From Geostrategy-Direct, subscription reqâd....
We already know this, but for the record, here âtis:
Prominent members of the Saudi royal family continue to supply millions of dollars to Al Qaida and related groups, U.S. officials said. The money is funneled through so-called charities, such as the Al Haramayn Islamic Foundation, they said.
On Feb. 19, the Treasury Department ordered banks to freeze accounts of the Oregon and Missouri branches of Al Haramayn. The foundationâs U.S. headquarters is in Ashland, Ore.
An affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Oregon asserted that Al Haramayn was used to relay $131,000 from Saudi Arabia to Al Qaida-aligned fighters in Chechnya. The affidavit also reported a federal grand jury investigation of Al Haramayn.
"We have to stop the princes soliciting support among the radical militants in Saudi Arabia," former CIA official Robert Bauer told the International Commission on Religious Freedom in November 2003. "We have to stop them from giving money. We have to encourage them to start reforms throughout the kingdom or itâs going to bring the whole system down."
In January, Riyadh and Washington agreed to relay a request to the United Nations to freeze the assets of Al Haramayn in Indonesia, Kenya, Pakistan and Tanzania. But officials said Saudi Arabia has refused to take responsibility for Al Haramayn, which is overseen by Islamic Affairs Minister Saleh Al Sheik.
The Bush administration is disappointed with Saudi Arabiaâs lack of cooperation to halt the financing to Al Qaida and related groups. âDisappointedâ is probably a great understatement
Despite the administrationâs insistence of growing cooperation, U.S. officials said Riyadh and Washington have made little progress in stopping the flow of funds from the kingdom to Al Qaida operatives in Europe and Asia. The officials said the administrationâs policy has been to publicly express optimism in hopes that Riyadh would improve cooperation.
"Saudi Arabia weâre still dealing with," said Sen. Jon Kyl, an Arizona Republican and regarded as close to the White House. "I mean, weâve made progress there, but a lot of the money that supports terrorism comes right out of one place. We had to deal with that in a different way," he told the Council on Foreign Relations on March 12.
"Talking to the Saudis has been very frustrating," an administration official familiar with the U.S. effort with Riyadh said. "Thereâs been some promises of cooperation, but they were quickly forgotten." Itâs called blowing us off.
"Now, think for a minute. Al Haramayn is established by the Saudi royal family," said former Treasury Department general counsel David Aufhauser. "It strikes me that there is too much abdication of actual power and responsibility when you say you do not have the ability to actually close down these offices abroad and the best you can do is to freeze what assets they have within the jurisdiction and to prohibit further contributions." Aufhauser made his comments to a conference of the Middle East Policy Council on Jan. 23.
Until November 2003 Aufhauser was the administrationâs point man in the effort to prevent Al Qaida financing. He said Saudi Arabia has not prosecuted any of its nationals on charges of relaying funding to Islamic insurgency groups. The Saudis will never agree to help. The Royals are too corrupt and rotted out. Maybe .comâs famous 40km strip is the only thing that will get their attention. We will not win the WoT until the funding is dried up, and my off-the-wall guess is that at least 60% of it comes from Saudi Arabia, which we all pay for. And that is the pits.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
03/29/2004 4:51:22 PM ||
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Saudi royals still funding Al Qaida via charities; no prosecutions to date
And in other news, dogs still have fleas.
#2
The beauty of the 40 km strip will soon be meme status, at which point we win and dot is sent either to St. James or Haiti as an example of what clear thinking will do.
#5
Oh no, don't meme it! It will lose it's meaning and be twisted by some politician into meaning we should offer map reading courses to poor children so they can find lost puppies, baby ducks, and pipeline junctions. And the only Saudis I ever saw with freckles were some funny looking mofo's, lemme tell ya, but I admit I really like the name, motherfreckles. I dunno why, but it sorta hangs together somehow.
U.S. President George W. Bush has formally welcomed the addition of seven new members to the NATO alliance during a ceremony on Monday. Why bother? Itâs not like they will receive any support from Chiraq, Schroeder et al., other than bandaids and condolences. The word âallianceâ has been redefined as of late. And not to mention the EUâs own defense plans.
But the inclusion of former communist states Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is raising concerns in Moscow. ...
NATO has tried to convince Moscow the expansion is not directed at Russia, but NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, who was at the White House for Mondayâs ceremony, told CNN much needed to be done to strengthen NATO-Russian ties. I know there are a lot of old-timers here who are still in the cold war mind set, but perhaps Colin Powell is right:
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell last week said Russia should view a larger NATO not as a threat, but as a partner. ... My guess is sooner or later weâll be needing each other to counter another threat which we are all familiar with. Unless, of course, someone like Zhirinovsky comes to power.
NATO was established on April 4, 1949 by 12 nations: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, United Kingdom and the United States. How many of these are still in the alliance? Time will tell.
Posted by: Rafael ||
03/29/2004 5:29:14 PM ||
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NATO was established on April 4, 1949 by 12 nations: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, United Kingdom and the United States.
How many of these are still in the alliance? Time will tell.
Usually just the UK, Iceland and the US.
But when nut cuttin time comes I expect to be joined by Canada, Denamark, Italy, Holland, Norway, Portugal, Poland, the Federal Republic, the Baltic Republics, The Czech Republic. If'im wrong there's a small state in the Med. with a simple (tho extremely well equipped) population who have proven fightin capabilities.
#5
Seven new members. Let's see, there's Grumpy, Sneezy, Dopey, Sleepy, Doc...Estonia and Latvia. That right?
Posted by: Infidel Bob ||
03/29/2004 19:44 Comments ||
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#6
The Baltics certainly have good cause to worry about Mother Russia, based on recent history. I think it's quite funny to read Russian whining about those warmongering Etonians and Danes.
