called Area Number Five, southern Algeria.

Belmokhtar, whose nom de guerre is Abu al-Abbas or Louar, was reportedly close to Hassan Hattab, the former leader of the now defunct Salafite Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), which changed its name to Organisation of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in January after pledging allegiance to the international terrorist network of Osama bin Laden. Hattab has surrendered under a national reconciliation plan offered by Algerian authorities to end a brutal civil war in the 1990s in which an estimated 200,000 people have died.

Belmokhtar is allegedly in northern Mali, living with an Arab tribe, the al-Berrasha, also involved in the mediations which are taking place in the area of Ain Khalil, 35 kilometres from Mali's border with Algeria. The terror suspect is reportedly demanding a passport and the cancellation of all charges against him, including a sentence to death, in exchange for his surrender.
Hummmm, no
The 11 April attacks in Algiers in which 30 people died allegedly led Belmokhtar to distance himself from al-Qaeda.
Posted by: Steve || 04/26/2007 12:58 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Agree to it. And then subject him to trial by wood chipper. If he survives, he's guilty.
Posted by: gorb || 04/26/2007 17:15 Comments || Top||

#2  Mokhtar Belmokhtar, who is in charge of the area of Algerian Sahara...

"Someday, son, all this will be yours!"
"What, the sand?..."
Posted by: mojo || 04/26/2007 17:21 Comments || Top||

#3  hahahahaha youz.

Someday this awl will be yours.
Dad I don't want to compete with the Manolo.
Posted by: Shipman || 04/26/2007 17:51 Comments || Top||

#4  I wonder if he knew this guy:
"No. 2 official of al Qaeda in Algeria, Samir Mousaab, was killed Thursday in a clash with an army patrol, the country's official APS news agency said, citing security officials."
Posted by: Glenmore || 04/26/2007 20:27 Comments || Top||


Moroccan wins case against extradition
A Moroccan accused by Spain of “terrorist” offences linked to the September 11 attacks on the United States in 2001 won a legal fight on Wednesday against extradition from Britain. Lawyers for Farid Hilali, who is suspected by Spain of links with a Syrian-born al Qaeda cell leader and who has been prison in Britain for more than three years, were granted a court order which could soon allow him to be released. In a High Court ruling, two of the country's most senior judges said Hilali's detention had become "unlawful".

Spanish prosecutors had accused Hilali of having links to Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas, who was convicted but then cleared on appeal in Madrid last year of "conspiracy to commit terrorist murder" in connection with the September 11 attacks. "The Supreme Court of Spain acquitted Barakat Yarkas of conspiring with anyone to commit the 9/11 atrocities," Hilali's solicitor, Muddassar Arani, said in a statement after Wednesday's ruling. "In spite of all this, the Spanish lower court and the prosecutor persisted in saying that they had a case against Farid Hilali, but failed to provide any detail."

Hilali was arrested in Britain in September 2003 and has been in jail since then. Arani said the High Court's ruling confirmed that Hilali's detention was now "arbitrary and unjustified". Hilali will remain in prison for the time being, however, since the High Court judges refused him bail pending a decision on his immigration status.
This article starring:
FARID HILALIal-Qaeda
Hilali's solicitor, Muddassar Arani
IMAD EDIN BARAKAT YARKASal-Qaeda in Europe
Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas
Posted by: Fred || 04/26/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Two terrorist funding and support networks dismantled
Bouira Wilaya judiciary police services managed earlier this weak to arrest 11 people suspect to belong to two terrorist support and funding networks acting in Bouira. The official in charge of information and communication at Bouira Wilaya security department made clear that judiciary police services arrested eight people their age rages from 25 to 65 years, indicted with the belonging and support to a terrorist organization, as they supply terrorists with stock, funds and information about security services moves. The accused appeared yesterday before general prosecutor at Lakhdaria tribunal, seven were put under custody and the oldest benefited from a provisional release.

Still in Lakhdaria region, security services arrested three people belonging to a similar network; same sources mentioned that the network has been dismantled after the arrest of S. N., the brother of a famous terrorist in the region who told them about his two accomplices. The three are expected to appear before the general prosecutor within the forthcoming hours.
Posted by: Fred || 04/26/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Nothing will change until the halawa network is taken apart at the seams. It must be outlawed in all countries that wish to escape Islamic domination.
Posted by: Zenster || 04/26/2007 14:50 Comments || Top||


Britain
Student 'library of hate aimed to stir holy war'
Five students gathered a "shocking" computer library of terrorist propaganda to encourage young people to give up their lives for Muslim holy war, a court has heard. Bradford University students Aitzaz Zafar, 18, Awaab Iqbal, 19, Usman Malik, 19, and Akbar Butt, 20, and sixth-form pupil Mohammed Irfan Raja, 18, hoped to spread their message among Muslims across the world, jurors were told. Butt even discussed holy war – or jihad – in chat forums from his computer terminal in the university library, and said he downloaded many martyrdom videos which made him "happy" because the extremists he knew in Bradford were "all talk".

