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Iraq Presidency Council approves US troop pact
Today's Headlines
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Africa Horn
U.N. Urged to Persist With Sudan Leader's War Crimes Case
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court appealed to the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday to resist calls by African, Arab and Islamic states to defer prosecution of Sudanese leader Omar Hassan al-Bashir on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

The prosecutor, Argentine lawyer Luis Moreno-Ocampo, told the council that Bashir continues to oversee a campaign of mass murder in Darfur, in western Sudan, forcing more than 300,000 people from their homes this year and leaving as many as 5,000 people dead each month. "Genocide continues," Moreno-Ocampo told the 15-nation council.

His remarks come about a month before ICC judges are expected to rule on a request by the prosecutor to issue an arrest warrant for Bashir, which would make him the first Arab leader indicted by an international court on war crimes charges.

In recent months, Bashir has persuaded the African Union and the Arab League to press the Security Council to invoke a provision of the international court's charter -- Article 16 -- that allows it to defer action against an indictee. South Africa and Libya reiterated the call for postponement during Wednesday's session, saying such action could undermine peace talks.

Sudan's U.N. ambassador, Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamad, said Moreno-Ocampo was an "unguided missile" who was pursuing a "politically motivated" campaign against Sudan's leader. "We all know that war brings with it atrocities, unfortunately, either in Darfur or in Iraq or in Liberia," he said.
Posted by: Fred || 12/05/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  So...who's the UN sending over to serve the warrant and slap the bracelets on him?
I'll wait for an answer. Probably for a long long time...
Posted by: tu3031 || 12/05/2008 14:17 Comments || Top||

#2  Don't want to prosecute him, want to give him a medal.
Posted by: Last Breath Farm Resident || 12/05/2008 18:19 Comments || Top||


Africa North
Morocco: Madrid bombing trial adjourned
(AKI) - The trial of one of the suspects of the 2004 Madrid bombings has been postponed in Morocco, Spanish media said on Thursday. The trial of Abdelilah Hriz was to begin in the city of Sale, near the capital Rabat, but was immediately adjourned until 18 December after defence counsel requested more time to prepare their case.

Morocco does not extradite its citizens and this would be the first time a Moroccan is tried for crimes committed abroad. If found guilty, he could be sentenced to death.

Under a 1997 accord between Rabat and Madrid, Hriz can be tried for charges in his country of origin for alleged crimes committed in Spain.

An observer from Spain's High Court, or National Court of Spain is due to attend the trial.

Thirty-one year-old Hriz is not directly accused of the attacks that killed 191 people, but instead of belonging to a criminal gang which wanted to commit terrorist acts. He was arrested in Morocco in June 2008 after a request by Spanish authorities issued in December 2007.

Hriz is considered a suspect because his DNA was found in two locations used by terror suspects who blew themselves up when police arrived to arrest them in April 2004 after the Madrid attacks.

Hriz' DNA was found in a comb in an apartment used by the alleged terrorists, in Leganes near the capital Madrid, and on a pair of blood-stained pants at a country house in Morata de Tajuna, outside the capital.

He is facing charges in relation to 191 murders and 1,811 counts of attempted murder, as well as supply, trafficking and the possession of explosive materials.
Posted by: Fred || 12/05/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Europe


Europe
Italy: Muslim group had 'no contact' with terror suspects
(AKI) - Italy's largest Muslim group, the Union of Islamic Communities of Italy (UCOII) says it has no relationship with the two Moroccans suspected of planning terror attacks in the northern city of Milan. UCOII released a statement on Wednesday after the arrest of Ilhami Rachid and Abdelkader Ghaffir, alleged to have been planning attacks on sites including the city's famous Duomo cathedral.

The organisation, led by Nour Dachan, said it had "no kind of contact or relations" with the two Moroccans. It also reaffirmed its opposition to any type of terrorist act, saying it was opposed to Islam.

"In particular we reaffirm: the incompatibility of terrorism with Islamic doctrine, law and culture. The total and indisputable condemnation of actions that lead to the massacre of innocent people or attempts to destabilise society and the subsequent social and civil disorder," the statement said.

Recorded telephone conversations published in the Italian media suggest that Rachid, 31, and Ghaffir, 42, were planning a terror attack on the city's famous cathedral, the Duomo, during this year's forthcoming Christmas festivities.

Tapped conversations allegedly show they also planned attacks on a supermarket, a bar, night club car park, and two police stations, as well as the immigration office at police headquarters in Milan.

The two men do not belong to any terrorist organisation, but closely followed jihadist websites, especially statements by the Al-Qaeda terror network, according to investigators.

Rachid had 'indoctrinated' his two-year-old son, teaching him to recognise photos of Al-Qaeda leader Bin Laden and to call him 'Uncle Osama', investigators said. He also named a younger child 'Osma', according to investigators.

Phone taps revealed he and Ghaffir had initially planned to use a van packed with explosives but then decided to use oxygen cylinders after searching and downloading the bomb-making information from the Internet.
Posted by: Fred || 12/05/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Europe


Italy: Al-Qaeda website users urge terror suspects' release
(AKI) - Users of an an Al-Qaeda website have called for the release of the two Moroccans accused of planning terror attacks in the northern Italian city of Milan. "We are asking Allah to free his prisoners," said one user called Abu Sami, said on the 'al-Shura' website.

Ilhami Rachid and Abdelkader Ghaffir are alleged to have been planning attacks on several sites in the northern Italian city of Milan, including the city's famous Duomo cathedral. They were arrested late Tuesday and police released details of telephone taps during which they planned the alleged attacks.

"Based on Italian law, the two can remain under arrest for an entire year before being formally charged," said an al-Shura user who called himself Abu Ahmad. "A source close to the investigation believes the two detainees were not at the point of carrying out the attack but were only planning it," Abu Ahmad added.

News of the two arrests received little coverage in the Arab press.

