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Iraq says Qaeda cleared from Mosul
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
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Good morning
Posted by: Fred || 05/25/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Bad girl, Louise! Give that shower curtain to me right now.
Posted by: Rambler in California || 05/25/2008 0:03 Comments || Top||

#2  Man, I sure wish I had a shower curtain right now...
Posted by: Iblis || 05/25/2008 1:23 Comments || Top||

#3  Now we know who really modeled for the Heisman...
Posted by: PBMcL || 05/25/2008 1:36 Comments || Top||

#4  PBMcL, now that was funny!
Posted by: Penguin || 05/25/2008 1:42 Comments || Top||

#5  #4 PBMcL, now that was funny!

Best Ones yet, Hands Down PBMcL and Hands Down to you too L Brooks, thank you! ~:)
Posted by: RD || 05/25/2008 1:58 Comments || Top||

#6  Now we know who really modeled for the Heisman...

It's hopeless, Louise. That stiff-arm might work against a defensive back but these are RBers you're talking about here! :-P
Posted by: gorb || 05/25/2008 2:44 Comments || Top||

#7  Gosh, makes a fella want to take a shower.
Posted by: Thusoper Tojo5736 || 05/25/2008 10:10 Comments || Top||

#8  Even a hippy might want a shower, eh?
Posted by: OldSpook || 05/25/2008 12:16 Comments || Top||

#9  What was it someone said recently, "Shower curtains, why do they hate us"? This one slipped a bit. Quite a bit.
Posted by: Old Patriot || 05/25/2008 13:40 Comments || Top||

#10  Now we know who really modeled for the Heisman

9.92

Ima old.
Posted by: George Smiley || 05/25/2008 14:27 Comments || Top||

#11  Me, too, GS. I'm so horny the crack of dawn looks good.
Posted by: Deacon Blues || 05/25/2008 19:53 Comments || Top||

#12  Sounds like someone needs a cold shower. Now if Louise would be willing to provide the shower Curtain...
Posted by: CrazyFool || 05/25/2008 22:27 Comments || Top||


Africa North
Al-Para sentenced to death in Batna
The criminal court in Batna eastern province, has sentenced to death yesterday the terrorist named Chebah Rachid, and nicknamed Abu Al-Bara, after charging him of killing 2 people by cutting their throats including a policeman, and taking part in more than 20 terrorist attacks killing 156 people, Army troops, and communal Guards.

In the meantime, Batna court has issued the same sentence against another chief terrorist named Amari Saifi, and nicknamed Abderezak al-Para, even though the defendant told the court that when he was arrested by the end of 2004, at a grocery store when he was about to surrender. This dangerous terrorist has denied participating in the killings reported by the court’s referral order, but he has acknowledged serving as a guide for terrorists.

Furthermore, the joint security forces in Tizi Ouzou central province have broken up a terrorists support group made up of 10 people living eastern the province, after a probe initiated last week after eliminating a terrorist at Moussa Kedad place downtown Tizi Ouzou, while the number of this support group’s members is expected to increase, however the probe continues.
This article starring:
Abderezak al-Paraal-Qaeda in North Africa
Abu Al-Baraal-Qaeda in North Africa
Amari Saifial-Qaeda in North Africa
Chebah Rachidal-Qaeda in North Africa
Posted by: Fred || 05/25/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in North Africa

#1  GO, meet your god, don't come back.
Posted by: Redneck Jim || 05/25/2008 14:02 Comments || Top||

#2  They have a revolving door? Let the world know when the scumbag is really dead, like the common criminal he turned out to be. No virgins.
Posted by: rhodesiafever || 05/25/2008 14:56 Comments || Top||


Caribbean-Latin America
Colombia's top FARC commander is dead: government source
The top commander and founder of Colombia's FARC rebel force is dead after more than 40 years fighting against the state from jungle and mountain camps, a government source said on Saturday.