The five were planning to travel to terror training camps in Pakistan before going into action, the Old Bailey in London heard. They hoped to recruit impressionable young people, gathering a sinister collection of martyrdom videos, extreme Islamic literature and al-Qaida terror network instruction manuals to further their aim, it was said.

Andrew Edis, prosecuting, told jurors: "The evidence will show that this group of five young men collected together a very large quantity of extreme Islamist and terrorist propaganda. It was propaganda of a kind intended to convey to Muslims everywhere this message: It is your religious duty to go to fight the jihad – jihad as physical fighting in the cause of Islam, fighting the disbelievers in order to clear the Muslim lands of any foreign occupation ... to fight and, if necessary, by dying until Muslim countries are clear of foreigners.

"There is a great deal of celebration of martyrdom, the rewards of dying in the name of jihad are repeated over and over again as an incitement and religious incentive to obey a religious command of duty."

Material found on the computers of the defendants allegedly encouraged young Muslims to travel to Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq to fight with the Mujihadeen – warriors of the jihad. It also glorified suicide attackers including the September 11 hijackers, and called for attacks on Jewish communities and Britain, the court heard. Jurors were warned they might be alarmed by the extreme material they would need to view during the trial.

Mr Edis added: "It will probably shock you in a number of ways, not necessarily because of the physical violence but because of the veneration of suicide as a weapon of war or terrorism. But this trial is not about why hatred exists or whether it is justified or not. This trial is not about whether somebody is entitled to hold strong political views. This trial is not about whether people are entitled to follow their religion in this country."

"It is about an answer to this question: Did these young men accumulate and use this material as part of a process which was intended to encourage them and others to carry out terrorist acts? Were they collecting these religious instructions and motivational propagandist films, collecting them together to encourage themselves and others they may recruit into their group?"

The five defendants are all charged with possessing articles likely to be useful to terrorists, which were uncovered during raids on their homes.

Iqbal, a forensic science student of Grove Terrace, Bradford, and Zafar, of Bishop Street, Rochdale, both deny possessing three CDs between February 23 and March 3 2006. Iqbal alone denies possessing discs, a video recording and a hard drive. Zafar denies possession of two computer hard drives and four discs.

Malik, of Laisteridge Lane, Bradford, denies possessing a document called "Raising Mujihadeen children" and "joining the caravan", and a USB drive. Butt, of no known address, denies two counts of possessing a laptop hard drive. Raja, of Ilford, London, denies two charges of possessing three CDs containing Islamic material and documents on a hard drive.

The trial continues.
Posted by: ryuge || 04/26/2007 08:04 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  And in opposition to all that hatefulness, we have Rantburg. Off topic: ryuge, I just read your sweet comment from yesterday, responding to my thoughts about Spinoza. I'm glad you felt welcomed here when first you commented; you've been quite an asset to this wonderful community, who've expanded my view so far beyond the bounds of my own sheltered life. :-)
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/26/2007 8:26 Comments || Top||

#2  I'm so glad you had a chance to see that TW, and thank you for your kind words as well. There are a lot of others here about whom I could say a lot of nice things as well. For now I'll just say many thanks to Fred, the patient and helpful moderators and all the regular commenters here.
Posted by: ryuge || 04/26/2007 9:00 Comments || Top||

#3  University students Aitzaz Zafar, 18, Awaab Iqbal, 19, Usman Malik, 19, and Akbar Butt, 20, and sixth-form pupil Mohammed Irfan Raja, 18

heh heh... he said 'butt'
Posted by: beavis and butthead || 04/26/2007 12:21 Comments || Top||

#4  Aitzaz Zafar, 18, Awaab Iqbal, 19, Usman Malik, 19, and Akbar Butt, 20, and sixth-form pupil Mohammed Irfan Raja, 18

There's that name again!
Posted by: Zenster || 04/26/2007 13:56 Comments || Top||

#5  What's the problem ? Moderate Muslims engaged in collecting data and propaganda so the lesser informed can take advantage. No problem.
Posted by: wxjames || 04/26/2007 14:46 Comments || Top||

#6  Since Akbar means something like "great" or "grand," does Akbar Butt translate to "big butt?"
Posted by: Jackal || 04/26/2007 22:21 Comments || Top||

#7  does Akbar Butt translate to "big butt?"

More like "great piece of ass".
Posted by: Zenster || 04/26/2007 23:03 Comments || Top||


London: Four men plead guilty to explosives plot
Four men pleaded guilty in a London court on Wednesday to charges that they conspired with an al-Qaida linked operative to set off explosions. Junade "Clive" Feroze, 31, Mohammed "Alistaire" Zia Ul Haq, 28, Abdul Aziz "Nigel" Jalil, 34, and Omar "Percy" Abdul Rehman, 23, admitted in Woolwich Crown Court that they conspired with Dhiren Barot, who was sentenced to life in prison for planning attacks on targets in the United States and Britain, London's Metropolitan Police said. Last week, another man, Mohammed "Cecil" Naveed Bhatti, 27, also pleaded guilty to taking part in the conspiracy. Authorities did not release details of any specific targets linked to the five men.
This article starring:
ABDUL AZIZ JALILal-Qaeda
DHIREN BAROTal-Qaeda
JUNADE FEROZEal-Qaeda
MOHAMED NAVID BHATTIal-Qaeda
MOHAMED ZIA UL HAQal-Qaeda
OMAR ABDUL REHMANal-Qaeda
Posted by: Fred || 04/26/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Probably hoping for the death sentence, so they can be Martyrs of Islam™.

