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-Short Attention Span Theater-
"Bravery needs no translation" -- an Iraqi translator speaks his mind
Just read that,it brought-up some serious goose bumps.

Ptah, I was just over at CWC.That Uh Yeah comentator has has some seriously weak and runny poop.

I know it’s damn near impossible but try to keep that whiney,yapping little ankle-biter in your yard.(Just yanking your chain a little).man what a goof.
Posted by: raptor || 01/04/2004 5:15:58 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The linkis busted
Posted by: Anonymous || 01/04/2004 17:35 Comments || Top||

#2  I fixed it...
Posted by: Fred || 01/04/2004 17:50 Comments || Top||


Afghanistan
Last-Ditch Effort Secures Afghan Charter
Afghanistan's constitutional convention agreed on a historic new charter on Sunday, overcoming weeks of division and mistrust to hammer out a compromise meant to bind together the war-ravaged nation's mosaic of ethnic groups. Just a day after warning that the meeting, or loya jirga, was heading toward a humiliating failure, chairman Sibghatullah Mujaddedi announced that last-ditch diplomacy had secured a deal. After the new draft was circulated, the 502 delegates gathered under a giant tent in the Afghan capital rose from their chairs, standing in silence for about 30 seconds to signal their support for the new charter. "Let's promise before God and our people to implement this constitution," Mujaddedi said. "If we don't, it will bring us no good."
The Motorcycles of Doom set will be doing their best to scuttle it...
The charter was amended to grant official status to northern minority languages where they are most commonly spoken, an issue which had brought the meeting close to collapse. U.N. Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi and U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad hailed the accord.
"Ave, accord!"
President Hamid Karzai was to make a speech to the gathering later Sunday. Sidiq Chakari, a Tajik delegate and spokesman for faction leader and former President Burhanuddin Rabbani, who had taken part in a boycott Thursday, said the deal was a milestone on the way to peace. "It's a very big achievement. I do hope it will bring friendship between our ethnic groups," he said. "Everybody wants to switch to disarmament and reconstruction."
The only people stopping you are yourselves...
Some Pashtuns, the country's largest ethnic group, had pressed until the last for the charter to reverse what they say is the domination of Dari names for public institutions such as universities and courts. But they went along in the end.
"I mean, just because they learn how to read and write, why's that mean they got to dominate public institutions such as universities and courts?"
"It will help demilitarize the capital and inject new freedom into education, the media, normal life," said Khalid Pashtun, a fervent advocate of his kinsmen's rights. The accord gives the U.S.-backed Karzai the presidential system he had insisted on, though only after some notable compromises. Karzai has argued strongly for a dominant chief executive to hold the country together as it rebuilds and reconciles after more than two decades of war, and said he wouldn't run again if he didn't get his way.
It'd be better if he didn't run again anyway. John Hancock's job is done; now it's time for Washington.
It was also a triumph for the United States and United Nations, whose officials worked tirelessly to broker a backroom agreement to bolster a peace process begun after the ouster of the Taliban two years ago. In three weeks of often rancorous debate, religious conservatives forced through amendments to make the constitution more Islamic — possibly with a ban on alcohol.
Yeah, sure. That's important enough to be included in your constitution. We used to have it there, too. No doubt Afghans of future generations will wonder what the hell their ancestors were thinking, too...
On the other hand, wording was changed to spell out that men and women should be treated equally — a key demand of human rights groups.
There goes the Pashtuns' cultural heritage...
In the most bruising tussle, minorities such as the Uzbeks and Turkmen from the north won official status for their languages in the areas where they are strongest, with only grudging acceptance from Pashtuns. Rivals of Karzai, mainly from the Northern Alliance faction which helped U.S. forces drive out the Taliban for harboring Osama bin Laden, strengthened parliament with amendments giving it veto power over some key appointments and policies. A new commission is to be set up to monitor implementation of the constitution — another potential power base for a rival. But with no provision for a prime minister or strong regional councils, the wide-ranging powers sought by Karzai in a draft released in November appeared to have survived mainly intact. The charter makes the president commander in chief of the armed forces, charges him with determining the nation's fundamental policies and gives him considerable power to press legislation. "The strong presidency was quickly settled," Khalilzad said, although he acknowledged parliament had been bolstered. "It's more balanced in that way."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 01/04/2004 10:01 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  no alcohol, but opium poppies are winked at?
Posted by: Frank G || 01/04/2004 16:18 Comments || Top||

#2  Islam + Warlords + Tribalism = Democracy.

Nahhhh. I wouldn't donate a plug nickel toward "rebuiling" (re-piling the rocks on top of each other) again. It serves as an asshat killing ground, but it will never, ever, come out of the first millenium. A black hole. Perfect for Karzai & Co.
Posted by: .com || 01/04/2004 18:08 Comments || Top||


Arabia
Prince Nayef regrets some Muslims involved in terrorism
Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz, who is also the Honorary President of the Arab Interior Ministers Council, on Sunday said the Council is seeking "the trust of Arab citizens as Arab security systems work to make the Arab Nation's citizen as the first security man and to interact with security situations of our countries".
How is that different from "blah blah blah blah..."?
"This is because of the fact that the existing changes in the world necessitate us to achieve security for everyone who lives in the Arab countries," Prince Nayef said in an arrival statement in Tunis. The minister heads the Kingdom's delegation to the Council's 11th session, scheduled to begin its deliberations later today. Prince Nayef said the Council's current session would focus on the latest developments in the Arab region, notably the issue of "terrorism".
Which has been "killing" lots of "people."
In response to a question on Saudi efforts in fighting terrorism, Prince Nayef replied "Thanks God, this leads us to say that security men are vigilant and efficient in meeting the security challenges."
We can see that from the recent carnage in Arabia...
"However, it is painful to have some of our sons as tools of terrorism but with joint efforts by our scholars, intellectuals and mass media, we can confront this matter and purify our Islamic and Arab thought from all blemishes," Prince Naif noted.
Hokay. With joint efforts by our soldiers and police, maybe us Westerners can kill the ones you miss.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 01/04/2004 10:47 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I didn't take it that way, Fred. They're "purifying" again which means kill the infidel. Isn't this the pro-wahabi form of Islam person?

And the scholars, intellectuals and mass media are responsible for the splodydope/kill all infidel message.
Posted by: Anonymous2U || 01/04/2004 15:00 Comments || Top||

#2  I don't think so, Anon. Saudi princes would say they were "purifying" the country while opening chains of massage parlors and liquor stores.
Posted by: Alan Sullivan || 01/04/2004 15:37 Comments || Top||


Britain
Hunt is on for an al-Qaeda cell with US, UK, and Euro passports
Intelligence officials hunting Islamist terrorists suspected of planning attacks on British Airways flights believe they may be carrying legitimate American, UK or other European passports to try to beat airport security.
That'd baffle me, alright. I thought Islamists always carried home-made passports?
According to US sources, last week’s cancellation of the BA flights to Washington and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia was triggered by fear that terrorists with legitimate ’clean aliases’ were planning attacks over the New Year holiday. The alert comes amid compelling new evidence of determined efforts by jihadist groups to recruit suicide bombers in the UK and Europe both for operations against the American-led coalition in Iraq and against domestic targets.
They're especially looking for that "white meat," not that Islamists could be racist in any manner, of course...
Intercepts from a Western intelligence agency seen by The Observer reveal that jihadists regard London as a key financing and recruiting centre for their efforts. Although Whitehall sources strongly denied suggestions that UK passport holders were suspected in the threat to British Airways, telephone intercepts seen by this newspaper make clear that Islamist terror cells are deliberately targeting ’well-educated’ foreigners, Britons among them. In one call, an unidentified jihadist tells a colleague: ’We need foreigners. We have Albanians, Swiss and English... all that is important is that they are of a high cultural level ... businessmen, professors, engineers, doctors and teachers.’
"Not the dirtbags we usually get..."
The focus on well-educated, capable and highly committed ’foreigners’ was a hallmark of the al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan, which ran a strict selection policy for its students. Heightened tension over airline security was underscored by the crash yesterday of an Egyptian charter jet flying from the resort of Sharm-el-Sheikh to Paris with the loss of all 148 lives on board. Although terrorism was ruled out as a cause of the crash in favour of mechanical failure, yesterday’s crash into the Red Sea shocked the airline industry at a time of unprecedented fears over safety.
"Just a maintenance problem," they said — immediately...
Analysts believe that al-Qaeda and other allied jihadist terrorist networks have stepped up efforts in the last 12 months to recruit US, UK and other foreign nationals who can more easily penetrate the heightened security environment that has been in place since the attacks on the US on 11 September 2001. Intelligence sources believe that since the war in Iraq, dormant networks that once recruited and fed fighters into Afghanistan have been reactivated and reorganised for a new global jihad aimed at the US and its allies; this includes cells in the UK.
I thought the cells in the UK kept running 24/7?
According to the same sources, the recruiting networks have shown the ability to adapt quickly to operations targeted against them, moving recruitment and other activities away from mosques, where they know they are being watched, to other areas of operation. The disclosure comes after UK and US transport and security officials had grounded British Airways flight 223 to Washington’s Dulles International Airport on Thursday and Friday of last week after an intelligence tip-off that it was the target of an attack over the New Year holiday period. Wednesday’s flight had been intercepted by US fighter jets an hour from its destination.
If they'd wanted to go down, we'd have helped them down...
In recent months mounting evidence has emerged that the recruitment effort has been focused on disaffected members of communities that have been granted asylum in the UK and elsewhere, some of whom have been recruited for suicide operations in Iraq, including a number of British-based Islamist radicals.
Granted assylum, eh? If the United States was taken over by Islamists, or Nazis, or Communists, or Indymedia, and I had to find someplace to give me assylum, I'd feel grateful to my new home, rather than make war against it.
The Observer revealed last November that a martial arts expert from Sheffield was used in a suicide mission inside Iraq. In April, two British students staged a suicide attack in Tel Aviv, again using their British passports to reach their target in Israel.
Posted by: Dan Darling || 01/04/2004 2:48:30 PM || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  There's a difference between Nazis and Indymedia?

I certainly can't see any...

Ed.
Posted by: Ed Becerra || 01/04/2004 16:52 Comments || Top||

#2  The Nazis have spiffier uniforms.
Posted by: Fred || 01/04/2004 18:04 Comments || Top||

#3  And better hygiene.
Posted by: Seafarious || 01/04/2004 21:00 Comments || Top||

#4  The Nazis have spiffier uniforms.

Good point, Fred. I'm watching the History Channel's documentary on the Waffen SS.

Ed.
Posted by: Ed Becerra || 01/04/2004 21:28 Comments || Top||

#5 
They're especially looking for that "white meat"
I didn't think Islamists ate pork.

Oh, wait - sorry. That the other white meat. ;-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 01/04/2004 21:29 Comments || Top||


London is al-Qaeda HQ in Europe
LONDON’s key role as a command and control centre for Al-Qaeda’s European network since the September 11 terrorist attacks is revealed in leaked police transcripts. The documents, which form part a court case in Milan, detail bugged discussions between Al-Qaeda members on how to recruit and train new contingents of terrorists in Europe. The papers, translated and released by a branch of the American State Department, are the result of an 18-month investigation into Al-Qaeda’s overhaul of its European arm in the wake of September 11. The transcripts reveal that in June 2002 London was considered to be “the nerve centre” of the European network. Members could be smuggled in and out of Britain on false passports with apparent ease.
Something for Mr. Blunkett to work on, I'd think...
By March last year, however, a suspect recorded in an Italian police cell said that the British capital had become a “dangerous” place. Although senior members of the network have been arrested in Italy, Germany and Britain, officials said last week that the London cell of Osama Bin Laden’s organisation was still active and was being closely monitored.
The result of their chats with Abu Qatada, perhaps?
A Home Office spokesman said the admission that London had become more dangerous was a sign that the 500 arrests made in Britain since September 11 had “taken their toll” on the Al-Qaeda network.
That's always nice to hear. Feedback keeps the spirits up...
The court documents, part of the trial of seven Al-Qaeda suspects, reveal that after September 11 the network began to train a new army of suicide units, codenamed Force 9. Investigators say more than 200 terrorists were recruited. The man said to be the strategic brain behind the European network is Abu Musab Zarqawi, an Al-Qaeda leader who is believed to be based in Iran and is thought to have masterminded the suicide attacks in Turkey in November.
Quick, Ethel! My pills! The surprise... Gah!
According to one bugged conversation, the new recruits were mostly north Africans but also included middle-class Europeans. Some were described as “highly cultured foreigners” — non-Arabs.
Not the usual Paks and other riff-raff...
This profile matches that of Asif Hanif, 21, the British-born Asian student from Birmingham who blew himself up in a Tel Aviv nightclub in 2003, killing three people. Investigators believe that recent arrests have shut down recruitment for Al-Qaeda in western Europe although they suggest it may simply have moved eastwards to less efficiently policed countries.
That jives with the transcripts that Alphabet City had up and once again, we see that Zarqawi’s the pivot guy.
Posted by: Dan Darling || 01/04/2004 1:24:30 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I'm hoping what the suspect in the Italian cell meant by London getting 'dangerous' means that he was worried about getting killed (quietly, and with little fanfare).