The death of Manuel Marulanda, known as Sureshot, who organized the Marxist-inspired Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia guerrilla force in the 1960s, would be the heaviest blow suffered by Latin America's oldest surviving insurgency. Rumors that Marulanda, whose real name is Pedro Antonio Marin, had died or fallen seriously ill have surfaced before, but they have never been confirmed. He was in his late 70s.

"The information we have is that he is dead. We are not sure of the circumstances, but he is dead," said the top government source who asked not to be identified.
Anyone seen a severed head? No? Someone fetch the accordion lady, she's on ...
Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos told Semana magazine a source had told authorities Marulanda died at the end of March. He said there was heavy bombing in the area where officials believed Marulanda was at the time, but added that rebel information said he had died of a heart attack.

Marulanda organized the FARC as a left-wing insurgency fighting for social justice. But after four decades of combat the FARC has been weakened by President Alvaro Uribe's U.S.-backed security campaign. With little popular support, the FARC has been driven into remote jungle and mountain areas, but remains a potent force in some areas, bolstered by funds earned from cocaine smuggling.

Several top FARC commanders have been killed or captured recently as the rebels struggle against increasing military pressure and growing desertions from their ranks.
This article starring:
Manuel Marulanda
Posted by: Fred || 05/25/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  His death has been confirmed by the FARC. Apparently from a herat attack. Pity he wasn't drawn and quartered brought to justice but the world is a better place without him.
Posted by: JFM || 05/25/2008 14:30 Comments || Top||


Europe
Turkish guard, three PKK rebels killed
Three Kurdish rebels and one government village guard have been killed in two clashes in southeast Turkey, according to authorities. Two Kurdish rebels were killed near the southern city of Sirnak late Thursday, the military said. In a separate incident, in clashes near the border with Iran, one Kurdish rebel and one soldier were killed, the state-run Anatolia news agency said on Friday. During the clashes three guards were wounded. PKK rebels have been fighting for autonomy in southern Turkey since 1984. The fighting has claimed tens of thousands of lives.
Posted by: Fred || 05/25/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Home Front: WoT
Sudanese terror suspect charged at Guantanamo Bay
Military prosecutors filed charges Friday against a Sudanese detainee at Guantanamo Bay who is accused of running a training camp for terrorists in Afghanistan in the late 1990s.

He is the 16th detainee charged under the current system at the Guantanamo detention center. The trials would be first US war-crimes tribunals since World War II, but so far, none of the cases have gone to court. According to the charges, Noor Uthman Muhammed was a member of al-Qaida, trained at a camp in Afghanistan and later become a weapons instructor. From 1996 to 2000 he was deputy commander of the camp, where he oversaw its operations.
Posted by: Fred || 05/25/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda


India-Pakistan
Militants kill 'US spy' in Pakistan
Pro-Taliban militants in a lawless Pakistani tribal district have killed an Afghan after accusing him of spying for US forces.

The body of Akhtar Nawaz, 40, was dumped in the main bazaar of a border town in North Waziristan district, a known hub of Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants, AFP reported.

A note left on the body said the man was spying for US forces. "This is the fate of a slave of America," it read.

Militants have killed several tribesmen in recent months in the tribal region, accusing them of spying for the US-led coalition forces across the border.

Militants beheaded a soldier on May 14 in North Waziristan, accusing him of spying for US forces across the border in Afghanistan. The United States and Afghan officials have repeatedly claimed the rugged tribal region is used by militants to launch cross-border attacks on NATO troops deployed in Afghanistan.
Posted by: Fred || 05/25/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban

#1  Why do they always catch these "spies" while they are alone instead of part of a group?
Posted by: gorb || 05/25/2008 4:11 Comments || Top||

#2  Calling someone a "spy" gives the Taliban a "license to kill", whether the accusations are legitimate or not. I'd suspect most of these people are just villagers who don't kowtow to the Taliban line, and are removed before they can become an example for others to follow. I'd bet that NONE of them are actually working with the US.
Posted by: Old Patriot || 05/25/2008 13:46 Comments || Top||