London-based daily, Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, was the only Arab language newspaper that reported the arrests.
Posted by: Fred || 12/05/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Europe

#1  "Based on Italian law, the two can remain under arrest for an entire year before being formally charged,"

But, but, what about their HUMAN RIGHTS???? On second thought, when the libs shut down Gitmo, we can send them all to Italy for sanctuary. Wouldn't want terrorists tortured in their home countries, and all.
Posted by: Thealing Borgia 122 || 12/05/2008 10:07 Comments || Top||


Home Front: WoT
"Truth serums" making a comeback?
Fred Schwarz, "The Tank" @ National Review

. . . Truth serums are a class of barbiturates (sodium pentothal is the most common) that simultaneously increase one’s desire to talk and decrease one’s ability to think, with predictable results: The subject says a lot, and since it usually takes some mental effort to sustain a lie, the assumption is that at least part of what he says will be true. The effect is similar to getting drunk, but it’s easier for interrogators to control the dosage.

As with alcohol, truth serums can have nasty side effects and are far from perfect at establishing the truth. Still, no other interrogation technique is foolproof either, and a quick injection or two is a lot less stressful on the subject than most, besides being over more quickly. Truth serums are banned from use by most major Western nations, suppposedly including the U.S. (though in a 2004 note in the Stanford Law Review, not available online, Jason R. Odeshoo argued that “no law at either the state or national level makes the use of truth serum a crime per se"), and given the need for the interrogator to disentangle truth from nonsense, they have no place in a courtroom. But for a terrorist who may have high-value information, is chemically induced honesty a more humane and efficient alternative to techniques like waterboarding? . . .

. . . while nobody will admit to developing a drug specifically for this purpose, recent research has revealed promising ways to manipulate the brain’s chemistry in ways that could promote truth-telling. No single interrogation method will work in all cases, and all must be used with skepticism about what the subject reveals. With these caveats, though, there are some in the intelligence community who would welcome the use of truth serums — not as a panacea, but as one more weapon in the terrorist-fighting arsenal.
Posted by: Mike || 12/05/2008 09:03 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  If it zonks you out that bad, wouldn't multiple sessions that look for consistent answers be fairly reliable?
I've only seen it in movies, so I don't know, but if its as powerful as some recent stories imply you wouldn't be able to tell anything but the truth consistently. Thinking would just be too hard.
Posted by: bigjim-ky || 12/05/2008 11:10 Comments || Top||

#2  How about a cocktail of sodium pentathal and waterboarding?
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 12/05/2008 11:24 Comments || Top||

#3  I'm not sure if waterboarding while ones gag reflex is depressed would be such a good idea, unless you really wanted to drown the guy.
Posted by: texhooey || 12/05/2008 11:40 Comments || Top||

#4  Skip the fancy jazz.

Give me 1/2 hour and a potato peeler. When I'm done they will tell you everything.
Posted by: flash91 || 12/05/2008 13:18 Comments || Top||

#5  This is just silly. Since WWII, psychoactive pharmacopoeia has advanced as much as has electronics. Using a truth serum in a modern, X-Files world, is just laughable.

My first two choices for drugs to get the truth, and fast, would be endorphine inhibitors, that neutralize the bodies ability to create its own pain killers. It is like experiencing heroin withdrawl, in that heroin also turns off the production of endorphines. They would feel every nerve ending in their body, all at once.

The other preferred drug has been mentioned as available for such uses, and causes intense and terrifying fear. Saying "boo!" to someone will make them soil themselves in terror. They will tell you what you want to know in exchange for your not scaring them any more.

The only reason I can countenance water boarding is because it is both very fast, and can be done in very primitive conditions. The US first did a version of this to Moro pirates during the Philippine Insurrection.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 12/05/2008 16:13 Comments || Top||

#6  Excellent analysis #5. We couldn't figure out how our .38 S&W M/P weren't dropping them. heh Regardless, pain/fear inducing torture works, pretty simple.
Posted by: Last Breath Farm Resident || 12/05/2008 18:10 Comments || Top||

#7  Depression can be induced nowadays, anxiety can be induced, euphoria can be induced... or at least one assumes so, given what can be fixed just with diet, exercise and odors (eg lemon for alertness, cinnamon for a feeling of homeyness). Not to mention learnings over the past half century about managing interpersonal interactions, and how to train dogs. (Hattip lotp!) The concept of truth serum encompasses so much more than old-fashioned barbiturates to those who think even a little on the subject.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/05/2008 23:10 Comments || Top||

#8  "They will tell you what you want to know in exchange for your not scaring them any more"

Yeah, that's the problem. They'll tell you what you want to know, regardless of whether it's the truth or not.

Still not seen any evidence to suggest that torture works for anything other than what it was designed to do by the Spanish Inquisition: to produce confessions, not information.
Posted by: Snakes Shaving1019 || 12/05/2008 23:33 Comments || Top||


New DOD IW policy
4. POLICY. It is DoD policy to:

a. Recognize that IW is as strategically important as traditional warfare.

b. Improve DoD proficiency for IW, which also enhances its conduct of stability operations. Stability operations are a core U.S. military mission that the Department of Defense shall be prepared to conduct across the full range of military operations.

c. Conduct IW independently of, or in combination with, traditional warfare.

(1) IW can include a variety of steady-state and surge DoD activities and operations: counterterrorism; unconventional warfare; foreign internal defense; counterinsurgency; and stability operations that, in the context of IW, involve establishing or re-establishing order in a fragile state. (2) While these activities may occur across the full range of military operations, the balance or primary focus of operations gives a campaign its predominant character.

d. Explicitly integrate concepts and capabilities relevant to IW across all DoD activities including doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel, and facilities (DOTMLPF); policy; analysis; exercises; experiments; and applicable strategies and plans.

e. Maintain capabilities and capacity so that the Department of Defense is as effective in IW as it is in traditional warfare
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 12/05/2008 07:09 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  ION REDDIT > IS GOOGLE TRYING TO FORM/CREATE A NATIONAL WIRELESS NETWORK [WiFi]???
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 12/05/2008 21:54 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Pakistani Security Expert Accuses Western/Hindu Zionists of Mumbai Attacks
Posted by: anonymous5089 || 12/05/2008 12:52 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under:

#1  We expected anything else?
Posted by: tu3031 || 12/05/2008 13:22 Comments || Top||

#2  It's like watching the clock go around. You know exactly what's gonna come next.



