And strangely, no protest by Human Rights Watch so far.
(SomaliNet) Four of the injured pro-government militia members have been finished by Islamists fighters in Bu'ale city, the capital of middle Jubba region in southern Somalia two days ago, Islamic official confirmed to local media on Monday.
The killed men were part of militia loyal to Mr. Bare Hirale, the leader of defeated Juba Valley Alliance and minister of defense in the transitional federal government. They they were in the hospital when angry men entered where they laid and shot them to death.
Sounds rather ... Paleostinian.
Local witness said the four wounded militia were killed by two men who escaped.
Bet they just strolled away Mafia-style.
It is not yet clear the reasons behind the killing but sources say it was related to earlier animosity between clans in the regions.
Gee, you think?
In Kismayo city, the killing act become a big issue and sparked public anger.
Sheik Ibrahim Shukri, Islamist spokesman for Lower Juba region in southern Somalia confirmed the news that these men were terminated by Islamic fighters. "We are very sorry about what happened and it was an accident and the men who committed the act were caught by Islamic troops and they will go under investigation," Sheik Ibrahim said. "They were prisons of war and it is absolutely inhumane to do so,"
"We filled them full o' holes, boss, but we didn't mean to. Don't know what came over us, but it'll never happen again."
"Not until I tell you to, anyway."
"Daaaaaah, right boss."
Intensive meetings are now under way in Kismayo city over this matter. Elders of the killed militia members had issued a communiqué condemning these killings.
A communiqué? When did the Europeans get involved?
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/31/2006 00:17 ||
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#1
"Executed"? No, I'd use the word "murdered". But hey, I'm not a journalist trying to equivocate murder with a fair trial resulting in the death penalty.
#2
That's ok, gromky. They were finished and terminated, too. It sounds like the journalist did a creative writing course, the kind where they have to substitute active verbs for said.
#3
Somewhere in the MSM book of style, when terrorists kill someone, they "execute" them. When the US kills terrorists, the victims are always "innocent civilians."
Kuwait announced that it's police and intelligence services had discovered an Iran espionage and sabotage organization within Kuwait. The Iranian agents, recruited from among the Shia (who are half the population) in Kuwait, were often trained in Iran. The Iranian network consisted mainly of "sleeper cells" (agents who were inactive, and went about their normal lives until activated by their Iranian bosses.) Kuwait is still trying to discover the extent of the Iranian networks, but fears that it may be a large one (several thousand members).
#2
Iran's strategic objectives are clear, and since they are known, what they would have to do in their efforts to achieve them are also clear.
1) They want the US out of the ME. It is critical to everything else.
2) They want military hegemony in the region, after the US is gone. This especially now means to undermine those parts of the Iraqi military that could threaten them. Particularly their air power.
3) They want to creat a Shia crescent from Lebanon to Pakistan. This is not territorial conquest but the creation and support of Shia domination throughout that crescent, religiously led from Iran.
4) Israel is seen as a way to manipulate the US, but other than that, as not of critical importance to attack. They estimate gradualism could destroy Israel--overwhelming numbers of Moslems shouldering out the Jews.
#3
I agree with all but #4 Moose. I think it's all about Israel. Iran wants to be the liberator of Israel. I think they want that more than they want us out of the area.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
10/31/2006 8:43 Comments ||
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#4
I also agree with Moose's first three points. Destroying Israel, however, is not "the whole thing". Destroying Israel is a way for the Iranians to get bragging rights and elevated prestige. Witness the puffing of Hezbollah, and the added caution everyone displays toward them and their backer, Iran. The Israeli government screwed up bigtime by not decisively defeating Hezbollah (although I must note that, given Arab, Euro, and anti-semitic liberal sentiments, the survival of anything bigger than a 5 man cell would have been hailed as a "victory" for Hezbollah out of principle.)
#6
The Iranians have so much as stated that they think they can bide their time with Israel, as long as the US is out of the picture.
This is explainable by the shocking misconceptions that exist in the Moslem world both about Israel and the US. I got an eye-opener about it when talking some years ago to a Lebanese electronics engineer.
He was convinced that the US spent half of its defense budget supporting Israel! He went on to say that if the US would just stop doing this, then Israel would collapse overnight. So, in essense, everything that Israel did was the US's fault.
Though I tried to convince him otherwise, he would not, in fact, he could not accept the notion that most of the Israeli army had been created by the Israelis themselves, and that they only get a tiny amount of money from the US.
And most of all, that the USs military industrial complex was so vast that we had damn near enough equipment to invade another planet. (This was at the height of Reagan's grand armee.)
He was almost to the point of sticking his fingers in his ears and going "La-la-la-la-la! I can't hear you!", in his state of denial.
From that point on, I have had to re-evaluate any assumptions I have about their intentions, based on what may be utter ignorance about their, and our, situations.
For example, this is why Saddam's "Mother of all battles" comment, which seemed ludicrous to us, made perfect sense in the ME. They not only assumed, but they *had* to believe, that the enormous Iraqi army was more than a match for the US.
And this is why Iran is so confident that without the US, Israel will just fold up and leave.
I've never been to the Sandbox, but I've heard enough from those who have and seen enough of the Middle Easterners on TV to believe you are right. There is only one argument that will convince these folks they are wrong. Sherman's.
The big debate is how soon we give it to them. The problem is no one in Ammerica wants to do it. So we've told the FRAM guy, "We'll pay you later." and it's going to be a big bill.
What the Middle East doesn't realize is that they're going to be the one's who pick up most of the tab. They're going to lose 10%± of their total population against less than <0.1% troop losses for our side. They just can't conceive what they're up against because we haven't taken the gloves off for almost 60 years. And we've gotten a lot better in the mean time.
I just finished re-reading van Creveld's Supplying War. These people just don't understand what the U. S. military really is really capable of that no other force in military history has even been remotely capable of. I doubt many Americans really understand just how powerful the military is. But it looks like they're all going to find out. Later rather than sooner.
#8
That matches up perfectly with the Saudis I talked to, 'Moose. There is a huge blind spot, indoctrinated from birth, regards Israel and the "Paleos", and no amount of logic or proof can get past it.
#10
#9 - also remember the Empire of Japan had one leader, and the Japanese would follow his orders. After the first 2 bombs, if Hirohito had been deposed, or had a substantial amount of the Japanese military put up resistance, there would have been more atom bombings of the Japanese home islands. The mood of the US after the battle for Okinawa was such that the country would have most likely agreed to de-populate those islands altogether had they not surrendered.
#11
Speaking of Japan. I read an autobiography of Akiro Kurisawa the director. A very liberal and western oriented fellow. He managed to avoid military service but at one point he casually mentioned the great suicide they all planned rather than be conquered. If the emporer ordered it they were all ready. He simply wanted to marry this girl so he wouldn't suicide single. I can't tell you how chilling it was reading that. He just accepted it. Emporer orders so it goes.
Perhaps if the US history classes mentioned the entire extinction of the Japanese race was the alternative to the two nuclear bombs people might have a different perspective on the right and wrong of the thing.
Perhaps the same applies to the middle east crisis in ways we haven't considered yet.
#12
#10: "there would have been more atom bombings of the Japanese home islands"
Don't think so - at least not right away. IIUC, we had only the two bombs at that time.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
10/31/2006 13:22 Comments ||
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#13
Though estimates are all over the board, it seems likely neither Japan nor Germany saw 10% casualties amongst the whole population in WW2, so 10%± would be a new high on a much bigger population base. It would leave no one untouched. The Soviet Union probably suffered around 15% total, as did Poland.
#14
Japan lost about 2.5% of it's population. If the home islands were invaded, that would have gone up to 20% or more.
Posted by: ed ||
10/31/2006 13:47 Comments ||
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#15
For example, this is why Saddam's "Mother of all battles" comment, which seemed ludicrous to us, made perfect sense in the ME. They not only assumed, but they *had* to believe, that the enormous Iraqi army was more than a match for the US.
Due to its religious nature the MME (Muslim Middle East) propaganda machine puts even the Soviet communists to shame. The indoctrination is complete and total with wholehearted participation by the masses.
Killing off the spittle spewing clerics should be one of our top priorities. A top-down policy of snuffing these ideological programmers would yield results that only the takeover of several MME countries could provide. I can only assume that Washington DC continues to be mired in some sense of cultural relativism whereby Islam and its jihadist clergy still retain privileged status as a religion. Reversing this perception is critical to any substantial progress in the War on Terrorism.
Don't think so - at least not right away. IIUC, we had only the two bombs at that time.
