Mark Byron has caught on to what Bush is doing. Beebs and the Paper of Record somehow can't grasp it. Y'see, if you don't start from the premise that Bush's IQ is in the room temperature range, that Yasser's really a statesman and that Sharon is the back of Yasser's head, then you notice things like the balancing act the US is carrying on. It's not that subtle.
Seems to escape some conservative Bigs, too. (How much did Gary Bauer play them to let him sign that?)
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/03/2002 ||
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The Afghan Army was reborn when 600 soldiers trained for six weeks by international peacekeepers graduated in a ceremony interim leader Hamid Karzai hailed as the death knell of warlords. The soldiers held their passing out parade, the first since a Moscow-backed Communist government collapsed 10 years ago. Karzai said the parade at an old Soviet military training ground on the outskirts of Kabul was one of the proudest moments of his five months in power. It's a start. Ten or twelve of those classes and the government will have some actual power, assuming they're not bumped off quicker than they can be graduated. They also need little essentials like a military academy to train professional officers, a logistics system, and all rest of the "tail" that keeps the infantryman infanting to good effect.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/03/2002 ||
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Coalition forces are expecting a shift toward smaller attacks directed at Western targets inside Afghanistan as Taliban and al-Qaida fighters regroup after Operation Anaconda. The last U.S. offensive showed the Taliban and al-Qaida operatives may need to reassess their tactics and move more toward attacks in a "variety of terrorist styles," said Maj. Tony De Reya. That could mean hit-and-run raids on troops or bomb attacks. The forecast was based on theory, rather than intelligence about specific attacks on soldiers, journalists or local leaders. De Reya spoke at Bagram Air Base, where about 110 of Britain's elite Royal Marines landed early Wednesday - part of Britain's first overseas combat deployment since the Gulf War a decade ago. It would make more sense from a tactical point of view, but it will also depend on Haqqani's objectives. The pinprick attacks are harder to fight against and if the plan is a long drawn-out war of attrition that makes sense. But military actions are taken in response to political aims, not as an end in themselves. Since they see the Loya Jirga coming up and a diminution in the perceived legitimacy of the Taliban, they may very well aim for a more spectacular, public-relations oriented series of strikes. The disadvantage to that is the body count. Show a modern Western army a human wave forming, and they'll call in air support first thing. The same applies to concentration of force; even if Haqqani has an intial success at some point, he won't be able to exploit it because he has no way of maintaining a reserve. All his troops are shock troops, which is like having a toolbox with nothing but hammers.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/03/2002 ||
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North Korea said Wednesday that it will resume dialogue with the United States but warned it will call off any future talks if the Washington "slanders" the isolated communist country again. The announcement came after U.S. officials proposed a resumption of dialogue during meetings last month in New York with North Korean delegates to the United Nations. "But don't go callin' us names, or we're outta here, see? We're a respectable bloody-handed autocracy, see? Don't go lumpin' us with Iraq no more, see?"
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/03/2002 ||
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Members of al-Qaida who are fleeing Afghanistan have been allowed safe passage through Iran, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Tuesday, criticizing Tehran for a second straight day as a supporter of global terrorists. "It certainly would be helpful if they were more cooperative, and they have not been, particularly," Rumsfeld said. U.S. officials have said in recent months that Tehran had failed to move decisively against al-Qaida figures who fled over the western border of Afghanistan to Iran. In a rebuke Monday, Rumsfeld said Iran, Iraq and Syria "are inspiring and financing a culture of political murder and suicide bombing" in the Middle East. Rumsfeld specifically accused Iran and Syria of funneling arms to Lebanon for use by terrorists and criticized Iraq for offering payments of up to $25,000 to families of Palestinian suicide bombers.
Rumsfeld was asked Tuesday to be more specific about how unhelpful Tehran has been to the Bush administration's war against terrorism. "There is no question but that al-Qaida have moved into and found sanctuary in Iran. And there is no question but that al-Qaida have moved into Iran and out of Iran to the south and dispersed to some other countries," he said. I have a strong feeling this is only partly policy. With the government at odds with itself, I don't think Iran is under very tight control. And that could prove an opportunity in itself...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/03/2002 ||
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Islamic charities and similar groups in northern Virginia recently raided by federal officials all have something in common Saudi Arabia. Rilly? Who'da thunkit?
Investigators are looking into the Safa Trust, the Saar Group, the Wafa Humanitarian Organization, and 16 other Islamic charities with ties to the Saudi royal family. The hell you say? The royal family! I'd never have guessed. Ummm... Which ones?
