West Nile Fever, SARS, Monkeypox and now Tularemia. FOOD AND DRINK WARNING.
Two men who mowed over a nest of rabbits, killing some of them, and another who cleaned the mower developed a rare disease known as rabbit fever, authorities said. Vrooooooooooooooooom, splat, Uh oh.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating. The disease, also called pneumonic tularemia, is generally treatable with antibiotics but can lead to pneumonia. The illness is caused by a bacterium found in wild animals, particularly rodents and rabbits. People can become infected through bites by infected animals or infected insects, handling carcasses, eating contaminated food or, in rare cases, inhaling the bacterium. It is not transmitted person-to-person.
Sounds like you can get it just by walking into the yard...
The CDC became interested because all three had the rare inhaled form of the disease, said Lancaster County health official Tim Timmons. "We want to know how that occurred," Timmons said. Ah, Tim? Ever use a rotary lawn mower? I think we all know how they inhaled the poor widdle wabbit.
Posted by: Steve ||
06/25/2003 1:55:43 PM ||
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I know I'm going to hose it, but I'm going to try to compromise on the paged/unpaged argument â some like it, some dislike it, some hate it. The problem with slow-loading pages comes from the number (and verbiage, but we won't work on that yet) of comments. So I'm going to try and set the site so that if there are less than a certain number of comments â say, 75 â it'll show the whole page. If it goes over, it'll revert to the paged version.
Now all I've gotta do is make the code work. If the page hangs or looks goofy, wait a few seconds and then reload, because I probably screwed something up and I'm fixing it...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/25/2003 13:07 ||
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HATAT, Yemen â Yemeni troops attacked an Islamic militant group's mountain hideout Wednesday, killing 10 militants and wounding dozens of others after negotiations for their surrender fell apart, officials said. "Hey, Mahmoud! Look who's coming our way!"
The military had been surrounding the hide-out for days, seeking the surrender of gunmen who fled there after attacking a military medical convoy last weekend, wounding seven soldiers. The gunmen belonged to the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army, a group sympathetic to Al Qaeda that has been linked to last year's attack on a French oil tanker off the coast that killed one crewman. The government has been negotiating through local clan leaders with the group, holed up near the village of Hatat, 280 miles south of the capital, San'a. On Wednesday, the military assaulted the hide-out, firing artillery and Katyusha rockets.
"Ahmed, give them a whiff of grapeshot!"
"We ain't got no grapeshot, sir!"
"Then rocket their hairy asses!"
A Yemeni military official said members of the U.S.-trained special forces had also been deployed in the mountains. Earlier, the militants were said to have offered to surrender in exchange for the handover of "the killers" of Qaed Salim Sinan al-Harethi, the top lieutenant in Yemen of Osama bin Laden. Hand over the bastards who dared bring al-Harethi to justice!
Al-Harethi was killed last year by a missile strike on his car by a U.S. Predator drone. It was not clear whether the militants sought the Americans involved with the drone or Yemeni informants. The Aden-Abyan group is also known for kidnapping 16 Western tourists in 1998; four of the tourists died in a botched rescue attempt by soldiers.
Posted by: Ri ||
06/25/2003 2:08:18 PM ||
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Australian troops and police will be sent to rescue the failing state of the Solomons Islands under a new policy of active intervention in the Pacific. The commitment depends on the consent of the Solomon Islands government. Disarming a violent militia hiding in remote jungle is expected to be one of the prime objectives of the Australian-led peacekeeping mission. The militia is led by Harold Keke, said by some locals to be insane. There's a lot of that going around.
The Prime Minister, John Howard, told Parliament yesterday: "Our willingness to undertake an operation of this kind does represent a very significant change in regional policy. It is not in Australia's interests to have a number of failed states in the Pacific." The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Downer, called it "co-operative intervention". Forces were likely to be on the ground within weeks. He said Australians did not want to be "neo-colonialists" and local support was a pre-requisite. But there was "no point in undertaking an operation like this in a half-hearted way". Mr Howard signalled there would be a "quite substantial" deployment of troops and police.
"Neo-colonialism" could be a better alternative than having your government collapse around you and insane people popping out of the woods to kill you. Just my opinion, but if you can't do it yourself, maybe you should think about hiring somebody to do it for you...
Since the Townsville peace agreement in 2000 that ended a civil war, the Solomons has descended into lawlessness and corruption, and is effectively bankrupt. The police force is racked by divisions, extortion attempts on senior public officials are common, and killings are a weekly occurrence.
And this is better than being ruled by neo-colonialists? In what way?
There are fears in Australian Government ranks that transnational crimes such as money-laundering, gun-running and even terrorist financing could take root if action is not taken. Neil James of the Australian Defence Association, a long-time advocate of Australian armed intervention in the Solomons, said: "There's an arc of instability around Australia, but it's also an arc of responsibility. "Certainly, it will be dangerous, but our people can handle it. It would become even more dangerous if it was left to fester for a couple of more years." It's always better to treat a cancer early on.
The final shape of Australia's contribution to a multinational security force is yet to be determined but it will involve ADF personnel providing protection for a contingent of police from Australia, New Zealand and a handful of other Pacific nations. Seizing weapons — Mr Keke and his followers have a large stash of them and used them to kill up to 10 people last week — will be a main objective. Australian bureaucrats will also be inserted into the upper echelons of the Solomons' Department of Finance, other government departments and the central bank, while jurists are also likely to be sent to rebuild the justice system. Australia and other nations will also provide financial assistance. Mr Downer would not comment on the likely cost, but the Australian Strategic Policy Institute estimated that the operation could take up to 10 years, at a cost of $85 million a year.
So tax the islanders to support it.
Solomons Islands officials said there was popular support for intervention, and Papua New Guinea has also offered its approval. A meeting of Pacific island leaders in Sydney on Monday will be used to galvanise further regional support before the Solomons' Parliament meets in two weeks to vote on the proposal. We're kind of busy, but if you need any help give us a call. We got your back, mates.
Posted by: Steve ||
06/25/2003 10:50:43 AM ||
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An Iranian opposition group under scrutiny in France planned to assassinate former members suspected of betraying the movement, according to a report by France's counterintelligence agency. The report by the agency known as the DST also said the group, the Mujahedeen Khalq, recently discussed getting its supporters to commit suicide to draw attention to their cause.
Good idea. They have room in the Solomon Islands, I believe...
A London-based spokesman for the group said it rejects "every single allegation" in the DST report. Several Mujahedeen Khalq supporters throughout Europe lit themselves on fire after French agents raided the group last week. I'm sure they thought of it themselves
Extracts of the confidential DST report were first published in Le Figaro newspaper. A French police official who saw the original report confirmed Wednesday that the excerpts were taken from the DST document, which Le Figaro said was produced two weeks before the June 17 raids. The head of the DST, Pierre de Bousquet de Florian, said last week that the organization planned attacks against Iranian diplomatic missions in Europe and elsewhere. The DST report said the group also planned to "proceed with the physical elimination of former members of the movement collaborating with Iranian intelligence services." Diplospeak for "planned to whack turncoats".
In London, Mujahedeen Khalq spokesman Ali Safavi said the group has "never engaged in any unlawful let alone violent action" in the 22 years it has been in France and elsewhere. "This report is bogus, a clumsy attempt on the part of the French authorities to justify their unjustified, illegal onslaught on people they have been protecting for the past 22 years," he said. Bogus, the French?
