#5
She definitely looks like she could use some comforting. I volunteer! (Yeah, yeah, the military taught me never to volunteer, but I didn't listen very well then, either.)
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/01/2008 13:26 Comments ||
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#6
What the H*LL is she doing with her right hand?
#9
What the H*LL is she doing with her right hand?
Holding her robe closed. Perhaps that's why her eyes look so sad. Abdominal Snowman, there is more than one Hatfield in the universe. This one is the scientist the FBI originally accused of sending the anthrax letters.
#15
I dont know TW, but when I click on a link to an RB post (instead of scrolling down) i get an error mesage identical to what I got trying to get to Instapundit, and Reynolds says IP is down cause of Pajamas Media.
A growing number of Pakistani militants who earlier operated only inside Pakistan and Kashmir are joining the intensifying insurgency against U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, U.S. officials say.
The fighters, who are taking part in increasingly sophisticated attacks on Western troops, include guerrillas hardened by years of combat against Indian forces and others from outside the Taliban strongholds in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas, or FATA, the officials say.
They say the influx far outstrips the flow of other foreign fighters such as Arabs, Uzbeks and Chechens into the area and coincides with a drop in high-profile attacks in Pakistan that reached a climax last December with the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Lets be sure to send an ever increasing supply of dead Pakistanis back to Pakistan from Afghanistan.
#4
Let it be known to all. Our troops will pursue militants wherever they go - be it Pakland, Singapore, or the gates of Hell or even the gates of heaven. No exceptions. Oops, sorry. Dreaming again.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
08/01/2008 10:56 Comments ||
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#5
#4 Let it be known to all. Our troops will pursue militants wherever they go - be it Pakland, Singapore, or the gates of Hell or even the gates of heaven. No exceptions. Oops, sorry. Dreaming again.
The troops are willing. It's the high command in DC that has cold feet. Time to break out the napalm, and screw any Euroweenie that bitches. A few dozen crispy critters, and Pakis won't be quite so willing to cross that imaginary line.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/01/2008 13:32 Comments ||
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#6
The President laid out the principle of You are With US or You are Against US, and then he got cold feet on the follow through. That really hurt the effort. His poor communication skills, coupled with the relentless propaganda skills of the dems and the MSM diluted the effort and dragged this whole WoT out for years.
Posted by: Alaska Paul in Fairbanks ||
08/01/2008 14:16 Comments ||
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#8
Hey AP - whats your SITREP on the whoel Stevens mess - they going to let him win the primary then press him to resign and appoint Parnell who will then run for Senate? If he beats young this also give them a chance to replace Young.
#9
OP---I think that Gov Palin wanted Parnell to run in the primary for Rep. Don Young's seat in the House, because Young was getting too embarassing with his legal stuff and his pork barrel behaviors, and Young was giving Alaska a bad name with his behavours.
There is a lot of talk about what will happen to Sen. Stevens. With the indictments for over 250K in gifts from Bill Allen late of VECO, as well as car trades, all unreported, Stevens will be in a serious legal battle. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. If he wins the primary, he will be running against Mark Begich, our present tax and spend mayor of the Anchorage Municipality.
The Republican Party has really put their foot in the bear crap up here. A number of state legislators have been convicted of taking bribes, trading favors, etc in the last year. I think gov Palin won because of her stance against politics as usual. Which is a good thing.
Dave Cuddy has been running against Stevens for the Senate in the upcoming primary. What he says so far IMHO is good. He sees serious systemic problems in the national govt that need to be fixed or we will lose our country and/or go bankrupt.
I would like to see Parnell continue against Young, as planned.
I would like to see Senator Stevens continue his term in office but back out of the primary for the good of the party, and I would like to see someone with the ideas of Dave Cuddy go up against Mark Begich.
And in conclusion, mah fellow Rantburgers, I would like to see independents elected and the Republicans and Democrats booted out of Congress for the greedy, elitist, scandalridden, fiscally irresponsible, tratorous, etc etc scoundrels that they are. Well, that is my utopian vision, anyway.
I will pass on the latest news that I hear up here, rumors, innuendo, and a few facts to add flavor to the perloo, Old Spook.
Posted by: Alaska Paul in Fairbanks ||
08/01/2008 18:35 Comments ||
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#10
So, we cut off aid to Pakistan and scrap hearts and minds impediments to effective aerial bombing.
A series of clashes in southern Afghanistan killed 30 Taliban militants, while insurgents and a roadside blast killed five police, officials said. A NATO soldier also died after being wounded in a militant attack. The militants were killed during three days of clashes in southern Uruzgan province, said provincial police chief Juma Gul Himat on Wednesday. Nine other militants and five policemen were wounded.
Authorities detained 10 other militants following the operation near the provincial capital of Tirin Kot, Himat said. The report could not be independently verified because of the remoteness of the area.
