British forces in Afghanistan have destroyed a key Taliban base in the latest stage of a campaign to control access to the troubled Helmand province. More than 250 British troops supported by local Afghan soldiers wiped out three large compounds around the town of Garmsir late on Saturday night, the Army announced today. The compounds were linked by a network of trenches and underground tunnels used to shelter Taliban fighters.
The Garmsir district, which lies near the porous Pakistani border, is a major conduit for opium smuggling and Taliban reinforcements gathering for an expected spring offensive. Two British soldiers have been killed trying to take control of the unstable area in recent months.
Operation Glacier 4 began with a series of air and artillery strikes on the base on Saturday night. Troops from Z Company, 45 Commando, then mounted a ground attack to clear the compounds, while a reconnaissance force made up of I Company, Royal Marines, and C Squadron, Light Dragoons, held off Taliban reinforcements.
There were no British or Afghan Army casualties. The Taliban were said to have suffered casualties, although commanders said that it was not possible to say how many.
Still counting the bits
The commander of the operation, Lieutenant Colonel Rob MaGowan, said that it had been a great success. "We achieved our objective of destroying and clearing Taliban compounds whilst pushing enemy forces further south from the district centre," he said.
Major Jules Wilson, who co-ordinated the operation, described Garmsir as "the Taliban gateway to Helmand". "In effect large groups of the enemy are now fixed south of Garmsir, ensuring important re-development within the rest of the province can continue," he said.
He said that the British troops had been surprised at how extensive the Taliban's defensive complex was, with 40 metre long trenches, a metre wide and more than 2 metres deep with a network of firing points and cover positions.
"The area is littered with Taliban prepared positions; it's almost like a First World War battlefield in appearance," he said.
Commanders said that the operation marked the first time British-trained, Afghan artillery batteries had been used in support of British troops.
Jest send in your Chief an' surrender --
it's worse if you fights or you runs:
You may hide in the caves, they'll be only your graves,
but you can't get away from the guns!
Posted by: Steve ||
02/20/2007 15:53 ||
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#1
Trenches don't do much good against a Fuel-Air-Blast. Good job, Brits. Keep up the pressure.
#3
"Key Taliban base wiped out in British offensive"
What - during the Dreaded Afghan Winter™?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
02/20/2007 16:33 Comments ||
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#4
This great story also reminds me of one key, never-mentioned benefit of Iraq and Afghanistan. Namely, that the US-Brits-NATO are developing more thouroughly ready, battle-hardened troops. All the technology aside, our military is more experienced and hardened today than it's been in decades.
Posted by: Captain Lewis ||
02/20/2007 16:46 Comments ||
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#5
Also, all of the equipment being used by the Allies is under battlefield review : that which is found lacking, is replaced or modified. There are several billion dollars worth of vehicles, radios, clothing, and other equipment that had not been used in combat before 9/11 in the inventories of the West; all of that is how being tested in real time battle conditions, and either accepted or rejected. It is much better for the West as a whole for this testing to be taking place in conditions of limited war, rather than finding out the problems in a major war.
#10
Still chewing on this tasty journalistic morsel:
"The compounds were linked by a network of... underground tunnels..."
WHAT OTHER KIND ARE THERE???????
Seriously, tho; this is outstanding news and I 'spect the Democrat Party and other assorted Lefty bits are having an episode of serious panty waddage to contend with, especially since there were no good guys killed!!!!!
SUSPECTED pro-Taliban militants beheaded and cut off the hands and feet of a man in a Pakistani border area, accusing him of spying for US forces in Afghanistan. Authorities in North Waziristan tribal district found the body of the Afghan man dumped on a road near the frontier late yesterday with a note identifying the man as "American spy Nek Amal", a security official said.
The man's head, hands and feet had all been severed and were lying near the body, the official said, adding that the remains were taken to Afghanistan's Khost province by relatives.
Islamic militants have killed several tribesmen in recent months after accusing them of spying for the US-led coalition forces across the border in Afghanistan. Violence has again surged in the rugged region after a Pakistani air strike in neighbouring South Waziristan region last month destroyed a suspected al-Qaeda hideout. Pakistani authorities signed a controversial peace deal with pro-Taliban militants in North Waziristan last September, under which the insurgents agreed to stop targeted killings.
#1
but its not as if the Taliban played loud disco music (a large contingent of Bush critics have complained about Gitmo detainees being forced to listen to disco)
Police fled a town in western Afghanistan and suspected Taliban militants briefly moved in - the second time in a month that the government has lost control of a district in the area. The police fled to a forest near Bakwa in Farah province on Monday, a day after a roadside bomb killed four officers involved in opium poppy eradication. A group of militants moved in and stayed for about 30 minutes, seizing three vehicles before leaving, said provincial Gov. Muhajuddin Baluch.
