More than 260 Pakistani troops kidnapped by a pro-Taliban group in Afghanistan have been freed, according to security officials. The troops were captured more than two weeks ago in a volatile tribal region on Pakistan's border with Afghanistan.
Security officials and a spokesman for the hostage-takers said the troops were handed over to members of a jirga, or tribal council, in Ladha, a village in south Waziristan.
A spokesman for Pakistan's army said he could not immediately confirm the releases.
Later today the freed soldiers are expected be handed to government officials in Wana, the main town in south Waziristan, a rugged region where al-Qaida and Taliban forces operate. It was not clear whether there were any conditions of the soldiers' release. The hostage-takers had earlier demanded that authorities withdraw the military from the area and free more than a dozen of their comrades.
Six of the abducted troops were released last week in what an official said was a "goodwill" gesture to the jirga that was trying to negotiate their release.
A group of Taliban on motorbikes ambushed a World Food Programme (WFP) convoy in Afghanistan, sparking a gunfight that left 13 militants and two police dead, a provincial governor said on Sunday. The convoy, escorted by highway police, was attacked on Saturday in the remote western province of Farah by rebel fighters on motorbikes and in station wagons, the governor of neighbouring Nimroz province said. The fighting lasted the whole day and police reinforcements were summoned, governor Ghulam Dastageer Azad told AFP. Two of the police were martyred and 13 Taliban killed, he said. Eight police were also wounded. Five Taliban cars and 15 motorbikes were destroyed in the fighting, he added.
The WFP could not be immediately reached for comment. The organisation said in May that 20 of its food supply convoys had been attacked in Afghanistan in the previous 12 months, resulting in the loss of more than 500 tonnes of food aid valued at $350,000.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/10/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
"Boy, somebody sounds sooooo hungry!"
-- The Stand
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has claimed responsibility for two suicide attacks that killed dozens in Algeria -- including an assassination attempt on the country's president. A statement posted on the group's Web site Sunday said Abu al-Muqdad al-Wahrani -- strapped with an explosives belt -- was unable to get past the security guards protecting Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika when he visited the town of Batna on Thursday just east of the capital city, Algiers. "The martyr was not able to reach his target ... and detonated his belt amid Bouteflika's security cordon," the statement said. That attack killed 19 and wounded 107 others, state-run news agency Algerie Presse Service reported.
Al Qaeda Islamic Maghreb also claimed responsibility for Saturday's suicide attack on an Algerian Coast Guard barracks in the port of Dellys, some 50 miles (80 km) from Algiers. The statement said Abu Musab al-Zarqawi drove a truck packed with 800 kilograms (1,760 lbs) of explosives into the barracks, surprising some 150 military personnel during their "morning gathering," the statement said.
Isn't that cute? He named himself after Zark. Now he's just as dead.
The Saturday morning attack killed at least 50 people and wounded 47 others, according to Algeria's state-run media.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/10/2007 00:00 ||
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Security forces have detained a member of Al-Qaeda organization who planned to carry out a terrorist attack in the Algerian capital, a security source said on Sunday. The source said the man, aged 30, was detained in the region of Zeraa bin Khada in Tizi Ouzou, 73 kilometers east of the capital. He was caught with an assault Kalashinkov rifle in his possession, the source said, adding that the gunman planned a terrorist attack in the capital. The gunman was detained amid strict security precautions in the country's cities.
Algeria has recently witnessed two bomb attacks that claimed 54 lives.
Posted by: Seafarious ||
09/10/2007 00:00 ||
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Pro-Russian forces in Chechnya say they have killed a rebel commander close to Chechen separatist leader Doku Umarov. Chechen Interior Minister General Ruslan Alkhanov said Musa Mutiyev, known as "the emir of Grozny," was killed on September 8 in a special operation in Grozny.