Afghanistan is facing a raging insurgency nearly seven years after the Taliban were ousted from power, and the country's south is the primary hub for the militancy.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
An enemy loss rate of 30 a day comes to an annual toll of 11000. Pakistan has 1m males reaching their majority every year, of whom roughly 150,000 are Pathans. A death rate of 1/15 is nothing to sniff at. I think the religious zealots eventually get tired of having their sons killed - in a society where sons are your retirement plan.
#2
Muslims societies where a male can accumulate 4 wives leaves a lot of excess males. The 5-6000/per years dead in the Afghan jihad is a small thing. Especially considering the western aid and the billions $ of profits from the Afghan supply line is carrying the Pakistani economy. Before Sept 2001, the Paki economy was in a death spiral from sanctions fallout of their A-bomb tests. Since then the Paki stock market has increased 15 times. The Manhattan and Washington DC attacks was the Pakistani's risky play to change the international sanctions calculus.
Posted by: ed ||
08/01/2008 16:13 Comments ||
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#3
But my sense is that Pashtun society accepts a certain rate of death from violence, the way we accept a certain number of deaths from auto accidents or teen suicides. If there was no Jihad, theyd be fighting the guys from the next tribe over an insult to honor. So I think this level of casualties may well be sustainable, and thats even assuming some portion of the Pashtuns are NOT participating in the Jihad.
I'm not a Stratfor member, so can't get to article... Rush just announced this on his radio show. 48 hours rule
Al Qaeda No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahiri is rumored to have been killed in a July 28 U.S. airstrike in Pakistan.
The United States is attempting to verify reports that a July 28 airstrike in northwestern Pakistan resulted in the death of al Qaeda deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, U.S. government sources told Stratfor on Aug. 1. An announcement from the U.S. government can be expected soon, the sources advised.
#5
Let us hope. Midhat Mursi and Zawahiri dead together is like winning the Scratch off and Lotto jackpots. Too bad Binny doesn't travel w/ Z or we could have won the Powerball too.
Posted by: ed ||
08/01/2008 15:28 Comments ||
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#6
Im sure Z is in perfect health, and this is just a rumor, and we have a long time to wait for his death
#9
just to be precise, Limbaugh got it from Stratfor, and SF is attributing it to anon US govt sources, and no one else has picked it up yet. Hmm, anything from our friends in the Paki press?
#11
Of course if it's true, then it's all part of a vast Rovian conspiracy to . . . Oh wait. He's not around anymore.
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
08/01/2008 17:38 Comments ||
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#12
Let's hope we can get the head.
I think it would look good on George W.'s desk for his next presser or television address.
talk about good theater!! Could you imagine George giving a speech on terrorism and then wave the head around? Might get a few more people to pay attention.
Posted by: James Carville ||
08/01/2008 18:48 Comments ||
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#13
Generally in the past when rumors like this have flown around, there were strong denials from the US Govt. Anyone heard any denials yet to this rumor?
" CBS News has obtained a copy of an intercepted letter from sources in Pakistan, which urgently requests a doctor to treat Zawahiri. He's believed to be somewhere in Pakistan's remote tribal areas of Pakistan.
The letter refers to Sheikh Dr. Ayman ul Zawahiri by name - and says that he is in "severe pain" and his "injuries are infected."
It is reportedly written by local Taliban leader, Baitullah Mehsud, whose signature and seal are visible on the letter. "
#16
cooool. You could mount a pencil sharpener in the forehead knot. I'd go for a couple dozen pencils that way....
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/01/2008 19:11 Comments ||
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#17
The letter refers to Sheikh Dr. Ayman ul Zawahiri by name - and says that he is in "severe pain" and his "injuries are infected."
Where did I put that nano-violin?
Posted by: john frum ||
08/01/2008 19:20 Comments ||
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#18
Elminemble Bucket5530 links to a story by Lara Logan, who's been fighting with management back home to run more stories of her embeds with the Seals in Afghanistan and such. I'd trust her. especially as she says she can't yet confirm it from official sources.
#19
welllll, since Adam Al-Ameriki's ectoplasm in a destroyed hovel, Dr. Z is suffering (hopefully long, painful, and ineveitably fatal with no pain meds), and Binny's a Tora Bora paste, who's next?
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/01/2008 19:35 Comments ||
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#20
from rush's site
Story #3: Zawahiri May Have Assumed Room Temperature
RUSH: From Stratfor. Now, Stratfor, if you subscribe to Stratfor, George Friedman and his wife Meredith run this outfit, it's almost like subscribing to a CIA daily brief. A dispatch today from Stratfor: "The United States is attempting to verify reports that a July 28th air strike in northwestern Pakistan resulted in the death of Al-Qaeda deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. This is according to US sources who have mentioned this to Stratfor today. An announcement from the US government, according to Stratfor, can be expected soon, the sources told Stratfor." So Ayman al-Zawahiri may be room temperature, ladies and gentlemen, as the result of a US air strike, northwestern Pakistan on July 28th.
#22
CNN reports "Senior US intelligence official" denies, repeat, denies any evidence of death or injury to Zawahiri, two Pentagon officials deny any knowledge of it. Pakistan govt says can neither confirm NOR deny, looking into it.
