An Afghan soldier and nine militants were killed and 11 people, including nine foreign troops, wounded in fresh violence across Afghanistan, officials said on Monday. Six Taliban rebels were killed in a gunfight with Afghan and NATO-led troops in the eastern province of Paktia, provincial police chief Abdul Rahman Sarjang said. Separately, a soldier with the US-led coalition and an Afghan interpreter were wounded when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb in the province of Khost on Monday, a spokesman with the NATO-led force told AFP. Meanwhile, AfghanistanÂ’s Supreme Court has ruled that parliamentÂ’s sacking of foreign minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta after a vote of no- confidence was unconstitutional. Spanta lost the May 12 vote, called after the Iranian government began forcing out tens of thousands of Afghans living in the country illegally, two days after a similar one cost the refugees minister his job. President Hamid Karzai referred SpantaÂ’s case to the Supreme Court, saying the voting procedure was irregular. He also questioned if a minister could be subjected to a no-confidence vote on an issue not directly related to his work. Spanta meanwhile continued his official duties.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/05/2007 00:00 ||
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(SomaliNet) A suicide car bomber has attacked an Ethiopian military compound in south of Mogadishu, Somalia late on Monday – as spate of bombings and organized killings continue in the volatile city of Mogadishu.
There is no immediate casualty on the Ethiopians. It the second suicide attack in the capital within the 24 past hours. Ten-year old boy was confirmed killed by the shrapnel of the blast.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/05/2007 00:00 ||
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Detained 'district commander' (Zila Amir) of Hizbut Touhid, Md. Jashim Uddin, during interrogation disclosed that the militant organization is active in four upazilas in the district.
Jashim was arrested on May 24 in Haibatnagar in Kishoreganj town and placed on five days' remand on May 27. He was produced before court again on May 31. The court sent him to jail.
A day after the arrest, five cadres of Hizbut Touhid entered a magistrate's room at the officers' dormitory in Old Court Road area on May 25 and threatened him of 'dire consequences' if their leader Jashim was not released, it was learnt from official sources here yesterday. During interrogation on remand, Jashim said, Hizbut cadres including female ones are active in four upazilas of Kishoreganj district, investigation officer (IO) Sub Inspector Abul Kalam Azad of Kishoreganj Sadar police station told this correspondent. The four upazilas are Kishoreganj Sadar, Karimganj, Katiadi and Hossainpur.
Jashim told interrogators that their main target of recruitment is poor and illiterate rural people. Strong Hizbut units are active at Koirail, Tarapasha, Hoibatnagar, Jashodal, Binnati and Maria unions of Kishoreganj Sadar upazila, according to SI Abul Kalam Azad. Jashim also disclosed names of three other upazila 'commanders' of the militant organization. They are Hanif, 28, in-charge of Hossainpur upazila; Golap Shah, in-charge of Katiadi upazila and Abid, 25, in-charge of Karimganj upazila. The police official said Abid is an ex-employee of Abul Khair Tobacco Company.
Jasim told the interrogators that his party does not acknowledge the existing laws of the land. They want to establish 'rule of Allah' in Bangladesh.
SI Mainuddin of Kishoreganj Sadar police station who arrested Jashim along with several books on Islami Jihad (revolution) said two women activists of the party-- Sheuly and Hashy--from Uttara in Dhaka spent the night at Jasim's residence before his arrest. Women activists from Dhaka used to visit different areas in Kishoreganj and held secret meetings to recruit women members and train them, said SI Mainuddiun, who is the complainant of the case filed against Jasim.
Jashim disclosed that their spiritual leader is Bayzeed Khan Panni who is relative of former speaker of Jatiya Sangsad late Humayun Khan Panni. He said he received directive from Bayzeed over cell phone. Jashim was a teacher at a government primary school at Katiadi upazila. He was suspended after his arrest on September 8 last year for links with Islamist militants, police sources said. Jashim was granted bail after seven months, police sources said. Since then he resided at a rented house in Kishoreganj town and led a lavish life without any known source of income, the police officials said.
Jashim hailed from Madyha Charipara village in Katiadi upazila in Kishoreganj. When contacted Kishoreganj Police Superintendent Lutfur Rahman Mondol said, police are trying to arrest all Hizbut activists and to destroy its network.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/05/2007 00:00 ||
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A fourth suspect in an alleged plot to attack New York's John F. Kennedy Airport surrendered Tuesday in Trinidad as some U.S. authorities raised concerns that deep social inequality in the Caribbean could foster anti-American sentiment and make the islands a fertile recruiting ground for radical Islam.
Abdel Nur, a Guyanese national accused of seeking support for the alleged plot from the leader of a radical Muslim group in Trinidad, smiled as he turned himself in at a police station outside the capital Port-of-Spain.
The details emerging about Nur and the other suspected plotters have given rise to concerns plot that bitter social divides in the Caribbean, where many Muslims live in shacks just blocks from gleaming skyscrapers, could foster Islamic extremism.
The 57-year-old Nur worked odd jobs at a currency exchange house and lived in a poor neighborhood back in Guyana. "This is a conspiracy," he told reporters with a smile as he entered a courthouse later Tuesday. Rest at link.
Posted by: ed ||
06/05/2007 18:50 ||
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#1
They greatly resent the deep economic and social inequalities of their society, yet can afford to frequently fly back and forth to the US? I can't afford to frequently fly anywhere, yet I am not aware of being impoverished. (I don't have enough for all that I would love to have right now, but that's something else entirely. And compared to my mother's seriously rich cousins I do lack somewhat in the standard-of-living department, but that's only because their standards are seriously skewed.) Idiots!
ANKARA - Eight Turkish soldiers were killed and six wounded Monday in an attack by Kurdish WorkersÂ’ Party (PKK) militants on a military post in the eastern Turkish province of Tunceli, the Dogan news agency reported.
Dogan reported that the two PKK militants had gained entrance to the Kocatepe village military post when guards recognised the jeep they were travelling in. The jeep was later found to have been stolen. One of the militants threw hand grenades once inside the compoundÂ’s garden while the other fired on troops with an automatic weapon. Dogan also reported that shots were fired at the compound by an unknown number of other PKK rebels hiding behind rocks nearby.
Three soldiers were pronounced dead at the scene of the attack. Five others died later in hospital. Gendarmes, military police responsible for security in rural areas, killed one of the attackers. The other was believed to have been wounded but managed to escape.
PKK needs to be hunted down, and if the Iraqi Kurds aren't careful and fail to help turn in the PKK, the Turks are going to move on them.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/05/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Why can't the PKK be 'encouraged' to pursue their goals inside Iran instead of Turkey? Then we could sell more popcorn.
#2
IIRC, the Kurds in Iran have greater freedom than the Turkish Kurds. The Turks have outlawed everything Kurdish. The Kurdish language is banned, Kurdish social activities are restricted, and Kurdish culture and tradition are proscribed. The Turks treat all non-Turks that way - just look at their history with the Armenians living in Turkey. The Turks started the problem, and the Kurds are merely responding in kind. I don't think the Iraqi Kurds are "aiding and abetting" the Turkish Kurds, but there probably some blood ties that exist. I have no sympathy with the Turks - they created their problems and now they need to learn to live with them, or solve them in a reasonable way. Genocide is not reasonable, but that's the Turks' preferred answer to problems they have with non-Turks.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
06/05/2007 20:42 Comments ||
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#3
IIRC, the Kurds in Iran have greater freedom than the Turkish Kurds. The Turks have outlawed everything Kurdish. The Kurdish language is banned, Kurdish social activities are restricted, and Kurdish culture and tradition are proscribed. The Turks treat all non-Turks that way - just look at their history with the Armenians living in Turkey. The Turks started the problem, and the Kurds are merely responding in kind. I don't think the Iraqi Kurds are "aiding and abetting" the Turkish Kurds, but there probably some blood ties that exist. I have no sympathy with the Turks - they created their problems and now they need to learn to live with them, or solve them in a reasonable way. Genocide is not reasonable, but that's the Turks' preferred answer to problems they have with non-Turks.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
06/05/2007 20:44 Comments ||
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As New York police and the FBI interview suspects in an alleged plot to attack John F. Kennedy International Airport, one thread the ongoing investigation will explore is why one of the suspects was planning to go to Iran. A former Guyanese legislator, Abdul Kadir, was arrested in Trinidad on Friday on a plane bound for Caracas, Venezuela. According to Mr. Kadir's wife, Isha Kadir, he was in the island nation to pick up an Iranian visa so he could attend an Islamic conference in Tehran. Two of Mr. Kadir's children are studying in Iran, according to Mrs. Kadir.