The minister said Mutiyev was wanted by authorities for his involvement in a series of murders and other serious crimes. The minister added that Mutiyev was close to Umarov and had also collaborated with slain militant Rustam Basayev.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/10/2007 00:00 ||
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I'm linking to The Politico's coverage, you can poke thru Michelle Malkin and Hot Air and the rest of the usual suspects for additional commentary. I'm not up to a trip to Kosistan, sorry.
#6
Fortunately for all of us, Petraeus is no Caesar.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/10/2007 18:18 Comments ||
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#7
I had to turn the TV off - my BP can't handle listening to any more Congresscritters. I have no doubt the General would rather be on the receiving end of an artillary barrage.
It certainly confirms my utter loathing for the vast majority of Congress. ... I'll stop there before I end up in the sinktrap.
#8
Is there any way to have a reasonable discussion with these kind of people in the liniage?
They have a worms eye view.
It took nearly 10 minutes to get these raving fools out of the place. Did they not forget, we are listening to Petraues and NOT them? I have listened to these morally bankrupt idiots for six years. It is hard to get clarification on One issue, much less the thousands we have. And pitching a fit in the very serious atmosphere kind of looked stupid as well wasted my time. If you want to be disruptive that way, go back to kindergarten where you get your fanny spanked. Because you need a BIG SPANKING.You big fools. If you want to be serious, act serious and know whom to blame for the grievance. Start with me.
Osama Bin Laden will release another video this week to present the last testament of one of the September 11 suicide bombers, the media arm of Al-Qaida announced today. The announcement came in a banner advertisement posted on an Islamic militant website often used by al-Qaida to release messages. It was signed by Al-Sahab, al-Qaida's media operation. It said: "Coming soon, God willing, the testament of the attacks on New York and Washington, Abu Musab Waleed al-Shehri, presented by Sheik Osama Bin Laden, God preserve him." Waleed al-Shehri was one of the hijackers on American Airlines flight 11 that hit the World Trade Centre in New York.
Alex Jones, call your office.
The video, which could be released tomorrow, the sixth anniversary of the attacks, comes three days after the release of the first video for three years featuring Bin Laden. He appeared in good health despite earlier reports that he was gravely ill with kidney disease.
In an address that appeared to be aimed at taunting the American public, he flaunted his knowledge of current world affairs and noted the unpopularity of the war in Iraq. His traitorous American cabin boy Adam Gadahn He said: "After several years of tragedies of this war, the vast majority of you want it stopped. Thus, you elected the Democratic party for this purpose, but the Democrats haven't made a move worth mentioning."
#2
The video, which could be released tomorrow, the sixth anniversary of the attacks, comes three days after the release of the first video for three years featuring Bin Laden. He appeared in good health despite earlier reports that he was gravely ill with kidney disease.
Huh? I thought the general consensus was that the video was a fake?
...Ah never mind, the story's from the useful idiot brigade at the Grauniad.
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
09/10/2007 13:50 Comments ||
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Taliban in North Waziristan have issued a threatening letter to members of the national and provincial assemblies warning them against voting President General Pervez Musharraf in the presidential election.
In a civilized country such overweening arrogance would astound and perplex. In Pakistain it's almost background noise.
The statement issued by the Taliban central office in Miranshah addressed the members, you have cast your votes for Musharraf who ruled for five years and you and the whole world saw its consequences, it said. The statement added, You have seen what atrocities he (Musharraf) meted out to the Pakistani nation and especially against the ulema of the madaris and mosques. The series of atrocities and destruction is continuing, due to which thousands of madarassa students have been martyred.
Don't worry about the common folk. It's the madrassah brats that deserve our attention and sympathy.
Therefore, you are requested to avoid imposing this tyrant on us again and if someone votes for him, then he should be ready to face suicide attacks, the statement read. Voting for Musharraf is haraam (unlawful) and he is an apostate (out of Islam) due to his cooperation with infidels. An apostate cannot be a ruler according to Pakistans law, therefore, all the members are requested to feel for their lives and children, so that we may stop our 376 suicide bombers (Fidayeen) who have been trained for you. And if you dont accept our demands, then... the statement concluded.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/10/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
"Voting for Musharraf is haraam"
I thought they said voting was haraam, period. So this statement is redundant.
