A rocket slammed into the headquarters of international peacekeepers in the Afghan capital of Kabul late Sunday, police said. Afghan police spokesman Haroon Safi said there were no immediate reports of injuries. The compound of the International Security Assistance Force is located across the street from the heavily fortified U.S. Embassy. A second rocket hit the Pul-e-Charkhi area, on the eastern edge of Kabul. The blast woke up residents in the city's Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood. Ambulance sirens could be heard and police were investigating. Asafi said the rockets were fired from several miles east of the capital. Kabul is patrolled by nearly 5,000 international peacekeepers, but there have been frequent attacks in recent months blamed on Taliban and al Qaida fugitives and forces loyal to renegade rebel leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. MSNBC sez there don't seem to be any casualties...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
03/30/2003 01:04 pm ||
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#1
First opportunity we get, we need to get some of our special forces back into Afghan land and start kicking some serious butt. I appreciate what our allies are doing in ISAF but wonder if they're playing things too safe. If we can't do it, perhaps the Danes could send some Vikings special forces in.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/30/2003 13:47 Comments ||
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#2
Vikings are Norwegian, right?
Posted by: Brian ||
03/30/2003 13:58 Comments ||
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Vikings were Norse, Danes, and Swedes. They sailed from Scandinavia in different directions (to simplify: West, South, and East). Unfortunately they've all been infected by something called "social-democracy" aka Bismarck's lutheran welfare state. Not many real Vikings left. Maybe the best ones emigrated to North America.
#5
Kalle, from what I've read the Danish armed forces haven't been bitten by the SD bug. I read a jocular, humorous account (can't find it to link, of course) about a group of Danish SF, stationed in Bosnia as peacekeepers, who got tired of being shelled by the Serb milita and took a Viking approach to solving their problem. Man, did they ever. I've also read that, among all the Euro peacekeepers, the Danes are the most-heavily armed and by far the nastiest. You don't screw with them. I like 'em already!
So send the Danes to Afghan-land, give the locals one warning, and then turn 'em loose.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/30/2003 23:58 Comments ||
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Prominent Taliban Commander in Afghanistan has said that Taliban still enjoy the support of the people of Afghanistan and vowed to expel the Americans from the country. In his first ever interview with the BBC Pashto service since the fall of Taliban government, he said that "now it is the time of Jihad and we would wage Jihad for the liberation of our land." Yep. That's a Talib, alright, even if he doesn't have a name. All he can say is "jihad"...
He said during the week Taliban militia arrested nearly 65 Afghan soldiers and killed two US soldiers and besieged the Afghan government. He said we also seized two vehicles as one them was set on fire while the second one was taken into control. On a query that Taliban and Hekmatyar's men are carrying out joint operations, Mullah Dadullah said so far the Al-Qaeda has no presence in Afghanistan and all other Afghans including Taliban and Hekmatyar's are determined to expel the crusaders from our country by waging Jihad against them. He said that Afghans have come to know that Americans have no ambitions to rebuild Afghanistan but are hell bent to destroy it to ruins. "The whole Afghans are with Taliban and we have complete agreement on one issue that is to expel the Jews and Christians from Afghanistan by waging Jihad in the country. No one in country is against the Taliban," he maintained. "They just love us! Really! Truly!"
On a query that who is supporting Taliban to carryout operations, he said, "Afghanistan is our country and we have enough resources to carry out our activities". During the Jihad Afghans fought the Russians with just five bullets but now the Taliban have several secret arms caches which they are using for this purpose. During the jihad against the Russians, U.S. and Soddy money and arms and men were pouring in.
Answering a question about support to Taliban only in the Pushtoon areas in northern part of Afghanistan, he said it is not true as in the Pushtoon dominated areas the Taliban can reveal their identities. "But in the northern part the regime is very cruel and oppressive and the Taliban supporters can not reveal their identities that's why we are conducting such operations in the Pushtoon dominated areas". "Yeah. Everybody likes us. You just don't hear about it..."
Mullah Dadullah said that Mullah Muhammad Omar is alive and on his letter, "we have appointed our leaders and we have waged Jihad. We are working on his instructions. He further said that he has no information about Osama".
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
03/30/2003 11:56 am ||
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LMAO!
Mullah Dadullah?
Is he kidding?
That is just too freakin' funny to be true!
They are like 3 year-olds jumping up and down, waving their arms: "Look at me! I'm just as stupid as Saddam! I can even be crueler! Look, look, I'm kicking puppies now! Hey, over here! I need ATTENTION!!"
We see you.
***closes eyes to begin brain wave transmission to Rumsfeld, Meyers, and Franks*** neutron bomb neutron bomb neutron bombneutronbombneutronBOMBNEUTRONBOMB...........!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The U.S. military said Sunday it is considering a wider offensive to root out terror groups in Afghanistan following an ambush by suspected Taliban rebels that killed two U.S. special forces soldiers and injured another. The attack in the southern province of Helmand on Saturday was the sign of an "uptick" in rebel activity following the start of the Iraq war about 10 days ago, said U.S. Army spokesman Col. Roger King. He said U.S. forces would not let up in their efforts to hunt down rebel fighters. "This helps paint the picture for future operations," King told reporters. However, the attack also "points out that it's a challenge to pick out enemy forces that are made up of local Afghans." King said earlier that the U.S. military would try to find those responsible, but would not elaborate. "We'll probably make attempts to find out who did the ambushing," he said. What do you mean, "probably"? You track them down and kill them like dogs. Then you kill their dogs.
Three Afghan soldiers also were wounded in the attack, the first fatal encounter for U.S. forces in Afghanistan since December. It occurred two days after a Swiss International Red Cross worker was killed in neighboring Kandahar province.
We'll know we've won the Afghan war, if we ever do, when shooting incidents are dealt with by calling the cops, rather than by sending in a couple battalions of troops to root through caves looking for beards. Of course, that job will be made a lot easier when everybody in sight isn't totin' a shootin' arn...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
03/30/2003 09:13 am ||
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" Of course, that job will be made a lot easier when everybody in sight isn't totin' a shootin' arn..."
Never happen. The Afghans are more rabid about keeping their weapons than the NRA. Best thing to do is to teach them the truth about the Taliban: it's either fight them, or live under their heels. Afghanis also don't make good slaves, as the Russians found out. I'm sure most Afghanis would welcome the Taliban back - in a hail of lead!
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/30/2003 12:18 Comments ||
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The Afghans are good at reproducing weapons. No matter how many you take away, there's a small machine shop somewhere producing more.
Speaker of the Kuwaiti National Assembly (Majlis al-Umma) Jasem al-Kharafi asked Saturday that the Arab League to take a more aggressive stance on Iraqi missile attacks by condemning them. Figger the odds on that happening...
The Kuwaiti News Agency (KUNA) quoted Al-Kharafi as saying that Kuwait has always believed that (no country) could trust the ruling regime in Iraq. He expressed he hope the war could be concluded at the earliest possible time and the Iraqi people would be free. The Kuwaiti speaker lashed out at the Arab League stance, saying the league's stance seeks to fan the flame of disagreements between Arab countries. A small number of countries including the United States, Britain, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and other member states of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council have condemned the Iraqi missile attacks on Kuwait over the past 10 days.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
03/30/2003 10:25 am ||
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But the action of not condemning the attack helps clarify "arab unity" doesn't it? Just as much as supporting Saddam, who has killed more Muslims in a year than Israel has ever done in all the wars....
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/30/2003 10:34 Comments ||
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I don't think the Arab League has gotten around yet to condemning the missile attacks from the last war...
A man drove a pickup truck into a group of U.S. soldiers outside a store at Camp Udairi on Sunday, injuring 10 to 15 people. The driver was wearing civilian clothes, said Lt. Col. Larry Cox, the public affairs officer at the U.S. base. There was no information on those injured or where they were being treated. It also was not immediately clear what happened to the driver. At a news briefing in Doha, Qatar, Gen. Tommy Franks, the U.S. war commander, had no further details about the attack but noted it was substantially different from a suicide car bomb attack that killed four American soldiers in Iraq on Saturday. "It was obvious that the modus of the second attack (at Camp Udairi) was not at all like the first attack (a suicide car bombing)," he said. Camp Udairi is primarily a V Corps aviation base that is also used for maintenance and supply. It is the United States' northernmost base in Kuwait, near the Iraqi border.
I don't see any connection between the two, except for the fact of the Iraq war. In the one, an Iraqi kills himself to take out some infidels. In the other, a local Islamonutbag decides to be an Islamic hero by running over a few. The one's meat, the other's down at the mall regaling his friends with the tale of his heroism.
FOLLOWUP: No link, info's from e-mail... Bodyguard tells me that the 15 victims will be okay, just bruises, and the driver is expected to recover from his two sucking chest wounds...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
03/30/2003 09:41 am ||
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FoxNews says the driver was an Egyptian contractor working at the base. He's in critical condition, but still being questioned.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/30/2003 15:08 Comments ||
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I thought he was drunk. In Kuwait, even tho he's Egyptian?
#3
The Saudis and Kuwaitis employ vast droves of what are called 'third country nationals' by the US... The basically amount to organized slave labor -- the Kuwaiti/Saudi government, or contractors will advertise for laborers or semi-skilled workers in other countries - mainly Arab nations, or poor nations in Southeast Asia... When the workers arrive, thier passports are taken from them and not returned until they have completed thier contracted obligations -- they are generally paid $3-5 a day for semi-skilled work... Possibly good money back in thier own countries, but the living conditions they endure while under contract are spartan to say the least......
Posted by: Steve ||
03/30/2003 20:26 Comments ||
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Not really relevant but I thought Rantburg might want to adopt the Tiger
Two French tourists were among three people mauled by an angry tiger in a forest reserve in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, forest officials said on Sunday.
Posted by: rg117 ||
03/30/2003 06:47 am ||
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Tiger, tiger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
? William Blake
#2
I wish to object to the use of the word "tiger" in this story. It is merely alledged that it was a "tiger". The story itself is both sexist, in referring to the alledged "tiger" as female, as well as colonial in tone for referring to the alledged "tiger" as angry.
If there was in actuality a tiger attack, it would be entirely justified as a purely defensive measure designed to protest the humanist oppression of non humans, including tigers, in the region. Tigers are a peaceful folk, with ancient rituals and practices that predate mankind. They are worthy of respect, nay, adoration. My own personal tigers resent the implications in this story and demand that Reuters issue an apology to freedom loving tigers everywhere.
#9
Aw c'mon! Cheeze! I hate Chirac and de Villepin and the whole French political and intellectual class too but don't you think that gloating about some unfortunate tourists on Safari in India is going just a teeny bit too far?! Children! Behave!
If you want to blast the French, keep the fire directed at people like Jose Bove or some movie director, or Le Monde writer or whatever.
Posted by: Tokyo Taro ||
03/30/2003 17:41 Comments ||
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#10
I've been waiting all day for one of you guys to say it, but I guess I have to;
Reaction of the tiger:
"It tastes like Chicken!"
or
" is it red or white wine with you french tourist"?
Posted by: Frank Martin ||
03/30/2003 19:32 Comments ||
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#11
Sorry about that Mr. G. You get credit for the kill.
( I sware it wasnt there wheni started to write it)
Posted by: frank martin ||
03/30/2003 19:45 Comments ||
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#12
no prob Frank ;-) it was there begging for the taking
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/30/2003 20:49 Comments ||
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#13
Ya know I just realized why Pepe Le Pew was casted as a Frenchman.
Fresh from his Oscar ceremony tirade against a 'fictitious President' fighting a 'fictitious war', alleged documentary-maker Michael Moore has said he is setting his sights on the alleged links between former President George Bush senior and the Saudi family of Osama bin Laden. Moore, whose fiction exploration of US gun violence, Bowling for Columbine, is one of the most commercially successful documentaries ever, said his new film, tentatively titled I'm Such a Dumbass Fahrenheit 911, will examine what has happened to the US since 11 September. The film will look at the alleged 'murky relationship' between Bush senior, controversial defence investment firm the Carlyle Group, and the bin Laden family. According to Moore, the former President had a business relationship with bin Laden's father, Mohammed, who left $300 million to his son. Although the bin Laden family has severed its ties with Osama, 'the senior Bush kept his ties with the bin Laden family up until two months after 11 September,' Moore claimed.
Moore, who has carved himself a role as terror apologist and appeaserdipshit critic-in-chief of the US administration, said he has no regrets about making a fool of himself turning his Oscar acceptance speech into an evisceration of Bush junior. 'If I had won the Oscar for a movie about birds or insects, I'd say something about them,' he said. 'But I made a movie about leftist perception of violence — and global violence — so I felt I had to say something about that. I just hope I generated a discussion about Bush and the war.' "Ethel, take a look at this."
"Oh, my, Merle, who in the world is that fat-ass?"
"Dunno, but he's gettin' an Oscar for summthin"
"What's that screeching sound?"
"Susan Sarandon?"
"Be serious, Merle."
"Some sorta speech."
"I thought they were supposed to thank people."
"I don't think this guy thanks anyone."
The choice of Moore's new subject — the relationship between the arms industry, the Bush administration and the war on terrorism — could hardly be better timed for a good laugh. It's hard to spork Michael Moore; he does such a good job on himself.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/30/2003 01:39 am ||
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Michael Moore has no redeeming professional or human qualities. His treatment of the "murky relationship" will follow standard far-left "reasoning" on this subject, relying heavily on innuendo, circular reasoning, and the presumption of guilt; that is, a classic connect-the-dots conspiracy theory of the kind pioneered by Joseph Goebbels and the John Birch Society. Good company you keep there, Mike. The far left's headlong charge into the deep reaches of the conspiracy batcave is one of the great under-reported political stories of the last few years. Revered leader Ramsey Clark, for instance, is a raving moonbat conspiracy theorist on the same level of logic as moon landing denialists and flat-earth proponents. He alleges, for example, that US troops massacred many thousands of civilians in Panama in 1989, and that present US policy is rooted in dark right-wing plots that go back to the 19th century. Interestingly, Clark was attorney-general of the United States at the time of the Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy assassinations in 1968, essentially J. Edgar Hoover's boss. Yet, he has never been named as a suspect in any of the left-wing conspiracy theories surrounding those two murders and is practically the only major office-holder of the time who hasn't been. We may infer our own theory from this, that there is loyalty among moonbats and they protect their own.
