Amish Tech Support points to this welcome news that "Hong Kong Phooey" is coming to the big screen, in the memorable tradition of Scooby Doo and Rocky and Bullwinkle. What I had to say about the idea caused his comments to go deader than Abu Nidal on the spot. At the risk of crashing my own server, I'll say it here: I will go to see no movie featuring a combination of live and animated characters until Clutch Cargo: The Motion Picture. If you're too young to have been exposed to Clutch Cargo, don't bother asking your parents about it â it was so awful as to be indescribable. I hadn't thought about ol' Clutch for years until I heard Chris Matthews, of all people, disparage some fellow with a wooden speaking style by comparing him. Then it all came back to me in a rush: the bad artwork, the yard-sale "animation" â actually still pictures, with only the lips moving, a total of two cells needed for each scene... Clutch's face was mostly manly jaw... cute sidekick kid with a pup, and he didn't have to go to school... and another sidekick with a sun helmet and a scruffy beard... and in one story they had an Eskimo... with a harpoon!
By Gad, the Big Screen needs Clutch Cargo! Bill Quick knows how to write screenplays â somebody call him! We'll all be rich! Maybe we can get Whoopee Goldberg to make an appearance...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/20/2002 01:24 pm ||
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I've often thought that Julia Roberts was a character on "Clutch Cargo" - Her head stands still but the lips are all over the place.
I think ole Clutch made a guest appearance in 'Pulp Fiction', its on the TV during the scene with Christopher Walken where he explains he special hiding place for a watch in prison.
What else is next, "Winky Dink and You II- Before the armageddon"?
Posted by: Frank Martin ||
08/20/2002 13:35 Comments ||
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OMG, I can't believe you mentioned Clutch and Chris together in a thought!
Every time I watch Hardball (which ain't often, I can tell you!), Chris and his lips always remind me of Clutch!
Are Spinner and Paddlefoot gonna be in the movie,too?
FoxNews is reporting Cynthia has lost her jihad. Good riddance. Reid Stott's been covering this as it unfolded, so my comments are redundant. The official talley as of the time I'm toddling off to hit the bunk is 65-35, with 68% of precincts reporting. Fox 5 in Atlanta has it at 59-41% with 181 of 174 precincts reporting — ummm... yes, there should probably be a [sic] in there. Bob Barr is also toast, which does nothing for me or to me, either way. I guess both shot themselves in the foot in different manners. Or maybe Cynthia shot herself in the mouth. Photodude adds
12:20am: McKinney, who's been in seclusion all night long, finally appeared in front of her supporters, who'd been waiting for her to appear all night long at what everyone assumed would be a victory party. After McKinney danced before the crowd, while the band played "We Love Cynthia, Uh-Huh, Uh-huh," the WSB reporter clearly expected her to head to the stage to speak. But instead, she danced out of the room, without having said a word, while the band played on. Perhaps it was a Concession Dance.
Didn't have the gutz to make the speech, I guess. Wonder what kinda suit she's going to file tomorrow?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/20/2002 09:48 pm ||
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Iranian soft drink Zamzam Cola, considered a viable Islamic substitute for US global rivals Pepsi and Coca Cola, has started selling in the Saudi markets, the product agent said Tuesday. "We started marketing the soft drink in the eastern province last week. We plan to extend distribution to other areas within a month's time," Hussein Baqshi, general manager of Al-Majarah Soft Drinks Co., told AFP. Al-Majarah fought off stiff competition from several Saudi companies to win exclusive rights to distribute Zamzam Cola, named after Mecca's Zamzam holy spring water. Yummy! And we're gonna have Turban Brand root beer, and Rocket Launcher Lemon Lime soda. And we'll use 'em all to wash down our Yasser snackies...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/20/2002 08:08 am ||
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At the same time, this is one of the few indigenous, legitimate (not bomb-making) enterprises I've heard of in Soddi-controlled Arabia. This has got to add at least 0.0001% to their GDP. Mr. Baqshi could be our kind of guy in the future, assuming he doesn't do something stupid and blow up.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/20/2002 12:09 Comments ||
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"We plan to extend distribution to other areas within a month's time"
I wonder if the Berkeley franchise is still available?