The retreat followed Sunday's bombing of a car carrying the province's police chief on his return from destroying poppy fields. The police chief was unharmed, but four other officers in the vehicle were killed and two wounded.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2007 00:00 ||
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I really can't blame them. They were likely heavily outgunned and outnumbered.
The ongoing clashes between the Yemeni army and followers of a Shiite rebel leader the northern part of the country, have killed more than 100 people in the past five days, Yemeni military officials said Monday. About 90 of those killed were in the Yemeni army, including six security forces who were killed on Monday, an army official said.
Government forces have fired artillery bombardments over the areas where followers of Abdel-Malek al-Hawthi are believed to using as hideouts in Saada, about 112 miles (180 kilometers) north of the Yemeni capital, San'a, the official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Close to 200 army and police officers have been killed in clashes in recent weeks.
There are no official statistics of rebels casualties, but tribal officials have estimated that more than 100 rebel have been killed since the clashes broke out in late January.
There are no official statistics of rebels casualties, but tribal officials have estimated that more than 100 rebel have been killed since the clashes broke out in late January.
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh accused the rebels on Monday of being "ignorant forces of darkness who adopted deviant terrorist and racist ideas ... which don't believe in democracy or freedom. They are agents who have sold themselves to harm the nation and its interests," according to Yemen's official news agency.
Last week, members of the Yemen Supreme Defense Council voiced concerns, saying the Shiite rebels were receiving funds and assistance from outside countries, according to one of the council's members.
local state-owned newspapers have reported that the government suspects that Iran and Libya are backing the rebellion.
The member, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, declined to mention which countries the council meant. But local state-owned newspapers have reported that the government suspects that Iran and Libya are backing the rebellion.
Al-Hawthi denied in an interview with al-Nada, a local independent paper, that his group had Iranian or Libyan links and accused the government of resorting to violence to end the conflict, instead of taking peaceful paths. The rebels are a Shiite Muslim group known as "The Young Faithful Believers" that accuse the government of being corrupt and too close to the West.
The government has been fighting the rebels since June 2004 when rebel Shiite cleric Hussein Badr Eddin al-Hawthi of the al-Hawthi tribe led his forces in an uprising. The cleric was killed in clashes with government troops in September 2004. More than 700 officers and police have been killed since then until beginning of the latest confrontation, which started late last month.
The government had accused Abdel-Malek al-Hawthi of sedition, forming an illegal armed group and inciting anti-American sentiment. His loyalists say authorities have tried to silence the cleric's criticism of corruption.
#2
There was a nasty civil war there in the 1960s but it was basically Saudi proxies vs. Egyptian proxies (with the USSR helping the Egyptian proxies).
A Bangladesh militant convicted in a deadly bombing campaign faces the death penalty after the Supreme Court rejected a last minute legal bid to have his case reviewed, the prosecution said yesterday. Khaled Saifullah was sentenced last May to hang along with five other militants of the banned Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) militant group. The men are blamed for a string of blasts, which killed at least 28 people, aimed at imposing Islamic law in the Muslim but secular nation.
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has rejected the review petition against the death sentence of Khaled Saifullah, said deputy attorney general Helal Uddin Mollah. The execution of the six men had been due to be carried out this month and officials said only a successful plea for clemency to the president would save the men. However, in an unexplained development earlier this month, Saifullah had his sentence stayed temporarily after his lawyers asked for a review of his case. The convicts include JMB leader Shaikh Abdur Rahman and his deputy Siddiqul Islam.
Police had accused Saifullah of being a member of the militant groups decision-making body. Court, police and government buildings were targeted in the attacks which began in August 2005 with more than 400 almost simultaneous blasts across the country. The six men were sentenced to death by a lower court after being found guilty of conspiring to murder the two judges in November 2005. A seventh accused is on the run and was convicted in his absence.
The outgoing government led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) pledged to execute the men to show that the country would not allow militants to hijack Islam. The government also conceded that it had underestimated the threat from religious extremists. The president has not yet responded to appeals from or on behalf of all six men and no date has been set for their execution.
This article starring:
Bangladesh Nationalist Party
Helal Uddin Mollah
KHALED SAIFULLAH
Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh
SHEIKH ABDUR RAHMAN
Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh
SIDIQUL ISLAM
Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh
Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2007 00:00 ||
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One of the three alleged bombers insisted his mother could vouch for him, saying he was in bed asleep when the bombs went off and that she had fixed him breakfast.
Three men charged with placing backpack bombs on rush-hour commuter trains in Madrid denied having any role in the 2004 terror attacks, despite witness accounts that placed them on the convoys. The three were among 29 defendants now on trial for the massacre that killed 191 people and wounded more than 1,800 in Europe worst Islamic-linked terror attack. The trial, in its third day Monday, was expected to last at least five months. One of the three alleged bombers who testified Monday insisted his mother could vouch for him, saying he was in bed asleep when the bombs went off on March 11, 2004, and that she had fixed him breakfast. Another defendant said he had been at a restaurant miles away when the trains blew up.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Just keep saying, "It's all just a simple misunderstanding."
