Posted by: Frank G ||
12/13/2009 9:53 Comments ||
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#4
Yup and we thank all who come from The Professor's place to check us out. We have news on the War on Struggle Against Terror Man-Made Disasters, lots of snark, and stupid human and animal stories. Enjoy.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/13/2009 11:08 Comments ||
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#5
And for the kiddies, Tales From The Crossfire Gazette make great bedtime stories.
#6
Posting here since the Rasmussen poll is a recurring link and thus eaten by the post filter.
Rasmussen Daily Presidential Tracking Poll at -19 The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Sunday shows that 23% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty-two percent (42%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -19.
Today is the second straight day that ObamaÂ’s Approval Index rating has fallen to a new low. Prior to the past two days, the Approval Index had never fallen below -15 during ObamaÂ’s time in office (see trends).
Thought yesterday was a sampling error but today reinforces the drastic drop. I believe the Rasmussen poll is a 3 day running average so tomorrow will likely see the Approval Index break -20.
Date ......... Approval Index
12/13/2009 -19
12/12/2009 -16
12/11/2009 -12
Posted by: ed ||
12/13/2009 14:31 Comments ||
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The latest controversy comes after media reports on the weekend said the target of the airstrike was a group of Taliban leaders, not a pair of hijacked tanker trucks as originally reported by the German government.
Quoting a secret report from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) on Saturday, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper reported that Colonel Georg Klein, the German officer who issued the orders for the airstrike, "wanted to attack the people, not the vehicles." So the official objective isn't anymore to make sure that "the Taliban share in the terrorist's fate?"
The new revelations have raised pressure on Guttenberg. The 38-year-old from the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian ally of Chancellor Merkel's conservative party, initially deemed the airstrike "militarily appropriate." But he has since reversed that position, calling it "inappropriate." Whatever the political outcome, the message to German troops is clear:
"You are to behave like good little hostages, and if you yo much as inconvenience the Taliban,Afghan illegal combatants, Afghan war criminals, islamic terrorists our Afghan friends, you'll go to jail (should you survive)."
If this wasn't about senselessly sacrificing good people's lives it would be a joke (albeit a sick one).
#2
"the target of the airstrike was a group of Taliban leaders, not a pair of hijacked tanker trucks"
And this is a problem because....?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
12/13/2009 18:48 Comments ||
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#3
Yes, this is very unclear.
The article says that as many as 140 were killed or injured; Afgan tribal leaders estimate civilians killed at 30-40.
Given that Taliban leadership should be attacked if they present themselves, and that 'Tribal Leaders' are not my idea of trustworthy witnesses, this STILL sounds like a reasonable shoot.
But I am a bloodthirsty American death-beast, I cannot be trusted either.
#1
This makes as much sense as trying to turn the Indian tribes on our side in the 19th century into the US cavalry. Too much nation building. Too much fight the American way. It's a big mistake just as it was when Bush made it.
#3
It looks to me like the unit in the video has an expectation that the US will do any real fighting that needs to be done. Unfortunately, exposing them to combat to toughen them up would have a worse result than assigning a troup of girl scouts to patrol an Afghan village. The girl scouts would do better in that few of them would be stoned and most would show up on time, wear the required equipment and follow direction.
It looks to me like the biggest problem will be that all the committed recruits are being attracted to the Taliban side.
The solution probably lies in the following plan
1. Forget about troup headcount - that is just for the bean counters.
2. Pay the recruits a premium over what they would make as opium henchmen.
3. Turn the training over to Blackwater with the contract being performance based.
4. Establish suitable consequences for dopers - I don't recommend summary execution as fans of the ROK Marines would recommend nor assignement to underfunded mine-clearance units. Just assign them to cold places for less pay.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/13/2009 14:50 Comments ||
Top||
#4
American Indians as US Cavalry.
Not a bad idea; "Crazy Horse"
aka "They fear his horses" was
the greatest light-cavalry leader
on the planet.
See also "The Indians Won" wherein
Amerinds back from the Civil War
pass on the organization and skills
to their tribes, and hold the heart-
land of the US.
I wonder how much opium, and how many
terrorist's heads, a Tribal Khan would
pay, for a "God's Eye" satellite view
of everything, and everyone, on his
territory, and a little help with
armored intruders sent by the Mayor
of Kabul ?
