Whatever...
Thieves break into police station SMART!!
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Thieves broke into a busy Johannesburg police station, helped themselves to liquor and started a fire in the commissioner's office, a newspaper reported Tuesday. Well it wasn't THAT busy was it? Or was it doughnut lunch hour?
Beeld said not even the electronic security doors in front of Commissioner Simon Mpembe's office in Johannesburg central police station could stop the burglars from lifting his "treasured golden teaspoons." WHAAAAAAT???
Aside from starting a fire on Mpembe's wooden floor, they also took sweets from his secretary's office and two cellphones were stolen, the newspaper said. Try that in my Manhattan precinct and see what happens...
Police spokesman Sergeant Sanku Tsunke said he had no information that the burglars set the commissioner's floor on fire and helped themselves to liquor but confirmed they broke into the canteen. "I vill say noting!"
"They took food from the canteen for people who are waiting trial. They took two mobile telephones from the office of the commissioner's secretary," he said. 8675-309!!!!
South Africa is battling one of the highest crime rates in the world and opposition groups and the media have accused the government of failing to curb violence, including rampant murder and rape and car hijackings. And knuckle-heads breaking into police stations...
Incidents such as the break-in are likely to fuel concerns that the underpaid and out-gunned police force may not be up to the job of helping the government convince the world South Africa is a safe place before the 2010 World Cup. Ya think?
#1
Technically, the idiots here are not the thieves, who had a fine day by their own standards (booze and free stuff), but the local cops who seem just as clueless and inept as the best of them (thus explaining in part the crime stats and the abyssally low conviction rate, around 2-3%).
Consider the sourceThe Belize Police Department has bagged another U.S. fugitive. This time, however, instead of a tax dodger, bigamist or sex offender they hit the jackpot, nabbing a suspect with ties to the world of terrorism. Forty-one year old Ernest James Thompson, also known as James Ujaama and Bilal Ahmed, violated parole in the United States by leaving the country and a wanted poster was circulated through Interpol by U.S. law enforcement authorities. According to Assistant Police Commissioner Eduardo Wade, that's when our cops started looking.
A.P.C. Eduardo Wade, Belize Police Department
As a result of this request the police conducted an investigation and some time around midnight last night or earlier this morning this fugitive was apprehended here in Belize City. He has since been taken out of the country. He entered Belize about ten days or so ago using a Mexican passport. During the operation Inspector Grinage, who headed the operation, received some injuries he was treated and released as this fellow attempted to escape during his apprehension.
Leonard Hill, Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy
He was initially arrested in 2003 in connection with plots in the United States to poison water supplies and to do a number of other things. He subsequently pleaded guilty to charges dealing with Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and providing various types of material support to the Taliban as well in Afghanistan.
Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy, Leonard Hill, indicated that although Thompson's immediate crime was a parole violation, he may in fact face additional charges and is also a material witness in other terror related cases. One indication of his status may be that federal officials sent down a private plane to bring him back to the States. Two Belizean police officers went along for the ride and presumably the traditional night on the town as a guest of the U.S. Department of Justice. traditional night on the town?
Brian Hutchinson, CanWest News Service
Published: Tuesday, December 19, 2006
PANJWAII DISTRICT, Afghanistan - As many as 26 local Afghan men were executed by the Taliban yesterday and their headless bodies put on public display around a local village, in a morbid attempt to dissuade other civilians here from assisting NATO and Afghan national security forces operating in the area, coalition sources have told CanWest News Service. If anyone can think of a better reason to turn the Waziristan Valleys into glass...I'd like to hear therm.
Hopes have been shattered that the Taliban would "pack up" and leave their traditional stronghold in Panjwaii District, 30 kilometres west of Khandahar city, says a local Afghan source, adding that NATO officials have been informed of the mass execution.
But Canadian military officials in Kandahar seemed unaware of the event and could not comment early Tuesday morning.
The Afghan source told CanWest News Service that 26 men between the ages of 20 and 30 were executed by the Taliban yesterday at about 4 PM, local time.
Their heads were removed and their bodies were hanged from trees in and around Bazar Talukan, a small agrarian village approximately 10 kilometres from Route Summit, a road building project in Panjwaii District that represents a front line in the coalition's ongoing battle with the Taliban.
"The bodies are still hanging there," the source said on Tuesday morning. "The Taliban is controlling area and they won't let the civilians bury the dead and put them to rest. They put letters on the bodies that said if anybody tries to bury the bodies, the Taliban will kill them, too."
The letters also stated that the Taliban would behead and hang any local civilian who tries to assist coalition forces in their attempt to liberate the area, and will kill those who assist with the distribution of humanitarian aid.
Providing local villages and farmers with material assistance is the primary aim of Operation Baaz Tsuka, a major NATO-led military campaign that launched in Panjwaii District on Friday.
Four decapitated bodies were hanged in the centre of Bazar Talukan Monday, beside an Islamic shrine. Another four decapitated bodies were hanged beside a rest stop for travelers. The remaining 18 decapitated bodies are scattered about the area in various locations.
"The Taliban hanged their heads in separate locations," said the local Afghan source, who did not want to be identified, fearing possible retribution from the Taliban.
One of the murdered men was a coalition informant who went missing 10 days ago, he added.
"The Taliban arrested him," he said. "We were trying to call him but there was no answer. Then his brother was asking us, 'where's my brother?'
The reaction in Bazar Talukan has been exactly what one would expect, he added. "People are afraid of the Taliban. They don't like them, but they have to help them, or they will be killed. They must give them food, clothing, their homes, whatever the Taliban demand, or they will die like the others."
The Taliban are believed to be girding for battle with coalition forces, who continue maneuvers in Panjwaii District, close to where Monday's mass executions took place.
Yesterday, Canadian Brigadier-General Tim Grant told reporters that the coalition hoped the enemy would leave the area, once they measured the size and strength of Operation Baaz Tsuka.
Soldiers from Canada, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the United States, Denmark, and Estonia are involved in campaign.
But other Canadian officers said that wherever they go, the Taliban inevitably follow.
"They are not going away without fighting and killing," the local Afghan source told CanWest News Service. AQ and Taliban...and their supporters do not deserve to live. Period. Hunt them. Kill them...all of them. Let the chips fall where they may.
