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Sudan nationhood vote confirmed valid
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
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Good morning
Posted by: Fred || 01/14/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Birthday/Daily Gam Shot

Bebe Daniels aka Ruth Wonderly in "The Maltese Falcon" aka Dorothy ("Dottie") Brock, star in "42nd Street" aka Regina "Rexy" Gordon in "Counsellor at Law" (Died in 1971 at age 70)


Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC || 01/14/2011 2:54 Comments || Top||


Afghanistan
Self-defence in NZ SAS shooting
New Zealand SAS soldiers involved in a Christmas Eve shootout in which two Afghan security guards were killed have been cleared by two investigations into the incident.

Defence Force chief Lieutenant General Jerry Mateparae said an investigation by the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force and another by the Defence Force, found the soldiers were fired upon first and had acted appropriately. The soldiers were part of an Afghan Crisis Response Unit called out after intelligence indicated a rocket or explosives attack on the American embassy in Kabul was imminent.

General Mateparae said video footage showed an Afghan security guard opened fire on the soldiers, who returned fire in self-defence. That security guard was injured and left the scene but two more security guards, armed with AK47 weapons, took up firing positions metres from the soldiers.

"New Zealand forces yelled a command for the Afghans to stop. Because they were in immediate danger they then returned fire at the two Afghan security guards, which resulted in their deaths."

Heat plumes on the video showed at least one of the security guards had opened fire on the soldiers, General Mateparae said. There were 37 seconds between the first and last shots fired.

After the shooting the SAS soldiers cleared nearby buildings and gave medical treatment to the wounded Afghans. Items consistent with the intelligence report were found and validated the operation, General Mateparae said.

He was satisfied the SAS had carried out the operation appropriately. "Having reviewed the circumstances I am satisfied that members of the SAS responded with discipline, professionalism and courage to the threats they faced."

ISAF did not intend investigating the matter further.

Defence Minister Wayne Mapp said the reports showed the SAS had acted within the carefully prescribed rules of engagement.

"The Afghans fired first and the SAS returned fire in self-defence. These reports verify the initial briefings that I received from the Defence Force."

Soon after the event, Nawid Shah Sakhizada, whose family owned the factory that was the scene of the shootout, told The Times of London he was fired at as he tried to leave his office.

He said he spoke to two New Zealand soldiers who led the raid, Sean and James. "They asked me if I was the owner of the building and they said they were really sorry," Mr. Sakhizada said.

"But I say apology is not enough. Tomorrow I will have to go to these men's families ... I told them: `You did not kill two cows. You killed two human beings'."

Other reports at the time said the gunfire had lasted an hour, no explosives were found at the scene and that the dead men had been shot in the head.
Gee, I wonder who came up with those "reports".

What happened here? Was the Afghan fire friendly or hostile? I can't figure out where Nawid Shah Sakhizada fits in here. Nor can I figure out his frame of mind. If it was a friendly fire incident and the SAS apologized, it sounds like he's just fanning the flames.

AoS at 1620 CT: moved to Afghanistan. WoT Operations is just right for this post.
Posted by: gorb || 01/14/2011 16:59 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Sorry. I probably should have put this under WoT Politics.
Posted by: gorb || 01/14/2011 17:08 Comments || Top||

#2  Nawid Shah Sakhizada needs a rifle butt to his head. I guess the NX guys should've let themselves be killed to keep from being oppressive? F*ck him. I'd keep an eye on him
Posted by: Frank G || 01/14/2011 19:04 Comments || Top||

#3  Afghan security guards vs. New Zealand SAS?
Jeez, wonder who I'm putting my money on...
Posted by: tu3031 || 01/14/2011 19:59 Comments || Top||

#4  It sounds like the Afghan security guards either were Taliban or had a Sudden Jihad Syndrome moment, and Mr. Sakhizada either supported them or went to the default "It must be the infidel's fault, by definition."
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/14/2011 20:45 Comments || Top||

#5  NX? 1) that's the new NZ. 2) Or my fat fingers....

bet on #2
Posted by: Frank G || 01/14/2011 20:57 Comments || Top||


AIHRC Calls Civilian Deaths War Crime
[Tolo News] More than 70% of civilians have been killed in attacks carried out by the Taliban, a bigwig at Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIGRC) said on Thursday.

While condemning attacks that claim civilian lives, AIHRC described the attacks against international laws.
But it's only a war crime if the civilians were deliberately attacked, or if they're used as human shields. The Taliban would never do such things, because they're the purest Muslims in the world. They even have official rules against keeping beautiful boys in their quarters.
In the latest suicide kaboom that hit Kabul during rush hour on Wednesday morning, most of the dead and maimed were civilians.

Following the attack, Taliban said they have targeted Afghan intelligence staff, but doctors in Esteqlal Hospital in Kabul said a father along with his young son, who were on their way to the hospital, died in the attack.

"A large number of civilians were hurt in the incident," said Nader Naderi, a member of AIHRC.

