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Iraq: Bloody Battle in the Desert
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Arabia
Omanis Handed Jail Terms for Coup Plot
Oman's state security court yesterday handed jail terms of between one and 20 years to 31 Omanis accused of plotting to overthrow the government and membership of a banned organization. Judge Sayyid Hilal bin Hamad bin Hilal Al Busaidi, heading the five-member bench, read out the judgment at about 10.15 a.m., saying the convicts could appeal for mercy to Sultan Qaboos within 30 days.

The 31 accused, all educated, were present in the court and listened to the judgment with calm. Some embraced each other. They were whisked away by the security personnel soon after the judgment. Defense lawyers had argued that their clients were innocent of the charges against them and had merely sought to promote the teachings of the majority Ibadi sect. Judge Busaidi said the defendants could not appeal the verdict but could ask for a pardon from Sultan Qaboos within 30 days. Thirty were convicted of plotting to "overthrow the regime by force of arms and replace it by an imamate, by setting up a banned underground organization."

The accused, who were all in court, were also convicted of conducting military training, arming members with weapons obtained illegally and holding meetings aimed at recruiting new members. Six defendants, accused of being leaders of the group, were sentenced to 20 years in jail. Twelve were sentenced to 10 years, another 12 to seven years while the 31st, Al-Shuwaili, who was acquitted of seeking to overthrow the regime, received a one-year jail sentence for holding weapons without a license. Mohsin bin Ahmed Al-Haddad, who was defending Al Shuwaili, told Arab News he was happy that his client was the only one to be acquitted of major charges. Asked if he was satisfied with the verdict, Juma Al-Hashmi, another defense lawyer said: "The judgment is final and we have to accept it." Sultan Qaboos must ratify the sentences. The Omani ruler commuted death sentences handed down to defendants in a trial of a Islamist organization in 1994.
Posted by: Fred || 05/03/2005 00:00:00 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Gunrunners Arrested in Jeddah
Security forces in the southern city of Abha arrested an eight-member gang for allegedly smuggling weapons to the Kingdom, high-level sources told Arab News.
"Evening, boys. Were you going somewhere?"
"It's, um...elk season."
The gang members included Yemenis, Saudis and a Somali. The sources said officers seized a number of Kalashnikov machine guns and handguns from them.
Posted by: seafarious || 05/03/2005 00:00:00 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Down Under
'Holy war' declared on neighbour
A MAN who declared a holy war against his flatmate and attacked him because he believed he had contaminated his dairy products has been jailed in Queensland.

Patrick Gerard Burke, 50, from Goodna, west of Brisbane, pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court today to one count of unlawful wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Justice Bob Douglas sentenced Burke to three years' jail, suspended after 10 months with an operational period of three years.

The court was told the incident happened on November 19, 2001, at the Ipswich house Burke was renting with Adam Henry Owen.

While having a cup of tea with Owen, Burke attacked him with a brush hook, shouting: "Jihad, Jihad, Bin Laden, Bin Laden."

lmao

He swung the gardening implement at Owen, striking him in the ankle.

Owen escaped from the house with minor cuts and scratches.

Prosecutor Brendan Campbell said during the course of his stay at the house, Burke had become convinced that Owen was a drug dealer who had contaminated his food, specifically yoghurt and the milk, and was interfering in his room.

Burke would regularly punish Owen for his alleged indiscretions by turning the electricity supply off.

Burke's lawyer Jeff Hunter told the court Burke was on anti-depressants and his life had declined significantly since the mid-1990s.

He described him as a "solitary, somewhat eccentric man" who currently lived in a hotel room, playing his violin all day.
Posted by: God Save The World || 05/03/2005 2:38:00 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Owen has issued a videotape message declaring Legal Jihad against Patrick and has produced a fatwa from F. Lee Bailey permitting the taking of violins in collections actions on judgments.
Posted by: Tkat || 05/03/2005 9:11 Comments || Top||

#2  Can someone translate from the Australian for me and tell me what a ''brush hook'' is?
Posted by: Seafarious || 05/03/2005 9:14 Comments || Top||

#3  I suspect it's what we'd call a weed-chopper....

Nope: here's a page with one. Nasty looking thing.
Posted by: Robert Crawford || 05/03/2005 9:36 Comments || Top||

#4  actually it's: ''Dirka dirka jihad jihad''

May 17th Team America on DVD
Posted by: Frank G || 05/03/2005 9:50 Comments || Top||

#5  Hands off me Vegemite, mate.
Posted by: Patrick Gerard Burke || 05/03/2005 9:57 Comments || Top||

#6  I never let a day go by without declaring jihad on a coworker. Keeps them on their toes.

JIHAD!!! JIHAD ON YOU!
Posted by: BH || 05/03/2005 10:28 Comments || Top||

#7  Sling blade. Uh-hem...
Posted by: mojo || 05/03/2005 11:25 Comments || Top||

#8  He described him as a ''solitary, somewhat eccentric man'' who currently lived in a hotel room, playing his violin all day.

He was a quiet man ...
Posted by: Steve White || 05/03/2005 17:34 Comments || Top||

#9  He described him as a ''solitary, somewhat eccentric man'' who currently lived in a hotel room, playing his violin all day.

Well, at least we know what school of Islam he belongs to.
Posted by: Secret Master || 05/03/2005 17:50 Comments || Top||


Hostage's family urged to act
The brother of a man killed by kidnappers in Iraq last year has urged the family of an Australian hostage to speak to his captors through Al Jazeera television. Paul Bigley's brother, Ken, was killed by his kidnappers in Iraq last year after being held for three-and-a-half weeks. Mr Bigley says Australian hostage Douglas Wood's family should go on Arabic TV and talk to his captors. "They have to open a dialogue through Al Jazeera and plead and put their case in that way," he told ABC TV's Lateline.
It worked so well for the Bigleys.
"At least they will get the attention of these bullies. It may be a financial situation. I hope it is not a political thing like Ken's [kidnappers]. But you have to be patient, you have to be strong, and you have to fight. Don't just sit there in the living room, crying and listening to the liaison officer sitting there pouring your tea out for you. One of you has to get up and fight."