#2
sounds like we need to kill 20X26=520 Taliban....I bet there's that many in one Pak village
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/19/2006 20:21 Comments ||
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#3
Providing local villages and farmers with material assistance is the primary aim of Operation Baaz Tsuka, a major NATO-led military campaign that launched in Panjwaii District on Friday.
So much for Operation Baaz Tsuka. Time to escalate to Operation Bazooka.
We need to send in a massive troop presence to bury the dead, improve relations and get those villagers off of the hook. If the Taleban attack, wipe them out down to the very last murderer.
The recent fighting in southern Afghanistan was reported in terms of American, British, Canadian and Dutch troops fighting the Taliban. But the most effective troops hardly got mentioned at all, and that's the way they like it. Among 20,000 or so American and NATO troops, there were nearly 2,000 commandos (about a third of them U.S. Special Forces). Afghanistan has been something of a commando Olympics for the past five years. During the last three months, the Taliban were subjected to a series of offensive operations, most of them using the commandos to get the drop on the Taliban, and then call in U.S., NATO or Afghan troops to finish off the enemy, after the commandos and smart bombs had done their work. In this way, about half the 4,000 deaths in Afghanistan this year, took place in those three months. During that period, 2,077 Taliban were killed. Some 40 percent of those Taliban losses occurred during Operation Medusa, which took place in September, in Kandahar province. This operation was meant to upset the Taliban plans to bring in thousands of gunmen, and take control of the area around Kandahar (the traditional Taliban "capital") and perhaps (if only temporarily) the city itself. The Taliban were outmaneuvered and outfought, especially by the international commando force.
The Taliban have declared their 2006 operations a success, despite the death of nearly 3,000 of their fighters, and the wounding of even more. Exactly how many Taliban were running around in southern Afghanistan this year is hard to tell. Could have been as many as 10,000. But success depended a lot on cooperation from local tribesmen. Some tribes were more pro-Taliban than others. Where they had some local support, there was a lot of terrorizing of civilians going on. But any organized attacks on local officials or police, brought a quick response. The Coalition commandos, plus air power, were the most feared combination. UAVs could quickly be over an area and would appear to stay there forever. If the commandos picked up the trail of a group of Taliban, they would usually catch up with them, and, using a combination of smart bombs and superior fighting skills, destroy the Taliban unit. These Taliban groups would sometimes have several hundred fighters. The Taliban were not stupid, and would often scatter when they knew the commandos and UAVs were on their trail. But since so many of the Taliban gunmen were Pakistani Pushtuns, and not familiar with the local terrain, the most effective tactic, of ditching weapons in one of the many little caves in the area, and then splitting up in to much smaller groups and scattering, didn't work. So hundreds of Pakistani Taliban died in these operations, trapped in a landscape they were not familiar with.
American air reconnaissance (UAVs and manned aircraft) made it dangerous for the Taliban to try and get away in vehicles, and the commandos were able to go after them on foot. The Taliban rationale for their "victory" in 2006 rests on the fact that they did mount a major effort, most of them survived it, and they burned down 200 schools, killed at least twenty teachers, and several hundred other uncooperative Afghans. They managed to kill 56 foreign troops, and several hundred Afghan soldiers and police. But the Taliban lost about ten dead, for every enemy they killed. The Taliban also enraged many Afghans, who like the idea of having schools, and roads and being left alone. So who really won? Killing 20 teachers and losing 3000 fighters is a great victory for the Lions of Islam!
#1
I've worked with several SOF units, on three different continents. If they claim to have killed 1000, they probably killed 3000, and so on. They also have a nice little habit of leaving "surprises" where they think they'll do the most good. Those could account for several hundred more. I do believe the taliwhackers have had a hard year, and it's only going to get worse. Now it's time to bring the war "home" to the Paki provinces bordering Afghanistan. That will bring the entire house of cards down.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/19/2006 14:13 Comments ||
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(KUNA) -- At least 10 Taliban fighters were killed and 10 more arrested in a clash and a raid, while three NATO soldiers suffered injuries in a landmine explosion in southern and eastern parts of Afghanistan.
A statement released by the coalition forces on Monday said they had killed four Taliban fighters and seized a weapons cache in the southern province of Kandahar. The raid was conducted late Sunday night during which four "insurgents" were killed and a weapons cache was unearthed in the Sperwan area of Kandahar. The troops, operating alongside the Afghan army, called in air support. The weapons caches seized during the operation were containing mines and explosives.
In the same province, three NATO soldiers were wounded in a landmine explosion while on routine patrol in Zherai district. NATO spokesman in Kandahar Captain Andre E. Salloum told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) the condition of the soldiers injured in the landmine explosion was satisfactory.
In a separate operation conducted in Afghanistan's mountainous Kunar province, US forces said they had arrested 10 people on suspicion of links with terrorists. The raid was conducted early Monday in the Qazian village of the province, said a statement issued by the coalition troops in Kabul. "The operation resulted in the capture of a known transporter of weapons and explosives, who is linked to foreign fighter movements in the region," it said. Name and nationality of the "wanted" man was not released. The statement said the raid was conducted on the basis of "credible information" and the women and children present at the compound remained unhurt.
In yet another incident, the Afghan police said they had killed four Taliban in a clash near the border with Pakistan. Chief of the special police unit in Afghanistan's Khost province General Sherzai told KUNA the Taliban attacked a police post in the border area last night. They had come from the Pakistani side and numbered some 200. Sherzai said the special police unit countered the attack, killing six Taliban and arresting four. But Taliban spokesman Dr. Hanif rejected claims of killing his men. He said only one fighter was killed while the Taliban shot dead five policemen and destroyed their post.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/19/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
I know they will keep sending the cannon fodder our of the Waziristan Valleys...but 10 more feeding the worms is a good day for the good guys.
A Pakistan embassy spokesman has refuted the claim that the Taliban have a command and control structure operating on Pakistan territory, in and around the city of Quetta.
In a letter to Baltimore Sun, embassy press minister M Akram Shaheedi writes: This is not true because Mulla Muhammed Omar and his Taliban commanders are in Kandahar, their home district and the base of the Taliban. They command considerable support from the local population there. They could not hide in Quetta because Pakistans intelligence and security network is very effective. The presence of the Taliban leadership could not go unnoticed there. It should also be mentioned here that a UN Security Council report released in August clearly states that the centre of gravity of the Taliban movement is in Afghanistan. According to the United Nations: The insurgency is being conducted mostly by Afghans operating inside Afghanistans borders.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/19/2006 00:00 ||
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A few days, but I don't recall seeing it here. Big HT to the No Pasaran folks.
