Afghanistan's former interior minister, Yunis Qanooni, has said he has not decided whether or not to accept any post in the country's fledgling administration. His comments followed attempts by Afghan leader Hamid Karzai to avoid a rift in his new government by finding a position for the Tajik leader. Qanooni was reacting to an official announcement that he was to take the education portfolio and act as a national security adviser. But he was quoted as saying he had not met Mr Karzai since the appointment, and was considering forming an opposition party. He also criticised Mr Karzai's handling of last week's loya jirga, or grand assembly, and insisted he fulfil his pledge to set up a legitimate parliament.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/23/2002 06:52 pm ||
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Iraqi president Saddam Hussain is considering stepping down as Iraqi head of state in favour of his younger son in an attempt to counter the growing threat of US military attacks, a British daily reported Saturday. The Times, quoting Arab diplomats in Baghdad, suggested that the Iraqi president may not seek re-election later this year but instead allow Saddam Qusay, his heir apparent, to become the country's leader. "The word in the diplomatic community is that when the election are being prepared this autumn, Saddam may not put his name forward but instead allow Qusay to go forward," one diplomat said. "The aim would be to deflate the American threat." The Times suggested that although Saddam would remain de facto in control, the tactic may satisfy the Americans or at least delay their planned military action to change the regime in Baghdad. That would actually be a very sensible move, very unlike Sammy...
It believed that the ploy would only be used as a last line of defence, after all diplomatic options are exhausted and a new conflict seemed inevitable. But all diplomats were said not to hold the same view about the prospect of Saddam relinquishing power voluntarily. At least one thought that the Iraqi president "would prefer to die or see his country destroyed." And that's the opinion that jibes more with what we know of him.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/23/2002 10:49 am ||
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Three novels said to have been written by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein are to be taught in Iraqi schools from the start of the next academic year, Iraqi reports say. The Tikrit newspaper quotes the education ministry as saying it has decided to include the novels - Zabibah and the King, The Fortified Castle and Men and a City - in the school curriculum.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/23/2002 06:48 pm ||
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Government officials said scientists have determined that anthrax spores mailed to Capitol Hill last fall were made less than two years ago, suggesting that the author of the anthrax attacks had access to a modern laboratory and could make a new batch. The researchers' determination did not change the general direction of the FBI investigation, which for months has been searching for a suspect among disgruntled domestic scientists with the expertise needed to culture, mill and "weaponize" the spores. But the new findings cast further doubt on the hypothesis that the spores could have been stolen from a lab decades ago, saved in dry storage and used in the wave of attacks last October and November. It narrows the field where they have to look. But if they're looking in the wrong field, it doesn't matter how narrow it is.
FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III, at a recent meeting with Washington Post editors, declined to discuss the eight-month investigation in any detail. The new findings do not appear to have pushed the investigation appreciably forward. It sounds like the investigation is stalled dead. That bespeaks either the slickness of the perps, or ineptitude on the part of the investigators. Once FBI is on a case, they're not usually inept.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/23/2002 09:33 am ||
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If media reports are correct, less than 10 grams (1/3 of an ounce) of Anthrax almost shut down to US Post Office system. Under State and Federal Occupational Health and Safety acts, under general shutdown conditions, the public would have had to pay postal workers full wages until safety was restored. Besides the human tragedy that would unfold, an event of that nature would be a fiscal nightmare. There are tons of weapons grade anthrax out there, and millions of jihadis who would use it against civil populations. In light of these dangers, the public should accept risk abatement measures, even if same involves suspension of some freedoms.
Even as Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah today pitched for autonomy for his state to help restore peace there, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee rejected it. Asked whether autonomy was a long-term solution for Kashmir, the Prime Minister said "we are for the devolution of power." What's autonomy â even a limited autonomy â if not a devolution of power?
While Abdullah's demand was made at a special session of National Conference in Srinagar where he handed over the charge of the party to his son Omar, Vajpayee's rejection was contained in an interview to Newsweek magazine. Earlier today, Farooq Abdullah had said the Centre would have to seriously consider granting autonomy as there would be no peace in the state "till you (Centre) give autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh." Since the centralized state idea obviously hasn't been working, and since the Indos have been afraid to hold that plebiscite, a limited autotonomy seems a sensible move.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/23/2002 09:19 am ||
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Jamaat-i-Islami General-Secretary Syed Munawar Hassan has said the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) will resist any move to register and audit the accounts of religious schools. Wotta surprise.
