While artillery has replaced air power as the primary source of fire support in Iraq, U.S. troops in Afghanistan are still using lots of smart bombs. As was discovered in late 2001, it's much easier to bring in bombers, armed with smart bombs, than to deploy artillery in Afghanistan. The high casualty count for the Taliban during their "Summer Offensive" was the result of some 2,000 air attacks between June and October. Not all of these attacks were with bombs (only about 45 percent were), the rest involved aircraft like A-10s and F-16s coming low and using cannon (30mm and 20mm respectively.) New fire control equipment has made these strafing runs much more accurate. Still, each cannon attack involved, on average, only about a hundred rounds fired.
The tactics in Afghanistan are still very similar to those used in 2001. Small groups of troops move around in vehicles (usually hummers) and, with the aid of UAVs and Afghan scouts, find the large groups (up to several hundred) of Taliban. Once discovered, the Taliban either gather in a village or cave complex to fight it out, and get smart bombed, or scatter, and get chased down. Even small groups (less than a dozen men) often got hit with air strikes. These included attacks by AC-130 and helicopter gunships. While the 500 pound smart bomb is preferred in Iraq, Afghanistan still sees 2,000 and 1,000 pound smart bombs used.
Bombers also make much use of their new targeting pods, which enable pilots 20,000 feet up, to make out individuals on the ground, and whether or not they are carrying weapons. Troops on the ground often rely on this sort of air reconnaissance, from the same aircraft that will either drop smart bombs or come low for a strafing run. Unfortunately, the B-1 and B-52 bombers do not have this high altitude recon ability, but do carry most of the smart bombs dropped. The fighting in Afghanistan this year has led to the use of more air delivered munitions (987 bombs and 146,000 cannon shells), than in all the time since U.S. forces entered Afghanistan in late 2001 (848 bombs and 118,000 shells). The heavy bombers spend most of their time just circling high in the spy, waiting for someone to call for a smart bomb. To enable the bombers to stay up there longer, they are now based in the Persian Gulf (Qatar), which is closer to Afghanistan than Diego Garcia island (in the Indian Ocean.)
In Iraq, the preferred fire support weapon now is the 227mm MLRS GPS guided rocket. With a range of 70 kilometers, and a 200 pound explosive warhead, a few GMLRS (G for "Guided") vehicles (each carrying eight rockets), can cover a huge area with very accurate fire. The air force and navy still provide reconnaissance, and cannon fire support, but not as many bombs. The troops have missiles (TOWs, usually) fired from the ground, or from helicopter gunships. Moreover, most of the fighting in Iraq is being done by the Ira
#3
Just wait until 2015 when persistent rumors that Blue Team players in the wildly popular MechWar on-line game are actually controling US robotic warfighting assets turn out to be true.
#5
#3 SteveS Just wait until 2015 when persistent rumors that Blue Team players in the wildly popular MechWar on-line game are actually controling US robotic warfighting assets turn out to be true.
Ender's Game. When is this going to be made into a movie?
Do the fighter pilots get to paint little jihadist outlines on their plane after making a strafing run?
ASADABAD, Afghanistan - Taleban terrorists militants barged into a house in a troubled eastern Afghan province and shot dead five members of the same family, including two female teachers, police said Saturday.
The killings happened in Narang district, Kunar province, late Friday, said local police officer Abdul Saboor Allahyar. Sadly, two female teachers, a school worker, and a housewife and a young boy, all members of one family were killed, Allahyar told AFP. Two other family members, a boy and a young woman, were wounded in the attack, police said.
It was the work of the Taleban, said Allahyar. Brilliant, officer, how do you do it?
The attack followed several warnings by terrorists rebels to the family to stop working, he said. The family had told us earlier that they were threatened by Taleban terrorists and other bad guys that they should stop working as teachers, he said. Because an education might lead the youngins' away from jihad.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/10/2006 00:00 ||
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(SomaliNet) The Chadian government said Friday that Chad's army retook the eastern town of Biltine after launching a counter-attack against rebels who briefly occupied it in their military campaign against Chadian President Idriss Deby.
UFDD spokesman Ali Moussa Izzo said by satellite phone that the rebels had pulled out of the town but were controlling the area around it. "To avoid a battle in the town we withdrew," Izzo said.
Our defence and security forces are pursuing the rebels, Chadian Defense Minister Bichara Issa Djadallah told reporters.
Meanwhile, the rebel Union of Forces for Democracy and Development (UFDD) said on Thursday its fighters had moved into the town, the capital of the eastern Biltine prefecture, without encountering any serious resistance from government troops. On Friday, UFDD spokesman Ali Moussa Izzo said by satellite phone that the rebels had pulled out of the town but were controlling the area around it. "To avoid a battle in the town we withdrew," Izzo said.
The Chadian defense minister said government forces had killed 50 rebels and captured 30. He put government losses at 10 dead and said 10 rebel vehicles were destroyed and 10 captured.-Reuters reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2006 00:00 ||
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(SomaliNet) Somalis interim government in Baidoa city, southwest of Somalia denied on Saturday that it has lost troops and battle wagons in yesterdays battle with the Islamic Courts fighters in Dinsor town south of the country. Speaking in todays parliament session in which they supported the UN resolution to Somalia, Salad Ali Jelle, the deputy minister of defence, dismissed reports that ICU has captured number of government soldiers and war vehicles in Dinsor on Friday describing it as rumours and baseless assertions by Islamist officials.
"If the Islamists have indications of taking prisons and capturing government weapons they should put forward to the media but it is clear that they are lying and claiming non-exist victory," Salad Jele said. Mr. Jelle told the parliament that their troops were attacked by the Islamists but fortunately repelled them back. He denied that the government troops had attacked Dinsor, a commercial town, 130 miles to Baidoa, which recent has taken over by the Islamic Courts. The government's denial came after ICU officials claimed that their fighters had defeated the government forces in the battle that broke out in Safar-Noleys village near Dinsor taking prisons and battle wagons from the government side.
Meanwhile, there is high tension around Dinsor where Islamist fighter and government forces are on the brink of engaging another war with each side receiving reinforcements. The fear is the war might spread to new areas if it restarts. Conflicting reports are emerging from the area. Some say the war has already restarted and now continuing while others say the war is yet to began but due to break out as both rivals are getting preparation for another hit.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2006 00:00 ||
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A judge in northern Somalia convicted nine people Saturday of crimes linked to plotting terrorist attacks against the breakaway republic of Somaliland, but acquitted the Islamic Courts' top leader and one other, an official said. Regional court judge Abdirahman Gama Ayan ordered the nine people convicted to serve prison sentences of between 20 and 25 years, Somaliland's presidential spokesman Abdi Idiris Dualeh said by telephone from the region's capital, Hargeisa.
Aran cleared Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, the leader of the Council of Islamic Courts that control much of southern Somalia, and the Islamic Courts' military commander Aden Hashi Ayro, saying there was not enough evidence to convict them of plotting terrorist acts in September and October 2005, Du'aleh said.
