Herat. More than 20 armed men crossed the border from Iran into Afghanistan and entered an Afghan town, an Afghan police commander said in the first such blunt claim by a high-ranking Afghan official, cited by DPA.
Colonel Rahmatullah Safi - police commander in the three western provinces of Farah, Badghis and Herat - said that according to intelligence information, the group of armed militants crossed the border Monday in Farah's Anardara district. "Two pickup trucks with over 20 armed people riding in them crossed the border from Iran to Afghanistan," Safi told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa in his Border Police headquarters, 15 kilometres outside Herat city.
He said that according to the intelligence information, the men were heading toward the Zirkoh area in Farah province, which has been the site of escalating militant activity in recent months.
This comes at a time when the United States and its allies have put pressure on banks and oil companies to pull out of oil and gas projects in Iran. A US Treasury Department official has recently said, "What we're trying to do is make it difficult for Iran to use the global financial system."
#4
Taliban and Alqaida do not need men from Iran,They can manage how to deal with occupying forces.It is a propeganda,like the one about iraq.USA will leave Afghanistan with disgrace like Vetnam.
Posted by: malik ||
06/19/2007 9:36 Comments ||
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#5
The same fate awaits those from Iran as the camel humpers from Pakistan. A painful death and an unmarked grave. About 100 each week. Americans will be deployed in Afghanistan with the consent of the Afghan government and people long after Iran no longer exists and the surviving Persian imperialists are starving in the mountains and their women sold to Azeris, Kurds, Baluchis, Uzbeks and even Arabs.
Your computer time is up. Go back to trying to sex with your sister.
Posted by: ed ||
06/19/2007 9:48 Comments ||
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#6
Poor malik. What were his teachers thinking, when they told him he was capable of coherent thought? Inbreeding tells, as they say, and the grownups will never tell how many of his uncles and cousins are really his half brothers.
ed, I thought they had sheep and goats for that purpose in Pakistan; aren't camels a Gulf Arab vice?... Let's don't mention the large herds of wild camels roaming the wilds of Australia, lest poor malik do himself an injury in his indignation -- apparently the Arabs have a great deal of trouble getting theirs to breed,unlike the infidel Aussies.
#8
Internet jihad, Pappy, in accordance with the fatwah. Really, it's just as honourable as the real thing, and if poor malik dies while typing his drivel he'll go straight to Paradise and his 72 perpetual houris, not to mention the beautiful young boys with faces like pearls. Really.
Keep the kiddies inside, because we know they won't get killed if the US sees them playing outside.
The seven children who died in a Coalition airstrike on a compound in Zarghun Shah District, Paktika Province, last night were held inside the building throughout the day according to other children who survived the airstrike.
Coalition forces did not believe any children were in, or around, the compound during the day and ordered the strike believing the target was inside. We are truly sorry for the innocent lives lost in this attack, said Army Maj. Chris Belcher, a Coalition spokesman. We had surveillance on the compound all day and saw no indications there were children inside the building.
Al-Qaida operatives have hidden amongst the people of Afghanistan in the past and caused unnecessary injury, and often death, to law-abiding citizens. Witness statements taken early this morning clearly put the blame on the suspected terrorists saying that if the children attempted to go outside they were beaten and pushed away from the door.
Provincial government officials are meeting with local elders and Coalition officials today to look into the matter.
Posted by: Bobby ||
06/19/2007 06:06 ||
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#1
Human Shield and Stealth tactics do not mix well.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
06/19/2007 23:05 Comments ||
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KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) - Taliban militants overran a district in southern Afghanistan and are pushing for control of another key area, sparking fierce clashes with NATO and Afghan forces that have left more than 100 people dead over three days, officials said Tuesday.
Hundreds of Taliban fighters launched raids on police posts near the strategic town of Chora in Uruzgan province Saturday, forcing NATO, backed by fighter jets, to respond. Fighting was continuing Tuesday, and some officials reported there have been dozens of civilian casualties.
Also late Monday, Taliban occupied Miya Nishin district in neighboring Kandahar province, said provincial police chief Esmatullah Alizai. Authorities were planning an operation to retake the remote area, he said.
The insurgent push in the south appears to be the biggest Taliban offensive of the year and marks a change in tactics. Until now, militants have relied largely on suicide and roadside bombings this year as NATO forces have escalated their operations to root them out. Violence has swelled, claiming about 2,400 lives during according to an Associated Press tally of figures from Western military and Afghan officials.
Maj. Gen. Jouke Eikelboom, director of operations with the Dutch military, said Monday that Karzai and the Uruzgan governor sought military support after the attack on the police posts. "It has been a contested area for some number of months," said Maj. John Thomas, a NATO spokesman. "(The Taliban) are making an effort right now to establish control in that area," he said, predicting more fighting in coming days.
Thomas said he could not pin down the number of fighters that NATO troops were up against but that the battle was not over. "There's reason to believe that the situation on the ground is still unstable," he said.
Precise casualty figures were not available because of the continued fighting, though two Afghan officials said more than 100 people have been killed, including at least 16 police. A Dutch soldier also died, and three others were wounded. A summary of fighter jet activity from Sunday sent out by the U.S. Central Command hinted at the ferocity of the battles, detailing at least eight aircraft dropping bombs or firing on the area.
Afghan officials said Taliban fighters sought shelter in civilian homes and that NATO bombers targeted them.
Nearby in Kandahar, Taliban occupied the district of Miya Nishin late Monday, said provincial police chief Esmatullah Alizai. Authorities were planning an operation to retake the remote area, he said. Thomas said that NATO-led troops stand ready to help Afghan government actions in the area.
Reports of civilian deaths in from the fighting in Uruzgan were coming from various quarters. One wounded man, Janu Akha, at the main Uruzgan hospital told The Associated Press that 18 members of his family had been killed.
Mullah Ahmidullah Khan, the head of Uruzgan's provincial council, estimated the clashes in Chora killed 60 camp-followers civilians, 70 suspected Taliban militants and 16 Afghan police. "I have talked to President Karzai and asked him to send helicopters to ferry the wounded to Kabul," he said.
An official close to the governor who asked not to be identified when talking about preliminary estimates, said 70 to 75 civilians were killed or wounded, while more than 100 Taliban and more than 35 police were killed.
Thomas said he doubted that Afghan officials could tell the difference between civilians and militants, suggesting some of the wounded who claimed to be civilians were insurgents. Even though most civilian deaths are caused by attacks initiated by the Taliban, Afghan anger over civilian casualties is often directed toward U.S. and NATO-led troops. Such killings have prompted Afghan authorities to plead repeatedly for international forces to work more closely with Afghans.
#2
Misleading headline and reporting... (par for MSM)
Reading the first couple paragraphs, you would believe that the whole district had been abandonded and the field left to the taliban. Later on we get hard facts, and we see that the good guys lost 17 out of 100 fatalities and in another paragraph ther were 35 police killed (likely including the above mentioned 16)
As a matter of fact, it is so out of control and the enemy so vast in number that there have been 8 planes on combat sorties since sunday (less than 2 a day)...
OMG... get Harry Reid on the bat-phone. The US has lost another one.
Posted by: Abu do you love ||
06/19/2007 11:03 Comments ||
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#3
and Mike Corder in The Hague, Netherlands, contributed to this report.
I take it we can credit Mike for compiling all all these reports into a proper AP Quagmire story?
Keep ya head down Mike. War is hell. And have another cold one on me...
THE HAGUE - A 44-year-old Dutch soldier was killed and three were wounded Monday during intense fighting in southeastern Afghanistan, the Dutch defence ministry told the ANP press agency here. According to general Dick Berlijn, the commander of the Dutch forces, Dutch troops and insurgents clashed violently in the vicinity of Kora, a town in the Uruzgan province where the Dutch are stationed.
This is the third Dutch soldier killed in action in Afghanistan since the Netherlands joined the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which has around 37,000 troops in Afghanistan fighting the skulking resurgent Taleban terrorist movement.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/19/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Dank je wel! Your service does honour to your families and your countrymen. (If the fighting is intense, something very satisfying must be happening to the bad guys.)
A missile fired from a U.S. drone aircraft killed at least 32 pro-Taliban militants in Pakistan's mountainous Datta Khel district June 19. Intelligence officials said some foreigners were among those killed. Abu Laith al-Libi, an al Qaeda field commander, was the target of the attack, sources said.
Oh, be still my heart! And now, more details:
A missile attack, probably launched by US forces in Afghanistan, has killed at least 32 people in a Pakistani tribal region near the border, Pakistani officials said. Tuesday's attack targeted a suspected Taliban training base in a village 60km west of Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan, they said.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters some foreigners were among those killed in Mamy Rogha, raising the possibility that al Qaeda fighters might have also been present. North Waziristan is a known refuge for remnants of Osama bin Laden's network.
Remnants now spread over the landscape
"There was a cluster of three houses and a tent which were hit. There were about 45 people in that area," a senior government official told Reuters. A US drone aircraft carried out the attack at around 10:30 am (0530 GMT), according to intelligence officials and residents.
It was not known whether any leading Taliban or al Qaeda figures were targeted in the attack. The Pakistani army had not carried out any operations in the area, Major-General Waheed Arshad, the army spokesman, said. Initial reports suggested the explosion occurred while the fighters were making a bomb, he said.