Posted by: Puddle Pirate (an American who speaks Estonian) ||
03/29/2004 21:34 Comments ||
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#7
That'd be Estonians, rather. Viking types, not knobby-kneed British schoolboys.
Darn fat fingers ...
Posted by: Puddle Pirate (an American who speaks Estonian) ||
03/29/2004 21:35 Comments ||
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A new breed of 'Jihadis', schooled in the North African Islamic doctrine known as Takfir wal Hijra, is posing acute threat to Europe, a media report said. The Takfiris, suspected to have carried out the March 17 Madrid blasts killing 190 and injuring over 1900, are unfettered by many of the religious and ideological constraints that defined Islamic terrorism in the past, The Wall Street Journal reported. These warriors, trained by Afghan veterans of al-Qaeda, think, recruit and operate differently from traditional Islamic networks. For Europe, that makes the threat particularly acute. Unlike previous generations of radical Islamists, who put on long beards with orthodox postures, the newer generation of holy warrior blends in better. They are encouraged to lead a double life for the ultimate pursuit of Jihad, the report said. "Outwardly, they pretend to lead a modern lifestyle," terrorism expert Magnus Ranstorp was quoted as saying in the report. "But deep inside they adhere to a pure medieval strain of Islam," he said. Many Takfiris shave their beards and avoid mosques for security reasons. "Recruits conceal their true beliefs until the time is right," says Ranstorp.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/29/2004 3:37:23 PM ||
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The European Unionâs first counter-terrorism coordinator vowed to defend civil liberties in the battle against militants as he took up his job Monday.
You're a terrorism czar, dumbass. You're not the civil liberties czar.
Former Dutch deputy interior minister Gijs de Vries, who has both Dutch and U.S. citizenship, said restricting freedom in the name of combating terrorism would be a victory for extremists. No need to restrict freedom, Gijs, just scrutinize and jail Islamists the people most likely to commit terrorist acts.
"I believe we have to be careful not to fall into the trap set by the terrorists," he told France-Inter radio.
I think the exact translation from the Dutch was: "We have to be careful to take no decisive actions. Somebody might sue us."
"Terrorists would like Europe to react by reducing our attachment to public freedoms and tolerance. However, we must absolutely preserve the open character of our society," he said in impeccable French.
"Even if they kill us all... Well, maybe not all. Not me, certainly. Or... ummm... you, I guess."
De Vries & Captain Hairdo Senator Kerry - two peas in a pod.
Civil rights campaigners have accused the United States, and to a lesser extent the European Union, of sacrificing public liberties in the name of fighting terrorism since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. Um, any specific examples? Didnât think so.
New York City's smoking laws? Tougher penalties for mattress tag removal?
De Vriesâ role has been variously described in European media as a laughingstock "Mr. Terrorism" or "anti-terror czar," but he will have no operational control and his powers are next to nonexistent far more modest than such titles might suggest. Scold the terrorists, works every time!
Now, now. Don't speak sternly to them. It only makes them seethe.
Appointed by EU leaders last week, De Vries has a tightly limited role to coordinate the work of different EU bodies in the fight against terrorism, promote cooperation between Brussels and member states, and monitor national implementation of agreed anti-terror measures. Which conforms what weâve suspected since last week - this is a sham position and nothing effective will be done by the EeeeUwww in actually fighting terrorism, although Iâm sure the position pays well.
But notice the job description says not a word about human rights. I'm all for human rights, myself, but I'm not paid to be concerned about them.
Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker has criticized the mandate as too narrow. Egads! Frenchmen all around me! Zut Allours! (hey - howâre you Frenchies gonna do in the Tour de France this year?)
De Vries will report to EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana. His mandate makes no mention of coordinating intelligence sharing among member states, which critics say is a key shortcoming in the EUâs anti-terrorism armory. Among all the other shortcomings...
New York-born De Vries, 48, is an ardent European federalist (surprise!) who represented the Dutch government in the Convention which drew up a draft EU constitution due to be finalized by EU leaders in June. A professional politician former leader of the Liberal Democrat group in the European Parliament, the trained political scientist is a member of the center-right VVD liberal party. Keep plenty of white hankies kicking around, EeeeUwww, youâll need them sooner or later.
Golly. He's a trained political scientist.
Better. He's a European-trained political scientist.
Anybody know if he uses Jeet Kun Do style of political scientry, or Shao-Lin style ?
Posted by: Carl in N.H ||
03/29/2004 14:56 Comments ||
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Civil rights campaigners have accused the United States, and to a lesser extent the European Union, of sacrificing public liberties in the name of fighting terrorism since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
I believe their biggest beef is that we simply didn't roll over and bare our throats for the knives. Anything less than complete cooperation is, after all, oppression.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
03/29/2004 15:36 Comments ||
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...but he will have no operational control and his powers are far more modest than such titles might suggest.
So did he spend his first day practicing his scary face in his office mirror? Sounds like Mr. DeVries lucked into a damn good thing. No heavy lifting for him...
Spain's incoming government, under pressure over its plans to withdraw its troops from Iraq, has agreed to double the country's contingent in Afghanistan to 250 soldiers this summer, an aide to the future defense minister said Monday. Outgoing Defense Minister Federico Trillo made the decision last week in consultation with the man who will replace him, Jose Bono, and Bono made no objection, Jose Luis Fernandez, a spokesman for the future defense minister, told The Associated Press.
So Zappie isn't completely stupid.
Reports that the Socialists, who won March 14 general elections, planned to increase Spain's presence in Afghanistan first surfaced last week, and the idea was widely interpreted as a bid to deflect criticism of their plans to withdraw Spain's 1,300 troops from Iraq unless the United Nations takes charge there.
