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Anwar al-Awlaki killed in Yemen
Today's Headlines
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Good morning
Posted by: Fred || 09/30/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Happy Birthday/Daily Gam Shot

Monica Bellucci aka Alex in "Irreversible" aka Persephone in "The Matrix Reloaded & The Matrix Revolutions" aka Malèna Scordia in "Malèna" aka Veronica Gorloisen in "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" aka Laura Leviani in "The Whistleblower" aka Jeanne #2 in "Don't Look Back" aka Magdalen in "The Passion of the Christ" (age 47)



Women Who Need a Helping Hand
Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC || 09/30/2011 0:23 Comments || Top||

#2  Today is Angie Dickinson's birthday. She is 80.
Posted by: Deacon Blues || 09/30/2011 7:02 Comments || Top||

#3  Hey Monica - I've got a whistle
Posted by: Frank G || 09/30/2011 9:38 Comments || Top||

#4  It's also Marilyn McCoo's birthday. Born in 1943. Still very beautiful.
Posted by: Deacon Blues || 09/30/2011 16:20 Comments || Top||

#5  "It's also Marilyn McCoo's birthday."

Damn, DB - I clicked through. She still beautiful - and 3 years older than me.

Life's not fair. :-(
Posted by: Barbara || 09/30/2011 18:44 Comments || Top||


--Tech & Moderator Notes
A request
Ladies and gentlemen,

Information is flowing fast on the al Awlaki story. As you comment, if your comment adds new information, please add the link where you found it. This will keep us from posting articles that merely duplicate what is already known, and will help those searching the archives in the future.

As always, remember the 48 Hour Rule...although it's sounding awfully good: initial text message to journalists from the Yemeni government, confirmation from the American one and a brief statement from President Obama, confirmation again from tribals. Apparently a team has gone out to get DNA from the bodies for final confirmation.

Thank you for making Rantburg the go-to place for this kind of thing.
-- trailing wife


The links I've seen thus far:
al Jazeera
Xinhua: brother denies
Xinhua: al Awlaki announced dead
Xinhua: President Obama speaks
Xinhua: second deader co-editor of Al Qaeda's Inspire magazine
Washington Post blog
Washington Post: five page article with lots of detail and background, last few pages behind registration wall
Posted by: || 09/30/2011 12:53 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed this morning in the area between al-Jawf and Marib in a Hilux 2005 vehicle, along with six people accompanying him.
Posted by: Eohippus Phater7165 || 09/30/2011 16:50 Comments || Top||

#2  The Smoking Gun: It Now Appears Anwar Al-Awlaki Will Never Again Enjoy The Company Of A Street Hooker

via The Jawa Report
Posted by: Eohippus Phater7165 || 09/30/2011 17:04 Comments || Top||

#3  "along with six people accompanying him"

Oooo, a twosix-fer. :-D
Posted by: Barbara || 09/30/2011 18:39 Comments || Top||

#4  No need of the 48 hour rule anymore. He's gone. Though I had heard it was 5, no 4, no 5, not six. Whatever the number, Wakki was among them.
Posted by: Mike N. || 09/30/2011 20:03 Comments || Top||


Afghanistan
Five Nato troops, three Afghans killed
[Dawn] Two Afghan policewomen and a civilian were killed by a mine on their way to work Thursday, a day after another five NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis....
soldiers died in the 10-year war against the Taliban.

The policewomen and civilian died when their vehicle was blown up by a remote-controlled mine on their way to work at the civilian airport serving the western city of Herat
...a venerable old Persian-speaking city in western Afghanistan, populated mostly by Tadjiks, which is why it's not as blood-soaked as areas controlled by Pashtuns...
, officials said.

Three foreign soldiers were also killed by an improvised bomb (IED) in eastern Afghanistan Wednesday, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said, along with two others in separate incidents.

The latest deaths came a day after the United Nations
...an idea whose time has gone...
released figures saying that violent incidents in the Afghan war increased nearly 40 per cent in the first eight months of this year compared to the same period last year.

Isaf, which is leading efforts to reverse the Taliban insurgency, disputes the figures, calling them "inconsistent with the data that we have collected".

Mohammad Rafiq Shaheer, a front man for Herat hospital, said: "A remote-controlled mine kaboom on a police vehicle on the Herat airport road has killed three people, two policewomen and a civilian, and maimed 10 people, four policewomen and a policeman and five other civilians."

He added that the attack took place at around 8:00am.

Noor Khan Neikzad, a police front man in Herat, confirmed the blast but said he did not have the toll.

The incident came two days after 16 wedding guests including 11 children were killed when their bus hit a roadside kaboom elsewhere in Herat province, which borders Iran.
Meanwhile,
...back at the wreckage, Captain Poindexter awoke groggily, his hand still stuck in the Ming vase...
Isaf said five of its soldiers were killed Wednesday.

Three died in an IED attack in eastern Afghanistan, it said, without giving any further details in line with policy.

Separately, two other soldiers died in separate incidents, one due to an bad boy attack in Wardak province, eastern Afghanistan and another "as a result of a non-battle related injury" in the south, Isaf said.

The United Nations says security incidents averaged 2,108 a month in the first eight months of 2011, up 39 per cent on the same period in 2010.

Isaf is set to give further details Thursday of its own assessment of security statistics.

At least 459 foreign troops have been killed in Afghanistan this year, according to independent website iCasualties.org.

There are 140,000 foreign forces in Afghanistan, some 100,000 of them from the United States, fighting a Taliban-led insurgency.

All combat troops are due to leave by the end of 2014 although thousands are likely to remain in training and mentoring roles.
Posted by: Fred || 09/30/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Africa North
Free for all: Up to 20,000 anti-aircraft missiles stolen in Libya
A survey of weapon depots in Libya shows that up to 20,000 shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles are now missing, partly because President Barack Obama has refused to send troops to guard the weapons depots, according to a left-of-center advocate.
Posted by: Eohippus Phater7165 || 09/30/2011 16:07 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Al-Baghdadi on Hunger Strike in Tunisia
[Tripoli Post] Muammar Qadaffy's
...a reminder that a single man with an idea can screw up an entire nation...
former prime minister, Al-Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmoudi, has started a hunger strike in a prison in Tunisia to protest a request for his extradition from Libya's new rulers, Rooters has reported.

Al-Baghdadi's lawyer, Mabrouk Korchud said the reason for his client's hunger strike is, that despite the fact that an appeal court in Tunisia overturned a decision by another court sentencing Al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi to six months in prison, the former Libyan prime minister in the Al Qadaffy regime is still kept in jail.

The prosecutors' decision follows arequest by the Libyan National Transitional Council to extradite him. Al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi was first sentenced for illegal entry into Tunisia. The prosecutors will be keeping him in jail until such time as the NTC's request is discussed.

The lawyer said: "The prosecutor-general has decided to keep Mahmoudi in prison after receiving a request to extradite him to Libya."

Meanwhile,
...back at the pond, the radioactive tadpoles had grown into frogs. Really big frogs, in fact...
the former Libyan leader Muammar Al Qadaffy is still on the run. He has been holed up in a hiding place since the fall of Tripoli to the NTC on August 23.

There have been many speculations as to whereabouts. Bani Walid, Sabha and Sirte have all been mentioned. The latest speculation indicates him as being in Ghadames protected by Tuaregs.

Al Qadaffy, his son and heir apparent Seif al-Islam and his former intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi are all wanted by the International Criminal Court
... where Milosevich died of old age before being convicted ...
for crimes against humanity and arrest warrants are out for them by Interpol.

Though Al Qadaffy's wife Safiya, daughter Ayesha and sons Mohammed and Hannibal have sought refuge in Algeria, and Saadi has decamped to Niger. Seif and another brother, Muatassim are both still believed to be in Libya conducting their father's loyalists in Bani Walid and Sirte.
Posted by: Fred || 09/30/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


NTC Vowing to Remove Weapons from Tripoli Streets
[Tripoli Post] With Libya's interim administration pledging to restore calm and remove heavy weapons from the streets of Tripoli, Ahmed Bani, Libya's National Transitional Council's military front man, told news hounds that heavy weapons have no place in the Libyan capital.

Stressing the fact that the NTC is working on the full and complete liberation of Libya, and to secure all the cities, referring to the runaway leader Muammar Al Qadaffy
...who single-handedly turned a moderately prosperous kingdom into a dictator's fantasyland...
, Bani said: "After that, we will do our best to look for this person. This does not worry us."

Bani couldn't confirm reports that Al Qadaffy is hiding in the western town of Ghadames near the border by Algeria under the protection of Tuareg rustics.Al Qadaffy's two sons, Seif al-Islam and Muatasim are also on the run, with Seif presumably directing his father's loyalists at Bani Walid, and Muatassim, a former security adviser, in Sirte.

Although Tripoli is completely freed of any Al Qadaffy loyalists wanting to make some impact, a month after the NTC took control of Tripoli, gunfire is regularly heard in the streets by trigger-happy youths who are still not turned their in their weapons to the authorities.

NTC fighters have not yet been able to gain full control of Sirte despite reportedly making gains and capturing the city's airport, military base and port, while Bani Walid is also a strong Al Qadaffy bastion that has so far been very difficult to crack.

Fighting in Sirte has been going on for weeks with Al Qadaffy'sQadaffy's forces using the heaviest weapons possible to defend their positions. At the same time, the NTC fighters have said they are concerned about the civilians wanting to leave the city, therefore they are allowing them space for a safe escape.