Please read Richard Rhodes' book "The Making of the Atomic Bomb". This superb account of the Manhattan Project is far more readable than previous books on the subject. He mentions how we used two nuclear weapons against Japan specifically to convince them that we were in production mode. (The fact that Nagasaki was home to Mitsubishi - maker of the torpedos that sank so many of our ships at Pearl - had nothing to do with it.) This was viewed as essential due to the industrial nature of Japan's war machine. Rhodes goes on to say that we were prepared to produce several more atomic bombs, if needed, to bring down our Asian enemy.
Back on topic: Breaking Iran's spine must happen immediately. We must force them to be so busy nursing their wounds that they do not have the time to knit one uranium atom to another or even shake their fist at Israel. If they do shake their fist at Israel, we need to cut it off.
#16
We may not have hit the Japanese home islands quickly with more nukes, but we were going to bug spray them with chemical weapons. If you get the chance, read the recently declassified American plans for the home islands invasion approved by Truman.
#18
I've always said that we need not do a thing and mother Islam would start trouble to keep us focused on them. This plot by Iran will assure that the US remains in the Persian Gulf region for a long, long time. These people are just dumb, and they always make premature moves.
#19
Werent fire bombings much more devistating than the big bombs?
Yes, the carpet bombing produced tremendous firestorms that burned concrete and created tornado strength winds at temperatures of hundreds of degrees. The fatalities were far greater than either of the nuclear attacks and the destruction much more widespread.
After 2 hours of bombardment, Tokyo was engulfed in a firestorm. The fires were so hot they would ignite the clothing on individuals as they were fleeing. Many women were wearing what were called 'air-raid turbans' around their heads and the heat would ignite those turbans like a wick on a candle. The aftermath of the incendiary bombings lead to an estimated 100,000 Japanese dead. This may have been the most devastating single raid ever carried out by aircraft in any war including the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Around 16 square miles (41 km²) of the city were destroyed in the fire storm. The destruction and damage was at its worst in the city sections east of the Imperial Palace. In the following two weeks there were almost 1,600 further sorties against the four cities, destroying 31 square miles (80 km²) in total at a cost of 22 aircraft.
A firestorm is created as a result of the "chimney effect" as the heat of the original fire draws in more and more of the surrounding air. This draft can be quickly increased if a low level jet stream exists over or near the fire, or when an atmospheric temperature inversion cap is pierced by it. As the updraft mushrooms, strong gusty winds develop around the fire, directed inward. This would seem to prevent the firestorm from spreading on the wind, but for the fact that tremendous turbulence is also created by the strong updraft which causes the strong surface inflow winds to change direction erratically. This wind shear is capable of producing small tornadoes or dust devils which can also dart around erratically, damage or destroy houses and buildings, and quickly spread the fire to areas outside the central area of the fire.
The greater draft of a firestorm draws in greater quantities of oxygen which significantly increases combustion, thereby also substantially increasing the production of heat. The intense heat of a firestorm manifests largely as radiated heat (infrared radiation) which ignites flammable material at a distance ahead of the fire itself.
Besides the enormous ash cloud produced by a firestorm, under the right conditions, it can also induce condensation, forming a cloud called a pyrocumulus or "fire cloud". A large pyrocumulus can produce lightning, which can set off further fires.
#20
You're getting awful nostalgic there Zenster. The good old days of Dresden adn Tokyo. I long for the good times once again. And god willing, we will see the armies of good put the marks of their boots and their wheels upon the untamed sands of the east once again.
#21
No Barbara, we had 2 more bombs ready to go, on the 12th and the 15th IIRC. When Japan sued for terms, Truman cancelled them. It's something that the Truman-Was-A-War-Criminal crowd would like to eject into the memory-hole.
#24
that firestorm is easily evident in a Santa Ana - driven wildfire ....they create their own weather system
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/31/2006 20:16 Comments ||
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#25
I think this is a great discussion. No doubt we will destroy Iran if it comes to it. However, we should not hope for this.
The current Iranian leadership does indeed want to eject us from the ME, become a hegemon and usher in a Shia cresent. I agree that, with some notable exceptions, killing the Jews is relatively low on their priority list. Interestingly, BTW, there are still a few Jews in Iran.
Iran is not going to be successful in goal #1. We are not going to leave the region. Rather than a war of anhilation, however, we still have hope that the clerical regime will fall and the Iranian government will become more reasonable.
If this happens, we can in turn talk to them because goals #2 and #3 are not inherrently counter to our interests. The consolidation of a 'Shia crescent' and the relative strengthening of Persian military capability can work to our advantage as long as Iran accepts that goal #1 is not going to happen before we have to kill them all.
In an ideal future, we can be the balancing force playing Shia and Sunni blocks against eachother and hopefully fomenting some degree of civilization in these ill governed places. The emergence of a functional Shia dominated Iraqi state -- or oil rich semi autonomous region or whatever -- and an overthrow of the corrupt mullarchy in Iran are consistent with a favorable manifestation of this strategy. Despite the weakness of the Iraqi government and the Iranian influence on the ground there, we still have hope for both of these outcomes.
What was fascinating this summer was when the Soddies and Egyptians basically greenlighted the Israeli action in Southern Lebanon. Of course, Olmert turned that situation in to a CF, but it shows how Shia strength can work to our advantage, especially when it is clear we are the predominant power in the region. It might not be clear to them right now, but we are, and -- as commenters have noted -- it might be pretty ugly when we have to remind them yet again.
GROUPS of young Australian men are going to Yemen for jihadi training, say law enforcement sources who are concerned the country has replaced Central Asia as a destination for extremists. Australian security agencies recently identified a small group of men from NSW who travelled to Yemen for religious and military training. It is believed the men were of Arabic background. It is not known if this group has any connection to the Australians arrested in Yemen. One of the men was stopped from going after he was approached by authorities and warned that he would risk breaking terrorism laws if he flew to Yemen.
A law enforcement source said Yemen was attracting radical local Islamists for religious and military training because of the counter-terrorist crackdowns in nations such as Afghanistan and Pakistan. "Yemen is the new wild west," the source said.
Try Yemen as the port of entry for Somalia, the new Islamic paradise.
Authorities in Australia have been monitoring individuals who travel for extended periods to countries with radical Islamic training camps, although the ability to move easily over borders makes such detection difficult.
One of Yemen's most notable exports - along with oil, fish and Osama bin Laden's father - are the extremist teachings of Islamic fundamentalists, such as the alleged al-Qaeda financier Sheik Abdul-Majid al-Zindani. The US Government declared the red-bearded lunatic firebrand a "specially designated global terrorist" in 2004 for his financial and spiritual support of bin Laden. The conservative American magazine National Review dubbed him the "Yemeni Sheik of Hate".
Zindani founded the controversial al-Iman University, one several religious colleges in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, which are often accused of promulgating anti-Western hatred. He reportedly claimed in one taped sermon that the attacks of September 11, 2001, were a conspiracy between the US President, George Bush, and Jews. Zindani leads the Islamist wing of an opposition party, Islah, and has helped the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas raise funds, but he is reported to be close to the relatively pro-Western Yemeni President, Ali Abdullah Saleh. Among the university's former students is John Walker Lindh, who is serving 20 years in a US jail for fighting with the Taliban.
Zindani and his students have been linked to the bombing of USS Cole in Aden in 2000 and the murders of three American missionaries in 2002. The university was briefly closed by authorities after September 11, 2001, in a crackdown on fundamentalist teachings. Before its suspension, it had about 6000 students, 800 of whom were foreigners. Many were expelled after the attacks on the US, but it - and others in Yemen - still attract students. Zindani's Friday sermons are taped and are on sale by the evening of the same day.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Makes sense. Yemen is supposedly the heartland of wahhabism...started there and emigrated to Soddy. It is also where the "true" arabic speech is said to come from.
1) where the "true" arabic speech is said to come from - up until this time, the world had suffered from cotton-mouth. It was a great relief when spittle was introduced.
2) You can't be too rich or too thin, but you can sure screw the pooch with too much henna.
#1
Not news - We've seen this with Russia, China, and a half-dozen other countries, associated with nuclear, biological & chemical warfare development, as well as some space research. Anybody remember the city created to house the Chernobyl reactor workers? There are dozens of other examples. The heightened security, limited access, and other signs usually give them away. We know where they are, and what they're doing.
We are watching youuuuuu....
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/31/2006 16:31 Comments ||
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October 31, 2006 -- FRANCE today is a lot like New York City was before Rudy Giuliani: Its government is so large it crushes the economy - yet also too weak to stem widespread criminality. As with pre-Rudy New York, the fear that France's best days are behind it prevails.