Hey, Abdul! Do the Limey Infidels even DO the death penalty thing?

How should I know, Junade! If not, we'll just have to starve ourselves to martyrdom!
Posted by: Bobby || 04/26/2007 6:59 Comments || Top||


Europe
Greek police arrest 12 Iraqis over terrorism threat
Greek police arrested 12 Iraqi immigrants on Wednesday after receiving information of a possible al-Qaeda terrorist attack against the United States Embassy in Athens.

Officials conducted searches in various homes around the embassy late on Tuesday and blocked the streets around the diplomatic mission on Wednesday morning after receiving information from an Iraqi national of a possible plan to attack the embassy. Traffic was backed up for hours in central Athens as police cordoned off the main road in front of the embassy which remained closed. Searches were still being conducted at various buildings in the area.

Security around the embassy in central Athens has been heightened following a rocket attack on the building in January which caused minor damage and no injuries.

A far-left group, Revolutionary Struggle, later claimed responsibility for the attack, saying their action was in response to US military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/26/2007 14:49 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  A far-left group, Revolutionary Struggle, later claimed responsibility for the attack, saying their action was in response to US military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Of course nothing was done before or afterwards; Greek police tend to leave the home-teams alone...
Posted by: Pappy || 04/26/2007 20:22 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
100 'anti-Iran' Militants Arrested, Report
Washington, 26 April (AKI/DAWN) - Pakistan’s security services have quietly arrested a number of suspected militants in the past two months in a major bid to thwart planned attacks inside Iran, CBS News reported on Wednesday. Quoting key Pakistani and Arab officials, the report said that the arrests appear to be the first tangible evidence of a Pakistani response to the February militant attack in Zahedan, Iran, which left 11 people dead — all members of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard. Iranian officials blamed the attacks on members of Jundullah, a militant group based in Pakistan, and believed to be seeking to intensify attacks inside Iran.

The Zahedan attack prompted widespread concerns among senior Pakistani officials of a slide in already-uneasy relations with the government of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the report said. According to the report, Iranian officials have claimed privately that Islamabad has not done enough to curb anti-Iran militants based on Pakistani soil. The report said that 100 to 150 arrested so far also include an unspecified number of war-hardened veterans who have previously fought in Afghanistan and Kashmir.
Attack Afghanistan - no problem. Attack Kashmir - no problem. Attack Iran - big problem
A militant who was once associated with Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, a Muslim militant group that is banned in Pakistan, told CBS News that most of the recent arrests took place in the restive south-western province of Baluchistan and the North West Frontier Province (NWFP).“The arrests have taken place usually when people have been on the road. In some instances, they were quietly picked up when they stopped at a roadside cafe for a meal," said the militant, who spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity.

A second source, who is also a member of a now-banned Pakistani Sunni group, claimed the arrests may have been prompted by information given to Pakistan by the Iranians.
Well, it's not like they could find them by themselves
“In many cases, there were people arrested who were widely believed to be anti-Iran for a long time. I believe the Iranians had much to do with identifying these people and making sure they were picked up," he said.
They likely have deep cover agents imbedded with them.
Posted by: Steve || 04/26/2007 12:52 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The Baluchis will attack Iran one day and Pakistan the next, running to the other side of the border to get away.

Optimally, if Iran is too busy to keep any forces in Baluchistan, Pakistan will occupy and unite it, putting and end to the Baluchi problem. This will also deny Iran a lot of the minerals it would need to rebuild its nuclear program.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 04/26/2007 13:57 Comments || Top||

#2  Does rebuild mean as in rebuild after either we or the Israelis take out the existing nuclear program?
Posted by: JohnQC || 04/26/2007 14:27 Comments || Top||

#3  Mouse

I think we just got it raw dog right here. Its been awhile but I think we were working with the Balouch with idea of making them a Kurd type force for Iran. Pakiland has been sliding away from US for sometime now and I think this should put many at langley in wake up mode.

Not a good development at all. Not a game ender but not good at all.
Posted by: C-Low || 04/26/2007 21:03 Comments || Top||

#4  My appologies "Moose" didn't mean "Mouse" typo
Posted by: C-Low || 04/26/2007 21:04 Comments || Top||


3 murdered in sectarian attack
DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Unidentified militants shot dead three people on Wednesday in a targeted sectarian shooting here, police and officials said. The assailants sprayed bullets from a Kalashnikov rifle on a vehicle in which two brothers from a prominent Shia Muslim family and their Sunni employee were travelling in Dera Ismail Khan district. All three died instantly and the attackers fled, police said. The two brothers were identified as Najaf Ali Shah and Syed Ali Shah.