Unfortunately, I doubt that's the case.
Posted by: Tony (UK) || 01/04/2004 15:58 Comments || Top||


Europe
Hundreds see fireballs fall from sky in Spain
Hundreds of witnesses have reported seeing fireballs cross the skies of northern Spain on Sunday local time in what authorities said may have been a disintegrating meteorite, Spanish radio said.
The bright flashes were spotted at around 6:00pm local time in a swathe across the northern half of Spain, from the eastern city of Valencia to the north-western pilgrimage site of Santiago de Compostela.
In some cases, objects were reported to have fallen to earth.
"I left the house at around 12 minutes to six - I heard a big explosion, like an earth tremor, and a white cloud of smoke formed around a nearby mountain which took a long time to disappear," a local official from the northern region of Palencia told the radio.
Civil Guard officials told the radio an object had plunged from the skies in the northern province of Leon.
Posted by: TS || 01/04/2004 11:30:48 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Tehran worshipers cry ’Death to France!’ over head scarves

Will he or won’t he?
That is, will Chiraq go down in history as the French President who only needed "a roar from Muslims, and the French would back off." to be known as the " When they say jump, I say how high?"
President.

TEHRAN Thousands of Muslim worshipers shouted "Death to France!" during weekly prayers here Friday in response to a sermon denouncing a proposal to prohibit Muslim schoolgirls in France from wearing head scarves.

Ayatollah Ahmad Janati called on Islamic countries to "threaten France with canceling contracts and to reconsider their relations with France" over the issue.

Last month, a committee of French experts recommended banning "conspicuous" religious insignia from state schools, which are secular. This would include the hijab, or head scarf, skullcaps and large crucifixes.

In a speech later, President Jacques Chirac of France came out in favor of the ban, which he wants written into law by the start of the next school year.

But Janati assured worshipers that all that was necessary was "a roar from Muslims, and the French would back off." He called on the French authorities to "let Muslim women express their freedom and carry out their religious obligations."

His comments were welcomed by shouts of "Death to France!"

Since Chirac spoke in favor of the ban on Dec. 17, Arab and Muslim countries have been voicing outrage, even if a few intellectuals dispute claims that Muslim women are bound by duty to wear the head scarf.

Numerous Iranian officials, including President Mohammad Khatami and nearly 200 members of Parliament, have already called on the French authorities to reject the ban.

Khatami said last week that the "hijab is a religious necessity and its restriction is a sign of a kind of extreme nationalistic tendency."

On Monday, 150 students, including women in the head-to-foot chador, protested in front of the French Embassy in Tehran shouting "Death to France!" and "Death to Chirac the Zionist!"

Posted by: tipper || 01/04/2004 9:36:45 PM || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Isn't it funny that Iran forces this "religious necessity" onto non-muslim women as well and now the turbans complain that other countries have other rules they enforce? Imagine Muslim women being forced to wear a crucifix or a scullcap?
Posted by: True German Ally || 01/04/2004 23:15 Comments || Top||


Men Held in Rome for Joking About Hijack
Three passengers aboard a KLM flight from Amsterdam to Rome were detained Sunday after one of them allegedly said the aircraft was being hijacked, then quickly said it was all a joke. "Yes, it was a joke, but in these times we don't find that kind of joke so funny," KLM spokesman Bart Koster told The Associated Press in Amsterdam. "We handed them directly over to Italian police and it's up to them what else will happen, if anything." The Italian news agency Apcom said the men were believed to be Egyptian, although their identities were still being checked.
Still sifting through their passport collections?
Apcom, citing investigators, said that toward the end of Flight 1501 one of the three men walked toward the cockpit and said "This is a hijacking," and immediately explained that he was joking.
"Stick 'em up, Mahmoud! Just joking, of course. Book 'im, Danno!"
"That's a joke, too, right?"
"Danno doesn't have a sense of humor."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 01/04/2004 10:11 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Good thing I wasn't on that plane, he would have had for starters whatever was near thrown at him.
Posted by: Anonymous2U || 01/04/2004 15:02 Comments || Top||

#2  All in good fun, of course...
Posted by: Fred || 01/04/2004 15:18 Comments || Top||

#3  W/a smile on my face and daggers in my eyes.
Posted by: Anonymous2U || 01/04/2004 21:20 Comments || Top||


Great White North
North American Muslims meet in Toronto to discuss concerns
Thousands of Muslims from across North America are in Toronto attending a conference designed to spark discussion around the issues of Muslim identity. Since Sept. 11, 2001, many Muslims have said they feel isolated and unfairly singled out by society and law enforcement.
Hey, wotta coincidence! Since 9-11 many of us infidels feel unfairly targeted by Muslims...
Aisha Khan is one of the thousands attending the conferences. "A lot of times you’re mostly like the only one wearing the hijab. You are a minority. But when you come here you feel like you’re not a minority and you’re making a statement in the community," she said.
Don't get any illusions. You're still a minority. The hijab's been out of fashion since about 800 A.D.
The conference is designed to talk about religious isolation and the Muslim culture in the post-Sept. 11 world. Lobby groups have long complained about unfair arrests of Muslims and how they are labelled as terrorists without supporting evidence.
Evidence that you haven’t seen. And if they don’t let you see it, you assume it isn’t there. And just how many Muslims have been arrested, without evidence???
Another concern is the assimilation of Muslims. Last month, French President Jacques Chirac asked the country’s Parliament for a law banning Islamic head scarves and other religious insignia in public schools and the workplace. The suggestion has outraged members of the community.
That was France, and this is Canada. Where’s the problem?
Jeewan Chanicka, one of the conference organizers, says Canadian Muslims can sometimes feel like second class citizens.
I sometimes feel like a third class citizen, especially when they make me pay $5000 a year for auto insurance even with a perfect driving record.
"A lot of Canadian Muslims feel that they are Muslims, but they need to justify being a Canadian. To live your daily life feeling that you have to apologize for events you are in no way connected to, that can carry its own amount of trauma."
You don’t have to apologize for something you didn’t do. Saying the 9-11 attacks were wrong would be nice though.
Key Muslim leaders and police representatives will spend the next three days addressing some of those concerns.
I eagerly anticipate the final report.
Posted by: RW2004 || 01/04/2004 3:34:13 PM || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Concerns of North American Muslims:

1. We're concerned our compatriots in the Middle East and Southeast Asia misjudged the moral resolution of President Bush, PM Blair, and PM Howard et al.

2. We're concerned our friends on the Left are too weak to halt the war on terror in the near future.

3. We're concerned that portions of the West appear prepared to actually defend their civilization this time around.

4. We're concerned that our previous strategy of calling critics of Islam racists is no longer preventing further criticism of the jihad.

5. We're concerned that too many people are actually reading and understanding translations of what the Koran really says.

6. We're concerned that too many people are becoming aware of the content of our true message; of what we have been preaching and teaching to our children through our mosques and schools.

7. We're concerned we may not develop the Islamic Bomb in time to prevent the USA from it's plan to oppose imposition of worldwide Sharia.

8. We're concerned that we've blown two attempts to take out Perv in Pakistan and that he may feel forced to align himself completely against the radical clerics.

9. We're concerned Iraq and Afghanistan might actually turn to democracy rather than Sharia.

10. We're concerned that Al Qaeda's weekly threat to break the back of the infidel is starting to sound a little lame.

11. We're concerned our ability to influence the dhimmi EU leadership may be on the wane.

12. We're concerned our ability to influence world events through the United Nations may be on the wane.

13. We're concerned our ability to finance terrorism through the efficient use of the international banking system may be on the wane.
Posted by: Mark || 01/04/2004 18:08 Comments || Top||

#2  Right now the US is fighting the WoT with one hand tied behind its back, with little pigmies with thorns around its ankles. Al-Q and the Islamist have changed their tactics to booming places like SA and Turkey. That will start the slow tide turn. But one hit somewhere in Europe and Mark's comments above will be mild concerns to the wrath of western civilization when it gets its collective head out of its ass.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 01/04/2004 18:39 Comments || Top||

#3  Alaska Paul:
A co-worker was downplaying the threat of terror, and denouncing airline security. I reminded him that he drove over a bridge every morning, which saved him over 40 minutes of driving, and asked: what would be your state of mind if Muslim terrorists destroyed that bridge? He declined to reply directly, but in later conversations he took a much harder line toward Islamofascism. It sunk in. Attitude change is gradual, but people are becoming more prepared to sacrifice freedom of conduct, if security will preserve general interests, including other freedoms. If you are suggesting that the WoT is not being sold well, then I agree. A bi-monthly (or so) speech in defense of policy is not going to sink in. Someone is failing when atheistic communists are allying with Islamofascists. How would Indymedia resolve be effected if members learned of the implications of Islamofascist constitutionalism? Leftists are hardly tolerated in the Saudi entity.
Posted by: Vlad the Muslim Impaler || 01/04/2004 20:00 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Enemies in high places
It’s no secret that Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants want Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf dead. Last Sept. 11, bin Laden’s top deputy, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, addressed a special message to "our brother Muslims in Pakistan." He called Musharraf "a traitor who sold out the blood of the Muslims of Afghanistan," and urged Pakistanis to overthrow the general as part of their "Islamic duty." Now it seems clear that someone with access to disturbingly detailed intelligence is trying to do just that. Over an 11-day period last month, would-be assassins managed twice to penetrate Musharraf’s tight security cordon and detonate powerful bombs. The first obliterated a bridge seconds after the president had whizzed by. Days later, two suicide bombers died attempting to ram Musharraf’s convoy. Pakistani intelligence forces have already identified one of the bombers: Muhammad Jamil, 23, had ties to Kashmiri militant groups and anti-U.S. forces. But exactly which group he was working for and how he learned the president’s route and schedule is a harder—and more significant—mystery to solve.
I think we're all pretty well acquainted with Mahmoud the Weasel in his many incarnations by now. In this one he wears a uniform and carries a swagger stick by day, and wears a turban by night. He's a member, though not a functionary, of JI...
Musharraf has a long list of enemies. The general gained the presidency—and control of the Islamic world’s only nuclear arsenal—in a 1999 coup d’etat, then enraged militant Muslims when he dumped the Taliban and reduced official support for Kashmiri jihadists. More recently, Musharraf’s peace overtures to India have infuriated hard-liners in the military. A regional summit meeting in Islamabad this week, including Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, may anger them more. "We all want to be the one to cut out this cancer that is killing our Islamic struggles in Pakistan," Javed Alizai, a Pakistani from Punjab province and a veteran of jihads in Afghanistan and Kashmir, boasted recently to NEWSWEEK.
Neither of which, we might add, is actually a part of Pakistan...
The precise nature of the recent assassination attempts suggests at least some level of cooperation from someone with closely held security information—perhaps a disgruntled member of the military.
I'd put that likelihood at around 99 percent...
Jamil himself has been linked with an outlawed militant group called Jaish-e-Mohammed. He was arrested in late 2001 fighting alongside anti-U.S. forces in Afghanistan, and later released—first by the Afghan government, then by Pakistani intelligence. The bombings came just when Musharraf had reached a critical compromise with Islamic foes in the Parliament. With support from Islamists, he won a long-sought vote of confidence and key constitutional amendments after he agreed to resign from the Army by the end of 2004 and serve out the remainder of his term as a civilian. Whoever orchestrated the attacks was apparently unimpressed. Jamil and his partner attempted to blow up Musharraf the very next day.
Gee. Golly. Gosh. Y'don't think the two might be connected?
Posted by: Dan Darling || 01/04/2004 7:56:09 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Gee, what a mystery. Of course, the Islamoid asscracks he just finished negotiating with just couldn't have set him up. At least, not without a few good moles.