#23
U.S. counterterrorism officials said Friday they have seen no evidence to support a media report that al Qaeda's No. 2 official, Ayman al-Zawahiri, may be critically wounded or dead.
A $25 million reward has been offered for Ayman al-Zawahiri, al Qaeda's second in command.
A senior intelligence official told CNN there is no evidence to support the CBS report on al-Zawahiri, and no reason to believe it is true.
"This is utterly uncorroborated, and at this point there is no reason to believe that al-Zawahiri has been injured or killed," another intelligence official said.
According to the CBS report, a letter intercepted in Pakistan refers to the 57-year-old physician by name and requests a doctor, saying he is in "severe pain" and his "injuries are infected."
The July 29 letter was reportedly written by a local Taliban leader whose signature and seal are on the letter, CBS said. But the network said it had not been able to authenticate the signature or the seal.
Two Pentagon officials also said they were unaware of any credible reports of al-Zawahiri's death.
Pakistan's ambassador to the United States said his country was "unable to confirm or deny" the report.
"We are looking into the reports and will comment only after we have solid evidence either way," Husain Haqqani said.
2. Govt is trying to keep it quiet for a little longer, for some strategic reason, and CBS is blowing it (also a CBS f*** up, but a very different kind)
3. Govt isnt willing to go with a document they havent seen, and is letting CBS hang in the wind - but then what of the Stratfor report, not sourced to CBS. And where did CBS get the document from, if not either US or Paki govt sources?
U.S. authorities have said they do not have information that al-Zawahiri was present during Monday's strike, or that he was injured.
However, a counter-intelligence expert and other U.S. officials confirmed to CBS News that the U.S. is looking into reports that al-Zawahiri is dead.
Logan reports that while there have been false death rumors regarding al-Zawahiri before, there have been no denials yet from Pakistan, the U.S. or al Qaeda Web sites.
#26
I suppose Rantburgers are supposed to believe that that with all the Heroin & Opium around Al-Zawahiri & his asshole associate's will suffer from infected wounds as they rightly should.
Sounds like ISI RBees... although I sorely wish it were different.
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
08/01/2008 22:17 Comments ||
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#27
I hope ima wrong...
but I believe that the ISI and Al-Zawahiri are "birds of a feather" (Flock Together) OR feathers off the same BIRD!
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
08/01/2008 23:17 Comments ||
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#2
If they purge all the Taliban spies, who will be left at ISI? The janitor?
Posted by: Rambler in California ||
08/01/2008 13:34 Comments ||
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#3
Pakistani government spokeswoman Sherry Rehman said "individuals" in the ISI were probably acting on their own and going against official policy.
Just like AQ Khan. How convenient. Maybe they should have the ISI people confess on TV? Perv could then pardon them.
Posted by: john frum ||
08/01/2008 13:36 Comments ||
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#4
Since it's a rotating service, I don't quite see how they could ever have time to zoom in on anyone and conduct a proper investigation. It's prolly the same as rape charges, four male witnesses and whatnot.
#6
Pakistan sent the message to get us off their backs for a while. Watch the hands and not the mouth. The ISI and islamic extremists link is old news. The Paks will do a few things for international consumption and it will be business as usual, again.
Posted by: Alaska Paul in Fairbanks ||
08/01/2008 14:19 Comments ||
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#7
Bulletin: at 1:59 pm edt Rush Limbaugh reported that Ayman al-Zawahiri may have been killed by a strike by US foirces in Pakistan. Limbaugh says his source is Statfor. I'm not a member and cannot access Stratfor.
48 hour rule in effect. Just in case, I see no harm in dusting off the Accordian Lady in prep for the Fat Lady.
#8
So need for spies. The Taleban are a wholly owned subsidiary of Pakistan Inc. As Al Qaeda is a joint venture of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia Plc. Never forget the head of the ISI sent $100,000 to Mohammed Atta and was even at Capitol Hill as the attacks unfolded to gauge the US leaders' reactions and report back to Musharraf on the optimal course of action.
Posted by: ed ||
08/01/2008 15:21 Comments ||
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#9
No need
Posted by: ed ||
08/01/2008 15:21 Comments ||
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#10
If they purge all the Taliban spies, who will be left at ISI? The janitor?
Nah, the janitor is dirty ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/01/2008 15:43 Comments ||
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#11
"Do they want to give up the option that no one else has in terms of links to the extremists?" Roy-Chaudhury said. "It's these kind of views that make elements in the ISI different (from other spy agencies) â and more dangerous or more powerful, depending on how you see it."
from same article in Chi Trib....
so...
Was that last line a direct threat?
#12
Well sure, thats like the trick from that le carre novel, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Of COURSE we have links to them, we're INFILTRATING them. And the cover our agents use, is that theyre helping the Taliban. And of course we have to throw them SOMETHING to keep the cover up. Right?
ISLAMABAD: President Pervez Musharraf Saturday said he is concerned over the Nato forces attack in Pakistani tribal areas and warned a U-S think-tank that no such attacks will be tolerated in future, and Pakistan reserves the right to retaliate.