Speaking at a news conference on Saturday, Hassan said the decision to register the religious schools was taken on the dictation of America and added that these schools were even functioning during the British rule without any hindrance. They didn't have Soddy funding then, did they? Nor were they controlled by religious lunatics...
He said Gen Pervez Musharraf had no credentials to order the registration of religious schools as he himself was not registered, adding that the nation had registered him only as a soldier. He's the country's dictator president.
Hassan said the rulers had handed over the country to the FBI. Yeah. One of the FBI's many functions is investigating organized crime. Can't have that, can we?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/23/2002 10:15 am ||
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Punjab Inspector General of Police Malik Asif Hayat has expressed his discontent over the police performance during the crackdown launched against terrorists after the recent acts of terrorism in different parts of the country. The IGP warned that disciplinary action would be taken against the inefficient police officers particularly those who failed to arrest terrorists of Sipah-i-Sahaba, Sipah-i-Muhammad, Lashkar-i-Tayyaba and Jaish-i-Muhammad. The IGP said that a list of terrorists had been circulated to all the range DIGs with the direction to arrest them. The decision was conveyed to all the range DIGs. According to a police department source, the Punjab police have arrested 150 alleged terrorists of banned militant outfits as against the target of 700 given to them. All the arrested persons are being interrogated by special police teams and a secret agency while most of them have not so far been produced before court. So the crackdown is actual fact, even though it's being shortstopped by the field agents wherever they can get away with it...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/23/2002 10:29 am ||
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The offices of three Urdu dailies and a weekly were raided today in Srinagar and their staff, including a ruling National Conference MLA, Abdul Gani Naseem, paraded before informers. After the searches, the building housing the offices of Daily Morning Times, Daily Wattan, Daily Vaath and the weekly Ahtesabthe were sealed. Naseem is printer, publisher and editor of Daily Morning Times. During the raids, carried out by the Border Security Force (BSF), workers were directed to sit on the road for identification by "cats" (security force informers). Looking for thugs and spies masquerading as reporters?
A Daily Wattan employee, who was picked up during the identification, was later let off after an hour. The newspaper is owned by former militant leader turned NC legislator Javid Ahmad Shah. However, Shah was not in office at the time of searches. Indian security forces also raided another office in the same building and took some people into custody. Guess Shah was tipped off by Mahmud the Weasel...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/23/2002 10:43 am ||
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Three gunmen fired on a group of youths playing soccer at an Algerian seaside resort, killing six and injuring three. The attack Saturday evening at Zeralda, a Mediterranean resort 30 kilometers west of Algiers, threatens to unsettle the start of Algeria's summer holiday season. One of the three injured was in a serious condition. The shootings took place near Zeralda's tennis club, where a similar attack last September killed seven people. "Mahmud, they are playing football!"
"It is sinful. We must kill them!"
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/23/2002 06:22 pm ||
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Israelâs Defense Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer declared Sunday that Israel has no intention of reactivating the civil administration in the Palestinian territories. In a statement released by his office, Ben-Eliezer said that he had instructed the army to enable Palestinian civil institutions to continue operating, as well as to ensure that aid agencies which assist the Palestinians in the field of health, education, infrastructure and supply of food and water, were able to continue operating. That's too bad. The Paleostinians would probably be better off under Israeli administration...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/23/2002 08:37 am ||
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In the latest military action, Israeli troops backed by 10 tanks entered the northern West Bank village of Al-Yamun west of Jenin. Iyad Sammudi, a 28-year-old Palestinian policeman, was killed when the Israelis began shooting. Four other people were wounded and the army took two of them to an undisclosed location.
Israeli troops conducted house-to-house searches for activists in Jenin. There were no immediate reports of arrests.
In Gaza strip, three Palestinians were wounded when Israeli troops fired on their car near the Netzarim settlement, a Palestinian security source said. Israeli officials said only one was wounded and all three arrested. The IDF is probably getting bored with this, except when one of their own is killed.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/23/2002 08:37 am ||
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The Israeli army begins calling reservists troops for duty Sunday morning, Israel Radio reported Saturday. A number of reservists received call-up notices over the weekend, while other units were notified of that they will be called-up in the near future. More than one brigade will be called for duty. The soldiers will be used to assist troops already operating in Palestinian areas. Shoulda just canned the demobilization after the last time, like they'd intended to do...
Meanwhile, the Israeli security cabinet decided in principle Friday in favor both of expelling the families of suicide bombers from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip, and of Palestinians involved in attacks from the territories, the Israeli media reported. That sounds like a good idea, though Burundi would be a better choice of locale...