Among those sentenced to 25 years in prison was a prominent Somaliland Islamic leader, Sheik Mohamed Ismail, who was convicted of crimes linked to terrorism, smuggling illegal weapons and explosives, said Ismail Mohamed, who listened to the court's verdict.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2006 00:00 ||
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(KUNA) -- Algerian security forces killed four nationals believed to be members of an outlawed armed group, active in the northeast of the capital Algiers, a security source said Saturday. The source said in press remarks the security forces stoped a car in Mshonesh area, 530 kilometers northeast of Algiers, which was boarded by the armed elements. One of the gunman opened fire at the forces and injured one of them. The government forces retaliated and killed all four gunmen inside the car, said the source.
A Kalashnikov, a pistol, a hand grenade and ammunition were seized from the car, said the source.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2006 00:00 ||
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An attempted terrorist attack in Britain over the Christmas period is "highly likely", the Home Secretary said today.
John Reid said that around 30 conspiracies were under preparation, and the current threat level was "very high indeed". He told GMTV Sunday that he did not think it an attack was inevitable, but that "the terrorists only have to get through once, as they did on July 7, for us to see the terrible carnage that it causes".
"Our security services have to be successful on every occasion to prevent that happening," he said. "I try to walk the tightrope between being truthful and honest about the threat to the public but, on the other hand, to say we are doing everything possible to combat it and to try to keep our lifestyle as near as possible to the British way of life."
The Home Secretary added that he thought the battle against Islamic terrorism was likely to last longer than a generation. Mr Reid's comments echo statements made by last month by Tony Blair and Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller, the head of MI5, about the rising threat posed by Muslim fundamentalist terrorists. Mr Blair warned that Britain faced a "long and deep struggle" to defeat al-Qa'eda.
The official terror assessment, posted on the Government's Intelligence website, currently rates the threat as "severe" - the second highest level. "We ought to be very grateful to the people in the security services who work night and day to try to protect us," Mr Reid said. "We can never guarantee that we will get 100 per cent success but we do get 100 per cent effort from the security services."
It isn't a crime in Britain to conspire to inflict a terror attack? Arrest them all, then all their phone and computer contacts. Expel all non-citizens for either associating with miscreants or for not reporting the plotters, whichever will stick... and their dependents. The taxpaying British citizenry shouldn't have to support Jihadi cuckoos. Charge the citizens with conspiring to murder, and jail the buggers. Let the truly moderate Muslims (and I do believe they exist, although there are those here who don't) caught in the net earn their freedom by grassing on the rest.
#2
Nothing to worry about. They'd never commit acts of murder and mayhem during a holy day. Aren't we repeatedly told by the media about the sacred Muslim holidays and how we can't fight insurgents during those days. Surely the Muslims will show respect for the sanctity of Christmas and respect the peace of the holiday season. Won't they?
#3
Arrest them all, then all their phone and computer contacts. ExpelHang all non-citizens for either associating with miscreants or for not reporting the plotters, whichever will stick... and expel their dependents. The taxpaying British citizenry shouldn't have to support Jihadi cuckoos. Charge the citizens with conspiring to murder, and jailhang the buggers.
#5
Let the truly moderate Muslims ... caught in the net earn their freedom by grassing on the rest.
Because if they don't, then they really weren't moderates anyway, right? The final question arises as to why the Mythical Moderate Muslim must be compelled by force to do any reporting. Don't they value the sanctity of their religion enough to do so without compulsion? Sorta takes the wind out of their claims of being a moderate, now doesn't it. More like a tacit but cowardly accomplice who can be turned with even slight pressure. And this is the crux.
As someone who spent a lot of my early days here defending Moderate Muslims, the fifth anniversary of 9-11 has seen a sea change in my attitudes. I'm not posting this to start a battle with you, trailing wife, and I'm sure there are millions of Muslims who do not have any dog in terrorism's fight.
Unfortunately, there are just as many, if not many more, millions of Muslims who either overtly or covertly support terrorism. I've been forced to draw a line at the concept of Radical Reform. If Muslims want to preserve the life of their religion, and eventually their own, they had best make quick work of outing jihadist imams and terrorists in their midst. Radical Refomation demands a proactive, not a passive "wait-and-see", stance in thwarting terrorism. Moderate Muslims must take back their religion by force or find themselves lumped with the terrorists. No exceptions.
As I've mentioned many times before; We're not obliged to sort delicately through the Muslim population in order to winnow out their terrorists and traitors. That is Islam's obligation should it wish to survive. To date, Islam has shown not the least inkling of being prepared to do so. Nor is there any groundswell movement urging it in that direction.
Islam's only pressure comes from the monstrously expensive campaign against terrorism that America and a bare few other countries have committed themselves to. Such expenditure of precious blood and hard-earned treasure is simply not conscionable in the light of Islam's dogged refusal (there is no reluctance about it) to begin any sort of reformation.
As seen above, if pressure must be applied to certain Muslims in order to obtain any information about jihadists, then they really aren't moderates at all. They are merely weak-willed terrorists who can be turned readily by slight coercion.
By this definition, my own estimate is that the pool of truly Moderate Muslims suddenly drops by a factor of some +90%. That 90% are merely the "unrecruited" or "sleeper" population that .com has often referred to in his convincing arguments against the role of so many supposedly moderate Muslims.
It is this recalcitrance, this dogged refusal to interdict their own violent population that will permit some crazed segment or sect to commit an atrocity of such dumbfounding proportions that nuclear annihilation will be the only appropriate response.
Just as much as any terrorists, so too are the vast majority of supposedly moderate Muslims bringing about their own extermination. The only difference is that their holocaust will never be spelled with a capital "H".
#7
Let the truly moderate Muslims ... caught in the net earn their freedom by grassing on the rest.
Because if they don't, then they really weren't moderates anyway, right?
Yup. In a situation like that, give them one opportunity to prove it. In the midst of a shooting war, however, collateral is as collateral does.
I understand your frustration, Zenster. A great many of those claiming to be moderates are clearly spewing taqiyyah in warm, brown, stinky showers. An act of war against the host civilization, on a small scale. Entirely too many of the Muslim community in the States as well as the rest of Dar al Harb are indeed more or less passive fellow travellers rather than non-actively against jihadist efforts.
But there are those others who are quietly reporting to the authorities on the bad guys in their midst -- remember that the Lackawanna Six were turned in by some of the elders in the community. There are others wearing the uniform of this country who honestly stand with us. And quite a few others who've quietly drifted away from Islam without openly declaring themselves because they don't want to face their mother's tears, but who are nontheless disgusted by the viciousness of Islam -- Apostate who posted here for a bit was one of those.
But up till now nobody has demanded that they choose sides -- and until forced, they simply won't openly declare themselves. It would be like an Italian-American calling the police to report that Cousin Vinnie is running drugs for the Mafia... and probably about as dangerous.
There will come a point, soon I hope, when an open declaration will be demanded, those do not stand with us are at least expelled, and those who claim to forced to prove it. Quite possibly as a step before destroying the Ummah. But in the meantime what you want simply isn't going to happen, even were the ratio of passive non-acceptors 90% of the whole.
Even if the Jews had never existed, Islam would still be out to forcefully impose global sharia law upon this world. The number of moderate Muslims who decry terrorism drops precipitously to near-zero when it comes to any opposition over imposing global sharia law. Terrorism or not, it is their aspiration for all humanity to live under sharia law that willmust get them all killed.
#9
A great many of those claiming to be moderates are clearly spewing taqiyyah in warm, brown, stinky showers.