For the moment, the French are breathing a sigh of relief, as the anniversary of last year's three weeks of rioting by Muslim youth passed with much fanfare but no widespread disturbances. Sort of a Muzzie Mardi Gras. It must be the after effects of Hurricane Katrina or Global Warming.
Yet - with the nation approaching both a presidential election and the Fifth Republic's 50th anniversary - the French elites worry that their famously unstable country is headed for breakdown and a Sixth Republic.
What makes them think it would be a republic??
The 2005 Ramadan Riots, which saw some 10,000 cars torched and 300 buildings firebombed, have been followed by a yearlong, lower-grade rolling riot - what some in the French police are calling a "permanent intifada." Nationwide, this works out to 15 attacks a day on police and firefighters, and 100 cars set ablaze nightly. And for the first time, the police are being subject to well-planned ambushes.
So when the Oct. 27 anniversary of last year's violence was met with "only" 277 torched cars, the Interior Ministry declared it "relatively calm."
But the trends are not good. While last year's violence was disorganized (rioters armed only with bricks, crowbars and Molotov cocktails) and largely confined to heavily immigrant Muslim and African neighborhoods, this past week saw a half-dozen well-organized attacks on public buses in non-immigrant neighborhoods by "youths" armed with guns. In some cases, they ordered passengers out at gunpoint, then firebombed the bus. In others, they've tossed Molotov cocktails into buses with the passengers still aboard.
The French press ardently insists there's no link between Islam and the unrest in the streets. But there is a connection, albeit complex, between the rioters and Islam's Jihadi elements.
Some of the rioters of 2005 and car bombers of recent clashes have shouted Allah Akbar (God is Great). But other rioters are drawn to Islam less as a faith and more as an off-the-shelf oppositional ideology that has replaced Marxism as the intellectual drug of the alienated.
In his Policy Review article "The French Path To Jihad," based on interviews with French prisoners, author John Rosenthal notes that Islam's attraction is often less its theological content than an aura of rebellion. "Islam disturbs people," notes Jacques, a non-Muslim "and for me that's a good sign."
#6
"But other rioters are drawn to Islam less as a faith and more as an off-the-shelf oppositional ideology that has replaced Marxism as the intellectual drug of the alienated."
Damn. That one's worth writing down.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
10/31/2006 13:25 Comments ||
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#7
"What makes them think it would be a republic??"
And the Snark of the Day™ winnah is.... ;-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
10/31/2006 13:42 Comments ||
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#8
The torching of the cars is a plot by Renault and Peugot to manufacture and sell more cars. It's probably not much faster than the french cars fall apart.
#9
So when the Oct. 27 anniversary of last year's violence was met with "only" 277 torched cars, the Interior Ministry declared it "relatively calm."
"ONLY"?? Have we had to lower our standards that much? How sad that this is tolerated, if it's only a few realtively speaking.
So when the Oct. 27 anniversary of last year's violence was met with "only" 277 torched cars, the Interior Ministry declared it "relatively calm."
"[O]nly 277 torched cars"?! In any American city this would lead to carbequeing yoots being strung up from lamp posts. Who are the French kidding, besides themselves?
The French press ardently insists there's no link between Islam and the unrest in the streets. But there is a connection, albeit complex, between the rioters and Islam's Jihadi elements.
Again, who are these morons kidding? Is the Eurabia pact so ideologically imbedded that their limp wrists can no longer even connect dots the size of New Hampshire?
It occured to me that only in a socialist hell hole utopia is private property so foreign a concept whereby the destruction of an individual's major asset counts for nothing against appeasing a psychotic ideology that the government is forcibly conjoining with theirs.
#15
As far as I can recall, the French always alternate governmental forms. Based on precedent, following the fall of the Vth Republic should be either a restored monarchy (not bloody likely, but the decendents fight amongst themselves even yet over who is the crown prince) or a military dictatorship. The Communists must be seriously frustrated, because without Soviet backing there's no way they could become the power they were meant to be.
#18
If they were a decent ally, then I could care but now I couldn't care less. Remember that old joke: Why are there so many tree lined boulevards in Paris? Because the Germans like to march in the shade. Europe, particularly France, is done.
FRENCH police today arrested five minors suspected of involvement in a weekend bus arson attack that left a young woman on life support with extensive burns, French radio and television reported.
Around 20 detectives were involved in the dawn raids on a housing estate in close to where youths set ablaze a local bus at the weekend, the reports said, adding that one of those arrested was aged 14.
It was not immediately possible to confirm the reprots.
The attack left 26-year-old student Mama Galledou on a life support machine with burns to 60 per cent of her body. She remains in a critical condition in hospital and supporters were due to rally outside the university where she studied later in the day.
Youths threw stones from an overhead bridge onto a tramway, breaking the windshield and injuring the conductor, whose face was cut by splintered glass, police said Monday. The Sunday incident in Grenoble, followed a bus attack a night earlier in Marseille in which youths tossed a bottle of flammable liquid into the vehicle, seriously burning a 26-year-old woman. Authorities concluded that the three weeks of violence that erupted Oct. 27, 2005, reflected decades of discrimination against poor youths of immigrant origin living in housing projects that ring French cities.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
I half listened to a tv talk show yesterday, and one security guy said that the huge majority of "incidents" don't make it to the msm; he cited a bus service in a city (don't remember which one, because my mind is rotten by Pr0n and I wasn't paying attention) where there had been 400 violent incidents since the beginning of the year, and this is not exceptional.
U.S. Central Command Air Forces officials have released the airpower summary for Oct. 30.
In Afghanistan Oct. 29, Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt IIs provided close-air support for International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF, troops in contact with Taliban extremists near Kajah Ulva. The A-10s expended cannon rounds, a guided bomb unit-12 and a general-purpose 500-pound bomb on enemy positions.
An Air Force B1-B Lancer provided close-air support to ISAF troops in contact with enemy forces near Shami Kabol.
In total, 34 close-air-support missions were flown in support of ISAF and Afghan troops, reconstruction activities and route patrols.
Additionally, 10 Air Force and Royal Air Force intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, or ISR, aircraft flew missions in support of operations in Afghanistan.
In Iraq , Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons provided close-air support to troops in contact with anti-Iraqi forces near Baghdad.
Royal Air Force GR-4 Tornados provided close-air support to troops in contact with anti-Iraqi forces near Al Mansuriyah.
In total, coalition aircraft flew 36 close-air-support missions for Operation Iraqi Freedom. These missions included support to coalition troops, infrastructure protection, reconstruction activities and operations to deter and disrupt terrorist activities.
Additionally, 13 Air Force and Navy ISR aircraft flew missions in support of operations in Iraq.
Air Force C-130 Hercules and C-17 Globemaster IIIs provided intra-theater heavy airlift support, helping sustain operations throughout Afghanistan , Iraq and the Horn of Africa. They flew about 140 airlift sorties, delivered more than 400 tons of cargo and transpotred more than 3,700 passengers. This included about 12,000 pounds of troop re-supply air-dropped in eastern Afghanistan .
Coalition C-130 crews from Australia , Canada and Korea flew in support of OIF or OEF.
On Oct. 28, U.S. Air Force, Royal Air Force, Singaporean and French tankers flew 33 sorties and off-loaded more than 2.2 million pounds of fuel.
#1
Too bad Fred can't make this a daily feature. The very neat thing about the summary is that it identifies places where fighting is goin on before Central Command can get around to issuing a press release. If they ever do.
Indian troops on Monday shot dead a top commander of Hizbul Mujahedin, a defence spokesman said. The militant, a close associate of the groups leader Syed Salahuddin, was killed in a shootout in the disputed Himalayan region, he said. A top commander of the Hizbul Mujahedin, Noor Mohammed alias Javed Burki, a former body guard of Syed Salahuddin was killed in a gunfight in Doda district, the spokesman said.
Indian troops were tipped off that Noor Mohammed would be visiting his wife and his one-year-old son in Panchraba village and a cordon was laid on the outer periphery of the village, he said. The rebel was active in Indian-Kashmir since 1992 and considered an expert in making bombs and other explosive devices. A huge cache of shutter guns arms and rounds of bullet ammunition was also recovered from the site of encounter.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2006 00:00 ||
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Missiles rained down Monday on what the military said was an Al Qaeda hideout in Bajaur district, a restive tribal area along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan. The attack, which reportedly killed about 80 people in a madrassah, or religious school, is the second on Bajaur in less than a year. But it has erupted across a vastly different political context, raising concerns about the direction of Pakistan's efforts to contain terrorism in the area.
