Rebel leader Ahmed Ali Abu Hidrah, commonly known as Abulashaath, has said that the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army may reform in the wake of several arrests of the military groupâs former members. The Yemeni security arrested Abulashaath last week after demanding that he surrender, threatening to arrest his father if he refused. Security forces have also arrested several men believed to belong to an extremist religious organization in Taiz region, according to security sources quoted by the RayNews website.
Abulashaath, speaking to the Al-Wasat newspaper from detention in Abyan Governorate, said the government would be to blame for the start of any conflict. He claimed that the re-arrest of former combatants was a result of U.S. pressure, and that President Bush had renewed his demand for detaining combatants during his recent meeting with President Saleh in Washington. Abulashaath added that the government had refused to improve the conditions of the combatants, and had re-arrested several of the groupâs supporters without justification or evidence for their detention. He claimed that the government had broken its promises to former Aden-Abyan Army members made during talks with Judge Hamoud Al-Hitar, who represents the government side. He said that combatants now intended to re-group, whether they previously belonged to the Army or not. However, Abulashaath denied that the authorities had made demands against them.
The Aden-Abyan Army has fought several battles against government forces, but has not been active since 2002, when the government claimed the organization was defeated. They killed three of its members and arrested the rest. The government then formed a dialogue committee to persuade the group that rule of the government was legitimate. The former fighters claimed to have abandoned their extremist philosophy, although critics argue that they did so only to improve their conditions, to secure the release of supporters also under arrest and to be awarded jobs. Now several men have been arrested in the Taiz region, according to security sources quoted by the RayNews website. The sources said that the men are members of a cell belonging to the Kuwaiti cleric, Al-Hasan Bin Mosa Al-Luhaidi. Al-Luhaidi established a religious organization which claims that Arab leaders and all those who fought in Afghanistan, Chechnya and Bosnia were unbelievers.
Putting a pox on both their houses, is he?
The source added that members of such a cell were arrested in Al-Selow, Al-Shawaifa, and Taiz City. Investigations are still going on in different parts of Taiz Governorate, the source added. The authorities are still tracing the source of support and financiers for the organization and investigations continue into how such an organization could operate in Yemen, the source said. According to the source, Al-Luhaidi claims that he is the awaited Mahdi, the Islamic Messiah who will appear at the end of time.
In other words, he's a loop-loop...
Al-Luhaidi, who was arrested in Syria a few years ago and returned to Kuwait, claims he is the representative of Allah on Earth. However, his whereabouts are now unknown.
Vanished into thin air, did he? Right in front of your eyes?
Al-Luhaidi had written several books that claim he is the Mahdi. He also owns a web site to publish his books, thoughts, and views. The web site includes forums for his followers.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/25/2005 03:29 ||
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A suspected Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) cadre was arrested in Chilmari upazila on Monday. Abu Bakar Siddique, 45, hails from Puran Bazaar in Nageswari upazila.
Police sources said, Siddique was arrested by police when the principal of Chilmari Degree College suspected him to be a militant during a conversation. Police recovered a bottle of medicine, some books, pieces of clothes and syringes from Siddique's bag.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/25/2005 00:00 ||
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AUSTRALIANS who attended a memorial service marking the third anniversary of the 2002 Bali bombing were aware of the risk of terror attack but were not about to be deterred, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said today. Mr Downer said the fact that terror group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) would even consider attacking mourners at a memorial service showed just how depraved it was.
A campaign plan, written by JI's master bombmaker Azahari Husin and found on a computer disc, apparently showed JI considered a strike against the service but abandoned it because of tight security. The memorial, attended by 300 people including Mr Downer and Justice Minister Chris Ellison, was held in Bali's Kuta district last month.
Bali Police chief Made Pastika and some 50 relatives of the 88 Australians killed in the October 12, 2002 attack also attended.
Mr Downer said he believed those attending the service were safe because of the tough security measures put in place by both Australian and Indonesian authorities. He said it was a moving occasion that meant much to those involved. "Everybody knew that there were risks involved. We were all aware of that," he said in Adelaide. "But Australians are a courageous and robust people and they are not going to be dictated to by terrorists."
Damned straight.
Mr Downer said the plan showed the terrorists would stop at nothing. "The people who would consider attacking mourners, the families of victims, are just depraved," he said. "They care not for human life; they're quite happy to massacre human beings. These people are complete barbarians."
Indonesian police seized the JI disc from a courier named only as Kholil, who was arrested on November 8. It was written by Azahari and titled The Bali Project and intended for delivery to another JI senior figure, Noordin Top. The plan detailed a range of other potential targets in Bali including the airport, art market, temples and the zoo. JI proceeded with an attack on restaurants on the island on October 1 this year, killing 23 including four Australians and the three suicide bombers.
Azahari was gunned down by Indonesian police in a raid in Java on November 9. Top remains at large.
Attorney General Philip Ruddock said documentary evidence found at the site of Azahari's death suggested Australians were at real risk of a terror attack. "All of that of course is consistent with the travel warnings that we have given in relation to Indonesia. Terrorist attacks were certainly possible," he said. "And what we now have is the evidence that affirms that advice that this group, Jemaah Islamiyah, operating in Indonesia had identified a large number of targets and they would have posed considerable risk to Australians."
Mr Ruddock said the threat was continuing. "Obviously the capture of that information (and) the death of Azahari has made some difference," he said. "But others who have been complicit in these activities still remain at large and that's a matter of continuing concern to us."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/25/2005 03:21 ||
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#1
Downer's plain language and leadership by example, even at his own peril, is truly refreshing. It only cements my resolve to someday visit the good folk down under.