Posted by: Fred || 12/05/2008 13:37 Comments || Top||

#3  Zaid Hamid is a "security expert" ?

This is a madman who rants on Pak TV. You can see many of his rants on Youtube.

He has been declared Murtidd (heretic) and only his Islamist rants keep the more pious from killing him.
Posted by: john frum || 12/05/2008 13:52 Comments || Top||

#4  Sounds like a perfect Pakistani security expert to me...
Posted by: tu3031 || 12/05/2008 13:54 Comments || Top||

#5  Curse of Allah, angels and momineen be on those liars who claim to be “prophets” after Sayyadna Khatim un Nabiyyeen Muhemmed Rasul Allah (saw). Also cursed and Rajeem are those who follow such liar “prophets” and also cursed are those who accuse innocent Muslims of following such false prophets. There will be no prophet after our beloved Sayyadna, Maulana, Muhemmed Rasul Allah, Rehmat ul lil Aalimeen (saw). May Allah keep us in His serene and blessed noor and Rehma in dunya and Akhira.

May Allah be my witness in both the worlds and forgive our errors, mistakes and sins and have mercy on Ummat e Sayyadna Rasul Allah (saw). Indeed Allah is the best of Protector and most merciful on His slaves.

They have accused me of gravest of sins, called me a Kafir and Murtid, follower of false prophets, running cults, doing khiyanat in wealth of orphans and widows, working for secret services against the State, and sponsoring my own program on News1 through secret funding of dubious agencies. Also, being a fraud by pretending to be a doctor or Professor !
Posted by: john frum || 12/05/2008 14:00 Comments || Top||

#6  Where was he when O.J. needed him? The alibis have run out for him.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon || 12/05/2008 14:35 Comments || Top||

#7  Makes you a spot on Futurist predicting what these jihadi fucks will say.
Posted by: Last Breath Farm Resident || 12/05/2008 18:13 Comments || Top||

#8  Watch out Mustafa, the antipasto is kosher!
Posted by: Jusoque Dark Lord of the Jutes3360 || 12/05/2008 18:33 Comments || Top||

#9  'Momineem'?

There's gotta be a cream or something for that.

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski || 12/05/2008 21:26 Comments || Top||


Pakistani Nuclear Scientist: 'None Of India's Cities Can Remain Safe From Our Missiles'
Posted by: anonymous5089 || 12/05/2008 12:50 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Maybe yhe Indians ought to aim one of theirs at this guy's house?
Posted by: tu3031 || 12/05/2008 13:24 Comments || Top||

#2  And vice versa...
Posted by: Dar || 12/05/2008 13:37 Comments || Top||

#3  And I would bet the Indians could do a hell of a lot more damage to Pakistan than Pakistan could do to India in a nuclear exchange.
Posted by: DarthVader || 12/05/2008 17:13 Comments || Top||

#4  'None Of India's Cities Can Remain Safe From Our Missiles'

And vice versa.
Posted by: crosspatch || 12/05/2008 17:32 Comments || Top||

#5  THAAD and Patriots for the Indians.
Posted by: ed || 12/05/2008 18:29 Comments || Top||

#6  See PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > PAKISTAN MUST DEVELOP AN NUCLEAR ICBM WITHIN FIVE YEARS; + THE US-NATO's GREAT GAME AGZ RUSSIA, IRAN, AND CHINA IN BALOCHISTAN [US CIA, MOSSAD, German BND, Indian RAW INTEL Agencies sponsoring MULTI-REGION = ASIA-WIDE ISLAMIST PROXY TERROR]???

ALso from SAME > UNITED JIHAD COUNCIL [Muttada JIhad Council = 19 KASHMIRI Groups] WARN INDIA AGZ MISADVENTURE. Offer full support to Pakistan. UJC Chairman is Hizbollah Commander SYED SALAHUDDIN.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 12/05/2008 19:22 Comments || Top||


FBI helping India gather evidence on Mumbai attacks
US Attorney General Michael Mukasey says FBI agents are working with Indian police to provide assistance and gather evidence about the Mumbai terror attacks, Hindustan Times reported on Thursday.

Mukasey did not know the nature of the request from the Indian government, but told reporters at the Justice Department on Wednesday "the FBI is looking into any evidence it can get".

He declined to comment on whether FBI -- the US agency charged with tracking international and domestic terrorists and spies on US soil -- is also working with Pakistan. "I can't comment on that."

He also declined to confirm if there was an indication that the people involved in the Mumbai attacks had any contact with people in the US or if the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba -- which India says is the prime suspect in the Mumbai attacks -- "is planning attacks on Indian allies or outside of India".

Asked if the US had any intelligence or any other indication about the attack, the top US law officer said: "I can't comment on that."

Asked about the lessons learned from what happened in India, Mukasey cited the need to get the best intelligence possible about where attacks might occur and to increase security appropriately. "It's obviously a horrible incident, a horrific incident, nothing we ever want to see happen here.

"And to the extent it's an object lesson, it's an object lesson in maintaining vigilance and in the need for surveillance, electronic surveillance and other kinds of surveillance and the need for protection," he said.

Declining to comment on the performance of Indian authorities, Mukasey said: "As far as the performance of the Indian authorities, I'm not in a position to comment on that."

"I'm confident that the people who respond to events like this in the United States are well trained, well disciplined and well able to respond fully," he said. "It's impossible to fully protect every target. Total security is an impossibility," he added.

"You try to anticipate and to get the best, essentially the best in the way of intelligence that you can get so that you can anticipate where the events might occur and provide security in those places. But you can't provide universal security,"

Asked if the state of US surveillance techniques would have picked up something like the Indian attack in advance if it was going to happen in the US, Mukasey said: "I can't conjecture in that way, I really can't."