An Australian emergency response team is expected to arrive in Iraq today to help search for Mr Wood.
I understand the motivation, but this is the wrong approach.
A video released by Iraqi militants yesterday showed Mr Wood pleading for his life and urging Prime Minister John Howard to withdraw Australian troops from Iraq. An Iraqi who has been involved in several successful hostage negotiations agrees a family's plea would have more chance of success than government attempts.
It makes for better teevee, for sure. Nothing better than lots of weeping relatives.
Sadal al Satlawi from the Iraqi Institute for Peace says negotiations by governments are doomed to failure but the involvement of families and the payment of a ransom can sometimes lead to the release of the hostage. "If you leave it to the government, I think it is very slim I'm afraid," he said. "I don't think governments are negotiators. Your best bet is to ask an NGO [non-government organisation] in Iraq who specialises and has experience.
C.A.R.E. did such a great job for Margaret Hasan.
"I think they could listen to his mother or his wife. There is a possibility always."
C'mon Sadal. Do you really believe that? And a note to GSTW, I grieve for your countryman. Australia's been a staunch friend, and it becomes more clear to me each day. We've got to win this thing. The consequences are too dire.
Posted by: God Save The World || 05/03/2005 00:00:00 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  They should go on Al Jazeera and say:
We are letting a conditional hit contract! Should our brother not be released within forty eight hours the contract will be engaged on Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's PARENTS! PayPal donations to the contract are encouraged.
Posted by: 3dc || 05/03/2005 0:14 Comments || Top||

#2  That the sociopaths who commit the kidnappings and killings care little for most things in this world is clear enough though some of them surely care about their families.
Posted by: Tkat || 05/03/2005 9:58 Comments || Top||


Europe
Mystery French 'rail bombing' deadline approaches
France on Monday set up a crisis cell on the eve of a deadline set by the shadowy AZF group, which in March threatened train bombings - a new "Madrid tragedy" - if Paris did not fulfil its demands for money. "Save yourselves from the Madrid tragedy," said the group, in reference to the March 11, 2004, train bomb attacks in Spain that killed 191 people. "Do not compromise your fellow citizens' security," it said in a letter sent on March 15 to both French President Jacques Chirac and the interior ministry. "From May 3, we will again be in contact with you," the group - or individual - wrote, adding that it expected a response to its eventual demands "within a short period of time". The letter did not specify a monetary amount demanded by the group.

Interior Minister Dominique de Villepin, whose ministry has set up the crisis response team to coordinate dealings with AZF, said: "Our services are mobilized to act discreetly."

The March letters bore a different logo but used the same code name as a group that first appeared in December 2003, threatening to blow up French railway lines unless it was paid millions of euros in cash. The February 2004 discovery of a sophisticated bomb hidden under stones on a train line between Paris and Toulouse underlined the seriousness of the initial AZF threat. Police and the first group of blackmailers communicated via classified ads in the daily press, lending a veneer of intrigue to the case, which was only heightened with the failure of a complex ransom drop in March 2004. On March 25 last year - one day after another of its devices was found on a railway line - AZF suspended its actions, but warned it would be back with a more effective "force of persuasion". The name AZF is believed to refer to the AZF factory in the south-western city of Toulouse that was destroyed in an explosion in September 2001. The blast killed 30 people and injured more than 1,000.
Posted by: seafarious || 05/03/2005 00:00:00 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Somewhere I still have some internal usenet postings from a company I once worked for. One of their offices was in Toulouse and the people there were very upset about that bombing being washed under the carpet as an industrial accident.

A islamic-fruit cake was fired. He snuck back into work and his body with some arabic statements about jihad was found at the source of the explosion in that ammonium nitrate factory.
(one of the few ammonium nitrate factories within a residential and business neighborhood anywhere in the world.)
Posted by: 3dc || 05/03/2005 0:22 Comments || Top||

#2  Beverage Alert!!!

The graphic is waaay beyond fantastic. ROFL!!!
Posted by: .com || 05/03/2005 2:09 Comments || Top||

#3  Regarding graphic;
That will teach the Pentagon not to threaten Boeing's consortium's contract.
Posted by: Gleaper Cleregum9549 || 05/03/2005 6:34 Comments || Top||

#4  ''..set up the crisis response team to coordinate dealings with AZF, said: ''Our services are mobilized to act discreetly.''
Sounds to me like they are ready to pay-up and are just waiting for the amount of extortion to be determined.
Posted by: raptor || 05/03/2005 7:31 Comments || Top||


Home Front: WoT
Change of venue sought in terrorist trial
MIAMI, May 3 (UPI) -- Attorneys for a former University of South Florida computer professor charged with financing terrorism want his trial moved out of Florida. In a federal court motion, attorneys for Sami al-Arian said there is "serious bias and prejudice" among potential jurors and "the pressure to convict him in this community would be tremendous," the St. Petersburg Times reported Tuesday. U.S. District Judge James Moody gave no indication when he would rule or whether there would be a hearing. Trial is set for May 16.
The defense attorneys said in addition to the news coverage, al-Arian was a centerpiece of the campaign between Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., and unsuccessful Democratic candidate Betty Castor, a former president of the university. Martinez, who defeated Castor, accused her of being too soft on al-Arian when she headed the university.
The motion said 328 prospective jurors have filled out questionnaires in the case and 155 of them have already been dismissed for the way they felt about the case. Another survey showed 95 percent of the people in Tampa knew about al-Arian. In Tallahassee it was 75 percent and in Miami it was 60 percent. In Atlanta it was only 33 percent.
How about New York City? I'm sure the jurors in lower Manhatten haven't heard about him.
Posted by: Steve || 05/03/2005 12:45:16 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Your honor. I demand a change of venue, to Gaza.
Posted by: Ghost of Johnny Cochran || 05/03/2005 13:04 Comments || Top||

#2  Hey Johnny and Sami, howya doin?! See U soon.
Posted by: Lynne "Jumbo" Stewart || 05/03/2005 13:13 Comments || Top||

#3  They could form a jury of his peers via the UK Association of University Teachers.
Posted by: Seafarious || 05/03/2005 16:23 Comments || Top||


Southeast Asia
4 more charged in Australian embassy bombing
Authorities have charged four more suspects in the 2004 bombing of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, while a court prepared its verdict against an Islamic militant accused of transporting explosives used in the 2003 bombing of the city's JW Marriott Hotel. Ismail, alias Muhammad Ikhwan, could face the death penalty under Indonesia's anti-terror laws for his alleged role in the Marriott blast.

He is the 12th person to be sentenced in connection with the attack, which killed 12 people, including a suicide bomber. The court was due to deliver its verdict later on Tuesday. The trials of the four new suspects in the embassy bombing will begin soon. Proceedings against one other suspect charged in that blast, which killed 10 including a suicide bomber, already have begun. Both blasts have been blamed on the al-Qaeda linked Jemaah Islamiyah terror group.
This article starring:
ISMAIL, ALIAS MUHAMAD IKHWANJemaah Islamiyah
Jemaah Islamiyah
Posted by: Dan Darling || 05/03/2005 12:08:11 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Syria Enacts Laws to Stem Terror Funding
Syria, facing pressure from the United States, has brought in new banking laws to crack down on money laundering and terror funding, the official SANA news agency reported yesterday. "Syria wants to ensure that its banking system is in line with international regulations," Finance Minister Mohammad Al-Hussein was quoted as saying. Washington has raised concerns over the alleged involvement of the Commercial Bank of Syria in money-laundering operations and the financing of terrorism, threatening sanctions under the US Patriot Act passed after the Sept. 11 attacks of 2001.
Posted by: Fred || 05/03/2005 00:00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Haahahahahahahahahaaahahahaaaaa........sure they did.
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama || 05/03/2005 0:03 Comments || Top||

#2  What? An express lane?
Posted by: Captain America || 05/03/2005 5:37 Comments || Top||


Afghanistan/South Asia
Six terrorists gunned down in Jammu-Kashmir
Six LeT infiltrators gunned down in J-K

Agencies / Jammu

Six Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists were shot dead by Indian army troops when they tried to sneak into the Indian territory in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, official sources said here on Tuesday
.
A large group of terrorists attempted to infiltrate from Nagni-Balnoie mountain range in the Krishna Ghati belt of the district around 11.50 p.m. Last night, they said.