Posted by: M. Report ||
12/13/2009 16:55 Comments ||
Top||
#5
How about a new way of looking at it.
In the 60s my father-in-law had to build a port and plastics factory in Java. He just couldn't get good work out his people. He kept raising there pay and that just made fewer days they showed up for work...
So...
He hired a private eye to see what they did with their money. Java had a pretty money'ed class caste society. They couldn't do much of anything no-mater what he paid them. They were the low caste....
So if he paid them more it was just more time to goof off. They couldn't afford sports, or movies or games...... nothing...
So he CUT their pay by 10X!
He built a huge recreation system with ping pong, pinball, exercise equipment, games, movies...
BUT... they couldn't use money for any of it. ONLY HOURLY WORK CHIPS given for HARD WORK.
Damn!
Productivity went up oodles..
THey were putting in 50 and 60 hr weeks...
NOW if something like this was done with the Afghan Army... the chits wouldn't be good for any drugs....
NOO!
Just health recreation...
that they can't find anywhere in the country...
The Office of the Secretary of Defense hired the RAND Corporation to study the Vietnam-era Phoenix Program and recommend whether some of the program's controversial techniques might be useful in Afghanistan. RAND's researchers endorsed a Phoenix-like effort for Afghanistan and in the process, attempted to dispel some of the program's myths.
What was the Phoenix program? RAND's relatively brief report summarizes its history: In 1967 the U.S. military command and the CIA created a program -- later called Phoenix -- that began as an effort to improve intelligence-sharing among a long list of U.S. and South Vietnamese agencies.
Separately but at about the same time, the CIA acted to reassert its control over some South Vietnamese counterterrorism teams it had recruited. The CIA renamed these teams Provincial Reconnaissance Units (PRUs), which later became part of the Phoenix intelligence-sharing program. Former South Vietnamese soldiers, many seeking revenge against the communist Viet Cong, made up much of the PRU membership. The CIA paid and directed these teams back to their home provinces with the mission of infiltrating the Viet Cong's support infrastructure.
The authors believe it was the PRU portion of Phoenix that became the subject of enduring myths both good and bad. Opponents of Phoenix condemned the program as little more than an illegal assassination rampage which killed many innocent of any involvement with the Viet Cong. Proponents credited Phoenix with virtually eliminating the Viet Cong insurgency, leaving it up to the North Vietnamese army to conquer the south. The new study discounts both of these perspectives.
RAND does, however, record Phoenix as an overall success, both for its ability to gain detailed knowledge about the Viet Cong and its ability to disrupt that organization. The authors believe the U.S. counterinsurgency efforts in both Iraq and Afghanistan have suffered because the U.S. has apparently failed to aggressively recruit motivated indigenous agents to infiltrate and break up insurgent organizations.
Why wouldn't the U.S. want to resurrect Phoenix? Infiltrating insurgent organizations would seem to be a basic counterinsurgency tactic. However, the report reminds us of one more thing: fairly or unfairly, Phoenix was very costly to the U.S. government's reputation. The ruthlessness displayed by some unit members resulted in propaganda opportunities for opponents of the U.S. effort in Vietnam. The Vietnam War was ultimately decided on the information battlefield. That will also be the case in Afghanistan.
Rand report mentioned above is found at this Link.
#1
propaganda opportunities for opponents of the U.S. effort in Vietnam
the Libs and Media here at home didn't need the Phoenix program to damage morale and spread propaganda. Look at Gitmo now. It's well run, a success by any measure, and the Libtards still clamor to shut it down
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/13/2009 10:01 Comments ||
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#2
Call it the Head Start Program. The pinks will be running in circles for years.
Posted by: ed ||
12/13/2009 12:03 Comments ||
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#3
During the occupation of Germany until about 1948 or so, there were German insurgents. When we caught them, we lined them up and shot them in firing squads. There is a recent documentary on the History channel about the occupation of Germany that might be worth watching.
[Quqnoos] A suicide bomber blew himself up in the eastern Afghan province of Paktika on Friday, killing three people and wounding another 18.
