Hi there, !
Today Fri 12/07/2007 Thu 12/06/2007 Wed 12/05/2007 Tue 12/04/2007 Mon 12/03/2007 Sun 12/02/2007 Sat 12/01/2007 Archives
Rantburg
532930 articles and 1859714 comments are archived on Rantburg.

Today: 76 articles and 378 comments as of 7:31.
Post a news link    Post your own article   
Area: WoT Background    Non-WoT    Opinion    Local News       
Abu Maysara Positively Deader Than a Rock
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 1: WoT Operations
4 00:00 Sherry [2] 
2 00:00 M. Murcek [] 
9 00:00 Alaska Paul [1] 
12 00:00 Seafarious [4] 
11 00:00 JosephMendiola [1] 
11 00:00 James [1] 
3 00:00 Old Patriot [] 
1 00:00 Admiral Allan Ackbar [1] 
0 [1] 
1 00:00 Bobby [2] 
0 [1] 
3 00:00 Glenmore [1] 
2 00:00 M. Murcek [1] 
1 00:00 Glenmore [2] 
0 [1] 
1 00:00 Baba Tutu [3] 
0 [1] 
11 00:00 Mullah Pearvert [] 
0 [] 
0 [] 
1 00:00 Bobby [3] 
7 00:00 tu3031 [2] 
0 [] 
Page 2: WoT Background
7 00:00 Sock Puppet of Doom [2]
5 00:00 Eric Jablow []
4 00:00 Nimble Spemble [3]
2 00:00 Procopius2k [1]
5 00:00 Large Sleresh3870 []
3 00:00 wxjames [2]
0 []
2 00:00 Paul [1]
10 00:00 JosephMendiola [6]
0 []
2 00:00 Gabby Cussworth [1]
2 00:00 dan []
1 00:00 SteveS [8]
0 [1]
12 00:00 JosephMendiola [4]
2 00:00 Rambler []
2 00:00 JosephMendiola [6]
0 []
6 00:00 JosephMendiola [1]
1 00:00 JosephMendiola [6]
61 00:00 Mike N. [9]
Page 3: Non-WoT
3 00:00 JosephMendiola [1]
3 00:00 Whomong Guelph4611 [2]
6 00:00 jds [3]
1 00:00 Glung McGurque2454 [2]
13 00:00 DMFD [2]
14 00:00 JosephMendiola [1]
0 [2]
2 00:00 Canuckistan sniper [4]
3 00:00 Mike [4]
0 [1]
0 []
0 []
14 00:00 eLarson []
7 00:00 swksvolFF [2]
4 00:00 USN,Ret. []
10 00:00 Leroidavid []
6 00:00 Leonard Plynth Garnell [2]
7 00:00 phil_b [1]
7 00:00 49 Pan []
Page 4: Opinion
0 [2]
4 00:00 JosephMendiola []
0 []
8 00:00 Super Hose [4]
3 00:00 whatadeal []
0 [1]
12 00:00 JosephMendiola []
8 00:00 JosephMendiola []
Page 5: Russia-Former Soviet Union
4 00:00 JosephMendiola [1]
5 00:00 JosephMendiola [2]
0 []
25 00:00 DepotGuy [1]
2 00:00 mojo []
Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Suicide bomber kills 4 people, wounds 7
A suicide bomber blew himself up next to a police patrol in southwestern Afghanistan Monday, killing four other people including two policemen, an official said. The bomber attacked the patrol in Khash Rod district in Nimroz province, wounding three officers and four civilians, said provincial governor Ghulam Dastagir. The bomber also died in the blast, Dastagir said.
This article starring:
Ghulam Dastagir
Posted by: Fred || 12/04/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Africa Horn
Teddy Bear Terrorist Goes Home!
The storm in a teacup episode created by the Sudan government over an issue that was much ado about nothing finally concluded with a gracious pardon by the government and releasing Ms. Gillian Gibbon from jail. The Sudanese got their “riots” from “angry mobs who felt insulted” and Ms. Gibbon was spared the six months in jail and forty lashes that could be inflicted on those who “insult the Muslim religion.” This writer believes the entire episode was fabricated by the Sudan government in order to deflect world opinion away from its horrendous policies in Darfur which are leading to the death of thousands. The entire episode was akin to a Kabuki dance in which everyone played their role, an “angry mob,” expressions of concern from noted “religious figures,” cries about insulting the Prophet Muhammad, and then serenity when Ms. Gibbon was released with a pardon.
Posted by: Fred || 12/04/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Sudan

#1  This writer believes the entire episode was fabricated by the Sudan government

Sounds about right. I'd go with Chinese opera rather than Kabuki. But that's just me.
Posted by: Pappy || 12/04/2007 0:12 Comments || Top||

#2  Plus it discredits the Brits, will force the shutdown of an infidel school, and puts all the infidels on notice that they just aren't safe in the Sudan.
Posted by: Steve White || 12/04/2007 0:29 Comments || Top||

#3  That picture is fabulous, babe. Fabulous.
Posted by: Mike N. || 12/04/2007 1:17 Comments || Top||

#4  Ibn al-Fozzy Fatwa!
Posted by: doc || 12/04/2007 8:56 Comments || Top||

#5  I feel sick...

"This writer" is suffering the same old western delusion, as of old. (Dont forget "Dialectical Materialism" was born in a pub in Tottenham Court Road)

Eg: the cynical quotes:
"angry mobs who felt insulted"
rather than
angry mobs who felt "insulted"

Why do we still find it so hard to believe that their visceral loathing is actually genuine, real???

I'll tell you why - I've experienced it whilst muzzy-baiting in Hyde Park Corner (speakers corner - the birthplace of free speech in the UK)

It's because the rage and hate is created, rather than innate of course, similar to a child who stamps their feet to wind up their tantrum. I used to bang my head on the floor as a toddler to acheive this effect - which these guys do five times a day.

On one occasion a convert was rolling his eyes and grinding his teeth in response to my "insulting remarks". Cheap theatrics, which I absolutely guarantee you he was told to do, along the lines of "you should suppress your anger when infidels insult the profit, respond politely, etc" on the basis of Madinan suras.

This manufactured / suppressed anger, combined with the indoctrination of hatred, gradually becomes more and more genuine, nurtured through the "peaceful" teachings to "suppress" your anger.

On this occasion, I shouted at him "WTF do you think you're doing rolling your eyes at me you little P155ant piece of sht, I could crush you in a second!"

Surprisingly, he actually seemed to listen from then onwards. Dont try it with a commited Jihadi, though - and always watch for the silent ones on the edges. Crowds can build quickly too, so be sure of your escape plan!
Posted by: Admiral Allan Ackbar || 12/04/2007 9:02 Comments || Top||

#6  A Gibbon is an arboreal ape. I'm surprized they let her into the country in the first place.
Posted by: Lumpy Spash1217 || 12/04/2007 10:56 Comments || Top||

#7  Heaven (and Fred) only knows the work that goes into this website, (especially Thugburg) but I wonder if anyone is keeping a comparative tally of "muslim world outrage" - as in analyzing the premeditation, reactions, and outcomes of the various episodes. There are discrete differences to each of them, and sifting out the patterns may be a useful exercise in cultural anthropology, or the comparative madness and delusions of crowds.