Trinidad's counterterrorism police are also investigating whether one of Mr. Kadir's alleged co-conspirators, a 56-year old Shiite imam in Trinidad named Kareem Ibrahim, had ties to Shiite organizations in southern Iraq and Iran through an Islamic discussion group he hosted, according to the Trinidad Express.
In interviews in the Guyanese press, Mrs. Kadir said her husband's Iran connection was likely the reason the FBI was requesting his extradition. "We are shocked, we are not part of these things," she was quoted by Kaieteur News in Guyana. "To begin with, we are not Al Qaeda ... we are Shia. My husband is a decent, devoted, intelligent Muslim. Both of us have relatives in the United States. It would be nonsensical for him to plot something like this."
An FBI spokesman in New York would not comment on the fact that Mr. Kadir was on his way to Iran when he was arrested, noting only that the investigation into the plot against New York's largest airport was ongoing. However, a law enforcement official who requested anonymity said the Iran connection was a lead the investigators would be following.
If Iran's hand is found behind the JFK airport plot, it would raise an alarm about the Islamic Republic's recent alliances with America's hemispheric enemies. Since the 2005 ascendance of President Ahmadinejad in Iran, the Iranian regime has strengthened ties with such leaders as President Castro of Cuba, President Chavez of Venezuela, and even President Reagan's one-time foe, President Ortega of Nicaragua.
Mr. Chavez, for example, has signed a series of cooperation agreements with Iran and allowed Iranian television producers to consult on Venezuela's plan to offer a Spanish-language satellite television station. The Venezuelans have also allowed the Lebanese group Hezbollah, which receives funds and guidance from Tehran, to operate openly in their country.
A former FBI officer who until 2003 was in charge of the counterterrorism unit that monitored Iran and Hezbollah, Kenneth Piernick, said yesterday that he would not be surprised if the plotters had a connection to the Iranian regime. "The fact of the matter is that the Iranians are a bunch of sneaky bastards. They are going to take care of anyone who hurts us. I am not at all surprised that they might have been trying to provide him cover to get out of the region," he said in a telephone interview.
While the New York police commissioner, Raymond Kelly, stressed Saturday that as far as he knew, the plot was not connected to Al Qaeda, the indictment says the plotters sought assistance from the Guyanese Islamist group known as Jaamat al Muslimeen, or the Muslim Group. In 1990, 100 members of Jaamat al Muslimeen attempted a coup in Guyana that resulted in widespread riots. The leader of the group is expected to face trial this month in Guyana's capital, Georgetown.
According to an analyst at the Jamestown Foundation in Washington, D.C., Chris Zambelis, Jaamat al Muslimeen has never focused on international operations and was restricted primarily to organized crime. The organization also preaches a strict Sunni doctrine, wile Mr. Kadir is a Shiite, a branch of Islam that fundamentalist Sunnis regard as heretic.
Mr. Piernick said it was not wise to make too much of the differences between the Muslim branches when it came to Iran's role in supporting anti-American terror. "Shia Hezbollah has trained Sunnis in military operations without concern for their sect in Islam. What is of concern is that they are able to engage in terrorist acts," he said. " Al Qaeda has found sanctuary in Iran. Is this guy in a payroll? I don't know. Are they willing to help him out, a fellow Muslim against the ‘Great Satan'? Yes, I think they would."
Posted by: Fred ||
06/05/2007 14:06 ||
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#1
...one thread the ongoing investigation will explore is why one of the suspects was planning to go to Iran.
Either the guy going to Iran was trying to get money or technical support or both. Would not surprise me if Iran would be interested in such a plot. However, they would be very stupid to run the risk of having any blowback on them. The next time there is a 911, our response is going to be very very ugly and widespread.
#2
What is it going to take? Is Bush going to have to catch Ahmadinejad en flagrante porking his wife before he does something about Iran? The Iranians have been killing Americans with impunity for so many decades that we would not be out of line to glass them over just for grins.
#3
A former FBI officer who until 2003 was in charge of the counterterrorism unit that monitored Iran and Hezbollah, Kenneth Piernick, said yesterday that he would not be surprised if the plotters had a connection to the Iranian regime. "The fact of the matter is that the Iranians are a bunch of sneaky bastards. They are going to take care of anyone who hurts us. I am not at all surprised that they might have been trying to provide him cover to get out of the region," he said in a telephone interview.
Piernick seems to have a handle on this. Iranians are a sneaky bunch of bastards.
Mr. Piernick said it was not wise to make too much of the differences between the Muslim branches when it came to Iran's role in supporting anti-American terror. "Shia Hezbollah has trained Sunnis in military operations without concern for their sect in Islam. What is of concern is that they are able to engage in terrorist acts," he said. " Al Qaeda has found sanctuary in Iran. Is this guy in a payroll? I don't know. Are they willing to help him out, a fellow Muslim against the ‘Great Satan'? Yes, I think they would."
So much for this bullshit about how Islam is not monolithic. As the Global War on Terror heats up, one constant has been the increasing willingness of Sunnis and Shiites to assist each other in terrorist funding and operations.
This is a major reason why I have shifted over to supporting collective punishment against Muslims. Far too much of their anti-American Islamic crapulence features as a universal constant throughout their population for us to have any further patience with it.
#8
No 15 paragraphs needed, Pappy. This one's easier than most.
Haven't been paying very close attention, have you, AS? If you have bothered to read any of my posts lately, you'd know that I always put Iran, Pakistan and Saudia Arabia at the top of our Christmas list. If there're Kurds that need killing, it's the PKK or Ansar al Islam variety, but you couldn't be bothered to note that. Remember, even your precious Iraqi Kurds stone people to death. Is that who you want to share your world with?
Just in case you haven't noticed, Islam is our enemy. The Koran's doctrine preaches violence, rape, theft and forcible subjugation for all of us Infidels. I'll ask you to note how those Muslims we get along with best are often Shiite or Kurdish (as in Iraq). See if you can remember how our enemies the Sunnis have essentially declared both of them heretics or apostate for their deviation from fundamentalist Sunni doctrine. I could go on to point out how that makes them something other than Muslims, but I'm not going to split hairs like you are willing to.
So long as individuals follow the Koran, they are our enemy. The Koran explicitly exhorts its followers to establish a global caliphate based upon shari'a law. Those who do not adhere to this dogma are blasphemers, heretics or apostates. They are also so few in number as to be negligible in terms of rectifying the situation on their own part or affecting the greater arc of our military strategy. If that isn't enough to motivate some strong military opposition in you, then you may be in the wrong camp.
The KORAN, and that means the world's MUSLIM population because they follow the Koran, wants to destroy America and every other vestige of democracy on earth. Let me know if there's anything unclear about that. In case you haven't noticed, Islam is doing all of jack shit when it comes to combating the jihadists in their midst. They sit back and laugh while we stupidly try to do the foolishly impossible task of cleaning house for them. If Islam refuses to clean up its act, then we should not be bothered with making very many fine distinctions about the Muslim population in general. They are the ones who must begin differentiating themselves. Should they refuse to do so, they become the enemy. So far, the vast majority of Muslims have done nothing but make themselves the enemy of America.
You cite Afghanistan, a signatory to the human rights doctrine, who nonetheless backpedaled completely in the case of Abdul Rahman, a convert to Christianity. I'm sure you remember how they wanted to BEHEAD this guy. Instead, they ended up copping out by declaring him insane rather than apostate like they wanted to, despite agreeing to freedom of religion. Get a clue, we liberated these thankless shits just so they can continue to enforce Islamic monoculture when they explicitly agreed to institute freedom of religion. Just how valuable are "friends" of that sort?
The same goes for Iraq. We liberated these thankless shits only to have their population kick back and give the terrorists largely free reign. Yes, they went after al Qaeda, but only because bin Laden's thugs were making the lives of the terrorist factions even more miserable than they did for each other. So, if you have no problem accommodating the existence of these duplicitous backstabbing ingrates, go right ahead.
I happen to have had enough of this shit and look forward to the day that Islam is a historical footnote. Perhaps then our world can once again make progress instead of having to spend untold TRILLIONS of dollars fighting a bunch of psychotic killers.
#9
Ah, yes, the little girl that was stoned to death.
Ya know, she wasn't stoned to death by moslems, but by Yezedis.
Lots of moslems used that stoning as an excuse to perform lynchings of yezedis in the aftermath, did you know that? Using the same sort of logic you're using now. "The religion's a source of evil." "They didn't explicitly disavow the stoning, therefore they must be guilty." Basically, it's not really about religion to them, it's just about tribal affiliation. And a control mechanism.