Religious leaders condemned the suicide kaboom and said these kinds of attacks are totally against Islamic ethics.

"Either way, one would be considered a murderer, whether one kills himself or other people," said Mawlawi Mohammad Essa, a religious leader.
Could you speak a little louder, and into the microphone?
The Wednesday suicide kaboom in Kabul, the fiercest of its kind in months, claimed two lives and 32 others were maimed. Officials said some people suffering from psychology illnesses were also seen among the maimed.
Posted by: Fred || 01/14/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban

#1  Only if the attackers are Juice!
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 01/14/2011 2:13 Comments || Top||

#2  Labels won't do much for the Taliban, but maybe some public fatwas by Muslim leaders and lakshar would be more useful.
Posted by: Uleatch Dribble8106 || 01/14/2011 4:18 Comments || Top||


3 Insurgents Killed While Setting Bomb in Afghanistan
[Tolo News] Three beturbanned goons were killed in a blast in northern Faryab province while they were attaching explosives under a bridge, Provincial security officials said on Thursday.

The incident happened last night in Ghourmach district while the beturbanned goons were trying to attach explosives under a bridge and then the explosives went off and killed them, Lal Mohammad Ahmadzai, a military front man in north told TOLOnews.

Militants hugely use home-made bombs and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) to hamper government and foreign forces' efforts to bring peace and stability to the country.

Meanwhile,
...back at the ranch...
provincial officials said another nine beturbanned goons laid down their weapons and joined Afghan government in Khwajaghar, a district in northern Takhar province.

"their act is a great help to bring peace in the province," Mr Ahmadzai said.

Taliban fighters are active in some villages in northern Takhar, which borders turbulent Kunduz province.
Posted by: Fred || 01/14/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Africa Horn
Three Bulgarians Working for U.N. Kidnapped in Sudan
[An Nahar] Three Bulgarian airline employees, working on a contract for the United Nations, aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society in Sudan, were kidnapped in the east African country, the Bulgarian foreign ministry said Thursday.
"A crew of three Bulgarian nationals, working for a Bulgarian airline company operating flights on a U.N. contract, were kidnapped in north Sudan," the ministry said in a statement.
Do Bulgarian airlines have the excess funds to pay ransoms, or do they just call for the unofficial Bulgarian Olympic Umbrella Team?
"The local authorities and the United Nations Missions in Sudan (UNMIS) have reacted immediately," it added.

The ministry said it was in contact with both the company and UNMIS and was seeking more details about the incident.

The kidnappers of the three remained unidentified, the ministry added.

Chris Cycmanick, the front man for the joint U.N.-African Union peacekeeping mission, said the men were kidnapped Wednesday night about 75 kilometers southeast of Geneina, capital of West Darfur province.
Posted by: Fred || 01/14/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Sudan

#1  "Be on the lookout for three men with Stalin moustaches and umbrellas. Believed to all be wearing the same cheap black suit..."
Posted by: mojo || 01/14/2011 17:07 Comments || Top||


Sudan nationhood vote confirmed valid
[The Nation (Nairobi)] Organisers of a landmark south Sudan independence vote confirmed Thursday the turnout threshold needed for it to be valid has been reached as ex-US president Jimmy Carter
... the worst president ever...
can we add "until now" onto that yet?
said the region looked set for nationhood.

Drivers honked their horns in the regional capital Juba as southerners hailed the turnout achievement in just four days of the week-long period saying it showed the importance of freedom to them after five decades of conflict with the north.

"It has reached 60 percent and even more," referendum commission spokeswoman Souad Ibrahim told AFP after Carter, who has been heading an observer mission for the vote, endorsed claims by the south's ruling former rebels that the threshold had been reached.

"That criterion has already been reached so there is no doubt about the legitimacy of the election as far as the number of voters is concerned," Carter told news hounds.

"I think it will meet international standards both on the conduct of the vote and the freedom of voters," he said, adding he expected the same to be true of the count.

"The likelihood is that the referendum result will be for independence although we won't know until probably the first week of February," the former US president added.

Cars draped with the black, red and green southern flag and banners calling for separation sounded their horns as they criss-crossed the potholed dirt tracks of the regional capital Juba.

At the tomb of veteran rebel leader John Garang, who shortly before his death signed the 2005 peace deal that paved the way for this week's independence vote ending 22 years of devastating civil war, there was jubilation at turnout achievement.

"This very exciting news -- that the vote is recognised, that enough have already voted -- makes me feel warm and happy, and to laugh a lot that our referendum is being a success," said Anthony Lamaya who voted on Sunday on the first day.

"It is proof of how important the referendum is to us that so many came to vote so quickly," said Mary Kwaje. "We want to get our freedom."

At the adjacent polling station where southern president Salva Kiir was among the first to vote on Sunday, the giant queues that marked the first four days had reduced to a trickle on Thursday despite calls from the ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement for a "100 percent" turnout.

Carter said the challenge now was to address the outstanding issues between the two sides swiftly ahead of the July date for international recognition for the south set by a 2005 peace agreement with the north.

