Go signal or lonely for the sound of his own voice? Time will tell.
In a message released Monday, al Qaeda's No. 2 leader called on Muslims to unite under Taliban leader Mullah Omar, stop trying to form secular governments and instead follow strict Islamic Sharia law. The message from Ayman al-Zawahiri, the top aide to al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, appeared on an Islamist Web site. The video contained a stable still picture of al-Zawahiri, the audio remarks and English subtitles. A text translation also accompanied the tape and was provided to CNN by lauramansfield.com, a Web site that analyzes terrorism.
CNN could not immediately confirm the authenticity of the videotape.
Al-Zawahiri pledged allegiance to Mullah Omar and called on all his followers to reject animosity and differences and come together under Mullah Omar's banner. Mullah Omar is the elusive, shadowy Taliban leader who slipped away in the early days of the war in Afghanistan. The Taliban held Afghanistan with an ultra-conservative government and sheltered al Qaeda. Calling the governments of Iraq and Afghanistan, allied with the United States, "traitors," al-Zawahiri warned that the United States "is about to depart and abandon them,
wait for it...
just as it abandoned their like in Vietnam." But al-Zawahiri did not reserve his venom only for the "Crusaders" and "Zionists." He also targeted the "charlatans" of Islam, saying their "long beards, huge turbans, majestic titles, purported lineages and popular myths are no substitute for the truth." He called on Palestinians to drop their secular government and instead govern themselves by Sharia (Islamic) law. "A sovereign government will only be achieved if you liberate Palestine from the Jews and their agents, and only if you set up a government which rules by Sharia," he said. "Otherwise, the soap opera of embargoes and pursuits and killings and denunciations will just go on and on."
"Like my good friend Fidelito's speeches."
Al-Zawahiri's latest message - like his last released January 22 -- had harsh words for President Bush and the United States.
Line forms to the left. No really, the line starts on the left.
Al-Zawahiri said Bush was "addicted to drinking, lying and gambling" and that "the American people are the ones who chose him twice, out of greed for the Muslims' treasures and in animosity to them. That's why the intelligent person does not absolve them, the British people and all peoples of the Crusader Alliance from responsibility, for they are the ones who elected Bush, Blair and their allies and supported them in their aggression against Afghanistan and Iraq," he said.
Al-Zawahiri also took aim at Democrats, directing a part of his message to them.
Hey! You're going off-message, Screech! No fair! Get Dr. Dean on the phone, pronto!
"The people chose you due to your opposition to Bush's policy in Iraq, but it appears that you are marching with him to the same abyss, and it appears that you will take part with him in the defeat and certain failure, with God's permission," he said.
"And the American people shall discover that you are all one side of the same coin of tyranny, criminality and failure."
#2
The Laura Mansfield web site is great.
Al (Capone) Zawahiri has to stand there with an AK47 by his side to show what great religious insights he's received. What a crummy little thug.
#6
We know already that by the WTC Twin Towers collapse > symbolic of any and all things American going down, including the US DemoLeft/Left. *Interesting - Zawahiri indir warns the Brits = Euros + Amer's other Allies they shall and will suffer violent harm or destruction for not doing anything to stop Dubya-USA. BASICALLY ZAWI IS WARNING GLOBAL DEMOCRACY WILL BE GENER "PUNISHED"??? ALSO, "PLEDGING ALLEGIANCE TO MULLAH OMAR" > means OSAMA is either dead, incapacitated but alive, or otherwise has formally turned over power or partial power to another. I warn again that OSAMA should NOT = NEVER be deemed as dead until his body is recovered and verified. IMO, "MULLAH OMAR" > means Osama is alive but power-sharing. OMAR > NOT A GLOBALIST > sign that Radical islam is indeed in DEFENSIVE MODE. CORNERD ANIMAL > Like Radical Iran and "Mahdi/Jesus in Spring" > means only two options - give up agenda, or attack. Risk is that OMAR is now in charge of defense, while Zawi + Osama? >, etc are in charge of offense.
Yes, we secretly covet goat crap and cheap cologne.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
02/13/2007 5:30 Comments ||
Top||
#8
Well, yeah, Robert, and we covet their $60 a barrel oil that costs $6 to get on the ship.....
Now if we were just taking it, that's be another story.
Posted by: Bobby ||
02/13/2007 6:00 Comments ||
Top||
#9
Wow. Talk about the process of projection, old Ayman has nearly described himself when warning the world about the "charlatans of Islam." He left out the "forehead prayer-horn of piety," the "raised index finger of authority," and the "Khalashnikov of authenticity" on his list of criteria for "spotting the looney" (h/t to Monty Python).
#10
Wait, he pledges allegiance to Mullah Omar? Am I missing something culturally obvious, or did the effective head of al Queda just subordinate himself to the head of the nearest regional insurgency nominally associated with al Queda? Is that a sign of organizational irrelevance, or exposure?
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
02/13/2007 8:05 Comments ||
Top||
#11
Good call Bunyip. Looks like Binny is pushing up the daisies.
Good call, too, Bobby. We ain't stealing the oil, we're buying it.
Now, if they'd stop clipping their women, maybe they'd have good time in the sack and not bother us so much. Seesh.
#13
Patton's comment suits here "I don't want you to die for your country, I want the other poor bastard to die for HIS country".
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/13/2007 11:39 Comments ||
Top||
#14
He also targeted the "charlatans" of Islam, saying their "long beards, huge turbans, majestic titles, purported lineages and popular myths are no substitute for the truth."
Sounds like he's talking about...him.
That's what it's gonna come to. Him and the boys in a big circle, shooting each other in the back of the head because they're not Muslim enough...
#19
Al-Zawahiri said Bush was "addicted to drinking, lying and gambling" and that "the American people are the ones who chose him twice, out of greed for the Muslims' treasures and in animosity to them.
I call apostate! Al-Zawahiri is plagiarizing the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, circa the 19th century, and then the copy cat added a cheezy turban and his wagging stink finger to their act, how unoriginal can you get.
Yes and he's positively unhinged too, Mr. Forehead Lumps is becoming more and more like a deranged DemoCrap with each lecture. yep.. and scowling at us thru them big ass glasses don't help neither!
At least 700 Taliban fighters have crossed from Pakistan into Afghanistan to reinforce guerrillas attacking a key dam, a major source of electricity and irrigation, a provincial governor said on Monday. We have got confirmed reports that they are Pakistani, Uzbek and Chechen nationals and have sneaked in, Helmand Governor Asadullah Wafa told Reuters by telephone. The Kajaki dam has seen major fighting in recent weeks between the Taliban and NATO forces, mainly British and Dutch. NATO-led troops have been conducting operations in the area for several months to allow reconstruction on the dam and the power transmission lines to boost output, after fighting halted refurbishment last year.
A spokesman for the NATO-led force confirmed rebel movements in the dam area, including across the border, but could not confirm the governors numbers or any other details. Built by the Soviets in 1953, the dam irrigates about 285,000 acres of farmland and two hydroelectric plants built by the United States in 1975 have a capacity of 33 megawatts. A third plant is planned, which would almost double that capacity by 2009. Wafa said the Taliban fighters were brought in by local commanders for a joint operation with Al Qaeda. They are planning to destroy the Kajaki dam, he said, accusing Pakistans military intelligence agency, ISI, of providing training and logistical support for the guerrillas. Pakistan is supporting the Taliban in order for them to keep fighting on in Afghanistan. They dont want Afghanistans development and reconstruction, he said. Pakistan denies continuing to support the Taliban.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/13/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11130 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
The Kajaki Dam project and investment will be a benchmark for the future development of Afganistan . It must be defended at all costs for the next 10 years at least .
#2
That project, and education in general, must be protected. Give handgun training & equipment to every Afghan in the local education establishment, especially the women.
#5
I count on Rantburger's to educate me in military operations as I was never in the military. But would'nt this be the time that you block thier path back (I'm sure easier said then done), then root them out? Tell the Pak's, anybody going into Pakistan on any of these routes are dead meat.
#6
Great Start plainslow, #5; In addition, stake skull and crossbone posters in a 25 mile out ringarc of the dam, the Dead-Zone by which no questions are asked. Everything larger than a scorpion gets Napalm'd or MOAB'd!
#9
stake skull and crossbone posters in a 25 mile out ringarc of the dam, the Dead-Zone by which no questions are asked. Everything larger than a scorpion gets Napalm'd or MOAB'd!
Why not go one better- herd 'em to a point below the dam. Then blow up the dam and wash 'em all away!
#13
Actually, I see a blocking force being airlifted in between the tallibunnies and the pakiwackiland border, then an assault from three sides by SF, Brits, Dutch, Canadian and US forces, forcing them back into the blocking force. You have to literally surround them to keep them from "fading into the rough Afghan terrain". Do it now, when there's plenty of snow on the ground to make tailing them easier. Need to use the same methodology against the nutters holed up in Musa Qala, but there at least the allies can use artillery and anything else they wish.