As of Sunday morning, the Israeli forces remained in at least six areas in the West Bank, where strict curfews were in force. Israeli security sources said that the current operation on the West Bank is likely to last several weeks. Israeli troops now occupy parts of Jenin, Nablus, Bitunya and Bethlehem; Israeli forces are also moving in and out of Tulkarem and Qalqilyah. Within this framework, Israeli armor moved Sunday morning into the West Bank city of Qalqilya. Palestinian witnesses said about 60 Israeli vehicles, including tanks and armored personnel carriers, pushed into the city before sunrise and took over several buildings. Had it not been for the diplo pressure, they'd have stayed last time until the job was done. The same pressure's been a little sluggish starting up this time, though it'll no doubt come.
For his part, Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo charged that Israel was planning "to impose military rule through what is being called civil administration. If you refuse to do it yourselves, somebody else will do it for you. The Palestinian Authority is the best argument against anarchism I can think of.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/23/2002 08:38 am ||
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Palestinian security forces arrested about a dozen activists of Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, a Palestinian security source said. The source said most of those detained were field-level activists and not top political leaders. That's pretty normal. They round up the button men and then spring them a few days later, but what the hell, the arrested someone, right?
However, source told Reuters an arrest warrant had been issued for Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi, a senior Hamas official who has been arrested and released several times by the Palestinian security forces. Boy, ain't they serious? The IDF would be well advised to take Rantissi themselves and ensure that a "terrible accident" happens to him. Even better, don't take him into custody, and set up the "terrible accident" and then look innocent when the Euros ask if it was them.
"The Authority is very serious this time to continue this campaign of arrests in order to ensure stability and a respect to the one authority, the Palestinian Authority," the source said. He said security forces had also been ordered to put an end to the shows of strength by armed activists in Gaza streets, which embarrass Yasser Arafat at a time when he is under intense international pressure to crack down on them. Y'mean Yasser doesn't like looking like a putz? When did that start? Or... Could this be coming from Yehiyeh?
Hamas condemned the detention of its activists. "We view the arrest campaign as a grave step that harms the national unity at a time when we all need to be in one trench facing the occupation," Ismael Abu Shanab, a senior Hamas official, told Reuters. Those arrested included Jamal Saleh, leader of an Islamic political party which is an offshoot of Hamas, and Mohammed Shahab, a well known Islamic activist. Shanab is one of the five members of the Hamas steering committee. Three of the others are Abdel Aziz Rantisi, Sheikh Yassin, Mahmoud al-Zahar.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/23/2002 08:37 am ||
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I agree, they all "need to be in a trench." And I'd like to ... nah, it's too easy :-)
Regards,
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/23/2002 9:05 Comments ||
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FOLLOWUP: Geraldo is saying on FoxNews that Sheikh Yassin has been arrested. FoxNews also reports 40 tanks have surrounded Yasser's Ramallah compound and have fired on targets in the area.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/23/2002 18:14 Comments ||
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Palestinian gunmen and IDF soldiers are enagaged in firefights throughout the Gush Katif bloc at the southern end of the Gaza Strip at this hour. Anti-tank rockets were reportedly fired at a tank at a position near the community of Ganei Tal. There are no reports of injuries or damage.
Elsewhere, a 20-year-old Palestinian gunman was killed and several others were wounded after a tank returned fire after at them near Tulkarm, earlier this evening. The crew was uninjured in that attack. That happens with tanks...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/23/2002 06:16 pm ||
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Abu Sabaya ordered his men to shoot dead American hostage Martin Burnham if soldiers got too close, a captured Abu Sayyaf bandit was quoted on Sunday as saying. Toto Aluk, also known as "Ayub," was shown on videotape taken by the military saying that Sabaya, the Abu Sayyaf spokesperson who was believed killed in a gun battle on Friday, ordered another Abu Sayyaf bandit, Abu Lukman, to kill Burnham if soldiers launched a raid. Turns out the report that they had Abu Sabaya's carcass wasn't quite true. He's still only really, really, truly believed dead. That's really a sad thing.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/23/2002 09:45 am ||
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The Philippine Armed Forces announced the capture of a security escort of the bandit leader. Government troops caught Abner Asari in Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte the other day, AFP spokesperson Melchor Rosales said. Asari was picked up by a combat patrol in Barangay Mantibog, the same place where soldiers picked up barangay chair Samson Abbas on suspicion he provided sanctuary to Sabaya and his men from June 19 to 21. "He (Asari) is under interrogation to determine his participation (in Sabaya's past acts)," Rosales said in a telephone interview. We are still trying to look for their network in Sibuco which protected them." If you hit them enough times, you can find out all sorts of information, like the names of more people you can hit, and actually clean out that ratsnest. If you don't want to hit them, fill them full of giggle juice; works just as well.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/23/2002 09:50 am ||