POLICE have arrested 11 people suspected of financing and supporting an Islamic extremist group linked to al-Qaeda.
The suspects were detained yesterday in and around Alicante, Murcia and Granada and heavily armed police seized computer equipment, drugs and $56,000 in cash during morning raids, officials said.
"They were part of a cell that gave logistical support and finance to the Salafist Group for Call and Combat," Interior Minister Jose Antonio Alonso said.
The Algeria-based group - also known as GSPC - has declared allegiance to al-Qaeda.
The suspects were accused of financing terrorist activities through petty crime, including drug trafficking and forging credit cards, Mr Alonso said.
He said the cell had links to cells in Germany, France, the UK, Belgium and Denmark.
The Interior Minister, however, sought to emphasise the group was not planning an imminent attack, to assuage fears Islamic extremists may be designing another attack to follow last year's Madrid train bombings that killed 191 people and wounded some 1500.
The bombings, Spain's worst terror attack, have been blamed on Islamic militants linked to al-Qaeda.
Police raided homes and local businesses in the immigration districts of the three cities.
"The operation is framed within the Government's anti-terrorist policy aiming to cut terrorism at the roots," Mr Alonso said.
A judge from Spain's National Court - which handles suspected terror cases - ordered the arrests.
TV footage showed police wearing masks in the downtown areas of Alicante and Granada.
The suspects' nationalities were not immediately known as police tried to confirm their identities, an Interior Ministry spokesman said.
The 11 were expected to be taken to Madrid to be questioned by National Court Judge Fernando Andreu, who ordered the arrests based on a 10-month police investigation.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/25/2005 03:20 ||
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CLEVELAND - Federal authorities arrested an Islamic religious leader Friday as they began the process of deporting him for his ties to terrorist groups.
Imam Fawaz Damra, the spiritual leader of Ohio's largest mosque, was convicted in June 2004 of concealing ties to three groups that the U.S. government classifies as terrorist organizations when he applied for U.S. citizenship in 1994. That conviction was upheld in March, clearing the way for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to begin deportation proceedings.
Damra, 44, was arrested early Friday without incident, the immigration office said. "It is clear that this person, Mr. Damra, believed in terrorism, supported terrorism," said Brian Moskowitz, an agent with Immigration and Customs Enforcement's office in Detroit. "This is not a man of peace or a man of God." No, Damra is an imam for Allah. Got that straight, Moskowitz?
Damra's conviction for naturalization fraud wasn't enough to warrant deportation because he has legally lived in the United States for five years. WTF??? Immigration officials are seeking to remove him because he raised funds for terrorist organizations, Moskowitz said.
A message seeking comment from Damra's attorney, Mark Flessner, was not immediately returned. Damra is being held in Detroit by federal authorities. A bond hearing was expected to take place next week before an immigration judge in Detroit. The Palestinian-born Damra, who is the imam, or spiritual leader, at the Islamic Center of Cleveland, immigrated to the United States in the mid-1980s.
In Damra's trial last year, prosecutors showed video footage of Damra and other Islamic leaders raising money for an arm of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which has been listed as a major terrorist group by the State Department since 1989. Jurors also were shown footage in which Damra called Jews "the sons of monkeys and pigs" Koran Chapter 5, verse 60 during a 1991 speech and said "terrorism and terrorism alone is the path to liberation" in a 1989 speech.
U.S. District Judge James Gwin sentenced the Palestinian-born cleric to two months in prison and four months in home detention. Damra served the prison time from November 2004 to January of this year. Gwin also stripped Damra's citizenship but informed prosecutors they could not begin deportation proceedings until after the appellate ruling.
Posted by: ed ||
11/25/2005 17:38 ||
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#1
"That conviction was upheld in March, clearing the way for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to begin deportation proceedings..."
"Begin deportation proceedings"???? And how long is that stupid charade going to drag on, may I ask?
Nevermind. If we were really serious about dealing with the menace of Islam, this "spiritual leader" would have been hung from the nearest goddamn lamppost months ago in public.
Pour encourager les autres, of course...
Posted by: Dave D. ||
11/25/2005 18:28 Comments ||
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#2
Begin Deporation Proceedings? Does that mean they will give him a notice to appear in court and then release him?
#3
No he'll be held in stir. They wouldn't have arrested him, just served him with a subpoena, otherwise. He's gone. One way or another, since they've labeled his activities as terr-related, he's gone.
What I find at least somewhat encouraging is that this is not isolated. There has been a fairly steady (growing?) stream of stories about groups and imams being nabbed and charged with a crime or deported. The LE crap is slower than molasses, but they are doing something.
Dan could probably reel off a string of these things, from grabbing the Lodi bunch, the guys up in Wash State who had rented a farm for training / safe house, the jihadi literature and textbooks in the moskkks and schools in the East, Rice ramping up the rhetoric and delivering messages directly, the congressional hearings on the Saudis - issuing statements and charges and challenges sans the usual kid gloves... things are slowly heating up. Too slow for me, yeah, but not the same old shit, either. Just my take on the last 4-5 months.
I couldn't find the outrage meter graphic.
BAGHDAD, IRAQ - A suicide attacker steered a car packed with explosives toward U.S. soldiers giving away toys to children outside a hospital in central Iraq on Thursday, killing at least 31 people. Almost all of the victims were women and children, police said. The Lions of Islam⢠strike again.
In all, 53 people were killed in bombings and by gunfire across the country, including two American soldiers who died in a roadside bombing near Baghdad. The U.S. military also reported three American troops were killed in roadside bombings the previous day.