"I believe that will happen quite quickly after the results are known," he said.

Carter played down violence in and around the flashpoint district of Abyei on the north-south border over the first few days of the polling period, including a bushwhack against southerners returning from the north for the vote on Monday evening.

"A few going through Abyei have been actually been physically attacked. That is actually quite a tiny proportion," he said, noting 160,000 returnees had already come home and that that number was likely to rise as independence loomed.

He said he did not believe the northern or southern leaderships were behind the festivities in Abyei itself which killed a total of 33 people from Friday to Sunday.

"The reports I have so far are that the national forces of both north and south have been very careful not to get involved in the violent confrontation in Abyei," he said.

"It would be very damaging for (Sudanese President Omar) al-Bashir's government if he were accused of precipitating violence."

Nomadic Misseriya Arab rustics, who migrate to Abyei each dry season to find water and pasture for their livestock, have been fighting settled pro-southern Dinka for control of the territory.
Posted by: Fred || 01/14/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Sudan

#1  If the "Peanut Farmer" says all is good, they're doomed.
Posted by: Redneck Jim || 01/14/2011 13:24 Comments || Top||


Africa North
Hundreds of Christians Demonstrate on Cairo's Edge, Clash with Police
[An Nahar] Hundreds of Christians demonstrated late Wednesday near a large Cairo slum, blocking a major highway and clashing with police following the shooting death of a Christian man the day before, said a security official.

The demonstrators were protesting the treatment of Christians in the country in the wake of Tuesday's shooting and a New Year's Day suicide kaboom of a church in the port city of Alexandria, which killed 21 worshippers.

The bombing prompted three days of riots by Christians and now the recent shooting is threatening to set off a new round of demonstrations by the disaffected minority which makes up 10 percent of Egypt's 80 million.

The protesters pelted police with stones and blocked the highway running along the edge of Manshiyet Nasr, a slum of 1.2 million near the city's medieval cemeteries, that includes a population of Christians specialized in gathering and recycling the city's garbage.
They would be the ones whose trash-eating pigs were slaughtered by the government during the swine flu panic last year, depriving them of their livelihood.
Three officers and five riot police were maimed and several of their vehicles were damaged, the security official.

There was no immediate word on civilian casualties, but police report the demonstrators eventually calmed down.

The demonstrations come after Wednesday's funeral in a northeast Cairo neighborhood for the 71-year-old victim of the train shooting. Hundreds of riot police surrounded the Cairo church where an emotional ceremony was held, according to the local media.

In Tuesday's attack, an off duty police officer boarded a train in southern Egypt and rubbed out one man and maimed five other Christians. The attacker was later apprehended.

It was not immediately clear whether the gunman knew his targets were Christians.
Although reports had him looking for women without head coverings, then checking wrists for the green Coptic cross tattoo. On the other hand, it doesn't appear the off-duty policeman actually asked his targets if they'd been baptized, so in that sense he only suspected their faith.
But four of the five maimed were Christian women.

Shooting attacks against Christians occasionally take place in Egypt's impoverished south, usually over commercial disputes, church building or allegations of cross-sectarian relationships.

In January 2010, gunnies opened fire on worshippers leaving a Coptic Christmas Eve church service in southern Egypt, killing six Christians and a Mohammedan guard.

Many Christians charge that the authorities are not doing enough to protect them and in fact allege some members of the security services turn a blind eye to anti-Christian incidents.

The New Year's suicide kaboom on the church reopened long festering wounds in a Christian community that says its members feel like second class citizens in their own country due to widespread discrimination.
Posted by: Fred || 01/14/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Bangladesh
Dakat Shahid's aide killed in 'gunfight'
An alleged member of notorious Dakat Shahid gang was killed in a 'shootout' between his cohorts and members of Rapid Action Battalion near Chitra Cinema Hall in the city's Kotwali early yesterday.
"Hey! Is that [BANG! BANG! BANGETY BANG!] John Dillinger?"
Sheikh Shah Alam Apu, 27, son of late Sheikh Ahmed of Bangshal in Old Dhaka, was a close aide of Dakat Shahid, said Salauddin Ahmed, officer-in-charge of Kotwali Police Station.

Apu was involved in extortion, robbery and other criminal activities, the OC added.

Rab-10 officials said a team of plainclothes Rab officials on patrol duty challenged a group of five young men near the cinema hall around 4:30am for their suspicious movement.
"Say, what you boys doing 'round here at the cinema?"
"Just waiting for the Josephine Dunn fest to begin, sir."
"Sergeant Chaudray, does that sound suspicious to you?"
"Yessir, ev'ryone knows this cinema only does Bollywood!"

At this, the criminals fired shots at the law enforcers, prompting them to retaliate.
[BANG! BANG! BANGETY BANG!]
said a Rab official.

At one stage of the shootout, Apu was hit by a bullet and fell dead on the spot while his accomplices decamped, he said.

A pistol and four bullets were recovered from the spot.

