Saudi security forces, having dealt a blow to Al Qaeda inside the kingdom, are on guard for the return of Saudi militants from their "jihad" against US troops in neighbouring Iraq.
Funny, so are American forces in Iraq.
"Of course we expect whoever is left (in Iraq) to come back to Saudi Arabia. But of course, we will deal with them the same way we dealt with the others," said interior ministry spokesman Brigadier-General Mansoor Sultan Al Turki.
Two years after the outbreak of a bloody wave of attacks, Saudi authorities say they have broken the back of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, whose last strike now dates back to December. According to official figures, 90 civilians, 41 security personnel and 110 militants have died in a spate of deadly attacks in Saudi Arabia, many targeting Westerners, since May 2003. "I would say we have accomplished the mission by either killing or capturing them," Turki said in an interview with AFP.
But "we cannot say we have reached the situation where we can ensure that no terrorist crime could be implemented in the kingdom. We are not saying that," he cautioned.
"No, no! Certainly not!"
In a major coup for the Saudi authorities, 15 suspected militants were killed, including two Al Qaeda chiefs, in early April in a gunbattle with security forces in Al-Rass, 320km north of Riyadh.
From a list of 26 most wanted militants published in December 2003, only three remain at large, including Saleh Al Oufi, an ideologue of the movement who reports at the time had said was killed in the Al Rass clash. "He is still alive and he is still wanted," said the interior ministry spokesman.
A diplomat posted in Riyadh said that behind the official statements on a job well done, the Al Qaeda threat still posed a real threat. "I don't think they are naive enough to believe Al Qaeda is finished," he said.
The next generation is waiting in the wings. "Whatever the outcome in Iraq, those people will come back one day," said the diplomat.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
06/01/2005 00:12 ||
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#1
Indeed. And the stability of the Kingdom is what must be guarded, above all, at any cost, come what may, no matter what, in the breach, alone on a hill, through thick or thin, with or without, at all times, without a doubt, beyond the pale, no fear, new and improved, Religon of Peace, rest in pieces. Insh'allan.
#3
The Vicente Fox strategy of dumping your problem on your neighbor rather than addressing the underlying economic-social ills of your country means you don't want the buggers back [but feel free to send a check to your family!].
Guess he wasn't as dead as we thought. Either that, or he's going to take a turn for the worse in the next few days after they figure out who's going to be head turban...
Back to his baseline drooling ...
Posted by: Fred ||
06/01/2005 00:00 ||
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At the ADC's gala dinner Sunday, attended by nearly 2,000 Arab-Americans from throughout the United States, Prince Alwaleed ibn Talal announced he was donating $6 million to help the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, ADC, to buy its own office building. The ADC's three-day annual convention marked the 25th anniversary of the founding of ADC. Former US Sen. James Abourezk, D-South Dakota, who was honored along with Prince Alwaleed, and Queen Noor of Jordan, Congressmen John Conyers, D-Michigan, and Nick Rahall, D-West Virginia, were given Lifetime Excellence in Public Service Awards.
When Brian Avery, a peace activist who in 2003, was shot in the face by an Israeli soldier in Janin, received the Rachel Corrie Award — presented by Rachel's father and sister — there was not a dry eye in the house. The event at a hotel on Capitol Hill was attended by diplomats from many of the Arab embassies in Washington, the Arab League, the United Nations and individuals from the Arab world. ADC has members in 80 chapters throughout the US.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/01/2005 00:00 ||
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Conyers and Rahall received new commemorative knee pad sets, Avery a bottle of Aunt Jemima Original - with a touch of maple, and Abourezk walked away with the toaster - a four-holer. A splendid time was had by all, despite the rubber chicken lamb. Alwaleed's check will prolly prove to be rubber, too, if they lose their tax-exempt status.
The new religious leader of Muslims in Chechnya has vowed to fight the Wahhabism ideology within Islam, the Novosti news agency reports.
Mufti Sultan Mirzayev, 40, said his key task would be an "ideological fight against Wahhabism and active promotion of traditional Islam."
"Mahmoud, kill this apostate."
The mufti said religious leaders like him should explain "the danger of the Wahhabite ideology, give balanced arguments and refer to the Koran."
He said work with young people is a priority because Chechnya has many other problems like drugs in addition to radical Islamic trends. The cleric said clergymen should work with people who "joined illegal armed units by mistake or ignorance and were not involved in serious crimes."
Mirzayev was elected Chechen mufti by a unanimous decision of the Majlis comprising 22 representatives of local Moslem communities.
22 loyal representatives.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
06/01/2005 00:18 ||
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Okaaaaay. So they're gonna "fight" Wahhabism, huh. Werdz vs. Money. Game. Set. Match. Before the Ump even greets the players.
#4
perhaps some of the Chechens are fed up with Arab condescension and infiltration of their own revolt against Moscow
Posted by: too true ||
06/01/2005 8:50 Comments ||
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#5
That is the problem. The Koran is on the side of the Wahabists
According to Imam and high Mufti JFM.
A religious text can be interpreted in many ways. A tradition can interpret a text in ways almost opposite to its literal meaning. How the hell does someone whose NOT a believer in that particular text decide which is the RIGHT interpretation.
All that matters is what MUSLIMS accept as the right interpretation. And for hundreds of years most did NOT accept the Wahabi interpretation.
#7
There are still places (including Pakistan) where the Wahhabis still have plenty of opposition from other Muhammadans. One cleric wrote that Wahhabis and Deobandis weren't even Muslim, and were worse than unbelievers. World of Fatwas by Arun Shourie.
Posted by: James ||
06/01/2005 11:30 Comments ||
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#8
And for hundreds of years most did NOT accept the Wahabi interpretation.
A lot of them seemed to have changed their minds in the last decade or so.
#12
Not necessary, mojo. Wahabbi's release energy violently without any help whenever they come into contact with women and children, especially joooooos.
You see it happens I have read the Koran. It si full of contractions but the Medina surates preeempt the Mecca ones due to having been written later and they are choke full with calls to go to Jihad (BTW: there is no mention on Koran of any Jihad through an internal struggle) so any controversy based on the Koran can only end with the victory of the wahabists.
#14
LiberalHawk, this is an illiberal religion. There are liberal muslims, and peaceful muslims, but the religion itself is not liberal or peaceful. The only way to control the virus that is islam is to inoculate the state against it, as the Turks have done, or else counterbalance the islamists with powerful secularists, as Talabani and the Kurds are trying to do in Iraq.
#15
It si full of contractions but the Medina surates preeempt the Mecca ones due to having been written later and they are choke full with calls to go to Jihad
Perhaps we should have posted a fine verse from the Medina surates each week to demonstrate Rantburg's big tent, tolerant philosophy.
#16
Liberalhawk is right: it doesn't matter what the religion of Islam is right now, it matters what it could become if we, ah, "nudge" it in the right direction. Or kick.
It doesn't matter to me
So long as they all start watching MTV.
-Secret Master's Surra
Uzbek opposition and rights activists asked the United Nations and the European Union on Tuesday to help stop the government's crackdown on dissent, saying dozens of people have been illegally arrested or beaten since a May 13 uprising. "We ask your help in stopping illegal detentions and persecution of rights defenders, opposition parties and other politically active citizens of Uzbekistan," 10 activists said in a statement, which was also addressed to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
The alleged repression follows an uprising in the eastern city of Andijan, when militants seized a local prison and government headquarters and thousands of people demonstrated in the streets. Uzbek authorities say 173 people died, but rights advocates put the number as high as 750. One of the activists, Surat Ikramov, head of Uzbekistan's Initiative Group of Human Rights Defenders, told The Associated Press law enforcement authorities have since unleashed a mass persecution of dissenters, with more than 100 people detained, beaten or placed under house arrest.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/01/2005 00:00 ||
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PRIME Minister John Howard was forced to apologise to Indonesia yesterday after a biological attack on its embassy - and the first on Australian soil. A powder - which initial tests showed was either anthrax or one of four other lethal substances - was mailed to Indonesian Ambassador Imron Cotan and opened yesterday. The finger of blame points to Australia, with anger over the Schapelle Corby sentence behind the attack.
Mr Howard labelled the attack a "reckless act of indifference to human life" and confirmed the powder was "some kind of biological agent". Mr Cotan's secretary opened the envelope just after 10.30am yesterday and white powder spilled to the floor. Although there was initial belief the powder could have been fertiliser, Mr Howard said it tested positive for a "harmful" substance. He said it would be remarkable if the attack was not related to community anger over the 20-year sentence handed down to Corby by a Bali court for drug smuggling. Police and emergency services, including hazardous materials units, were called and the embassy was immediately locked down.
The powder was tested at the ACT Government analytical laboratory and found to be an unknown but potentially dangerous biological agent. Police spokesman refused to say if a note was included with the powder. Police sources said the tests were a long way from complete, and that false readings were common.
A statement from the Indonesian Government last night condemned and strongly deplored what it described as a "sorry and cowardly attempt of intimidation". It also welcomed the support and assistance of Australian officials.
#1
Article: PRIME Minister John Howard was forced to apologise to Indonesia yesterday after a biological attack on its embassy - and the first on Australian soil.
Note the media spin - Howard wasn't forced to do so - he did it of his own free will. Did the Indonesian president apologize for the Bali bombing, which killed close to 200 Australians? As to this being the first bio-attack on Australian soil, note that it killed no one, whereas the Bali bombing killed close to 200 Australians.
Note also that in just about every article about US officials over Iraq, there is a mention about Abu Ghraib, where prisoners were humiliated. Where is the mention of the hundreds of Australians killed by Indonesians in this article?
#4
Zhang, All Abu G, All the Time is to the MSM's business strategy as "Gulag" is to Amnesty's fund-raising strategy.
And it's not just mentioning Abu G, either; it's articles and OpEds focused on Abu G. Search the NY Times archives for articles with "Abu Ghraib" in the article or OpEd's summary since March 1 2003 and you get 337 articles, of which 322 concern US abuses. A search during the same period for articles whose summaries contain "zarqawi" yields 19 results: http://tinyurl.com/8we7r
Flood the zone, indeed. This is a perfect example of the NYT's new strategy, as outlined by Bill Keller in Business Week, of catering to the Times' "most loyal readers": http://tinyurl.com/3zph6
PRIME Minister John Howard has condemned as criminal a possibly harmful biological agent sent to the Indonesian embassy in Canberra. Mr Howard said the agent was a powder sent in an envelope addressed to the Indonesian ambassador Imron Cotan. "It would be the first time if the preliminary results are confirmed, such a biological agent has been sent in Australia," Mr Howard said. "It will do great damage in the eyes of many Indonesian people to the relationship between our countries and it certainly won't help Schapelle Corby."