Uneasy sits the butt, baby.
Posted by: mojo || 01/04/2004 20:27 Comments || Top||


Nuke brochure adds to Perv’s woes
He just can’t get a break, can he?
Pakistan faced embarrassment yesterday with the publication of a sales brochure from its top-secret nuclear facility, apparently hawking technology and components to would-be nuclear powers.
Ohfergawdsake.
The brochure from the AQ Khan Research Laboratories, the centre of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons programme, has an official-looking seal on the cover saying "Government of Pakistan". Its publication in The New York Times yesterday undercuts Islamabad’s claims that any transfer of its nuclear technology to rogue states has been the work of individuals.
"Undercut" is putting it mildly...
It also highlights the dilemma of President George W Bush’s administration over how to tackle a country that is an ally in the fight against global terrorism and yet also increasingly appears to be at the centre of the murky world of nuclear proliferation. Pakistan last month conceded that its technology and expertise may have helped the nuclear programmes of "rogue" states, including Iran and North Korea and possibly Libya, but blamed this on individuals motivated by "ambition or greed". Yesterday’s leak, on the eve of important talks between India and Pakistan, prompted speculation in Pakistan that it was deliberately timed to put pressure on President Pervaiz Musharraf to make concessions over the long-running dispute over Kashmir.
Deliberately timed by whom? Sure was convenient that they happened to have a copy of it, wasn't it?
The brochure carries a photograph of the "father" of the Pakistani nuclear bomb, Abdul Qadeer Khan, and will once again draw attention to the shadowy international marketing role of the mastermind of Pakistan’s three-decade-old nuclear project. Mr Khan was formerly a leading figure at the Khan Research Laboratories in Kahuta, where Pakistan’s own bomb was developed. This has been linked to the transfer of nuclear expertise and technology to Iran in the 1980s and 1990s and North Korea as recently as 2002. Pakistan’s foreign ministry said last month that Mr Khan was one of four nuclear scientists being "debriefed" after Iran told the United Nations nuclear watchdog that it obtained uranium enrichment centrifuges, a vital part of nuclear weaponry, from Pakistan in the late 1980s.
"Now, lookee here, Abdul Qadeer: make sure you get yer story straight this time! No more slip-ups! And where the hell are those expensive brochures you had printed up? None of them were mailed out, were they?"
Mr Khan, who is believed to have visited North Korea 13 times since 1997, is a hero in Pakistan and his history of religious statements has led to his lionisation by the Islamist parties that snap at Gen Musharraf’s heels. "All Western countries," Mr Khan was once quoted as saying, "are not only the enemies of Pakistan but in fact of Islam."
I've been coming to that conclusion myself lately...
According to The New York Times, before Pakistan tested its first bomb in 1998, Mr Khan and his colleagues began publishing papers on making and testing uranium centrifuges that in the West would have been deemed highly classified. Administration officials have long repeated claims by their Pakistani counterparts that their nuclear export industry, if it ever existed, is now over. But the publication of the brochure further undermines the credibility of those assurances. Mr Bush has made the fight against nuclear proliferation a goal of his presidency but, like his three predecessors, has shrunk from criticising Pakistan for fear of destabilising an ally. He has never cited Pakistan’s laboratories in the context of proliferation and publicly remains stalwart in his support for Gen Musharraf.
The while maintaining diplomatic pressure on them and trying to steer them into civilized ways. There's a time for hollering at people and a time for coaxing them.
Posted by: Dan Darling || 01/04/2004 7:47:41 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "Call 1-800-NEW-NUKE today!"
Posted by: mojo || 01/04/2004 20:29 Comments || Top||

#2  I'm waiting for AQ Khan to start running late-night infomercials for his discount nuclear home defense kit.
Posted by: Robert Crawford || 01/04/2004 20:30 Comments || Top||


Iraq
US helicopter attack suspects arrested
US troops in Iraq have arrested suspects for the downing of a Blackhawk helicopter in Mosul in mid-November. Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, the coalition’s deputy director of operations, said on Sunday those arrested are "highly suspected of leading a cell that shot down a UH 60 Blackhawk helicopter on 15 November." He didn’t give further details.
Posted by: TS || 01/04/2004 8:45:49 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Three Terrs Wacked
During the past 24 hours, the 82nd Airborne Division and subordinate elements, also known as Task Force “All-American,” conducted 167 patrols, five of which were joint patrols with Iraqis, and carried out five offensive operations. During these operations, three enemy personnel were killed and 70 were captured. Entry was denied to 225 people at the border crossing at Trebil – all due to insufficient documentation. No one was turned away at Tanif, Husaybh, or Ar Ar.

Operation Market Sweep, an offensive operation that occurred in 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division’s area, was a cordon and search aimed at capturing weapons dealers and confiscating weapons in a suspected arms market in Fallujah. The operation resulted in the capture of 55 enemies, including five targeted individuals. The soldiers confiscated three 60-millimeter mortars, four 82-millimeter mortars, 400 mortar fuses, 160 mortar rounds of various sizes, 184 rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) rounds, 80 RPG boosters, four RPG launchers, seven AT-5 missiles, two Milan AT missiles, 18 57-millimeter rockets, four rockets, 17 pre-made improvised explosive devices (IEDs), four cases of TNT, 105 small arms weapons, over 8,500 rounds of ammunition, 244 grenades, and four Italian mines.
Man! They coulda bagged some elk with that stuff!
The success of the mission will greatly improve the security of elk in the Fallujah region and create a safer environment for Coalition soldiers and the area’s residents.

In another operation, paratroopers from 3rd Brigade conducted a cordon and search in a small town named Al Zedon. The operation was carried out with the local Iraqi police and resulted in the confiscation of 200 RPG rounds, eight RPG launchers, three 155-millimeter artillery rounds, 64 14-millimeter rounds, 60 60-millimeter charges, and 5,800 machine gun rounds. In 3rd Armored Calvary Regiment's area, soldiers discovered a cache site along the Euphrates River near Haditha. The cache consisted of 12 AK-47s, an RPK, and a 4-pound bag of gunpowder. The equipment was confiscated and the unit established overwatch to observe the cache site. Later that night, during hours of curfew, three personnel arrived at the cache site and were engaged with direct fire, which killed all three.
Posted by: Chuck || 01/04/2004 6:38:17 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  We're getting better and better at this.
Posted by: RMcLeod || 01/05/2004 0:35 Comments || Top||


Iraqi, Lebanese, Jordanian agreement to return one billion dollars to Iraq
The Iraqi minister of finance, Kamel al-Keilani, announced that the Iraqi ministry of finance reached an agreement with Lebanon and Jordan to restore back frozen assets worth one billion dollars, noting that there are negotiations with Syria to this effect. The Iraqi daily al-Zamman quoted al-Keilani as saying that an agreement was finalized with each of the two states to restore back 500 million from Lebanon and 500 million from Jordan." He added that the ministry will restore back this sum in "payments." Al-Keilani continued "we will negotiate with Syria in the future on means of transferring certain Iraqi assets." But he did not specify the volume of these assets.
They're going to pay it in "payments"? Does that mean they snagged the money for themselves and now they have to make it up? Remind me to never put my money in an Arab bank.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 01/04/2004 10:50 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


CIA setting up secret Iraqi police to combat Saddam loyalists
Nearly a year after the ouster of Saddam Hussein's regime and his Mukhabarat [intelligence] officials, Iraq is expected to have a secret police force again — this time, courtesy of Washington, according to the British Sunday Telegraph.
If true, either the description is melodramatic or the U.S. is indulging in a very bad idea...
The Bush administration is expected to fund the new agency in the latest initiative to "root out Baathist regime loyalists behind the continuing insurgency in parts of Iraq". According to the report, the force will cost up to $3 billion over the next three years in money allocated from the same part of the federal budget that finances the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The report added that its ranks are set to be taken from Iraqi exile groups, Kurdish and Shiite forces — in addition to former Mukhabarat agents who are currently working for the Americans. Meanwhile, CIA officers in Baghdad are expected to play a prominent role in directing their operations. A former US intelligence officer familiar with the plan said, "If successfully set up, the group would work in tandem with American forces but would have its own structure and relative independence. It could be expected to be fairly ruthless in dealing with the remnants of Saddam."
But will it be a police agency or a return to the Mukhabarat? As long as it stays out of the extrajudicial stuff — the time for that has passed in Iraq — it will retain its legitimacy. But I guarantee it'll provide fodder for AI and HWR and similar groups, most of them with anti-U.S. agendas...
The secret police will be the "latest security force created by the US and its Iraqi political allies in an attempt to quell the insurgency". According to officials in Washington, the new agency could eventually number 10,000. During the initial stage, at least, salaries will be paid by the CIA, which has 275 officers on the ground in Iraq, the report said.
This is a development that will bear watching...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 01/04/2004 10:41 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I believe that the terror is not being conducted by ex-Baathists, but by Muslim terrorist cells, loosely organized but supporters of al-Qaeda. Bin Laden/al-Hawali/al-Awdah audiotapes are openly peddled all over the Muslim world. Polls indicate 40-60% support for al-Qaeda.
Posted by: Vlad the Muslim Impaler || 01/04/2004 14:59 Comments || Top||

#2  Old news from an unreliable source. Some guy in Vanity Fair, as I recall, about a month ago. Note it cites an anonymous former intel officer. Can't get much more reliable than that [/sarcasm].
Posted by: Chuck || 01/04/2004 18:33 Comments || Top||

#3  Not another Sy Hersh exclusive?
Posted by: Fred || 01/04/2004 19:41 Comments || Top||

#4  "Secret police" could also mean the equivalent to our Secret Service or FBI.
Posted by: Robert Crawford || 01/04/2004 20:32 Comments || Top||