The NTC fighters also appear to be waiting for more ammunition to arrive and are hoping NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions...
would give them a hand by targeting Al Qadaffy's strategic military sites inside, thus allowing them to make inroads into the city.
Posted by: Fred || 09/30/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


NTC: Gadhafi Spokesman Captured Outside Sirte
[An Nahar] Moammar Qadaffy's
...whose instability has been an inspiration to dictators everywhere...
front man Moussa Ibrahim was captured on Thursday outside of the former Libyan strongman's hometown of Sirte, field commanders from the new regime told Agence La Belle France Presse.

"Misrata fighters contacted us and gave us the information that Moussa Ibrahim has been captured," said Mustafa bin Dardef, of the National Transitional Council's Zintan Brigade.

Another commander, Mohammed al-Marimi, said: "Mussa Ibrahim was captured while driving outside Sirte by fighters from Misrata."

He said there were reports that Ibrahim was dressed as a woman, but that he could not immediately confirm that.

Ibrahim had been the public voice of the Qadaffy regime until NTC fighters overran Tripoli on August 23.

Despite fleeing the capital along with the deposed despot, he has continued to issue statements through Syrian-based Arrai television from an unknown location, although not as frequently.

On Friday, Ibrahim had appealed for resolve against "agents and traitors," denounced what he called "genocide" by NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions...
and its "Libyan agents," and criticized the world community for "inaction."

Commander bin Dardef gave no other details about his reported capture, choosing to concentrate on the battle for Sirte.

"The Misrata Military Council and our representatives will meet later today to discuss the next strategy for capturing Sirte," bin Dardef told AFP.

Posted by: Fred || 09/30/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


NTC's Jibril Says He Won't be Part of New Libya Government
[An Nahar] Libya's interim Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril said Thursday that he will not be a part of the new government, the formation of which has been postponed until the end of the country's conflict. Asked at a news conference in Tripoli about the timetable for the government's announcement, Jibril said: "I hope that soon we will free Sirte and Bani Walid to begin negotiations on the formation of the transitional government, of which I will not be a part."
Posted by: Fred || 09/30/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  What a shame, he sounded level headed.
Posted by: newc || 09/30/2011 15:16 Comments || Top||


Egyptian forces detain 5 Palestinians
(Ma'an) -- Egyptian security forces jugged five Paleostinians during a security campaign in Al-Arish on Thursday, Egyptian security officials said.

Egyptian police and the army have launched a security crackdown and jugged Paleostinian smugglers who entered through the tunnels, according to security sources. The sources added that they seized five Paleostinians in one of the houses on the coast. The campaign is ongoing, they say.

Earlier, security uncovered a warehouse in the Sinai containing explosives and missiles, security officials said.

Egyptian forces received information about smugglers storing explosives in the Sinai warehouse for export outside of Egypt, security officials told Ma'an. Security forces uncovered 600 rockets and 50 anti aircraft missiles.

In August, the Egyptian army launched a series of crackdowns in the Sinai peninsula against snuffies operating in the area.

The Sinai is also rife with Bedouin outlaws.

An Egyptian security official said last month that Egypt and Israel agreed to increase the number of Egyptian troops along the border in the Sinai peninsula. The number of Egyptian forces in the Sinai peninsula is limited by the terms of the 1979 Israel-Egypt peace treaty.
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/30/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Egyptian police and the army have launched a security crackdown and jugged Paleostinian smugglers who entered through the tunnels, according to security sources.

I prefer the sewage solution, myself...
Posted by: tu3031 || 09/30/2011 0:12 Comments || Top||

#2  It was the smell that gave them up, tu3031.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 09/30/2011 9:43 Comments || Top||

#3  "The Sinai is also rife with Bedouin outlaws."

Hell, the whole area is lousy with Bedou scum.
Posted by: mojo || 09/30/2011 16:04 Comments || Top||


Africa Subsaharan
Nigeria: Boko Haram Top Commander, Five Others Arrested
Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima said yesterday, that a top commander of the deadly sect, Boko Haram
... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. Currently wearing a false nose and moustache and answering to Jama'atu Ahlus-Sunnah Lidda'Awati Wal Jihad, or Big Louie...
has been placed in long-term storage alongside five other members. With the arrest, a relieved Governor Shettima who confirmed it to the News Agency that Dare Not be Named said, "I believe the worst is over".

Governor Shettima told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named in an interview at his heavily guarded office that officials believe a negotiated peace can be reached with the sect now. He, however, warned that members of the group who still continue sectarian campaign of liquidations and bombings will be hunted down by the increasing military and police presence in Borno state.

The heavy presence of the military on the streets of Maiduguri, according to Governor Shettima has reduced violence in the city, adding that intelligence gathering by military and the police led to the arrest of the man responsible for planning and orchestrating attacks around the city.

The Federal Government Committee on Boko Haram which submitted its report last Monday had recommended among others a dialogue between the government and the sect while the Sultan of Sokoto would represent the group at the talks. The committee claimed to have reached out to the sect and that its members were ready for talks with government.

The sect in its reaction the following day, however, distanced itself from the report saying its members were not ready for dialogue. Spokesman for the sect, Abu Qaqa in a telephone interview with newsmen said the group did not have any input in the report and denied that it was ready with peace talks with government. He vowed that the group will continue its attacks until its demands were met.

He added that the group was not satisfied with membership of the committee noting that those who advised the government to involve the Sultan of Sokoto did so without consulting the sect. The demands of the sect according to him included "severe punishment for those who killed their leader, Mohammed Yusuf and other members of the sect in the July 2009 revolt." He said the group had also demanded that its places of worship which were destroyed in Maiduguri and other states in the country by security agents must be rebuilt as well as the release of all its members who were being jugged while adequate compensation must be made for the loss of their property.
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/30/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Any relation to Procal Haram?
Posted by: Deacon Blues || 09/30/2011 7:04 Comments || Top||


Arabia
Samir Khan, another American, reported killed with Awlaki
Posted by: ryuge || 09/30/2011 09:57 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  sweet.... a two-fer!
Posted by: Frank G || 09/30/2011 12:41 Comments || Top||

#2  Tweet from Iowahawkblog:
When Rick Perry executes a US citizen, he should do what Barack Obama does: use Hellfire missiles!
Posted by: ryuge || 09/30/2011 14:13 Comments || Top||

#3  Michelle Malkin has his epitaph.

Buh-bye, diackhead.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 09/30/2011 16:07 Comments || Top||


Al Awaki is dead, as reported from Arabia
Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S.-born Muslim cleric linked to al-Qaeda’s Yemen-based wing, was reportedly killed, along with several of his companions, the Yemeni Defense Ministry said on Friday.

“The terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki has been killed along with some of his companions,” it said in a statement sent by text message to journalists. The ministry did not elaborate on the circumstances of Awlaki’s death in a statement released to the media.

A senior U.S. official confirmed Awlaki had been killed, according to Reuters. “I can confirm he’ s dead,” the Obama administration official said. But the official would not immediately provide any details of the operation that targeted Awlaki.

Tribal sources told an Al Arabiya correspondent that two cars suspected of carrying Awlaki and his companions between the province of al-Jawaf Ma’rib were targeted.

U.S. authorities have branded him a “global terrorist” but Sana’a had previously appeared reluctant to act against him.

Eloquent in English and Arabic, Awlaki encouraged attacks on the United States and was seen as a man who could draw in more al-Qaeda recruits from western countries. Washington had linked Awlaki to a shooting rampage in November 2009 at a U.S. army base and to the botched Christmas Day attack that year on a U.S. airliner.

A Yemeni court, under mounting U.S. pressure to fight al-Qaeda after a foiled air cargo bomb plot in late October last year, had ordered his arrest by any means for his alleged al-Qaeda links.

“Awlaki is a problem,” U.S. President Barack Obama’s counter-terrorism adviser John Brennan said in January, 2010. “He’s clearly a part of al-Qaeda in (the) Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). He’s not just a cleric.”

In July, 2010, Washington placed Awlaki on its list of terrorism supporters, freezing his financial assets and banning any transactions with him. In May last year, the United States said it was actively hunting Awlaki. “He has an agenda just like al-Qaeda to strike targets in Yemen, throughout the world including here in the United States,” the White House spokesman said.


The ministry did not elaborate on the circumstances of Awlaki’s death in a statement released to the media.

A senior U.S. official confirmed Awlaki had been killed, according to Reuters.

“I can confirm he’ s dead,” the Obama administration official said. But the official would not immediately provide any details of the operation that targeted Awlaki.

Tribal sources told an Al Arabiya correspondent that two cars suspected of carrying Awlaki and his companions between the province of al-Jawaf Ma’rib were targeted.

Awlaki had been implicated in a botched attempt to bomb a U.S.-bound plane in 2009.

U.S. authorities have branded him a “global terrorist” but Sana’a had previously appeared reluctant to act against him.

Eloquent in English and Arabic, Awlaki encouraged attacks on the United States and was seen as a man who could draw in more al-Qaeda recruits from western countries.

Washington had linked Awlaki to a shooting rampage in November 2009 at a U.S. army base and to the botched Christmas Day attack that year on a U.S. airliner.

A Yemeni court, under mounting U.S. pressure to fight al-Qaeda after a foiled air cargo bomb plot in late October last year, had ordered his arrest by any means for his alleged al-Qaeda links.

“Awlaki is a problem,” U.S. President Barack Obama’s counter-terrorism adviser John Brennan said in January, 2010. “He’s clearly a part of al-Qaeda in (the) Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). He’s not just a cleric.”

Brennan directly accused Awlaki of having links with Major Nidal Hasan who is suspected of shooting dead 13 people at Fort Hood military base in Texas, and who is set to face trial in a military court on March 5, 2012.