Pakistani military spokesmen have offered such explanations in the past when US forces in Afghanistan have launched strikes on suspected targets in Pakistani territory to avoid admitting any violation of territorial sovereignty.
Posted by: Steve ||
06/19/2007 15:12 ||
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#1
ok, I will be the one to say it. We dont (AFAIK) routinely fire missiles into Pakiland. for all the usual political reasons. If we did, its probably a high value target we were trying to hit.
and ive never heard of this Al-libi before, and doubt he was the high enough value to justify the strike.
Im too superstitious a Galitizianer to say any more than that.
#2
Attention, Hezbollah dumbies, this is how you use missles. 32 for 1. Oh, I'm sorry, you're not shooting missles, you're shooting rockets. Never mind, call a rocket surgeon.
#3
As I remember, he was the guy that supposedly tried to pull off that lame attack on Cheney at Bagram a couple of months ago.
Sounds like Dick remembered...
#7
Abu Laith al-Libi is indeed a target of high enough value to justify a strike inside Pakistani borders. Reported intelligence suggests he holds a very high rank amongst the new al-qaeda leadership, probably as an operations chief looking to strike western targets. He was named al-qaeda's chief of operations for Afhanistan a month or so ago. He has also been seen in more than a few al-qaeda propanganda videos. Not a big name as we've known in the past (most of the well known al-qaeda leadership is either dead or in custody) but I would argue his death would be important enough to send a few missiles into the tribal belt.
#10
Zenster, I agree that as long as the tribal belt shelters al-qaeda and pro-Taliban aggressors, it should be a fair target. I was just commenting on Liberalhawk's comment.
Sinse, you're thinking of Abu Faraj al-Libi, who has been in custody since 2005.
#16
"a drone aircraft too! ooh, and doesn't that mean no raisins?"
He gets 72 blow-up dolls.
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
06/19/2007 18:15 Comments ||
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#17
I'm sure y'all know that was no Al Quaeda or Taliban military training base we hit. It was an elementary school. And they were having a wedding at it at the time. The gifts to the bride were baby bunnies.
Wait for the NYT to report it.
Age: early 40s
Citizenship: Libyan
Personal: An al-Qaeda field commander and spokesman, Abu Laith is an outspoken leader of al Qaeda, appearing in videos and on the internet. It was he in July 2002 who revealed that Bin Laden was still alive, the first comments about the al Qaeda leaders health after the end of the Afghan conflict. Then in June 2004, he is shown leading an attack on what appears to be an Afghan military outpost and calling for jihad. He is known to operate on the Afghan side of the border, working with the remnants of the Taliban.
In some US intelligence circles, he is seen as al Qaedas No. 3.
~~~~
April 27, 2007
Abu Laith al-Libi, an al-Qaeda commander in Afghanistan, is featured in a 43:34 minute video interview [74 MB streaming] conducted and distributed to jihadist forums today, Friday, April 27, 2007, by as-Sahab, the multimedia wing of al-Qaeda.
[He was one of Al-Qaedas better speakers, IMO it's worth the watch]
The English-subtitled video depicts the interviewer and Abu Laith sitting across from each other in a room, each seated in a chair. The interview covers several topics including the condition of the jihad and Mujahideen in Afghanistan after five years of war with the American-led coalition forces, a brief eulogy for deceased al-Qaeda in Iraq Emir, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, importance of unity for the Mujahideen, and the state of jihad in Iraq vis-à-vis the Shiites. Though no issue is dwelled on longer than any other, *Palestine* is presented by the interviewer as the central issue. Also included are Abu Laith's especially emotional words for Zarqawi.
Palestine and al-Aqsa Mosque are declared as intrinsic issues for the jihad waged by al-Qaeda, as Abu Laith implicitly denies the accusation in the question and reiterates Zarqawis words that the Mujahideens eyes are on that front as they fight elsewhere. Regarding Afghanistan, Abu Laith observes the Mujahideen are securing victory and America nears defeat, converse to Iraq, where he believes that although the Mujahideen have had great success in the jihad, ***the Shiites who have acted as shields for American troops have allowed the U.S. to continue to persist in Iraq.
Video: Abu Laith al-Libi hashad a special fondness for decapitation, uses used it quite often metaphorically.
I watched the whole interview. The Al-Qaeda Islamist cause lost a valuable asset for Abu Laith al-Libi could pitch the cause charismatically while explaining their global strategy in terms the young SplodyDope could understand.
1) now we wait for varification.
2)I checked this perp and pic against many sites, most agreed.
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
06/19/2007 21:02 Comments ||
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#25
"I fainted when I heard that the Americans had killed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi"
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
06/19/2007 21:05 Comments ||
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A top rebel leader and two other suspected militants were killed on Monday in a gunbattle with Indian forces in Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said. Acting on a tip, police raided the village of Chewdara and killed the three suspected militants in a gunbattle, said local police chief Ashiq Bukhari. He said one of the dead men was one of the top four field commanders of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba. Bukhari identified the man as Furqan and said he was a Pakistani national active in Indian Kashmir for the last eight years. There was no immediate comment from Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and the incident could not be independently confirmed.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/19/2007 00:00 ||
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The Taliban have banned TV and video CDs in public in the Wazir areas of South Waziristan, warning that strict punishment will be meted out to violators.
The Taliban, y'see, are the officially designated enforcers of the laws of the land in them there parts.
A pamphlet issued by Mujahideen Waziristan and Aman (Peace) Committee chief Qasim Khan declared that the decision would take effect from Wednesday (June 20). No tea shop or restaurant in Wana, Azam Warsak, Kaloosha and Angoor Adda will be allowed to show TV shows or play CDs and violators will be fined Rs 20,000 and their establishments will be demolished, the pamphlet pasted in Wanas Rustam Bazaar read.
Any Taliban organization is, of course, duly empowered to destroy the property of anyone who violates their arbitrary dictates.
The pamphlet did not state the reasons for the ban but a senior Taliban leader was quoted as saying the move was aimed at keeping children away from watching jihadi CDs.
"Yasss. We're doing it for the children. Really."
Eyewitnesses said all tea shops and restaurants removed TV sets and CD players immediately after the Taliban announced the ban. Watching CDs showing violence is not good for the children, a source quoting senior Taliban commanders told Daily Times.
I tend to agree with that statement. On the other hand, banning everyone from watching anything to ensure the kiddies don't watch something does seem a bit draconian.
Asked how the Taliban can claim they are stopping children from watching Jihadi CDs when they are recruiting children from schools in Tank district for jihad, a Taliban commander responded: The situation in post-Uzbek Wana is different.
"Yeah. Dose CDs is red. Ain't dey, boss?"
Mullah Nazir Ahmed, who took over as the Taliban ameer in September last year, asked senior commanders not to select school-going children for jihad. Mullah Nazir led an uprising against Uzbek militants in March this year, which resulted in the killing of more than 200 Uzbeks and forced the rest to flee to Mehsud areas in South and North Waziristan.
This article starring:
MULLAH NAZIR AHMED
Taliban
QASIM KHAN
Taliban
Posted by: Fred ||
06/19/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
"More Islamic Than Thou" crapulence, coming soon to a Hellhole near you.
#3
So, how do they watch Al-Zawhiri and Binny make their pronouncements? Live and in person? And what kind of CDs are they playing "Bob the Builder" and "Winnie the Pooh"? Or is it more like "24" and "The Unit"?
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
06/19/2007 9:44 Comments ||
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#4
Jeez, they seem real concerned about "the children". Must be Moderate Muslims...
#5
These guys are at war with the single most popular information and entertainment medium in the history of the world. If being holy means spending every night in darkness and silence, I predict many will opt out. Even Saudi has tv.
Posted by: Baba Tutu ||
06/19/2007 21:02 Comments ||
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The same facts as Michael Yon, but a slightly different perspective. And he's got maps! Hattip Instapundit, who notes Mr. Roggio has been writing about the Diyala Campaign since March. Follow the link, read his previous posts, and if you like what he's written, hit his tip jar -- he's not selling enough articles yet to dress like Katie Couric. ;-)
Major offensive in al Qaeda's so-called capital of the Islamic State of Iraq
The Diyala Campaign is underway. As part of major offensive operations throughout the belts regions of Baghdad, Iraqi and U.S. forces have launched a large scale operation in the city of Baqubah, the provincial capital of Diyala. Dubbed Operation Arrowhead Ripper, the offensive is massive in scale. This is a division sized operation of "approximately 10,000 Soldiers, with a full complement of attack helicopters, close air support, Strykers and Bradley Fighting Vehicles." Over 30 al Qaeda operatives have been killed since the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division kicked off the operation with a "quick-strike nighttime air assault."
Elements of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, and the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, are operating in Baqubah, along with the 2nd Brigade of the 5th Iraqi Army Division. American forces are in the lead of the assault, with the Iraqi Army in support. The 2-5 Iraqi Army Brigade killed four al Qaeda after receiving sniper fire, and captured 2 others.