When missiles last January destroyed a compound in Damadola, killing 13 civilians, the government of Pakistan was still at war with militants in the tribal zones. Now, however, they are nominally at peace, having signed a controversial accord in North Waziristan that many, including officials in Afghanistan and NATO, have viewed with skepticism. Under the deal, tribal elders agreed to remove foreign fighters from tribal areas and to stop militants from entering Afghanistan. In return, the Army released hundreds of Taliban militants and returned their weapons, vehicle and equipment. Monday, the tribal zone's provincial government had been expected to sign a similar accord - now in doubt - in Bajaur, broadening a peace process with Taliban-linked tribesmen.
The timing of the strike raises questions about Pakistan's commitment to such deals, as well as the commitment of its allies across the border. It also threatens to stoke extremism in an area that seemed, somewhat shakily, to be moving toward peace. Pakistan has worked hard to stave off concerns about its policy of negotiating with terrorists. Some observers say they have failed, and that Monday's strike was a vote of no confidence from American and NATO forces across the border. "What has happened today is a remarkable disapproval of the Pakistani government's policy [in the tribal areas]," says Rasul Bakhsh Rais, a political-science professor at the Lahore University of Management Sciences. "NATO and the Americans are telling Pakistan, 'If you have retreated from the area, then we will go there.' "
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
"...setback to border peace"???
Whose peace? Perv's? Kinda like the Israeli's perpetually "threatening the fragile cease-fire" as the Kassams rain down...
#4
"I don't think another tribal elder will sign an agreement now," says Kamal Matinuddin, a retired lieutenant general. "It will put the government in a very difficult position."
#6
Actually, Given the nature of the Madrassahs in Pakistan as being centers for Islamofacist education, I would think this was a big step TOWARD border peace.
But ONLY if it is followed up by similar strikes on UNAUTHORIZED Madrassahs (hint, hint).
CHINGAI, Pakistan - NBC News Mushtaq Yusufzai was about a mile away from the Pakistan school and militant training camp known as a madrassa when it was attacked by Pakistani forces on Monday, killing an estimated 80 suspected militants. Yusufzai, who is usually based in the region's main city, Peshawar, was in the area to cover a peace deal that expected to be signed on Monday between Bajur tribal leaders and the military. He describes the scene in the village of Chingai, near Khar, the main town in the Bajur tribal district, after the attack and discusses the reputation of the school prior to the attack.
What was the scene like after the air strike by Pakistani troops on the madrassa school training suspected militants?
It was dark and very early in the morning when the blast occurred. And then I heard helicopters over the village of Chingai where the madrassa school is located. People in the village immediately arrived at the scene of the air strike and were trying to recover bodies from the rubble. The school was flattened and completely destroyed. I saw Faqir Mohammed, an al-Qaida commander in the Bajur tribal district. Usually the Taliban doesn't allow reporters to film things, but Mohammed let me interview him and film the scene near the school.
Prior to this attack, what was the reputation of school? Was it known to be a training ground for militants?
Mohammed, the al-Qaida leader in the area, tells people that it is their responsibility to support the Taliban and Osama bin Laden because he says we are at war with people who are fighting Islam. He has said it is their responsibility to support mujahedeen and war with the West. The school was known as a strong supporter of the Taliban.
Yes, it was. Mohammed, the al-Qaida leader in the area, was one of the first people in the area to publicly support the Taliban and Osama bin Laden. He tells people that it is their responsibility to support the Taliban and Osama bin Laden because he says we are at war with people who are fighting Islam. He has said it is their responsibility to support mujahedeen and war with the West. The school was known as a strong supporter of the Taliban.
Mohammeds deputy Maulana Liaquat Ali Hussain a leader of the madrassa was killed in the attack.
Mohammeds deputy Maulana Liaquat Ali Hussain a leader of the madrassa was killed in the attack. Mohammed has been accused of providing shelter to militants and even invited bin Ladens deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, to the madrassa.
In his public speeches Mohammed has said it is our moral and religious obligation to support muhajadeen, to provide protection for muhajadeen, and shelter for others who have left their homes to perform jihad. Mohammed was very emotional after the attack and swore jihad against what he called occupation forces.
And what has been the reaction to the attack?
People have condemned the attack and accused the government of President Musharraf of supporting the killing of innocent people. People have already planned big demonstrations in Peshawar and around the Bajur region tomorrow to protest the attacks.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Once again: terrorists are spun as all innocent students of Islam. Terrorists captured by NATO are ratting out the terror handlers. Intelligence would be flawless in this case. More please.
#2
It was dark and very early
An obvious inline would be:
It was a dark and stormy night...
I wish the media would not be such obvious enemy propaganda assets.
Posted by: N guard ||
10/31/2006 5:36 Comments ||
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#3
Snease Shaiting3550, did you read the article? I was shocked to find the closest thing to evenhanded reporting I have seen from NBC since the Eisenhower days. The first sentence is illustrative: NBC News Mushtaq Yusufzai was about a mile away from the Pakistan school and militant training camp known as a madrassa when it was attacked by Pakistani forces on Monday, killing an estimated 80 suspected militants.
I like to beat up on the MSM as much as anyone, but when they get it right for a change, they deserve a little credit.
#13
Just don't mess up the hair, when slicing our necks. Oh, wait..I'm already dead. Never mind.
Posted by: Peter Jennings ||
10/31/2006 14:14 Comments ||
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#14
Actually, I think it was pretty good that the reporter interviewed an al-Qaeda terrorist and juxtaposed his call for further action against Coalition forces in Afghanistan with the madrassah attack coverage. This shows the direct link between Pakistani madrassahs and American troop deaths across the border. This needs to be done a lot more often.
KHAR: At least 80 people were killed in an early morning airstrike on a madrassa in Bajaur Agency allegedly being used as a training camp for militants, on Monday. Maulvi Liaqat, a deputy commander of the banned pro-Taliban group Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariah Muhammadi and head of the madrassa, and his three sons were among the dead, a senior security official told Daily Times, asking not to be named.
TNSM is the local Taliban party. When the war against the Taliban began in October 2001 they sent truckloads of beturbanned gun wavers across the border to kill the hated infidels. Most of the survivers ended up being ransomed, Perv banned the organization, and its head was jugged.
Residents told Daily Times that at least three army helicopters bombed the madrassa in Chingai village, 10 kilometres north of Khar and 2.5 kilometres off Damadola, at a time when all those present there were asleep. The attack is the deadliest since the government launched military operations against the Taliban and Al Qaeda militants in the tribal areas along the Afghan border. On January 13 this year, 13 civilians were killed in an airstrike in Damadola village in Bajaur.
Damadola and Chingai are coincidentally within walking distance of each other.
Leaders of the PML-N and the PPPP in Bajaur Agency rejected the armys claim that the madrassa was a training camp for militants. Only innocent students were killed in the airstrike and claims that foreigners were present there at the time of the attack are false, said PPPP Bajaur President Akhunzada Chatan.
Then his lips fell off.
However, Maj Gen Sultan hit back at the criticism saying: Why would the army kill innocent people? The government had been warning the madrassa management against sheltering foreign militants, but our warnings were not being taken seriously. He added that the madrassa was not attacked for any prized target, a reference to Osama Bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zahawiri.
Guess he wasn't there. I'll settle for Maulvi Liaqat and his three sons.
Tribal sources said that the army action surprised several people as TNSM leader Maulana Faqir Muhammad was reportedly considering a North Waziristan-like accord with the Bajaur political administration and the signing ceremony was to take place on Monday. The attack has dimmed any such prospect for the time being, they added.
I can't imagine why. Binny and Ayman seem to live there, but that's certainly no barrier to Perv.
Agencies add: The attack sparked angry protests in Chingai, Khar and other Bajaur towns. Several hours after the attack, the bodies of 20 killed tribesmen were lined in a field near the madrassa before an impromptu burial attended by thousands of tribesmen, according to an AP reporter at the scene. At the madrassa, dozens of villagers collected the remains of another 30 bodies from the rubble of the building. In Khar, some 2,000 tribesmen and shopkeepers marched through the main street and railed against President Pervez Musharraf and US President George W Bush. Meanwhile in Karachi, around 200 students belonging to the Islami Jamiat Talaba, youth wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami, burned a US flag outside the press club.
The Friday prayers-n-pass-the-ammuniton party is still three flag-stocking and accelerant-hoarding days away. The holy men are down in their basements hiding from Predator drones honing their rhetoric with strop and stone...