[snip]
There will come a point, soon I hope, when an open declaration will be demanded, those do not stand with us are at least expelled, and those who claim to forced to prove it. Quite possibly as a step before destroying the Ummah.
Superbly well written, trailing wife.
But in the meantime what you want simply isn't going to happen, even were the ratio of passive non-acceptors 90% of the whole.
I know that it is not possible, now. That does not change at all how important it is to begin militating public opinion over to an understanding of what taqqiya and sharia implies. Once these two incredibly vile practices are finally recognized for the filth they are, only then will there be hope of implementing what you have so deftly outlined.
Please forgive me if I preach to the choir, y'all. Rest assured that the arguments I perfect here are taken into the outside world and distributed for consumption in my own personal effort to bring about the change needed to ensure America's survival.
#10
"Even if the Jews had never existed, Islam would still be out to forcefully impose global sharia law upon this world. The number of moderate Muslims who decry terrorism drops precipitously to near-zero when it comes to any opposition over imposing global sharia law. Terrorism or not, it is their aspiration for all humanity to live under sharia law that will must get them all killed."
Zenster makes a great point that can be narrowed down to this fact: The Wahhabi-cult Muzzies are murdering Thais by the bushel of late. How many Thais are Jewish?
#11
There will come a point, soon I hope, when an open declaration will be demanded, those do not stand with us are at least expelled, and those who claim to forced to prove it.
#15
You mean like detention camps, and same for German and Italian aliens? (Supreme Court upheld). And I don't even remember Japanese in the US killing 3000 Americans or plotting/executing subsequent acts of Jihad on US soil. When a population's core belief is to genocide me and my family, I have no duty to tolerate it, but a duty to wipe their sorry asses off the map.
Posted by: ed ||
12/10/2006 18:05 Comments ||
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#16
Easy .com, don't bite. LOL!! OK Zen the bandwidth is your!LOL
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
12/10/2006 18:07 Comments ||
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#17
Please don't interrupt if you don't want to answer the question
By first revoking Islam's status as a religion and declaring it to be the political ideology it is. Those who adhere to its tenets are tried for sedition and detained or deported as necessary.
E.W., what is your position on this? All well and fine that you question the approach of others, it's certainly your right. However, here at Rantburg, there are those of us who prefer our debates to be two-sided. Opposing viewpoints are welcome so long as they posit some sort of workable solution. What's your's?
Do you view Islam as a threat? Do you consider Islam a valid religion? Are you concerned about halting international terrorism? Do you oppose the subtle erosion of constitutional law that efforts to install sharia represent?
And a quick litmus test:
What is your position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?
Islam has declared war on the West so many times and in so many ways with nearly zero contradiction by any source of authority within itself, including direct statements advocating such in the Koran, that one would have to be a hermit not to know this.
While America still does not consider it a religious war, Islam does, and has from the very beginning.
#25
Or should I call you:
Hupailet Unaiger3912
Pholing Glineque9578
Angurong Chotle2086
Speart Flerong2904
Slereper Ulosing9249
Shaviting Phinens9082
Uloluth Chinetch5315
Ahmed the terrorist
JUSone
Bob
Lou
GH
MU
for Hungary from Poland
Papa Smurf
Clan Cameron
NWFP Assembly
Nero
Scumbag Defense Atty
Contrarian
C or
facta non verba ?
#31
On the contrary, war has been declared, twice. On Sept. 18, 2001 (SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE: This joint resolution may be cited as the `Authorization for Use of Military Force.) and against a specific country. Oct. 2002: Iraq War Resolution. We already know detention for the duration is constitutional and this war (as currently waged) will go on after you and I both die of old age. So detention for the duration or deportation makes little difference to me. Depends on wether you want to feed them for life or not.
Patience E.W. Though the war is 1400 years old, US participation is new. Even the Bush administration admitted it will take at least a generation. There will be many muslim atrocities yet to come and for Americans to react to. How many could have predicted the 180 degree change in American perception of muslims in just 5 years, even with a press turning a blind eye to muslim atrocities and burying the words of muslim leaders about the kufr? And American will harden much, much more in the coming years.
Let's talk about beliefs. How do you justify this by fellow Americans? And fight with them until there is no persecution, and religion should be only for Allah,
So choose not friends from them till they forsake their homes in the way of Allah; if they turn back (to enmity) then take them and kill them wherever ye find them, and choose no friend nor helper from among them.
Ye will find others who desire that they should have security from you, and security from their own folk. So often as they are returned to hostility they are plunged therein. If they keep not aloof from you nor offer you peace nor hold their hands, then take them and kill them wherever ye find them. Against such We have given you clear warrant.
Those whom your right hand possesses [sex slaves captured in Jihad. just like Mo did] out of those whom Allah has given to you as prisoners of war.
That being just a tiny sample (try reading the penultimate Chapter 9) from the Bad Book. Notice each of those examples are being put into practice today by muslims against nonmuslims. And you want such perverted believers living next to you, your wife, your children while they plot to do to you what is required of them by islam and the koran?
Posted by: ed ||
12/10/2006 18:58 Comments ||
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#32
They already do, ed. This is Rafael, our once stalwart Canuckistan ally, gone over to the Dark Side. I think the unarmed Border Valets Guards bruhaha was the last straw.
#33
Ah, but I, at least, wasn't proposing an all-out war against the Muslim religion as the reason for demanding the declaring of sides. I was giving Muslims the opportunity to declare that they do not support -- in any way, whether as registered members of one of the many Islamofascist jihadist groups, supporter (financial or otherwise), or even emotionally ("Ha! our boys blacked those Imperialist eyes but good that time!"). The demand to declare gives the -- supposedly large -- number of moderate Muslims the cover to openly reject all that, and declare for the side of equal-under-the-law Civilization.
There is no reason why we should tolerate living amongst us those who reject the basic principles of our society; even less reason to tolerate those working to overthrow it. Those who are not citizens do not have the right to stay here under those circumstances. We just haven't been exercising our right as a nation to accept or reject. Those who became citizens under false pretenses likewise have no right to that citizenship, and we are entitled to strip them of it and send them away. As for those born to citizenship, but who work toward our conquest by others, or who support that conquest, by such behaviour they abrogate the contract between the citizen and the nation, in my opinion. The Law is going to have to be modified to reflect current reality.
As for the other bit, Al Qaeda for the Sunnis and Iran for the Shiites have openly declared war on the US and the West, each several times. That we have not equally openly declared war back doesn't change the situation -- it only takes one side to make a war.
The Muslims already have help here. But such helpers don't make it more likely they will win, but rather delay the inevitable.
How do you get to be a prophet, anyway? Don't you need some witnesses to miraculous power? The Arab pedophile had no witnesses; and he claimed his unholy Koran fiction was a "miracle." "Koran" means "recitation" in Arabic. In the interests of truth, I would change the name of that filthy book to "Perversion," since it is solely the product of the pedophile bandit's sick mind.
We were once referred to as The Toronto Crew (tm) by lotp, I believe. I used to like that moniker except that I've become the butt of jokes on both sides now: on Rantburg obviously, and on this side for allowing myself to be duped by you for all these years. Oh well. What doesn't kill you can only make you stronger, I guess.
