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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan | |
| Jordanians declare war on Zarqawi, tell him to burn in hell | |
| 2005-11-10 | |
| Hundreds of angry Jordanians rallied Thursday outside one of three U.S.-based hotels attacked by suicide bombers, shouting, âBurn in hell, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi!â â a reference to the leader of Al-Qaida in Iraq, the terrorist group tied to the blasts that killed at least 56 people. The protest was organized by Jordanâs 14 professional and trade unions â made up of both hard-line Islamic groups and leftist political organizations â traditionally vocal critics of King Abdullah IIâs moderate and pro-Western policies. Drivers honked the horns of vehicles decorated with Jordanian flags and posters of the king. A helicopter hovered overhead. âWe sacrifice our lives for you, Amman!â the protesters chanted. Other rallies were held across the kingdom, including the Red Sea port of Aqaba, where attackers using Katyusha rockets narrowly missed a U.S. ship and killed a Jordanian soldier in August. Others were in al-Zarqawiâs hometown of Zarqa and the southern city of Maan, which is a known hub for Muslim fundamentalists. Palestinian legislator Hanan Ashrawi said she did not believe al-Qaida âor any of these violent extremists have had support among mainstream Arab opinion at all. Now they are making sure they are turning everyone against them.â
A government spokesman lowered the death toll by one, citing confusion in the early hours after the blasts. He said the number was likely to rise slightly. He said the victims included 15 Jordanians, five Iraqis, one Saudi, one Palestinian, three Chinese, one Indonesian; 30 others hadnât been identified. A U.S. Embassy official said at least one American was killed and at least two others were wounded. Schools, businesses and government offices closed as the stunned kingdom prepared to bury the dead. Earlier Thursday, a posting on a militant Islamic Web site attributed the bombings to Al-Qaida in Iraq, saying that Jordan became a target because it was âa backyard garden for the enemies of the religion, Jews and crusaders ... a filthy place for the traitors ... and a center for prostitution.âThe authenticity of the posting could not be independently verified, but it appeared on an Islamic Web site that acts as a clearing house for statements by militant groups. A separate posting said Al-Qaida in Iraq was also behind a Baghdad bombing Thursday that killed at least 33 people. The nearly simultaneous attacks late Wednesday also wounded more than 115 people, police said. Police detained several people overnight, although it was unclear if they were of suspects or witnesses. The date of Wednesdayâs attack, Nov. 9, would be written as 9/11 in the Middle East, which puts the day before the month. A Jordanian government spokesman declined to speculate on its meaning. But Jordanians were sending text messages that read: âHave you noticed that today is 9-11, similar to Americaâs 11-9?â Iraqi government spokesman Laith Kubba said the attack should alert Jordan that it needed to stop playing host to former members of Saddam Husseinâs regime. âI hope that these attacks will wake up the âJordanian streetâ to end their sympathy with Saddamâs remnants ... who exploit the freedom in this country to have a safe shelter to plot their criminal acts against Iraqis,â he said. He also said Iraqis may have had a hand in the attacks. âThe al-Qaida organization has become as a plague that affected Iraq and is now transmitted by the same rats to other countries. A lot of Iraqis, especially former intelligence and army officers, joined this criminal cell,â Kubba said. Jordanâs Deputy Prime Minister Marwan Muasher said shortly after the blasts that al-Zarqawi was a âprime suspect.â The Jordanian-born al-Zarqawi is known for his animosity to the countryâs Hashemite monarchy. The claim of responsibility did not name King Abdullah II but twice referred to the âtyrant of Jordan.â In the attacks, the suicide bombers detonated explosives at the Grand Hyatt, Radisson SAS and Days Inn hotels just before 9 p.m. The Radisson bombing took place inside a hall where 300 guests were celebrating a wedding of two Palestinians. A smaller wedding was going on at the Hyatt. Initial reports said a car filled with explosives was also found in the parking garage at the Le Meridian hotel, but officials on Thursday said that had not been the case. The suicide bomber at the Grand Hyatt was possibly Iraqi, a Jordanian security official said on condition of anonymity. He said the middle-aged man, who had explosives under his suit, was stopped by suspicious security officials in the lobby. Speaking in an Iraqi accent, the man said he was âlooking around,â and then blew himself up, the official added, saying hotel cameras had some shots of him. Until late Wednesday, Amman â a comfortable, hilly city of white stone villas and glitzy high-rises â had mostly avoided large-scale attacks and was a welcome sanctuary of stability in a troubled region. Al-Zarqawi was jailed in Jordan for 15 years in 1996, but was freed three years later under an amnesty by King Abdullah, the current kingâs father. The Jordanian security source said DNA tests were being carried out to determine the identity of the perpetrators, including two suicide bombers who blew themselves up in two of the separate hotel attacks. A third suicide attacker used a car to attack. The dead included two senior Palestinian security