KANDAHAR: A dispute between government officials in Kandahar province has paralysed the police force, forcing soldiers to patrol the streets of the provincial capital. An official from the federal government, Interior Minister Ali Ahmad Jalali, was expected to arrive in Kandahar on Saturday to negotiate a settlement in the standoff, a spokesman for provincial Governor Gul Agha Sherzai said. The effort by President Hamid Karzaiâs government to resolve the dispute is an example of actions he has taken to gain more control over outlying provinces, many of which are still ruled by warlords.
Sisyphus had it easier...
The dispute in Kandahar province involves police chief General Mohammed Akram, who sacked deputy police chief Dagarwal Nazar Jan on Wednesday and replaced him with Faqir Mohammed Askar. Jan is an ally of Governor Sherzai, Kandaharâs strongman. Akram said his move was based on orders from the Interior Ministry in Kabul. But Sherzaiâs spokesman, Khalid Pashtoon, said the ministry had issued no such order and Akram had made the decision on his own.
"Can't have that, y'know. Nope. Nope. Making a decision on one's own? Unheard of!"
Both sides said there was no tension in the city, but its 12 police departments were divided in the dispute and stopped working. That forced soldiers to replace them on patrol. Akram defended his decision to appoint the new deputy, saying that Askar had worked as a policeman for 20 years. By contrast, he said, Jan was unable to fulfil his duties or control the Kandahar police department.
Since he's a hack...
Akram earlier said Kandaharâs police force of more than 5,000 men had split into two factions, one loyal to Karzaiâs central government and the other to Governor Sherzai.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
05/31/2003 09:31 am ||
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Security sources told Al-Rai Al-Aam a man, Ahmed Hamud Al-Khaldi, who was recently arrested by Saudi authorities with a group of Islamist scholars for their alleged connection to the Riyadh blasts, was born in Kuwait and lived in the country for some time before he departed for Madina in Saudi Arabia. Al-Khaldi, Sheikh Ali Al-Khudair and Nasser Bin Hamad Al-Fahd were recently arrested in Madina for allegedly distributing leaflets urging youth to perform Jihad against Western interests in the Kingdom. Some Internet sites stated Al-Khaldi and Al-Khudair were killed during their arrest operation, which was denied by Riyadh.
That's too bad. Seriously wounded, perhaps?
Al-Khaldi was involved in suspicious activities and was summoned for questioning several times by State Security in Kuwait before he left for Saudi Arabia. Kuwait had provided Saudi Arabia with names of several such persons before the Riyadh attacks. The sources said Al-Khaldi was an instructor at one of the Sulaibikhat mosques before his departure for the Kingdom. They added he had a group of students who supported his ideas. They said Al-Khaldi was forced to travel to Saudi Arabia when the Ministry of Awqaf prevented him from performing some "suspicious activities." They added Al-Khaldi claimed he was the "awaited Mahdi."
Most of them seem to be, don't they?
He claimed he saw the Prophet (PBUH) in his sleep asking him to perform Jihad against leaders. Other sources said Al-Khaldi, who is Saudi national, assumed the position of al-Qaeda Mufti (preacher) in Saudi Arabia.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
05/31/2003 11:22:40 AM ||
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JEDDAH â Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, the imam and khateeb of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, yesterday called upon international Islamic organizations to set up a project to tackle violence and terrorism. âIt is high time for the Ummah to have an Islamic cultural project to tackle the phenomena of violence and terrorism through international Islamic organizations,â the imam said while giving his Friday sermon. He advised Muslims to follow the moderate path of Islam and keep away from violence and extremism. He urged parents to bring up their children on the basis of Islamic teachings and values. The call by the imam comes two weeks after nine militants bombed three residential compounds in Riyadh, killing 34 people. Al-Sudais denounced the May 12 bombings as a heinous and horrendous crime, adding that the criminals wanted to destabilize the Kingdom and terrorize peaceful people including those under its protection. He criticized those who kill innocent people in the name of Islam. âOur Shariah calls for the protection of five essentials: the religion, life, mind, wealth and dignity of a person,â the imam said and quoted a number of Qurâanic verses that prohibit killing of innocent people.
The Bad Guys only read the part about killing infidels.
The imam urged Islamic organizations to establish research centers and hold debates to address the issue in a scientific manner to find drastic solutions. He also denounced the strident campaign against the Kingdomâs educational curricula and its Islamic and charitable organizations. âThis is a false campaign,â he said and rejected allegations that Saudi Arabia was a breeding ground for extremists and terrorists.