Awlaki may also have had contact with Nigerian student Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, accused of trying to blow up the Christmas Day plane, Brennan said.

In July, 2010, Washington placed Awlaki on its list of terrorism supporters, freezing his financial assets and banning any transactions with him.

In May last year, the United States said it was actively hunting Awlaki. “He has an agenda just like al-Qaeda to strike targets in Yemen, throughout the world including here in the United States,” the White House spokesman said. But an Awlaki relative has insisted the imam “is not a fighter of al-Qaeda.”

“He is just a preacher,” he said.

Awlaki comes from a well-off family. His father is a former minister of agriculture and was the president of the university of Sana’a. He was born in New Mexico in 1971, attended school in Yemen and graduated from Colorado State University in civil engineering. He also holds a master’s degree in education leadership from San Diego State University.

He made a name for himself delivering sermons in English in mosques across the United States, where he also worked for a charity association founded by Yemeni cleric Abdul Majeed al-Zendani, whom the U.S. government has identified as a “global terrorist.”

Awlaki was arrested in Yemen in 2006 for his role in kidnapping the son of a rich Yemeni family and demanding ransom money “to finance al-Qaeda,” Yemeni security sources said. Two years later he was set free on condition that he report to police daily, but he fled to the eastern Shabwa region.

Awlaki went to ground after an air raid on December 24, 2009 struck a meeting of al-Qaeda leaders in Wadi Rafadh, in Shabwa province, killing 34. In May this year, a Yemeni tribal source said Awlaki narrowly escaped a U.S. drone attack three days after American commandos killed al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden. The strike in Shabwa was the first reported U.S. targeting of other key figures in the terror network after a commando raid killed bin Laden inside Pakistan on May 2.

Awlaki was married with five children.
Posted by: || 09/30/2011 08:32 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Al Awaki is dead, as reported from Arabia
Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S.-born Muslim cleric linked to al-Qaeda's Yemen-based wing, was reportedly killed, along with several of his companions, the Yemeni Defense Ministry said on Friday.
"Look!"
"Up in the sky!"
"It's a bird!"
"It's a plane!"
"It's... ummm... an unmanned plane!"
[KABOOM!]

"The terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki
... Born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, al-Awlaki is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Yemen. He is an Islamic holy man who is a trainer for al-Qaeda and its franchises. His sermons were attended by three of the 9/11 hijackers, by Fort Hood murderer Nidal Malik Hussein, and Undieboomer Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. He is the first U.S. citizen ever placed on a CIA target list...
has been killed along with some of his lovers companions," it said in a statement sent by text message to journalists. The ministry did not elaborate on the circumstances of Awlaki's death in a statement released to the media.
"We can say no more!"
A senior U.S. official confirmed Awlaki had been killed, according to Rooters. "I can confirm he' s dead," the B.O. regime official said.
"Yep. Deader'n Tut."
But the official would not immediately provide any details of the operation that targeted Awlaki.
"I can say no more."
Tribal sources told an Al Arabiya correspondent that two cars suspected of carrying Awlaki and his lovers companions between the province of al-Jawaf and Ma'rib were targeted.

U.S. authorities have branded him a "global terrorist" but Sana'a had previously appeared reluctant to act against him.

Eloquent in English and Arabic, Awlaki encouraged attacks on the United States and was seen as a man who could draw in more al-Qaeda recruits from western countries. Washington had linked Awlaki to a shooting rampage in November 2009 at a U.S. army base and to the botched Christmas Day attack that year on a U.S. airliner.

A Yemeni court, under mounting U.S. pressure to fight al-Qaeda after a foiled air cargo bomb plot in late October last year, had ordered his arrest by any means for his alleged al-Qaeda links.

"Awlaki is a problem," U.S. President Barack B.O. Obama's counter-terrorism adviser John Brennan said in January, 2010. "He's clearly a part of al-Qaeda in (the) Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). He's not just a holy man."

In July, 2010, Washington placed Awlaki on its list of terrorism supporters, freezing his financial assets and banning any transactions with him. In May last year, the United States said it was actively hunting Awlaki. "He has an agenda just like al-Qaeda to strike targets in Yemen, throughout the world including here in the United States," the White House front man said.

But an Awlaki relative has insisted the imam "is not a fighter of al-Qaeda."

"He is just a preacher," he said.

Awlaki comes from a well-off family. His father is a former minister of agriculture and was the president of the university of Sana'a. He was born in New Mexico in 1971, attended school in Yemen and graduated from Colorado State University in civil engineering. He also holds a master's degree in education leadership from San Diego State University.

He made a name for himself delivering sermons in English in mosques across the United States, where he also worked for a charity association founded by Yemeni holy man Abdul Majeed al-Zendani, whom the U.S. government has identified as a "global terrorist."

Awlaki was tossed in the calaboose in Yemen in 2006 for his role in kidnapping the son of a rich Yemeni family and demanding ransom money "to finance al-Qaeda," Yemeni security sources said. Two years later he was set free on condition that he report to police daily, but he decamped to the eastern Shabwa region.

Awlaki went to ground after an air raid on December 24, 2009 struck a meeting of al-Qaeda leaders in Wadi Rafadh, in Shabwa province, killing 34. In May this year, a Yemeni tribal source said Awlaki narrowly beat feet a U.S. drone attack three days after American commandos killed al-Qaeda chief the late Osama bin Laden
... who now dances with worms...
. The strike in Shabwa was the first reported U.S. targeting of other key figures in the terror network after a commando raid killed bin Laden inside Pakistain on May 2.

Awlaki was married with five children.

Posted by: || 09/30/2011 08:32 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Awlaki was married with five children wives..
Posted by: American Delight || 09/30/2011 9:09 Comments || Top||

#2  I hope the jackals got there first and ate him.
Posted by: Bill Clinton || 09/30/2011 11:16 Comments || Top||

#3  Congratulations, drone zappers!

Ulululululululululululu!!!
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 || 09/30/2011 11:29 Comments || Top||

#4  Al Wacked!
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 09/30/2011 11:29 Comments || Top||

#5  Ron Paul condemned the killing.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 09/30/2011 11:42 Comments || Top||

#6  I agree with Paul. Do YOU want Barak Obama deciding if YOU (through executive decree) are to be executed?

By the way, I'm glad the worthless POS is dood! I just take exception to the process.
Posted by: Besoeker || 09/30/2011 12:18 Comments || Top||

#7  What I want to know is where is JUSTICE when we need him?
JUSTICE! Bring out your dead!

Al (The frozen, not the wacky)
Posted by: Frozen Al || 09/30/2011 12:42 Comments || Top||

#8  I understand Besoeker's point. A policy that allows a president to target an American citizen with a drone-zap is potential trouble.

al-Awlaki is a traitor and scum. I have no problem zapping him precisely because he's a traitor and because he's worked so hard to insulate himself from the normal ways we'd deal with traitors.

But there is precedent here, and an unscrupulous president could use said precedent to target other Americans.

Just saying, let's all be careful what we wish for.
Posted by: Steve White || 09/30/2011 14:06 Comments || Top||

#9  How about "If you make war against Americans, you die. No exceptions."
Posted by: Eohippus Phater7165 || 09/30/2011 14:10 Comments || Top||

#10  Burn in this life (for a second or two), burn in hell.

Karma.
Posted by: Barbara || 09/30/2011 14:21 Comments || Top||

#11  " How about 'If you make war against Americans, you die. No exceptions.'"

Works for me, EP.
Posted by: Barbara || 09/30/2011 14:23 Comments || Top||

#12  " How about 'If you make war against Americans, you die. No exceptions.'" Works for me, EP.
Posted by: Barbara


Ok for some. Others go on to become university professors, write leftest books, live in Chicago brownstones, and back Manchu-Candidate presidential hopefuls.
Posted by: Besoeker || 09/30/2011 16:42 Comments || Top||

#13  I agree with Steve White about this could become a slippery slope. Remember just a few months ago when the Department of Homeland Security came out with a list of possible suspicious groups -- and all of them were conservative groups.
Posted by: Slindsey || 09/30/2011 19:20 Comments || Top||

#14  Trusting Obama to get it right, even once, is very difficult but Ron Paul can be naive. I reluctantly have to agree with this one Obama policy. They are not entitled to Due Process as enemy combatants in a war, openly rejecting their country as traitors and are not heads of state/political leaders protected from assassination. Read Malkin's article on Samir Khan--she has such a way with words and so logical:

http://michellemalkin.com/2011/09/30/second-u-s-jihadi-reportedly-killed-in-drone-attack-plus-refresher-course-on-american-bloggers-vs-samir-khan/



Excerpt:

As Rusty (Shacleford/JAWA) put it after digesting Khan’s manifesto:

This makes two Americans who are in charge of al Qaeda media — Adam Gadahn in Pakistan/Afghanistan for their as Sahab label and Samir Khan in Yemen for the English side of their al Malahein label.

This should drive home the point that the global jihad is not an Arab or a Pakistani problem. Violent jihad is not only being imported from these countries, but we are now exporting the future leaders of the jihad.

Think about that for awhile.

For those who have serious reservations about targeting American citizens using drones, I wonder if this changes anything for you? Does that fact that Khan openly and gleefully admits that he is a traitor change your mind? Or do you still think that people like Khan, Adam Gadahn, and Anwar al-Awlaki can’t be targeted due to some overriding principle of “justice” only happening within the confines of US courts?