I'd have to take off my shoes to make sure the count's correct, but it seems like 250 is still something less than 1300. Maybe one of you math majors knows something I don't, though...
His party sees Afghanistan as totally different because the occupation is sanctioned by the United Nations and the troops overseeing the country's reconstruction after the U.S. attacks that toppled the Taliban in 2002 are under NATO command. The Spanish troop contingent in Afghanistan will be doubled from 125 to 250 in August, Fernandez said.
Like I say, the diplo war's as important as the military portion...
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/29/2004 9:10:20 AM ||
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** puts on pointy Math Major hat **
Y'see Fred, compared to infinity, both 250 and 1300 are indistinguishable from zero, and thus are equal...
#3
I think you just said they're gonna replace the 1300 120-pound guys in Iraq with 250 624-pound guys in Afghanistan. I'm not sure that's gonna help...
Posted by: Fred ||
03/29/2004 12:44 Comments ||
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#4
The number are equal if you process the 250 through the PBCE* function.
*PBCE - Pakistani Body Count Estimation.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
03/29/2004 13:01 Comments ||
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#5
The number are equal if you process the 250 through the PBCE (Paki Body Count Estimator) Function.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
03/29/2004 13:00 Comments ||
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#6
This move allows Zappy to say he's serious on terror and slam Bush for being in Iraq at the same time. And yes the +125 in Aghanistan is less than the -1300 from Iraq
EFL
Spanish police were agonisingly close to foiling the Madrid train bombings, it was disclosed yesterday. Everyone: How close were they?
A car carrying the explosives used in the March 11 massacre was stopped by police but its Arab driver was fined only for a minor traffic offence, it was reported. Answer: So close they could have prevented some of the explosions.
The boot of the Volkswagen was packed with 220 lb of industrial dynamite being transported to Madrid after it had been stolen from a coal mine at Aviles in northern Spain during the last week of February, the El Pais newspaper said. The boot? Must be some English slang.
The car, which had been stolen, was stopped by two Civil Guard patrolmen near Benavente, in the province of Leon, north of Madrid. But their suspicions were not aroused becuase they always stop cars with dynamite in the "boot" being driven by guys named Jalam when they checked the carâs registration as the owner had not yet reported it missing. They failed to recognise that the driver was not the registered owner. But they did note he was missing all of his fingers and his legs were in the back seat.
The driver was fined for a minor infringement and allowed to drive on. Three of the four bombing suspects are thought to have been in the car. Hope they pay that fine. Those late fees are a bitch.
Posted by: Dragon Fly ||
03/29/2004 7:45:19 AM ||
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Well, my breath is taken away...
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan rejected his deputyâs offer to resign but fired his security chief on Monday after a blistering report on security missteps before last yearâs deadly bombing of UN offices in Baghdad. Annan asked for the resignation of security chief Tun Myat of Myanmar after the report concluded Myat âappeared oblivious to the developing crisisâ in Baghdad before the Aug. 19 bombing, which killed 22 people including mission chief Sergio Vieira de Mello, UN chief spokesman Fred Eckhard told a news conference. But Annan rejected a resignation offer by Deputy Secretary-General Louise Frechette, a Canadian who chaired the UN Steering Group on Iraq when the world body decided last May that its senior staff could return to work after the US-led invasion in March. Frechette tendered her resignation after Annan sent her a letter âexpressing his disappointment and regretâ with regard to the security failures identified by the panel, Eckhard said. âThe secretary-general, taking into account the collective nature of the failures attributable to the Steering Group on Iraq as a whole, declined to accept the resignation,â Eckhard said. The August bombing led to the withdrawal of all UN international staff from Iraq.
International staff have still not returned to Iraq, apart from small teams recently sent in to advise the authorities in Baghdad on the shift to a transitional Iraqi government, expected by June 30. In its report, the outside panel concluded that UN Security officials âappeared to be blinded by the conviction that UN personnel and installations would not become a target of attack, despite the clear warnings to the contrary.â
Posted by: Fred ||
03/29/2004 9:08:59 PM ||
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"Darnit. Martha, didn't I tell ya to tie the pigs down before they fly off?!"
Posted by: Charles ||
03/29/2004 21:23 Comments ||
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I await Kofi's letter of resignation
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/29/2004 21:39 Comments ||
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#3
If only Richard Clarke had been with them.
Posted by: Matt ||
03/29/2004 22:05 Comments ||
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At least he fired somebody. Bush still hasn't roled a single head since 9/11. Perhaps he can take a lead from Kofi's example. Tenet might be a good place to start. Or Mueller. Or Mueller and Tenet.
Posted by: Mr. Davis ||
03/29/2004 22:58 Comments ||
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#6
See looong URL.
Posted by: The Terminator ||
03/29/2004 22:29 Comments ||
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#7
See looong URL.
Posted by: The Terminator ||
03/29/2004 22:29 Comments ||
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#8
See looong URL. Fred filtered the last one, this one is even looooonger.
Posted by: The Terminator ||
03/29/2004 22:33 Comments ||
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#9
See looong URL. Fred filtered the last one, this one is even looooonger.
Posted by: The Terminator ||
03/29/2004 22:33 Comments ||
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#10
See looong URL. Fred filtered the last one, this one is even looooonger.
Posted by: James Smith ||
03/29/2004 22:35 Comments ||
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#11
See looong URL. Fred filtered the last one, this one is even looooonger.
Posted by: James Smith ||
03/29/2004 22:35 Comments ||
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#12
See looong URL. Fred filtered the last one, this one is even looooonger.
Posted by: James Smith ||
03/29/2004 22:37 Comments ||
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#13
See looong URL. Fred filtered the last one, this one is even looooonger.
Posted by: James Smith ||
03/29/2004 22:37 Comments ||
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#14
See looong URL. Fred filtered the last one, this one is even looooonger.