It was a targeted killing by Sunni militants, District Police Chief Zulfiqar Cheema said. An official of the provincial government blamed the attack on the banned Sipah-e-Sahaba and urged Shias to remain peaceful.
Posted by: Fred || 04/26/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Dang. You sure gotta be careful of the Sectarians.
Posted by: anymouse || 04/26/2007 1:00 Comments || Top||

#2  Yep, Godless bastards the Sectarians.
Posted by: Shipman || 04/26/2007 17:56 Comments || Top||


Militants destroy electricity tower, tribesmen protest
Unidentified militants blew up a transmission line tower on Tuesday, disrupting electricity supply to several areas in Mohmand and Bajaur agencies.

The incident occurred late on Tuesday night near Dando Pul, an area that includes 25 disputed villages that were previously part of the tribal areas but were included in the settled areas. The sabotage suspended electricity supply in Ghalanai, Yakka Ghund, Pindyalai, Ambaar, Yousuf Khel, Makrai, Khwaizai, Ghaziabad-I and II, Mamadgut and other areas in Mohmand Agency, and some parts of Bajaur Agency.

A Tribal Electric Supply Company (TESCO) official said that militants had targeted the same tower a few months ago, but it had been repaired. He added that repair work on the tower was in progress and electricity supply would be restored by Wednesday night.

Tribesmen have been protesting against the prolonged electricity suspension since Tuesday. Shopkeepers are observing a “black day” and their protest will continue today. The shopkeepers will march to Ghalanai on Friday to protest against the electricity cut and will block the Peshawar-Bajaur road till electricity is restored.
Posted by: Fred || 04/26/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Why don't they just turn in the perps who keep blowing up their power?
Posted by: 3dc || 04/26/2007 5:01 Comments || Top||

#2  "Why don't they just turn in the perps "

Because they'd rather live without power than die with power. If the authorities can't protect the power lines it's a good bet they couldn't/wouldn't protect informers.
Posted by: Glenmore || 04/26/2007 7:08 Comments || Top||

#3  Why not just make it one of the 492,386 holiest Islamic sites? Heck, make the whole of the US one of them and we'll solve the whole problem.
Posted by: gorb || 04/26/2007 14:36 Comments || Top||


Rashid Rauf sent to Adiala
Rashid Rauf, the alleged mastermind of a failed attempt to blow up transatlantic airliners, has been sent to Adiala Jail from Civil Lines Police sub-jail, sources told Daily Times here on Wednesday. The sources said that Civil Lines police authorities handed Rauf to Adiala Jail authorities along with his accomplices Khalid Mehmood Siddiqui and Aurangzeb three days ago. They have been detained in the jail’s cell number two, where those convicted of attacks on President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat are being kept under strict vigilance.
Posted by: Fred || 04/26/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Iraq
Tribes Chasing Qa'ida Across Anbar Border?
Operations to root out al-Qa'ida-affiliated elements are still underway in Anbar Province, under the leadership of a coalition of tribal forces, according to several recent media reports in Arabic. A most recent report says that the “Anbar Salvation Front” has captured a key leader affiliated with the “Islamic State of Iraq” organization, but this has not been confirmed, and questions remain over this particular report. According to earlier reports, the Front announced the immanent defeat of al-Qa'ida-related groups in Anbar province, and asked for permission to pursue militants across provincial lines. Recent reports suggest that such clearance may have been granted.
...
The Front announced two weeks ago that the al-Qa'ida fighters were on the verge of defeat in Anbar province, according to al-Hayat. The tribal forces were pursuing al-Qa'ida members to the northern borders of Babil province, to the area known as the “triangle of death,” the paper writes.
...
The Front’s request to pursue al-Qa'ida fighters into neighboring provinces has apparently been granted, according to a report in the Iraqi daily al-Mada on Tuesday.
...
Al-Mada also reported that the tribal forces had captured a key “Islamic State of Iraq” member, writing that the police of the Anbar Salvation Front arrested the “Minister of Finance” for the al-Qaida affiliated “Islamic State of Iraq.”
...
US forces were not informed of the operation, al-Mada reports. Informing US forces would have delayed the operation, the success of which depended on speed and surprise, the paper writes. The source also said that informing the US would have increased the possibility of the information being leaked which would have caused the terrorists to flee. Al-Mada’s sources said that the local security forces were concerned that some of the individuals working with the US could inform the suspects of the operation.
Or they just didn't want to operate under our RoE.
...
Posted by: Brett || 04/26/2007 09:18 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  US forces were not informed of the operation, al-Mada reports. Informing US forces would have delayed the operation, the success of which depended on speed and surprise, the paper writes. The source also said that informing the US would have increased the possibility of the information being leaked which would have caused the terrorists to flee.