Iraqi security officials said they thought Iraqi police or the U.S. forces were the target of the bombing Thursday, which took place outside the general hospital in Mahmoudiya. The town has a mixed Shiite and Sunni Arab population and is in an area south of Baghdad known as the Triangle of Death. One Iraqi police officer was among the dead, said Capt. Muthana Ahmad, a police spokesman in Babil province. Four American troops participating in the toy giveaway were wounded, the Iraqis said. With no room left inside the hospital, emergency workers rushed victims to hospitals 20 miles north in Baghdad. And with no room left in the hospital morgue, the workers were forced to place the dead in the hospital garden so family members could find them.
Ahmad said late Thursday that an Iraqi parliament member, Jafar Muhammad, was among the dead. His death would bring to three the number of National Assembly members killed in insurgent attacks. In Baghdad on Thursday, a spokesman for the interim government warned that violence, particularly against Iraqi soldiers and police, would probably accelerate ahead of the Dec. 15 elections to elect Iraq's first permanent postwar government.
The Iraqi army said on Thursday it had seized a number of booby-trapped children's dolls, accusing insurgents of using the explosive-filled toys to target children. The dolls were found in a car, each one containing a grenade or other explosive, said an army statement. The government said that two men driving the car had been arrested in the western Baghdad district of Abu Ghraib. "This is the same type of doll as that handed out on several occasions by US soldiers to children," said government spokesperson Leith Kubba.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/25/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
Just when I thought it was impossible to hate the towelheads more than I already do they prove me wrong yet again. What excuse could anyone have to target children. This is so far beyond sick.
#4
I say again...the islamo-fascist is criminally insane and should be treated as such.
The western world needs to bring back the concept of the Devil's Island for those that aren't executed. Maybe open in the Antarctic. If they escape..so what.
#5
Have we already forgotten the "butterfly" mines?
Unlike a booby-trapped doll, butterfly mines were not specifically designed for children. The link describes the mines as 'Brightly colored'. I suspect this is 'misleading' at best. A little googling indicates they were made in green, brown and white colors for camoflage. Let's not play the moral equivalence game. Booby-trapped dolls are depraved.
#7
Let's not play the moral equivalence game. Booby-trapped dolls are depraved.
Wasn't playing any games. The Soviets were nearly as sick and as dangerous as the Islamists are. Brightly colored or not, scads of children were killed and maimed by the butterfly mines. This latest only confirms my suspicions about the Islamists.
I strongly agree with anymouse's suggestion that a Devil's Island be established for all the Islamists that Europe convicts but refuses to execute. We need these twisted sh!ts isolated and contained in a difficult to reach locale. Preferrably on the moon, without suits.
#8
"This is the same type of doll as that handed out on several occasions by US soldiers to children"
Interrogate the sh!t out of the two detainees. If the trail leads back to Iran, start hurting them now! Whoever tried to pull this crap needs some major parking lot therapy.
#9
I'm sure the MSM will ignore this - or somehow twist the truth to blame it on Bush.
I think we should hold these up at every press conferences.
Place one (live) on a stand - right in the center of the U.S Senate floor - just as a reminder. Stick another in the center of the UN General ASSembly.
Send one (live) to Cindy Shithan and company with a note: 'From your freedom fighters, with love'.
#10
Not Antarctica. The penguins don't deserve these creeps. Doesn't Siberia still have a few gulags left?
Yes, hold the dolls up at press conferences. Keep reminding the world just what kind of monsters we're dealing with here.
Question: Have there even been any press conferences lately? I have missed the news in the last month because we've had two deaths in the family.
David Brooks's column the other day, mostly about Murtha's bad choices and timing, did make one point about Bush that is appropriate here. Brooks pointed out that FDR got on the radio one day in 1942, told the American public to open their maps, and told the public step by step what progress we were making, where we were winning and where we were losing, and why. Bush needs to give more information and show that he knows what's needed where. He lacks FDR's stage presence, and he has to deal with a pack of vipers in the media. But our leaders have to keep showing that they know what's going on.
The amount of money obtained by local terror groups, including Azahari's network, is substantial with a staggering US$75,000 channeled to the terror groups in the country in the past few years, BIN has revealed. While one may think that the money would have been sent through modern means such as bank transfer, the top intelligence official here said on Thursday the money had been transported through couriers.
"The money came from individuals in Middle Eastern and Asian countries. The US$75,000 figure was worked out as the result of an investigation held this year," chief of State Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief Maj. Gen. (ret) Syamsir Siregar told reporters after a closed door meeting with legislators on Thursday here.
Although Syamsir admitted that the flow of money had stopped. the account had raised the alarm that terror activities had extended beyond the country's borders. With the huge amount of money acquired from foreign funding, it does explain how the terrorists groups had possessed enormous capability to perpetrate sophisticated terrorist attacks. The Bali bombing in 2002 which killed over 200 people was an example of the level of sophistication of the devices created by the well financed terror networks.
Syamsir explained the terror groups received funding based on the targets. The financiers would figure out how much money the terror groups should receive per target, and it would be sent through couriers. Each target was treated differently, said Syamsir.
After learning that foreign parties had donated money to terror groups operating in the country, Syamsir said he hoped to deploy intelligence agents at a number of Indonesian embassies abroad. Based on preliminary study, BIN is considering deploying intelligence officers in the Philippines, Thailand and some countries in the Middle East. "But, whether the plan is feasible, we will see how this goes with the foreign ministry," he said.
The foreign terrorist funding came to light after the police raided a house rented by master bombmaker Azahari in the sleepy town of Malang, East Java, which resulted in the death of Azahari, Southeast Asia's most-wanted terrorist. Azahari's death has revealed more about terror funding with National Police chief Gen. Sutanto disclosing recently that funding came from parties in the Middle East. However, the police general said the flow of funds from the Middle East had stopped last year.