Jurisdiction: Mukasey said he believed the US has jurisdiction in cases of violence against Americans in connection with acts of terrorism. "It's not a question of my desire. We have jurisdiction. I believe we have jurisdiction over violence committed against Americans in connection with acts of terrorism like this."

Mukasey said he did not yet have enough details to say whether any charges eventually would be brought in the US. "I don't yet have that level of detail and I don't think I could share it if I had it. I know, I mean, I can confirm finally that the FBI is over there, that they're working with the Indian police on gathering evidence."
Posted by: Fred || 12/05/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under: Lashkar e-Taiba

#1  ION MUMBAI, RENSE > INDIAN GROUP - AL QAEDA IS A US CIA-MOSSAD FRONT; + ILLEGAL GROUPS ARE MAKING THE USA UNRECOGNIZABLE. Due to America's unwillingness to correct its illegal immigration woes, Mexico's = "RECONQUISTA" of SW USA may be successfully accomplished in circa 20 years [2029-2030]???
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 12/05/2008 0:15 Comments || Top||


Tribesmen to hand over Taliban to govt by 20th
Machni and Shabqadar elders on Thursday agreed with the government to hand over by December 20 Taliban operating in their areas, and demanded that the administration provide them weapons as APP reported that Haleemzai tribesmen had handed over 21 suspects to the authorities in Ghalanai.

The agreement came at a jirga where officials gave the elders a list of more than 100 Taliban wanted by the authorities. The Yakaghund assistant political agent will give the elders another list of wanted men in two days.

Peshawar Commissioner Arbab Shahrukh had called on the elders to hand over Taliban fighters in their areas by December 20. He warned that if the wanted men did not surrender, their relatives would be arrested and their houses would be demolished.

The commissioner later told reporters that security forces would continue patrolling Shinu Ghundai and Qila Shah Baig areas, although the Taliban had fled amid a military operation -- "which will continue till the locals realise their responsibility to maintain peace".

Charsadda DPO Waqif Khan said that around 600 Taliban fighters were previously operating in Shinu Ghundai and Qila Shah Baig areas, but the majority fled when the military operation was launched.

The jirga was attended by elders from the Tarakazai, Haleemzai, Qasim Khel, Dadu Khel and Barankhel tribes. The second round of talks will now be held on December 20.

Suspects handed over: According to APP, a jirga of Haleemzai tribesmen handed over 21 suspects to the political authorities in Ghalanai, and sought three more days to surrender 16 other wanted men.
Posted by: Fred || 12/05/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under: TTP


'Pakistan mulls downing US drones'
Pakistani officials are urging the incoming Obama administration to stop air attacks on Pakistani territory and are even hinting that they might shoot down US drones in its airspace, according to a report published in the Washington Times (WT).

The report said US forces based in Afghanistan had carried out around 25 strikes this year, most of them by drones, in the Pakistani border region. However, a November 19 attack was carried out in Bannu beyond the Tribal Areas, in the settled areas of Pakistan. After the strike on NWFP's Bannu district, the government summoned US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W Patterson to the Foreign Ministry and lodged a formal protest.

Foreign Office spokesman Muhammad Sadiq said the US ambassador was told that the attacks violated Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Pakistani officials have publicly discussed a military option. Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed said last week that if the government decided to shoot down the pilotless aircraft, the military was fully capable of intercepting them. "The air force is ready for any type of air defence," the air chief marshal was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.

On September 23, a drone crashed inside Pakistani territory near Angoor Ada in South Waziristan Agency. The Pakistan Army said the drone crashed because of a technical malfunction. However, residents in Angoor Ada claimed they shot down the drone.

US officials have told the Washington Times that Pakistan has given tacit approval for attacks that are confined to the Tribal Areas and do not involve US ground forces. A Pakistani official, who asked not to be named, said "these are very sensitive matters" and that the target had to be "a very important asset" to justify an attack.

In public, Pakistani officials vehemently deny any bargain with Washington.
Posted by: Fred || 12/05/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan

#1  Let's test their word...
Take out Khan!
Posted by: 3dc || 12/05/2008 0:23 Comments || Top||

#2  THey need to be more concerned with taking out the terrorists we have to send the drones to hit.

Were they doing their job, our UAV/UCAV would not be in their airspace.
Posted by: OldSpook || 12/05/2008 3:14 Comments || Top||

#3  Further:

"said the US ambassador was told that the attacks violated Pakistan's sovereignty "

The US reply should be:

When you can ACT as a sovereign nation and control activity within your borders to keep it from spilling over, then we will treat you as a sovereign nation. Until such time, you are neither fit for the term, nor deserving of an consideration on those grounds. You are merely an agglomeration of tribes, and will be treated as such.
Posted by: OldSpook || 12/05/2008 3:16 Comments || Top||

#4  "Pakistan mulls downing US drones national suicide"

There, fixed it. Shooting at US military assets would be an act of war. Don't even think about it.*

*warning may not apply during Obama administration.
Posted by: Baba Tutu || 12/05/2008 4:27 Comments || Top||

#5  US mulls flying F-15s between Afghanistan and India.
Posted by: ed || 12/05/2008 7:13 Comments || Top||

#6  I'm mulling having sex with Selma Hayek.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 12/05/2008 10:12 Comments || Top||

#7  US mulls flying F-15s between Afghanistan and India

Mull rolling M1A2s instead.
Posted by: JFM || 12/05/2008 10:28 Comments || Top||

#8  Doesn't Wakiland have much more pressing problems to deal with?
Like their economy?
Barbarians at the gates?
A very pissed off India?
Posted by: bigjim-ky || 12/05/2008 11:33 Comments || Top||

#9  Yeah, well, good luck with that, guys.
Posted by: mojo || 12/05/2008 12:55 Comments || Top||


Rice Increases Pressure on Pakistan
U.S. pressure on Pakistan to act against terror groups behind last week's deadly attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai reached a new peak Thursday as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited this country and urged its leaders to move forcefully and quickly against those linked to the assaults.