#3  They have to have some HUMINT somewhere. I'm sure it's not done directly with a Special Forces sargeant peeling off $100 bills, but through a series of intermediaries.
Posted by: gromky || 05/25/2008 15:28 Comments || Top||

#4  They have to have some HUMINT somewhere. I'm sure it's not done directly with a Special Forces sargeant peeling off $100 bills, but through a series of intermediaries.
Posted by: gromky || 05/25/2008 15:31 Comments || Top||

#5  I like to think there's more than just a little paranoia involved in some of these killings. But it's also probably a safe bet that many of the victims are people the Taleban wanted to rub out anyway and calling them spies serves the added purpose of terrorizing the rest of the populace.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 05/25/2008 17:17 Comments || Top||


Pakistan: 2 bombs attacks kill local police chief, 2 civilians in northwest
Police say two bomb attacks have killed a local police chief and two civilians in volatile northwestern Pakistan.

City police chief Ata Ullah said an area police chief, Khaista Khan, and his driver died Saturday in a blast near his vehicle in Peshawar. He said the attack came about two hours after another roadside blast about 15 kilometers away that killed one civilian and wounded three others. Ullah provided no further details, saying only that police were still investigating.

Peshawar is the capital of restive Pakistan's North West Frontier Province bordering Afghanistan. Pro-Taliban militants often target security forces in the province. However, Pakistan's new government is now holding peace talks with local militants.
Posted by: Fred || 05/25/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Key Al Qaeda figure apparently died in U.S. strike in Pakistan
An Al Qaeda figure killed in a U.S. airstrike in Pakistan last week is believed to have been an Algerian allegedly involved in training militants and plotting attacks against the West, officials said Friday.

The Algerian, known by the nickname Abu Sulayman Jazairi, apparently died May 14 in the strike that killed as many as 14 people and destroyed a compound near the village of Damadola, an Al Qaeda stronghold in northwestern Pakistan, officials said. A knowledgeable U.S. official and a senior European anti-terrorism official said Jazairi was thought to be dead.

U.S. anti-terrorism forces are targeting front-line planners in Pakistani hide-outs, and Jazairi would be another in a series of recent losses for the Al Qaeda leadership, the two officials said. "He was a significant person within the Al Qaeda ranks," said the senior European official, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic. "Not in the top five, but he's up there. The suspicion is he was one of those individuals involved in training and targeting Western interests. There is uncorroborated intelligence that he was involved in plots against Europe."

Officials declined to discuss last week's operation because of political tension in Pakistan over U.S. airstrikes. The strength of Al Qaeda and the Taliban movement in the lawless tribal areas makes it difficult to independently confirm information there.

In fact, some doubt lingers about the identity of the man killed. This week, a senior Pakistani intelligence official said he believed the slain man was not the Algerian but another foreign militant. Despite the confusion, the U.S. and European officials said their information about the militant's identity seemed solid. "There are good reasons to think that Al Jazairi is dead," said the U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. The European official said there recently had been allusions to Jazairi's death on radical websites.

Jazairi was an explosives expert and "important terrorist trainer," the U.S. official said. "When it comes to training, this individual was an important figure," the official said. "People like him are vital to terrorist plots. That doesn't mean he can't be replaced. But when Al Qaeda loses someone with his experience, it matters."
This article starring:
ABU SULAIMAN JAZAIRIal-Qaeda
Posted by: Fred || 05/25/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda

#1  "U.S. anti-terrorism forces are targeting front-line planners in Pakistani hide-outs..."

