(Xinhua) -- Taliban-related insurgency has claimed the lives of 14 people, mostly civilians, in a single day Wednesday in southern Afghanistan, commonly known as the hotbed of Taliban. Twenty-two more people including 17 civilians and five police constables were injured the same day with majority of them in Helmand province the heartland of Taliban militants, officials said.
In the bloody incident which shocked Gereshk district in the restive Helmand province at around 2:30 p.m. (1000 GMT), at least eight civilians were killed and 17 others sustained injuries as an explosive-laden car went off at a local bazaar, provincial police chief Mohammad Hussein Andiwal told Xinhua.
Earlier, a roadside bombing set up by Taliban insurgents in the same district of Helmand province left one Afghan police dead and injured two others.
Also on the same day, the neighboring Uruzgan province experienced bloody violence as Taliban insurgents targeted a convoy of trucks supplying logistic support to the international troops based in the province. Police returned fire, leaving five militants dead. Three policemen were also wounded in the fire exchange, provincial police chief Juma Gul Humat told Xinhua. "The convoy was moving towards Khas Uruzgan district when came under Taliban attack and police accompanying the convoy returned fire resultantly killing five insurgents on the spot," Humat told Xinhua.
Today's violent incidents came just a day after Taliban vowed to launch its so-called spring offensive against Afghan and international troops stationed in the post-Taliban central Asian state. In the statement read out by Taliban key military leader "Mullah Brother" to media outlet from Quetta undisclosed location on Tuesday, Taliban vowed to speed up their attacks when the weather gets warm and evict the foreign troops by force from Afghanistan.
However, Afghan Defense Ministry in a statement described the warning as mere nonsense propaganda and downplayed it.
Taliban related-violence and conflicts had left more than 8,000people dead in Afghanistan in 2007 while nearly 300 people mostly civilians have lost their lives in the ongoing militancy in this country so far this year.
This article starring:
Mohammad Hussein Andiwal
MULLAH BROTHER
Taliban
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2008 00:00 ||
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KABUL - A car bomb exploded in a market in the southern Afghan province of Helmand on Wednesday killing at least eight people and wounding 17, police said.
Provincial police chief Hussain Andiwal said no members of the [foreign] security forces were in the farmers market in Girishk district when the bomb went off. The explosives were inside a car parked in a weekly market where a sizable number of people were buying and selling goods, Andiwal said. The target was civilians. There no foreign or Afghan forces in the area.
Children were also among the victims, he said.
Brave, brave Lions of Islam.
A Taliban spokesman denied responsibility for the attack.
"Wudn't us. It wuz... ummm... somebody else."
The Taliban launched about 140 suicide attacks in Afghanistan last year, but routinely deny responsibility for attacks where there are a large number of civilian casualties.
Figured out it wasn't good public relations, did they ...
There are so many other people in the suicide kaboom business it's real easy to shift the blame.
The Taliban spokesman said militants had killed several Afghan policemen with a remote-controlled roadside bomb in the same district earlier in the day. Helmand police chief Andiwal said two Afghan policemen were killed and two wounded in that attack.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/27/2008 00:00 ||
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Somalia's Islamist fighters seized control of Jowhar on Wednesday, the most significant of several towns they have captured in recent months from the Western-backed interim government.
Seven people including a child were killed in the attack, which highlights the government's inability to assert its authority on Somalia despite support from Ethiopian and African Union troops.
Islamist-aligned troops have taken over towns from local administrations that usually amount to little more than militias, only to give them up or be routed by Ethiopian or Somali government forces who arrive later.
Forty aid agencies urged the world on Wednesday to focus attention on the "catastrophic" humanitarian situation in the Horn of Africa country, where hundreds of thousands of people are suffering from war, drought and food shortages.
A 15-month Islamist-led insurgency has killed more than 6,500 people and has seen a resurgence in recent months.
The Islamist fighters had seized four smaller towns and a military checkpoint near Mogadishu before Wednesday's capture of Jowhar, a town 90 km (50 miles) north of Mogadishu that served as a temporary base for the interim government in 2005. "Seven people, including a woman who was a government soldier and her small child that she was carrying on her back were killed early in the morning when Islamic Courts fighters seized the town," resident Abdi Ali Osman told Reuters by phone.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
the most significant of several towns
It's hard to associate the word 'significant' with ANY town in Somalia.
#2
...the attack, which highlights the government's inability to assert its authority on Somalia despite support from Ethiopian and African Union troops.
Duh - that's part of the objective of an insurgency/guerrilla war.
Comorian rebel leader Mohamed Bacar has fled to the French-run Indian Ocean island of Mayotte, a Comorian government official said on Wednesday. Joint AU-Comorian forces took control of the nearby island of Anjouan on Tuesday, hours after attacking to topple Bacar who seized power in 2001 and clung on after an illegal election last year. "French authorities have just confirmed to me that Mohamed Bacar is in Mayotte with 11 people," Mohamed Bacar Dossar, a senior Comorian government official told Reuters.