Blair Arrives in Iraq to Visit Troops
British Prime Minister Tony Blair made a surprise visit to southern Iraq on Sunday to thank British troops for their part in the war. Blair, whose political fortunes have wavered due to his backing of the war, flew into Iraq's second-largest city by military aircraft from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheik, where he was on vacation with his family.
Cheeze. I hope he didn't fly in on a French charter...
During the daylong visit, he was scheduled to meet military commanders and give a speech to some of the 10,000 British troops stationed in and around Basra.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 01/04/2004 10:21 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Southeast Asia
Attackers burn school, kill 4 Thai soldiers
Four Thai soldiers were killed during a raid on a military compound in southern Thailand. The attack came after 18 schools were set on fire in the same area.
Sounds like Islamists to me...
The four soldiers were killed early Sunday morning while guarding an army depot in the southern region of Narathiwat, more than 1,100 kilometers from Bangkok. The attackers stole dozens of weapons. The attack followed arson attacks that damaged 18 schools in the area. No one was injured in the school fires.
"Keep 'em ignorant, Mahmoud! Keep 'em ignorant. Go burn down their schools and tell Riyadh we need more Korans..."
A Thai Army spokesman said a group of 30 attackers launched a series of attacks in nine districts of two provinces, Narathiwat and Yala, both near the border with neighboring Malaysia. Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra cut short a vacation to call for an urgent meeting with security agencies. The attack marks a fresh round of violence in the largely Muslim south of Thailand. About 10 percent of Thailand’s population is Muslim, with most Muslims living in the southern provinces.
It's the most disruptive 10 percent...
The region saw Muslim insurgency two decades ago. Some remnants of insurgent groups are now alleged to be involved in criminal gangs, extortion, and illegal trade between Thailand and neighboring Malaysia. Since 2001, the region was hit by a wave of attacks on railways, government offices and military and police weapons depots, which left more than 50 soldiers, police officers and civilians dead. Authorities say they are mounting a wide search operation for suspects in Sunday’s attack, and have contacted neighboring Malaysia for help in keeping the attackers from crossing the border.
Posted by: Dan Darling || 01/04/2004 4:11:21 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Mohammed Jamal Khalifa still a free man in the Philippines
MOHAMAD Jamal Khalifa is the brother-in-law of Osama bin Laden. He is accused of helping to spread Al-Qaeda’s reach in the region in the late 1980s as head of the International Islamic Research Organisation’s (Iiro) Philippine operations, a Saudi charity now under watch.
Who’s watch? Nayef’s?
The Philippine authorities say they have ’substantial information’ that Khalifa ’recruited militants and gave financial support to Muslim extremist groups fighting the government’. Yet, they say they have no case against him and he is not a wanted man in the country.
Why?
The case shows the challenges the authorities face in the war on terrorism. Often, evidence strong enough to hold up in a court of law is inadequate. Few people dare to testify against suspected terrorists.
Especially not Binny’s brother-in-law, it would seem.
Khalifa, who now runs a seafood restaurant in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, told The Straits Times that he became director of Iiro’s Manila office in 1988 but quit in 1994 to return to the kingdom. The Iiro, he said, did humanitarian work, setting up clinics and schools. He denied that it had anything to do with militancy.
"No, no! Certainly not!"
’The people have forgotten all the good work I did and are making these allegations without any proof,’ he said.
"The witnesses are all dead, ain't they?"
But Colonel Rodolfo Mendoza, a counter-terrorism expert for the Philippine National Police, said: ’We have substantial information that he engaged in activities inimical to the country’s interests.’ The authorities said Khalifa used the Iiro as a legal front for his activities in the Philippines. ’He was responsible for linking local extremists to the financial machinery of the Al-Qaeda. He helped spread radical Islam in the southern Philippines,’ Col Mendoza said. ’He had a legitimate cover, which he used to transfer funds to the MILF and the Abu Sayyaf, and to receive funding from foreign groups.’ The 12,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is the country’s largest rebel group while the Abu Sayyaf is a ragtag group of about 200 Muslim extremists notorious for kidnapping people for ransom. One of the projects financed by Khalifa is an orphanage for the children of slain MILF rebels in the southern Philippines. The UN Monitoring Group said in its report that the Iiro’s office in Zamboanga city reportedly served as the coordinating centre for secessionist Islamic activities during the early 1990s. Yet, enforcement agencies have not moved against Khalifa because they lack direct evidence, said Col Mendoza. ’No case was ever filed against him and nobody has come forward to testify,’ he said.
Besides, he's back in Jedda, safe and sound, and the Soddies aren't going to extradite him, anyway...
Dr Zachary Abuza, who has written a book on Militant Islam In South-east Asia, believes that the problem lies in inadequate monitoring mechanisms. ’Khalifa walked that fine line between legal and illicit activities because the end-use of funds was not being adequately monitored.’ The lesson was, simply, that there had to be better accounting of such firms in the region, Dr Abuza said.
Posted by: Dan Darling || 01/04/2004 3:26:11 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Philippine Gym Explosion Kills at Least 8
A bomb exploded Sunday at a packed basketball game in the southern Philippines, killing at least eight people and wounding more than 40, including the town mayor. Authorities said he was the likely target of the attack. Police officer Sharifa Irijani said she counted at least 10 bodies when she arrived at the municipal gymnasium in the town of Parang. Scores of people were injured, including the 11-month-old daughter of a policewoman. In Manila, National Police spokesman Senior Supt. Joel Goltiao said at least eight people were confirmed dead and 43 others were wounded, including two police. "The impact was so strong that many were hit by shrapnel and the vehicles outside, including the mayor's car, were heavily damaged," Irijani said in a telephone interview. She said Mayor Vivencio Bataga, who had already survived three attempts on his life, was talking to someone just outside the gym when the blast occurred.
Somebody get Perv a blanket. He seems to be shivering...
Although authorities said the bomb was planted on a motorcycle parked in front of the gymnasium, Irijani said many of the victims were hit by shrapnel inside the gymnasium, which had a roof but no walls. Others were hurt in the stampede, she said. Witnesses said the spectators were mostly teenagers. Bloodstains, rubber sandals, T-shirts and twisted metal from vehicles littered the blast site. It was unclear what kind of explosive was used or who was behind the blast.
Lemme see, here. Southern Philippines. Explosion kills eight. Oh, who could it possibly be?
Bataga, a tough-talking former army officer, had blamed political rivals or drug syndicates in September for a bomb explosion in front of a local church where he was attending Mass with his family. One of his bodyguards was slightly injured. Unidentified men had earlier fired a rocket-propelled grenade that missed Bataga's vehicle, and in April, a bomb exploded while he was in a public market. Aside from fighting drug dealers in Parang, a predominantly Muslim coastal town 515 miles south of Manila, Bataga is also a vocal critic of Muslim separatist guerrillas in the area.
"So yez see," said Eid Kabalu, "it wudn't us. They wuz actin' in their capacity as political rivals or drug dealers!"
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 01/04/2004 10:08 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Terror Networks
Osama tape blasts peace efforts?
The Al-Jazeera satellite channel broadcast an audiotape Sunday purportedly from al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, in which he urged Muslims to continue fighting a holy war in Iraq and the Middle East rather than co-operate with peace efforts. The speaker, who referred to recent events - including the December capture of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein - called on Muslims to "continue the jihad to check the conspiracies that are hatched against the Islamic nation." He said the U.S.-led war against Iraq was the beginning of the "occupation" of Persian Gulf states for their oil.
C’mon...lacks originality.
"My message is to incite you against the conspiracies, especially those uncovered by the occupation of the crusaders in Baghdad under the pretext of weapons of mass destruction, and also the situation in (Jerusalem) under the deceptions of the road map and the Geneva initiative," the speaker said... Ibrahim Hilal, Al-Jazeera’s editor-in-chief, told The Associated Press the network received the message Sunday. However, he declined to reveal how it was delivered.
"’tis our little secret"
The original message was 47 minutes long, but the network aired only 14, Hilal said.
It was that boring huh?
In those excerpts, the speaker urged Muslims to "liberate the Islamic world from the military occupation of the Crusaders." The speaker criticized leaders of Muslim nations for refusing to pressure the United States on the Palestinian issue and for not supporting the Palestinian resistance. He also criticized Persian Gulf countries for receiving members of the Iraqi Governing Council. "The deterioration of the situation of Arabs and Muslims is in ignoring Islam as a basic program for rule," the speaker said, while calling for establishing a council to replace the Arab rulers and unify Arab positions. He also called Middle East issues part of a religious and economic war, saying the "big powers" were trying to control the region for its oil.
Again. C’mon guy, think of something new.
"The occupation of Iraq is the beginning of the full occupation of the other Gulf states. . . . The Gulf is the key for control of the world in the point of view of the big powers because of the presence of the biggest deposits of oil and sand." Hilal said he was certain the voice on the tape was bin Laden’s. "It is bin Laden’s superb and special Arabic language that is very hard to emulate," Hilal said. "It is undoubtedly his voice, his style, and the typical examples from history he uses."
Pathetic. What was it that Marshall McLuhan said, "the medium is the message" or something like that...
Posted by: RW2004 || 01/04/2004 8:20:38 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The original message was 47 minutes long, but the network aired only 14, Hilal said.

The missing 33 minutes probably consist of other people trying to imitate bin Laden's voice, and the occasional request to pass the Cheetos.
Posted by: Robert Crawford || 01/04/2004 20:36 Comments || Top||

#2  Perhaps the remaining 33 minutes addressed plans which never came to fruition, hence Al-Jazeera never aired them (don't want the sponsors looking bad). In this case they'd make interesting listening for our intelligence services (and I'd be very surprised if we didn't have some backdoor into Al-Jazeera by which a legit copy could be obtained).
Posted by: Lux || 01/04/2004 21:03 Comments || Top||

#3  One of the Iraqi bloggers has an interesting take - no "tirade" against the US - it's against muslims because they're not doing what they're supposed to be doing.
Posted by: Anonymous2U || 01/04/2004 21:14 Comments || Top||

#4  Perhaps there's one, long, 1440-minute master copy thet Al-jeez keeps on hand. Once in a while they release a segment to boost sagging ratings.
Posted by: RW2004 || 01/04/2004 21:16 Comments || Top||


Reason Behind All Those Flight Cancellations
Well, this is cute (if true), via Instapundit
THE panic gripping passenger flights on both sides of the Atlantic was sparked by the discovery of an al-Qaida plot to simultaneously hijack several planes and crash them into key US sites.
The little darlings just never give up, do they? I didn’t know "The Little Engine That Could" had been translated into Arabic.
Top of the list was the White House but the terrorists also aimed to hit nuclear power stations on the US East Coast, unspecified targets in Los Angeles and the giant Valdez oil terminal in Alaska in an attack as spectacular as the September 11, 2001, hijackings. US and British intelligence operatives learnt of the plot from a tip-off on the weekend before Christmas, according to Britain’s Sunday Times newspaper. The informant said Islamic fanatics planned to hijack flights operated by British Airways, Air France and Mexico’s national carrier, AeroMexico.
That ’splains a lot.
The warning explains the 10 groundings of airliners in Europe and the US during the festive break, including two in a row of BA223 – the afternoon flight between London and Washington. British security chiefs were last night in the midst of an intense manhunt for two al-Qaida operatives they believe "intended to board Flight 223 wearing shoe-bombs".
Another source said they would be hiding the bombs in a more intimate place, but we won’t go there...
They also believe the would-be hijackers may be carrying legitimate UK, US or other Euro passports in an attempt to evade stringent security checks. Another theory being pursued is that an extremist may have infiltrated the ranks of airline pilots.
I’d believe that.
As a result, investigators will screen all pilots flying into the US.
Good idea; let’s start with the Muslims countries, and France.
Revelations of terrorist leader Osama bin Laden’s latest audacious plot came after a court in Milan, Italy, heard of London’s key role in his terror network. Leaked police transcripts were released to the court showing that as recently as June, 2002, al-Qaida considered the British capital to be the organisation’s European "nerve centre". Members could be smuggled in and out of Britain on false passports with apparent ease.
Just gives you a warm, cozy feeling, doesn’t it? Can’t question or profile any foreigners. PC at work!
But by last March, London was considered "dangerous", perhaps reflecting a major crackdown that led to 500 arrests of terror suspects since September 11. Not bad - only took a couple of years.
The documents formed part of a dossier against seven al-Qaida suspects on trial in the Italian city. According to one bugged conversation, al-Qaida’s new recruits are mostly North Africans but a number are middle-class Europeans, including some "highly cultured foreigners" or non-Arabs.
You’re entitled to your opinion, bubby, but "highly cultured" and "suicide bomber" don’t go together in the normal world.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut bskolaut@hotmail.com || 01/04/2004 4:26:33 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Nuts. Forgot to credit Prof. Reynolds with the pointer. Again.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 01/04/2004 16:27 Comments || Top||

#2  "highly cultured" could mean they can read.
Posted by: Stephen || 01/04/2004 18:43 Comments || Top||

#3  No, "highly cultured" in that context means they have the Koran memorized. Being able to read might mean they get exposed to corrupting ideas, like slavery being bad or women being completely human.
Posted by: Robert Crawford || 01/04/2004 20:37 Comments || Top||

#4 
via Instapundit
Thanks, Fred!
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 01/04/2004 21:26 Comments || Top||

#5  Another source said they would be hiding the bombs in a more intimate place, but we won’t go there...

Sure we will. One of the supposed hijackers was going to hide 8 to 12 ounces of plastic explosive in her vagina. When the plane was over DC she was going to use the restroom, pull it out and detonate it, bringing the plane down.

Though why she would use the restroom is beyond me -- too embarrassed to let anyone she her bottom, but not so embarrassed as to blow the plane?
Posted by: Steve White || 01/04/2004 22:25 Comments || Top||

#6  It makes sense, Steve. Had the shoe bomber tried his thing in the restroom nobody would have noticed in time.

As for the rest... We have to take off our shoes already before boarding a plane!
Posted by: True German Ally || 01/04/2004 23:33 Comments || Top||


Binny to weigh in on the capture of Saddam Hussein
Qatar-based Al-Jazeera television said it will air a new audiotape of Osama bin Laden on Sunday night local time, in which he refers to the December 13 capture of ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. "The audiotape contains new things — it refers to the Geneva Initiative [an unofficial Israeli-Palestinian peace plan unveiled in early December] and the capture of Saddam Hussein on December 13," Al-Jazeera editor Ibrahim Hilal said. Mr Hilal said the voice purported to be that of bin Laden will also refer to the "[US] crusade against the Islamic world".
Posted by: Dan Darling || 01/04/2004 3:28:30 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  hmmm no video cameras available any more? He's protein paste in a Tora Bora cave
Posted by: Frank G || 01/04/2004 15:33 Comments || Top||

#2  I thought al-Qaeda were only distributing the next OBL tape after their 'back breaking' terror blitz??