Today a divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit held that federal courts lack jurisdiction over the habeas corpus petitions filed by Guantanamo detainees.
PDF of the opinion available at the link.
Posted by: Mike ||
02/20/2007 13:48 ||
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It's a pity this court didn't have jurisdiction.
Sleuths probing the terror attack on Samjhauta Express have found significant leads, top intelligence sources claimed. "We have found items which have unique features and can help us reach the perpetrators," they said. The needle of suspicion points to the dreaded Laskhar-e-Taiba, the gang behind several atrocities, though sources cautioned that a determination is yet to be made.
The breakthrough in the search for clues was confirmed by home minister Shivraj Patil who told presspersons: "We have sufficient information but we are not going to reveal for the sake of investigations." Coming from the usually cautious Patil, the assertion was seen as corroborating the confidence of the investigating agencies that they might be able to crack the case soon.
Investigators have detained one Pakistani citizen travelling in the train on the basis an account given by an injured passenger about his suspicious movements inside the train.
The lead came after hours of search had yielded no clue, leading the frustrated sleuths to conclude that they had almost a blind case on their hand. Investigators have detained one Pakistani citizen travelling in the train on the basis an account given by an injured passenger about his suspicious movements inside the train.
Sources also said investigations will focus on finding out the identity of the person who bought the suitcase used for carrying the explosives. Sleuths are also going to trawl the passenger manifest for the ill-fated Samjhauta Express as a top priority as they look to get more leads. They will want all details from Pakistan of the 527 passengers who completed their onward journey. Though Pakistani agencies hardly have a history of cooperating with their Indian counterparts, this request will be difficult to turn down as victims included Pakistani nationals. Inadvertently, the joint terror mechanism may deliver some results.
A total of 605 persons had boarded the train at Old Delhi railway station on Sunday night, and it was felt that the explosives had timers set to go off in about an hour of departure.
A total of 605 persons had boarded the train at Old Delhi railway station on Sunday night, and it was felt that the explosives had timers set to go off in about an hour of departure. The bombs, placed in pipes and bottles and kept inside suitcases, went off about an hour and twenty minutes after the train left Old Delhi railway station. Establishing the identity of who bought the suitcase used for ferrying the deadly contraband inside Samjhauta Expresss will be crucial. In the case of Malegaon blasts, the cycles on which the explosives were placed gave important clues and the shop owner who sold them could recall the buyers.
There has been little success in turning up e-mail or cellphone exchanges so far, indicating that terrorists may have learnt from the past where electronic trails had provided important breakthroughs. This means that forensic evidence will be even more vital than is usually the case and there may be a lot of old-fashioned policing to be done.
The identity of the group behind the attack is yet to be established, but the methods used, as has been the case often in the past, point to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
The identity of the group behind the attack is yet to be established, but the methods used, as has been the case often in the past, point to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The group remains the most effective of the jehadi outfits in carrying out attacks across the length and breadth of India.
Officials in the home ministry accepted that intelligence agencies had really been caught unaware as there had been no specific intelligence about such a terror attack on Samjhauta Express.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the terrorists had planted suitcases carrying improvised explosives devices in at least three coaches, of which two were triggered by timers.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the terrorists had planted suitcases carrying improvised explosives devices in at least three coaches, of which two were triggered by timers. These suitcase bombs, planted at Delhi railway station, were in the nature of "kitchen bombs" which can be easily assembled. Though packing less power than RDX, the fire the bombs started was calculated to be no less deadly. The devices were timed to go off approximately one hour after the train set out from Old Delhi Railway station at 10.40 pm.
Though the possibility of the bombers not actually boarding the train cannot be ruled out, sleuths would reach any such conclusion only after complete verification of the passenger lists. The possibility that they remained sitting in another compartment and might have crossed into Pakistan by now is not bring brushed aside.
While explosives were kept in three general compartments of the train, there is a list of passengers which sleuths feel could take them to terrorists. As evidenced in Mumbai suburban trains blasts, these attacks are not carried out by fidayeen and the perpetrators leave the site after hiding the bombs.
Home ministry sources said agencies are looking for passengers who were to board the train but did not undertake the journey. It is suspected that the bomber or bombers may have boarded the coach, left explosives in these compartments and disembarked at the departure point of Old Delhi itself. Lax security at the Old Delhi station for boarding the train could have come handy in this task.
This article starring:
Samjhauta Express
Shivraj Patil
Laskhar-e-Taiba
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
To add insult to injury.. the LeT front operation JuD setup a medical aid operation for those the LeT bombed
Help for survivors of the train tragedy came from a quarter that has caused India concern in the past.