The law-enforcement agency has arrested seventeen-suspected Taliban in the border area of Chaghi here on other day . According to details, the security personnel have arrested the 17 Afghan nationals from the area of Chaghi while they were trying to cross the border without legal documents . Owing to ongoing operation by NATO forces in Afghanistan's province Helmand, it is suspected that the arrested people are Taliban and crossed the border to avoid arrest. The arrested Afghan nationals have been shifted to unknown place for further investigation, the sources disclosed .
Posted by: Fred ||
09/10/2007 00:00 ||
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Ten militants were killed in an ambush with security forces in the troubled northwestern region. Seven soldiers were also wounded, sources said yesterday. However, the wounded soldiers were in a stable condition.
The clash took place in the Shawal area, 70 km southwest of Miranshah, the main town in the North Waziristan region. The exchange of fire broke out when militants tried to attack our convoy and our forces reacted, killing 10 militants, said military spokesman Maj. Gen. Waheed Arshad.
Intelligence officials in North Waziristan said the pro-Taleban militants had managed to capture about 35 soldiers from five vehicles but Arshad said he had no information about that.
The latest attack came a day after dozens of masked militants stormed a military post in another northwestern tribal region, Bajour, abducted two soldiers and bombed the building, an official said yesterday. More than 30 assailants attacked the security post Saturday night, local security official Yar Mohammed Khan said. They blew up the building before fleeing with two paramilitary soldiers from the Bajour Levies, a border security force.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/10/2007 00:00 ||
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In Bajaur tribal agency suspected militants attacked a security checkpost in Charmung area and kidnapped two Levies force personnel. Forces launched an operation for the release of two kidnapped soldiers and arrested 17 tribesmen, said sources. They said forcers and militants traded fire. The latest kidnapping incident has taken place amid a grand tribal Jirga is holding negotiations with militants in South Waziristan tribal agency to secure the release of 250 soldiers, being kidnapped since last 13 days.
Pakistani security forces in a retaliatory operation Sunday killed at least 10 militants and wounded about a dozen others in North Waziristan tribal agency bordering Afghanistan, said an official.
The forces launched a retaliatory operation after militants attacked a convoy in Sarnarai area of the agency, military spokesman Waheed Arshad told media. He said the operation killed ten militants and wounded about a dozen others. He said about eight soldiers were also wounded in the attack.
The military is reporting seven soldiers killed and eleven injured in a vehicle accident in Baghdad. Two detainees have also been killed and one injured.
No other information at this time. It is being called, for now, an accident and is being investigated.
Video posted at link.
Although improvised explosive devices have until now been responsible for the majority of US casualties in Iraq, a new, armor-piercing hand grenade may pose an even greater threat.
CBS News reports that the Russian-made device is light enough to be thrown by a single insurgent standing alongside a road and is equipped with a parachute so that it falls vertically on its target and can take out even armored vehicles.
Al-Qaeda in Iraq has been eager to take credit for the use of these grenades, but the US Army is now confirming losses to the weapons as well.
#2
If they have to be thrown, they're useless. Only the best motivated people are willing to do this kind of thing. To use your shock troops in this role is a waste of resources.
#5
Not unexpected, given the speed with which these bastards adapt; since HUMVEES and other vehicles have had the floor and sides reinforced, that leaves the upper surfaces as the least protected. But i will bet any amount you want to wager they had technical help in exploiting this weakness.
#6
Once again, the media gets it WRONG. This is not a NEW device, the Soviets were producing this type of weapon in the 1930s - see the RKG-3/3M series of hand grenades. You have to be right on top of the target to use it, and it is difficult to throw correctly. It is the next step up from a Molotov cocktail as an anti-tank weapon.