Talking to a senior advisor of the US think-tank Dr Hormon Olmen in Rawalpindi, President Musharaf asserted that the Afghan-based Nato forces are not being attacked from the Pakistani soil nor is any cross-border activity taking place from here.
According to sources, the President reiterated that a stable Afghanistan in the interest of Pakistan and said baseless allegations against Pakistan could affect the war on terror. Dr. Olmen told the President that the Pak-Afghan border security is a joint responsibility of both the countries and a cooperation between them is the need of the hour.
Posted by: john frum ||
08/01/2008 08:29 ||
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#5
Pakistan has right to retaliate if allied forces attacked
Yeah, yeah, yadda yadda yadda.
Just remember, Perv, that cuts both ways. Afghanistan (and its allies) have the right to retaliate if Pakistani forces attacks them. We haven't - yet - but we're getting impatient. Think on it.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/01/2008 13:45 Comments ||
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WASHINGTON -- American intelligence agencies have concluded that members of Pakistan's powerful spy service helped plan the deadly July 7 bombing of India's embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, according to United States government officials.
The conclusion was based on intercepted communications between Pakistani intelligence officers and militants who carried out the attack, the officials said, providing the clearest evidence to date that Pakistani intelligence officers are actively undermining American efforts to combat militants in the region.
The American officials also said there was new information showing that members of the Pakistani intelligence service were increasingly providing militants with details about the American campaign against them, in some cases allowing militants to avoid American missile strikes in Pakistan's tribal areas.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: john frum ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
It confirmed some suspicions that I think were widely held, one State Department official with knowledge of Afghanistan issues said of the intercepted communications. It was sort of this aha moment. There was a sense that there was finally direct proof.
#2
Obviously, the State Department or CIA are not logging on to Rantburg. Ever since Fred founded this site there has been many postings, comments, opeds, articles, analysis that all concluded the ISI was in the tank for the Taliban and AQ. Don't know about you but I am sort of tired of our Government having Epiphany's and AHA moments 7 years later than when we had them.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
08/01/2008 4:32 Comments ||
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#3
It's not true, because it can't be true.
We won't do that, because we can't do that.
We must be successful, because we can't be unsuccessful.
When at long last will the wheel spin mentality lose its grasp on the public temper? In the first PEW poll after Bush removed sanctions against the Pakistan cess pool, it was reported that only 8% of Pakis supported their generous ally. Why the f%$# didn't that impact on people's brains? Why do people need to evade consideration of Karzai's indulgence of the Euro heroin trade? Why make nothing of the fact that Pakistan was in its death throes on Sept. 11, 2001, and now Waziri, Pashto and Balochi islamofascists possess unparalleled prosperity, due to a perverse and gross negligence that allows US aid to be use to enable the murder of Americans? I swear that common sense has no intellectual currency in this age.
We don't do that, because we don't do that. Great epitaph. Sometimes I think I am watching a replay of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, in Real Time.
I wonder who nuked Hiroshima and Nagasaki and charcoaled 200,000 Tokyo civilians in one night. Who are earth would do that?
Fred: please make "Values" one of your kill-words.
#6
Pre 9/11 ISI and Pak military (and hence, the Pak state) were all in sync, all firmly supportive of the relationship with the Taliban which WAS the government of Afghanistan - if it was inconvenient (for SOME in Pakistan) that the Taliban was in bed with AQ, it was more important that the Talibs kept Afghan out of the hand so NA forces who were allied to India and Russia.
When the WTC fell, Perv made the difficult and dangerous decision to switch sides. It was clear to all that Perv did NOT have the power to purge the ISI - and so we didnt try to force him to, we took what we could get.
This is an aha moment partly cause its now 7 years later, but mainly cause this wasnt just winking at some talibs finding sanctuary in Waziristan after murdering some Afghan police - it was a direct attack on the embassy of India, with direct ISI participation. It raises the stakes, and suggests that with Perv losing power, the ISI is getting out of control.
as for bombing Tokyo, the strategic situation is far different. To begin compare US GDP as a percent of world GDP in 2008 vs , say, 1943. And then we were part of alliance that included the USSR and British empire. Such allies as we have do not command that kind of strength. (of course if these allegations pan out, and we decide to shift decisively to India, they are locally quite strong - are they strong enough to blast through a supply corridor to Afghanistan quickly??? I have my doubts)
#7
The problem is: like said in the counterinsurgency manual victories, even small and strtegicvally insignificant are crucial for guerrilla/terrorist movement for their propagnda/recruiting/moral value. Withdrwaing from Afganistan will handle Al Quida on a islver platter that victory it definitely needs. As long as Iran is hostile supplying the forces in Afghanistan requires good relations with Pakistan. Of course the long term solution is cause Pakistan to implode, but even that is dangerous as long as we can't supply the forces in Afghanistan through Iran.
Pakistani officials said yesterday that troops were vacating a key fort in a tribal area bordering Afghanistan, identified by the United States as a haven for Islamic militants.