In no particular order, from the Danish cartoons, to the urinated-upon-Korans, to Abu-Ghraib, to the Nike/Starbucks logos/printing (or do I have my brand names wrong), to the flying Imams, to French Car-B-Ques, to whatever CAIR has cooked up this week, to Teddy, and surely a huge number of lesser local incidents - it's a target rich environment, and there's a sufficient variety piled up to examine the how, why and where the reactions unfold.

Finally, we dilute the conversation to say that common sense prevailed. Common sense prevails when this discussion doesn't occur - this remains common sense under attack, or common sense sorely lacking. There's very little in common between sense and fanaticism.
Posted by: Glung McGurque2454 || 12/04/2007 16:24 Comments || Top||

#8  Glung McG: You're exactly right. Common sense did NOT prevail in the Gibbons' affair. Common sense would dictate that the affair did not occur in the first instance. Best to remember that when dealing with a death cult/ideology, logic does not always apply.

BTW: I don't like you calling RB... Thugburg. We are not thugs here at RB. We are, however, aware of the need for strong men and women prepared to do vast amounts of harm on our behalf - here and abroad - as we sleep like babes in the night. Please, don't ever refer to RB as Thugburg.

Such a description is just not acurate.

Glung, you asked if there is a website giving a "comparative tally of muslim world outrage". Why yes, such a place does exist. The site in question has been drawn upon many times by members of RB. The site is known -sarcastically- as " the religion of peace . com"...feel free to link to the following address for study:

http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/

According to the website above, to date there have been at least 10,135 verifiable separate instances of slaughter perpetrated by muslims receiving the islamic "good jihadi seal of approval". That is to say, 10,135 instances of slaughter perpetrated by muslims since September 11, 2001 when the authors of the website started keeping count. Mind you, that is the number of separate instances of slaughter committed by muslims in the name of their religion. NOT the body count.
Posted by: Mark Z || 12/04/2007 17:24 Comments || Top||

#9  Mark dear, it's ok. If you look in the right margin, that yellow box -- there's a link to the Thugberg there. Click on it -- you'll be fascinated. We are absolutely not thugs here at Rantburg; rather, we are charming ladies and gentlemen, just that some of us have access to more pungent vocabulary and practical skills. ;-)
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/04/2007 18:29 Comments || Top||

#10  It alomst makes me want to name my next dog Mohammed. I wouldn't because I care to much about dogs to insult them that much.
Posted by: Cyber Sarge || 12/04/2007 18:38 Comments || Top||

#11  Oh boy...hmmm...perhaps I owe Glung an apology. Strike that: I do owe Glung an aopolgy and I hereby offer same. I wasn't aware of Thugburg. I took Glungs comment entirely wrong through no fault of Glung.

Thank you, TW, for the head's up on my mistake. And Happy Hanukkah.

Sorry Glung...
Posted by: Mullah Pearvert || 12/04/2007 19:27 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Six killed in Balochistan madrassa blast
Six teenagers were killed and four injured when a powerful bomb blast ripped through a madrassa here in district Qila Saifullah on Monday, police said. The bomb exploded early on Monday morning inside one of the four rooms of Maulvi Bakhtiar’s Yar Mohammad Madrassa.
I think that's short for "Yar! Dirka dirka Mohammad jihad madrassa!"
Six students were killed instantly while at least four sustained serious injuries. Police in Qila Saifullah told Daily Times that the dead were teenagers. Eyewitnesses said an Afghan national, Abdul Khaliq, arrived at the madrassa the night before the blast, and smuggled a bomb into the compound in his bag. After spending the night, the suspect abandoned his luggage and fled early the next morning.

When some students tried to check the bag Khaliq left behind, it exploded. The dead children have been identified as Hafiz Abdul Aziz, Rafiullah, Abdul Malik, Abdul Rauf, Mohammad Asif and Abdul Jabbar. The injured include Mohammad Musa, Mohammad Omar, Khairullah and Mohammad Alam. Around fifty children are enrolled in the madrassa. Provincial police official Mohammad Asif told Reuters that the madrassa’s principal has been taken into custody for interrogation.
This article starring:
ABDUL KHALIQTaliban
HAFIZ ABDUL AZIZTaliban
MAULVI BAKHTIARTaliban
Provincial police official Mohammad Asif
Posted by: Fred || 12/04/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Taliban

#1  Who was living at that madrassa....hmmm.
Posted by: Chenter Unimp7361 || 12/04/2007 6:02 Comments || Top||

#2  So was this some Christian, folowing the Islamic Crusader model? A disgruntled employee? Or a new way to generate rage against the infidel?
Posted by: Bobby || 12/04/2007 6:59 Comments || Top||

#3  Sounds like Pakistan needs some of our TSA people watching their Afghan entry points.

Or else the whole Afghan luggage story is just a cover for a lab accident in Bomb-Building 101.
Posted by: Glenmore || 12/04/2007 7:13 Comments || Top||


Troops destroy militants' fuel and ammunition depot in Swat Valley
MINGORA: The army destroyed a petrol and ammunitions depot used by militants in Swat with heavy artillery fire from helicopter gunships, an army spokesman told reporters on Monday. Fuel supply to militants has been suspended after the destruction of a key petrol station in the Kooz Shor area of Matta tehsil, said Amjad Iqbal, the head of the Swat Media Centre.

Army control: Security forces seized sophisticated weapons and explosives from a house in the Nangolai area of Kabal tehsil, said Iqbal. Troops have taken control of the area between Kanjoo and Baryam Chowk of Swat, he added. He said troops had set up check posts at Pir Kalay and Barymam Chowk — areas previously controlled by militants.

Meanwhile, as residents continued to return to their homes in Kabal tehsil, hundreds abandoned their houses in Shor, Sambat Kharerai and other areas of Matta after heavy artillery fire on Taliban positions, residents said. The local administration has relaxed the curfew from 7 to 5pm in Mingora and from noon till 5pm in other troubled areas of the district.
Posted by: Fred || 12/04/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: TNSM

#1  "Security forces seized sophisticated weapons"
What qualifies as a 'sophisticated' weapon in Kabal? An automatic rifle? EFP? Phasor? )Serous question, since the answer says a lot about where these militants et their supply.)
Posted by: Glenmore || 12/04/2007 7:17 Comments || Top||

#2  Sophisticated probably = anything not made at home in the kitchen in this case...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 12/04/2007 8:32 Comments || Top||


FC seizes arms near Mingora Airport
The FC has seized a huge quantity of arms in Swat in two separate raids on Monday, officials said. They said FC raided a girls’ school at Mingalai and a shop near the Mingora Airport on a tip-off and seized two suicide vests, six rocket launchers, 250 rocket shells, four drums of IEDs, 50 anti-personnel mines, one car, dozens of Kalashnikovs and bullets. They said the places were used by militants as arms depots, adding that militants could have used the seized car in attack on the security forces.
Posted by: Fred || 12/04/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under: TNSM

#1  See, THIS is why Islam says you shouldn't educate girls. Look what these girls were up to - suicide vests, IEDs, rockets, etc. Islam is a Religion of Peace.
Posted by: Glenmore || 12/04/2007 7:19 Comments || Top||


Artillery shells hit Miranshah houses
A civilian lost his life in an exchange of fire and artillery shells between security forces and armed men near Miranshah on Monday. The civilian was killed when some artillery shells fired from an unknown location hit some houses near Miranshah. Meanwhile, the security forces opened fire on a suspected vehicle on Miranshah-Bannu road, leaving a person injured.
Posted by: Fred || 12/04/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Video shop blown up in Mardan
MARDAN: Unidentified militants blew up a video shop situated on the Mardan-Malakand road. However, no loss of life was reported. The explosion damaged the windowpanes and shutter of the shop, situated at Mangal Bagh Chowk. Earlier, unidentified men distributed pamphlets in residential areas of Mardan warning people to halt ‘un-Islamic’ businesses, or face consequences.
Posted by: Fred || 12/04/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under: TNSM

#1  Now if Daniel Pipes or Robert Spencer had said that videos are against Islamic law, you can imagine the outrage from CAIR-types everywhere. And they wouldnt even have to blow anything up to make the point.