You want us to adopt the exact same tribalistic behavior that's causing all the problems over there to begin with.
And if all Iraqis were like you describe, I can assure you, we wouldn't be occupying the country with a measly 100,000 troops, and pretending 130,000 were a meaningful "surge."
#10
Yet you cheerfully avoid recognizing the fact that there is no reaching of any sort of accommodation with Islam. There is nothing to negotiate. Any delay is merely more time for them to summon resources to be used against us. Do you honestly think that it is possible to coexist with Islam? Go ahead and talk all you want about reform. Most experts on the topic do not foresee any sort of reform in Islam's future. Ijtihad has been dead for about a thousand years. I hold ZERO hope of Islam modifying itself. Indeed, the vast majority of Muslim clerics prohibit even the discussion of it. So, where does that leave us?
#11
If Iran's hand is found behind the JFK airport plot, it would raise an alarm about the Islamic Republic's recent alliances with America's hemispheric enemies. Since the 2005 ascendance of President Ahmadinejad in Iran, the Iranian regime has strengthened ties with such leaders as President Castro of Cuba, President Chavez of Venezuela, and even President Reagan's one-time foe, President Ortega of Nicaragua.
If Iran is involved, it also puts them in league with AQ. Paul L. Williams book The Day of Islam puts AQ cells throughout South America,(Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Ecuador, Argentina, Venezuela) with Muslim extremist enclaves of 1500 Arabs overseeing poppy production as they did in Afghanistan. He claims Iranian geologists and scientists are there since 2005 extracting uranium.Then he tells of MI5 covertly intercepting AQ weapons smugglers exchanging cocaine for surface-to-air missiles on fisshing boats off the coast of Venezuela. Then there is the Latin American and Caribbean connection, with Hezbollah,Jemaah Islamiyah, and the Chechen Mafia (supposedly at Bin Laden's invite) setting up shop in Surinam, Trinidad/Tobago, Guyana. Moving on the JFK plot was really a stroke of luck, and may have be the next great lead. This book is a must read as most intelligence concentrates on Pakistan and the rest of the ME exclusively and ignores their willingness to work together against their hated American enemies.
#16
I'm not sure I have any. I just don't see selling our soul to whatever Hitler or Stalin promises deliverance as a realistic solution in and of itself.
#17
And I believe in fighting the war because I don't want to become part of yet another goddamned-to-HELL hydraulic empire that maintains its power by setting tribe against tribe.
Your style of fighting the war, I'm afraid, would bring us there.
Indian soldiers killed four suspected Muslim militants on Monday when they tried to sneak into Indian-held Kashmir from Pakistan, the second infiltration attempt in the past week, an army spokesman said. Violence in Kashmir has flared up in recent weeks after the end of winter has allowed easier movement of militants within the Himalayan region and allowed them passage through the mountains into Indian Kashmir from Pakistan. “Soldiers challenged a group of infiltrators in the Manjkote area near the Line of Control which resulted in a fierce battle,” said Lieutenant-Colonel SD Goswami, an Indian army spokesman. “Four militants were killed while the others fled. A search operation in the area is still in progress.” Later on Monday, six civilians were wounded when suspected militants lobbed a grenade at a police post in Srinagar, police said.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/05/2007 00:00 ||
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A young woman and three men were publicly executed on Monday in Khyber Agency after a private organisation declared them guilty of adultery. Members of the Sipah Eslahi (Soldiers of Reform) Committee, which is regarded as a sister organisation of Lashkar-e-Islami, carried out the public executions in Speray Dam with up to 40 shots fired at the “guilty people,” eyewitness said. The executed were not blindfolded when the five-man squad opened fire on them in front of what a member of the organisation said were around 500 “faithful”. Haji Jan Gul, a member of the committee said the executions were aimed at “keeping the area clean of such vices”.
“The committee caught the three men and the woman red-handed in Alamgudar village when we raided a house after an informer told us about unethical activities taking place in the said house,” Gul told Daily Times. This was the second public execution this year.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/05/2007 00:00 ||
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#3
...what is left for entertainment except sex and executions?
Sexecutions?
Posted by: Natural Law ||
06/05/2007 8:45 Comments ||
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#4
Taliban V2.0
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/05/2007 10:11 Comments ||
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#5
Sexecutions - sounds like something out of a William S. Burroughs novel. Of course, much of what goes on in the ME could have come from the pages of a Burroughs novel...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
06/05/2007 10:13 Comments ||
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#6
Is the bullet supposed to hit the circle ? He missed by four feet. Who's next ?
No, that's a thru and thru. Who's next is the woman on his left.
Posted by: Steve ||
06/05/2007 10:54 Comments ||
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#8
Our former President (slick Willie) wouldn't fare to well over there. Of course he might whip out his lawyering skills and put the whup ass on em. What is the meaning of "IS?" Tie em up in knots and circles.
#9
Our former President (slick Willie) wouldn't fare to well over there.
Are you kidding? Bill would make a great Iatoldyaso. Stick a turban on his head, give him an flock of worshipers and he'll reel off a four hour speech without breaking a sweat. The big holy men get multiple young brides, and you can dump the old one by just saying so three times.
Just don't tell him, ok.
Posted by: Steve ||
06/05/2007 17:24 Comments ||
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Threats to blow up courts of law in the NWFP continue to pour in as the registrar of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) and a senior civil judge received anonymous letters on Saturday that suicide bombers would target the Peshawar Judicial Complex on Monday. On Monday, the civil judges avoided courtrooms but some judges later attended their courts after a meeting with Senior Civil Judge Kalsoom Azam and PHC Registrar Syed Musaddiq Hussain Gillani. Gillani told Daily Times that the letters received by him and the senior civil judge said: “We carried out a blast in front of the PHC building. Our next target is the courtrooms.”
Gillani said that he held an emergency meeting with senior and other civil judges and asked them to resume work at the courtrooms. “I told the judges that we should not fear such threats and should continue our routine proceedings,” he added. However, no special security measures were taken at the entrances to the judicial complex despite the threats. Only two policemen were deployed at the main gate without metal detectors and they carried out body searches of only those people who were wearing chaddars. “Security measures were not enough and I myself asked a security official at the main gate to search me,” a litigant, Muhammad Dastageer, told Daily Times.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/05/2007 00:00 ||
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State Department Summary for Congress Iraqi and Coalition Forces Rescue 42 Individuals at AQI Hideout in Diyala:
•Iraqi Army and Coalition Forces (CF) conducted a raid based on atip from a local citizen and discovered 42 individuals at an al-Qaida in Iraq (AQI) hideout six miles south of Baquba May 27. Some of the men claimed to have been held as long as four months; others also had broken bones and showed other signs of torture.
Al-Anbar Rejection of al-Qaida Creates Economic, Political Opportunities:
•In a press conference May 22 with the governor of al-Anbar province, Mamun Sami Rashid Al-Awani, the deputy commander of Multi-National Force-West, BG John Allen, said that Anbar province is in transition, and the recent security improvements across the province have created significant political and economic opportunities.
•The security improvements have been brought about by a groundswell of opposition to al-Qaida, which has largely been expelled from the province’s population centers.
•Additionally, a partnership exists today in the province between CF, the Iraqi Police and the Iraqi Army. Iraqi security forces’ recruiting has increased dramatically and in just one year, the police forces in al-Anbar have grown from about 2,000 to 14,500.
Coalition Operations Continue against al-Qaida:
•Coalition spokesman MG Caldwell announced May 24 that during the past week, from May 16-22, CF conducted 45 focused operations against al-Qaida, resulting in the killing of 19 terrorists and the detention of 88 more.
Iraqi Kurdish Provinces Receive Security Responsibility:
•U.S. forces handed over security responsibility in Iraq’s three northern provinces to the Kurdish regional government May 30. The handover of Sulaymaniyah, Irbil and Dohuk provinces was followed by a parade of Kurdish soldiers.
Investigators Sharpen Interview Techniques:
•Approximately 40 Iraqi Ministry of Defense inspectors and their support staff from the inspector general’s office completed a three-day training course titled “Interviewing Victims and Witnesses”May 25. The goal of the training was to create understanding how to more effectively deal with the various types of witnesses and victims they encounter on a daily basis.
Supplies Aid Iraq Border Forts Police:
•In the last four weeks, Coalition forces have delivered over 87 tractor trailer truckloads of supplies to the Iraqi Department of Border Enforcement. The supplies range from small end items such as uniforms, heaters, and mattresses, to large items such as ambulances, medium trucks, and patrol vehicles. The supplies will be dispersed to border forts all along Iraq’s borders.