Posted by: James Smith ||
03/29/2004 22:38 Comments ||
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#15
See looong URL. Fred filtered the last one, this one is even looooonger.
Posted by: James Smith ||
03/29/2004 22:38 Comments ||
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#16
Americans are herded to Iraq like cattle to slaughter -- visit http://AD LUSA.com#cattle but first delete space which was added due to censorship.
PLEASE NOTE: Rantburg is a Zionist propaganda BBS spewing hate against Moslems in order to incite wars and sacrifice American lives and resources for the state of Israel.
Posted by: James Smith ||
03/29/2004 22:43 Comments ||
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#17
Americans are herded to Iraq like cattle to slaughter -- visit http://AD LUSA.com#cattle but first delete space which was added due to censorship.
PLEASE NOTE: Rantburg is a Zionist propaganda BBS spewing hate against Moslems in order to incite wars and sacrifice American lives and resources for the state of Israel.
Posted by: James Smith ||
03/29/2004 22:43 Comments ||
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#18
Americans are herded to Iraq like cattle to slaughter -- visit http://AD LUSA.com#cattle but first delete space which was added due to censorship.
PLEASE NOTE: Rantburg is a Zionist propaganda BBS spewing hate against Moslems in order to incite wars and sacrifice American lives and resources for the state of Israel.
Posted by: James Smith TROLL ||
03/29/2004 22:47 Comments ||
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Arab leaders have spurned an American reform plan on the grounds that reforms should come from within. They now have an opportunity to prove they are sincere about their pledge; I believe replacing the Arab League with a common market will be the acid test. Arab "reform" has been a joke. The last I heard, Arab economic reform has meant replacing Coca Cola, with "Qibla" and "Mecca" brands, which probably taste like ditch water. A little third-party assistance couldnât do worse.
Leaders in the Arab world have let their people down for decades. They now have the opportunity to be brave and win them back. The people will stand by their leaders, support them and march with them if they demonstrate a real commitment to reform and adapt to new world realities. Lebanese refer to themselves as "Phonecians" not "Arabs."Likewise "Assyrians," "Yemenese," "Hashemites," "Maghribis" (Ghadafi has been outspoken in his contempt of "Arabs").
I call on our leaders to announce the death of the Arab League and the birth of a common market. One less annoyance. Arab League (1945-2004) R.I.P
Posted by: Man Bites Dog ||
03/29/2004 3:57:49 AM ||
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March 29, 2004 -- WASHINGTON - Investigators probing the United Nationsâ Iraq oil-for-food program are taking a close look at allegations the scandal-plagued initiative was filled with spies, terrorists and do-nothing bureaucrats earning exorbitant salaries.
The activities of the estimated 3,000 U.N. staffers who were working on the $100 billion humanitarian aid program are emerging as a central focus of the investigations into the mushrooming scandal.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in a letter to the U.N. Security Council seeking backing for an independent investigation of the kickback/bribery scandal, said he wants the probe to focus, in part, on whether the U.N. staffers violated procedures established for approving and monitoring contracts and whether U.N. personnel engaged "in any illicit or corrupt activities."
So far, the only U.N. figure to be named publicly in the scandal is Benon Sevon, the man in charge of the oil-for-food program. He was on a list of 270 names - published in a Baghdad newspaper - of international politicians and businessmen who were receiving vouchers from Iraq to buy oil at below-market prices so it could be resold at substantial profits. Sevon has denied the charge, but has been put on ice - purportedly "on vacation" - until the end of the month, when he is due to retire.
But new questions have surfaced about the presence on the oil-for-food programâs administrative staff of a bureaucrat who was widely known to be an undercover agent for the intelligence service of France, a country that had huge financial interests in the program.
Kurdish officials in northern Iraq also made repeated complaints about the fact that Iraq, with U.N. approval, kept Americans, Britons and Scandinavians off the staff that administered the 13 percent of the oil-for-food proceeds earmarked for Kurdish provinces. Only workers from countries perceived to be friendly to Iraq were approved. Howard Ziad, the Kurdish representative to the United Nations, told The Post that Kurdish authorities made repeated complaints to U.N. higher-ups that the staff assigned to his region was riddled with spies working for Iraqi intelligence.
In July 2001, Kurdish security forces arrested a Tunisian U.N. employee with a car full of explosives meant for a terror bombing in Erbil. He was held for four months until the United Nations quietly negotiated his release, Ziad said.
Geez, bang the meter on the ground, rub the batteries to get more juice and still nothing!
Posted by: Anonymous2U ||
03/29/2004 4:20:25 AM ||
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#1
Kofi Annan and the top 2 (or 75) layers of the UN's employees should be fired. The organization is far worse than just imcompetent and grossly inefficient, it will very soon be proven to be hopelessly and terminally corrupt. Can I get a "f**kin Duh" brothers and sisters? If the US Congress gets its teeth into this issue, as it appears it must after the damning GAO report, the UN is toast. Finally.
#2
.com you are too generous. Hopefully when Bush gets re-elected and Republicans control both houses the US issues an ultimatum. Reform or we withdraw and set up an alternative which controlled by democracies. Hopefully they choose option 2. Watching the Left tie themselves in knots over this would be serious fun.
Posted by: Phil B ||
03/29/2004 5:03 Comments ||
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In July 2001, Kurdish security forces arrested a Tunisian U.N. employee with a car full of explosives meant for a terror bombing in Erbil. He was held for four months until the United Nations quietly negotiated his release, Ziad said.
Representing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at a ... memorial ceremony in Tehran for Hamas leader Shaykh Ahmad Yassin, ... Hojatoleslam Mohammad Hassan Akhtari said that he hopes the Palestinians will destroy Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon ... He said this would result in a civil war in which the Israelis would kill each other. Akhtari predicted that the killing of Yassin will unite Palestinian organizations. ...