I would hope they did inform us of the operation as soon as it went down. I'd hate to see a blue-on-blue incident.
Posted by: Mike || 04/26/2007 10:08 Comments || Top||

#2  It probably means "officially informed", which is very different from "we know what is going down", in that the US could be whined at by internationalists who would demand that the US do something to stop the persecution of the poor, unfortunate al-Qaeda at the hands of the Sunnis.

We would just shrug and say that we are under no obligation to "act on rumor", and have to rely on being "officially informed" before we could intercede to arrest, instead of allow al-Qaeda to be slaughtered like pigs.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 04/26/2007 10:27 Comments || Top||

#3  Right, 'cuz if we knew, we'd hafta intervene to protect their rights under Murtha's constitution.
Posted by: Bobby || 04/26/2007 17:05 Comments || Top||

#4  ROE more like most likley they wanted to be able to capture this terd ball and do a little Arab style ehhhh intense questioning beofore turning him over.

I have heard these tribal boys don't play when it comes to interrogation its old school way back style.

What happened to the plyers, knuckles, needles pic?
Posted by: C-Low || 04/26/2007 20:56 Comments || Top||

#5  C-Low----shhhhhhhhh....it's classified. On the QT.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 04/26/2007 21:56 Comments || Top||


Anbar Progress "Breathtaking"
See? I can spin headlines, too!The general commanding U.S. forces in Iraq said on a trip to Washington that there has been progress made in Iraq but "we have work to do." Sectarian killings in Baghdad are down by about one-third this year, U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus told reporters.

"That is an important development, because sectarian murders can be a cancer in a neighborhood," he said after talking to members of Congress about the Iraq situation.

Petraeus also said progress in the Sunni-run Anbar province "is something that is breathtaking," CNN reported.
Posted by: Bobby || 04/26/2007 07:51 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  any comment, Harry?
Posted by: Frank G || 04/26/2007 8:00 Comments || Top||

#2  Did any of the Dems leadership (an oxymoron) even show up for Petraeus' briefing?
Posted by: ed || 04/26/2007 8:08 Comments || Top||

#3  But they "support the troops".
Posted by: Excalibur || 04/26/2007 9:00 Comments || Top||

#4  But they "support the Al-Qaeda troops".

There... fixed it for ya...
Posted by: CrazyFool || 04/26/2007 9:23 Comments || Top||

#5  I guess I would make a point of constantly reminding everyone that I "support the troops" if everything else I did and said tended to suggest the opposite.
Posted by: Iblis || 04/26/2007 12:14 Comments || Top||

#6  It's a lie! There. Fixed it.
Posted by: HandsUp Harry || 04/26/2007 14:19 Comments || Top||

#7  Quick! Surrender before it's too late.
Posted by: Captain America || 04/26/2007 15:59 Comments || Top||


U.S. soldier accused of aiding the enemy
Hit tip to ed, who's post got lost
BAGHDAD -- A senior U.S. officer has been charged with nine offenses, including aiding the enemy and fraternizing with the daughter of a detainee while he commanded a military police detachment at an American detention facility near Baghdad, the military said Thursday.

Army Lt. Col. William H. Steele was accused of giving "aid to the enemy" by providing an unmonitored cell phone to detainees. Steele was the commander of the 451st Military Police Detachment at Camp Cropper, a U.S. detention center on the western outskirts of Baghdad, when the offenses allegedly occurred between October 2005 and February, military spokesman Lt. Col. James Hutton said. Steele was being held in Kuwait pending a grand jury investigation, Hutton said.

The other charges included unauthorized possession of classified information, fraternizing with the daughter of a detainee, maintaining an inappropriate relationship with an interpreter, storing classified information in his quarters and possessing pornographic videos, the military said.
Horny bastard as well as stupid. He'll have a lot of time to think about it in Kansas
Steele also was charged with improperly marking classified information, failing to obey an order and failing to fulfill his obligations in the expenditure of funds, the military said.

Camp Cropper, located near the Baghdad airport, replaced the notorious Abu Ghraib prison as the main detention facility in the capital area.
Posted by: Steve || 04/26/2007 07:35 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  U.S. soldier accused of aiding the enemy

Is he a member of Congress?
Posted by: Excalibur || 04/26/2007 8:59 Comments || Top||

#2  Can't be a Congresscritter cause you're not suppose to hold two federal offices at the same time [though Senator Goldwater somehow got a waiver no one contested a while back].
Posted by: Procopius2k || 04/26/2007 9:04 Comments || Top||

#3  Will they have the guts to prosecute on these charges? Will the evidence hold up?

Or, will he be allowed to resign his commission?
Posted by: Chuck Simmins || 04/26/2007 9:40 Comments || Top||

#4  Kinda surprising. TF-134 ran a very tight ship, in my experience, so this is quite a disappointment. Law of averages, I suppose.
Posted by: Verlaine || 04/26/2007 11:37 Comments || Top||

#5  Hmmm sounds like a great candidate for an open Donkocrat state or congressional seat. During his campaign he can clam he was HOUNDED by the Bushitlers for his outspoken stance against the war.
Posted by: Cyber Sarge || 04/26/2007 11:50 Comments || Top||

#6  Then-SecDef Cheney was also a USNR A-6 B/N, FWIW.
Posted by: USN. Ret. || 04/26/2007 14:39 Comments || Top||

#7  "Soldier"? This guy's no soldier, he's a Lt. Col!
Posted by: Parabellum || 04/26/2007 17:55 Comments || Top||

#8  providing an unmonitored cell phone to detainees.