Posted by: Lumpy Elmoluck5091 || 09/30/2011 19:26 Comments || Top||

#15  my question is was there a mechanism to revoke his citizenship? if so why was it not used long ago so that this dronezap was just another jihadi scum and not a step down the slippery slope of targeted killings against Americans?

good riddance to bad garbage, but the residue of a dangerous precedent is bothersome.
Posted by: abu do you love || 09/30/2011 19:32 Comments || Top||

#16  I'm with Ron Paul and Besoeker. I don't like the idea of of POTUS doing things to Americans without due process.

And there is a reason bills of attainder are prohibited NOT in the Bill of Rights, but in Article 1 and NOT only for the federal government but for the states as well, one of the few limitations on the states that does not result from federal supremacy. The founders knew that laws that don't apply to every one are a bad idea.

Remember this is President Fast & Furious.

No doubt this guy is a traitor and would be found guilty of treason in a trial by his peers. But would you be in favor of him being drone-zapped in CONUS at the whim of POTUS? If not, why should OCONUS make such a huge difference, especially when he could have been snatched?

Bush made a mistake with Padilla and teh w0n has made a mistake here. Being an American citizen should mean something, especially when you are guilty. Citizenship has been devalued by this assassination.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 09/30/2011 19:54 Comments || Top||

#17  Oreilly just rightfully gave the credit to the CIA and military for a fine job, which have been given the authority to take the hunt to terrorists, wherever they may be found. Obama can't take credit for this. Maybe we should thank W, too. Although Obama rules by decree/executive order, he could not target a domestic citizen by drone zap and hope patriotic citizens will fire on their own. We do have checks and balances, even if it only the conscience and sense of honor of those serving. But then most in the admin don't seem to have a clue. It makes me shudder to think what Obummer, DoJ. and Homeland Insecurity could do to terrorize innocent citizens but after this Gunwalker, good folk will be diligent and demand more accountability.
Posted by: Lumpy Elmoluck5091 || 09/30/2011 20:23 Comments || Top||

#18  Let's remember this is still in effect -

S.J.RES.23 -- Authorization for Use of Military Force (Enrolled Bill [Final as Passed Both House and Senate] - ENR)

--S.J.Res.23--

S.J.Res.23

One Hundred Seventh Congress

of the

United States of America

AT THE FIRST SESSION

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,

the third day of January, two thousand and one

Joint Resolution

To authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against those responsible for the recent attacks launched against the United States.

Whereas, on September 11, 2001, acts of treacherous violence were committed against the United States and its citizens; and

Whereas, such acts render it both necessary and appropriate that the United States exercise its rights to self-defense and to protect United States citizens both at home and abroad; and

Whereas, in light of the threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States posed by these grave acts of violence; and

Whereas, such acts continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States; and

Whereas, the President has authority under the Constitution to take action to deter and prevent acts of international terrorism against the United States: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This joint resolution may be cited as the `Authorization for Use of Military Force'.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES.

(a) IN GENERAL- That the President is authorized to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons.

(b) War Powers Resolution Requirements-

(1) SPECIFIC STATUTORY AUTHORIZATION- Consistent with section 8(a)(1) of the War Powers Resolution, the Congress declares that this section is intended to constitute specific statutory authorization within the meaning of section 5(b) of the War Powers Resolution.

(2) APPLICABILITY OF OTHER REQUIREMENTS- Nothing in this resolution supercedes any requirement of the War Powers Resolution.

Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Vice President of the United States and

President of the Senate.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 09/30/2011 22:27 Comments || Top||


Anwar al-Awlaki killed in Yemen
It's a good day
Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S.-born radical Islamist who rose to the top level of al Qaeda in Yemen, has been killed. Al-Awlaki has been linked to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's attempted bombing of a U.S. passenger jet over Detroit on Christmas day, 2009, and was thought to be a leader of that group.

A U.S. government source has confirmed to CBS News senior security correspondent that al-Awlaki was killed. Yemen's Defense Ministry first told CBS News of the strike, but given previous reports which turned out to be erroneous, the rapid U.S. confirmation is important, and shores up witness accounts of a U.S. drone strike having killed the al Qaeda figure.
This article starring:
Anwar al-Awlaki
Posted by: Beavis || 09/30/2011 07:30 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Ululululu! Rot in hell you POS
Posted by: Frank G || 09/30/2011 7:54 Comments || Top||

#2  And on a Friday, too. Well done, hunters!
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/30/2011 8:32 Comments || Top||

#3  AOSHQ headline:

BREAKING: Anwar al-Awlaki Killed By Crushing Disappointment in NBC's Fall Lineup, Drone-Launched Hellfire Missiles, But Mostly Drone-Launched Hellfire Missiles
—Gabriel Malor
Posted by: Frank G || 09/30/2011 8:51 Comments || Top||

#4  Time to get the pool-side paaah-taay going at Nellis...
Posted by: Steve White || 09/30/2011 8:59 Comments || Top||

#5  Good riddance.
Posted by: DarthVader || 09/30/2011 9:10 Comments || Top||

#6  Ya can't polish a turd, but...
Ya sure can blow one up!
Posted by: M. Murcek || 09/30/2011 9:36 Comments || Top||

#7  Plenty more where he came from.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 09/30/2011 9:40 Comments || Top||

#8  Aymen, Adam...where are you? Come out and we promise not to hurt you.
Posted by: Jack Salami || 09/30/2011 9:42 Comments || Top||

#9  Blown REAL GOOD!

reference:

Posted by: Choluse Graling8806 || 09/30/2011 9:44 Comments || Top||

#10  "Unexpectedly", for him anyway.
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 09/30/2011 9:56 Comments || Top||

#11  Plenty more where he came from.

Aye, there's the rub.
Posted by: Pappy || 09/30/2011 10:35 Comments || Top||

#12  Fox now saying Samir Kahn got waxed in the same strike. Prolly 48 hr rule applies, but hopefully there IS a pony under that pile of...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 09/30/2011 10:43 Comments || Top||

#13  Please, please everyone....please keep in mind we are NOT at war with Islam.
Posted by: Besoeker || 09/30/2011 10:44 Comments || Top||

#14  Yes, but there is one less Gisco.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 09/30/2011 10:58 Comments || Top||

#15  WashPost is carrying the news under a byline by their Africa Bureau Chief. 48 hour rule is always a good idea, but it seems like 'the people who know stuff' in the USG are confident.

Is it too much to ask if Obama would mind resigning as president if we let him head the CIA for the next five years? When it comes to drones, I sort of like the cut of his jib.
Posted by: Free Radical || 09/30/2011 11:09 Comments || Top||

#16  Have the same feeling there FR, ironically really something he and his base cannot drum up.

Question, the question about zapping US citizens has been answered?
Posted by: swksvolFF || 09/30/2011 11:14 Comments || Top||

#17  Question, the question about zapping US citizens has been answered?

Nah, that will be a gray area forever.
Consider the paradoxes:

Renouncing one's US citizenship is a well-defined, formal process, as far as the State Dept. is concerned.

The left in this country has never been shy about declaring its enemies to be "traitors" and "war criminals" with no due process at all.

It will all remain as clear as mud.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 09/30/2011 11:36 Comments || Top||

#18  The greater question, what is US Citizenship? And to whom is it?
Posted by: Besoeker || 09/30/2011 11:38 Comments || Top||

#19  Question, the question about zapping US citizens has been answered?

I am assuming that Awlaki, having openly declared himself a member of a group at war with the US, is a legitimate military target under the AUMF. The bullsh*t about this being an 'assassination' is just leftist mischief.
Posted by: Free Radical || 09/30/2011 11:50 Comments || Top||

#20  Well, US citizenship apparently is not necessary to vote democrat, collect welfare or unemployment, get a social security # or qualify for (maybe) a trial in the US, ala KSM. So, Besoeker asks a knotty question, indeed...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 09/30/2011 11:53 Comments || Top||

#21  The US just gave him a posthumous promotion: U.S. officials have given Anwar al-Aulaqi a newly elevated designation on the day of his death by drone strike, describing him as “chief of external operations” for al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Yemen.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 09/30/2011 11:53 Comments || Top||

#22  You know of course, Obambi personally flew that drone onto al-awacki.
Posted by: Steven || 09/30/2011 11:55 Comments || Top||

#23  The "gutsy call" boilerplate is being readies even now. Spit...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 09/30/2011 11:58 Comments || Top||

#24  ...please keep in mind we are NOT at war with Islam.

No, but we are very, very disappointed in some of its practitioners.
Posted by: SteveS || 09/30/2011 12:00 Comments || Top||

#25  Ron Paul is correct in his statements concerning this.... phueching media event (my words not his). I do NOT want Obama or any of his ilk, at some future date, deciding through executive fiat, that I TOO must be drone zapped. No use for Anwar al-Awalki...bloody well glad he's gone. But his death will NOT solve the complex problem of an evil, death cult ideology. He'll be replaced by thousands more.
Posted by: Besoeker || 09/30/2011 12:25 Comments || Top||

#26  Kenneth Anderson at Volokh Conspiracy:
"The government has maintained throughout all this that Al-Aulaqi was deemed a lawful target not on account of his expression of opinions, including calls to violence against the United States and its citizens, but instead on account of his operational involvement in AQAP, in ways going to leadership of an associated force terrorist organization and operational and planning involvement."
Posted by: Free Radical || 09/30/2011 12:31 Comments || Top||

#27  During WWII a fair number of US citizens served the other side. Most were visiting relatives in the "old country" and got drafted.

Many deserted back to the US Army as soon as they got the chance, but some served the Axis faithfully. When we found any of the second group, they were killed with no second thoughts. Any survivors quickly and discretely forgot about their prior life in the US.