This just in from ace correspondent D.J. Wu...
Iraq has denied US reports that a warehouse for foodstuffs just north of Baghdad was secretly producing biological weapons. Iraqi authorities organised a visit for journalists accredited in Baghdad to the facility, around 30 kilometres (20 miles) northwest of the capital, to see for themselves. Trade Minister Mohammad Mehdi Saleh explained on site that the facility in question was indeed a warehouse used by his ministry to stock foodstuffs. There's a big sign, right out front, in English. It says "Baby Milk Factory," plain as day...
The Washington Times daily reported on August 14 that a US spy satellite had photographed some 60 trucks moving about at a facility once called the Al-Taji Single Cell Protein Plant, which the Iraqis converted into a biological weapons facility that was bombed during the 1991 Gulf War. According the Saleh, the trucks photographed by the US satellite had been loaded at the warehouse with "children's milk and food" which was then transported to distribution centres throughout Iraq. Oh, yasss... It's for The Children™, you meanies...
"Since August 4, 2,500 tonnes of milk and foodstuffs for children have been transported from this warehouse," he said. "The Americans saw the operation by satellite and confirmed having seen 64 trucks. In fact, since August 4, 187 trucks and not 64 have taken goods to Iraqi provinces. If the satellite images were enlarged, the children's milk cartons transported by the trucks, which were not covered, would appear identical to the cartons that you see here." Wonder why they didn't cover them? Usually milk cartons are shipped in boxes... Y'don't suppose they were meant to be seen?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/20/2002 08:08 am ||
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"Baby Milk!" Truly one of the classics. Makes me nostalgic...
Yee-haw!
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, denounced what he said was the "cowboy culture" of US leaders and their threats against Iran. Guess he's got to criticize for something, otherwise people forget he's there...
"US leaders' spirit of adventure is inspired by their cowboy culture," Khamenei said during talks Sunday with Iranian diplomats. "If the Americans feel that they are confronted with a unified nation, they will hesitate to launch an adventure in Iran." They might also take... steps. Mightn't they?
Khamenei said that "it is necessary to take the US threats seriously. These threats have existed since the Islamic revolution, and they do not mean that a US attack is certain, but the realization of these threats depends on our behaviour". The United States is trying to "destroy the Iranian regime but it is a very difficult job", he added. It has been to date. But as the regime ossifies and gets more brutal and stupid it does become easier...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/20/2002 08:08 am ||
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A Lebanese parliamentarian said on Monday that his countrymen owe their victory in pushing Israeli forces from their territory to Iran's unsparing political and spiritual support for them and will not forget it. Won't be allowed to, either... Iran's creature Head of Lebanese Hizbollah parliamentary delegation Mohammad Raad in a meeting with Iran's Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi appreciated Iran for its assistance and support for Lebanese people and resistance. And for all the money and arms and ammunition â it's like Islamic Christmas, every day!
Kharrazi for his part welcomed expansion of parliamentary cooperation between Tehran and Beirut and said political activities of Islamic Resistance on the Lebanese scene foiled wide-scale publicity launched against it. He underlined continuation of political activities by Islamic Resistance in Lebanon. He said Lebanese Islamic Resistance managed to remove Israel from the scene in Lebanon. He added that Lebanese Hizbollah is now playing a key role in Lebanon and has put maintenance of national solidarity and unity on agenda of its activities. I think that, roughly translated, that means that Hezbollah's gotten a good foothold in Lebanon and given time they expect to be able to take over the entire machinery of the government. It's both an independent military organization, outside the control of the government, and an integral part of the government through its political presence. Given Iranian money and support, and shipments of arms and ammunition, its strength is expected to grow.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/20/2002 08:08 am ||
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Won't the Syrians get annoyed that the Iranians are getting credit for the success of their little colony there?