Kewl, that way all the apprehended suspects could be identified to the enemy in case they got turned.

He'll have a lot of time to think about it in Kansas

"I say we give him ten years in Leavenworth!"

"How about eleven years in Twelveworth?"

"What about five and ten at Woolworth's?"

[/Marx Brothers]
Posted by: Zenster || 04/26/2007 21:47 Comments || Top||

#9  Doesn't directly aiding the enemy like that fall under the classification of actual Treason. Forget nuances like Laval Reid; would this be an open-and-shut case?
Posted by: Jackal || 04/26/2007 22:25 Comments || Top||


Iraq: Car Bombs Near Iranian Embassy
Two car bombs exploded near the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad on Tuesday, police said, and a Sunni Arab insurgent group claimed responsibility for a similar attack the day before.

Tuesday's two car bombs exploded within two minutes of each other at about 10 a.m. in a public parking lot located about 150 yards from the front of the Iranian Embassy, wounding six civilians but causing no damage to the embassy or its guards, a police officer said on condition of anonymity out of concern for his own security.

On Monday, two parked car bombs exploded outside the embassy in Karradah Mariam, an area of Baghdad that is about 200 yards from the heavily guarded Green Zone, where the Iraqi government and the U.S. and British embassies operate. One bomb exploded near the same public parking lot at about noon, killing one civilian and wounding another. At 4:30 p.m., the other parked car bomb exploded close to a police patrol near the Iranian Embassy, killing one civilian and wounding two officers, police said.

On Tuesday, the prominent Iraqi Sunni insurgent group Islamic Ansar al-Sunnah issued a statement on its Web site claiming responsibility for Monday's bombing near the parking lot.

"Despite the failed and filthy security plan which is being carried by crusaders and renegades against Muslims in this country, your brother mujahedeen are determined to continue this long road," the group said.

It said the attack targeted a parking lot used by Iraqi "renegades who work at the Green Zone."

U.S. officials have accused Iran, a mostly Shiite country, of training and arming Shiite militiamen in Iraq, fueling the country's sectarian war. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, leader of Iraq's Shiite-majority government, recently said efforts are under way to try to release five Iranians who were captured by U.S. forces on Jan. 11 in the city of Irbil in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq.

U.S. authorities have said the five detained Iranians included the operations chief and other members of Iran's elite Quds Force, which is accused of arming and training Iraqi militants.
Posted by: Fred || 04/26/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "Despite the failed and filthy security plan which is being carried by crusaders and renegades against Muslims in this country, your brother mujahedeen are determined to continue this long road," the group said.

Ummm ... no. It's your fellow Muslims who are trying to kill you. As it should be.
Posted by: Zenster || 04/26/2007 0:34 Comments || Top||

#2  Uhhh, what Zen said.
Posted by: anymouse || 04/26/2007 0:59 Comments || Top||

#3  It would be wierd if the boomers supported by Iran bombed the Iranian embassy--but then that is OK with me.
Posted by: JohnQC || 04/26/2007 9:58 Comments || Top||

#4  Drop 137 meters, fire for effect.

It's the Sunnis I tell you. Yeah, that's the ticket.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 04/26/2007 11:00 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Iranian Trainers in Gaza
TEL AVIV [MENL] -- The Israeli military has located Iranian trainers in the Gaza Strip. Israeli military sources said Teheran has sent more than a dozen Iranians to train Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip. The sources said virtually all of the Iranians were of Palestinian origin and granted Iranian citizenship.
So they're deniable....and expendable.
"These were Palestinians trained first by Hizbullah in Lebanon and then in Iran," a military source said. "Many of these people provided training to Palestinians in Iran and were then sent to the Gaza Strip over the last 18 months."

The source said the Iranians were helping Palestinian factions in the development of weapons and combat techniques. The Iranians were also responsible for selecting Palestinians for intensive training in Iran.
Posted by: Steve || 04/26/2007 08:16 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  But this is impossible. Orcs of the White Hand always start skirmishing when they encounter Orcs of the Lidless Eye.
Posted by: Excalibur || 04/26/2007 8:57 Comments || Top||

#2  Who'll send trainers, on not being afraid of getting one's hands a bit dirty, to IDF?
Posted by: gromgoru || 04/26/2007 10:35 Comments || Top||

#3  Who'll send trainers, on not being afraid of getting one's hands a bit dirty, to IDF?
I think the IDF can train itself, grom. They've been doing a pretty da$$$$ good job of it since about 1945, IIRC.
Posted by: Old Patriot || 04/26/2007 12:55 Comments || Top||