"Yeah. Pakistan produces a lot more nutballs than we do. We only produce leadership talent here..."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
05/31/2003 10:11 am ||
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Saudi security forces have arrested five more suspects in connection with the May 12 Riyadh suicide attacks that left 34 people dead including nine bombers. The arrests, carried out in two raids late on Wednesday and Friday, were made in Medina, where at least 11 other suspects were arrested a few days earlier, Al-Watan daily said. The paper said in the first raid, two men were nabbed at an internet cafe, while in the second two men and a woman were arrested at a private home. Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz said on Wednesday that 11 people, including three women, were arrested in Medina during several raids by the security forces. He said that among those arrested were three hardline clerics, Ali Khudhair al-Khudair, Ahmed bin Hmud al-Khaldi and Nasser bin Hamad al-Fahd, who supported the Riyadh bombings. Saudi opposition abroad reported that Khudair and Khaldi had been killed during the operation, a claim denied by Prince Nayef.
For a change, I hope he's lying. He often is...
Reports said that among the 11 caught was the alleged mastermind of the Riyadh attacks, Ali al-Ghamdi. Prince Nayef also said that until Wednesday, 21 people with suspected links to the suicide bombings had been arrested and that four of six dead bombers were identified as members of a cell of 19 uncovered a few days before the attacks.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
05/31/2003 08:56 am ||
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Found a new diet method - purging after reading the Beeb's portrait of Weasel 1
As French President Jacques Chirac faces his first meetings with US counterpart George W Bush since the rift caused by the Iraq war, writer and film-maker Nick Fraser considers his place in French history. Feted in France as a superhero and national saviour, Jacques Chirac is reviled in Britain and America as a third-rate crook. But these are today's emotions. As I've discovered by trailing the president of France for more than a year, there are many Jacques Chiracs, and nothing, least of all his reputation, lasts very long.
There are some who do say he's more than two-faced...
During last year's elections, Mr Chirac's star was dimmed by scandals. He was viewed by all but his fanatical supporters as a tainted has-been. In the first round of the elections he scored only 20% - the lowest-ever vote for an incumbent. But his socialist opponent had performed even worse - and Mr Chirac found himself pitted against the racist Jean-Marie Le Pen in the run-off. He had become the champion of French democracy.
Francophobia
From the beginning of the allied effort to dislodge Saddam Hussein, Mr Chirac declared himself opposed to war. In Britain and America, his stance was attributed to a long-standing admiration for Saddam Hussein. It was suggested that France, having done business with the Iraqi regime, stood to gain from opposing a war. Particularly in the newspapers of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp either side of the Atlantic, francophobia was served up as the plat du jour. Bashing Jacques became a popular journalistic pastime. In the US a boycott of French goods was even mooted.
But Mr Chirac appears to have been motivated by dislike of war. He was also opposed - like the rest of the anti-American French elite - to the notion of a "unilateral" superpower America. Not just France's seven million Muslims, but the whole of the country stood behind him. So Mr Chirac resolved to use everything at his disposal, most of all France's seat on the UN Security council, to block America and Britain.
Unbecoming hauteur
One can accept this motivation without applauding the way it was implemented.
The speeches of Mr Chirac and his charismatic Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin were arrogant in tone, stressing the morality of peace-making over the need to get rid of a tyrant. When the French president failed to secure a majority of European states behind his position, he rounded on his opponents - Eastern European states about to join the EU - with unbecoming hauteur. And while seeking to obtain German support, he was also reckless in failing to placate Britain. Mr Chirac's campaign against America culminated in his famous TV appearance, on 10 March, to veto a UN resolution leading to war "in any circumstances". This caused the British and Americans to desist from any further efforts to raise support for their policy. It was the curtain-raiser to war.
'Grand Homme'
But it now appears that Mr Chirac had approached the allies with an offer to withdraw opposition if no attempt was made to secure a resolution at the UN. In France, Mr Chirac is not seen as the man who caused conflict. Instead he is applauded, even by those who dismissed him a year ago. Following hot on the heels of the old, tainted "superliar", a new, reborn world-class "Grand Homme" Chirac has emerged. Efforts have even been made to nominate him for the Nobel peace prize.