Posted by: Laurence Simon ||
08/20/2002 8:21 Comments ||
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Actually, there is widespread pro-American sentiment in Lebanon, because of the Syrian occupation. I have talked to Lebanese who would like to see a Shatilla solution applied to Hizbollah-Palestinians and the Syrians. Read my lips: nobody wants the Palestinians. Most Arabs would rather see them occupied, than in their sandbox.
Posted by: Allah the Dog Faced God ||
08/20/2002 18:21 Comments ||
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I dunno, Laurence -- they've got a kind of Alawite - Shi'a alliance going on. And Syria's quite happy to let the Hezbies do all the fighting and dying.
Posted by: Dan Hartung ||
08/20/2002 22:55 Comments ||
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Several people have been injured in a hostage-taking at the Iraqi embassy in Berlin. Police said people who appeared to be members of an Iraqi opposition group had stormed the building Tuesday in the southwestern district of Zehlendorf, leading to clashes with embassy staff. Ummm... That's a bad sign. I imagine the oppo groups are starting a program of shaking up Sammy's power structure, but using the same kind of tactics Hamas would use is not a good way to go about it...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/20/2002 09:59 am ||
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The Security Council refused Monday to take up Iraq's response to U.N. demands that it allow weapons inspectors back in the country. An Iraqi letter sent Friday to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan included neither an acceptance of the roadmap for the return of the inspectors nor a formal invitation to resume inspections. Instead, Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri told Annan that Iraq wants to continue a dialogue with the United Nations on the return of inspectors â but with conditions that Annan already rejected. They figure that as long as they're talking they're not getting attacked. Wonder how that order for more Tomahawks is coming?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/20/2002 10:00 am ||
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A state of emergency might be declared in Iran in order to protect the country against perceived US threats, the press reported Tuesday, with a leading reformist warning that such a move would constitute a virtual coup by conservatives. "The possibility of a state of emergency (being declared) exists, and that would be a form of coup d'etat against the reformist camp," the Khorassan daily cited prominent reformist Karim Argandepour as saying. "Certain extremists in the conservative camp are seeking to create such an exceptional situation." It's a pretty old story, isn't it?
Argandepour is editor-in-chief of the suspended daily Nourooz, mouthpiece of the Islamic Iran Participation Front, the main pro-reform party headed by President Mohammad Khatami's brother, which has a majority in Majlis. But all that democracy stuff, that's just a Jewish plot to delay the introduction of a real Khalifate...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/20/2002 10:32 am ||
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Information Minister Ali Younesi said on Monday that following the September 11 incident, the US is seeking to sow discord among religions and ethnic groups to spark civil war. The US is out to divert the consolidated power of religious groups directed against Israel to religious and ethnic conflicts. Addressing Iran's cultural attaches abroad, he said the US has come to the conclusion that the Islamic Revolution poses a major threat to it and unity between Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims will be detrimental to the interests of Israel. The US is now planning to form factional groups adherents to extremism, he said. Referring to US threats and its interference in the affairs of other countries, he said America is trying hard to present itself as the vanguard and representative of western civilization and this should be seen as a dangerous challenge.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/20/2002 10:52 am ||
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Some officials of the Dera Ghazi Khan DIG's office have misplaced the evidentiary record in the Meerwala gang-rape case from the police file. Oh, really? Now who'da thunk that? The Pak coppers are usually so efficient...
This was told to the anti-terrorism court by SP crimes Mirza Muhammad Abbas on Monday while deposing as defence witness. He said Dera DIG Asif Nawaz had ordered a probe into the matter and fixed responsibility on the negligent staff. Severe disciplinary action will be taken: "No TV for a week, young man!"
The SP crimes was summoned by the court on Saturday last on the request of defence counsel Malik Saleem to bring with him the police file of the case. He said he was appointed by the Dera DIG to hold a probe on July 3, 2002, after the publication of news items regarding corruption, negligence and malpractice of the Jatoi police in the investigation of the gang-rape case. Dawn was on top of that little attempt to put the fix in...