The Mujahedeen Khalq seeks to topple Iran's clerical regime. It is classified as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. But it had few problems during most of its time in France, where the group established itself shortly after Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution. The group's main financier was Saddam Hussein, whose contributions are thought to have run into hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars, the DST report said. Sammy, sponsoring terrorist groups? Does the UN know about this?
Since Saddam's fall, group militants and members of its military wing, the National Liberation Army of Iran, have fled Iraq "and a number of them settled in Europe and France," the report said. In the June 17 raids, more than 1,300 police swept through a walled compound in Auvers-Sur-Oise, north of Paris, that has served as the group's headquarters. The DST chief said the group was turning the compound into a center for terrorist operations. The group insists it has abided by French laws. The DST report said the movement had 200 to 300 militants and supporters in France, with a "hard core" of several dozen people. I'd have put the number of supporters higher, but the hard core sounds about right. The DST is supposed to be pretty good at their job, ruthless and not to be trusted, but good.
Posted by: Steve ||
06/25/2003 9:24:35 AM ||
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A ship captain whose huge cargo of seized explosives raised fears of a terrorist plot claimed Wednesday he had expected to sail to Sudan but the vessel's Irish owners ordered him to an obscure Greek port. Capt. Anatoliy Baltak of Ukraine and his six-member crew are charged with entering Greek territorial waters without informing officials of the load of 750 tons of ammonium nitrate-based explosives and detonators. "I didn't think I was doing something illegal," Baltak said after being questioned by a magistrate for nearly 90 minutes. "It didn't even cross my mind that terrorism was an issue." "I vas only following orders!"
Investigators were hoping Baltak would shed light on some of the main mysteries: Was the cargo legal and why did the ship linger for nearly six weeks at sea instead of directly delivering the shipment to its alleged buyers in Sudan? Baltak told reporters he took command of ship June 3 in Istanbul, Turkey, and had documents for the explosives, which were loaded May 12 in Tunisia. He said he anchored the ship in Turkey's Dardanelles strait near the Aegean Sea to await orders on when to proceed to Sudan from the vessel's "real owners," whom he identified as Christian McNulty of Ireland. Now what would an Irishman be doing with a shipload of explosives?
"Faith! That load was supposed to be for Harrad's!"
But he said telex orders came on June 20 to cancel the Sudan journey and head for the little-used Ionian Sea port of Astakos, about 145 miles northwest of Athens. The vessel is currently in the adjacent harbor of Platiyali. He did not know the reason for the change and said he believed the owners had notified Greek authorities of the new course. "The ship owner is responsible for everything," Baltak said. "I know nothing, nothing!"
"Tell them, Hogan!"
Shipping documents say the vessel is controlled by a company in the tiny Pacific Island nation of Marshall Islands. But several maritime sources, including the authoritative Lloyd's List shipping register, have linked McNulty with a Sligo, Ireland-based company, Unithorn Ltd., which is listed as the ship's manager. McNulty is associated with a string of problem-plagued shipping firms over the years, reports said. Attempts by The Associated Press to reach McNulty or Unithorn were unsuccessful. Seems to be a lot of that going on.
Wonder if he's taken delivery of any 727s lately?
Greek Merchant Marine Minister Giorgos Anomeritis said the ship's owner has not come forward. "The questions are many," he told reporters Wednesday. "I don't understand the interest of some people that after 41 days - during which the ship could have sunk or exploded - no one who was responsible for informing international authorities gave any information about this ship." It's called "going to ground".
Anomeritis described the ship as "black" — referring to its murky ownership and its Comoros registration, which offers low taxes and lax regulations. "A ship with a black flag went to the Black Sea with a black company ... all these black things should be investigated," he said. Be careful with those black remarks, you'll get a call from the Rev. Jackson.
Posted by: Steve ||
06/25/2003 9:11:02 AM ||
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BRUSSELS â Media groups on Tuesday reacted with disbelief to the disclosure that the European Commission is considering a law to ban sexist television programs and advertising. The European Publishers Council, which represents 29 media corporations, described the move as an âextraordinaryâ move towards censorship. Yet another example of what happens when unelected PC bureaucrats take over a whole continent. And you can bet more of this kind of thing is on the way.
Posted by: R. McLeod ||
06/25/2003 2:45:56 AM ||
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DUESSELDORF - A Jordanian man who claimed he was a bodyguard for al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden went on trial Tuesday accused of plotting terror attacks in Germany. Prosecutors say Shadi Mohd Mustafa Abdellah, who is of Palestinian origin, is a member of Al-Tawhid, a group described as supporting al-Qaeda's campaign against the United States and its allies. Al-Tawhid's operational leader was Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi, an alleged senior al-Qaeda figure, according to the prosecutors.
Zarqawi runs al-Tawhid, which is an element of Ansar al-Islam, with both of them wholly owned subsidiaries of al-Qaeda...
Abdellah, who has been in custody since last year, promised at the start of his trial in the western city of Duesseldorf to make a full statement.
Something along the lines of "I hate you all and hope you die," no doubt...
The 26-year-old testified at the trial of Mounir El Motassadeq, a Moroccan convicted by a German court earlier this year of accessory to murder over the deadly September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. Abdellah told the Motassadeq trial in evidence that he had spent a total of one and a half years in Afghanistan until May 2001. After 20 days in a training camp, he worked briefly as a bodyguard for the al-Qaeda leader. "They gave me the task of watching over bin Laden," he told the Motassadeq hearing. "I was supposed to stand behind bin Laden because I'm very tall."
That's a good criterion for picking members of the Liebstandart...
Motassadeq was later jailed for the maximum 15 years. At the Duesseldorf trial, federal prosecutor Dirk Fernholz accused Abdellah of being part of an Al-Tawhid group that had plotted to attack Jewish and Israeli targets in Germany. Members initially focused on collecting money and smuggling activists, but gradually, under Zarqawi's urging, they developed plans for a gun attack on a populated square in a German city. In another city they were plotting to throw hand grenades near a Jewish or Israeli target. The aim was "to kill as many people as possible," Fernholz argued.
That's why they call 'em terrorists...
Prosecutors had already said before the trial that Abdellah's main job was to identify targets and procure weapons. He is said to have ordered a gun and crate of hand grenades from a contact in Duesseldorf, and was arrested before they were delivered, along with three other alleged accomplices. Abdellah, whose lawyer said the accused now distanced himself from his past, could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of the twin charges of membership of a terrorist group and passport forgery.
Oh, c'mon. Everybody does that...
The trial started under what presiding judge Ottmar Breidling described as "the highest security level". According to media reports, Abdellah has given a wealth of information to investigators about Islamists in Germany.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/25/2003 00:41 ||
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Describing President Pervez Musharraf as a 'traitor', former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif has said that the Kargil conflict, which was staged by the Pakistani military, ruined the Kashmir peace process. "I can only say here that (Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari) Vajpayee and I had almost decided a deadline for a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute," he told Pakistan's Daily Times from Jeddah, where he is in exile. "Vajpayee's visit to Lahore was a link in the chain. Had it not been for Kargil, whereby all our plans were sabotaged, the issue of Kashmir would have reached a historical resolution long ago," he said in his first interview on record ever since he was exiled. "All events in the aftermath of Kargil episode, especially 12th October 1999 (when the coup in Pakistan took place), are inextricably linked. The true version of the misadventure of Kargil shall not remain a secret⊠the facts shall be brought before the public and all those responsible shall have to account for their deeds. For the time being I can only say that I took everything on my shoulders to save our army from a major embarrassment."