Azahari, along with his Malaysian compatriot Noordin M. Top, are accused of masterminding a series of bomb attacks in the country in the past few years.
In a separate development, after a two-week long manhunt, Central Java Police have reportedly arrested Dwi Widyarto, who is charged with being a courier in the Azahari terror network. Central Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Chaerul Rasyid confirmed the arrest but refused to reveal when and where the suspect was apprehended.
Meanwhile, after a week-long investigation, Jakarta Police announced on Thursday that three people had been named suspects for harboring Azahari and Noordin. The three people were arrested on Nov. 17 in Pekalongan, Central Java province, said Jakarta Police spokesman I Ketut Untung Yoga Ana.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/25/2005 03:37 ||
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Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and Justice Minister Chris Ellison were among more than 50 Australians who narrowly avoided becoming the targets of another terrorist attack in Indonesia when they attended a memorial service in Bali last month.
Indonesian police have obtained documents which reveal that bomb-maker and Jemaah Islamiah (JI) mastermind Azahari Bin Husin had planned to attack the service. The service was held on October 12 in honour of the 202 people who died in the first Bali bombings three years ago. Azahari's attack plans were foiled by the high level security at the event and only came to light after his death in a police shootout earlier this month.
According to the documents, Azahari started planning his attack weeks ahead of time. Dr Rohan Gunaratna, the head of terrorism research at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies in Singapore, is familiar with the document. "Bin Husin planned extensively to mount an attack in Bali during the commemoration or during the ceremony that marked the first Bali bombing," Dr Gunaratna said. "These attack plans were recovered in his residence or in his safe house in Malang immediately after the police stormed his safe house and killed him and his associate."
Dr Gunaratna says Azahari and his team failed to carry out the attack because they were under pressure. "I believe because Dr Azahari Husin and his team were under pressure, it was not possible to develop the attack plan more comprehensively."
Dr Gunaratna says the documents contain the names, ages and nationalities of the victims of the Jimbaran Bay and Kuta Square attacks. "Dr Azahari not only prepared very detailed plans to attack Bali for a second time in October of this year, but after the attack he made very careful notes of the numbers of people who were killed - foreigners and Indonesians," he said.
Dr Gunaratna says Azahari looked at a number of targets in Bali, because it is a predominantly non-Muslim area, and the Ubud Art Market, east of Denpasar. "In fact, the terrorists mounted surveillance on the market and it was also one of the targets and you can see [in the documents] that there were a total of four to five targets in Bali that he considered," he said.
Dr Gunaratna says the documents show Azahari was very detailed in his preparations. "Before the attack, during the attack and after the attack he was a textbook, a bomb-maker, a teacher, he was a planner, he was a strategist, he was everything in the bomb-making world," he said. "He studied under ... a key Al Qaeda bomb-maker in Afghanistan ... looking at the bomb-making manuals he produced, looking at the attack plans he produced, I would say that he perfected the art."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/25/2005 03:18 ||
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THE MILITARY has launched air strikes on a mountain base of the Al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf in Sulu province, officials said Friday.
At around 8 a.m. Thursday, OV-10 bomber planes and MG-520 assault helicopters attacked the Tumatani complex, which straddles the boundaries of Parang, Maimbung, and Indanan towns, officials said. Some 200 Abu Sayyaf bandits, including two commanders, Doc Abu and Albader Parad, were believed to be inside the Tumatani complex at the time of the attack, said Brigadier General Alexander Aleo, commander of the anti-terror Task Force Comet.
Aleo said the bandits suffered casualties but could not say how many. There were no immediate reports of casualties on the security forces' side. "The Abu Sayyaf has been entrenched in the Tumatani complex since we overran the Karawan complex earlier this year. We believe Doc Abu and Parad are hiding there," Aleo said in a phone interview.
A ground assault by troops from the 104th Brigade accompanied the air raid, he added.
"The enemy is strong and well-entrenched so we have to use available firepower at our disposal to dislodge the enemy from their heavily fortified bunkers," Armed Forces Deputy Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Samuel Bagasin told a news conference in Camp Aguinaldo military headquarters.
The air strikes also displaced some civilians but Bagasin could not ascertain how many. He said battalion commanders in the area were overseeing evacuation operations.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/25/2005 03:12 ||
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#1
'OV-10 bomber planes' - quality little plane they are, one of my all time faves :) can we not give em some WP to use too :)
Posted by: Shep UK ||
11/25/2005 4:57 Comments ||
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We should have contracted a few B-52s to them for the bomb run.
DEBKAfile Exclusive: Syria claims US forces suffered 11 casualties in a Syrian-US clash Thursday night, Nov. 24 â without clarifying whether they meant dead or wounded. Internal Syrian communications channels report Syrian âDesert Guardsâ border units fought US Marines who crossed into Syria at a point west of al Qaim. They also claimed 30 Syrian casualties.
DEBKAfileâs military sources report the battle took place at the Syrian-Iraqi border town of Abu Kemal. US forces were in hot pursuit of a group of al Qaeda operatives who fled across to Syria in escape an American attack pinning them down in Mosul. The US military delivered Syria an ultimatum to hand the terrorists over. The American pursuit continued Friday when Syria failed to respond.
#2
I imagine most of their casualties consist of missing heads and things, while ours are more along the lines of crampy trigger fingers and mild sunburn.
#4
Other than DEBKA its only the Turkic newpaper website HURRIYET.com, which claims about 13 US KIA for 3 Syrian KIA - still no word yet here in Guam from the major US Medias, WH or the USDOD.