I appreciate the fact that the enemies of Western Civilization are also at war with movies, music, television, barbers, dogs, blue jeans, alcohol, sausage and nekkid ladies. They've built self-marginalization right into their program.
Posted by: Baba Tutu || 12/04/2007 17:12 Comments || Top||


Mardan police 'protecting' army
The Frontier police have been deployed at the entry and exit gates of the Punjab Regiment Centre in Mardan to protect army personnel, as a military operation against militants is underway in Swat, Daily Times learnt on Monday. “Police have been deployed at the Punjab Regiment Centre’s gates to avoid any terrorist activity,” a police guard told Daily Times on condition of anonymity. “We have been here since last week to protect the military,” he added.

The removal of army personnel and the deployment of police at the military centre have raised fears among the people of Mardan about any potential terrorist activity. “The police deployment at the military centre is of concern for everyone. I have never seen police guarding the army — the defenders of the country. Police are supposed to curb crimes and protect people, but they are guarding the army,” Muhammad Saeed, nazim of the Shamuzai union council, Mardan, said.

On November 23, a bomb explosion at a CDs market near the Punjab Regimental Centre destroyed six shops, but no casualties were reported. The army had already closed all roads used by the military and private vehicles passing through the centre following the Dargai suicide blast that killed 42 army recruits and injured several others on November 9, 2006. Earlier, light vehicles and pedestrians had been allowed to travel through the regiment centre, as it was a shortcut to several areas of the city.

The army has not only banned the entry of civilians to military mosques at the centre, but it has also restrained army personnel’s visitors from visiting various military centres in the province. The Pakistan Army is currently undertaking a major operation in Swat against militants led by rebel cleric Maulana Fazlullah, who had been advocating jihad through his pirate FM radio station until it was recently shut down.
This article starring:
MAULANA FAZLULLAHTNSM
Muhammad Saeed, nazim of the Shamuzai union council
Posted by: Fred || 12/04/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: TNSM


Delhi put on terror alert
Terrorists may carry out attacks in Delhi in the next two weeks, according to intelligence agencies. This has prompted an alert in the national capital. The input provided by Intelligence Bureau to Delhi police two days ago hints at the possibility of terror strikes at market places or other crowded places by groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Harkat-ul Jihad-e-Islami. Vigil has been mounted at malls, railway stations, Metro and bus stands.
Posted by: Fred || 12/04/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Lashkar e-Taiba


Red Fort attack: SC stays Ashfaq`s death
The Supreme Court on Monday temporarily suspended the death sentence awarded to Lashkar-e-Taiba militant and Pakistani national Mohammed Arif alias Ashfaq for his role in the December 2000 terror attack on the Red Fort here. While staying the sentence on an appeal by the convict, a bench of Justice G.P. Mathur and Justice P. Sathsivam issued notices to the Delhi government and the city police, seeking their response.

On Sep 13, 2007 Delhi High Court had upheld Ashfaq`s death sentence, while acquitting six others convicted for the terror attack on Dec 22, 2000, which had resulted in the death of three army personnel deployed there. A division bench of the high court, comprising Justice R.S. Sodhi and Justice P.K. Bhasin, had acquitted the six others who were sentenced to different jail terms by a trial court in 2005. The trial court had awarded the death sentence to Ashfaq and life imprisonment to Nazir Ahmed Quasid and his son, Farooq Ahmed Quasid. The high court acquitted Nazir Ahmed, Farooq Ahmed, Ashfaq`s wife Rehmana Yusuf Farooqui, Matloob, Babar Mohsin and Sadaquat Ali in the case.

Ashfaq was sentenced under Section 121 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for waging war against the government and Section 302 for committing the murder of three army personnel. Upholding Ashfaq`s sentence, the high court had said: "Ashfaq was responsible for the attack, and the attack was the result of a well-planned conspiracy by him and some other militants."
This article starring:
BABAR MOHSINLashkar-e-Taiba
FARUQ AHMEDLashkar-e-Taiba
FARUQ AHMED QUASID.Lashkar-e-Taiba
Justice G.P. Mathur
Justice P.K. Bhasin
Justice P. Sathsivam
Justice R.S. Sodhi
MOHAMED ARIFLashkar-e-Taiba
NAZIR AHMEDLashkar-e-Taiba
NAZIR AHMED QUASIDLashkar-e-Taiba
REHMANA YUSUF FARUQUILashkar-e-Taiba
SADAQUAT ALILashkar-e-Taiba
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Posted by: Fred || 12/04/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Lashkar e-Taiba


Iraq
Beyond the surge, an Iraqi city suffers
SAMARRA, Iraq — Cities around Iraq are taking advantage of improved security to rebuild neighborhoods, but here, the ruins of a revered Shiite Muslim shrine bleed seamlessly into the desolation that is this city's downtown.

Samarra shows the limits of the U.S. surge, which has brought a modicum of calm to cities such as Fallujah , Baghdad and Ramadi. No additional troops have been sent here, no Sunni leader is stepping forward to rally his forces against foreign fighters, and there are no promises to rebuild.

The golden-domed al Askariya Mosque, which was destroyed in a February 2006 bombing that brought simmering sectarian violence to a boil, remains closed, engulfed by untouched mountains of rubble. Blocks of shops around it also are closed, and there are no shoppers, much less religious pilgrims.

Al Qaida in Iraq , the radical Islamist group that's been vanquished in much of the country by an alliance between U.S. troops and Sunni Muslim tribesmen, remains a power to be reckoned with. There's been no surge of U.S. troops and no local leader willing to take on al Qaida. In fact, there are only 700 soldiers to hold this town of 90,000 residents, and the 2,000 Shiite police sent here to help are widely distrusted by the residents.

"The people are waiting to see who is going to win— the coalition forces or the terrorists," said Mahmoud Abbas , the Sunni mayor of Samarra, which is predominantly Sunni. "There is no sheik who will be the leader of Samarra because they are afraid of the foreign fighters. We need the support from the coalition forces the way they supported other areas."

Samarra became synonymous with Iraq's descent into violent sectarian warfare when insurgents entered the mosque in 2006 and placed explosive charges throughout the sanctuary, shattering the mosque's golden dome. This past summer, other bombs toppled the mosque's two remaining minarets.

Several U.S. units have attempted to turn Samarra around, the latest being the 2nd battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division from Fort Campbell, Ky ., which deployed to Samarra on Oct. 25 .

But without the additional resources that have been thrown into other cities, there's little to show for its efforts so far. The rejuvenation in other Iraqi cities has eluded Samarra, and there's no clear force in charge. Residents charge that the national police, some of them sent here by Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki , are arresting them for no reason and taking away their weapons.

"I think what we are doing is part of the surge. But Samarra is complicated," said Lt. Col. Joseph McGee , the battalion commander. "We have to somehow get people back to their shops."