#4  You mistake proficiency in combat with dealing with Arab "civilians" in the way they can understand, OldPat.
Posted by: gromgoru || 04/26/2007 14:04 Comments || Top||

#5  The one and only message that needs to be sent is to Iran. Anything less is wholly inadequate. Their meddling will not cease until a forcible stop is put to it. America alone has the ability to do this in a convincing fashion. In light of how badly Iranian intervention continues to compromise all of our efforts in the Middle East, neutralizing Iran is an absolute no-brainer. DO IT NOW. Put an end to this miserable death of a thousand paper cuts.
Posted by: Zenster || 04/26/2007 14:47 Comments || Top||


Southeast Asia
As violence continues, Thailand considers battalion per district in the south
The army is considering stationing a battalion in each of the 33 districts in the troubled provinces of the deep South, Council for National Security chief Sonthi Boonyaratkalin said yesterday. Also army chief, Gen Sonthi said the battalions would be mixed, bringing together soldiers, rangers and local officials. The army would determine the proportions of forces in each battalion, he added. He also said more paramilitary rangers would be sent to the region. Authorities would recruit locals to become rangers as this would cost the state less.

An employee of a security agency's job creation scheme was shot dead and his wife wounded in an attack in Pattani province yesterday. The couple was attacked in Nong Chik district by two men on a motorcycle while they were taking their daughter to school on a motorcycle. Niphon Prapai, 34, was shot in the head while his wife Srikanda, 32, sustained serious injuries. Their daughter escaped unhurt.

In neighbouring Yala's Bannang Sata district, four village defence volunteers were injured when their base was attacked by a group of armed men yesterday. On Tuesday, three villagers were shot and injured in a drive-by shooting in the same district.

A group of over 100 Muslim women yesterday set up a roadblock on Bannang Sata-Than Tho road to demand the lifting of martial law in the district. The protesters dispersed shortly afterwards.

In Narathiwat, a home-made bomb went off at a food shop in Rueso district yesterday, wounding four customers. The bomb, weighing about 2 kg, was planted under a food showcase and exploded around 8.20 am.

And:

Four soldiers were wounded, three critically, when insurgents bombed their vehicle late Wednesday. About 10 soldiers were ambushed when they were on patrol in a military carrier and on two motorcycles in Pattani's Yaring district at around 9.30 p.m., police said. After the blast, insurgents and soldiers exchanged gunfire for about five minutes.
Posted by: ryuge || 04/26/2007 06:40 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I suspect that when the Thais take the gloves off, it's going to get real nasty down there. Malaysia, get ready to have a million new citizens because it won't be long before they're in your lap.
Posted by: Mac || 04/26/2007 7:10 Comments || Top||

#2  Scorched earth, the Mongol version, has shown remarkable success in deterring repeat behaviors. Usually followed by resettlement by more accommodating people.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 04/26/2007 9:06 Comments || Top||

#3  So, the King was wrong?
Posted by: anonymous2u || 04/26/2007 12:23 Comments || Top||

#4  We've got plenty of illegals here who'd make a marvelous resettlement population. Hardworking, ambitious for their children, pious, frugal, generally law abiding... we'd just have to make sure we didn't accidentally send along any gang members by mistake. ;-)
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/26/2007 12:27 Comments || Top||

#5  TW, how would they be able to tell the difference between what they, the Thais, have now and its replacement by the South Central culture. At least the shipping costs for drugs should drop.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 04/26/2007 17:07 Comments || Top||

#6  For one thing, Procopius2k, they'd be speaking Thai with a heavy Mexican accent. ;-)
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/26/2007 17:54 Comments || Top||


Bomb in eastern Indonesia slightly wounds 6
A bomb exploded at a bus terminal in the Indonesian city of Ambon on Wednesday, slightly injuring six people, a national police spokesman said. The blast coincided with the anniversary of a separatist group in the region that has been plagued by religious violence in the past, and Maj. Sisno Adiwinotyo said it was possible the events were related. "It was a low-intensity explosive that injured six people," he said, adding that police were investigating the possible involvement of the Republic of South Maluku, or RMS.
Posted by: Fred || 04/26/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Sri Lanka
23 killed in Sri Lanka clashes, military says
Sri Lankan troops and Tamil rebels clashed in the country's northwest on Wednesday, leaving 23 fighters dead, military said. The clash erupted as government soldiers tried to destroy rebel mortar positions east of Madhu village of northwestern Mannar district, the Defense Ministry information center said. The center said about 20 Tamil rebels and three soldiers were killed in the battle.
Posted by: Fred || 04/26/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


2 killed in Sri Lanka blast
A roadside bomb targeting a foot patrol exploded in Sri Lanka’s restive east Wednesday, killing two village guards and wounding three police commandos, the military said, blaming separatist Tamil rebels for the blast.