Pakland is neck deep in the talibanned crap and needs to be burned, badly. I'm sure a few ARCLIGHT strikes through their major cities would discourage them from any further support of the talibanned.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
02/13/2007 14:35 Comments ||
Top||
Afghan and international troops killed several Taliban fighters in a hunt for a top militant leader on Monday as officials reported that six more insurgents and five policeman died in separate fighting, while a Taliban spokesman said that thousands of the groups fighters were currently in the southern province of Helmand.
The United States-led coalition said in a statement that a battle had erupted in when militants fired rocket-propelled grenade at Afghan and coalition troops looking for an insurgent with ties to Taliban chief Mullah Mohammad Omar. It said that an assessment of damages from the early morning battle near the town of Gereshk had yet to determine the number of terrorists killed. It did not say whether the targeted man was among the dead. While the militants name is not known, he has also been linked to Mohammad Osmani, who was killed in Helmand in December and remains the highest-ranked Taliban leader killed by the coalition since the fall of the hardline regime in 2001.
The statement added that the joint Afghan and coalition assault had been based on substantial information. An Afghan soldier was wounded when a vehicle overturned.
Separately, the governor of Khogyani district in the eastern province of Nangarhar, Haji Zalmai Khan, said that a roadside bomb struck a US convoy on Monday, wounding an American soldier. Suspects were arrested soon afterwards, he added.
There were also clashes in the southern provinces of Uruzgan and Zabul, Afghan officials said. Six Taliban were killed and a dozen arrested late on Sunday after a battle near Tirin Kot, the Uruzgan capital, provincial spokesman Abdul Qayoom Qayomi told AFP, adding that three policemen had been killed and four wounded. In adjoining Zabul, Taliban attacked a police convoy and killed two of the policemen. One wounded Taliban was arrested and two more suspects were also apprehended nearby, highway police commander Ghulam Jailani Khan told AFP. Meanwhile, a purported Taliban spokesman, Yousuf Ahmadi, claimed on Monday that there were thousands of Taliban in Helmand. Foreign military officials downplayed the claims.
This article starring:
MOHAMAD OSMANI
Taliban
YUSUF AHMEDI
Taliban
Posted by: Fred ||
02/13/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11128 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Suspects were arrested soon afterwards,
Round up the usual suspects?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/13/2007 9:57 Comments ||
Top||
(SomaliNet) Amid the violence against the interim government and Ethiopian forces, unidentified gunmen have attacked the house of trade minister professor Abdulahi Afrah in Somalia capital Mogadishu on Monday night. The gunmen have thrown a grenade bomb into house, located in Suuq Bacad market, north of the restive Mogadishu around 8:30pm local time. The guards at the house responded with gunfire while the attackers escaped unharmed. There is no immediate casualty on the latest attack as the minister was in his house in the time of the attack.
Elsewhere in the capital, the sound of heavy artillery and rocket fires could be heard throughout Mogadishu particular around the presidential compound and the seaport where are heavily guarded by the allied forces of Somalia and Ethiopia. Several mortar rounds were reported to have hit the presidential palace and the seaport. No casualty has been reported so far.
Residents living near the villa Somalia say that the Ethiopians were firing artillery shells in response to the attackers. Other developments say that short time fighting happened in Dharkenley neighborhood, west of the capital where the government forces stayed in the districts police station clashed with unknown assailants who had launched an ambush attack. No one can verify the exact casualties of the latest attacks but the many people are feared to have died or injured in the violence.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/13/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11130 views]
Top|| File under:
DUBAI (Reuters) - The Al Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility for the deadly bombings in Algeria on Tuesday, al Jazeera television said. It said the group, previously known as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, made the claim in a telephone call to its office in the Moroccan capital Rabat. "Qaeda's organisation in the Islamic states of Maghreb adopted the bombings in Algeria," Jazeera said.
Seven bombs went off almost simultaneously in Algeria on Tuesday, killing six people east of the capital Algiers.
Posted by: Steve ||
02/13/2007 12:17 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11125 views]
Top|| File under:
The Supreme Court (SC) yesterday stayed execution of condemned militant Khaled Saifullah until February 19. Chamber judge of the appellate division of the SC Justice Amirul Kabir Chowdhury delivered the order following a review petition of Khaled Saifullah for reconsidering the death sentence against him. The court also directed for hearing the matter at the full bench of the SC.
On November 28 last year, the full bench of the SC headed by Chief Justice Syed JR Mudassir Husain rejected the petitions of six of the seven sentenced to death Islamist militants including Saifullah seeking permission to appeal against a High Court (HC) judgement upholding the sentences. The seven had been convicted of killing two Jhalakathi judges. Additional District and Sessions Judge of Jhalakathi Reza Tarik Ahmed sentenced JMB chief Abdur Rahman, its second-in-command Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai, Majlish-e-Shura members Ataur Rahman Sunny, Abdul Awal and Khaled Saifullah, suicide bomber Iftekhar al Mamun, and absconding Asadul Islam alias Arif to death by hanging, and acquitted another one on May 29. The High Court (HC) upheld the trial court's verdict on August 31. After rejection of his appeal, Saifullah filed a review petition in the SC.
This article starring:
ABDUL AWAL
Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh
ABDUR RAHMAN
Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh
ASADUL ISLAM ALIAS ARIF
Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh
ATAUR RAHMAN SUNNY
Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh
BANGLA BHAI
Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh
IFTEKHAR AL MAMUN
Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh
KHALED SAIFULLAH
Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh
SIDIQUL ISLAM
Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh
Posted by: Fred ||
02/13/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11125 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Kill two Judges, then ask the other Judges for mercy? He's A dead man.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/13/2007 10:02 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Correction, he's a dead idiot.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/13/2007 10:11 Comments ||
Top||
#3
No. Someone Big pulled some strings to get these idjits off the scaffold. Pfeh.
Four Britons detained in Somalia on terrorism charges have been been returned to the UK today, but could be back on the streets within hours. The Metropolitan Police have nine hours to detain the four men before they are arrested or released under the Terrorism Act.
The men flew from Nairobi in Kenya and landed at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire at 6.50am today, where they were detained under the Port and Border Controls of the Terrorism Act 2000, a police spokeswoman said.
The four men were originally detained by the Kenyan authorities on the Somalian border on January 20. No British consular access was granted. They were deported to Somalia on February 10 and negotiations began between Foreign Office officials, the Kenyan and Somalian authorities. It was agreed that the men should be returned to the UK and their journey was arranged by the Foreign Office.
Yesterday, consular staff from Nairobi travelled to Baidoa in Somalia and accompanied the men back to Kenya. They were flown out almost immediately and arrived in the UK this morning. A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said: "At approximately 6.50am today four men were detained under Ports and Borders Controls following their arrival at RAF Brize Norton.
"The men, all in their 20s and from the London area, were taken to a west London police station where they are currently detained. They have not been arrested." The spokeswoman said the men were detained by the Kenyan authorities after crossing the border from Somalia.
Last month, there were reports Britons had been fighting alongside the Islamic forces with some killed, injured or captured in the fighting. Somalia's deputy prime minister also claimed some financial support for the Islamic militant movement in his country was coming from the UK.
(RIA Novosti) - Seven people have been killed in Chechnya, a troubled region in Russia's North Caucasus, since the beginning of the year, a top military official said Monday. "Four military servicemen, two Chechen Interior Ministry's officers and a local civilian have been killed in Chechnya since the beginning of the year," Andrei Krivonos, the republic's Commandant, said at a session of heads of local law enforcement bodies, attended by Chechen President Alu Alkhanov.
He added that during the same period, six militants were killed and 11 detained. "In all, seven explosions, two shootings and six armed clashes have been registered since the beginning of the year," Krivonos said, adding that three bases of militants and 14 arms caches were destroyed. 7 to 6, eh? Close game.
Although the latest war in Chechnya officially ended in 2001, which together with the first left up to 100,000 Chechens dead, periodic bombings and clashes between gunmen and Federal troops still disrupt the republic's comparative calm, with the violence often spilling over into adjacent regions. According to statistics over 50 militants were eliminated and over 500 surrendered to Federal Forces in 2006. Things dropped off fair drastic after Shamil bought his farm.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/13/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11124 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Wouldn't it be hilarious if some of the weapons, of the same type the Russians were sending to Hezbollah, via Syria, were used to take down a few Russian aircraft?
#2
Probably what it'll take to convince Puty that Selling arms to Islamics is a really bad idea.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/13/2007 10:09 Comments ||
Top||
#3
My impression is that 10 years is the magic number. If we're still in Iraq six years from now, I suspect the insurgency will have been whittled down to a nub.
The Russian defense minister said that Russia had succeeded in its war in Chechnya, defeating separatists and what he called their "emissaries from 50 countries."
"We have scored a success in Chechnya," the defense minister, Sergei Ivanov, said Sunday. "The problem has been solved." All they had to do was kill a succession of Arab Masterminds and finally bump off Shamil. Even Maskhadov wasn't essential, though it's nice that he's dead.