Police sent Apu's body to Mitford Hospital morgue for his appointment with Doctor Quincy.

Afia Naznin Islam, niece of Apu, told The Daily Star it was a pre-planned murder. Instead of killing Apu, law enforcers could have brought him under trial, she added.

Earlier on Tuesday, an eleventh-grade student who had no previous criminal record was rubbed out in 'crossfire' in Mirpur. Another man was also killed in a 'shootout' with law enforcers in Motijheel on Wednesday.

According to rights group Odhikar, some 127 people fell victims to extra-judicial killings in recent months, 101 of them died in 'crossfire'.
Posted by: Fred || 01/14/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Y'all sure the movie wasn't an old one with Dick Van Dyke and an old car: "Chitra Chitra Bang Bang?"
Posted by: USN, Ret. || 01/14/2011 11:07 Comments || Top||


Caribbean-Latin America
Bad Guys burn a village to the ground, 2 die
Google Translate
A remote village in Durango was destroyed by fires set by apparent members of organized crime 17 days ago, according to Mexican news reports. Tierra Colorada in the municipality of El Mezquital was burned to the ground December 28th, two days after a confrontation between 10 armed suspects and village residents the day after Christmas.

A brawl ensued between residents of the village and the suspects after a demand was made for the village to give up farm land to grow drugs.

Vicente Cabada Chamorro, a local resident and an unidentified armed suspect died in the fight December 26th.

Two days later, a group of 60 armed suspects returned to the village forcing residents to flee into nearby mountains. The reinforced group proceeded to burn 37 structures of 42 standing structures, and 27 vehicles, including one truck owned by Compañía Nacional de Subsistencias Populares (CONASUPO).

Tierra Colorada, borders the Mexican state of Nayarit and sits astride the Sierra Madres Occidental. It is about 70 kilometers south of Durango, Durango, and is so remote, it takes a vehicle 12 hours from the nearest highway to get to the location.

Reports say several Mexican security units are current conducting sweeps in the area in an effort to find the armed group.

Far southern and western Durango has a number of area where drug are grown, including Otaez municipality, the site of shootout between a Mexican drug gang and local residnets last OCtober which killed 14.

Residents say they delayed going to authorities out of fear of a return of the armed gang that destroyed their village.
Posted by: badanov || 01/14/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Seriously, isnt this the plot from the Magnificent Seven?
Posted by: Doolittle || 01/14/2011 1:06 Comments || Top||

#2  Yes, but we don't have Steve McQueen or Yul Brynner around anymore.
Posted by: Glenmore || 01/14/2011 8:27 Comments || Top||


More Mexican Mayhem
31 Die in Northern Mexico

A total of 31 individuals were murdered in ongoing frug and gang related violence in nortern Mexican states which include 11 prison inmates stabbed to death in a prison brawl in Gomez Palacio, Durango.
For a map, click here
  • Two unidentified men were shot and wounded in two separate incidents in Juarez Tuesday, according to the Mexican daily La Polaka.
    • A man was shot and wounded as he was driving his GMC Envoy SUV in the parking lot of the Soriana Sanders shopping mall.

    • A man in his 20s was shot and wounded at his residence in the Insurgentes colony.

  • Two armed suspects robbed the Banco Aztec in Chihhuazhua late Tuesday night. The branch robbed was near the intersection of avenidas Zaragoza and Vallarta. The suspects got away with a little over USD $750.00.

  • Two unidentified men were shot to death and a third was wounded in Juarez Wednesday. The shooting took place near the corner of calles Hiedra and Asfodel in the Juarez Nuevo colony where the victim were aboard a Ford Explorer SUV.

  • An unidentified man was found shot to death and immolated in Juarez Wednesday. Thew victim was found in the backseat of a Chevrolet onte Carlo near the junction of calles Ejido Salvarcar and Puerto Madrid in the Las Arenas colony.

  • A Policia Federal unit foiled an abduction attempt of an Juarez city official Wednesday. The kidnapping attempt took place near the intersection of calle Manuel M Ponce 1663 and Municipio Libre where agents spotted armed suspects attempting to gain control of Ruth Anaya, head of the Juarez city Oficina Desconcentrada de Gobernacion. A brief firefight and pursuit took place before agents arrested Humberto Gonzalez Rodriguez, 30, and seized an AKM-47 assault rifle.

  • Unidentified armed suspects fired their weapons at the front door of a Chihuahua state COESPRIS government office in Juarez then left a threatening message scrawled on cardboard. The Coordinacion Regional de la Comision Estatal Para la Proteccion Contra Riesgos Sanitarios was warned not to "mess with bars" that stay open 24 hours a day.

  • A man in his 20s was shot to death in front of his family in Tijuana, Baja California Wednesday evening. Cristian Michelle Payan, 22, was shot at a residence on calle Torres Hipodromo in the Camino Verde in the Sanchez Taboada delegation.