... no quarter...
Posted by: www || 05/25/2008 0:34 Comments || Top||

#2  0'dance girly girl! ~:)
Posted by: RD || 05/25/2008 2:12 Comments || Top||


Iraq
Bike bomb explodes near bank in Kirkuk
(VOI) – A motorbike bomb went off on Saturday near a bank in Kirkuk province, but no casualties were reported, a local security source said. "A motorbike rigged with explosives detonated on Saturday near a bank in Domeez area in southern Kirkuk," the source, who requested anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq ­- (VOI). The explosion did not leave casualties, but caused slight damage to the bank, the source noted, providing no further details.
Posted by: Fred || 05/25/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Iraqi Insurgency

#1  Progress. Car bombs must not be able to get through. Or the price of gas is just to high...
Posted by: www || 05/25/2008 0:32 Comments || Top||


Three killed, four wounded in western Baghdad blast
(VOI)- At least three civilians were killed and four more wounded on Saturday as an adhesive bomb exploded at a bus in western Baghdad, a police source said. “An adhesive bomb exploded, today, at a bus in al-Mansour neighborhood, killing three passengers and wounding four more,” the source, who asked not to be named, told Aswat al-Iraq- Voices of Iraq- (VOI). The blast damaged the bus and other cars in the area, the source said. “The wounded were rushed to al-Yarmouk hospital,” he added.
Posted by: Fred || 05/25/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Iraqi Insurgency

#1  adhesive bomb?
Posted by: 3dc || 05/25/2008 1:19 Comments || Top||

#2  whoa! ...that pic!@! eeek!
Posted by: RD || 05/25/2008 3:29 Comments || Top||

#3  The MichaelMoore Minutemen are down but not out. Mike (aka Lumpy Riefenstahl) should be so proud.
Posted by: atomic conspiracy || 05/25/2008 5:28 Comments || Top||


4 army personnel killed in Mosul blast
(VOI) – Four Iraqi servicemen, including an officer, were killed on Saturday when an improvised explosive device targeted their patrol in southeastern Mosul city, an army source said.

"An explosive charge went off on Saturday afternoon near an Iraqi army patrol in Hayy Somar area in southeastern Mosul," the source, who requested anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI). The explosion killed four patrolmen, including an army major. Since May 10, Iraqi security forces have been launching a wide-scale military operation, codenamed Lion's Roar, with the aim of tracking down al-Qaeda operatives in the city of Mosul. Mosul, the capital city of Ninewa province, lies 405 km north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
Posted by: Fred || 05/25/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Iraqi Insurgency

#1  This photo is in very poor taste. Lets remember that the Iraqi army are our allies.
Posted by: canaveraldan || 05/25/2008 10:19 Comments || Top||


Karbala Police forces kill gunman, wound another in clashes
(VOI)- Police forces in the Shiite holy city of Karbala killed a gunman and wounded another in clashes that broke out at a district just outside the city, police chief said on Saturday. “The clashes erupted last night in al-Hussayniya district, 20 km north of Karbala, while police forces were about to arrest two gunmen involved in killing a policeman,” Major-General Raed Shawkat, told Aswat al-Iraq- Voices of Iraq- (VOI). The police chief added “the one-hour-long clashes left a gunman dead and the other wounded.” “Investigations are under way to know the parties behind those gunmen and the motives of killing the policeman,” Shawkat concluded.
Posted by: Fred || 05/25/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Iraqi Insurgency


6 wanted men captured in Basra
(VOI)- Six wanted men were arrested and amounts of weapons and ammunitions were confiscated during a security raid in separate areas in Basra, a police source said on Friday. "Interior ministry's forces waged a crackdown operation in separate areas in the southern province, where six wanted men were arrested," the source, who asked to be unnamed, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq (VOI). "They also seized 47 mortar shells, 4 missiles and 186 hand grenades," he added. The Iraqi government launched a major crackdown dubbed as Saulat al-Foursan (Knights' Assault) on gunmen in Basra, resulting in clashes erupting between government security forces and Mahdi Army militiamen loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in Baghdad and major southern cities. Basra is 590 km south of Baghdad.
Posted by: Fred || 05/25/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Mahdi Army


Violence in Iraq falls to lowest level in 4 years
Violence in Iraq has fallen to its lowest level in more than four years, figures released by the U.S. military showed on Saturday, but officials said progress was still fragile and reversible.