The latest U.S. effort to turn Samarra around falls to Capt. Josh Kurtzman , 28, of Augusta, Maine , whose Charlie Company is based at a Samarra outpost. Kurtzman, who's serving his third tour in Iraq , would like to build a Sunni-led force to patrol the city, as U.S. military officers have done in other parts of Iraq , so that the Shiite-led national police guard only the shrine and the periphery of the city. He also wants to open roads that were closed by a recent spate of violence. Together, that would create an economic boom, he said.

But a recent visit to one house by Kurtzman and McGee revealed the challenges. McGee asked a man who identified himself only as Mohammed al Baadri what he thought of his tribal leader. Would he respect that leader if he led a reconciliation effort? "Absolutely not! His brother is a thief!" Baadri barked back. "They are all thieves." McGee went on. What about the national police? "The national police have done nothing for us. They take our weapons away. That's it," Baadri said. " Baghdad is safer."

Kurtzman turned to the other two unemployed men in the house, both college graduates who said they haven't had jobs for months. Would you join the local forces? The men shook their heads. "I am an engineer," one said.

Al Qaida in Iraq grew stronger in Samarra in the early months of the surge. When U.S. forces cleared Ramadi, Fallujah and nearby Baqouba of Islamic extremists earlier this year, the escaping fighters fled to Samarra. They controlled the eastern part of the city, patrolling the neighborhoods and pushing out government forces. They recruited new fighters, sometimes forcibly, training them and sending them out to attack U.S. troops or rival Sunni factions. They paid them enough to support a family for a few weeks. In parts of the city, al Qaida in Iraq became a main employer.

U.S. officers say they're making gains against the Islamists, however. While U.S. troops are often attacked with small arms fire and explosives, so far no U.S. troops from the battalion have been killed in the city in since they arrived six weeks ago. Instead, U.S. officials said that they killed the city's al Qaida in Iraq leader, Talal Abd al Aziz , earlier this month, and that a rival Sunni group, Jaish al Islami , is pushing the al Qaida in Iraq militants out. Kurtzman estimates that about 150 core al Qaida in Iraq members remain in Samarra.

But residents said they're still afraid, choosing to stay hidden in their homes rather than get caught in a battle between al Qaida in Iraq and Jaish al Islami . Samarra, they said, has become a battleground for the future of the Sunni insurgency.

"I think once people believe al Qaida has been defeated, the reconciliation will begin," Kurtzman said. "People in this city have seen it go up before, and I think they are afraid it will go back down again." And there's no doubt that residents don't trust the Shiite-dominated police forces, whose numbers rose after the minarets were bombed.

A day after meeting Mohammed al Baadri , Kurtzman sat down with a tribal leader, Sheik Eman Yassen al Baadri , a city council member. The sheik pleaded for the U.S. to help get released members of his tribe who were arrested by the national police. Kurtzman told him that that already had happened and that the sheik's men even at that moment were eating lunch with U.S. troops at the chow hall.

After a 40-minute discussion, the sheik agreed to another meeting and said that he might bring along other tribesmen. But, he said, he cannot promise more. "We are afraid," he said.

Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC || 12/04/2007 14:49 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  So, the locals are still riding the fence, and getting all the help they deserve for doing so.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 12/04/2007 15:38 Comments || Top||

#2  THANK GOD!!! The MSM has been able to find one dark corner in Iraq. I had lost faith in them lately to find and exploit bad news.
Posted by: Spiger B. Hayes6882 || 12/04/2007 17:19 Comments || Top||

#3  I guess the writer missed this one.

More's the pity.
Posted by: doc || 12/04/2007 23:20 Comments || Top||

#4  doc -- new? Thanks for that pic. How quickly we forget.
Posted by: Sherry || 12/04/2007 23:45 Comments || Top||


Forty Qaeda leaders killed or caught in Iraq
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Forty senior al Qaeda in Iraq members were either captured or killed in November, including a senior adviser to the Sunni Islamist group's leader, the U.S. military said on Tuesday.

Violence levels in Iraq have fallen to their lowest levels since January 2006 after a security crackdown, which included a deployment of an extra 30,000 U.S. troops, targeting al Qaeda and Shi'ite militias across the country. But while attacks have fallen by 55 percent since the additional troops were fully deployed in mid-June, allowing thousands of Iraqis who had fled abroad to return home, U.S. commanders say violence could easily flare again. "There is no question that al Qaeda in Iraq remains a dangerous and vicious threat to the Iraqi people and to the security forces and the coalition forces," U.S. military spokesman Major-General Kevin Bergner told a news conference. "Al Qaeda continues to try to seek spectacular attacks which were so damaging and which continue to be so damaging in inciting sectarian tensions ... we still have a tough fight ahead of us even amidst the progress," he said.

Bergner said one al Qaeda member killed last month had been identified as Abu Maysara, a Syrian he said was a senior adviser to al Qaeda in Iraq leader, Egyptian Abu Ayyub al-Masri. He said Maysara was killed along with five other al Qaeda fighters in a raid on a building near Samarra, 100 km (60 miles) north of Baghdad on November 17.

"EXTREMIST GUIDANCE"

The six were killed when U.S. ground forces called in air strikes after coming under fire from the building. Bergner said Maysara had been identified by DNA tests. "Abu Maysara was responsible for providing extremist guidance and justifications on terrorist matters to Abu al-Masri," Bergner said. Maysara was captured in November 2004 but escaped from Iraq's Badush prison in March 2007. He was an adviser to al Masri's predecessor Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in Falluja, west of Baghdad, where al Qaeda fought battles against U.S. forces in 2003 and 2004, Bergner said.

"He also ran an illegal court in Falluja that was responsible for the brutal murders of countless innocent Iraqis," he added. Maysara usually signed off on al Qaeda in Iraq Web statements for Zarqawi, who was killed in a U.S. and Iraqi military raid in June 2006. Bergner said Maysara was one of nine senior al Qaeda figures killed last month, with another 31 captured. Of those 40, four were described as senior level emirs and nine as cell leaders.

The fight against al Qaeda has shifted from its former stronghold in western Anbar province to areas north and south of Baghdad after the troop increase and growing use of local police units organized by mainly Sunni Arab tribal sheikhs. Bergner said the recently completed Operation Iron Hammer north of Baghdad had "captured or killed hundreds of terrorists." It has been replaced by a new offensive named Operation Iron Reaper, which involves four U.S. combat brigades and three Iraqi army divisions.

Earlier on Tuesday, Iraq's cabinet agreed to seek a final one-year extension on the U.N. Security Council mandate allowing U.S.-led foreign troops to conduct a wide range of military operations in Iraq. The current one-year mandate expires at the end of 2007. When the U.N. mandate ends in 2008, bilateral agreements will govern U.S.-Iraqi relations. The White House has said formal talks will begin early next year on the future relationship
Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC || 12/04/2007 13:53 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  With this much work on the democrats plate, they may have to work through the holidays. If this situation is allowed to continue, the Bush administration will be granted a victory in Iraq and that may cause hypo-thermia and disentary among moveon.org and du.com koolaid drinkers.
Posted by: wxjames || 12/04/2007 15:40 Comments || Top||

#2  Killing the enemy is the sine qua non of war...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 12/04/2007 15:41 Comments || Top||


A microscopic 'insurgent'
The author teaches at the National Defense University.
Posted by: lotp || 12/04/2007 10:03 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  For some reason, that article is tooth gnashingly bad, for the reason that it is filtered through the lens of "The impact of Hello Kitty on military operations."