Ivanov, speaking at the Munich Conference on Security Policy, underscored the Kremlin's confidence that the second war in Chechnya since the dissolution of the Soviet Union had largely ended, and that the separatists' ranks had been shrunk by military operations and offers of amnesty.
The second Chechen war began late in 1999. There has been a sharp turn in Russia's favor since late 2004, and the insurgents have not conducted a large-scale guerrilla operation since 2005 or a major terrorist attack since the seizure of a public school in the autumn of 2004. Attacks still occur in and near Chechnya, and an insurgency persists, mixing militant Islam, separatism and local vengeance codes. But the pace of fighting is much slower than it was two years ago and many of the insurgency's principal figures including Shamil Basayev, the militant leader have been killed since 2005. The turnaround has defied predictions from many analysts, who said that the army was hopelessly bogged down in Chechnya and that its rough and often indiscriminate tactics were creating more insurgents than were killed. So much for that hackneyed argument. Let's try this as a model:
Kill all the money men that show up - like Khattab, al-Walid, and the rest of them.
Kill the links to the money men in Arabia, like Yandarbiyev.
Kill as many of their leadership as you can track down, like Maskhadov and Sadulayev.
Kill the organizational equivalent of Shamil.
If necessary, make a desolation and call it peace.
I say "nice job" to the Russers.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/13/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11125 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
I note that since Beslan the West has backed way off on its public anti-Russian rhetoric regarding Chechnya; I would not be surprised if governments like the US even gave support to the Russians - quietly.
#2
I concur... there was a fair degree of concern for the poor, poor, pitiful Chechens, ground under the brutal hell of Russion opression, or at least there used to be the occassional story about their sufferings on NPR. I used to feel rather sorry for them as well, but the absolute vileness of the Beslan seige scotched all that. Beslan made the Chechen nationalists absolutely untouchable in terms of Western sympathy. I'm pretty sure I wasn't alone in thinking afterwards "Eh... the Russians can do what they like with the freaks who could do such a ghastly thing as Beslan!"
#1
Little hollow at the moment with little substance , but hey are they caving in to internal and diplomatic pressure ? Or are they gonna take the money and eeer run !
#6
The phrase "Hands up and drop the nukes." comes to mind, but don't see that anywhere in the fine print. Lucy-Football-Charle Brown Part Deux begins. So the financial albatross is removed from Chinese necks and placed upon the US taxpayer. No thanks. I'll wait for the collapse.
Posted by: ed ||
02/13/2007 7:10 Comments ||
Top||
#7
The definition of insanity. You keep doing the same things over and over expecting different results.
#8
John Bolton disagrees too. "I am very disturbed by this deal," Bolton told CNN. "It sends exactly the wrong signal to would-be proliferators around the world: 'If we hold out long enough, wear down the State Department negotiators, eventually you get rewarded,' in this case with massive shipments of heavy fuel oil for doing only partially what needs to be done."
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
02/13/2007 7:54 Comments ||
Top||
#9
no ignorant comment from Carter or Halfbright? Perhaps even they know it's a ruse
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/13/2007 8:27 Comments ||
Top||
#10
"Lucy-Football-Charle Brown Part Deux begins"
Mebbe. this time though Skor and more importantly China have inked the deal. If Nkor pulls the ball away its now on Chinas back to help enforce the deal. Which is at least some progress.
#11
Ha! You my #1 fonny man LH. Next we talk protection of intellectual property rights.
Posted by: ed ||
02/13/2007 9:29 Comments ||
Top||
#12
Isnt this why we were insisting on 6 party talks instead of the direct US-Nkor talks the left was calling for? What was the point of that if not to reach an agreement?
#13
The definition of insanity. You keep doing the same things over and over expecting different results.
Our government is completely fucking insane.
These idiots don't know how to do anything else. Probably, not one of them has ever been in a fist fight. They're sniveling cowards, everyone of them. The day is coming.
#14
Stall for time and increase the pain until collapse. The rationale for 6 party talks was to keep the SKs from offering more $500 million bribes for Roh to be seen on camera with Kimmie and make China lose face from supplying Kimmie more than what the 6 parties mutually agree upon.
Now you have reality of Kimmie keeping the nukes already made and getting freely millions of barrels of oil, feeding his army, and money laundering facilities reopened. The US, SK, and Japan will carry the burden on keeping Kim and his murderous cohorts waist deep in Hennessey's and prostitutes, with the added benefit of an half the SK Cabinet blown up every now and then. Do you really think that's a good deal?
Posted by: ed ||
02/13/2007 9:51 Comments ||
Top||
#15
They blackmailed us again. They get more aid and heating oil for saying they might quit, eventually.
Goddamn fucking bureaucrats. They are gonna be the death of this country.
#18
If that is the case, Al, it should be extradited by more sanctions and the psyops to the people of North Korea. Not by dragging out the inevitable with more aid. I guess Washington likes watching little peasant Norks starve.
#19
"Stall for time and increase the pain until collapse."
NKor however was aware of that, and had an incentive to give up its nukes to avoid the pain and the collapse. And get at least as much as had been offered before.
Dont forget, nukes or no nukes, Nkor still has all those artillery pieces aimed at Seoul, and we have a huge piece of our military in the Indian Ocean aimed at Iran (beyond the part thats on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan) They have leverage, and ours is limited.
#20
I saw a Charlie Brown parody that applies here, Lucy held the football, Charlie Brown came running up and kicker Lucy out of the panel, So If Nokor snatches the ball away again, kick the shit out of them.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/13/2007 10:32 Comments ||
Top||
#21
Kicked, Dammit.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/13/2007 10:36 Comments ||
Top||
#22
Don't forget Liberalhawk, the ROKs are very, very good right now. If the NORKs wanted to try anything silly, our air force would hurt them and the ROKs would break them. I'm not too worried about most of our light military forces being tied up. Now if China wanted to throw in, then things would get messy.
The United States will begin bilateral talks with North Korea to normalize their relations and will begin the processes of removing North Korea from its designation as a terror-sponsoring state and also ending U.S. trade sanctions. No deadline was set.
Japan will begin bilateral talks with North Korea to normalize their relations.
After 60 days, foreign ministers of all the countries will meet to confirm the implementation of the agreement and talk about security cooperation in northeast Asia. Some countries will hold a separate forum on negotiations for a permanent peace settlement to replace the 1953 cease-fire that ended the Korean War.
The North must provide a complete list of its nuclear programs and disable all existing nuclear facilities. In return, the North will get aid in corresponding steps worth 950,000 tons of heavy fuel oil details of which will be addressed in later working group discussions.
Five working groups will be created: denuclearization, U.S.-North Korea relations, Japan-North Korea relations, economic cooperation and on a peace and security mechanism in northeast Asia.
The six-nation talks will meet again March 19.
No mention of giving up the nuclear weapons at all. Only disabling their plutonium making reactors. Means Kimmie has confidence in the uranium enrichment centrifuges from Pakistan and Iran (trade for ballistic missiles, much easier to hide than nuclear reactors, powered by South Korean electricity).
Posted by: ed ||
02/13/2007 10:59 Comments ||
Top||
#24
Trust but verify. This from Tigerhawk --
First, a quote: This is the Libya model, said one senior administration official, referring to Libyas decision in late 2003 to turn over all of the equipment it had purchased from the secret nuclear network run by the Pakistani scientist, Abdul Qadeer Khan, to produce bomb fuel. In that agreement, both the Libyans and the United States executed a series of steps, in a carefully negotiated order, that rid the country of nuclear technology and ended its isolation.
Then, from Tigerhawk,
This is not a "freeze," such as that negotiated by the unilateralist Clinton administration, which would leave Pyongyang in a position to restart its program with but a single decision. It is, apparently, a verifiable elimination of North Korea's program. And if it is indeed as transparent as the Libya deal, we will learn an awful lot about the extent of Pyongyang's illegal proliferation. It would be useful to know whether the North Koreans have, for example, been helping Iran (the revelation of which would fairly decisively confirm the "axis" part of the "Axis of Evil").
Let's hope he's right. Basically, first, Norks give up something, then they get something. Lucy's football is now placed, waiting for Charlie Brown. And we know Lucy always moves that ball.
#26
Forget the Libya model. Apparently, that was the direction over the weekend, but it looks like this deal is 1994 all over again: We make energy aid and other concessions to them in exchange for their mere promise to take initial steps toward denuclearization.
Andy McCarthy at The Corner
#27
this is preliminary. Most of what Nork wants it doesnt get yet, and presumably getting the rest will depend on giving up all nukes. And this also means giving up BOTH plutonium and uranium programs, so its better than what Clinton got. Also China is implicated in it, and will have major pressure to come through if NORK cheats which would also make it better than Clintons deal.
Look, guys, I have every reason to want to say that Bush did no better than Clinton did, and I suspect Dems will be saying that very soon, if they arent already. But I dont think that position will stand.