They must have an entire catalogue of OBL tapes for any occasion...
Posted by: Lux || 01/04/2004 15:38 Comments || Top||

#3  Why do they wait until a certain date or time to broadcast the tape? They're not treating this like news, they're treating it like a combination propaganda tape and entertainment show.
Posted by: Phil Fraering || 01/04/2004 17:21 Comments || Top||

#4  "Mr. Hilal said the voice purported to be that of bin Laden"...bore a distinct similarity to that of Daffy Duck.

(Apologies to Joe Alasky the voice of DD)
Posted by: Mark || 01/04/2004 17:24 Comments || Top||

#5  They've probably Binny on tapes discussing "the recent invasion of Syria" or "the bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities", etc. We can only hope they get to use 'em.
Posted by: PBMcL || 01/04/2004 17:38 Comments || Top||

#6  They're not treating this like news, they're treating it like a combination propaganda tape and entertainment show.

That's because al-Jizz is the fully-owned propaganda arm of the International Jihad.
Posted by: Robert Crawford || 01/04/2004 18:18 Comments || Top||

#7  The Qatari interior minister is on bin Laden's payroll and has shilled for both Khalid and Zarqawi in the past. My guess is that he's the reason these tapes keep getting floated to Qatar.
Posted by: Dan Darling || 01/04/2004 19:26 Comments || Top||


Informant sez al-Qaeda planned terror blitz
THE panic gripping passenger flights on both sides of the Atlantic was sparked by the discovery of an al-Qaida plot to simultaneously hijack several aircraft and crash them into key US sites. Top of the list was the White House, but the terrorists also aimed to hit nuclear power stations on the US east coast, unspecified targets in Los Angeles and the giant Valdez oil terminal in Alaska. American and British intelligence operatives learned of the plot from a tip-off on the weekend before Christmas. The informant said Islamic fanatics planned to hijack flights operated by British Airways, Air France and AeroMexico. The warning explains the 10 groundings of airliners in Europe and America during the festive break, including two in a row of BA223 — the afternoon flight between London and Washington. British security agents were last night conducting an intense manhunt for two al-Qaida operatives they believe intended to board flight 223 wearing shoe-bombs. They also believe the would-be hijackers may be carrying legitimate US, British, or other Euro passports in a bid to evade stringent security checks. Another theory is that an extremist may have infiltrated the ranks of airline pilots. US investigators will screen all pilots flying into America in a bid to uncover any such deadly mole. British foreign intelligence agency MI6 is sifting through more than 150 terrorist threats a day as world authorities grapple with the biggest perceived threat to security since September 11.
Posted by: Dan Darling || 01/04/2004 3:00:49 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Sudden movement of al-Qaeda across the ME sparked alert
Debka ran a story remarkably similar to this a little while ago, so I guess one of their wilder reports wasn’t so wild after all.
THE sudden movement of large numbers of highly trained al-Qaeda terrorists across the Middle East triggered the panic over possible attacks on Western aircraft which led to the grounding of international flights to the United States last week. The Sunday Herald has learned that the US raised its terror alert to Code Orange – the second highest level – on December 21 when Washington discovered that trained al-Qaeda terrorists had been leaving their strongholds and hideouts in the Hadhramouth area east of the Yemeni capital of Sanaa. The operatives have moved north and west bearing large quantities of shoulder-launched ground-to-air missiles, a selection of other weapons and a variety of explosives. This came as US homeland security chief Tom Ridge spoke of substantially increased intelligence that extremists were planning an attack to surpass the 9/11 atrocities.

The terrorists then moved into two areas of Saudi Arabia: Najran and Jizran, Osama bin Laden’s homeland. Terrorists in Najran are thought to be planning missions inside Saudi, while those in Jizran are believed to be readying themselves to move overseas. Jizran has a number of ports, ideal to move men and weapons out of the country. Both areas would allow terrorists to quickly disperse across the Middle East, Persian Gulf and east Africa. Many are thought to have already left Saudi to pursue their targets. Some may also have used unmarked, privately owned aircraft to transport themselves and weapons out of Saudi. The terrorists are said to have “crept” past Saudi, Yemeni and undercover US special forces on the Saudi-Yemen border.

The number and identity of the al-Qaeda operatives is not known, nor are the locations they are heading towards. That has caused panic and chaos for airline companies and intelligence agencies trying to red-flag the terrorists if they try to board civilian aircraft bound for the West. Just a few days ago, the Italian newspaper Il Giornale carried a front-page story with the headline “Al-Qaeda: We will destroy New York within 35 days”. The threat was contained, the paper said, in a video clip on a website run by al-Qaeda, which was blocked and then removed by the FBI. The threat seemed to hint that some sort of nuclear dirty bomb would be used . The newspaper is viewed as the flagship paper of Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi. New Year celebrations in New York, Rome, Moscow, London and Las Vegas were all carried out under intense security.
Posted by: Dan Darling || 01/04/2004 2:54:55 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Navy seizes another drug boat with $11 million in hashish
"Awww, man! They got my whole stash!"
The U.S. Navy has seized another small boat carrying drugs near the Persian Gulf after interrogating smugglers with suspected links to the al-Qaida terrorist network, the military announced Friday.
"Hiya, there, matey! Say! That's a really neat turban y'got. Let's have a little talk!"
The boat seized on New Year’s Day was the fourth drug-smuggling vessel intercepted by Americans in the past two weeks in or near the Persian Gulf. Pentagon officials say they believe all four boats, which were carrying hashish, heroin and methamphetamines, are part of a drug smuggling operation which funnels money to Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network. An American search of the boat, a wooden vessel called a dhow, found about 2,800 pounds of hashish with an estimated street value of $11 million, according to a statement from the Navy’s 5th Fleet, based in Bahrain. U.S. Navy ships including the USS Port Royal, USS Peleliu and USS Germantown stopped the boat Thursday in the northern Arabian Sea, said Cmdr. James Graybeal, a 5th Fleet spokesman. Searchers found the drugs Friday under blocks of ice and in hidden compartments in the vessel, he said.
"Kewl!
"No, cool!"
Fifteen people aboard the dhow are being held by the Navy aboard the Peleliu, an amphibious assault ship which carries the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
Posted by: Dan Darling || 01/04/2004 1:26:03 PM || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  So is that stuff shipping out of Iran? Destination SA?
Posted by: Lucky || 01/04/2004 16:41 Comments || Top||

#2 
Fifteen people aboard the dhow are being held
They managed to get 15 people and 2,800 pounds of hash on a dhow? I didn't think those boats were that big.

Maybe the Navy suspected them because the boat was so low in the water. :-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 01/04/2004 17:45 Comments || Top||

#3  Here is a picture and description of the tub that the USS Decater intercepted recently. No sails, like the Dhows of Yore™.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 01/04/2004 19:42 Comments || Top||

#4  A/P: The dhow is riding high. It looks like there are prop strike splashes in the wake. I wonder if the Navy boarding crew dumped all the usual rock ballast? Without the ballast, the dhow wouldn't survive even a medium lumpy seaway. I wonder why the Navy didn't just sling it out onto the deck of one of their larger ships?
Posted by: Rivrdog || 01/05/2004 0:21 Comments || Top||


Middle East
One injured in Istanbul bomb blast
One person sustained minor injuries when a home-made bomb exploded in front of an office belonging to Turkey’s governing party in Istanbul on Sunday, the Anatolia News Agency reported.The explosion also blew out the windows of some buildings near the offices of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the Umraniye district on the city’s European side.
Posted by: TS || 01/04/2004 10:06:32 PM || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  You lie down with dogs....
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 01/04/2004 22:17 Comments || Top||


International
Don’t leave Saddam trial to the ’jet set’
Mark Steyn's column in today's Chicago Sun Times...
Well, it’s January, December’s come and gone, so let’s add up the final score:

Coalition of the Willing: Saddam captured, Gadhafi neutered.

The ’’International Community’’: Milosevic elected to Parliament in Belgrade.

Yes, indeed. On the last weekend of the year, Slobo won a seat in Serbia’s legislature, as did his fellow "alleged’’ (as Wes Clark would say) war criminal Vojislav Seselj, and Seselj’s extreme nationalist Serbian Radical Party won more seats than anybody else.

But hang on a minute. Aren’t Milosevic and Seselj in jail at the Hague and facing the stern justice of an ’’international tribunal’’? Why, yes. Slobo’s been on trial for two years already, and they’re only just wrapping up the prosecution. Among the witnesses was, of course, Gen. Clark, who couldn’t resist boasting that he’s the only Democratic presidential candidate ’’who’s ever faced a dictator down. I’m the only one who’s ever testified in court against one.’’ Au contraire, right now it looks like Slobo is the only Serbian parliamentary candidate who’s ever faced a U.S. general down.

Anyone who goes goo-goo at the mention of the words ’’international tribunal’’ -- i.e., Clark, John Kerry, Howard Dean and the rest of the multilatte multilateralist establishment -- should look at what it boils down to in practice. Even though the court forbade Milosevic and Seselj from actively campaigning in the Serbian election, they somehow managed to. In other words, ’’international law’’ is unable to enforce its judgments even in its own jailhouse.

But it’s worse than that. One reason why Slobo is popular again in Serbia is precisely because of the ’’international’’ trial. In 2000, when the strongman of the Balkans was swept from power, he was a discredited figure, a European pariah reviled as a murderous butcher. After two years of legal hair-splitting at the Hague, he’s all but fully rehabilitated. True, Slobo, conducting his own defense, has been a shameless showboater, but not half as shameless as the absurd prosecutor Carla del Ponte. It’s received wisdom among battered Serb democrats that every clumsy indictment of Ponte’s drove Slobo’s poll numbers higher. Had Serbs prosecuted Milosevic, that would have been one thing. But once it became Euro-preeners prosecuting Serbs, an understandable resentment set in.

This is the justice Clark wants for Saddam Hussein. If he gets his way, Saddam seems a shoo-in for the Iraqi presidential election circa 2009. But that seems to be the way of Clark, the great hero of small inconclusive wars in which the United States has no vital interest and, even if it did, Clark would be pleased to ignore it just to demonstrate his multilateral bona fides.

It’s not just him, of course. Up to the moment Saddam popped out of the spider-hole, the international jet set’s line was that deplorable as Saddam’s rule might be -- gassing Kurds, feeding folks feet-first into industrial shredders, etc. -- it was strictly an internal matter for the Iraqi people. The minute the old boy was in U.S. custody, the international jet set’s revised position was that gassing Kurds, feeding folks into industrial shredders and so forth were crimes against the whole world and certainly not a matter for the Iraqi people. Instead, we need a (drumroll, please) United Nations-mandated international tribunal.

This is what the Zionist neocons would call chutzpah.

President Bush understands that the transnational establishment’s interest in this case is not to pass judgment on Saddam but, by reasserting its authority, to pass judgment on America -- on its illegitimate war, illegal occupation, barbaric justice system, etc. The argument of the trannies is that only a Hague tribunal can confer ’’legitimacy’’ -- ’’legitimacy’’ being one of those great sonorous banalities that are at the heart of what’s wrong with the international order, which, in the main, confers the mantle of legitimacy on a lot of ’’illegitimate’’ thugs. Indeed, two years of a farcical trial of the Hague seem to have conferred ’’legitimacy’’ mainly on the rehabilitated Slobo.

But Saddam has been toppled, and Gadhafi has surrendered up his own WMD program to the Brits and Yanks. So the fellows in need of ’’legitimacy’’ right now are the international institutions presided over by Kofi Annan and Co., who look, to put it at its mildest, utterly irrelevant and, at its worst, the pathetic patsies of Slobo and his ilk.