#5
Debka did say this report came from Syrian sources. I am not sure about the report it dont make sense if the Marines chased the AQ to the Syrians border then requested them turned over (I guess the Syrians had them captive or in protection) then after no compliance the Marines continue persuit engage casualties taken then what they just went back home. Dont make sense the Marines would not have moved if they were not prepared the beat back is a little hard to swallow so the question is did the Marines catch the AQ in the Syrian jail, were they fighting along side, or were did the Syrians just let them pass and the Marines made them pay?? questions I would like to know the answers makes a huge difference.
If this is true and the gov is holding a statement on the situation it may mean they are considering doing more than just recognizing the engagement. I bet how the Mehlis report and Syria's cooperation is a huge factor in the responce, I had seen somewere that the only thing that kept the US from declaring cross border action earlier was request to wait for the report first.
I doubt they would have done that if it was false. Why bother? If it was true, the US probably made a few phone calls asking the Israelis to downplay it, because of the "sensitivity" of ongoing operations and diplomacy.
In that Debka is pretty much a conduit for information that one or more of the Israeli intelligence agencies want to get out, they are probably pretty cooperative about such things.
#3
not sure on this but i think there may be something in it, i reackon debka has improved alot in the last year or so - yes still need for a pinch of salt here and there but don't discredit them so easily
Posted by: Shep UK ||
11/25/2005 9:30 Comments ||
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#4
This one is pretty discreditable. No regular units are going into Syria except by mistake or perhaps hot pursuit yet. Wouldn't be prudent. Domestically. Maybe later.
#5
not discrediting it outright...but I find it odd that there has been zero followup. It either means the lid is hermetically sealed, or DEBKA is letting this die a quiet death.
#8
The story is still on Debka. It just moved down to the bottom.
If you read it, it's really just saying that we got into a skirmish with border guards. This has happened before.
More interesting is the general ratcheting of pressure on Assad, of which this may be another manifestation.
I totally disagree that there would be major domestic problems with us finally going into Syria and dealing with the support of the so called Iraqi insurgency. The American electorate is angry that our troops get killed everyday by Baathists with IEDs. This would directly deal with the source of their anger.
#10
From Hammorabi, http://hammorabi.blogspot.com/
There are news of at least 12 American soldiers have been killed and wounded near the Al-Bo-Kamal area when they followed insurgents escaped to Syria. Fighting then broke down with the Syrians who had at least 3 casualties.
A buffer zone as deep as 30-50 km is needed inside the Syrian border along the Iraqi borders to allow the Iraqi-American forces to penetrate to kill or arrest the insurgent terrorists. Syria has no choice but either to end fully its support for terrorists, that is not going to happen at all or to allow such buffer otherwise it will face serious consequences.
A UN resolution regarding the support of terrorists by the Syrian may now become essential due to their failure to end that support, however for the multinational and Iraqi troops they need the zone to protect themselves and the civilians.
#12
I said this under another similar post earlier this morning because this article wasn't up yet...but DEBKA has become significant enough to merit an offical confirmation or denial.
"The official said the individuals, whose names were not released, would return to Damascus after the interviews."
this quote earlier from CNN explains the above quote from Aljizz "Syria had rejected Mehlis' request to interview the officials in Beirut, claiming its civil servants would not be safe there. It is believed Syria was concerned that Mehlis could recommend the arrest of the officials after they were questioned in Lebanon. Lebanon has detained several other suspects at Mehlis' request"
not to mention its 5 suspects not 6 wanted originaly
That is the catch, No arrest option available so if they show up and just tell the interrogators to stuff it at the end of the time they just fly back to Damascus they complied right??? The UN is absolutley useless unless.
#15
Debka is now saying Syrian sources claim the engagement took 30+ Syrian losses and 11 Marine losses.
Still waiting on US confirmation although I am rather confused the article says the US were chasing some AQ they crossed the border the US demanded them turned over (so I guess they captured them or they turned themselves over) then a the next day with no compliance the Marines continue persuit engage the Syrian's now it gets confusing I cant imagine the Marines not being able to overcome a Syrian border patrol or they would not have gone ahead, 30+ dead syrians make me think maybe they took the position so the question is what about the terrorsit were they released by the Syrians never detained killed escaped? Debka makes it sound like the Marines were beat back with casualties which maybe if it was during the presuit but not the next day that dont jive.
#16
Syrian sources claim the engagement took 30+ Syrian losses and 11 Marine losses.
Another very cridible claim reported by a credible outlet. If there were 11 Marine losses in their first fight with the Syrians, I guarantee there were 500 Syrians lost.
Iran is pushing ahead with plans to enrich uranium in defiance of international pressure to give up sensitive nuclear technology to ease fears it is seeking a nuclear bomb, diplomats and intelligence sources say.
Such plans could jeopardise a Russian attempt to head off a confrontation over Iran, through a compromise proposal under which Tehran would maintain a civilian nuclear programme but transfer enrichment to Russia under a joint venture.
Enrichment is the most sensitive stage of the nuclear fuel cycle. It can be used to make fuel for bombs or power plants.
"I think they want to do it soon," a European diplomat told Reuters. "The million-dollar question is when."
Diplomats and intelligence officials, speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) this week, said Iran was preparing to start enrichment at its underground plant in Natanz.
The United States and other Western countries say Natanz is at the heart of a covert nuclear weapons programme, and have threatened to refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions. Iran says its nuclear programme is purely for generating electricity.