officials. Maj. Gen. Bashir Nafeh and Col. Abed Allun were killed in the attack at the Hyatt, the Palestinian envoy to Amman, Ambassador Attala Kheri, told The AP. Israelâs Foreign Ministry confirmed that an Israeli was killed in the bombings, but had no other details. The Army Radio said that the man was living at one of the hotels, but declined to say which. The state Jordan Television showed Abdullah inspecting the sites of the blasts after returning home early Thursday, cutting short an official visit to Kazakhstan. He later presided over a meeting of his security chiefs, including police and intelligence. Jordan is one of two Arab countries that have signed peace treaties with Israel. It helped the United States in the war on Iraq. The hotels, frequented by Israelis and Americans among other foreign guests, have long been on al-Qaidaâs hit list. Iraqâs interior minister said last month that documents found with a slain al-Zarqawi aide revealed a plan to send some foreign militants home to widen the battlefield beyond Iraq. âSo you will see insurgencies in other countries,â Bayan Jabor told Reuters, adding that hundreds of Islamist fighters had left Iraq in recent months. | |
| Posted by:Uluns Thromosing2130 |
| #21 Other rallies were held . . . in al-Zarqawiâs hometown." That's great. "Palestinian legislator Hanan Ashrawi said she did not believe al-Qaida âor any of these violent extremists have had support among mainstream Arab opinion at all. Now they are making sure they are turning everyone against them.â A delineation/seperation between "extremists" and MAINSTREAM Arab opinion. Love it. |
| Posted by: ex-lib 2005-11-10 23:35 |
| #20 now thats a good way to loose friends and piss off enemies |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2005-11-10 19:30 |
| #19 Fleeing the battle? Or just giving up? Standard desert raider tactics ... when you're losing, give way and attack elsewhere. |
| Posted by: too true 2005-11-10 18:30 |
| #18 I stand informed PlanetDan. I read it and didn't retain. I've a short atten... So hey FSU/Clemson... could be a long season for FSU with another loss, then again Tommy needs a win. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-11-10 18:21 |
| #17 "...Adding that hundreds of Islamist fighters had left Iraq in recent months." Fleeing the battle? Or just giving up? |
| Posted by: imoyaro 2005-11-10 18:15 |
| #16 Z-bat. No virgins for you. Go to the back of the line. |
| Posted by: John Q. Citizen 2005-11-10 18:07 |
| #15 Shipman: Actually, not even sure if he killed ANY Jews.... The Israeli who was killed was an Arab. And from a paleo commentator (AP): "I expect now a significant change in the Palestinian political culture," he said. "For sure, this attack will push Palestinians to reconsider this way of suicide bombings, and I think it would reduce support for attacks that kill people without any differentiation." heckuva cluebat, those bombs. |
| Posted by: PlanetDan 2005-11-10 17:41 |
| #14 Oh great Zarkster- now you've confused American LLL-anti semite-marxists!!! Now they dunno who to back. feggin maroon! |
| Posted by: macofromoc 2005-11-10 17:17 |
| #13 Not to worry. They are young and healthy, and will be making their 27 contributions to the muslim demographics bomb in no time. |
| Posted by: BH 2005-11-10 17:03 |
| #12 Feed really bad about the bridge and groom. This is a failure PR wise for Zarq in the Middle East. |
| Posted by: Cheretle Whens2018 2005-11-10 16:33 |
| #11 Jeeez, killin a Jew, 2 pali intel types, Indonesians in a neutral country in a hotel owned by pals. Brilliant. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-11-10 16:20 |
| #10 Perhaps the Jordanians would like to host and man some of the residences we don't have in Europe for their al-Q friends. That would be much more helpful than troops. |
| Posted by: Gromomp Threatle7482 2005-11-10 16:16 |
| #9 Good to see Islamic terrorism back where it belongs. *sniff* Our little Jordan is a real, growed-up muslim country now! |
| Posted by: BH 2005-11-10 16:13 |
| #8 I wonder if all of those LLL's who were screaming "the hearts and minds" and "the arab street" I wonder if they are now going to stand up and give Bush a HooRaay for a job well done. Or maybe for the next to weeks have parties to celebrate the grim milestone for AQ. Hmmmm I wonder |
| Posted by: C-Low 2005-11-10 14:52 |
| #7 In the next edition of Webster's, they ought to put a map of Jordan under the entry for "stalwart." For contrast, they can put a map of Spain or a picture of Zapatero under the entry for "spineless." |
| Posted by: Mike 2005-11-10 14:43 |
| #6 Hearts and minds, Zark baby. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2005-11-10 14:17 |
| #5 Maybe its a Palesterrorist Land Grab working the other way. The allahs do not like it when they get it. And it is purely for political power as they do not care for their own kind, Witness Iraq. |
| Posted by: Bardo 2005-11-10 14:13 |
| #4 They kept telling us the Arab Street was going to erupt. |
| Posted by: Matt 2005-11-10 13:44 |
| #3 I love seeing the brotherhood of arab love being spread around. Now go kill the al-qaida fuckers Jordan. |
| Posted by: mmurray821 2005-11-10 13:37 |
| #2 Perhaps Jordanian troops could put on some blue helmets and help out in Iraq. Perhaps they should help us deal with Syria by playing the good cop. Perhaps this war on Zarqawi will blow over in a week. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2005-11-10 13:32 |
| #1 I'll second waging war and burning in hell. |
| Posted by: John Q. Citizen 2005-11-10 13:28 |