Being myself half-French, I cannot fail to be charmed by Jacques Chirac - even his gaffes have a reassuring Gallic style. He is like the puppet version of himself in the French Spitting Image - someone always trying to amount to something great, and never able to bring it off. It is possible that he acted out of misplaced loyalty to Saddam Hussein, or venal motives - but I feel that this is journalistic cliche.
Pomposity
More serious is the impression he gave of not caring much one way or another whether the world was rid of Saddam. This was an attitude shared by many, but perhaps not suitable for the president of France, a country whose founding modern myth remains the fall of the Bastille. Then there remains the question of French arrogance. But complaining about the hauteur of a French politician is about as futile as lamenting the fact that the Seine flows into the sea. Pompous, faux-grandiloquent, Mr Chirac speaks a language that French people still find appealing.
De Gaulle's successor?
His disregard for the views of erstwhile allies was also shared overwhelmingly by French opinion. So was his distaste for George W Bush. No one should be surprised that his policy was so successful. Is there a new Chirac? Is he indeed a worthy successor of de Gaulle, a great Frenchman? On these questions one may profess, modestly, some doubt. If Mr Chirac is indeed "nouveau", he tastes remarkably like the vintage article - rich, boasting an overwhelming bouquet, but with a distinctly dubious aftertaste. Jacques Chirac: Are you a Great Frenchman? will be shown on BBC Four on Sunday 1 June at 2030 BST Can't wait - AAAcckkkk
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/31/2003 3:19:43 PM ||
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In an administration with Rice, W, Cheney, and Rumsfeld, you never need to ask for straight talk heh heh
PARIS - U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice repeated Washington's complaints against France in an interview on Saturday only hours before the two countries' leaders were due for their first meeting since the Iraq war. Rice's remarks, in an interview with the daily Le Monde, appeared on Paris newsstands as President Jacques Chirac told journalists in St Petersburg that French-U.S. relations were good and he looked forward to meeting President Bush. Ouch, nice timing!
Chirac was a major thorn in Bush's side during preparations for the Iraq war earlier this year, threatening to veto any United Nations Security Council resolution backing military action. The two were due to meet briefly at St Petersburg's anniversary festivities on Saturday and attend this year's Group of Eight summit in Evian, France, from Sunday.
"There were times that it appeared that American power was seen to be more dangerous than, perhaps, Saddam Hussein. I'll just put it very bluntly," Rice said, according to an English- language transcript of the interview. thank you for the clarity
"We simply didn't understand it." Rice complained that France had not only criticized the war but actively tried to rally other countries to provide "checks and balances" against the United States. "What was to be checked?" she asked. "Perhaps Americans couldn't understand why it was not considered a worthy cause to liberate Iraq... there is a lot of consternation about the way that this was posed (by Paris)."
Without identifying Chirac by name, Rice criticized his angry dressing down of eastern European countries that sided with the United States before the U.S.-led war: "We couldn't quite understand why the East Europeans were told to behave themselves, and that they shouldn't somehow choose to support the United States, it would somehow undermine their European identity. We just couldn't understand it."
Rice also lashed out at France's post-Iraq diplomacy, when asked about Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin's meeting last week with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. "I do not understand the continuing interest in Arafat in this regard," she said. "The fact is that the Palestinian people need leadership that is committed to fighting terrorism. That has never been Arafat." Never was about Arafat, just De Villepin trying to stick his finger in our eye, so what if it cost Israeli and Paleo lives
Bush, who began his European tour with a thank-you visit to Poland, plans to leave the Group of Eight summit one day early -- on Monday -- to attend meetings with Arab leaders in Egypt and the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers in Jordan.
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/31/2003 1:46:09 PM ||
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Pravda
French President Jacques Chirac has spoken in favour of Russia-EU privileged partnership. Booosh won't invite me to Crawford - can I stay with you Vlad?
When speaking at the Russia-EU summit, the French leader stated that Russia and the EU must cooperate in resolving regional crises including those in the Balkans and the Middle East. Besides, he believes the EU must support the programme of reforms in Russia. According to Mr. Chirac, France also supports realisation of the long-term task to ensure free travelling of Russian citizens to the European Union and the other way round. Mr. Chirac believes this objective "agrees with our idea of a continent without any boundaries". We let any Arab killer in that wants in, so why not Russian Mafia?
According to the French President, it will take time. "While waiting till all conditions for unhindered travelling are created we must find ways to simplify visa procedures for certain categories of citizens," Mr. Chirac believes. According to him, these categories must include young people and especially students to simplify humanitarian, cultural and economic exchanges.