#2
Somebody should get their home DVC and shoot a home-made doco on Michael Moore.
That is the way to smash these goons. You need to get the dirt on them, but obviously from the grass roots, not slick like the network establishment. They can only be undone by those poorer and less professional than themselves or else it plays into their conspiracy theories that the elite is against them.
Just try it, it works.
Try renting a megaphone and go with a black friend to an anti-war rally and shout "that's not true" at punctuation points in the speaker's lies.
#4
anon1 - good for you! No doubt the "moonbats" were confused...uh..like...oh wow....who should I follow now?? What a funny sight that must have been.
"Michael Moore is secretly a Jew, and hates Bin Laden and his family".
"Michael Moore is doing this to make Islam look bad."
"Michael Moore is a jerk that seduces Muslim women with liquor and chocolate."
"Michael Moore is an idiot, and can't tie his own shoes without help".
Oh, wait, we can't use that - that's true.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/30/2003 12:26 Comments ||
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#6
Michael Moore is digging his own grave...his last movie might have been garnered some popular acclaim, but this new one sounds destined to miserably fail...I say let him make it and be ever after resigned to interminable obscurity.
I am disappointed in Mel Gibson for producing this film, though...c'mon Mel, be a good Aussie, for Christ's sake!
Posted by: Bill ||
03/30/2003 14:57 Comments ||
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#11
Is it true all Jhadies get 77 Michael Moore's when they go to terrorist heaven?
Posted by: TJ Jackson ||
03/30/2003 21:07 Comments ||
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#12
...and after that Mike will be delveing into the relationship between Boris and Natasha, Wile E. Coyote, and weapons of mass destruction to be called "ACME Smack Me!"
Can you say "box office poison", Mike?
I'm tellin' Ray Bradbury! Jeez - Damned expletive hogging jackelope-dingo fried monkey abusing jacknape. Gawd! What I wouldn't give to ... mutter mutter mutter mutter *SEETHE* mutter ...
Hundreds of thousands of people marched through the northern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Sunday, making faces, rolling their eyes, and hollering in protest against the US-led war in Iraq. The demonstrators passed a resolution demanding expulsion of the United States from the United Nations for launching attack on Iraq without the authorization of the Security Council. "The demonstrators passed a resolution"? Y'mean like, "All in favor holler 'yar!'"?
Local correspondents say that hundreds of thousands of people took part in the demonstration. The participants of the 'Million March' burnt US flags and effigy of American President George W. Bush. The protesters held banners and placards inscribed with 'Bush International Terrorist', 'Bush launched attack on Islam', 'Bush the enemy of Muslims' and 'We strongly condemn war on Iraq'. The demonstrators also chanted slogans against Bush and in supportof Iraqi people and government. Some of the participants held portraits of Saddam and Osama bin Laden. Sounds like a wonderful time was had by all. None of these people seem to have jobs, of course, so they have the time to do such things...
The six-party alliance of Islamic groups Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) organized the 'Million March', the second since the start of the US-led military action against Iraq and fourth this month. The rally reflected Pakistanis' strong feelings towards the war: Pakistanis feel great sympathy towards Saddam Hussein and consider the war as against Islamic nation. That's because Sammy's such a lovable cuss...
Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier Province, was packed with unemployables people and central leaders of the alliance boarded a truck and reached venue of the public meeting few hours behind the scheduled time of the rally. Chief of the MMA Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani told the rally that the UN inspectors did not find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq but even then the United States and its allies imposed brutal war on Iraq. "Iraq does not possess weapons of mass destruction but the enemy (US) has weapons of mass destruction," Noorani said. He paid rich tributes to the Iraqis for resisting Americans and their allies. He said removal of Saddam Hussain is only an excuse and the US President Bush wants to conquer Islamic countries one after one. He regretted that disunity among the Islamic countries has led to the aggressive posture of Bush and his staunch ally Blair. Noorani is the head of Jamaat i-Ulema i-Pakistan (JUP). JUP has declared war on the U.S., the only one of the three "mainstream" fundo parties to openly do so...
The MMA Deputy Chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed condemned sanctions by the United States on a Pakistan nuclear and missile manufacturing body and said Washington has not slapped such curbs on Israel and India. "The United States is making claims of peace and humanity but it has only gifted war and destruction to the world." They're not slapped on Israel and India because they're not crawling with wild-eyed nut cases like Pakland is. Though India sometimes seems to be working on it...
The MMA Secretary General Maulana Fazlur Rehman said the United States stands alone as most of the countries have rejected the war. He said, "Bush had launched Crusade in Afghanistan, which has now been extended to Iraq." With Pakland somewhere down the road unless they get their act together, which they won't until Qazi, Fazl and Noorani are hung...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
03/30/2003 11:27 am ||
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Hmmm. I'm getting a sense that jihadis throughout the Failed Regions are growing more and more frantic with each passing week.
With good reason, I hope...
Posted by: Dave D. ||
03/30/2003 11:52 Comments ||
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#2
US "expulsion" from the UN is like the secession of Texas from the Union. It should not only be allowed, it should be encouraged. Please, God, let them kick us out.
Posted by: Tom Schaller ||
03/30/2003 12:01 Comments ||
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#3
"Noorani is the head of Jamaat i-Ulema i-Pakistan (JUP). JUP has declared war on the U.S.,"
Without UN permission? Ethyl...my pills.
Imagine if you will democrats in the US BEGGING the UN not to kick us out of the UN, thius imbueing the UN with this huge sense of power, and they do it anyway.
Seriously, it can't possibly get any better than this. This is so easy. All we have to do is keep the pressure on, and the democrats and their commie/muslim friends will take care of business just the way we want.
#6
Spoke to one of my British friends about the possible move of the UN to Ascension Island. He's going to bring it up with his representative in the House of Commons as soon as he can stop laughing.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/30/2003 12:36 Comments ||
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#7
Noo!!! NOO! PLeeeeze don't throw the US out of the UN!!!!
#9
Coolness! Throw the US outta' the UN. Throw the UN outta' the US. Save a whole buncha' money from the 25% of the UN budget that the US pays for, gain a big shiney building that can surely be put to some other use...
#10
Within the last few months, the UN floated the idea of the US lending an interest-free loan, for renovation of the UN Building. We're talking a check with a lot of zeroes on it. Hey Kofi, you might wanna shop around a bit.
And how long might it take for private firms to fill up some lovely East Riverfront office space? Convenient to Madison Square Garden!
Posted by: (lowercase) matt ||
03/30/2003 15:20 Comments ||
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#11
Gee and just who was it that finally went in to protect the Muslims in Bosnia and Kosovo? Yah the freaking UN did a bang up job at that didn't they. Move it to some place really comfortable like say Novosebirsk
Posted by: Someone who did NOT vote for William Proxmire ||
03/30/2003 15:53 Comments ||
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#12
I'm down with this. Show us the door. The UselessN's got a perfectly good headquarters in Geneva they can use. And since we're all Crusaders over here these days, we can turn the New York UN buildings over to the Knights of Malta or something.
Posted by: Christopher Johnson ||
03/30/2003 19:03 Comments ||
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#13
Please, please, please don't expel us from the UN. But if you don't do it soon let's drop out of this organization of camp fire despots.
Posted by: TJ Jackson ||
03/30/2003 21:05 Comments ||
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#15
I suggest reviving the Knight's Templar,and giving them the U.N. building.
They tended to be a bit blood-thirsty,and mercenary,but at least they were blood-thirsty, mercenary Christians.
A tribal separatist group in India's northeastern state of Manipur Sunday said it would release a kidnapped German aid worker within the next week after completing the "investigation" now underway in their hideout. "We are investigating the credentials and integrity of the German national in our camp and the process might take another five to six days," a spokesman of the outlawed Kuki Liberation Army (KLA) told local journalists in Manipur. The "Kookie Liberation Army"? That's a new one on me...
KLA militants abducted Heinrich Wolfgang, a Bonn-based aid worker,on March 23 from the village Maphou, 30 kilometers east of Manipur's capital Imphal. Wolfgang was kidnapped while on his way to a community development program funded by the German non-government organization, Evangelicher Entwicklings Dienst, which he was to oversee. The German fund was being given for relief and rehabilitation work on displaced refugees of a violent ethnic conflict in the state torn between tribal Nagas and Kukis. The Nagas are about the ugliest bunch, as a group, that I've ever seen. Can't say I've ever seen a Kuki, though, so they might be even uglier...
The rebel group refuted earlier reports that blamed the outfit of demanding 10 million rupees as ransom money to secure the release of the German worker. "There was discrimination against the tribal Kukis in the implementation of the German-backed development program and so we have abducted him," the rebel leader said. I always do that when I can't get my way, too...
"Food and clothes were being provided to Wolfgang through the negotiators and we understand he is safe and sound," a senior police official told IRNA by telephone from Imphal. The abduction of the German worker has sparked off a string of protests in Manipur with women groups and rival rebel armies terming the kidnapping as a "blemish" on the region's image. How do you "blemish" a zit?
"The abduction of a foreign national for ransom is a blemish on the freedom struggle in the northeast," a statement by the Manipur People's Liberation Front (MPLF) said. The MPLF is an umbrella organization of the outlawed United National Liberation Front (UNLF), the Revolutionary People's Front (RPF) and the People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK). Seems like everybody's got his own army in those parts...
The KLA is fighting for an independent homeland for the tribal Kukis in Manipur. There are more than 19 separatist groups in Manipur with demands ranging from secession to greater autonomy and the right to self-determination.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
03/30/2003 10:50 am ||
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So just how many of these rebel/terrorist/glorified bandit groups are there in India? It seems like you can't tell all of these people apart without a program and a chart explaining who wants to kill whom ...
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/30/2003 18:37 Comments ||
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At least seven persons, including five paramilitary troopers, were killed in an ambush by tribal separatists in India's northeastern state of Tripura, officials Sunday said. A senior police official told IRNA by telephone from the state capital Agartala that heavily armed militants of the outlawed National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) Saturday attacked a jeep carrying soldiers of the Railway Protection Special Force (RPSF) near the village Eskapara, 130 kilometers north of Agartala. Five RPSF soldiers and two civilians, including the driver and a caretaker of the vehicle, died on the spot. The militants decamped with three carbines and two self-loading rifles obtained from the dead troopers. The RPSF soldiers were on the way to providing security cover in a nearby area where railway track construction work was underway. NLFT militants in the past two years kidnapped at least 50 railway construction workers and later released them, taking a huge amount of ransom money. The NLFT, fighting for an independent tribal homeland, currently operates out of bases inside adjoining Bangladesh to carry out their hit-and-run guerilla strikes on Indian soldiers. More glorified banditti on Islam's bloody border...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
03/30/2003 10:28 am ||
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Anyone interested in how newsworthy this little altercation is might want to check this site...
Evidently, its a big deal that the insurgency related deaths dropped to 175 (including 93 civilians) in 2002... sounds like a respectably high body count to me...
Posted by: Steve ||
03/30/2003 20:45 Comments ||
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Five suspected Islamic snuffies militants accused of orchestrating a devastating car bomb that killed 12 people outside the U.S. Consulate told a judge Saturday police extracted their confessions by torture. Denying responsibility for the bombing, the defendants told the judge they were being used as "scapegoats" to ingratiate Pakistan with the U.S. government. If convicted, they could be sentenced to death. "We never gave any voluntary statements of confession," Mohammed Hanif said. "I was tortured, therefore this evidence should not be admissible." Hanif said he was "made to sleep on a slab of ice" while in police custody. Thought I felt a twinge of sympathy there for a second, but it was last night's chili...
Hanif's statement was endorsed by the other defendants: Mohammed Ashraf, Mohammed Imran, and Sharib and Mufti Zubair. Imran was reputed to be the head of the al-Aalmi faction that unleashed a reign of terror on Pakland last summer...
Hanif said their photographs had appeared in newspapers after their arrest, which should invalidate testimony earlier this month by prosecution witnesses who identified four of the five in a police lineup. The witnesses said they saw the four climb out of the truck moments before it exploded. The suspects also denied any link to the militant group Harkat-ul-Mujahedeen Al-Aalmi, which authorities say has links to the al-Qaeda network. "The allegations of prosecution are in fact a pack of lies," said defense attorney Abdul Waheed Katpar. "I am fully confident that all of the defendants will be freed." "Lies! All lies! A pack of lies! A bucket of lies! Not a word of truth, nope, nope!"
The trial, held in a prison for greater security, was adjourned until April 7, when the prosecution will summarize its case. The defense said it has no witnesses to call.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
03/30/2003 09:57 am ||
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I find it amazing that the defense claims that these are all lies, yet can produce no witnesses to establish alibis for the defendants?????? How the hell are we supposed to swallow that load of crap!?!?
Posted by: Steve ||
03/30/2003 20:48 Comments ||
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#2
Denying responsibility for the bombing, the defendants told the judge they were being used as "scapegoats" to ingratiate Pakistan with the U.S. government.
Aren't they supposed to be PROUD of their little Pequod, or Nimrod, or Jihad or whatever the flip they're calling it?
I guess a death sentence is bad.
Death sentence=bad
Suicide=good
Wow, the intricacies and wonder of The Religion of Peace [tm].
#3
I find it amazing that the defense claims that these are all lies, yet can produce no witnesses to establish alibis for the defendants?????? How the hell are we supposed to swallow that load of crap!?!?
Posted by: Steve ||
03/30/2003 20:48 Comments ||
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What was the press saying about Rumsfeld being a big-mouth hawk, that the White House was caught off guard by his warnings to Syria and Iran? Seems like Powell is singing from the same page.
The United States Secretary of State Colin Powell has given a tough warning to Syria and Iran to stop supporting terrorism. "Syria... now faces a critical choice"--said Powell. Mr Powell was speaking to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee - the most powerful pro-Israel lobbying group in the United States. This was a new and strongly worded warning from the Bush administration to two of Iraq's neighbours. This must be giving Peter Jennings fits
Colin Powell called on Syria to stop supporting terrorist groups and the regime of Saddam Hussein. "Syria has the responsibility for its choices and for the consequences," he said. Mr Powell also called on Iran to stop support for terrorists, and to stop producing weapons of mass destruction.