The alert jawans, who had put up nakas in the area following specific information about the infiltration bid, challenged the terrorists, leading to heavy exchange of fire between the two sides which continued for over five hours, they added.

Six bodies of the LeT terrorists were found 100 metres inside the Indian territory, the sources said, adding other terrorists failed to enter the country and escaped back.

The weapons recovered included six AK rifles, one Under Barrel Grenade Launcher, 11 UBGL grenades, 27 AK rifle magazines, eight Pakistani grenades and 17 Chinese grenades, they said.

This is the fourth infiltration bid by terrorists along the Line of Control since April 26 wherein 22 terrorists have been gunned down in Poonch and Kupwara districts of the state.

The Indian army said on Monday that troops had killed 90 terrorists since the launch of a cross-Kashmir bus service in early April.
Posted by: john || 05/03/2005 4:38:33 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  It's a start....
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 05/03/2005 17:23 Comments || Top||

#2  [nelson]Ha Ha![/nelson]
Posted by: Scott R || 05/03/2005 18:17 Comments || Top||

#3  India certainly seems to have that Line of Control thing down better than before
Posted by: Frank G || 05/03/2005 18:35 Comments || Top||

#4  Fences and monitoring devices on the border work.
Posted by: phil_b || 05/03/2005 18:53 Comments || Top||

#5  India has purchased advanced ground motion sensors and long range thermal imagers from the USA and Israel to monitor the electrified LOC fence.

JAMMU: Indian Army soldiers shot dead six suspected terrorists while they were trying to sneak into Jammu and Kashmir through the Line of Control (LoC) in what is being called the biggest infiltration attempt this year.

''The movement was also registered by sensors fitted with barbed wire fencing. The troops laid an ambush, leading to an exchange of fire between the two sides for about two hours.''

He said the troops later spotted the bodies of the six infiltrators lying about 1,200 m inside the LoC on the Indian side.

Four militants had been shot in the same area April 28.

Posted by: john || 05/03/2005 19:37 Comments || Top||


Africa: Horn
Blast strikes Somali PM's rally
A blast has killed at least eight people and injured 30 at a rally in a football stadium in Somalia's capital being addressed by the prime minister. The explosion went off as Ali Mohammed Ghedi began his speech. He later told the BBC that a security guard had accidentally set off a grenade.
"Sorry, Boss!"
Mr Ghedi, on his first Mogadishu visit since being appointed, is negotiating his government's return from exile. Somalia has had no functioning central authority since dinosaurs walked the earth 1991. Mogadishu is considered to be an especially dangerous location for the government to be based in. The BBC's Mohammed Olad Hassan in Mogadishu says that several thousand Somalis, who had gone to welcome the prime minister, waving flags and chanting pro-government slogans, fled from the stadium in panic.
"Hurrah! Huzzah!... Run!... Aaaaiiieeee!...
He said that some people were injured in the stampede, while others were hurt when security guards started firing their guns.
"They're stampeding, Boss!"
"Turn the herd!"
[BANG! BANG! BANGETY BANG!]
The dead and wounded have been taken to local hospitals. One doctor said that two people had died from their injuries.
"They're dead, Jim!"
Information Minister Abdullahi Mohamud Jamah Sifir told the BBC that one of the militias with a grenade launcher and accidently dropped it and a grenade went off. The transitional government, which is based in Nairobi in neighbouring Kenya, is under pressure from foreign donors to relocate to Somalia. But Somalia's political leaders and warlords are divided over where in Somalia the administration should be based.
Posted by: Steve || 05/03/2005 12:28:12 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Who knew Somalia had a prime minister or anything else resembling a government?
Posted by: ed || 05/03/2005 13:08 Comments || Top||

#2  They keep it hidden in Kenya. They're afraid somebody'll steal it.
Posted by: Fred || 05/03/2005 13:14 Comments || Top||

#3  So these guys are, like, the ultimate slum lords?
Posted by: tu3031 || 05/03/2005 13:21 Comments || Top||

#4  Mogadishu is considered to be an especially dangerous location for the government to be based in

Isn't that the F*&KING CAPITOL?
Posted by: Frank G || 05/03/2005 14:34 Comments || Top||

#5  A fight in Somaliland! I'll bring the folding chairs...
Posted by: Seafarious || 05/03/2005 14:36 Comments || Top||

#6  Poor skinny's ''security'' guard dropped his toy in the middle of a packed political rally and the grenade actually went off?! Idjits all. They deserve themselves. Call in the friendly fire claims adjuster somebody.
Posted by: Tkat || 05/03/2005 14:39 Comments || Top||

#7  Why don't they drop balloons like our politicians?
Posted by: Super Hose || 05/03/2005 21:02 Comments || Top||


Iraq-Jordan
Allies Recover Letter for Al-Zarqawi
U.S.-led forces have recovered a letter that appeared to be addressed to Jordanian-born militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi complaining about low morale among his followers and the incompetence of leaders in his terror network, the military said Tuesday. The letter was seized during an April 28 raid in Baghdad, which also yielded an undated document listing targeting information and sketch maps for kidnappings and bombings, the U.S. military said in a statement. The military said it was written by Abu Asim al-Qusaymi al-Yemeni, whom they identified as a member of Al-Qaida in the Land Between the Two Rivers, one of the former names used by al-Zarqawi's Al-Qaida in Iraq terror group. The letter's authenticity could not be independently confirmed.

The letter, dated April 27, was addressed to "the sheik," a title used by al-Zarqawi's followers to refer to their leader, the military said. The letter advocates jihad, or holy war, and praises "the sheik" for being "a thorn in the mouth of the Americans," the military said. But it also described low morale, weakening support for the insurgency and the incompetence of many militant leaders, the statement said. The author also reportedly admonishes the "the sheik" for abandoning his followers since Fallujah — an insurgent stronghold that was the subject of a major U.S.-led assault in November.

Five suspected insurgents were killed and three captured during the April raid, the military said. The statement identified one of those killed as Abu Rayyan, the Saudi leader of a Baghdad-based car bombing cell. Besides the documents, soldiers recovered weapons, ammunition and fake identification cards from the suspects, it said.
This article starring:
ABU ASIM AL QUSAIMI AL YEMENIal-Qaeda in Iraq
ABU MUSAB AL ZARQAWIal-Qaeda in Iraq
ABU RAIYANal-Qaeda in Iraq
Posted by: ed || 05/03/2005 10:04:14 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Dear Al,
Jeez, things just suck lately. I feel like killing myself. Please send me some of those pics (you know the ones I mean). Paris Hilton always cheers me up.

BTW, that idiot you have commanding Ramadi, please do something about him. Those Marines have killed nearly all his men and he still keeps waving at the UAV's.

Stop by soon. We all miss you.
Abu Asim
Posted by: Chuck Simmins || 05/03/2005 11:28 Comments || Top||

#2  hmmm - I thought Bin Ladin was ''the sheikh''
Posted by: Frank G || 05/03/2005 11:35 Comments || Top||

#3  Dear Sheikh,

How do I get out of this chickenshit outfit?