The Jamaat-ud-Dawa set up a mobile operating theatre and had 15 ambulances at Wagah, mirroring its quick reaction to the 2005 earthquake when it beat the government and the army to the scene. The group is widely regarded as the political wing of the outlawed Laskhar-i-Taiba.
Indian police alleged that Lashkar-i-Taiba was behind the Mumbai train blasts in July that killed 185 people.
Dawa worker Abdul Hameed rejected Indias previous criticism. We only engage in welfare work. We join relief operations wherever it is needed is that terrorism? he asked.
Another Dawa worker, Abu Qatal, said the Shiv Sena appears to be behind this blast.
Posted by: John Frum ||
02/20/2007 8:58 Comments ||
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Very interesting that the JuD could send a mobile operating theatre and ambulances so quickly (neither needed since victims would have been treated in Indian hospitals) to greet the train at the Wagah border crossing?
Posted by: John Frum ||
02/20/2007 9:02 Comments ||
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#3
With Freindship Trains like these, who needs enemies. Shut down the train. What is PakLand doing for India? The Paks are too flaky and unstable to deal with. It's like dealing with somebody with severe multiple personality disorder---who is in charge?
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/20/2007 11:37 Comments ||
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#2: Very interesting that the JuD could send a mobile operating theatre and ambulances so quickly (neither needed since victims would have been treated in Indian hospitals) to greet the train at the Wagah border crossing?
To whisk away the bombers and any evidence, and to "Prove" they didnt have anything to do with it, also to make sure the Injured do NOT survive. (Sorry, He died on the operating table)
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/20/2007 18:10 Comments ||
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HT to Ace of Spades and Jules Crittendon
BAGHDAD, Feb 20 (KUNA) -- A joint force of the Iraqi Army and US troops Tuesday bombarded the office of Shiite leader Muqtada Al-Sadr in Al-Shula area, west of Baghdad, a security source told KUNA. hmmmm
The source said some 14 military vehicles are now surrounding the office and Iraqi and US soldiers could be seen confiscating material and documents.
Muqtada Al-Sadr himself is out of the country over fears for his safety. by the Mookster hisownself...currently hiding under a (high-clearance) child's bed in Iran
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/20/2007 20:41 ||
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So what does 'bombarded' mean exactly? A little mortar action, finely pulverized rubble, a single round from an Abrams main gun? Inquiring minds want to know!
Prime Minister Tony Blair will announce on Wednesday a new timetable for the withdrawal of British troops from
Iraq, with 1,500 to return home in several weeks, the BBC reported. Blair will also tell the House of Commons during his regular weekly appearance that a total of about 3,000 British soldiers will have left southern Iraq by the end of 2007, if the security there is sufficient, the British Broadcasting Corp. said, quoting government officials who weren't further identified.
The announcement comes even as President Bush implements an increase of 21,000 more troops for Iraq. But Blair said Sunday that Washington had not put pressure on London to maintain its troop numbers. The BBC said Blair was not expected to say when the rest of Britain's forces would leave Iraq. Britain currently has about 7,100 soldiers there. Blair's Downing Street office refused to comment on the BBC report.
Blair and Bush talked by secure video link Tuesday morning, and Bush said Britain's troop cutbacks were "a sign of success" in Iraq. "The president is grateful for the support of the British Forces in the past and into the future," U.S. National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said in Washington. "While the United Kingdom is maintaining a robust force in southern Iraq, we're pleased that conditions in Basra have improved sufficiently that they are able to transition more control to the Iraqis.
"The United States shares the same goal of turning responsibility over to the Iraqi Security Forces and reducing the number of American troops in Iraq," Johndroe said. "President Bush sees this as a sign of success and what is possible for us once we help the Iraqis deal with the sectarian violence in Baghdad."
"We want to bring our troops homes as well," Johndroe said. "It's the model we want to emulate, to turn over more responsibilities to Iraqis and bring our troops home. That's the goal and always has been."
Blair said last month that he would report to lawmakers on his future strategy in Iraq following the completion of Operation Sinbad, a joint British and Iraqi mission targeting police corruption and militia influence in the southern city of Basra. On Sunday, Blair told the BBC that the operation was completed.
Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said in January that Operation Sinbad offered the prospect of a "turning point for Iraq, hopefully in the near future."
Treasury chief Gordon Brown, who is likely to succeed Blair by September, has said he hoped several thousand British soldiers would be withdrawn by December.
As recently as late last month, Blair rejected opposition calls to withdrawal British troops by October, calling such a plan irresponsible. "That would send the most disastrous signal to the people that we are fighting in Iraq. It's a policy that, whatever its superficial attractions may be, is actually deeply irresponsible," Blair said on Jan. 24 in the House of Commons.
Blair, who has said he will step down as prime minister by September after a decade in power, has seen his foreign-policy record overshadowed by his role as Bush's leading ally in the unpopular war.