This article starring:
Mohamed Bacar
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2008 00:00 ||
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Canada's high court says detainee's attorneys can raise issue of legality of detention
Canadian Omar Khadr charged with killing a U.S. soldier in 2002 in Afghanistan
Attorneys want info from meetings between Khadr, Canadian intelligence officials
Lawyers argue interviews violate Canada's bill of rights
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Enforce the damn Geneva Conventions. He is an illegal combatant. Take him back to where he was captured and shoot him. End of problem.
Posted by: Rambler in California ||
03/27/2008 0:15 Comments ||
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#2
The Khadr family and their supporters should take the hint. We don't like them, we don't want them, and they should move to Pakistan or Egypt ASAP.
The dad and a couple of sons are terrorists. The mom and daughters trot out in front of the cameras, in full burqa, to support any terrorist who happens to get busted.
The only semi-sane one seems to be a son who tried to help the CIA, but of course, he's seen as the "black sheep" of the family.
PARACHINAR, Pakistan, March 27 (Reuters) - Suspected militants attacked an ambulance in northwest Pakistan on Thursday killing seven people including two nurses, a doctor and local residents said.
The ambulance was taking people to a health meeting when it was attacked, said a doctor, named Mohibullah, who is based in the town of Parachinar, near the Afghan border.
Residents of the area said the ambulance was attacked with a rocket-propelled grenade in the Kurram tribal region, which has seen bloody sectarian clashes between Sunni and Shia Muslims in recent months
Posted by: john frum ||
03/27/2008 13:17 ||
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The Sindh and Punjab police are searching for four trucks, which have been reportedly sent to different areas of the country from the Pakistan-Iran border, loaded with weapons and explosives. The Sindh interior ministry has also issued a security alert.
Confirming the news, Karachi Police Chief Niaz Ahmed Siddiqui said, We have received reports like this from intelligence and the interior ministry before as well.
We were informed that these trucks were in a compound situated on Sedhe Village Road, Lyari. But we didnt find anything there. Security has, however, been beefed up at the entrance and exit points of the city.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2008 00:00 ||
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Traffic between Matta and Khawaz Khela was disrupted after unidentified men blew up a bridge that linked the two towns of Swat late on Tuesday.
The blast damaged a portion of Gaman Bridge, situated near a security checkpost. Local authorities declared the bridge unusable and closed it for traffic. According to a private TV channel, unidentified attackers had planted explosives on the bridge and detonated them.
Bagh Deray Road is being used as an alternate route between the two towns, locals said. Tochi Scouts have banned the entry of private vehicles into the Miranshah Fort, which houses the offices of the political administration and NADRA, and a post office. Women are not being allowed to go to the NADRA office. Private vehicles have also been stopped from crossing the checkpost near the stadium. A skirmish between two rival groups continued on the third day in Kamalay in the outskirts of Matta on Wednesday.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2008 00:00 ||
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Qari Saifullah Akhtar, the only person arrested in connection with the October 18 attack on Benazir Bhuttos homecoming rally, has been re-detained hours after his release on Wednesday.
Sources in the Sindh Home Department said that Akhtar had been re-detained for alleged links to a conspiracy against Benazir by an army group led by Maj Gen Zaheerul Islam in 1995. Karachi Police chief Niaz Siddiqui confirmed the re-detention, saying the orders were issued by the Home Department. Akhtar was released on bail, when the police could not provide sufficient evidence against him.
This article starring:
Benazir Bhutto
Maj Gen Zaheerul Islam
Qari Saifullah Akhtar
al-Qaeda
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2008 00:00 ||
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A Pak-Afghan friendship bus was hijacked in Khyber Agency on Wednesday and 40 Afghan passengers were taken hostage, but tribal elders negotiated their release.
Armed tribesmen hijacked the Jalalabad-bound bus in the Sultankhel area and took the Afghan passengers hostage to demand the release of seven of their tribesmen arrested in Afghanistan earlier this month.
Afghan authorities had falsely accused their tribesmen of theft, the hijackers said, whereas the political administration here claimed it was unable to negotiate the release of their men. Hence, they had taken this drastic step as a last resort to force officials on both sides to release their men, they said. After negotiations with tribal elders, the hijackers released the hostages and let the bus cross the border.
One of the negotiators, Zahid Khan Afridi, told Daily Times that those apprehended in Afghanistan were transporters and should be released.
This article starring:
Zahid Khan Afridi
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2008 00:00 ||
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Soldiers combined with their Iraqi counterparts to conduct precision, intelligence-based operations in the capital. These terrorists and militant elements were increasing their attacks against civilians, the Government of Iraq, and Iraqi and U.S. security forces.
Soldiers from 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, killed a terrorist during rocket-propelled grenade and small-arms fire attacks on a checkpoint in eastern Baghdad at approximately noon.