#29
the closure of Yongbyon would be very very big, both for its potential to supply plutonium for bombs but also it is a major blow to the NKor 'prestige' game.
nothing like this happened in Libya;
nothing like this happened in 1994
Certainly it is possible that NKor has some enriched uranium somewhere but the effort to keep that stuff hidden is expensive and the longer it is hidden the more difficult it is to use the stuff to make a nuclear bomb (and remember, NKor mostly hosed their first test on this)
#30
Seal Pyongyang? How long did it take them to unseal it last time? Five seconds? That facility ought to be destroyed.
Their tunnel system and all other secret facilities ought to be accessible. No more plausible deniability.
All countries involved give permission to nuke or at least drop truly meaningful sanctions on them if the NorKs break the agreement? What level of proof is necessary? Do we get total and immediate access to all sites to look for contraband?
I don't think we need access to secret documents, just the physical location to look for centrifuges and traces of radioactivity, etc. I doubt that they have any secrets worth knowing except who's who in the black market nuke world, etc.
Posted by: Captain America ||
02/13/2007 18:26 Comments ||
Top||
#34
Actually, considering the naked self-interests of the elites in both China and South Korea, this deal is probably the best the West could get. The Chinese do NOT want a capitalistic unified Korea sitting on their border - it is way too porous and information and money leaks across {think of the US/Mexican border}. Also, the Chinese have been talking up the fact that North Korea was once part of the Chinese Empire, like they did about Tibet prior to invading and absorbing it. What the Chinese do NOT want is a collapsing North Korea, sending a couple of million starving refugees across the border, especially since many of those refugees would be army and police units with all of their weapons in hand.
The South Koreans may talk a good game about reunification but they really do NOT want to be stuck rebuilding a North Korea that makes East Germany immediately after WWII look attractive. The SoKors have been able to have their cake and eat it too for the past two decades : they keep spouting off about reunification, and they had Uncle Sugar's 37000 troops on their border, protecting them. Now the US is moving the troops much further south and the NorKors are spiraling down fast enough to scare both the Chinese and the SoKors.
If it is a Libya East deal, then we will learn more about the international nuclear arms trade, and get a ton of insights into Terhran's program, including sites that we don't know about yet. Remember, the Libya deal gave us the actual names of the proliferators, their companies, bank accounts used, and contacts in other countries looking to build nukes.
#36
The NORKORS will reportedly get first only a minor portion of heavy oil - to get the remiander they must VERIFIABLY declare any and all nuclear programs both energy + weapons-related, etc. WORLDNEWS > let the Spin begin > North Korea is reporting in local Norkie medias that the above stated first iinstallment is only a MINOR TEMPORARY SUSPENSION in its nuclear agenda/ambitions.
Japan will not provide energy aid to North Korea under the six-nation nuclear disarmament accord struck in Beijing unless progress is made in resolving the fate of Japanese citizens abducted decades ago, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tuesday. But Tokyo will still support the agreed-to framework, which promises North Korea energy supplies in exchange for giving up its nuclear ambitions. Japan's contribution will come through helping assess the communist nation's energy needs.
An Iraqi man has been charged in Germany with transferring money to his home country to finance the radical Islamic group Ansar al-Islam, federal prosecutors said Tuesday. The 37-year-old, identified only as Burhan B., was charged Jan. 12 with membership of a terrorist organization and violating foreign trade laws. He was arrested last June at Frankfurt airport and has been held since in investigative custody.
Prosecutors said he was in contact with Ata Abdoulaziz Rashid, who is accused of playing a central role in Ansar al-Islam's European network. Rashid is one of three Iraqis currently on trial on charges they plotted to kill former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi when he visited Berlin in 2004.
Burhan B., prosecutors said, made at least three transfers totaling 22,000 (US$28,500) to Ansar al-Islam in Iraq on Rashid's behalf to finance "violent jihad," prosecutors said. The transfers were made between November 2003 and May 2004. "Through these money transfers he supported terrorist activities and at the same time violated foreign trade and payment laws," the prosecutors said in a statement.
Rashid and two co-defendants were arrested in pre-dawn raids on Dec. 3, 2004, hours before they allegedly planned to attack Allawi in Berlin. Prosecutors have not said what kind of attack was planned at a business forum at a bank in downtown Berlin, which was canceled.
German authorities have had suspected supporters of the group under intense scrutiny since late 2003, when an Iraqi was arrested in Munich for allegedly channeling men and money to Ansar al-Islam. Amin Lokman Mohamed was convicted last year of membership of the group and smuggling volunteer fighters from Europe to Iraq. He was sentenced to seven years in prison.
A notice outside a barbers shop in Khar bazaar of Bajaur Agency requesting customers not to push barbers to shave their beards is making some tribal youths defiant.
Hazrat Jan, 30, terms the barbers unanimous decision to stop shaving mens beards following militants threats as unacceptable.
This is an unacceptable decision. I will roam around clean shaven as a sign of protest, Jan told Daily Times over the phone from Khar.
Residents of Khar said that local barbers decided not to shave their customers following threats by militants that the practice was un-Islamic and violators would be punished. Some 80 percent of customers visit barber shops to shave their beard and the militants threat will hurt the barbers economically. We are facing a financial crisis, Amin Gul, a local barber who decided like others not to shave mens beards, told Daily Times.
Subhanullah, another resident of Khar, described the militants pamphlets as forced enforcement of Islam. We, as tribes, cannot accept it, the 25-year-old resident of Khar told Daily Times.
The political administration has confirmed that the barbers were threatened, but it appears helpless in providing security to the barbers. Security analysts, asking not to be named, said that militants would use Bajaur as a base to expand their brand of Islam to the northern districts of the NWFP after the southern districts are increasingly influenced by the spread of Talibanisation.
The Taliban are using Janikhel in Bannu as a base to spread their message across Bannu, Lakki Marwat and Karak districts. The Jandola area in Tank is a base used for similar reasons in Tank and Dera Ismail Khan, they said, adding that the Taliban had now made Darra Adam Khel a new base to spread to Peshawar.
The analysts said that security in Khar was deteriorating and the residents had now started viewing the deployment of security personnel in the area as a security threat. They added that some shopkeepers were now stopping paramilitary personnel from standing near their shops to avoid being caught in the middle of militant action against security forces. People move away from government vehicles because the militants can blow them up through an improvised explosive device or remote-controlled bomb, a local journalist told Daily Times.
The journalist said that Khar residents suspected that tribal militants had distributed the anti-shave pamphlets, but militant commander Maulvi Faqir Muhammad has denied that his group is involved.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/13/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11127 views]
Top|| File under:
#2
I repeat, post a notice on the Mosque that if anything happens to any barbers, the Mosque and all within will be destroyed by fire, leave absolutely no clues who posted, and follow through if any barbers or their shops are harmed, that's the only way to stop this shit, strike back harder.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/13/2007 10:28 Comments ||
Top||
DARRA ADAM KHEL: A non-government organisations office in Darra Adam Khels main bazaar was badly damaged in a bomb blast late on Sunday night, said officials on Monday. The attack on NGO Darul Falahs office comes five days after unidentified motorcyclists gunned down an Intelligence Bureau official on January 7 near the same area. Muhammad Faisal Afridi, chief executive of the NGO working against the spread of drugs and to rehabilitate drug addicts, said the blast took place at around 11:15pm on Sunday night. I think those who back the spread of drugs are behind this, Afridi told Daily Times. He said he had not been threatened previously, but some people suspected that I am working for anti-drug organisations, and they say since Darra Adam Khel is a tribal area, the drug business should grow here. Similar explosions last year forced owners to close down music and video shops in Darra Adam Khel. Over the last week, the offices of two international NGOs Save the Children in Battagram and the International Committee of the Red Cross in Peshawar have been attacked in NWFP.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/13/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11124 views]
Top|| File under:
Security forces on Monday arrested two Lashkar-e-Taiba couriers in Budgam district in central Kashmir, while a Hizbul Mujahideen commander of Lolab in Kupwara district surrendered before Jammu & Kashmir police. A police spokesman said that cops apprehended the two Lashkar terrorists in Budgam district. The men were identified as as Hilal Ahmed Mir and Mohammed Iqbal Najar both from Sopore town of Baramulla district. "The arrested men were involved in giving logistics support to terrorists especially foreigners," said the spokesman, adding that both were also acting as couriers.
Another Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist identified as Mohammed Asif Bhat of Lolab Kupwara surrendered before the district police in Budgam, the spokesman said. Asif was a Hizb battalion commander for Lolab in Kupwara. Two AK 47 rifles, six magazines, 160 rounds, one hand grenade and one Kenwood wireless set have been recovered from all the three men.
This article starring:
HILAL AHMED MIR
Lashkar-e-Taiba
MOHAMED ASIF BHAT
Hizbul Mujahideen
MOHAMED IQBAL NAJAR
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Posted by: Fred ||
02/13/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11131 views]
Top|| File under:
The story tonight in Iraq is not the arrival of more U.S. troops, but the departure of one of the country's most powerful men, Moqtada al Sadr and members of his army.
According to senior military officials al Sadr left Baghdad two to three weeks ago, and fled to Tehran, Iran, where he has family.