The demand to declare gives the -- supposedly large -- number of moderate Muslims the cover to openly reject all that, and declare for the side of equal-under-the-law Civilization.
Interesting statement (because it seems to contradict itself). Equal-under-the-law Civilization, except that one group is constantly under pressure to prove that they are equal. Sounds like some are more equal than others.
This also goes against the spirit of the Constitution that implicitly puts the onus on the law to prove one's guilt (I forget which amendment it was), not the other way around.
(You used the terms demand and opportunity. I'm assuming your demand has a legal or some other force behind it, otherwise there would be no purpose to presenting this idea.)
There is no reason why we should tolerate living amongst us those who reject the basic principles of our society; even less reason to tolerate those working to overthrow it. Those who are not citizens do not have the right to stay here under those circumstances...Those who became citizens under false pretenses likewise have no right to that citizenship, and we are entitled to strip them of it and send them away. As for those born to citizenship, but who work toward our conquest by others, or who support that conquest, by such behaviour they abrogate the contract between the citizen and the nation, in my opinion.
You won't get any argument from me on that point. In fact, it's exactly what I've been saying.
The Law is going to have to be modified to reflect current reality.
Ah. Bingo. That's exactly what I was implying with my question earlier. Some have concluded that it won't be possible and it'll take a civil war clear things up. While I don't have an easy answer, I claim that steps can be taken that could possibly avert the worst case scenario. In fact, your government has just now adopted one of them (the changes in the citizenship exam). The other step is immigration reform, again not easy.
That we have not equally openly declared war back doesn't change the situation
...but it will once you start demanding proof of loyalty from your own citizens. Supposedly you are a nation of laws.
The Muslims already have help here. But such helpers don't make it more likely they will win
A civil war on a grand scale will likely involve your enemies from around the globe. It's what Osama's been dreaming about for years since he was a little baby. And then you have Castro (or Raul), Chavez, Mexico, China, Russia, and on and on and on and on.
Rafael, I'm very disappointed. This is all crap, and you should know better.
Just imagine how I feel. Sticking my neck out for all these years in an ocean of anti-Americanism, and for what? Only to hear "see, we told you so!".
Posted by: Rafael ||
12/10/2006 20:12 Comments ||
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#38
A civil war on a grand scale will likely involve your enemies from around the globe. It's what Osama's been dreaming about for years since he was a little baby. And then you have Castro (or Raul), Chavez, Mexico, China, Russia, and on and on and on and on.
So Fred Phelps has taken to trolling Rantburg, I presume? Interesting. Your claims about Muhammed only show your own ingnorance and hatred. Believe it or not, Muhammed was a very honorable man. He raised the status of women in Arabia and allowed them to inherit property. He was devoted to his wife. Though he was a conquerer, unlike the Jews of the Old Testament and the Crusaders, he gave those who he conquered the choice to submit to his new rule instead of destroying all: men, women, and children. If the fact that Muhammed married a young woman who by today's standards would be considered a minor, why does that bother you while the fact that Joseph the father of Jesus married Mary while she was 11 or 12? Hate to burst your bubble, but anyone with a high school student's knowledge of history can easily see how much of a hypocrite you are. Stop hatemongering and open your mind instead. You'll be a much happier person.
No I doubt it. Too much at stake economically and most people understand that. The others otoh, have much more to gain should the US go Chechnya.
Posted by: Rafael ||
12/10/2006 20:33 Comments ||
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#42
Sigh, yet more mindless hatemongering... Not only is it stupid to judge past and cultures by the standards of your culture, but as I have just pointed out, It's also hypocritical. Why do you not also call Joseph a pedophile? Why do you not label the Crusaders as "pedophile bandits"? The latter would certainly be a more accurate discription in their case than it is in Muhammeds, anyway.
The Liberals have elected Stephane Dion as their new leader just the other weekend (which means an election is around the corner). For a party that claimed to want to re-invent itself, they shot themselves in the foot. Dion is tainted with the ad scandal of the Chretien days, besides being sort of a doofus on stage (plus he's got authentic French citizenship).
If Harper plays it cool, he's got a shot at 5 more years in power, starting 2007. Which would mean no Afghanistan pull-out.
Posted by: Rafael ||
12/10/2006 20:57 Comments ||
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#45
Deveran, Mohammed was not bringing people to his god at sword's edge at the time of the Old Testament you don't seem to know, or the New Testament either (please quote chapter and verse in the New Testament that shows the age of Mary when she married Joseph), but past the time of the New Testament when, in Persia for instance, peoples of different religions had been living peacefully togethers as equals -- not as the master religion and dhimmis -- for the better part of 1000 years. Or the Roman Empire, which which at the time of Jesus tolerated all the religions of its subjects including Judaism. I always find it odd that those who defend Islam ignore the Persians, who gave the Arabs so very much of their culture and literature... not to mention carpet design.
And in what way is it hate to quote directly from the Koran, or Qur'an if you prefer, to support a point? Isn't that what you want, that we get to know Islam better?
Rafael, you neglected to mention that you used to like me too, back when we used to have our little correspondences. You really used to wander round the office announcing that you like America, only to be treated to a litany of our evil ways until you succumbed? Or did you poke at them with verbal stickes like you poked here tonight?
#48
Troll or not, I told you long ago that if your country has more people like me, then you will lose this past election. And you did. Maybe it wasn't dumb luck that I was right.
I'll be back in 2 years to joyfully point out to .com that Bush hasn't done anything regarding Iran. I will especially enjoy that one.
Posted by: Rafael ||
12/10/2006 22:19 Comments ||
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#49
"Troll or not" my ass, yeah right.
Now your closer is interesting. You're the type of asshole who would prefer something unspeakable happen, such as Iran getting nukes without hindrance from the US, just so you can strut...
Well, I guess that's in keeping with the trollery you foisted on RB under that array of nyms --
You're a terminal asshole who should be permanently banned from RB. Face to face, I'd sent you to the Promised Land of Your Choice, bitch.
I've read your pre-Rantburg stuff. I must say I had you pegged the minute you showed up here.
You're the type of asshole who would prefer something unspeakable happen, such as Iran getting nukes without hindrance from the US
Actually no. I'd do it to show you're nothing but a wanker, not grounded in reality, unable to debate without reverting to invectives and threatening violence. Our dual-citizenship conversations convinced me of that long ago.
See ya in 2 years.
Posted by: Rafael ||
12/10/2006 23:11 Comments ||
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#52
So Raphael, you will also joyfully point out to your relatives back in Poland that they are in Iranian nuke range. I'm sure the Iranians will want payback for that insolent Vienna incident.
Posted by: ed ||
12/10/2006 23:15 Comments ||
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#53
Is that supposed to refute something? Wotta asstard. You do not deny, hell - you don't even indicate you care one way or the other, regards Irans nuke program's success or demise - you just wanna rub somebody's nose in your shit.
All you do care about is your fucking ego. Eat shit, bitch.
Yeah, dual citizenship is fucking brilliant. You're still the Fuckwit of Olde.
#54
you will also joyfully point out to your relatives back in Poland that they are in Iranian nuke range
Russia is more of an immediate threat than Iran. Might I point out, I said Bush won't do anything, for a variety of reasons. I didn't say nothing should be done.