Why we should afford these traitors more consideration than we did in WWII is beyond me.
Posted by: Frozen Al || 09/30/2011 12:57 Comments || Top||

#28  Good new, however, many of you will recall the Dems calling the Tea Party "terrorists".

Will the media hounds give his Daddy any air time? Daddy wanted sonny taken alive...
Posted by: Bobby || 09/30/2011 13:44 Comments || Top||

#29  8 U.S.C. 1481 states:

“A person who is a national of the United States whether by birth or naturalization, shall lose his nationality by voluntarily performing any of the following acts with the intention of relinquishing United States nationality committing any act of treason against, or attempting by force to overthrow, or bearing arms against, the United States, violating or conspiring to violate any of the provisions of section 2383 of title 18, or willfully performing any act in violation of section 2385 of title 18, or violating section 2384 of title 18 by engaging in a conspiracy to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States, or to levy war against them"


Technically speaking, Awlaki gave up his Citizenship. Though you'll hear people saying we shouldn't have zapped him anyway.
Posted by: Charles || 09/30/2011 14:06 Comments || Top||

#30  As far as I am concerned al-Awlaki's skull, along with many others, should be thrown into a pit at 1 WTC.
Posted by: Eohippus Phater7165 || 09/30/2011 14:08 Comments || Top||

#31  Eohippus Phater7165- but that would be the unspeakable war crime known as spiking the football!
Posted by: Free Radical || 09/30/2011 14:13 Comments || Top||

#32  I do NOT want Obama or any of his ilk, at some future date, deciding through executive fiat, that I TOO must be drone zapped.

They don't actually need precedent, once they decide it (or anything else) is advantageous. So, don't worry.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 09/30/2011 14:44 Comments || Top||

#33  Rest in peeeeeeee
Posted by: newc || 09/30/2011 15:13 Comments || Top||

#34  "The greater question, what is US Citizenship?"

I can tell you what it isn't, B. It isn't waging war against our country. He gave up his citizenship when he joined the clowns at war with our country.

So saying they drone-zapped an American citizen is incorrect; they drone-zapped a former American citizen who gave up his citizenship in order to wage war against his former country.

He can rest in pieces.
Posted by: Barbara || 09/30/2011 15:31 Comments || Top||

#35  *Where Barbara is, is where I agree. On his own will knowingly joined an organization which has openly declared violence and intimidation upon the USA, and knowing that the organization is recognized by the USA continues in said venture, whether it is pirate vogue, al-sheebop, whatever.

I just remember some pretty fart smellers clanging about in case a US citizen was killed during the booosh administration and I would like to hear them chime in, constitutional lawyer in chief's reasoning, and thoughts about zaps in, say, Mexico if the gang bangers make a clear & present danger (targets including US citizens operating south of the border).
Posted by: swksvolFF || 09/30/2011 15:46 Comments || Top||

#36  8 USC 1841 ok fine,.... where is the "due process," the findings, declartions, revocations??? And by the way, when was the last time that a formal revocation of citizenship was handed during using the US Code and a trial by jury?

What about the fella that was killed along with him, the other USCIT guy? Was he mentioned in the presidential order or finding? Was he also a target? Were there other killed? Where does it stop? What protectins ARE provided a USCIT? Critical thinking please. Does anyone remember the legal hoopla over Jihad Johnny? Did he not get a trial in a US court?

I see no cause for jubilation. None at all. I really believe this type of activity will return to haunt us.


Posted by: Besoeker || 09/30/2011 16:31 Comments || Top||

#37  In emphasizing Awlaki's American citizenship the media are at least encouraging an assumption that due process rights are limited to citizens. This is not the case. Everyone who deals with the US authorities is entitled to due process.

Having said that, due process does not require us to allow a criminal to persist in his crimes just because it is impractical to apprehend him or bring him before a court, and it does not require that an awowed enemy be allowed to wage war against us unhindered.

There were valid warrants for Awlaki's arrest. He could have turned himself to the nearest US consulate at any time. Like anyone who resists arrest and presents an imminent danger, he made himself a target.

Ask yourselves this: What will happen if you refuse to go peaceably on a traffic warrant and announce your intention to start shooting at the cops?

Pickett's men were American citizens when they charged up Cemetery Ridge at Gettysburg. Does this mean the Union forces violated due process when they opened fire?
Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy || 09/30/2011 16:46 Comments || Top||

#38  While we struggle with it's unfortunate outcome yet today, you are correct sir, the volleys of gunfire at Gettysburg from both sides were well ordered and entirely legal. However, General Picket and his men were proud citizens of a soverign nation which had seceded from the Union via due process as established by the US Constitution. It had a different capital, different president, legislature, coinage and currency, constitution, and laws.

With reference to the aforementioned unpleasantness and with the upmost respect to the dead, the only violation of US Constitutional "due process" during those dark days, was that undertaken by another president from Illinois.
Posted by: Besoeker || 09/30/2011 17:10 Comments || Top||

#39  Well you need to make up your mind.
Either you think that fighting terrorists is a matter of law enforcement, then the killing was wrong... maybe.

But if you believe that the War on Terror is in fact a war, then the killing is about as legit as it gets.

And he even got a fair warning.
Posted by: European Conservative || 09/30/2011 17:36 Comments || Top||

#40  Gotta love AyyPeee
2 US citizens dead in Yemen airstrike

You would almost think the Yemen Air Force struck here.
Posted by: Beavis || 09/30/2011 17:50 Comments || Top||

#41  I have top disagree with Besoeker on the rebs. They weren't a sovereign nation as far as I am concerned and events proved them not to have been so. That's water long under the bridge.

Nonetheless, I don't like the idea of of POTUS doing things to American citizens without due process.

And there is a reason bills of attainder are prohibited NOT in the Bill of Rights, but in Article 1 and NOT only for the federal government but for the states as well, one of the few limitations on the states that does not result from federal supremacy. The founders knew that laws that don't apply to every one are a bad idea.

Remember this is President Fast & Furious.

No doubt this guy is a traitor and would be found guilty of treason in a trial by his peers. A trial he deserved. But would you be in favor of him being drone-zapped in CONUS at the whim of POTUS? If not, why should OCONUS make such a huge difference, especially when he could have been snatched?

Bush made a mistake with Padilla and teh w0n has made a mistake here. Being an American citizen should mean something, especially when you are guilty. Citizenship has been devalued by this assassination.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 09/30/2011 20:08 Comments || Top||

#42  Why should people who wage war against their own nation receive preferential treatment?

If a Saudi wages war against America, he can be killed.
If an American wages war against America, he can be killed, too.

Citizenship has nothing to do with it.
Posted by: European Conservative || 09/30/2011 21:44 Comments || Top||

#43  They should not receive preferential treatment. Neither should they receive inferior treatment. They should receive equal justice under law.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 09/30/2011 21:48 Comments || Top||

#44  So if you are fighting against a foreign army you shoot the foreigners and arrest US citizens who fight with them?

Do you tell your drones just to kill the foreigners but read Americans the Miranda rights?
Posted by: European Conservative || 09/30/2011 21:51 Comments || Top||

#45  As I understand it, and the "facts" will change, they had been tracking him for a week. This was not in the heat of battle. There should have been more than enough troops available to snatch him. He deserved a trial.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 09/30/2011 21:54 Comments || Top||

#46  This was not in the heat of battle.

With terrorists we always are in the heat of battle.
Posted by: European Conservative || 09/30/2011 22:00 Comments || Top||

#47  As I understand it, and the "facts" will change, they had been tracking him for a week. This was not in the heat of battle. There should have been more than enough troops available to snatch him.

In the middle of the wildest part of a seriously Third World country that's got about six different civil wars going on at the moment, possibly more? Where the locals had been watching the UAVs watching them, and positively prefer shooting first and asking questions later?
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/30/2011 22:52 Comments || Top||

#48  I understand NS' concerns - both the practical one (doesn't trust this Administration) and the longer term concern about precedent and erosion of our commitment to American ideals about law and process.

I disagree with this, however:

Citizenship has been devalued by this assassination.

For citizenship to retain its value, it cannot be reduced to a blank check. If there are *no* actions - even committing war against one's own country - that effectively negate the rights and privileges of citizenship, then citizenship is merely a shield for the treasonous and disloyal to use in attacking the country.

There are some extreme choices that negate citizenship, both legally and morally. To deny that is in fact to reduce citizenship to a formality without meaning IMO.
Posted by: lotp || 09/30/2011 23:11 Comments || Top||

#49  But would you be in favor of him being drone-zapped in CONUS at the whim of POTUS? If not, why should OCONUS make such a huge difference,

Because he was OCONUS specifically so as to be in the enemy's camp, aiding, assisting and leading war against the US. You can arrest someone who is located within your camp. You do battle with someone who is in the other camp attacking you.

And make no mistake - al-Awlaki has been warring against the US continually for some time, not only verbally but also through operational planning, ideological approval, recruiting and incitement to attacks. He did so at the mosque in northern VA, where his encouragement and perhaps more were seminal for MAJ Hassan and others who moved shortly thereafter from words to physical attacks on Americans - and American troops - on American soil. He fled to Yemen, where he continued this war until he was finally killed in return.
Posted by: lotp || 09/30/2011 23:18 Comments || Top||


Bangladesh
Azhar, 239 Jamaat men charged
[Bangla Daily Star] Police yesterday pressed charges against Jamaat-e-Islami acting secretary general ATM Azharul Islam and 239 other party men for assaulting police, blocking traffic and creating anarchy in the capital early this month.

The investigation officers submitted charge sheets of the two cases to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court in Dhaka.