Al Sadr commands the Mahdi Army, one of the most formidable insurgent militias in Iraq, and his move coincides with the announced U.S. troop surge in Baghdad.
Sources believe al Sadr is worried about an increase of 20,000 U.S. troops in the Iraqi capital. One official told ABC News' Martha Raddatz, "He is scared he will get a JDAM [bomb] dropped on his house."
Sources say some of the Mahdi army leadership went with al Sadr.
Though he is gone for now, many think al Sadr is not gone for good. In Tehran he is trying to keep the Madhi militia together.
In recent months al Sadr has come to the political table to force change rather than using military force to have an impact. Sources say an even more extreme faction within his militia isn't pleased with this turn of events, and is trying to force the cleric to respond to recent Sunni attacks with more violence.
U.S. officials say they are going to watch those member of the Mahdi army left behind in Baghdad. Sources say two scenarios are possible: Either al Sadr will be driven further into extremist mode or he will continue going forward with the political process.
#3
Tater could not take the heat and even his pea-bran registered that he was going to be surfing the tsumami Surge. So now he has fled into Mordor for the time being until increased entropy occurs in Iraq another opportunity comes along.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/13/2007 19:58 Comments ||
Top||
#6
Tater clearly remembers Najaf 2004 when his fat-ass was sizzling on the fire and saved at the last second by al-Sistani.
2004 BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. Marines in Najaf raided the house of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, seized weapons and obliterated a nearby building with a 500-pound bomb to clear out pockets of resistance held by his militia.
#8
The Tehran mullahs have to realize that if Nasrallah is also forced to bravely flee to Iran, the target environment will be simply too rich to pass up...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
02/13/2007 21:48 Comments ||
Top||
#10
If Tater's Tots cede a neighborhood, move in and hold it. Once the roaches leave, change the ecosystem so they feel disinclined to return. I'm quite certain, the implications are not lost on Gen. Petraeus.
#11
HHHHMMMMMMMM, Zawahiri pledging allegiance to MULLAH OMAR, now Sadr. IMO is more evidencia/indicia that Radical Islam is now in defensive mode - questionne' is defensive mode for what!?
The Shiite mischief-makers, especially the loose coalition known as the Mahdi Army, are also splintering under military pressure from Iraqi and U.S. forces. Since December, hundreds of Mahdi fighters have fled to Iran - following their nominal leader Muqtada al-Sadr, who is in Qom. More than 1,000 others have been killed or captured
#14
I think Tater has been told that the ROE's have changed and that this time he would be killed if at all possible. There seems to be some new realism creeping, and I do emphasize creeping, into the picture.
#1
Uhhh...and that's going to acomplish exactly what? 72 hours? It shout be more like 72 months. Anything with an IR signature is dead along that border.
#7
If you announce you are gonna close the border for 72 hours what are the chances border crossers will even attempt to cross rather than wait 72 hours and go with the mad rush?
The Iraqi's should use some of those Austrian 50 calibre sniper rifles to hit anything crossing the borders illegally. The Iraqi's can let their police do the shooting, after all they are police weapons.
Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
said Tuesday there was no evidence the Iranian government was supplying Iraqi insurgents with highly lethal roadside bombs, apparently contradicting claims by other U.S. military and administration officials.
Can anyone on the Burg explain why the US has not forcibly closed the Iraq/Iran border & arrested as many Iranians in Iraq as they can catch? I must be missing something here. Obviously there is a Khomeini Trail (like the Ho Chi Minh trail of the Viet Nam era) in full operation here.
#2
Chairman of JSOC contradicts Administration on Iranian weapons in Iraq
In the bad old days, this would have gotten a general fired, reduced in grade, and forcibly retired. Today, ??????? Sabotage is sabotage, whether it's words, deeds, or actually breaking something that's difficult to replace. Pace has stepped on something, and it's not a fluffy bunny.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
02/13/2007 15:19 Comments ||
Top||
#3
OP, Read the NY Slimes article and imagine the interview and sleazy questions. I doubt Pace contradicted the military briefers in Baghdad as they never claimed to have evidence the IED's were being sent by the Iranian government. I don't know that Bush or the administration has made any on the record statement regarding the Iranian origin of the IEDs. NYT trying to manufacture news to fit its editorial stance yet again.
#4
You can't close those borders. You would need a million troops and constant flight patrols to even marginally cover the border in all places including the mountainous regions to the NE where the Kurds rule. The Kurds couldn't even keep al-Zarqhui from experimenting with bio-agents up there. Too damn porous - ask the jarheads in Al-Anbar about the Syrian border and if you can close it. Just like Pakistan is to Afghanistan the only way to shut down the traffic is heavy strategic bombing especially at night with good FTC.
Posted by: Jack is Back ||
02/13/2007 16:29 Comments ||
Top||
#5
On Monday, Pace said he had no firm knowledge that the Iranian government had sanctioned the arming of the insurgents.
''It is clear that Iranians are involved, and it's clear that materials from Iran are involved, but I would not say by what I know that the Iranian government clearly knows or is complicit,'' Pace told the Voice of America.
From the article, thanks to BugMeNot ( microsoftfanboy / microsoftblows ) (note: don't blame, I just picked the first one!)
Notice that what Pace actually says is not exactly the message you get from the headline. This seems to be a common journalistic practice nowadays, not limited to the NY Slimes.
Austrian sniper rifles that were exported to Iran have been discovered in the hands of Iraqi terrorists, The Daily Telegraph has learned. More than 100 of the.50 calibre weapons, capable of penetrating body armour, have been discovered by American troops during raids.
The guns were part of a shipment of 800 rifles that the Austrian company, Steyr-Mannlicher, exported legally to Iran last year.
The sale was condemned in Washington and London because officials were worried that the weapons would be used by insurgents against British and American troops. Within 45 days of the first HS50 Steyr Mannlicher rifles arriving in Iran, an American officer in an armoured vehicle was shot dead by an Iraqi insurgent using the weapon.
Over the last six months American forces have found small caches of the £10,000 rifles but in the last 24 hours a raid in Baghdad brought the total to more than 100, US defence sources reported.
The find is the latest in a series of discoveries that indicate that Teheran is providing support to Iraq's Shia insurgents. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, yesterday denied that Iran had supplied weapons to Iraqi insurgents. But on Sunday US officials in Baghdad displayed a range of weapons they claimed had originated in Iran. They said 170 American and British soldiers had been killed by such weapons.
The discovery of the sniper rifles will further encourage those in Washington who want to see Iran's uranium-enriching facilities destroyed before a nuclear weapon is produced.
The Foreign Office expressed "serious concerns" over the sale of the rifles last year and Britain protested to the Austrian government. A Foreign Office spokesman said last night: "Although we did make our worries known the sale unfortunately went ahead and now the potential that these weapons could fall into the wrong hands appears to have happened."
The rifle can pierce all body armour from up to a mile and penetrate armoured Humvee troop carriers. It is highly accurate and fires a round called an armour piercing incendiary, a bullet that the Iranians manufacture.
The National Iranian Police Organisation bought the rifles allegedly to use them against drug smugglers in an £8 million order placed with Steyr in 2005.
Because that's just what you want to do, perforate a drug dealer from a mile away.
The company was given permission to export them by the Austrian government, which is not a Nato member.
#1
Drop "cluster munitions" on the Styer factory via Crusie Missle. No other act will send a realsitc message at our displeasure or the value we place on our fighters. Too bad not one of the craptards or cowards in Washington would do it but it ought to be done.
#4
That alone is a casus belli.
That alone will not be enough to satisfy domestic nay-sayers, but then nothing will satisfy domestic naysayers. The only thing that will stop many of our domestic naysayers is a jihadi headsman's knife.
Besides immediate & massive reprisals against Iran, some type of action needs to be taken against Austria (won't happen). Call in the Austrian ambassador for talks at the White House (won't happen). At the very least, huge civil lawsuits by relatives of US troops killed by these weapons.(may happen). Seize a few millions of Austrian property in this country.
#5
Personal responsibility is the key. Steyr execs need the Gerald Bull treatment via those .50 cals. Through the window while humping their mistresses (or misters) would be ideal. Others will get the message. Reserve the cruise missiles for the Iranians.
Seize a few millions of Austrian property in this country.
Yes. Spread the pain. It was the Austrian government that approved the sale knowing they would be used to kill Americans. Hope the $15 million was worth it when the Austrians lose $15 billion in US sales. Start with raising tariffs.
Posted by: ed ||
02/13/2007 7:05 Comments ||
Top||
#6
The gun sale from Austria to Iran was LEGAL. Wrong, but legal. No bombs on Austria. But since the sale showed such poor judgement by the Steyr execs, one might assume they exhibit poor judgement in other parts of their lives, which should be exposed (so to speak) before they do more harm.
Sanctions to prevent arms sales to Iran should be enacted to make such transactions as this illegal. Then, to counteract the damage to the Austrian economy, and to a manufacturer of quality firearms, the restrictions on importing, purchasing and owning .50 cal weapons in the US should be modified.