Iraqi security officials said an offensive against al Qaeda in the northern city of Mosul, which the U.S. military says is the Sunni Islamist group's last major urban stronghold, had wiped out most of the insurgent network.

Washington's envoy to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, declared that al Qaeda had never been closer to defeat. The United States says the group is the biggest threat to peace in Iraq and has blamed it for most of Iraq's deadliest suicide bombings. "You are not going to hear me say that al Qaeda is defeated, but they've never been closer to defeat than they are now," Crocker told reporters during a visit to the Shi'ite holy cities of Najaf and Kerbala in southern Iraq.
Posted by: Fred || 05/25/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Iraqi Insurgency

#1  [crickets]
Comments and stories buried deep by MSM
[/crickets]

Brought to you by MSM where our motto is "Good News is No News!"
Posted by: AlmostAnonymous5839 || 05/25/2008 9:18 Comments || Top||

#2  You haven't heard the very old newspaper saying "If it bleeds, it leads"?
Posted by: Redneck Jim || 05/25/2008 14:09 Comments || Top||

#3  It was better 5 years ago.
Posted by: George Smiley || 05/25/2008 14:29 Comments || Top||

#4  QUAGMIRE!

eep.
Posted by: OldSpook || 05/25/2008 16:21 Comments || Top||


108 detainees freed in Mosul
(VOI)- Security authorities released 108 detainees from Iraqi detention centers through the Ninewa police department after proving that they were not involved in any criminal acts, the chief of local police said on Thursday morning.

"The Ninewa police freed 108 inmates, who were detained during the military operations Lion’s Roar and Umm al-Rabeain (City of Two Springs) that started in the province two weeks ago after they were proved not guilty of involvement in any crime," Brigadier Khaled Hussein al-Hamdani told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI). Last Monday, 151 detainees were also set free from the detention centers in Ninewa after being acquitted from any criminal involvement. On May 7, a large-scale military operation was launched and overseen by the Iraqi Prime Minister Nousri al-Maliki in and around Mosul, capital city of Ninewa province, northern Iraq, in hunt for armed groups particularly those linked to Qaeda Organization.
Posted by: Fred || 05/25/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Iraq


Mosul's mayor survives 4th assassination attempt in 10 days
(VOI) – The mayor of Mosul city survived an explosive charge attack that targeted his motorcade on Saturday, the fourth attempt on his life in only 10 days. "An explosive device detonated near the motorcade of Mosul Mayor Zuheir Muhsin al-Araji in al-Maared area, wounding two of his companions and causing damage to one of the vehicles of the motorcade," the source, who requested anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI). The attack is the fourth of its kind on the mayor during the past 10 days, the source added. Mosul, the capital city of Ninewa province, lies 405 km north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
Posted by: Fred || 05/25/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Iraq

#1  This mayor is obviously a target which the enemy will go to lengths to kill. But knowing this also makes his a great decoy to lure the enemy out into the open.

SOCOM operations officers live for stuff like this. It makes their jobs positively fun.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 05/25/2008 12:58 Comments || Top||

#2  Might be a little stressful for the Mayor, though, 'moose...
Posted by: PBMcL || 05/25/2008 16:02 Comments || Top||


Iraq says Qaeda cleared from Mosul
A 10-day drive by Iraqi troops has dismantled Al Qaeda’s network in Iraq’s northern city of Mosul regarded by the United States as the militants’ last stronghold, the Interior Ministry said on Saturday. “Operation Mother of Two Springs has enabled us to dismantle and weaken the Al Qaeda network in Nineveh province,” spokesman Abdel Karim Khalaf told AFP.