Rice, who met with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and other officials near the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, said Pakistan has agreed to cooperate and share information with India about those involved in the assaults in Mumbai. Calling the fight against terrorist elements in the region a "global struggle," Rice said that both India and Pakistan are prepared to work together to root out the perpetrators of the attacks.

"Pakistan is very committed to this war on terror and does not in any way want to be associated with terrorism elements and is, indeed, committed to rooting them out wherever they find them," Rice said.

Rice's visit to Pakistan followed a trip to India on Wednesday and came on the heels of a visit to Pakistan by Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. Mullen met with several Pakistani military and government officials, including Lt. Ahmed Shuja Pasha, head of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate. Like Rice, Mullen emphasized the need to "aggressively" pursue those responsible for the massacre in Mumbai.
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Rice arrived in the region as Indian authorities detailed new revelations about the 10 gunmen involved in the three-day siege that injured nearly 300 and killed at least 174, including six Americans. Indian police officials said this week that evidence gleaned partially from records of a satellite phone and GPS tracking device left behind by the attackers showed that the gunmen made several calls to the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi before sailing from there to Mumbai. Additional calls to Karachi were made during their rampage across the city.
Posted by: Fred || 12/05/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan

#1  Did she deliver just a strongly worded letter, or did she roll out the dreaded FORCEFULLY worded letter with an accompanying finger-wag?
Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) || 12/05/2008 0:22 Comments || Top||

#2  She threatened to play a piano sonata by Charles Ives if they didn't cooperate.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 12/05/2008 7:14 Comments || Top||

#3  Another 'rooting' RINO listening to prepared responses vs action. An inexcuseable waste of jet fuel and resources sending her there. Please forgive me, but I'm beginning to get anxious about the Hilderbeast.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/05/2008 7:26 Comments || Top||

#4  Mullen met with several Pakistani military and government officials, including Lt. Ahmed Shuja Pasha, head of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate.

It'd be interesting to know what was discussed during this meeting.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 12/05/2008 12:09 Comments || Top||

#5  They better else the HRC-Six team will pay a visit: ducks are blind to her movements, she was unstoppable in Bosnia, and she will creep on the baddies like that smell from Uncle Mo's bedroom after eating that 3 day old goat butt roast post-ramadon. The baddies will harvest the jaborwocky every look into the mirror until she quenches he thirst.

Oh, coffee is done.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 12/05/2008 12:20 Comments || Top||


Iraq
Royal Tongan Marine contingency ends operations in Iraq
Thanks, Tongans.
BAGHDAD -- The Tongan Defense Services Royal Tongan Marines held their end-of-mission ceremony at Al Faw Palace, Dec. 4.

In June 2004, the first contingent of 45 Royal Tongan Marines deployed to Al-Ramadi in the Anbar province, under the provincial control of the 1st U.S. Marine Expeditionary Division. Since August 2007, the Tongan Marines have provided 24 hour-a-day security for their fellow coalition service members working at Al Faw Palace in support of Multi-National Force and Corps -- Iraq.

"The time has come for us to bid farewell to the Tongan contingent of the coalition," said Lt. Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, commanding general, MNC-I. "The [Tongan] Marines have given five and a half years of contribution to MNC-I, and we are truly thankful for their participation."

The entire Tongan Defense Service totals 450 service members who are charged with the security requirements of their nation's 100,000 citizens.

"It is no small measure of the commitment and sacrifice when the Kingdom of Tonga contributes 55 of their elite Royal Marines to Multi-National Corps - Iraq, but that's the nature of the Tongan people; friendship and contribution," Austin said.

"They are some of the finest people I have ever come across," said Lt. Col. William Wanovich, battalion commander, Task Force Dragon. "Not only are they hard workers and physically strong, they are dedicated and humble about it."

The military partnership between the United States and the Kingdom of Tonga dates back to World War II when Tonga was one of the first countries to follow the U.S. in declaring war on Japan just days after Pearl Harbor.

"The Tongan soldiers of World War II were thought of highly by the 147th Infantry Regiment, and the 77th Coastal Artillery who fought alongside them. Three Tongan soldiers were awarded the United States Silver Star Medal for valor in combat," Austin said. "I am proud that Tonga's participation in Iraq can now be added to our storied military history as military compatriots."

When the Royal Tongan Marines said goodbye to Al Faw Palace and Iraq, their tremendous contributions to coalition efforts in Iraq became a major part of the new history of Iraq. "We all work together here, and the Tongan Marines were an important coalition partner," Wanovich said. "As friends of the United States, they will be missed here in Iraq."

"Marines, we will miss your professionalism, and equally your high morale and esprit, which is infectious to all of us," Austin said. "It is sad to see you go, but your departure is yet another indication of the progress we've made in Iraq. So, if success here in Iraq means we must part ways, then this farewell is a tribute to our collective success as a coalition, and to the stability of Iraq."
Posted by: Glenmore || 12/05/2008 15:03 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Good men and very tough. Excellent help to have in any kind of fight. Thanks for your assistance, guys. It's much appreciate by our military, even if our incoming government won't even know who you are...
Posted by: Jolutch Mussolini7800 || 12/05/2008 16:10 Comments || Top||

#2  THANK YOU! GOD Bless!
Posted by: Last Breath Farm Resident || 12/05/2008 18:01 Comments || Top||

#3  They may not know, but we do, and properly appreciate the participation of the Royal Tongan Marines.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/05/2008 22:59 Comments || Top||


Iraq Presidency Council approves US troop pact
raq's Presidential Council headed by Jalal Talabani and his two deputies Adel Abdul Mahdi and Tariq al-Hashemi signed the security pact known as the Status of Forces Agreement with Washington on Thursday as violence erupted in the province of Anbar in western Iraq on the same day.

The Council's decision was the final step needed to seal the deal with the United States, scheduled to leave Iraq by the end of 2011 after its invasion under the Bush Administration in 2003.
" The Presidency Council has endorsed the security pact with the United States. That means this pact is put into force "
Naseer al-Ani, Presidency Council chief of staff


"The Presidency Council has endorsed the security pact with the United States. That means this pact is put into force," Presidency Council chief of staff Naseer al-Ani told Reuters.