I also didn't say dual citizenships were brilliant. I said it's pointless getting your panties in a knot about it, and it even may prove to be useful, say, to deport wayward Muslims if you wish. You'd think this was obvious by now.
you don't even indicate you care one way or the other, regards Irans nuke program's success or demise
You're so fucking lucky that the Mullahs in Iran are stupid. If I were them, I would get the required prerequisites first: learn the engineering, get the technology, sit quietly and play nice at the UN.
Sooner or later someone will figure this out and get the bomb. I find it pointless to be worried about one single player. I find it pointless to be worried about things I have no influence over. You wanna stop Iran from getting the bomb? Go back in time and kill Einstein.
Posted by: Rafael ||
12/10/2006 23:32 Comments ||
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(KUNA) -- A Turkish soldier was killed and 11 others injured in a landmine explosion planted by separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the town of Lice southeast Turkey, security sources said Saturday. Turkey News Agency (Anadolu) quoting security sources saying the landmine was detonated by remote control late Friday as a group of soldiers were on foot patrol near the town. All soldiers were transferred to hospital while other military units are still searching for PKK rebels.
The PKK called a unilateral ceasefire on October 1, saying it hoped to pave the way for a peaceful resolution of the Kurdish conflict. The truce, like previous ones called by the rebels, was rejected by Turkey, but fighting has decreased markedly since then.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2006 00:00 ||
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I'm guessing this is associated with this as well.
Turkish police have detained a lawyer who admitted he was the leader of Al Qaeda in Turkey, Anatolian News Agency reported on Saturday. Nine other suspects were also held. Police seized bomb-making material and a compact disc set to explode when inserted into a computer - the first time Turkish police had got hold of such a device - the state-run agency said. They also found maps of an oil refinery owned by the Tupras group in the house, the agency said. Police could not confirm the report.
CNN Turk said the leader was a 25-year-old lawyer and two of the suspects were also members of the Great Islamic Eastern Warriors Front (IBDA-C), Anatolian said. That group claimed joint responsibility with Al Qaeda for two bombings at Istanbul synagogues and attacks on a British consulate and the HSBC bank in November 2003, in which more than 60 people were killed.
IBDA-C, on the European Unions terrorist list, is made up of Sunni Muslims seeking to create an Islamic state in Turkey. The police swoop in Istanbul, Ankara and the western province of Izmir came after a year-long investigation and was carried out at the end of November, when Pope Benedict was visiting Turkey, private television NTV reported.
A little bit more, from Zaman
Turkish police have arrested a lawyer who claims he is the leader of Al Qaeda in Turkey. Nine other suspects were also detained in the simultaneous operation conducted in Istanbul, Izmir and Ankara. Police also seized a compact disc with an explosive device set to explode at the moment of use. It is the first time such a device is found in Turkey
The operations in Istanbul, Ankara and the western city of Izmir came after a year-long investigation and follows the detention at the end of November of 18 people suspected of having links to Al Qaeda. Turkey has suffered several attacks blamed on al Qaeda. In November 2003, more than 60 people were killed in bombings of two synagogues, the British Consulate and the HSBC bank's office in Istanbul.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2006 00:00 ||
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Islamabad, Dec. 10 (PTI): A contingent of Chinese troops have arrived at the Pakistan Air Force Base in Chaklala near here to participate in joint exercises focussing on anti-terrorism operations, the Pakistan army said here today.
'Friendship 2006' will start in Pakistan on December 11 and the 10-day-long exercises are aimed at strengthening the existing bonds of friendship between armies of the two all-weather allies. "The exercise will be second of its nature, while the first exercise was held in China in 2004," a Pakistan army statement said. The focus of the exercises will be to mutually benefit from each other's experiences in planning and conducting anti-terrorism operations, it said.
It will be for the first time that troops from Peoples Liberation Army will carry out joint exercises outside China. High-level delegations from both the countries are expected to witness the joint exercises, according to the statement.
On arrival at the PAF Base, the PLA delegation was received by senior Pakistan Army Officers. In a ceremony held at Rear Headquarters, Force Command Northern Areas, members of the PLA contingent were decorated with the insignias of exercise 'Friendship 2006.'
Posted by: john ||
12/10/2006 10:36 ||
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#1
Is Pakistan meant to be the next North Korea then? They've already got a proto-totalitarianism of long standing, but I can't imagine establishing a personality cult will go smoothly...
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/10/2006 11:26 Comments ||
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#3
Pakistan is the next Palestine. They deserve the right of return. The Chinese are just looking for a diversion for their next testosterone laden event with India. Look for Chinese assistance to RAB.
#6
"So who should be nervous here, the Indians next door or Perv himself?"
Steve, I think that there are now going to be some awkward moments when US / NATO troops get in a gun fight, especially of Chinese troops have been reported in the area. Can you imagine the MSM sceaming when / if some ChiCommie gets plugged?
#7
#6: "Can you imagine the MSM sceaming when / if some ChiCommie gets plugged?
I can certainly imagine me laughing hysterically. ;-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
12/10/2006 17:40 Comments ||
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#8
Theres no shortage of pro-China/Chicom mil bloggers-Netters whom argue that China has every right to take over territories NOT under the control of the locals. MAO ZEDONG/TSE-TUNG's adage that POLITICAL POWER COMES FROM THE POINT OF A GUN is well-reminded. YEAR 2015 or after > CHINA-SPECIFIC NUCLEAR PARITY vv USA, OR ANYONE ELSE [YOO HOO, PUTIN] will be a non-issue as far as they are concerned. ALL THEY WANNA KNOW IS WHOM HAS THE CAJONES/GONADS TO STOP THEM.
Unidentified assailants on Saturday threw a hand grenade inside a family home in Balochistan, killing a young boy and wounding four others, including two women, police said.
The incident took place in Panjgur district, police said, adding that the 10-year-old boy killed in the blast had been identified as Sikander, son of Mohammad Shafi. They said that the boy had been playing with a toy inside his house when the grenade detonated, killing him on the spot and injuring two female relatives. The condition of one injured person was said to be critical. AP quoted local police chief Mohammad Ali as saying that it was not immediately clear who was behind the attack.
In a separate incident, a powerful bomb blast shook a government rest house in Muslim Bagh district at around 3:00am on Saturday morning. Sources said that a judicial magistrate had been staying at the rest house when the blast occurred, but said that there were no reports of casualties.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2006 00:00 ||
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SRINAGAR, India - A senior member of a Pakistan-based militant group, an Indian soldier and a villager were killed on Saturday in a fierce gun battle in a remote hamlet in Kashmir, police said.
The firefight took place after soldiers stormed a militant hideout in the Mendhar area of Poonch district, south of Srinagar, Kashmirs summer capital. Abu Sohail, district commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba, was killed and a jawan (soldier) and a civilian were also killed in the encounter, S.P. Vaid, inspector general of police, said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/10/2006 00:00 ||
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Combat is a dynamic process, with both sides constantly adapting to each others tactics. Such is the case with the American use of snipers in Iraq. During the first two years of the war, U.S. snipers were each getting several kills a month. Now, most get less than one a month. The easy targets are all dead, and the survivors have adapted.