A total of 1,480 people have been detained since the operation began on May 14, Khalaf added. US Ambassador Ryan Crocker said Iraqi troops had displayed leadership in the Mosul operation and the Al Qaeda network was close to being completely defeated.
Posted by: Fred || 05/25/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Iraq

#1  That is a major victory; the remainders will be subject to major contempt from locals. Foreign jihadis are fair game in Iraq.
Posted by: McZoid || 05/25/2008 1:05 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Israel, Hamas exchange fire; 4 Hamas gunmen hurt
Israeli forces on Saturday attacked two groups of Palestinian militants firing mortar shells in the northern Gaza Strip, wounding four Hamas gunmen, Israeli and Palestinian officials said.

Witnesses said the clashes occurred near the Nahal Oz fuel depot on the border between Israel and Gaza. The depot, which pumps fuel into Gaza, is a frequent target of Palestinian militants, who view the crossing as a symbol of Israel's economic blockade of the area.

Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for nearly a year, said its gunmen were firing machine guns at Israeli troops when they were struck. But local residents said the militants were firing mortar shells. The residents spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they feared retribution from Hamas.

Palestinian medical officials said one of the wounded was in critical condition.

The Israeli army confirmed both attacks, including an airstrike. It said militants fired mortar shells and a homemade rocket at the fuel depot.

The clashes occurred as Egyptian mediators try to wrap up a cease-fire between Israel and militants in Gaza.

Israeli troops and Palestinian militants have frequently clashed since Hamas seized control of Gaza last June. Seeking to step up pressure on Hamas, Israel has sealed its border crossings with Gaza and imposed other economic sanctions, causing shortages of fuel, electricity and many basic goods.
Posted by: Fred || 05/25/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Hamas


IDF attacks rocket launch squad in northern Gaza Strip
IDF troops on Saturday attacked a group of Hamas terrorists firing mortar shells in the northern Gaza Strip, wounding two gunmen, Israeli and Palestinian officials said. Palestinian medics reported that one of the terrorists is in a critical condition.

Witnesses said the clash occurred near the Nahal Oz fuel depot on the border between Israel and Gaza. The depot, which pumps fuel into Gaza, is a frequent target of Palestinian terrorists.

Hamas said its gunmen were firing machine guns at the troops when they were struck. But local residents said the terrorists were firing mortar shells. The residents spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing retribution from Hamas.

The army also said it had responded to mortar fire. Palestinian medical officials reported two wounded gunmen, including one in critical condition.

Army Radio reported that IDF troops arrested two terror suspects during the Gaza operation.

Earlier Saturday, at least eight projectiles, including both Kassam rockets and mortar shells, were fired at various areas in the western Negev from the Gaza Strip.

No casualties or damage were reported in the attacks.
Posted by: Fred || 05/25/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Hamas


Southeast Asia
Filipino marines battle Muslim militants
Two Muslim rebel groups, including the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf, attacked a military outpost and a convoy of troops Sunday in the southern Philippines, sparking a clash that killed two guerrillas and wounded 10 marines, the military said.

The fighting between the marines and the combined forces of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Abu Sayyaf broke out after dawn on southern Basilan island, forcing villagers to flee, according to the military and the rebels.

Both sides blamed each other for starting the fighting, which erupted during a withdrawal of Malaysian peacekeepers who have helped stop such violence in the past.

Philippine marines commandant Lt. Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino said an unknown number of MILF and Abu Sayyaf guerrillas attacked a marine detachment in Basilan's remote Ungkaya Pukan township at day break, sparking a gunbattle. There were no immediate reports of casualties in that clash.

Marine reinforcements aboard an armored carrier and trucks were later ambushed by the rebels, setting off a clash that killed two rebels and wounded 10 marines. The armored carrier was damaged by a rebel land mine, Dolorfino said.

Government troops were pursuing the attackers and helicopter gunships were on standby in case the conflict escalates. The MILF-led attack violated a cease-fire, he said.