Maliki Makes Nominations for Vacated Cabinet Seats:
•On May 24, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki nominated six ministers to replace the Cabinet seats vacated by loyalists to Muqtada al-Sadr six weeks ago. The nominees are Ali al-Bahadli (agriculture), Dr. Sabah Rasul Sadiq (health), Amer Abd al-Jabr Ismail (transport), Thamir Jaafar Mohammed al-Zubaidi (civil society), Dr. Khalid Sami Azar al-Maajun (provincial affairs) and Zuhair Mohammed Ridha Sharba (tourism). Lutheran? Shia? Methodist? Kurd? Presbyterian? Sunni?
Sadr Returns to the Public:
•In his first speech in seven months, Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called for national unity and the withdrawal of U.S. troops. The speech he delivered had new nationalistic overtones, calling on Sunnis to join with him in the fight against the U.S. presence. He also criticized the Iraqi government’s inability to provide reliable services to its people. We'll go, Mookie, just quit killing Sunnis and civilians, and soldiers.
Initial Progress at WTO Meetings in Geneva:
•The Iraqi delegation to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Working Party meeting in Geneva held productive bilateral meetings with U.S., Arab, and European delegations. The Working Party meeting, in which Trade Minister Abd al-Falah al-Sudani participated, took place May 25 and was characterized as a successful start to the WTO accession process, one that is crucial to Iraq’s integration into the international economy. The next Working Party meeting could take place as early as spring 2008.
USAID Awards 75 Scholarships for Advanced Public Management Studies:
•After a nationwide competition this spring, USAID awarded 75 scholarships for advanced public management studies to Iraqi public servants as part of its National Capacity Development Program. The recipients represent14 central government institutions, plus the Kurdish Regional Government, and come from 11 of Iraq’s 18 provinces; in addition, 36% are female.
•The 75 scholars will study topics such as strategic planning, information technology management, public finance, human resource management, public policy and project management. After concluding their studies, the scholarship recipients will return to Iraq to work for the Iraqi government.
Possible Business Registry Office for Basrah:
•The Minister of Trade has expressed interest in establishing a fourth Business Registry to be located in Basrah in addition to the three in Sulaymaniyah, Irbil, and Baghdad. USAID advisors are offering technical assistance and supporting the proposal. The formation of business registries is an important reform measure designed to reduce obstacles to registering a business in southern Iraq.
CCCI Convicts 37, Sentences Eight to Life, Three to 30 Years Imprisonment:
•The Central Criminal Court of Iraq (CCCI) convicted 37 individuals May 6-May 12 for violations of the Iraqi Terrorist Law, Penal Code, and Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) Orders enforced by the Iraqi judiciary. •Six Iraqis who were part of an al-Qaida terrorist group that attacked Multi-National Forces February 27 in Sumalat were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by the CCCI May 8 for violating CPA Order 3/2003, possessing illegal weapons. After the attack, U.S. forces arrested the attackers and searched several buildings used by the terrorists; discovering a large weapons cache that included rockets, rocket propelled grenade launchers, numerous automatic machine guns, and improvised explosive devise (IED)-making materials.
•The CCCI also convicted Majid Frayhan Hiwal May 8 for violating CPA Order 3/2003, and sentenced him to life imprisonment. Majid was apprehended by U.S. Forces May 9, 2006 after U.S. soldiers searched his dump truck in North Baghdad and found twenty-eight rockets, 82 anti-personnel land mines, 43 rocket-propelled grenades, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, two complete mortar systems, and IED components. To protect his home and property, no doubt.
•Nasir Taha Abbas was also convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment May 9 by the CCCI for violating CPA Order 3/2003.Nasir was captured January 27 by I Marine Expeditionary Force units in Modiq, near Ramadi while he was attempting to adjust the position of an IED set near a local mosque. After Nasir’s capture, IED activity in the area ceased for more than 30 days.
•Since its establishment, the CCCI has held 2,143 trials for suspected criminals apprehended by Coalition forces. The Iraqi Court proceedings have resulted in the conviction of 1,858 individuals with sentences ranging from imprisonment to death.
Ambassador Crocker Meets with Iranian Counterpart:
•Ambassador Crocker met with his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Qazimi Qumi, at an event hosted by the Iraqi Prime Minister. The Prime Minister led the first session and the subsequent discussion was hosted on the Iraqi side by the National Security Advisor Dr. Muwaffak al-Ruba’i. The talks were positive and the atmosphere was businesslike. The subject and focus of the meeting was Iraq and how the U.S. and Iran can help and support the government and people of Iraq in improving conditions in the country, particularly security conditions.
•The U.S. delegation made it clear that this is about actions, not just principles. Ambassador Crocker related to the Iranians a number of specific concerns about their behavior in Iraq, including their support for militias that are fighting both the Iraqi Security and Coalition forces; the fact that much of the explosives and ammunition that are used by these groups are coming into Iraq from Iran; that such activities led by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) –Quds Force needed to cease, and that the U.S. would be looking for results.
Minister of Trade Underscores Importance of First Working Party Meetings:
•Abed Falah al-Sudani told ambassadors meeting in Geneva for initial discussions on Iraq’s bid to enter the World Trade Organization (WTO) that “joining the WTO is an important step toward integration into the global trading system and restores its position with the international community after decades of isolation from the world.”
Turkish Prime Minister Warns of Potential Attacks in Northern Iraq:
•Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said May 23 that Turkey would move against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq if necessary, hours after the Turkish authorities said they had identified the suicide bomber in an attack May 22 in Ankara as a man from a predominantly Kurdish city. The officials all but accused Kurdish militants of the attack, which left six dead, but the main militant group -the Kurdistan Workers’ Party -denied involvement. The suicide bomber, officials said, had been wearing plastic explosives.
Sadr Makes First Public Appearance in Months:
•For the first time in months, Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr appeared in public May 25, delivering an anti-American sermon to thousands of supporters in his base of Kufa in Najaf province and demanding that U.S. troops leave Iraq. Sadr also called on Sunnis to join with him in the fight against U.S. presence, and criticized the Iraqi government for it’s inability to provide reliable services to its people.
•Sadr’s sermon, which received significant coverage in both Arabic and Western media, outlined nine demands that needed to be met in order to improve the situation in Iraq, including: a timetable for the withdrawal of Coalition forces, the Iraqi government providing basic services, rebuilding of two shrines in Samarra and Palestinian factions uniting against Israel.
Ambassador Crocker Delivers Press Conference:
•After talks with Iranian counterpart Hassan Qazimi Qumi, Ambassador Ryan Crocker delivered a press conference May 28, which was broadcasted live by both Arabic and Western media. Ambassador Crocker described the meeting as “businesslike” and said that all three parties (Iran, Iraq, and the U.S.) agreed that the purpose of the meeting was to focus on Iraq, and Iraq only and that -from the U.S. point of view -the meeting was about actions and not just principles.
Posted by: Bobby ||
06/05/2007 08:41 ||
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"The IDF is preparing for an escalation on both the Palestinian and northern fronts," Chief of General Staff Lt. -Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi said Tuesday. Ashkenazi was speaking at a large-scale drill, incorporating multiple units, in Shizafon.
"The IDF's goal is to improve our readiness, while at the same time continuing the war on terror. The display seen here today is quite impressive; only one element is lacking - an enemy," Ashkenazi said.
Ashkenazi also addressed cadets who were observing the drill: "We will have to ensure that commanders give clear orders and the means to carry them through Â… a commander needs to be inquisitive, curious and interested. Every available moment should be devoted to training," he said. "The army is either preparing to fight or fighting. That is the reason why commanders should use every free minute they have to study the assignments, so that when we send you to the front line- you will achieve results."
Regarding the prospects of war breaking out this summer or in the near future, Ashkenazi said: "I do not know if a war will break out or not, but the residents of Israel count on us - and I count on you."
Defense Minister Amir Peretz, also present at the drill, said that "we have no indication that Syria is interested in initiating a war." However, he added, "I hope the escalation in words will not bring about an escalation in actions." Peretz clarified that the IDF was only conducting an exercise according to a yearly training plan and said he was hopeful the Syrians would not "misinterpret" it.
A similar drill conducted last year centered on conquering a mockup of a Palestinian village. This year, the drill's goal was to conquer a mockup of a Syrian village.
OC Military Intelligence Chief Maj. -Gen. Amos Yadlin also referred to the northern border in his briefing to the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee of the Knesset.