So the only strategic significance of Saddam’s trial is whether the transnational establishment gets rehabilitated or sidelined. The argument in favor of an international tribunal is that a full accounting of Saddam’s crimes will be made before the whole world. Really? Anyone who doesn’t know about the mass graves and torture in Baathist Iraq is someone who’s chosen not to. A lot of people fall into that camp -- for example, weapons inspector turned Saddamite shill Scott Ritter. ’’The prison in question was inspected by my team in January 1998,’’ he told Time magazine, a propos one grisly institution. ’’It appeared to be a prison for children -- toddlers up to pre-adolescents -- whose only crime was to be the offspring of those who have spoken out politically against the regime of Saddam Hussein. It was a horrific scene. Actually, I’m not going to describe what I saw there, because what I saw was so horrible that it can be used by those who would want to promote war with Iraq, and right now I’m waging peace.’’

Ritter is rare in the extent of his depravity: He saw the horror close up and opted to turn his back. But in the interests of ’’peace,’’ many others in the transnational elites did the same from a safe distance. It’s too late for them to claim that the stuff they covered up now needs a full airing in an international court.

As for the legal niceties, unless a dictator is canny enough to negotiate a transition to democracy, his subsequent trial will inevitably be as much about politics as justice. But then, letting dictators swank around the courtroom in a 10-year dinner-theater run of ’’Perry Mason’’ has nothing to do with justice either.

To allow the transnational jet set to reclaim Saddam would be to reward them for their indifference to Iraqi suffering. Let’s get on with it in Baghdad. A trial next summer, conviction in the fall, and (to forestall accusations it’s all timed for the U.S. elections) execution deferred until a day or two after Bush’s inaugural address in January.

Of course, I hasten to add that’s only if the mass murderer is found guilty.

I’m sorry, my mistake. I mean, the alleged mass murderer.
Posted by: tipper || 01/04/2004 9:50:22 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The problem with this article is its idiot assumption that the Serb government would ever have tried Milosevich.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester || 01/05/2004 0:24 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon
Jihad money trail leads to Damascus
Interrogations of recently arrested Islamic Jihad activists by the Shin Bet security service, along with indictments filed against the activists, reveal new details of how terror supporters abroad transfer funds to organizations in the territories. In a number of cases, such as the bombing of Maxim restaurant in Haifa last October, instructions for carrying out the attack came from Islamic Jihad headquarters in Damascus, Syria. Yesterday, charges were filed in the Samaria Military Court against Sheikh Bassam Saadi, a senior Jihad activist from Jenin. Sa'adi, 43, was arrested in early October and managed to take 90 days of Shin Bet interrogation without deviating from his story, admitting only that he transferred money to needy individuals.
"Hey, Sheikh! We need more ammunition over here!"
"Okay. Here's some dough."
The Military Prosecution on the other hand has accused Saadi of transferring funds from Jihad's Damascus headquarters to terror activists in Jenin, as well as of being a member of the organization's senior leadership since 1995. At present, the indictment does not directly link Saadi to terror attacks. The Shin Bet investigation reveals that Sa'adi, along with other senior Jihad members, used bank accounts opened by their wives at banks in the territories to conduct the money transfers. The Damascus headquarters would transfer the funds to the accounts by means of a liaison who was not known as an activist in the organization.
"Clean" (sometimes known as "white") bodies...
From the accounts, the monies were distributed to the families of suicide terrorists, families whose houses were demolished by theIDF and members of Jihad's military wing. Some of the money also went toward "personal expenses" - namely, buying arms. The distribution of the funds was supervised by a man known as Abu Farah, the deputy of the organization's secretary-general, Dr. Ramadan Shalah.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 01/04/2004 20:09 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I always loved the way that name sounded - Shin Bet. And for a security service, even.
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama || 01/04/2004 21:22 Comments || Top||

#2  When I first read this headline I thought it said "Jihad monkey trail leads to Damascus" :)
Posted by: TS || 01/04/2004 22:11 Comments || Top||

#3  TS - It doesn't?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 01/04/2004 22:20 Comments || Top||


Many thanks...
With illness, the press of holidays, and now a server crash, I've been damned sloppy about sending personal thank you's to those who've kicked in. So in case I haven't e-mailed you, thanks to Paul, Sam, Frank, James, Boris, Barb, Phil, Sharon, Dar, Mark, Steve, Brian, Emily, S J, Not Mike Moore, and anyone else I've missed. Your contributions are much appreciated, and our next "new" server will be a spiffy brand new machine. But I'm going to take my time about swapping it...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 01/04/2004 18:02 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  only one Steve?????
Posted by: Frank G || 01/04/2004 18:12 Comments || Top||

#2  The Army of Steve™ is one!
Posted by: Steve White || 01/04/2004 21:48 Comments || Top||

#3  Fred, we were so worried about you! Sorry to hear you were sick. :-(
The Army of Steve (or is it the Army of Steve and Fred?) was beginning to coalesce into an awesome force while you were away, ready to storm the cyber Bastille to rescue you and/or ready to sign up for rehab for our RB-withdrawal!
Who could have believed we'd all feel so disconnected from current events without RB, even with Lucianne and Drudge and web feeds from 25 major newspapers?!
Posted by: Jennie Taliaferro || 01/04/2004 22:47 Comments || Top||

#4  Drudge is ok but he has too much sludge.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 01/05/2004 0:15 Comments || Top||


Africa: East
Islamic schools under scrutiny, say leaders--Kenya
The Government is investigating Islamic schools (madrassas) suspected of harbouring terrorists, Muslim leaders have claimed.The Ministry of Education has reportedly released forms to be filled by heads of madrassas giving details about the schools’ location, the number of enrolled pupils and their source of funding.
I always find that giving them forms to fill out solves most problems...
The move has drawn protests from several Islamic organisations including the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK), the Chief Kadhi of Kenya Sheikh Hammad Kassim, the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (Supkem) and the Langata Islamic Welfare Organisation. CIPK secretary-general Sheikh Muhammad Dor described the directive as "a move influenced by the American government in its bid to suppress Islam."
Filling in forms?
Dor said a similar exercise allegedly influenced by Americans had been carried out in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia, adding that Kenya was the first African country to be asked to do so. "We urge all madrassa heads not to comply with that directive since it does not come from the Kenya Government but from a foreign one," Dor said. Dor asked the Government not to interfere with madrassas as they do not operate under the Education Act and did not get sponsorship from the State.
"Quite the contrary, in fact..."
The Chief Kadhi criticised the move saying the Government should have consulted with Islamic leaders before issuing the directive. Kassim said the American Embassy had asked him to disclose the number of madrassas in the country. "I told them it was not easy to know since the schools were independent," the Chief Kadhi said.
I love hearing them squeal...
Posted by: TS || 01/04/2004 5:55:50 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  In 1985, Egypt began requiring prior notice of Friday Prayer' khutbah, so that they could prevent criminal incitement. Defiance meant arrest and that is exactly what the seculars did. At one point, almost 20,000 jihadis were cooling it in prison.
Posted by: Vlad the Muslim Impaler || 01/04/2004 19:46 Comments || Top||

#2  Vlad, they're still in prison, right? Tell me all 20,000 are still in prison.
Posted by: Steve White || 01/04/2004 21:56 Comments || Top||


Korea
US Sends Emergency Food Aid to NORKS
From East-Asia-Intel.com
North Korea’s 2003 crop harvest is estimated at 4.1 million tons, up from 3.9 million tons the year before. But the output still falls short of the 5.1 million tons needed to feed its 22 million people, said Kwon Tae-Jin, a researcher at the Korea Rural Economic Institute in Seoul. The United States announced last week that it would donate an additional 60,000 tons of humanitarian food to North Korea despite concerns over the country’s nuclear weapons drive. The Christmas Eve donation brings total U.S. 2003 food aid to North Korea to 100,000 tons.
That would still leave the NORKS short 900 kilotons of yield, so to speak.
The World Food Program has warned of possible cutoffs of food aid to starving North Koreans, citing decreased foreign donations. The agency said it has received only 60 percent of the food needed this year for its goal of feeding 6.5 million North Koreans. The WFP says international food donors are increasingly losing interest in helping North Korea due to suspicions that the food is not reaching those in need and higher-profile shortages in other countries.
Army First Policy.
The North’s chronic energy shortage also deepened after the United States last January stopped an annual shipment of 500,000 tons of fuel oil. This stoppage also affected many farms and plutonium grain reprocessing factories.
The U.S. decision to donate 60,000 metric tons of food will help ease hunger and starvation, but millions are still in danger of malnutrition this winter, said the Health Child, a Seoul-based civic relief group.
Seems like a humanitarian PR gesture, as they will need 15 times or more to make ends meet.
More than 20 out of 1,000 North Korean infants die before reaching one year of age mainly due to malnutrition and famine-related disease, South Korea’s relief agency says.
Contrast this with 7.77/1000 in SKor.
The mortality rate for infants under 5 is the world’s highest at 55 per 1,000.
A direct result of Dear Leader’s policies. These are like African statistics
In particular, 2.2 million children under 5 face "a high risk of dying" because of malnutrition and famine-related disease, said Shim Jae-Sok, head of the relief group.
"The high infant mortality highlights the humanitarian plight facing North Koreans," he said, calling for more international aid for starving North Koreans. "The infant mortality rate is likely to remain high without additional international relief aid," he said. "North Korea is facing another dire winter due to the stupidity of the central government acute shortages of food and energy," Seoul’s Red Cross statement said.
So where are all the liberals railing on Kimmie for the disasterous effects of his leadership? *sounds of grass being cut* Pretty disguisting.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 01/04/2004 3:25:30 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  So where are all the liberals railing on Kimmie for the disasterous effects of his leadership?

waiting for the spin to develop where they can blame Bushitler for the starvation
Posted by: Frank G || 01/04/2004 16:56 Comments || Top||

#2  Frank, Don't you understand that the imperialist policies of the U.S. are what hampers the Jucie effort of the Norks? Damn those capatalists running lackey dogs! On the other hand there will be less people to feed next year, so maybe it will even out?
Posted by: Cyber Sarge || 01/04/2004 19:58 Comments || Top||

#3  Wouldn't it be nice if the NorK propaganda dept decided to fermez la juche?
Posted by: mom || 01/04/2004 20:39 Comments || Top||


Caucasus
Chechen rebel archive found in Alleroi
A rebel archive has been seized in Chechnya, a source in the operative headquarters directing the anti- terrorist operation in the Northern Caucasus told Interfax on Sunday.
That would probably mean Dagestan and the late Khattab’s hard boyz. They’re among the most overt connection between Chechnya and the larger al-Qaeda network, so this could be a major bust.
The archive was found in the village of Alleroi, Kurchaloi region of Chechnya, by Federal Security Service officials who were following a lead they received from detained rebels. Apart from the archive, they also found weapons and ammunition. The archive contains information that can be of interest to the special services and the law enforcement agencies. It includes accounting documentation stating who was paid what for what crimes, as well as detailed lists of Aslan Maskhadov’s security guards.
[Knock knock!]
"Yes?"
"Is Magomed here?"
"No! He's out guarding... uhhh... he went to the store!"
The archive will lead law enforcement officials to other rebels who are suspected of involvement in terrorist acts and attempted murders of servicemen and officials, the headquarters said.
Could be the Chechen equivalent of Sammy's briefcase...
Posted by: Dan Darling || 01/04/2004 3:20:58 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Africa: East
Bashir sez he’ll annihilate those damned rebels in Darfur
Sudanese President Omar Al-Beshir has vowed to annihilate the Darfur rebels in western Sudan, declaring this a top priority for his government.
"I'll wipe 'em out! I'll murderlize 'em! Hrowf! Hrowf!"
Meanwhile the Sudanese government announced its intention of complaining to international bodies over neighbouring Eritrea’s alleged backing for the Darfur rebels and disturbing the peace of Sudan, a day after Asmara denied aiding them.
"Wudn't us."
"Our top priority will be the annihilation of the rebellion and any outlaw who carries arms" against the state, Beshir said. He described the Darfur rebels as "hirelings, traitors, agents and renegades whom the enemies of the Sudan employed for carrying out their plots against the country." Beshir said the rebels were a small group "not representing the people of Darfur in any way and are pursuing personal ambitions of seizing power not only in Darfur but also in Kordofan and even in Khartoum."
That’s a probable reference to Bashir’s old rival, Hassan Turabi, who served as the Islamist power behind the throne until he was ousted by his protege, Ali Taha. There’s a primer on why Sudan does what it does in Darfur that you can read here from one of Friday’s rants.
Posted by: Dan Darling || 01/04/2004 3:17:31 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