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/31/2003 08:42 am ||
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Jacques needs a catchy name for this partnership. How about "the Warsaw Pact"?
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05/31/2003 10:34 Comments ||
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Douglas De Bono: "Of course, this could just be another case of don't bother me with the facts, my mind is already made up."
Doesn't that pretty well sum up the Frogs in all matters?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
05/31/2003 15:15 Comments ||
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Now, now, kids. Let us not allow a civil, reasoned discourse to degenerate into name calling. "FROGS" is an ethnic slur. On the other hand if you wanted to call them two faced, sleazy, ignorant, backstabbing ingrates, that would only be the truth. Please try to be accurate and maintain a dialogue marked by courtesy and mutual respect. (snicker, snicker)
Discreet talks were under way Thursday between senior advisers to the Pentagon and to the Indian government on the prospects for a new security system for Asian-Pacific democracies, a kind of Asian NATO, anchored by the United States and India.
The idea comes as the Pentagon is preparing some major shifts in the deployment of its forces in the region, including the movement of U.S. Marines from current bases in Okinawa, Japan, to Australia, and the use of new basing facilities in Singapore and the Philippines.
...
..
.
IRNA - At least four persons were injured when a bomb exploded in a passenger bus in the Pakistani southern city of Hyderabad on Saturday, according to a report. The device, hidden under back seat, went off at 12:38 pm, five minutes prior to the departure of the bus from Hyderabad for its next destination. No one has claimed responsibility for the blast. Witnesses said that 15 to 20 passengers were on board when the blast happened. Bomb disposal experts believe the device weighed 300 grams and it was a time bomb. Hyderabad Police Superintendent Zahid Bukhari described the incident as an act of terrorism. However, he did not blame anyone for the blast.
In Pakland, most people seem to be the usual suspects.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
05/31/2003 11:11 am ||
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ISLAMABAD: The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) on Friday offered to back down on demands that President Pervez Musharraf step down and undergo an election process, if he agreed to leave the army and make Islamic law (Sharia) supreme. âWe are ready to give Gen Musharraf some concessions if our demands that Sharia be made supreme law, Friday be declared a holiday and the recommendations of the Islamic Ideology Council be implemented are met,â Jamaat-e-Islamiâs (JI) Hafiz Hussain Ahmed said. Interest would also have to be abolished from banking. The JI could then endorse Gen Musharrafâs presidency without forcing him to quit and undergo a standard election by the parliament, as JIâs coalition partners and other opposition parties demand. However, the JI will still expect Musharraf to commit to a deadline for shedding his army uniform, Mr Ahmed said. âIf all these demands are met, we are ready to back his election as president or we can endorse his presidency.â
"Then we'll have him killed..."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
05/31/2003 9:51:51 AM ||
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Hundreds of people have been injured in a stampede at a circus in northern Pakistan after Islamic activists assaulted the spectators. The charge occurred after students from Islamic seminaries in Gujranwala, a northern city of Pakistan near Lahore, ransacked and torched the circus on Friday. Armed with sticks and clubs, the attackers denounced it as obscene and "un-Islamic".
It was probably the smiles and cotton candy that set them off...
Eyewitnesses say the student attackers, who numbered over 100 were led by a local cleric, Qazi Hameedullah. He is a national assembly member and representative of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal.
He's the local gauleiter...
The police resorted to using their batons as they tried to disperse the crowd. A fire brigade was called to put out the fire. The mobs attempted to attack another circus, but were prevented by the police, who closed it down and ordered the closure of eight theatres in the town to prevent further damage. Qazi Hameedullah said he had told the administration to shut down the circuses, which he described as centres of obscenity and gambling. So far the police have not made any arrests. Deputy Inspector General of Police Chaudhry Iqbal told the BBC that the law would be upheld. But he refused to say why the police had not opened a case against the attackers.
My guess would be that they're afraid of them.
NO MORE FUN AND ENTERTAINMENT
Posted by: rg117 ||
05/31/2003 09:47 am ||
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Carnies: small hands, smell of cabbage
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/31/2003 11:09 Comments ||
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What's NOT "un-islamic' to these "people"?
Bet it's a short list.
LAHORE: Jamaat-ad-Dawa chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed on Friday said the rulers had become slaves of the United States and Americaâs Jew and Christian lobby was conspiring to wipe out Muslims. Addressing a Friday congregation at Jamia Qudssia here, Hafiz Saeed said Hindu and Muslim cultures were entirely different, âbut our rulers are trying to unite the twoâ.