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
03/29/2004 11:41:33 PM ||
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Close, but not quite. It'll be a Palestinian civil war and I, for one, am really looking forward to watching it on TV.
#2
Wish full thinking, pure and simple, Khamenei should not worry about the very unlikely event of an Israeli civil war, he should concern himself with the cubic-feet of concrete with a Jdam package strapped on that we have reserved especcialy for him.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran has stopped building centrifuges, which can be used for uranium enrichment, in an effort to win the world's trust over its nuclear program, the head of its Atomic Energy Organization said Monday.
"Yep, got all we need, thanks!"
The comments by Gholamreza Aghazadeh came with inspectors from the U.N. nuclear agency in Iran to check on its nuclear facilities. Aghazadeh said the suspension of the construction of centrifuges had been ordered by the country's Supreme National Security Council, Iran's top decision-making body.
Iran suspended uranium enrichment last year under strong international pressure over the aims and dimensions of its nuclear program. But it continued to build centrifuges, which are used in enrichment, despite criticism that this violated the spirit of its pledge to cease enrichment. "The Islamic Republic of Iran has voluntarily expanded (the enrichment) suspension to include the production of components and assembly," state television quoted Aghazadeh as saying on its Web site.
An official of the Atomic Energy Organization explained that this referred to centrifuges and said it had been done to build greater trust with the U.N. agency, the International Atomic Energy Organization, and with Iran's European partners.
Who are all such trusting fools souls.
"So far, we had suspended injecting gas into centrifuges as part of a deal reached with the European countries," the official told The Associated Press, referring to the enrichment suspension. "Now, we have voluntarily suspended production and assembly of centrifuge machines."
"Let the world know that Iran is doing this voluntarily to win greater time trust in the world," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Iran is taking this unilateral decision in the expectation that Iran's nuclear dossier will be taken off the IAEA's agenda," he added.
"And all the time, of course, we'll continue to do what we need to do to build an Islamic holy hand grenade bomb."
Earlier this month, the IAEA rebuked Iran for failing to disclose certain aspects of its nuclear development. Last year IAEA inspectors found radioactive particles that had been enriched to weapons-grade level - higher than what Iran requires for fuel for a nuclear reactor. Iran said the particles had been found on imported equipment. IAEA director Mohammed ElBaradei says Iran has much to do before the U.N. agency can give its nuclear program a clean bill of health.
When are the students revolting?
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/29/2004 9:06:04 AM ||
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#2
Why Hiryu! It's almost like you're ... skeptical or something.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/29/2004 9:19 Comments ||
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Iran has stopped building centrifuges, which can be used for uranium enrichment, in an effort to win the world's trust over its nuclear program, the head of its Atomic Energy Organization said Monday.
#5
The IAEA's chief is an Egyptian who has yet to address his own country's covert nuclear weapons program. Any assessment of Iran made by him is fatally compromised by this fact.
As to Iran, the operative term is no longer "building," it is "dismantling." Anything less is casus belli.
#7
Zenster, would that be a causus belli for our President whom you and Molly Evil call "Shrub" to wage, dear?
Posted by: Jen ||
04/04/2004 21:06 Comments ||
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I've cut slack today for being on-topic and un-puffed.
Of course, I would also dearly like to hear how one arrives at his position - something truly disingenuous is involved. It's certainly not the product of step-wise reasoning and has that distinct air about it you both refer to....
Al-Qaeda may have developed a terrorist naval force of 15-30 vessels, a terrorism expert says.
Alexey Muraviev, co-ordinator of graduate studies in strategy and defence at Curtin University of Technology in Perth, told a maritime security conference in Sydney yesterday that there were signs a big terrorist strike might be planned.
Evidence included the attacks on the USS Cole in Aden in 2000 and the French tanker Limburg off Yemen in 2002, reconnaissance activities and attempts to obtain maritime strike capabilities.
"These indicators raise serious concerns that what we may be observing is the pre-operational phase of a future maritime 9/11."
Attacks could include bombing naval or merchant shipping, sea-based attacks on land and the use of private aircraft loaded with explosives. Containers could be used to transport chemical, biological or nuclear devices.
Intelligence experts believed ships were far more vulnerable to an al-Qaeda attack than commercial airlines, Mr Muraviev said.
Targets could include cruise ships, oil supertankers, LNG-carriers and chemical tankers.
"For security experts, it is no longer a question of if but rather when and where."
Mr Muraviev warned that 95 per cent of the value of Australia's overseas trade was carried by foreign vessels.
The al-Qaeda fleet was believed to include small fishing trawlers and large freighters, he said.
Mr Muraviev quoted a US intelligence official as saying that, like German raider ships in World War II, Osama bin Laden's vessels constantly changed their names, flags and appearances. Of particular concern was an attack by suicide scuba divers.
In May 2002 the FBI sent out an alert about terrorists developing an "offensive scuba diver capability". Last August the US Coastguard Marine Safety Office issued a special bulletin about suspicious individuals asking marine shops and schools about equipment and training.
When the US caught al-Qaeda's alleged chief of naval operations, Abdulrahim Mohammed Abda Al-Nasheri, they said they had found a 180-page dossier that was apparently al-Qaeda's plans. It listed so-called targets of opportunity, including Western merchant shipping and cruise liners.
Bruce Smith, director of border compliance and the enforcement division at the Australian Customs Service, told the conference it now had X-ray equipment capable of detecting conventional weapons smuggled in with cargo, as well as nuclear and radioactive weapons.