Mr Howard said the powder had tested positive for a harmful substance. Further tests would be done to confirm the result, he said. "The advice I have is that the reference 'biological agent' does not mean it is benign," he said.
He would not say if it was an act of terrorism, saying he would wait until tests confirmed the exact nature of the substance. "But when you send a substance of this type, if the analysis proves correct, it's an act of reckless indifference to human life and I apologise on behalf of the Australian people to the Indonesian embassy and to the Indonesian government," he said. "The preliminary test suggested it was a biological agent and further tests are now being carried out."
Mr Howard said it would be a remarkable coincidence if the incident was not linked to anger over the 20-year jail term handed to convicted drug smuggler Schapelle Corby in Bali last week. "It would be a remarkable coincidence if it were not (related)," he said. "If it is, can I say to those responsible — you will not achieve your objective. "Quite apart from the murderous criminality of doing something like this and the indifference and contempt to human life that it displays, it won't achieve the objective. It will have the opposite effect. "I plead with people if that is the motivation to think again if they really care."
An envelope containing a biological agent has been sent to the Indonesian embassy in Canberra in an apparent reprisal for Schapelle Corby's jailing in Bali. The embassy has been shut down and its 22 staff will remain in isolation for at least 48 hours after the envelope tested positive for the as-yet unidentified substance. Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer condemned whoever had sent the package and said it would not help Corby's case. "Further analysis of the powder has tested positive as a biological agent so further testing will need to be carried out to find out what that substance actually is," Mr Downer told Parliament. Fire, ambulance and police officers raced to the embassy after staff discovered the package about 10.30am (AEST) today.
Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd said he spoke to the Indonesian Ambassador Imron Cotan this afternoon to express Labor's outrage at the "apparent attack". Mr Cotan told him 50 members of staff at the embassy had been quarantined for 48 hours, contrary to Mr Downer's earlier statement in parliament that only 22 staff were in the building. The letter arrived at the embassy this morning and a substance spilled onto the floor when it was opened, Mr Rudd told reporters in Canberra.
Mr Downer pleaded with the Australian public to stop attacking Indonesia over Corby's 20-year jail sentence for drug trafficking, handed down in Denpasar last week. Talkback radio has been swamped by angry callers and some aid agencies have reported calls from donors to the tsunami fund asking for their money back. Others have called for a boycott of travel to the archipelago. "I know a lot of people in Australia are upset by the Corby verdict," Mr Downer said today as he revealed the incident at the embassy. But denigrating Australia's northern neighbour would not help, he said. "To continually attack Indonesia and denigrate its institutions and leaders will build up a good deal of anti-Australian sentiment in Indonesia and it will make it very difficult to conclude [prisoner transfer] agreements of this kind, particularly through public institutions like the Indonesian Parliament."
Today's incident followed death threats made last month to the Indonesian embassy in Canberra, and the sending of bullets to the Indonesian consulate in Perth in April. Both incidents were linked to the Corby case.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
06/01/2005 04:25 ||
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Mailed bullets and biological agents? Indonesians can relax.
BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romanian journalists accused a private television station of exploiting the ordeal of three colleagues held hostage in Iraq for 55 days during their first news conference on Wednesday. Hundreds of Romanian journalists had organized solidarity marches demanding the release of the three, who were kidnapped on March 28 while on a trip to Baghdad together with their guide Mohamad Munaf.
But sympathy turned into hostility during the news conference, after the three refused to answer questions about how they were released, saying the information was classified.
Anger was compounded by the way private Prima TV, where two of the kidnapped journalists work, did not allow cameramen from other stations to film the conference held in front of a huge "Prima TV" logo and limited reporters' questions. "Shame on you for taking commercial advantage of this," Ziua newspaper foreign news editor Victor Roncea told Prima TV news editors sitting near the three ex-hostages.
Reporters pounded the three with questions about their connections to their guide and the Romanian-Syrian businessman who planned and partly financed their trip. Both have been charged with setting up the abduction.
"Munaf was with us in that cellar, he was crying," said Prima TV cameraman Sorin Miscoci, one of the former hostages. "It's hard to believe that a man can submit himself willingly to that treatment, you can't imagine how it was there." Miscoci, 30, Prima TV reporter Marie Jeanne Ion, 32, and Romania Libera daily reporter Ovidiu Ohanesian, 37, returned to Romania on May 23 but Munaf, who has Iraqi and U.S. citizenship, remained in the hands of U.S. forces in Baghdad for questioning.
The three were showed in a video aired by Al-Jazeera in April sitting on the floor barefoot and handcuffed. Ion asked Romanian authorities to pull out its 800 troops from Iraq. Romanian prosecutors charged Munaf and Romanian-Syrian businessman Omar Hayssam with the kidnapping, saying it was a plot to turn Hayssam into a hero in Romania in the hope that it would help him escape potential punishment for previous charges of organized crime and economic-financial wrongdoings.
The three refused to answer questions such as how they were released or where they had been detained, saying other people's lives were at risk if they spoke about it. They said they were kept in a dark cellar and could only guess their captors' mood by the amount of food given or if they were allowed more trips to the toilet. "It's not worth paying such a price just to get professional satisfaction," Ion said. "We were living in fear, we didn't know what would happen in the next five minutes."
Posted by: Steve ||
06/01/2005 12:46 ||
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France's top anti-terrorism judge, Jean-Louis Bruguiere, has warned that al-Qaeda is now more fragmented and a bigger threat than before. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that al-Qaeda had attracted younger recruits radicalised by the Iraq war. "We have a multiplication of all the cells, groups and connections," he said, warning that "unknown elements" were being recruited very quickly.
Judge Bruguiere stressed the importance of identity cards to prevent terrorism. He also said the courts should be allowed to consider evidence gathered by wire-tapping - as in France, but unlike the UK, where it is inadmissible.
On the al-Qaeda threat, he said "the difficulty that we have is especially with the problem of Iraq... the situation is more confused, more complicated than before".
He said compulsory ID cards had proved "very important" in his country's effort to thwart attacks. "We have a lot of legal means you (the UK) don't have and these legal means allow us to control and possibly prevent terrorist activities.
"You have the capacity right now, despite the fact there are tough immigration controls, to go from France or continental Europe to the UK with false papers.
"And if you don't have this possibility, to have a database, to know exactly and to control individuals which would be suspected to use false papers in terrorist activities, you miss things."
In the 1990s, Mr Bruguiere focused on the activities of Arab veterans of the 1980s war against Soviet troops in Afghanistan, especially Algerian militants who carried out several attacks in France. He became an expert on the various cells of Islamist militants operating around the world, many of them loosely linked to Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda organisation.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
06/01/2005 00:11 ||
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#1
This guy has his shit together, wired tight and seems to be France's best anti-terror weapon. I'd suggest he's well worth listening to - and taking advice from. Even if it upsets the black helicopter crowd.
WASHINGTON, May 31 - President Bush criticized Senate Democrats on Tuesday for "stalling" a vote on John R. Bolton's nomination as ambassador to the United Nations, and indicated that he would not grant them access to intelligence documents they have demanded to see before allowing the confirmation to go ahead.
Mr. Bush's statements, at a news conference in the Rose Garden, suggested that he was intent on winning the battle over Mr. Bolton on his own terms when the Senate reconvenes next week, rather than negotiating a deal with Democrats and some Republicans who have been advocating a surrender compromise.
Democrats delayed a vote on the nomination on Thursday night, saying they wanted access to classified information about Mr. Bolton's conduct that the administration has refused for weeks to provide. "Now in terms of the requests for the documents, I view that as just another stall tactic," Mr. Bush said, "another way to delay, another way not to allow Bolton to get an up or down vote."
Democrats gave no indication they would back down. "Mr. Bolton's fate lies with the president," said Jim Manley, the spokesman for Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader. "If he agrees to turn over the requested information about his nominee, then Mr. Bolton will get his up or down vote. The Senate is entitled to the information. It's really that simple."
President Bush's comments came on the day the White House and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice marked the second anniversary of the White House program to slow nuclear proliferation, in which Mr. Bolton was a key player. The targets of the program include North Korea, Iran and Syria. Mr. Bush said, "We've got a lot of work to do with the North Korean," apparently referring to Kim Jong Il, the president, "because he tends to ignore what the other five nations are saying at times." The United States, China, Japan, South Korea and Russia have been engaged in more than two years of talks aimed at persuading the North to end its nuclear arms program.
He added at another point: "It's either diplomacy or military. And I am for the diplomacy approach."
For which the left has been criticizing him ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/01/2005 00:10 ||
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#1
The irony is that, if Bolton doesn't go to clean up the U.N. mess, he'll go to some hotter spot like the North Korean "negotiations". This administration is not going to compromise with idiot senators or nuclear maniacs, thank God.
Posted by: Tom ||
06/01/2005 8:15 Comments ||
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#2
I think the plan is for Boulton to make NK a UN problem. He will be a moonbatmedia/left wing lightening rod such that the real activity will be hidden unreported behind the door of Condi's office.
Am I correct in saying that the original Korean War (circa 1950) was supported by a UN resolution, and was only stopped by a cease fire agreement, not a truce or surrender? WMD's? Check. Starving Children? Check. Immenent Threat to national security? Check. Support of Al Quaida? Check. I think we have been here before.
Posted by: john ||
06/01/2005 9:22 Comments ||
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#3
Bush should tell them that if they reject Bolton his next three picks are:
1) Alan Keyes
2) Walter Williams
3) Ann Couter
All would do a much better job of telling the un exactly what Americans think about that organization. Confirm him now or else!