#7
I think I saw this in a Wilie Coyote cartoon. He pulled the pin, threw the grenade, chute opens and stops the grenade one foot away. Must be a product of al-Acme Arms Inc.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/10/2007 20:14 Comments ||
Top||
#8
None of this alters the fact of more intolerable Russian meddling. Putin deserves a major smackdown. Some of his air patrols need to disappear from the sky.
Over the course of 24-hours across September 6-7, a decisive battle reshaped the security outlook for Hawr Rajab, when more than 80 concerned local citizens swept through the streets looking to drive al-Qaeda elements out of the city. The concerned local citizens coordinated with the imam of a local mosque to broadcast the message to al-Qaeda, Move to the mosque and they will be given amnesty, and there will be peace in Hawr Rajab. It's a cultural thing.
I think it was the 'or else' that was important.
Initial fighting kicked off as U.S. Soldiers were preparing to depart. The Soldiers, of Troop A, 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, currently attached to the 2nd BCT, 3rd Infantry Division, adjusted their plans after the first shots were fired, moving into an overwatch position.
As the day progressed, al Qaeda fighters engaged the CLCs with small-arms fire and mortar rounds. More than 45 mortar rounds were fired into the city during fighting that lasted nearly 24-hours. The battle finally ended in the early morning hours of Sept. 7 with the CLCs in control of strong points in Hawr Rajab.
This turning point for concerned local citizen involvement with the areas security came just five weeks after the soldiers of the 2nd BCT, 3ID began working with the residents of Hawr Rajab.
Captain Chad Klacius, commander of Troop A, said the battle proves residents are rejecting al-Qaeda. Theyre tired of them, Klacius said. They want to take back their city. That area has been under the control of al-Qaeda for some time.
While U.S. troops do not fight side-by-side with the concerned citizens, Coalition Forces assist thru over watch and air support if they request help. The citizens are providing security in an area that does not have Iraqi Security Forces.
After confirming the location of al-Qaeda forces, Troop A Soldiers called in an AH-64 Apache helicopter in the midst of the battle. The helicopter was engaged by al Qaeda with a .23 millimeter anti-aircraft gun. The Apache responded with a Hellfire missile, killing two al-Qaeda members and destroying the weapon.
Helizap!
U.S. Air Force F-16 jets were also called in to destroy a bridge that was being used by al-Qaeda as a crossing point into city.
Over the course of the day, four enemy fighters were killed, with an additional 30 suspected al-Qaeda detained. Two of the detainees confessed to belonging to local al Qaeda cells, while two were included in reports of terrorist activity in the area. All four were taken into custody by U.S. forces for questioning. The concerned local citizens emerged with only one individual killed in action, and four wounded. U.S. troops suffered no casualties.
Now let's hope the CLCs 1) take some pride in defending their village and their families 2) thank the US soldiers for the help and 3) remember who their friends are.
#3
Ngh! That release was missing the "where". Hawr Rajab is a town south of Baghdad according to an article by Michael Gordon. It seems to have been one of the later Baghdad-area additions to the "Awakening" movement.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
09/10/2007 9:59 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Armed populace - puts the fear of God in tyrants.
Coalition Forces Target al Qaeda in Iraqs Tigris River Valley
Coalition forces killed six terrorists and detained 21 suspects during operations over the past two days in Iraqs Tarmiyah area and Tigris River Valley to disrupt al Qaeda senior leadership.
Several synchronized raids in Tarmiyah targeted the al Qaeda network operating in the northern belt around Baghdad, including its leaders. The network is responsible for car bombings, kidnappings, publishing extremist propaganda and operating an illegal court system in the area.
As coalition forces cleared a building, three men inside reached for weapons in the room. Coalition forces engaged and killed them.
A related assault force entered another target building and encountered an armed man who attempted to draw his weapon. Coalition forces engaged the armed man, killing him.