It was time, he said, for "the entire international community to insist that Iran end its support for terrorism". I seem to recall the words "Either you're with us or with the terrorists." His comments come a matter of days after his colleague, Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, warned both countries not to get involved in the conflict in Iraq. In the same speech, Mr Powell also repeated Washington's commitment to work for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. "Today we have reached a hopeful moment when progress may again be possible," he said.
Posted by: kgb ||
03/30/2003 11:36 pm ||
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NEAR AN NAJAF, Iraq â As a U.S. Army Humvee made its way down a sandy route several miles south of here Sunday morning, seven Iraqis in dusty robes, trousers and sandals appeared on the side of the road. Army Command Sergeant Major D. Woods jumped out of the vehicle, pointed his M9 pistol at the seven men and motioned them to get down. Prone with their hands locked behind their heads, the men allowed Woods to search them. They had no weapons but carried military papers. Woods radioed the 101st Airborne to take them to a nearby POW holding camp. Throughout the day, the same story repeated itself time and again. Over the weekend, the number of POWs at the camp increased from 100 to about 1,000 as desertions by scared and hungry Iraqis contributed to the attrition of Saddam Hussein's forces. Sounds like a good trend.
Kalashnikov rifles confiscated from defeated Iraqi soldiers are being collected by British troops to pass to pro-Western rebels inside Basra with the aim of provoking an uprising in the city. Orders have been given to British soldiers, who are destroying all the Iraqi weapons that they find, to store seized Kalashnikov AK47 rifles so that they can be handed to the "good guys"... Sounds like a plan if you can tell who they are.
The decision to supply weapons to the opponents of Saddam Hussein has been prompted by concern that they might otherwise be unable to topple the heavily armed Ba'ath Party regime in Basra. A limited civilian uprising last week was reportedly brutally suppressed by Iraqi paramilitaries who fired artillery into a crowd of protesters. There have been numerous reports of the threat of violence, including execution, being used to coerce the city's people into fighting for Saddam. And now the Brits have a better idea of who's really a good guy.
British forces are known to be in direct contact with Iraqi dissidents both inside Basra and the area immediately outside the city. Instigating an uprising in Basra has now become the favoured option for commanders of Britain's 7th Armoured Brigade. The Desert Rats soldiers have been positioned on the outskirts of the city but officers believe that a forcible British entry into Basra carries the risk of heavy casualties on both sides. At the moment, they have decided to wait in the hope that they can move in after, and in support of, a civilian uprising.
#3
The decision to supply weapons to the opponents of Saddam Hussein has been prompted by concern that they might otherwise be unable to topple the heavily armed Ba'ath Party regime in Basra.
What this sentence says in effect is that coalition forces possibly would not be able to topple Saddam. What a load of CRAP! They could get Saddam but they wouldn't be able to handle the Ba'ath party in Basra???
#4
We're handing them to people better equipped to know civilian from Fedayeen... and better equipped to make the judgement call about the risks of being wrong.
Fox News just reported Peter Arnett has appeared on Iraqi state television. Fox News' Rita Cosby said Arnett said U.S. journalists had been treated fairly in Iraq, and that he "questioned U.S. war plans." They showed a tape of Arnett on the air with at least one other figure, with the Iraqi TV logo in the corner of the screen. He stated that the US has rewritten their war plan because "the first war plan failed." Add MSNBC to my list of networks to no longer watch.
He also said that there was growing opposition to President Bush in response to his reports on civilian deaths in Iraq. What an egomaniac...so much for journalistic integrity and a lack of bias.
The majority of foreign correspondents have been kicked out of Baghdad by the Iraqi regime. Yet Arnett remains. Because he has proved himself to now be Saddam's bitch.
Arnett is the veteran war correspondent probably remembered best for his appearance on CNN during Gulf War 1. He is now reporting for National Geographic/MSNBC.
#1
I thought he acted as a traitor during GW1 and am only surprised that any network would hire him (except for Iraqi TV). I am not the least bit surprised at his statements nor sentiments.
Posted by: Jim ||
03/30/2003 18:53 Comments ||
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#2
"just the facts, ma'am" journalism has gone out the window in the last decade thanks in large part to the universities churning out 'cultural relativist' indoctrination.
Now they cannot even pretend to be objective.
It is a widespread phenomenon. Every day the Sydney Morning Herald has a front page pic of an injured Iraqi child (TM) with a massive heading : This is terrible' "disgusting' or something equally non-biased and even-handed.
Their idea of a balanced op-ed page is 4 articles of anti-war kant.
#3
My jaw damn near hit the floor when Arnett said he and other journalists have been working with the anti-war movement, helping them to formulate their arguments in opposition to the Bush administration.
Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable. So much for journalistic objectivity!
Posted by: Dave D. ||
03/30/2003 17:59 Comments ||
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#4
Arnett will be killed soon anyway (crosses fingers) during the seige.
Posted by: g wiz ||
03/30/2003 18:04 Comments ||
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#5
I was "shocked and awed" at the self destruction delivered by Peter "Traitor" Arnett. Move over Dixie Chicks.
#6
I thought he acted as a traitor during GW1 and am only surprised that any network would hire him (except for Iraqi TV). I am not the least bit surprised at his statements nor sentiments.
Posted by: Jim ||
03/30/2003 18:53 Comments ||
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#7
Yeah, right, Peter......I truly believe that the coalition told you about their overall strategy. Yup. You were right there with Gen. Franks and the other top guys. Uh huh.
Posted by: Former Russian Major ||
03/30/2003 20:19 Comments ||
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#8
Arnett is a communist. His reporting from Vietnam and during the Gulf War was Stalinist. CNN gave him the boot for his Michael Moore reporting style. He remains a herpes virius, so he'll get a journalism award soon.
Posted by: TJ Jackson ||
03/30/2003 21:13 Comments ||
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#9
he did the same thing in the Gulf War, why is everyone suprised.
Posted by: Timmy the Wonder Dog ||
03/30/2003 21:48 Comments ||
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#10
I'm confused. I thought you had to be a retired General to criticize the warplan on teevee. Arnett is just a thrice discredited CNN reject.
#11
Hey, Petey? Are the Special Forces using the poison gas yet? Or rather, HOW MUCH poison gas are they using?
Will anybody hire this guy when this is over? Besides, Indymedia?
#13
Arnett is a loyal citizen of the Hollywood/Madison Avenue Cultural Axis, the number one enemy of civilization for the past 40 years. To understand this demonic entity, which is not a conspiracy and which does not include all media, take a look at Thomas Frank's The Conquest of Cool.
#16
"just the facts, ma'am" journalism has gone out the window in the last decade thanks in large part to the universities churning out 'cultural relativist' indoctrination.
Now they cannot even pretend to be objective.
It is a widespread phenomenon. Every day the Sydney Morning Herald has a front page pic of an injured Iraqi child (TM) with a massive heading : This is terrible' "disgusting' or something equally non-biased and even-handed.
Their idea of a balanced op-ed page is 4 articles of anti-war kant.
UMM QASR, Iraq (AP) The portrait of Saddam Hussein welcoming drivers to this port city has been freshly painted over with three red Xs. Overnight, locals say new slogans reading ''Death to Saddam'' and ''Down with Saddam'' appeared on the walls at the market.
The new graffiti underlines the growing sense of security in this British-controlled city. But even Iraqis arriving Sunday to seek jobs at the port are hesitant to have their pictures taken afraid Baghdad's agents are still on the prowl and that the U.S.-led coalition won't finish the liberation it started.
''I hope they continue doing what they are coming for and they get Saddam,'' Haider Abduljabar Mrayir, 20, a former student who was hoping to get hired at the port, said of the U.S. and British forces.
The job-seeking Iraqis were brought in military trucks and searched upon entering the Umm Qasr port under the close watch of British troops. Prospective employees were selected by the town council, which the military says has no ties to Saddam's Baath Party. British forces say they are trying to assure their new helpers that the coalition forces will stay until the situation is stable.
''We're telling them that we're here to stay until they have a democracy, until they can manage themselves,'' said Maj. Allen Poulson of the Royal Logistics Corps, who is in charge of rehiring some 1,000 workers to operate the port. ''What we want to do is give them back their own job so we can give their port back to them and they can carry on with their lives.''
Some workers said they were afraid of having their pictures taken for the jobs because they still have relatives living in cities under Iraqi government control.
''The British army is here, we are safe,'' said Yasser Hassan Ghanim, 22, who has been unemployed since running away from the Iraqi army in 2001. ''But we are afraid the armies will go back just like in 1991.''
''If Saddam Hussein is finished now, we are happy. But if not, we are still in danger,'' said Osamah Kadhem, 39, who was recently rehired at the port, where he had previously been a supervisor for eight years. ''If they find me working here, maybe they will kill me.''
Samer Muhsin, 26, who has a degree in geography, said young men in this city of 45,000 now feel free from the watchful eyes of police and can pursue jobs. He said that under Saddam's regime, there was nothing for graduates like him to do except enter the military.
Muhsin said the anti-Saddam slogans appeared at the local market overnight, and said Iraqis still wouldn't brave such an act of rebellion in broad daylight despite the British and U.S. military presence.
All along the roads through town, children wave water bottles at cars and point to open mouths, shouting the few English words in their vocabulary, ''welcome'' and ''Water,'' while waving the ''V'' sign or giving a thumbs-up.
One man standing near the Saddam portrait with his black-veiled wife pleaded to passing journalists. ''I want food, I want water, I want electricity,'' he said. ''Before we had water, now we don't.''
Still, many Iraqis said they were happy coalition troops were patrolling the streets. ''We don't want Saddam Hussein. He doesn't pay attention to our suffering,'' said Ferras Mohammed, 30, who was walking through town with water jugs perched on the back of a battered bicycle. ''We have been waiting for you to come. We feel good to have soldiers here.'' This is part of what makes it worth doing.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/30/2003 03:03 pm ||
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#1
Sorry I don't have a link but I read somewhere the rehired dock workers have had their wages doubled from 50 cents to a dollar. I hope that's an hourly raise and not daily but still a good deal for the workers. (Knock wood it doesn't jump start inflation there.)
#2
These stories are going to be repeated over and over again once the people realize that they are safe and can trust us.
A critical mass will develop. There really is no question about it. We need to be patience and stay with the big plan. Treat the Iraqi people fairly and decently and we cannot lose.
Saddam is doomed.
Posted by: R. McLeod ||
03/30/2003 21:56 Comments ||
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I've always thought that a big reason the Iraqi people wouldn't be lining the road with flowers for us when we showed up was what happened to them in '91. And I can't blame them for that. But as each day goes by, and they're convinced we're there to stay and finish the bastard, situations like this should become the norm.
NORTH OF NASIRIYAH, Iraq -- On Saturday, the Marines found a cache of weapons in a tiny village along the road to Baghdad. This morning they returned for lunch with the locals. In a model of how the Marines say they hope their relationship with the Iraqi people can evolve, the two sides struck a deal: the Marines agreed to escort some villagers to a nearby well to get clean water and help repair damage caused by the fleeing Iraqi army. The village leaders agreed to go house to house, rounding up rocket-propelled grenades and other weapons that could be used against U.S. forces. The bargain was sealed with a feast cooked up by the townspeople, featuring rice, bread and goat cooked over an open fire. Yummy! These are just the deals we need to make with every Iraqi village. Once the locals see that we're serious about protecting them from the Fedayeen, they'll help just like this.
"I was concerned because of what we found here," said Lt. Col. Christopher Conlin, who led Marines from the 1st battalion, 7th Marine regiment into town in a predawn raid. In recent nights, the Marines have suffered small arms attacks that many believe were launched by paramilitary forces loyal to the Iraqi government who disappear into the villages by day. Conlin said he wanted to see where these villager's loyalties lay. The Marines found a rocket-propelled grenade launcher and other weapons in a house Saturday. When they arrived at the outskirts of the farming village the day before, they had found Iraqi army helmets, uniforms and weapons scattered throughout the nearby fields. "It had to have been a pretty large force; there was lots of stuff," said Lt. Kohtara Terahira, 30, the battalion's intelligence officer. "They must have left in a hurry."
This morning, two platoons of Marines stormed into the mud brick village in amphibious assault vehicles to provide security. Conlin and two interpreters went house to house, asking where they could find the village elder, while the Marines took up positions on sand berms that lined the town's muddy main street. They were directed to a three-building compound at the end of the main street with a stable in the front yard for cows, horses and donkeys. Inside, Conlin said, he expressed his concerns through interpreters. A villager told him residents were getting sick from bad water, Conlin said. The group emerged smiling, and chatted for awhile, while leaning against the hood of a Humvee parked in the yard. The Marines were invited to stay for lunch in the family's front yard. For many, it was their first direct contact with Iraqi citizens they did not consider hostile. The Marines left boxes of humanitarian rations and promised there would be more to come. Conlin brought one young lieutenant over to apologize because his platoon had broken down a door in town during its patrol the day before.
Greg Serdynski, 22, a Navy corpsman from Gulfport, Miss., made balloons for the children out of rubber medical gloves. Both sides made jokes about removing President Saddam Hussein from power. The Marines bought cigarettes from the townspeople and handed out chewing gum. Some exchanged dollars for Iraqi dinars. Sgt. Steven Christopher, 23, of Derry, N.H., showed some of the Iraqis pictures of his family. "It was the best part of the war so far," said Christopher. "Up until now I wasn't sure they wanted us here, but they seemed really friendly. It was like the cowboys sitting down with the Indians."
Others acknowledged that one warm reception does not make them safe in the countryside. "I'm not saying I'd want my own kids to walk down the center street," said Conlin, who added that he hopes today's scene can be repeated as the Marines continue to push toward Baghdad. "I do feel more comfortable here now," he said. "I can say that." The locals hate Sammy as much as we do, if not more. This is how we'll both get rid of him.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/30/2003 02:55 pm ||
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Thanks, Steve. I needed that.