Abna al-Iraq, or Sons of Iraq, killed a terrorist approximately 4:30 p.m. The SOI apprehended the man northwest of Baghdad. The terrorist had admitted to killing an MND-B Soldier earlier in the day and then tried to escape custody. As the terrorist attempted to escape, he was shot. Coalition forces performed medical care on the scene, but he died of wounds.
National Policemen from 5th Brigade, 2nd National Police Division killed one terrorist at approximately 5 p.m. after he fired at their guard tower with SAF in southern Baghdad. At 7:45 p.m., an MND-B air weapons team positively indentified 20 to 30 terrorists moving north of Baghdad. They received clearance to fire and killed four terrorists.
Soldiers from 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, killed six terrorists in southern Baghdad at approximately 8 p.m. after coming under attack from SAF and RPGs. At approximately 10:30 p.m., Soldiers from 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, killed one terrorist after he attacked a joint combat patrol with SAF in eastern Baghdad.
Another air weapons team killed five terrorists armed with RPGs and RPK rifles in eastern Baghdad at approximately 11 p.m. Several improvised-explosive devices had been emplaced in the immediate vicinity of the terrorists location in the past week.
An air weapons team killed two terrorists at 11:30 p.m. after Soldiers from 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment were attacked from a building in northeastern Baghdad.
Soldiers from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, with assistance from an air weapons team, killed three terrorists. They also wounded and detained another at approximately 11:30 p.m. in western Baghdad. The terrorists attacked the Soldiers with RPGs and SAF.
In the last 24 hours, militants and terrorists conducted ten indirect fire attacks, ten attacks against civilians and 47 attacks against ISF and CF. Two U.S. Soldiers and one National Policeman were killed in these attacks. Seven U.S. Soldiers, three Iraqi Army soldiers, one NP, two U.S. civilians, five SOI and four Iraqi civilians were also wounded.
The terrorists also continue to conduct very limited indirect fire attacks against forward operating bases, joint security stations and at the International Zone in an attempt to harm innocent civilians and government officials working towards reconciliation in the country, said Col. Allen Batschelet, chief of staff, MND-B. We will relentlessly pursue those individuals who would seek to murder, terrorize or intimidate the people of Baghdad. Contrary to reporting, this is not a battle against Jaysh Al Mahdi this is straight and simple a fight against those individuals breaking the law.
Iraqs Prime Minister was staring into the abyss today after his operation to crush militia strongholds in Basra stalled, members of his own security forces defected, and district after district of his own capital fell to Shia militia gunmen. With the threat of a civil war looming in the south, Nouri al-Malikis police chief in Basra narrowly escaped assassination in the crucial port city, while in Baghdad, the spokesman for the Iraqi side of the US military surge was kidnapped by gunmen and his house burnt to the ground. Saboteurs also blew up one of Iraq's two main oil pipelines from Basra, cutting at least a third of the exports from the city which provides 80 per cent of government revenue, a clear sign that the militias who siphon significant sums off the oil smuggling trade would not stop at mere insurrection.
In Baghdad, thick black smoke hung over the city centre tonight and gunfire echoed across the city.
The most secure area of the capital, Karrada, was placed under curfew amid fears the Mahdi Army of Hojetoleslam Moqtada al-Sadr could launch an assault on the residence of Abdelaziz al-Hakim, the head of a powerful rival Shia governing party. While the Mahdi Army has not officially renounced its six-month ceasefire, which has been a key component in the recent security gains, on the ground its fighters were chasing police and soldiers from their positions across Baghdad. Rockets from Sadr City slammed into the governmental Green Zone compound in the city centre, killing one person and wounding several more.
Mr al-Maliki has gambled everything on the success of Operation Saulat al-Fursan, or Charge of the Knights, to sweep illegal militias out of Basra. It has targeted neighbourhoods where the Mahdi Army dominates, prompting intense fighting with mortars, rocket-grenades and machineguns in the narrow, fetid alleyways of Basra.
In Baghdad, the Mahdi Army took over neighbourhood after neighbourhood, some amid heavy fighting, others without firing a shot. In New Baghdad, militiamen simply ordered the police to leave their checkpoints: the officers complied en masse and the guerrillas stepped out of the shadows to take over their checkpoints.
This article starring:
Abdelaziz al-Hakim
MOQTADA AL SADR
Mahdi Army
Nouri al-Maliki
Operation Saulat al-Fursan
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2008 14:27 ||
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#7
Is this Maliki's personal touch he was talking about the other day?
Seriously, it is way too soon to take heed from way too slanted a report as this (the writer sounds like a martini is about to be spilled from the scribbling). Maliki gave them 72 hours to disarm, this is their response...So game on.
Of course this was going to happen, the tots have had plently of time to prepare for an action like this. And the msm is going to try to sensationalize this for the d prosperiety and that they have spent so much time putting the sadr boogyman story together.