"Everybody knows we have to kill them..."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
05/31/2003 09:43 am ||
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OK, so if "everybody knows we have to kill them" isn't that kind of like we are acting in self defense? Maybe we should take pre-emptive strikes at, oh, say Tehran, Damascus, and Mecca?
MULTAN: Bugti tribesmen held 10 passengers hostage after taking over a van and a car travelling from the Indus Highway to Karachi on Thursday.
"Yar! We be highwaymen! Yer money or yer life! As fer you, me pretty..."
As many as 18 tribesmen kidnapped 22 passengers and forcibly took a van and a car travelling on the Indus Highway. Later they released 11 women and a man, said Rajanpurâs DPO, Chaudhry Munir Ahmed. He said when police arrived the tribesmen began opening fire at them. A one-hour shootout ensued in which a tribesman was shot dead and two others were injured.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
05/31/2003 09:37 am ||
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SRINAGAR: Indian security forces killed five militants in Indian Held Kashmir, where six militants also surrendered to police.
Hurrah!
Soldiers closed-in on a militant hideout in southern Poonch districtâs Loran area that borders Azad Jammu and Kashmir overnight, prompting besieged militants to open fire. âThe fighting was fierce and lasted for several hours. Five gunnies militants were killed,â the spokesman said, adding arms and ammunition were recovered from the site.
That's where all the shooting came from, I'll bet...
The identity of the dead militants is not yet known. Meanwhile, six militants gave themselves up and surrendered their arms in Poonch and another southern district Doda, police said. Police said one of them, identified as Mushtaq Ahmed, 27, had been trained in Afghanistan in 1999-2000.
Just can't get enough of that jihad stuff...
A 12th class student who was kidnapped by Indian agents in the southern district of Islamabad was found dead in a neighbouring village. The victim, Zahid Nabi Butt, was abducted Wednesday night. His killing sparked violent protest in his native village Batagund, Dooru, reported KMS. The Indian army has intensified a counter-insurgency operation around Surankote area and killed about 100 militants in the last six weeks, officials said on Friday.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
05/31/2003 09:35 am ||
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LAHORE: The Pakistan government has set May 31 (today) as the deadline for all militant groups based in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) to wind up their camps, but the outfits have vowed to resist any crackdown against them strongly.
"Ain't nobody tells us what to do!"
The Press Trust of India said though there was no official word from Pakistan on the deadline, highly placed sources in ruling Muslim Conference said the Pakistan government was âfirmâ in its resolve not to allow groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Muhammad and other splinter groups to operate from Pakistanâs soil. The paper said the militants were told that they would not be allowed to operate. According to SANA, the crackdown was aimed at preparing ground for the forthcoming Pakistan-India peace talks. It said the militant groups opposed the orders strongly.
"Peace talks? What do we need peace talks for? We're busy killing people!"
Meanwhile, Kashmiri militants, for the first time, say Pakistani authorities are trying to stop them from crossing over into the Held Kashmir, and accuse Islamabad of betraying their âbloody struggle.â As snows melt in the Himalayan mountains infiltration usually picks up, and with it violence in Kashmir, that has claimed tens of thousands of lives since 1989. âSince early April, the militants are not being allowed to cross over the LoC,â a senior official of the banned LT told journalists. âSummer is the time when Pakistani Mujahideen cross into Kashmir to help Kashmiri fighters. It is a big blow,â he said.
"It's tradition, y'know? How can you go against tradition?"
There is no independent confirmation of the claim. India says the infiltration has begun again this year. The United States, which has led international efforts for peace in South Asia, says the infiltration is down but has not completely stopped. Ameeruddin Mughal, a member of the banned Harkatul Mujahideen, told Reuters Islamabad was betraying Kashmiris but vowed the militants would defy the government order. âBy not letting us cross into the Held Kashmir, Pakistan is demoralising Kashmiris,â Mr Mughal added.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
05/31/2003 09:27 am ||
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NAJAF, Iraq - The main Shiite movement in Iraq is pursuing a political struggle to end the US occupation, and its military wing has already disarmed, the leader of the Supreme Assembly of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SAIRI) said. With two weeks left before US forces impose a ban on weapons, Mohammed Baqr al-Hakim said in an interview that the Badr brigade had given up its heavy weaponry. "The Badr forces are no longer armed; they were armed because they were fighting the regime" of Saddam Hussein.