The New York Times, which incorrectly reported the operation as consisting of 2,000 U.S. troops, reported that the western portion of the city of Baqubah has been sealed off with ground a and air units as troops pursue the 300 to 500 Qaeda believed to be operating in the area.
The 1920 Revolution Brigades, which turned on al Qaeda in Diyala and cleared the city of Buhriz with U.S. assistance, is actively working along side Iraqi Army units in Baqubah.
Back in May, we noted Diyala has become the main hub of al Qaeda's operations. Al Qaeda in Iraq made Baqubah the capital of its rump Islamic State of Iraq last year. Since the inception of the Baghdad Security Plan in mid-February, the security situation, which was deteriorating after U.S. forces pulled back last fall, has markedly worsened. Al Qaeda has prepared fighting positions, supply bases, IED traps, bomb rigged buildings, and training camps in the province.
Over 2,000 hardened al Qaeda fighters fled Baghdad and are operating in Diyala. An American intelligence official and a U.S. military officer informed us that al Qaeda is operating along the lines of Hezbollah's military structure in Lebanon. Al Qaeda is organized in small military units with infantry, mortars, anti-tank and anti-aircraft teams, as well as suicide and IED cells and the accompanying logistical nodes. Al Qaeda has been conducting a terror campaign to remove tribal leaders and others who oppose them, while waging a campaign of intimidation designed to cow the local population.
The Diyala Campaign has been a long time coming. The 10,000 U.S. troops and supporting Iraqi units won't sit pat in Baqubah, but will reach out to strike at other al Qaeda bases in the troubled province. These areas include Khalis, Muqdadiyah and a host of small towns up and down the Diyala River Valley and along the Iranian border where al Qaeda has established bases, training camps and logistical nodes.
Interesting post in the comment thread: The reason we have such a small presence in Ninawa is that 2nd and 3rd IA Divs are among the four best IA Divisions.
Also, the two Bdes of 2nd IA Div (HQ Mosul) that were on vacation to Baghdad have returned to home areas.
- One of the new forming Divisions is being formed by spliting 4th IA Div (Sulmaniyah/Kirkuk/Salahadin) and adding to it. Elements are already there.
- Taji has been augmented with 1st INP Mech Bde and elements of new forming 4-9 Mot Bde.
If they run north, we win...
If they run south, we win...
If they run west, we win...
The only direction that is not augmented is east (Iran). Escape to the Persians.
Considering Iraqi Nationalism, that means:
We win...
That is what the surge is about. Providing enough forces to deny them an escape route...
Baqubah is surrounded by our forces and there is sharp fighting. Apaches firing occasionally, artillery, air strikes and some loud rockets that flew in all the way from Fallujah. Casualties on both sides, but looks like first day is going well. I was present when LTC Fred Johnson informed Iraqi officials that the city is surrounded. LTC Johnson was forthright about the attacks unfolding. There was gunfire just outside during the first meetings. The biggest part of the plan is to trap and kill as many al Qaeda as possible, and to eventually leave the city completely in Iraqi hands. The Iraqi leaders I have seen are thankful and are taking part. Their biggest complaint was that the attack started just as students are trying to take their National Exams. So, early today there was a large gathering of students who wanted to take the exams, but the schools are closed. Bad news is that this is the latest serious disruption to Iraqi lives, but I do find it heartening that the biggest complaint is about the National Exams. It's hard not to respect people who see helicopters shooting rockets, and who are hearing the explosions from the shells and rockets, yet they are thinking about exams.
This is a serious battle, and much more important that the news is making out. My guess is that most media have little idea of the consequences or magnitude of the Battle for Baqubah, and so it's slipping by. I've posted on the attack: http://michaelyon-online.com/wp/be-not-afraid.htm
Posted by: Mike ||
06/19/2007 08:34 ||
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#1
I get this feeling that this thing is coming to a boil. Petraeus has been overly cautious in his assessments and is giving out the "long play" strategy which may be self-fulfilling but may also be the "expect the worst, be pleasantly surprised" kind of attitude he wants to project. In any event, we are out of the barracks and back to the business at hand. That can only be positive.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
06/19/2007 9:47 Comments ||
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#2
Any time terrorists are dying, it is positive. Keep the pressure up. Never let off. Hunt them. Kill them. No quarter.
#3
This is Diyala Province and the supply lines from Iran to the Sunni 'insurgents' almost certainly run through the area. Areas north and south are Kurd and Shiia dominated.
#4
I have read Michaels Yons entire dispatch and I have to say I am disappointed. He infers that Anbar Province was restive but manageable until we went into Fallujah and Ramadi Ham Handed. He seems to think there was no AQ in Anbar in general and Fallujah in particular. Maybe if Michael hasnt read Bing Wests book No True Glory he should. Michaels description of Baqubah on the eve of the battle sounds like Fallujah Redux.
The Marines have spent four long years pacifying Anbar. They have lost hundreds of good men with thousands wounded. They had no small part in driving Zarqawi out of Anbar and into Diyala (Baqubah) where he earned his raisins.
General Petraeus is good and probably the right man for the job, but the sun does not rise and set on the 1-24th and the good General.
See Early Anbar Campaign at: http://billroggio.com/flashplayer.php?media=anbarcampaign&w=800&h=600
#5
He infers that Anbar Province was restive but manageable until we went into Fallujah and Ramadi Ham Handed
I thought that too when I read his article. Apparently he doesn't remember the torture rooms, bomb factories and other AQ hallmarks. That is why we went in the first place. Unfortunately, between assault I and assault II, most of AQ hightailed it out of there. Otherwise I think Iraq would be almost pacified.
#6
Mark Steyn visited Fallujah shortly after Saddam's regime was overthrown. He was neither molested, burned alive, nor killed by any other method. That was the closest Fallujah ever came to being manageable. The torture rooms & bomb factories of Fallujah were constructed after the US occupied Iraq. The US allowed Fallujah to go to hell. AQ sprung up in the Iraqi vacuum the US created & then fostered by neglect. Catch-and-release, occupy-and-leave tactics have gained little besides casualties.
#7
My sense of things in Fallujah was that after the conquest of Baghdad, we allowed Fallujah a form of self govt and during this time Al Q bribed their way in during the next few months.
The idea this time is not to chase al Qaeda out, but to trap and kill them head-on, or in ambushes, or while they sleep. When they are wounded, they will be unable to go to hospitals without being captured, and so their wounds will fester and they will die painfully sometimes. It will be horrible for al Qaeda. Horror and terrorism is what they sow, and tonight they will reap their harvest. They will get no rest. They can only fight and die, or run and try to get away. Nobody is asking for surrender, but if they surrender, they will be taken.
Or: 'Al Quaeda in Iraq Fights Back Against the Surge'
BAGHDAD (AP) - A car bomb struck a Shiite mosque in a busy commercial district Tuesday in Baghdad, killing at least 61 people and wounding more than 100, police said. Brave, Brave Lions of Islam
The thunderous explosion, which occurred just before 2 p.m., sent smoke billowing over concrete buildings in central Baghdad, two days after the expiration of a curfew aimed at preventing retaliatory violence from last week's bombing of a Shiite mosque in Samarra. And we're going to keep blowing up your mosques until you go postal and start random religious retaliation; we have to get this civil war going, guys; we're running out of time!
Gunfire erupted shortly after the blast, which a police officer said went off near the Khillani mosque in the commercial area of Sinak.
As rescue officials pulled victims from the rubble, police and hospital officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because of security concerns said at least 61 people were killed and 128 were wounded.
It was the second time in the past month that the Sinak area has been hit by a deadly bombing. On May 28, a suicide car bomber in the area killed at least 21 people.
#3
They did not damage the mosque. The outer wall sustained some damage. In other words, it was near the mosque. AP plays it up but it wasn't even a near miss.
Task Force Lightning commenced Operation Arrowhead Ripper today in a large-scale effort to eliminate al-Qaeda in Iraq terrorists operating in Baqouba and its surrounding areas.
The 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, launched the offensive with a quick-strike nighttime air assault earlier today.
By daylight, attack helicopters and ground forces had engaged and killed 22 anti-Iraqi forces in and around Baqouba.
The end state is to destroy the al-Qaeda influences in this province and eliminate their threat against the people, said Brig. Gen. Mick Bednarek, deputy commanding general, operations, 25th Infantry Division. That is the number one, bottom-line, up-front, in-your-face, task and purpose.
Approximately 10,000 Soldiers, with a full complement of attack helicopters, close air support, Strykers and Bradley Fighting Vehicles, are taking part in Arrowhead Ripper, which is still in its opening stages. Elements of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, from Fort Hood, Texas, the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, from Fort Lewis, and the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, from Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, are also participating in the operation.
Posted by: Uluque Flalet9590 ||
06/19/2007 06:52 ||
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BAGHDAD (AP) - About 10,000 U.S. soldiers launched an offensive against al-Qaida in Iraq northeast of Baghdad early Tuesday, killing at least 22 insurgents, the U.S. military said. Nice bag for so early in the hunt. Sounds like the AQ rats have decided to stand and fight. Good.
The raids, dubbed "Operation Arrowhead Ripper," took place in Baqouba, the capital of Diyala province, and involved air assaults under the cover of darkness, the military said in a statement. The operation was still in its opening stages, it said. Good name.