In another coordinated raid, a woman refused to comply with the interpreter's instructions. After the ground forces made several attempts to get her to comply, she lunged to reach behind some furniture. Coalition forces, perceiving a hostile threat to the force, engaged and killed her.
Coalition forces securing a target building nearby found an armed man hiding in a closet. When he was discovered, the armed man fired on the assault force, which returned fire in self-defense and killed him. The ground forces found a cache of weapons, including 25 mortar rounds, 30 high-explosive rounds, 5,000 anti-aircraft rounds and other ammunition. They also discovered four improvised explosive devices planted in the immediate area. A coalition explosives team safely destroyed the explosive devices, weapons and ammunition.
Over the two-day operation, coalition forces destroyed seven buildings believed to be used for terrorist activities. One building was destroyed by an air strike, while the other six were destroyed with ground munitions. Coalition forces detained 17 suspected terrorists during the operations in Tarmiyah.
Coalition forces extended their operations to the north while targeting advisors of al Qaeda senior leaders who had fled to an area south of Mosul. The ground forces detained two suspected terrorists during the operation there.
Forces in Mosul captured a suspected member of the Kirkuk car-bombing network during a raid. In another raid east of Balad, coalition forces used information from an operation Aug. 8 to target an al Qaeda operative who facilitates the movement of foreign terrorists. The ground forces detained one suspected terrorist.
"We're continuing to conduct precision operations to destroy al-Qaeda's networks and bring their members to justice so they cannot attack the Iraqi people," said Army Maj. Winfield Danielson, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman.
Earlier in the week, following tips from area residents, coalition troops uncovered a cache of explosives in an eastern Baghdad home Sept. 7. The cache, 11 mortars and about 200 pounds of explosives, was found in Baghdads Adhamiyah district. One suspect was detained at the cache site and is being held for further questioning.
(This is) a great example of the way the people of Adhamiyah are working together against terrorism, said Army 1st Sgt. Michael Keen, the senior noncommissioned officer for Troop A, 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment.
As a result of the unstable nature of the explosives, the cache was detonated on site by an explosive ordnance disposal team. The explosion caused some damage to adjacent buildings. Owners of nearby homes damaged in the controlled detonation were provided claims procedures to make repairs.
Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC ||
09/10/2007 05:22 ||
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#1
Obviously, ROE have been modified to include killing armed men or women encountered during a raid. Works for me, rack 'em up and give Allan his 20% for the raisin harvest.
#2
In another coordinated raid, a woman refused to comply with the interpreter's instructions. After the ground forces made several attempts to get her to comply, she lunged to reach behind some furniture. Coalition forces, perceiving a hostile threat to the force, engaged and killed her.
An excellent example of prisoner interrogation technique. She won't be killing any more Americans.
#4
Frankly, I am sick and tired of hearing stories like this. Killing only six while we detain 21 will never work. We need to kill 21 and (maybe) detain six. Or better yet, kill 27.
The rule should be this: if you pick up a weapon in the presence of coalition forces, or fail to respond appropriately to commands, you die.
Clashes erupted Sunday between Palestinian security forces and a group of Hebron University students, who suffered bruises and cuts.
There were unconfirmed reports of a hangnail, but no additional information was available at press time.
Palestinian sources said the forces surrounded the university campus following a press conference held by the Islamic student bloc outside the gates, after they were prevented from holding it on the premises. They added that the two sides exchanged words, which led to clashes in which some 20 students were injured and several others were arrested.
Hamas accused the security forces of attacking the conference organizers, who belonged to the student council affiliated with Hamas. The conference was to announce developments in talks with the university's administration over tuition fees, it said. The university administration said, however, that the students sought political gain by holding the press conference, which was why they were prevented from holding it on campus.
The nighttime curfew in Yaha and Bannang Sata districts of Yala will be lifted during the Muslim fasting period of Ramadan, which starts on Wednesday, Fourth Army commander Lt-Gen Viroj Buacharoon said yesterday.