Posted by: (lowercase) matt ||
03/30/2003 15:27 Comments ||
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WaPo headline more sensational, but mine is more accurate!
The commander of the U.S. war in Iraq denied Sunday that he had asked the Pentagon for more troops before invading the country but sidestepped a question about whether the war might last into the summer. Gen. Tommy Franks, speaking at a daily briefing of the U.S. Central Command in Doha, Qatar, was responding to published reports that the requests of U.S. generals for more ground troops were repeatedly denied by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. Good generals always want more. If Franks wasn't happy with what he had two weeks ago, he would have said so up the chain of command, and very strongly.
Reports also quoted U.S. military officials as saying the lack of troops and weapons meant the war might last into the summer. "One never knows how long a war will take," Franks said.
Speaking with marked emphasis, Franks ticked off nine successes of coalition forces since the beginning of the war, starting with securing southern oil fields.
"The Air Force has worked 24 hours a day across every square foot of Iraq, and every day the regime loses more of its military capability," Franks said.
Obviously responding to growing public questions about the U.S. preparation for the war in light of strong resistance met by forces in south and central Iraq, Franks appeared angry at the start of the briefing. "We're in fact on plan. And where we stand today is not, in my view, only acceptable, but truly remarkable," he said. You bet. 1/3 of the country under control, 250 miles in, air supremacy, control of the oilfields, re-opening the major port, blowing away the southern Iraqi army, seriously degrading the RG, and just maybe, possibly whacking Sammy & Sons -- all in 11 days. Not too shabby a start.
Franks also rejected reports that his forces had engaged in an "operational pause" near the gates of Baghdad. U.S. ground forces are about 50 miles south of the city. "There have been some pundits who have indicated we may be in an operational pause," Franks said. "This simply is not the case."
Franks was asked again about civilian casualties in Baghdad as a result of coalition bomb and missile attacks, but did not directly address the question, saying instead, "This is an incredible, precise operation." He said the Iraqi people understood the care coalition forces were taking to avoid harming civilians and, "the people of Iraq will welcome their liberation, to be sure." The peaceniks predicted "hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths". The Iraqi Propaganda Ministry claims 700 dead in Baghdad so far. Even if we accepted that number, we're 3 orders of magnitude away from the predictions of the Chicken Littles. What a testament to our guys, the rules of engagement and our ability to fight this war.
When asked whether the Iraqi leader had survived the attacks, Franks said he did not know.
"I don't know whether the leader of this regime is dead or alive," Franks said. "I have not seen credible evidence over the last period of days that this regime is being controlled from the top."
He said the coalition had achieved air and ground freedom of action in western Iraq, was staging air operations from a number of captured air fields and had secured the coastline, clearing the way for humanitarian aid shipments to begin. One might ask the peaceniks if an advancing Iraqi army would have shipments of humanitarian aid following so closely behind it.
He said coalition forces had also destroyed a massive terrorist facility in northern Iraq. At least 120 militants were killed in the attack on Ansar al-Islam, an extremist group suspected of being linked to the al-Qaida network.
He also said Iraqis opposed to Saddam were working with coalition forces, notably in Nasiriyah, where they provided records on ruling Baath party officials. He did not elaborate. There will be more of this.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/30/2003 02:26 pm ||
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#1
It wasn't only the peaceniks who predicted 100K++ deaths, it was the UN. 2 sides same coin I know, but I consider the UN more statist.
One of the reasons for confusion and anxiety is this. In '91 we were fighting in Kuwait, iraqi soldiers had no where to go, and surrendered in droves. Prisoner bag in this war so far seems relatively small 4,000 to 8,000 (though not much data being released)- presumably they have deserted to their homes instead of surrendering. Initial word was that 51st Mech had dissolved - then came claims that they had gone into Basra to take new weapons and fight. More recently we here that regulars fighting in Basra do so only with Fedayeen at their backs. So how do we count the 51st? Similarly Strategy page says 11th div is gone - but again no mass surrenders. Lots of dead Iraqi vehicles all over - but no counts released.
US line is now Kut-Najaf-Karbala, and pockets south of that mainly Fedayeen, so southern regulars must have dissolved, but not clear.
American forces are searching a terrorist compound in northeastern Iraq that was probably the site where militants made a biological toxin, traces of which were later found by police in London, the Pentagon's top general said Sunday. But there's no link between Iraq and terrorism, say the peaceniks. Nope, none, nada, can't be proven, no reason to go to war, nope, nope.
U.S. and British forces now control the compound, which belongs to the group Ansar al-Islam, said Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, describing it as a site ``where Ansar al-Islam and al-Qaida had been working on poisons.'' Pure propaganda, can't be, peaceniks told us so. Nope, nope.
``We think that's probably (from) where the ricin that was found in London came,'' he told CNN's ``Late Edition.'' ``At least the operatives and maybe some of the formulas came from this site.'' British police raided a London apartment in January and found traces of ricin, a powerful poison made from the beans of the castor plant. U.S. officials have said since shortly after that raid that they believed the poison and those arrested were linked to Ansar, which operated in a small enclave inside territory controlled by autonomous Kurdish factions in northern Iraq. U.S. officials said before the war that they had evidence that Ansar had tested chemical and biological weapons on livestock and possibly on people at the site. Tested on people? Find whoever did that, and nail 'em -- no need for a trial.
U.S. and British aircraft and missiles pounded the Ansar compound for days, and U.S. AC-130 gunships also attacked before coalition and Kurdish ground forces went in, Myers said. The site has many underground tunnels to search ``and it may take us a week to exploit that,'' he said. Myers said officials were examining laptop computers and documents found there. Ricin is relatively easy to make from castor beans and highly deadly in small quantities. There is no treatment or antidote for the poison, which can take days to kill. Wonder how many peaceniks will recant if this turns out to be copper-bottomed truth?
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/30/2003 02:22 pm ||
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Peaceniks will never recant, they will either deny or ignore any evidence contrary to their aims and biases.
#2
Saddam or Bin Laden could be shown on live TV pouring bioweapons into a New York City reservior or planting explosives on the Golden Gate Bridge and some people will never change their minds.
Posted by: Someone who did NOT vote for William Proxmire ||
03/30/2003 15:48 Comments ||
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Fred, I know you'll feel free to delete this if it's inappropriate. Anti-American writer Robert Fisk was given some alleged bits of a missile that hit a market the other day, killing 62 civilians at last report.
It reads: 30003-704ASB 7492. The letter "B" is scratched and could be an "H". This is believed to be the serial number. It is followed by a further code which arms manufacturers usually refer to as the weapon's "Lot" number. It reads: MFR 96214 09. A couple of Tim Blair's readers have weighed in with information which supports the idea that it was a US/UK missile. They think it's a launcher for HARM missiles. Do knowledgeable Rantburg readers have anything to add? My question is whether the missile launcher leaves with the missile, or stays with the plane.
This is the second market in a Shia neighborhood which has been hit in the past couple days, which seems awful suspicious to me. Especially seeing as how Saddam has "replaced" the guy in charge of air defense, as was reported here yesterday.
#1
Hey Bobby, you see a watermark there, too? Kinda hold it up so the light reflects in a certain way, and you should see the masonic pyramid bleeding from its single eyeball.
There are only forty or fifty ways to fake something like this, and it's not as though there is a shortage of American missile fragments in the greater Baghdad area. One hundred years from now, the (free, healthy, happy) schoolchildren of Iraq will take fieldtrips to dig these things up like arrowheads.
Posted by: (lowercase) matt ||
03/30/2003 13:52 Comments ||
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#2
Obviously it must be rather easy to carry some missile pieces found in Saddam's bedroom to a Shiite market, right?
Notice how it's always a Shiite market. The Shiites are the first feared to rise against Saddam.
#3
After reading Blair's post (with updates), I'm willing to agree that the fragments Fisk saw did come from a HARM system. Note to Angie: The reader Tim cites wasn't able to find numbers for the missle itself, or numbers exactly matching the ones Fisk gives. The reader says
"...it seems to me to make sense that a HARM missile may well have a serial number very close to that of its launcher. [Which is the number he found.] I can't find any other serial numbers which are even remotely close to Fisk's."
So okay, if we accept that what Fisk saw was part of a HARM, then the possibilities are:
It was a HARM which struck the marketplace, by accident or by design. (Fisk) Accident seems possible to me, design not likely-- it's a single-purpose radar-seeking missle. If we were targeting the marketplace, we would have used something else, unless...
It was a HARM, which was targeted at something in/near the marketplace. (Another of Tim's readers postulates a mobile radar system, which was driven away before Fisk got there, possibly even before the missle struck.)
Something else (like a faulty AA round) blew up in the market place, the Iraquis handed Fisk some HARM fragments they'd scavenged from earlier strikes elsewhere, and he's being a useful idiot. (TGA's theory.)
Tim's first reader says:
"[t]he blast... [appeared to have] had quite a small kinetic force, not much heat, but a hell of a lot of shrapnel... As it turns out, these are the precise characteristics of a HARM - a small warhead with lots of embedded shrapnel, designed to tear a surface radar to shreds... I can't think of another missile in the US inventory which would so closely match the apparent blast characteristics.
But "lots of shrapnel" would be a good characteristic for an AA missle, too. Seems to me Fisk's report increases the possibility that what blew up was an allied munition, but doesn't provide a definitive answer.
Posted by: Old Grouch ||
03/30/2003 16:17 Comments ||
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#4
Uh oh......Robert "25 rolls" Fisk is on the case....
Posted by: Former Russian Major ||
03/30/2003 16:24 Comments ||
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#5
2 big civilian hits - both in marketplaces, both in shiite areas.
Shiite area seems possible - they're about half the population of bagdad, so about a one in four chance that 2 successive hits are there.
But 2 in a row in marketplaces??? what percentage of land area in residential areas is marketplaces, as opposed to private homes???
Now think about it this away - suppose it was a planted bomb, not a missile?? Then you need to do it in a marketplace, since discreet access to private homes is rather difficult. Placement in Shiite areas is of course consistent.
Why fire the air defense minister - I dont know, so far its not confirmed by Iraq IIUC. Maybe its for some other reason (like not hitting any coalition aircraft) or maybe they know we have proof it wasnt a coalition missile, and they want to hide that it was a deliberate bombing.
#7
HARM missiles are rail launched - the launcher (LAU-118 or ALIC - Aircraft Launcher Interface Computer) is a very expensive piece of equipment loaded with 'top secret' threat and targeting data - no way it would ever leave the aircraft except in case of emergency, when all racks and stores are ejected.......
Posted by: Steve ||
03/30/2003 21:07 Comments ||
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#8
If we're lucky, the next piece of shrapnel Fiskie grabs, is the one he'll be pulling out of his ass...
U.S. troops encircled the Iraqi city of Najaf on Sunday, blocking roads into town and preparing to go door to door to root out paramilitary supporters of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. "This is our type of fight," said Command Sgt. Maj. Marvin Hill, of the 101st Airborne Division. "This is probably the most dangerous part of combat and that's urban. Sometimes you don't find out who the enemy is until they're shooting at you." Najaf, about 100 miles south of Baghdad, is a key stepping stone to the capital, but moving into the Shiite holy city could be a dangerous operation. On Saturday, a suicide bomb attack killed four U.S. soldiers at a checkpoint near town, and Baghdad pledged more such attacks.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
03/30/2003 01:14 pm ||
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Watch media biassholes find another excuse to report Coalition troops being "bogged down" by "Iraqi people" who have proven they are "willing to fight." Battles such as have been fought in the south of Iraq, are ENCIRCLEMENT battles, or tactical contests. How has the Coalition done in the strategic contest? They pacified the southern oil installation area within 2 days. They encircled every southern and middle Iraq city within 4 days. They approached Baghdad within 4 days. They began prepping for a final assault on Baghdad, within 5 days. I believe that the strategic objectives were achieved with only 4 Coalition casualties. Tactical assault casualties are relatively small, and most are attributable to mistakes. As for the encirclements, Hitlers Wehrmacht was still fighting these as his army reached Moscow. And Allied troops indulged German occupation of channel ports throughout WW2. The Japs were also allowed to sit it out in the Aleutians.
I will admit that the falsehoods reported by Western journalists are not intention untruths. Most of these dim-bulbs have no military background, and regurgitate cliche analysis.
The goober in the green turban with the sword was a holy man a couple days ago. That one was a Rooters foto, though. This one's from AFP, so now he's a Syrian splodeydope.
A militant Palestinian group has declared that its first wave of volunteer suicide bombers has arrived in Iraq. Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad said in a statement that it "brings to our people and nation the good news of the arrival of its first martyrdom (attackers) to the heart of Baghdad." The group's mission is "to fulfil the holy duty of defending Arab and Muslim land," by attacking coalition troops, the statement said. Iraq has declared that more than 4,000 foreign Arab volunteers have come forward to fight and were ready to die if necessary.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
03/30/2003 12:10 pm ||
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#1
Great! Lets get them all in one location in Baghdad and let the mother of all bombs go.
#2
How much longer can we allow these animals to live?
Really?
How much utter, utter, stupidity, moral depravity, and absolute disregard for all that is good and human are we going to be expected to take?
#3
so who's wrong ? - is he an iraqi imam or a paleo/syrian splodeydope - either way he's sporting that piece of crap sword like he's heading into battle. What do you wanna bet he never makes it into a firefight?
"you guys go on without me - I think I sprained my ankle..."
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/30/2003 14:02 Comments ||
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#4
Maybe they'll have another group meeting, where they'll have their last supper together! Bet that group of 200 sodomites who were targeted by the F15 the other day, were in that building dividing the food aid they ripped off the trucks!
Sir, please point that light to the corner of the room where the green turbans sitting.
#6
I hope they go through a live-fire dress rehearsal as part of their training. Practice makes perfect, ya know!
Posted by: Dar Steckelberg ||
03/30/2003 17:18 Comments ||
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#7
Well, Isreal will be safer for quite a while, and the homicide bombers will be fighting soldiers instead of shoppers. I doubt they will be as succesful.
A British reporter was killed here on Sunday in what seems to be an attempted murder. If he was killed, then it wasn't "attempted"...