Posted by: ed ||
02/20/2007 18:41 ||
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By BUSHRA JUHI, Associated Press Writer (Salt required)
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- A suicide bomber struck a funeral in Baghdad on Tuesday, killing at least seven people as militants show increasing defiance to a major security operation in the capital. The attacker, wearing a belt packed with explosives, followed a funeral procession into a tent before detonating the blast in a mostly Shiite district of eastern Baghdad, police said. At least 15 people were injured.
In other bloodshed across Baghdad, a car bomb and a suicide attacker killed at least 11 people. About 12 miles outside the capital, a truck carrying chlorine gas exploded. Two people died in the explosion and nearly 150 exposed to the fumes were treated for injuries, according to Brig. Gen. Qassim Moussawi, a military spokesman who said a bomb was planted under the tanker.
More than 100 people have been killed in the Baghdad area since Sunday in a direct challenge to efforts by U.S. and Iraqi forces to restore some authority on the streets and give the embattled government some breathing room.
The first attacks came during the busy morning rush for goods and fuel. A car rigged with explosives tore through a line of cars at a gas station in the Sadiyah district in southwestern Baghdad. Police said at least six people were killed and 14 injured in the neighborhood, which is mixed between the majority Shiites and Sunnis whose militant factions are blamed for many of the recent bombings and attacks.
Later, a suicide attacker drove a bomb-laden car into a vegetable market near a Shiite enclave in southern Baghdad. At least five people were killed and seven injured, police said. The same market in the mostly Sunni Dora district was targeted last month by three car bombs that killed 10 people.
On Monday, insurgents staged a bold daylight assault against a U.S. combat post north of Baghdad, killing two soldiers and injuring 17. The U.S. military called it a "coordinated attack" - which began with a suicide car bombing and then gunfire on soldiers pinned down in a former Iraqi police station, where fuel storage tanks were set ablaze by the blast.
The head-on attack in Tarmiyah, about 30 miles north of Baghdad, was notable for both its tactics and target. Sunni insurgents have mostly used hit-and-run ambushes, roadside bombs or mortars on U.S. troops and stayed away from direct assaults on fortified military compounds to avoid U.S. firepower.
It also appeared to fit a pattern emerging among the suspected Sunni militants: trying to hit U.S. forces harder outside the capital rather than confront them on the streets during a massive American-led security operation.
Mohammed al-Askari, spokesman for Iraq's Defense Ministry, blamed the attack on a cell of al-Qaida in Iraq, which has claimed responsibility for many high-profile strikes. "It's their work," he said.
Altogether, nine U.S. service members have been reported killed since the beginning of the weekend, six of them on Monday.
In Baghdad, Prime Minister Nouri al-Makiki moved quickly to try to defuse a potentially explosive scandal after a Sunni woman claimed she was raped by three officers of the Shiite-dominated police.
But the government's response - siding with the officers and trying to discredit the allegations - threatened to bring even more backlash.
A statement by al-Makiki's office accused "certain parties" - presumably Sunni politicians - of fabricating the claims in an attempt to undermine security forces during the ongoing Baghdad security operation, which began last week.
The 20-year-old married woman said she was assaulted after police commandos took her into custody Sunday in the western Baghdad neighborhood of Amil, accusing her of helping insurgents. She was taken to a police garrison and raped, she said.
"It has been shown after medical examinations that the woman had not been subjected to any sexual attack whatsoever and that there are three outstanding arrest warrants against her issued by security agencies," the government statement said. It added: "The prime minister has ordered that the officers accused be rewarded."
There was no comment from Sunni officials, who expressed outrage over the alleged rape and demanded swift punishment. Sunnis blame the police for many of the death squad killings of Sunnis over the past two years.
In a Baghdad courtroom, six officials from Saddam Hussein's regime pleaded innocent of crimes against humanity for a crackdown on Kurds in the 1980s.
The defendants include Ali Hassan al-Majid, also known as "Chemical Ali," for allegedly ordering poison gas attacks during the campaign, code-named Operation Anfal, which killed an estimated 100,000 Kurds.
The trial began last year with each defendant rejecting the general allegations. The special tribunal now delivered specific charges to end the investigative phase of the proceedings. If convicted, they could face death sentences.
Saddam was a defendant in the Anfal trial but was sentenced to death after his conviction for the killing of 148 Shiite Muslims after a 1982 assassination attempt. He was hanged Dec. 30. Part of this story was on page 1 of the local newspaper this morning, but I didn't see it yesterday on Rantburg, or in the archives. As with anything from local stringers in Iraq, salt is definitely required. Mods - full article posted because the local newspaper doesn't allow links to archived material. Move part to page 49 if required.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
02/20/2007 14:43 ||
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A mortar attack Monday killed at least 11 people in a mostly Shi'ite enclave of Baghdad, police and hospital officials said. The shells hit just before sunset in the Dora area, which is surrounded by predominantly Sunni neighborhoods. The attacks pushed the day's death toll in Baghdad to more than 25 after a string of car bombs earlier.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2007 00:00 ||
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#3
They have a complicated case of Israelophobia superimposed on Infidelophobia so you can bet they will continue a suicide bombing, lest there be peace.