A 4-page confidential intelligence report given to Reuters cited a "senior Iranian foreign ministry source" as saying that on Oct. 24 the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, called an emergency meeting of current and former members of Iran's nuclear negotiating team.
"One of the cardinal issues raised at the meeting was the timing for activating the centrifuge site at Natanz. The former and current negotiating teams weighed the various options for the timing of the Natanz operation," the report said.
The report, given to Reuters by a diplomat on condition of anonymity, did not say when work at Natanz would start.
Participants at the meeting discussed the technical measures needed to be taken before the plant went on line and what to do once the move had been announced, the report said.
"They are not going to do this secretly," the diplomat said. "They will do it openly as they did with Isfahan."
Iran resumed conversion of uranium ore at its Isfahan plant in August, leading to the collapse of talks with France, Germany and Britain, the so-called EU3, who had been trying to convince Tehran to give up all sensitive nuclear technology.
Under the compromise proposed by Russia, Iran would be allowed to continue to process uranium ore at Isfahan but ship the gas produced there to Russia for enrichment. The Natanz plant would remain mothballed.
The proposal had won backing from the United States, and diplomats had said talks could resume in December with the EU3 if Iran were ready to discuss the Russian proposal.
The IAEA board agreed on Thursday it was better to explore Russia's compromise plan than to vote on referring Tehran to the U.N. Security Council.
However, western nations on the IAEA board would be likely to push for an immediate referral to the Council if Iran moved openly towards enriching uranium. Such a referral would likely be opposed by Russia, China and most developing countries.
Officials in Tehran were not immediately available for comment and Iranian officials in Vienna did not return calls. Iran however has repeatedly said it has a sovereign right to a full civilian domestic nuclear programme, including enrichment.
More than half a dozen diplomats at the IAEA interviewed by Reuters said the intelligence report was credible.
The EU and Washington say that since Iran hid its nuclear programme for many years, it needs to give up all sensitive nuclear technology to prove it is not seeking atomic bombs.
But a senior diplomat close to the IAEA said that the demand that Iran give up enrichment "is on very shaky legal grounds".
"As far as we can tell, the Iranians are not willing to give up enrichment," he told Reuters. "It's a legal activity as long as it's been declared and we can't just go in there and tell Iran not to do that. We don't hold many cards."
Former U.N. weapons inspector David Albright, who heads the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security think-tank, said it was likely Iran would start work at Natanz to see how Western powers reacted.
"I don't see a Natanz start-up as inevitable, that we've reached the point of no return. At the same time, Iran will test the will of the international community," he said.
A senior diplomat close to the IAEA said Iran appeared determined to start a small enrichment centrifuge cascade -- a group of machines that purify uranium by spinning at supersonic speeds -- and would probably begin with 168 centrifuges.
Such a small cascade would take many years to produce enough fuel for a bomb. But it would enable the Iranians to begin mastering the technology.
One senior European diplomat said few were optimistic that Iran would accept the Russian proposal.
"The U.S. is just waiting for the Russian proposal to fail and then they'll go to the Security Council," he said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/25/2005 03:26 ||
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"Diplomats and intelligence officials, speaking on the sidelines...on condition of anonymity"
To defuse tension, Lebanon has demanded that Israel return the bodies of three Hezbollah guerrillas killed in this week's border clashes, the worst in several years. "What is required is the handover of the bodies of the resistance fighters who fell as martyrs during the latest confrontations in order to defuse the tension on Lebanon's international border," Prime Minister Fuad Saniora told reporters during a visit to Qatar on Wednesday.
There's a major difference between "ask", which is in the original headline, and "demand", which is in the body of the story.
A Lebanese Cabinet minister close to Hezbollah reiterated the demand Thursday, warning Israel that unless the bodies were returned, the militant group might try to kidnap Israelis to trade them for the bodies. "They must be handed over in order to avoid an escalation," Health Minister Mohammed Jawad Khalife of the Amal party told Voice of Lebanon radio. "It is known that the resistance will try to secure the return of the bodies one way or another, and this usually ends up in negotiations to trade them for the bodies of Israeli soldiers or for prisoners."
If Hezbollah is a part of the government of Leb, and it engages in kidnappings in a neighboring nation, doesn't that make the government as a whole complicit?
In Israel, there was no immediate response to the Lebanese demand.
I think the Israelis do better with "ask" than they do with "demand."
Update: The Israelis have agreed to return the bodies.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/25/2005 00:00 ||
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Update: The Israelis have agreed to return the bodies.
The Leb "government", infiltrated run by Hezzies, condoning and demanding, eh? Someday, unless the Lebs "get it", choose an intelligent path, tossing off the Syrians, the Hezzies, all of the Mad Mullahs' henchmen and assorted fuckwits, they will push Israel to clear the decks, yet again. To have such long memories, these morons (and all their ilk) are highly selective regards what they remember.
#7
Lebanon: "We demand return of Allan's blessed martyrs."
Israel:
Lebanon: "Or else."
Israel:
Lebanon: "The car swarm is on hold. We need those bodies NOW!"
Israel:
Lebanon: "C'mon man, we did let you have Mr. Paraglider back in one piece."
Israel:
Lebanon: "Pretty please? With sugar and some of those little foil-covered chocolate coins on top?"
Israel: "Hokay. Here, catch!"
The Iraqi government on Thursday called on Syria to detain "dangerous" insurgents who fled across the border to escape a joint U.S.-Iraqi military operation in the area this month. Government spokesman Laith Kubba also said that insurgent attacks are expected to rise before the Dec. 15 general elections. He said attacks by "Muslim extremists and Saddam (Hussein's) criminals" will be their last stand.