  • Eleven inmates at a Durango state prison were stabbed to death in a riot Tuesday. Mexican Army and Policia Federal units move to the Centro de Readaptacion Social No. 2 (CERESO) in Gomez Palacio, Durango when about 80 inmstes took part of a two hour long brawl. Officials say the riot was initiated to test prison security. The Gomez Palacio CERESO was the prison where prison officials allowed trusted inmates out of prison at night to commit murders at Los Zetas operated bars and facilities. The last attack was in Torreon in July where 17 young men and women were massacred. All of the prison officials and guards involved were convicted of crimes relating to the crimes and sent to prison.

  • Two unidentified men were shot to death in Torreon, Coahuila Tuesday night. The victims were found aboard a Toyota Camry near the junction of calzada Avila Camacho and Antigua Carretera a San Pedro. A second Peugeot sedan was also seized when Mexican soldiers noticed an AK-47 assault rifle aboard. The police units which found the victims were responding to a firefight between local police and armed suspects in the area.

  • An unidentified man was shot to death by Mexican soldiers in Torreon, Coahuila Tuesday night. The victim was driving a Nissan X-Terra SUV with another unidentified man aboard when he refused to stop when signalled by a detachment of the Mexican 11th Military Zone. Upon seeing a weapon aboard the SUV, soldiers fired on the vehicle, killing the driver. The pursuit began near the intersection of Calzada Xochimilco and Mexico and ended near the corner of calles Texcoco and de la Paz in the Francisco Villa colony. Soldiers secured an AK-47 assault rifle and two .380 caliber pistols, as well as a small amount of ammunition.

  • Three individuals were found murdered in or near Torreon Coahuila Wednesday and Thursday, according to the Mexican daily El Sol dela La Laguna.
    • Juan Garcia Zapata was found shot to death near the intersection of bulevars Revolucion and Muzquiz in the Alliaz colony. Reprots are the victim was shot by armed suspects aboard a moving car.

    • An unidentified man in his 40s was found shot to death near the junction of Carretera Pastor Roaux and Chimal in Gómez Palacio, Durango.

    • An unidentified man in his 20s was found shot to death near the soft drink bottling plant in Santa Rita colony in Gomez Palacio, Durango. Several .25 caliber spent shell casings were also found at the scene.

  • Four men were found shot to death in Gomez Palacio, Durango Monday. The victims were found in Hector Mayagoitia colony, and were shot using AR-15 assault rifles. The dead are identified as Luis Roberto Santillan Fuerte, 17, Raul Velez Barron, 23, Oscar Castaños Hernandez, 27, and Oscar Cardoza Calderon, 18.

  • Three men were shot to death in two shootings in Poanas, Durango Sunday. Gabriel Castañeda Garcia, 42, and Luis Angel Lerma, 30, were shot during an attack at a residence in Villa Union colony. Tomas Parra Ortega, 20, and his girlfriend, Mónica Tellez Fernandez, 20, fled the attack at the residence aboard Parra Ortega's pickup truck before they were caught by armed suspects riding in a van near the intersection of calles Ruiz Cortines and Morelos, and fired on. Parra Ortega died in the assault while Tellez Fernandez escaped harm. In both shootings AK-47 assault rifles were used.

  • A shootout between neighbors in far southern Chihuahua state has left two dead and three wounded. Javier Chaparro Estrada, 20, and Porfirio Reyes Carrillo, 38, died in the confrotntation in Baborigame, while none of the wounded were identified. News reports do not detail what started the shooting. A number of 9mm, .30 caliber and .45 caliber pent shell casings were found at the scene.

  • A woman was wounded in a shooting in Parral Tuesday night. Petra Ramos González, de 47 was hit in a shooting that took place when armed suspects, said to be members of the victim's family, fired on the victim on calle Cruzada Democracia in the Valle Verde colony.

  • Two unidentified men were sht to death in Parral Wednesday night. The victims were shot by armed suspects who were aboard a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck on calle Piñonero. Reports suggest the victim managed to get off at least one shot at the fleeing vehicle.
Posted by: badanov || 01/14/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Home Front: WoT
Gunmen In Mexico Shoot At Road Crew In Hudspeth County, Texas
A road crew was repairing a part of Indian Hot Springs road, just east of Neely's crossing in Hudspeth County along the US-Mexico border when they came under gunfire from the Mexican side.

The crew was able to escape unharmed and managed to call for help. Units from the Texas Department of Public Safety, Border Patrol and Hudspeth County sheriff's deputies responded within minutes. They were able to determine the shots came from the Mexican side of the Rio Grande but were unable to spot the actual gunmen.
General Pershing was unavailable for comment.
Posted by: Glenmore || 01/14/2011 14:43 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Keep pissing us off, hijos de perras. Return fire will be coming back and it will be even deadlier than you can imagine.
Posted by: DarthVader || 01/14/2011 15:01 Comments || Top||

#2  Who can blame them? The US took all the parts of Mexico with good roads.
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain || 01/14/2011 15:18 Comments || Top||

#3  Why would they shoot at a road crew? Just for the hell of it?
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 || 01/14/2011 15:29 Comments || Top||

#4  Gee, will this lead on CNN?
Posted by: NoMoreBS || 01/14/2011 15:42 Comments || Top||

#5  Why would they shoot at a road crew?