On Monday, military officials said U.S. and Iraqi forces had launched attacks on Baghdad's northern and southern flanks to clear out Sunni insurgents, al-Qaida fighters and Shiite militiamen who had fled the capital and Anbar during a four-month-old security operation.
A top U.S. military official said American forces were taking advantage of the arrival of the final brigade of 30,000 additional U.S. troops to open concerted attacks.
"We are going into the areas that have been sanctuaries of al-Qaida and other extremists to take them on and weed them out, to help get the areas clear and to really take on al-Qaida," the senior official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the operation. "Those are areas in the belts around Baghdad, some parts in Anbar province and specifically Diyala province."
Al-Qaida has proven to be an extremely agile foe for U.S. and Iraqi forces, as shown by its ability to transfer major operations to Baqouba from Anbar province, the sprawling desert region in western Iraq. Note the favorable, even fawning, spin AP manages to put on AQ's forced retreat from Al Anbar. There is no guarantee that driving the organization out of current sanctuaries would prevent it from migrating to other regions to continue the fight. They are just about out of regions, you dolts. Does AP use maps anymore.
The death toll in sectarian violence Monday skyrocketed after a brief period of relative peace. At least 111 people were killed or found dead nationwide, with 33 bodies of torture victims showing up in Baghdad alone. No figures for comparison, just a lame "skyrocket" metaphor. Wonder why?
Well to the south, Iraqi officials reported as many as 36 people were killed in fierce overnight fighting that began as British and Iraqi forces conducted house-to-house searches in Amarah, a stronghold of the Shiite Mahdi Army militia. That would be a good region for AQ to resume operations in once they are snuffed out in Diyala. "Greetings, Shia brothers! Sheikh Osama commands us to help you drive out the infidels! Unite for vict---" BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
The U.S. military issued a statement that said at least 20 people were killed in clashes with coalition forces. A spokeswoman for Britain's Ministry of Defense said British soldiers played a supporting role to Iraqi security forces during the raid and fighting in Amarah. She spoke on condition of anonymity, which is ministry policy.
The operations on Baghdad's flanks were opened by the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division, which has taken over dangerous al-Qaida-infested regions to the south. The division began its drive into the Salman Pak and Arab Jabour districts on the city's southeastern fringe over the weekend.
At the time, ground forces commander Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno said U.S. troops were heading into those areas in force for the first time in three years.
The military said in a statement Monday that fighter jets dropped "four precision-guided bombs" in support of 1,200 U.S. soldiers from the 3rd Infantry as they started moving on al-Qaida targets.
Military officials said Multi-National Division-North forces likewise were increasing pressure on al-Qaida sanctuaries northeast of the capital in the verdant orange and palm groves of Diyala, now one of the most fiercely contested regions in Iraq.
I would prefer, Operation Ass Stomping or Operation Shredded Flesh.
...U.S. troops were heading into those areas in force for the first time in three years.
I don't understand the logic behind this. Terrorists are always strong where you are not. Constant sweeps of areas and attacking ANY area which has resistance is how you break a irregular force. Seems our new commander in Iraq understands this.
"Apocalypse now
The crime here is, this was all predicted on this website since mid-April, but not in the MSM. They gave us only body counts without context, instead of the narrative of the campaign that was leading to this final showdown with Al Qaeda in Diyala. See the links in the opening sentence of the post below to see how long Ive been laying this out. Mid April. As exploding bridges and other horrific acts of violence ripped Baghdad and its environs, we knew that they were the violent, desperate acts of the cornered Al Qaeda beast. But the MSM and Congress wanted you to believe they were all signs of hopelesness instead of the darkly ironic signs of true hope that they really were. This is a dark, shameful age in America."
The AQ leadership has burned its boats. Shia troops supporting Arrowhead-Ripper will take no prisoners, and Shia police will take dire revenge on any the Americans turn over. This will force the trapped AQ beasts to fight to the last rat.
#5
Hope the islamists and Baathists are trapped or decided to stay and fight in Baqouba. It's not exactly a secret we were massing there. A week ago, a report had 2000 Kurds were deploying there.
Posted by: ed ||
06/19/2007 8:50 Comments ||
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#6
'There is no guarantee that driving the organization out of current sanctuaries would prevent it from migrating to other regions to continue the fight.' 'They are just about out of regions, you dolts. Does AP use maps anymore.'
Actually while not out of regions (theres still the whole tigris valley upthrough Tikrit, Kirkuk, and Mosul) they are almost out of regions near Baghdad. That would be why this op is so important. We've made real progress in cleaning up Baghdad, IIUC, but they can still get bombers in from the belts around Baghdad, esp Diyala. From Mosul they can blow things up in Mosul, but we can complete clear, hold and build in the capital.
Posted by: Mike ||
06/19/2007 10:19 Comments ||
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#8
Strategically, this may be one of the last major battle of the occupation, as there are literally no cities left to run to. The enemy made a strategic blunder in leaving Baghdad, as only there they had any chance for remaining functional, if diminished.
Now they face either annihilation or being forced into Iran for good. Baghdad is closed to them.
#12
Actually while not out of regions (theres still the whole tigris valley upthrough Tikrit, Kirkuk, and Mosul)
Kirkuk and Nineveh Provinces (Mosul) are run by the Kurds, and while there are still terrorist attacks, there is nothing like the lawlessness that exists elsewhere in Iraq. I think it very unlikely AQ could gain a significant presence in these provinces.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
06/19/2007 12:10 Comments ||
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#14
This operation, and the one to take and hold Baghdad that preceded it, seems in many ways part of an inverted "tighten the noose" strategy.
Perhaps this is all part of Petraeus' counter-insurgency playbook. Unlike a more conventional approach of circling the enemy and then tightening that circle till there is nothing left, which hasn't really worked on a macro level in Iraq because we are not fighting a conventional enemy there, this seems to indicate that we have turned that strategy inside out.
In other words, secure and hold the center of gravity, in this case Baghdad, and then move out in pursuit of the enemy while not letting them back in. This forces the enemy to find sanctuaries outside of their sphere of influence, making it more difficult for them to operate while reducing that sphere until there is nothing left.
Sounds like we've got the bastards on the run. Let's hope they run (or die in the process) all the way to Iran, Syria, etc. This will finally give the Iraqis a decent chance at some sense of normalcy, relatively speaking of course. That is something one must assume that most Iraqis are desperate for.
Lame disclaimer: Perhaps this is obvious to most here but it just occurred to me. Yeah, I'm a little slow right now but I am learning!
I just hope our guys don't stop chasing them when they do get to the Iranian and Syrian borders. After all, it is *so* difficult to identify lines in the sand and payback is well overdue!
Good Hunting!
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
06/19/2007 14:12 Comments ||
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#16
Phil,
Kirkuk is ethnically mixed, and AQ likes such places (like Diyala and the triangle south of Baghdad) cause they can play on Sunni Arab rivalries with others. I doubt that the Kurds are capable of keeping AQ out of the non-Kurdish side of Kirkuk, much less out of Mosul. But again, I think Petraeus is willing to live with that if he can push them out of the center.
Kirkuk is ethnically mixed, and AQ likes such places (like Diyala and the triangle south of Baghdad) cause they can play on Sunni Arab rivalries with others. I doubt that the Kurds are capable of keeping AQ out of the non-Kurdish side of Kirkuk, much less out of Mosul. But again, I think Petraeus is willing to live with that if he can push them out of the center.
President Bush had a nearly hour-long secure video teleconference with Iraqi leaders on Monday and came away deluded into being impressed and reassured by the progress they're making on political, security and economic reforms, the White House said.
"It's clear that you've got an environment now where the key leaders are working together on these issues," during the 52-minute teleconference the president had with Iraq's prime minister, president and two vice presidents, White House press secretary Tony Snow said.
Following a flurry ... no, make that a firestorm of negative questions Snow acknowledged that U.S. officials have heard similar positive statements from Iraqi leaders before, but said: "We think they are very serious in moving on the key items. ... I think the president was impressed and reassured by the sense of seriousness that he heard"
Posted by: Bobby ||
06/19/2007 06:15 ||
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BAGHDAD About 10,000 U.S. soldiers launched an offensive against Al Qaeda in Iraq northeast of Baghdad early Tuesday, killing at least 22 insurgents, the U.S. military said.
The raids, dubbed "Operation Arrowhead Ripper," took place in Baqouba, the capital of Diyala province, and involved air assaults under the cover of darkness, the military said in a statement. The operation was still in its opening stages, it said.
Ten thousand U.S. soldiers were accompanied by attack helicopters, Strykers and Bradley Fighting Vehicles, the statement said.
The operation was part of new U.S. and Iraqi attacks on Baghdad's northern and southern flanks, aimed at clearing out Sunni insurgents, Al Qaeda fighters and Shiite militiamen who had fled the capital and Anbar during a four-month-old security operation, military officials said.
A top U.S. military official said Monday that American forces were taking advantage of the arrival of the final brigade of 30,000 additional U.S. troops to open the concerted attacks.