Kubba said after the elections there will be a fully constitutional elected government and parliament representing all provinces of Iraq as well as a reconciliation conference early next year. "Muslim extremists will be surrounded then wiped out," he said, adding that "I don't think this will happen in a short period."
U.S. and Iraqi officials have accused Syria for months of allowing foreign fighters to cross into Iraq. Kubba said Thursday that "some elements" had slipped back across the frontier into Syrian sanctuaries "so we ask the Syrian government to capture them and hand them over." "Those elements that crossed into Syria are dangerous and some are wanted for crimes that they have committed," he said. "No one is accusing the Syrian government but we expect from the Syrian government a better performance," Kubba said. "There are people who fled during the latest operations and we know that Syria has very tight security. We call them upon to detain them."
If DEBKA was right, this would have been the warning Syria ignored
During his weekly news conference, Kubba also predicted a "clear reduction" in the number of U.S. and other international troops next year as Iraqis assume greater responsibility for their own security, reports the AP. "Everybody is waiting for the new National Assembly that will be formed" after the election, he said. "We should not forget that this new National Assembly can ask these forces to leave within one day but whether this is a responsible or irresponsible decision it will be up to them."
Posted by: Steve ||
11/25/2005 00:00 ||
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Debka may not be "official confirmation" but it is hefty enough to require an offical confirmation or denial.
UN investigators have questioned a Lebanese army colonel named in a UN report as one of the officials in charge of wiretapping slain former prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri, security sources say. The investigators, accompanied by Lebanese police, on Thursday searched the home of Colonel Ghassan Tufayli who was head of the Lebanese military intelligence's surveillance unit, the sources said. There was no comment from the Lebanese army or the UN investigating commission on the report.
Tufayli was allowed to go after several hours of questioning. It was not immediately clear whether he faced possible charges. Lebanon has already charged four pro-Syrian security generals, including the ex-military intelligence chief, Raymond Azar, in connection with the 14 February killing of al-Hariri and 22 others near Beirut's seafront. An interim report by chief UN investigator Detlev Mehlis in October said Tufayli's unit had al-Hariri "under permanent wiretapping" and had passed on details of his conversations to Azar and to army chief General Michel Suleiman. "According to Colonel Tufayli's statement, General Raymond Azar sent the protocols to the Lebanese President (Emile Lahoud) and to General (Rustom) Ghazali, the head of the Syrian Military Intelligence in Lebanon," the report said.
Mehlis implicated senior Syrian and Lebanese officials, including Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's brother-in-law, in the killing. His findings prompted a unanimous UN Security Council resolution threatening Syria with unspecified action if it did not cooperate with the inquiry. Syria has strongly denied any role. Mehlis has asked to question six senior Syrian security officials, but disagreements about the venue and the legal framework have yet to be resolved.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/25/2005 00:00 ||
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BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan â Task Force Devil completed a nine-day joint, combined offensive operation to defeat enemy forces and deny them freedom of movement and resupply efforts in the Kunar Province on Nov. 22.
Operation Sorkh Khar was conducted by 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division; Charlie Company, 2-504th Parachute Infantry Regiment; and 2nd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 201st Corps, Afghan National Army. The Marines, Paratroopers and Afghan soldiers engaged the enemy in nine fire fights, employed artillery fire and close-air support to defeat the enemy. They also found five caches and detained six suspected enemy combatants.
No Afghan or Coalition forces were wounded from enemy action. Accurate battle damage assessments on enemy losses could not be conducted due to the difficult, rugged terrain of the engagements.
CNN and Fox are playing the security camera video on this today.OAKLAND â Abdul Saleh has just one question for the men â suspected by authorities to be Black Muslims â who trashed his corner store late Wednesday, terrorizing his 17-year-old son and another clerk and causing thousands of dollars in damage.
Why?
About a dozen African-American men wearing suits, white-collared shirts and bow ties â a trademark of the Nation of Islam â entered the store on San Pablo Avenue and West Street about 11:30 p.m. ...Oakland's Deputy Chief Howard Jordan said police are very concerned and have ordered extra patrols in the area to try to protect the stores.
Jordan said they are investigating the incidents as hate crimes because most of the stores are owned and operated by Arabs or Arab Americans, and the suspects are telling them not to sell liquor to African Americans. "It's vandalism and terrorism," he said. "We're characterizing it as a hate crime and actively pursuing all leads."
#4
Two qoutes from the article:
"I am supporting two families from this place, 30 people."
"It's worse than al-Qaida,"
Even with all grandparents, that's quite a brood. Sheesh.
I can't see it being called a hate crime yet. Only two places trashed. Odds were excellent that both places would be run by arabs, so you don't know if they were targeting.
That's all we need is for NOI to meld into the Takfiri culture.
#7
About a dozen African-American men wearing suits, white-collared shirts and bow ties went on a rampage in Oakland Ca. looking for Juice of the White Raisin.
Gawd is Greatful and beckons Calypso Louie back to the Mother Ship.
Posted by: Red Dog ||
11/25/2005 16:09 Comments ||
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Most Arabs in the US are Christians who were "incentivised" to leave the Middle East, and whose pace is only accelerating. Christian Arabs are the alcohol sellers in the middle east and many are just continuing their trade here. Muslims attacking the Christian alcohol sellers is nothing new, though the Nation of Islam Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice is a new twist for Americans.
Posted by: ed ||
11/25/2005 16:16 Comments ||
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Posted by: ed ||
11/25/2005 17:24 Comments ||
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here in San Diego, tehre's a huge community of exile Iraqi Chaldeans (biggest outside MI, I believe) - they've bought out all the mom-n-pops in the majority black areas of town and sell the cheap hooch/"40s" along with small "tobacco" glass pipes. There's been a black community backlash here too...