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Whenever I read news articles like this, I have to consult my glossary of jihadi terms. "Students" means "Taliban". "Innocent civilians" -- anyone who may or may not be carrying firearms and explosives or the odd severed human head, what makes them innocent is not wearing a military uniform. What makes them admirable is the worship of Osama Bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zahawiri.
#8
Yes, of course there are Bactrian camels used for carrying cargo.
But "camel jockeys" is a perjorative for desert Arabs, not Afghan Pashtuns. The phrase conjurs up desert races with slave boys perched high on Arabian dromedaries. Not what your picture evokes, nor the reality on the ground.
BAGHDAD, Iraq U.S. troops complied with orders from Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki Tuesday to abandon checkpoints around Baghdad, including ones in and around the Shiite militia stronghold of Sadr City.
Soon after U.S. forces began removing concrete blocks and sandbags from security checkpoints, a homicide car bomber targeted a wedding ceremony in the capital, killing 11 people, including four children, police said.
The bomber plowed a car packed with explosives into a crowd of Shiite celebrants preparing to board vehicles outside the bride's home in the Shaab neighborhood of Baghdad, Lt. Ahmed Mohamed of the Risafa police station said.
Baghdad police earlier reported the deaths of three people in a car bomb explosion and the discovery of five bodies, including one woman.
U.S. officials said they did not receive advance warning of the order to remove the barriers by 5 p.m. local time Tuesday. Military spokesman, Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, said officers were meeting to "formulate a response to address the prime minister's concerns."
The tightened security had been credited by some for producing a temporary decline in violence, possibly because they curbed the activities of Shiite death squads blamed for waves of sectarian killings of Sunnis.
The extra checkpoints were set up last week around Sadr City as U.S. troops launched an intensive search for a missing American soldier and raided homes looking for death squad leaders in the sprawling slum that is home to an overwhelmingly Shiite population of 2.5 million people.
Other checkpoints manned by U.S. troops were erected in the downtown Karradah neighborhood where the soldier had been abducted.
Al-Maliki's statement said such measures "should not be taken except during nighttime curfew hours and emergencies."
"Joint efforts continue to pursue terrorists and outlaws who expose the lives of citizens to killings, abductions and explosions," said the statement, issued in al-Maliki's name in his capacity both as prime minister and commander of the Iraqi armed forces.
Earlier in the day, Shiite gunmen largely shut down access to Sadr City to demand the removal of the checkpoints, acting on orders from radical anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
In a statement addressed to local supporters on Monday, al-Sadr warned of unspecified action if the military's "siege" continues. He also criticized what he called the silence of politicians over actions by the U.S. military in the district on Baghdad's northeastern edge.
"If this siege continues for long, we will resort to actions which I will have no choice but to take, God willing, and when the time is right," he said in the statement.
Al-Maliki's demand threatened to further upset relations between the U.S. and the Iraqi government, which hit a rough patch last week after Al-Maliki issued a string of bitter complaints, at one point saying he was not "America's man in Iraq."
Al-Maliki was apparently angered by a statement from U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad that the prime minister had agreed to set a timeline for progress on reaching security and political goals something al-Maliki denied.
U.S. concern over the deteriorating relationship was evident when National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley showed up unannounced in Baghdad on Monday to meet with al-Maliki and his security chief, Mouwafak al-Rubaie.
Al-Rubaie told The Associated Press late Monday that Hadley was in Iraq to discuss the work of a five-person committee that al-Maliki and Bush had agreed to Saturday. Hadley also presented some proposals concerning the training and equipping of Iraqi security forces, as well as security plans. U.S. spokesmen could not immediately be reached on Tuesday and it wasn't known whether Hadley had returned to Washington.
American voter support for the war is at a low point as the Nov. 7 midterm elections approach, and a top aide to al-Maliki said the Iraqi leader was using the Republicans' vulnerability on the issue to leverage concessions from the Bush administration particularly the speedy withdrawal of American forces from Iraqi cities to U.S. bases in the country.
Al-Maliki has said he believes that the continued presence of American forces in Iraq's population centers is partly behind the surge in violence.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military announced the deaths of two soldiers in fighting Monday, bringing the number of troops killed in Iraq this month to 103.
October has been the fourth deadliest month for American troops since the war began in March 2003. The other highest monthly death tolls were 107 in January 2005; at least 135 in April 2004, and 137 in November 2004.
The military had no immediate comment on a CBS News report saying the top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. George Casey was expected to recommend Iraq's ill-equipped and marginally effective security forces be increased by up to 100,000 troops. Casey said last month that he wouldn't rule out asking for more forces, something that could allow U.S. troop levels to be gradually reduced.
At least three Iraqi policemen were also reported killed on Tuesday morning in Baghdad and the volatile western city of Falujah, police said.
Sheik Raed Naeem al-Juheishi, the head of a non-governmental organization dedicated to tracing the fate of victims of the former regime of Saddam Hussein, was also killed in a drive-by-shooting Monday night in Baghdad's chaotic Dora district, Col. Mohammed Ali said.
New violence that followed a lull during last week's Muslim holy days claimed the lives of at least 81 people across Iraq on Monday.
According to an Associated Press count, October has recorded more Iraqi civilian deaths 1,170 as of Monday than any other month since the AP began keeping track in May 2005. The next-highest month was March 2006, when 1,038 Iraqi civilians were killed in the aftermath of the Feb. 22 bombing of an important Shiite shrine in Samarra.
#2
We should have told Maliki we shut down the check points when we get our troop back. And that we're going in to get him when we're good and ready. This was a mistake. If Maliki wanted to make something of it, we should have let him.
I have nothing against optimism, mind you, but I can't help but wonder. Everything we have done for the Iraqi Arabs, every life and limb sacrificed, all the treasure we have expended, every child's birthday missed by deployed troops, every political hit absorbed trying to do the right thing, all of it, every goddamned bit of it has been betrayed in terms that we just cannot ignore, IMO.
So, now what?
Iran. This, and no other step, saves Iraq and makes it worthy of our sacrifices.
Then what? After the interference has been removed, the motives for triangulating against us, the paymasters and peddlers of vengeance, after Iran has been rendered moot... then what?
I want to avoid the sink-trap, so I leave that to your imaginations. Hint: It does involve, both physically and rhetorically, a shitload of D-9 work.
#7
PM Maliki must have a better feel for the US elections than I do. This sort of action beeters the odds of a Democrat controlled House. A few more such pronouncements and he might then get to see if the US troops will stay when he says "Don't leave" as the trucks and tank carriers are rolling towards Kuwait. Then he can play an Arab version of King Knut when the tide of chaos comes in and overwhelms him.
If the US bailed, which a Donk victory would ensure, Maliki and his Shia buddies would get Iranian support the instant the US was off the ground. They would receive massive arms support and, no doubt, Basij and similar forces flowing across the border. Then the big-time payback and decimation of all things Sunni within Iraq would begin.
#9
I don't know that he has thought it out that far, but it is clear that some of his coalition is in bed with the Iranians, and the Iranians have told everyone who will listen that the US will be gone in a couple of years and the Mullahs aren't going anywhere. Therefore you better decide who your friends are.
The Iranians think they are winning this battle. And if the Donks win next week, they'll be right.
Al
Posted by: frozen al ||
10/31/2006 17:09 Comments ||
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#10
I agree with com.
Look at Sudan
If the US will not stop something - why nobody else will.
#12
I've become convinced we have to reinforce Kurdistan and put our hope in them. Leave the Sunni's and Shia to kill eachother and stop with this farce of a Government in Iraq.
Posted by: Charles ||
10/31/2006 17:17 Comments ||
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#13
Maliki is already on the Iranian payroll and they probably have pictures of him doing Allan know what to boot.
#14
Warn him - that if he wants us out, we will move out - but only to Kurdistan. And will will let the Saudis know exactly where the gaps are so they can arm the Sunnis.
Im disgusted - f*ck em. We bled for them and in the end Al Maliki and friends decided being Iranian Shia-pets was preferrable to being secular in the public sector.
I say we let the local Sunni tribal shieks know that we arent bothering to even look at them anymore as long as US troops don't get hit and they stay the hell out of Kurdistan. Hell, we'll even train and arm their police forces so they can protect their towns from the Shia bandits.
Let the muzzy extremists kill each other - time for us to just get the hell out of the way. If the Euros get pissy about thier oil supply, tell THEM to send in peacekeepers. We'll keep the peace in Kurdistan and the west area.
#15
The bomber plowed a car packed with explosives into a crowd of Shiite celebrants preparing to board vehicles outside the bride's home in the Shaab neighborhood of Baghdad, Lt. Ahmed Mohamed of the Risafa police station said.