The blast came a day after Tamil Tiger rebel planes bombed government positions in northern Sri Lanka in their second-ever airstrike in more than two decades of war. Military spokesman Brig Prasad Samarasinghe said the insurgents targeted the group of commandos and guards who were patrolling in Ampara district. There was no immediate comment from the rebels, who are fighting to create a separate homeland for Sri Lanka’s ethnic Tamil minority in the north and east. The blast and this week’s air raid come amid rising fears that the government may be preparing a major assault on rebel strongholds in the north.
Posted by: Fred || 04/26/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Good morning...
Saudis using cellphones for pr0nLondon: Four men plead guilty to explosives plotEighteen drown trying to cross Gulf of AdenSupporting Taliban was a mistake: BBEgypt threatens to cut Hamas ties if rockets don't stopHamas: Response attacks a 'right'Restrictions on Hasina, Khaleda liftedSadr slams 'evil wall' of USEthiopia says Eritrea behind oil-field bloodbathLarijani, Solana report progress in nuclear talksRussia bids farewell to Boris Yeltsin
Posted by: Fred || 04/26/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Whoa, haven't seen that photo is a while. Still looks great.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 04/26/2007 0:42 Comments || Top||

#2  Wow, Joe. Rhonda got you to deactivate your caps lock.
Posted by: Captain America || 04/26/2007 1:08 Comments || Top||

#3  You gotta help me Rhonda ...
Posted by: Zenster || 04/26/2007 1:24 Comments || Top||

#4  <><> I NEEEEEEEEEEED THAT ==> dibs/MINE/where's my SCISSORS!!!!!! <><>.
Posted by: gorb || 04/26/2007 1:57 Comments || Top||

#5  Fleming is flaming!
Posted by: GK || 04/26/2007 5:30 Comments || Top||

#6  Nice healthy young woman there. Lots of lung capacity.
Posted by: Mac || 04/26/2007 6:24 Comments || Top||

#7  Tech question: I submitted this article twice. Why did it not post?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070426/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_us_soldier_charged
U.S. soldier accused of aiding the enemy
Posted by: ed || 04/26/2007 7:32 Comments || Top||

#8  Don't know, ed. Perhaps it was eaten by mice. I found the story and posted it for you in Iraq.
Posted by: Steve || 04/26/2007 7:44 Comments || Top||

#9  Thanks. Please delete #7 if it messes formatting.
Posted by: ed || 04/26/2007 8:04 Comments || Top||

#10  Hey, Ed...I had the same problem a few months ago. I think Fred's computer just want you to know who's boss.
Posted by: Bobby || 04/26/2007 8:25 Comments || Top||

#11  Every once in awhile I'll post something and forget to fill in the title. It's not very forgiving if you do that -- it's directed as spammers. I'll change it so that it fills in something automatically.
Posted by: Fred || 04/26/2007 9:56 Comments || Top||

#12  No need to change anything on my account. I did a copy-paste of the title. Does the script reject the article if the first character is a white space?
Posted by: ed || 04/26/2007 10:18 Comments || Top||

#13  Nope.
Posted by: Fred || 04/26/2007 10:44 Comments || Top||

#14  It's the Cookie Monster. Sometimes it varies it's diet.
Posted by: Deacon Blues || 04/26/2007 12:11 Comments || Top||

#15  I tried posting that same article yesterday and it vanished. Mebbe the 'Burg was just too disgusted by LtCol Steele to let it through.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats || 04/26/2007 12:12 Comments || Top||

#16  Mighta had one of the 11,439 forbidden words in it, too.
Posted by: Fred || 04/26/2007 12:30 Comments || Top||

#17  I'm trying to post something but my glasses are steamy and my thoughts seamy.
Posted by: JohnQC || 04/26/2007 14:29 Comments || Top||

#18  I'll always remember her work in Adventure of the Mad Tea Party she lent an air of psycho weirdness to Kung-Fu. I still get this babe mixed up with the Yeller-Ribbon gal.
Posted by: Shipman || 04/26/2007 17:46 Comments || Top||



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Two weeks of WOT
Thu 2007-04-26
  London: Four men plead guilty to explosives plot
Wed 2007-04-25
  IDF to request green light to strike Hamas leadership
Tue 2007-04-24
  Lal Masjid calls for jihad against ''un-Islamic'' govt
Mon 2007-04-23
  51 killed as Somalia fighting rages
Sun 2007-04-22
  Khaleda sets out for exile any time now...
Sat 2007-04-21
  Rocket fired at Fazl's house
Fri 2007-04-20
  Paks demonstrate against mullahs
Thu 2007-04-19
  Harry Reid: "War Is Lost"
Wed 2007-04-18
  Sadr pulls out of govt
Tue 2007-04-17
  Iranian Weapons Intended for Taliban Intercepted
Mon 2007-04-16
  Bombs hit Christian bookstore, two Internet cafes in Gaza City
Sun 2007-04-15
  Car bomb kills scores near shrine in Kerbala
Sat 2007-04-14
  Islamic State of Iraq claims Iraq parliament attack
Fri 2007-04-13
  Renewed gun battle rages in Mog
Thu 2007-04-12
  Algiers booms kill 30

Better than the average link...



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