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/25/2005 17:45 Comments ||
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#12
I wouldn't put any stupidity beyond any black organization (Nation Of Islam) who follows a religion (Islam) which teaches that blacks have the 'heart of an donkey [ass]' and are good for nothing but slavery......
While at the same time bitching about the 'white mans' slavery which ended over 100 years ago.... and even then most of the 'slave takers' were..... black or arab.
A message menacing Western leaders including Italy's prime minister Silvio Berlsuconi appeared on an Islamist website on Thursday. The message - whose authenticity has yet to be verified - threatens to "decapitate" US president George W. Bush, Britain's prime minister Tony Blair, Berlusconi, Japan's prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, and Australian premier John Howard.
A section of the message - which reveals a good knowledge of Italian affairs on the part of its author- attacks Berlusconi, announcing: "the plan for his abduction has been laid - it only needs the go-ahead to be given." "Our appointment will be in April," the message reads. Italy is due to hold a general election on 9 April.
The message criticises Italian foreign policy and its continuing presence of Italian troops in Iraq, saying this has put Italy "on top of a volcano - for a mere 2,900 soldiers." It praises opposition leader Romano Prodi for announcing he will withdraw Italy's troops, and threatens "attacks on the streets of Rome, if candidates run the election who support war".
It describes as a "martyr" the mayor of a town near Naples who named one of its streets after former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat instead of "The martyrs of Nasiriya" to commemorate the Italian soldiers killed at the military barracks in the Iraqi town in a November 2003 in a suicide bombing.
As in an earlier message threatening Italy, the message is signed by 'Rakan Ben Williams' - or 'bin Wilyamz', as it is written in Arabic - and by the purported al-Qaeda mouthpiece, the Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF). After the Amman suicide bombings in three hotels this month, GIMF published a letter signed by the same author, titled 'The next al-Qaeda soldier' warning of "white" converts to Islam who were preparaning for upcoming attacks in Europe and the US. GIMF has also posted webcasts of the so-called 'Al-Qaeda TV' to several Islamist sites in recent weeks.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/25/2005 03:23 ||
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I never hear them threatening South Korea...whazza matter Zark? You scared of the Koweeuns? White converts to Islam could be tricky. It would be McCarthyism all over again. "Have you or have you not ever thought about blowing up your local Starbucks?!!" "O.K., yes I admit it!!"
#2
The islamo-fascist is criminally insane, a mortal threat to the Western world and should be treated as such.
The Western world needs to bring back the Devil's Island concept for those islamo-fascist that are convicted but aren't executed. Maybe open it in the Antarctic. If they escape..so what.
#3
In relasted news the UN has demanded that no Korans be looked at with stern glances and that any captured Al-Q leaders be immediately released and apologized to.
#4
Online threat calls for decapitation of Western leaders
Dayum, they're onto us, .com. Time to go all pre-emptive like on them.
"Have you or have you not ever thought about blowing up your local Starbucks?!!" "O.K., yes I admit it!!"
[Graham Chapman]
I mean, who can honestly say that at one time or another in their lives they haven't felt like setting fire to some great public building? I know I have!
A car bomb exploded outside the venue of an anti-drugs conference in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, killing two people including a policeman and wounding two others, a district official said. The device detonated as local officials and elders were gathering for the meeting in eastern Nangarhar provinceâs Khogiani district on the border with Pakistan, said Mohammad Omar Layiq, the district chief. âOne policeman and one civilian were killed and two, including my deputy, were wounded in the explosion,â Layiq said.
The bomb exploded in a car driven by one of the participants of the meeting, he said. The device may have been attached to the vehicle overnight when it was in a public parking lot, he said. âWe cannot blame the attack on anyone right now. The vehicle was parked in a lot before it was driven to the meeting. We have launched an investigation,â Layiq said. Police later arrested three suspects. The governmentâs efforts to stabilise war-ravaged Afghanistan have been undermined by violence blamed on Taliban and other anti-government insurgents and criminal gangs involved in the drugs trade.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/25/2005 00:00 ||
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Bombed at an Afghan drug summit. Will wonders never cease?
Two Afghan policemen were killed on Thursday when a bomb exploded in a car inside a police headquarters in an eastern district, an officer said. The car belonged to a local official who had just arrived at the police building in Khogyani district of Nangarhar province, when the bomb went off. The official who had come for a meeting on drug trafficking was wounded in the blast. Two policemen who were nearby died.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/25/2005 00:00 ||
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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.
The source added that members of such a cell were arrested in Al-Selow, Al-Shawaifa, and Taiz City. Investigations are still going on in different parts of Taiz Governorate, the source added. The authorities are still tracing the source of support and financiers for the organization and investigations continue into how such an organization could operate in Yemen, the source said. According to the source, Al-Luhaidi claims that he is the awaited Mahdi, the Islamic Messiah who will appear at the end of time. 
A suspected Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) cadre was arrested in Chilmari upazila on Monday. Abu Bakar Siddique, 45, hails from Puran Bazaar in Nageswari upazila.
UN investigators have questioned a Lebanese army colonel named in a UN report as one of the officials in charge of wiretapping slain former prime minister 
A car bomb exploded outside the venue of an anti-drugs conference in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, killing two people including a policeman and wounding two others, a district official said. The device detonated as local officials and elders were gathering for the meeting in eastern Nangarhar provinceâs Khogiani district on the border with Pakistan, said Mohammad Omar Layiq, the district chief. âOne policeman and one civilian were killed and two, including my deputy, were wounded in the explosion,â Layiq said.