Eyewitnesses told IRNA that the correspondent, working for the British television news network ITN, had fallen from the window of his room in Sarchenar Hotel in Sulaimaniya and had died immediately. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), who are in charge of the security of foreign reporters in Iraq's Kurdistan, has yet to comment on the incident. The ITN correspondent is the second foreign reporter killed in thearea so far after the death last week of an ABC cameraman, Paul Moran.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
03/30/2003 11:30 am ||
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Arvandkenar, Khuzestan prov: Iraqi civilians on Sunday ransacked a border post in Aldouaib region in Iraq territory and pulled down the country's national flag. Iranian reporters who are now stationed long with Arvand witnessed the ransack of the border point. It seemed the Iraqi border guards had already quit the border post, said the report. Snicker!
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
03/30/2003 11:11 am ||
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An Iraqi Kurdish opposition group reported on Sunday that four high-ranking Iraqi officers had surrendered to them after Baghdad had withdrawn troops to Kirkuk, northern Iraq. Officials of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in a news conference showed the Iraqi officers who had covered their faces to reporters. However, the reporters were not allowed to interview the officers,and this immediately cast doubts over the PUK claim. The officers were moved to an unknown place and efforts to interview them have so far failed. The Iraqi army retreated as long as 50 kilometers from its positions in northern Iraq in two phases and stationed 10 kilometers from Kirkuk. If the Baathists figure out who they are, guess what happens to their families? Shouldn't have put them on display in the first place. But it's nice to know they're hanging it up.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
03/30/2003 11:01 am ||
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#1
"What with recent headlines, the word "surrender" is taking on a positively civilized glow"
#2
Reports are that Iraqis have pulled back from positions north and northwest of Kirkuk - that means road to Mosul is broken, and Mosul is close to being cut off. Coalition can go for either city first, both are being hit from the air. Largest coalition ground force is Kurds, and politics (IE Turkey) prevents using them to take the cities - so holding off till enough US/UK troops are there. Looks like enough US/UK troops will go to take the cities, Kurds will hold the rural areas. Then on to Tikrit, from which there are reports that RG is repositioning towards Bagdad.
#3
Further evidence that we can fight this war on multiple fronts, and the Iraqi center is beginning to crumble. When this is added to the pounding the SRG has taken south and west of Baghdad, you have to wonder how much longer the SRG center can hold together.
#4
It's a good sign that these guys felt they could safely surrender to the Kurds, especially in light of repercussions to their families. What with recent headlines, the word "surrender" is taking on a positively civilized glow.
Posted by: (lowercase) matt ||
03/30/2003 13:41 Comments ||
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Any Iraqi soldier with a score to settle can now surrender to the opposition, claim to be one of his superiors, and hide his face when he's put on display for the media. Then his superior might as well surrender.
The Information department of the Supreme Assembly of the Islamic Revolution of Iraq (SAIRI) said on Sunday that an official with the Iraqi Baath Party along with scores of its members were killed in Nassiriya. Helal Kate' al-Ali as well as 60 other members of the party were killed during bombardment of the party's office in Nasiriya by US and British warplanes, SAIRI said. The SAIRI report gives no further information on the exact time of the bombardment. Not bad. 200 at a pop yesterday in Basra, 60 at a time today in Nasiriyah. I like it...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
03/30/2003 10:58 am ||
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#1
we must continue to do this, quickly and decisively, if we are to win hearts and minds campaign - death squad attacks may be only a nuisance to the logistics chain, but they distance our troops from the population, make them wary and even trigger-happy, and lead to downward spiral. better to hold off on the forward advance, and hit the baathists hard, to secure the cities and build a base of good will.
#2
"better to hold off on the forward advance, and hit the baathists hard, to secure the cities and build a base of good will."
Sorry, that's exactly what saddam hasbeen wants us to do. We can't let up the pressure on Baghdad for ANYTHING. We keep advancing, moving closer and closer, surround the city, and start squeezing. The sooner ALL the Ba'ath party is found, rounded up, and turned over to the Iraqi people for execution trial, the better.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/30/2003 12:46 Comments ||
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#3
If he thinks Basra and Nasiriya are lost, I think he'd likely use gas on them.
The Lebanese Al-Minar satellite TV channel said on Sunday that British forces are facing continued resistance from Iraqi forces south of Basra, Iraq's second biggest city. However, a correspondent of the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera TV reported that US-led coalition forces are continuing their bombardments of the city. British forces, who have surrounded Basra, are not allowing people to enter the city but fleeing residents are allowed to leave. I think that means it's under siege...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
03/30/2003 10:53 am ||
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#1
I thought the IRG was almost out of ammo there.
#2
There seems to be some confusion on Fox News - they said a little while ago, over videoclips of the chaotic scene at the main bridge leading to the city, that civilians were being allowed back _into_ the city, at least women and children, but that adult males and anyone who might have a weapon weren't being allowed to pass.
Posted by: Joe ||
03/30/2003 18:51 Comments ||
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The Iraqi city of Mosul was heavily bombarded on Sunday morning, the al-Jazeera TV network announced today. The city was repeatedly hit by the US war planes during the early hours of Sunday, it added. The situation of the city is almost normal and the people have resumed their ordinary activities, an al-Jazeera reporter said.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
03/30/2003 10:34 am ||
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Thousands of Arab volunteers are coming to Iraq to help Iraqis fight the US-led coalition forces that are attacking the country, Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan said in a press conference broadcast by the Iraqi state TV on Saturday. In the conference, also carried by the Qatar-based TV channel Al-Jazeera, Taha Yassin Ramadan declared that Iraq respects the Geneva Convention regarding the treatment of prisoners of war (POWs). He accused the US and British military forces of violating international laws on the conduct of war, referring to the US-led bombardment of Shola region in Iraq which injured over 60 people. The vice-president further said that the US and British forces attacked the region knowing it has no missile launcher or even an anti-air defense system. He reiterated his government's assurance that it has no weapons of mass destruction since 1991. Yassin Ramadan said that Iraq has not asked the UN to decide on the country's fate. "If the UN had been concerned with our nation it would not have allowed sanctions against Iraq to continue." If Iraq had wanted the sanctions to end, it would have complied with the UN resolutions...
Meanwhile, the Iraqi state TV reported on Saturday that tens of Iraqi people residing abroad are returning to their country to take part in the war against the coalition forces. It said many Iraqis are now waiting in the border region of Rowaishid in Jordan to obtain permission to enter Iraq. "Tens"? We'd say dozens. That's not thousands. No doubt there will be, though, if they can get into the country from Syria and/or Jordan. It'll be a way for those two countries to clear out their riff-raff.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
03/30/2003 10:32 am ||
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#1
Refresh my memory. Didn't we face "thousands of Arab volunteers" in Afghanistan?
Posted by: Old Grouch ||
03/30/2003 16:53 Comments ||
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"It said many Iraqis are now waiting in the border region of Rowaishid in Jordan to obtain permission to enter Iraq."
Hmmm..if they are so motivated to fight, why are they waiting for permission to cross the border? Are they playing Simon Says?
#3
It's absurd, and yes, indeed we heard that thousands of volunteers (from Pakistan) were going to Afghanistan.
Actually, there WERE Pakistani volunteers who were foolish enough to go. They were slaughtered.
The same thing will happen to anyone trying to help the Iraqis. Look at the map. There are hundreds of miles of open desert, and very few roads, between the Syrian and Jordanian borders and Iraq. Unless you're walking, how do you cross that zone in a vehicle without being seen? How do you cross in any kind of numbers without being seen? There have already been many reports of fried vehicles that have tried.
The "waiting for permission" line is the giveaway. "I wanted to go, but they wouldn't let me!"
Those who do try to go will meet the same fate as the fools from Pakistan.
And what about the brave Arab armies? Syria has an "army" and Egypt has an "air force." They want to play?
Didn't think so.
Posted by: R. McLeod ||
03/30/2003 21:52 Comments ||
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Iraqi Ambassador to Moscow Abbas Khalaf hereon Saturday said seven missing Italian reporters are alive, stressing that they are now in Baghdad. Khalaf, speaking at a news conference, said the Italian reporters who went missing in southern Iraq are currently awaiting the authorization of the Iraqi Information Ministry to resume their activities in the country. The reporters, he said, who had gone to Basra with the US-British troops have been taken to Baghdad by the Iraqi security forces. "This shows that Basra is still under Iraqi control," Khalaf said. The Iraqi envoy further stated that some 10,000 Russian volunteershad enrolled at the Iraq Embassy to join the troops defending the country against the US-British forces. That should be an interesting experience for them...
He said a certain number of Arab and Muslim volunteers are already participating in the defense. Elsewhere in his remarks, Khalaf said he doubted if US oil companies would be able to take up oil projects in the country. "As long as the Iraqis are alive, the US companies will never receive the authorization to work in the country," he said. "However, there is no doubt that Russian enterprises as well as those of friendly countries will continue work in Iraqi oilfields." "Yasss, my good friends. We're gonna take care of you, just as soon's we get them pesky hegemonists outta the way..."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
03/30/2003 10:12 am ||
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#1
Are all these Russians muslim?
10K volunteered, how many will go there give up and ask for asylum in the US/UK?
Kurdish guerrillas working with U.S. special forces attacked well-trained Islamic militants allegedly linked to al-Qaida - an operation that one Kurdish leader said left at least 120 militants dead and dealt "a very serious blow" to terrorism. Heavy machine gun fire and bombardment were reported Saturday around the northeastern city of Halabja near positions of the Ansar al-Islam extremists, who have been under sporadic attack by U.S. forces for a week. Barham Saleh, prime minister of the Sulaymaniyah-based Kurdish government that is a U.S. ally, told The Associated Press the attack on the militants was important in the war against terror. He added that many of those killed were Afghan Arabs who had fought and trained in Afghanistan. "It was a very tough battle," said Saleh. "You're talking about a bunch of terrorists who are very well-trained and well-equipped." On Friday, thousands of Kurdish rebels swept through Ansar's stronghold, dislodging many of the militants from mountain villages they controlled. Seventeen Kurds and between 120 and 150 Ansar militants were killed, Saleh said. I just hope to hell that's the end of them. Be really thorough with the mop-up...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
03/30/2003 10:07 am ||
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Thousands of Marines pushed north toward Baghdad in "seek and destroy" missions Sunday, trying to open the route to the Iraqi capital and stop days of attacks along a stretch that has become known as "Ambush Alley." Charging into previously unsecured areas, the Marines tried to provoke attacks in order to find Iraqi fighters and defeat them. A chaplain traveling with them handed out humanitarian packages to distrustful Iraqi civilians encountered along the way.
Army supply trucks appeared on the Marine route north for the first time Sunday, supporting field reports that Army and Marine forces were meeting for the first time in the ground invasion, which had the Marines trekking north along Route 80 — known as the "Highway of Death" — and Army forces punching their way across desert terrain. Rank-and-file Marines, ordered to intercept and question each civilian they see along the route after an Iraqi army officer attacked a group of Americans in a suicide bomb attack Saturday, also handed out ration packets. For hungry Iraqis, this gift was the only thing that could convince them the Marines were not there to hurt them. "I had one of them tell me they'd heard to be a Marine you had to eat a baby, or kill someone," one Marine said about enemy prisoners of war.
Frightened Iraqis scrambled into their homes at the sight of the Americans, Marines said. One old woman clutched her mule with one hand and smacked her dogs forward with the other, trying to get them to attack the approaching American soldiers. Like many other exchanges, that encounter ended with smiles and gratitude for the rations.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
03/30/2003 10:02 am ||
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Edited for length
A general from Saddam Hussein's army has been captured in southern Iraq and is being pressed to provide strategic information, British officers said Sunday. Group Capt. Al Lockwood, a British spokesman, said the Iraqi general was captured in the besieged city of Basra — the highest-ranking Iraqi prisoner of war thus far. "We'll be asking him quite politely if he's willing assist us to continue our operations against the paramilitary forces in Basra," Lockwood said. Lockwood also said Royal Marine Commandos killed a Republican Guard colonel who apparently was sent to Basra to strengthen the resolve of the defense forces, who are encircled by British troops.
Posted by: Spot ||
03/30/2003 06:55 am ||
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#1
Sorry, I forgot to edit out the original's link to Saddam's news and web sites (does he have a blog too?;)
#2
Royal Marine Commandos seem to be doing some very interesting missions. Scragging command staff and blowing up statues and such. Sending the message that we can come and get you anytime we want. Maybe tomorrow... Maybe not...
#3
Robin Cook is an ass. Everything is coming into the light. Al Quaeda is in Iraq. That alone is enough for us to go in; Sammy definately is sponsoring terrorism. It hasn't as yet come to light if he has WMD, but we'll know for certain once the we get to Bagdad. Obviously, the war is going our way. We control the show; they pop they're heads up and we pin them down.
Posted by: George ||
03/30/2003 8:18 Comments ||
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Two journalists of New York's Newsday newspaper who disappeared from a Baghdad hotel on Monday while covering the war were believed to be detained by the Iraqi government, the newspaper said on Saturday. Newsday editor Anthony Marro said in a statement that no one saw reporter Matthew McAllester, 33, and photographer Moises Saman, 29, removed from the Palestine Hotel but their room was empty and Iraqi security officials asked other journalists questions about the pair's activities. Notice the Iraqis didn't detain anyone from Reuters.
"Mr. McAllester and Mr. Saman were in Baghdad for only one purpose â to report the news for Newsday," Marro said. "We appeal to Iraqi officials to explain their whereabouts, to allow us to contact them directly and to allow their safe passage out of Iraq."
But what're you gonna do if they don't? That's life with the secret police. Look on the bright side, though. Normally, they just beat them up and throw them out of the country — unless they want to make an example.
The newspaper reported in its Saturday editions that three Westerners who disappeared from the hotel at the same time as McAllester and Saman, turned up in Syria on Friday. The report cited representatives of the peace activist group Human Shield Action as saying they had spoken with activist Philip Latasa of Virginia, who was accompanied by two photographers â Molly Bingham of the United States and Johan Spanner of Denmark.
Did want to make an example of this bunch, I guess...