Ports around the world are scrambling to meet a July 1 deadline to introduce a new international security system that will include ship security officers and details of a ship's last 10 ports of call.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/29/2004 3:39:29 PM ||
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#1
Bull puckey! This tale has been hanging around since late 2001. Has anyone ever seen these ships? I think it's another set of "suitcase nukes", a figurine of someone's imagination.
IT makes a chilling picture. The mastermind behind the September 11 attacks has told interrogators that he and his terrorist nephew leafed through almanacs of US skyscrapers when planning the operation. Sears Tower in Chicago and Library Tower in Los Angeles â which was "blown up" in the film Independence Day â were both potential targets, according to transcripts of interrogations of al-Qa'ida operations chief Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. "We were looking for symbols of economic might," he told his captors.
He recounted sitting looking at the books with Ramzi Yusuf, his nephew by marriage, who was the man behind the first World Trade Centre bombing in 1993. In that attack Yusuf succeeded only in ripping a crater into the foundations with a van bomb. "We knew from that experience that explosives could be problematic," Khalid said, "so we started thinking about using planes."
When he was captured last March in the house of a microbiologist in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, the paunchy 37-year-old was unshaven and wearing a baggy vest. He looked more like a down-and-out than one of the most dangerous men in the world. The interrogation reports make clear, however, that he was not only the chief planner for September 11 but also introduced Osama bin Laden to Hambali, the Indonesian militant accused of orchestrating the Bali bombing 13 months later. To date, Khalid is the most senior al-Qa'ida member to have been caught. Until now there has been no word of where he is being held or what, if anything, he is saying.
Then what's the source for this? Mental emanations?
Although the interrogation transcripts are prefaced with the warning that "the detainee has been known to withhold information or deliberately mislead", it is clear that he is talking â and that the September 11 conspiracy was much more extensive than has previously been revealed. The confessions reveal planning for the atrocity started much earlier than anyone had realised and was intended to be even more devastating. "The original plan was for a two-pronged attack with five targets on the east coast of America and five on the west coast," he told interrogators. "We talked about hitting California as it was America's richest state and bin Laden had talked about economic targets."
Bin Laden, who like Khalid had studied engineering, vetoed simultaneous coast-to-coast attacks, arguing that "it would be too difficult to synchronise". Khalid switched to two waves: hitting the east coast first and following up with a second attack. "Osama had said the second wave should focus on the west coast," he said. Zacarias Moussaoui, a French-Moroccan who had lived in London, was sent to the Pan Am international flight school in Minnesota to train for the west coast attack, according to Khalid. His instructor alerted the FBI, however, after the Moroccan showed no interest in landing planes â only in steering them. He was arrested in August 2001. Until now it had been widely believed that Moussaoui was meant to have been the 20th hijacker on September 11. The revelation by Khalid that he was part of a "second wave" is lent weight by the FBI's recent arrest of two other men who were allegedly part of the west coast conspiracy. Despite the setbacks, Khalid described the September 11 attack as "far more successful than we had ever imagined".
Khalid, whose family came from Pakistan, was born in 1965 in Kuwait City, where his father was a preacher. He joined the Muslim Brotherhood as a teenager and went to the US to study engineering in North Carolina. At that time the Afghan jihad against the Russians was in full flow. After graduating, Khalid headed for one of bin Laden's guesthouses in the Pakistani frontier town of Peshawar. He has told interrogators it was there that he first met Hambali. In 1992 Khalid moved south to Karachi. Posing as a businessman importing holy water from Mecca, he acted as a fundraiser and intermediary between young militants and wealthy sponsors in the Gulf. Yusuf's attempt to blow up the World Trade Centre inspired him to conceive his own operations. The first was a plot to blow up 12 American airliners over the Pacific. Both Yusuf and Hambali were involved. It failed after their Manila bomb factory caught fire. The men fled to Pakistan where Yusuf was arrested.
Undeterred, Khalid decided to start working on something "far more spectacular" for which he "hoped to persuade bin Laden to give him money and operatives". He also decided to introduce Hambali to bin Laden. Khalid told interrogators: "I was impressed by JI's ability to operate regionally and by Hambali's connections with the Malaysian government. He told me that his group had a training camp in The Philippines and a madrasah (religious teaching) program in Malaysia on the border with Singapore. "In 1996 I invited Hambali to Afghanistan to meet Osama. He spent three or four days with him and it was agreed that al-Qa'ida and Hambali's organisation would work together on 'targets of mutual interest'." Hambali, who had been operating on a shoestring, was provided with a new car, mobile phones and computers. Bin Laden was apparently impressed by Khalid's networking and ideas and made him head of al-Qa'ida's military committee. From then on he was a key planner in almost every attack, including the simultaneous bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1988. Bin Laden dubbed him The Brain.
The big challenge was to attack Americans on their own soil. Initially Khalid proposed leasing a charter plane, filling it with explosives and crashing it into the CIA headquarters. But the plan expanded. Bin Laden pointed out that on a visit to the US in 1982 he had been to the Empire State Building in New York and was astonished by how unprotected such key landmarks were. A committee, known as the shura, was formed comprising bin Laden, Khalid and four others. It met at what was known as the war room in bin Laden's camp outside Jalalabad in Afghanistan. The plan for a two-pronged attack was formed. "We had scores of volunteers to die for Allah but the problem was finding those familiar with the West who could blend in as well as get US visas," Khalid told his interrogators. Two Yemenis and two Saudi pilots, Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Midhar, were selected and given commando training in Afghanistan. "All four operatives only knew that they had volunteered for a martyrdom operation involving planes," Khalid said.