Clash Between U.K. Troops, Iraqi Militiamen Kills Up to 36 "We are going into the areas that have been sanctuaries of Al Qaeda and other extremists to take them on and weed them out, to help get the areas clear and to really take on Al Qaeda," the senior official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the operation. "Those are areas in the belts around Baghdad, some parts in Anbar province and specifically Diyala province."
Al Qaeda has proven to be an extremely agile foe for U.S. and Iraqi forces, as shown by its ability to transfer major operations to Baqouba from Anbar province, the sprawling desert region in western Iraq. There is no guarantee that driving the organization out of current sanctuaries would prevent it from migrating to other regions to continue the fight.
In recent months, the verdant orange and palm groves of Diyala have become one of the most fiercely contested regions in Iraq. The province is a tangle of Shiite and Sunni villages that has played into the hands of Al Qaeda and allied militants who have melted into the tense region and sought to inflame existing sectarian troubles.
Al Qaeda has conducted public executions in the Baqouba main square and otherwise sought to enforce an extreme Taliban-style Islamic code. The terror organization's actions in the province have caused some Sunni militants, Al Qaeda's natural allies, to turn their guns on the group with American assistance and blessing. Some militant Shiites are likewise joining government forces in a bid to oust the foreign fighters and Muslim extremists.
#3
I think that it will be held but by Iraqi units that have proven themselves - the US forces are going to used as the hammer for most operations now.
BAGHDAD - US-led coalition forces killed at least 20 militants after coming under heavy attack from Shia gunmen during raids in southern Iraqs Maysan province early on Monday, the US military said.
An official in the office of anti-American Shia cleric Moqtada Al Sadr in the Maysan capital Amara said 17 members of the firebrands Mehdi Army had been killed and 45 wounded.
Tubby wasn't among them, was he. Too valuable to pick up a gun.
That would mark one of the deadliest incidents between U.S.-led forces and the Mehdi Army since a major security crackdown was launched in Iraq four months ago.
And let's have some more like this!
Local officials said British and Iraqi forces were involved in the raids in Amara and the nearby town of Majjar Al Kabir, which the US military said targeted militants smuggling weapons from neighbouring Iran into Iraq. American forces also took part in the operation, said US military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Christopher Garver, describing it as one of the biggest in months outside Baghdad against networks trying to smuggle in arms from Iran. Maysan has a long border with Shia Iran.
During the operations, coalition forces came under heavy small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenade attacks in both places, the US military said in a statement. Using appropriate escalation of force measures, ground forces were forced to use close air support to suppress the enemy fire. During the close air support, at least 20 terrorists were killed, the statement said.
'Forced' to use air support? Hell if I was on the ground the air dogs would be my best friends, and they'd always be around.
The official in Sadrs office in Amara said all the Mehdi Army members were killed in Majjar Al Kabir.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/19/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
'Tubby' haz that 'sith sense' that keeps hiz 'Tubby' Fat outta da fire.
US led forces kill 20 militants in south Iraq
'at least' twenty, is good.
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
06/19/2007 1:29 Comments ||
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#2
Tater's mouthpiece says he lost 17 killed & 45 wounded. Given the inferiority of the Mehdi Army medical play to the Cuban model one presumes a good number of the 45 will succumb to their injuries.
Our estimate of "at least 20" killed is probably because after the engagement of close air support we were limited by inability to find all the pieces and figure out how many parts were on the original models.
Multi-National Division-Baghdad Soldiers detained six suspects at an alleged improvised explosive device cell site near Abu Saida, Iraq June 17. During a cordon and search, Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, working from tips, found and detained the men, suspected of recent IED attacks on Civilians, Iraqi Security Forces and Coalition Forces in the area. The six suspects are being held for further questioning.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/19/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Do whatever it takes to extract the sources of their toys. Then distribute the body parts over a wide area from a helo. Really hard to determine who it used to be that way.
Multi-National Division - Baghdad Soldiers detained nine suspects June 17 near Sab Al Bor, Iraq, possibly connected to an improvised explosive device attack the previous day. During a mounted patrol, Soldiers from Troop B, 1st Garryowen Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, identified a vehicle possibly linked to the attack. After questioning the vehicles occupants, the Soldiers searched a nearby location. During the search, the Soldiers found bomb-making components and one AK-47 assault rifle. Nine individuals were detained in the operation. The suspects are being held for further questioning.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/19/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
"Garry Owen" is an Irish folk song. General Custer used it as his unit march tune:
Let Bacchus' sons be not dismayed
But join with me, each jovial blade
Come, drink and sing and lend your aid
To help me with the chorus:
Instead of spa, we'll drink brown ale
And pay the reckoning on the nail;
No man for debt shall go to jail
From Garryowen in glory.
#2
Its also one of the great single-handed kicking plays in Rugby. It is literally kicking the ball down-field as high and long as you can and they being able (unmolested) to run under it and catch it before the defender (receiving end) can. A little guy for the Irish national team, David Humphrey, was a master of it. [Miss my test Rugby].
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
06/19/2007 9:56 Comments ||
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#3
How about a GaryLarson squadron?
Posted by: Gary and the Samoyeds ||
06/19/2007 20:16 Comments ||
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Multi-National Division-Baghdad Soldiers came to the aid of an Iraqi citizen after an improvised explosive device detonated in the driveway of a house near Al Sumalat, Iraq June 17. After hearing an explosion, Soldiers from Company B, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment saw a damaged vehicle with three passengers pull up to their patrol base. The occupants explained that they had just struck an IED at a nearby house and that one of the passengers had been wounded.
The Soldiers immediately offered medical assistance to the man. He was treated on-site for a head wound, observed and later released. Upon investigation of the house, Soldiers from Co. B confirmed that the house was one which insurgents had previously attempted to destroy several weeks earlier. Iraqi Security Forces are currently investigating to find those responsible for the IED attack.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/19/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Neighborhood Associations can be a bitch to deal with.
Insurgents attacked a gas station and a Multi-National Division-Baghdad patrol with a series of car bombs in southern Baghdad June 18. Iraqi National Police and troops from Company C, 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment Vanguards responded to two simultaneous car bombings in a late morning attack at a gas station, killing five Iraqi civilians and wounding 26 more. Additionally, three civilian vehicles were set ablaze by the explosions and Iraqi emergency services put out the fires.
A few minutes prior to the gas station attack, a U.S. tank, also assigned to the 1st Bn., 18th Inf. Regt., was struck by a car bomb as the armored vehicle moved past an abandoned car. No injuries or damage resulted from the attack, and the tank returned to camp without incident. Explosive ordnance disposal units arrived at the gas station to destroy several unexploded munitions after the attack. Both incidents are under investigation.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/19/2007 00:00 ||
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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah dissolved the National Security Council on Monday, before reconstituting it without Hamas representation in a bid to further weaken Hamas. Meanwhile, Israel sought European support for a US-backed strategy to isolate Hamas in Gaza as it blocked cargo shipments headed for the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
Israel Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said on Monday that she would try to persuade European Union foreign ministers in talks in France to continue a year-old aid boycott against Hamas for failing to recognise Israel. In New York, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert promised to bolster Abbas, adding that Israel would release frozen tax revenues and perhaps take more risks in cooperating with Abbas government. The Bush administration announced it would lift a ban on direct aid to the Abbas regime on Monday, with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice saying, We will not leave 1.5 million Palestinians at the hands of terrorist organizations. She said the US would unblock $86 million for Abbas.
Given recent developments in the Gaza Strip and the closure of crossings between it and Israel, I hereby inform you that no cargo destined for the strip is to be released until further notice, an Israeli Finance Ministry official in charge of customs told international customs agents in a letter dated June 17.
We are considering operating other routes to provide supplies, including by air, said Shlomo Dor, spokesman for Israels coordinator for the Palestinian territories.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/19/2007 00:00 ||
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The United States on Monday lifted its economic and political embargo against the Palestinian government, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced. The move follows the expulsion of Hamas from the Palestinian Authority, and is meant to strengthen Western-backed PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas by resuming direct US aid.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/19/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Does this make sense? I don't think so either. Be done with Paleos. They enjoy offing each other. Let them proceed posthaste.
Israel transfered $100 million in frozen tax funds to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas as promised on Thursday, an official in Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office said Friday.
"The money has been transferred," said the official. The funds are part of the customs duties and Value-Added Tax that Israel collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority.
The prime minister agreed to transfer the funds during his meeting with Abbas last month, as part of a series of steps designed to bolster the PA chairman.
[typical tax revenue transfers to the Palestinian Gubmint, are estimated at $50 million to $60 million per month.]
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday evening he would release frozen tax revenue to the Palestinian Authority and remove some West Bank blockades.
We will cooperate with this government," Olmert said in a Manhattan address to the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. "We will defreeze monies that we kept under our control because we didn't want these monies to be taken by Hamas to be used as part of a terrorist action. And we will do what we can to upgrade the quality of life [in the West Bank]."
~~~
A senior aide to Abbas, Saeb Erekat, welcomed the payment, he said it still only represented about 25 percent of Palestinian revenues Israel is holding. "We need it badly, and we consider this a step in the right direction, hoping that the whole lot of money withheld will be transferred to the Palestinian Authority," he said.
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
06/19/2007 1:58 Comments ||
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#4
If Fatah is too weak, the internecince warfare will end too quickly.