The attacker detonated explosives strapped to his body in the capital of Paktika province that shares a long border with Pakistan, local governor Abdul Qayum Katawazai said.
"Three people, including a police man, were martyred and another 18, including four policemen, were wounded in the suicide blast today," he said.
Most of those hurt were civilians passing by. The rest were police on duty at the time of the attack.
The bomber's precise target was not clear.
No groups, including the Taliban, have claimed responsibility for the bombing.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/13/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under: Taliban
[Iran Press TV Latest] Hand grenade explosions have shaken the United Nations Development Program headquarters in Mogadishu, while the exchange of fire elsewhere in Somalia has claimed seven lives.
The explosions occurred near the UNDP headquarters on Saturday, but there were no casualties, the Press TV correspondent in Mogadishu reported.
Meanwhile, attacks on African Union peacekeeping troops by Al Shabaab fighters in the Hodan region of Mogadishu have left seven people dead -- 2 civilians, 3 soldiers, and 2 militants -- and 18 others injured.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/13/2009 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under: al-Shabaab
[Al Arabiya Latest] Fifteen gunmen accused of involvement in the assassination of an MP in the western Sudanese region of Darfur were killed in clashes with security forces on Saturday, a local police chief told AFP.
Police and armed forces jointly pursued the unidentified armed men "who killed MP Hassan Tageddine Hassan al-Helw on Thursday" and caught up with them south of Nyala, capital of South Darfur state, said Fath al-Rahman Osman.
Fifteen of the gunmen were killed in the ensuing clashes, he said, without reporting any arrests or casualties among the security forces. A number of the gunmen had escaped.
Helw, an MP from Sudan's ruling National Congress Party, and two others travelling with him were killed when their car was attacked by unidentified gunmen in Nyala.
The police recovered the car of the slain MP, which was in the hands of the armed men, Osman said.
The U.N. estimates that up to 300,000 people have died from the combined effects of war, famine and disease in Darfur, a figure disputed by the government, which says only 10,000 people have been killed.
That sounds like the kind of dispute over numbers that we saw in Afghanistan. I find it hard to believe anything from the UN, but the Sudanese government is not exactly known for its veracity... or generosity of spirit.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/13/2009 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Sudan
#1
Ah yes, a 1950s St. John crime comic with Matt Baker cover art. Always nice to see!
[Ma'an] Egyptian authorities on Saturday stormed a smuggling tunnel used to transport cars into the besieged Gaza Strip, according to Egyptian security sources.
Egyptian security sources told Ma'an that state security forces in Rafah received information about a smuggling tunnel on the Salah Ad-Din border area between Egypt and Gaza, where cars were being smuggled underground.
The tunnel was found on a farm 300 meters from the border, they said.
The sources added that authorities seized another tunnel used for trafficking cars 18 months, with a 2.5-meter diameter, facilitating the transfer of 30 Hundai Vernas.
Security sources they have discovered nearly 1,300 tunnels, of which 450 were raided by Egypt this year.
On Thursday, Israeli media reported that Egypt began building a wall around the Gaza border, consisting of sheaths of metal, which the authorities said was undertaken to curb smuggling into the Gaza Strip, where both Israeli and Egyptian authorities have prohibited the opening of borders and only intermittently allowed the transfer of vitally needed humanitarian aid.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/13/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under: Hamas
[Asharq al-Aswat] A source in the Saudi armed forces denied that the Houthi infiltrators had taken control of the Al Jabri military post, in response to statements by the Houthi media office claiming that they were in control of this site.
In response to a question by Asharq Al-Awsat, the source said, "No infiltrator is able to get close to the Saudi border, and anybody who wants to get close has no [option] other than surrender or death."
The source confirmed that the Saudi forces had stepped up its deployment along the border. "No infiltrator is able to get close to the border," said the source.
The Saudi forces also continued their military operations to secure the safety of the border from infiltration operations using heavy artillery and F-15 fighter jets and Apache helicopters.
The Saudi military revealed yesterday that it arrested a number of Houthi elements attempting to infiltrate Saudi territory using women as "human shields."
A military source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Saudi forces were able to rescue the Yemeni women who were being used by the Houthi infiltrators as human shields. The military source added that the Saudi forces had "rescued the Yemeni women from the infiltrators, killing the infiltrators."