Possibly clearing out witnesses before the coyote leads across a group of illegals carrying drugs for one of the cartels?
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/14/2011 15:42 Comments || Top||

#6  clearly they were spurred on by Sarah Palin and talk radio en espanol
Posted by: Frank G || 01/14/2011 15:52 Comments || Top||


Sniper Location System


Sorry about the Kaua'i-centric slant - hometown rag.
Posted by: Mercutio || 01/14/2011 10:38 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Many cities in California already have such a system deployed and in use for several years now. They were originally tested by locating celebratory gunfire and fireworks on New Years eve with pretty good success. They can locate the position of a report from a firearm or firecracker with pretty decent accuracy, or at least get them to the right general area.

Posted by: crosspatch || 01/14/2011 14:16 Comments || Top||

#2  This is apparently pretty accurate - similar to the systems in use in Iraq/A-stan. They were testing at the local range about a year ago. Apparently, the speed of the bullet when detected is fairly important. They got fairly agitated about some very low-speed practice rounds I was using.
Posted by: Mercutio || 01/14/2011 17:18 Comments || Top||

#3  There are low-speed bullets? Honestly, this is a wondrous world we live in!
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/14/2011 18:22 Comments || Top||

#4  Subsonic?
Posted by: JohnQC || 01/14/2011 19:35 Comments || Top||

#5  Relatively.... I don't know their muzzle velocity but they don't really "bang", they just kinda "woosh".
Posted by: Mercutio || 01/14/2011 19:36 Comments || Top||

#6  I don't know if true but I read somewhere that Mossad used underloaded 22s for "special purposes."
Posted by: JohnQC || 01/14/2011 19:43 Comments || Top||

#7  Just another thought. It would seem that an underloaded round could result in a "squib."
Posted by: JohnQC || 01/14/2011 19:47 Comments || Top||

#8  The only weapon you can reasonably silence is a sub-sonic bullet from a locked bolt weapon. Any revolver or pistol will leak gas and noise. Regular bullets are supersonic and make a loud crack as they fly bye your head. Ah yeah I've heard it. I haven't seen one but to my mind the only really silenced weapon would be a bolt action or locked action .22 long rifle with a subsonic load. That means very close work to a critical area.
Posted by: retired LEO || 01/14/2011 21:35 Comments || Top||

#9  A very good thing I'll never actually need that information, retired LEO, but I'm happy to have learnt it. Thank you.
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/14/2011 23:13 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Bomb kills two policemen in Bannu
[Geo News] A roadside kaboom targeting police van in Jani Khel of Bannu killed two police officials and maimed five others Thursday, close to the scene of a deadly suicide kaboom on security forces a day earlier.

The officials were hit in their car while on patrol in the area. The injured were shifted to district headquarters.

Police have started search operation in the area after the incident.

In Wednesday's attack, 20 people were killed and 15 others maimed when a jacket wallah rammed his explosives-laden car into a cop shoppe in Bannu. The funeral prayer of the dear departed would be offered today.
Posted by: Fred || 01/14/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: TTP


KU bomb detonated with cell phone: accused
[Geo News] The accused in the police detention in connection with Bloody Karachi University blast have confessed that they were all set to launch attacks on other offices of KU as we as those of Rangers, Geo News reported Wednesday.

The officials investigating the incident have disclosed that the accused have links with a 'Punjabi Mujahideen' group which was formed by dissidents of a student organization in 2007.

These accused have been identified as Hafeezullah alias Bilal, Muhammad Umer alias Chhota and Faiz Ali. They blonged a group named 'doctor brothers', the officials added.

These men finalized the bombing plan on December 25 and planed explosives in an under-construction block on December 28 and later carried out the kaboom with the help of a cell phone.

The investigating officers said that their remand will be sought on Thursday.
Posted by: Fred || 01/14/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  looking for some turbaned Wildcat fans?
Posted by: Frank G || 01/14/2011 8:43 Comments || Top||

#2  Fear the Beard
Posted by: bman || 01/14/2011 11:37 Comments || Top||


Bugtis blow up gas pipeline in Pakistan
[Emirates 24/7] Tribal rebels blew up a gas pipeline in Pakistain's insurgency-hit southwestern province of Baluchistan early Thursday, cutting supplies to several areas in cold weather, officials said.

The pre-dawn blast damaged the main pipe bringing gas from Jafarabad district to the placid provincial capital Quetta and five other districts, Sui Southern Gas Company front man Inayatullah Ismail told AFP.

"The gas supply to thousands of consumers has been suspended," he said, adding that it could take two days to repair the pipeline.

Local police and security officials confirmed the attack, claimed by the Baluch Republican Army, a nationalist group.