Yet approval was given on the condition that a referendum will be held on the pact no later than July 30. The pact also replaces the UN mandate for foreign presence in Iraq.

The agreement which caused much controversy and heated arguments between parliamentary blocs last month was made possible by improvements in the security situation in Iraq this past year, according to AFP.
Posted by: Fred || 12/05/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under: Iraqi Insurgency

#1  MUSLIM/ISLAMIC MIL HISTORY suggests there will most likely be a PART DEUX TO THE US-IGA-MILITANT WAR/BATTLE FOR IRAQ, IMO ostensibs after IRAN is successful in dev its own INDIGENOUS NUCWEAPON + LRBM MISSLE CAPABILITIES [2010-2012 absol maxima], which as per MSM-Net sources Iran dev of same appears to be going one in parallel to the other. MUSLIM/ISLAMIC MIL HISTORY ALSO SUGGESTS OR INDICS THAT MUSLIMS TEND TO BE VICTORIOUS THE SECOND TIME AROUND.

Again, and exclusive of the above, iff there is any ISLAMIST HIDDEN-IMAM/MAHDI HE CAN'T PICK A BETTER TIME OR BETTER LOCAL-GEOPOL CONDITIONS TO MAKE AN "APPEARANCE" AND KICK INFIDEL BUTT ONCE AND FOREVER, THAN PER 2008-2012/2016 POST-DUBYA POTUS PERIOD.

D *** NG IT, MORIARITY, EVEN THE LEONIDS [Meteors], ETC. ARE COMING BACK AGAIN FOR A SURPRISE NEW SHOWER IN 2009!
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 12/05/2008 22:33 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Obama's Palestinian Buddy Complains, Whines and Pouts
No one stopped Rashid Khalidi, the Columbia University professor of Modern Arab Studies, at Ben-Gurion airport. Having just landed after the long flight from New York, the professor was anticipating the traditional reception from airport security personnel reserved for visitors with "suspicious" names. To his surprise, he entered the airport like anyone else, with no problems or delays...."...Obama did not visit one mosque or Arab community center throughout the entire two-year campaign, and he never mentioned Arab- or Muslim-Americans in his speeches. Whatever may have been the 'strategic' political reasons for these actions, they show the kind of atmosphere we in the U.S. live in."...
Posted by: mhw || 12/05/2008 10:09 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Feeling UNWELCOMED?
Posted by: bigjim-ky || 12/05/2008 11:07 Comments || Top||

#2  Before China, it was Europe that was going to overtake us. Before Europe it was Japan. Before Japan it was the Soviet Union ...
Posted by: Steve White || 12/05/2008 12:17 Comments || Top||

#3  Obama did not visit one mosque or Arab community center throughout the entire two-year campaign, and he never mentioned Arab- or Muslim-Americans in his speeches. Whatever may have been the 'strategic' political reasons for these actions, they show the kind of atmosphere we in the U.S. live in.

Huh? How many synagogues and churches do Muslim politicians in Muslim countries visit?
Posted by: Zhang Fei || 12/05/2008 14:25 Comments || Top||

#4  ION BIG O, FREEREPUBLIC > EGYPTIAN CLERIC WARNS OBAMA TO CONVERT BACK TO ISLAM, OR ELSE!

See Freerepub also for MULLAH OMAR's WARNINGS.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 12/05/2008 23:06 Comments || Top||


Short of cash, banks in Hamas-run Gaza close doors
GAZA - Bank branches across the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip shut their doors on Thursday, saying they did not have enough bank notes in their vaults to operate normally because of an Israeli-led blockade. "The bank is closed because of the occupation's ban on cash entry," signs read at several branches in Gaza City.

Israel said it opened its border crossings with the Gaza Strip on Thursday for the first time in a week to allow in limited amounts of food, medical supplies and fuel. Israel said it was also allowing foreign journalists to enter for the first time since Nov. 4, when a deadly army raid into the coastal enclave triggered a surge in cross-border rocket attacks by Palestinian militants.

But it was unclear when Israel would allow cash into the Gaza Strip to replenish currency stocks.

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, whose Western-backed government is based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, said earlier this week that there was not enough cash in the Gaza Strip to cover salaries for more than 77,000 government workers there. Fayyad said 250 million Israeli shekels ($63 million) was needed to pay the salaries but that banks in the Gaza Strip had only 47 million shekels ($12 million).
Posted by: Steve White || 12/05/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  It's global warming.
Posted by: newc || 12/05/2008 0:13 Comments || Top||

#2  actually the economy is improving in the West Bank

Fatah is not particularly interested in paying salaries in Gaza because Hamas extorts fees and contributions from all the salaried workers (kind of like Chicago but with no snow and lots of mosques and guns)
Posted by: mhw || 12/05/2008 9:59 Comments || Top||

#3  Next in line for a bailout?
Posted by: Last Breath Farm Resident || 12/05/2008 18:21 Comments || Top||

#4  Serious thought, if the border is sealed, the cash has nowhere to go.
So either everyone is hoarding cash (Unlikely) or there's a major leak in that "Sealed" Border.
Posted by: Rednek Jim || 12/05/2008 19:40 Comments || Top||

#5  With crude oil under $ 60. per barrel mischief bucks from the Magic Kingdom a bit short these days eh?
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/05/2008 19:41 Comments || Top||

#6  Redneck Jim, it's a combination of currency leakage down those Rafah tunnels and inflation due to goods shortages.
Posted by: phil_b || 12/05/2008 19:58 Comments || Top||


Libya complains of Israeli 'piracy' to UNSC
Libya protested in vain Wednesday before the UN Security Council over Israel's interception of one of its cargo ships attempting to offload aid in Gaza.