Army spokesman Col Akkara Tipparoj said the 9pm-4am curfew, imposed in April under the emergency decree, would be lifted to allow Muslims to perform religious duties during the holy fasting period, which lasts for 30 days. However, other restrictions would remain in force during Ramadan.
Civilians are prohibited from wearing military or police uniforms in public and owning or operating radio transmitters. Kamnan and village heads are also to alert authorities immediately when outsiders move into the neighbourhood.
The curfew was declared in the two districts following an upsurge of violence there, including the brutal murder of monks and repeated arson. The two districts cover rugged terrain and are some of the least accessible areas for security forces.
In the district of Raman, village defence volunteer Asueming Hayeemadeng, 34, was shot dead while tapping rubber yesterday.
In Narathiwat, 69 terrorist insurgent suspects, three of them women, were arrested in raids on seven villages in Rueso district. At least 31 of them were wanted on warrants in connection with terrorist insurgent attacks in the far South, officials said. Two of them, believed to be leaders of an terrorist insurgent group, were identified as Abdulloh Pasa Lar, 33, and Maropee Marae, 35.
The arrests followed on the heels of the deaths on Saturday of two core members of the Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK) terrorist insurgent group in Tambon Savo, also in Rueso district. Hibroheng Leekia and Sakareeya Musupe, who each had a 200,000-baht bounty on their head, exchanged gunfire with assistant village head Aleeya Maesae in a longong orchard. All three were killed.
During yesterday's raid, security forces also seized a small cache of weapons from a house. The items included rifles, handguns and cartridges as well as camouflage uniforms and urea fertiliser which can be used in making bombs.
In Narathiwat, two volunteer rangers in a pick-up truck were wounded by gunmen in Rangae district yesterday. Usueman Awaeheleh, 25, was driving Manapee Salae, 35, and two other volunteer rangers to downtown Narathiwat when their truck ran over spikes strewn on the road and suffered a flat tyre. Two gunmen then sprang out of roadside bushes and sprayed the vehicle with bullets, wounding Mr Usueman and Mr Manapee. The other volunteers shot back at the gunmen, who fled the scene.
In central Pattani, terrorist insurgents set fire to power poles and a telephone booth.
Lebanese troops have detained a Yemeni militant who gave himself up after being spotted hiding in a field near a refugee camp where a three-month siege ended last week, a military source said on Sunday. "The Yemeni was captured at around 11 pm (2000 GMT) on Saturday in the village of Nabi Kzayber, in the Menniyeh region " some two kilometers (just over a mile) from the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp where Islamist militants put up a ferocious resistance to the army siege, the source said.
Terrified of being chased by the villagers who had spotted him, the unarmed and exhausted 24-year-old fled to the home of a Muslim cleric begging to be handed over to the army. The cleric called in the military.
Terrified of being chased by the villagers who had spotted him, the unarmed and exhausted 24-year-old fled to the home of a Muslim cleric begging to be handed over to the army. The cleric called in the military.
Troops have launched intensive search operations around Nahr al-Bared since the battle ended on September 2 with a desperate breakout attempt by the remaining militants. Soldiers have killed at least four militants who managed to break through army lines and captured around a dozen more, according to reporters
On Sunday, three military helicopters were focusing their search on a mountainous area between 10 and 50 kilometers (between six and 30 miles) north of the camp, a reporter said. Fatah al Islam militants were of several nationalities , including Saudi, Syrian, Yemeni, Algerian , Palestinian and Lebanese. A ranking police officer told the Saudi newspaper Okaz that 21 Saudis were involved with the Fatah al-Islam terrorist group, 12 of them were killed and nine arrested
Posted by: Fred ||
09/10/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Fatah al-Islam
#1
I don't know how much clearer it has to be for those that seek appeasement, withdrawal from Iraq, or spinelessness when it comes to offending the muslims: Bin Laden declared war on the West long ago. He is saying it again.
We need to tell him to go f#ck himself and die in the process.