Earlier at least 12 civilians, including seven members of the same family, were killed yesterday in fresh clashes between troops and Taliban militants in northwestern Pakistan, officials said.
Helicopter gunships pounded militant positions in the Swat Valley in a second day of fighting, which has brought a two-month-old peace deal in the former tourist region to the brink of collapse.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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Fresh fighting erupted between security forces and Taliban militants in the restive Swat valley on Thursday, leaving 13 civilians and around 20 militants dead, sources said.
Residents said shells hit a house early on Thursday in the Deolai area of Swat, killing five children and their parents, including two women. Officials said it was not clear if the munitions were fired by security forces or militants. In separate incidents, five civilians were killed in shelling, they said, adding that a total of 25 people were also wounded in the fighting.
Death toll: A senior security official said that 45 militants had been killed in fighting over the past two days. The overall death toll reached 63 that included five troops, he said. Army officials arranged a visit for local reporters to the affected areas. The helicopter carrying the media team to the Uchrai Sar area came under fire from militants, however, no damage was reported.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Anyone else but me think of Babe Ruth every time they read an article about Swat?
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
08/01/2008 4:33 Comments ||
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#2
I think of my ancient grandpappy. Who at age 90 or so became OC about flies and 'skeeters.
#3
My brother has a fly swatter the size of a badminton racquet, it's elecrified, he loves to get a wasp to land then fry him. Says he loves to hear the crackle.
(I think he got stung one time too many.)
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
08/01/2008 15:19 Comments ||
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Police seized a large quantity of explosives from a vehicle on Peshawar-Islamabad road in Charsadda on Thursday, but those inside the vehicle managed to escape the scene, Aaj TV reported. According to the channel the vehicle was stopped near the Charsadda interchange after it was caught by a tracking system. Police searched the vehicle and found 21 bombs, nine rockets, 15kg of explosives and four cylinders filled with explosive material. A bomb disposal squad later defused the devices. Police said the vehicle had been stolen, adding large-scale loss could have occurred if the devices had been detonated. They also said those inside the vehicle fled the scene when they saw the police.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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The city police has set up at least 20 checkposts in the provincial capital after threats by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) of carrying out "bomb attacks across the country", police officials said on Thursday.
The TTP had issued numerous threats to carry out attacks in the country if the government did not halt the security forces' operation in Swat valley.
Cantonment Circle Superintendent of Police Abdul Qadir told reporters that security had been beefed up in the city and police officials were checking vehicles and persons entering the city.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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The statistics showed 387 civilians were killed last month, down from 448 in June. More than 1,650 people were killed in July 2007. As I wrote in another post recently, this death rate is lower than Iraq used to have in peace time.
Six U.S. soldiers were killed in combat in Iraq last month, compared to 66 in July 2007, according to the independent website icasualties.org, which tracks wartime deaths.
The government figures showed nearly 80 Iraqi police and soldiers were killed in July, while 107 insurgents were killed and close to 900 arrested.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
08/01/2008 14:08 ||
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#1
I'm waiting for the AP to pick this up. Prolly tomorrow.
Maybe the Khaleej Times will take the place of the NY version.
Posted by: Bobby ||
08/01/2008 17:43 Comments ||
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BALAD, Iraq -- The 9th Iraqi Army Division detained two suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq terrorists connected to the deaths of four U.S. Marines in an operation conducted west of Tarmiyah, approximately 32 kilometers north of Baghdad, July 18.
The two suspects are allegedly linked to various AQI wings. The individuals are said to be responsible for numerous murders of Iraqi citizens and Coalition forces. Intelligence reports connect the suspects to a May suicide vest attack that resulted in the deaths of four U.S. Marines and several sheiks during a tribal engagement meeting.
Reports also indicate that these two suspected terrorists are associated with an AQI wing that manipulates young boys to become suicide bombers. One of the suspects is believed to be a recruiter for this wing.
Continued on Page 49
CAMP STRIKER -- U.S. Soldiers are preparing to hand over their area of operations in Southern Baghdad and believe the conditions are set for making a successful change.
"Our plan is to conduct a transfer of authority of Southern Baghdad, not with another Coalition forces element, but with the 17th Iraqi Army Division," said Col. Dominic Caraccilo, commander of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).
"The conditions are set for the 17th IA Div. to take charge of its area of operations -- which is virtually all of the Mahmudiyah Qada," said Maj. David Jones, operations officer for 3rd BCT, 101st Abn. Div. (AASLT).
Continued on Page 49
#1
FYI, there is now an Iraqi restaurant in the Knightsbridge section of London where a lot of Arabs congregate in the summer. We ate there last week. Its called Magrouf and the lamb is very good. We expected it to be filled mostly with Arabs, like all the Lebanese restaurants are, but it was mostly brits and americans. Lots of chatter about the war and it was all positive. Got the feeling that the American's were tipping their toe in the water of embracing a new culture we have some interest in. Maybe even future tourism to Iraq. Sorry, getting way ahead of myself.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
08/01/2008 4:39 Comments ||
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#2
Iraq will become a major tourist destination, It's a no-brainer.