The Saudi military is attempting to deal with the infiltrators cautiously, as they are using women and children as human shields, in order to avoid harming innocent people.
According to a military source, the Houthi infiltrators have begun to use deception in their operations, such as using women and children as human shields, or disguising themselves in Yemeni military uniform. The Saudi source added that such tricks have become clear to the Saudi army, and all such situations are being dealt with "vigilantly and cautiously."
It has also been revealed that the Houthi infiltrators are using children [in their attacks], sending them to the Saudi border equipped with explosive [suicide] belts. The military source confirmed that in the future the Saudi military will deal with infiltrators cautiously, so that the option of surrender is available, after it is ensured that the infiltrators are not carrying explosive material.
According to a military source, the Saudi paratrooper units stationed along the border redline and in the mountain region are continuing their patrol operations and their defence of the Saudi border.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/13/2009 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[6 views]
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#1
ION PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > BALOCH WOMEN USED AS PROSTITUTES.
* TOPIX > AL QAEDA LOOKS TO YEMEN AS NEW TERROR BASE.
[Bangla Daily Star] Delwar Hossain alias Grill Delwar, 35, was killed in a "shootout" in Kadamtoli area last night. Some time in the wee hours, no doubt. Can't wait to hear the details...
He cooked a mean barbeque, that much is clear.
Delwar was allegedly the second-in-command of Dakat Shaheed gang active in Old Dhaka. Had the death sentence on twelve systems, did he?
He was accused in several murder cases with different police stations in the capital, police sources said. Where he went, mayhem followed...
Sub-inspector Liakat Ali of Kadamtoli Police Station If he bags a few more he won't be a 'sub' inspector any more ...
said Delwar and his gang opened fire on a police patrol prompting them to fire back around 8:00pm. Wait a minute! 8:00pm? The kids weren't even in bed yet!
SI Liakat said as the gunfight ended, they found Delwar lying dead on the ground. "He's dead, Jim!"
His cohorts managed to escape the scene. "Which way did they go, George? Which way did they go?"
"Which way did who go, Doc?"
Police recovered a pistol with two rounds of bullet from the spot. What kinda pistol? Was it locally made?
At least 20 rounds of bullet were fired during the gunfight, police said. That's it? What the hell kinda shootout is that? I want my taka back!
Edited because the kids were still awake, no doubt. There are social norms to observe after all.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/13/2009 00:00 ||
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[0 views]
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[Dawn] At least 10 militants have been killed and 14 others arrested in Khyber Agency on Saturday.
Recovered cache of arms and ammunitions from Shalobar area of Bara Tehsil were also shown to the media. The weapons included Indian guns and explosives from China among others, according to a DawnNews report.
A large quantity of IEDS, anti-aircraft guns and jihadi literature were also recovered from the possession of militants and wwere shown to the media.
According to the FC officials, ten militants were killed while 87 others were arrested during the operation in Khyber Agency in the last 24 hours.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/13/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under: TTP
[Dawn] Security forces killed 10 militants in the Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency on Friday.
The forces also arrested 87 suspected militants during a day-long search operation in Bara, sources said.
Officials said the security forces retaliated when militants opened fire on them in the Shalobar locality of Bara during the search operation, which was conducted jointly by the army and the Frontier Corps.
In the exchange of fire, 10 militants were killed. Houses of three militant commanders were also destroyed and at least 87 people were arrested on the suspicion of assisting and providing shelter to militants in their area.
A statement issued by the FC media cell said security measures at the Torkham border had been enhanced.It said people crossing the Torkham border would be required to produce travel documents.
Customs officials at Torkham would also check relevant documents of vehicles carrying goods to Afghanistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/13/2009 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: TTP
Pakistani security forces have arrested another three US citizens working at the American Consulate for filming sensitive installations in the eastern city of Lahore.
Police arrested three American nationals including a woman in the Sherpao bridge area of Lahore as they were filming sensitive government buildings, a Press TV correspondent reported.
According to Pakistani police all three were employees of the US embassy.
The US citizens were taken to a police station and later released after a three-hour inquiry.
Police have impounded their vehicle for legal action as it was bearing false license plates.