By Alex Duval Smith
France yesterday defended recent fighter jet raids on towns bordering Sudan's Darfur region by claiming the aggressive action was aimed at preventing regional chaos.
In the past two weeks, with minimal publicity, Mirage F1 jets have attacked and scattered a rebellion in north-eastern Central African Republic (CAR). But reports from the ground say the operation has had a devastating impact on civilians.
A French Defence Ministry spokesman said the action - which included regular Mirage sorties in neighbouring Chad where tens of thousands of refugees from Darfur are living - was in line with international calls to stabilise the region.
He claimed that without action there was a danger of a "Somalisation" of the region."We want to ensure that the Darfur crisis does not take on a further dimension. The region is crucial if we want to put a peace force in Darfur," he said.
After opposition from the Sudanese President Omar El Beshir, plans to send 20,000 United Nations peacekeepers to Darfur have been axed. Mr Beshir will only accept a beefed-up African Union force with UN logistical support.
The French operations in CAR have been centred on repelling rebels which the government claims are - like the Darfur militias - backed by the Sudanese regime. Others say the rebels of the Union des Forces Démocratiques pour le Rassemblement (UFDR) are disgruntled allies of CAR President François Bozizé who helped him come to power in a 2003 coup and are dissatisfied with his ruling of the country along ethnic lines. Both the rebels and Sudan deny they have any links.
In early November, the UFDR took the north-eastern town of Birao, which has a population of 30,000 people, as well as Ouadda-Djalle and Sam Ouandja.
President Bozizé asked for French help and Paris added 100 troops to the 200 already stationed in the country. These, including paratroopers, are on the ground with the CAR army and with Fomuc - soldiers brought in from regional allies Chad and Gabon.
According to the UFDR, the raids over several days at the start of December included an attack on Birao with six Mirage F1 fighters and four helicopter gunships. It claims the attack forced thousands of civilians to flee towards Darfur and southern Chad.
A French armed forces spokesman yesterday refused to give details of whether bombs, missiles or machinegun-fire had been used by the jets.
Humanitarian groups have not yet succeeded in reaching Birao but in phone calls to residents they have heard reports of executions and rapes by the CAR army.
The rebellion, according to the CAR army, was finally crushed on Monday with the capture of Ouadda-Djalle. However, there are fears that the rebels, who have scattered, will relaunch their offensive.
Nganatouwa Goungaye Wanfiyo, president of the Central African Human Rights League, said France's intervention on the side of the CAR army had been out of all proportion and may have increased the risk of a Darfur-style ethnic conflict. "They have just delayed the problem and worsened it. The opposition wants dialogue with Bozizé, that's all."
France yesterday defended recent fighter jet raids on towns bordering Sudan's Darfur region by claiming the aggressive action was aimed at preventing regional chaos.
In the past two weeks, with minimal publicity, Mirage F1 jets have attacked and scattered a rebellion in north-eastern Central African Republic (CAR). But reports from the ground say the operation has had a devastating impact on civilians.
A French Defence Ministry spokesman said the action - which included regular Mirage sorties in neighbouring Chad where tens of thousands of refugees from Darfur are living - was in line with international calls to stabilise the region.
He claimed that without action there was a danger of a "Somalisation" of the region."We want to ensure that the Darfur crisis does not take on a further dimension. The region is crucial if we want to put a peace force in Darfur," he said.
After opposition from the Sudanese President Omar El Beshir, plans to send 20,000 United Nations peacekeepers to Darfur have been axed. Mr Beshir will only accept a beefed-up African Union force with UN logistical support.
The French operations in CAR have been centred on repelling rebels which the government claims are - like the Darfur militias - backed by the Sudanese regime. Others say the rebels of the Union des Forces Démocratiques pour le Rassemblement (UFDR) are disgruntled allies of CAR President François Bozizé who helped him come to power in a 2003 coup and are dissatisfied with his ruling of the country along ethnic lines. Both the rebels and Sudan deny they have any
In early November, the UFDR took the north-eastern town of Birao, which has a population of 30,000 people, as well as Ouadda-Djalle and Sam Ouandja.
President Bozizé asked for French help and Paris added 100 troops to the 200 already stationed in the country. These, including paratroopers, are on the ground with the CAR army and with Fomuc - soldiers brought in from regional allies Chad and Gabon.
According to the UFDR, the raids over several days at the start of December included an attack on Birao with six Mirage F1 fighters and four helicopter gunships. It claims the attack forced thousands of civilians to flee towards Darfur and southern Chad.
A French armed forces spokesman yesterday refused to give details of whether bombs, missiles or machinegun-fire had been used by the jets.
Humanitarian groups have not yet succeeded in reaching Birao but in phone calls to residents they have heard reports of executions and rapes by the CAR army.
The rebellion, according to the CAR army, was finally crushed on Monday with the capture of Ouadda-Djalle. However, there are fears that the rebels, who have scattered, will relaunch their offensive.
Nganatouwa Goungaye Wanfiyo, president of the Central African Human Rights League, said France's intervention on the side of the CAR army had been out of all proportion and may have increased the risk of a Darfur-style ethnic conflict. "They have just delayed the problem and worsened it. The opposition wants dialogue with Bozizé, that's all."
#1
Memo to France:
You don't 'admit' to strike fighter raids... You get out in front of the story and say 'Look, we just wrecked your sh*t you no-air-force-having fools. Ya want us to do it again??'
Protests against such statements tend to fall a bit flat.
#3
You know france, if you had helped in Iraq, we would be able to help in making sure there was no "Somalisation" of the region." But since you helped bog us down, you are the ones killing civilians. And why are you helping the ARAB Muslim's
#5
France maintains the right to intervene in its former colonies at will. In fact, a significant portion of the French Army is stationed in these former colonies. The French Air Force has operated in the CAR for decades. I seem to recall they gave Libya a black eye some time ago.
#8
France yesterday defended recent fighter jet raids on towns bordering Sudan's Darfur region by claiming the aggressive action was aimed at preventing regional chaos.
Has nobody told them that violence never solves anything?
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Bush administration took action Tuesday to freeze financial accounts and assets of a naturalized British Terrorist citizen for allegedly providing "material and logistical" support to al-Qaida and other terror groups.