#4
I hope one of these successful Iraqi generals will run for public office on a nationalist, securalist anti corruption, anti Persian, anti Islamism platform.
FALLUJAH -- Blinding lights pierce through the darkness on a long and winding stretch of pitch black road, exposing otherwise unseen rusted metal objects and abandoned cars.
Behind these bright lights are a group of Marines, part of a route clearance team with 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 1, who are tasked with locating ordnance on and near roads traveled by Iraqi citizens and Coalition forces.
The Marines, with Company C, conducted an all night street sweeping operation, July 23, 2008, in the city of Karma, Iraq. In past years, the city and its surrounding area has been a hotbed for insurgent activity, and many of the roads were heavily laden with improvised explosive devices.
Continued on Page 49
(VOI) - Three policemen were killed and four others were wounded on Thursday in a suicide car bomb explosion in south of Mosul, a security source said. "A suicide bomber detonated a car rigged with explosives targeting al-Shaheed police department in al-Qayara district, south of Mosul, killing three policemen and injuring four," the source, who asked not to be named, told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI).
Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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(VOI) -- Nine people were wounded on Thursday afternoon when two car bombs exploded in a synchronized way in the northern volatile province of Ninewa, a police source said. "Two car bombs on Today's afternoon blew up in a synchronized way at Kokjli area, eastern Mosul, wounding nine people, including three Iraqi soldiers," a Mosul police source, who requested anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI).
The source did not elaborate further details about the accident. Mosul, the capital city of Ninewa province, 405 km north of Baghdad, is viewed by U.S. and Iraqi authorities as one of the last remaining al-Qaeda strongholds in Iraq. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ordered a two-phase military crackdown in the northern city in May. Ninewa officials said the gains from these operations, however, have disintegrated as militant groups re-entered the city there due to an insufficient number of Iraqi troops to maintain security following operations in May.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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(VOI) - U.S army forces captured five suspects believed to be al-Qaeda operatives during raid operations conducted in central and northern Iraq, a military statement said. "Coalition forces conducted a precision operation and captured a wanted man in Bayji, about 160 km south of Mosul. The man is assessed to be involved in bombing network for al-Qaeda network in Iraq (AQI) in the Tigris River Valley, moving suicide bombers around the area and helping plan suicide attacks" said A U.S military statement received by Aswat al-Iraq-Voices of Iraq (VOI). The announcement pointed out "Coalition forces captured a wanted man believed to be a liaison between various AQI networks in Baghdad and detained two additional suspects in the operation". It added "Coalition forces in Mosul detained one suspected terrorist while targeting AQI leaders in the city".
Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
I've noticed a trend toward lots of arrests and few firefights or bad guy casualties. Could someone with Iraq experience give us some insight on what explains the shift?
#2
I've noticed a trend toward lots of arrests and few firefights or bad guy casualties. Could someone with Iraq experience give us some insight on what explains the shift?
#4
I'd say that right now, Al-Qaida and most of the Sunni groups are exhausted. They've been fighting non-stop since early 2004, while the US and allied forces have rotated troops in and out. Those still alive have been run ragged. Without an influx of additional "volunteers" from other Arab nations, the front will slowly collapse. I think we're seeing the early signs of that now.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/01/2008 14:31 Comments ||
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(VOI) - Iraqi security forces on Thursday arrested the media expert for al-Qaeda network and four operatives in Diala during a major offensive in the province. "A joint army and police force captured Abu Anas al-Baghdadi, the media expert for al-Qaeda in Iraq, in Diala and four individuals from Mujaheddin's Shura council group during a raid-and-search operation conducted in the west side of the province," Brig. Gen Abdel Kareem Khalaf, the spokesman for the Interior Ministry, told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI). Al-Qaeda network and Mujaheddin's Shura council work under the mantra of the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Media Expert = guy with the AP and NYT on speed dial
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/01/2008 10:29 Comments ||
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(VOI) - Police forces on Thursday arrested four suspected gunmen and found weapons in central Nassiriya, the media spokesman for the Thi-Qar police department said. "The forces waged a crackdown operation in al-Sharqiya region in central Nassiriya, where they arrested four suspected gunmen and found ten Kalashnikovs and an anti-bullet shield," Major Nasser al-Magedi told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI). "The operation was implemented without casualties among the forces," he added, giving no further details.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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(VOI) - Five mortar shells on Thursday hit the building of al-Iraqia and al-Mosuliya satellite channels in eastern Mosul, a police source said. "Five mortar shells landed on the building of al-Iraqia and al-Mosuliya satellite channels in al-Karama neighborhood in eastern Mosul without causing any casualties," the source told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI). "Iraqi army forces were deployed in the nearby al-Quds neighborhood to search for the attackers and cordoned off the area," he added. Meanwhile, an Iraqi army source said that "Iraqi soldiers managed to defuse a car bomb found near all-Sham gate in western Mosul, without casualties."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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(VOI) - An Iraqi army force arrested one Thursday one of the individuals involved in blowing up the house of the family of Lawmaker Methal a-Ulusi in western Baghdad, the official spokesman for the Baghdad's operations command said. "A force from the 54th brigade arrested one of the involved in blowing up the house of MP Methal al-Ulusi in early July in al-Jameaa neighborhood in western Baghdad," General Qassem Atta told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI). "The operation was based on a tip-off," he added. The general gave no more further details.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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(VOI) -- Iraqi army forces on Wednesday closed an office of al-Hadbaa National Unified Gathering in Ninewa, and arrested the office's director, in the northern part of the province, said the gathering head. "Iraqi army forces arrested Murad Kashto Assi (Yazeedi), the gathering's head at al-Shemal district of Senjar suburb (110 km northwest of Mosul), and closed the gathering's office, without giving any reasons," Atheel al-Nujaifi told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI).