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists and the Vatican, through its representatives in Baghdad, were assisting Newsday, Marro said in his statement. He said the newspaper had also asked the Iraqi ambassador to the United Nations to help find the journalists, who also worked together covering the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan starting in Oct. 2001.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/30/2003 01:49 am ||
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#1
OT but somewhat related: Nic Robertson of CNN goofed when he started reporting about the accuracy of the airstrikes on Baghdad. But what really did CNN in, was Gen. Wesley Clarke's admission on-air that he often turned to CNN to check whether a target had been hit, during the Yugoslavia campaign. The following day Robertson was ejected.
#2
I also heard something this morning about seven Italian journalists being "missing." Hope they're all safe and not part of the next Al jazeera propaganda flick.
Posted by: g wiz ||
03/30/2003 8:48 Comments ||
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#3
Iraq claims they were sent to Baghdad, and they're waiting for paperwork from the Information Ministry before going back to work or being disappeared, whichever comes first.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/30/2003 10:13 Comments ||
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ABC (US) News today showed The Ministry of Information being disappeared.
U.S. warplanes raided targets early Sunday near Karbala where there are believed to be concentrations of Republican Guard forces, forty-five miles south of Baghdad. Several loud explosions rocked Baghdad again late Saturday and early Sunday, many around the southern fringes of the city where Saddam Hussein's least worst best trained fighters are thought to be dug in. As a heavy string of blasts lighted up the horizon, buildings downtown shook over and over. At one point, an orange fireball illuminated the sky, followed by columns of white smoke. During daylight operations Saturday, U.S. warplanes dropped six 500-pound laser-guided bombs and nine 500-pound unguided bombs on military vehicles and a command bunker south of Baghdad, said Lt. j.g. Nicole Kratzer, spokeswoman for the USS Kitty Hawk's air wing. Three-quarters of the allied air strikes are now going after Republican Guard forces ringing Baghdad, Air Force Brig. Gen. Daniel Darnell told The Associated Press. Save a few for Sammy.
Despite the fires and intermittent explosions, Saturday saw the heaviest traffic on the streets of Baghdad since the war broke out. Many shops were open in the commercial districts and thousands of residents were on the streets.
"You! Over there! Get out there and bustle!"
"M-m-m-m-me?"
The Information Ministry remained standing after a Tomahawk cruise missile attack that the U.S. military command said was aimed at the ministry building. But many of the satellite dishes on the roof - used by foreign TV crews - were destroyed, and glass from broken windows was strewn in the hallways. Information Ministry officials said the 10th floor, which housed the ministry's Internet server, was gutted.
Guess UrukLink will be down for awhile...
Most of the ministry's satellite dishes have been destroyed and there was no sign of the two anti-aircraft guns that had been placed on the roof. Several foreign TV journalists were able to use their dishes on a lower roof of the building that seems to have sustained little damage. But most continued to work at a parking area opposite the building where they had moved for fear of attacks on the ministry. More of the same.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/30/2003 01:28 am ||
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Troops clashed with communist guerrillas in a hilly area near the Philippine capital, and at least 24 were people killed, officials said Sunday. Gunbattles raged all day Saturday in Angat and Pandi, towns about 30 miles north of Manila. About 20 rebels of the communist New People's Army, a soldier and three policemen were killed. It was the closest the fighting has come to Manila. The fighting had subsided by Sunday, and government troops were scouring the sparsely populated, hilly region in search of other guerrillas, Army Maj. Gen. Alberto Braganza said. At least 10 bodies of rebels have been recovered, he said.
Officials said about 70 guerrillas had gathered near Angat on Saturday, the 34th anniversary of the founding of the New People's Army. The group is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines. The guerrillas had apparently been planning attacks on the Pandi town hall and a cement plant. Police said they were tipped off by residents about the presence of the rebels. As officers arrived on the scene, the guerrillas opened fire. Reinforced by army troops, police chased the guerrillas southward to Pandi, where the rebels apparently broke up into smaller groups.
In an anniversary statement Saturday, rebel spokesman Gregorio Rosal said the rebels were continuing to expand their presence throughout the Philippines with 27 battalions of "red fighters" â about 13,500 men â operating in 120 guerrilla fronts around the country.
Because the forces of international Islamism have been so active lately, we tend to lose sight of the fact that the commies still have a lot of remnants trying to impose workers' paradises on anyplace they can find with an unstable government, and some with stable governments. Generally, the more unstable the government, the more influential they are — viz., the Philippines and Nepal. In areas where the governments actually are stable, like Europe, they actually do better, as they become "socialists" and get out the vote.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
03/30/2003 08:56 am ||
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YOU WILL DIE IN BAGHDAD. BURIED ALONG WITH THE REST OF THE INFIDELS.
ALLAHHU AKABAR!!! ALLAHU AKBAR!!! LAA ILLAHA ILLALLAH MUHAMMADAN RASULLULAH !!!
WAKE UP AMERICA!!! YOUR THIRST FOR OIL IS DISCUSTING. WE MAY NOT LIKE SADDAM, BUT WHEN YOU INVADE A LEGITIMATE MOSLEM COUNTRY JUST FOR TAKING CONTROL OF THEIR OIL, THEN THE BROTHERHOOD OF MOSLEM AROUND THE WORLD WILL RISE UP AND FIGHT YOU BACK. YOU WILL SOMEDAYS WAKE UP AND REALIZE THAT YOUR HIGH TECHNOLOGY AND SUPER WEAPON ARE NO MATCH WITH ALLAH. WE ARE ONLY DUST IN THIS UNIVERSE. WE DONT CARE WETHER WE LIVE OR DIE. WE LIVE TO SERVE ALLAH.
YOU ARE SO BLINDED WITH YOUR HOLLYWOOD DREAMS, PORNOGRAPHIC LUST, CAPITALISTIC GREED THAT YOU NO LONGER HAVE FEELINGS FOR THOSE BABBIES YOU'VE KILLED IN VIETNAM, THOSE INNOCNENT KIDS IN PALESTINE AND IRAQ. THE JEW SAID JUMP AND YOU ASK HOW HIGH.
I PRAY TO ALLAH THAT EVERY AMERICAN/BRITISH MAN AND WOMAN WILL FIND THEIR GRAVE IN BAGHDAD
I WILL ALSO DO MY BEST TO GET RID OF ALL AMERICAN IN MY HOME COUNTRY.
GO AHEAD TRACE MY IP ADDRESS. YOUR AMERICAN LAW CANT TOUCH ME HERE. IM NOT AFFRAID OF YOUR C.I.A. THEYRE NOTHING BUT A BUNCH OF SNAKES. THEY THE ONE WHO DID 911
YOU WANT ME? COME AND GET ME HERE. I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE MY COUNTRY TO BE IN A WAR WITH THIS EVIL EMPIRE.
ALLAHHU AKABAR!!! ALLAHU AKBAR!!! LAA ILLAHA ILLALLAH MUHAMMADAN RASULLULAH !!! DEATH TO THE AMERICAN!!! DEATH TO THE JUDEO-CHRISTIAN EMPIRE !!!
YOU WILL DIE , THE MUJAHIDIN WILL SLIT YOUR THROAT!!! OR BOMBED YOUR CAR
#1
TROLL ALERT! Come on, everyone, this has all the ear markings of a spoiled little rich American brat who, unable to accept reality, has created his own.
#2
Whew. I'm convinced. Submitting to Islam immediately. Yepper. Dang! Gotta change my pants, too. Crikey, I'm scared. Too terrified to even type. Man, I'm so scared I'm just gonna shut up. 'Cause when it's time to shut up, I clam. I mean I mollusc. I hinge shut. Won't hear a peep outta me when Islam's finest tells me to shut up. Not a word. Not one peep. Quiet as a mouse -- just shivering here with my Lee-Enfield and praying this unshaved Holy Warrior misses me. Brr. It's cold. There. My KA-BAR seems to have warmed me up. Mmm. My cuddly SVT-40 sits in the corner like a cheery Teddy bear, stuffed full of 7.62x54. Now I feel a little better. Maybe a cup of icy scotch will sooth me as I await this devil's approach. Man. Man. Hand me the Kleenex. I've got some crying to do.
Posted by: Alex ||
03/30/2003 19:10 Comments ||
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#3
Imam Aska Paul, I am Imam Ali Akbar Brian. I have even less credentials for the Islamic Faith, but who does that stop?
Shall we write a two part Fatwa, one preaching tolerance, the other precluding individuals like this one from buggering animals?
I think the sodomy fatwa would be struck down faster than you can say Salman Rushdie!
Posted by: Brian ||
03/30/2003 19:39 Comments ||
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#4
>> I PRAY TO ALLAH THAT EVERY AMERICAN/BRITISH MAN AND WOMAN WILL FIND THEIR GRAVE IN BAGHDAD
I pray to the Lord God Almighty that the men and women of Baghdad and throughout Iraq will be able to live freely, take risks freely and be able to enjoy the rewards afterward.
I pray, too, that one day I will be able to travel to Baghdad in my lifetime and perhaps get in a quick 36 holes of golf at Baghdad National.
#5
C'mon, everybody, stop picking on Syudaha. It must be a bitch when your application to suicide bomber school is rejected. He was soooooo close to getting those 72 virgins......
Posted by: Former Russian Major ||
03/30/2003 20:38 Comments ||
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#6
He left us Allah's email addy... I'm a bit surprised it's a dotcom though...
#13
I wonder what the Arabs will think about their God at the end of this when the US/UK have entered Bahgdad. Its all Allah this and Allah that. Tell me (Mr Im Hiding In My Rats Ass Country Try To Get) me what has Allah done for you and your people in the past. Seems to me he does nothing but keep your people down (ooops sorry you do that to yourselfs) I am a beleiver in God and Im sure many others in the world are, but you dont see us running around using Gods name to forfil our sick perverted ideological needs which after all are man made for surely no loving and decent God would say hey listen up Abdul why dont you (how do you put it)Slit someones throat (Sounds more like Satan talking to me). And really at the end of the day when you actually use you brain and think about it if the USA really wanted to they would just Nuke Baghdad and it would all be over. This isnt about oil its about removing idiots like you from postitions of power. I also noticed that you invoked the name of Allah no less than 7 times, tell what are you his public relations guy, please enlighten me on this issue as you seem to be communicating with Allah directly. Oh and one more thing the Nuclear weapon has been called the Hand of God....seems stange to me that he forgot to give it to the true beleivers and to the infidel instead again please enlighten me.
#14
But he's using the internet, invented in America, probably on a PC with an Intel chip, most likely using Windows.
His supply of qat must've ran out.
#16
Oh c'mon! I just got that car, please don't BOMBED it!
Posted by: (lowercase) matt ||
03/30/2003 15:43 Comments ||
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#17
Fred, this is precious. You need to come up with a way to keep this around, easily accessible, for when we need reminding what this war is about.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
03/30/2003 15:43 Comments ||
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#18
Now I understand why the former human shields picked up about $600 worth of Prozac when they stopped in Turkey.....
How did he know that the last guy who asked me to jump was a Jew? He's my personal trainer. I will happily submit to the Zionist conspiracy to make me look better naked. ;)
Posted by: Former Russian Major ||
03/30/2003 16:08 Comments ||
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#19
Sounds like a troll, smells like a jihadi. Ever considered the possibility that your Allah is but Satan in disguise? Tell you what: islamo-fascism will be defeated, just as imperialism, nazism, fascism, and communism have been defeated in the last three world wars. Look it up, if you can stop screaming for a while.
#20
Congratulations on making the big leagues, Fred. You've made the Show when you attract Muslim idiocy attention like this.
Posted by: Christopher Johnson ||
03/30/2003 16:18 Comments ||
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#21
Good article in the NY-Post (which I wouldn't normally recommend:
For all of the oil revenue that has flowed into the wealthier Arab countries, consider the overall state of the Arab world:
* It does not produce a single manufactured product of sufficient quality to sell on world markets.
* Arab productivity is the lowest in the world.
* It contains not a single world-class university.
* The once-great tradition of Arab science has degenerated into a few research programs in the fields of chemical and biological warfare.
* No Arab state is a true democracy.
* No Arab state genuinely respects human rights.
* No Arab state hosts a responsible media.
* No Arab society fully respects the rights of women or minorities.
* No Arab government has ever accepted public responsibility for its own shortcomings.
#23
I've my suspicions. This guy's faking it. Nobody could really be that brainlessly rabid and also know how to write.
Considerate of the Iraqis to prepare 300 million graves just for Westerners in Baghdad, though. "Mother of All Cemetaries." Although I've asked my mum and she's declined the offer, but says thanks very much. If I come to inspect my plot, will Allah really help me find it, Syuhada?
#25
Normally, I delete non-news items, but I guess I'll keep this one, even if
he mispelled "disgusting",
"someday" doesn't have a plural,
should be "no match for Allah,"
mispelled "whether," "babies" only has one "B", mispelled "innocent,"
"AMERICAN IN MY HOME COUNTRY" should be "AMERICANS IN MY HOME COUNTRY",
"THEY THE ONE WHO DID 911" should be "THEY'RE THE ONES WHO DID 911", and
"BOMBED YOUR CAR" should be "BOMB YOUR CAR".
I couldn't assign a grade of better than a D+, just for the lousy punctuation.
I wouldn't say this does anything to modify the picture we've built up here over the past year and a half of the turban and automatic weapons set.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/30/2003 16:35 Comments ||
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#26
The "once-great tradition of Arab science" is an islamo-fascist myth. They invaded various parts of the world, destroyed most of what they found, and claimed theirs whatever survived. Seriously. Anytime you research a scientific subject that is supposedly an Arab invention/discovery you will find that they stole it from someone else (e.g. algebra from the Ancient Greeks, see the diophantine equations). Many people are confused because some words have been acquired from the arabic, but the underlying theories and knowledge always pre-dated Moslum invasion. The islamo-fascist contribution to human progress is nil. NILNILNILNIL to adopt their favourite mode of expression, loud chanting.
#29
"ash-shuhada" means "martyrs". He spells it "syuhada" which indicates that he comes from Indonesia (unless he was even too stupid to spell it out right in the first place).