He said he visited the Muzaffargrh DSP's office on July 4 and recorded statements of Abdul Shakoor (the sodomy victim), Salma Mai, her mother Taj Mai, inspector Nazir Ahmad and ASI Iqbal on July 5. Statements of Ghulam Husain, Sabir Husain, Manzoor Husain and Ghulam Mustafa were recorded in his presence at the office of the Jatoi SDPO. But the statements of Mukhtaran Mai, her father Ghulam Farid and Maulvi Abdul Razzaq were recorded in his absence by inspector Riaz Husain through his reader. He said all the statements were verified by him. "Yup. Got all the statement right... uh... somewhere."
The defence witness said when Mukhtaran Mai, Ghulam Farid and Maulvi Razzaq were called to verify their respective statements, they stated that the statements recorded by the inquiry officer were correct while those recorded by inspector Riaz had variations. Here defence counsel Malik Saleem, Yaqoob Khan and Yasser Khosa requested the witness to produce the original statements. The SP expressed his inability to do so saying some officials had misplaced the police record. Hmmm... Golly. Y'don't suppose the defense counsel might have known in advance that the statement had been "misplaced," do ya?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/20/2002 10:08 am ||
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The Pakistani Federal Shariat Court has ruled that if a woman is coerced into committing Zina [doinking out of wedlock], she shall not be liable to any punishment under Hadd or Tazir. Sounds like a civilized approach. Sure we're talking about Pakland?
The court, however, said the other party who causes coercion shall be liable to punishment either of Hadd or of Tazir on the basis of evidence as the case might be. Yes. Entirely too civilized...
A three-judge bench in its landmark judgment on the appeal of Zafran Bibi, a woman from Kohat who had been awarded punishment of stoning to death by a Sessions Court of Kohat, has laid down the rule that no woman could be punished mere for the fact that she was part of the act, though forcibly. "The sentence of Hadd is highly severe and deterrent. Therefore, every pre-caution is ordained to be adopted so that no innocent person gets punished," the FSC ruled. But the boys are all gathered down at the mosque, each with a box of rocks! They're gonna be so disappointed...!
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/20/2002 09:21 pm ||
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The fate of a 27-year-old Pakistani woman reportedly languishing in a Saudi prison remains uncertain as repeated requests over the past five months by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan to the governments of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia seeking information on the status of the woman have failed to generate any response. Gulzar Asgher, wife of Muhammad Rauf, was reportedly arrested on the complaint of her father-in-law, Allah Ditta, on charges of committing adultery. What's with these Muslim women? They can't keep their pants on? Is that why they have to keep 'em locked up?
Allah Ditta has allegedly demanded one million rupees from her parents for withdrawing the charges and sending her back to Pakistan. Doesn't he sound like a nice fellow? "Pay up, or we'll stone the bitch."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/20/2002 08:08 am ||
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King Fahd, the 82-year-old ruler of Saudi Arabia, who has been in a Geneva clinic since May, has moved to his marble palace on the Costa del Sol in Spain amid mounting fears over his health. He's aged since we last heard from him. He was 79 a week ago...
Diabetic, arthritic and overweight, King Fahd is still suffering the effects of a stroke in 1995 and his condition is said to be unstable after eye surgery in Switzerland. He is attended by hundreds of courtiers, relatives and hangers-on, all dependent on his favour for their political power and ostentatious wealth. They're all very fond of him. They water him regularly and keep his Depends changed. Sometimes he recognizes one of them, briefly...
Behind the mind-boggling displays of wealth lurk fears that the glory days of the House of Saud are ending. With no clear line of succession, the death of King Fahd is expected to unleash a power struggle among rival pretenders to the throne that could fatally weaken the ruling family. Reports say that within Saudi Arabiaâs hermetic secrecy, anti-American unrest, even revolutionary fervour, is growing. Western expatriates, alarmed by rumours of a royal power struggle after King Fahdâs death that could presage upheaval and bloody reprisals, are quietly leaving. Probably at the same time a number of princes depart. Wonder how long they'll be able to keep the carcass on life support?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/20/2002 10:39 am ||
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I think it's so amusing that his palace is a replica of the White House. I once looked for pictures, couldn't find any online, though apparently it was featured in an luxoporn magazine a few years back.