Hassim
Posted by: Matt || 05/03/2005 11:38 Comments || Top||

#4  Grand supreme McShake laplion of the Sociopathadeen of the land between the two open sewers - I'd respectfully request a transfer to the typing pool in the saudi tribal land of jihad. My mammy is in poor health and there is nobody else to care for the race camel farm. Sincerely, Ahkmed the Tool.
Posted by: Tkat || 05/03/2005 12:08 Comments || Top||

#5  Wouldn't happen to be an address on it, would there?
Posted by: tu3031 || 05/03/2005 12:12 Comments || Top||

#6  We don't get French benefits?
Posted by: Dar || 05/03/2005 12:18 Comments || Top||

#7  Ahkmed the Tool are you familiar with the prophets wonderous catch 19?
Posted by: Shipman || 05/03/2005 16:12 Comments || Top||


Body of One U.S. Pilot Found in Iraq
One of two pilots whose Marine Corps fighter jets were reported missing in Iraq has been found, and investigators have concluded that their planes likely collided in the air, a senior defense official said Tuesday. U.S. officials in Baghdad said the search was continuing.

At the Pentagon, an official with access to details of the search said an emergency beacon from one of the F/A-18 jets was detected on the ground about 15 miles southwest of Karbala, in south-central Iraq. The official discussed some details on condition of anonymity because the search is not finished. An ejection seat from one of the jets was found at the site of the emergency beacon, but the official said he was not certain where the body was found.

There was one pilot in each of the single-seat jets, which had launched from the USS John Stennis on Monday. They were reported missing by U.S. military authorities on Monday evening. The U.S. military said there was no indication of hostile fire in the area when contact was lost with the two warplanes. The two F/A-18s were flying in support of coalition operations in Iraq, the military said.
Posted by: ed || 05/03/2005 9:42:06 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  lets look long and hard and find the other body- bring them both home for a proper buriel.

RIP~~

ANdrea Jackson
Posted by: Andrea Jackson || 05/03/2005 11:36 Comments || Top||


Battle With Insurgents Kills 15 in (Ramadi) Iraq
Insurgents attacked coalition forces Tuesday in Ramadi, setting off a battle that killed 12 militants, an Iraqi soldier and two Iraqi civilians, the American military said. Two Marines were slightly injured, the military said, adding the fighting also wounded four insurgents and two Iraqi soldiers. Five militants were captured, the statement said.

The battle began when a group of insurgents attacked a checkpoint in Ramadi, 70 miles west of Baghdad, manned by Marines from the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment and Iraqi forces, the statement said. The insurgents were carrying false identity papers and their identities were not immediately known, the military said.
Posted by: ed || 05/03/2005 9:39:43 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  To be filed under ''Good news from Iraq :)
Posted by: SwissTex || 05/03/2005 9:44 Comments || Top||

#2  Tell me again why the jihadis keep trying these frontal assaults - has one of them ever worked?
Posted by: Captain Pedantic || 05/03/2005 13:28 Comments || Top||

#3  First siege of Jericho, 6438 B.C. Every one since then's been a flop.
Posted by: Fred || 05/03/2005 13:45 Comments || Top||

#4  Yes, but at Jericho they had trumpets... and they were Israelites. ;-)
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/03/2005 15:25 Comments || Top||

#5  It wasn't just trumpets, Joshua also had a high rev Triumph, that he rode around in.
Posted by: Shipman || 05/03/2005 16:17 Comments || Top||

#6  I figure Josh was an early Group 44 wannabe.
Posted by: Shipman || 05/03/2005 16:27 Comments || Top||

#7  Alot of jihadis are, how should we put this, slow on the uptake. It's never a good idea to go toe to toe with marines, especially when you are lacking in alot of departments.
Posted by: Tkat || 05/03/2005 16:30 Comments || Top||


Afghanistan/South Asia
Tales from the Crossfire Gazette
2 wanted criminals killed in 'crossfire'
Two wanted criminals, one a union council chairman, were killed in shootout between their accomplices and Rapid Action Battalion and the police in the capital and Jhenidah Sunday night and early Monday. With the two, the crossfire death count since June 2004 stands at 283.
Sirazul Haque Ripon, 35, an accused murderer of sergeant Farhad, was killed at Dholaikhal Monday and Montu alias Kanak, chairman of Bhaina union council and a top ranking armed activist of underground JSD Gano Bahini, at Bhaina in Harinakunda upazila Sunday, the police said. They said Ripon, arrested by RAB from a clubhouse at Dholaikhal Sunday night, was killed in the gunfight near Dholaikhal Goalghat crossing where he was taken to recover arms as per his statement.
"OK Rip, we seem to have gotten everything. Just sign your statement here and we'll get going."
"So, I'm free to go?"
"Er, yeah, sure. Right after we pick up those guns."

The gunfight took place at about 3:00am when his accomplices opened fire on the RAB members prompting them to retaliate.
BANG BANG "Ouch! Hey, what about our....urp, rosebud...deal?"
Ripon, also wanted in three murder and three other cases, tried to flee at one stage of the encounter and received two bullets in the chest and abdomen, the source said. He was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital at around 4:00am where doctors declared him dead.
"He's dead, Jim"

RAB recovered a one-shooter gun and five bullets from the spot. Siraj Uddin, maternal uncle of the victim, said Ripon had come out of jail six months back and had been trying to lead normal life since then.

New Age Jhenidah correspondent adds: Kanak, wanted in 12 murder and one other cases, was killed in shootout near Bhaina Bridge. The gunfight ensued when a team of Detective Branch police ambushed Kanak and his accomplices who were passing through the area at about 8:00pm.
"Evening, Kanak. Just passing through, huh? How about you and the boys putting your hands up?"

Kanak died on the spot, but his accomplices managed to escape, the police said. A gun and three bullets were recovered from the scene.
Three policemen were also injured in the encounter, the police claimed. Kanak was elected chairman unopposed as no one dared to submit nomination against him in the last UP election, they said.
Well, I guess his seat will be open now.


Fugitive held, arms recovered in Ctg
CHITTAGONG, May 2:—Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in a raid at a city residential hotel on Sunday detained a fugitive and recovered arm from his possession. The detainee was identified as Mohammad Anwar Parves alias Lengra Anwar (28), son of late Nurul Sofa. He is a resident of village Pikepara under Patiya police station.
The RAB sources said that they conducted a raid at city's Ador residential hotel and detained Mohammad Anwar Parves. He was taken to the RAB-7 headquarters for questioning shortly after his arrest. Later, the RAB officials went to Patiya in search of arms. The RAB men recovered a country-made single-barrel rifle and a Light Gun (LG) including four rounds live ammunition from the residence of the detainee. The detainee was handed over to the respective police station and a case was recorded in this connection.
Hummm, must have been over their quota of crossfire for the week.