The woman, identified as Morgan, works for the press department at the American Consulate in Lahore. She was arrested while actually taking pictures of a check-post near the Sherpao Bridge.
The Pakistani daily The Nation reported that after a thorough search of the woman, the security personnel recovered 11 pictures in her possession, which included photos of different police check-posts in the area.
The Pakistani foreign affairs ministry was not available for comment when contacted by Press TV.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/13/2009 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
I salute a woman field officer that woudl accept an assignment to Hellholisstan.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/13/2009 14:57 Comments ||
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#2
Start arresting Pakiwaki's working for Washington and UN embassies.
Fifteen militants, including a key militant commander, and three security personnel have been killed in clashes in Pakistan's Kurram tribal region.
On Saturday, Pakistani troops launched a pre-dawn assault on militant hideouts in Marghan, Dogar, Gawader, Zangey, and Terley, a Press TV correspondent reported, quoting a senior military official.
The official, who requested anonymity, said that security forces are facing stiff resistance from militants, but added that Pakistani troops have destroyed four of their hideouts and recovered a large amount of ammunition and explosives.
Dozens of militants have been killed and arrested since the start of the operation in Kurram Agency.
The militant commander, who was involved in a number of attacks, was on the police's wanted list.
Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Saturday that the military is shifting focus to the Kurram tribal area, where many militants have taken refuge after the operation in South Waziristan. Gilani also stated that the military operation against the Taliban in South Waziristan has ended.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/13/2009 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under: TTP
[Ma'an] The military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) claimed responsibility for firing a rocket-propelled grenade at Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip on Saturday.
The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades said in a statement to Ma'an that a fierce clash erupted east of Beit Hanoun when Israeli forces heavily returned fire. Both sides exchanged machine-gun fire, the wing said.
The statement added that the shelling came "as a natural response to the occupation's crimes, and on the occasion of the 42nd anniversary of the PFLP's founding."
An Israeli army spokeswoman said she was not aware of that incident, but confirmed the military's involvement in separate clashes in central Gaza that medics say left one Palestinian dead.
On Wednesday, Israeli tanks and a bulldozer operated in Palestinian territory near the city of Khan Younis in Gaza.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/13/2009 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under: PFLP
Cut most of article about Somali pirates and returning exile tools. There are only about a thousand Somali Christians left in the country, and in the south, al Shabaab is hunting them down and killing them. The Transitional Government, which is run by Islamic conservatives, is not speaking out against these murders. Decades of chaos have caused most local Christians to flee the country. Meanwhile, Sufi Moslems are also under attack, but they are more numerous (several percent of the population) and are organizing militias and fighting back. The armed Sufis are not a big threat to al Shabaab, but do restrict the movement of the radicals somewhat.
Posted by: ed ||
12/13/2009 10:53 ||
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Link ||
[1 views]
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#1
why would you even fight over that shithole country
Posted by: chris ||
12/13/2009 12:30 Comments ||
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#2
Besides piracy, that is all there is to do is to fight. Fighting and qat. Not much else to do in that little bit of heaven called Somalia.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/13/2009 14:59 Comments ||
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#3
Could have said the same thing about Jamaica before the tourist wave arrived. Somalia has some of the most gorgeous coastline in the world-- hundreds of miles of it, actually-- and could generate billions in annual tourism revenues if the followers of Allan weren't in charge.
A group of suspected Islamic militants have attacked a jail in the southern Philippines, freeing at least 31 prisoners, prison officials say.
Two people, including a prison guard, are believed to have been killed during a gunfight as the prisoners escaped.
Basilan island's Vice Governor Al Rasheed Sakalahul told the Associated Press the gunmen had wanted to free Muslim guerrillas held in the jail.
He said other inmates had also escaped during the attack early on Sunday.
Mr Sakalahul said about 30 gunmen had used sledgehammers to break through the jail's concrete perimeter wall before using bolt-cutters to cut through padlocks on cell doors.
One of the prison guards was killed and another injured during the ensuing clash, provincial police chief Abubakar Tulawie told Reuters news agency.