I hope the bride's family catches al-Maliki alone sometime. This asshole is not even close to being our friend. Shitcan Iran and roll up our sidewalks in Iraq and let these thugs slaughter each other. Come back in five years and help out whoever survives. If Iraq wants to become a terrorist training center, bomb the crap out of it. These ingrates have betrayed us far too many times.
#16
I tend to agree with all of the commentary thus far.
Since when does al-Maliki or anyone else in the sandpit tell the US what to do? Obviously, we didn't put these idiots down hard enough when we had the chance.
Somebody needs to tell al-Maliki and Sadr and all the other folks who're suddenly getting a hard-on for the US exactly what coming up against us really means - and if that means putting a few of them (or a few thousand) in a hole - so be it.
This is friggin' ridiculous. These bastards need to be reminded that they were defeated and that we can, and by God, will do it again if need be.
CAMP TAJI, Iraq, Oct. 31, 2006 As international headlines report sectarian violence across Baghdad and the cities in the surrounding region, Iraqi Security Forces and Multi-National Division Baghdad soldiers at Camp Taji, north of Baghdad, are working together to re-establish a level of security that will allow local residents to return safely to Saab al Bour.
During Ramadan, terrorist cells and rival Shia and Sunni factions pushed the level of violence to unprecedented levels and forced local residents to flee to nearby Khadimiya and other areas.
Soldiers from the 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, led the way in responding to the violence by aggressively conducting missions against suspected terrorists with mounted and dismounted patrols as well as providing counter-fire against mortar attacks.
The Joint Coordination Center, located at the Saab al Bour Police Station, houses the combined forces of 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment soldiers, Iraqi army soldiers and Iraqi police officers. Formerly part of a local government complex, the location now is the central command and control location for the coordination and mission execution in the greater Saab al Bour region. MND-B soldiers periodically rotate from Camp Taji to work at the JCC.
The soldiers said they felt their efforts were paying off. The numbers of attacks have decreased. This is my third time out here, and its been pretty quiet, said Capt. Matt Cooper, assistant intelligence officer, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 7th Squadron., 10th Cavalry Regiment.
Cooper describes his job as trying to paint a picture of whats going on for the commander. In addition to that mission, Cooper said he seeks to develop the cities demographics to get a better block-by-block picture of the Shia and Sunni living in the town.
The local nationals are starting to call the tip lines a lot more, he said. We send out as many patrols as we can to respond, but their level of trust in us is definitely starting to increase
Maj. Anthony Nichols, senior Military Transition Team advisor, 1st Tank Battalion, 2nd Tank Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division, makes the JCC a daily stop between his patrols with his soldiers to compare notes.
We captured 18 bad guys over the last 10 days, he said. I think we are having a large amount of success with keeping them from consolidating and establishing themselves in the city. The most effective strategy is to go where they think you wont go.
As violence within Saab al Bour grew, health care providers departed and left residents with few options outside traveling long distances for emergency health care. Soldiers from 7th Squadron., 10th Cavalry Regiment, responded by establishing a clinic inside the JCC for soldiers, Iraqi Security Forces and local nationals needing emergency medical assistance.
Weve treated about 35 local nationals for trauma injuries here, said Staff Sgt. Robert Rushworth, aid station noncommissioned officer, HHT. Anything life threatening means we call a medevac (medical evacuation), or if they are stabilized, the Iraqi police takes them to Khadimiya. The people know that we are here to help them when they get injured. Sometimes when the IPs go into town to respond to an incident, they bring the people here.
As violence drops off in the city, the local clinics are reopening and Rushworth and his staff are seeing fewer patients. We had eight cases the other day, but that was an exception more than a normal day.
MND-B dominance over the airspace above and around Saab al Bour helps keep the number of mortar and rocket attacks to a minimum.
Fire Support Teams at a local observation point in the area coordinate with ground patrols to provide reconnaissance and coordinate air support from AH-64D Longbow Apache attack helicopters. This provides the 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, the opportunity to immediately react and retaliate against mortar fire.
Before we started, there were a lot more mortar attacks, said Sgt. Bernard Walla, fire support team chief, Troop B, 7th Squadron.
Recently, a patrol working with the fire support team pursued three fleeing suspected terrorists. An Apache spotted the men near the mortar site and reported their location to the patrol. After firing on the patrol, one of the suspected terrorists was killed and two were taken into custody.
Its getting better, he said. That was a very good example of the fire support teams working together.
Bryan said he currently conducts three to four patrols a day around the city, rotating on and off with another unit, for around-the-clock security in the area.
Its hot out here sometimes, but its not too tough working out here, said Pfc. Francisco Camacho, a forward observer with HHT. We hear mortars and gunfire periodically but lately, this past week, it has been getting better.
As the people of the city return, Bryan sees them as hopeful but cautious. We make sure to stop and talk to people while we are on patrol, he said. Theyre trying to be hopeful, but its been tough for them. They need electricity, food and money, but the main thing they need is the mortars to stop being fired in to the city and for snipers to stop firing on civilians. For us, that means establishing more of a presence around Saab al Bour to stop the insurgents from attacking residents.
Posted by: Bobby ||
10/31/2006 12:44 ||
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#1
So you guys/gals only comment on the bad news?
Don't believe your 'Government', anymore?
I know, I know - it's only a light in a tunnel. It could be the end of the tunnel..... or a headlight of an oncoing train.
Posted by: Bobby ||
10/31/2006 18:09 Comments ||
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#2
Bobby - Just in case I'm in your comment's intended target audience, I'm not a defeatist, but I am a realist. I noted that you poo-pooed comments of US troops - people who are at the pointy end and know WTF they're talking about. You offered nothing to support this, just your suspicions of WaPo. Point taken, but I thought it overwhelmed by the story content and the sheer number of quoted troopers. That Malikme & Co are, indeed, Qom agents was my secondary point. This is beyond question for anyone who has been paying attention, IMNVHO.
I believe in our people. Even the Generals who appear to have been playing weird and unsynchronized politics of late - oddly selective info releases and failures to release. I also believe that we are doing what we must - we had to give Arabs a chance to prove they can rise above their sectarian hatreds. I also believe that the results are in - they cannot.
That is not defeatist nor is it anti-Bush or anti-Government (US) - it is intuitively obvious to the casual observer.
I will vote for the Pubbies across the board next Tuesday. I've never voted a straight-party ticket before, not once, but the stakes are just too damned high this time.
I hope you do not hold me in low esteem for being honest. I also comment on the good stories and offer my kudos when they get things right - at least as often as anyone else here. Go take a look at the archives to confirm.
#3
Bobby, this is one of those articles that stands on its own, the content simply absorbed. The only comment I can make after reading this is, "Good. I hope PM Maliki will stop undermining things and let this work continue."
#4
.com, I would suggest the WaPo selectively cherry-picks around positive news - doesn't fit the agenda...
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/31/2006 20:20 Comments ||
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#5
There ain't no question the MSM reports only or virtually only bad news. But what else is new? The real issue in Iraq is whether Muslims can rise to the occasion and establish a truly democratic government that respects freedom of religion and the rights of the minorities. If they succeed, it may mean that Islam can transition into the 21st century. The outcome don't mean so much for us, but it means a whole lot to the Muslims. If they fail, then they prove that even with US support, their religion is too screwed up to allow any measure of freedom. The beheaders will gain a little momentum, they'll pick up their killin, but in the end the killin and terror will force people's backs to the wall. The behearders will then die before their time. If the government in Iraq fails, the real fall out will be that it means millions more Muslims will be killed. Thats why the outcome in Iraq means a lot more than to the Muslims than to us. But it is still the reason I will vote Republican - it is the best chance to save those millions of Muslim lives.
BAGHDAD, Iraq Coalition Forces killed five terrorists and detained one suspected terrorist Tuesday morning during a raid in Baghdad that targeted individuals associated with a suspected senior leader of an al-Qaeda in Iraq network.
As Coalition Forces approached the targeted building, several people ran inside. The assault force continued inside and received fire. They immediately returned fire, killing five terrorists armed with AK-47s. Several women and children were also in the building but they were not injured or detained.
The ground forces searched the building and discovered an illegal collection of military equipment, destroying it on-site to prevent further use by al-Qaeda members. Nine weapons were also found on the scene.
This mornings raid was conducted as a direct result of information gained when Coalition Forces detained a suspected terrorist during an Oct. 28 raid in the same area. Both raids involved al-Qaeda in Iraq members who have a history of acquiring explosives and building deadly car bombs.