The cases were filed in connection with the street violence by Jamaat men on September 19.

Court sources said the charge sheets will be placed before two courts on October 2 for acceptance.

Several hundred Jamaat activists on September 19 fought pitched battles with law enforcers in the capital, leaving at least 100 people injured and halting traffic for several hours. The clash erupted after police obstructed a Jamaat rally demanding release of their top leaders who are behind bars on war crimes charges.

During the festivities, the Jamaat men set fire to at least 28 vehicles, smashed around 200 others and vandalised dozens of roadside shops, police said.

Police then tossed in the slammer 261 Jamaat men including Azharul and Tasneem in this connection.

Sporadic festivities also took place in other parts of the country on the day.

At least 20 cases were filed, including nine in capital's Ramna and Paltan cop shoppes, accusing several thousand Jamaat leaders and workers of torching and damaging vehicles, destroying public properties and attacking law enforcers.

Following investigation into two cases, Jafar Ali, sub-inspector of Ramna Police Station, yesterday submitted a charge sheet against Azharul and 119 others while Paltan Police Station Sub-inspector Rafiqul Islam placed the other charge sheet accusing 200 people including Azharul.

Eighty people, including the Jamaat acting secretary general, are accused in both the cases.

Jamaat Publicity Secretary Prof Tasneem Alam and central leader Izzat Ullah are also among those charged.

Meanwhile,
...back at the bake sale, Umberto's Mom's cannoli were a big hit...
Azharul, Tasneem and two others yesterday obtained bail in another case filed for torching vehicles and preventing coppers from discharging their duties at Kakrail Crossing on September 20.
Posted by: Fred || 09/30/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Jamaat-e-Islami


4 pirates killed in Rab 'gunfight'
[Bangla Daily Star] Four pirates were killed in a "shootout" with Rapid Action Battalion in the Sundarbans under Sharankhola upazila of Bagerhat yesterday.
"Argghh! we be-"
BANG BANG BANGETY BANG!!
"Good shooting by the men, Sergeant. Your range time is paying off."
The dear departed, aged between 30 and 40, were members of Raju Bahini,
Said to be the biggest pirate gang of the Sundarbans...
a gang of local pirates, said Major Sabbir Osmani of Rab-8. Three of the four pirates were identified as Rawshan, Nati Kamrul and Belayet.
The fourth, poor man, was so impoverished he hadn't even so much as a Md., which is short for Muhammed, to his name.
A team of Rab-8 on three trawlers were patrolling the area around 11:00am
River patrol is clearly a very different exercise than encountering land-based miscreants.
when they noticed suspicious movements of another trawler on the Bhoirav river near Dhanichabari of the upazila, said Lt Col Monirul Haque, commanding officer of Rab-8, who led the operation.

The Rab team challenged the trawler. Within sometime, passengers from that trawler fired on the law enforcers, prompting them to fire back. At one stage of the firing, the pirates entered a canal of the Sundarbans forest, anchored their trawler and decamped.
A wise, if futile move. You can run from the Rab...
Later, the Rab members recovered four bullet-ridden bodies from deep into the forest.
...but you'll only die tired. A lesson learnt, though only briefly retained.
Six Indian-made and five Myanmar-made guns, one pistol, 24 bullets, eight cartridges, six sharp weapons and Tk 1 lakh cash were also recovered from the trawler of the pirates, Rab sources said.
Is there much trade in guns from Myanmar? I don't recall it being mentioned previously...
Local fishermen identified the dead as members of notorious pirate gang Raju Bahini which regularly collects toll from fishermen in the coastal areas.
Posted by: Fred || 09/30/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Pirates

#1  The RAB knows how to have a gunfight with pirates.
Posted by: gromky || 09/30/2011 3:33 Comments || Top||

#2  It's hard to aime with only one eye.
Posted by: Deacon Blues || 09/30/2011 7:05 Comments || Top||

#3  24 bullets and eight cartridges, eh?
Posted by: Rob Crawford || 09/30/2011 10:03 Comments || Top||

#4  I've heard of putting several bullets per cartridge, two usually, but that's ridiculous.
Posted by: Redneck Jim || 09/30/2011 10:14 Comments || Top||

#5  Ah, the navalized version of our favorite bedtime story. Who know the RAB even had a navy!
Posted by: SteveS || 09/30/2011 16:38 Comments || Top||


Caribbean-Latin America
Colombia Rebels Attack Oil Pipeline
[An Nahar] Suspected leftist guerrillas have attacked a pipeline in northeastern Colombia, the army said, in the latest assault on the country's vital oil sector.

The attack on Wednesday was believed to have been carried out by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
FARC or FARC-EP, is either a Marxist-Leninist revolutionary guerrilla organization or a narco mob based in Colombia. It claims to represent the rural poor in a struggle against Colombia's wealthier classes, and opposes United States influence in Colombia, neo-imperialism, monopolization of natural resources by multinational corporations, and the usual raft of complaints. It funds itself principally through ransom kidnappings, taxation of the drug trade, extortion, shakedowns, and donations. It has lately begun calling itself Bolivarian and is greatly admired by Venezuela's President-for-Life Chavez, who seemingly fantasizes about living in the woods and kidnapping people himself. He provides FARC with safe areas along the border.
(FARC) or the National Liberation Army (ELN), which are active in the area, an army brigade front man told Agence La Belle France Presse.

The Ministry of Defense has reported more than a dozen pipeline kabooms since the start of the year, as the rebels have allegedly stepped up their attacks on oil facilities, taking aim at a key source of government revenue.

On August 4 suspected rebels torched six tanker trucks belonging to the British firm Emerald Energy, a subsidiary of Chinese chemical giant Sinochem.

A search is still underway for four Chinese workers from Emerald Energy who were kidnapped in the southern Caqueta province on June 8.

The military is currently deploying around a third of its forces, some 80,000 troops, for the protection of the country's mining and energy sector.

Colombia's oil production reached 953,000 barrels per day in August, an increase of more than 20 percent over the last year. It is now the third largest South American oil producer after Venezuela and Brazil.

The Colombian government has been battling the FARC -- Latin America's oldest rebel movement, now estimated to have some 8,000 fighters -- since 1964.

Posted by: Fred || 09/30/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  With all the recent oil and gas discoveries, it soon won,t be much more than a nuisance when the bad guys do this kind of thing.
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/30/2011 13:50 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Nine killed in gunfight in Indian-controlled Kashmir
(Xinhua) -- At least nine people, including five thugs, two coppers and two soldiers were killed in four days of shootout in Indian-controlled Kashmire, officials said Thursday.

The clash broke out Monday near village Karlpora of frontier Kupwara district, around 130 km northwest of Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmire,after contingents of army and police cordoned the forest area on specific intelligence inputs suggesting presence of thugs.

"The shootout is underway and the area is completely besieged," said a senior Indian army officer in Srinagar. "So far 5 beturbanned goons have been killed but in the standoff we have also lost two coppers, an army officer and a trooper."

The slain army officer was identified as Lieutenant Sushil Khajuria.

The identity of slain beturbanned goons and their group affiliation is being ascertained.

On Wednesday, a policeman was rubbed out in Srinagar. The assailants beat feet after the attack.

A guerrilla war has been going on between beturbanned goons and Indian troops stationed in the region since 1989. However,
a clean conscience makes a soft pillow...
Indian coppers too have been trained to fight them.
Posted by: || 09/30/2011 00:46 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Blast in hotel building injures six in Islamabad: police
[Dawn] A blast destroyed the top floor of a hotel building in the Pak capital Islamabad, injuring at least six people late Thursday, police officials said.

City police chief Bani Amin said the cause of the blast "appears to be a gas cylinder" as gas was still leaking at the Citi Hotel in the Blue Area, a normally bustling district of shops and restaurants.

Another police official at the scene told AFP at least six people were maimed.
Posted by: Fred || 09/30/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Pakistan


US hits alleged Haqqani commander with sanctions
[Dawn] The US Treasury hit a "key" commander in the powerful Haqqani network with sanctions Thursday, raising pressure on Pakistain to do more against the Al-Qaeda and Taliban-linked group.

The Treasury said Abdul Aziz Abbasin, an Afghan native, was appointed by the Haqqani network as "the Taliban shadow governor" in Orgun district of Afghanistan.

There he is said to command a group of Taliban fighters and has helped run a myrmidon training camp.

Four other figures with links to Taliban and Al-Qaeda activities in Afghanistan and Pakistain were named in the sanctions, which aim at putting pressure on financial links to the groups.

Treasury listed Afghanistan natives Hajji Faizullah Khan Noorzai and Hajji Malik Noorzai as Taliban financiers who helped the myrmidon group invest money in various businesses.

It also named Pakistain national Abdur Rehman, who operates a religious school in Bloody Karachi, as aiding the Taliban and Al-Qaeda logistically and financially.

The fifth person named was Fazal Rahim, called a financial controller for Al-Qaeda and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.

It said Rahim had helped the IMU send imported muscle to Pakistain for training.

"These financiers and controllers provide the fuel for the Taliban, Haqqani Network and Al-Qaeda to realize their violent aspirations," Treasury under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence David Cohen said in a statement.
Posted by: Fred || 09/30/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Pakistan

#1  I'd rather they hit him with a Hellfire
Posted by: Frank G || 09/30/2011 8:14 Comments || Top||

#2  Sorry Hillary & Tiny Tim--it's too little, too late.
Posted by: American Delight || 09/30/2011 9:06 Comments || Top||

#3  CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > PAKISTAN NEVER CONTROLLED HAQQANIS NETWORK: ISI CHIEF.