#8
I have this fantasy of Ann Coulter riding a Harley into the UN general assembly outfitted in black leather and riding crop. She dismounts, saunters up to the microphone, and panning her finger across the assembly yells: "You are all NOW my bitches." At that point Voinich has a heart attack while watching on CSPAN (after crying for 10 minutes straight). Kennedy is found under his desk, in the fetal position, and sucking his thumb. Kofi Annan runs from the un building and begs for asylum in Canada. Hillary has a note passed to Ann from a third party that reads: âI like your style honey.â Oh and I forgot sometime during this fiasco France surrenders to Micronesia.
#1
We've made a lot of management reforms -- shoring up our credibility by establishing a public editor job, a standards editor, and instituting some new policies that were probably long overdue, like our byline policy and trying to stick a finger in the dike of anonymous sourcing.
This is one of those "alternate universe" things, isn't it?
Posted by: Matt ||
06/01/2005 16:21 Comments ||
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#2
No more precise statement of the Times' new strategy of pandering to urban Bush-haters than this revealing admission from Bill Keller:
Q: Do you think that improvements in journalistic quality -- however you want to define it -- necessarily lead to increases in circulation?
Keller: Yes, I do, actually -- as long as you have that clause in there where I get to define what quality is. When I first became an editor here in 1995, somebody upstairs on the business side explained to me the basic business philosophy of the Times.
It was a kind of epiphany for me, and I never pass up an opportunity to relay this to the staff. And it's this: What most papers do when they want to extend their reach is they go out and interview all the people who don't subscribe and say, "What would you like?" and then they try to dumb down or spice up their paper to pander to that audience. That's what produced the kind of McNuggetization of a lot of local and regional papers in America.
The Times' approach was exactly backward. What they did is focus on the most loyal subscribers and identify their characteristics. And then they went out and tried to find more people who are like those people.
#3
Note how Keller spins this as taking the high road, avoiding "dumbing down" of the content. But he's really describing the abandonment of the "paper of record" in favor of a narrowly partisan journal. No better way to cater to your Bush-hating core readership than to flood the zone with All Abu Ghraib, All the Time.
#5
Actually it's become a US version of the Guardian. Keller admits this very clearly in the BW interview: the goal is to give the hardcore loyalists more of what they want. Screw the broad public.
Forget any attempt to be the "paper of record" for the nation as a whole. It's all about catering to the urban metrosexual Bush-haters. Look at the change in coverage priorities uinder Pinch: Huge increase in "culture" ie, as defined by urban gays and Manhattanites, and in articles and OpEds slamming Bush. And a sharp decrease in foreign coverage of countries and regions that don't fit neatly into the Bush-as-cource-of-all-evil meme, such as South Africa, Ukraine, Russia, Australia, India, Japan....
#6
I googled the latest circulation numbers and the NYT appears to the only US large city daily that increased its circulation, albeit marginally. The rest are getting hammered. Which says 2 things, one is the strategy is working at least in the short term (ignoring the bleeding away of ad revenues) and this is a demographic that the internet has passed by.
#7
That's because the other papers are doing the same thing, only without the Noo Yawk market. I read the Philadelphia Inquirer, once a great newspaper, a few months back, and the triteness of the content took my breath away. The Bawlmer Sun, also once a great newspaper, has similarly become a repository of mostly mindless Democrat regurgitation.
Part of it's due to the decline of the afternoon papers -- there's no competition. Part of it's due to catering to the urban market when the readership's moved to the 'burbs. And the biggest part of it's opinion masquerading as news. I have nothing against opinion; I put my opinion in almost everything posted here. But the core of the paper has to be based on fact, and facts have to be at least somewhat verifiable.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/01/2005 18:52 Comments ||
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#8
From a business perspective it makes perfect sense: in a fragmenting market, go deep into one niche. Be partisan. Rally, comfort, pander to the good folk. Give the true believers more of the good ol' time religion: Krugman and Dowd. Lots of gay arts coverage. All AbuG All the Time.
#9
The era of the complete politicization of the legacy media has dawned. Pretty soon our press will look more or less like that of the UK, only with fewer right of center options.
#10
that's why D. Okrent, ombudsman, ripped Krugman a new asshole on the way out the door - because the NYT is all about quality and quantity BS
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/01/2005 19:38 Comments ||
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#11
The Timesosaurus Rex needs to pay attention to the funny bright light in the sky and those weird little furry bloggers running around. But they won't cause they're King of the Newsosaurs
"One good spy is worth 10,000 soldiers." - Sun Tzu, ancient Chinese military strategist
Islamic terrorism is still the greatest threat to our national security, but Chinese espionage against the United States is gaining ground. The FBI says China will be America's greatest counterintelligence problem during the next 10-15 years. China has seven permanent diplomatic missions in the States, staffed with intelligence personnel. But the FBI believes that as many as 3,500 Chinese "front companies" are involved in espionage for the People's Republic of China (PRC) as well.
And with the bureau focused on terrorism, the China challenge is overwhelming the FBI's counterintelligence capabilities.
The PRC has the world's third-largest intelligence apparatus (after the United States and Russia), and it's targeting America's governmental, military and high technology secrets. China's goal is to replace the U.S. as the preeminent power in the Pacific - even globally. It's using every method possible, including espionage, to improve its political, economic and, especially, military might.
A senior FBI official said recently, "China is trying to develop a military that can compete with the U.S., and they are willing to steal to get it." One example: Last fall in Wisconsin, a Chinese-American couple was arrested for selling $500,000 worth of computer parts to China for enhancing its missile systems. Even worse: The PRC recently fielded a new cruise missile strikingly similar to the advanced American "Tomahawk." Chances that the similarities are a coincidence? Slim to none.
Naturally, America's hi-tech centers are a potential gold mine for Chinese spies. The FBI claims that Chinese espionage cases are rising 20 to 30 percent every year in Silicon Valley alone.
But don't think James Bond. It's all much more methodical - and mundane. Chinese intelligence collection uses numerous low-level spies to painstakingly collect one small piece of information at a time until the intelligence question is answered. Kind of like building a beach one grain of sand at a time. For instance, it took China 20 years to swipe American nuclear warhead designs from U.S. national nuclear weapons labs, according to a 1999 congressional committee
China also doesn't rely on "professional" spies stationed overseas to the extent other major intel services do. Instead, it uses low-profile civilians to collect information. The PRC's Ministry of State Security (MSS) often co-opts Chinese travelers, especially businesspeople, scientists and academics, to gather intel or purchase technology while they're in America.
The MSS especially prizes overseas Chinese students, hi-tech workers and researchers living in the U.S. because of their access to sensitive technology and research/development that Beijing can use for civilian and military purposes.
Of course, not all the 150,000 Chinese students and researchers now in America, or the 25,000 official PRC delegates - or the 300,000 victors - are spies, but they do provide the MSS with a large pool of potential recruits for collecting secrets on U.S. targets of interest.
The MSS also recruits in the Chinese-American community, including sleeper agents. Developing personal relationships, invoking a common Chinese heritage, threatening cultural alienation or offering access to powerful people are persuasive in a culture where "guanxi" (connections) are important. An equal opportunity employer, the MSS will, of course, "hire" sympathetic Americans - or any ethnicity - that will further China's cause, including scholars, journalists and diplomats, among others.
The United States isn't the only country with a Chinese spy problem. The MSS runs an espionage network against scientific labs and large research universities in several European countries, including the U.K., France, the Netherlands and Germany. In Asia, Taiwan recently arrested 17 of its military officers for working for the PRC.
China's spies and their methods aren't the most expedient or efficient in spy-dom, but the tenacity and quantity of Chinese spooks are proving effective. Unfortunately, the openness of American society provides easy access to sensitive information and technology.
Sun Tzu said that intelligence is critical to success on the battlefield. It applies to the political and economic "battlefield," too. Accordingly, China is investing heavily in espionage to match its geopolitical aspirations. China will prove to be America's greatest foreign-policy challenge in this century. In recent months, the Pentagon, CIA, Treasury and Congress have voiced concerns about China's rapidly expanding political, economic and military clout. These are words to the wise.
We certainly can't take our eye off terrorist threats against the homeland, but neither can we risk not meeting the growing Chinese espionage menace. Both are major threats to our national security and merit significant resources and attention.
#1
In comparison to the Soviets, the Chinese don't rate. Big heaping chunks of Western academia are leftists. The Rosenbergs handed over the crown jewels to the Soviets even as A-bombs were being developed. The Chinese are way, way behind. The Soviets had ideological affinity aiding them - they could recruit among native-born American leftists of any ethnicity. China does not have anything like this kind of edge - China is not viewed as a model socialist state, given its mix of fascist corporatism (state-owned industries) and unregulated capitalism, meaning that its ideological purity is in question. There is also the ethnic component - the Chinese can only recruit among ethnic Chinese in America, who really stick out, especially in defense-related industries. With the Soviets, you never really knew who to look for, since their agents-in-place could be of any ethnicity. When the Chinese are able to replicate the Soviets' successes in recruiting people like Hansen, Walker, Ames and Bloch, I'll start getting worried. In the interval, it's much ado about nothing.
#3
What you say is correct, as always, Zhang, some buts.
There are lots of ethnic Chinese coming over on H1-Bs. Some of them could easily be plants. Whether they would remain loyal after 5 years exposure to our decadent lifestyle is questionable, but there is risk, especially as so many end up in Silicon Valley.
Second and a greater risk is that there are lots of George Galloway/Ward Churchills in academia who hate America so much they will be the fifth column for any enemy, ideological purity is no longer a requirement. There are many more of these than there ever were fellow travellers in the 30s-50s. Fortunately most are in disciplines that are irrelevan to almost everything. But they do create a reality distortion field that directs the tone of discussion on campuses.
Finally, there's a lot more of them. If they have a quarter the rate of success the Russians had, they'll have twice the absolute number of penetrations. And speaking of penetration, how did the Chinese get into the FBI?
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
06/01/2005 11:08 Comments ||
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#4
I don't know, but from what I've read, mentionning "FBI", "chinese", and "penetrations" in the same paragraph is not very tasteful. This is a family blog, after all.
#9
MD: There are lots of ethnic Chinese coming over on H1-Bs. Some of them could easily be plants. Whether they would remain loyal after 5 years exposure to our decadent lifestyle is questionable, but there is risk, especially as so many end up in Silicon Valley.