#3
In the unaltered message, according to Mr. Mir, bin Laden says: "We must sacrifice our lives to attack the enemy." This statement, Mr. Mir points out, is a call for suicide attacks to take place throughout the United States - - a call that was erased from official transcripts of the videotape.
So what he is saying is that the media had a moment of clarity and did not air the statement which was intended to notify suicide bombers to blow us up. So this AH lets them know that the statement may have been left out? Should we not be outraged by this little man?
#6
Mr. Mir has long sounded the alarm of al Qaeda's plan to launch an American Hiroshima. "As far as I know, they smuggled three suitcase nukes from Russia to Europe," Mr. Mir maintained last year. "They smuggled many kilos of enriched uranium inside America for their dirty bomb projects. They said in 1999 that they must have material for more than six dirty bombs in America. They tested at least one dirty bomb in the Kunar province of Afghanistan in 2000. Osama bin Laden trained 42 fighters to destroy the American economy and military might. Nineteen were used on 9-11, 23 are still 'sleeping' inside America waiting for a call from bin Laden."
Mr. Mir said al-Qaeda operatives told him that tactical nuclear weapons were smuggled over the Mexican border before Sept. 11, 2001. The Taliban soldiers are now accompanied by advisers and regulars from the Iranian army...
Because of this newly forged alliance, Mr. Mir speculates that the American Hiroshima may occur as soon as the Bush Administration launches an offensive against Iran... The Taliban soldiers are now accompanied by advisers and regulars from the Iranian army.
A strong argument in favour of Pappy's position that we not openly increase the pressure on Iran just yet. With regard to the suitcase and tactical nukes, though, I recall knowledgeable Rantburgers explaining that they need frequent, exhaustive maintenance by highly skilled technicians to keep from quickly becoming highly polished paperweights. So I'm going to continue not worrying about that possibility. Since 9/11 an unknown number Muslim illegals have been quietly picked up and sequestered, at least according to NPR reports (NPR feel it's terribly unfair, but as liberals they're much more comfortable with ambiguity). Likewise, the FBI/CIA/Homeland Security have been keeping a very close eye on unknown numbers of plotters, so it's quite possible the sleepers aren't nearly as invisible as planned.
The real question is how trustworthy Mr. Mir's information is, especially in view of the fact that he's flogging his new book.
#7
tw, allow me to correct your math:
42 trained fighters minus nineteen 9/11 murderers equals 23, minus Zacarias Moussaoui equals 22. That's 22 too many.
#8
I continue to believe that if al-Q had anything resembling a bomb in the US, it would set it off almost immediately. There is almost no upside to waiting and lots of down side.
#10
I continue to believe that if al-Q had anything resembling a bomb in the US, it would set it off almost immediately.
The logic of this is very sound. It stands to reason that once such a costly and irreplacable asset was in place, no competent tactician would risk discovery or loss of such a difficult to obtain weapon.
I'm still hoping someone has made it crystal clear that any terrorist nuclear attack on America results in Pakistan, North Korea, Iran and Syria all disappearing in high temperature plasma.
#11
Most of the article seems hysterical to me. They succumbed to the temptation to put dates on things, too, so their credibility now has an expiration date.
#12
I'm still hoping someone has made it crystal clear that any terrorist nuclear attack on America results in Pakistan, North Korea, Iran and Syria all disappearing in high temperature plasma.
I'm hoping that too but find it as dependable as betting that Kennedy, Murtha, Reid, and Queen Nancy already having their speeches written (and approved by Al-Q) opposing any such 'disportionate response' until its proven who did it beyond any possible doubt.....
#14
If nukes were so easy to buy, Saddam Hussein would not be in a grave right now, Gadaffi's tent would be overlooking a Libyan test site and Ahmadinejad would be setting off a couple in the Iranian desert and daring the US to attack him.
Nation states with enormous resources can't buy something they so covet and we are to believe Osama and his band can?
Posted by: john frum ||
09/10/2007 19:20 Comments ||
Top||
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.