Posted by: Dan Hartung ||
08/20/2002 23:04 Comments ||
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In the West Bank, Palestinian sources said two Palestinians were killed and at least one injured as Israeli troops entered Tulkarem and took over its refugee camp early Tuesday morning. However, Israeli sources said only one armed Palestinian was killed. Israeli soldiers were conducting house-to-house searches in the camp and helicopters assisted the troops. Don't worry about them. There's plenty more where they came from...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/20/2002 08:08 am ||
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Abu Nidal, whose body was reportedly found shot full of holes in a Baghdad apartment over the weekend, was killed by Iraqi agents, the London-based Al Sharq Al Awsat reported Tuesday. According to this report, the Iraqi assassins fired four bullets at Abu Nidal, after Baghdad had discovered he had relations with the Kuwaiti authorities. Oh, really? That's interesting. Wonder what kind of... relations they were?
The newspaper quoted a Palestinian source in Ramallah as saying he had spoken with a member of Abu Nidalâs group. The source told him that two armed men killed Abu Nidal during a Friday afternoon raid of his home, where he had been staying with four of his people in Baghdad. The source added that Abu Nidal and his accompanies, who were in the apartment at the time, were surprised to see the armed men enter the apartment, and that he was killed following an exchange of fire. I'm usually surprised when armed men come barging into my apartment, too. I always wonder if something's wrong...
The source further added that the Iraqis had also arrested part of Abu Nidalâs group, and that they were pursuing searches for additional members. Moreover, the Palestinian source claimed that a few members of Abu Nidalâs group, who managed to escape Baghdad, might arrive either Tuesday or Wednesday in Amman. That's if they make it out of Iraq. So the Mukhabarat's cracking down on Abu Nidal's entire organization? But what were they chatting with Kuwait about? It's not like we'd have tolerated them moving from Baghdad to Kuwait and changing sides. It's a little late for that...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/20/2002 08:20 am ||
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There's also a Reuters article on this at http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=578&e=3&cid=578&u=/nm/20020820/ts_nm/mideast_abunidal_dc_17 which claims that Abu Nidal "had opened channels to Iraqi guerrillas in Syria and Jordan opposed to President Saddam Hussein." Would these be pro-Iranian Hizbollah?
Posted by: Brian Hoffman ||
08/20/2002 10:39 Comments ||
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Or maybe he was hired by the Iraqi opposition? Or was suspected of being hired by them? Wonder if the al-Sabahs in Kuwait are anticipating getting a little revenge (it's a Muslim virtue) on Sammy for the "young revolutionaries" wheeze from the Gulf War?
I also wonder if Abu Nidal's sudden and tragic demise might not have been the result of a little disinformation supplied to a certain shoot-first-investigate-later dictator?
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2002 12:00 Comments ||
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The military wing of Fatah movement announced Monday that it rejects the Gaza - Bethlehem plan. The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, said in a leaflet the plan "would only bring the Palestinian people more humiliation, insult and surrender" and the agreement was made "to save Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon from failing." "Stop killing people? What would that accomplish? Nuttin', I tell ya! Nuttin'! We're on a roll, an' we ain't stoppin' for nobody..."
"Because of the Intifada and our attacks, the Israeli government has been witnessing a crisis. This deal saves Sharon's government and helps the U.S, the head of terrorism to strike on Iraq," said the leaflet. "So we'll keep killin' people, and that way Iraq won't be attacked. But there ain't no coordination with Iraq on this thing, see?"
It noted that the agreement "shows that the Zionist army exhausted and its aggression had failed despite of the tightened and tough measures imposed on the Palestinian people." That makes the rejection unanimous by the main gunny groups. I haven't seen anything from PFLP and DFLP, but they're becoming more minor as players with each passing month. Yasser's been avoiding a confrontation with the homicidal maniacs because he thinks he'll lose it, which he's probably right about. So they'll either have to crack down and lose — plump chance of that! — or they'll either ignore the "agreement" or blame Israel for something or other and announce that it's null and void...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/20/2002 10:14 am ||
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Israeli forces pulled back from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, beginning the implementation of "Gaza First" plan. Palestinian security forces completed early Tuesday morning their deployment in Bethlehem, and Palestinian policemen were patrolling near Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity. No doubt ready to rush inside, if need be...