Now the bad guys are out in the open, itching to fight - get'em, and no more hudnas.
#8
Those f*cking douche bags couldn't fight a classroom full of kids. What the hell is wrong with those clowns, they didn't last a week and most never fired a shot.
HILLAH, Iraq A combined Iraqi Police and Iraqi Army force stopped an organized attack in Hillah March 25.
"Jones?"
"Yessir?"
"Do you smell brimstone?"
"Is that what it smells like?"
A military-style force, armed with AK-47 assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, gathered in southern Hillah
"But why the smell of brimstone, sir?"
"Notice that bat wings on each of the Heroes of Islam?"
"Ahah. I almost missed them."
"And the pointy parts sticking up under their turbans?"
"Ahah! The turbans hide the horns! Gotcha, sir!"
As they attacked Coalition forces and ISF with RPGs and small arms fire, Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police forces counterattacked. This sounds very promising.
They secured major intersections and engaged the militants over the course of several hours.
"Delta-56! We are engaging demons at grid YX23459876!"
"Roger, Golf-51! In contact with Mahdi Army at YX23459876! You are authorized to use the exorcist!"
"Roger! Jones! bring up the padre!"
"He's on it, sir!"
"Back! Back, creatures of evil! Back to the pit from whence you came!"
"[Moooo! Gibber! Gnash!]"
They forced them to retreat to a mosque. Then what happened? Are they still in the mosque?
The ISF reacted quickly and effectively to maintain stability in al Hillah and to restore law and order, said Lt. Col. Daryl McDowell, team chief for the MiTT. They did a great job, quickly re-establishing security for the residents.
Posted by: Glenmore ||
03/27/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
much as some folk crave burnt mosques, I suspect the tactic here will be to starve/thirst the buggers out, while containing them with an economy of force (since the main thrust is, afterall, in Basra)
#4
Thanks, Sea. It's nice to be appreciated. Just think how the NYT circulation would improve if they hired me as a headline writer. Or, for that matter, if they printed stories like this.
(aka Glenmore, on home computer)
#6
LH, your first phrase taints the rest of your comment. Who are the "some folks" you mention? Your implication is that the comment is aimed at the community at Rantburg.
Most disingenuous of you; you calculate wrongly. Sly phrasing does not serve to hide your intent.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
03/27/2008 13:15 Comments ||
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#7
Whiskey Mike: I for one, would be exceedingly happy is any mosque that was used as an ammo dump, sniper den, or any other use that endangers our troops or our allies be rendered into a pile of Kingsford. For those that retained their original peaceful use ( typed with a straight face) they may exist in peace. otherwise pieces.
over the years ive heard folks here (not all, maybe not the majority, but definitely more than one or two) salivate at the prospect of blowing up mosques.
I aint against doing so if its militarily necessary, but IMO it certainly makes sense to try to avoid doing so if possible for the sake of hearts and minds. Given this is probably a shiite mosque, and the govt is in a hearts and minds battle with the Sadrists for the Shiite population, Id say avoiding destroying the mosque is a good idea, if the operational objective can be achieved without doing so.
#10
I think some reality needs to be applied here.
"Would the Islamics destroy a Christian Church if armed people used it as a base?
Answer "HELL YES THEY WOULD".
Quandary solved, To quote the Bible, "Go thou and do likewise".
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
03/27/2008 14:00 Comments ||
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#11
This was a battle chosen by the militants. The IA and police, according to the article, must have just embarrassed the bad guys and the militants went to the mosque for sanctuary. It is an excellent opportunity to surround the building. Send in the imam and ask them to surrender - have them march out one by one unarmed in their underwear and make a big show arresting them for further embarrassment and to show their cowardness.
Now, if they fort up and refuse to leave they made the choice to desicrate the mosque and force military action which showcases their callousness concerning the locals. Either way it would be a big PR win for the IA and police, "You cause trouble in Hillah, we send you to Hell-a."
#13
Starving them out, as liberalhawk suggests, isn't nearly as nice as shooting them while they posture at heroically defending the mosque they took hostage. Whiskey Mike, liberalhawk rather politely, in my opinion, disagreed with one of the standard positions taken here at Rantburg since Afghanistan was invaded in 2002... and gave his reasons. Calm down my dear, and remember the hawk part of his nym.
#14
Who are the "some folks" you mention? Your implication is that the comment is aimed at the community at Rantburg.
Some folks? Likely the same people I tend to disparage. The shoot-from-the-lip-I-don't-know-the-battleground-from-my-ass-but-wrap-'em-in-pigskin-and-drop-'em-from-5000-feet-then-nuke-'em-anyway armchair strategists.
Oh, and those who seem to not really know who the other commenters are...