Can't have that.
Even'em up. So they can play fair.
Posted by: Richard Aubrey ||
06/19/2007 2:06 Comments ||
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#5
But, at least, Olmert has the excuse of US pressure. What excuse George has? (Not just with Paleos but with US allies like Pakis and Soodis)
#7
Israel and the US dont want A. Hamas rule in the WB B. The WB falling into anarchy or C. the IDF having to reoccupy all of the WB. This is the logical thing to do, and also helps Israel and the US internationally, and may set the stage for an Israeli-Fatah deal.
I doubt even Bibi is denouncing these moves. I havent checked the Israeli papers yet today, so im not sure.
At least two Palestinians were killed and over 10 wounded Monday evening in a shooting attack near the Erez border crossing. The IDF said the casualties were all caused by Palestinian attackers, who hurled a hand grenade and fired bursts of automatic weapons fire at a group of dozens of people huddled in a concrete tunnel on the Gaza side of the crossing as they sought to flee the coastal strip. "The casualties are from the Palestinian fire," Maj. Tal Evram, an army spokesman said. "The incident is primarily a Palestinian terror attack on Palestinians."
Evram said that in Monday evening's shooting a soldier on the Israeli side fired a few single rounds at an armed Palestinian, but the exchange between the sides was incidental to the main attack on the Palestinian civilians. The precise condition of the victims was unknown. Some received first aid from IDF troops at the crossing, and Magen David Adom ambulances were scrambled to treat others. The ambulances were waiting on the Israeli side of the crossing, but were not permitted to cross and evacuate the wounded, Channel 10 reported.
Abu Mujahid, spokesman for the Hamas-linked Popular Resistance Committees, said two of the group's gunmen had fired at IDF soldiers, and the soldiers had fired back at civilians.
Since Hamas took over Gaza last week, the Erez crossing has been crowded with Gazans trying to flee. Only a few cases have been permitted to pass through. An eyewitness, who refused to give his name for fear of retribution, said four Palestinian gunmen raced past people at the crossing and opened fire on the soldiers, setting off the exchange. Hamas denounced the attack by the PRC gunmen. "This is rejected. There are civilians at the crossing, and this can cause problems," said Iyad Buzum, a Hamas official in northern Gaza.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/19/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
" Hamas denounced the attack by the PRC gunmen."
Disingenous? Or are they really having trouble controlling their own militants?
The United States on Monday lifted its economic and political embargo against the Palestinian government, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced. The move follows the expulsion of Hamas from the Palestinian Authority, and is meant to strengthen Western-backed PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas by resuming direct US aid.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/19/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
The answer to the question of "How stupid are we?" is very.
Posted by: Ol Dirty American ||
06/19/2007 3:01 Comments ||
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#2
So, this beggars the question of how many more gigantic arms shipments we're going to send into Fatah's Gaza headquarters. After all, the previous ones did so much good.
An unknown number of gunmen killed a defense volunteer and wounded a member of the Provincial Administration Organisation in Narathiwat on Tuesday. Provincial Administration Organisation member Sadee Salae and defense volunteer Nutthanan Kayaedalae were attacked by unidentified gunmen while travelling to the municipality. The gunmen, also in a passenger sedan and armed with assault rifles, opened fire at them on the road. The two victims were rushed to hospital, where the defense volunteer was pronounced dead later.
Meanwhile, Col. Akara Thiproj, an Army spokesman told a press conference at the Internal Security Operations Command in Yala on Tuesday that a joint military and police force raided targeted houses in Bannang Sata district and detained 17 persons suspected of involvement in insurgent attacks for further questioning. Police also found explosive materials at the house, seizing power gel explosive, a firearm, ammunition, military uniforms, a radio transceiver, urea fertiliser, and explosive devices.
BANGKOK, June 19 (AP) - (Kyodo) A roadside bomb exploded in southern Thailand's Pattani Province on Tuesday, killing three people including a district chief and an army officer, police said.
Killed were Maikaen district chief Chaipat Raksayos, Lt. Col. Surasak Phosutha of the Internal Security Operations Command and a security volunteer. Three others riding in the same car suffered injuries.
The police said the group of six officers led by the district chief was on the way back from inspecting schools burnt by insurgents late Monday.
Nearly 3,000 people have been killed in a violent insurgency in the mainly Muslim southern provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat that began in early 2004.
Three soldiers were killed on Monday as the Lebanese Army pushed on with heavy shelling of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency school complex in this refugee camp, where Fatah al-Islam militants are making a last stand. Security and Palestinian sources told The Daily Star that the remaining Fatah al-Islam members are fighting from within the vicinity of the school, using the facility as a safe haven from shelling and sniper shots from the army.
"Fatah al-Islam members have been stubborn and rejecting initiatives by the Palestinian clerics to arrange a cease-fire and a surrender of the militants," Hamas representative in Nahr al-Bared Abdul Rahim al-Sharif told The Daily Star on Monday. Sharif said Hamas has been acting as the "link" between Fatah al-Islam and the Palestinian clerics and other factions in the camp. "We are an Islamist group, and so they agreed to meet with us and allow us to coordinate meetings between them and those trying to find a solution to the crisis," said Sharif.
Sharif said that Fatah al-Islam members started trickling into Nahr al-Bared during the summer 2006 war - earlier than had previously reported - with the stated intention of "fighting the Jews." "They call everyone heretics, they are extreme in their religious practice," he said. "They even accused us of toeing the line of the Future movement" of MP Saad Hariri, he said.
"They said we had jooties, if you can imagine such a thing."
One possible truce deal would separate Lebanese and non-Lebanese members of Fatah al-Islam, with Saudis being repatriated to face a hero's welcome trial in their home state, Sharif said, adding that the idea had been rejected by the late, lamented Palestinian head of the group, Shaker Youssef Abssi, and his deputy Abu Hureira.
"Abu Hussein [Abssi] is a quiet man who lacks political vision, and Abu Hureira is loud and may need psychological therapy," said Sharif, who said he saw them both stable alive and healthy on Thursday.
"We played a little H-O-R-S-E, but Hureira cried like a girl when I blocked his layup."
The army confirmed on Sunday that it had flattened the Samed complex, which had been used as a weapons cache and training center by the militants, and was a few meters from the school where they are currently based. It also said it has full control of what is known as the "new camp" of Nahr al-Bared, more on the outskirts,
Better kbnown by some as the "empty camp"
and that the militants had formerly controlled the northern triangular area of Taawanyeh cooperative, Samed and Qods mosque. There were reports that the troops are positioned just a few meters away from two other key Fatah al-Islam positions. The National News Agency said Monday that "many bodies" still remain on the streets, and most of them are around the former positions controlled by Fatah al-Islam such as Samed and Taawanyeh cooperative.
Cockles = toasty warm. Please send over some wahhabi popcorn, k?
The army has reportedly found mass graves where militants buried their dead near Samed center. Judiciary authorities on Monday brought charges against two more accused Fatah al-Islam members, a Palestinian and Saudi, bringing up to 40 the total number of suspected militants accused of terrorism.
DATELINE: EIN AL-HELLHOLE, Lebanon - On a recent afternoon, with the smoke still rising from buildings burned in fierce fighting here between Islamist militants and the Lebanese Army, a man calling himself Abu Omar gave a tour of his squalid neighborhood. Oh, Lion of Islam!
Abu Omar, a militant Islamist, is among the most charismatic leaders in the camp, loved by his supporters but detested by those who say militants bring nothing but destruction to the Palestinians.
An old woman stopped him. Thank God you are safe, she said, hugging and kissing him three times on each bearded cheek. My house is completely burned, she said. "Praise be to Allah!"
Dont worry about it, he replied as he took her hands. We will fix it or get you a new one. Do not worry. Everything will be fixed. Yada yada yada. Allah will provide for you.
The fighting was a sign of just how fragile Lebanon has become. As the Lebanese Army battled militants in the Nahr al Bared refugee camp in the north, gunfire broke out between the army and militants here in this camp, near Sidon. Abu Omar says the fighting started after a soldier provoked a brother. Like an american brother?
He was telling him that we are defeating you in Nahr al Bared, we are burning you, Abu Omar said. Then he started shooting toward him; the brother went home, brought his gun and started shooting back. Yeah, I believe that story. LOLOL.
The government disputes that version of events, but by either account, the camp is a tinderbox, and Abu Omar, whose real name is Chehadeh Jawhar, is an apt symbol of the weakness of the Lebanese state. "apt" as in 'fitting'.
Even before the current political crisis, with pro-American factions struggling to keep power from pro-Syrian and pro-Iranian parties, Lebanon was a nation without institutions, a place where power was divided among religious sects. It was a state that gave Palestinians free license to live in 12 refugee camps within its borders. Within the camps confines, they were immune from the countrys rules, laws, police and oversight, but condemned to a life of degradation and second-class status. Once a Paleo....., version 1,344,428,901
For those like Abu Omar, with a militant terrorist political agenda, the arrangement created 12 different places to set up shop and 12 bases to run to, hide in and conduct operations. Abu Omar lives on Emergency Street, a free-wheeling alley of martial faith surrounded by squalor. He takes visitors into his basement. Rats do need many burrows, don't they?