#7
The US protested the transfer of Austrian tech to Iran at the time. Legal or illegal, doesn't matter, GIs have been & will be killed by Austrian weaponry sold in full knowledge of how they would be used. Austria needs to pay for this hostile action, at least financially.
Both Democratic and Republican officials on Capitol Hill said that while they do not doubt that the weapons are being used to attack American troops, and that some of those weapons are being shipped into Iraq from Iran, they are still uncertain whether the weapons were being shipped into Iraq on the orders of Irans leaders.
#13
The best message would be to encourage US citizens who are family members of those servicemen killed to file individual lawsuits against both the weapons manufacturer and the Austrian government in the EU Human Rights Court.
See how Austria and the EU like having their "peacefulness" and "neutrality" questioned on a daily basis for several years. Especially with the US State Department providing LOTS and LOTS of embarrassing information to show a pattern of supporting our enemies, bribery in EU politicians, arming terrorists and otherwise behaving in a treacherous and underhanded manner.
And since the EU newspapers would ignore it, broadcast it on VOA, and provide free copy to any newspaper that would publish it. Newspapermen are lazy bastards, and are more than glad to publish press releases.
Bullshit!
There is a very important aspect of this allegation that has been omitted from this article. There is no mention of Serial numbers or other identifiers to prove they are conclusively from the Iranian purchase. In short, it can only be considered speculation because there is always the distinct possibility they are Black Market arms. There are reasons why the Coalition has only hinted at Iranian weapon and technology transfers without supplying conclusive evidence. First has been political/diplomatic leverage. Call it the ole We know what your up to approach you know Diplo-Blackmail. Up to this point its hard to decipher its effectiveness but it appears the more direct allegation approach has been adopted in conjunction with the traditional open source leaks. The other hesitation in divulging specific information is they run the risk of compromising sources and methods. Something most experts agree is in limited supply in Iran. Is this allegation Possible? Yes. Probable? Hell yes! Casus belli? Not without proof.
#17
I believe that it is a simple matter to check the serial# on captured arms, to the serial # of arms sold to Iran.
The Austrians do keep such records don't they ?
#21
While I'm certainly not happy about any of this--Austria supplying Iran or Iran supplying terrorists in Iraq--has there really been anything illegal or damning done here, and, if so, what recourse do we have?
I'm asking such because we (the US) have certainly supplied weapons and, at times, training to other movements around the world at various times. The mujahideen in Afghanistan after the Soviet invasion is just one example. I'm fairly certain the Soviets didn't appreciate us supplying the mujahideen with weapons and training, and now we're seeing Iran do the same to us in Iraq.
I'm not justifying their actions, but I know we've done the same in the past, so my question remains: what recourse do we have?
Posted by: Dar ||
02/13/2007 14:12 Comments ||
Top||
#22
"We" (the United States of America) = USSR?
I don't buy the moral equivalence argument for a second. The Iraqis have held several free and fair elections and they approved, by a wide margin, a national constitution. The Soviets simply invaded Aghanistan to prop up their puppet government.
The Iraqi "insurgents" and their IRG advisors are using Persian-supplied armaments to destroy an Iraqi government whose leaders were elected in free and fair elections. Americans, Iraqis and warriors deployed by their Coalition partners are dying to preserve democracy in Iraq.
#23
For me, the bad guy here is STEYR. They probably had a pretty good idea what the Iranians would do with these rifles and they sold them anyway. I read about the sale of these rifles in the June '06 issue of SOF magazine. The blurb on page 12, states that
"The United States recently slapped sanctions on nine companies caught supplying weapons to Iran. Six of them were Chinese. But the Austrian company was providing equipment most likely to end up in the hansds of terrorists attacking American troops. Steyr-Mannlicher insisted that the deal was legit. If Steyr-Mannlicher cannot get out from under the sanctions, it would not be able to sell goods inside the United States."
I say we start sending that excerpt to Congress and make sure that Steyr-Mannlicher is dead in this country!
#28
The pres could declare Austria a member of the Axis of Evil. Approach NATO with the proposition of declaration of war against Austria, and necessary sanctions.
#29
The point of my question is: What can we do about it? Does what they did violate any international law/treaty? Do we have any sort of recourse?
I'm not advocating or even defending what they did. I am asking if supplying arms to another country like this is illegal or, as some claim, a casus belli.
Third-parties have been supplying one side or another of a conflict since time immemorial. Other than be upset about it, what can we really do?
Posted by: Dar ||
02/13/2007 18:56 Comments ||
Top||
#30
Casus belli here refers to the link between the rifles and the Iranian government. There is a very good chance the exact weapon can be traced to the shipment of 800 last year.
#31
Dar, One thing we can do is remember this.
We once occupied Austria, and set them free, rather than behind the iron curtain. There will prolly be a next time, judging how Eurabia is declining, so we may once again occupy Austria.
Next time, we can demand a little phalking respect, and cooperation.
#33
Remember when the Austrians got all their underwear in a knot when the Govenator permitted the legal execution of a convicted criminal. Now this. It's all about posing, nothing more.
As for proof. No need for a reason for war rather the Alabama Claims established the basis for diplo payback. Here is a case where if the equipment can be tag for death and destruction, then the US civil courts can act upon the behalf of the survivors. Since illegal combatants get standing, then the estates should also.
Two Germans have been missing in Iraq for almost a week, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Monday. "We cannot rule out that it was a kidnapping by force," he told reporters at an EU meeting in Brussels. "Of course we hope there is going to be a good outcome on this and needless to say we are doing all that we can to ensure that ... it ends well."
Steinmeier said the two had been missing since Feb. 6, adding that a special crisis panel within the German Foreign Ministry had been set up to work on their release. He declined to give further details and did not identify the two.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/13/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11131 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Merkle paid up last time, what is the downside to the kidnappers?
An Iraqi court has raised the sentence against Saddam Hussein's former vice president Taha Yassin Ramadan from life imprisonment to death by hanging. The decision came after the appeals court concluded the sentence of life imprisonment given to him was too lenient and returned his file to the High Tribunal. Ramadan was convicted of premeditated murder in the Dujail case - the 1982 killings of 148 people from the Shi'ite town after an attempt on Saddam Hussein's life there - for which Saddam himself was found guilty and hanged for crimes against humanity.
This article starring:
TAHA YASIN RAMADAN
Iraqi Baath Party
Posted by: Fred ||
02/13/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11126 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
That mean psychopathic bastard is about to become a poor bastard laying in a grave yard. He worked so hard and for so many years to get there.
A Palestinian man who allegedly foiled a suicide attack inside Israel was killed in Ramallah on Monday by gunmen belonging to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party. "The collaborator was executed after he confessed that he had been recruited by the Israeli authorities on December 17, 2002," said a statement issued by Fatah's armed wing, al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades.
The group claimed that the victim, whose name was not released, was responsible for the assassination by the IDF of two Hamas members in the Jenin area in the same year. The two were identified as Shaman Subuh and Mustapha Qash. The "collaborator" is from the village of Burkeen near Jenin. The group did not say when the "collaborator" was captured or how he was "executed." But it claimed that the man had been instructed by his Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) handlers to establish a cell belonging to Hamas's armed wing, Izaddin Kassam, in the Jenin area.
All the members of the cell were later arrested or killed by the IDF. One of them was arrested on May 3, 2003 on suspicion that he was about to carry out a suicide attack inside Israel. The name of the would-be suicide bomber wasn't released.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/13/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11125 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
the man had been instructed by his Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) handlers to establish a cell belonging to Hamas's armed wing
IMO. Fatahim keep knocking off Hamasim, but --- to honor the recent Mecca accords---concoct a collaboration charge.
Police on Monday charged a Muslim leader with attacking police officers during a demonstration last week against construction work near Jerusalem's Temple Mount a disputed Jerusalem holy site. Raed Salah, a leader in the Islamic Movement in Israel, has been the leading critic against the repair work on an earthen ramp leading to Mount. The centuries-old ramp was damaged in a 2004 snowstorm.
Salah led the violent protests last week, which reached their apex on Friday when police stormed the Mount after hundreds of angry Islamic worshippers threw stones, bottles and Molotov cocktails. Earlier in the week, Salah scuffled near the Mount with police, who briefly detained him for questioning. They issued a 10-day restraining order barring Salah from coming within 150 meters of the Old City. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said Salah was being charged with attacking police officers. Police would request the courts extend the restraining order a further 60 days.
Salah, 48, the leader of the radical northern branch of the Islamic Movement, has been a controversial figure in Israel for years. Israel jailed him for more than two years, saying his organization funneled money to Hamas.
This article starring:
RAED SALAH
Islamic Movement in Israel
Posted by: Fred ||
02/13/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11123 views]
Top|| File under:
IDF troops on Monday arrested three Palestinians on suspicion of throwing Molotov cocktails towards an Israel vehicle northwest of Ramallah. No one was wounded in the attack, nor was any damage caused.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/13/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11129 views]
Top|| File under:
Two armed men were killed while two others were captured following a firefight with operating Marine soldiers in southern Philippine island of Sulu Monday morning, the military said. The troops were on the hunt for Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) leaders in the area when they were fired on by some gunmen in the vicinity of Andanan village, Luuk town at around 5:30 a.m., said Marine spokesman Ariel Caculitan. "They were fired upon by an undetermined number of armed men while proceeding to their target. This deployment is part of our operations against the HVTs (high-value targets) from the Abu Sayyaf," Caculitan said.