Three American women were briefly kidnapped Tuesday in the West Bank city of Nablus and were released later in the evening, Palestinian security officials said. There was no claim of responsibility by an armed Palestinian group.
At one point, a man calling himself Hadi Saud contacted The Associated Press in Nablus and said he was the kidnapper. He demanded to be given a job in the Palestinian security forces and medication for a shooting injury sustained last year, in exchange for releasing the hostages. He provided no proof that he is holding the women.
The security officials said the three women were last seen taking pictures on the outskirts of the Balata refugee camp near Nablus before they were kidnapped. They were held briefly before being released, security officials said. Micaela Schweitzer-Bluhm, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem, said U.S. officials were informed of the kidnappings. "We take them extremely seriously," Schweitzer-Bluhm said. She had no details on the identities of the women or what they were doing in the West Bank.
In the past, scores of foreigners were kidnapped by various Palestinian militant groups, but usually released unharmed after a few hours.
Palestinian sources in the West Bank city of Nablus announced Tuesday that three peace activists of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) have been released Tuesday..
Posted by: Steve ||
02/20/2007 15:37 Comments ||
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#4
Ah, yes. The Rachel Corrie crew.
Maybe the guy wanted a job as a bulldozer driver...
A Palestinian was arrested Monday evening at a checkpoint near Nablus after he attempted to stab a female soldier who was on duty. No one was hurt in the incident, and the Palestinian was taken in for interrogation, Army Radio reported. "Die, Zionist harlot!"
"Wot's that y'got there, Mahmoud? Looks like a knife, only tiny!"
"Owww! Unhand me, female! If my imam finds out about this I'm toast!... Owwww!... Oh, beat me, Zionist harlot of Pleasure!"
"Here, stop that!... Put that back on!... I'm not that kind of girl!... Eeeeew!"
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Jeeeebus, the man with the big yellow highliter does it again.
IDF troops in cooperation with the Shin Bet arrested Muhammad Daoud, a Tanzim operative who was planning a shooting attack in the Bethlehem area, it was released for publication Monday evening. Daoud, who was caught in the village of Walaja near Jerusalem, was transferred to security forces for questioning.
This article starring:
MUHAMAD DAUD
Tanzim
Tanzim
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2007 00:00 ||
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Thai security forces have arrested three Muslim men in connection with a series of bombs and shootings that killed eight people across the Muslim far south at the weekend, the region's military chief said on Tuesday. All three had confessed and been charged, Southern Army commander Lieutenant-General Viroach Buacharoon told a news conference. He declined to give details of the charges, or name the men.
He added that the men, who were in their 20s and 30s, had had "intensive military training" from a militant group called RKK, but again declined to give any details. References to Runda Kumpalan Kecil -- which means "Small Patrol Group" in Malay -- first surfaced in a Bangkok Post report in January 2006. The report described RKK as one of several militant groups operating in the provinces near the Malaysian border. The paper said the group used the home of an Islamic teacher called Amran Masor in Thailand's Pattani province as a training base.
The bomb disposal unit successfully removed and destroyed an improvised explosive device placed inside a convenience store in Yala municipality Tuesday morning. The IED, weighing about five kgs, was placed inside a 7-Eleven store, where it was supposed to be detonated by a mobile phone. Police said they were alerted by a staff member of the store after he saw a man enter the store and leave quickly. A suspicious box was found in the store. A bomb disposal team arrived shortly afterwards, and removed the suspicious box from the store. The box exploded after it was hit by a water jet.
Meanwhile in Janeh district of Narathiwat, insurgents detonated a roadside bomb as troops assigned to guard teachers moved past the scene. No one was hurt by the IED.
A prison warden supplied convicted Bali bomber Imam Samudra with a laptop computer which allowed him to plot other attacks from his cell on death row, an Indonesian court heard yesterday. Benny Irawan, alias Abu Hanafi, 29, went on trial in Semarang district court, Central Java, yesterday accused of receiving a package containing a laptop and other equipment on May 5, 2005, while he was a warden at Balis Kerobokan jail. He then wrapped the laptop in old newspapers and gave it to Samudra in his jail cell later the same day, ElShinta radio said.
Irawan was later transferred to work at another jail in Purwokerto, Central Java. The defendant had intentionally provided assistance or facilities to a terrorist, prosecutor Didik Joko told the court.
Joko said that Samudra sentenced to death over his key role in the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists used the laptop to stay in contact with other Muslim militants. But he did not confirm press reports quoting police sources who said that Samudra had helped plan other attacks, including the 2005 Bali suicide bombings that killed 20 bystanders. The indictment said that Samudra had sent money to Agung Setyadi, who is to be tried separately, to buy the laptop and send it to Irawan in Bali.