The action against Mohammed Al Ghabra means that any bank accounts or other financial assets belonging to him found in the United States must be frozen. Americans also are prohibited from doing business with him.
The Treasury Department alleged that Al Ghabra had organized travel to Pakistan for people seeking to meet with senior al-Qaida officials and to undertake jihad training. Several of those people returned to the United Kingdom to engage in covert activity on behalf of al-Qaida, the department said.
Al Ghabra also allegedly provided support and facilitated travel of people based in the United Kingdom to Iraq to support the insurgents' fight against coalition forces, the department said.
The Jammu and Kashmir government yesterday removed Director General of Prisons M.K. Mohanty, a day after rioting by prisoners in the Kot Bhalwal jail here. Mohanty has been replaced by Rajinder Tikoo, Transport Commissioner and 1971 batch Indian Police Service officer Rajinder Tikoo. The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting.
Mohanty had come under fire for his failure to check malpractices in prisons. Sunday's clashes between police and militant inmates of Kot Bhalwal brought things to a boiling point. Thirty-six people, including 15 policemen, were injured in the clashes. Police had to fire in the air, burst teargas shells and also cane charge the inmates to bring the situation under control.
Police launched a massive cleanup exercise, seizing two SIM cards and some iron rods. They also found heaps of stones in the jail. Police regained control of the Kot Bhalwal prison after a seven-hour clash on Sunday with 300 prisoners. Militants had taken positions on the rooftops of their barracks to protest against the shifting of some militants, including three Pakistanis and one Afghan. Militants had equipped themselves with LPG cylinders and iron rods, which they extracted by breaking down the concrete pillars of an inner boundary wall. At least 10 of the 19 barracks were ransacked.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/19/2006 00:00 ||
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You can see at 34:00 seconds, the logo of Ansar Al Sunnah appearing behind the channel hiding box.
And it seems he orders up 2 brigades of his followers and says to "insert" them into the Iraqi Army to attend to some situation... Weird, but interesting piece of video, RD.
#3
So, after deleting the 7 duplicates of this thing, you're saying it should be dumped, too?
I can't figure out what it is. It links to some goofy announcement of a speech and then about 50 links - and so sorry, I ain't going dumpster-diving through a bunch of unknown stuff, lol.
I'm gonna trash this one. If you want it published, then create something descriptive and useful for the folks so they know what they're getting into. ;-)
somehow? when I tried to type up the post above it submitted itself rapid succesion due to the browser problem [sic unstable]; which I couldn't control right when it happened.
The vid is suposed to have been recently broadcasted, as to the actual date not sure, but IMO it's self explanatory.
I do have a retorical question: what the hell is our government/military/president waiting for???
I'll vote for the guy with a bad attitude and a salad fork any day over what is passing for our national leadership.
This is only part of the story. The link has more.
An eighteen year-old Army medic has become the first woman ever to win the Military Cross, one of Britain's highest awards for gallantry in combat.
Private Michelle Norris braved heavy sniper and machine-gun fire from 200 insurgents during a fierce battle in southern Iraq earlier this year, clambering on top of an armoured vehicle to give life-saving treatment to a severely wounded comrade, ignoring the bullets smashing into the turret around her.
It was the first time she had ever been confronted with a casualty on the battlefield.
The teenager, who had dreamed of joining the Army after watching old war movies with her father as a child, spoke of her pride at receiving the coveted medal, and said she hoped the award would help convince doubters that women can cope well with the dangers of frontline combat.
At a special ceremony in London yesterday the head of Britain's armed forces Air Chief Marshall Sir Jock Stirrup described the astonishing bravery which led to her ground-breaking gallantry award.
The Military Cross is awarded to soldiers 'for exemplary gallantry during active operations against the enemy', and ranks only below the Victoria Cross and Conspicuous Gallantry Cross as a recognition of bravery in battle.
#2
Private Michelle Norris braved heavy sniper and machine-gun fire from 200 insurgents during a fierce battle in southern Iraq earlier this year, clambering on top of an armoured vehicle to give life-saving treatment to a severely wounded comrade, ignoring the bullets smashing into the turret around her.
#2
Iraqi soldiers earn about $70 a month. And there is millions of Saudi and Ayatollah money in Iraq. All good if we could rely on integrity, but the Iraqi Army is totally compromised. The quick fix is: count on elimination of Shiite power. I still have confidence that the President will do that.
#4
I wouldn't characterize this as 'mostly bad news." In fact, I was quite encouraged by what I saw while embedded with the IA. If someone could just get a handle on the pay issue, this would resolve a huge problem.
Posted by: Bill Roggio ||
12/19/2006 17:05 Comments ||
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#5
Bill, going back to TQ next month or Feb for my second go around. I'm hearing scuttle about a 20K increase spread across SPTT's, MTTs, & BTTs. Not to violate opsec, but can you comment at all on this? If not, no big deal. Thanks for going out and writing the real deal. At least one journo-dude we trust.
#7
Bill may have been encouraged but he also wrote of the pay/awol issue
This is directly related to pay problems, a lack of an enlistment contract, and a non-existent central banking system. As there is no central banking system, soldiers must physically take their paychecks home. They are forced to travel home unarmed (the weapons are needed at the units, and there is fear the soldiers would sell the weapons), and the soldiers become targets for death squads.
This was a depressing comment because it said to me that, while the IA may be growing as a military force, there is so little civil/social infrastructure that people can't be paid directly by a national bureaucracy. It is going to take a long time to pull these folks into the 21st century, especially as none of their neighbors are interested in seeing that happen.
Thank you! I haven't seen reliable numbers for the increase. The AP said 9,000, I've heard 15,000, and I've heard the 20,000 number as well. My apologies for not being able to shed more light on this.
Posted by: Bill Roggio ||
12/19/2006 17:35 Comments ||
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#9
Bill -- thanks for responding. I, too, didn't think this was "mostly bad news." I took most of it as "good news." I'm not military, never have been, but you guys got the best logistics in the world, and seems to me, our military steps in and that problem gets solved fast! Then, the others fall into place.
Would be one of the first things I hope Gates looks at. I heard Rummy mention it, so he was looking into it.
It's a start. The police force is a mess over issues just like this.