SLA asks for UN intervention in Darfur
A rebel group in the troubled Darfur region of western Sudan has appealed for help, following what it said was an attack by government troops and allied militias. A spokesman for the Sudan Liberation Army, Ahmed Abdel-Shafi Yagoub, is urging the United Nations and international agencies to help injured and displaced people in Zalingei Province and protect them from further government attacks.
Yeah. Right. The UN and the International Community™ are gonna do that...
He said government troops and allied militias invaded Sorra on Friday, killing about 200 people with mortars and artillery. Sorra had a population of about 500. "The village is completely destroyed now - it is just smoke," he said. "The properties were looted. There is nothing, there is no life in the village."
That happens when you have Arabs for neighbors. It's a religious thing.
Mr. Yagoub said thousands of people have fled the area. Many of the survivors are badly injured, he says, but have no hope of receiving medical care. Bitter warfare has stepped up in Darfur in recent months between rebels, the Sudanese government, and Arab militias that many observers say are allied to the government. The conflict started early last year as a protest against perceived economic neglect by the government. Last month, the U.N. children’s agency said the area is experiencing extreme human-rights violations and that more than 750,000 people have been displaced by the war in Darfur. Mr. Yagoub said the conflict has taken on a racial dimension. "This one is a policy of the government - trying to push the population out of the area, which has no explanation other than ethnic cleansing," he said.
Islam makes no distinctions among the Arab races...
The Sudanese government denies that the Darfur conflict is ethnically motivated.
"No, no! Certainly not! They just happen to be Negroes."
A source with the Sudanese government said that war in Darfur was sparked because development was not balanced in the Darfur region, and that any fighting is just an act of armed gangs.
Pretty well-organized armed gangs, though...
Within the past few years, says the source, the Sudanese government has made a very huge effort to develop the Darfur region and it has received more development assistance than any other region. The source says Eritrea and some Sudanese political parties are supporting the rebels. According to the government, the rebels should be held responsible for the collapse of peace talks last year between the government and the rebels. A cease-fire signed between the two in September also appears to have been violated.
In Africa? Imagine that ...
Posted by: Dan Darling || 01/04/2004 3:13:48 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Bashir meets with Sudanese opposition leaders
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has held a rare public meeting with opposition party leaders. In a speech to mark the 48th anniversary of Sudan’s independence, he called on all sides to work together.
"Yasss... We must all work together to support me. Wanna see my helmet?"
The televised event comes two days after the resumption of peace talks aimed at ending 20 years of civil war. A BBC correspondent in Nairobi says a lasting peace depends upon the support of all groups, including those excluded from the talks in neighbouring Kenya. Until recently, the peace process in Sudan was very much a bilateral process, involving the government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), the BBC’s Christian Fraser reports. The movement towards peace has had a profound effect on political alignments within the country. Some say the SPLA’s success in these latter stages of the negotiations has come from new alliances they formed with opposition groups in the north. But the government is showing signs it is prepared to talk to those parties it has traditionally undermined. Among the prominent leaders present at this special ceremony in Khartoum were Sadiq al-Mahdi, the former prime minister. Mr Mahdi, who is chairman of the Ummah Party, enjoys widespread popular support within Sudan, particularly in western Darfur, where fighting is intensifying, our correspondent says. He has consistently warned the government it is essential to find a way of transforming this peace process into a national agreement.
I don't think Omar's listening, since he just had his term as dictator extended...
If they fail, then bitter conflicts like the one in Darfur could well unravel a peace deal which is now tantalisingly close.
Posted by: Dan Darling || 01/04/2004 3:11:41 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Iran
Iran turns down US offers of an aid mission
Iran has rebuffed an offer from the United States to send a delegation led by Senator Elizabeth Dole to assist in the distribution of relief supplies to earthquake victims in Bam, the Bush administration said Friday. The offer had been seen by the administration as a gesture of American concern for Iran at a time when the United States has declared that some — but not all — of Iran’s recent actions have been positive and could lead to a resumption of dialogue to improve relations. Administration officials said Tehran cited the overwhelming difficulties facing relief workers in the ancient city of Bam in southeastern Iran as the reason it could not accommodate the American offer now. The officials did not rule out the possibility of a future visit, however. "We have heard back today from the Iranians that, given the current situation in Bam and all that is going on there now, it would be preferable to hold such a visit in abeyance," said J. Adam Ereli, a State Department spokesman. "Therefore, we are not pursuing it further at the moment."
Actually, that's pretty reasonable. They're pretty busy, and probably don't think they can spare the time and resources to attend to visiting dignitaries. It sounds like the refusal was polite, rather than "get bent, Great Satan!"...
Mr. Ereli said the message from Iran had been conveyed to James B. Cunningham, the deputy American representative to the United Nations, by the Iranian permanent representative at the United Nations, Dr. M. Javad Zarif. Administration officials said the decision to make the offer to send Mrs. Dole, a former president of the American Red Cross Thingy, came after the senator suggested the idea herself. A spokesman for Mrs. Dole, a North Carolina Republican, said that based on her experience overseeing relief deliveries from the Red Cross to Rwanda, Somalia and other disaster areas, she wanted both to assist operations in Iran and to report back to Congress. The mere possibility of an exchange between Washington and Tehran, even on a nonpolitical subject, piqued the interest of diplomats and specialists who have been watching the twists and turns of American policies since President Bush labeled Iran a member of the "axis of evil" two years ago. The United States has repeatedly denounced Iran for what American officials say is an advanced nuclear weapons program and broad support for Hezbollah and other militant groups that have attacked Israelis, Americans and others. On the other hand, the United States has recently praised Iran for its support of the American invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. In October, the United States welcomed Iran’s agreement to open its nuclear facilities to inspection, but considered as inadequate Tehran’s decision to "suspend" its uranium enrichment operations, which Washington wants to see dismantled. Direct conversations between American and Iranian officials on Iraq and other subjects were held sporadically until May, when the United States suspended the talks after determining that a series of bombings in Saudi Arabia were carried out by groups based in Iranian territory.
Otherwise known as al-Qaeda.
Posted by: Dan Darling || 01/04/2004 3:09:06 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Elizabeth would likely be accompanied by Bob Dole, and the Blackhats are afraid of Bob Dole unleashed and pumped up with Viagra among their cherished womanhood
Posted by: Frank G || 01/04/2004 17:52 Comments || Top||

#2  Actually, I think Liz Dole thought that her red cross work would give her an 'in' with the whole world. But of course, the idea of a woman leading a delegation to Iran probably gave them grief.
Posted by: mhw || 01/04/2004 18:24 Comments || Top||


I hope our outage is over...
We're up — for now, anyway. WinNT was helpfully telling me that our hard drive was becoming unstable, so it was time to swap servers. We now have a spiffy new hard drive, with much more room, and an upgraded operating system. We also came up with a bunch of obscure entries in the event log that I've been researching frantically I've got the latest hotfixes and critical updates installed. As soon as I get the DCOM error (don't ask me, I'm asking someone else) fixed, we should be staying up reliably.

The drive on our old server, by the way, refused to boot when I got it home. It seems to have been on its very last legs.

Sorry for the inconvenience.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 01/04/2004 14:33 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Separation Anxiety, big-time!
Posted by: Frank G || 01/04/2004 14:50 Comments || Top||

#2  Same here FG, glad to have RB back!
Posted by: Tony (UK) || 01/04/2004 14:53 Comments || Top||

#3  Thanks. I've learned more about DCOM and RPC in the past 48 hours than I ever wanted to know. I'll have a network professional look over the site tomorrow, just to make sure.

Unless we crash first, of course.
Posted by: Fred || 01/04/2004 14:57 Comments || Top||

#4  Great to see RB back up and running and if you need any help that I can provide, don't hesitate to ask.
Posted by: Dan Darling || 01/04/2004 15:01 Comments || Top||

#5  As long as you're back, baby. As long as you're back.

And if you need some advice should you decide to migrate to Linux/Unix, let me know. I also have some perl/bash and PostgreSQL experience.
Posted by: badanov || 01/04/2004 15:06 Comments || Top||

#6  We have all been going through RBWS Rantburg Withdrawl Syndrome. I have had emails from other Rantburgers, saying, "Have not seen RB up, same with you?" Good to have you back, Fred. We appreciate your dedication to your site!
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 01/04/2004 15:13 Comments || Top||

#7  Fred! the indispensable Fred has returned! We missed you; glad it was technical limitations only and not something else. Its not the same without you!
Posted by: Jennie Taliaferro || 01/04/2004 15:16 Comments || Top||

#8  Glad your back :)
Posted by: djohn66 || 01/04/2004 15:20 Comments || Top||

#9  Oh, the panic when one's site goes down!

Glad you're back.
Posted by: Alan Sullivan || 01/04/2004 15:27 Comments || Top||

#10  As soon as RB came back, I was so joyful I went outside and fired my AK-47 in the air, and ululated with glee.
Posted by: Penguin || 01/04/2004 15:28 Comments || Top||

#11  Ahhh,RB.
Posted by: raptor || 01/04/2004 15:44 Comments || Top||

#12  Penguin---don't do that AK-47 thing again!! I have half a dozen bullet holes in the house logs, and the chickens buk-buk-buk'ed quite a storm!
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 01/04/2004 15:46 Comments || Top||

#13  Welcome back, Fred. Don't understand a word you wrote, but as long as you do.... :-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 01/04/2004 16:10 Comments || Top||

#14  Praise the Lord and pass the URLs!! I was deep in the throes of RWS (Rantburg Withdrawal Syndrome: drooling, uncontrollable twitching, moaning inconsolably, rhythmically bashing my head on the keyboard, etc.) when all of a sudden I accidently brushed my mouse with my hand and clicked on your link- and voila!! There you were!!

Everything's all better now. Life is good. Welcome back, Fred.
Posted by: Dave D. || 01/04/2004 16:17 Comments || Top||

#15  Welcome back, fred! We were all worried!
Posted by: Ptah || 01/04/2004 16:41 Comments || Top||

#16  Unbelievably worried!! Glad you are back and going again. Where is the tip jar for the new server?
Posted by: SamIII || 01/04/2004 16:45 Comments || Top||

#17  Glad to know you're back up. The worst thing was not being able to email you and find out what the problem was. I thought about setting up a "backup" weblog on typepad (it would cost me nothing, but the url would be a pain in the butt) in case there were further technical difficulties, but since I couldn't get in touch, I didn't. Now I can, but there's no point now.
Posted by: Phil Fraering || 01/04/2004 16:59 Comments || Top||

#18  Fred - glad to see you back up and humming! About being down... DON'T DO IT AGAIN! I don't think my heart could take a second dose. I was beginning to see black helicopters... Was almost ready to dig out Big Bertha (the 10-gauge double-barrel) and come hunting perps on your behalf!
Posted by: Old Patriot || 01/04/2004 17:23 Comments || Top||

#19  I think you have some fervent fans, Master Pruitt. I'm kicking in $20 for the server costs, and I would hope others would as well for this site's worth
Frank G
Posted by: Frank G || 01/04/2004 17:31 Comments || Top||

#20  Whew!
Posted by: .com || 01/04/2004 18:01 Comments || Top||

#21  from Fred's post above I see my challenge was unnecessary, my thanks and a happy new year to my fellow RB'ers!
Posted by: Frank G || 01/04/2004 18:15 Comments || Top||

#22  I had the Rantburg DT's, for sure. Welcome back Fred and the gang...I sure missed you this weekend! Fred, I had the chance to look around a bit this weekend, and I'd like to suggest a few more entries for your blogroll... The Head Heeb offers a lot of analysyis of hard newz (like RB) and does a lot of good stuff on Africa. I found Belmont Club through USS Clueless, and I like his "big picture" thinking. I also like Patterico for domestic events and commentary, and I caught Frank G hanging out in the comments...
Posted by: Seafarious || 01/04/2004 18:47 Comments || Top||

#23  heh heh
Posted by: Frank G || 01/04/2004 18:51 Comments || Top||

#24  Thia Rantburg Withdrawl Syndrome was most unpleasant, i'm glad it has ended for now
Posted by: Paul Moloney || 01/04/2004 18:53 Comments || Top||

#25  Rantburg withdrawl is a bad scene. I kept listlessly visiting LGF and Instapundit, but they just didn't give me what I needed. I feel MUCH better now!
Posted by: Scooter McGruder || 01/04/2004 19:10 Comments || Top||

#26  "Then I had that setback with the Cheez Whiz. But I'm MUCH BETTER now!"
Posted by: Phil Fraering || 01/04/2004 19:16 Comments || Top||

#27  Missed ya... now where was I.... :)
Posted by: Shipman || 01/04/2004 19:29 Comments || Top||

#28  Last night I had the server at home with me, sitting on the floor like a faithful pup. I'd gotten the configuration bugs worked out, and the ones that appeared today hadn't shown up yet. E-mail was down, naturally. I put up yesterday's items, going from al-Jizz to Daily Times to Arab News, etc., like I always do, just so we didn't miss a day.