Impoverished Baluchistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has been wracked by an insurgency waged by ethnic Baluch tribes seeking more political rights and a greater share of profits from the region's natural resources.

"We carried out the attack," Sarbaz Baluch, a front man for the rebel group told local media.

"It is in retaliation for extrajudicial killings on our youth by the intelligence agencies," he said.

Hundreds of people have died in violence ripping through the province since the insurgency flared in late 2004.

The region has also been hit by attacks blamed on Talibs, although sabotage of gas pipelines are a trademark of nationalist rebels.
Posted by: Fred || 01/14/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Three Pak tribesmen killed as mortar shell exploded
(PTI) Three rustics were killed and one was injured when a mortar shell went kaboom! at a scrap-yard in the restive Mohmand tribal region of northwest Pakistain today, police said.
"Honey, have you seen my mortar bomb?"
"It was all dirty, so I threw it away. You got grenades for Christmas, you know."
"Darn. I wish you hadn't. My Grandaddy gave me that mortar round!"

The rustics were cleaning the live mortar shell at the scrap-yard at Ghalanai, the Mian town of Mohmand Agency, when it went kaboom!. The dead men belonged to the same family.
"Why, lookee here! It's a mortar shell! Got a bit o' corrosion on it, though. I'll just tap it off with this here hammer..."
The Khasadar militia sealed the scrap-yard after the blast. Tribesmen demanded that authorities should shift such scrap-yards from the market in Ghalanai to ensure the safety of local residents.
Posted by: Fred || 01/14/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Iraq
Bombings hit Baghdad mosques
[Iran Press TV] Three simultaneous kabooms near different mosques in central and northern Storied Baghdad have left two people titzup and 13 others maimed.

One bomb went kaboom! near the Husseiniya Shia mosque in the Karrada neighborhood of central Storied Baghdad, killing one person and wounding four others on Thursday, an interior ministry official said.

Another bomb went off near the Abdel Qadir Gilani Sunni mosque, also in central Storied Baghdad, killing one person and wounding five others, AFP reported.

A third bomb went kaboom! near Al-Assaf, another Sunni mosque in Adhamiyah in the north of Storied Baghdad, wounding four people.

The attacks came hours after US Vice President Joe Foreign Policy Whiz Kid Biden
... an example of the kind of top-notch Washington intellect to be found in the World's Greatest Deliberative Body ...
arrived in the capital reportedly for talks over the extension of the December 31 deadline for the withdrawal of US troops from the country.

About 50,000 US troops remain in Iraq, mainly focusing on training Iraqi forces. A security accord between Storied Baghdad and Washington requires that they be withdrawn by the end of 2011.

A recently released report by Iraq Body Count (IBC) indicated that violent civilian deaths have dramatically declined since the US ended its combat mission in the war-torn country.

The NGO that tracks casualties in the country said violent civilian deaths fell to 3,976 this year, marking the lowest annual level since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Posted by: Fred || 01/14/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Iraq

#1  Couldn't find a church?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 01/14/2011 2:12 Comments || Top||

#2  Hopefully, no Korans were scorched 'cause that's like a mortal sin and stuff in Islamville, as well as being a seething catalyst for the more volatile believers.
Posted by: SteveS || 01/14/2011 2:34 Comments || Top||

#3  Sounds like AQI is trying to foment dissent among the masses.
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 01/14/2011 9:06 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Hamas orders Gaza security forces to enforce truce
[Ma'an] Gazoo's Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, rulers on Thursday ordered the security forces to ensure orc groups observed a truce on firing rockets at Israel a day after the factions agreed to comply.

Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh "issued instructions to the ministry of interior and to security chiefs to preserve the national consensus among Paleostinian factions in the Gazoo Strip for its protection," said an official statement, referring to the truce agreement.

The statement was read out by government front man Taher An-Nunu after a top-level meeting between Haniyeh and his ministers with the heads of the security and police forces in the Gazoo Strip.

Late on Wednesday, Hamas officials had met with the main orc groups who had agreed to observe "national understanding" about a period of calm, and to avoid doing anything likely to provoke a strong Israeli reaction.

At the meeting, Hamas passed on a message from Egypt and other Arab leaders about the threat of a new Israeli operation in response to a rise in rocket fire from Gazoo.

Earlier a Hamas minister told AFP the enclave's rulers would be sure to protect the calm.

"The national understanding among the factions means they won't give Israel any reason to make war on Gazoo," he said, as Hamas security forces fanned out along the northern and eastern sectors of the border to enforce the truce.

"The government will protect this understanding because we don't want another tragedy to befall the Paleostinian people," he said.

"Now Gazoo is quieter than it has been since 2007 and Israel knows this."

The deployment of security personnel began overnight and continued Thursday, with witnesses and an AFP correspondent confirming Hamas had beefed up its forces along the border east of Gazoo City, as well as to the north and were checking all cars on roads leading to the border.