From Iran...
"But now the regime has fallen, the Badr forces are not armed ... it has no tanks, no artillery guns or other heavy weapons," he said at SAIRI headquarters in his hometown of Najaf, 150 kilometres (90 miles) south of Baghdad. The Badr brigade boasted as many as 15,000 militiamen in Iran.
Where they made a splendid sight, indeed, and suffered no casualties...
However, Hakim hinted the force still carried light arms. "The Iraqi people must have the ability to defend themselves against unidentified forces who continue to kill it," he said in the interview Friday.
"Like Samoans. And Veps. And Latvians. Just can't trust those Latvians..."
While SAIRI objects to the presence of US and British forces in Iraq and owes much of its survival to Iranian support, it has taken the pragmatic decision to participate in the US-sponsored reconstruction process. "We have to make every political effort possible to hasten the end of the occupation," Hakim said, implicitly rejecting a wave of guerrilla attacks on coalition forces that have left about a dozen US soldiers dead. The efforts included "dialogue with the United States, moulding Iraqi public opinion to apply pressure and also by setting up an Iraqi administration to fill the political vacuum," left by the ouster of Saddam in April. "We believe there is a very great opportunity for political action," he said when asked about the anti-US attacks.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
05/31/2003 11:45 am ||
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SAIRI...has taken the pragmatic decision to participate in the US-sponsored reconstruction process
BAGHDAD â The US Army has detained a senior Baath Party leader in Saddam Husseinâs native stronghold of Tikrit in connection with the spate of guerrilla attacks on US troops in central Iraq, Central Command said yesterday. âA Fourth Infantry Division task force captured a senior Baath Party official from Tikrit and are questioning him regarding recent attacks,â it said in a statement without elaborating. One US soldier was killed in an ambush on a major supply route north of the capital Thursday, two were killed in a raid in the western town of Fallujah on Tuesday, and another was killed in a bomb attack in Baghdad on Monday. The commander of coalition ground forces, Lt. Gen. David McKiernan, on Thursday blamed âregime holdoutsâ for the attacks which he said had turned western Iraq into a âcombat zoneâ.
Sweep it and hit them hard enough, and you won't have to do it again. Be gentle with them, and they'll be popping up all over the place.
The attacks have prompted US commanders in Iraq to consider not sending troops home until reinforcements arrive, a top Marine general said yesterday. Lt. Gen. James Conway, commander of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force in Iraq, said, however, that the estimated 40,000 Marines in Iraq and Kuwait will have to come back soon to keep up with other scheduled deployments.
I wonder if he said that in Persian?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
05/31/2003 10:15 am ||
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HNOM PENH: Over half of the 47 foreigners ordered out of Cambodia after the authorities broke-up an alleged terrorist group linked to Al Qaeda have left the country, a government spokesman said on Friday. Sok Phal, information director for the interior ministry, said 21 people had left Cambodia on Thursday, another five left on Friday morning and a further 11 were expected to leave by early Saturday. âSo far 26 out of 47 foreigners have left Cambodia,â he said. âThe rest are in Phnom Penh but before their departure they will declare themselves to the foreign office.â
Or else. You know when I said we've got to be more vicious than the Islamists if we're going to defeat the Islamists? The smiling, civil Cambodes are more vicious than the Islamists.
Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered the deportation of 28 teachers and their families, all from the Middle East and Africa, after an Islamic school was shut down amid allegations terrorists were using it. Teachers and their families, from Sudan, Yemen, Nigeria, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, were given until 6:00 am Saturday to leave.
"Get the hell out and don't come back. Ever."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
05/31/2003 09:56 am ||
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Things have really improved in Cambodia. They used to just kill people they didn't like.
Posted by: Douglas De Bono ||
05/31/2003 10:43 Comments ||
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At least 16 Muslim separatist rebels and seven government militiamen have been killed in fierce clashes in the southern Philippines as troops ignored a truce offer and stepped up an anti-terrorist campaign. Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) guerrillas ambushed a group of government militias near the town of Upi in Maguindanao province at dawn, killing seven of them, regional army chief Major General Generoso Senga said. The rebels also fired rocket-propelled grenades into two detachments of the Marines, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.