"The office was first raided and then closed by the forces," he said, without mentioning any further details. Al-Hadbaa National Unified Gathering is a political entity in Mosul headed by Atheel al-Nujaifi, brother of lawmaker Osama al-Nujaifi, and embraces a number of alliances and gatherings of different races and religions in the province.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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(VOI) -- Security forces on Thursday raided Shiite Cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's office in Kut and arrested one of its security guards, a police source said. "In the early hours of Thursday morning, Iraqi security forces raided al-Sadr's office in downtown Kut in search of wanted persons and arrested its security guard," the source, who requested anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI). The source did not reveal whether the guard will soon be released, noting that "investigations are currently underway and he will be set free if he is found not guilty." Kut, the capital city of Wassit province, lies 180 km southeast of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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(VOI) - A total of 189 persons were arrested within security operation Bashaer al-Kheir (Promise of Good) operation in Diala, while the curfew was completely lifted, the official spokesman for the Defense Ministry said on Thursday. "Joint police and army forces arrested 155 wanted men, while Multi-National Forces captured 34 others during Bashaer al-Kheir (Promise of Good) operation in Diala," General Mohamed al-Askari told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI). "The curfew imposed by the Iraqi forces on the province was completely lifted," he added. Diala is one of the most unstable provinces in Iraq and has recently witnessed several suicide attacks by female bombers, recruited by al-Qaeda in Iraq. Local authorities in Diala on Tuesday imposed an indefinite curfew within preparations for a large-scale military operation dubbed Bashaer al-Kheir (Promise of Good) to track down gunmen of al-Qaeda network.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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Five Palestinians killed in tunnel collapse under Gaza-Egypt border
At least five Palestinians suffocated to death and 11 were injured on Friday while digging a smuggling tunnel beneath the Egyptian-Gaza border, hospital workers said.
A school teacher was shot dead while 17 persons were wounded in a bomb explosion in two separate incidents in the troubled southern provinces of Pattani and Narathiwat early Thursday.
A 53-year-old teacher was shot dead while he was driving a motorcycle to school in Pattani's Yarang district Thursday morning. Police said they believed unidentified gunmen followed his motorcycle and shot him enroute before escaping.
Another incident took place at a market in the Narathiwat provincial seat when a five-kilogramme bomb hidden inside a black motorcycle was detonated by a cell phone, police said. Police said 17 persons, including a six-month-old infant girl and a 70-year-old man, were wounded by the blast. Several motorcycles parked nearby were also damaged. Witnesses said they saw a teenager drive the black motorcycle and park it near the market early this morning. The identified teenager then mingled with people who were shopping before the bomb exploded.
Indian police have claimed a major breakthrough in unraveling the arms smuggling racket to Sri Lanka with the arrest in Chennai of Thambianna alias Daniel (46), the chief of LTTE procurement module and a member of the Sea Tigers.
He landed in Rameswaram by a ferry from Northern Sri Lanka about a month back. Tamil Nadu police trailed him ever since he entered the state and that gave them a rich harvest of clues. Police trailed Daniel just to crack his contacts before arresting him; the Intelligence IG Jaffer Sait was quoted as telling reporters in Chennai.
Daniel is on the wanted list for a long while in connection with smuggling of explosives, swimming and communication equipment among others, according to the police officials. 'Most of LTTE cadres arrested in Tamil Nadu have been working under Daniel's control and he was trying to smuggle petrol this time', said Sait, who added that Daniel is a member of the Sea Tigers, the naval wing of the LTTE.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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The Sri Lankan army launched a wave of attacks against Tamil Tiger separatists in the north, sparking battles that killed 24 rebels and one soldier, the military said yesterday.
The new fighting came as officials from eight South Asian nations gathered in Colombo for a regional conference that is to culminate in a top-level summit this weekend.
The Tamil Tigers offered a cease-fire beginning last Saturday because of the conference, but the government rejected it as a ploy by the rebels to gain time to regroup after several recent battlefield losses.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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Lebanese troops deployed to intercept smuggling across the borders with Syria were attacked by unidentified assailants before dawn Wednesday. A soldier was killed and another was wounded. The army outpost targeted by the attack is 200 meters west of the borderline with Syria at the remote village of Quld al-Sabaa in the Hizbullah stronghold of Hermel province.