Ambassador Giadalla Ettalhi told an emergency council session that Israel was guilty of "piracy in the high seas," and called for "effective action that will ensure compliance of Israel with international humanitarian law and the law of the seas". His complaints, however, failed to elicit a formal condemnation of Monday's actions by Israel, which needed unanimous consensus by the council's 14 members - Libya is one of the 15-strong council's 10 rotating members.

Israeli warships on Monday prevented a Libyan cargo vessel, the Al-Marwa, from reaching the Gaza Strip with 3,000 tons of humanitarian aid for the impoverished Palestinian territory, which has been under a crippling Israeli blockade since June 2007. Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Gabriela Shalev, invited to speak at the council meeting even though her country is not a member, rejected Libya's accusations, especially the piracy contention, and in turn charged Tripoli with provocation.

She said that since Libya does not recognise the state of Israel, the interception was justified on grounds of national security. "No member State of this Council, nor any other member of the United Nations, would allow a shipment originating from a hostile state towards a territory that serves as a launching pad for terrorist attacks against its civilians," Shalev said. The Libyan aid shipment is the first effort by an Arab state to circumvent the blockade of Gaza by Israel.
Posted by: Fred || 12/05/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Hamas

#1  Piracy is where they board your ship, loot it and sink it after killing all the passengers and crew, not when they tell you to turn around and go away.
Posted by: mojo || 12/05/2008 12:56 Comments || Top||


Olde Tyme Religion
Egyptian cleric calls Obama to convert to Islam
Posted by: ed || 12/05/2008 07:22 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Ah...someone else for Barry to disappoint.
Posted by: tu3031 || 12/05/2008 12:10 Comments || Top||

#2  As a necessary preface to declaring full jihad on America, no doubt. The forms must be observed, and the kuffir must be given the opportunity to convert voluntarily before you kill them. So sayeth their stupid "prophet".
Posted by: mojo || 12/05/2008 12:54 Comments || Top||

#3  Just what we need ... a President who is a member of a satanic terrorist cult.
Posted by: crosspatch || 12/05/2008 17:34 Comments || Top||


Terror Networks
Were missing Somalis in Minneapolis area recruited for jihad?
Dozens of young Somali men in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area have disappeared in recent months, causing community members and U.S. intelligence officials to fear that they are joining jihadist groups in Somalia. Officials are especially concerned that some of the men may be destined to return to the U.S. after they have received terrorist training.

The missing young men have been the focus of some attention since late October, when Shirwa Ahmed, a naturalized U.S. citizen, died in a suicide bombing in northern Somalia. Ahmed was a 1999 graduate of Minneapolis's Roosevelt High School.

The Twin Cities media have reported that a number of other young Somali men — estimates range from six to 40 — have disappeared from the area. Multiple sources within the local Somali community and U.S. government fear that these men may have returned to Somalia to train, or to participate in jihad against the country's secular transitional federal government (TFG).

"I've come across 10 to 15 mothers crying because their sons are missing," said Omar Jamal, executive director of the Minneapolis-based Somali Justice Advocacy Center. A senior U.S. military intelligence analyst said the number may be even higher, since not all of the families whose sons have gone abroad will report it.

Jamal said the Somali community has seen young men disappear in a number of countries across the world, including Canada, the Netherlands and Australia. Multiple sources within the Somali community have corroborated this account. Dahir Jibreel, who previously served as the TFG's permanent secretary in charge of international cooperation, said, "Other young Somalis went missing in Europe, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere." Jibreel said many of the disappearances occurred simultaneously.

The Somali men who have vanished in Minneapolis are diverse in their education level and job prospects. Some were reportedly linked to Somali gangs, while others have been described as intelligent and studious. Some attended college and appeared to have good job prospects. There is little evidence that these men were radicalized when they entered the U.S.

Abdiweli Ali, an associate professor of economics at Niagara University and a former adviser to the TFG, said young Somalis are being targeted for indoctrination. "There's a huge underclass," he said, "and the kids get involved in gangs and drugs. So every time a kid goes to hang out in the mosque, the parents see that as good. They encourage their kids to go to after-school programs with religion, to youth groups at the mosque." The youths are susceptible to "brainwashing," Ali said. "They are very young, susceptible to any kind of indoctrination. All you need is one rogue imam who tells them the wrong things, and they are susceptible to that."

A senior American intelligence source confirms that Somalis have vanished in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Australia, adding that some people from the Caribbean also appear to have left for Somalia. And not all of the people bound for training or jihad in Somalia have a Somali background, the source said. A man who appears to be Caucasian and is aligned with the Somalia-based terrorist group Shabaab can be seen in a recent jihadist video, and another gave an interview with al-Jazeera (though he wore a facemask when doing so). The source said that at least three African-Americans from the Minneapolis area also are suspected of traveling to Somalia to join jihadist groups.

While Somalis in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area have been puzzled by the simultaneous disappearances in multiple countries, the intelligence source says it can be explained by the reopening of certain training facilities in Somalia, such as those in Ras Kamboni. "School is open for business, so the demand has gone up," he said. The intelligence source said there is a transportation network in place to move fighters to Somalia, including Ruben Luis Shumpert (a Seattle-area barber who was killed this year while fighting for the Shabaab) and Daniel Joseph Maldonado (a U.S. citizen who was arrested in 2007 for undergoing terrorist training). The network apparently has provided forged passports on some occasions, he said.

It is not clear is who is funding the expensive cost of traveling to Somalia. Virtually all of the Somalis who have disappeared in Minneapolis are from impoverished backgrounds. The size of the recruiting network in the U.S. isn't known, and estimates vary widely. But a major concern is what will happen when these young men return to the U.S. after having undergone terrorist training or participated in combat. "Ethiopia has announced that they are planning to withdraw from Somalia," said the intelligence source. "So this problem is just going to get worse."
Posted by: ryuge || 12/05/2008 07:28 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I'm sure Minnesota with 30,000 Somali colonists will hardly miss a few dozen.
Posted by: ed || 12/05/2008 8:23 Comments || Top||

#2  I've cited before that the US Dept of State created a security nightmare (criminal and terrorism) when allowing a hugely disproportionately large number of non-assimilating, Wahhabi beholding Muslims to come to the USA.
Posted by: Hammerhead || 12/05/2008 8:32 Comments || Top||

#3  "I've come across 10 to 15 mothers crying because their sons are missing," said Omar Jamal.