Poacher killed in "crossfire", tiger escapes
SATKHIRA, May 2:—A poacher was killed as his other accomplices opened fire to save him from the fury of a man-eater Royal Bengal Tiger on Friday last, says BSS. The incident took place at Dargang in the Sundarbans under Shymnagar upazila. The victim was identified as Sagar Munda, 50, son of Ramcharan Munda of village Kaunchi under Shymnagar upazila.
Quoting locals, police said poachers Abdur Nur and Rezanur Rahman of village Shora, Abdul Aziz of village Tengrakhali, Ansar Sheikh and Sagar Munda of village Kalinchi under Shymnagar upazila went for poaching deer in the Sundarbans on April 26 last.
Just some good ol' country boys out jacking a few deer.
After poaching some deer, they kept those on a boat at Dargang in the deep forest and asked Sagar Munda the victim to guard the deer.
"Yo, Sagar, you watch the deer, we're gonna go git some more beer"
After sometimes, a man-eater tiger jumped on the boat and attacked Sagar Munda. The victim cried for help.
"HHHHEEEELLLLPPPPPP!!!!!

The other poachers came to the spot and opened fire on the tiger, which hit the victim mistakenly.
"Look, the tiger is eating Sagar. Quick, Bob, shoot him!'

Bang!
Sagar Munda was killed on the spot.
"Er, Bob, I meant shoot the tiger." "Oh"
The poachers threw the body of Sagar Munda in the river and returned to their villages.
With friends like these, who needs enemies?

The tiger fled away.
"Furry paws, don't fail me now!"
Adhar Munda, brother of the victim, filed a general diary (GD) with Shymnagar thana on May 1 stating that his brother had been missing since April-29. Shymnagar thana police led by sub-inspector Morshed with the help of forest staff went to the Sundarbans and recovered the body floating on the Bokari canal in the deep forest Sunday afternoon.
The body was sent to hospital for postmortem. The accomplices of the victim are absconding.
Posted by: Steve || 05/03/2005 8:25:10 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Looks like the RAB might've found a mascot.
Posted by: tu3031 || 05/03/2005 9:02 Comments || Top||

#2  Montu alias Kanak, chairman of Bhaina union council and a top ranking armed activist of underground JSD Gano Bahini

''Armed Activist.'' That'll look good on his headstone.
Posted by: Seafarious || 05/03/2005 9:02 Comments || Top||

#3  A gun and three bullets were recovered from the scene.

The do get around, don't they?
Posted by: mojo || 05/03/2005 14:56 Comments || Top||


Iraq-Jordan
Iraq: Bloody Battle in the Desert
Credible reporting led Multi-National Forces to a suspected insurgent location in Al Qaim May 2, and consequently, Coalition forces witnessed suspicious activity in the vicinity. The forces then followed a truck, which departed from the possible terrorist site, to a remote and isolated camp site consisting of a tent and a shed east of Al Qaim.

Once at the camp site, the truck stopped and approximately 10-12 armed adult males began loading material from the shed and tent to the truck. Those loading the materials consisted of people already at the campsite and those who had arrived in the truck. Once they finished moving the materials, several men climbed into the vehicle and then backtracked on the same route from which they had traveled toward the original suspected terrorist site.

Before the occupants in the vehicle could reach their destination the commander of the operation decided to interdict the vehicle; upon stopping the truck, the suspected insurgents opened fire on the Coalition forces. A firefight ensued with nine enemy adult males killed in action and one enemy wounded.

Additionally, one female child, approximately six-years-old, sustained a minor injury to her right calf and to her head. It must have been "Take Your Daughter to Work Day". The injuries were not life threatening. The child and the wounded terrorist were immediately evacuated to Coalition medical facilities. All nine terrorists killed were each heavily armed with assault rifles and hand grenades.

Three other terrorists were killed in an ensuing air strike that targeted and destroyed the tent and the shed associated with the terrorist activity. Coalition forces found fake identification cards, foreign currency, and other evidence that provided proof of direct ties with the Zarqawi terrorist network as well as with networks outside of Iraq.

Six Coalition forces were injured in the firefight. They are all in stable condition.
Posted by: Chuck Simmins || 05/03/2005 8:47:29 AM || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I like the sound of ''credible reporting'' - nice way of saying the Coalition was tipped off. Excellent work. 12 Zarqi deaders is great - couple this with tough border surveillance and you stop the insurgency, which is what this was all about. On this map, you can see the Al Qaim in on the Euphrates River just inside the Iraq - Syria border. So much for any PR or MSM crap about Syria ''clamping down'' on jihadis crossing their border into Iraq. This is the main route to the Sunni Triangle and, further on, Baghdad. The smuggler route we hear so much about and which made the Fallujah / Ramadi smuggling center infamous.
Posted by: .com || 05/03/2005 9:28 Comments || Top||

#2  Credible reporting led Multi-National Forces to a suspected insurgent location in Al Qaim May 2...

It looks like a MQ-1 Predator tip.
Posted by: SwissTex || 05/03/2005 9:31 Comments || Top||

#3  Beautiful--I love happy endings!
Posted by: Dar || 05/03/2005 12:20 Comments || Top||

#4  one female child, approximately six-years-old, sustained a minor injury to her right calf and to her head.

No doubt the Democrats will attach a rider to the next appropriations bill funding day care facilities for insurgents' offspring.
Posted by: Pappy || 05/03/2005 18:42 Comments || Top||

#5  How lovely: only Type I blood, no Type M-N blood. I much prefer it that way. ;-) Especially when the Type I's bring along little children to hide behind.
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/03/2005 19:40 Comments || Top||


Terrorists Behead Policeman, Fill Him With Explosives and Blow Up His family
Posted by: legolas || 05/03/2005 08:44 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  But.... did they extend the Geneva Convention to 'Adnan Elias before questioning him? Was the room he was in too warm? Was he fed well? Did they wipe his ass for him when he shait?

That is all that is important!

/LLL
Posted by: CrazyFool || 05/03/2005 9:21 Comments || Top||

#2  Damn, thats just unreal. Those are some sick bastards. Things like this need to be spread via blogs because the MSM will never report it.
Posted by: Yosemite Sam || 05/03/2005 10:53 Comments || Top||

#3  Underwear on prisoners' heads?? Humiliation! Torture! TORTURE!!!!!
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama || 05/03/2005 11:00 Comments || Top||

#4  Yes, but see if we had not invaded on the (later shown to be incorrect) premise of WMD's, none of this would've been happening (within the sight of the MSM).

So the world is a worse place because there is less bad stuff going on, but we know more about it?

Now I've confused even myself!
Posted by: Bobby || 05/03/2005 12:05 Comments || Top||

#5  Didn't even sound like a hint of remorse in Adnan, of course it's a transcript.

This strengthens my determination to see these f***er to go down hard, even more and more!
Posted by: Cleater Elmerens7235 || 05/03/2005 12:22 Comments || Top||

#6  Now if Adnan just watched and ''just'' transported the body, he must be acquitted right? Sure hope they got all the other goons involved in this too.

''If something don't fit, you must acquit!''