"Syria is making very real preparations, cleaning army posts, conducting large drills and strengthening defenses. They are reaching a state of readiness for war more than in the past, but this doesn't mean they'll be ready for war tomorrow. The Syrians have a very large quantity of long-range missiles. They do not need to move forces around to attack with these missiles.
Yadlin went on to say that Hamas possessed Grad missiles with a range of 20 kilometers that have yet to be fired at Israel.
Israel Radio quoted Yadlin as saying that the group also had Kassam rockets capable of reaching distances of up to 13 kilometers.
Yadlin also warned that shoulder-fired missiles, with a range of 40 kilometers, could soon be smuggled into the Gaza Strip.
Within the IDF, movement of Syrian forces towards the Golan Heights border is considered a preliminary sign for potential escalation and allows the army time to prepare - usually 48 hours. Over the past few months the Syrian army raised its level of alert, thus effectively eroding most of the preliminary signs. Together with the long-range missiles mentioned by Yadlin, the implications of the latest developments are that Syria can potentially catch Israel by surprise.
#2
I thought the headline was talking about the US Army. And my first thought was we already have a 2-front war - against terrorist overseas and against the MSM, Dems and Leftoids (but I repeat myself) at home. >:-(
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
06/05/2007 17:41 Comments ||
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#3
If it looks like the US might attack Iran, Iran will use a full court press on Syria to attack Israel, hoping that will distract the US.
Yes, but is it a "ticking" time bomb?
It was a dark and stormy night...
EIN EL-HILWEH CAMP, Lebanon - Bearded gunmen disappear into narrow alleys, eyed by rival fighters. Clouds of black smoke drift through the streets from shelled buildings and smoldering tires. And mothers hurriedly pack their children's clothes into plastic bags, ready to flee. ...the wind whistled through the ruins as, somwhere in the distance, the sound of a dog's painful howls was heard.
This camp of 65,000 Palestinian refugees is on edge, fearing that the fighting at another northern Lebanese camp between the army and militants could spread here in a sustained way — or worse, that armed factions could erupt into intra-Palestinian hostilities. You could cut the tension with a knife. A dull knife...
The fighting had spread Sunday evening and Monday to the Ein el-Hilweh camp in the south. Ein el-Hilweh was calm on Tuesday, but many think it is inevitable the violence will resume. It's quiet out there, Mahmoud.
Yeah...too quiet...
"It's a time bomb that explodes intermittently," said Abu Motie, a member of the mainstream Palestinian Fatah group in Ein el-Hilweh. The Fatah boys trusted Abu's wisdom, and he was also known as "Confucius"...
Late Sunday and Monday, Islamic militants from a group called Jund al-Sham, who support the extremist Fatah Islam fighters in the northern camp, fired rocket-propelled grenades at the Lebanese army on the edge of Ein el-Hilweh, prompting the army to return fire. Hey! They're shooting back!! Can they do that?
Residents caught in the middle fear the worst. Many are packing a few belongings into plastic bags and fleeing. "We're not prepared to die because of a few thugs," said an angry Wafa Amour as she and her two sisters and their children hurried out of the camp. ...probably to get some nice new free stuff in the new hellhole to replace the stuff they left behind in the old one.
Palestinian officials say up to 8,000 Palestinians have fled since Sunday.
Ein el-Hilweh, the largest of 12 Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, is a microcosm of the complexities of intra-Palestinian rivalries and social and economic miseries. Its maze of cinderblock buildings — notorious for lawlessness and for neighborhoods run by factions who often fight for control — also has become a haven for criminal fugitives, including Lebanese. The UNRWA: Meeting your Refugee needs for almost sixty years...
Much of the rivalry among major Palestinian political groups in Gaza and the West Bank is also played out here.But what has caught the world's attention is the assortment of smaller, fanatic Islamic groups now in the camps, who espouse everything from fighting Israel to challenging U.S. influence in the region by sending fighters to Iraq. Tensions had been growing, punctuated by occasional violence, for months in Ein el-Hilweh, even before the explosion of violence between militants and the country's army in Nahr el-Bared camp to the north. Tensions growing: film at eleven...
An official with the secular Fatah faction said his group is being prevented by other Palestinian Islamic factions in the camp from eliminating Jund al-Sham gunmen, whose number is reportedly only in the dozens. "They're worried if we take matters into our hands, our faction will gain the upper hand in the whole camp," said Col. Abu Walid Ashi, a Fatah spokesman in Ein el-Hilweh. "If they let us, we can finish them off in hours. They are giving them political cover," he said. Sounds like Frank Pantangelli and the Rosato brothers...
A senior member of Asbat al-Ansar, a radical Islamic group with close ties to Jund al-Sham, confirmed that intra-Palestinian rivalries were to blame for a stalemate among the various groups. C'mon, boys. How about a nice game of midnight basketball!
Fatah militiamen on Monday spread out on the main street on the northern end of the camp. Bearded gunmen — some with their pistols tucked in their belts — walked in the nearby side streets. It was not clear who they were, but they did not belong to Fatah. "They're all mercenaries," said Salem Abu Ghneim, 55, with Fatah, pointing to a street where the bearded gunmen stood. Maybe they're Greenpeace workers checking out your carbon footprint...
"There's some kind of plot in the camp," said 18-year-old Wahib Ahmed, standing nearby. "All we want is security." "But that's forbidden for Palestinians," interjected his friend, Bilal Suleiman, 20. The group of men all said they were unemployed. Asked what might happen in the camp in future, they bemoaned both the security situation and their own future prospects. Palestinian refugees have few rights under Lebanese law. They are barred from taking most professional jobs and cannot buy or rent property outside the camps. "I'm a condemned Palestinian," said Mohammed Ghotani, 24. ...and then he played a sad tune for all of them on his violin.
#1
"There's some kind of plot in the camp," said 18-year-old Wahib Ahmed, standing nearby. "All we want is security." "But that's forbidden for Palestiniansby Palestinians," interjected his friend, Bilal Suleiman, 20
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/05/2007 11:47 Comments ||
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#2
Gee sounds sorta like South Central LA or maybe the South Bronx. Ya gots ur Crips, ur Bloods, ur Aztecs..............
Israel has begun deploying stationary robot gun-and-sensor installations along its borders with the Gaza Strip, according to reports. Both Jane's Defence Weekly and Defence News reported last week that the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have begun deploying automated gun stations in pillboxes along the Gaza border. The robot systems are said to mount cal-fifty (12.7mm) machine guns, protected by "armoured folding shields" until ready to fire.
EFL
All in all, the Israeli gun-bot force seems distinctly more hardcore than the South Korean one. Not only do the IDF robo-snipers pack a more arse-kicking gun, their automatic armour-shuttered pillboxes seem a lot harder to circumvent than the Korean SGR-A1's "anti-theft alarm".
What's more, there seems to be a future plan for the Israeli gun systems to become true killer robots rather than just remote hardened weapon stations.
"At least in the initial phases of deployment, we're going to have to keep the man in the loop," an unnamed IDF commander reportedly told Opall-Rome. "We don't want to risk making tragic and politically costly mistakes with such a lethal system."
#1
No free shots. Paint a red circle around it, put signs up forbidding entry, and shoot to kill all who get closer to it. ASSUME they are suicide bombers: Don't blame the Israelis, since its the Paleos who invented the Suicide bomber.
And that's on approach. anyone bearing weapons anywhere near a pillbox is a target. Any technical driving by is a target.
Hell, lie back to the bastards and say, "Yes, they ARE automated, and programmed to shoot at anything bigger than an infant walking on two feet."
Forget the rules: the other side isnt. If a child with an adult walks into the circle, shoot both. Dammit, MEAN IT!
#4
anymouse, what kind of question is that?
The rule of thumb is that if someone feels like a victim, we are obliged to provide the proper fullfilment, if there was no previous cause.
A new account set up to bypass an international boycott of Hamas has begun disbursing vital foreign aid to the Palestinians, with tens of millions of dollars expected to be used to partially pay civil servant salaries this week, the finance minister said Sunday.
And to partially feather the nest of Abu X, partially to pay for men and materiel to be exfiltrated to Lebanon.
The move is key to restoring relations between the Palestinians and donor countries, but there is no end in sight to the boycott, which was imposed when Hamas came to power more than a year ago, Salam Fayyad told The Associated Press in an interview.
For those of you unfamiliar with the esteemed Mr. Fayyad, he is the State Dept.-approved bagman for Paleoland, whose Saville Row suits cost only slightly less than Saeb Erekat's.