Granted, Americans are as a rule not familiar with cholera, but it is a disease with known parameters, known treatments, and known preventative measures. In this case, its effect on Coalition forces, Iraqi Army, and most likely the insurgents approaches nil.

It affects civilians living in filth. When the filth is mitigated, the disease goes away. This is why cholera is almost exclusively an African disease, with occasional outbreaks in South America:

http://www.who.int/csr/don/archive/disease/cholera/en/

The solution to cholera in Iraq could be a single clinic opened to the public in the epidemic area by a US forces medical unit. They would issue out 1 ounce plastic bottles of chlorine bleach for households. 128 to a gallon, which costs about $1.50.

Then tell them and their tribal leaders about cholera, how to put a few drops of bleach in their water, stir it up and let it sit for 10 minutes, and it will be fine for drinking.

Iraqis know what bleach is, so superstitious fear would be at a minimum. We could even pay some Iraqis to pour a gallon of bleach into nasty looking sewage water openings. Cheap as hell. Highly effective.

The outbreak would be over in a week.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 12/04/2007 11:02 Comments || Top||

#2  The ONLY way to get cholera is to drink water that people have shit in. There is NO other way.
Posted by: gromky || 12/04/2007 11:21 Comments || Top||

#3  Anonymoose, you must have missed this excerpt from the article:

Another perverse circumstance is that chlorine is often used to treat cholera-infected water, but because insurgents have started using chlorine trucks in bombing attacks, restrictions on chlorine distribution have led to reduced water treatment and possibly increased the prevalence of cholera ....

What he's getting at indirectly is the potential destabilizing effect of not getting a serious hold on the infrastructure issue there. The "outbreak" will NOT be "over in a week" so long as the infrastructure doesn't exist to create sanitary conditions.

Given the asymmetric nature of conflict, which group do we expect to be more affected by an epidemic: large, centralized conventional military forces or small, agile insurgent units?

He's speaking about the Iraqi forces in that last sentence IIUC.


Posted by: lotp || 12/04/2007 12:13 Comments || Top||

#4  BTW, I don't necessarily agree with Drapeau's tone. He's fairly young and is angling for a job in 2008 when his fellowship at NDU runs out.

However he isn't simply throwing spears at DOD - a lot of his career to date has been focused on military implications of bio- & genetic research and has had DOD funding.
Posted by: lotp || 12/04/2007 12:27 Comments || Top||

#5  The EU folks use ozone instead of chlorine to purify the water. Works fine.
Posted by: 3dc || 12/04/2007 13:39 Comments || Top||

#6  Mr. Moosey said,
It affects civilians living in filth. When the filth is mitigated, the disease goes away. This is why cholera is almost exclusively an African disease, with occasional outbreaks in South America:

the first bit is right on Moosey, the last bit is pure KaKa Doody.

Moose The KEY Is contaminated drinking water and untreated sewage awash and amongst people in communities all over the world.... Not Continents.

So that's why after every rainy season, Bangladesh suffers from major outbreaks of Cholera. And many drug resistant strains like Vibrio cholerae [strain O139]

Bangladesh, Asia in general there are many an outbreak of Cholera....

the article above references a Cholera outbreak in the Middle East..
Posted by: Red Dawg || 12/04/2007 15:37 Comments || Top||

#7  so teach them to boil their water before drinking it or brushing their teeth. They aren't helpless babies.
Posted by: Whomong Guelph4611 || 12/04/2007 17:11 Comments || Top||

#8  Check out this related video:
http://www.break.com/index/never-use-the-glasses-in-your-hotel-room.html
Posted by: USN,Ret. || 12/04/2007 17:36 Comments || Top||

#9  Using UV to disinfect is good. However there is no disinfectant residual left in the potable water, so given the right environment in distribution pipes, nasties could grow in there. That is why in the US, chlorine, chlorine solutions, chloramine, etc is used in water.

And pathogens take the form of bacteria and viruses.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 12/04/2007 20:22 Comments || Top||


Abu Maysara/Abu Basha’ir Positively ID'd as Dead
Coalition forces positively identify terrorist killed in recent raid

BAGHDAD, Iraq – An al Qaeda in Iraq terrorist killed during a recent Coalition forces operation has been positively identified as Abu Maysara.

Maysara, also known as Abu Basha’ir, was a Syrian who spoke an Iraqi dialect. He was a member of Abu Ayyub al-Masri’s inner circle and served as a senior advisor. Maysara was specifically responsible for providing extremist spiritual guidance and rebuttal on terrorist matters, perverting Islamic faith to allow terrorism, murder and torture. He was also known to provide logistical support to al-Qaeda operations and was a key leader in the al-Qaeda in Iraq media network.
He was the official news releaser of the Zarqawi News Network.
Maysara was killed during an operation northeast of Samarra Nov. 17 (see MNF-I Press Release A071117a, “Coalition forces target al-Qaeda networks; six terrorists killed, 10 detained,” dated Nov. 17, 2007). During the operation, Coalition forces were targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq media networks, specifically, a building which was reportedly used as a propaganda house.

As the ground force approached the target building, they received heavy fire from inside. Responding in self-defense, Coalition forces engaged the armed men, killing six terrorists, including Maysara. The ground forces then secured the area, finding a weapons cache, improvised explosive device components and propaganda material.

In March, Maysara and a group of foreign terrorists escaped from the Badush Prison. It is believed he was one of the lead planners of the escape.

Maysara fought against the Government of Iraq in Fallujah in 2004 and was reportedly one of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s senior advisors. On Nov. 29, 2004, Maysara was captured by Coalition forces in Fallujah, using the name Muhammad Wasim Abdullah Halabi, also known as Abu Assim. He had in his possession a forged Ministry of the Interior identification card with the name Ahmad Ibrahim Karim, also known as Abu Ibrahim.

Abu Maysara was positively identified using DNA evidence. “This was a dangerous terrorist who is no longer part of the al-Qaeda in Iraq network,” said Maj. Winfield Danielson, MNF-I spokesman. “We will continue to relentlessly pursue the terrorist leaders who try to deny the Iraqi people a future of their choice.”
This article starring:
ABU AIYUB AL MASRIal-Qaeda in Iraq
ABU ASIMal-Qaeda in Iraq
ABU BASHAIRal-Qaeda in Iraq
ABU IBRAHIMal-Qaeda in Iraq
ABU MAISARAal-Qaeda in Iraq
ABU MUSAB AL ZARQAWIal-Qaeda in Iraq
AHMED IBRAHIM KARIMal-Qaeda in Iraq
Maj. Winfield Danielson
MUHAMAD WASIM ABDULLAH HALABIal-Qaeda in Iraq
Posted by: Glenmore || 12/04/2007 08:45 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Iraq

#1  Sighted Terrorist ... Terminated Same.
Posted by: doc || 12/04/2007 8:54 Comments || Top||

#2  Good riddance and I hope you died screaming in agony.
Posted by: DarthVader || 12/04/2007 9:17 Comments || Top||

#3  One guy banged, a half dozen names struck off the list of the living.
Posted by: Fred || 12/04/2007 9:27 Comments || Top||

#4  perverting Islamic faith to allow terrorism, murder and torture promoting the company line.

Fixed...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 12/04/2007 9:48 Comments || Top||

#5  "Truly most sincerely dead..."
Posted by: mojo || 12/04/2007 11:01 Comments || Top||

#6 
Posted by: Mike || 12/04/2007 12:30 Comments || Top||

#7  chocolate, getcher chocolate here...
Posted by: Querent || 12/04/2007 12:54 Comments || Top||

#8  chocolate, getcher chocolate here... an moon shine fer yer koffee...