I would expect most Chinese immigrants to remain loyal to China. The question isn't loyalty of each individual Chinese, which is likely to be with the Chinese government. The question is whether he would be susceptible to Chinese recruitment - something that would risk everything that he has achieved in this country, potentially subjecting him to imprisonment or even execution.
Just as the average Muslim (or leftist) will express extremely anti-American views to people he trusts, the average Chinese will express the same sentiments. But the reality is that just as the average Muslim (or leftist) will not act on his sentiments, the average Chinese will avoid doing things that could have potentially life-changing consequences. It takes a huge amount of effort for a Chinese national to come to the United States. Just how many would jeopardize their status for the Chinese government? I think very few.
#10
Are you sure you not a Chinese spy on a mission for stealing Rantburg's renowned anti-moonbat and troll control technologies?
'E's a witch! Burn 'im!
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
06/01/2005 13:57 Comments ||
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#11
Another first for Zhang Fei! Way to go, Big Z!
Posted by: mac ||
06/01/2005 14:38 Comments ||
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#12
I respectfully disagree with ZF on the extent and success of Chinese infiltration. I read an article in the Wash Times recently (the only non moonbat pub I can get in DC) which outlined the conflict between Defense and State on a future threat report for the US military. The gist is that the State rep (a Clinton appointee) wanted to remove all reference to China as a military threat or even global competitor, and emphasize the positive transition that China was undergoing, and that it was intent on being a "peaceful neighbor". I would say this reflects influence of a high degree...
#13
mjh: I respectfully disagree with ZF on the extent and success of Chinese infiltration.
In what way? Are you saying that the Chinese are more successful at espionage than the Russians despite having a pool of only ethnic Chinese to recruit from, and having nothing like Chambers, Bloch, Ames, Hansen and Walker under their belt? Not to mention the fact that the Russians got atomic secrets even as the bomb was being constructed? The Chinese would be flattered that they're getting compared to the Russians.
mjh: I read an article in the Wash Times recently (the only non moonbat pub I can get in DC) which outlined the conflict between Defense and State on a future threat report for the US military. The gist is that the State rep (a Clinton appointee) wanted to remove all reference to China as a military threat or even global competitor, and emphasize the positive transition that China was undergoing, and that it was intent on being a "peaceful neighbor". I would say this reflects influence of a high degree...
The State Department thing you mentioned has nothing to do with spying. State thinks of itself as the world's representatives to the US, rather than America's representatives to the world. That's not a result of Chinese espionage - it's the result of a dysfunctional institution that serves America's enemies.
Note that I'm not saying that China isn't a threat. I'm simply saying that a potential Chinese threat comes from the massive expansion of its military capabilities via rapid economic growth combined with its irredentist tendencies with regard to territorial claims. Espionage is simply a sideshow, as the Chinese capability in this regard is negligible.
#14
Zhang, while I wouldn't over-emphasize Chinese espionage, I don't think its negligible either. In the big picture I think its less significant than entirely legal technology tranfers to build chips, cars or whatever. The big issue with China is what comes after the communists and will democracy make it more like India.
#15
#4 I don't know, but from what I've read, mentionning "FBI", "chinese", and "penetrations" in the same paragraph is not very tasteful. This is a family blog, after all.
Posted by anonymous5089
We probably shouldn't mention possible Chinese support of Milf then, eh?
#16
The angle I'm considering is that they are mainland Chinese who are trained as engineers, have reasonable English, and families still in China. They are recruited and trained as operatives before they leave China and are given Nationalist covers to submit with their H1-B. I agree that anyone who worked his way over here on his own is much less likely to agree to work for them than the aimless Aldrich Ames and Ward Churchills we produce here. That is why most immigrants I have met have impressed me as being more true and dedicated Americans than most native borns. They do understand what's on the other side.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
06/01/2005 18:44 Comments ||
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#17
apparently the risk is due to FBI agents unable to keep their pants up and thinking with the big brain whenever fetching asian women are around....
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/01/2005 20:05 Comments ||
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#18
Check the link on my earlier comment, Frank. If that's fetching, well, let's just say Ms Leung must have a great personality or incredible internal musculature.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
06/01/2005 20:21 Comments ||
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#19
MD: Check the link on my earlier comment, Frank. If that's fetching, well, let's just say Ms Leung must have a great personality or incredible internal musculature.
From that picture, it would appear that looks aren't everything. But to be quite honest, good looks and personality are often inversely proportional in a given person. I guess if you're really good-looking, you don't need to be personable.
. . . Hugh also discussed this New York Times story about the Secret CIA Airline. I admit I am confused about the reasons for running the story; it would seem an odd thing to reveal in wartime, unless of course you didn't believe this was wartime. Stories like this come not from the Vietnam template but the 80s template, which is much more vivid to the mind of a modern reporter. This is the sort of story you'd do when you discovered new American perfidy in Central America, a detail from a dirty distant war whose purpose and rationale was held in contempt by all - at least the right-thinking people you had drinks with after work. (I speak as someone who did four years duty in DC happy hours, thank you. It's not so much that all DC journalists are rabid Democrats - it's that they're addicted to cynicism and bemusedly contemptous of anyone who isn't in the press. Except for thier sources, of course. And their spouses who have government jobs. Everyone else is an object of pity or contempt. You think DC journalists are doctrinaire liberals? Get them talking about DC city government, and stand back lest ye be singed.) No, the CIA airllne story plugs into the general idea that the role of the press is to reveal government secrets, regardless of their nature. That the Republic is served not by men and women in offices figuring out crafty ways to confound headchoppers, but by men in parking garages who tell reporters that funds earmarked for vending machine repair are actually going to airlift terrorists out of foreign capitals without proper extradition documents. Boy! Stop the presses!
Would you have trusted these reporters to keep quiet about the fake build-up of troops that made it appear the Allies would invade Calais instead of Normandy? You can imagine a reporter pitching that story to a Perry White c. 1944 — boss, it's a cover-up, a huge deception. Public money is at stake as well, and the people have a right to know how the war's being conducted.
GEDDOUDDA HEAH! the editor would shout. AND I NEVER WANNA SEE YOUR JERRY-LOVIN' ASS IN MY PAPER AGAIN!
Like I keep saying, it's not their war. It's a war, to be observed dispassionately. And many don't believe it's a war at all. I can't tell you how many emails I get accusing me of mad foamy paranoia for thinking that Iran and / or North Korea would want to slip a teeny nuke to some Islamicist cell so they could drive it up Broadway.
Well, if it occurs to me, who loves this country, I imagine it occurs to those who hate it.
Posted by: Mike ||
06/01/2005 06:12 ||
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#1
We are at War, and the Price and Prize is the very existence, sovereignty, and quality of life as we Americans know America to be. Radical Islam per se wants to destroy us as an organized, effective Nation and force in the world, so do the anti-American agendists and the Lefties - the rantings of the DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND and other LEFTBLOGS should tell anyone that. The Lefties themselves have said or inferred it - America has up to between 2015-2020 to accept Socialism, OWG, and Socialist world Order where Commie Asia indir rules the world and its new OWG; after 2020 the Left and aligned reserves the unilateral, albeit PC, right in and of themselves to militarily attack and destroy the USA. AMERICA'S ENEMIES ARE NOT GIVING AMERICA OR AMERICANS ANY CHOICE - AMERICA AND BY EXTENS WESTERN DEMOCRACIES EITHER FIGHT, OR WE WILL DIE, BY ANY, EACH, ALL, AND EVERY MEANS NECESSARY!!! The casualties suffered by America so far since 9-11 will be NOTHING compared to what it will cost in lives to redeem the freedoms America will have willingly lost in order to accomodate its delusional, power-manic Socialist enemies, for the sake of the easy path. The Failed Left > the issue is NOT Global Govt, but whom and what -ism will dominate and control said Global Govt, as vv iff America does NOT attack and wage war, America will be attacked and warred against, NO MATTER THE MERITS/CAUSES! CLINTONISM > Americans are by definition already Socialism - and Communism-centric, and pro-Asia. Americans want America/Socialist Amerika to be governed by anyone except an American. A Nazi/Hitlerists is still to be hated and despised, but a Commie is a "good" anti-Nazi/Hitlerist Nazi and Hitlerist for Marx and Stalin, a STALIN/MARXPANZER of the People's Waffen SS Soviet Army of Amerussia = America. The Left > the World consists of only good Socialists and Orientalists - everyone else are Rebels to be gulagged or wiped out.
Of whom a large proportion is composed of lawyers and federal judges. Its long past time for our representatives to exercise their powers under Article III and start notifying judges who ignor the state of war that they are no longer in 'good Behavior' and are subject to removal.
A Bronx man who wanted to set up an al Qaeda training camp in the United States bragged that he could smile at someone one minute and slit the person's throat the next, court papers reveal.
Tarik Ibn Osman Shah, 42, made the chilling boast in a meeting with an undercover FBI agent April 1, 2004, near Orlando, Fla., according to a criminal complaint unsealed yesterday.
Shah saw a girl nearby looking at him and he smiled back.
The Bronx man, the son of a Malcolm X lieutenant, then turned to the agent and said, "I could be joking and smiling and then cutting their throats in the next second," the complaint said.
Shah, a professional jazz bassist, brought along his instrument "so as not to bring attention to himself." Being a musician was a great cover, he said.
A bassist named Tarik Shah played on a tribute to Billy Holiday recorded by jazz singer Abbey Lincoln, but it could not be confirmed if he is the same person. Shah and a friend, Dr. Rafiq Sabir, 50, a former Harlem doctor who now lives in Boca Raton, Fla., were arrested Saturday and charged with plotting to train and provide medical aid to al Qaeda members.
They face up to 15 years behind bars if convicted.
The complaint said the plot was hatched Dec. 16, 2003, when Shah met with an informant — who offered to work for the FBI after being convicted of robbery in 1990.
Shah told the informant he wanted to find a place where he could train Muslim "brothers" in hand-to-hand combat, bragging he was an expert in teaching martial arts that are "deadly and dangerous."
The informant said he had access to a Long Island warehouse Shah might want.
Shah replied that he might have to hang tires in the warehouse because "I teach the brothers how to use swords and machetes."
He also discussed opening a machine shop "so you wouldn't have to depend on people to make your gun barrels."
Shah visited the warehouse Dec. 31, 2003, but apparently decided it was too far from The Bronx.