It felt... lonely.
Posted by: Fred || 01/04/2004 19:38 Comments || Top||

#29  Fred,

In all seriousness, do yourself a big favor to cut your admin time and increase the reliability and uptime: Go linux or BSD, and use Apache.

Its simply the superior solution. And its in use in places you woucd never imagine. Check out OpenBSD (the most securable OS readily available on the planet) and SE-Linux (NSA makes it)

One you get on Apache you'll marvel at what a piece of crap IIS is.

You need help migrating, sound off.
Posted by: OldSpook || 01/04/2004 20:32 Comments || Top||

#30  I use Apache and Linux and PHP for some projects at work, and there's an Apache server running here, too, that I use for a few other things. I've got a Linux box at home, that I don't use for much but double-checking changes on Rantburg. I actually prefer MySQL to SQL Server for many things, which is why it's running here.

I've thought about switching a time or two. But I'm more comfortable working with ASP than I am with PHP. I have to stop and think with PHP. If I can keep the script kiddies out, I think we'll be stable enough. If not, then I'll have to redo all the links on the site and all the articles that others have linked to over the past couple years will fail. Not a good thing...
Posted by: Fred || 01/04/2004 21:00 Comments || Top||

#31  KILL! KILL! KILL!......oh! It's back up!...Sorry about that. (hahaha)
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama || 01/04/2004 21:18 Comments || Top||

#32  I run lots of LAMP (linux-Apache-MySQL-PHP) boxes and have wondered why you did this asp stuff.

There is a simple asp ext for apache that can be set up to "house-keep" old .asp incoming to new .php links. (done it before).

We all pick our own misery (mine is os/2 Rexx)I still use it (even on win32) because I don't have to think to get things done.


Cheers,
rd
Posted by: Red || 01/04/2004 21:44 Comments || Top||

#33  I'm pretty sure I was responsible for half of those e-mail Paul referenced: "anybody seen Fred? anybody seen Fred? anybody seen Fred? OMG DON'T TELL ME AL-Q FINALLY GOT THE ONE INDISPENSABLE PERSON IN THE WHOLE US of ..."

Oh. I'm better now. Glad to see you back!
Posted by: Steve White || 01/04/2004 21:53 Comments || Top||

#34  Glad you are back Fred!

Now I can get over the shakes.....

BTW: Don't you know better then to use Win NT (Not There) for mission-critical applications.
Posted by: CrazyFool || 01/04/2004 21:56 Comments || Top||

#35  If I didn't use WinNT my employers wouldn't give me any money.
Posted by: Fred || 01/04/2004 21:59 Comments || Top||

#36  Jeebus Holy Christmas, Fred-- don't EVER do that again, it's not funny!
Posted by: TPF || 01/04/2004 22:04 Comments || Top||

#37  Rantburg Jones...
I got a Rantburg Jones...
I got a Rantburg Jones, oh baby, ooo-eee-ooo..."
Posted by: Tyrone Shoelaces || 01/04/2004 23:12 Comments || Top||


Middle East
Palestinian al-Jihad movement vows to continue resistance
That headline's a reminder that "news" is not the plural of "new"...
Palestinians sources stressed that the Israeli occupation forces did not ultimately lift the siege imposed on the city of Jenin, in the West Bank. News reports said that the Israeli army removed the mobile barriers but continue blocking the northern entrance, and kept several barriers and iron gates at the entrance of towns and villages. The reports said that the withdrawal is a mere formal measure and an Israeli propaganda, as the sufferings of the Palestinians continue in Jenin.
"Oh, woe! We suffer so! Nobody suffers like we do!"
Earlier, the Israeli occupation army announced lifting the siege imposed on Jenin since August 19, 2003. The Israeli occupation forces detained 7 Palestinians in al-Yamoun town near Jenin, under the pretext of involvement in resistance operations.
"It's all pretext, y'unnerstand?"
In Gaza, however, the Islamic Jihad movement organized a demonstration in Jabaliya camp for the refugees. It was attended by thousands to eulogize Muqllad Hameed, the commander of Saray al-Quds (al-Quds group), the military wing of the movement. The leaderships of the movement taking part in the demonstration stressed commitment to resistance regardless to massacres and assassination commited by Israel. Sheikh Nafez Assam said that the Palestinians gave several initiatives to reach a truce, yet, each and every time, Israel responded to these initiatives by escalating its aggression.
"Just let one little bus explode, and what do they do? Escalate their aggression! It's almost like the two are connected!"
He indicated that the dialogue which was held by the Palestinian groups recently in Cairo under the Egyptian auspices was met by an Israeli military escalation, and the assassination of Hameed, stressing that things are getting more complicated with the continued aggression against the Palestinians.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 01/04/2004 11:03 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Africa: North
Lawmakers wounded, detained in Algeria festivities
Moustachioed Algerian riot police used truncheons and shields to beat back protesting lawmakers outside Algeria's parliament on Sunday. Several lawmakers were wounded and some 20 detained.
Somehow I can't picture the U.S. Capital police beating back a riot by congressmen...
The nearly 100 lawmakers from the National Liberation Front, the majority group in parliament, were protesting a court's decision in December that froze the party's operations. The party supports former Algerian Prime Minister Ali Benflis, a rival of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, for presidential elections later this year. According to The AP, the lawmakers, joined by party activists, gathered in front of the parliament buiding at around midday. When they tried to start marching, police blocked their way. Fighting then erupted, with police using truncheons and shields against the protesters. The injured included leading lawmaker Abbes Mekhelles, who was taken to hospital with a suspected fractured arm. About 20 lawmakers were detained.
"Into the paddy wagon wit' yez, Congressman!"
"Do you know who I am?"
"Dat's why y'er here, ain't it?"
Earlier in the morning, the lawmakers had shouted slogans against Bouteflika during the tense stand-off with about 100 riot officers outside parliament in the capital, Algiers. Over an hour passed before the protest dispersed, with most of the lawmakers going into the parliament to participate in a vote on amendments to Algeria's electoral law. The vote was later postponed until Monday.
Until their colleagues make bail?
Riot officers backed by dozens of police took up station around the parliament and in surrounding streets early Sunday morning — apparently to prevent the lawmakers' protest from evolving into a march through the capital. The protesters branded Bouteflika a "dictator" and a "traitor" while calling for a "Free and Democratic Algeria," The AFP said.
Sure sounds like a dictator, doesn't he?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 01/04/2004 10:32 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Middle East
Palestinian PM slams world ''silence'' over Nablus
Israeli occupation forces on Sunday tightened the siege and curfew imposed on Nablus, the adjacent Balata refugee camp and the nearby village of Beit Foreek for the tenth consecutive day, amidst complete media blackout over the atrocities they are perpetrating, Palestinian sources said. Israeli troops shot dead four Palestinians on Saturday and bulldozed historical sites in the Casbah of Nablus on Friday. On Sunday, Israeli forces invaded the southern neighborhood of Tulkarem City and declared curfew there, amidst heavy and random gunfire, Palestinian sources conveyed. Meanwhile, Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qurei has condemned the international community's "silence" following the latest killings in Nablus. "Whenever the Palestinians carry out any attacks or operations against Israel they are condemned by the whole world but when Israel carries out attacks against our people, the international community stays silent," Qurei told Voice of Palestine radio.
He's not really good on cause and effect, is he?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 01/04/2004 10:26 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Oh! the humanity! another desecration of an historic Casbah! call the U.N.! call Kofi Annan! call me a taxi!
Posted by: jon lemming || 01/04/2004 15:39 Comments || Top||

#2  There was international silence on the accellerated depreciation desecration of the Casbah because it is not on the register of Islamic Holy Sites™. The world is suffering from Intafada Fatigue, and the PA gross receipts ledger shows it.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 01/04/2004 15:52 Comments || Top||

#3  Oh! the humanity! another desecration of an historic Casbah! call the U.N.! call Kofi Annan! call me a taxi!

Okay, you're a taxi! ^_^

Seriously, Qurei sounds like he couldn't follow "2+2=4" unless the Koran told him it does...

Ed.
Posted by: Ed Becerra || 01/04/2004 16:57 Comments || Top||

#4  Qurei sounds like he couldn't follow "2+2=4"
That is why Arafart picked him. He is a YES man. I think bulldozing Arafarts homes and his HQs (with him in it) wouold be a good thing.
Posted by: Anonymous || 01/04/2004 19:54 Comments || Top||


Caucasus
Georgians Vote in Closely Watched Election
Six weeks after President Eduard Shevardnadze's resignation in the face of mass demonstrations, Georgians on Sunday voted for his successor, widely expected to be the man who led the protests. Mikhail Saakashvili, the intense, 36-year-old Western-educated president of the Tbilisi city council, was the overwhelming favorite against four relatively unknown challengers. A fifth challenger dropped out of the race late Saturday. The election was being closely watched as an indicator of Georgia's commitment to democracy after the downfall of Shevardnadze, who had cultivated ties with the West but retained Soviet-era impulses.
Good luck to them...
The elections were not expected to be trouble-free. Georgia's chaotic record-keeping has made preparing comprehensive voter lists impossible and the total number of eligible voters was unknown — a potentially touchy issue because the constitution requires a 50-percent turnout to be valid.
What's the problem? 50 percent of an unknown number is anything...
Many voters were dressed in their Sunday best. About 40 people were lined up at a polling station at Georgia's Academy of Sciences in the capital, Tbilisi, minutes after the voting began, poring over handwritten voter lists posted on the walls to find their names.
A mere ten years ago that wouldn't have been at all unusual. Today it seems quaint...
"The election is important, not so much to me but to my children," said Tamila Chakhunashvili, 62. "I may only live another year, but I want young people to have a better life, with justice and a fight against corruption." Asked whom she voted for, she laughed and waved a rose. "It's obvious," she said.
The procedures may be quaint, but the sentiment it touching...
The protests that sparked Shevardnadze's Nov. 22 resignation became known as the "rose revolution" after the flowers that demonstrators gave to police as a sign of their peaceful intentions. Shevardnadze cast his ballot at another polling station in Tbilisi. Asked whether he had voted for Saakashvili, he said, "You're very close."
"But no cigar."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 01/04/2004 10:14 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:



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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.
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Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
Steve White
Seafarious
tu3031
badanov
sherry
ryuge
GolfBravoUSMC
Bright Pebbles
trailing wife
Gloria
Fred
Besoeker
Glenmore
Frank G
3dc
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Two weeks of WOT
Sun 2004-01-04
  Navy nabs another $11m hash boat
Sat 2004-01-03
  Pakistan arrests six for Perv attacks
Fri 2004-01-02
  Mullah Krekar arrested in Norway. Again.
Thu 2004-01-01
  At least five killed in Baghdad explosion
Wed 2003-12-31
  Islamist group claims Riyadh bomb attack
Tue 2003-12-30
  Bush to visit Libya
Mon 2003-12-29
  Five Afghans held in Perv attack
Sun 2003-12-28
  Saudis Foil Attack on British Air Jet
Sat 2003-12-27
  Berlusconi Reports Vatican Terror Threat
Fri 2003-12-26
  Up to 20,000 dead in Iran quake
Thu 2003-12-25
  Another boom attack on Perv
Wed 2003-12-24
  Air France cancels U.S. bound flights
Tue 2003-12-23
  Libya invites US oil companies back
Mon 2003-12-22
  Egyptian FM attacked by Paleos in Jerusalem
Sun 2003-12-21
  Syria seizes six AQ couriers, $23 million

Better than the average link...



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