/:)
Posted by: Red Dawg || 12/04/2007 14:17 Comments || Top||

#9  "...As dead as a...great big dead thing."

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski || 12/04/2007 15:58 Comments || Top||

#10  Deader, even.
Posted by: Seafarious || 12/04/2007 19:44 Comments || Top||

#11  I'll believe it when I see an official death photo.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 12/04/2007 23:18 Comments || Top||

#12  Fred said it. I believe it. That settles it.
Posted by: Seafarious || 12/04/2007 23:54 Comments || Top||


950 Yoots in US prisons in Iraq
BAGHDAD (AFP) - US troops are holding nearly 950 children and teenagers in a military prison at a Baghdad base, some as young as 10, a top commander said Monday. Brigadier General Michael Nevin of US military police said many of these youngsters, mainly 15, 16 or 17 years of age are illiterate and have been detained for planting bombs and even for "picking up a gun and firefighting."

The juveniles are being held in Camp Cropper near Baghdad airport and are part of the nearly 26,000 detainees held by the US military across Iraq. But these youngsters, dressed in red jumpsuits, make up almost 25 percent of the 4,000 detainees held at Camp Cropper in Baghdad.

The US military currently holds detainees in two prisons in Iraq, Camp Cropper and Camp Bucca in the southern port city of Basra. Camp Bucca holds most of the detainees. "These juveniles have been involved in something that is a perceived as a security threat to Iraq or coalition forces," Nevin told AFP during a tour of Camp Cropper.

The number of juvenile detainees has skyrocketed since the surge in US troops was launched in February. "In January we had around 100 juveniles. Now we have around 950," Nevin said.
Like Germany in WWII, you can tell the end is near when they through in the children.
Most of the youngsters have been sucked into the insurgency with threats or offers of money from Al-Qaeda, he said. "There is a lot of Al-Qaeda influence on these youngsters."

One of the commanders at Camp Cropper, Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm McMullen, said the juveniles were now part of a wide-ranging educational programme launched by the military. "Many of them come from broken homes with no education," he said.
This article starring:
Brigadier General Michael Nevin
Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm McMullen
Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC || 12/04/2007 02:17 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Iraqi Insurgency

#1  A ten year old with a loaded gun pointed at you is still a threat, not a youngster.
Posted by: Bobby || 12/04/2007 6:20 Comments || Top||

#2  No, Bobby. At 10 he's a child. A DEADLY child, but a child all the same. It is a very problematic situation - you can't let him go, because he is dangerous, but it's hard to keep him locked up, for world 'humanitarian' reasons. Teach him to read - something besides the Koran - and brainwash/de-program him.
Posted by: Glenmore || 12/04/2007 7:26 Comments || Top||

#3  The muzzahideen like young boys. They're all probably getting along well...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 12/04/2007 8:30 Comments || Top||

#4  At 10 he's a child. A DEADLY child, but a child all the same.

No. He. Is. Not. A child that is. His childhood has been stolen, but at 10, in his world he has already been imprinted. There is very little chance of salvaging these kids after a certain age.

I can understand your emotions, but you will have to set them aside and use reasoning. These people are not like us, and neither are the kids that have been indoctrinated into fundamentalist Islam from the time they could hold their head up.

Get over it.
Posted by: Large Sleresh3870 || 12/04/2007 9:28 Comments || Top||

#5  Like Germany in WWII, you can tell the end is near when they through in the children.

I'm not sure the comparison is apt, there's a gulf between involved cultures, even at the birthrate levels. Child-soldiers, or children used as tools in irregular warfare, seem very ubiquitous in non-western ways of war.

At 10 he's a child. A DEADLY child, but a child all the same.

Agree and disagree. On a values level, you're right, and I'm sure the USA treat them as children.
Still, I remember reading (here? Not sure) about how IIRC shiites were captured in a sunni neighbourhood, and how while the adult men were being tortured/killed by adults, the young teen/child was "given" to boys his age, so they could beat him before he was to be killed; he managed to escape, and that's what he told, could b epropaganda, but when you see the various pics of joyful falluhja kiddies having a jolly good time around the desacrated and mutilated bodies of the Blackwater contrators, or earlier of their somali counterparts happily jumping up and down on dragged Us bodies, you've got to wonder how universal is the concept of "childhood".
Posted by: anonymous5089 || 12/04/2007 9:38 Comments || Top||

#6  The experience in West Africa says that child-soldiers can indeed be reclaimed. It takes hard work, education and job opportunities, but the children can be brought to adulthood and re-integrated into society.

I would not give up on these children; I would do the hard work of reeducating them.
Posted by: Steve White || 12/04/2007 10:00 Comments || Top||

#7  The Iraqi gubmint should be responsible for them. They could provide the education, food, and shelter, and bring them back into society. Maybe the Iraqis would get a view of just how destructive their beloved Islam is to the human soul and phase out this death cult. That is if any Iraqis are capable of such enlightenment.
Posted by: wxjames || 12/04/2007 11:34 Comments || Top||

#8  We have Yoots right here in the good old USA every bit as vicious as the Iraqi Yoots. Given the means I’m sure they would add IEDs to drive bys and the rest of their arsenal of mayhem.
Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC || 12/04/2007 12:16 Comments || Top||

#9  The ones running drugs with / joining MS-13 will soon have the means, I fear.
Posted by: lotp || 12/04/2007 12:29 Comments || Top||

#10  Here's an interesting example of checkered path from teen years onward, from close at hand.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kweisi_Mfume

Posted by: Unerelet Dingle7050 || 12/04/2007 20:44 Comments || Top||

#11  FREEREPUBLIC > AL-QAEDA > ONLY TWO HUNDRED FOREIGN FIGHTERS LEFT IN IRAQ.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 12/04/2007 23:26 Comments || Top||


US troops kill 1 Iraqi, wound 3 in shooting at checkpoint
US troops killed one Iraqi and wounded three Monday north of Baghdad after opening fire at a vehicle they said failed to stop at a checkpoint after an operation targeting al-Qaida in Iraq, the military said.

The shooting occurred after the American forces detained a man linked to senior leaders with the terror network who was allegedly involved in attacks in Tarmiyah, 50 kilometers north of Baghdad. The military said the US troops fired warning shots at a vehicle approaching their position as they were clearing the area, "but it continued to maneuver towards them at a high rate of speed." A second set of warning shots also was ignored, the military said.
Posted by: Fred || 12/04/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under: Iraqi Insurgency

#1  My kid said he fired three rounds from the 50-cal in front of an approaching car and it was enough to bring the guy to a screeching halt.

they said failed to stop Doncha just love it?
Posted by: Bobby || 12/04/2007 6:25 Comments || Top||


Hundreds of Iraqis seek aid after al Qaeda battle
Hundreds of Iraqis displaced by fierce battles between al Qaeda militants and U.S. and Iraqi security forces began receiving humanitarian aid on Monday at a camp set up on Baghdad's southern outskirts. The Iraqi Red Crescent aid programme began on the same day the humanitarian group announced falling violence had allowed between 25,000 and 28,000 Iraqis to return from Syria in September and October.