The informant said he knew an al Qaeda recruiter — actually the undercover agent — and a meeting was arranged in upstate Plattsburgh on March 4, 2004.
Shah said he had a close friend, Sabir, an emergency-room doctor "who has the spirit to wanna be right in it." He suggested the recruiter sell them to al Qaeda as "a package."
Shah and the undercover agent met the following April 1 in Orlando, and the agent asked Shah to make a demonstration videotape and prepare a syllabus on hand-to-hand fighting.
"We are one-hundred percent on the same page," Shah replied. "Since I was pretty young, [jihad] has always been one of my dreams."
He said he had trained "a lot of my brothers" who had gone overseas to training camps in Afghanistan and Yemen.
He also said he would like to learn about "chemical stuff," explosives and firearms at overseas camps, but couldn't leave the United States because he's a deadbeat dad.
The next meeting happened May 20. Shah and Sabir swore loyalty oaths to Osama bin Laden.
Shah claimed he and Sabir had been kicked out of a Bronx mosque for trying to teach urban warfare to members.
He also claimed that the U.S. government was training its agents to pose as Islamic fighters, adding that "the Jews were already doing this."
Shah's silver Chevrolet Impala was parked outside his Bronx apartment yesterday. In the back seat was a reminder to buy a DVD of Ward Churchill, the Colorado professor who called 9/11 victims "little Eichmanns."
Neighbors recalled Sabir, who had a Harlem office before moving to Long Island and then Florida, as a caring man who tried to help people in the neighborhood.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
06/01/2005 00:25 ||
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Fantasy Worlds overlapping... Ward Cleaver Churchill took Lennon's Working Class Hero literally, and Shah is just your standard insane Activated Muzzy. Sabir? Well, he's the Resource Muzzy in their little symbiosis of Muzzy Mania.
UNITED NATIONS, June 1 (UPI) -- The United Nations has fired the head of the Security Council Affairs Division for alleged involvement in the Iraq Oil-for-Food Program scandal.
"After a thorough review of all aspects of the case the secretary-general has decided that Joseph Stephanides be summarily dismissed for serious misconduct in accordance with the U.N. staff regulations," Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan, told reporters Wednesday. "Stephanides was advised accordingly and was separated from service with immediate affect."
He was the first U.N. employee to be fired since the scandal erupted last year.
Wonder if he would be interested in talking to a Senate committee? Being kicked out on your ass loosens a lot of tongues.
Stephanides, who handled contracts, and Benon Sevan, head of the oil-for food program, were suspended with pay in February after the Independent Inquiry Committee into the IOFFP, headed by former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, accused them of misconduct. Dujarric said the committee was still investigating Sevan.
Posted by: Steve ||
06/01/2005 16:17 ||
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I doubt they would fire anyone that knew what was really going on. They would just go missing. I'm thinking this guy is just a scapegoat.
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The U.N. Security Council condemned sex abuse by peacekeepers for the first time on Tuesday, after hearing from the head of an inquiry into abuse that member nations had ignored the problem for years.
Jordan's U.N. Ambassador Prince Zeid al Hussein said no nation in the history of U.N. peacekeeping was blameless. That, he said, should make it easier for them to come forward and punish troops who commit abuses. He said countries had not come forward to admit what their troops had done because of ``sentiments of pride mixed in with embarrassment.''
Like his own, for example.
Abuses have been reported in peacekeeping missions ranging from Bosnia and Kosovo to Cambodia, East Timor, West Africa and Congo. The issue was thrust into the spotlight after the United Nations found earlier this year that peacekeepers in Congo had sex with Congolese women and girls, usually in exchange for food or small sums of money.
In a statement read by Denmark's U.N. Ambassador Ellen Margrethe Loj, the council president, the Security Council condemned sexual abuse committed by peacekeepers and reiterated ``that sexual exploitation and abuse are unacceptable and have a detrimental effect on the fulfillment of mission mandates.''
There. That oughta do it.
The statement, however, noted that ``with few exceptions, the women and men who serve in U.N. peacekeeping operations do so with the utmost professionalism, dedication, and ... in some cases make the ultimate sacrifice.''
The council statement confirms that combating sex abuse is the responsibility of troop contributing nations, but that Secretary-General Kofi Annan and all member states must also take efforts to prevent such misconduct.
Jean-Marie Guehenno, undersecretary-general for peacekeeping, warned Tuesday that new measures to uncover and clamp down on peacekeeper sex abuse will probably lead to a spike in allegations as new accusers come forward before the scourge begins to fade. ``The problem of sexual exploitation and abuse is likely to look worse before it looks better,'' Guehenno said, later adding: ``If something happens in a battalion, of course it's shameful for the person who committed the crime. It's not a shame that the country takes action.''
Is it a shame if they don't take action? Think now, Jean-Marie.
In late March, Prince Zeid al Hussein wrote a report that described the U.N. military arm as deeply flawed and recommended withholding salaries of the guilty and requiring nations to pursue legal action against perpetrators. Briefing the council before Guehenno, Zeid said that since Dec. 1, there had been 152 investigations into peacekeepers. Of them, five U.N. staff had been dismissed, while 77 military personnel and national policemen on missions had been sent home for disciplinary reasons.
``For a peacekeeper to exploit the vulnerabilities of a wounded population, already the victim of all that is tragic and cruel in war, is really no different than a physician who would violate the patient entrusted to their care or the lifeguard who drowns the very people in need of rescue,'' Zeid said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/01/2005 00:53 ||
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Just keep the goats and the kids locked up when the blue helmets are around...
#2
If the UN was a serious organization,it would have realized long ago there were problems w/the quality of troops it rented for peacekeeping missions. It would have set up a training/qualification center for peacekeeping troops,and only those who had passed course would be used. Nato should have jumped at chance and offered use of decommissioned bases for the training. But that would have required foresight and we know the only thing the UN management cares about is keeping the money flowing in.
Posted by: Stephen ||
06/01/2005 5:02 Comments ||
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#3
If the UN was a serious organization, . . .
Bingo! You nailed it, bro'.
Posted by: Mike ||
06/01/2005 6:20 Comments ||
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#4
The U.N. Security Council condemned sex abuse by peacekeepers for the first time on Tuesday, after hearing from the head of an inquiry into abuse that member nations had ignored the problem for years.
What, no high dollar meetings in faraway places before this one where they could've condemned sex abuse. This is the lowest of the low...abusing people who are victims of war. Much like the U.N. arguing over a legal definition of "terrorism", this is all smoke and mirrors to appear tough. And, it is not the fault of the member nations...it's the fault of the U.N. in general and the perpetrators individually.
Posted by: BA ||
06/01/2005 8:40 Comments ||
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#5
Jordan's King has a lot of nerve... it was Pali's in Jordan supplied Blue helmets that opened fire on a truck full of women in Bosnia a few years back...
AUSTRALIAN soldiers drew arms
to protect themselves from Jordanian peacekeepers after a Digger blew the
whistle on other Jordanian soldiersâ sexual abuse of East Timorese boys.
âWratten informed PKF (peacekeeping force) that he had been receiving
complaints from local children about Jorbatt (Jordan Battalion) abuse,â said a
senior UN official who was based in Oecussi at the time.
âA Jordanian officer in HQ informed Jorbatt that he had ratted on them.
Wratten and his guys manning the helo (helicopter) refuelling pad in Oecussi
town started getting threatened. There was one occasion where Aussie Steyrs
were pointed at Jorbatt and Jor-batt M-16s pointed at Aussies.â
The roundup here of how 'two
American women and an American man were slain in Kosovo'... and yes... the
"Jordanian" turned out to be a Palestinian.
'The Palestinian, Sergeant Major Ahmed Mustafa Ibrahim Ali, was killed
when members of the contingent in which the Americans were traveling
returned fire. '
...
'Ali, is being investigated for connections with Hamas, the Palestinian
terror organization. Second is that the same Ali had visited the kingdom of
Saudi Arabia, home of the Wahhabi Islamic sect that produced al Qaeda, only
a month before he was sent to Kosovo in March.'
But how could this happen... usually Palestinians attack unarmed women and
children and in this case attacked armed women? Well... sort of...
The Palestinian carried an M-16, from which he apparently discharged 400
rounds, leading NATO investigators to examine whether his four colleagues in
a Jordanian detachment assigned to guard the prison had helped him by
feeding his weapon as he fired. The four remain under arrest and their
immunity from prosecution has been revoked.
The Americans shot back with pistols. An Austrian guard heard the noise and
ran to the scene, but was wounded in the legs by the Palestinian.
The Associated Press account states chillingly, "When he had shot all those
he could see, Ali paced around the vans [in which the Americans had been
riding], searching for more victims."
The carnage continued until Ali's weapon jammed. The surviving Americans
then stormed the Jordanians' guard shack, where they found his four comrades
hiding. The Americans grabbed their weapons from them and killed the
assailant, firing 16 bullets into his body.
True to historical form the Jordanians cowered... while the Pali shot up
those he didn't think could defend themselves.
Suspicious Craft
[May 30 2005] at 1720 UTC in position 04:00.50N - 099:36.20E, Malacca Straits . A general cargo ship underway sighted a craft, five metres long with white hull. When craft came within two miles, it increased speed and commenced approaching the ship. Master raised alarm, took evasive manoeuvres and crew mustered. Craft altered course and moved away.
[May 28 2005] at 1835 LT in position 12:29N - 044:57E, Gulf of Aden. A speedboat approached a tug towing two barges. When boat came within 5 metres, crew fired rocket flares at boat and it sped away.
Recently Reported Incidents
[May 30 2005] at 1615 UTC in position 03:12N - 105:24E, 14 nautical miles off Anambas Island, Indonesia. Five pirates armed with high-powered guns and long knives boarded a general cargo ship underway. Duty A/B at poop deck spotted them and locked himself inside accommodation and raised alarm. Pirates fired warning shots and broke open accommodation doors and entered bridge where they tied up 2nd Officer, two A/Bs and an oiler. Two pirates remained on bridge with hostages. Other three pirates went to cabins of Chief Engineer and Master and stole personal belongings, cash and equipment. Finally, pirates took Master, Chief Engineer and an A/B to poop deck and escaped in a boat.