Fayyad, a U.S.-educated former International Monetary Fund executive and finance minister under the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat,
Correction: His suits cost slightly *more* than Saeb's. And don't think Saeb doesn't seethe about it.
returned to the Treasury in March after Hamas brought the moderate Fatah movement into the government. One of the alliance's main goals was to get the embargo lifted. But while most Western countries now deal with the non-Hamas members of the coalition, they've largely stuck to the boycott because the Islamic militants refuse to recognize Israel or renounce violence.
In mid-May, Fayyad established a new channel for foreign aid — an account in the Palestine Liberation Organization, the Palestinians' political umbrella organization of which Hamas is not a member. Donor countries can now send money to this account, without concern that banks involved in the transfer would run up against U.S. anti-terror regulations, he said. Fayyad said the U.S. has sent a letter to the European Union with such assurances. U.S. officials were not immediately available for comment Sunday.
That sound was my head colliding with the keyboard. Six years after 9-11 and we're funnelling cash to the PLO.
It was not known how much money has already been disbursed or for what purposes.
If you don't want to hear the answer, don't ask the damn question
"There has to be a better tomorrow for everybody, for both of us, Israelis and Palestinians," Fayyad said. "Where we are right now, is an extremely difficult and dangerous situation.'
His biggest challenge is to cover the bloated government payroll for 165,000 employees, half of them members of the security forces. The salaries feed about one-third of the Palestinians, and only partial payments were made under Hamas at irregular intervals.The finance minister has told civil servants there's still not enough money for full salary payments, but he would pay them half on a regular basis. This week, he'll make such a payment with $80 million the United Arab Emirates recently sent to the PLO account, he said. Fayyad said his ultimate goal is to restore the single Treasury account he operated before Hamas came to power in March 2006. After the account was dismantled by Hamas, donors bypassed the Finance Ministry by parceling out aid directly to different recipients, such as subsidies to tens of thousands of unpaid civil service workers.
In Brussels, Belgium, a senior EU diplomat said European countries are naturally eager to go back to the previous system, which included investment in infrastructure projects, schools and hospitals. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
Fayyad said the other key to resolving the crisis is a resumption of Israeli tax transfers, which the Palestinian government could now demand with the new account in place. With Hamas' rise to power, Israel froze the transfer of some $55 million a month it collects on behalf of the Palestinians, much of it from Palestinian workers in Israel. That money amounts to about two-thirds of local Palestinian revenue, Fayyad said. Miri Eisin, an Israeli government spokeswoman, didn't rule out a resumption of transfers "if we find that there is a mechanism that is acceptable to the international community."
#2
This farce needs to end now. Bulldoze Gaza and the West Bank. I don't care if the occupants are inside or not. The entire situation has all the respectability of bear-baiting.
TEL AVIV - Israeli ground troops backed by armour entered the southern Gaza Strip on Monday, in what a military spokeswoman described as a sweep for militant suspects. The force penetrated about one kilometre into the salient, the spokeswoman said.
Palestinian sources said the troops took over two homes in the area and stationed themselves on the rooftops. They said the Israelis ordered all male residents of the Gaza-Egypt border town of Rafah aged between 16 to 45 to gather in a central square.
Israeli Defence Minister Amir Peretz told the Knesset Foreign and Defence Committee that the military was acting in an ‘aggressive’ manner to combat Palestinian rockets fired from the Gaza Strip.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/05/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Good. Now keep going until you claim all of your territory back please.
#2
Is this the sweep where the IDF broubrought bulldozers to clear the area from which Kassem rockets had been shot off? The trailing daughters kicked me off the computer claiming greater need before I got a chance to post an article about that yesterday. ;-)
Posted by: Gary and the Samoyeds ||
06/05/2007 10:01 Comments ||
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My patience is GONE. Make every male pray toward mecca, and while they're banging their head on the ground, nail a knitting needle into their left buttock with a sign hanging from the protruding end, saying, "HELL NO, WE WILL NOT SUBMIT."
Every peep from every Muslim stating they are the superior religion and deserve to rule over non-muslim slaves should be answered by some grievous and humiliating physical act perpetrated upon the speaker that says, "The Hell you are."
If you will not submit to reason by words, we will resort to reason with deeds.
One Thai government soldier was wounded in a bombing here [Narathiwat], and a father leaving his child at school was shot and wounded in Narathiwat. The roadside bomb went off in Rangae district when a teacher protection unit was patrolling the area to provide security for teachers on Tuesday morning. Army corporal Sampao Songrasri was injured by the explosion and was rushed to hospital.
At about the same time in Rueso district, local resident Sa-aree Buena was shot by presumed insurgents after dropping his son at school.
Meanwhile, State Railway of Thailand train service in the three southern border provinces has been halted for repair work as suspected insurgents removed bolts from sections of the tracks in several locations in Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat. Monday's derailing of a train in Pattani occurred because bolts the tracks to their sleepers had been removed.
About 100 State Railway of Thailand workers are repairing the vandalized track and are moving the derailed locomotive and three carriages back onto the rail track, and move them to a railway yard for whatever repairs are required. The extent of the damage to the rolling stock was not yet clear, but it is expected that the track repair work will be completed on Wednesday. Soldiers and police are guarding the site where the workers are working to prevent any further attack.
Insurgents detonated a roadside bomb in Yala province Tuesday morning, wounding one soldier on a taskforce guarding teachers. The blast took place at an entrance to a school in Than To district. The victim was identified as Pvt Narong Pengpiban, 23. He was blasted when checking safety along the Yala-Betong road.
At this time the forecast is for Tropical Cyclone Gonu to hit the southeast coast of Iran wed pm local time (early am Wed, US East Coast time) as the equivalent of a category 2 hurricane. If this happens it will be the first time such an event happened since the begging of the satellite era (storms with the equivalent of tropical storm winds have however made landfall in this area).
Updates will available throughout the day from the tropical/hurricane webspace of WUnderground.
imagine that you live directly on the Gulf, but in a place where it hardly ever rains, and where a hurricane has never hit, for at least a generation -- for more than sixty years. Your community and many like yours are situated not only directly on the water, but near or in large dry riverbeds on the coastal plain, which is a narrow strip of sandy shoreline that is the dropoff for the three-thousand-foot mountain range behind it. Even many of the roads up into the mountains are in these dry riverbeds, which course through deep canyons as they rise into the heights. You don't have any idea what it might mean to experience winds of over 100 miles per hour, whipping up sand, and torrential rain against these mountains that can turn the riverbeds into conduits for dangerous flash floods. And you don't have any idea what storm surge is, and can't conceive of wind-driven high waves that could break against the shoreline and leave nothing behind.
This is the eastern coast of Oman, where communities line the shoreline which is shortly going to be experiencing a major hurricane. We can only hope that the danger is understood and that all of these communities have evacuated to higher ground and a safer location....This is an unprecedented event. NO CYCLONE has ever entered the Gulf of Oman. And there are no custom 'storm surge' models available for that area. This forecast is based on my experience and subjective analysis of the seabed slope and storm surge interaction with the sea floor. Considering the region has never experienced a hurricane, let alone a strong one it is highly unlikely the loading facilities or platforms were constructed to withstand the forces - both wave action and wind force - that they will experience. Significant, damage will occur. How much long term damage, and the volumes associated with it - can not be determined at this time.
Sigh, just as the price of gas was starting to fall.
Posted by: Bobby ||
06/05/2007 17:58 Comments ||
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#6
At this time the storm has weakened and looks like it will graze the coast of Oman as the equivalent of a cat 1 hurricane, weaken some more and strike Iran at tropical storm strength.
Oman, specifically the town of Sur and Tiwi are in for a rough time.
Fighting has eased in the Ein el Helweh refugee as the Palestinian committees have taken over and the Jund el-Sham militants who were fighting the Lebanese army withdrew from the streets. Clashes broke out yesterday between the mainstream Fatah organization and Jund al-Sham extremists in the southern refugee camp of Ein el-Hilweh. The fighting later escalated to include the Lebanese army when Jund al-Sham militants threw a grenade at the army post which resulted in injuring a civilian and a Lebanese army soldier. Usbat-al-Ansar , another Palestinian Islamist militant group later joined Jund al-Sham in their fight against the army and Fatah mainstream and also fired at the civilians in the camp.
Several families had to flee the camp to avoid the violence. Hundreds of them ended up at the Sidon municipality . The Municipality has since formed various committees to take care of the refugees and offer them all the help they needed. Dr. Abdel Rahman el Bizri, the mayor of Saida was also there to welcome and meet many of the families . He said later that he hoped the refugee families will all be able to return back to their own homes at the camp, as soon as the fighting stops.