Setyadi and another man, Agung Prabowo, are both accused of creating a terrorism website, with tips on attacking foreigners, on the orders of Samudra. Samudra and fellow Bali bombers Amrozi and Ali Ghufron, alias Mukhlas, are all on death row. Mukhlas has preached to other Muslim militants by mobile phone from his Bali jail cell, according to a report to parliament earlier this month by police chief General Sutanto.
All three were moved to a high security island jail off the southern coast of Central Java in October 2005, with the authorities citing security reasons. Defence lawyer Joko Susanto said the court had no jurisdiction to hear the case since the alleged crime took place in Bali, not Central Java. Prosecutors argued that the defendant had been since transferred to work in a Central Java jail and that most of the witnesses came from the province.
This article starring:
ABU HANAFI
Jemaah Islamiyah
AGUNG PRABOWO
Jemaah Islamiyah
AGUNG SETYADI
Jemaah Islamiyah
ALI GHUFRON
Jemaah Islamiyah
AMROZI
Jemaah Islamiyah
BENNY IRAWAN
Jemaah Islamiyah
Didik Joko
General Sutanto
IMAM SAMUDRA
Jemaah Islamiyah
Joko Susanto
MUKHLAS
Jemaah Islamiyah
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
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#1
This is why we don't trust Indonesian police or the courts. Too much symapathy because their confused about what being a good muslim means.
Backed by a strike group with more than 6,500 sailors and marines as well as additional minesweeping ships, the Stennis joins the carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in line with President Bushs orders for the build-up as a show of strength to Iran.
Top US Navy commander in the Middle East Vice Adm. Patrick Walsh said Iran had brought its war games over the past year into the busy shipping lanes in the Straits of Hormuz, through which two-fifths of the worlds oil supplies pass.
The moves have alarmed US officials about possible accidental confrontations that could boil over into war. During maneuvers, Iranian sailors have loaded mines onto small mine-laying boats and test-fired a Shahab-3 missile into international waters, said the US vice admiral, very close to the straits.
#1
Well, the ball is in Iran's court. There would be no confrontations by Iran that would be accidental. We are talking about 40% of the world's oil supply. This is big time stuff with big time stakes. There is enough firepower in two US carrier groups to send the MMs down the well into hell. This isn't Hizb'Allah and a missile firing on an Israeli ship off the coast of Lebanon.
Like I said, ball is in Iran's court. Do they feel lucky today. They better think this over.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/20/2007 17:08 Comments ||
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#2
The ball is in Iran's court . . .
"Stennis, anyone?"
[ducks]
Posted by: Mike ||
02/20/2007 17:15 Comments ||
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#3
Mike -- after enduring a day with a working co-hart in a foul mood (who knows why) I just LOL when I read that!
#6
The Great Satan is powerful but very, very stupid (look at them treating these Arab dogs as if they were people). Allah's will shall prevail!
Posted by: MM ||
02/20/2007 18:05 Comments ||
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#7
I hope the Stennis brought a large number of minesweepers with it. But no, let me guess, as soon as any conflict starts, the USN is greatly surprised to find itself critically short of mine countermeasures.
#8
We can but hope that twice as much planning has gone into what to do with Iran *after* it has seven bells kicked out of it. We sure as hell don't want a situation like we had in Iraq for a decade after Gulf War I.
Unless it's a democrat president, that is. Having our military idle during one of those presidencies is the best you can hope for. Sucker would probably order them to surrender.
#9
Grom: not only short on surface minesweeeping assets, but the MH-53D's of yore have been retired with, I believe, no effective replacements. They could tow a sled along at a pretty good clip and clear a lot of ocean. I do not think the -53E's have been rigged for this mission. If anybody knows otherwise, please update me, thanks.
B Raman, Master Spy..the real deal
5. After a visit to the US in February last year, I had reported that there were three groups there---- one group was totally opposed to any intervention in Iran. A second group urged intervention by the US before it became too late. The third group favoured intervention by Israel with a US wink, without Washington getting directly involved. The third group seems to have won the debate. sure got my vote. more at linky
#2
"For Israel, the question is not whether Iran has the intention to acquire a military nuclear capability. The question is should Iran be allowed to have an infrastructure capable of being used for military nuclear purposes even if it does not have the intention at present to use it for military purposes. Once it is allowed to have the infrastructure, any time---clandestinely and at short notice--- it would be able to acquire a military nuclear capability and confront Israel with a nuclear fait accompli".
I agree totally with this paragraph.This needs to be told/sold to the whole world especially the LEFT!!!!!
#3
I have seen this senerio of a Isreali first strike a couple of times of late. Usually it is played as Isreali first strike provoking Iran into hitting Isreal directley back (limited ability due to arrow and Patriots) so Iran goes for the near targets Persian Gulf and US bases Iraq. Result is we jump in in "defense" mode hammering Iran down (doing the actual effective degredation of the Iranian program).