The military immediately retaliated by launching air assaults against MILF positions in the area, leaving 12 of them dead, Major General Senga said. Four MILF rebels were also killed and six others captured when members of the army's 47th Infantry Battalion launched a preemptive raid against the guerrillas in nearby Datu Paglas town also in Maguindanao province. The military strike was ordered after the rebels were seen massing nearby, possibly to sabotage a power pylon owned by the state-run National Power Corporation, Major General Senga said. "This is a treacherous act of the MILF to declare a ceasefire on one hand and attacking government troops on the other," Major General Senga said.
Islamists and treachery just seem to go together...
MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu told AFP he was unaware of the reported MILF ambush, but said he knew that certain rebel positions were being bombarded by artillery fire and helicopter gunships. He accused the military of provoking the hostilities, as an "excuse to continue their offensives" despite an MILF offer of truce.
"See? See? It's all their fault! We din't do nuttin'!"
President Gloria Arroyo on Friday rejected a 10-day truce offered by the MILF, dismissing it as a "tactical ploy" to buy time amid a massive anti-terrorist campaign in the main southern island of Mindanao. "We will not stand for double talk. It is clear at this time, that the declaration of a ceasefire by the MILF is a ploy and a tactical ruse. Unless proof of sincerity is shown, punitive actions will continue," Ms Arroyo said.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
05/31/2003 08:50 am ||
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VLADIKAVKAZ â A rebel ambush and other attacks killed five Russian soldiers and wounded 11 others in and around the breakaway republic of Chechnya. The latest bloodshed in the region â which nearly every day sees small but deadly rebel attacks â came as Russian President Vladimir Putin tried to convince world leaders gathered in St. Petersburg that his policies would bring peace to Chechnya. See? they need structure and discipline. Harsh disciplne
The ambush took place in the neighboring republic of Ingushetia, at a village about a mile from the Chechen border, a spokeswoman for the Ingush Interior Ministry said. Two soldiers were killed and five wounded in the ambush Friday night, and during a rescue operation two police officers and a soldier were wounded when a mine exploded, said the spokeswoman, Madina Khadziyeva. In the mountains of southern Chechnya, Russian artillery shelled rebel positions. Two Russian soldiers were killed and 6 others were wounded when Russian outposts came under fire. Another Russian soldier was killed when his armored personnel carrier detonated a mine. Russian soldiers detained at least 200 Chechens as they tried to ferret out rebels from the civilian population.
Although Russian forces vastly outnumber the rebels and have superior weaponry, the rebels counteract with stealth and small hit-and-run attacks, even within the republic's capital, Grozny, which has an enormous Russian military presence.
Putin was meeting with European and other world leaders â including President Bush on Sunday â in St. Petersburg to underline Russia's connection with Europe. EU officials were pressing for the Kremlin's commitment to human rights a peaceful resolution in war-torn Chechnya.
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/31/2003 02:36 pm ||
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KUWAIT CITY â Iranian authorities have arrested al-Qaeda spokesman Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, a former Kuwaiti national who was stripped of citizenship, say Kuwaiti sources.
Yes... Yesss... Please, God, let it be so...
These sources told the London-based 'A-Sharq Al-Awsat' newspaper Ghaith was recently arrested with some other members of al-Qaeda in Iran. The sources said authorities in Iran will review Ghaith's case because he is not a Kuwaiti and are unable to hand him to Kuwait. Iran has delivered a number of persons arrested on its territory to Saudi Arabia. The sources said there were also Egyptians among a batch of al-Qaeda members recently arrested in Iran.
I'm not going to oil up my ululator yet, but I'm hoping...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
05/31/2003 11:11 am ||
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#1
I wonder if the people protesting the "inhumane" conditions at US run prison camps have ever seen an Iranian prison? I know; lets send them as an investigating committee. They can endure the same conditions and food and accomidations for ~ 5 years - and then they can report. If tey are still alive, that is.
JPost - Reg Req'd
One Palestinian terrorist was killed another captured Saturday by soldiers who confronted them as they were planting a bomb on a road used by IDF forces near Jenin on the West Bank. An IDF Golani Brigades unit spotted the two Palestinians planting a bomb on the road between the village of Jabah and the Sa-Nur settlement near Jenin. The Golani soldiers opened fire at the terrorists, killing one of them. The second Palestinian attempted to flee but was captured.
"And just where d'ya think you're goin', me lad?"
During his investigation the terrorist said he was a member of Hamas and was planning to attack soldiers operating in the Jenin area. Border Police sappers safely detonated the 30kg bomb.
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/31/2003 9:04:13 AM ||
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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.