The enemy now knows what American snipers can do, and operate much more carefully when American troops are around. The enemy also knows what the American ROE (Rules of Engagement) are, and one of these rules stipulates that snipers can only fire on armed hostiles. So the enemy do not carry weapons openly until they actually have to use them. The enemy also uses human shields more frequently. Some times the civilian shields are paid, often they are just terrorized into complying.
Civilians are rewarded if they find where an American sniper is hiding, and report the location. This reward program has been a major problem for U.S. snipers, because it has turned into a major activity for kids in combat zones. Find a sniper, make a large sum (for a poor Iraqi) of money.
But by keeping the sniper kills down, the enemy has also had to limit their movement, and the kinds of operations they can carry out. A few teams of snipers can keep several kilometers of highway free of roadside bombs, or keep enemy fighters out of certain neighborhoods. The enemy has adapted, and so have the Americans, who now often use their snipers just to scare the enemy away.
#1
So the enemy do not carry weapons openly until they actually have to use them.
Meaning they are less likely to get shot, but also that they miss all sorts of targets of opportunity, and of course the entire neighborhood knows when Mahmud is in one of those moods. Much less fearsome that way, I should think. Oh, and change up the ROEs. Even a little civilian housewife like me knows that predictability is not good in a war zone.
The enemy also uses human shields more frequently. Not good. I saw the Wall Street Journal report on FoxNews last night (it's a half hour round-table show the editors do Friday evening and Sat. night or early Sun morning -- I watch when I happen across it, whenever it is), and they had on an Israeli bloke who is currently professing over here, and he said the thing that is stymieing both Israel and the US is allowing the use of human shields to shield the bad guys, when that is clearly against the Geneva Conventions. He said that until we both are willing to kill the shields, the terrorists will continue to win, both battles and hearts & minds.
The enemy has adapted, and so have the Americans, who now often use their snipers just to scare the enemy away. Bravo, gentlemen!
#3
Doesn't matter, gromky. The key is that the Geneva conventions don't prevent our guys from shooting or otherwise through the human shields to get to the target.
#4
Iranian and Saudi money ensures that the terrorists get good intelligence in Iraq. Again, if we play one Sect against the other, then the pacification problem is solved. Last week, the Wall Street Journal editorialized that we favor the Shiites. That is what Iran wants.
#5
He said that until we both are willing to kill the shields, the terrorists will continue to win, both battles and hearts & minds.
Which is what I've been saying all along. Those who willingly or unwillingly serve as human shields must keep on dying until terrorists have the unmistakable reputation of always getting people around them killed, not wounded, killed.
Only when there is a high risk involved in being anywhere near a terrorist will the public's attitude begin to change. Winning hearts and minds is all well and fine but dropping body temperature works just as nicely.
#6
You're right about that, Zenster, though we shouldn't target the shields, either. We should try to kill the target and regret unavoidable collateral damage.
#7
Based on Guam vets whom have been to Iraq since 2003, I'm told that the Burqua Boyz have been making use of house-to-house tunnels, plus are also manufacturing personal weapons based on anti-US, stealth or ECM-resistant tech/materials. Tis why the Army-USDOD is investing in DEEP BELOW-GROUND AREA IMAGING EQMPT, for SPACE + espec TACTICAL SYSTEMS.
(KUNA) -- A U.S. Marine was killed in the western part of Al-Anbar province, while in southern Baghdad a militiaman of Madhi Army was arrested, U.S. army said in a statement Saturday. The statement said the marine, who served in the fifth battalion regiment of the US Army, was killed in Al-Anbar province west of the capital. However, the statement did not specify the exact circumstances of the incident nor the exact location.
The death brought the number of US casualties to 37 deaths in December. Eleven of these casualties were reported last Wednesday.
On another front, the statement said U.S. and Iraqi forces captured in a raid today a leader of a cell affiliated to Muqtada Al-Sadr's Mahdi army in the town of Kut southern Baghdad. The arrestee is suspected to be involved in raids and armed attacks on Iraqi security patrols and Multi-National Forces (MNF), statement added.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
God bless im and his family.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
12/10/2006 8:37 Comments ||
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KERBALA, Iraq - A suicide car bomber killed at least seven people and wounded 44 in a busy market in the Shia holy city of Kerbala on Saturday, hospital sources said. People shouted at the driver of a pickup truck and told him to move the car, but he did not move. Seconds later it went off, a witness calling himself only Kefah told Reuters.
He said the car had government registration plates.
The blast in sight of the gold dome of the holy shrine of Abbas devastated shop frontages and set cars ablaze, sending clouds of black smoke into the sky as people tried to help the wounded. Police put the death toll at six killed, 44 wounded. The local hospital said it had received seven bodies, with 44 hurt.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/10/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
"The blast in sight of the gold dome of the holy shrine of Abbas devastated shop frontages and set cars ablaze, sending clouds of black smoke into the sky as people tried to help the wounded."
All I want to know is: Who's running the controls?
In an effort to put a stop to Israeli overflights in Lebanon, the French Armed Forces has deployed an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) squadron in southern Lebanon to conduct intelligence-gathering missions in place of the IDF.
France, a member of UNIFIL, has expressed adamant opposition to IAF overflights in Lebanon. Last month, OC Planning Division Maj.-Gen. Ido Nehushtan traveled to Paris for meetings with senior military officials during which he tried to explain Israel's operational needs. The flights, the IDF claims, are necessary for gathering intelligence and keeping an eye on the Lebanese-Syrian border through which weapons are smuggled to the Hizbullah.
Angered however from an incident in October during which French soldiers almost opened fire at an IAF fighter jet, military sources in Paris told The Jerusalem Post following Nehushtan's visit that they were still opposed to the overflights and that French soldiers stationed in Lebanon were given the authority to open fire at Israeli jets if they felt threatened by the flights.
According to Israeli defense sources, the French initiative is also meant to prove the operational capabilities of its UAVs so they can compete against Israeli defense industries on the global UAV market.
While welcoming the use of UAVs as part of UNIFIL operations in Lebanon, a high-ranking officer said Sunday that the IDF would not stop flying over Lebanon.
"We need to allow UNIFIL all of the means it finds essential to perform its missions," the officer said. "But at the same time, until Hizbullah fulfills its part of UN resolution 1701 and returns the kidnapped soldiers [Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser Y.K.] there is no reason for us to completely fulfill our part of the agreement and stop the overflights."
And then shoot the Phrench - just on general principles.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
12/10/2006 22:01 Comments ||
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#3
French soldiers stationed in Lebanon were given the authority to open fire at Israeli jets if they felt threatened by the flights.
If the French feel "threatened" now, just wait and see how they feel after loosing even a single round in the direction of an IAF aircraft. If the dead can feel, that is.
About one thousand residents of the village of Ghajar that lies on the Israel's northern border went on a strike Sunday morning in the education system and the trade sector.
The residents of the village held a protest against the government's decision to transfer responsibility of the northern part of the village to UNIFIL forces that were deployed across the border at the end of the second Lebanon war.
National Security Cabinet adopts proposal calling for Israels withdrawal from northern part of village on Lebanese border; UN to be entrusted with preventing entry of Hizbullah forces
Ghajar is home to about 2,100 residents, with about one third of them living in the northern part of the village which is located on Lebanese territory and is separated from the southern part by Israel Defense Force posts.