The Pak Taliban yes, but the Haqqanis nyet, and just because the Haqqanis say they follow the Taliban doesn't make it so???

versus

* CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > [Asia Times] PENTAGON AIMS AT TARGET PAKISTAN.

IIUC ARTIC = iff the US wants to stop the Haqqanis as per the Kabul Embassy attack, they need to negotiate wid their Taliban enemy, not fight or kill them???
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 09/30/2011 23:14 Comments || Top||


Two dead in north Iraq bomb attack
[Dawn] A jacket wallah who detonated his explosives-packed truck outside a bank in the disputed northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk killed at least two people on Thursday, police said.

The attacker set off the kaboom as many workers were queuing at the bank to collect their salaries on the last working day of the month, a police officer said.

"One woman and one man were killed and 73 others were maimed," said police Major Salam Hama Zangana. He said the maimed were transferred to two hospitals in the city.

Another police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, put the toll at two dead and 58 maimed, most of them police but also including bank employees and civilians.

An AFP correspondent at the scene said the blast caused massive damage to the bank and surrounding buildings. Several police vehicles were set on fire, and access to the bank was blocked.

Iraq's northern Kurdish region wants to incorporate Kirkuk province, which is ethnically mixed and rich in energy, into its three-province autonomous area, a move strongly opposed by the authorities in Storied Baghdad
...located along the Tigris River, founded in the 8th century, home of the Abbasid Caliphate...
Violence is down nationwide since its peak in 2006 and 2007, but attacks remain common. A total of 239 people were killed in violence in Iraq in August, according to official figures.
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/30/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State of Iraq

#1  Is it just me, or Iraq has been unusually peaceful of late?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 09/30/2011 11:02 Comments || Top||


Pakistan closes Afghan border route after bombing
[Dawn] Pak authorities have closed one of the two border crossings used by trucks carrying NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions...
war supplies into Afghanistan after a bomb hit an oil tanker.

Police officer Mohammad Tayab said the Chaman border crossing was closed "for security reasons" after an kaboom on Thursday killed a bomb disposal expert who was trying to defuse the device.

Tayab didn't elaborate on the bombing attack.

Pakistain sometimes closes the border temporarily after attacks, though earlier this year the other, busier route in Torkham was closed for 10 days in protest against the killing of two Pak troops by a NATO helicopter nearby.

Relations between US and Pakistain are currently strained because of US allegations Islamabad supports Afghan cut-thoats.
Posted by: Fred || 09/30/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Ten militants killed in Orakzai
[Dawn] Ten Death Eaters and one security official were killed in a clash in the Orakzai Agency
... crawling with holy men, home to Darra Adam Khel, the world's largest illegal arms bazaar. 14 distinct tribes of beturbanned primitives inhabit Orakzai agency's 1500 or so square kilometers...
on Thursday, DawnNews reported.

Official sources said that the Death Eaters staged an attack on security personnel who were busy in a search operation in upper Orakzai. One soldier was killed while three others were maimed in the clash, sources added.

Security forces in retaliation killed 10 Death Eaters and also destroyed five myrmidon hideouts.

There is no independent verification of the attacks and casualties, and Death Eaters often dispute official accounts.

Orakzai is one of the most lawless areas in Pakistain's northwest tribal region, which is made up of seven districts near the Afghan border.

Pakistain launched a major operation in Orakzai in March last year after Death Eaters fled a sweeping offensive in the nearby tribal district of South Wazoo.

Late last year military officials said lower Orakzai had been cleared, but the bad turban threat persisted in some pockets of the upper part of the area.
Posted by: Fred || 09/30/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: TTP


Gunman of Fata MNA found dead in Kurram
[Dawn] The kidnapped gunman of the parliamentary leader of Fata politicians in National Assembly, Munir Orakzai, was found dead in Kurram Agency
...home of an intricately interconnected web of poverty, ignorance, and religious fanaticism, where the laws of cause and effect are assumed to be suspended, conveniently located adjacent to Tora Bora...
on Wednesday.

Mohammad Raja, the bodyguard of MNA Munir Orakzai, was kidnapped from Chapri area a few days ago by unidentified armed persons. His body was found in open fields. No group has grabbed credit for his killing.

The security forces and Levies personnel launched a search operation after recovery of the body and placed in long-term storage two persons under collective responsibility clause of FCR.

In South Wazoo Agency, NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions...
and Afghan army reportedly targeted bunkers of security forces with heavy weapons near Angoor Adda from Macha Dad Kor area along the border. However,
there is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened...
no casualty was reported.

Sources said that NATO and Afghan troops, housed in Macha Dad Kor, fired several rockets and mortar shells at the bunkers of Pak troops deployed at Khwaja Khizar area, near Angoor Adda. However,
it's easy to be generous with someone else's money...
the shells missed target and landed in open area.

Meanwhile,
...back at the shattered spaceship, Fffflirgoll the Arcturan slithered stealthily toward the control room, where the humans had barricaded themselves...
a local orc commander Tehsil Khan and his associates narrowly beat feet a roadside blast in Shakai area of South Waziristan on Wednesday.

Taliban cordoned off the area and started search operation soon after the incident.

In Khyber Agency, a security man was injured when a convoy was attacked with a remote controlled bomb in Bara on Tuesday.

Officials said that a military convoy was on its way to Bara Bazaar when it was targeted near Alamgudar. A soldier was critically injured and a vehicle was partially damaged in the blast.

In Zawa area of Akkakhel, local tribal lashkar burnt the houses of six suspects including a local commander of Lashkar-i-Islam, Said Akram.

In Jamrud, coppers seized 15 kilograms heroin from an Afghan national at Bhagiyarhi checkpost.

The Afghan national was also taken into custody. In Landi Kotal, khasadars defused an bomb planted along the main Landi Kotal-Torkham Road.

Meanwhile,
...back at the the conspirators' cleverly concealed hideout the long-awaited message arrived. They quickly got to work with their decoder rings...
owners demolished their shops and restaurants in Torkham on Wednesday after expiry of the deadline set for them by political administration.

Officials said that the action was taken keeping in view security situation at the border. They said that at least 20 shops and 15 restaurants were declared risky after recent attacks on NATO vehicles near the border.

The owners demolished their shops and restaurants voluntarily but demanded of the administration to provide them alternate place for reconstruction of their outlets.
Posted by: Fred || 09/30/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Pakistan


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Israel retaliates after rockets fired from Gaza
Israeli warplanes took to the air overnight Thursday, retaliating after rockets were fired from Gaza.

Hamas sources said that two rockets were fired into Israel on Thursday night. The IDF said that one such rocket damaged an abandoned building. In response, an Israeli military aircraft targeted what was described as a "terror activity site" in the central Gaza Strip overnight.

"A direct hit was confirmed," the statement added.

At around 1 a.m. Friday, an Israeli missile struck a Hamas military base located east of the al-Maghazi refugee camp, according to Hamas security sources. Israeli warplanes remained in the skies at least 40 minutes later, they added.
Posted by: ryuge || 09/30/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Israel should announce that for every rocket/missile fired at it's civilian population, they will drop a "daisycutter" bomb on a random Gazan town.
And cut off all utilities and payments too.
Make the cost so steep there is but one choice. Knock it off!
Watch hilarity ensue as panic sets in to the entire region.
Next attack on Israel... do it.
There won't be a second attack!
Problem solved.
Islamic terrorists only understand force.
So use force! If they attempt any type of counterattack, Israel should attack forcefully with all the might they can muster.
Public opinion be damned.
Peace thru strength.
Especially now.
Posted by: Mikey Hunt || 09/30/2011 1:39 Comments || Top||

#2  If you look at the pertinent history, Mr Hunt, you'll see that Islam has an amazing ability to be peaceful when confronted with superior force/resolve. However, when the weather changes....
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 09/30/2011 8:44 Comments || Top||

#3  Everyone is just getting in a little practice for the big Paleo statehood celebration. Nothing to be excited about.
Posted by: SteveS || 09/30/2011 10:28 Comments || Top||

#4  The government just approved 1000 more apartments for Jews in East Jerusalem, and has resumed clearing illegal and unsafe buildings inhabited by Arabs near Israeli communities on the far side of the Green Line (if I have my nomenclature right). It seems Prime Minister Netanyahu's government has decided to wait no longer for the Palestinians to step up, and is establishing facts on the ground. Applying both the stick and the bigger stick, if you will.
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/30/2011 11:51 Comments || Top||

#5  ION WAFF > REPORT: ISRAEL SCRAMBLES IAF PLANES TOWARDS TURKISH SHIP.

IDAF = 2 ea. F-15E's.

ALso as per WAFF > THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING. Russia is sending its ADM. KUZNETZOV CV + escorts for three-month deployment into the Mediterranean + Atlantic.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 09/30/2011 23:04 Comments || Top||


Hamas: PA security arrest 2 members from Nablus
(Ma'an) -- Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, on Thursday accused Paleostinian Authority security forces of detaining two party affiliates in the northern West Bank.

A statement from the ruling party in Gazoo said the Hamas members, who were not named, were taken from their villages of Tell and Asira al-Qibliya on Wednesday night.

Both Hamas and Fatah have accused each other of conducting politically-motivated arrests against their members in the factions' respective areas of control.

Under a reconciliation deal signed by the parties on May 4, the former rivals agreed to create a committee to deal with the issue of political arrests and to facilitate the release of Hamas members in PA custody who have not been not charged with any criminal offense.

Party leaders say the release of prisoners is vital for implementation of the deal, but progress appears to have stalled despite previous assertions by officials on both sides that the issue was due to be finalized by the end of September.