IRAQI NATIONAL POLICE COMMANDER RELIEVED OF DUTY; TWO OTHERS ARRESTED
BAGHDAD An Iraqi national police battalion commander was relieved of duty Dec. 18 after giving permission to two Iraqi police officers to illegally arrest two local nationals near a security checkpoint within the Iraqi capital.
The commander from 1st National Police Division permitted two Iraqi Police officers, claiming to be under orders from the Ministry of the Interior, to arrest two brothers for unknown reasons. Reports indicate the brothers were placed in two separate cars which departed in different directions.
Investigation by the National Police Headquarters Deputy Commander led to the discovery that the capture was not authorized by the Ministry of the Interior. The deputy commander then ordered the arrest of the battalion commander and the individuals manning the check point where the incident occurred.
#3
What a bunch of Fugly Uckers! That one guy on the bottom looks like he was hit with an Ugly Tree, not just the stick. That's it! The jihadis are really just angry because they are so damn ugly.
FORWARD OPERATING BASE LOYALTY, Iraq Soldiers with the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment killed one insurgent and detained two others after they caught them attempting to place an improvised explosive device in eastern Baghdad in the evening hours of Dec. 16. Also recovered were two loaded AK-47 rifles, eight magazines, and one magazine vest.
Posted by: Bobby ||
12/19/2006 06:20 ||
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#1
This is the best way to discourage IED's, wack them as they place them.
Lots of interesting stuff from last week. I summarized the hightlights, twice, but didn't see it come up on the 'Burg. Maybe I used too much bandwidth? Anyway, it's a .pdf with several good graphics.
Posted by: Bobby ||
12/19/2006 06:14 ||
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#1
Wow. Comes up right away, now!
Posted by: Bobby ||
12/19/2006 6:17 Comments ||
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#2
Thanks for posting Bob! Wonder why the crude production is down.
Interesting to see how much of the country is already turned over to the Iraqi forces.
Patrick Fort | Baghdad, Iraq - 18 December 2006 11:59
(AFP) Sporting a beige jacket, starched pink shirt and polished shoes, Haider looks like any other young businessman about town, not a sly gunrunner who wheels and deals in Iraq's burgeoning arms trade.
Yet with the country sucked into sectarian warfare and the classic laws of the marketplace clicking into gear, traders like Haider -- not his real name -- are making a highly illegal killing.
He admits prices have "quadrupled since spring" after the fuse on Iraq's sectarian powder keg was lit by Sunni extremists, who demolished a revered Shi'ite shrine in the northern city of Samarra. "Sales have shot up spectacularly since Samarra," explains Haider.
The blast plunged Iraq into a vicious cycle of bloodletting between Sunni and Shi'ite fighters that litters the country with 100 bodies a day. "Shi'ites went on the attack and asked for weapons. Sunni groups also wanted to arm. Shi'ite militias and armed Sunni groups are the main buyers," says the unrepentant wholesaler.
In today's thriving market, a basic Kalashnikov assault rifle retails for $200 to $350 while an upgraded version with a folding stock or a sniper scope can fetch up to $400 to $600. Russian-made PKM light machine guns, which are highly prized by Iraqi insurgents, can command $3 000 to $4 000 apiece.
Such prices have plotted a formidable upsurge in the nearly four years since United States-led troops invaded Iraq to bring down former president Saddam Hussein. "In Baghdad, fences used to attract clients with jingles like 'settle your scores for 250 dinars [35 cents]'," jokes Mohammed, another gun merchant from a neighbourhood of southern Baghdad. "They sold stocks of army grenades on the pavement, and to prove they worked they could chuck them behind a wall on open land," he laughs.
Gunrunner Ahmed Hassan says dealers today deal in smuggled goods from neighbouring Iran and Syria, which the US accuses of meddling in Iraq, and from US-trained Iraqi forces looking to supplement their income. "There are two sources," he says. "Smuggled goods, particularly from Iran, but also a small number from Syria. And the army and Iraqi police who sell their weapons, particularly ammunition." "Police officers are badly paid. So after a battle they can sell their bullets and tell their superiors they've run out of ammunition or even sell their weapon and say they lost it," concurs Mohammed.
According to Hassan, one officer even offered to dismount a machine gun from the bracket on the back of his jeep and sell it for $3,000.
Haider says Shi'ites -- the dominant sectarian group in Iraq's security forces -- monopolise arms trafficking and accuses even senior officers of turning over weapons and ammunition to make a fast buck. Yet, while the sectarian divide threatens to tear Iraq apart, hard cash is a powerful leveller and weapons dealers work together to maximise sales.
Haider, who is Sunni, uses a Shi'ite associate to trade on his behalf in Sadr City, a sprawling Baghdad slum home to about 2,5-million Shi'ites and several thousand armed fighters from the prominent militia, the Mahdi Army. "Personally, I don't keep weapons at home. The Americans search homes regularly. They don't set foot in Sadr city. Shi'ites can stock up," says Haider, who claims not to sell explosives or heavy weaponry such as RPGs and mortars.
"It's too dangerous," he said, adding with a smirk: "But if you want IEDs [bombs] to attack the Americans, I can get them for you." Finding weapons is not a problem, but moving them around can be expensive.
"There are checkpoints everywhere. You don't know who's in charge but generally $100 gets you through without a search," says Haider. Shadowed by a bodyguard, he tries to minimise his risk of capture or worse, refusing to stray into neighbourhoods he does not know and trying to sell only to people with whom he has connections.
"I'm running the risk of 15 years in prison or worse," admits Haider, nonetheless refusing to take personal blame for fuelling daily massacres. "My mother urges me to stop, but the problem is the other way round. The day when violence stops, there won't be a market. Then I could sell watches. I have Rolexes and Breitlings. Do you want one?"
Now that's an Arab. Another Adnan Khashoggi in training.
#1
Arms prices WAY up. Increased demand no doubt plays a role, but decreased supply is likely important too, based on the number of arms cache discoveries reported virtually every day.
#2
I think this is demand-driven. After the last 4 months of increased killing, every Iraqi who doesn't have a personal weapon has probably been trying to buy one, either to defend self/friends or to take revenge.
Private guards in SUVs helped Iraq's former electricity minister escape from a police station just outside the heavily fortified Green Zone where the dual U.S.-Iraqi citizen was being held on corruption charges, officials said Monday.
Ayham al-Samaraie, who had escaped once before after being convicted in October, walked out of the detention facility Sunday with private security experts who once protected him, said Faris Kareem, deputy head of Iraq's Public Integrity Commission.