A group of Taliban on motorbikes ambushed a World Food Programme (WFP) convoy in Afghanistan, sparking a gunfight that left 13 militants and two police dead, a provincial governor said on Sunday. The convoy, escorted by highway police, was attacked on Saturday in the remote western province of Farah by rebel fighters on motorbikes and in station wagons, the governor of neighbouring Nimroz province said. The fighting lasted the whole day and police reinforcements were summoned, governor Ghulam Dastageer Azad told AFP. Two of the police were martyred and 13 Taliban killed, he said. Eight police were also wounded. Five Taliban cars and 15 motorbikes were destroyed in the fighting, he added.
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has claimed responsibility for two suicide attacks that killed dozens in Algeria -- including an assassination attempt on the country's president. A statement posted on the group's Web site Sunday said Abu al-Muqdad al-Wahrani -- strapped with an explosives belt -- was unable to get past the security guards protecting Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika when he visited the town of Batna on Thursday just east of the capital city, Algiers. "The martyr was not able to reach his target ... and detonated his belt amid Bouteflika's security cordon," the statement said. That attack killed 19 and wounded 107 others, state-run news agency Algerie Presse Service reported.
Security forces have detained a member of Al-Qaeda organization who planned to carry out a terrorist attack in the Algerian capital, a security source said on Sunday. The source said the man, aged 30, was detained in the region of Zeraa bin Khada in Tizi Ouzou, 73 kilometers east of the capital. He was caught with an assault Kalashinkov rifle in his possession, the source said, adding that the gunman planned a terrorist attack in the capital. The gunman was detained amid strict security precautions in the country's cities. 
Pro-Russian forces in Chechnya say they have killed a rebel commander close to Chechen separatist leader Doku Umarov. Chechen Interior Minister General Ruslan Alkhanov said Musa Mutiyev, known as "the emir of Grozny," was killed on September 8 in a special operation in Grozny.
Taliban in North Waziristan have issued a threatening letter to members of the national and provincial assemblies warning them against voting President General Pervez Musharraf in the presidential election. 
The law-enforcement agency has arrested seventeen-suspected Taliban in the border area of Chaghi here on other day . According to details, the security personnel have arrested the 17 Afghan nationals from the area of Chaghi while they were trying to cross the border without legal documents . Owing to ongoing operation by NATO forces in Afghanistan's province Helmand, it is suspected that the arrested people are Taliban and crossed the border to avoid arrest. The arrested Afghan nationals have been shifted to unknown place for further investigation, the sources disclosed .
Ten militants were killed in an ambush with security forces in the troubled northwestern region. Seven soldiers were also wounded, sources said yesterday. However, the wounded soldiers were in a stable condition.
Pakistani security forces in a retaliatory operation Sunday killed at least 10 militants and wounded about a dozen others in North Waziristan tribal agency bordering Afghanistan, said an official.
After confirming the location of al-Qaeda forces, Troop A Soldiers called in an AH-64 Apache helicopter in the midst of the battle. The helicopter was engaged by al Qaeda with a .23 millimeter anti-aircraft gun. The Apache responded with a Hellfire missile, killing two al-Qaeda members and destroying the weapon.
In another coordinated raid, a woman refused to comply with the interpreter's instructions. After the ground forces made several attempts to get her to comply, she lunged to reach behind some furniture. Coalition forces, perceiving a hostile threat to the force, engaged and killed her. 
Clashes erupted Sunday between Palestinian security forces and a group of Hebron University students, who suffered bruises and cuts.
Lebanese troops have detained a Yemeni militant who gave himself up after being spotted hiding in a field near a refugee camp where a three-month siege ended last week, a military source said on Sunday. "The Yemeni was captured at around 11 pm (2000 GMT) on Saturday in the village of Nabi Kzayber, in the Menniyeh region " some two kilometers (just over a mile) from the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp where Islamist militants put up a ferocious resistance to the army siege, the source said.