[May 29 2005] at 0015 LT in position 06:45S - 039:20E, No.2 Anchorage, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. Three robbers armed with machetes boarded a general cargo ship via hawse pipe. They stole ship's stores and escaped. Master heaved up anchor and proceeded to open sea to drift. Port control informed.
[May 24 2005] at 1100 UTC in position 15:19.5N - 041:32.5E, Southern Red Sea. Persons in two boats attempted to come alongside a RORO ship underway. Master raised alarm and increased speed. Attempt was aborted.
[May 24 2005] at 1000 UTC in position 17:52.7N - 076:47.1W, Kingston Outer Anchorage, Jamaica. Five robbers boarded a general cargo ship. They threatened duty A/B with a knife and tied him up. A/B managed to escape and raised alarm. Robbers broke seal of a container and tried to break in to store room. Finally they stole crew belongings and escaped.
{May 19 2005] at 0150 LT at Abidjan Anchorage, Ivory Coast. Robbers armed with long knives boarded a general cargo ship via anchor chain. They overpowered and tied up duty A/B and robbed his personal belongings and a walkie talkie. A/B managed to free himself and raised alarm. Upon hearing the alarm, robbers jumped overboard and escaped.
[May 05 2005] at 1030 LT in position 02:46.064N - 106:12.285E, NW bay of Ayerabu Island, Anambas Islands, Indonesia. Eight robbers armed with AK-47 machine guns boarded a yacht at anchor. They ordered crew to remain below deck. They held skipper at gun point and took cash, stores and crew personal belongings and escaped.
#3
We need a way to provide a beverage warning for headlines.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
06/01/2005 8:05 Comments ||
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#4
And I want a pony!
Posted by: BA ||
06/01/2005 8:28 Comments ||
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#5
The state with the largest Islamic population is India and they might get a UNSC seat. To demand for a state based simply on a religious majority is insensitive towards other religions. So go bugger yourselves you insensitive clods.
Perhaps some day we'll give everyone a UNSC seat no matter how childish they behave, this would be a great way to ruin the UN in hours. Perhaps then the Muslim states can get a UNSC seat or two.
Then we can form the United Democratic Nations, kick the U.N. out (I'm sure everyone would prefer it to be in Paris anyway...) and use the realestate (once it is decomtaminated of course) for the new Organization....
The 57-nation Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) is to consider changing its name, charter and structure in a major overhaul aimed at projecting a more moderate image, Malaysia said on Tuesday.
Yeah, that oughta do it. Now, nobody pay attention until they're ready!
Malaysia's Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said after returning from the OIC Commission of Eminent Persons (CEP) meeting in Islamabad last week that the group had come up with a plan to give the OIC a completely new look. "The agreement was that first of all we must improve our image. We must project Muslim nations to be seen as moderate countries and be mainstream players in international politics," he told reporters. "To achieve this we must undertake some programs, we must have better media interaction and more interaction with people of different religions and cultures."
To achieve that, you have to hunt down and kill the terrs in your midst. What's so difficult about that concept?
"We propose a change to the OIC name as well as the contents of its charter. Now we want to take a global context," he said.
I think they should name it "Bob." Bob's a friendly kind of name...
Syed Hamid said the two-day meeting focused on the challenges facing Muslims in the 21st century and how to make the world's biggest grouping of Muslim nations more relevant. He led the meeting as the representative of Malaysia, the group's current chair.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/01/2005 00:00 ||
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âTo achieve this we must undertake some programs, we must have better media interaction...
Judging by Reuters, AP, and AFP, your media interaction is just fine.
...and more interaction with people of different religions and cultures.â
Um, here's where 'better' might be applied. Coming across as "you will all be dhimmis" isn't really effective.
BRUSSELS: Amnesty International said Tuesday the European Union has failed to address the issue of human rights protection in its anti-terrorist legislation and urged EU nations not to abuse counter-terrorist laws to quash legitimate protest or dissent. In a report, the human rights group called on the EU to clearly define the term 'terrorist' to avoid legal uncertainty, allow for public scrutiny and judicial supervision of terrorist blacklists and include terrorism cases in the proposed EU-wide guidelines on the treatment of suspects and defendants in criminal proceedings.
Amnesty's on a roll lately, aren't they? I think they've cheesed off just about everybody but Fidel and Bob...
Posted by: Fred ||
06/01/2005 00:00 ||
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failed to address the issue of human rights protection in its anti-terrorist legislation
There's no "human rights" issue to address in anti-terrorist legislation.
Terrorists aren't human. They're pond scum.
QED.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
06/01/2005 12:08 Comments ||
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Now there you go again Barb... insulting pond scum...
#4
You've got it backward, folks. This is Amnesty's new fund-raising strategy: the more over the top they get, the more $$$ they raise from thousands of Daily Kos/DU/Deaniac fools.
Iran announced Tuesday it had successfully tested a new solid fuel motor for its arsenal of medium-range ballistic missiles, a technological breakthrough that sparked fresh alarm in Israel. "The test was a success," Defence Minister Ali Shamkhani said on state television. "When you fill a missile with liquid fuel, you have to use it quickly. With solid fuel, a missile can be stored for years if you're a first-world country with a technological infrastructure that knows how to do such stuff. And in addition, it makes the missile more accurate and cheaper too."
A defence ministry statement said the new technology could be built into Iran's Shahab-3 missiles - which the Islamic says already has a range of at least 2,000 kilometres. The country has recently upgraded the Shahab-3 ballistic missile, a single-stage device believed to be based on the German V-2 a North Korean design. Its range means that arch-enemy Israel and US bases in the region are well within range. But up to now it has been based on liquid-fuel technology.
Military experts contacted by AFP said the test, if indeed successful, would signify an important breakthrough for the Islamic republic's missile programme. Firstly, in order to develop a missile with a range greater than 2,000 kilometres - in effect a two-stage rocket - a country needs to master the more complex solid fuel technology. "The maximum range of a single stage missile is around 2,000 kilometers. In order to send a missile further, you need a twin stage design that separates in mid-flight," said one analyst. "This separation is very complex, and in order to maintain the accuracy of the missile, it needs to be using solid fuel unless you're a first-world country that can master liquid fuel technologies like the Titan or the Saturn V. In very simplistic terms, think of a liquid fuel missile as a bottle of mineral water - the liquid is sloshing around and makes the bottle unstable," he said. "And even if the missile is only a single stage design, solid fuel makes it more accurate," he added. Iran has, however, denied developing a missile with a reach beyond the Middle East region. While Shamkhani did speak of a "two motor missile", a defence ministry official said that he was only referring to separate launch and flight thrusters of the single-stage Shahab-3.
A second advantage of solid fuel missiles of all ranges is that they are more mobile and can be deployed far more quickly than liquid fuel devices, which need to be filled up in situ before their launch. In practice, that means the Shahab-3 missiles can now spread across the country and stored far from any refueling facilities in preparation for immediate deployment.
However one diplomat cautioned that a successful missile engine test, while very important, "is not the same thing as an actual missile test. It's one thing testing it in a laboratory, and another thing altogether putting it into a missile and firing it through the sky. But what this does tell us is that when it comes to ballistic missiles, Iran is very ambitious."
Tehran's rapid progress on its ballistic missile programme is a major cause for concern among the international community, particularly Israel, which is already alarmed over Iran's nuclear activities. In a quick reaction to the latest Iranian test, Israel warned the "free world to beware of Iran's plans". "We are closely monitoring these worrying projects being plotted in Iran," said one senior Israeli official contacted by AFP. "Iran is trying to develop a nuclear weapon and is developing its vectors to this end. Its ballistic missiles do not only threaten Israel: they can also be turned on Europe," he added.
Iran insists it is not seeking to develop missiles with a longer range than the Shahab-3, and has denied allegations that it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons. The country says its missiles will only be tipped with conventional warheads. But many are not convinced: as one Western diplomat in Iran has remarked, "why develop a Rolls-Royce to only deliver a pizza?"
#1
Iran has an intense technological program to send their population to Hell. And they spend no money on building code upgrades and enforcement, re: earthquake damage at Bam. The MMs must feel invincible after defeating the EU.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
06/01/2005 9:54 Comments ||
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I spent the day reading all the various statements from Cheney, Scott McClellan, President Bush and General Myers regarding the recent human rights report from Amnesty International. I would like to start first by listing a few of the quotes from the above mentioned individuals.
1. President Bush: "I'm aware of the Amnesty International report, and it's absurd. The United States is a country that promotes freedom around the world." (White House Press Conference May 31, 2005)
"It seemed like (Amnesty) based some of their decisions on the word and allegations by people who were held in detention, people who hate America, people had been trained in some instances to disassemble-that means not tell the truth, and so it was an absurd report. It just is" (White House Press Conference May 31, 2005)
2. Scott McClellan-White House Press Secretary: "I think the allegations are ridiculous and unsupported by the facts. The United States is leading the way when it comes to protecting human rights and promoting human dignity." (White House Press Briefing May 25, 2005)
3. Vice President Dick Cheney: "Frankly, I was offended by it, for Amnesty International to suggest that somehow the United States is a violator of human rights, I frankly just don't take them seriously." (Interview on Larry King May 30, 2005)
"Occasionally there are allegations of mistreatment, but if you trace those back, in nearly every case, it turns out to come from somebody who had been inside and released to their home country and now are peddling lies about how they were treated." (Interview Larry King May 30, 2005)
4. General Richard Myers: "I think it's irresponsible. I think it's absolutely irresponsible. If you look back at the policy of this government, what we said we treat people-the president said, and we've all said-humanely and where military necessity permits, and in accordance with the Geneva Convention, we're doing that. (Gen. Myers Fox News Sunday May 29, 2005)
"I mean, these are the people that took four airplanes and drove them into three buildings on September 11th. They're the same folks with the same mentality." (Gen. Myers Fox News Sunday May 29, 20005)
There is a good article on thinkprogress.org with quotes from Donald Rumsfeld prior to the invasion of Iraq. Clearly the United States took the word of Amnesty International very seriously when their facts supported our rush to war in Iraq, but now that they are critical of the U.S. they are no longer a credible organization.
How many more organizations does this administration have to ignore or try to discredit before people actually stop and think maybe its not everyone else, maybe just maybe it is this administration that is the biggest threat to human rights.