He said he would not return to Pakistan by working out an 'arrangement' with Musharraf. Sharif said there appeared to be no meeting point between the opposition and the president. "But who is responsible? How can one man play with the destiny of 140 million people? There is only one recourse to it now. Musharraf has to drop his Legal Framework Order completely, give up his uniform and step down. Nothing short of it is likely to work or should work."
I think there's a certain amount of glossification going on with Nawaz. Lots of things look better in retrospect. For instance, when I was younger, I was much better looking. I was a better dancer. I was three inches taller, with a full head of hair. Jane Seymour once threw herself at my feet...
PML-N is allied with the MMA, so naturally they think the LFO is a Bad Thing. Perv's got to go, of course, to be replaced by... what? Nawaz played footsie with Qazi during his time in office, so where's the improvement from our point of view? And his government was unstable and beholden to the generals, just like the present one, so where's the improvement from the turban-in-the-street's point of view?
Former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto has revealed that President Pervez Musharraf had brought the Kargil plan to her when she was the prime minister and he the Director General of Military Operations. "Kargil was an absolute disaster," Benazir said in an exclusive interview with Third Eye Television. "I asked Gen Musharraf what would happen when the Kargil plan was put up to me and he said he would put the flag of Pakistan on the Srinagar Assembly."
Hosed that, didn't he?
She said she vetoed the plan because she knew that 'ultimately we would have been asked to go back to where we were and that's exactly what happened'.
After a few piles of deaders and Pakistan becoming a pariah state...
"So, I wish they had listened to what I had said at that time and not got lost in the brilliance of the military strategy," she said. During her tenure, she said, there were no non-Kashmiri groups involved in the Kashmiri insurgency. "Yes, Kashmir was an issue during my tenure. But during my tenure there were certain differences," she said. "For example there was no attack like the Bombay blasts or the attack on Indian Parliament. The second issue is that there were no non-Kashmiri groups involved in the Kashmiri insurgency," she said.
"No, no! Certainly not! And they hardly got any support from us!"
"It is under Musharraf's watch that the Taliban have regrouped. And it is under Musharraf's watch that the home grown militants are dictating the foreign policy of Pakistan. Where we have incidents like Kargil and we have incidents like the Indian Parliament attack and we have incidents where the housing colony of wives and children of military officers in India are blown up," she said. Asked how she would have responded to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's peace efforts, she said, "We (PPP) would have taken to task the home grown militants and simply not allowed them to dictate Pakistan's foreign policy agenda by doing what they want and when they want. In fact we would have been deeply concerned about the fact that Al Qaeda people are turning up in our country. And we would have made the situation very difficult for them to either seek refuge in Pakistan or for the Taliban to regroup in Pakistan or for our own homegrown militants to use Pakistan as a base for launching attacks on other countries."
Jim Engell - Live from the White House:
An Iraqi scientist has told CIA investigators that under the rose bushes(?) in his back yard he buried boxes of documents and parts from a disassembled gas centrifuge. More to follow... It's not the WMD's, It's the demonstration of will/capability to produce them once nobody was inspecting (or invading, huh, Sammy?)
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/25/2003 5:43:53 PM ||
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The senior lieutenant to Saddam Hussein who was detained in Iraq last week obtained passports from Belarus for himself and others, possibly including Saddam's sons, two U.S. government officials said yesterday. The lieutenant, Abid Hamid Mahmud al-Tikriti, is suspected by U.S. officials of having obtained the passports in Syria, where, he told U.S. interrogators, he spent time, after the war, with Saddam's sons, Uday and Qusay, before being expelled by Syrian authorities. Another source confirming (maybe) that Syria booted Sammy's boys.
Mahmud told the interrogators that he last saw Saddam alive in Baghdad several days after the U.S. bombing attack on April 7 that was an attempt to kill him, the officials said. Belarus, part of the former Soviet Union, is an authoritarian country with close ties to Russia and its intelligence services, including the former KGB. It has been regarded by U.S. officials in the past as a possible refuge for other fugitives. The Russian intelligence services had a long and close relationship with Saddam's government. It was, in part, Mahmud's account of Iraqi officials' escape into Syria that prompted a U.S. strike last Wednesday on an Iraqi convoy along the Syrian border, U.S. defence department officials said. They said they had also intercepted conversations among fugitive Iraqi leaders indicating that the border region was the site of smuggling connected to those leaders. But U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said he had no reason to believe that the convoy carried senior members of the Iraqi leadership. Hummmmm
At a Pentagon news conference, Rumsfeld and Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said reports from the scene were still incomplete. They said they did not know whether the five Syrian border guards who were injured in the raid had challenged U.S. forces at all. The Syrian government has said nothing in public about the raid. Which is the most interesting part of this story, at least to me. Wonder what's up with that?
Posted by: Steve ||
06/25/2003 1:17:55 PM ||
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Thousands of extra British troops could be sent to Iraq in the wake of the killing of six members of the Royal Military Police, UK Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon has said. An urgent review of troop numbers, tactics and equipment is under way after the deaths in southern Iraq on Tuesday. British forces are hunting for the killers of the soldiers, whose bodies were found at a police station - where they had been training local officers - in a village near Amara about 100 miles north of Basra.
In a separate attack in the same area, seven British soldiers were injured when their helicopter came under fire. They had been trying to reach two vehicles which had been targeted by Iraqi gunmen, leaving another British soldier injured. Two of the casualties were seriously injured. News agencies have reported local police saying townspeople angry over civilian deaths chased down and killed the military police officers.
Mr Hoon told BBC Radio 4's Today programme there were "many thousands" of troops which could be sent to Iraq if that deemed necessary by the new review. "My absolute priority is the safety and security of British forces," he said. "Already an urgent review is under way to ensure their safety, looking at the way they have been operating in our area of operations and ensuring that whatever action is necessary is taken to protect them. "Obviously depending on the results of that review we have more troops should that be required." Mr Hoon stressed that the 19,000 troops used as cover for the firefighters' strikes were no longer needed for that role back in the UK. But he refused to put a figure on how many reinforcements could be deployed. The review is likely to reassess the British decision not to wear helmets or flak jackets and to maintain high-profile patrols in an effort to win friends in the local communities and keep order.
The British military will be keen to establish whether Tuesday's attacks were co-ordinated and which groups were behind them. Speculation has centred around either Baath party loyalists or other guerillas opposed to the coalition occupation. The area is dominated by Shia Muslims, a group which is extremely hostile to the old regime, but has seen demonstrations protesting against the British forces. Both incidents happened at the edge of the British area of operations within the country. They mark the heaviest losses to enemy action suffered in a single day by US-led coalition forces since the war in Iraq was declared largely over on 1 May, after the toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime. It is also the heaviest loss of British life in a single hostile incident since UK forces entered Iraq at the start of the war in late March. About 20 US troops have been killed in attacks in the capital Baghdad and surrounding cities and towns since President George Bush declared that large-scale combat operations had ended. By contrast, British troops operating in and around the second city of Basra had until now seen no serious post-war attacks. On Tuesday, Mr Hoon told the House of Commons that the circumstances of the military police officers' deaths were being investigated. But initial indications were that they were involved in an incident at the local police station. BBC radio this morning was reporting the British troops had earlier killed two civilians with plastic bullets.