Kareem said the security agents were "foreign," but provided no further details.
Continued on Page 49
A car bomb exploded near a vegetable market in southwest Baghdad on Monday afternoon, killing five people and wounding at least 14, police said. The blast occurred at a green grocers' wholesale depot around 1:15 pm in Sadiyah, a primarily Sunni area of the Iraqi capital, officials said.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/19/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Another example showing the "religious" motive behind the terrorists is a sham as the continue to kill fellow muslims indiscriminantly.
(KUNA) -- An Iraqi civilian died in a blast in northern Iraq and a police officer and a policeman were injured when an explosive device went off south of the city of Kirkuk. Police sources in Kirkuk said an explosive device went on in Huwija southwest of Kirkuk killing a civilian and injuring another. In the meantime, another bomb exploded near an Iraqi police patrol in Yinkih in Kirkuk injuring a police officer and a policeman. Meanwhile, gunmen shot dead a civilian east of Mosul, while police patrols discovered body of an unknown person with bullet head injuries.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/19/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
bullet head injuries.
Sounds serious. Can I assume the bullet died of its' injuries?
Posted by: Bobby ||
12/19/2006 6:23 Comments ||
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(KUNA) -- An Iraqi official survived an assassination attempt Monday in Baghdad, a source of the interior ministry said. The source told KUNA an improvised explosive device had been planted in car of Saad Ghareeb, the general manager of Iraqi power networks. The blast of the bomb left Ghareeb severely wounded and killed his bodyguard. An investigation into the assassination attempt has been initiated.
In other reports, seven Iraqi civilians had been killed when a bomb exploded at a farm market in southern Baghdad. Three other policemen and two civilians were injured when a mortar shell fell close to the Technology Institute on Mohammad Al-Qassem road. During the past 48 hours, police found 98 dead human bodies around Baghdad -- 45 of these bodies were located during the past 24 hours.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/19/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades spokesmen said that Hamas "broke all the rules" by abducting Abu Zaydeh and that the action was "the reddest line that has been crossed" in the intra-Arab battles.
Give it time. Give it time. There's plenty of reddier line thingy crossings to come. If there's one buncha maroons who can always be counted upon to outdo themselves for senseless violence, its the Palestinians.
Abbas, speaking to journalists, said that "from 11:00 pm (2100 GMT), there will be a return to complete calm that will allow us to return to our business and to take care of our people."
...and then monkeys shooting bottle rockets flew out of his ass...
By IBRAHIM BARZAK Associated Press Imaginary Friend Writer
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Gunbattles raged in the streets of Gaza City on Tuesday between the Hamas and Fatah movements, killing at least four people in factional fighting that shredded a shaky truce. At least 18 people were wounded, including five children caught in the crossfire.
Automatic gunfire echoed across the city, and a Fatah security installation was attacked with mortar fire. Masked Hamas gunmen set up makeshift checkpoints on main roads, forces from the two sides took up strategic positions, and terrified residents shut themselves indoors.
The fighting marked the latest unrest in a week of factional violence that showed no signs of slowing despite a cease-fire declared by both sides Sunday.
"It's a real war. Since the morning, I've been praying to God that this is going to end," said Suleiman Tuman, a 53-year-old shopkeeper trapped in his grocery store by the battles.
"Both sides used to fight the Israelis together. Now they are directing their weapons toward each other, and we're in the middle," he said. "Both sides are responsible for this war." "But I blame Bush the jooooooos".
Hamas and Fatah have been locked in a power struggle since the Islamic militant group defeated Fatah in legislative elections last January. President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party, which seeks peace with Israel, controls the presidency, while the radical Hamas, which is committed to Israel's destruction, controls parliament and the Palestinian Cabinet.
The latest wave of fighting broke out last week, and worsened after Abbas announced plans Saturday to call early elections. Hamas has condemned the plan as a coup, and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh has said the Islamic group would boycott any new vote.
In all, only 13 people have died in the week of clashes, making it one of the deadliest bouts of Palestinian infighting ever.
Haniyeh planned a televised speech later Tuesday. Seeking to ease the tensions, Haniyeh canceled a planned Hamas demonstration, Hamas officials said.
Jordan's King Abdullah II offered to host talks between the Palestinian president and the leader of Hamas to resolve the bloody confrontation.
"Jordan is willing to do all it can to help the Palestinians overcome their differences and to bolster Palestinian unity," said a statement issued by the royal palace in Amman.
The Hudna truce declaration brought a brief lull to Gaza on Monday, but gunfire resumed after nightfall.
Tuesday's heavy fighting began when a member of the Fatah-controlled intelligence service arrived at Gaza City's Shifa hospital with a broken leg, accompanied by two armed colleagues. Hamas militiamen guarding the hospital blocked the armed men from entering and tried to arrest them.
When more Fatah loyalists arrived, they were fired on, sparking the gunfight, Fatah officials said.
Hamas accused Fatah of storming the hospital and said a 23-year-old member of a Hamas police unit was killed. It also said one of its men was captured.
The battle raged for nearly an hour, sending children scurrying for cover as they made their way to school. The fighting later spread to one of the main offices of the Fatah-controlled intelligence service, which was attacked by qassam rockets mortar shells and grenades, security officials said.
Hospital officials said two pro-Fatah security men died in the fighting, including one who was shot as he sat in a parked vehicle. During one clash, five children were wounded by stray gunfire, the officials said. There were no immediate details on their conditions. Sucking head wounds.
In other fighting, a Fatah security official was captured and killed by Hamas gunmen, Fatah officials said. Elsewhere, the car of the governor of northern Gaza, a prominent Fatah loyalist, was hit by gunfire. The governor, Ismail Abu Shamallah, escaped injury, officials said.
Hamas and Fatah officials insisted they remained committed to the truce and accused each other of violating the deal.
"Hamas is abiding by the Hudna cease-fire," said spokesman Ismail Radwan. "The problem is that not all of Fatah's militias are participating in this decision."
Ibrahim Abu al-Najah, a mediator who helped arrange the Hudna truce, appealed for calm.
"What is going on is a violation and sabotage, and I have called on both parties to shoulder their responsibility and to end what is going on in the streets," he said.
Tensions have been high since the collapse in November of Abbas' efforts to form a moderate unity government with Hamas. Abbas had sought a coalition in hopes of ending international sanctions against the Hamas-led government, which has been isolated due to its refusal to recognize Israel.