In 1999 the two Yemenis were refused US visas; but a few months later four jihad recruits from Hamburg arrived in Quetta, Pakistan. Led by Mohammed Atta, an Egyptian, they had originally planned to go to Chechnya to fight the Russians, but a former mujaheddin in Germany had given them an introduction to bin Laden. After meeting the al-Qa'ida leader in Kandahar, they delivered the baia, the oath of allegiance required to gain access to his inner circle, and were invited to his Ramadan feast. He told them that they had been selected for a top-secret mission and promised that they would enter paradise as martyrs. They were instructed to go home and destroy their passports so their trip to Pakistan would be undetected. They were then to shave off their beards, go to the US and obtain pilot's licences. Khalid told interrogators he had provided them with a special training manual which included information on how to find flight schools and study timetables. Three of the four were granted US visas and travelled to the US. The fourth, Ramzi Binalshibh, failed and returned to Afghanistan, where he communicated with them through internet chat rooms.
In the spring of 2000, after a planning meeting in Kuala Lumpur, bin Laden scaled back the plan from two-prong to two-wave because they had been unable to get enough potential pilots into the US. Moussaoui succeeded in entering the US, but the order went out for potential recruits who were not Arab, Khalid told his captors. A date was set for the first-wave attack, codenamed Porsche 911, and a message went around the world for followers to return to Afghanistan by September 10. The messages were intercepted by several Western intelligence agencies but none apparently realised their significance. When the suicide planes struck on September 11, al-Qa'ida seems to have been taken by surprise â both by the success of the attacks and by the US reaction. "Afterwards we never got time to catch our breath, we were immediately on the run," Khalid said.
He said the war on terrorism and the US bombing of Afghanistan completely disrupted their communications network. Operatives could no longer use satellite phones and had to rely on couriers, although they still used internet chat rooms. "Before September 11 we could dispatch operatives with the expectation of follow-up contact but after October 7 (when the bombing started) that changed 180 degrees. There was no longer a war room or shura and operatives had more autonomy." He told interrogators that he remained in Pakistan for 10 days after September 11, then went to Afghanistan to find bin Laden: "I went to Jalalabad, Tora Bora, looking for him and then eventually met him in Kabul."
The al-Qa'ida leader instructed him to continue operations â with Britain as the next target. "It was at this time we discussed the Heathrow operation," Khalid said. "Osama declared (British Prime Minister Tony) Blair our principal enemy and London a target." He arranged for operatives to be sent from Pakistan and Afghanistan to London, where surveillance of Heathrow airport and the surrounding areas began. However, he claimed, the operation never got beyond the planning stages. "There was a lot of confusion," he said. "I would say my performance at that time was sloppy."
One priority was to get Hambali out of Afghanistan. In November 2001, Khalid arranged for him to go to Karachi. There he gave him $US20,000 and a false Indonesian passport with which he could travel to Sri Lanka and on to Thailand, from where he would help to organise the Bali nightclub bombing the following year. They kept in touch through Hambali's younger brother, who was in Karachi.
The net was closing in around Khalid. Another shura member, Abu Zubayda, was arrested in Faisalabad in March 2002. Six months later Binalshibh was seized in a Karachi apartment he shared with Khalid. Khalid escaped, but his flight came to an end in the early hours of March 2 last year in Rawalpindi. Questioned for two days by Pakistan's military intelligence, who say he did nothing but pray repeatedly, he was flown blindfolded to Bagram, the US base in the mountains above Kabul. It is not clear how long he was held there, nor what methods were used to make him talk. Afghans freed from Bagram claim to have been subjected to sleep deprivation and extremes of hot and cold. There have also been reports of truth drugs.
"More giggle juice, Khalid?"
"Yersh, shank yew!"
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/29/2004 12:08:00 AM ||
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Posted by: John Doe TROLL ||
03/29/2004 0:23 Comments ||
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#2
But at what point did Mossad take over the planning?
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
03/29/2004 1:27 Comments ||
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#3
"We talked about hitting California as it was America's richest state and bin Laden had talked about economic targets."
Makes me wonder how all those lefties in SF would have reacted had an attack been carried out in that city.
#4
ima going to kick ass if they hit SF. that americas greatest city. im also thinking that the lefty you mention also kick ass to if attack. you dont mess with san fran man!
#5
Wait this can't be right! Al Queda said they want Bush to win because he's so stupid and all he knows is force, which we ALL know can't hurt them. Kerry's powerful diplomacy on the other hand would be a devastating blow to them! Right? Wouldn't it? (crickets chirping...)
Seriously, it's good to hear from the horse's mouth that we are definitely having a large and paralyzing effect on them. Now we need to increase the pressure and finish the scum off.
#6
...Y'know, a Wayback Machine trip might be useful here. Suppose Binny and the boyz really did pull off a dual attack that morning - figure easily 15-20K dead in the space of an hour or so. At that point, how much convincing would it have taken for Dubya to open up the Football? Kabul - gone. Baghdad - almost certainly. And we would have only been warming up.
Khalid needs to thank Allah that Binny got cold feet.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
03/29/2004 11:52 Comments ||
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#7
I dunno, Mike, my impression is that nukes are strictly a mental deterrant rather than an actual weapn these days and the US wouldn't use one unless we got nuked first. World opinion and all those UN wrist-slaps, you know.
#9
Mercutio-
To a great extent, you're right - but in the first few days (remember while they were talking about 10K dead) every option was on the table. Multiply what we saw - and felt - in NYC by ten, and I think you would have had even the most screamingly liberal politicians falling all over themselves to nuke them.
There would have been one potentially good aspect to that - with at least a city or two in glowing ruins, and us unapologetic about it - I think Libya, Iran, and probably NK would have been lined up to see who could get rid of their programs fastest.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
03/29/2004 14:23 Comments ||
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#10
Next time they'll aim for the tenth floor, not the 80th.
From Jihad Unspun
The occupation regime has made torture of the women prisoners an art, [Ms. Eman] Khammas [head of the International Occupation Watch Center in Baghdad] says, humiliating and abasing them.