Mr Hoon said that a few hours earlier, two vehicles carrying troops from the 1st Battalion of the Parachute Regiment came under attack from a large number of Iraqi gunmen while on patrol in Majar al-Kabir. The Iraqis were armed with heavy machine-guns, rocket-propelled grenades and rifles, he told MPs. The paratroopers returned fire and called for assistance, said Mr Hoon, and a troop of Scimitar light tanks, a Chinook helicopter and extra troops were sent to the scene - and also came under fire. The defence secretary confirmed that eight British servicemen were injured - one on the ground and seven in the helicopter - and were taken to a field hospital. Two were subsequently transferred to a US field hospital in Kuwait for "specialist treatment for very serious injuries", he added.
Posted by: Bulldog ||
06/25/2003 4:59:31 AM ||
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Authorities have arrested a suspected Abu Sayyaf rebel who allegedly helped kidnap 20 people, including three Americans, three years ago, the military said Tuesday. Samir Hakim was arrested in Manila's Intramuros district on Monday by military and police intelligence agents, military chief of staff Gen. Narciso Abaya said. Hakim, 43, was among the original members of Abu Sayyaf, a Muslim extremist group with alleged ties to al-Qaida. Abaya said he allegedly purchased weapons for the group. He said Hakim was involved in a raid on the Dos Palmas resort in which the rebels seized three Americans and 17 Filipinos. The group killed one American captive. The other Americans, Martin and Gracia Burnham of Wichita, Kan., were held for more than a year. Gracia was brought to safety but here husband was killed in a rescue operation. Last year, the U.S. military conducted a six-month counterterrorism exercise with Filipino troops in the southern Philippines that has been credited with breaking up the main Abu Sayyaf faction and the capture of key members. That training seems to have worked, more please.
Posted by: Steve ||
06/25/2003 12:22:32 PM ||
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Japan has announced it is freezing financial aid to Burma in response to the junta's detention of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The move, by Burma's biggest aid donor, will intensify pressure on the military government to address the international community's concerns over the pro-democracy leader. Sanctions against the junta have already been stepped up by the European Union, and the United States is also in the process of toughening sanctions. Aung San Suu Kyi has been in detention since 30 May, following clashes between her supporters and individuals allegedly sponsored by the government. She is being held in a two-room hut in the notorious Insein prison outside Rangoon. Japan gave around $17m in economic aid and technical support to Burma last year. Screws tightening, hope it hurts.
Posted by: Steve ||
06/25/2003 8:54:18 AM ||
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COMICAL Ali, Saddam Hussein's ludicrous spin doctor, has been arrested in Baghdad, it was claimed last night. Information minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf had been hiding out at a relative's house since April watching satellite TV - banned under Saddam. Any guesses what his favorite shows were?
US troops set up a road block in the Baghdad suburb and caught him in his car on Monday night. Al-Sahaf - who became a comic hero for his ridiculous denials of the truth in the Gulf War including "We are winning" as Baghdad fell - gave himself up without a fuss. It was thought he might have killed himself when he disappeared on the day the Iraqi regime collapsed, still insisting Saddam would prevail. But after his arrest the man, infamous for his amazing lies, begged US soldiers to save him from the embarrassment of being taken away publicly in a conspicuous armoured Humvee. He was allowed to go into the house where he has apparently been holed up with his wife Lamia, daughter Thefaf and doctor sons Ziad and Isama, to collect a toothbrush, razor and book. He wore a short-sleeved shirt, rather than his trademark army uniform and beret but was told to remove his tie for fear he might try suicide. The Americans hope that Sahaf, who did not appear in their deck of cards of Iraq's most wanted, will tell them where Saddam is hiding. A senior coalition source said: "He has some serious talking to do ... this time."
Relatives said Sahaf has been in a state of shock since the regime collapsed. He was the last member of Saddam's Ba'ath party to abandon his post, giving his final briefing on the morning the tyrant's statue was symbolically toppled in the capital. In it he cheerily insisted: "There is no presence of American infidels in Baghdad. They are going to surrender or be burned in their tanks". As he was speaking, US troops were pouring into view behind him, waving to cheering Iraqis. A colleague at the radio station where he had sent desperate propaganda broadcasts in the last days, told how he had returned and poignantly removed his beret and epaulettes, threw the keys of his Mercedes and his satellite phone into the Tigris River and vanished. His disappearance prompted rumours he had hanged himself on a lamppost, unable to cope with the reality that Saddam had finally gone. But he is reported to have spent much of his time watching banned satellite television which his homes have had for many years. Friends said his main pleasures were a few shots of Scotch whiskey and regular barbecues of skewered beef and lamb.
Meanwhile, a worldwide industry exploiting his cult status is growing around the world. A website set up in his honour crashed after receiving 4,000 hits per second. And fans have bought thousands of t-shirts with his picture and his most fanciful sayings including: "We slaughtered them and we will continue to slaughter them. God is grilling their stomachs in hell."
Posted by: ColoradoConservative ||
06/25/2003 11:50:07 AM ||
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NATO naval forces, which tipped off Greece to a ship in its waters carrying 680 tonnes of explosive, are hunting a list of 20 "suspect" vessels that intelligence trackers say could be used by terrorists. Lieutenant Commander Harvey Burwin said "Operation Active Endeavour" began in October 2001 and covers the Mediterranean. Its activities have recently been stepped up, with suspicious vessels boarded and searched. "We look for ships that have had frequent changes of flag and ownership," he said. Asked if the ships on the list were suspected of being operated by militant groups like al-Qaeda, he replied: "Yes at the extreme." NATO naval forces said on Monday they had tipped off Greece about the Baltic Sky, which was seized on Sunday by Greek special forces. Sudan has denounced the seizure of the ship, saying the cargo was for civilian purposes. The Foreign Minister, Mustafa Ismail, said the ship was carrying ammonium nitrates, a kind of dynamite that had been ordered by a registered Sudanese company from a Tunisian one, and that all documents concerning the shipment had been approved by his ministry.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
06/25/2003 3:43:37 AM ||
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Gaaaaaag OK now that that's out of the way I can Post this piece of Americana: Politicalus CoverAssus
Former President Bill Clinton on Tuesday pointed his finger at the Bush administration, saying it is erasing accomplishments that he worked hard to achieve. Clinton said the United States cannot be strong abroad, a reference to the war on terrorism, and weak or divided at home over social issues. "Terror cannot defeat us," he said at the 32nd annual Rainbow/PUSH Coalition Convention. "We can hurt ourselves by responding to the threat of terror in a way that compromises the character of this country and the future of our children."