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, chief of the 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference, urged calm after meeting with Abbas in Ramallah, West Bank.
"We have some practical ideas to deal with the crisis situation," he said, before departing for Gaza to talk to Haniyeh. "There are some positive steps. We hope they will be taken."
Despite the fighting, Abbas said Monday that he would push ahead with new elections. With British Prime Minister Tony Blair by his side, Abbas also reached out to Israel in hopes momentum toward peacemaking would provide an electoral edge over Hamas. The United States tentatively endorsed Abbas' call for early elections.
After meeting with Blair late Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he hoped to have a summit with Abbas "very soon" and said officials from both sides were working on the preparations.
In Gaza, Hamas and Fatah gunmen fought in the main hospital, killing one person and wounding eleven others. There are now 11,000 UN peacekeepers hiding in southern Lebanon. Hizbollah is calling for new national elections in Lebanon, believing that they might have to votes to gain control of the government. The ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians continues to hold, despite daily incidents of rockets being fired from Gaza into Israel. The Palestinians don't consider this a violation, because not a lot of rockets are being fired, and the Israelis are not responding with troops or artillery fire. Don't pay any attention to that man behind the curtain.
Hizbollah continues to maintain thousands of demonstrators in the capital, calling for the Lebanese government to give Hizbollah veto power. The government refuses to give in. Syria and Iran continue to send weapons across the border to Hezbollah, and the United Nothing UN tourist peacekeepers in southern Lebanon (Led by Sgt "I see nothing" Schultz) continue to stay out of the way of Hizbollah operations. Careful not to get run over by a Hez ammo cinvoy.
I believe you've been told before about putting HTML in the Source Box. Don't. Period.
The Mooselimb Bloods and ...
Tuesday, December 19, 2006 GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) A fierce gunbattle erupted early Tuesday within the compound of Shifa hospital in Gaza City between the security personnel of Hamas and Fatah, witnesses and hospital officials said. One member of the Hamas executive force was killed in the exchange and 11 were wounded, one seriously. Executive force? The Islamics have gone corporate?
The gunbattle erupted as the warring factions were trying to hold on to a shaky truce that followed days of unrest in Gaza, after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for early elections. Shades of Muslim history shortly after Muhammad's own death Bathman!
The gunbattle, which raged for nearly an hour, sent schoolchildren scurrying for cover as they made their way to school. Rival gunmen took up positions of rooftops, some firing rocket-propelled grenades at each other. Apparently the Muzzies couldn't catch the children and hence lacked human shields, aaaaah to bad dirtbags
Hamas said their men came under fire when a group of armed men from Fatah stormed the hospital. They said they arrested two of the attackers. Hamas identified the dead man as Ismail Abu al-Hir, 25, a member of its police unit. Car 54 where are you?
Fatah blamed Hamas gunmen for the exchange of fire, saying that members of its intelligence forces came under fire from the Hamas executive unit.
The remainder of the article is just rehashed hash.
Hamas officials reported Monday that the top Fatah official kidnapped earlier in the Gaza Strip had been released. Sufian Abu Zaydeh, a former Cabinet minister, was captured in the northern Gaza Strip. Fatah and Hamas are continuing negotiations for the release of ten more kidnapped officials.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/19/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Damn. Better luck next time I guess. At least, I hope he was brutalized.
Gunmen killed a Fatah supporter in a clash Monday evening in northern Gaza, hospital officials said, the first fatality since rival Palestinian factions declared a truce a day earlier. The man was killed in a standoff between Hamas and Fatah gunmen in the town of Jabalya, according to Dr. Said Judeh of Kamal Radwan hospital. Five other people were wounded in clashes in northern Gaza, Judeh said. Clashes between Fatah and Hamas, rival factions vying for control of the Palestinian government, decreased after Sunday night's truce, but fighting persisted in different parts of the Gaza Strip.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/19/2006 00:00 ||
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(KUNA) -- Twelve Palestinians were killed or injured in the middle of clashes between supporters of Hamas and Fatah in Jabaliya refugee camp here, stated Palestinian security sources. The source said that gunmen from Hamas stormed a charitable society in Jabaliya and killed a person. The gunmen also kidnapped the head of the society who is a member of Fatah, added the source.
Meanwhile, 11 activists from Hamas and Fatah were injured during clashes in Jabaliya camp and the near town of Beit Lahia. Both sides conducted 11 abduction operations in northern Gaza strip during the clashes.
On similar matter, masked gunmen abducted Sufyan Abu Ziyada, ex-minister of prisoners' affairs, stated a security source which added that the Fatah official, was abducted in the Beit Lahia. On other developments, masked gunmen shot an activist in Al-Aqsa martyr brigades, the military wing of Fatah. Medical sources stated that the activist was transferred to a nearby hospital where his injures were described as "serious."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/19/2006 00:00 ||
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#3
I'd say it was like watching two skunks try and out-stink each other, except that even skunks have enough brains to never spray each other when they fight. I guess I'll have to settle for some sort of pissing contest analogy. If this all weren't so satisfyingly hilarious it would almost be tragic.
#5
This is a quagmire. And it's been one for as long as I can remember ... which ... I can't remember how far back that is .... years and years, at least.
Posted by: Bobby ||
12/19/2006 6:27 Comments ||
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#6
This is not happening. Islam is the religion of peace.
#7
They are fighting over piece. They each want a bigger piece of the peace with Israel. I'm certain money is behind all of this, or maybe starvation, yeah that's it.
CBS News - Always suspect. But then again, a broken clock is right twice a day.
CBS/AP- The Pentagon is planning to bolster its presence in the Persian Gulf as a warning to Iran's continuously defiant government, CBS News reports.
CBS News national security correspondent David Martin says the U.S. military build-up, which would include adding a second aircraft carrier to the one already in the Gulf, is being proposed as a response to what U.S. officials view as an increasingly provocative Iranian leadership.
#1
Don't bother if you aren't willing to use it. Talk softly and carry a big stick. Right now, after the Iranian donk victory in November, Bush's credibility is seeking new lows. It will not reverse course as a result of idle threats.
#2
BTW, didn't we have a pretty big buildup there a couple of months ago? Probably bigger than what's now being called a "buildup". You're right NS. It's all a bunch of hot air unless you put it to some good use.