Despite the separation, all the residents of the village hold Israeli IDs, and are considered residents of the State of Israel.
"We protest the division of the village and ask the government that it stay united Unfortunately, since the IDF retreated from Lebanon in May 2000, our lives have become hell." said Ahmad Fataly, the Ghajar Council's head.
"At the tank intersection near the village, merchandise is unloaded every morning and we have to go and pick it up ourselves since no one is willing to enter Ghajar and take a chance. Ambulances dont come here, Bezeq (a phone company) and the Electric Company's technicians dont fix problems here. I call on the ministers of the government to come here, face us and let us know what they plan," continued Fataly.
During the protest, which included women and children, the protesters held signs in Arabic and Hebrew, and posters with doves on them.
The protesters expressed their wish that the future agreement with Syria be applied to them, since they claim to have been occupied in 1967 by IDF along with the Golan Heights.
"We will not accept any agreement that will be made without involving Syria. We will not be refugees in Lebanon, we did not go back there and we chose to be citizens of the State of Israel," said Najib Khatib, a resident of the village.
"We pay taxes, we participate in the elections, but when we demand the Property Tax officials come here and compensate us for war damages they tell us we are not part of the State. We are inspected every time we enter or exit the village. We know that if the UN enters northern Ghajar, the Lebanese army will follow and then we will not be able to give the northern residents any services," said Khatib.
The residents resent the fact that the village is under divided control. "We dont have a fence to protect us; we are living between Hizbullah in the north, and being ignored by the Israeli government in the south. We hope that today's protest will move someone to help us," said the protesters.
#1
It is unclear form the article if the villagers want to be Syrians or Israelis. If they want to be Syrians and eat the cake too, well, tough shiite.
I am not sure there is much Isreal can do, in any case, with the transfer of responsibility to UNIFIL. With an emphasis that responsibility here means they will be stationed there or have a formal control, not that anyone expect them to behave responsibly.
Oh Lord. Please give me the patience to deal with these idiots w/o feeling superior. OK, I'll settle for just the patience part.
What's wrong with this pic? Let me count the ways:
1) The kid has a hood on. Great. Speaks volumes. Probably hurling rocks or molotov cocktails. Makes a good handle.
2) He's wet his pants. I wonder what he thinks is about to happen to him. I don't wonder where or when he got those ideas.
3) Funny, it seems the Zionists are handling him very gently. That Ethiopian guy might even be chuckling. I'd say Reuters staged this, but they never stage things in favor of the Zionists so I'm not sure what to think. :-)
4) I'll bet the Innocent Civilians(TM) are lapping it up. But Al-Jizz is unbiased. They say so.
Fasten your seat belts, you're about to enter The Spin Zone!
For what is happening in Palestine, we never use the expression suicide bombing.
What do you call it then?
In English, I would describe it as bombings.
And in Arabic?
Literally translated, we would speak of commando attacks. In our culture, it is precisely not suicide.
But instead a praiseworthy act?
When the country is occupied and the people are being killed by the enemy, everyone must take action, even if he sacrifices himself in so doing.
Even if in so doing he kills innocent civilians?
That is not a Palestinian problem, but a problem of the Israelis.
(he adds)
In many Arab states, the middle class is disappearing. The rich get richer and the poor get still poorer. Look at the schools in Jordan, Egypt or Morocco: You have up to 70 youngsters crammed together in a single classroom. How can a teacher do his job in such circumstances? The public hospitals are also in a hopeless condition. These are just examples. They show how hopeless the situation is for us in the Middle East.
Who is responsible for the situation?
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the most important reasons why these crises and problems continue to simmer. The day when Israel was founded created the basis for our problems. The West should finally come to understand this. Everything would be much calmer if the Palestinians were given their rights.
Do you mean to say that if Israel did not exist, there would suddenly be democracy in Egypt, that the schools in Morocco would be better, that the public clinics in Jordan would function better?
I think so.
Can you please explain to me what the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has to do with these problems?
The Palestinian cause is central for Arab thinking.
In the end, is it a matter of feelings of self-esteem?
Exactly. Its because we always lose to Israel. It gnaws at the people in the Middle East that such a small country as Israel, with only about 7 million inhabitants, can defeat the Arab nation with its 350 million. That hurts our collective ego. The Palestinian problem is in the genes of every Arab. The Wests problem is that it does not understand this.
#4
Defence for Children International eh? Concerned about "detained" kids, eh? Where's there outrage over kids blown up in Israeli pizza shops?
The only reason that kid pissed his pants is because of what his elders told him about jooooos. Yet, they're the ones who incited him to do whatever he did in the first place. The irony is that he's safer with Israel than he is with his arab "brothers."
#6
Poor kid probably think the Jooos are going to butcher him out, harvest his blood and fry up his liver. Isn't that what his loving parents and family have been telling him since birth?
Your right Dan - he is probably better off in a Israeli prison then with his brainwashing family.
#7
"Its because we always lose to Israel. ... That hurts our collective ego."
GOOD!
Assholes.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
12/10/2006 17:46 Comments ||
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#8
The number of Palestinian children detained in the occupied West Bank has noticeably surged since the start of the second Palestinian Intifada or Uprising which broke out six years ago
Then stop sending children to do a mans work, or squalling when your killer-kiddies get whacked.
Contrary to the constant denial by Israeli officials, there are probably hundreds of Palestinian children in the Israeli dungeons.
Which, even if true, is far less egregious than the Israeli cemeteries filled with young victims of Palestinian terrorists.
"Five thousand children have been either imprisoned or arrested in Israeli investigation centres for different periods of time since the start of the Intifada,"
You dont differentiate in the age of your fighters, so why should Israel?
"A specialized interrogator for children should interrogate them. The interrogation should be filmed and the parents should attend to be sure that the child was not subject to psychological pressure or abuse," Misk said, adding that children should appear before a special tribunal for children and kept in jails dedicated exclusively for them-
How about just NOT TRAINING YOUR CHILDREN TO HATE AND FIGHT IN THE FIRST PLACE?
An immediate action is needed to stop Israels policy of brutal, illegal and inhumane detention of Palestinian children.
Then stop indoctrinating your kindergarteners to be bomb vest killers.
Exactly. Its because we always lose to Israel. It gnaws at the people in the Middle East that such a small country as Israel, with only about 7 million inhabitants, can defeat the Arab nation with its 350 million. That hurts our collective ego. The Palestinian problem is in the genes of every Arab. The Wests problem is that it does not understand this.
Oh, we understand, all right. It's just that were too busy laughing and pointing.
A Palestinian parliamentary guard was wounded when demonstrators and parliamentary security guards exchanged fire at the Palestinian parliament building in Gaza City on Saturday, a Reuters witness said. Some 1,400 uniformed police and other security officers demonstrating over the non payment of their salaries stormed into the parliament compound while some fired into the air as slogans were chanted from loudspeakers. Hospital staff said the condition of the parliamentary guard, who was one of a number of men protecting lawmaker Ahmed Bahar of the governing Hamas Islamist group, was not serious.