Here’s a hint. If you’re a Somali mother that lives in Minneapolis and suspect your son has gone Jihadi, you may want to ask Omar Jamal. After all, as a principal member of the “Flying Imam Welcoming Committee” he may have some insight into that sort of thing.
Posted by: DepotGuy || 12/05/2008 9:18 Comments || Top||

#4  Saves on welfare benefits surely!!!!
Posted by: Paul2 || 12/05/2008 11:00 Comments || Top||

#5  The Minnesota muzz go on jihad and see the world. If they get killed or blow themselves up it's no problem. The FBI will arrange an escort of your remains back to Minnesota at US taxpayer expense.
What a great country.
Posted by: MarkZ || 12/05/2008 11:09 Comments || Top||

#6  I'm sure Minnesota with 30,000 Somali colonists

Per the Star Tribune, the number is more like 60,000.
Posted by: Frozen Al || 12/05/2008 11:41 Comments || Top||

#7  Tough shit, moms. I don't care if Sonny Boy went back to Ye Olde Sod to blow himself up for Allah. I do care if he's allowed back in if he decides to wage Jihad here. Let's hope somebody's keeping a list and checking it twice...
Posted by: tu3031 || 12/05/2008 11:47 Comments || Top||

#8  Jeeze Al, the welfare benefits gotta be extra good. Must make Maine look like a bunch of pikers.

BTW, 80+% of the family unification visas for Somalis are frauds. DNA tests show no blood relations.
Posted by: ed || 12/05/2008 11:53 Comments || Top||

#9  "It is not clear is who is funding the expensive cost of traveling to Somalia"

Errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, at a guess Piracy?
Posted by: Twonk || 12/05/2008 13:34 Comments || Top||

#10  Remember the TSA's requirement to other countries of a couple of years ago that incoming flights needed to provide a manifest prior to takeoff? this is why. now if Sonny Boy has phoney ID that makes it a bit more challengineg, but otherwise this may end up working as advertised.
s/ probably not, just more inconvienience to the law abiding US citizenry/s off
Posted by: USN, Ret. || 12/05/2008 14:29 Comments || Top||


US targets sanctions at accused German terrorists
The United States announced economic sanctions Thursday targeted at three men accused by Germany of being members of an al-Qaida-linked group.

The three men were charged in September in connection with a foiled 2007 terrorist plot to attack U.S. and German targets in central Germany, the federal prosecutor's office has said. Authorities accuse them of plotting bombings on restaurants, pubs, discos and airports. Fritz Martin Gelowicz, 29, Daniel Martin Schneider, 22, and Adem Yilmaz, 29, also were each charged with membership in a terrorist organization. If convicted, they face a possible 10 years in prison.

The move by the U.S. Treasury Department would freeze any assets the three hold in the United States and would prohibit anyone from making financial transactions with them.

The suspects are accused of being members of the radical Islamic Jihad Union, an offshoot of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, a jihadist group with origins in Central Asia. According to the U.S. State Department, the Islamic Jihad Union was responsible for coordinated bombings outside the U.S. and Israeli embassies in July 2004 in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent. Members have been trained in explosives by al-Qaida instructors and the group has ties to Osama bin Laden and fugitive Taliban leader Mullah Omar, the State Department says.

The group was considering attacks in many cities, including Frankfurt, Dortmund, Duesseldorf, Cologne, Stuttgart, Munich and Ramstein—home of a large U.S. Air Force base—which were to be carried out before parliament voted in October 2007 to extend Germany's commitment of troops to Afghanistan, German prosecutors have said. Despite their well developed plot, authorities say they were never close to reaching their goals.

Gelowicz, Schneider and Yilmaz were arrested in September 2007.
Posted by: ryuge || 12/05/2008 07:13 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Well, that was a complete waste of hundreds of bureaucratic man hours. We now return you to our regularly scheduled program of bread and circuses.
Posted by: ed || 12/05/2008 7:25 Comments || Top||

#2  and what's wrong with these fine boys exercising their politic rights to attack infidels...oops, I keep forgetting that the German Bundestag is still one vote short of Shari Law.
Posted by: Hammerhead || 12/05/2008 8:37 Comments || Top||

#3  Well, that was a complete waste of hundreds of bureaucratic man hours.

Maybe. But if their accounts here were conduits for contributions to the overall groups they belong to, maybe not such as waste after all.
Posted by: lotp || 12/05/2008 17:05 Comments || Top||



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In no particular order...
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Two weeks of WOT
Fri 2008-12-05
  Iraq Presidency Council approves US troop pact
Thu 2008-12-04
  Italy: Police arrest two Moroccan terrs
Wed 2008-12-03
  Abu Qatada back in jug
Tue 2008-12-02
  Zardari sez not to do anything rash
Mon 2008-12-01
  Pak Army Brass Turban: Baitullah Mehsud, Fazlullah are Patriots!
Sun 2008-11-30
  Last gunny killed in Mumbai, ending siege
Sat 2008-11-29
  Sadrists claim security pact 'illegal'
Fri 2008-11-28
  1 terrorist holed up in Taj
Thu 2008-11-27
  Indo security forces engage ''Deccan Mujaheddin''
Wed 2008-11-26
  80 killed, 900 injured, 100 taken hostage in attacks on Hotels in Mumbai
Tue 2008-11-25
  Somali pirates jack Yemeni ship
Mon 2008-11-24
  Holy Land Foundation members found guilty of supporting terrorism
Sun 2008-11-23
  Iraqi forces bang AQI Mister Big in Diyala
Sat 2008-11-22
  Rashid Rauf dronezapped in Pakistain: officials
Fri 2008-11-21
  US strikes inside Pakistain 'intolerable', says Gilani


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