Although Clinton began several sentences with the phrase, "When I was president," he did praise the Bush administration for continuing to fight AIDS and giving assistance to poor countries to grow their way out of poverty. Clinton has been a supporter of affirmative action. So it was no surprise that a day after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled universities can continue to use race as a factor when admitting students, but said a point-based system giving extra points to minorities went too far, he voiced his views on the matter. "Minority students, especially African Americans and Latinos, are disproportionately less likely to have a level playing field in public schools in the years running up to college," Clinton said. "If we had equal spending and educational quality in every single public school in this country, we wouldn't need affirmative action for college admissions anymore," he said. While the former president said he hopes affirmative action will not always be necessary, he said he was uncertain Monday's decision will hasten that outcome.
Clinton also spoke about President Bush's tax cut plan that, for him, will equal an estimated $80,000 windfall. He said he'd rather not get a check if it means cutting education, health care, after-school programs and raising the cost of student loans. He encouraged the mostly black audience to vote for leaders who have their best interests at heart. Some audience members marveled at Clinton's support for issues that matter to them. "He gave insight to things that we overlook," said Ryan Fields, 20, a Morehouse College student from the Beverly neighborhood. "It's like the Trojan horse. The [enemy] warriors are coming out at night, and that could mean slavery, if we allow it."
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/25/2003 9:19:04 PM ||
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Two Palestinians were killed and 16 wounded when IAF helicopters fired missiles at two vehicles traveling in the outskirts of Khan Yunis in the south Gaza Strip on Wednesday evening in what IDF officials said was a strike against a Hamas terrorist cell planning to launch a mortar shell attack on nearby Israeli communities. A statement issued by the IDF Spokesman said "IDF forces hit a Hamas military wing terror cell on the outskirts of Khan Yunis who were en route to perpetrate a mortar shell attack on Israeli communities. The cell is also involved in Kassam rocket attacks." The two dead Palestinians were identified as Akram Abu Fahran,33 and Nevine Abu Rejilah, 22. The apparant target of the attack was Hamas member Mohammed Sayem who was wounded in the attack and had to have his leg amputated Palestinian officials said. According to reports he drove one of the vehicles that was hit. The attack came a day after Air force Commander Maj. Gen. Dan Halutz told military reporters that the targetted killings would continue saying "if there is concrete evidence concerning ticking bombs we will do what is necessary to prevent them from blowing up." Sounds like Cause/Effect Lessons are needed - ordering up a mass quantity...
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/25/2003 21:05 ||
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Jpost - Reg Req'd, and EFL and News
Not even a tick on the surprise meter, and I had it checked last week...damn
The Palestinian Authority, Hamas and Islamic Jihad Wednesday night denied rumors that they have reached an agreement to end terror attacks against Israel. "We still haven't received any American guarantees or replies from Israel, which is continuing to avoid holding another round of security meetings with the Palestinian Authority," said Nabil Abu Rdineh, a senior advisor to PA Chairman Yasser Arafat. Arafat? I thought he was marginalized. Wonder why the agreement hasn't worked....oh, yeah, I forgot, he's still alive....
"In any case, efforts to reach a cease-fire are facing huge problems because of the ongoing Israeli policy of assassinations and [military] escalation," Abu Rdineh added. He said the PA was awaiting assurances from the US that Israel would stop its military escalation. Abu Rdineh said the PA has reached an understanding with all the Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, on the issue of a hudna, or temporary cease-fire. But, he went on to say, the PA was still awaiting an official response from Hamas and Islamic Jihad on this issue.
Yeah, sure. They're just getting the paperwork together...
"The position of the PA and the PLO is very clear [in favor of a cease-fire]," he said. "We expect a positive reply from the brothers in Hamas and Islamic Jihad to the cease-fire proposal. The national Palestinian interest requires a united position, but we want assurances from the US and Israel so that things would start moving forward." He pointed out that so far the US has failed in pressuring Israel to withdraw from areas it recaptured after the outbreak of the current wave of violence and to halt its policy of targeted killings. According to Abu Rdineh, all the recent security meetings with Israel have failed to achieve "tangible" results on the ground. "The real test facing the Quartet and Washington is in forcing Israel to stop its aggression and to return to the negotiations table without conditions."
"Yes. We'll accept only unconditional surrender..."
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/25/2003 7:03:23 PM ||
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From Geostrategy-Direct, requires subscriptionâŠ..
Iran has turned to foreign sources to help quell mounting internal unrest. The ruling Iranian mullahs have hired thugs from the Lebanese-based Hezbollah to do Teheran's dirty work. Iranian opposition and other sources in the regime say Teheran has imported hundreds of Hizbullah terrorists to track and beat suspected student reformists. Many Hizbullah members had been training in Iranian terrorist camps when they were summoned to set up roadblocks and beat students on the streets of Teheran and other cities. The Hizbullah force is directed ultimately by Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
There's also a domestic Hezbollah within Iran...
Opposition sources said the regime's use of Hizbullah points to a tremendous fear that Iranian police and security forces will simply not obey orders to oppress civilians. They said police have been given an extremely limited role and simply told to look away while Hizbullah and other regime-sponsored thugs act out an Islamic version of "Clockwork Orange." The thugs speak poor Farsi. But all they need do is use their chains, whips and sticks. They have raided student demonstrations, university campuses, broken some faces and ran.
I wonder if these were the guys the ayatollahs jugged, or just the domestics?
The Hizbullah service doesn't come free. Iran has increased funding of Hizbullah over the past year to deploy the Shiite group in a range of missions outside of Lebanon. The Beirut-based group is believed to receive about $100 million from Teheran.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
06/25/2003 6:51:24 PM ||
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Happy Day of Struggle, everybody!
An indignation meeting of unionists in Pyongyang was held before the U.S. imperialists' armed spy ship "Pueblo" exhibited on the River Taedong and a meeting of youth and students in Pyongyang "pledge of avengers" at the Central Youth Hall on Monday on the occasion of June 25, the day of struggle against the U.S. imperialists. Hmmmmmm... an "indignation meeting". Guess we'd better listen up.
Speakers at the meetings recalled that the U.S. imperialists reduced factories, peaceful cities and villages of Korea to heaps of rubbles in the most barbarous way and brutally killed innocent people in the past 1950s. Are they talking about the Korean War here? I wasn't aware the Norks weren't using live ammo. The old man said it sure looked like live ammo to him.
The U.S. imperialists are now committing such murder, plunder, rape, assault and destruction almost every day as cruelly driving an armored car over young schoolgirls to death, they said, branding the U.S. imperialists as present-day barbarians and murderers, and the sworn enemy of the Korean nation. Almost everyday. We take Sundays off to plan our next weeks raping and pillaging. So many Koreans, so little time.
If the U.S. imperialists unleash the second Korean war, oblivious of the historic lesson of their bitter defeat in the last Korean war, the Korean youth and working people, together with the people's army, will wipe out the aggressors with the arms of merciless revenge and accomplish the historic cause of national reunification, they stressed. "The Arms of Merciless Revenge"? Wasn't that a country song wayback when? In the past 1950's, maybe?
Poems condemning the murderous atrocities of the U.S. imperialists were recited and an indignation statement read out at the meetings. Present there was Kim Jung Rin, secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. I'll bet he ain't eating baby fingers and barnyard grass salad for dinner.
Meanwhile, an indignation meeting of members of the Korean Democratic Women's Union took place before the armed spy ship "Pueblo" to condemn the U.S. imperialists. You said that already. What is this? Groundhog Day in Pyongyang? Got a lot of work to do NK indignant unionist guy.