PLO Sec General, Sultan Aboul Ainain who is based at al Rashidya camp , headed yesterday to Ein el Helweh to form committees to intervene and supervise the ending of the fighting. The committees of the Palestinian factions met last night with representatives of the Lebanese army . Usbat-al-Ansar, another well known terrorist organization promised to control Jund el-Sham and said the fighting should stop , which it did for a while in the early morning hours but then was resumed.
According to analysts Jund el-Sham started the second battle front to alleviate the pressure off the militants of the Naher Bared camp in north Lebanon, where the army has the upper hand and is expected to finish off the militants of Fatah al -Islam at any time soon.
According to analysts familiar with Jund el-Sham and Fatah al -Islam there is no known organizational link between the two militant groups . But according to BBC the two groups have family ties and ideological similarities. They both share an al-Qaeda-type creed, and reports say one of the leaders of Jund al-Sham is the brother-in-law of a military commander of Fatah al-Islam.
According to reports Jund el-Sham were very upset yesterday when they found out that one of the officials of Fatah al -Islam was killed. The Fatah al-Islam official, Naim Deeb Ghali, who is also known as Abu Riad, was the third-in-command of the group. Prior to joining Fatah al -Islam he was a member of Jund el-Sham .
One analyst told Ya Libnan, Syria appears to be the main link between all these militant groups. Syrian president Bashar el Assad threatened Lebanon's former PM Rafik Hariri almost 3 years ago to destroy Lebanon. The Syrian president has also threatened UN Secretary General that he will destroy the whole region from the Caspian sea to the Mediterranean sea if the International tribunal for trying the killers of Hariri is approved by the UN. Last week UN voted 10 -0 in favor of UN resolution 1757 to establish the tribunal. Many analysts say Syria has financed, trained and armed these militants to execute its threats and do its dirty work in Lebanon.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/05/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
When do you know your life is a pointless error with no resolution in sight ?
When you are a refugee from the refugee camp you were born in.
A bomb has exploded in an empty passenger bus parked in a Christian neighborhood east of Beirut, injuring seven pedestrians and inflicting material damage. The explosion Monday occurred in the residential and industrial Bouchrieh suburb, near the Abdul Maseeh Center, near the Mar Takla Church roundabout. According to experts the bomb was placed inside the bus. The wounded were taken to the nearby Mar Youssef Hospital. It could have been worse. The bomb detonated 15 minutes after the bus driver parked the vehicle for the night.
Lebanon has seen a string of bomb explosions in and around Beirut since clashes between Fatah Islam militants and the Lebanese army began May 20. Lebanon has also been hit by a series of explosions in the last two years, particularly targeting Christian areas. Two explosions on May 21 and 22 killed a woman and injured a dozen people in two Beirut neighborhoods, as the Lebanese army battled militants holed up in a refugee camp near the northern port city of Tripoli.
On May 23, a bomb exploded in the Druze town of Aley in Beirut's central mountains, wounding at least five people. On March 26, 2005, a blast went off in an industrial zone in Bouchrieh, injuring five people and setting factories ablaze.
Update: 12:01 am Beirut time
The bomb size according to experts is 30 KG ( 66 lbs). The number of the wounded has gone up from 7 to 13.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/05/2007 00:00 ||
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Two Lebanese soldiers and two Islamist extremists were killed in overnight clashes near a refugee camp in the southern port city of Sidon, a military spokesman said on Monday. A ceasefire was declared, however, when Palestinian factions held emergency talks with the army command in Sidon to ease tensions.
Jund Al Sham, a militant group consisting mainly of Islamist Lebanese extremists, then ceded their positions to gunmen from other Islamist groups, reported Reuters. “The army asked the Palestinian factions to seek a halt to attacks on the army, saying that if they don’t stop, it would act firmly,” said a Palestinian source. There was no demand to hand over militants, he added. Eleven other people were also wounded in the fighting near the northern entrance of Ein Al Helweh, the largest of Lebanon’s 12 refugee camps, said a military spokesman, according to AFP.
The fighting had erupted as Lebanese troops continued to battle Islamist militants in another camp, Nahr Al Bared, in a 16-day standoff that has left about 100 people dead. Schools were closed in Sidon on Monday, many shops remained shut and traffic was slow in the city as the army imposed tight security measures, an AFP correspondent said.
A mortar shell crashed near the municipality building in Sidon and bombardments could be heard throughout the night. The army sent in more armoured vehicles around the camp after fighting with gunmen from Jund Al Sham. The overnight clashes also wounded six Lebanese soldiers, two civilians and three fighters from Jund Al Sham, according to Lebanese and Palestinian hospital sources.
Palestinian factions, who have sole control over security in Ein Al Helweh, were engaging in contacts with Lebanese authorities in order to put an end to the confrontations, local officials told AFP.
Jund Al Sham is a small Sunni extremist group based in neighborhoods just outside the northern entrance of Ein Al Helweh, where Islamist groups have gained grounds in the last few years. Jund Al Sham seems to have no clear hierarchy or particular leader and is believed to have about 50 militants armed with assault-rifles, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades. Its name literally means “Soldiers of Damascus”, but refers to the ancient Islamic terming of Bilad Al Sham that includes present-day Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and Palestinian territories.
Its members are mostly Lebanese but it also includes Palestinians, mostly dissidents of the Sunni fundamentalist group Usbat Al Ansar, which was outlawed by the Lebanese authorities in 1995 for murdering a rival cleric that year.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/05/2007 00:00 ||
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UN Works and Relief Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) launched Monday a Flash Appeal for USD 12.7 million to address urgent needs of thousands of Palestinian refugees displaced by the fighting in and around Nahr Al Bared camp in North Lebanon.
According to a UNRWA statement, more than 27,000 Palestinian refugees have so far fled their homes in Nahr Al Bared, most taking refuge in the nearby Beddawi camp. The money, said the statement, will be spent on delivering assistance to the displaced over the coming 90 days. It includes plans for food assistance, non food items and shelter, both immediately in order to relieve the congestion of Beddawi camp and in the short term to ensure suitable temporary shelters and provide minimum and dignified living standards to those in distress.
UNRWA figures indicate that the population of Beddawi camp has swollen from 16,000 persons to around 37,000, jeopardizing the lives of inhabitants and stretching the already over-crowded living conditions.
The Commissioner General of UNRWA, Karen AbuZayd, said that the situation in the camps was already extremely difficult and now it has deteriorated even further. "This fighting has placed refugees on the front line and I am very concerned about the precarious situation in which they find themselves. Life in Beddawi Camp has become unbearable and I appeal to donors to help us take immediate action," she stressed.
We're still being hit approximately every second by spambots, the most active at this moment being 62.231.243.136 in Muscat, Oman. I still have no idea where the Mastermind® of all this activity is, but I banned about 70 IP addresses yesterday and I'll be banning more today.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/05/2007 00:41 ||
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#2
I prefer to think of this as Attacks by the Forces of Evil, trying to silence the last true voice of civil, reasoned discourse on the face of the planet.
Posted by: Bobby ||
06/05/2007 8:52 Comments ||
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#3
Pardon. Civil, well-reasoned discourse.
Posted by: Bobby ||
06/05/2007 8:52 Comments ||
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#4
Hey, Oman. Put down the spambots and get busy filling sandbags.
#7
The enemy nonetheless.
Thank you, America for the internet, the information highway, the short line to useful data for all the world's people, the civilized world. That would of course, cause seething and hate among the eighth century goat boinkers.
#8
Most if not all of this activity is probably coming from zombie computers that have been infected with malware of which the owners and admins are unaware. So even if the address is from Oman or China it doesn't mean that's where the bad guys are located. It would be an interesting project to develop web server software with built-in ways to effectively and efficiently fend off these kinds of attacks with a minimum of effort from the admin. Sounds like a business opportunity. If you want to hire me for such a project I might be interested as long as I can telecommute from under a palm tree. Anyway, it's no suprise the bad guys would try to supress the free flow of information. It's like turning on a light in a dark room and watching the cockroaches run for cover. I dropped a little something into the tip jar the other day for the first time. It wasn't much but maybe now I'll do it more often. It sure beats subscribing to the local rag.
#9
Now that you mention it, Rantburg is cheaper than the New York Times...
Posted by: Fred ||
06/05/2007 10:37 Comments ||
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#10
Has anyone ever in their life been spammed for something that they'd want to buy? It's always a bunch of worthless shit that you couldn't give away at a flea market. Don't we have any hackers on this site, why doesn't someone put a blaster worm on this asshole's server.