More than 100 Sunni Arab families had been seeking help since Sunni Islamist al Qaeda launched a major attack on the town of Adwaniya, 20 km (12 miles) southeast of Baghdad on Nov. 13. Their plight is a reminder that while attacks have dropped sharply in recent months, Iraq remains dangerous. U.S. and Iraqi forces are still fighting to remove al Qaeda from the area. "We did not commit any crime, we did not do anything," Lamia Mahmoud told Reuters as she sat on the floor of a new, white canvas IRC tent. Her three young children did not flinch when U.S. artillery, aimed at al Qaeda in Adwaniya, opened up nearby.

The IRC has set up 101 tents for displaced families on a barren plot of ground owned by local tribal sheikh Hussein Khudeir in the Rasheed district on Baghdad's southern outskirts. IRC workers busily handed out food, blankets, mattresses and pillows, lanterns, heaters and oil to the waiting families. "It's winter now and they will need it," said Waleed Wasif, the IRC director for Rasheed.

Children lined up for check-ups and medicine at another tent, with tanks of potable water set up behind the rows of tents. "I'm sick, all my children are sick," Mahmoud said as she brushed flies from the eyes of her youngest child.

Mahmoud, who said her husband was killed by the feared Mehdi Army Shi'ite militia in 2006, had been staying with family since the Adwaniya battle but had received little other help. "They are poor people, so we left them," she said. "There is no work, not enough food. We left everything behind, we left our furniture, we left our house."

Last month, about 45 al Qaeda gunmen using small arms and heavy-calibre machineguns attacked two checkpoints in Adwaniya manned by local police units set up by tribal sheikhs. U.S. F-16 warplanes dropped two 500 lb bombs during the day-long battle in Adwaniya, long an al Qaeda stronghold. The U.S. military estimated 15 al Qaeda fighters were killed in the battle, along with two members of the "concerned citizens" unit.

The local citizens units, which first emerged in western Anbar province last year, have been credited with helping bring down violence along with a "surge" of 30,000 extra U.S. troops.
Posted by: Fred || 12/04/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Iraq

#1  Notice any tear-jerking, war-is-hell, the-so-called-surge-isn't-working bias?

Reuters, By Yasser Faisal.

Her children, having grown up accustomed to years of American artillery and gunfire, as the infidel invaders destroyed the very fabric of Iraqi society under the pretense of weapons of mass destruction in the imperialist search for cheap oil, did not flinch at the artillery.

I can read between the lines!
Posted by: Bobby || 12/04/2007 6:35 Comments || Top||


Masked gunmen assassinate member of Huwaijah city council
Huwaijah city council member was assassinated by masked gunmen in southwest of Kirkuk, said security source Monday. The Kirkuk Police told KUNA that masked gunmen shot dead council member Attllah Aksander while he was in his car with his driver who also died in the attack. The gunmen also set the vehicle ablaze with the two deceased inside before fleeing the scene, said the Kirkuk police.
Posted by: Seafarious || 12/04/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Iraqi Insurgency


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Israel delays transfer of armored vehicles to Palestinians
JERUSALEM - Israel has held up the transfer of 25 Russian armored vehicles to Palestinian police in the West Bank, because the Palestinians want to have them mounted with machine guns, Israeli and Palestinian officials said Monday. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert approved the shipment two weeks ago over the objections of his own security forces, in an effort to bolster Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ahead of last week’s U.S.-sponsored Mideast peace conference.
Oh good lord, Olmert really has a death wish, and he's going to take his country with him ...
But the Israeli security officials said Monday that the shipment has been delayed because the Palestinians want to equip the vehicles with guns. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki confirmed that Israel was holding up the deal. 'Israel says it will not allow these carriers to come in because they have been designed to be used with machine guns on top,’ Malki said. Now we are trying to fix this issue with Israel.’
I'm waiting for what I'm sure will be a very creative explanation ...
Israeli Cabinet Minister Zeev Boim said Israel did not yet trust the strength of Palestinian forces, fearing that their equipment and weapons could fall into the hands of Islamic Hamas militants. We do need to strengthen Abbas’ security forces,’ Boim said. But it’s way too early for them to have APCs with mounts for heavy weapons.’
No, reeeeaaallly?
Posted by: Steve White || 12/04/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Palestinian Authority

#1  armored vehicles

put homing beacons inside each one.. then at the appropriate time ...Boom!

Olmert: before it's too late put 10 kilos of TNT up his a$$ now and blow him to kingdom come...
Posted by: Red Dawg || 12/04/2007 0:29 Comments || Top||

#2  Smart move actually. Olmert should give them whatever they need to they can shoot it out on THEIR side of the wall. On with the show!
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/04/2007 1:00 Comments || Top||

#3  Dumb bolstering, Ehud. Maroon dumb.
Posted by: Phinater Thraviger || 12/04/2007 1:03 Comments || Top||

#4  I would think they can stick a transponder in these things so if they do fall into the wrong hands, Israel can send a going away present.

That is, if there is a right hands to begin with.
Posted by: Mike N. || 12/04/2007 2:22 Comments || Top||

#5  Hey, maybe the Israelis are just nostalgic for the good old days, when the bad guys ran around in easily-targetable Soviet-era tin cans that you could plink with AP rounds and not worry about Eurotrash photographers accusing you of murdering schoolchildren for your matzo balls.

Watch the Paleos start painting them with red crescents & claiming that they're ambulances.
Posted by: Mitch H. || 12/04/2007 11:11 Comments || Top||

#6  Olmert is indeed an insane masochistic leader.

I can't understand how this incompetent nobody is still leading Israel.
Posted by: Leroidavid || 12/04/2007 12:42 Comments || Top||

#7  This is probably one of the reasons why Israel delayed (and, I hope, froze totally) the transfer of armored vehicles to PA:

"The IDF and General Security Services (Shin Bet) released for publication Sunday night that two Palestinian Authority (PA) National Security Force officers and another accomplice are the ones who murdered 29-year-old Ido Zoldan on November 19.

Israeli security officials knew Zoldan was murdered by PA policemen, because two of the three terrorists who shot him to death were arrested the next day in a joint IDF and Shin Bet operation."


(Arutz Sheva)

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/124450

PA members are killing Jews.

Even Olmert can't continue to give weapons to PA terrorists under those circumstances...
Posted by: Leroidavid || 12/04/2007 12:47 Comments || Top||

#8  Clean up on Aisle # 1 please. RD: your second paragraph is unwarranted.
Posted by: USN,Ret. || 12/04/2007 14:38 Comments || Top||

#9  USN,Ret. point taken if literal..

plz take it as a figure of speech.. to emphasize the frustration most of us have with Olmert.

no one sane person would really want that act literally.
Posted by: Red Dawg || 12/04/2007 16:35 Comments || Top||

#10  /~:) no one's happy with the current situ..
Posted by: Red Dawg || 12/04/2007 16:36 Comments || Top||

#11  Why not split them? Half to Hamas, half to Fatah, and let them argue about who gets them all?
Posted by: James || 12/04/2007 17:25 Comments || Top||


Palestinian Authority dismantles dozens of Hamas charities in West Bank
The Fatah-led Palestinian Authority has dismantled dozens of charities run by the rival Hamas group and frozen their accounts, pressing forward with a crackdown on the Islamic militant group, an official said Monday.

The move deepened the bitter rivalry between the Palestinian rivals since Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in June. PA President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah has systematically targeted Hamas power bases in his West Bank stronghold since the Gaza takeover.