EFL from AP compendium of latest wires. President Bush and European leaders demanded that Iran live up to its promise not to develop nuclear weapons. "And if they don't, we'll deal with that when they don't," the president said. Yeee-ouch. Some tough words here.
In a White House news conference with leaders of the European Union, the president did not spell out how far he would go to prevent Iran from joining the nuclear club. "Iran must comply. I mean, the free world expects Iran to comply. Just leave it at that," Bush said. "We believe they will when the free world comes together." "And helps the Iranian people finish their new revolution for liberty and democracy."
He then talked over his counterpart to finish his thought: "And if they don't we'll deal with that when they don't." Bush said the leaders had agreed to monitor the nuclear ambitions of North Korea and Iran. "Iran has pledged not produce nuclear weapons and the entire international community must hold that regime to its commitments," he said. Bush said he believed the nation would give up its nuclear hopes once the international community raises its voice. "If the world speaks together, they'll comply," Bush said. Hello Tehran, anybody listening?
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/25/2003 2:28:28 PM ||
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Explosions rocked the area of the U.S. Embassy compound in Liberia's besieged capital on Wednesday, causing injuries among thousands of Liberians who had crowded into the diplomatic quarter for protection. "INCOMING!"
It was impossible to immediately reach authorities within the embassy for comment. Witnesses, fleeing as others streamed out carrying wounded, said it appeared at least one shell had landed within the compound. An Associated Press reporter and photographer at the scene felt the ground shake from the two explosions but could not tell whether they hit inside or outside the embassy complex. The blasts appeared to be mortar rounds. Survivors ran past with the wounded — wheeling one bleeding young man out in a wheelbarrow, and using a ragged shirt as a stretcher for another victim. The U.S. Embassy and sprawling residential complex nearby are on a rocky hillside overlooking the Atlantic. The European Union compound is next to the U.S. Embassy. U.S. authorities earlier in the day admitted tens of thousands of refugees to the compound as rebels shelled the city. It marked the first time since 1996, during the height of Liberia's 1989-1996 civil war, that authorities had opened the compound as a refuge for Monrovia's people. Witnesses said four people were trampled in the stampede to get in the U.S. compound gates. The blasts sent the terrified throngs fleeing in the opposite direction. Heads down, people. It's only going to get worse.
Posted by: Steve ||
06/25/2003 1:33:07 PM ||
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JPost - Reg Req'd - Edited for New Stuff only
Border Police units thwarted a suicide bombing Wednesday morning when they captured two Tanzim terrorists in Kfar Kassem, one of whom was carrying a bag containing a 10-kilogram explosive device packed with nails and shrapnel. So a ceasefire in name only huh? The Paleos are lying terrorists and their word means nothing
Police arrested the two Fatah Tanzim terrorists, Nidal Abu Al-Hak, and Muhammad Ramadan, both from Nablus on the West Bank, and detonated the bomb in a controlled explosion, leaving a huge crater in the ground. Kfar Kassam is an Israeli-Arab village 20 kilomoters northeast of Tel Aviv. Security services said the terrorists' target was most likely the market in Petach Tikva.
Military and police were placed on high alert early in the morning after receiving intelligence warnings that a potential suicide bomber and an accomplice had crossed into Israel to carry out an attack. Scores of roadblocks were set up in the densely populated Sharon region, an area bordering the West Bank and a frequent target of Palestinian militants. Large numbers of Israeli security services swarmed into Kfar Kassam after receiving intelligence that a terror attack was being planned. One of the Tanzim terrorists was spotted and was asked what the contents were of the bag he was carrying. "You have nothing to check. I only have books," replied the Palestinian. "There is no doubt that a huge disaster was prevented, " a senior police source said on condition of anonymity. "We are talking about a huge explosive device." The reported attempt came as Palestinian officials awaited a response from Islamic militant groups about a proposal to suspend attacks against Israelis. Also - MSNBC now also says a Islamic Jihad terrorist was among the dead in the helo attack on the Hamas guy with one leg now - Hamas and IJ in the same car convoy?? surprise surprise
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/25/2003 12:58:56 PM ||
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JPost - Reg Req'd
According to Palestinians, Hamas terrorist Muhammad Masri was seriously injured in the helicopter attack in a village near Khan Yunis. Masri has apparently lost a leg. Muhammed "Peg" Masri? It'll make it easier for the Father-Son 3-Legged Race at the Hamas "Celebrate the Summer" picnic
Two Palestinians were killed in the attack, including a woman,and about 20 were injured. The IDF announced Wednesday evening that two air force helicopters fired a number of missiles at a terrorist cell in Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip that was about to fire rockets at Israeli targets. Hospital officials said a 20-year-old woman was killed and 20 other people were injured in the attack, three critically. One of the cars belonged to Hamas activist Mohammed Masri, Palestinian security officials said. Masri was not known as a Hamas leader, they said. Jewish settlements near Khan Younis are frequent targets of Palestinian mortars and homemade rockets. Helicopters must make the roaches scurry? Like turning on the light in the kitchen?
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/25/2003 12:45:57 PM ||
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GEPHARDT VOWS MASSIVE RESISTANCE
to Supreme Court decisions:
[Gephardt] "When I'm president, we'll do executive orders to overcome any wrong thing the Supreme Court does tomorrow or any other day." emphasis added) Reading this statement again just increases my incredulity. Also, the blanket "any thing" should send a shiver down one's spine. This is worse than anything that "fascist Bush" has ever said.
No word on any plans he might have to call out the National Guard or the Army to make sure the Court's decisons aren't enforced.
A few observations:
We don't have to speculate about what the media and public reaction would have been if a Republican candidate were to say the same thing, before, say, a conservative group, do we? He would be hounded from the race - rightly so. This is a case, one of many, where they don't mind how something is done as long as it's "their side" not "the other side" doing it.
When Democrats talk about "restoring our Democracy", this is the kind of thing they want: Rule By Decree, as long as it's by their guy. (Don't tell me I'm wrong - show me. React to this the same way you would if the shoe were on the other foot. Everything else is just popping smoke as far as I'm concerned).
When the Democrats speak of "uniting us", this is what they mean: pandering on the basis of race. Sort of Orwellian of them, but we won't get into that right at the moment. Gephardt was (yah, I said "was") one of the more serious candidates. Now he's shown that he's not above pandering to the extremists who control the nominating process. With Gephardt's statement and Kerry's vitriol last week, they are engaging in self-mutilation and clearing the decks for the more serious and electable candidate - Joe Lieberman - I hope.
I like to think that if Paul Tsongas (D - MA) were still alive, he'd give Gephardt a "Pander Bear". How soon we forget this piercing quote.
But, who knows? I never thought Gephardt would go this far, so if Paul had lived, it may be that he'd have ended up following these people over the cliff too.