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ordered Shi'ite militiamen to surrender on Wednesday as his forces staged a crackdown on followers of powerful cleric Moqtada al-Sadr that threatened to wreck a ceasefire. Sadr, whose truce last year was praised by U.S. forces for curbing violence, called for talks to end the crackdown on his followers, the biggest military operation that Iraqi forces have undertaken without U.S. or British combat units.
More than 80 people have been killed and hundreds wounded in the fighting, centred on the southern oil hub of Basra and spreading to Shi'ite parts of Baghdad where Sadr's followers hold sway and the towns of Hilla, Kut and Diwaniya in the south.
Maliki, in Basra to oversee the campaign, said fighters would be spared if they surrendered within 72 hours. The assault is a chance for his government to prove it can impose its will and allow American forces to withdraw. But it also runs a risk of unleashing more violence after a year that saw security in Iraq improve dramatically. "We have been living for the last hours in hell. We have spent most of the time hiding under the staircase," said Basra resident Faris Hayder, 28. "We haven't seen anything like this since the foreign troops arrived in 2003."
Battles which began on Tuesday in Basra resumed with heavy gunfire and explosions. A health official said 40 people had been killed and 200 wounded in the city by Wednesday morning.
A Reuters correspondent in Kut, 170 km (105 miles) south of Baghdad, heard gunfire and mortar impacts and saw buildings and cars aflame. Police said at least 18 people died in clashes there, including a baby girl.
In the capital, a health official said 14 people were killed and more than 140 wounded in clashes in the Sadr City slum.
Mortar bombs in other parts of the city killed nine people and wounded dozens, including three American civilians in the fortified Green Zone diplomatic and government compound. One American soldier died of bullet wounds.
Such a big Iraqi operation would have been impossible a year ago, showing how far Iraqi forces have come, said U.S. military spokesman Major-General Kevin Bergner: "These are Iraqi decisions, they are Iraqi government forces and these are Iraqi leaders implementing and directing these decisions." U.S. and British backing was limited to air support and teams of mentors embedded with Iraqi officers, Bergner said.
Sadr declared a ceasefire last August, winning praise at the time from U.S. commanders for helping to reduce violence, although they say "rogue" Mehdi Army units outside Sadr's control have continued to fight with support from Iran. The truce now looks fragile at best, although senior Sadr aide Luwaa Sumaisem told Reuters it was still in place.
Hazem al-Nuaeimi, an Iraqi political analyst, said Sadr has always been a thorn to rival Shi'ite groups and that Maliki's crackdown was an attempt to weaken the cleric's strength. "There is a need to minimise the Sadrists's strength and influence and to draw the lines before they get any stronger."
A senior Shi'ite official said the decision for the military operation in Basra was taken three months ago.
Sadr's followers have taken to the streets demonstrating against Maliki's government and forcing schools, universities and shops to close. On Tuesday he said he would call a "civil revolt" if attacks against his followers did not stop.
The head of Sadr's office in Basra, Harith al-Ithari, said the movement was negotiating with Maliki to end the fighting. "There are ongoing negotiations with the prime minister. Maliki asked to meet Sadr officials in Basra," he told Reuters. Another top aide, Hassan al-Zargani, read to Reuters what he said was a statement from Sadr calling on Maliki to leave Basra and appoint a delegation to hold talks.
British forces, which patrolled Basra for nearly five years, withdrew to a base outside the city in December and were not involved in the fighting. A British military spokesman said the Iraqi assault was expected to last two to three more days.
This article starring:
MOQTADA AL SADR
Mahdi Army
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
the decision for the military operation in Basra was taken three months ago.
Quid pro quo for the Surge, or just reached the point of readiness? Happy hunting, O Iraqis -- demonstrate beyond question how well you have learnt to do such things.
#2
sadhr is an on demand useful idiot, the demo pols in US are blowing up on thier stupidity, so Sadhr who had planned to release his chaos around election time, was moved forward to take the pressure off the clock ticking on these retreat now candidates. lets all pray the iraqi army is decisive with these baboons.
(KUNA) -- The Multi National Force (MNF) said Wednesday it arrested two people, one of which is the leader of an extremist Shiite group who is accused of smuggling weapons from Iran to Iraq.
An MNF press release said that the two arrestees are also accused of funding and training militants north of Babel. One of the arrestees is thought to have encouraged militants to attack the MNF in Iraq, it added. The release did not say when the two people were arrested.
Security forces in Babel are conducting raids and have arrested scores of people since the wide military operation began in Basra Tuesday morning.
Washington accuses Tehran of funding, training, and arming militants in central and south Iraq. The MNF every day now and then finds Iranian-made weapons and rockets in Iraq.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: IRGC
#1
This doesn't even move the surprise meter for me.
When I was in Baghdad in 2004, I was told by more than one US Officer that they were killing "many more Iranians than Iraqis" in the shooting that was going on.
Most of the Iraqis I talked to in Baghdad blamed the bombing of the middle school in Jan 2004 on the Iranians. They said that Iraqis wouldn't target children.