Posted by: Bobby ||
10/31/2006 12:41 ||
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Australian troops have taken over backup security responsibilities for a second Iraqi province.
Now the 490-member task group will perform the security overwatch role for both Al Muthanna and Dhi Qar provinces in southern Iraq.
That follows the handover of security responsibility in Dhi Qar province to Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) last month.
Dhi Qar is the second province to transfer to Iraqi control after Al Muthanna province made the transition in July.
The Australian force was originally based in Al Muthanna but is now operating from the major US base at Tallil, outside the Dhi Qar province capital of Nasiriyah.
The task group is now called Overwatch Battle Group (West). It takes the overwatch role for Dhi Qar from Italian forces, formally handed over at a ceremony at Camp Ur, an Iraqi army basic training centre near Nasiriyah.
Under that role, Australian troops will provide support to Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) in a crisis if requested by the Iraqi Government and the Multi-National Force in Iraq.
That's also subject to Australian Government approval.
Australian troops will continue training Iraqi army personnel at the Basic Training Centre in Tallil.
Commanding Officer of Australian Forces Lieutenant Colonel Michael Mahy thanked the Italians for their work and also thanked the governor and Iraqi Security Forces for hosting the handover ceremony.
"The Australian Defence Force is here to help the people of Iraq," he said at the ceremony.
"We have been working hard in Al Muthanna province, supporting the provincial government and the ISF and we now look forward to doing the same in Dhi Qar.
"The people of Dhi Qar province have achieved a great deal in the last few months by taking control of security."
Iraqi police and soldiers captured members of a bomb-making cell and several weapons caches over the weekend.
Special Iraqi police forces with coalition advisors yesterday captured nine members of a bomb-making cell and a cache of weapons, improvised explosive devices and components for making IEDs in Kut. Iraqi police secured and searched multiple objectives and detained the bomb maker and other cell members without incident. The IED cell is responsible for attacks against Iraqi civilians employed by coalition forces. They are also suspected of constructing and placing IEDs in and around Kut.
A mortar system, assault rifles, full ammunition magazines, grenades, a completed IED and components for building other IEDs were found and secured during the raid. Operations on the objective caused minimal damage.
Elswhere yesterday, special Iraqi army forces with coalition advisors captured a large weapons cache and components used for making improvised explosive devices in Western Baghdad.
Iraqi forces established a cordon around the Shansal Mosque and entered to search for IED components and weapons believed to be stored there. Insurgents operating against Iraqi civilians and Iraqi army soldiers in the Jihad district were using the items found. The weapons and IED components were turned over to coalition forces and an explosive ordnance team for security and disposal. Three suspected insurgents with false identification cards were detained.
Only minor damage to the mosque was reported. There were no casualties among Iraqi civilians, Iraqi forces or coalition forces.
In other news from Iraq, Multinational Forces West established a central Ramadi security station Oct. 27 as part of its continued operations to eliminate insurgents there.
The establishment of the security station will increase security for the citizens, officials said. More than eight new positions in the city have been established since June. The central Ramadi security station is near a recent demonstration by insurgents claiming the establishment of an Islamic Republic. As part of recent operations, several insurgents were either killed or wounded this weekend near this location. There were no reports of civilian or coalition casualties.
U.S. military police backed by Iraqi troops maintained their cordon of Baghdad's Sadr City on Sunday, manning barricades and checkpoints in and around the Shiite slum in an operation to find a kidnapped U.S. soldier and to capture the leader of Iraq's most notorious death squad. The soldier, an Iraqi-American translator whose name has not been released, has been missing for six days. He was abducted by armed men while making an unauthorized visit to see relatives in the Karrada neighborhood of central Baghdad one week ago.
U.S. forces have effectively sealed off Sadr City and its 2.5 million residents from the rest of Baghdad.
U.S. forces have effectively sealed off Sadr City and its 2.5 million residents from the rest of Baghdad, and within Sadr City, they have isolated the neighborhood around the home of alleged death squad leader Abu Deraa, according to an Iraqi Interior Ministry official who would not be quoted by name. U.S. officials have refused to comment on whether they believe Deraa is holding the missing soldier, and it was unclear whether the two goals of the U.S. operation - finding the soldier and capturing Deraa - are related.
On Sunday, U.S. troops searched every car going in and out of Sadr City; even donkey carts were searched. About a mile away, 1,000 men and women massed inside Sadr City to protest.
On Sunday, U.S. troops searched every car going in and out of Sadr City; even donkey carts were searched. About a mile away, 1,000 men and women massed inside Sadr City to protest. The Iraqi Interior Ministry official and residents of Sadr City said close lieutenants of Deraa's and some of his relatives were killed in U.S. raids near his house Wednesday and Friday. They said Deraa, who is feared by Sunnis across the capital for allegedly leading a gang that has kidnapped, tortured and killed thousands of Sunnis, appeared at a funeral Friday and vowed revenge against the United States and anyone in Sadr City who cooperated in the attacks. The Interior Ministry spokesman said
Deraa accused Moqtada al-Sadr of being "a coward."
Deraa accused Moqtada al-Sadr - an anti-U.S. Shiite cleric with many followers in Sadr City who leads the Mahdi Army militia - of being "a coward."
The soldier's brother also was abducted, but he was later freed and told police the kidnappers were from the Mahdi Army, al-Maliki said.
The Mahdi Army, which runs Sadr City, has been accused of killing thousands of Sunni Arabs. But many security officials believe al-Sadr is losing control of extremist members of his militia and Deraa might be a "rogue" element. Al-Sadr denies knowing anything about the kidnapping of the U.S. soldier, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said last week. The soldier's brother also was abducted, but he was later freed and told police the kidnappers were from the Mahdi Army, al-Maliki said.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
I hope this means the day after the election we take down the Mahdi Army and the collateral damage includes the entire Tater crop. Bush may not be able to deal with Iran before he leaves office, but he's got no excuse for not mashing the Tater.
#2
I hope this means the day after the election we take down the Mahdi Army and the collateral damage includes the entire Tater crop
Sadly not going to happen. Fox News reports the Iraqi PM has ordered the blockade lifted. And we're idioticly listening to him.
Posted by: Charles ||
10/31/2006 9:39 Comments ||
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#3
The good news this morning is that Maliklik ordered the dismantling of all barricades in/out of Sadr City. Guess maybe the Tater threatened him or his family. Or maybe he stands right alongside Tater & his Tots all along. If that's the case, there's no end to problems until all Sunnis are disposed of.
#11
Next time we should just bomb Sadr and blame the Iranians. Say Sadr wasn't following Persian orders and the Iranians were pissed. This would remove Sadr and put the remains of his army in an uncomfortable position regarding Iranian relations.
A bomb targeting poor Iraqi Shi'ites lining up for day jobs in the Baghdad slum of Sadr City killed at least 31 people and injured more than 50 others, police said. The bomb tore through a collection of food stalls and kiosks at about 6:15 a.m. (0315 GMT), cutting down men who gather there daily hoping to be hired as laborers. Police Maj. Hashim al-Yasiri put the casualty figure at 31 killed and 51 injured. There were conflicting reports as to whether the blast was caused by a suicide bomber or a device concealed amid debris by the roadside.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Thank you Al-Maliki for dismantling the checkpoints
I'm sure this will help immensely
A wanted Palestinian terrorist showering at his parents home last week escaped an Israeli arrest raid by jumping out a window and running naked through a densely populated refugee camp.
The terrorist, a senior leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in the northern West Bank, recounted the story to WND under the condition his name and location be withheld, conceding he is "very embarrassed" by the incident.
He demanded anonymity even though the event is now well-known in his city. "I was in the bathroom last week. It was night and I was in my parents house," related the terrorist, who is on Israel's most-wanted list and boasts of leading a cell responsible for six suicide bombings and scores of shooting attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians. "I entered to take a shower and suddenly while I was soaping myself I heard voices and people shouting. I didn't know what they were shouting but I heard the word 'jiash' (soldiers) and I understand that the Israeli army was attacking our house." . . .
"I went out of the bathroom and from the second floor I jumped to the roof of our neighbors. From this roof to another one and than to the street. Soldiers were already far from me at my parents house. I started running almost 200 meters (about 650 feet) in the camp street naked trying with acrobatic gestures to hide my buttocks and my sexual organ." A bystander described what happened next: "I's just in here gettin my car bomb checked, he just appeared out of the traffic. Come streakin' around the grease rack there, didn't have nothin' on but a smile. I looked in there, and Ethel was gettin' her a cold drink. I hollered, 'Don't look, Ethel!' But it was too late. She'd already been mooned. Flashed her right there in front of the detonators."