-- Johnnie Cochran
Posted by: BA || 05/03/2005 12:38 Comments || Top||


Afghanistan/South Asia
'Sammy the Sandwich' in hot water
A member of Senator Mushahid Hussain's delegation confided into me the whole incident on the promise that I will not reveal the source. Notwithstanding the fact that the senators were representing Musharraf's Pakistan now under the facade of his enlightened moderation and were in Brussels to meet the EU members to improve Islamabad' s much tarnished human rights image, they were treated like ordinary passengers by the Immigration authorities. When Senator Maulana Samiul Haq's name was entered, the computer vomited enormous data on him. It included several pictures of the incident that got him nicknamed "Sammy, the Sandwich" during Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's first government. I don't believe it but my source claimed that they had juicy clips focusing on the employed 'sandwich position' that was attributed to him in what was then called a dirty tricks operation by the Intelligence Bureau against the Maulana. Although western societies are not much averse to pornography, a man with a flowing beard involved in a "sandwich position" with lucid and lewd details of "Sammy's" erotic antics did invoke some interest but what made the Immigration authorities stop Senator Samiul Haq had to do with his avowed, recorded and continued support for OBL, Taliban and the Jihadis.

Had Islamabad learnt a lesson from Gujarat (India) Chief Minister Narender Modi's case of his being refused an American visit visa on ground of his human rights record of massacring Muslims, it would have been a right and wise decision to red-pencil Maulana Samiul Haq's name from the EU-bound delegation since he is known for his support of the Taliban and the Jihadis. His network of seminaries continue to churn out Jihadi youth, his support and affection for the Taliban and OBL remain unabated and his presence as a leader of the MMA assures the Jihadis of government support as well. Besides, Senator Haq wants to spread Islam all over the world to root out western waywardness and moral degeneration. He would like to reduce women to the status of chattel and confine them to the four walls of the home and wage Jihad to convert "infidel" west to bring it under the fold of Islam. Notwithstanding his so-called enlightened moderation it needs to be understood that MMA and Musharraf are like Siamese twins and are inseparable. He and his Foreign Minister must have breathed enormous amount of hot air down the neck, to compel Pakistan FO issue a strong worded reaction to Sammy, the Sandwich scandal.

Senator Samiul Haq's case is not one in isolation. Quite a few Pakistani dignitaries have been subjected to awkward treatments at foreign airports. Its frequency increased in General Ziaul Haq's times. It was both an interesting and an embarrassing sight at the Rome Airport to see trained drug-sniffing dogs doing their job following the landing of General Zia's plane. These were the golden days of drug smuggling when Pakistani planes were invariably searched inside out for heroin. 9/11 has inflicted new dimensions to air travel. And since Pakistan has come to be recognised at the epicentre of international terrorism, Pakistanis irrespective of their positions or vocations are subjected to through searches. MMA leader Maulana Fazlur Rahman had the share of his ordeal at Paris airport. So did Qazi Hussain Ahmad who was refused visa by Holland
By refusing to meet Maulana Samiul Haq, the EU message is clear to Islamabad: it has to create space for genuine political leadership now living in forced exile and pave ground for the return of legitimately elected democratic government.
Posted by: Paul Moloney || 05/03/2005 4:36:10 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Anyone got the pics? I need to verify whether he was the 'meat' or the 'bread' and whether the bread and meat were errr, halal.
Posted by: phil_b || 05/03/2005 6:39 Comments || Top||

#2  We sympathize, Sammy. Some bastards never let you forget...
Posted by: Senators Kennedy and Dodd || 05/03/2005 9:05 Comments || Top||

#3  I googled the term, I didn't get any hits that matched this turban. It funny as hecl, I am thinking he was the meat.
Posted by: Sock Puppet 0’ Doom || 05/03/2005 13:41 Comments || Top||

#4  I've read that he was the meat.
Of the bread, only one was a woman


Posted by: john || 05/03/2005 16:40 Comments || Top||

#5  http://pakistantimes.net/2005/04/21/top15.htm

Whoa! Don't think I wanna see those pics!
Whoa!
Posted by: tu3031 || 05/03/2005 16:57 Comments || Top||

#6  I've read that he was the meat.
Of the bread, only one was a woman


and she was a Snap-On Tools Rep
Posted by: Frank G || 05/03/2005 17:22 Comments || Top||

#7  That's not funny!
That's sick!
Posted by: Shipman || 05/03/2005 18:44 Comments || Top||


Complaint Department
Looks like the site's gonna be wonky from time to time today, while Fred gets out the #7 software wrench with the php attachment. Feel free to post any problems you've encountered in this thread and then pop over to the O-club and buy me a drink!
Posted by: seafarious || 05/03/2005 12:48:11 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Sea - the Official RB Complaint Dept Graphic.
Posted by: .com || 05/03/2005 2:13 Comments || Top||

#2  The Link button code doesn't work anymore.

Let's try a link manually...
Official Rantburg Complaint Dept
Posted by: .com || 05/03/2005 2:21 Comments || Top||

#3  Nope. Okay the URL is:
http://www.degaillo.com/images/RBCD.jpg

I'll diable hot-linking blocks for a few days.
Posted by: .com || 05/03/2005 2:25 Comments || Top||

#4  I think the link problem is fixed. Still got the problem with some, not all, comments not having dates.
Posted by: Fred as himself || 05/03/2005 7:11 Comments || Top||

#5  But has the ''quotes'' problem remained fixed?
Posted by: Fred as himself || 05/03/2005 7:12 Comments || Top||

#6  Fred - I get the message ''comments have been closed for this article'' and no submit button in the comments section on the regular pages.
Posted by: Spot || 05/03/2005 8:20 Comments || Top||

#7  That isolates the date bug I've been trying to track down...
Posted by: Fred || 05/03/2005 8:53 Comments || Top||

#8  And I think that kills it...
Posted by: Fred || 05/03/2005 9:01 Comments || Top||

#9  Fred,
Posted articles are showing up immediately. Did you do away with the holding tank?
Posted by: ed || 05/03/2005 9:44 Comments || Top||

#10  Hmmm... Minor change I made. But I can see the potential consequences. I'll fix it. But I hadn't updated the approved posters list for awhile...
Posted by: Fred || 05/03/2005 9:48 Comments || Top||

#11  Thanks. I don't want to see Rantburg get Borised.
Posted by: ed || 05/03/2005 9:54 Comments || Top||

#12  Should be fixed now. Let me know if it breaks something else.
Posted by: Fred || 05/03/2005 10:03 Comments || Top||

#13  hold would've helped last night - I posted a Islam-Polio story late that I should've held til today....Save me from myself, Fred :-)
Posted by: Frank G || 05/03/2005 10:27 Comments || Top||

#14  I'm thinking of having it hold all stories posted after 9 p.m. so they can be included in the next day's posts.
Posted by: Fred || 05/03/2005 10:50 Comments || Top||

#15  9PM EST?
Posted by: Frank G || 05/03/2005 10:52 Comments || Top||

#16  Yeah. Or do you think 10 pm would be better?
Posted by: Fred || 05/03/2005 11:15 Comments || Top||

#17  Fred,
I submitted 2 articles about 1.5 hours ago. Did they make it to the holding tank? Thanks.
Posted by: ed || 05/03/2005 11:17 Comments || Top||

#18  I saw one a few minutes ago and published it. Did the other one make it, too?
Posted by: Fred || 05/03/2005 11:25 Comments || Top||

#19  No. The second was an article link. In a few minutes I will try again.
Posted by: ed || 05/03/2005 11:30 Comments || Top||

#20  9EST is fine with me, just wanted to be sure...
Posted by: Frank G || 05/03/2005 11:32 Comments || Top||

#21  That was weird. I submitted 2 news links. The first I did not show up and I hope is in the holding tank. The second posted immediately (Page 2 Title: Locals Offer Insight Into Egypt Terrorist (He was such a nice boy, a little attached to mommy)).
Posted by: ed || 05/03/2005 11:37 Comments || Top||

#22  Thanks for the fix Fred! Slick as a camel's ...
Posted by: Spot || 05/03/2005 11:46 Comments || Top||

#23  Tried to post a comment with name ''ed''. Preview was fine. Upon Submit got:
Error in query: SELECT * FROM TBLTWAR WHERE ID =. You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near '' at line 1
Posted by: ed || 05/03/2005 13:34 Comments || Top||

#24  Looks like you've managed to try to comment to an article without an ID... Do you recall which page you were on when it happened?
Posted by: Fred || 05/03/2005 13:41 Comments || Top||

#25  This thread had the error. Started from home page http://rantburg.com, then went to this thread and comment. Got error. Also got errors on other threads.