The region is a reputed smuggling trail abutting Syrian territory in the rough terrain of east Lebanon's Bekaa Valley.
The reports said army troops responded to the sources of fire and a chase was carried out for the gunmen who withdrew further east towards Syrian territory. It could not be determined, however, if the gunmen had managed to cross into Syria.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
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.
A series of clashes in southern Afghanistan killed 30 Taliban militants, while insurgents and a roadside blast killed five police, officials said. A NATO soldier also died after being wounded in a militant attack. The militants were killed during three days of clashes in southern Uruzgan province, said provincial police chief Juma Gul Himat on Wednesday. Nine other militants and five policemen were wounded.
Pakistan's government has said it needs to purge Taleban sympathisers from within the ranks of the country's intelligence service - the ISI.
BALAD, Iraq -- The 9th Iraqi Army Division detained two suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq terrorists connected to the deaths of four U.S. Marines in an operation conducted west of Tarmiyah, approximately 32 kilometers north of Baghdad, July 18.
CAMP STRIKER -- U.S. Soldiers are preparing to hand over their area of operations in Southern Baghdad and believe the conditions are set for making a successful change.
FALLUJAH -- Blinding lights pierce through the darkness on a long and winding stretch of pitch black road, exposing otherwise unseen rusted metal objects and abandoned cars.
(VOI) - U.S army forces captured five suspects believed to be al-Qaeda operatives during raid operations conducted in central and northern Iraq, a military statement said. "Coalition forces conducted a precision operation and captured a wanted man in Bayji, about 160 km south of Mosul. The man is assessed to be involved in bombing network for al-Qaeda network in Iraq (AQI) in the Tigris River Valley, moving suicide bombers around the area and helping plan suicide attacks" said A U.S military statement received by Aswat al-Iraq-Voices of Iraq (VOI). The announcement pointed out "Coalition forces captured a wanted man believed to be a liaison between various AQI networks in Baghdad and detained two additional suspects in the operation". It added "Coalition forces in Mosul detained one suspected terrorist while targeting AQI leaders in the city".
(VOI) - Iraqi security forces on Thursday arrested the media expert for al-Qaeda network and four operatives in Diala during a major offensive in the province. "A joint army and police force captured Abu Anas al-Baghdadi, the media expert for al-Qaeda in Iraq, in Diala and four individuals from Mujaheddin's Shura council group during a raid-and-search operation conducted in the west side of the province," Brig. Gen Abdel Kareem Khalaf, the spokesman for the Interior Ministry, told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI). Al-Qaeda network and Mujaheddin's Shura council work under the mantra of the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq.
(VOI) - Police forces on Thursday arrested four suspected gunmen and found weapons in central Nassiriya, the media spokesman for the Thi-Qar police department said. "The forces waged a crackdown operation in al-Sharqiya region in central Nassiriya, where they arrested four suspected gunmen and found ten Kalashnikovs and an anti-bullet shield," Major Nasser al-Magedi told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI). "The operation was implemented without casualties among the forces," he added, giving no further details.
(VOI) - Five mortar shells on Thursday hit the building of al-Iraqia and al-Mosuliya satellite channels in eastern Mosul, a police source said. "Five mortar shells landed on the building of al-Iraqia and al-Mosuliya satellite channels in al-Karama neighborhood in eastern Mosul without causing any casualties," the source told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI). "Iraqi army forces were deployed in the nearby al-Quds neighborhood to search for the attackers and cordoned off the area," he added. Meanwhile, an Iraqi army source said that "Iraqi soldiers managed to defuse a car bomb found near all-Sham gate in western Mosul, without casualties."
(VOI) - An Iraqi army force arrested one Thursday one of the individuals involved in blowing up the house of the family of Lawmaker Methal a-Ulusi in western Baghdad, the official spokesman for the Baghdad's operations command said. "A force from the 54th brigade arrested one of the involved in blowing up the house of MP Methal al-Ulusi in early July in al-Jameaa neighborhood in western Baghdad," General Qassem Atta told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI). "The operation was based on a tip-off," he added. The general gave no more further details.
(VOI) -- Iraqi army forces on Wednesday closed an office of al-Hadbaa National Unified Gathering in Ninewa, and arrested the office's director, in the northern part of the province, said the gathering head. "Iraqi army forces arrested Murad Kashto Assi (Yazeedi), the gathering's head at al-Shemal district of Senjar suburb (110 km northwest of Mosul), and closed the gathering's office, without giving any reasons," Atheel al-Nujaifi told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI). 
(VOI) -- Security forces on Thursday raided Shiite Cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's office in Kut and arrested one of its security guards, a police source said. "In the early hours of Thursday morning, Iraqi security forces raided al-Sadr's office in downtown Kut in search of wanted persons and arrested its security guard," the source, who requested anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI). The source did not reveal whether the guard will soon be released, noting that "investigations are currently underway and he will be set free if he is found not guilty." Kut, the capital city of Wassit province, lies 180 km southeast of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