Here he comes, look at that, look at that
There he goes, look at that, look at that
And he ain't wearin' no clothes . . .
Posted by: Mike ||
10/31/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Can't he get busted for Islamic PECKER WAVIN"??!!
#2
"I entered to take a shower and suddenly while I was soaping myself I heard voices and people shouting. I didn't know what they were shouting but I heard the word 'jiash' (soldiers)
Maybe this is all an 'ass-covering' (so to speak) & he wasn't fleeing his parents' home ahead of an Israeli raid, but rather he was fleeing some woman friend's bedroom ahead of her husband.
The IAF targeted late Monday evening a home in the southern Gaza Strip that was being used as a weapons warehouse. The occupants were warned by telephone some minutes ahead of the strike, and no one was wounded.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2006 00:00 ||
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A Palestinian was killed and three were wounded on Monday afternoon as a result of IDF shelling in the southern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanun, according to Palestinian sources. Reportedly, an IDF tank hit a house as it shelled various targets in the town.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2006 00:00 ||
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The names of the three terror suspects arrested on September 14 were released for publication on Monday. Moaz Adnan Mahmad Masimi, 19, and his brothers, Mahmoud Masimi, 22, and Mahmed Masimi, 30, were arrested by security forces in the Balata refugee camp last month. The three are suspected of being involved the August 19 shooting attack on an IDF road block which killed on soldier.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2006 00:00 ||
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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - A Spanish aid worker kidnapped in Gaza on Monday afternoon was released hours later, Palestinian security officials said.
Uh-huh, a kidnapping. Sure.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press, said Roberto Vila, a 34-year-old aid worker with the Cooperation Assembly for Peace, a Spanish charity group, had been released unconditionally, and that the identity of the kidnappers was still unknown.
Palestinian gunmen on Monday abducted Vila in the central Gaza Strip, the latest in a wave of kidnappings of foreigners, Palestinian officials and colleagues of the man said. Celine Gagne, a fellow worker, said she and Vila were on their way out of the town of Khan Younis after visiting a project for handicapped children when three or four men carrying Kalashnikov rifles stopped them. She said she and Vila had arrived in Gaza earlier in the day. "They asked me to stay behind," she said. The gunmen then forced Vila into their car and sped away, she said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/31/2006 00:00 ||
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SDB Finally Goes to War
by James Dunnigan
October 30, 2006
The U.S. Air Force has finally got the 250 pound Suddenly Dead Bomb Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) into service. On October 5th, two F-15E fighter bombers used the SDB in Iraq. For security reasons, no information was released on how well the SDB performed. But reports from the troops on the ground will show up shortly.
The SDB was supposed to enter service in 2005, in the wake of the 2004 introduction of the 500 pound JDAM. But there were many technical problems with the SDB. That's because this was not just another "dumb bomb" with a GPS guidance kit attached. The SDB had a more effective warhead design and guidance system. It's shape is more like that of a missile than a bomb (70 inches long, 190 millimeters in diameter), with the guidance system built in. The smaller blast from the SDB will result in fewer civilian casualties when used in an urban area. Friendly troops can be closer to the target when an SDB explodes. While the 500, 1,000 and 2,000 pound bombs have a spectacular effect when they go off, they are often overkill. The troops on the ground would rather have more, smaller, GPS bombs available. This caused the 500 pound JDAM to get developed quickly and put into service.
But what the air force really wants is to equip the B-1 with SDBs, as this bomber could carry as many as 216 of them. The new F-22 and F-35 warplanes are stealthy and normally carry their bombs internally. This limits how many they can carry, but with the SDB, an F-22 can carry eight of them. The Navy F-18 could easily carry 24 SDBs. The SDBs are carried on a special carriage, which holds four of them. The carriage is mounted on a bomber just like a single larger (500, 1,000 or 2,000) pound bomb would be.
The SDB is basically an unpowered missile, which can glide long distances. This makes the SDB even more compact, capable and expensive (about $70,000 each.) JDAM (a guidance kit attached to a dumb bomb) only cost about $26,000. The small wings allow the SDB to glide up to 70-80 kilometers (from high altitude.) SDB also has a hard front end that can punch through several feet of rock or concrete, and a warhead that does more damage than the usual dumb bomb (explosives in a metal casing.) The SDB is thus the next generation of smart bombs. Put eyes on the ground in Wazoo and bomb the crap out of the Hard Boyz from Afghanistan -works for me!
There was never any no point in building a 250 pound dumb bomb, as they would be too inaccurate to be useful. So it made sense to merge the guidance kit and the bomb itself. But the superiority of guided bombs is such that the next generation of heavier (500-2000 pound) smart bombs will probably be like the SDB.
#7
Strategic weapons are wonderful when a target must be taken out. And, for troops, one of these could be put in a couple hundred yards away if they knew it was coming and had time to cover. BUUT. there is still a place for cheap, dumb bombs. And , once again, it comes back to the will to use them. Terrorizing the enemy stops him. That's why they use terror on our troops. Indiscriminate use of precision weapons when not required is rapidly running up the tab. Pentagon now admits to monthly cost of $3 billion. So, it's probably $5-6 billion/ month. That's real money in anyones mind.
#12
Supposedly the SDB has a 60 nm or more range if dropped from Mach 1.7 and 50-60000 ft.
It's not the JDAMs that is running up the bill, it is supplying, paying, and equipping the 150,000+ troops in Iraq and Kuwait. And precision bombs are a great return when a $25K bombs are used to destroy $200 million power plants, multibillion $ industrial complexes, $100 buildings, $50 million airplanes, etc. But they are misused when chasing down Jihad Jabil with a Hellfire. That's a sure road to bankruptcy.
Posted by: ed ||
10/31/2006 13:24 Comments ||
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#13
The more ways we have of killing jihadis, the happier I am. Like others here, I am more concerned about the actual will to use these marvelous little thunderfucks.
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.
Kuwait announced that it's police and intelligence services had discovered an Iran espionage and sabotage organization within Kuwait. The Iranian agents, recruited from among the Shia (who are half the population) in Kuwait, were often trained in Iran. The Iranian network consisted mainly of "sleeper cells" (agents who were inactive, and went about their normal lives until activated by their Iranian bosses.) Kuwait is still trying to discover the extent of the Iranian networks, but fears that it may be a large one (several thousand members).
One of Yemen's most notable exports - along with oil, fish and Osama bin Laden's father - are the extremist teachings of Islamic fundamentalists, such as the alleged al-Qaeda financier Sheik Abdul-Majid al-Zindani. The US Government declared the red-bearded 
October 31, 2006 -- FRANCE today is a lot like New York City was before Rudy Giuliani: Its government is so large it crushes the economy - yet also too weak to stem widespread criminality. As with pre-Rudy New York, the fear that France's best days are behind it prevails. 
Indian troops on Monday shot dead a top commander of Hizbul Mujahedin, a defence spokesman said. The militant, a close associate of the groups leader Syed Salahuddin, was killed in a shootout in the disputed Himalayan region, he said. A top commander of the Hizbul Mujahedin, Noor Mohammed alias Javed Burki, a former body guard of Syed Salahuddin was killed in a gunfight in Doda district, the spokesman said. 
Missiles rained down Monday on what the military said was an Al Qaeda hideout in Bajaur district, a restive tribal area along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan. The attack, which reportedly killed about 80 people in a madrassah, or religious school, is the second on Bajaur in less than a year. But it has erupted across a vastly different political context, raising concerns about the direction of Pakistan's efforts to contain terrorism in the area. 
What was the scene like after the air strike by Pakistani troops on the madrassa school training suspected militants? 
During Ramadan, terrorist cells and rival Shia and Sunni factions pushed the level of violence to unprecedented levels and forced local residents to flee to nearby Khadimiya and other areas. 
A bomb targeting poor Iraqi Shi'ites lining up for day jobs in the Baghdad slum of Sadr City killed at least 31 people and injured more than 50 others, police said. The bomb tore through a collection of food stalls and kiosks at about 6:15 a.m. (0315 GMT), cutting down men who gather there daily hoping to be hired as laborers. Police Maj. Hashim al-Yasiri put the casualty figure at 31 killed and 51 injured. There were conflicting reports as to whether the blast was caused by a suicide bomber or a device concealed amid debris by the roadside.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - A Spanish aid worker kidnapped in Gaza on Monday afternoon was released hours later, Palestinian security officials said.
The U.S. Air Force has finally got the 250 pound 