A group of armed men carried out two armed attacks on a base of the Basij militia and morals police near the central city of Isfahan, resulting in five people being injured and 21 arrested, the student news agency ISNA reported. The attacks, carried out late last Thursday and Friday, occurred in the town of Dizicheh, situated around 40 kilometers southwest of Isfahan. Quoting an official from the local prefecture, ISNA said the attackers carried out the first raid on Thursday and managed to steal a weapon. "The next evening, the armed hooligans attacked a Basij base and in the clashes five people were injured on both sides," the official told ISNA. It was not immediately clear who carried out the attack, but the local press had reported particularly violent clashes around Isfahan last week after anti-regime protests spread from the capital to the provinces. The Basij are a hardline volunteer militia that has been used to quell the demonstrations. Eeeexcellent, Smithers!...
Posted by: mojo ||
06/25/2003 11:38:13 AM ||
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This story shows that you don't have to be islamic fundi to be a nut-bag.
Rebels, fighting to install rule in Uganda according to the Biblical 10 commandments, abducted 30 schoolgirls in a raid in the east of the country on Monday night. The girls seized in the ambush on the Lwala Girls Secondary School in Kabermaido district, about 100 miles northeast of Kampala, were aged between 12 and 18. Rounding up some new breeding stock.
The rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), led by self-proclaimed prophet Joseph Kony, has been fighting the government in northern Uganda since 1987. The group has earned a terrifying reputation for abducting children to use as child soldiers and sex slaves, and for maiming villagers.
"Yeah. We do that. It's okay, though. It says so in the Bible someplace. You could look it up."
Army spokesman Major Shaban Bantariza said initial fears that 100 girls had been taken have been scaled down but added that around 30 were still unaccounted for. "We now think that the girls herded away by the LRA are about 30," Bantariza said. The LRA has generally been most active in northern Uganda, but in the past week attacks further south of its traditional area of operation have caused mounting concern. "This is the greatest level of insecurity the rebels have created in the last 17 years," opposition MP Aggray Awori told Ugandan radio. "The rebels seem to be getting stronger and the army is unable to handle the situation."
Posted by: Steve ||
06/25/2003 11:15:50 AM ||
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JPost - Reg Req'd
Two Hamas gunmen were killed and an Israeli soldier was wounded Wednesday in a gunbattle in the northern Gaza Strip, military sources said. The violence erupted in Beit Hanoun not long after Israeli police thwarted a bomb attack in central Israel, arresting two Palestinians who infiltrated from the West Bank, and confiscating their explosives, near the Israeli-Arab town of Kfar Kassem. Hmmmm what about the roadmap....?
In Beit Hanoun, gunmen opened fire on soldiers at positions on the outskirts of the town, sources said. Soldiers fired back and a gunbattle ensued, during which two Palestinians were killed. A soldier wounded lightly by shrapnel was treated at the scene and then taken to Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon. Hamas claimed in a statement that the battle erupted when its men fired an anti-tank rocket at the Israeli position. Take out the highest available target every time there's an attack. Snuff out Hamas, literally, or it won't end
The attack on Israeli soldiers came the morning after a Hamas leader hinted at recognition of Israel. A senior Hamas official told reporters in Gaza City on Tuesday that Hamas envisions a Palestinian state living side alongside Israel. The remark appeared to be Hamas' first public recognition of the state of Israel. Big F*&KING DEAL
The statement, from an organization which has called for the destruction of Israel, closely followed reports from Israeli and Egyptian officials that Hamas is on the brink of declaring a cease-fire with Israel. Hamas has come under intense Egyptian, Palestinian, European and US pressure in recent weeks to curb terrorism against Israel, which may enable the road map to move forward. "What is the point in speaking in rhetoric," said Hamas leader Abu Shanab. "Let's be frank. We cannot destroy Israel. The practical solution is for us to have a state alongside Israel. [The future Palestinian state] is not one that is to take place of Israel," he said.
That'd be a jaw-dropper, if he meant it. He doesn't, anymore than Chuck Taylor has any intention of leaving power or Bob has of retiring...
One of five top Hamas officials, Abu Shanab is known as a moderate among Hamas ranks. The tone of his statements has often conflicted with the inciting rhetoric of more militant Hamas leaders like number two, Abdel Aziz Rantissi. According to Hamas political insiders, last week's attempted assassination of Rantissi also indicated Israel is no longer willing to distinguish between the group's political and military wings, effectively lifting a blanket of immunity from many of its leaders.
Nothing will ever happen until it's their skins on the line. Cannon fodder is too cheap and easily replaced...
"When we build a Palestinan state," said Abu Shanab, an engineer, "we will not need these militias; all the needs for attack [against Israel] will stop. Everything will change into a civil life." Abu Shanab better let others start his car for him
He said the Palestinian state he envisions will not supercede Israel, but will be "one that lives with it," largely because it could face destruction in a full-scale war against Israel. "Israel's balance of power is much greater than the whole Arab world combined. It is strong enough to make for stability for the rest of our lives, and beyond that as well," he said. Asked whether Hamas only tacitly agreed to a "hudna," or cease-fire, as Palestinian Authority security sources have recently reported, Abu Shanab waved away the question. "In fact Hamas wants to make a strong public declaration of cease-fire if Israel will allow it to happen," he said. Abu Shanab said Israel has torpedoed each of the four cease-fire attempts to date. He said he wonders whether the Sharon administration even desires such an arrangement.
"Yeah. It's not us, it's them!"
Abu Shanab argued that the Bush administration has miscast the group since 9/11 by repeatedly grouping it with al Qaeda. However, he said, all members of Hamas insist that a full cease-fire can be reached only when Israel withdraws from all of the territories conquered in the 1967 Six Day War. Anything short of that will ignite a continuation of violence, he said.
"All of it! Every little bit! You, over there! Is that dust on your shoes from Gaza? Put it back, right now, or we'll kill you!"
Palestinian security sources confirmed to The Jerusalem Post yesterday that the finalization of the "hudna" is well under way, if not already fully mapped out. Brig. Gen. Saeb al-Ajez, the Palestinian National Security officer responsible for maintaining security in the northern half of the Gaza Strip, said Tuesday "the hudna will start soon, and I think it has already started."
We can tell. The rockets are hardly flying at all...
He referred to a de facto cease-fire, "which is not written on paper but is apparent on the political map," that has already taken hold of much of the Gaza Strip. However an IDF Intelligence Branch official was more skeptical of the prospects of a hudna. The official told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Tuesday that Hamas "appears," to have decided "in principle," to declare the cease-fire. He added, however, that the group is interested in "blurring" its terms. Hamas has also not yet decided to whom to give its cease-fire commitment: PA Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas or Egypt, he said. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who also appeared before the committee on Tuesday, said the Mahmoud Abbas-led PA has the "operational capabilities and manpower" to battle terror groups. According to Sharon, the PA has 20,000 "salaried" forces in Gaza and 30,000 in the West Bank who can "immediately operate" against terror infrastructures. Al-Ajez said there are only about 8,500 rifles for its forces.
Take some from your snuffies, then. Don't even tell me the Paleos don't have enough guns!
"We are starting from zero [following Israeli destruction of Palestinian weaponry] and need means of transport, weapons, equipment uniforms, communication equipment," he said. "We need bases." While al-Ajez waffled on the PA's resolution to subdue Hamas or Islamic Jihad forces attempting to attack Israel, he expressed his unit's readiness to do its best to prevent launching of Kassam rockets into Israel should the IDF withdraw from the Gaza Strip. Without a public Hamas declaration of a cease-fire, he said, the PA would be hard-pressed to launch pre-emptive or punitive strikes on Hamas operatives for fear of piquing the ire of the Palestinian public in Gaza.