Government spokesman Riad Malki described the 92 charity committees as a "financial empire" for Hamas. He said the committees were quietly shuttered two weeks ago. There was no explanation for the delay in announcing the move. The committees are formed by prominent local and religious leaders under the supervision of the Ministry of Religious Affairs. The committees collect money and distribute it to the poor, usually during religious holidays. Muslims will celebrate their holy day of Eid al-Adha in late December.
Posted by: Fred || 12/04/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Hamas

#1  Palestinian Authority dismantles dozens of Hamas Tribute/Danegeld/Zakat/Tax Collectionscharities in West Bank

There, fixed it.
Posted by: Admiral Allan Ackbar || 12/04/2007 9:15 Comments || Top||


Southeast Asia
Muslims Jailed for Killing Christians
Six Islamic militants were sentenced to up to 19 years in prison Monday for terrorist acts in eastern Indonesia that include beheading three Christian schoolgirls and shooting to death a priest. The harshest sentences were given to Abdul Muis bin Kamarudin and Rahman Kalahe, who were convicted in the 2006 killing of Rev. Irianto Kongkoli, and in the beheadings in 2005. Both crimes were in Central Sulawesi province. The men were also punished for the shootings of two high school students, and the bombing of a busy New Year's market that killed eight people on Dec 31, 2005. Kongkoli was shot in the head while shopping with his wife in Palu, the provincial capital of Central Sulawesi.

Alleged members of the al-Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah network left a handwritten note close to the bodies of the girls, vowing more killings to avenge the deaths of Muslims in earlier sectarian violence on Sulawesi island. The beheadings gave fresh impetus to the country's war on terrorism and was followed by scores of arrests.

The South Jakarta District Court sentenced four others to jail terms ranging from 10 and 18 years for bomb-making and plotting attacks against Christians, applying a harsh anti-terror law imposed after the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, mostly foreigners.

It was unclear if either side would appeal. "This is a consequence of our struggle," said defendant Syaiful Anan, a 26-year-old militant from Tawangmangu in Central Java province, as bailiffs took him from the courtroom. "Eighteen years is not a problem. There will be a more noble trial before God."
This article starring:
Jemaah Islamiyah
Abdul Muis bin KamarudinJemaah Islamiyah
Rahman KalaheJemaah Islamiyah
Rev. Irianto Kongkoli
Posted by: Fred || 12/04/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under: Jemaah Islamiyah

#1  Beheading people only gets you 19 years?
What a deal.
Posted by: 3dc || 12/04/2007 1:33 Comments || Top||

#2  Six Islamic militants were sentenced to up to 19 years in prison Monday for terrorist acts in eastern Indonesia that include beheading three Christian schoolgirls and shooting to death a priest.

...as bailiffs took him from the courtroom. "Eighteen years is not a problem.
Posted by: Pliny Pheath1680 || 12/04/2007 1:44 Comments || Top||

#3  They will be out in 10-15...

...months, probably.
Posted by: Grumenk Philalzabod0723 || 12/04/2007 6:44 Comments || Top||

#4  Whatever the next holiday is.
Posted by: Fred || 12/04/2007 7:16 Comments || Top||

#5  Three beheadings, one fatal shooting, and eight dead in a bombing. That's 12 dead. Up to 19 years. But you can be punished with death for naming your teddy bear "Mo".
Posted by: Darrell || 12/04/2007 7:29 Comments || Top||

#6  Saudi funded by any chance????
Posted by: Paul || 12/04/2007 9:31 Comments || Top||

#7  Hope they got their names in early for those Ramadan pardons.
Posted by: tu3031 || 12/04/2007 9:47 Comments || Top||


Sri Lanka
41 killed in fresh Sri Lanka clashes
At least 35 Tamil Tiger rebels and six government soldiers were killed in fresh clashes in Sri Lanka’s north on Monday, the defence ministry said.

Troops resisted a Tamil Tiger attack in the Mannar district and killed at least 35 guerrillas and wounded many more, the ministry said. It said six of its soldiers were killed and another 20 wounded in the latest outbreak of clashes. The fighting was concentrated along the frontline separating the rebel-held Wanni region from the rest of the island. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) maintain a mini-state in the north.

There was no immediate reaction from the LTTE to the latest claim, which came a day after the ministry said 47 rebels and five soldiers were killed in clashes on Saturday and Sunday in the same region.

Bomb found: Security forces on Monday found a roadside bomb in a residential area where top politicians, officials and senior military live, the defence ministry said. Police and air force bomb disposal units, acting on a tip-off, found the bomb hidden in a parcel at a high-security zone where several ministers and military commanders have their official quarters, the ministry said. The bomb was found opposite the home of a Tamil legislator MK Shivagilingam of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), seen as being sympathetic to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

The military has blamed the Tigers for two bomb attacks that killed 21 people and wounded 40 in the capital last week. But it was not immediately clear how the bomb found Monday had been taken inside a high-security zone.
Posted by: Fred || 12/04/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:


Good morning...
Posted by: Fred || 12/04/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Hi, I'm Jack. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.

No, please. Don't get up.
Posted by: Mike N. || 12/04/2007 1:30 Comments || Top||

#2  Why do I have a sudden urge to play tennis?
Posted by: DarthVader || 12/04/2007 9:32 Comments || Top||

#3  #2 Why do I have a sudden urge to play tennis?
Posted by: DarthVader 2007-12-04 09:32


That thought never crossed MY mind...
Posted by: Old Patriot || 12/04/2007 16:18 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
43[untagged]
7Iraqi Insurgency
4TNSM
3Global Jihad
3Govt of Iran
3Taliban
2al-Qaeda in Iraq
2Lashkar e-Taiba
2Palestinian Authority
1Govt of Sudan
1Jamaat-e-Islami
1Jemaah Islamiyah
1Govt of Pakistan
1al-Qaeda
1Hamas
1Hezbollah

Bookmark
E-Mail Me

The Classics
The O Club
Rantburg Store
The Bloids
The Never-ending Story
Thugburg
Gulf War I
The Way We Were
Bio

Merry-Go-Blog











On Sale now!


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.
Click here for more information

Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
Steve White
Seafarious
tu3031
badanov
sherry
ryuge
GolfBravoUSMC
Bright Pebbles
trailing wife
Gloria
Fred
Besoeker
Glenmore
Frank G
3dc
Skidmark

Two weeks of WOT
Tue 2007-12-04
  Abu Maysara Positively Deader Than a Rock
Mon 2007-12-03
  40 Taliban killed, 14 held in Afghanistan
Sun 2007-12-02
  Walkout in Iraq parliament over Sunni leader raid
Sat 2007-12-01
  Binny: Euroleaders 'like living under shadow of White House'
Fri 2007-11-30
  Perv Sworn In as Civilian President
Thu 2007-11-29
  Perv finally quits army
Wed 2007-11-28
  Sistani tells Shiites to protect Sunni brothers
Tue 2007-11-27
  Perv to bid farewell to troops
Mon 2007-11-26
  Nawaz returns, vows to contest elections
Sun 2007-11-25
  Sharifs reach deal with Perv
Sat 2007-11-24
  Tanks deployed in Beirut to prevent possible violence
Fri 2007-11-23
  Lahoud stepping down at midnight
Thu 2007-11-22
  Iraqi Security Forces detain 81 suspected extremists
Wed 2007-11-21
  Berri postpones Lebanon presidential vote for fourth time
Tue 2007-11-20
  Israel to free 441 Palestinian prisoners


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.
18.117.73.214
Help keep the Burg running! Paypal:
WoT Background (21)    Non-WoT (19)    Opinion (8)    Local News (5)    (0)