#2
In 2004, Imperial Sock Puppet? They've been busy little beavers, those Iranians.
They said that Iraqis wouldn't target children.
In my ignorance, that sounds of a piece with, "Muslims wouldn't do such a thing. They aren't Muslims." After all, when the Sunnis and the Shiites were warring in Iraq, there were plenty of children from both sides kidnapped, tortured and killed, right?
#3
"Most of the Iraqis I talked to in Baghdad blamed the bombing of the middle school in Jan 2004 on the Iranians. They said that Iraqis wouldn't target children."
yeah, well, that was wishful thinking, Im guessing.
#5
ION, FOX > NASRALLAH, etasl. > report claims that Lebanon-based Terror groups fired over 4000 KATYUSHA + other modfied unguided rockets into ISRAEL killing 40 people. That averages to 100 rockets fired per casualty. However, same report also indics that rocket ranges have been improved to 45 miles which effec places Tel Aviv, etc. cities-towns and DIMONA nuke reactor in target sights.
ONE OF THESE DAYS LEBANON'S TERROR GROUPS ARE GONNA GET HOLD OF COLD WAR SOVIET NUCLEAR OR "DUAL-USE" [Nuke-Conventional] MORTARS + ROCKET-TUBE ARTY???
(KUNA) -- Armed groups in the southern city of Basra began to turn their weapons in to security authorities on Wednesday, just hours after Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki declared a 72-hour ultimatum for them to drop their arms or face "the toughest penalties." A statement by the premier's office said some armed groups had started to hand in their weapons, but did not name the groups nor the volume of arms that were confiscated.
Moreover, it said tribal leaders and heads of political factions had called the premier to express their support for his efforts to fight outlaws and gangs that were trying to destabilize Basra.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Pretty much the same as a "guns for toys" program here in the states. A lot of nonfunctional crap gets turned in, and the action in the streets goes on unabated. Only the lefty assholes who sponsor the thing think it's working...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
03/27/2008 8:23 Comments ||
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#2
with an ongoing battle, and the city sealed (one hopes competently) against resupply, the short run is the priority here, and any weapon out of the hands of the J-M is good. Meanwhile the IA, with the help of tribal leaders, will detain the J-M leaders. Detaining all the foot soldiers is probably more than the state is capable of, and may not be good hearts and minds strategy.
The usual teeming traffic in Sadr City, Baghdad's Shiite enclave, vanished Wednesday. Buses stopped running and shops closed. Only the intrepid motorist or occasional scurrying resident ventured out on streets patrolled by Moqtada al-Sadr's militiamen and marked by burning tires and roadblocks.
Residents and Mahdi Army militants alike appeared to be bracing for a coming battle, guarding against US and Iraqi forces advancing to stop the rockets allegedly fired from Sadr City that hit the Green Zone again Wednesday for the third day since Sunday.
Although it's in Basra, the oil-rich southern city, where the Mahdi Army and Iraqi forces were locked in a bitter fight for a second day, killing at least 55, many in Baghdad fear that clash will trigger a new battle in Mr. Sadr's Baghdad stronghold. Already there were reports by US-funded Al Hurra TV, citing hospital sources, that at least 20 people have been killed and 140 wounded in sporadic clashes in Sadr City since Tuesday.
Now, in a place where the US has done battle many times before, a sense of siege and helplessness has replaced some of the flickers of optimism that emerged over the past few months as a result of improved security made possible by the US surge and the Mahdi Army's seven-month cease-fire, which now looks to be shattered. "We are yet again caught between two fires and we the citizens always pay the price of the feuding by the political leaders," said a man who gave his name as Abu Muthana. He stood in front of a row of shuttered shops, including his own, off Beirut Square on the edge of Sadr City. The district's shops closed in obedience to a call for protest issued by Sadr's movement.
In the nearly empty square, Muhammad Karim rushed on his bicycle to get his brother, Majid, who was manning a modest tea stand. "You have to lock up, come on, all hell is going to break loose soon," Muhammad told his brother, who grudgingly padlocked the battered metal cabinet that serves as his teashop and shuffled away.
Nearby, another resident, Nada Makhallad, walked her son, Ayman, back home because his elementary school was shut down. She was on the verge of tears.
She had to beg a pharmacist to come and open up so she can get medicine for her ailing mother. "We live in a state of fear. I want to get out," said Ms. Makhallad, adding that she's going to try to find a way to leave Baghdad soon to join her husband working in Lebanon now.
Another resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, said he picked up three bodies of employees at Baghdad Airport allegedly shot dead by militiamen after challenging their orders.
Across the Shiite enclave, home to almost 3 million people, US soldiers some on foot and others in Stryker combat vehicles and Humvees were out in force at all the major entrances, especially next to Iraqi Army checkpoints.