This coeemt is being posted starting from Page 1 view.
Posted by: ed || 05/03/2005 13:49 Comments || Top||

#26  I am also running into the same error when going to a thread from the ''Latest Commented Articles:'' links and then posting a comment. Going to a thread from the Page 1,2,3 views and then posting seems to work.
Posted by: ed || 05/03/2005 13:58 Comments || Top||

#27  Okay. Found it, killed it... I hope.
Posted by: Fred || 05/03/2005 14:17 Comments || Top||

#28  Hi, Fred. Thanks for all the work you do (most of which I don't understand).

The last couple of days I've noticed that my e-mail address doesn't show up when I click to make a comment, though my name does (the cookie is still there, in other words).

Of course, for this comment, the e-mail address showed up. :-( But it didn't for the last one.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 05/03/2005 15:51 Comments || Top||

#29  Testing, one, two, three testing... Is this mike on? [taptaptap] Yep, guess it is...
Posted by: Dave D. || 05/03/2005 16:57 Comments || Top||

#30  DD - you left your clothes in the O-club
Posted by: Frank G || 05/03/2005 17:21 Comments || Top||

#31  PHP ate the blogroll, Fred.
Posted by: Seafarious || 05/03/2005 17:41 Comments || Top||

#32  Can I complain about the French in here?
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats || 05/03/2005 17:46 Comments || Top||

#33  I'd prefer a 10pm cut off.
Posted by: phil_b || 05/03/2005 18:50 Comments || Top||

#34  Hey Phil B... what time zone are you in?

BTW, the 'blogroll in the little window on the right now appears to have duplicated entries.
Posted by: Phil Fraering || 05/03/2005 19:41 Comments || Top||

#35  Blogroll's back...
Posted by: Fred as himself || 05/03/2005 20:17 Comments || Top||

#36  some pg 1 posts are duplicated
Posted by: Frank G || 05/03/2005 21:02 Comments || Top||

#37  All of them are. I was restoring some corrupt records and somehow duplicated the entire table...
Posted by: Fred || 05/03/2005 21:34 Comments || Top||

#38  This happens when having one link/article open for commenting (comment window), and opening another link in a new window at the same time.

Active Server Pages error 'ASP 0113'
Script timed out
/Default.asp
The maximum amount of time for a script to execute was exceeded. You can change this limit by specifying a new value for the property Server.ScriptTimeout or by changing the value in the IIS administration tools.


this happens when trying to submit the original comment, after receiving the above notice.

CGI Timeout
The specified CGI application exceeded the allowed time for processing. The server has deleted the process.


OS WinXP Pro, browser IE6.something.

Priority: Low
Damage: Low
Perversity Index: Severe

Hot diggidy, it's been a long time since I did any beta-testing.
Posted by: Asedwich || 05/03/2005 21:46 Comments || Top||

#39  I think (hope) that was when I was running a processor-gobbling query to weed out the dupes.

I think I'll leave the database alone for awhile. Maybe forever.
Posted by: Fred as himself || 05/03/2005 21:48 Comments || Top||

#40  I couldn't repeat the error just now---you're probably right.
Image the system state while you have time! :)
Posted by: Asedwich || 05/03/2005 21:53 Comments || Top||

#41  Perth is EST+12 hours same as Singapore and we don't have daylight saving (thankfully).
Posted by: phil_b || 05/03/2005 22:04 Comments || Top||

#42  Go to bed Fred and relax. Concentrate 5 mn on your problem. Forget about it. Sleep. Tomorow morning you'll have the perfect solution.
Posted by: SwissTex || 05/03/2005 23:49 Comments || Top||


Iraq-Jordan
23 dead in Iraq violence
Iraq's incoming prime minister struggled to find a Sunni Arab (search) to run the key Defense Ministry in time to join Iraq's first democratically elected government when it takes office Tuesday. A torrent of bloodshed — at least 140 killed in five days — followed the approval of a Cabinet that mostly shut out members of the disaffected Sunni minority.

Disputes persisted over the Defense Ministry on Monday after Prime Minister-designate Ibrahim al-Jaafari (search) filled six of the seven Cabinet seats left undecided last week, said al-Jaafari aide Laith Kuba. The defense portfolio — in charge of some 70,000 soldiers and national guardsmen — is destined for a Sunni, part of an attempt to balance the conflicting demands of Iraq's many religious and ethnic factions.

The U.S. military, meanwhile, was searching for two missing U.S. Marine jets. The status of the two F/A-18 Hornet (search) aircraft and their crew was not immediately known, the military said in a statement. Contact was lost with the aircraft at 10:10 p.m. Monday, the statement said. There were no initial indications of hostile fire in the area at the time.

At least 23 Iraqis were killed Monday, including eight soldiers cut down by a homicide attacker who blew up a truck at a checkpoint south of the capital, and six civilians caught in a car bombing that set fire to a Baghdad apartment building.

An American soldier and a British soldier were killed in separate roadside bombings Monday, officials said.

The U.S. military said the American was killed and another U.S. soldier wounded late Monday during a patrol south of Baghdad airport. No other details were immediately available.

In New York, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan issued a statement strongly condemning the "cruel and heartless" violence apparently aimed at undermining Iraq's newly formed government.

The skyrocketing attacks are blamed on an insurgency believed largely made up of members of Iraq's Sunni minority, who dominated for decades under Saddam Hussein but were excluded from meaningful positions in a partial new Cabinet announced Thursday.

Al-Jaafari had promised to form a government that would win over Sunni moderates and reduce Sunni support for the insurgency, offering them six ministries and a deputy premiership. But Sunni politicians insisted they be given at least seven ministerial portfolios.

On Sunday, Kurdish factions agreed to give up one of their ministries to meet the Sunnis' demand, said Azad Junduiani, spokesman for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, one of two main Kurdish parties.

Salih al-Mutlag, head of the National Dialogue Council, a coalition of 10 Sunni factions, identified the Sunni deputy prime minister as Abid Mutlag al-Juburi, a former major general in Saddam's army.