Saddly this is a senerio that exist only becuase of the LLL's Sedition of the Iraq campain to the point were we have to allow a known enemy get first blow on a open chin to be allowed to do what must be done. Sad days we live in indeed.
#4
No RD, the "shitbirds" world over will demand a strong and tangible international response to "Israeli Aggression".
Do you trust Bush not to go along with it? Because I don't.
#5
No RD, the "shitbirds" world over will demand a strong and tangible international response to "Israeli Aggression". Do you trust Bush not to go along with it? Because I don't.
point taken sort of, BUT Israel's very existence is at stake, so promised the Assatollas and the Dinnertjacket many times.
Israel must tell the world to fuck off because the Iranians have left them no other choice.
Grom If you don't trust President Bush to stand up to and defend Israel against shitbirds even when they demand Israel's scalp, stamp their feet and whine for a "strong and tangible international response to "Israeli Aggression"", then Grom you must not trust that he will ever attack Iran in a meaningful way in the next two years either.
Using your postulate, unless you believe that a direct descendant of Machiavelli will trick the President Bush [with a Zimmermann tele] into making Iran glow at night, Who will destroy the Iranian nukes?
Israel must save herself, NEVER AGAIN!
To Hell with the shitbirds, they can eat more sh*t and die.
Israel's intelligence community has determined that Iran was financing the daily Palestinian missile attacks against the Jewish state.
Officials said Iran has pledged to pay thousands of dollars for each missile strike from the Gaza Strip into Israel. They said the size of the Iranian payment depended on whether there were Israeli casualties or injuries. "There is a price list that takes into consideration the number of missiles fired, casualties and damage," an official said. "It's an easy way for Palestinians involved in terrorism to make money."
Officials said Islamic Jihad has obtained most of the money for the missile strikes. Jihad has claimed credit for the lion's share of the Kassam-class, short-range missile attacks from the northern Gaza Strip over the last month. Jihad, which pledged to observe the ceasefire announced in early December, has targeted the Israeli cities of Ashkelon and Sderot.
#2
The minute Israel determined that any foreign government was paying for attacks via proxy, it should have retaliated directly against that foreign government. Specifically against whoever ordered the attack.
Such antics only exist when those pulling the strings feel they can do so with impunity.
Now if the Israelis wanted to be a little subtle about it, they should make of list of the leaders of Iran, from most radical to least radical, then start by culling the most radical, even if they had no direct responsibility for the attack.
By doing it this way, they would both get easier targets, and better long range effects.
#5
So it could be true, it it could be false information fed by the Mossad, or it could just be a rumour... I wouldn't be surprised if it were true, though. So many others have paid by the operation through the years, like Saddam Hussein.
Heh Pappy. I know I know. Sorry, I couldnt resist. When it comes to Rodans reporting, I would be shocked if he actually had a named source. Not to mention a return on investment list? Methinks a tanker-truck of sodium is needed on this one. Wonder how long before Iranfocus picks this one up.
#3
I've never understood what the fuss was about.
Really, good actress, not great.
Seems nice enough, jeez, all the PR.
Nice eyes tho.
Seriously.
Stop looking at me.
Go away!
Turn off yur eyeballs!
Let me sleep in peace!
#6
Ilsa: I wasn't sure you were the same. Let's see, the last time we met...
Rick: Was La Belle Aurore.
Ilsa: How nice, you remembered. But of course, that was the day the Germans marched into Paris.
Rick: Not an easy day to forget.
Ilsa: No.
Rick: I remember every detail. The Germans wore gray, you wore blue.
Posted by: Mike ||
02/20/2007 5:39 Comments ||
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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.
British forces in Afghanistan have destroyed a key Taliban base in the latest stage of a campaign to control access to the troubled Helmand province. More than 250 British troops supported by local Afghan soldiers wiped out three large compounds around the town of Garmsir late on Saturday night, the Army announced today. The compounds were linked by a network of trenches and underground tunnels used to shelter Taliban fighters.
SUSPECTED pro-Taliban militants beheaded and cut off the hands and feet of a man in a Pakistani border area, accusing him of spying for US forces in Afghanistan. Authorities in North Waziristan tribal district found the body of the Afghan man dumped on a road near the frontier late yesterday with a note identifying the man as "American spy Nek Amal", a security official said. 
Sleuths probing the terror attack on 
Three American women were briefly kidnapped Tuesday in the West Bank city of Nablus and were released later in the evening, Palestinian security officials said. There was no claim of responsibility by an armed Palestinian group. 
A Palestinian was arrested Monday evening at a checkpoint near Nablus after he attempted to stab a female soldier who was on duty. No one was hurt in the incident, and the Palestinian was taken in for interrogation, Army Radio reported.