The United States welcomed the deal, which also calls for Israel to withdraw from parts of Gaza and for the Palestinians to take over security duties in the newly vacated areas. The State Department said it could lead to further peacemaking steps. Sounds like somebody plugged the Peace Processor in again...
The Bethlehem withdrawal began late Monday and residents said the last Israeli troops had departed by early Tuesday morning. Palestinian police began patrolling the town. An Israeli army spokesman and public radio confirmed the troops had pulled out of Bethlehem and the nearby areas of Beit Sahur, Beit Jala, and the Dheisheh refugee camp and that curfews imposed by the army had been lifted. "The redeployment is aimed to enable the Palestinians to act against terrorism and restore daily life," an Israeli military statement said. A month or two from now they'll probably be back, arresting the Paleostinian "security forces."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/20/2002 09:16 pm ||
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The head of Palestinian preventive security in the Gaza Strip said his men had arrested a man accused of betraying the slain military chiefs of Hamas and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades to Israel. Vive le resistance! Oh. Sorry. That's French.
Colonel Rashid Abu Shpak said his forces arrested two weeks ago the freedom fighter "collaborator" who had guided Israeli forces to kill Salah Shehade, the head of Hamas' armed wing, the Ezzedin al-Qassam Brigades, and Jihad al-Omarayn, head of the radical Fatah offshoot. Cheeze. One guy fingered both of 'em. Good man. What a loss.
Abu Shpak identified the man arrested as Akram Mohammed al-Zatma, a 22-year-old student from Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. He said the accused had been recruited by the Israeli internal security service Shin Beth in July 2000 and assigned to follow the two militant chiefs, whose organisations have killed hundreds of Israelis in suicide bombings and shooting rampages in Israeli cities. Poor al-Zatma... I don't suppose it's possible to bust him out?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/20/2002 09:30 pm ||
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An Israeli soldier was killed Tuesday morning near the Neveh Dekalim settlement in the Gaza Strip. The soldier was seriously injured after being shot in the head and died of his wounds later. Hamas claimed responsibility for the killing. Two Israeli cobra helicopters were dispatched in the direction of Khan Yunis to seek out the attackers. A 15-year-old Palestinian boy from Khan Yunis was also killed in the gunfight, Palestinian sources said.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/20/2002 10:07 am ||
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Information minister Yasser Abed Rabbo will head the Palestinian delegation due to discuss reforms with representatives from the leading Middle East diplomatic players this week in Paris. Labour minister Ghassan Khatib said the delegation would include nine officials, including himself, newly appointed finance minister Salam Fayad, economy minister Maher al-Masri, as well as representatives of the private sector and NGOs. Mid-level officials from the so-called quartet — the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia — plus Japan, Norway, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank are to meet in Paris on August 22 and 23. Khatib told AFP the delegation would brief the donor countries on the status of the reforms pledged by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in May and would "discuss what funds and measures are needed to overcome the difficulties facing the Palestinian Authority".
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/20/2002 10:50 am ||
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Just weeks before terrorists bombed the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, Osama bin Laden warned of a mission that would "result in killing Americans and getting rid of them," CNN reported Tuesday. CNN's second report on tapes it obtained from an al-Qaida archive in Afghanistan also quoted bin Laden as declaring in May 1998 that various Islamic groups were joining forces to launch a "jihad against the crusaders and Jews." On Tuesday morning in Asia, CNN aired portions of a tape it obtained of a May 26, 1998, news conference, restricted to select Pakistani journalists and one Chinese writer, during which bin Laden declared war on the West and Israel. Seems to have been Binny's obsession back in '98, doesn't it?