Fallah (Farmer) Street and all other major thoroughfares were blocked by militiamen with rocks. Iraqi National Police in the area warned that militiamen planted bombs all along these roads to keep US and Iraqi forces out. Militiamen have also reportedly ordered all residents to turn off their generators.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Gee, they can't help but win hearts and minds. When the assault comes, I think we might find that local intelligence will be plentiful.
(KUNA) -- Around 30 Iraqi militants were killed Wednesday when Israeli warplanes bombarded groups of gunmen in babylon south of Baghdad, an Iraqi security source told KUNA. He added that US helicopter gunships bombed militants gathering in neighborhoods of Al-Askari and Nader in the city of Hella, Babylon's largest cities. He said at least 30 militants were killed and a number of houses were destroyed in the bombardment.
Babylon was a scene of sporadic clashes between the security forces and Al-Mahdi army militias yesterday.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2008 00:00 ||
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#3
Note to myself: At the next meeting of the Elders rise the issue of tightening our control of the Media---leaks like this one can and should be prevented!
#6
At 7:45 p.m., an MND-B air weapons team positively indentified 20 to 30 terrorists moving north of Baghdad. They received clearance to fire and killed four terrorists.
(KUNA) -- The death toll of clashes at Sadr City over the past 24 hours has reached 20, with 239 others wounded, according to numbers tallied by Baghdad hospitals. Imam Ali Hospital Director Dr. Qassem Kadhim said his hospital, located in Dar City, received seven corpses and 52 wounded people, while Director of Al-Kindi Hospital Dr. Karim Nada said he admitted 44 wounded people up to 10: 00 a.m. this morning. Sadr Hospital Director Dr. Wahham Al-Jawhari, said meanwhile, that his hospital received five dead bodies and admitted 73 injured people. Among the wounded were women and children, they said. Moreover, Director of Rasafa Medical Office Ali Bustan said the eastern city clinic had received eight corpses and 70 wounded people.
This comes at a time when clashes resumed at Sadr City between Iraqi and US forces on one side and militants on the other. The city is considered a stronghold for the Sadrist Movement. Joint forces have surrounded the city, and helicopters continue to hover overhead as columns of smoke rose from the city, home to some two million people.
And in Baghdad, a police source told KUNA that three Iraqis were killed and five others were wounded when a mortar shell fell over Karada district in the center of the capital. Moreover, spokesperson for the US Embassy said three American employees were wounded when mortar shells fell over the Green Zone where the compound was located. Earlier today, Iraqi police said four mortar shells targeted the fortified zone.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2008 00:00 ||
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(KUNA) -- Armed clashes have resumed in Sadr City, stronghold of the Sadrist movement in Baghdad, between Iraqi and US forces on one side and militants on the other. A security source told KUNA that the clashes erupted very early this morning and that mortar shells and light weaponry was used. The source did not reveal whether casualties were suffered on either side, however, a medical source said the bodies of four Iraqi civilians were found and more than 20 wounded others were admitted at Imam Al-Hospital.
Meanwhile, a Multi-National Force (MNF) statement said today, "Terrorists launched 12 combined mortar and rocket attacks into Multi-National Division - Baghdad's operational environment beginning at approximately 6:00 a.m. (local time) on March 25." The statement said that among the multiple attacks were 107 mm rockets fired toward Baghdad's International Zone, 81 mm mortars fired at Forward Operating Base Falcon, 107 mm rockets fired at Forward Operating Base Rustamiyah, 60 mm mortars fired at Joint Security Station Thawra 1, and 60 mm mortars fired at Joint Security Station SUJ. The attacks resulted in limited civilian injuries and minor damage to buildings and vehicles."
This comes at a time when Iraqi government forces had apparently taken control of many districts in the southern city of Basra after fighting that broke out yesterday after regulars launched a mop-up operation to clear it of militiamen.
"Extremists continue to fire indiscriminately from the vicinity of Sadr City putting the residents of Baghdad at risk," said Col. Allen Batschelet, chief of staff, Multi-National Division - Baghdad. "The vast majority of Iraqis want security and stability. Coalition forces want the same, a better future for all Iraqis."
In Tikrit, local residents told KUNA that US helicopters shelled Qadisiya residential area in the city at around 2:30 a.m. (local time), adding that a number of houses collapsed. The residents added that four people were killed, including a judge, and 11 others were wounded, among then five women and children. The US forces surrounded the area and prevented even the Iraqi police forces from entering, they added.
This comes at a time when Iraqi government forces had apparently taken control of many districts in the southern city of Basra after fighting that broke out yesterday after regulars launched a mop-up operation to clear it of militiamen.
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03/27/2008 00:00 ||
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THE police have arrested a suspected Abu Sayyaf member who was allegedly involved in the kidnapping of 21 people in Sipadan, Malaysia eight years ago, according to the polices Criminal Investigation and Detection Group. The police identified the suspect as Jaitun Timual who was nabbed in front of the office of the Philippine National Red Cross Zamboanga City chapter along Rizal Street in downtown Zamboanga on the way home after attending a seminar, a source said.