#12
Yeah, thanks Frd, but you can't ditch me. Everytime I post, a colorful 404 - file not found screen comes up. But I have defeated it! You can't keep me out! I am ADICTED!!!
Posted by: Bobby ||
06/05/2007 17:59 Comments ||
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#13
When I type rantburg's url into my browser, I get redirected to a 404 page, but when I searched for it through google, I was able to reach the page. What's up with that?
Posted by: Dave D. ||
06/05/2007 18:20 Comments ||
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#15
I'll turn it off.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/05/2007 18:25 Comments ||
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#16
I see what you mean. That's not supposed to happen.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/05/2007 18:27 Comments ||
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#17
Fred thanks for your efforts. You are pissing off the right people in your little patch of the WOT.
Is it possible to enable the front page only for the back door ports?
Posted by: ed ||
06/05/2007 18:28 Comments ||
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#18
I could turn off port 80, but that'd be pretty drastic.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/05/2007 18:30 Comments ||
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#19
I have been getting 404's on 80 and 81, just sent an email, but lo and behold here we are.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
06/05/2007 18:33 Comments ||
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#20
I thought you had already turned it off. I was getting 404s trying to load the front page and had to go to a bookmarked article. I see the front page is loading again. Emily Litella voice: Nevermind.
Posted by: ed ||
06/05/2007 18:34 Comments ||
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#21
I thought you had already turned it off. I was getting 404s trying to load the front page and had to go to a bookmarked article. I see the front page is loading again. Emily Litella voice: Nevermind.
Posted by: ed ||
06/05/2007 18:34 Comments ||
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#22
You're definitely pissing off the right people, Fred.
They couldn't buy you out, so they're trying to shut you out.
Little do they know of your powers....
Heh-heh. Bwhahahahahaha!
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
06/05/2007 18:36 Comments ||
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#23
I'm fine with registering to comment
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/05/2007 18:39 Comments ||
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#24
After posting a comment, the updated page does not display, just a blank. Don't hit refresh or the comment will post twice. I am using Firefox 2.0.0.4.
Posted by: ed ||
06/05/2007 18:45 Comments ||
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#25
Good luck in getting the site back online soon.
#30
Fred, a thought: other bloggers have been griping the past couple weeks about some BlogAds (or Sitemeter) hangup. I'll see if I can find some of their posts. Have other RBers seen those complaints?
#33
I don't know if this is meaningful, but lately about half of my comments have simply evaporated -- the most pithily erudite ones, of course. I'm not being sent to Roadside America, so it clearly isn't a vocabulary issue...
#34
Oh, and today the message telling me I can't get here from there addressed me as TRAILING WIFE (all in caps, no less). I don't think it's ever done that before.
#42
No, the 404 did not appear, Fred. Rather, the article page came up just as it would had I really posted... but my clever comment was not to be seen.
#43
Ummm... That's a bad sign. I haven't had that happen.
I keep getting the damned 404 off the main page, even after I've deleted it from the code and refreshed. I'm hoping IE has cached the page to torment me when I'm suffering from attention span deficit disorder. Otherwise, we're haunted, probably by Mullah Deadullah or Zark.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/05/2007 22:22 Comments ||
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#44
It's at times like this I'm grateful you're terribly clever at this kind of thing, Fred dear. You're being hit with the kind of challenge Estonia's been facing recently, and they're an entire country. I'll be sending off an envelope with something out of my housekeeping money, toward doing something nice for the ever-patient Mrs. Pruitt, after.
#49
On behalf of all of us who started getting the shakes when that 404 message came up, thank you for adding to the pot, Gabby Cussworth. If you bring the lovely Mrs. Cussworth a single red rose (or whatever her favourite flower is), I suspect she'll be much too busy being happy to wonder about the twenty missing from the budget. Flowers are more expensive than usual, I believe, what with the increased price of airplane fuel to bring them here from wherever in Hispanic America the hothouses are. ;-) Oh, and I'm glad you dropped that anonymous number to stand tall under your own nym (or nic -- they keep explaining which is correct, but somehow I can't keep it in memory).
#50
Thanks TW, you are a princess. Mr. WF (Wandering Fella?) is a lucky guy. I think I've settled on this nym nough -- the other one was too close to home, as it whir. (r u a mod?)
Anyway, after discovering Rantburg after 9/11, I've mostly lurked in awe and admiration at Fred, his readers and contributors.
#51
It's Mr. Wife, of course. ;-) Although Wandering Fella would've worked, had I thought of it -- he's off for a quick 10 days round Europe, leaving directly after my brother's wedding on Sunday, while the trailing daughters and I take the opposite flight back home. Me a mod? No indeed, I'm much more the decorative type, between my naps admiring those who do actual work. You can rest assured that I haven't the slightest clue what you used to go by. But I do pour a mean cup of tea when the occasion calls for it. And I quite agree about the many Rantburgers I've learnt so much from. Rantburg U beats Harvard and Oxford quite hollow!
#5
She's got that look that sez when she's a bad girl she's sensational.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/05/2007 10:39 Comments ||
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#6
test comment
Posted by: Fred ||
06/05/2007 18:32 Comments ||
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#7
That's not the Alice White I went to school with!
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
06/05/2007 19:19 Comments ||
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#8
"There was a little girl,
with a little bitty curl,
right in he middle of her forehead,
when she was good, she was very, very good,
And when she was bad, she was wonderful.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/05/2007 19:19 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.
(SomaliNet) A suicide car bomber has attacked an Ethiopian military compound in south of Mogadishu, Somalia late on Monday – as spate of bombings and organized killings continue in the volatile city of Mogadishu. 
ANKARA - Eight Turkish soldiers were killed and six wounded Monday in an attack by Kurdish WorkersÂ’ Party (PKK) militants on a military post in the eastern Turkish province of Tunceli, the Dogan news agency reported.
As New York police and the FBI interview suspects in an alleged plot to attack John F. Kennedy International Airport, one thread the ongoing investigation will explore is why one of the suspects was planning to go to Iran. A former Guyanese legislator, Abdul Kadir, was arrested in Trinidad on Friday on a plane bound for Caracas, Venezuela. According to Mr. Kadir's wife, Isha Kadir, he was in the island nation to pick up an Iranian visa so he could attend an Islamic conference in Tehran. Two of Mr. Kadir's children are studying in Iran, according to Mrs. Kadir.
Indian soldiers killed four suspected Muslim militants on Monday when they tried to sneak into Indian-held Kashmir from Pakistan, the second infiltration attempt in the past week, an army spokesman said. Violence in Kashmir has flared up in recent weeks after the end of winter has allowed easier movement of militants within the Himalayan region and allowed them passage through the mountains into Indian Kashmir from Pakistan. “Soldiers challenged a group of infiltrators in the Manjkote area near the Line of Control which resulted in a fierce battle,” said Lieutenant-Colonel SD Goswami, an Indian army spokesman. “Four militants were killed while the others fled. A search operation in the area is still in progress.” Later on Monday, six civilians were wounded when suspected militants lobbed a grenade at a police post in Srinagar, police said.
A young woman and three men were publicly executed on Monday in Khyber Agency after a private organisation declared them guilty of adultery. Members of the Sipah Eslahi (Soldiers of Reform) Committee, which is regarded as a sister organisation of Lashkar-e-Islami, carried out the public executions in Speray Dam with up to 40 shots fired at the “guilty people,” eyewitness said. The executed were not blindfolded when the five-man squad opened fire on them in front of what a member of the organisation said were around 500 “faithful”. Haji Jan Gul, a member of the committee said the executions were aimed at “keeping the area clean of such vices”. 
Threats to blow up courts of law in the NWFP continue to pour in as the registrar of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) and a senior civil judge received anonymous letters on Saturday that suicide bombers would target the Peshawar Judicial Complex on Monday. On Monday, the civil judges avoided courtrooms but some judges later attended their courts after a meeting with Senior Civil Judge Kalsoom Azam and PHC Registrar Syed Musaddiq Hussain Gillani. Gillani told Daily Times that the letters received by him and the senior civil judge said: “We carried out a blast in front of the PHC building. Our next target is the courtrooms.” 
A new account set up to bypass an international boycott of Hamas has begun disbursing vital foreign aid to the Palestinians, with tens of millions of dollars expected to be used to partially pay civil servant salaries this week, the finance minister said Sunday. 
TEL AVIV - Israeli ground troops backed by armour entered the southern Gaza Strip on Monday, in what a military spokeswoman described as a sweep for militant suspects. The force penetrated about one kilometre into the salient, the spokeswoman said.