After the 30-minute firefight, troops captured two of the attackers, one of them wounded. Recovered were the bodies of the two fatalities and an M14 rifle. Caculitan said operating troops have yet to ascertain whether the slain armed men, as well as those captured, were members of the Abu Sayyaf.
Since last August, the Philippine military has poured in thousands of troops in Sulu to hunt down Islamic militants belonging to the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf and the JI.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/13/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11123 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Oh my god my EYES!
Fred! The goggles, they do NOTHING!
And on an actually relevant note, sounds like the Philippine Marines are doing better these days. Has there been progress in getting proper logistics laid in?
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
02/13/2007 8:14 Comments ||
Top||
Sri Lankas Navy destroyed a suspected Tamil Tiger boat and damaged another off the islands northeast coast before dawn on Monday killing around 10 rebels, officials said.
The rebel boat sank around 40 km north of the strategic northeastern harbour of Trincomalee, and sailors found what they believe to be the remains of a slain suicide bomber in the damaged boat. The Navy detected two boats at around 4:30 in the morning... and we have engaged in the sea and from land, said Navy Spokesman Commander DKP Dassanayake. We have destroyed one boat and recovered another fitted with weapons. It was not clear how many people were aboard the boats, but Dassanayake said he suspected around 10 Tamil Tigers were killed and the Navy was scouring the sea for bodies.
In a seperate incident Sri Lankas air force bombed areas controlled by Tamil Tiger rebels in the islands volatile north on Monday, a pro-rebel Web site said. Bombs were dropped into rebel-held Mullaitivu district in the morning, TamilNet website reported, without giving details.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/13/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11125 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Is that the IOWA?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/13/2007 12:16 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Iowa class, but probably the New Jersey. Can't see her bow number. She came through the Panama Canal in 1968, while I was stationed down there. I do wish we'd refurbish these monsters, replace the turrets with GMLRS launchers (not much ammo left for the 16" guns), and use them against places like Gaza and Lebanon - and maybe Iran.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
02/13/2007 15:44 Comments ||
Top||
Premier Fouad Saniora said the bus blasts that killed three people and wounded 18 on Tuesday "wouldn't terrorize us" and the March 14 majority coalition blamed the crime on the Syrian regime, calling for sanctions on Damascus. Saniora, in an address to the Lebanese on the eve of the second anniversary of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's assassination, said the bomb blasts in commuting buses northeast of Beirut were "criminal acts of violence."
"We will not be terrorized and we will not be scared off. We will chase the criminals," he pledged. Saniora said "we will not give up our commitment to serve justice" in the 2005 Hariri assassination and related crimes.
"Unless the Syrians kill us all, which they just might do."
Addressing families of the three people who were killed in the bus blasts in Ain Alaq earlier in the day, Saniora said: "Their rights will not be lost irrespective of the cost." "We will not succumb we are not a sphere of influence for anyone The Lebanese will not compromise on their freedoms, security and safety and the nature of their regime," he added.
In a related development, the majority March 14 coalition which backs the Saniora government said in a statement the bus blasts are "a new massacre targeting innocent civilians."
"We hold the Syrian regime fully responsible for this crime and we charge this regime of attempting to change Lebanon into another Iraq to destroy its security and stability in order to torpedo efforts aimed at setting up an international tribunal" that should try suspects in the Hariri assassination and related crimes.
That was the plan. As usual, they didn't think about the fall-out
The alliance, in a statement after an emergency meeting, urged the Arab League, the U.N. Security Council and the international community to "shoulder your responsibilities in lifting the Syrian regime's aggression off Lebanon."
Yeah, well, don't hold your breath
The statement called for imposing sanctions on Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime and for dispatching U.N. peacekeepers to "control the Lebanese-Syrian borders that would halt the flow of weapons to tools of this (Syrian) regime."
It also urged major factions in the opposition, in reference to Hizbullah and Amal, to "shoulder your responsibility in confronting efforts by the Syrian regime to change Lebanon into another Iraq by immediately approving the creation of the international tribunal and returning to the dialogue table."
The alliance also called on its supporters to take part in the popular ceremony scheduled for Wednesday to commemorate the second anniversary of the Hariri assassination in Beirut's Martyrs' Square.
Posted by: Steve ||
02/13/2007 14:16 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11127 views]
Top|| File under:
Hidden bombs exploded in two minibuses in a Christian area near Beirut on Feb. 13, a day before massive rallies are expected to commemorate the two-year anniversary of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. The politically motivated attack likely is connected to the Syrian intelligence apparatus, which aims to instigate violent clashes between Lebanon's heavily armed factions in order to justify a Syrian intervention.
Analysis
Bombs exploded in two minibuses exactly 10 minutes apart at a bus stop in a mountainous Christian area near Beirut, Lebanon, around 9:30 a.m. local time Feb. 13, killing three people and wounding at least 18. The explosive devices, one containing the equivalent of about 6.6 pounds of dynamite and the other about 2.2 pounds, were planted at night in a privately owned parking lot with minimal security. The buses, which originated from Bteghrine, exploded on a road in Ain Alaq, some 12 miles northeast of Beirut. Most of the victims were Greek Orthodox.
The attack took place on the eve of the two-year anniversary of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, an event that resulted in the withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon in the summer of 2005. Lebanon's rival factions have been preparing for this day by ensuring that each group is well-armed and trained to defend itself in the event that violent clashes break out when thousands of pro-government al-Hariri supporters and members of the Hezbollah-led opposition take to the streets Feb. 14.
Tomorrow should be a interesting day
Though the planners of the Feb. 14 rallies have taken precautions to contain the protests, there are a number of players in Lebanon that would like to see the situation spiral out of control, namely Syria. The buses that were attacked originated in the hometown of Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Murr, who on Feb. 8 seized a truckload of explosives belonging to Hezbollah and containing more than 120 mortars, Katyusha rockets and scores of mortar shell cases. Murr's refusal to return the weapons to Hezbollah, which was transporting them from the Bekaa Valley to stockpile in Beirut's Shiite-controlled southern suburb, was an embarrassment for Hezbollah's leadership.
The perpetrators of the bus bombings likely are attempting to draw a connection between the confiscation of Hezbollah's weapons and the attack in order to draw the group into a violent conflict. The Bteghrine area in the upper Metn is part of the domain of influence of the Syrian Nationalist and Socialist Party, which has direct links to Syrian intelligence. While Hezbollah is unlikely to have carried out this attack against civilian targets -- since doing so would bring political repercussions while it is in the midst of a heated protest campaign -- members of Syria's intelligence apparatus would have an interest in skyrocketing tensions in Lebanon and ensuring that the Feb. 14 anniversary is marred by violence. Doing so would give Syria the justification to intervene in the affairs of its western neighbor to restore order and reclaim its military position in the country, which was lost in the aftermath of the al-Hariri assassination.
The series of bombings organized by Syria in the aftermath of its withdrawal from Lebanon was directed primarily at anti-Syrian political and journalism targets in Lebanon. The attack against civilians in this latest bombing is a grave warning to Lebanon's rival factions that the country's downward spiral is only beginning -- and that Syria will remain central to stability in Lebanon.
Posted by: Steve ||
02/13/2007 12:20 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11128 views]
Top|| File under:
#2
The people who make this sort of thing go on and on are the Lebanese who are fence sitters, opposed to Syrian meddling, but willing to live with it as long as their immediate family / fortune are not at stake. In the end, they are silent, passive collaborators...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
02/13/2007 13:34 Comments ||
Top||
#3
We tolerate Assad because he keeps a lid on things in his neck of the woods. Yes, he's a pain in the neck when it comes to the Lebanese, almost as much a pain in the neck as the Lebanese themselves, who couldn't agree on a paint color if there were only 1 color available.
#4
a: Somebody remind me why we tolerate Baby Assad.
We tolerate him because changing foreign governments isn't as easy as Hollywood movies make it out to be. The regime changes that did not involve US invasions were going to happen anyway - all Uncle Sam did was line the pockets of the winners.
#5
Because in real life, the circumstances for a relatively bloodless coup are few and far between. One of the successes was the 1953 riots/coup that overthrew the socialist Prime Minister of Iran and installed the Shah : it involved a very smart CIA agent, a very large suitcase of cash, and several very large rent-a-mobs in the local marketplace in Tehran. And all that the riots/protests were supposed to do was put pressure on the PM; however, once the on-the-ground man saw how well they were going, he kept the money flowing and viola, the Shah was suddenly in power as the "choice of the people".