Just thrash Iran and tell us about the "buildup" AFTERWARDS.
#7
adding a second aircraft carrier to the one already in the Gulf...
Uh, hey CBS, we had about eleventeen Carrier Battle Groups in and around the gulf about 15 days ago. Can't you numbskulls even read a website? The information is readily available.
#8
Without trying to anticipate what Bush has planned, I'll venture that, the Iraq campaign costs such as they are, it is pretty unconscionable to assemble additional troops and firepower without any intent to use them.
While none of knows what back-channel communications are happening with Iran, it is safe to say the vast majority of us feel that any negotiation is worse than useless. Neither should such a perception have escaped the White House.
Therefore, all indications are that this amassed naval power will be directed against Iran or else the Oval Office is literally rudderless. Given how critical it is that Iran's nascent nuclear weapons program be taken off line, I would not like to think the latter is true.
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/19/2006 21:53 Comments ||
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#10
O'REILLY guest GORDON SMITH [R-Oregon] just said today he is in favor of repositioning US milfors Regular Units to the border areas where foreign insurgents are sneaking in, while also using US Specfors, etal. to advise = lead [reliable]Iraqi Security forces agz those insurgents whom refuse to surender or lay down their arms [FORTRESS IRAQ <> "RE-INVASION OF IRAQ"]. MOUD = RADICAL IRAN WILL HAVE TO EITHER GIVE UP SUPPOR IRAQ AND OTHER ME SECTARIANISM, + AMBITIONS FOR REGIONAL EMPIRE; OR ELSE INITIATE NEW TERROR ATTACKS WHERE US-ALLIED FORCES ARE NOT, INCLUDING WID IN CONUS ITSELF. Iff the Radics choose to launch new terror attacks outside of Iraq-ME, Dubya and Allies will be justified in using the task force to attack Iran. Moud + anti-US Iraqi insurgents' only hope is to survive until the 2007 US Congress [ read - US Democrats] can prevent Dubya-CENTCOM from closing/sealing the borders along Iran-Syria, etc. KEEP BUYING THAT POPCORN + FTLG STAY ARMED.
#11
Year 2008 > suppos to be about NATIONAL SECURITY, ergo the US Dems should NOT want to seen as cowards = "cutting-and-running" iff they expect to control the WH + Congress AFTER JANUARY, 2009.
#9
What is she doing reading that? Doesn't she know she'll get kicked out of the Screen Actors' Guild for reading such things? Why, why, she might LEARN something! She might be cured of BDS! She (gasp) might even become a conservative!!!!!
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/19/2006 14:00 Comments ||
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#10
no way OP,
she's perusing the RB X-mass sales.
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.
The recent fighting in southern Afghanistan was reported in terms of American, British, Canadian and Dutch troops fighting the Taliban. But the most effective troops hardly got mentioned at all, and that's the way they like it. Among 20,000 or so American and NATO troops, there were nearly 2,000 commandos (about a third of them U.S. Special Forces). Afghanistan has been something of a commando Olympics for the past five years. During the last three months, the Taliban were subjected to a series of offensive operations, most of them using the commandos to get the drop on the Taliban, and then call in U.S., NATO or Afghan troops to finish off the enemy, after the commandos and smart bombs had done their work. In this way, about half the 4,000 deaths in Afghanistan this year, took place in those three months. During that period, 2,077 Taliban were killed. Some 40 percent of those Taliban losses occurred during Operation Medusa, which took place in September, in Kandahar province. This operation was meant to upset the Taliban plans to bring in thousands of gunmen, and take control of the area around Kandahar (the traditional Taliban "capital") and perhaps (if only temporarily) the city itself. The Taliban were outmaneuvered and outfought, especially by the international commando force. 
(KUNA) -- At least 10 Taliban fighters were killed and 10 more arrested in a clash and a raid, while three NATO soldiers suffered injuries in a landmine explosion in southern and eastern parts of Afghanistan.
A Pakistan embassy spokesman has refuted the claim that the Taliban have a command and control structure operating on Pakistan territory, in and around the city of Quetta. 
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Bush administration took action Tuesday to freeze financial accounts and assets of a naturalized British 
The Jammu and Kashmir government yesterday removed Director General of Prisons M.K. Mohanty, a day after rioting by prisoners in the Kot Bhalwal jail here. Mohanty has been replaced by Rajinder Tikoo, Transport Commissioner and 1971 batch Indian Police Service officer Rajinder Tikoo. The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting.
Private guards in SUVs helped Iraq's former electricity minister escape from a police station just outside the heavily fortified Green Zone where the dual U.S.-Iraqi citizen was being held on corruption charges, officials said Monday.
(KUNA) -- An Iraqi civilian died in a blast in northern Iraq and a police officer and a policeman were injured when an explosive device went off south of the city of Kirkuk. Police sources in Kirkuk said an explosive device went on in Huwija southwest of Kirkuk killing a civilian and injuring another. In the meantime, another bomb exploded near an Iraqi police patrol in Yinkih in Kirkuk injuring a police officer and a policeman. Meanwhile, gunmen shot dead a civilian east of Mosul, while police patrols discovered body of an unknown person with bullet head injuries.
(KUNA) -- An Iraqi official survived an assassination attempt Monday in Baghdad, a source of the interior ministry said. The source told KUNA an improvised explosive device had been planted in car of Saad Ghareeb, the general manager of Iraqi power networks. The blast of the bomb left Ghareeb severely wounded and killed his bodyguard. An investigation into the assassination attempt has been initiated.
By IBRAHIM BARZAK Associated Press 
In Gaza, Hamas and Fatah gunmen fought in the main hospital, killing one person and wounding eleven others. There are now 11,000 UN peacekeepers 
Hamas officials reported Monday that the top Fatah official kidnapped earlier in the Gaza Strip had been released. 
Gunmen killed a Fatah supporter in a clash Monday evening in northern Gaza, hospital officials said, the first fatality since rival Palestinian factions declared a truce a day earlier. The man was killed in a standoff between Hamas and Fatah gunmen in the town of Jabalya, according to Dr. Said Judeh of Kamal Radwan hospital. Five other people were wounded in clashes in northern Gaza, Judeh said. Clashes between Fatah and Hamas, rival factions vying for control of the Palestinian government, decreased after Sunday night's truce, but fighting persisted in different parts of the Gaza Strip.