Posted by: john frum ||
12/13/2009 06:44 ||
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[2 views]
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#1
PHILIPPINES = SRI LANKA = ITS NOT OVER UNTIL IT IS OVER??? Read, MILITANTS WIN, OR ARE DESTROYED
To wit,
ION NOT-THE-PHILIPPINES BHARAT RAKSHAK > SRI LANKA > "PEOPLE'S LIBERATION ARMY" GROUP EMERGES IN EASTERN SRI LANKA; + [BBC] NEW TAMIL GROUP "PEOPLE'S LIBERATION ARMY" VOWS TO START A FRESH WAR.
Tamil PLA linked to PALESTINIAN LIBERATION ORGANIZATION [PLO] + CUBA, FORMER LTTE Cadres.
Lest we fergit, RADICAL MULLAHS > BETTER THE ENTIRE WORLD BE DESTROYED THAN ISLAM TO NOT RULE SAME.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Five days after renewed student protests across Iran showed that the dispute over the country's presidential elections is from over, hundreds of Iranian men posted pictures of themselves wearing the Islamic headscarf on social networking website Facebook in solidarity with a detained student leader.
Majid Tavakoli of Tehran's prestigious Amir Kabir University was arrested on Dec. 7 during anti-government demonstrations and pictures of him wearing the chador, the women's full-length black wrap, were published on the semi-official Fars news agency, which reported that Tavakoli attempted to flee Iran dressed as a woman.
The pictures provoked a furious response from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's opponents who claim the government faked the photographs, which were also deemed derogatory to women, to embarrass him.
A "Free Majid Tavakoli" group was created on Facebook, calling the student leader "a symbol of integrity and courage," and more than 380 Iranian men have showed solidarity with him and posted pictures of themselves wearing a veil or chador with captions such as "I am Majid Tavakoli" or "It is not shame to be a woman, it is shame to be a man like you."
Tavakoli has spent two previous stints in jail and was among a group of students arrested and allegedly tortured in 2007 following a demonstration that disrupted a visit by Ahmadinejad to Amir Kabir University the previous year.
Human Rights Activists in Iran reported that government "agents severely beat and injured Majid during the arrest. The amount of violence and brutality used in the arrest shocked passer[s]-by."
One witness told the human rights group: "All the pictures published by the state media are false and a clear use of immoral means against student and civil activists in Iran."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/13/2009 00:00 ||
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[6 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
good for the people of Iran. They're dealing with cowardly scum and doing it without complaint.
The investigation of five American Muslims held on suspicion of having links with terrorist groups has focused on a Pakistani militant whom the young men communicated with over the Internet and who became their primary contact as they tried to make their way to Afghanistan, Pakistani authorities said Saturday.
As Pakistani law enforcement officials began questioning for the fourth day the close-knit group from a multiethnic, working-class enclave in Virginia, investigators sought more information about a suspected Pakistani militant they knew only as Saifullah. Investigators believe that Saifullah recruited the Americans, some of whom were college students, through an exchange of e-mails in late summer and the fall. Saifullah then tried to arrange for them to head to Pakistan's tribal areas along the Afghan border, sanctuaries for the Pakistani Taliban and Al Qaeda.
Although investigators have not determined which militant group Saifullah was affiliated with, they believe he was based in Hangu, a district in North-West Frontier Province adjacent to the tribal areas where the Taliban presence is strong. "They wanted to go to the tribal areas, and [Saifullah] was guiding them through e-mails and cellphone conversations," said Javed Islam, a police official in Sargodha, the central Pakistani city where the Americans were detained. "We've checked his location, and he's from Hangu."
The account police provided Saturday began to answer questions about how the group might have been radicalized. The story reinforces impressions that the journey was not well planned and shows, experts said, that the path to jihad, or holy war, is not straight or easy.
Unlike several alleged U.S. Islamic militants accused this year of training and plotting with Al Qaeda, the five men from Alexandria, Va., do not appear to have influential contacts in the extremist networks in Pakistan. Their difficulties are reminiscent of recent cases in which extremists were wary of Westerners, fearing infiltration by informants or rebuffing green recruits. "I think these groups have thought about some of the recent high-profile cases in the media and they are thinking: 'Are these guys spies?' " said Evan Kohlmann, an independent investigator who works closely with security forces around the world. "Or are they so inept they could be a liability?"