The Saudi's have pledged to help choke off terrorist financing. Hey, it could happen!
And publicly, U.S. officials say Saudi Arabia is trying to be part of the solution. Privately they spit and hold their noses.
"We're fully satisfied with Saudi Arabia as we work together on the important financial aspect of the war against terrorism," State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said. Yep. Every time they get 'em cornered, they shut down the culprits, who then open up under a different name.
Privately, however, investigators complain that powerful factions of the Saudi government are part of the problem because they're associated with or look the other way when some Islamic charities funnel cash to terrorists. What's that you say? Powerful factions? You don't mean...
The Treasury Department's terror financing investigation, Operation Green Quest, has raided nearly four dozen American Muslim organizations with ties to Saudi officials. Hmmm. Officials. That means they're in the government, carrying out official policy, doesn't it?
They include offices of the Muslim World League, the International Institute of Islamic Thought and various others groups. In addition, hundreds of other warrants, raids and arrests have been conducted by other federal agencies across the country. You must be joshing. Organizations with such high-minded sounding names?
In the United States, more than 1,000 Islamic centers, mosques and schools operate, many legitimately, and are both furious and heartbroken that terrorists are giving Muslims a bad name. Bet they're so furious and heartbroken they could just explode.
But the problem is pervasive, cash donations are almost impossible to trace or control. Donations could be paying for sandals for orphans or explosives for suicide bombers. Or paying for sandals for the orphans of the suicide bombers they also paid for.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/03/2002 ||
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Adam Shapiro, 30, a member of a group in solidarity with Palestinians, has been denounced by critics who compare him to John Walker Lindh, the so-called American Taliban. His schoolteacher parents, Stuart and Doreen Shapiro, have left to stay with out-of-state friends, son Noah Shapiro told The New York Times. "People in New York have interpreted my brother's actions to say that he is a terrorist, a traitor, an aide to Arafat. And none of this is based on fact," said Noah Shapiro, a lawyer.
His parents, who are Jewish, decided to leave after receiving threats by phone and e-mail. Fliers also were put up asking people to call a telephone number to hear a recording that offered the Shapiros' purported home address in Brooklyn. Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish group, said he called law enforcement officials on behalf of the Shapiro family. He called the threats against the Shapiros "sinister and serious. We find it reprehensible to target anybody based on what they believe and what they stand for, whether or not we believe in their actions." Stupid and nasty behavior on the part of the people sending the calls, letters and e-mails. Mr Hero, of course, had no way of anticipating such a thing, did he? Or maybe he just didn't care if he hurt his family and brought them dishonor, 'cuz, like, hey! He's got a life, too, y'know? An', what the hell, they're adults, right? They can take care of themselves. An' he didn't ask to be born...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/03/2002 ||
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Sources said Zubaydah, who initially identified himself as Abu Ubaid, has admitted his identity but has not cooperated with investigators so far. Cliff Van Zandt, a former FBI profiler, told The Post the interrogation teams assigned to the case will isolate, disorient and deprive him of "his support system" in order to get him to talk. May I suggest starting with the horse tranquilizer, before moving on to the morphine? Maybe with a little ganja. That always works wonders.
Calling news reports "wrong and irresponsible," Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld denied Wednesday that officials are considering torture as a way to get information out of captured al-Qaida leader Abu Zubaydah. "Reports to that effect are wrong, inaccurate, not happening and will not happen," he said. "He will be properly interrogated by proper people who know how to do those things." Rumsfeld was responding to reports that Abu Zubaydah, captured Thursday in Pakistan, might be sent to a third country that uses more harsh interrogation techniques than allowed in the United States. And Librium. And some o' that "Maui Wowie"... An' a coupla these sugar cubes...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/03/2002 ||
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Oprah Winfrey fired back at the White House yesterday - saying she felt "extremely used" by the Bush administration for implying that she was too busy to tour Afghanistan schools on behalf of President Bush. Hey, it's okay to cry. Perhaps a cigarette would help? There are a million stories in The Naked City. This isn't one of them.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/03/2002 ||
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The corruption trial of Rep. James A. Traficant Jr. ground to a halt Tuesday when the judge pounded her hand and shouted for order and the congressman stormed out of the courtroom. "Stop interrupting, congressman!" U.S. District Judge Lesley Wells shouted during an argument over a witness Traficant wanted to call. Traficant, 60, is accused of taking kickbacks from staff members and accepting gifts and free labor from businessmen for his political help. The charges carry up to 63 year in prison. The nine-term Democrat is defending himself even though he is not a lawyer. He also appears occasionally the the news shows in varying stages of coherence, most of them "in"... Lessee, here... That's make him 123 when he gets out of jug.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/03/2002 ||
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Eight people died as fresh violence flared in India's riot-racked Gujarat state on Wednesday, a day ahead of a visit by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to the state. The latest victims of India's worst religious bloodletting in a decade included a family of five Muslims who were burned to death by a Hindu mob on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, Gujarat's main city. "Five charred bodies (of Muslims) were recovered...from one of three houses burned by a Hindu mob," a senior police officer told Reuters. Four others were in hospital with burns.