"By God's grace, we have formed with many other Islamic groups and organizations in the Islamic world a front called the International Islamic Front to do jihad against the crusaders and Jews," bin Laden was heard saying through an interpreter. That probably refers to the signatories of the jihad document: Jihad Group in Egypt (since folded into al-Qaeda), Egyptian Islamic Group (al-Gama'at al-Islamiyyah), Jamaat-e-Ulema Pakistan (a "political party," note) and Fazlur Rehman Khalil's Jihad Movement in Bangladesh, followed, no doubt, by Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, which he subsequently led...
At another point in the broadcast, monitored on CNN International ahead of its broadcast in the United States, bin Laden hinted at targeting Americans, just weeks before the nearly simultaneous embassy attacks on Aug. 7, 1998, in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, which killed 231 people, including 12 Americans, and wounded 5,000. "And by God's grace, the men reacted to this call and they are going on this path, and they are doing a good job," bin Laden said. "By God's will, their actions are going to have a successful result in killing Americans and getting rid of them." It was at that point that we should have gone to war against him, but it was Monica Time, so we had more important things to do...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/20/2002 08:08 am ||
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Ansar al-Islam, which reportedly experimented with deadly toxin on animals and killed at least one man, is an extremist alliance of Muslim guerrillas including some who fought in Afghanistan with links to al-Qaeda. "They are extremists who have no match anywhere in the Arab world, even the Taliban are not like them ... they are even worse than the Taliban," according to Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani. That makes them pretty bad. Too bad there's not more information on them...
A hardcore of 100-120 Arab Afghans have allied themselves to dissidents of the Kurdistan Islamic Movement and holed up in the remote mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan, Talabani, head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper Tuesday. Two small Islamist groups who are active in northern Iraq, Hamas and al-Tawhid, are also part of the alliance. Presumably this is a different Hamas than the one in Palestine â though it could be the same one. Al-Tawhid's a small group of crazed killers militants that seems to have originated in Jordan...
"It's not a homogenous group because it has al-Qaeda sympathisers and others who trained in Afghanistan but are not pro-al-Qaeda," said Talabani, whose PUK controls a region of Iraqi Kurdistan bordering Iran. Talabani noted that one of the Ansar al-Islam leaders calls himself "the vindictive soldier". The group are present across a dozen Kurdish villages in "a small mountainous zone on the Iraq-Iran border," he added. That way they can pop across the border in either direction, depending on who's chasing them...
The PUK chief said he "could not be sure" if Ansar al-Islam, meaning Supporters of Islam, had links to the regime in Baghdad. "According to some information, elements of Iraqi intelligence are in their ranks but we do not know if these elements are gathering information on the group or acting as a liaison between the organisation and Baghdad," he admitted. Or both. Most likely both.
A PUK official told AFP in May that both the PUK and rival Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) led by Massoud Barzani were cooperating to combat some "terrorist" groups, and particularly Ansar al-Islam. They struck a security cooperation, including the establishment of a joint operations centre, in April. The official said among the elements making up Ansar al-Islam were 200-300 members of the so-called "Jund al-Islam" (Soldiers of Islam), "some of whom admit to having had links" with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network and received training in Afghanistan. "Jund al-Islam" are suspected of being behind an April 2 attempt on the life of a top PUK official that left five bodyguards and two attackers dead, he added. I had thought Ansar and Jund were the same organization. Seems I was wrong...
In Washington, a US official said Monday that the administration had received information Ansar al-Islam may have experimented with the deadly toxin ricin on animals and at least one person. ABC News reported that President George W. Bush had rejected a proposal for an attack on the group. Probably a good idea at this point â talk about nightmarish logistics and indignant neighbors! The ayatollahs would collectively calve on live teevee...
The official, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, said Ansar al-Islam had been conducting the experiments with ricin, a deadly biological agent derived from the castor bean, over the past couple of months. The person experimented on was reported to have died, the official said, adding that the report could not be verified. According to ABC News, the Ansar al-Islam members exposed a man in a market place to the toxin and then followed him home, where he later died. Just another egg for the omelette...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/20/2002 08:52 pm ||
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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.