The five men range in age from 18 to 24 and are U.S. citizens of Pakistani, African and Egyptian descent. They lived within blocks of one another in the Washington suburb. They were arrested Wednesday in Sargodha, a city in Punjab province regarded as a hotbed for militants who have strengthened ties with the Pakistani Taliban and Al Qaeda.
Police say the Americans flew to Pakistan in late November with the hope of waging jihad against U.S. forces in Afghanistan. But the five have not been charged. On Saturday, they were transferred from Sargodha to the eastern city of Lahore and were questioned by a team of Pakistani police investigators and intelligence agents, said Islam, the police official. A team of FBI agents had also questioned the men in Sargodha.
The detainees told interrogators that YouTube video postings by Saifullah depicting militant attacks on U.S. troops in Afghanistan caught their attention, according to Pakistani police. The Americans attached comments to the postings praising the attacks, and eventually learned that the videos were posted by someone named Saifullah.
Saifullah is a common name meaning "sword of Allah." Several militant chieftains in Pakistan are named Saifullah, but experts said it was doubtful that any of them would have communicated extensively with unknown Americans. "It might be a recruiter with jihad experience, but not necessarily high in the hierarchy," Kohlmann said. "It could be an entrepreneurial 19-year-old."
The five men arrived in Karachi, Pakistan, on Nov. 30, stayed one night and traveled to the nearby city of Hyderabad, where they appeared at a madrasa, or Islamic seminary, run by Jaish-e-Muhammad, a Pakistani militant group with ties to Al Qaeda. The men asked to join the group, but were rejected, said Sargodha Police Chief Usman Anwar. The Americans then went to Lahore, where they approached Jamaat-ud-Dawa, an extremist group affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba, the militant organization accused of engineering the November 2008 attacks in Mumbai, India, that killed 166 people. Again, the men were rebuffed, police said.
These extremist groups disseminate a lot of English-language propaganda and operate offices in populated areas, so they have been gateways to training camps, combat and even Al Qaeda plots for Westerners over the years, authorities said. The rejections of the five young Americans underscore the apparently makeshift nature of an odyssey that relied mainly on the e-mail contact and the fact that one American had a family home in Sargodha, said a U.S. counter-terrorism specialist, who asked not to be named because he is not authorized to speak publicly. "It seems . . . they just jumped into the ocean to see what they could find," the specialist said.
The five eventually went to Sargodha, where they stayed at a home owned by the parents of one of the men, Umar Farooq. His parents, Khalid and Sabira Farooq, live in Virginia but were at their home in Sargodha when the men arrived. Islam said Farooq's parents did not know about the group's intentions and learned that they had left the U.S. only after another son there called to alert them. Khalid Farooq does not share his son's radical beliefs and was angered by Umar's actions, said Islam, the Sargodha police official.
Khalid Farooq, 55, was arrested with the five young men and remained in custody while authorities decided whether to charge him for not informing police that the men were staying with him.
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.
[Quqnoos] A suicide bomber blew himself up in the eastern Afghan province of Paktika on Friday, killing three people and wounding another 18.
[Iran Press TV Latest] Hand grenade explosions have shaken the United Nations Development Program headquarters in Mogadishu, while the exchange of fire elsewhere in Somalia has claimed seven lives. 
[Al Arabiya Latest] Fifteen gunmen accused of involvement in the assassination of an MP in the western Sudanese region of Darfur were killed in clashes with security forces on Saturday, a local police chief told AFP.
[Bangla Daily Star] Delwar Hossain alias Grill Delwar, 35, was killed in a "shootout" in Kadamtoli area last night.
Pakistani security forces have arrested another three US citizens working at the American Consulate for filming sensitive installations in the eastern city of Lahore. 
Fifteen militants, including a key militant commander, and three security personnel have been killed in clashes in Pakistan's Kurram tribal region. 
[Ma'an] The military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) claimed responsibility for firing a rocket-propelled grenade at Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip on Saturday. 
The investigation of five American Muslims held on suspicion of having links with terrorist groups has focused on a Pakistani militant whom the young men communicated with over the Internet and who became their primary contact as they tried to make their way to Afghanistan, Pakistani authorities said Saturday.