"This is definitely a cease-fire violation, and we will protest," Dolorfino told The Associated Press.

Mohagher Iqbal, a MILF leader, said the marine forces advanced threateningly toward a rebel stronghold, triggering a gunbattle that killed at least one rebel and inflicted casualties among the marines. A marine tank and a truck were destroyed in the fighting, he said.

Iqbal denied that his forces were backed by Abu Sayyaf militants.

The MILF, which fights for Muslim self-rule in the south, always denies any link with Abu Sayyaf, a smaller but more brutal group linked to al-Qaida and blacklisted by Washington as a terrorist group for ransom kidnappings, bombings and beheadings.

But the Philippine military and police say they have intelligence indicating tactical alliances between the two groups, which are both active on predominantly Muslim Basilan island.

Malaysia has been brokering peace talks between Manila and the MILF, which has about 11,000 fighters. The talks stalled last year when the guerrillas protested the government's insistence that any accord should conform with the Philippine constitution.

Disappointed with the monthslong impasse, Malaysia early this month started withdrawing dozens of its monitors that form the bulk of a foreign contingent safeguarding a 2003 cease-fire. The monitors have been credited with curbing clashes in the south.

Malaysian officials have pledged to continue brokering the talks.
Posted by: gorb || 05/25/2008 03:23 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Abu Sayyaf

#1  i cant be the only one who gets a moment of confusion when i see MILF in an article am i?
Posted by: Abu do you love || 05/25/2008 17:41 Comments || Top||

#2  Yeah, I know what you mean. My idea of just punishment vacillates between gut shooting them and spanking them. :-)
Posted by: gorb || 05/25/2008 19:28 Comments || Top||

#3  no, Abu ;-)
Posted by: Frank G || 05/25/2008 19:50 Comments || Top||

#4  I ain't proud. I STILL don't know what milf means. Doopey me.
Posted by: Deacon Blues || 05/25/2008 21:09 Comments || Top||

#5  In the case of the Phillipines, it means Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). In the case of the Internet and pr0n, it means Mother I'd Like to F*ck - highly desirable woman in her late 30s through 40s. Does cause some confusion until the contextual orientation is established.
Posted by: Shieldwolf || 05/25/2008 21:55 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
43[untagged]
6Iraqi Insurgency
5Taliban
4al-Qaeda in Iraq
3Hamas
3Govt of Pakistan
2al-Qaeda
2Mahdi Army
2Global Jihad
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On Sale now!


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.
Click here for more information

Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
Steve White
Seafarious
tu3031
badanov
sherry
ryuge
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trailing wife
Gloria
Fred
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Two weeks of WOT
Sun 2008-05-25
  Iraq says Qaeda cleared from Mosul
Sat 2008-05-24
  Second man arrested after Brit blast
Fri 2008-05-23
  AQI Moneybags Poobah captured by Iraqi Security Forces
Thu 2008-05-22
  Hezbollah Wins Veto After Talks End Lebanon Stalemate
Wed 2008-05-21
  Egyptian official: Israel has accepted Gaza cease-fire
Tue 2008-05-20
   Iraqi troops roll into Sadr City
Mon 2008-05-19
  Boomer kills 11, maims 24 near Pakistan army centre
Sun 2008-05-18
  Tater under arrest in Iran?
Sat 2008-05-17
  Ten held in Europe for Al Qaeda ties
Fri 2008-05-16
  Burqaboomer kills 18 near crowded bazaar
Thu 2008-05-15
  Dozen militants killed in suspected US strike on Damadola
Wed 2008-05-14
  Commander Says al-Qaida ''Virtually Destroyed'' in Kirkuk
Tue 2008-05-13
  Sudanese troops hunt for rebels in Khartoum
Mon 2008-05-12
  Hezbollah foiled US-planned coup. Really.
Sun 2008-05-11
  Army sides with Nasrallah against Leb govt


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