#3
If I may, let me quote from Natan Sharansky, former Soviet dissident and member of Israel's cabinet until last month, regarding Amnesty International:
I have very serious criticisms of Amnesty. There is no moral clarity. It doesn't differentiate between what I call fear societies and free societies. In the democratic world, there are violations of human rights, but they are revealed and dealt with. In a fear society, there are no violations of human rights because human rights just don't exist. All citizens are deprived of those rights. Amnesty International says it doesn't support or oppose any political system, so it ends up with reports that show a moral equivalence between, for example, Israel and the terrorist regimes that attack it.....Amnesty doesn't examine Hamas, only Israel. It ignores violations by terrorist organizations. We find the unfortunate situation that somehow there's no difference between terrorists targeting civilians and democratic countries targeting terrorists.....Human-rights organizations create an atmosphere in which dictatorial regimes dictate the human-rights agenda of the world.
(Time Magazine, page 8, June 6, 2005 issue)
BTW....in case you don't know who he is, he has actually been in a gulag, and knows the difference between Gitmo and one of the old Soviet prisons intimately. Better than you or I would.
He is critical of Abu Ghraib & Gitmo, but unlike Amnesty, Mr Sharansky doesn't have his head firmly planted up his ass.
It's truly sad what has become of Amnesty. I was a member for a while (until some sexist pig running the mailing list decided I was a guy and refused to address letters to me without using "Mr"), and was once proud of it. Now every time I hear it mentioned, I wanna puke.
#4
AI played a valuable role - til late 90's when it was overrun by leftist greenies enamored of stalinist societies and critical of free societies....sad. No credibility. It's like being criticized for human rights by the Saudis
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/01/2005 21:10 Comments ||
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#5
Figure the odds of Stalin stripping Chechens of their guns and turning them over to the GULAG.
I imagine that you could find a hellhole within a hundred miles of GITMO wherein resides criminals guilty of the crime of journalism serving 20 year sentences.
Look elsewhere for the GULAG of our times.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
06/01/2005 21:26 Comments ||
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WASHINGTON — Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas encountered some blunt questions during his reception by Congress last week.
Congressional sources said at one meeting House and Senate members asked Abbas probing questions regarding delays in reforming the PA security services as well as anti-Israeli and anti-U.S. incitement in the official media, Middle East Newsline reported. Other U.S. lawmakers cited anti-Semitic references in PA textbooks.
"The United States has provided $1.4 billion in aid to the Palestinian people since 1993," Rep. Brad Sherman, a California Democrat, said. "However, the U.S. cannot continue to support the Palestinian Authority, whether directly or indirectly, if the education system does not create the conditions necessary for peace." $1.4 billion in hard earned taxpayer money to the Arafish [and Suha]. And this and the antisemitic propaganda in schoolbooks is being brought up by a Dem.[On Thursday, President George Bush announced that the United States would relay $50 million to the PA. Officials said the announcement came after White House negotiations with House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and other congressional Republicans who have objected to direct aid to the PA.] $50 million reward to the PA that has done nothing but talk a good game. Shameful. Let the Paleos show some results first, then maybe some money. Where are the Saudi bankrolls now? They have plenty of money.
Sherman met Abbas in Washington on May 25 and delivered a letter expressing his concern over anti-Semitic portions of Palestinian textbooks and a failure to promote peace in the region. Congressional sources said Abbas was stunned by Sherman's allegations and PA aides later blamed Israel. That's the ticket, blame everyone but yourselves, bloody moral and mental midgets.
During the meeting, sources said, Sherman presented excerpts of a new 10th grade history text entitled "History of the Modern Contemporary Word."
On page 63, the book cites the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, as the basis for what the text termed the Zionist goal for "world domination." Recycled propaganda.
"More disturbing is that this may be indicative of the treatment that Jews and Israel receive throughout the new Palestinian textbooks — especially the universal failure in maps to note the existence of the State of Israel or to refer to places in the area by the names now universally recognized, such as Tel Aviv and Netanya," the Sherman letter said. "While Israel and peace is mentioned once in connection with the Oslo Accords, which is a commendable improvement, these concepts are mentioned nowhere else. I am also informed that the discussions of religious tolerance in the texts do not mention Jews specifically."
In 2004, the Bush administration allocated $200 million to the PA. But Congress, citing concerns of PA corruption, ordered that much of the aid be diverted to Israel and non-government organizations. Well, at least Congress got that one right.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
06/01/2005 09:18 ||
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early indoctrination lasts a shortbrutal lifetime
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/01/2005 9:59 Comments ||
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#2
California Democrat making a statement like that? There goes his career.
#4
I am Republican and I want to go on record that I would support that man in ANY office he wants to seek. We need more politicians that will call a spade a spade (or a terrorists a terrorists) and kudos for using the PLO textbook as an example of indoctrination. Too many times we overlook these blatantly racists textbooks in the name of 'cultural diversity.' What they are teaching there kids is wrong and someone should tell them that WE are not going to pat for it anymore.
American troops operating along the Syrian border find that most of the hostiles they encounter, and kill, are foreigners. Saudi Arabians are the most common, but there are men from as far away as Morocco. The anti-government forces are increasingly non-Iraqi forces. Iraq is being invaded by hostile foreigners, who kill hundreds of Iraqis a month. The invaders speak Arabic and say they come in the name of peace.
After Fallujah was cleaned out last November, Islamic terrorists and Baath Party nationalists fled to many other locations. There was no longer one large concentration of bad guys, but many smaller ones. This caused friction, because part of the al Qaeda package is severe life-style adjustments. The women have to cover up, no Western clothing, music or booze, lots of facial hair on the guys, and so on. This was not popular in Afghanistan, nor is it here. Al Qaeda enforcers will remonstrate, beat, kidnap or kill those who continually disobey. This has led to attacks on tribal leaders who disagree with al Qaeda, and refuse to buckle under to their rules. Some tribal leaders have been beaten, kidnapped or killed. The tribes have responded with violence. Throughout May, American troops in western Iraq encountered battles between Sunni Arab tribesmen and al Qaeda gunmen. American marines would get in touch with the local tribal leaders and offer assistance in these situations. Perhaps a few smart bombs? Overhead pictures from a UAV? Recording of al Qaeda radio conversations? Especially the ones discussing what they are going to do to the tribesmen once this impious resistance is put down. Over the weekend, Sunni Arab and Shia leaders agreed on how the new government would be run. The Sunni Arabs, or at least the majority of them, have agreed to work with the Shias, and against those Sunni Arabs who back al Qaeda and Saddam's old Baath Party.
Incidents involving Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIED, also known as car bombs) ran slightly fewer in May than in April, which was the worst month ever for such attacks since the war began. Otherwise, the pattern of attacks has remained rather similar to that in April; about a third seem to have detonated against the apparent intended targets, with about a third being partially effective, and the balance intercepted or detonated prematurely. Car bombs have become more difficult to use, as the Iraqi police become better at defending high value targets, and spotting car bombs under construction, and on the move. As a result, the terrorists are making more frequent use of suicide bombers wearing explosive vests.
Posted by: ed ||
06/01/2005 07:00 ||
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Al-Qaida training manuals instruct anyone who is captured to claim they were tortured during interrogation as part of a disinformation campaign.
"There have been allegations made by detainees," White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters. "We know that members of al-Qaida are trained to mislead and to provide false reports."
In a raid on an al-Qaida cell in Manchester, British officials obtained al-Qaida's most extensive manual for how to wage war, the Washington Times said Tuesday.
A directive lists one mission as "spreading rumors and writing statements that instigate people against the enemy."
If captured, the manual states, "At the beginning of the trial ... the brothers must insist on proving that torture was inflicted on them by state security before the judge. Complain of mistreatment while in prison."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
06/01/2005 00:17 ||
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An audio recording in which Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al Qaeda's leader in Iraq, denies reports that he was seriously wounded is authentic, a U.S. intelligence official said on Tuesday.
"We believe the tape is authentic," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The official declined to discuss other details about the recording.
In the audio tape, which surfaced on Monday, Zarqawi told Osama bin Laden that he had suffered only "minor" wounds and was "enjoying good health among my brothers and my people in Iraq.
"I think news has reached your ears through the media that I was seriously wounded ... I would like to assure you and assure Muslims that these are baseless rumors," Zarqawi said in the recording.
The tape, which the speaker dated May 27, followed Internet postings by the al Qaeda Organisation for Holy War in Iraq saying Zarqawi had been wounded but was in good health and back leading operations in Iraq.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
06/01/2005 00:14 ||
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In the audio tape, which surfaced on Monday, Zarqawi told Osama bin Laden that he had suffered only "minor" wounds . . .
BLACK KNIGHT: 'Tis but a scratch.
ARTHUR: A scratch? Your arm's off!
BLACK KNIGHT: No, it isn't.
ARTHUR: Well, what's that then?
BLACK KNIGHT: I've had worse.
ARTHUR: You liar!
BLACK KNIGHT: Come on you pansy!
[hah]
[parry thrust]
[ARTHUR chops the BLACK KNIGHT's right arm off]
ARTHUR: Victory is mine!
[kneeling]
We thank thee Lord, that in thy merc-
[Black Knight kicks Arthur in the head while he is praying]
BLACK KNIGHT: Come on then.
ARTHUR: What?
BLACK KNIGHT: Have at you!
ARTHUR: You are indeed brave, Sir knight, but the fight is mine.
BLACK KNIGHT: Oh, had enough, eh?
ARTHUR: Look, you stupid bastard, you've got no arms left.
BLACK KNIGHT: Yes I have.
ARTHUR: Look!
BLACK KNIGHT: Just a flesh wound.
[Headbutts Arthur in the chest]
ARTHUR: Look, stop that.
BLACK KNIGHT: Chicken! Chicken!
ARTHUR: Look, I'll have your leg. Right!
[whop]
[ARTHUR chops the BLACK KNIGHT's leg off]
BLACK KNIGHT: Right, I'll do you for that!
ARTHUR: You'll what?
BLACK KNIGHT: Come 'ere!
ARTHUR: What are you going to do, bleed on me?
BLACK KNIGHT: I'm invincible!
ARTHUR: You're a loony.
BLACK KNIGHT: The Black Knight always triumphs! Have at you!
Come on then.