#6
Otherwise, you get stuck in a country like Bosnia, Haiti, Kosovo, or Iraq for 10-15 years rebuilding the damned place. And if you think the Dems have gone ape shit over Iraq, what do you think they would do about Syria? Lebanon? Somalia? Or Iran? All of those places need to be cleaned up and guarded for 10-15 years, in order for the necessary social changes to take hold; very few countries have the wealth, the means, the military forces, and above all the patience to do that. And with the whining about Iraq, I am not sure that the US has suffered enough of the horrors of terrorism on its own shores to be generally resolved to keep the military actions going overseas, to keep the terrorists and terrorism over there.
#7
SW: One of the successes was the 1953 riots/coup that overthrew the socialist Prime Minister of Iran and installed the Shah
The Shah was head of state throughout all this. He had appointed Mossadegh and dismissed him. It was a coup only in the sense that it involved some violence. A contemporary example would be that of the recent coup in Thailand, where the King of Thailand was involved in the dismissal of the existing administration. The point is that the CIA did not topple Mossadegh and bring the Shah out of an obscure exile to assume the reigns of power. The Shah was a major (if not the major) player from the git-go. More likely than not, the CIA exaggerated its role in the Shah's removal of the usurper Mossadegh. The exaggeration of its role served both the CIA's purposes in demonstrating its supposed competence and effectiveness and the left's purposes in demonstrating America's devilish plots and omnipotence, against which any countermeasures, including mass murder, were acceptable.
Militants from the newly-formed Palestinian group, Fatah Islam, briefly kidnapped three Lebanese policemen to a refugee camp in north Lebanon Monday, the state-run National News Agency reported. The incident took place at around 9 a.m. (07:00 GMT) when the Fatah Islam gunmen intercepted the police patrol at the entrance to the refugee camp of Nahr Al-Bared, seized the vehicle and kidnapped the three officers, according to the report. The three police officers were "released later," said the report, without disclosing the fate of the police vehicle.
The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in Lebanon said late in November, about 200 Fatah Islam militants have arrived in the country. It said the militants first joined the Damascus-based Fatah-Intifada, but later broke away to form the Fatah Islam.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group on Tuesday threatened to retaliate against the United States if it tried to capture its Damascus-based leader. "Violent operations will target all American interests if they attempt to harm the secretary-general, Dr. Ramadan Shallah," said Abu Ahmed, a spokesman for Islamic Jihad's armed wing.
Senior Islamic Jihad leader Khaled al-Batsh said the United States decided to offer the $5-million reward to bolster an Israeli campaign against the group following the Eilat bombing. "It (Shallah's capture) would unleash a new wave of violence and actions of legitimate resistance, and those who issued the decision will be responsible," Batsh told reporters in Gaza.
#4
"It (Shallah's capture) would unleash a new wave of violence and actions of legitimate resistance, and those who issued the decision will be responsible," Batsh told reporters in Gaza.
#7
It's getting very close to time to destroy the entire Arab world, and let them stew in their own juices. Break everything, and walk away. Let THEM repair what can be repaired, replace what can be replaced, and do without if they can't repair or replace things. Destroy all the ports and harbors, and make sure the only thing that enters or leaves these Arab enclaves are the souls of the dead. I'm tired of putting up with their pissing and moaning, and their brazen threats. Let them know they have teased the bull once too often, and what results is their just reward.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
02/13/2007 15:50 Comments ||
Top||
The United States on Monday offered rewards of up to $5 million each for a member of Lebanese Hezbollah and a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, both of which the United States regards as terrorist groups.
The State Department identified one of the men as Mohammed Ali Hamadei, saying the alleged Lebanese Hezbollah member took part in the 1985 hijacking of TWA Flight 847 that resulted in the murder of U.S. sailor Robert Stethem. Hamadei, believed to be living in Lebanon, was indicted in 1985 on 15 charges for his role in planning and taking part in the hijacking, the State Department said in a statement.
The State Department named the other as Ramadan Abdullah Mohammad Shallah, saying he is wanted for conspiracy to conduct the affairs of Palestinian Islamic Jihad through activities such as bombings, murder, extortions and money laundering. It said since 1995 he has been the secretary-general and leader of group, which is headquartered in Damascus.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice authorized adding both men to the State Department's Rewards for Justice Program, each with a reward of up to $5 million, the statement said.
This article starring:
MOHAMED ALI HAMADEI
Hezbollah
RAMADAN ABDULLAH MOHAMAD SHALLAH
Palestinian Islamic Jihad
Posted by: Fred ||
02/13/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11127 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Time for Duane"Dog" Chapman to enter the fray. We're finally talking his kind of money.
Posted by: Jack is Back ||
02/13/2007 16:38 Comments ||
Top||
Your moderating crew would like to kindly request that 6 posts about the Austrian rifles is more than sufficient, and that our loyal Rantburg citizens continue to check the front page carefully to see if a particular item has already been added.
#4
According to Wikipedia, her birth name was Diana Fluck. She said: "They asked me to change my name. I suppose they were afraid that if my real name, Diana Fluck, was in lights, and one of the lights blew..."
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.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
At least 700 Taliban fighters have crossed from Pakistan into Afghanistan to reinforce guerrillas attacking a key dam, a major source of electricity and irrigation, a provincial governor said on Monday. We have got confirmed reports that they are Pakistani, Uzbek and Chechen nationals and have sneaked in, Helmand Governor Asadullah Wafa told Reuters by telephone. The Kajaki dam has seen major fighting in recent weeks between the Taliban and NATO forces, mainly British and Dutch. NATO-led troops have been conducting operations in the area for several months to allow reconstruction on the dam and the power transmission lines to boost output, after fighting halted refurbishment last year. 
Afghan and international troops killed several Taliban fighters in a hunt for a top militant leader on Monday as officials reported that six more insurgents and five policeman died in separate fighting, while a Taliban spokesman said that thousands of the groups fighters were currently in the southern province of Helmand. 
(RIA Novosti) - Seven people have been killed in Chechnya, a troubled region in Russia's North Caucasus, since the beginning of the year, a top military official said Monday. "Four military servicemen, two Chechen Interior Ministry's officers and a local civilian have been killed in Chechnya since the beginning of the year," Andrei Krivonos, the republic's Commandant, said at a session of heads of local law enforcement bodies, attended by Chechen President Alu Alkhanov.
The Russian defense minister said that Russia had succeeded in its war in Chechnya, defeating separatists and what he called their "emissaries from 50 countries."
A notice outside a barbers shop in Khar bazaar of Bajaur Agency requesting customers not to push barbers to shave their beards is making some tribal youths defiant. 
DARRA ADAM KHEL: A non-government organisations office in Darra Adam Khels main bazaar was badly damaged in a bomb blast late on Sunday night, said officials on Monday. The attack on NGO Darul Falahs office comes five days after unidentified motorcyclists gunned down an Intelligence Bureau official on January 7 near the same area. Muhammad Faisal Afridi, chief executive of the NGO working against the spread of drugs and to rehabilitate drug addicts, said the blast took place at around 11:15pm on Sunday night. I think those who back the spread of drugs are behind this, Afridi told Daily Times. He said he had not been threatened previously, but some people suspected that I am working for anti-drug organisations, and they say since Darra Adam Khel is a tribal area, the drug business should grow here. Similar explosions last year forced owners to close down music and video shops in Darra Adam Khel. Over the last week, the offices of two international NGOs Save the Children in Battagram and the International Committee of the Red Cross in Peshawar have been attacked in NWFP.
Security forces on Monday arrested two 
Austrian sniper rifles that were exported to Iran have been discovered in the hands of Iraqi terrorists, The Daily Telegraph has learned. More than 100 of the.50 calibre weapons, capable of penetrating body armour, have been discovered by American troops during raids.
Two Germans have been missing in Iraq for almost a week, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Monday. "We cannot rule out that it was a kidnapping by force," he told reporters at an EU meeting in Brussels. "Of course we hope there is going to be a good outcome on this and needless to say we are doing all that we can to ensure that ... it ends well." 
An Iraqi court has raised the sentence against Saddam Hussein's former vice president 
A Palestinian man who allegedly foiled a suicide attack inside Israel was killed in Ramallah on Monday by gunmen belonging to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party. "The collaborator was executed after he confessed that he had been recruited by the Israeli authorities on December 17, 2002," said a statement issued by Fatah's armed wing, al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades. 
Police on Monday charged a Muslim leader with attacking police officers during a demonstration last week against construction work near Jerusalem's Temple Mount a disputed Jerusalem holy site. 
Two armed men were killed while two others were captured following a firefight with operating Marine soldiers in southern Philippine island of Sulu Monday morning, the military said. The troops were on the hunt for Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) leaders in the area when they were fired on by some gunmen in the vicinity of Andanan village, Luuk town at around 5:30 a.m., said Marine spokesman Ariel Caculitan. "They were fired upon by an undetermined number of armed men while proceeding to their target. This deployment is part of our operations against the HVTs (high-value targets) from the Abu Sayyaf," Caculitan said. 
Sri Lankas Navy destroyed a suspected Tamil Tiger boat and damaged another off the islands northeast coast before dawn on Monday killing around 10 rebels, officials said. 