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Maj. Gen. Ernesto Carolina, chief of the Southern Command, said the military was now targeting Abu Sayyaf chief Khadaffy Janjalani and another senior leader, Ghalib Andang, known as Commander Robot. Robot led the abduction of 21 people, including Western tourists, from the Malaysian resort of Sipadan in April 2000. All but one were released in exchange for large ransoms. "The marching orders of the President is get the others. The priorities are Janjalani and Robot," Carolina said. He said "Operation Daybreak," which targets the remaining Abu Sayyaf leaders, includes rescuing three Indonesian crew members of a tugboat seized last Monday by gunmen believed to be Abu Sayyaf rebels and taken to Jolo Island where Robot operates. Just a reminder that there's still more work to be done. "Commander Robot" was hooked up with Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the Soddies' pet gang, back in January, but they seem to have backed off in their support, at least overtly.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/23/2002 10:02 am ||
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A spokesman for the al-Qaeda network has claimed responsibility for the explosion on the Tunisian island of Djerba, that killed 14 German tourists in April. We knew that. We also noticed it was an act of senseless violence in a Muslim country, and that it had no military significance whatsoever...
"This operation was carried out by al Qaeda network. A youth could not see his brothers in Palestine butchered and murdered...(while) he saw Jews cavorting in Djerba," Sulaiman Abu Ghaith said in the undated recording broadcast by Qatar-based al-Jazeera channel. "So this spirit of jihad surged and he (the al Qaeda member) carried out this successful operation, may God accept it," said Abu Ghaith. So the guy's now burning in hell after killing some innocent civilians for no other reason than their religion...
It was not clear when the tape was received or where Abu Ghaith was speaking from. Osama bin Laden and his No. 2 man [Ayman al Zawahiri] are both alive and well and their Qaeda network is ready to attack new U.S. targets, Abu Ghaith added. "I want to assure Muslims that Sheik Osama bin Laden ... is in good and prosperous health and all what is being rumored about his illness and injury in Tora Bora has no truth... I can say that 98 percent of the leadership of al-Qaeda are safe and are running their affairs perfectly." We saw Binny on tape, and he was not a well man. Has he had a kidney transplant? Is that why he's been out of sight for so long? Or is he dead and they've been grooming one of his stand-ins to pick up the slack as a figurehead?
An Al-Jazeera presenter quoted Abu Ghaith as saying that fugitive Taliban leader Mullah Omar, who had protected bin Laden, is also alive. Nobody even said he was dead...
Referring to recent U.S. warnings about imminent al-Qaida threats, Abu Ghaith said the group would choose the right time, place and method. The warnings were "a cover-up for the ugly face of the onslaught by the Democratic Party against the Republican Party after the American president announced he was aware of the Sept. 11 operations and because of the economic problems the American government was suffering from," Abu Ghaith said. "I say 'Yes' to what American officials are saying ... that we are going to carry out attacks on America," he stated. Al-Qaeda, according to Abu Ghaith, "is now monitoring, detecting and observing new American targets other than the targets previously monitored, which we will strike at in a period that is not long." Probably be the worst thing they could possibly do. The American public has spent the past nine months telling each other that there must have been some sort of mistake, that we shouldn't hate people because of their religious affiliation â on campuses and in the National Council of Churches we shouldn't hate anyone, anywhere, any time without approval â and they've been concentrating more on popular culture than on the war. Britney's titties are more pleasant to look upon than Osama's mug. The post-911 fury's worn off. Another heavy strike like 9-11, and the public will be up for taking another Islamic rathole apart and they'll want to string Bush up for listening to the yammering "voice of reason" instead of killing Bad Guys by the dozen, starting last January.
He called the Sept. 11 attacks a "great historic victory that broke the backs of the Americans, the strongest power in this world." End of Dispatch from La-La Land.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/23/2002 08:36 am ||
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Well, I think OBL is in the safe hands of some Saudis somewhere, either in Arabia or Pakiland, connected to a dialysis machine while he awaits a transplant performed by a visiting MD. I am leaning toward the belief (pure speculation) that if we can't find him, we're looking in the wrong places. And since we're looking in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Stan, Stan, Stan, and Stan, it leaves few places: Iran, Iraq, or most likely Saudi Arabia.
God help George Bush if this is true and it leaks to the press.
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.