Three other people were killed and 20 injured when police sought to disperse Hindu and Muslims gangs hurling petrol bombs and throwing stones at each other in Ahmedabad and in Umbhrat town, 70 km (40 miles) to the south. It was the highest one-day death toll in the past two weeks. Lookitdat! VHP/RSS is using the same tactics the Palestinians used to greet Zinni.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/03/2002 ||
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Pakistani cabinet ministers unanimously approved the holding of a national referendum on extending President Pervez Musharraf's term of office for five years. An official statement Wednesday, said a joint session of the cabinet, provincial governors and the National Security Council of military chiefs unanimously agreed to hold the referendum on "important national issues". It said Musharraf would address the nation on Friday to "take the people into confidence on the details of the referendum". Gosh. Wotta surprise.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/03/2002 ||
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Islamic nations adopted an agreement Wednesday to condemn terrorism "in all its forms," but with qualifications that left room to defend Palestinian suicide bombers. Wrapping up a three-day conference, foreign ministers and representatives of the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference issued a five-page statement which failed to achieve their main task: defining terrorism. That, delegates said, was a job for the United Nations. "Well, we know it when we see it, and if there's a turban involved, then it must not be terrorism. And a keffiyeh. That would make it not terrorism, too. But a yarmulke, now that would make it terrorism. Or a baseball cap. Or a cowboy hat... Now, how do we codify this...?"
A pavilion in a Jewish cemetery was burned to the ground and assailants threw a fire bomb at a synagogue in new attacks on Jewish targets Tuesday, even as hundreds of families held Passover prayers at another charred synagogue attacked here over the weekend. The Euro-wide campaign seems to be conducted from France, but they can't afford bus tickets to send their goons all over the continent, so most of the attacks take place close to home.
In the latest attack Tuesday, assailants threw a Molotov cocktail at a Marseilles synagogue despite two police guards having been posted at there as part of a new government effort to stem a recent wave of anti-Semitic violence in France. Now wasn't that effective of the police? If I was Inspector Camembert, the noted International Sleuth, I'd have their bank accounts checked. After I had a look to see if they were wearing turbans, of course.
The Molotov cocktail landed only a few yards from the officers. No one was injured and the synagogue was not damaged. The two assailants got away. Yes. They blended into the teeming populace of Marseilles. The police were looking at each other, one saying, "Gaston, do you smell something burning?"
The incidents came as hundreds of families took part in an evening Passover ceremony across town beside the charred remains of the Or Aviv synagogue, which burned down after a nighttime attack on Sunday. Luckily for them, there was no door left for gunnies to step through and spray them with machinegun fire, like the Paks do.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/03/2002 ||
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A Palestinian man blew himself up Tuesday night when security forces stopped him at a checkpoint in Baka al-Sharkiyeh, a Palestinian village along the Green Line. After the man approached the checkpoint on foot, security forces stopped him and began a search, the military said. Before the search ended, the man detonated explosives strapped around his body, killing himself but not injuring others, the military said. The bombing was the seventh such attack in as many days. One a day is the goal, isn't it?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/03/2002 ||
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Scores of Palestinian gunmen were hiding inside one of Christianity's holiest shrines, Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, seeking refuge from Israeli forces. The bodies of four gunmen, shot dead in a firefight on Tuesday, remained sprawled on a sidestreet near the church on Wednesday morning, with rescue services unable to reach them or other casualties because of constant shooting. A tank was stationed at the edge of Manger Square, adjacent to the church, the army said. Bethlehem Mayor Hana Nasser said soldiers had occupied the municipal building overlooking the square and the church. And late reports say they're out of ammo and giving up...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/03/2002 ||
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Israeli forces have extended their military operations in the West Bank, with columns of tanks sweeping into the towns of Jenin and Salfit, near Nablus. There was heavy shooting as at least 30 tanks headed for the centre of Jenin early on Wednesday morning. A Palestinian woman was reported to have been killed after being hit by a bullet. One? One unintended casualty in an operation that size? My admiration for the IDF increaseth.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/03/2002 ||
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Israeli soldiers and Lebanese guerrillas exchanged fire for a second day in southern Lebanon, keeping tensions high as fighting continued in Palestinian territories. The guerillas in southern Lebanon and Israeli troops in the disputed Shebaa Farms area traded mortar fire before dawn, and both sides warned of further retaliation. Lebanese security officials reported no casualties. The exchange was "very limited and restrained," said Timur Goksel, spokesman for a U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon.