#30
Syuhada, Syuhada, Syuhada ... your internet etiquette is shameful! Don't you know that when you post in all caps it means you're shouting?
It's apparent to me that you're actually "frothing" (as opposed to shouting), and proper internet etiquette demands that you alternate upper and lower case letters when youâre frothing.
Please post your message again, remembering to follow proper protocol. Thanks.
Posted by: John Phares ||
03/30/2003 17:04 Comments ||
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#31
Good call, TGA. His IP address fails at ns1.indosat.net on a reverse DNS. That's Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat 21 Jakarta DKI, 10110
Posted by: Fred ||
03/30/2003 17:25 Comments ||
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#32
True German Ally >> yes im indonesian. american should go here and fight us too. i dare you
Fred >> nevermind my spelling. english is a infidel's language. i dont need to learn it well
#33
I'm just going to assume this guy is having a bad day. The most interesting part is that he seems to think that the CIA is so omnipotent that they'd bother to track down this one message just to whack the sender. That's a good reputation to have.
Posted by: Matt ||
03/30/2003 17:31 Comments ||
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#34
I'm sure he is so proud of his fellow jihadis who blew up 200 tourists in Bali.
#35
Syuhada, it's a rare treat to find someone like you. A real specimen, rather than one we usually see jumping up and down on TV. What's it like to have such a f*ucked-up personality? I'm curious, honestly. And do you plan to stay this way, or maybe you'd like to retire and become a rational character one day? Are you repressing something? I only ask because sometimes people act very agressively if they're trying to conceal something like a deep sense of inferiority, or homosexuality. Do you wake up wanting to slit people's throats, or is it a state of mind you have to work yourself up to each morning? And how's the weather in Indonesia? Bet it's wonderful.
#37
You know, it's a shame because Indonesia is actually a place where Moslems, Christians and Buddhists would live together rather peacefully if it weren't for these fanatic buttheads. The Indonesian babes are hot and they dig "bules" (Western guys). Maybe his girlfriend dropped him for one and now he is angry.
#38
While the western world has produced a civilization that has gone to the moon and returned, has produced science and engineering that can create and design aircraft that fly routinely at 3 times the speed of sound and can create weapons that can fly themselves to the target, what great inventions has islamic civilization produced in the last 1000 years? The car bomb and the suicide killer.
Now, if the car made in a factory in an islamic country, designed and created by Islamic engineers for the benefit of islamic investors and people, now that might be something. But truth be told, the car was probably created in either Detroit or Honshu island, the explosives were likely stolen from American supplies.
Islam can no longer feed itself, cant create anything except babies, has no great universities, no centers of learning that do not involve the wonton killing of civilians. While Islam was once a part of the greater human experience in religion, many of their "faithful" appear to only worship death.
( Note: It would also appear that they don't have keyboards with both upper and lower case characters.)
There is no country on earth that has done more to see to the protection of Islamic people than the United States. People who profess faith in Islam are protected by the highest law in the United States. Islamic people in the United States have a higher life expectancy that anywhere else in the world. Islamic People living in the United States enjoy a greater level of protection of support than anywhere else in the world. Do you understand that? In the country of the very worst kind of infidels( We got em all ,7th day adventists, Mormon, Moonies, Catholics, Jews, Buddists, Wiccans, Amish and yes, Wahabis and Islamist, both black and otherwise) Islamic people enjoy more rights and privleges HERE than they do in the Kingdom that contains Mecca! Can any Islamic country say the same for the protection of rights and priveleges of Christans or Jews or Buddists?
Perhaps you could ask the 300,000 Jews who in 1970 made their home in Iraq. We havent heard from them lately, but you might know someone there who could get them to return our calls. Perhaps you could tell the 70,000 Iranians who live in the Los Angeles area, who as a group are richer then the entire 10 million Iranian population that has remained in Iran. They came here with NOTHING and in 20 years they outproduce the entire country they ran away from.
Rest assured my friend, in three generations, my great-grand children will be going on with their lives and producing even more "western infidels", who generation after generation will grow wealthier, have longer life expectancies , and go on to create even more life affirming technologies, such as the MRI, the 'vaccination', the study of nutrition ,etc. You are yours will only seek to create ways to kill yourselves in greater numbers. And you must also understand my friend, that we only choose to fight with our soldiers out of humane compassion. We have other tools at our disposal and if we really wanted to kill you and your ilk in large numbers, We have both the method and the means to do so. If you pick up the phone and call your countries ambassadors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, they will tell you with utter certainty, that we have used it in the past.
You, and those like you, worship only death and will only reap the whirlwind that you have sown.
The great religion and civilization of Islam does not deserve you, and I pity you.
Posted by: Frank Martin ||
03/30/2003 18:17 Comments ||
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#39
TROLL ALERT! Come on, everyone, this has all the ear markings of a spoiled little rich American brat who, unable to accept reality, has created his own.
#41
Whew. I'm convinced. Submitting to Islam immediately. Yepper. Dang! Gotta change my pants, too. Crikey, I'm scared. Too terrified to even type. Man, I'm so scared I'm just gonna shut up. 'Cause when it's time to shut up, I clam. I mean I mollusc. I hinge shut. Won't hear a peep outta me when Islam's finest tells me to shut up. Not a word. Not one peep. Quiet as a mouse -- just shivering here with my Lee-Enfield and praying this unshaved Holy Warrior misses me. Brr. It's cold. There. My KA-BAR seems to have warmed me up. Mmm. My cuddly SVT-40 sits in the corner like a cheery Teddy bear, stuffed full of 7.62x54. Now I feel a little better. Maybe a cup of icy scotch will sooth me as I await this devil's approach. Man. Man. Hand me the Kleenex. I've got some crying to do.
Posted by: Alex ||
03/30/2003 19:10 Comments ||
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#42
We'll get to you evenutally, Syudaha, but we've got some stuff to take of first. Iraq, Iran, blowing up that black rock in Mecca into a million pieces and turning that mosque into a Christian church, among other things.
Posted by: Christopher Johnson ||
03/30/2003 19:11 Comments ||
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#43
Imam Aska Paul, I am Imam Ali Akbar Brian. I have even less credentials for the Islamic Faith, but who does that stop?
Shall we write a two part Fatwa, one preaching tolerance, the other precluding individuals like this one from buggering animals?
I think the sodomy fatwa would be struck down faster than you can say Salman Rushdie!
Posted by: Brian ||
03/30/2003 19:39 Comments ||
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#44
>> I PRAY TO ALLAH THAT EVERY AMERICAN/BRITISH MAN AND WOMAN WILL FIND THEIR GRAVE IN BAGHDAD
I pray to the Lord God Almighty that the men and women of Baghdad and throughout Iraq will be able to live freely, take risks freely and be able to enjoy the rewards afterward.
I pray, too, that one day I will be able to travel to Baghdad in my lifetime and perhaps get in a quick 36 holes of golf at Baghdad National.
#45
C'mon, everybody, stop picking on Syudaha. It must be a bitch when your application to suicide bomber school is rejected. He was soooooo close to getting those 72 virgins......
Posted by: Former Russian Major ||
03/30/2003 20:38 Comments ||
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#46
The last time I got an email with all caps it came from an attorney (they use all caps to discourage insinuations of inflection). I can tolerate attorneys. What I can't tolerate are
Jihadi attorneys! a Fatwa on Syudaha! Bring me his head!!! Please ship via UPS to avoid spoilage.
thanks
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/30/2003 20:43 Comments ||
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#47
Syudaha sounds like Sen. Kennedy after a few.
Posted by: TJ Jackson ||
03/30/2003 20:44 Comments ||
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#48
Fred >> nevermind my spelling. english is a infidel's language. i dont need to learn it well
You should learn it well. All the best explosives manuals are written in English.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/30/2003 20:46 Comments ||
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#49
He left us Allah's email addy... I'm a bit surprised it's a dotcom though...
#54
Syudaha you're a fraud. It is my understanding when a devote Muslim mentions the name of God (Allah) you are to follow it with a phrase (which I forget). It must be one of those Kossites from the Daly Kos having a good time with you all.
Posted by: Timmy the Wonder Dog ||
03/30/2003 22:02 Comments ||
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#55
Folks, this is the same troll that posted on another board.
Its clearly an Amrican trying to do a bad imitation of an Arab or Moslem. the Punctuation, style, typos and english usage point to somone who speak english, spells poorly and know very little Arabic except what he can transliterate from the TV.
As for the IP address, its easily traceable - ARIN will tell you who owns the IP block ti belongs to. And with the time of the post, the ISP the address was assigned by can check his RADIUS logs, and quite easily tell you the name and address of the person using that IP at that time. Thats regardless of broadband or dialup.
Come on Troll - I've been thru the Usenet Scientology wars, you'll have to do better than that. Why don't you make a death threat against George Bush? I dare you. (By the way, I warn you too - the Secret Service does NOT joke around about those kind of things. Ask anyone that has worked as FBI liaison at a major ISP in their Abuse & Fraud department).
#59
TROLL ALERT!! I agree with old spook. The fact that he begged us to trace his IP address means that he wanted us to look. It's a just a spoiled brat, living in his little parallel universe, where he's good enough and smart enough, and dog-gone-it, people like him.
Ziad (Live from Kuwait) has a post that's favorable to al-Jazeera. I agree with him, as I've said before. What the Arab world needs is a thousand al-Jazeeras and a lot fewer "ministries of information," not for al-Jazeera to be shut down. If you don't like the content on one independent station, you can flip channels to another. If you don't like the press releases handed out by the ministry you can... uhhh... go whistle.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
03/30/2003 12:46 pm ||
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Agreed, Fred. But so long as the number of independent channels amounts to "one", and that one panders to its audience's pre-existing bias, it serves only to legitimise the disindormation emanating from corrupt governments.
On a similar tack, I read today that Chirac wants a "CNN a la Francaise" set up in a matter of months to rival the Anglophonic global corruptors CNN and BBC (well, he's got a point, but somehow I don't think the French version would be more pro-sanity). I guess it will give the Arab Street a second channel.
#2
I've read that a couple new 24 Arabic news channels have been set up recently, one funded by the Saudis, and the other by the UAE. I'm not sure how 'independent' that would make them, but al-Jazeera is funded by the Emir of Qatar, so perhaps it balances out.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
03/30/2003 18:26 Comments ||
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Calling for "patriots to take back the Bay Area," hundreds of people staged a pro-troops rally in San Francisco on Saturday — taking the stage away from war protesters. "If you don't support the troops, you are anti-American, you are subversives, you are terrorists," said Leo Lacayo, as the crowd chanted "USA! USA!" and waved American flags. "It doesn't take a lot of courage to stop traffic," he said. "It doesn't take a lot of intellect to run your mouth. It takes real courage to fight for your country against terrorism." Bing!
The Civic Center crowd may have been smaller than recent peace protests, but the crowd seemed just as passionate about their beliefs. Participants came from as far away as Sacramento and as near as San Francisco's Mission District. Ok, its not news that there is an anti-american, anti capitalist protest in San Francisco. it is REAL NEWS when they have a protest in favor of the military in the capital of anti-american, anti-civilization counter culture.
While events supporting the war have been held in Hayward, San Jose and Sacramento, the major protests in San Francisco had all been staged by the anti-war movement. Unlike similar rallies in other cities, the event was not organized by conservative talk-radio stations but was put together by local Republicans and support groups for military families. Republicans? in San Francisco? Can it be true>?
Organizers estimated the crowd at about 2,000. Police spokesman Neville Gittens said the department no longer releases crowd estimates. Other officers detailed to monitor the event privately estimated that the noon event drew between 700 and 1,000 at its peak. Many of the speakers, as well as the audience, are self-described conservatives who vented anger at anti-war demonstrators and liberals in general. Others, including some of the many military families there, said they were Democrats who wanted to support the troops and promote national unity in wartime. "I'm not a Republican and I'm not a big George Bush supporter, but I strongly support our troops right now," said Josh Hayes, a San Francisco State student with orange hair and a sign with the Malcolm X quote "By Any Means Necessary," referring to defeating Saddam Hussein. "The world will be a better place once they get rid of Saddam. This cause is just." But many speakers spoke with more venom for local war protesters than Iraq's leader. For those of you outtside the Bay Area, You should be aware of the fact that protests in SF are now so organized that they are regualarly scheduled events. One event called "Critical Mass" involves thousands of bicycle riders who do everything they can to distrupt the Friday commute. Their purpose is to turn San Francisco into a "car free" city.
The co-organizer of the rally, Alfredo Najera, whose brother is a U.S. Marine, criticized war protesters, calling them "hypocrites" who support free speech "only when you agree with them" and promote peace "by breaking windows." or by staging vomit-ins on the city hall steps.
"If our troops can march on Baghdad, then we can march through San Francisco," Najera said. yeah, but unfortunately, the use of heavy artillery is still not recommended in SF.
The audience cheered as patriotic music blared from loudspeakers, ranging from Leontyne Price singing the "Star-Spangled Banner" to Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA." Supervisor Tony Hall, the only elected official to appear at the event, led the crowd in singing "America the Beautiful" and thanked everyone for being there. Hall noted that the demonstration, unlike the rowdy peace protests of the past two weeks, did not cost the city "a cent" because "You're law abiding. You're not selfish, and you're not hypocritical."
Bassam Ridha Al-Husaini, West Coast representative of the Iraqi American Council, described how his two brothers "disappeared" in Iraq 20 years ago and have not been heard from. He described how women were raped and children were killed. In the ranks of the left, this is known as "losing your socialist persepective" and selling out to "the man".
"The Iraqi people are waiting for this liberation. Saddam Hussein's massacre has to stop," Al-Husaini said as the crowd chanted "Down with Saddam." It appears that there are some people in SF that are also awaiting liberation.
Around the edges of the event, there were several passionate verbal confrontations between rally participants and anti-war demonstrators. Police separated two men at one point but later reported no scuffles and no arrests.
Posted by: Frank Martin ||
03/30/2003 11:36 am ||
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you are surprised at the presence of republicans and pro-war democrats in SF??? You have to go beyond tourist/yuppie SF - go to the westside, where there are acres and acres of small rowhouses inhabited by middle class Chinese Americans - id be willing to bet that the above rally was heavily Chinese-American.