Timual who was purportedly trained in a terrorist camp in Syria, had a pending warrant of arrest for his alleged involvement in the kidnapping of 21 people in 2000 at Sipadan Diving Resort in Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia.
Timual who was purportedly trained in a terrorist camp in Syria, had a pending warrant of arrest for his alleged involvement in the kidnapping of 21 people in 2000 at Sipadan Diving Resort in Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia.
The hostages10 Europeans and 11 Asianswere herded by the Abu Sayyaf to the province of Sulu where they were freed in batches reportedly after paying ransom money. Timual is now detained in Camp General Eduardo Batalla in Zamboanga City and is expected to be transferred to the National Polices Camp Crame headquarters in Quezon City.
In a related development, the military and police have deployed forces in Sulu to hunt down other members of the Abu Sayyaf group who are believed to have been involved in the Sipadan kidnapping. The Marines elite Marine Force Recon Battalion, headed by Lt. Col. Ruben Candelario, was sent to Sulu to hunt down the remaining Abu Sayyaf leaders and followers in the area.
Among the known Abu Sayyaf leaders hiding in Sulu is Radulan Sahiron, the oldest and dubbed as the one-armed bandit leader and Al-bader Parad, who was involved in the 2000 kidnapping in Sipadan, Sabah, Malaysia.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
nabbed ...on the way home after attending a seminar
Prosecutors demanded life imprisonment Wednesday for two Indonesian militants alleged to be top leaders of the Southeast Asian Muslim extremist network Jemaah Islamiyah. Police say Zarkasih headed the group when he was arrested last year, while Abu Dujana has been described as its "military commander." Like many Indonesians, Zarkasih goes by a single name.
Members of Jemaah Islamiyah and their associates have been blamed for a string of bombings on Western targets in Indonesia in recent years, including the 2002 Bali nightclub attacks that killed 202 people, most of them foreign tourists.
Neither Zarkasih or Dujana have been indicted over a specific act of terrorism. They are being tried separately, but on similar charges of stockpiling weapons and explosives for use in eastern Indonesia, where Muslim extremists have carried out attacks on Christians and harbored fugitives.
Prosecutors told judges that both men deserved to be sentenced to life imprisonment. In response, Zarkasih said "no problem", while Dujana shook his head and said he was a victim of "tyranny."
Judges are expected to reach a verdict in both trials in the coming weeks.
Dujana, who was arrested last year on Java island along with Zarkasih, has previously admitted being a member of Jemaah Islamiyah, but on Wednesday denied any involvement with the network.
"Lies! All lies!"
Jemaah Islamiyah was an underground group formed in the late 1990s by Indonesians who had fought or trained in Afghanistan. The group's leadership encouraged its members to train for jihad or holy war and sent fighters to the southern Philippines.
Indonesia has arrested and convicted dozens of members but has not made membership of Jemaah Islamiyah a criminal offense. At least four militants are on death row for their involvement in the bombings campaign.
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03/27/2008 00:00 ||
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Two Sri Lankan police were killed on Wednesday while escorting Japanese aid workers and three civilians were killed in crossfire between the military and Tamil Tiger rebels.
The two police were killed and seven others, including three civilians, were wounded when a roadside bomb exploded at the rear of a Japanese aid convoy visiting an agricultural irrigation project in Vavunathivu, northeast of Colombo. "There were some Japanese officials. Police were escorting them," police Deputy Inspector General N.K. Ilangakoon told Reuters, saying the convoy was hit by a fragmentation mine. The Japanese were not hurt in the blast, which occurred after the main convoy had already passed, Ilangakoon said.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2008 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
KABUL - A car bomb exploded in a market in the southern Afghan province of Helmand on Wednesday killing at least eight people and wounding 17, police said.
PARACHINAR, Pakistan, March 27 (Reuters) - Suspected militants attacked an ambulance in northwest Pakistan on Thursday killing seven people including two nurses, a doctor and local residents said.
The Sindh and Punjab police are searching for four trucks, which have been reportedly sent to different areas of the country from the Pakistan-Iran border, loaded with weapons and explosives. The Sindh interior ministry has also issued a security alert.
(KUNA) -- Armed clashes have resumed in Sadr City, stronghold of the Sadrist movement in Baghdad, between Iraqi and US forces on one side and militants on the other. A security source told KUNA that the clashes erupted very early this morning and that mortar shells and light weaponry was used. The source did not reveal whether casualties were suffered on either side, however, a medical source said the bodies of four Iraqi civilians were found and more than 20 wounded others were admitted at Imam Al-Hospital.
THE police have arrested a suspected Abu Sayyaf member who was allegedly involved in the kidnapping of 21 people in Sipadan, Malaysia eight years ago, according to the polices Criminal Investigation and Detection Group. The police identified the suspect as 