Increased skirmishes in the last week have raised the possibility of wider Arab-Israeli clashes outside the Palestinian territories, where fierce Israeli military operations are underway in the West Bank in response to a wave of Palestinian suicide bombings. On Tuesday, Israeli jets fired rockets on suspected Hezbollah positions after the guerrillas fired mortars and rockets at Israeli positions in the Shebaa Farms.
There has been no word on casualties in the recent Hezbollah-Israeli clashes. A Hezbollah statement issued said a funeral was planned later Wednesday for a member "who was martyred performing his duty of jihad (holy war)." But it did not say when or where his death occurred. This is intended to divert some forces from the West Bank. Hezbollah appears to have jumped in unasked. Note how effective the UNIFIL are.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/03/2002 ||
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Egypt announced Wednesday it was limiting diplomatic contacts with Israel, but did not sever ties despite pressure from protesters, who have clashed with police in angry demonstrations against Israel's offensive in the West Bank. Egypt will suspend all diplomatic contacts with Israel except those that "serve the Palestinian cause," Information Minister Safwat el-Sherif said, quoted by Egypt's official Middle East News Agency. At least they haven't broken relations. Mubarak's still probably watching the wind pretty closely. He has to make a move to appease his own nuts, but doesn't want to be left holding an appendage in his hand if the Israelis actually win.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/03/2002 ||
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Drudge has this one:
Yasser Arafat "told me his morale is high and his general medical condition is satisfactory, but his checkup is four months overdue and he requires one as soon as possible," Dr. Ashraf al-Kurdi told The Associated Press. He wants to check and see if he's dead.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/03/2002 ||
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A force of more than 100 Israeli tanks and armoured vehicles has moved into Nablus, the West Bank's biggest city. The advance came after Israel consolidated its hold of the Palestinian areas it had seized early on Wednesday - Jenin and Salfit. That was quick. Why, it seems like it was only this morning... Oh. It was.
The BBC's Caroline Hawley, in Jerusalem, says that mounting international criticism is falling on deaf Israeli ears and officials seem determined to press on with what they call a "war on terror". They're not deaf, Caroline. The Euronattering will increase in frequency and volume and not too long from now they'll be forced to start shutting down. Until they are, they're going to clean out the rats' nest as quickly as they can, and you can go whistle if you don't like it. Matter of fact, you can whistle even if you do like it, because when your opinion's utterly predictable it has no value.
As Israeli tanks that had encircled the town all day began to move in, witnesses reported hearing gunfire and explosions. "Well, Bob. Explosions are often a sign of military action. What do you think, Albert?"
"Yes, Bob. Military actions are often accompanied by explosions and gunfire. Over to you, Herb!"
"Bob, sometimes there are explosions associated with military actions, and sometimes it's just Palestinians letting off a little steam. And, Bob?"
"Yes?"
"I thought your name was Caroline?"
Armed Palestinians and police were moving through the streets and some main roads had been blocked with makeshift barricades. "Maybe it's both IDF military action and Palestinians, Bob."
"Call me Caroline."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/03/2002 ||
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The head of the Iraqi Kurdish Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) regional government, Barham Salih, escaped an assassination attempt outside his house in Sulaymaniyah on Tuesday. Two gunmen opened fire at Mr Salih while he was leaving his house in the afternoon. His bodyguards returned fire and the shootout resulted in the killing of the two gunmen and five of the bodyguards. In an interview after the incident, Mr Salih said that the assailants, who posed as taxi drivers of a red Volkswagen car were on "a suicide mission" and that their car was "full of bombs and grenades". He said that he was not accusing anybody "at this stage" but added: "We have obtained very useful leads about the identity of the assailants." We can guess who was behind it... And who's behind them... And who's behind even them?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
04/03/2002 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