With a shrug of his shoulders, he pointed to a corner in the darkened room where he has stored TNT, plastic explosives and guns. He smiled, then opened boxes and black school backpacks, rummaging through a potpourri of ammunition, makeshift land mines and detonating wires. Just your typical Paleo cupboard!
The explosives stored in his basement were similar to those that have been used to destabilize Lebanon since the assassination of the former prime minister Rafik Hariri in February 2005. There is no way to know if the basement was the source of any of those bombs. Maybe the NYT, being a newspaper and all, could investigate whether *these* explosives match *those* explosives? Hmmmm?
I'm afraid Mr. Duranty the reporter is right; there's no telling where all the blown up bits come from. For all we know the Ordnance Fairy leaves some under his pillow every night, and the RedWire Elves and the GreenWire Imps drop down the chimney and party all night with huge bongs full of TATP
An explosion recently ripped through a tire shop on Emergency Street as Abu Omar and other militants were extracting TNT from a 107-millimeter shell, apparently to use in making a bomb, according to Lebanese security officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, because they were not authorized to speak to the news media. Patented Paleo workmanship!
Abu Omar and two other militants were wounded, and two others died. A pity.
Victory is not required from us, he said in an interview before the explosion. What is required is to be ready for a jihad in the name of God, ready to reinstate Islams rule and Muslim caliphate. It is normal, if the army shoots at us, we will shoot back at them normal. Abu Omar, 37, was once a fighter with the mainstream Fatah faction of Yasir Arafat, the former Palestinian Authority AIDS-infested, former thug-in-chiefpresident. An electrician turned arms smuggler, he said he left the group when he said he felt its leaders were minimizing the Palestinian cause. Palestine is not only for Palestinians, Jerusalem is not only for Palestinians, he said. It is for all Arabs and Muslims. Yeah! All the arabs! A Paradise, I tell you!
He says he has been wanted by the Lebanese government since 1991 for scores of felonies. Crimes that cannot be counted, he boasted. It is normal, normal. "After all, I am a Paleo."
"Better be careful, I'm a dangerous man. I have the death sentance on twelve systems!"
A senior Lebanese military official confirmed that Abu Omar is wanted in connection with numerous killings and bombings. "We'd get him, but they might want to hurt us."
He cannot leave the camp. Not, at least, through the front gate in daylight. He says he is now a member of Esbat al Ansar, a group listed by Washington as a terrorist group. In the camp, he built a house, married and had eight children. Happytime!
The military official said Abu Omar is believed to have left the ranks of Esbat al Ansar and is now a member of a splinter faction called Jund as-Sham. Who cares? They are all basically the same except for minor arguments like proper beheading techniques.
Abu Omar struts through the camp like a sports star, or the mayor. He stopped at his mothers house. She had just returned from a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. He hugged and kissed her; she thanked God for his safety. His sisters showered him with yet more kisses. We miss you, they said. "Struts" like a "sports star"? WTF???
Taxi drivers and their customers passing by also stopped to give thanks that he had survived the battle. More residents and neighbors joined the line. "Please do not kill us, effendi."
But caught between the army and Abu Omar and his supporters are those who simply struggle to get through their days, and see in the militant groups the seeds of their own devastation. Life sucks when you are a Paleo, version, hell, I can't keep up with it anymore.
They burned the houses, they burned our houses, said a Palestinian refugee who gave his name as Abu Iyad for fear of reprisal. He said his perfume shop and his house, both on Emergency Street, had been set on fire. If the army gives me a uniform, I will shoot at them now, he said. Signed his own death warrant as their can't be more than one shut-down perfume shop in farking ein all-hellhole.
We want to get rid of all these problems, said Mustapha Razi, another refugee. If my brother is creating problems, I want to get rid of him. "But I am too afaid!"
But they know they cant, and that the army cant either. If fighting erupts again, they all said they would do what they did a few days ago: flee. Life su..... oh, never mind
Abu Omar says it is unlikely those clashes would resume. But if they do, he said, civilians outside the camp are fair game. If the army shoots at us again, we will shoot at civilians in Sidon.
And off he walked to visit his mother and sisters. "Such a nice boy."
#1
I'd stay about 300 yards from the militants, minimum. I don't understand why Leb is dicking around with them. Trying to get them to surrender??
They will only put them in jail for a couple of years and release them for some lame-ass reason to murder again. I think "lights out" is the way to go with these pukes.
An explosion in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ein el Helweh near the city of Sidon in south Lebanon killed 2 people and wounded one according to the Lebanese National News Agency . The explosion was caused by a bomb. Shehadah Jawhar , one of the leaders of Jund el-Sham is reportedly one of the victims . Jund el-Sham launched an attack against the Lebanese army about 2 weeks ago to weaken the army in its attack on the Fatah al islam terrorists holed in the Nahr el-Bared camp.
Update : Update:
The blast was apparently caused by the explosion of an oxygen canister , security sources said and not by a bomb as reported earlier.
"Hey Mahmoud, this valve is sticky!"
"Whack it with that hammer. I do it all the time!"
They said the explosion happened in a tire shop in the Taamir area at the entrance of Ein al-Helweh camp. Taamir is the stronghold of a small Islamist militant group, Jund al-Sham ( which translates into 'Soldiers of Damascus')
My update beats your update:
SIDON: A flawed attempt by Jund al-Sham militants to build a bomb was behind a fatal explosion Monday in a tire-repair shop in the Taamir neighborhood outside Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp, a Lebanese security report said on Tuesday.
Your standard "work accident"
Lebanese security officials said the Monday afternoon blast, which killed two Palestinians and wounded three, occurred as Jund al-Sham members were extracting TNT from a 107-millimeter shell.
"Dammit, the threads on the fuse are stripped"
"Here, heat it with this torch"
Among those wounded was a leader of Jund al-Sham, Shehadeh Jawhar. Residents of Ain al-Hilweh said that the two dead men were the shop owner - Jawhar's uncle - and his nephew.
The family that builds bombs together....well, you know. They're dead, Jim
Also wounded was a Lebanese man, Mohammad Ghuneim, whose brother, Shadi, has been held for months in Saudi Arabia for suspected links with Al-Qaeda, security officials said.
This article starring:
Jund al-Sham
Posted by: Fred ||
06/19/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[8 views]
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#1
Why would one have a canister of compressed oxygen at a tire shop? Was it really just compressed air - a REALLY big bottle of it? Did grandpa Mo have congestive heart failure? Were they working on a new enhanced-yield, propane-oxygen car bomb?
#2
They could have had a bad valve on an oxygen cylinder. Maybe they had an oxy-acetylene torch kit, you know, for welding up exhaust pipes and mufflers....
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
06/19/2007 10:29 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Trying to salvage a full O2 tank. Palis are love scrap iron.
A previously unknown militant Islamist group claimed responsibility on Monday for a rocket attack on north Israel as the Lebanese Army and U.N. Peacekeepers went on full alert in search of the assailants. The self-proclaimed group, "the Jihadi Badr Brigades Lebanon branch," vowed in a statement faxed to The Associated Press in Beirut to continue attacks on Israel. "We had promised our people Jihad (holy war). Here, we again strike the Zionists when a group from the Jihadi Badr Brigades struck the Zionists in the occupied Palestinian territory," the statement said.
Two rockets fired from Lebanon landed Sunday in northern Israel, causing damage but no casualties, in the first such incident since last summer's war between Israel and Hezbollah. Authenticity of the group's claim could not be immediately confirmed.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese army and U.N. peacekeepers went on full alert in search of the unidentified assailants. Armored vehicles of both the Lebanese army and the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrolled the road running parallel to the border with Israel. The Lebanese army also set up snap checkpoints in the border zone right after the Sunday 5 pm rocket attack in search of a civilian vehicle which the assailants reportedly used to launch the rockets into the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona, causing no injuries and inflicting minor damage.
UNIFIL said the rocket attack from Lebanese territory on Israel was a "serious breach" to the cease-fire that ended last summer's Israel-Hizbullah war, and urged the parties to exercise maximum restraint to prevent an escalation. Five shells landed in the mountainous areas of Birkat Naqqar and Jabal Saddaneh near the town of Shabaa in the eastern sector of the border with Israel, minutes after the rockets slammed into northern Israel. There were no reports of casualties.
Hezbollah denied involvement, and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the attack was mostly likely the work of "a small Palestinian movement." The rockets were of the crude type according to Israeli sources The Syrian-backed Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command, led by Ahmed Gibril, also denied it had carried out the rocket attack.
Israel's initial reaction was muted, but security officials were meeting to debate a response. An official with Olmert indicated Israel would not hit back.
Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said the attack aimed to destabilize Lebanon by casting doubts about the ability of the army and UNIFIL to protect the border zone. "The state ... will spare no effort in uncovering those who stand behind this incident, which is aimed at attempting to undermine the stability" of Lebanon, Siniora said in a statement. Bouziane said that the Lebanese army "located the launching area and found four rocket launchers with time devices. There were three fired and the fourth failed to fire."