In July, a Hamas statement said 68 members had been jugged in the West Bank despite the reconciliation deal.

On Monday, Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmad said that Fatah and Hamas officials were scheduled to meet in Cairo by the beginning of October for further dialogue over reconciliation talks.
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/30/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Southeast Asia
Thai soldier wounded by roadside bomb
The head of a military unit protecting teachers was seriously wounded when a roadside bomb exploded in Yala's Muang district on Thursday morning.

Witnesses said that the bomb was hidden in dense grass on the side of the Yala-Lam Mai road and was detonated as Sgt Suthep led his eight-soldier patrol past the spot, near the village mosque, at about 7 a.m.

The deputy police chief of Yala blamed terrorists militants of the Runda Kumpulan Kecil movement.
Posted by: ryuge || 09/30/2011 00:29 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Iranian Pastor Sentenced to Death: Refuses to Convert
Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who is facing the death penalty, again refused to convert to Islam to save his life. Nadarkhani was arrested in 2009 for the crime of apostasy because he allegedly abandoned Islam for Christianity. As a pastor, Iranian clerics believe that Nadarkhani was preaching in order to convert Muslims.
Then again, he was arrested right after the big protests in Tehran, so maybe the Mad Mullahs™ are going to kill him as an example to others...
Before his last hearing Wednesday, Nadarkhani had been given three previous chances to repent, and all three times he has refused. After his final refusal Wednesday, no verdict has been announced, but many expect that he could be put to death as soon as Friday.

The case has slowly garnered international attention, and there are a number of Christian rights groups advocating for his release.

U.S. House Speaker John Boehner also has spoken out against Iran. "While Iran's government claims to promote tolerance, it continues to imprison many of its people because of their faith. This goes beyond the law to an issue of fundamental respect for human dignity. I urge Iran's leaders to abandon this dark path, spare [Nadarkhani's] life, and grant him a full and unconditional release," said Boehner.

There were rumors on Wednesday night that Nadarkhani's execution sentence was to be waived after the final trial, but contradicting reports indicate that the news was incorrect.

"We've had some reports that there has been a verbal announcement from the court in Iran that the sentence is annulled but we urge caution," said Christian Solidarity Worldwide, a religious group campaigning for Nadarkhani's release. "It's been known that verbal announcements have been directly contradicted by later written statements. We are still calling for international pressure to be kept up."

The American Center for Law and Justice said in a message titled "Troubling News" that the rumors were spread by the Iranian secret service in an attempt to get the media to stop reporting the story. ACLJ said Nadarkhani's lawyer Mohammad Ali Dadkhah called the center Wednesday to say the death sentence hasn't been overturned.

Even if the sentence were commuted, Nadarkhani could still face life in prison. And even if he were released, there would still be danger.

"In Iran about 18 years ago, they had released a pastor, but then came and assassinated him and his bishop later. We cannot stop the pressure," Pastor Firouz Sadegh-Khandjani, a Member of the Council of Elders for the Church of Iran, told the ACLJ.
The Mad Mullahs have had no qualms about whacking people, or whacking people after a show trial for trumped up charges of drug dealing, homosexuality, etc. They're perfectly capable of just shooting him on the street.
Between June 2010 and January 2011, more than 200 people in Iran were arrested for their religious beliefs, according to Elam Ministries, a United Kingdom-based church with ties to Iran.

In August, a pastor named Haghnejad was arrested for the third time, according to Christian Solidarity. Police also confiscated 6,500 bibles, which Iran's social issues committee deemed were being used to deceive youths.

While no one has been hanged for the crime of apostasy in Iran for more than 20 years, the country has the second highest execution rate of any nation in the world. So far in 2011, there have been about 400 executions, a quarter of which occurred in September.
Posted by: Steve White || 09/30/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:


Army Seizes Goods Set for Smuggling to Syria
[An Nahar] The Lebanese army seized on Thursday goods hidden in five small trucks for the purpose of smuggling them to Syria through the town of Deir al-Ashaer, the National News Agency reported.

NNA said a Lebanese army patrol made the discovery on the Kfarqouq-Yanta road in Rashaya.

The military is inspecting the goods, it said.

Last week, a judicial source told As Safir daily that a Lebanese and two Syrians have admitted to trying to smuggle arms to Syria to support anti-regime protestors in the neighboring country.

The newspaper said the army intelligence thwarted the plot after it raided a neighborhood of the Beirut district of Tariq al-Jdideh and tossed in the calaboose Lebanese Ibrahim M. and Syrians Assef F. and Bassel Q.

The army seized in the raid Rocket Propelled Grenades, hand grenades, Kalashnikov rifles, night-vision goggles and Inerga-type RPGs, As Safir added.

Posted by: Fred || 09/30/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria


No Deal in U.N. Security Council on Syria Resolution
[An Nahar] The U.N. Security Council concluded talks on Syria Wednesday without an agreement on a new resolution, after Russia slammed Europe's effort to threaten sanctions against Damascus
...The City of Jasmin is the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the world. It has not always been inhabited by the same set of fascisti...
The 15-member Council discussed rival draft resolutions on the Syria crisis drawn up by La Belle France, Britannia, Germany and Portugal on one side and Russia on the other.

The Europeans have proposed a new resolution in which they drop demands for immediate sanctions but want to threaten President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
One of the last of the old-fashioned hereditary iron-fisted fascist dictators. Before going into the family business Pencilneck was an eye doctor...
with action if he does not end his deadly crackdown on opposition protests.

Russia opposes any hint of sanctions and the latest version of its draft resolution seeks to condemn violence by all sides in Syria.

Germany's U.N. envoy, Peter Wittig, said after the talks that all sides were still committed to delivering a "strong and unified message" to Assad's regime.

"The discussion was a good one," Wittig told news hounds.

"We still hope that... we can get a strong and unified message of the council that the Syrian regime has to stop violence and engage in dialogue," he said.

"We aspire to an early vote because the situation is urgent," he said, adding that discussions would continue on Thursday.

Russia's U.N. ambassador Vitaly Churkin called the European proposal "a continuation of the Libya policy of regime change."

Russia and China have accused NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis....
of using U.N. resolutions on Libya to force out Moammarr Qadaffy
...a proud Arab institution for 42 years...
and say they fear new military action in Syria.

"Let's face it, we have heard statements in various capitals describing what is legitimate and what is not, and we think that this line of thinking and speaking is encouraging violence in Syria," Churkin told news hounds.

He said the Russian resolution "is something which if adopted by the council will encourage the political process in Syria and will help stop violence."

China's U.N. ambassador, Li Baodong, said the final resolution must be "promoting a peaceful solution, promoting dialogue."

The European version, which has U.S. backing, would strongly condemn "the continued grave and systematic human rights
...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty...
violations by the Syrian authorities" and demand "an immediate end to all violence," according to a copy of the draft resolution obtained by Agence La Belle France Presse.

The U.N. body "expresses its determination, in the event that Syria has not complied with this resolution, to adopt targeted measures, including sanctions," the draft adds.

The resolution stresses the need for a "Syrian-led political process" to end the crisis and regrets Assad's failure to follow through on promised reforms. It would call for the naming of a special U.N. envoy on Syria.

European diplomats say they want to speed up the debate on the international response to Assad's clampdown which the U.N. says has cost more than 2,700 lives.

Russia and China have threatened to veto any sanctions resolution brought to the 15-nation council, which has so far only agreed on one statement on the crackdown since mid-March. Brazil, India and South Africa have also expressed opposition.

U.S. officials said U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
... sometimes described as the Smartest Woman in the World and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as Another Elihu Root ...
discussed the action with China's Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in New York on Monday.

In Washington, Clinton's spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the United States was working with its EU partners on the resolution, which she said should have "consequences" for the Syrian regime without actually mentioning sanctions.

"We want a resolution with teeth. We want a resolution that makes it absolutely clear to the Assad regime that the violence needs to end," Nuland told news hounds.

When asked if her calls for "consequences" meant sanctions, Nuland replied: "tightening .... The economic and political noose on the Syrian regime."

Posted by: Fred || 09/30/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria


Terror Networks
Top Ten Greatest Threats to American Security
Kind of a helpful "Playbill"....
Posted by: Uncle Phester || 09/30/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:



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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.
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Steve White
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Two weeks of WOT
Fri 2011-09-30
  Anwar al-Awlaki killed in Yemen
Thu 2011-09-29
  US ambassador Robert Ford pelted with tomatoes by Syrian brownshirts
Wed 2011-09-28
  NTC Fighters Capture Sirte's Port
Tue 2011-09-27
  1 injured, 2 missing as Egypt pumps sewage into Gaza tunnel
Mon 2011-09-26
  Missile targets Afghan president palace
Sun 2011-09-25
  French Envoy Targeted with Eggs, Stones in Damascus
Sat 2011-09-24
  Paleostinians ask UN for statehood
Fri 2011-09-23
  President of Yemen returns home
Thu 2011-09-22
  Series of bombs kills 1, injures at least 60 in Dagestan
Wed 2011-09-21
  Lashkar-e-Jhangvi gunmen kill 29 Shia pilgrims in Pakistan
Tue 2011-09-20
  Murder most foul: Barhanuddin Rabanni assassinated
Mon 2011-09-19
  Fighting erupts in Bani Walid
Sun 2011-09-18
  "Norwegian" held over Danish cartoonist plot
Sat 2011-09-17
  Syrian Forces Kill 46
Fri 2011-09-16
  NTC Fighters Enter Gadhafi Hometown Sirte

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