A similar demonstration in the town of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, which attracted more than 3,000 participants, went off quietly, witnesses said. Palestinian government employees have received either very little or no pay since Hamas swept to power in parliamentary elections last January.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2006 00:00 ||
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GAZA CITY - Dozens of Palestinian police stormed the parliament building in Gaza City on Saturday demanding salaries which have gone largely unpaid since March, witnesses and security sources said. Angry protestors stormed the offices of parliament, they fired into the air and there were armed clashes when security guards tried to stop them, a security official told AFP. Strange, I thought we saw a story saying Hamas had smuggled tons o' cash into Gaza. Why indeed we did. Wonder where it all went? Anyone? Bueller?
The showdown at parliament followed a march by nearly 500 angry police officers through the heart of Gaza City. The demonstrators prevented deputy parliament speaker Ahmed Bahr, a member of the ruling Hamas movement, from addressing them and instead hurled insults, the security official said. "Give us our dough or we'll curse yer mustache!"
Similar protests were held elsewhere in the Gaza Strip. In the southern towns of Rafah and Khan Yunis, about 100 police officers shut down the territorys principal north-south artery, witnesses said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/10/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
I think Israel should be spreading rumors that hundreds of millions have been smuggled in by Hamas while little if anything is trickling down to the fodder. Then cut off power and water for non-payment. Help Fatah, IJ, et al kickstart the REAL civil war.
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/10/2006 11:44 Comments ||
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I don't think anybody missed this one coming — the perps are approximately as subtle as a trainwreck. Ever since an outside investigator was appointed Syria and Hezbollah have been working themselves up to this, to include instigating war with Israel last July.
Lebanon's President Emile Lahoud declined on Saturday to endorse a draft accord sent to him by the Cabinet seeking to create a tribunal to try suspects in the killing of a former premier.
Lahoud, a staunch ally of Syria, said the Cabinet that approved it has lost its constitutional legitimacy. The president had been expected to decline endorsing the agreement, sent to him Nov. 27. The accord would set up the UN-backed court to try the suspected assassins of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who died in a massive truck bombing in February 2005. Lahoud, in a statement issued by his office, said he was returning the draft accord to Cabinet "for reviewing as soon as a constitutional and legitimate Cabinet is formed."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2006 00:00 ||
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#3
As far as ordinary flying goes, this is all well and good. But it is when mechanical failure or damage happen that humans are critical to UAV survivability. Humans are also very important for mission critical times during flight. You don't want a UAV popping a target that later turns out to be a friendly with their IFF malfunctioning.
#9
Looks like JSTARS + TacAir RIOS just discovered their new job description. Once MiniTech becoms NanoTech, etc. and evols down to the average Grunt, then the GUNDAM/ROBOTECH = JEDI? WARS shall begin.
I appreciate Fred featuring our lovely American women of yesteryear on the front page everyday. So unlike the Islamics. I mean I haven't seen a sack-draped cow yet.
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.
While artillery has replaced air power as the primary source of fire support in Iraq, U.S. troops in Afghanistan are still using lots of smart bombs. As was discovered in late 2001, it's much easier to bring in bombers, armed with smart bombs, than to deploy artillery in Afghanistan. The high casualty count for the Taliban during their "Summer Offensive" was the result of some 2,000 air attacks between June and October. Not all of these attacks were with bombs (only about 45 percent were), the rest involved aircraft like A-10s and F-16s coming low and using cannon (30mm and 20mm respectively.) New fire control equipment has made these strafing runs much more accurate. Still, each cannon attack involved, on average, only about a hundred rounds fired. 
ASADABAD, Afghanistan - Taleban 
A judge in northern Somalia convicted nine people Saturday of crimes linked to plotting terrorist attacks against the breakaway republic of Somaliland, but acquitted the Islamic Courts' top leader and one other, an official said. Regional court judge Abdirahman Gama Ayan ordered the nine people convicted to serve prison sentences of between 20 and 25 years, Somaliland's presidential spokesman Abdi Idiris Dualeh said by telephone from the region's capital, Hargeisa. 
(KUNA) -- Algerian security forces killed four nationals believed to be members of an outlawed armed group, active in the northeast of the capital Algiers, a security source said Saturday. The source said in press remarks the security forces stoped a car in Mshonesh area, 530 kilometers northeast of Algiers, which was boarded by the armed elements. One of the gunman opened fire at the forces and injured one of them. The government forces retaliated and killed all four gunmen inside the car, said the source.
(KUNA) -- A Turkish soldier was killed and 11 others injured in a landmine explosion planted by separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the town of Lice southeast Turkey, security sources said Saturday. Turkey News Agency (Anadolu) quoting security sources saying the landmine was detonated by remote control late Friday as a group of soldiers were on foot patrol near the town. All soldiers were transferred to hospital while other military units are still searching for PKK rebels.
Turkish police have detained a lawyer who admitted he was the leader of Al Qaeda in Turkey, Anatolian News Agency reported on Saturday. Nine other suspects were also held. Police seized bomb-making material and a compact disc set to explode when inserted into a computer - the first time Turkish police had got hold of such a device - the state-run agency said. They also found maps of an oil refinery owned by the Tupras group in the house, the agency said. Police could not confirm the report. 
Islamabad, Dec. 10 (PTI): A contingent of Chinese troops have arrived at the Pakistan Air Force Base in Chaklala near here to participate in joint exercises focussing on anti-terrorism operations, the Pakistan army said here today.
Unidentified assailants on Saturday threw a hand grenade inside a family home in Balochistan, killing a young boy and wounding four others, including two women, police said. 
SRINAGAR, India - A senior member of a Pakistan-based militant group, an Indian soldier and a villager were killed on Saturday in a fierce gun battle in a remote hamlet in Kashmir, police said.
Combat is a dynamic process, with both sides constantly adapting to each others tactics. Such is the case with the American use of snipers in Iraq. During the first two years of the war, U.S. snipers were each getting several kills a month. Now, most get less than one a month. The easy targets are all dead, and the survivors have adapted. 
(KUNA) -- A U.S. Marine was killed in the western part of Al-Anbar province, while in southern Baghdad a militiaman of Madhi Army was arrested, U.S. army said in a statement Saturday. The statement said the marine, who served in the fifth battalion regiment of the US Army, was killed in Al-Anbar province west of the capital. However, the statement did not specify the exact circumstances of the incident nor the exact location.
KERBALA, Iraq - A suicide car bomber killed at least seven people and wounded 44 in a busy market in the Shia holy city of Kerbala on Saturday, hospital sources said. People shouted at the driver of a pickup truck and told him to move the car, but he did not move. Seconds later it went off, a witness calling himself only Kefah told Reuters.
A Palestinian parliamentary guard was wounded when demonstrators and parliamentary security guards exchanged fire at the Palestinian parliament building in Gaza City on Saturday, a Reuters witness said. Some 1,400 uniformed police and other security officers demonstrating over the non payment of their salaries stormed into the parliament compound while some fired into the air as slogans were chanted from loudspeakers. Hospital staff said the condition of the parliamentary guard, who was one of a number of men protecting lawmaker Ahmed Bahar of the governing Hamas Islamist group, was not serious. 
GAZA CITY - Dozens of Palestinian police stormed the parliament building in Gaza City on Saturday demanding salaries which have gone largely unpaid since March, witnesses and security sources said. Angry protestors stormed the offices of parliament, they fired into the air and there were armed clashes when security guards tried to stop them, a security official told AFP.
Lebanon's President 