#4
I bet the police breathe a collective sigh of relief when these folks hold a rally. "Whew, it's the pro-war camp! They so rarely turn to violence!"
Posted by: (lowercase) matt ||
03/30/2003 13:28 Comments ||
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#5
There are indeed Republicans in the Bay Area and in California in general. There are also a lot of disaffected Democrats in the state together with lots of folks who are just plain pissed off at the way the state is being governed and represented.
There are also folks like me who have decided that it's time for a change (I'll be running for Congress again soon). I did the write-in thing in the last Primary, but failed to get on the ballot against Ellen Tausher (D-Alamo). Beat my Republican opponent though. :-)
Greg Ellis For Congress, 10th California District US House
No website up yet, but maybe soon. The Primary's less than a year away.
#6
matt,
Indeed! The footage of the rally I saw showed the police standing in groups talking and laughing. I bet that no firetrucks or ambulances were impeded and the street was cleaner after they marched than before.
#7
San Francisco has the best harbor on the Pacific coast and has always been a crossroads and meeting place for sometimes startlingly divergent cultures, a cultural melting pot where tolerance was vital for maintaining some degree of civil order. In the 1950s, for example, it was possible for mixed-race couples (like my parents) to live there without the same degree of harrassment and discrimination they would have experienced in other parts of the country. Innovative artists and intellectuals found an environment where they could express themselves without interference from local babbits and bluenoses. This gave the city a certain atmosphere and cachet that was a large part of its international image. About 40 years ago, the rest of the country started to catch up with San Francisco. To maintain its bankable image of distinction, it had to move beyond tolerance and openness, since these were now becoming the norm elsewhere. The transition took the form of tolerating subversion, violent totalitarianism, irrational behavior, and bizarre politics until these absolutist ideologies had become accepted as the local norm. Distinction was maintained, but at the cost of everything for which the city formerly stood.
#8
A heavy Chinese American presence in the rally is unlikely for two reasons - (1) Chinese Americans are pretty apolitical and (2) many tilt towards China, which is against the war (and also pretty anti-American, anyways). (Chinese language radio is heavily against the war - with many listeners hoping for Saddam's victory). I suspect many of the demonstrators are Latino, who, in spite of what Buchanan says, tend to be very patriotic. Wish I could say the same of my ethnic group. This is why we need to stop immigration from Asia and the Muslim countries to allow the ones already here time to assimilate. Latin American immigration is fine - whatever you might say about Latin Americans, they are Western in outlook.
Catches on real quick, doesn't he?
A prominent Lebanese cleric said here on Sunday that the US will not leave Iraq to the Iraqi opposition groups, particularly the Shiite groups. Fadlullah referred to the situation in Iraq as complicated in different dimensions of politics, military and security. Since the Iraqi opposition groups have had no planned programs for their country in the period following the downfall of Saddam, they have not been able to obtain global support. According to some reports released in Washington, the US has no plan to change the historical ruling system in Iraq and the Shiites will receive no special privileges in the next ruling system, Fadlullah added. I think the general idea is that no one receives special privileges, which amounts to giving everyone the same set of special privileges.
On possible US attack on Iran, he stressed, "I do not think that the US would stage a war against Iran because it well knows that the Iranian nation, in case of facing a threat, will stand against the enemy unitedly. This is what the country's history proves." I doubt we're going to have to. If we did, since Iran and Iraq fought to a stalemate over ten years, Iran would probably be taken about the same way as Iraq. So don't even think about making faces.
Washington has installed the current Iraqi regime, it made Iraq launch a war against the Islamic Republic through its political, economic and military support and then paved the way for the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, Fadlullah said, repeating the standard set of lies, half truthes, and mindless cant. He further noted that while Kuwait was occupied by Iraq, the US, under the pretext of defending the Persian Gulf sheikdoms against Iraq, justified its military presence in the Middle East region. Now, Washington is trying to overthrow its puppet regime under the pretext that Iraq has staged two bloody wars against its neighbors, Iran and Kuwait, and is determined to bring to power another puppet regime, Alama Fadlullah continued.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
03/30/2003 11:09 am ||
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Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said Sunday that Iran would support a regime in Iraq to be elected by the people and come to office under the UN supervision. "Iran would welcome a government in Iraq which would observe good neighborly relations as well as laws and agreements existing between the two countries," he added. He thinks Sammy's going down, and he realizes that if the UN gets put in charge, it'll open wide vistas for damage control through its ineffectuality...
"Such a government would be different from the one desired and imposed by the US," Kharrazi pointed out. Which might not offer as many opportunities for exploitation...
Turning to attacks by the coalition forces on holy cities in Iraq (Najaf and Karbala), he said this has prompted the concern of Muslims, the Shias in particular throughout the world. "We have warned the belligerent forces in this respect," he added.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
03/30/2003 10:43 am ||
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The Iranians approve of the UN. Does anyone still believe the UN serves a useful role?
Posted by: TJ Jackson ||
03/30/2003 20:46 Comments ||
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Of course they want a U.N. backed government. What they and Syria are deathly afraid of is an American victory followed by a Japanese style government success in Iraq. The Tehran Mullahs realize the end is near. The strategic consequences of an American success can not be overstated.
President Muhammad Khatami said Saturday that freedom of expression and thought and criticism of power would guarantee progress, stability and durability of any society. President Khatami told the staff of his office in a ceremony on the occasion of the new Iranian year that the sort of freedom he was referring to was the one which falls within the framework of the law and is in line with social norms and culture. Khatami criticized certain adverse publicity which misportrayed the country's economic, social, political and international achievements and said all officials and civil servants have the duty to revise their performance and benefit from all chances available to serve masses and foil threats. He wished the new year would be full of blessings and success for the Iranian nation.
I wonder if Khatami is going to get arrested and sentenced to hang for those statements? Freedom of expression and thought would imply two things that are anathema to Iran's ayatollahs. One is that citizens don't necessarily have to blindly accept every statment by the ayatollahs as dogma or divine revelation. The second is that, should one become tired of being a Muslim, he/she/it could decide to become a Zoroastrian, a Christian, a Jew, a Buddhist, or an agnostic. Both concepts are, of course, tightly linked, but the thought of each makes mullahs and ayatollahs poop without warning.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
03/30/2003 10:21 am ||
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guess they should invest in some Depends⢠then, because as Iraq becomes freed, I think the Iranian people will have decided they've had enough and rise up. Ultimately, that would be the greatest benefit from our Iraq war
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/30/2003 10:41 Comments ||
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(via instapundit, edited for brevity, it goes on: )
ALL triplets in North Korea are being forcibly removed from parents after their birth and dumped in bleak orphanages. The policy is carried out on the orders of Stalinist dictator Kim Jong-il, who has an irrational belief that a triplet could one day topple his regime. He won't be around long enough for these infants to threaten him...in fact I give him 2 years
The number three is thought to be auspicious in North Korea and triplets are revered. It is believed they are likely to rise to positions of power, which accounts for Kim's insistence that they are all raised in state-run orphanages, where their development can be controlled. stunted with a diet of air and lead-paint chips more likely
Officially, the policy was introduced to help poverty-stricken parents in a country where hunger is widespread. But aid agencies and diplomats have dismissed this: triplets born to high-ranking officials are also seized. that's gotta lend itself to loyalty to old jumpsuit boy
"There is no doubt that the policy is compulsory and universal," a veteran Western diplomat told London's Daily Telegraph newspaper. "It may be officially atheistic and Stalinist, but North Korea essentially operates a state religion infused with superstition, astrology and a personality cult that glorifies Kim as a unique individual. He's unique all right — most parents would smother a similar goofball in the crib
"You don't take any chances with rivals in that system," the diplomat said.
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/30/2003 10:08 am ||
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Another prime candidate for post-partum abortion.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/30/2003 13:43 Comments ||
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North Korea has officially entered the land of myth and fable.
An Islamic militant blew himself up in a crowded pedestrian mall in the Israeli coastal town of Netanya on Sunday, wounding 30 bystanders in the first such attack in nearly a month. The Palestinian group Islamic Jihad said it dispatched the attacker, identifying him as a resident of the West Bank city of Nablus. His motive was not immediately known. My guess would be that he wanted to kill a lot of people. That's only a guess, mind you... (Where do they get these people?)
Israeli officials said that since the start of the U.S.-led offensive against Iraq 10 days ago, they have been on high alert for new bombings by Palestinian militants presumably eager to express support for Iraq. However, Islamic Jihad and its sister group Hamas have said they want to stay out of other conflicts and focus on their confrontation with Israel. The two groups did not mention Iraq in their initial responses to Sunday's bombing. Of course not. They're trying to draw attention to themselves...
The bomber set off explosives studded with nails shortly before 1 p.m. near Cafe London, a popular outdoor restaurant along Netanya's crowded pedestrian mall. A security guard kept the bomber from entering the cafe, and the man instead blew himself up near a group of soldiers standing outside. "There was a huge explosion," said a worker at a nearby fish restaurant, who would only give his first name, Herzl. "I saw two soldiers thrown to the ground and the terrorist ripped to pieces at the entrance." The attacker died and at least six of the wounded were in serious condition, hospital officials said. In a telephone call to The Associated Press, Islamic Jihad said the assailant was from Nablus' Old City, or casbah, but would not give his name. Trying to figure which one was genuine, no doubt.
Y'know, it seems like it was only yesterday â why, bless my soul, so it was! â that Sharon was saying that Israel was willing to enter into peace talks with the Paleos again. Y'don't suppose this might have been meant as punctuation to that statement, do you? Or maybe even as a response to it...
Frank G. posts the CNN version. Comments are Frank's... IJ claims it is a "gift to the Iraqi people" - "for us? how nice....thank you very much"
A suicide bomber detonated an explosion that left at least 49 people injured â five seriously â at a busy cafe Sunday afternoon in the coastal town of Netanya in northern Israel, according to Israeli police and ambulance services. The Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for Sunday's terror attack in Netanya in a phone call to The Associated Press. The Palestinian Authority moved quickly to condemn the bombing and urged the so-called "Mideast Quartet" to revive its efforts to create a "road map" to peace in the Middle East.
Israel's last suicide bombing happened in the northern port city of Haifa on March 5, when a suicide bomber set off a powerful explosion that destroyed a suburban bus, killing 17 people and injuring at least 40 others.
Witnesses told CNN's Jerrold Kessel a security guard or Israeli soldier stopped the suicide bomber from entering the cafe. He detonated his explosive outside the eatery, Israeli media reported. The attack occurred before 1 p.m. at the London Cafe in downtown Netanya's Independence Square. Many of the injured were sitting outside the eatery, enjoining a spring-like day. The bomber's body was found outside the cafe, witnesses said.
Israel has been on a heightened state of alert since "Operation Iraqi Freedom" was launched 11 days ago. "This is another attempt to paralyze the Israeli society and to cause death," said Israeli Police Minister Tsahi Hanegbi. "We knew in advance that there will be an attempt to take advantage of the war in Iraq in order to cause casualties in the country. Fortunately, we don't have many casualties today. But we're still expecting more problematic events during the time of the conflict in Iraq."
Netanya has been the target of a number of suicide bombings and attacks in the past. One of the worst, known as the Passover suicide blast, happened on March 27, 2002. In that incident, a suicide bomber walked into the seaside Park Hotel and made his way toward a dining room, where police say 227 people were having their Seder meal. Before it was over, 29 of the bomber's victims died and more than 150 were injured.
On March 30, Land Day is observed in the Middle East. Land Day protests by Israeli Arabs have become an annual event to mark what they claim were Israeli land seizures after the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. Recall that just yesterday Israel sid it was willing to resume peace talks...figures
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
03/30/2003 09:21 am ||
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Doh! excellent minds think alike, huh Fred? please delete my post of same
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/30/2003 9:24 Comments ||
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But I thought it was the Israelis who were supposed to be exploiting the distraction of the Iraq war to pursue their policy of ethnic cleansing...
Posted by: J. Michael Krause ||
03/30/2003 16:59 Comments ||
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A similar post, under Europe, has been deleted. If you have hard news related to the war on terror (or a post that will make people laugh) from a normally reliable source, feel free to post it. Rantburg does not accept pure opinion posts, not even when we agree with them. Propaganda posts fall into the same category, except that we don't agree with them and might retain them to make fun of it. Viagra ads, offers from Nigeria to give us lots of money, and offers to enhance the size of our collective doinker and/or bosoms will be deleted immediately. Have a nice day.
Posted by: meki ||
03/30/2003 07:48 am ||
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Link ||
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#1
Dude, you need to check the news more often. There is most definitely a war going on in Iraq.
#2
A Dutch site? is that the language spoken in one of the countries liberated from Nazi occupation by US+UK forces? is that "no war" as in "we love Hitler and Saddam" or "no war" as in "we're happy when US soldiers die for us to live free, but we don't want others to live free"?
#3
Sorry 'Bout that Sunshine, too late. Here is some Fun n'Zany things to think about. The civilian body count is probably lower now that the war is going on, because Sammys' Muscle-Heads are to busy with the war to waste any families who try to think Lefty-Libbie thoughts like you obviously do. Maybe not though, the international press has seen quite a few civilians get wasted by the Iraqi troops as they tried to split the scene. By the way Buttercup, if you haven't figgered it out yet, Instead of spending his Oil for Food(tm) money on food and medications, Ole' Sunset Sam has decided to invest the money in Palaces and Weaponry, both of which are loosing value very quickly.
#4
He's right. War is bad. Americans are bad. Brits are bad.
Therefore, we insist you give Eindhoven, Nijmegen, and Arnhem back to the Germans as they were before we cruel and oppressive Allies went in and liberated occupied them.
Posted by: Dar Steckelberg ||
03/30/2003 8:23 Comments ||
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#5
Belay that last comment--he's not Dutch. Just another rabid young Muslim (the Religion of Peace(TM)) who hates the West, except for their nice, shiny sports cars.
Posted by: Dar Steckelberg ||
03/30/2003 8:34 Comments ||
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#6
The Hash-I-might Kingdom of the Netherlands. Hmmm,too obscure?
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.