[whop]
[ARTHUR chops the BLACK KNIGHT's other leg off]
BLACK KNIGHT: All right; we'll call it a draw.
ARTHUR: Come, Patsy.
BLACK KNIGHT: Oh, oh, I see, running away then. You yellow bastards! Come back here and take what's coming to you. I'll bite your legs off!
Posted by: Mike ||
06/01/2005 6:11 Comments ||
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#2
why do I get the feeling he's going to acquire bin Laden Elvis status now?
GUWAHATI — The United Liberation Front of Asom (Ulfa) has demanded the release of four of its top jailed leaders as a precondition to holding peace talks with New Delhi, media reports yesterday said. The federal government has formally invited Ulfa for talks aimed at ending violence in the region. "We require at least 10 members of our Central Committee to discuss New Delhi's offer of talks. Right now only six members are free and the rest are in jail," Ulfa commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah was quoted as saying.
"No. Still want to talk? Let us know.": suggested response for New Delhi.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/01/2005 00:10 ||
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"So... obviously, by your logic, if we simply pump these four fulla lead, you guys can never make another decision?..."
UNITED NATIONS - The UN Security Council agreed Tuesday to extend the mandate of multinational forces in Iraq "until the completion of the political process." Iraq had requested the council extend the mandate, which it did informally in a statement to the news media, without adopting a resolution.
The statement said council members "welcomed the progress made in recruiting, training and equipping Iraqi security forces and look forward to those forces progressively playing a greater role and ultimately assuming responsibility for Iraq's national security."
In an interview, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari called on the United States and other countries to accelerate efforts to help the new government get on its feet. "We need the cooperation of all our neighbors, of the international community, to accelerate this, the process of training, of equipment, of assistance, because that will shorten the mandate of the (multinational force)," Zebari said.
"We need the continued engagement of the United States in this process. For us this is very important. It's important to accelerate the training, the buid-up of these forces. I know there are many efforts to see things through being exerted, but speed is of the essence."
Zebari was scheduled to meet with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Washington Wednesday to discuss additional aid to his fledgling government.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/01/2005 00:07 ||
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BZZZZZT! Who gives a shit about the UNSC "mandate"? Window dressing.
Yo, Zebi - the presence of the US is in spite of the [now defunct] UNSC. Remember, the UNSC backing to enforce the 17 resolutions against Saddam was scuttled by France, China, and Russia. The US, UK, Australia, and others brought you to this moment totally independently - you should thank them for coming to liberate and aid you in spite of the UN / UNSC impasse. Blame Yippie/Gul, Chirac, Shroeder, Putty, and the ChiCom Lump for the fact that it was far more difficult than it needed to be, took longer that it should have, and was so remarkably unbalanced in cost to the US.
Get your facts straight before you flap gums, son.
The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) Supreme Council has still not decided on permitting Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Maulana Fazlur Rehman and NWFP Chief Minister Muhammad Akram Durrani to participate in the June 8 National Security Council (NSC) meeting. MMA Deputy Secretary General Liaqat Baloch told Daily Times after the meeting on Tuesday that the MMA component parties would likely discuss the issue again on June 6 in Islamabad.
He said the religious alliance differed on letting Fazl and Akram Durrani attend the NSC meeting. The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) is against the two men participating in the NSC meeting while the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Sami and Tehrik-e-Islami leaders favour their participation. Fazl chaired the Supreme Council meeting in JI chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad's absence. He decided the religious alliance would strike on June 3 against terrorism in the country and the desecration of the Quran by US troops at Guantanamo Bay.
Liaqat Baloch read out a letter faxed by Qazi before the meeting, which said he would resign as MMA president if Akram Durrani were allowed to attend the NSC meeting. Qazi was in Karachi to attend the funeral of JI Naib Ameer Aslam Mujahid. Liaqat Baloch told Daily Times that all MMA components had their own view about Fazl and Akram Durrani participating the NSC meeting. He said the JI did not want them to participate. However, the Supreme Council meeting urged Qazi to withdraw his letter. Fazl also asked the other components to avoid making statements about his and Akram Durrani's participation in the NSC meeting till a final decision was taken by the religious alliance. Liaqat Baloch said Qazi being the MMA president wanted the alliance to remain together. "We are ready to talk to the NWFP JUI-F and JUI-S separately on the participation issue. If Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz presides over the NSC meeting, the MMA doesn't object to sending its representative to the meeting, but in the presence of a uniformed president, we will not participate in the meeting," he read out from Qazi's letter.
This article starring:
ASLAM MUJAHID
Jamaat-e-Islami
FAZLUR REHMAN
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal
LIAQAT BALOCH
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal
MUHAMAD AKRAM DURRANI
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal
QAZI HUSEIN AHMED
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal
Jamaat-e-Islami
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal
Posted by: Fred ||
06/01/2005 00:00 ||
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This is As The World Turnsinbred crossed with F Troop and The Beverly Hillbillies, with a dash of Scary Movie, a splash of Green Acres, a sprinkle of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas Ramadan, and essence of Survivor - staged in an ammo dump.
HYDERABAD: The police raided and searched the house of Jam Saqi, senior political leader and council member of the Human Rights Commissions of Pakistan (HRCP), here in Naseem Nagar, Qasimabad, on Tuesday evening to arrest him. But he was not in his house.
"Jam! There are police cars out front!... Jam?"
"The police arrived at the house about 6:45am and inquired about Jam Saqi, saying they came here to re-arrest him. And when women told them he was not at home, they stormed into the house and harassed people, including Jam Sahib's wife and sisters and children," said Iqbal Mallah, son-in-law of Jam Saqi and a local journalist.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/01/2005 00:00 ||
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Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao on Tuesday assured the Senate that the government would improve law and order and ensure that the government's writ reigned supreme in the country.
"Yup. We're gonna get right on it!"
Concluding a debate on the law and order situation in the country, Sherpao said that Pakistan was a frontline state in the war against terrorism and law enforcement agencies had dismantled the terrorist network and arrested more than 600 terrorists since 9/11.
A quiet day in Pakland looks like a terrorist offensive any other place but Iraq...
"Some terrorists have formed small groups and are involved in sectarian terrorism,' he said.
Not much gets past Sherpao...
Sherpao said that Interior Ministry had formed a special investigations team to investigate the Bari Imam suicide attack. "I am personally supervising investigations into the Bari Imam bombing," he said, adding that law enforcement agencies had found some clues and those responsible for bombings in Karachi and at the Bari Imam shrine would be arrested soon. He said that two terrorists involved in the attack on Madinatul Islam mosque had been identified as Asif and Tehsin, both residents of Orangi Town.
Yeah, yeah. So you break their kneecaps now, round up a few more, then the Lahore High Court lets them off for lack of evidence. Whoopdy doo.
Sherpao said that it was the responsibility of everyone including the opposition to play their role in rooting out terrorism from the country.
Right. That'll happen. Let's all keep pretending that the MMA isn't made up of the front organizations for the gunnies and hard boyz...
He said that government would maintain law and order at all costs because it wanted to attract investment.
Bzzzzt! Wrong answer!
Posted by: Fred ||
06/01/2005 00:00 ||
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"A quiet day in Pakland looks like a terrorist offensive any other place but Iraq..."
Lol. Sez it all, heh. I offer PakiWakiLand as an alternative, just to emphasize the character of the place.
JERUSALEM: Israel plans to demolish a building in Arab East Jerusalem that Palestinians say holds a newly refurbished mosque but which Israeli officials call an illegal structure they do not recognise as a house of prayer. The move angered Muslims who see it as an assault on Islam in the holy city. An Arabic sign outside the disputed building identifies it as the Badr mosque. Inside, Muslim prayer mats cover the floor of an open hall, fronted with domed windows. An Israeli spokesman said on Tuesday the building would be razed because it was built without a permit and denied it was a recognised mosque. "We are not going to demolish any mosque," he said, adding that a date for the demolition was not yet set. "We are going to demolish a structure that is not completed."
It's the 749,378th holiest site in Islam, or will be when it's done...
More:
ISRAELI officials yesterday confirmed plans to destroy an entire Palestinian neighbourhood in traditionally Arab East Jerusalem, a move certain to deal a further blow to hopes for Middle East reconciliation. Israel is invoking legality, history and archeology to defend the planned destruction of the Bustan neighbourhood beneath the walled old city and the sensitive Temple Mount/ al-Haram al-Sharif sacred site. The plan, which could be the largest demolition operation since the area was captured in 1967, will make more than a thousand people in at least 88 houses homeless. In March, Israel approved plans to build 3,500 new houses to connect Maale Adumim, the West Bank's largest settlement, to Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem, three miles away. That step was criticised by the Bush administration, but few objections are expected now against the demolition plans because of a perceived need to avoid troubling Mr Sharon as he wrestles with far-right opponents of the planned Gaza withdrawal, due to start in August.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/01/2005 00:00 ||
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"over a thousand people in 88 homes"!!! That's over 11 people per home. Interesting family arrangements there. Is that normal?
#5
Sounds like fun, but then you'd also get car bombs and suicide bombers sneaking in the ritzy part of your town. "I just cleaned up fires from the last car bomb, dammit! I'm saving money for a power plant, not this firefighting crap!"
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats ||
06/01/2005 14:55 Comments ||
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#6
Eventually. Israel is going to demolish Palestine.
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.
At the ADC's gala dinner Sunday, attended by nearly 2,000 Arab-Americans from throughout the United States, Prince 
Uzbek opposition and rights activists asked the United Nations and the European Union on Tuesday to help stop the government's crackdown on dissent, saying dozens of people have been illegally arrested or beaten since a May 13 uprising. "We ask your help in stopping illegal detentions and persecution of rights defenders, opposition parties and other politically active citizens of Uzbekistan," 10 activists said in a statement, which was also addressed to the 
The 57-nation 
Iran announced Tuesday it had successfully tested a new solid fuel motor for its arsenal of medium-range ballistic missiles, a technological breakthrough that sparked fresh alarm in Israel. "The test was a success," Defence Minister Ali Shamkhani said on state television. "When you fill a missile with liquid fuel, you have to use it quickly. With solid fuel, a missile can be stored for years 
decided on permitting Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Maulana 
HYDERABAD: The police raided and searched the house of 