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/25/2003 10:58:30 AM ||
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Iranian security forces are resettling those living in villages close to the border with Azerbaijan. This was announced by Baku newspaper Zerkalo [mirror] with reference to Azerbaijani organisations operating in Iran. According to the newspaper, local people (mostly of Azerbaijani origin) will be resettled during the course of this week and their homes will be occupied by security forces and special army divisions. The soldiers are not only dressed in plain clothes, they are also reported to be using any means to frighten and coerce the local population into staying silent about the whole manoeuvre. Two thousand people living in the Iranian region of Mugan, in the north of the country and formerly a part of Azerbaijan, have already been moved from their homes. There were mass arrests of Azerbaijanis living in the Iranian town of Tebris last week after an outbreak of protests. Hummm, worried about them wanting to break away and rejoin the "motherland"?
There was a report earlier this month that the U.S. was working with the Azeri population of northern Iran. The Azeris are a Turkic people, rather than Persians...
Posted by: Steve ||
06/25/2003 10:37:42 AM ||
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Edited for brevity.
The crash occurred as President Mohammad Khatami was on a tour of Robat-Karim and nearby Shahriar, but officials were quick to say there was no connection between Khatami's visit there and the crash, adding that no government officials were on board the plane. State radio said the crash was caused by technical problems, but gave no further details. Iran's air force is believed to have no more than around 15 of the US-built C-130's in operation, having acquired the planes before the 1979 Islamic revolution. Since then, Iran has been subject to tough US sanctions, hindering the purchase of critical spare parts for all US-made planes in its air force and the civilian flag carrier Iran Air. Hmmm, I guess 30+ year old planes and a lack of spare parts could lead to "technical problems".
Posted by: Domingo ||
06/25/2003 9:35:48 AM ||
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Five suspected al-Qaeda members arrested by Malawi have been handed to US authorities, despite an injunction blocking deportation. The BBC's southern Africa correspondent, Barnaby Phillips, says the five suspects appear to have been whisked out of Malawi, although the Americans are not yet saying where they have been taken. On their way to the world famous "undisclosed location".
On Tuesday, Malawi's High Court ruled the country's government could not circumvent its own laws by handing over the five detainees, who come from Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Turkey. An injunction obtained by the suspects' lawyers to block their deportation ordered the government either to charge the men with an offence within 48 hours or release them on bail. The 48-hour time period elapsed at 2200 local time on Tuesday. Malawi's Director of Public Prosecutions, Fahad Assani, refused to disclose when the five Muslim foreigners had left Malawi, but denied that they had been deported. "We prefer to call it 'expedited relocation'".
"This is a serious security issue and we don't want to leave trails," he said. If the lawyers don't know where they are, they can't file any more injunctions.
He confirmed the five were no longer in the custody of Malawi authorities. A senior Malawian immigration official told Reuters news agency that he was travelling with the suspects. "I'm not in Malawi at the moment. We are out of the country. They are not in the custody of Malawi, they are in American custody," he said. State prosecutors say the five men - two from Turkey, one Saudi, one Sudanese and a Kenyan - were arrested in a joint operation run with US officials at the weekend, barely two weeks before President Bush is scheduled to visit Africa. A spokesmen for the police chief and interior ministry said that Malawi intelligence and immigration officers apprehended the men after they were identified by the US Central Intelligence Agency. Seem to be in a awful hurry to get our hands on them. Wonder who they are and what they know?
Posted by: Steve ||
06/25/2003 8:44:55 AM ||
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Rebel fighters have crossed a strategic bridge into the Liberian capital, Monrovia, during a night of fierce fighting. They crossed the Saint Paul's Bridge just north of the city, and fighting is under way between the bridge and the port. The BBC's Jonathan Paye-Layleh in Monrovia, says several people have been killed by artillery shells fired into residential areas at the edge of the city. President Charles Taylor has made a radio broadcast, vowing to fight until the end and denying rumours that he had fled the city. Did he call into the radio station from his plane?
Correspondents say the fighting appears to have shattered a ceasefire agreed last week. Ya think?
On Tuesday, the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (Lurd) rebels announced that they had pulled out of peace talks after President Charles Taylor said that he would not step down until next January at the earliest.
What? Consequences for Chuck tellin' big lies? When did that start?
"My life is no more important than yours," said Mr Taylor. "I am here with the men and women in arms, encouraging them to fight on." "I'll fight till the last one of you! Then I'm out of here."
The BBC's West Africa correspondent, Paul Welsh, says that Mr Taylor has "nowhere to run" after an international arrest warrant was issued by the United Nations-backed war crimes tribunal in neighbouring Sierra Leone. Oh, I'm sure he'll try to find somewhere.
Posted by: Steve ||
06/25/2003 8:39:11 AM ||
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Iran said Monday it had identified members of the Al-Qaeda network it had in custody and would extradite some to friendly countries, but refused to give the names, positions or number of the detainees. Speaking at a press conference, government spokesman Abdollah Ramezanzadeh said, âWe have identified some of the Al-Qaeda members in custody.â Asked if those identified included Al-Qaeda spokesman Suleiman Abu Ghaith and security chief Saif al-Adil, Ramezanzadeh said: âTheir names cannot be given for security reasons.â He said that if the identified Al-Qaeda members are citizens of âfriendlyâ countries, âwe will hand them over to those countries.â Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said last month his government would ask Iran to extradite any Saudis who may be among the Al-Qaeda members held in Iran. Last week the prince visited Tehran to discuss the issue. It was not disclosed if Iran would extradite any Al-Qaeda detainees to Saudi Arabia. At a separate news conference Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi said that if some detainees are Saudis, âwe will spare no effort to hand them over to our Saudi friends.â
Start by coughing up Sully and Saif...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/25/2003 00:54 ||
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The secretary general of the Arab LeagueAmr Moussa said yesterday that the Arabs want to rebuild relations with the USA after tensions in these relations because of the war against Iraq and cooperation to achieve peace in the region.
That would be a good idea. A better idea would have been not to let them deteriorate...
In an interview held with him on the sideline of the world economic forum in Jordan, Moussa said "we,.. the Arab League and the Arabs.. do not want a deterioration to reach a challenge with the USA. In reality we want to rebuild this relations and strengthen it." He added "it is in the interest of all to have this relation standing and good between the USA and the Arab World.. not only in the political field but also in the economic field and others."
"At least until the next time the U.S. wants to whack a bloody-handed dictator, at which time we'll go back to forming mobs and foaming at the mouth..."
Moussa added that it is time to look forward and rebuild Iraq, noting that the Arabs want to restore the situation in Iraq to normalcy including the formation of a government and the return of Iraq back to the international community, noting that the Arabs want to cooperate in the field of political and economic construction of Iraq. According to Moussa, the Arabs want also to cooperate with Washington over solving the Arab-Israeli conflict and they are content about the US commitment to help the foundation of the Palestinian state. He explained "we are in need of dealing seriously with the Palestinian question. We do believe that the vision of President Bush and his cling to year 2005 as a target year is a good thing." He added "should we be subjected to the pressures of extremists everywhere, the thinking of the rightist extremists, anywhere, we will loose."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
06/25/2003 00:48 ||
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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.