The Lebanese army said in a statement three 107 millimeter Katyusha rockets were fired at Israel by "unknown elements" and that a search was underway to find the attackers. Troops sent to search the suspected launching area found a fourth rocket equipped with a timer. A Lebanese security said that the rockets were launched using timers from an area between the villages of Adaisseh and Kfar Kila, a few kilometers from Israel's border.
Israeli Channel 2 TV's Arab affairs analyst, Ehud Yaari, said a splinter Palestinian group in Lebanon was probably behind the attack. There was no claim of responsibility. In the past, small Palestinian groups, like the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, have fired a few rockets at Israel. Late Sunday, a drone aircraft could be heard circling over the southern port city of Tyre, witnesses said. UNIFIL and the Lebanese army have no drones, and Israel has frequently flown such small aircraft to monitor movements on the ground in southern Lebanon.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/19/2007 00:00 ||
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[7 views]
Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in the Levant
The Lebanese army discovered a rocket that was set to be launched Sunday on Israel and prevented it from being fired, shortly after three were launched and two landed in the Jewish state, Lebanon's military said in a statement.
The army blamed the attack on unknown elements, the statement said.
Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group denied firing at Israel on Sunday. Hezbollah denies being involved in any operation to launch missiles today against occupied Palestine, said a flash script on Al-Manar television.
A Lebanese security official told The Associated Press that two 107 millimeter rockets were launched using timers from an area between the villages of Adaisseh and Kfar Kila, a few kilometers from Israel's northern border. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
The army statement said that three rockets were fired toward Israel. Troops were sent to search the suspected launching area, where a fourth rocket equipped with a timer was found.
The army was investigating and a search was underway for the attackers.
U.N. peacekeepers also dispatched a patrol to the area, the army said.
It was the first time rockets were fired from Lebanese territory at the Jewish state since last summer's war between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas, when almost 4,000 rockets were fired at Israel and the Israeli army retaliated with artillery and missile fire on Lebanon.
Israel's Channel 2 TV said two rockets struck the town of Kiryat Shemona on Sunday, hitting a factory and a car but causing no injuries. An Israeli official said Israel would «not succumb to this provocation» by retaliating. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
Yasmina Bouziane, deputy spokeswoman for the U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon said the U.N. mission was trying «to ascertain the facts.
There have been instances in the past - before last year's war - when rockets were mysteriously fired on Israel. These were blamed by Lebanese officials on radical Syrian-backed Palestinian factions, and in one instance claimed by al-Qaida.
Hezbollah usually claims responsibility for its attacks. While the zone along the border in southern Lebanon is controlled by some 12,000 U.N. peacekeepers and more than 15,000 Lebanese soldiers, Hezbollah has repeatedly said it maintains presence in the border zone.
The prime suspect in previous attacks - the Syrian-based Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command - on Sunday denied its men had fired any missiles. The group has bases on the Lebanese-Syrian border and a base at Naameh just south of Beirut.
The attack comes amid turmoil in the Palestinian territories between President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah and the Islamic militant Hamas, and as the Lebanese army battles the radical Fatah Islam militant offshoot in a north Lebanon refugee camp.
Leaders of Fatah Islam were unavailable for comment Sunday, their cell phones being out of service.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/19/2007 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[9 views]
Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in the Levant
#1
so does this mean a huge improvement in the efficacy of the Leb Army, or is it able to get away with this only cause Hezb didnt fire the rockets?
Based on initial interrogations of top Jemaah Islamiyah members who were captured over the past week, the Indonesian police are now painting a picture of a terrorist organization attempting to consolidate in the face of heavy attrition.
According to the police, JI has now done away with its earlier region-wide mantiqi ("regional command") structure. Previously, JI had four mantiqi covering large portions of Southeast Asia and Australia. At its peak (prior to late 2002), each mantiqi consisted of up to a dozen wakilah, and each wakilah were comprised of several fiah, or cells. Overseeing all this was a markaz, a small headquarters consisting of top JI members.
It is now understood that JI still recognizes a markaz. But under the markaz, JI now divides itself into four ishoba which only cover the Indonesian island of Java. These ishoba are named after historical figures in Islam.
Ishoba I, based in Solo (Central Java), is named Zaid bin Haritsah, who was the adopted son of the Prophet Mohammad and one of Islam's first military leaders. The authorities have not confirmed who heads this ishoba.
Ishoba II, based in Semarang (Central Java), was headed by Sarwo Edi, who was wounded and captured in Jogjakarta this past March. This ishoba is named after Jafar bin Abu Thalib, the son of Mohammad's uncle and one of the first converts to Islam.
Ishoba III, based in Surabaya (East JavA), was headed by Kholis, who was also captured this past March. According to a police statement, this ishoba is named Abdullah bin Roah (this transliterated spelling is probably incorrect, as it does not appear to correspond to any prominent figure in Islam).
Ishoba IV, based in Jakarta, is named Khalid bin Walid, who was a famous general during the Muslim conquests of the Seventh Century. The police are still uncertain who heads this ishoba.
The authorities arew still not certain how the JI presence in provinces outside of Java fits into the new ishoba structure. The police also insist that there are several prominent JI members that have yet to be captured, and they are not reducing their vigilance after this week's arrests.
#1
Interesting that this is a "police" thing and not a "military" thing. When I lived in Indonesia (Borneo - Kalimantan Timur), the main military CI corps was in Kalimantan Timur since that is where the insurgent ethnic Chinese rebels were either relocated or escaped to during the "Year of Living Dangerously". They were restrained and isolated by crack army CI troops. Now, why aren't these forces being re-deployed back to Java to contain and wipe out the Ishoba?
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
06/19/2007 10:05 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Wipe out.... yes, that would be a major change within Jemaah Islamiyah.
#2
A sure fire candidate for the "Classics", Fred. One of your funniest captions, ever! In fact, the whole dang sheet ("strawberry lard") is one of your absolute best! Please keep up the excellent work.
A large woman, wearing a sleeveless sun dress, walked into a bar in
Dublin. She raised her right arm, revealing a huge,
hairy armpit as she pointed to all the people sitting at the bar and
asked, "What man here will buy a lady a drink?"
The bar went silent as the patrons tried to ignore her, but down at the
end of the bar, an owl-eyed drunk slammed his
hand down on the counter and bellowed -- "Give the ballerina a drink!"
The bartender poured the drink and the woman chugged it down. She turned
to the patrons and again pointed around
at all of them, revealing the same hairy armpit, and asked "What man here
will buy a lady a drink?"
Once again, the same little drunk slapped his money down on the bar and
said, "Give the ballerina another drink!"
The bartender approached the little drunk and said, "Tell me, Foy, it's
your business if you want to buy the lady a drink,
but why do you keep calling her a ballerina?"
The drunk replied, "Any woman who can lift her leg that high has got to be
a ballerina!"
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
06/19/2007 9:39 Comments ||
Top||
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.
A top rebel leader and two other suspected militants were killed on Monday in a gunbattle with Indian forces in Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said. Acting on a tip, police raided the village of Chewdara and killed the three suspected militants in a gunbattle, said local police chief Ashiq Bukhari. He said one of the dead men was one of the top four field commanders of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba. Bukhari identified the man as Furqan and said he was a Pakistani national active in Indian Kashmir for the last eight years. There was no immediate comment from Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and the incident could not be independently confirmed.
The Taliban have banned TV and video CDs in public in the Wazir areas of South Waziristan, warning that strict punishment will be meted out to violators. 
BAGHDAD (AP) - About 10,000 U.S. soldiers launched an offensive against al-Qaida in Iraq northeast of Baghdad early Tuesday, killing at least 22 insurgents, the U.S. military said. 
BAGHDAD About 10,000 U.S. soldiers launched an offensive against Al Qaeda in Iraq northeast of Baghdad early Tuesday, killing at least 22 insurgents, the U.S. military said.
Al Qaeda has proven to be an extremely agile foe for U.S. and Iraqi forces, as shown by its ability to transfer major operations to Baqouba from Anbar province, the sprawling desert region in western Iraq. There is no guarantee that driving the organization out of current sanctuaries would prevent it from migrating to other regions to continue the fight.
BAGHDAD - US-led coalition forces killed at least 20 militants after coming under heavy attack from Shia gunmen during raids in southern Iraqs Maysan province early on Monday, the US military said.
At least two Palestinians were killed and over 10 wounded Monday evening in a shooting attack near the Erez border crossing. The IDF said the casualties were all caused by Palestinian attackers, who hurled a hand grenade and fired bursts of automatic weapons fire at a group of dozens of people huddled in a concrete tunnel on the Gaza side of the crossing as they sought to flee the coastal strip. "The casualties are from the Palestinian fire," Maj. Tal Evram, an army spokesman said. "The incident is primarily a Palestinian terror attack on Palestinians." 
A previously unknown militant Islamist group claimed responsibility on Monday for a rocket attack on north Israel as the Lebanese Army and U.N. Peacekeepers went on full alert in search of the assailants. The self-proclaimed group, "the Jihadi Badr Brigades Lebanon branch," vowed in a statement faxed to The Associated Press in Beirut to continue attacks on Israel. "We had promised our people Jihad (holy war). Here, we again strike the Zionists when a group from the Jihadi Badr Brigades struck the Zionists in the occupied Palestinian territory," the statement said.