Al-Jaafari wants to have all positions finalized before the new Cabinet is sworn in Tuesday, Kuba said. But the handover between Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's caretaker government and the new Cabinet will likely go ahead even if there are still vacancies, the aide said.

On Jan. 30, millions of Iraqis risked their lives to elect the Shiite-dominated assembly, but many Sunnis boycotted the vote or stayed home for fear of attacks at the polls.

After months of wrangling, al-Jaafari has drawn up a Cabinet that so far includes 15 Shiite Arab ministers, seven Kurds, four Sunnis and one Christian. Two of four deputy prime ministers have also been approved, a Shiite and a Kurd.

Al-Jaafari said he would act as defense minister until one was agreed. And former Pentagon favorite Ahmad Chalabi, the Shiite deputy prime minister, was given temporary responsibility for the key oil ministry.

But even with Sunnis in the Cabinet, Iraqi insurgents have made clear there will be no letup in the unrelenting violence of recent weeks. The country's most feared terror group, Al Qaeda in Iraq, has posted statements on the Internet saying any Iraqi government is a puppet of the U.S.-led coalition and that it will attack any Sunnis who join it.

Meanwhile, Saddam's chief lawyer, Ziad al-Khasawneh, accused unidentified Iranian-backed Iraqi politicians of plotting to assassinate the ousted leader in his prison cell. Iraqi national security adviser Mouwafak al-Rubaie scoffed at the accusations, describing them as a ploy to have Saddam moved to another country to face an international court.

In Monday's violence, a homicide bomber exploded a truck at an Iraqi checkpoint near Youssifiyah, 12 miles south of Baghdad, killing eight soldiers and wounding 20, said Iraqi army Capt. Qassem Sharif.

Two car bombs in Baghdad killed at least nine more Iraqis. One exploded in an upscale shopping district in southern Baghdad and set fire to a six-story apartment building. Six civilians were killed and seven wounded in the explosion, which missed a police patrol, said police Lt. Col. Salman Abdul Karim al-Fartosi. As firefighters fought the blaze, thick black smoke and flames rose from the ground floor.

In eastern Baghdad, a car bomb exploded near a passport office, killing three Iraqis, including two policemen, and wounding six, three of them also policemen, said police Lt. Col. Hassan Chalob.

An American military patrol and a top Iraqi security official narrowly escaped two other bombings, U.S. and Iraqi officials said.

In northern Iraq, a homicide car bomb and another bomb went off in quick succession near an American patrol in the Mosul area, the U.S. military said. The coordinated attack killed at least two Iraqis and wounded 15, military spokesman Capt. Mark Walter said. Hospital officials, however, said four Iraqis were killed and seven injured.

Two other bomb blasts in Mosul, 225 miles northwest of Baghdad, caused minor injuries to U.S. soldiers, and a third one targeting Iraqi soldiers killed one civilian, Walter said. Gunfire in another attack killed another civilian, he said.

Coalition forces have hit back in recent weeks, detaining suspected militants and confiscating hidden arms caches. U.S. and Iraqi forces have detained 84 suspects in the Baghdad area since Sunday, the U.S. military said. An additional 52 suspects were detained Monday in a joint operation in the Diyarah area, south of the capital, the military said.
Posted by: Dan Darling || 05/03/2005 12:11:57 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Africa: North
Egypt Searches for Bomber's Brother
Egyptian government is looking for the youngest brother of the bomber who carried out last Saturday's bomb attack near a downtown museum. Police said high school student Muhammad Yousri, brother of the bomber, Ihab Yousri Yassin, was involved in the twin attacks that targeted tourist spots in central and southern Cairo. "Investigations revealed that Yousri cooperated with his brother in preparing the bomb," said a security source. "He also helped his sister and sister-in-law in buying the light guns they used in their failed operation near Salah Eddin Citadel," the source told Arab News. "We are moving as quickly as we can to arrest him since he may be planning another attack in revenge," he added.
Posted by: Fred || 05/03/2005 00:00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Revenge for the two enraged female revenge takers' ''failed operation'' or revenge for Ihab's original revenge inspired boom boom antics? A Syrian friend once told me it really does take a camel brain to keep all this revenge crap straight.
Posted by: Tkat || 05/03/2005 13:02 Comments || Top||


Terror Networks & Islam
Hiding in the shadows
THE shadowy militants who abducted Douglas Wood allowed a Turkish prisoner to walk free last year - after he agreed to convert to Islam. The Shura Council of the Mujahedeen has been linked to hardcore insurgents who sparked the battles of Fallujah, some of the bloodiest fighting in the Iraq war. Last September, Turkish hostage Aytulla Gezman was allowed to walk free after he appeared on video promising to spread the word of Islam. A masked man on the same video makes clear that the group's patience is limited and that future perceived traitors in Iraq would not be spared. "The Shura Council of the Mujahedeen decided to release the Turkish hostage after he has converted to Islam and has repented for working with the infidel American occupation forces," the insurgent said. Like the myriad other insurgent groups in Iraq, the Shura Council wages campaigns of violence then goes to ground. The group was formed in the last 1990s by Muslim cleric and father of five Sheik Abdullah al-Janabi, who once held the title Emir of Fallujah.
"I am the Emir of Fallujah! I have a sharp sword and no sense of humor."
Saddam Hussein in 1998 suspended him from delivering his Friday sermons because they were critical of Saddam's regime. Al-Janabi resurfaced after the fall of Saddam and became a leading force in Fallujah. There were reported sightings of him spurring on frontline insurgents with his sermons during last year's siege of the city, but it is not known whether he survived the fighting.

Although the Shura Council has shown compassion in the past, terrorism experts fear they could be preparing to make an example of Mr Wood. "It could be an Islamist group or it could be it's a Sunni insurgent group. Normally the Sunni insurgents have something which identify them to a particular area," said Clive Williams, a terrorism expert at the Australian National University. "I would say it is more likely an Islamist group. Their agenda is simply to publicise their cause then execute the hostage in the way that gets them the best coverage, which is usually beheading on video." Mr Wood is the fourth Australian to be kidnapped in Iraq. Journalist John Martinkus was taken last October, while an Australian cleric and an unnamed security contractor was abducted a month earlier. All were released.
Posted by: God Save The World || 05/03/2005 00:00:00 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:



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Two weeks of WOT
Tue 2005-05-03
  Iraq: Bloody Battle in the Desert
Mon 2005-05-02
  25 killed in attack on Mosul funeral
Sun 2005-05-01
  Mass Grave With 1,500 Bodies Found in Iraq
Sat 2005-04-30
  Fahd clinically dead?
Fri 2005-04-29
  Sgt. Hasan Akbar sentenced to death
Thu 2005-04-28
  Lebanon Sets May Polls After Syrian Departure
Wed 2005-04-27
  Iraq completes Cabinet proposal
Tue 2005-04-26
  Al-Timimi Convicted
Mon 2005-04-25
  Perv proposes dividing Kashmir into 7 parts
Sun 2005-04-24
  Egypt arrests 28 Brotherhood members
Sat 2005-04-23
  Al-Aqsa Martyrs back on warpath
Fri 2005-04-22
  Four killed in Mecca gun battle
Thu 2005-04-21
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Wed 2005-04-20
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  Moussaoui asks for death sentence

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