In past weeks, Gazoo Islamic fascisti have fired scores of rockets into Israel, prompting a flurry of retaliatory air strikes and raising fears of another massive operation along the lines of the 2008-9 war.
This article starring:
Ismail HaniyehHamas
Taher An-NunuHamas
Posted by: Fred || 01/14/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Hamas


Southeast Asia
Two seriously injured in southern Thailand
Thai karate expert, who was a soldier, gunned down on patrol
A man was seriously injured in a drive-by shooting in Narathiwat province on Thursday night, a police chief stated on Friday.

The victim was Luding Ba-ngo, 48. He was attacked by two men on a motorcycle while driving a pickup truck on the local road. The man riding pillion fired four bullets at him with a handgun. Luding was hit and sent to the hospital.

Police blamed terrorists separatist militants.
Plus:
A woman was shot and seriously wounded in front of her house in Narathiwat province on Thursday morning, said a duty officer at the Rangae police station.

Nurisun Kabo, 25, was sweeping the ground in front of her house when a motorcycle stopped and the man riding pillion approached her. He pretended to be lost, asked for directions, then suddenly drew a pistol and shot at her before fleeing.

The victim was hit twice, in her left chest and left arm. She was taken to the hospital.

Police blamed terrorists separatist militants.
And:
Thai karate-do exponent Sakda Panna, who was a soldier, was gunned down while on patrol in Narathiwat on Tuesday. He was 29.
Posted by: ryuge || 01/14/2011 14:10 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Hariri asked to be caretaker PM
[Al Jazeera] Michel Suleiman, Leb's president, has asked Saad al-Hariri to remain as a caretaker prime minister until the country's political crisis is resolved, according to Leb's national news agency.
This is just as a caretaker. Hezbollah is working frantically to replace him with someone, anyone, who can then be bullied into shutting down the STL.
Sleiman's announcement on Thursday comes as Hariri prepares to return to Leb to confront a government that has effectively collapsed following the withdrawal of the Hezbullies-led opposition bloc from his cabinet.

In response to the crisis, Hariri cut short a visit to Washington DC, during which he met with US president Barack B.O. Obama. He was set to meet with Nicholas Sarkozy, the French president, on Thursday night before returning to Leb on Friday.

Nabih Knobby Berri,
... the Hizbullah sock puppet ...
the Lebanese parliament speaker, said on Thursday that Sleiman will launch formal talks on Monday to create a new government.

Officials have declined to say whether Hariri, whose coalition won a 2009 parliamentary election, will be asked to form a new government, or if someone else would be nominated.

Leb's opposition, the so-called March 8 coalition between Hezbullies and other parties, including the predominantly Christian Free Patriotic Movement,
Despite its name a Christian party allied with Hizbullah, neither free nor particularly patriotic...
resigned from the cabinet over disagreements stemming from a UN investigation into the 2005 liquidation of Rafiq al-Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister and Saad al-Hariri's father.

There has been growing political tension in Leb amid signs that Hezbullies members could be indicted by the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Leb (STL).

Ten ministers tendered their resignations on Wednesday after reports that Hariri had refused their call to convene a cabinet meeting to discuss controversial issues including the investigation.

An eleventh member, Adnan Sayyed Hussein, later stood down from the 30-member cabinet, automatically bringing down Hariri's government.

The request to convene a cabinet meeting came on Tuesday after Syria and Soddy Arabia, who have for months been attempting to act as mediators in Leb's political crisis, announced their efforts had failed.

The standoff between Hariri's camp and Hezbullies over the UN tribunal has paralysed the government for months and sparked concerns of sectarian violence similar to the one that brought the country close to civil war in May 2008.
This article starring:
Saad al-Hariri
Posted by: Fred || 01/14/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  get a remote car starter and re-vet your security detail, Saad
Posted by: Frank G || 01/14/2011 8:47 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
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Two weeks of WOT
Fri 2011-01-14
  Sudan nationhood vote confirmed valid
Thu 2011-01-13
  Drone Attack Kills 3, Maybe 4 in Pakistan
Wed 2011-01-12
  Hezbollah Topples Lebanese Government
Tue 2011-01-11
  Spain's ETA in permanent ceasefire
Mon 2011-01-10
  Yemeni Court Sentences 13 Somalis for Piracy
Sun 2011-01-09
  14 headless bodies found in Acapulco
Sat 2011-01-08
  AZ Dem Rep Gabrielle Giffords Shot
Fri 2011-01-07
  Church bombing foiled in north Iraq
Thu 2011-01-06
  Moqtada Sadr back in Iraq
Wed 2011-01-05
  Lahore, Islamabad on red alert after Taseer assassination
Tue 2011-01-04
  Punjab governor Salman Taseer assassinated in Islamabad
Mon 2011-01-03
  Osama's top aide Nasir al-Wahishi killed in drone strike
Sun 2011-01-02
  Clashes follow Egypt church bombing
Sat 2011-01-01
  Islamic New Years Greetings to Copts in Egypt, 21 dead
Fri 2010-12-31
  US missiles kill 8 in northwest Pakistan


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