An Iraqi female attourney, aged 55, imprisoned for four months, was compelled to gather human waste in a large pot and boil it over a fire, stirring it as it cooked â all in full view of the male prisoners who started to chant âAllahu akbarâ (God is greatest!) when they observed this barbaric treatment being meeted out to a lawyer and matron. ....
Khammas, says that the first violation committed by the occupation is to conceal the real number of prisoners inside the network of prisons in the occupied country. While the occupation talks in terms of only 13,000 prisoners distributed among nine prison camps, Khammas says that there are more than 80,000 prisoners in Abu Ghurayb concentration camp alone.
Regarding the treatment received by the prisoners in Abu Ghurayb, Khammas says that available information from inside the prison is hard for the mind even to conceive. She cites a letter written by a female prisoner, smuggled out of the camp, and delivered to some Iraqi newspapers. In her letter, the prisoner demands that the tribes and notables of Iraq blow up Abu Ghurayb, since the occupation soldiers have violated the honor of the Iraqi women prisoners detained there.
Iraqi newspapers, including those owned by political parties and individuals in the pay of the occupation, have reported that people living near Abu Ghurayb are moving away in fear that indeed it might be destroyed at any time. Khammas notes that most prisoners who are released from the place refuse to discuss what they were subjected to during their ordeal inside, out of fear of being returned to prison yet again.
What Shaykh Sharif al-Qubaysi, 72 was subjected to in Abu Ghurayb is something that would be unlikely to occur even in the most dictatorial of countries. Although Shaykh al-Qubaysi had not joined the ranks of the Resistance and had not worked for the Iraqi government before the US invasion, he found himself in Abu Ghurayb after the US occupation forces raided his home.
Shaykh al-Qubaysiâs advanced age was insufficient to get him appropriate treatment from the American jailers. One evening as he was sitting in his cell, an American woman soldier came in and ordered him to remove all his clothes. She insisted upon it despite his protestations, and then paraded him around in front of the inmates in the prison.
Member of the Board of Muslim âUlamaâ, Dr. âAbd as-Salam al-Kubaysi, relates the story of one Imam of an Iraqi mosque. American women soldiers in the prison forced him to put on red womenâs underwear and they then locked him in a cell with 16 Iraqi women prisoners for three hours. Al-Kubaysi says that the Imam confided in him that âhe and the women wept incessantly for the entire three hours.â
Journalistic photographer Sahib âUmran who was held in Abu Ghurayb for three months, describes the US treatment of Iraqis in the prison as âhumiliating and degrading.â âThey would allow us to bathe only once a month, and that was at four in the morning and in extremely cold water. The American occupation forces also prevent prisoners from going to toilets, just in order to humiliate them.â
Sahib added, âwe wore red overalls like those that the prisoners in Guantánamo wear. And even when the weather was extremely cold, the air conditioners would be left running. Food was cold, to say nothing of being spoiled.â He said that the Americans would try to break the morale of the prisoners by claiming that they had killed or arrested members of the prisonerâs family.
Arshad Fadl, 19, says that he was forced to stand on his feet for three consecutive days with his hands in chains and his head in a sack. Throughout this entire period, Fadl says, he was not allowed to drink water, to eat, or even to go to the toilet. âBut whatever kind of bad treatment I got, I was able to bear it. Only, I felt sorry for the elderly prisoners and the for the disabled who were with us in prison,â he said.
US proconsul L. Paul Bremer announced that some non-Iraqi prisoners being held by the US occupation forces in Iraq might be transferred to the concentration camp set up by the Americans in Guantánamo, Cuba, according to a report carried by the Kuwaiti newspaper al-Qabas. Bremer claimed that the Iraqi prisoners, who he said numbered 7,000, are being held in Abu Ghurayb and Umm Qasr prisons and that among them are 11 women. Their cases, he said, would be reviewed after investigations have been completed.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
03/29/2004 11:53:13 PM ||
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A Pakistani court yesterday sentenced a militant to death for killing two policemen guarding the US Consulate in the southern city of Karachi last year. Defense lawyers immediately vowed to appeal the conviction. Zulfikar Ali, 37, was given the high jump death sentence and fined 200,000 rupees ($3,500) by anti-terrorism court judge Arshad Noor for the February 2003 attack, his lawyer Nasir Mahmood said. âThe judge announced the verdict in the presence of the accused, saying the prosecution has proved its case as far as killing of policemen was concerned,â Mahmood told AFP. Ali was arrested at the scene after firing at policemen guarding the consulate on a busy road in downtown Karachi. The defense team had contested that Ali had been wrongly arrested and simply an âunstableâ person who had no connection to any militant organization. âPolice have falsely implicated him in order to close the case,â Mahmood said, adding that an appeal would be filed next week.
"Lies! All lies!"
The attack was the second deadly strike on the consulate, but as in the first attack in June 2002, no consulate personnel were injured. On June 14, 2002, 12 Pakistani bystanders, guards and passing drivers were killed in a suicide car bomb attack. A third attack was foiled by police earlier this month, when they discovered and defused 650 kilograms of powerful chemical explosives in a van parked outside the building. Five militants from the radical Harkatul Mujahedeen Al-Alami organization were convicted in March 2003 of the June 2002 attack. Two were sentenced to death and two were sentenced to life imprisonment. All four have appealed their convictions.
And nobody's neck's been lengthened yet...
Posted by: Fred ||
03/29/2004 8:43:17 PM ||
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#2
Americans are herded to Iraq like cattle to slaughter -- visit http://AD LUSA.com#cattle but first delete space which was added due to censorship.
PLEASE NOTE: Rantburg is a Zionist propaganda BBS spewing hate against Moslems in order to incite wars and sacrifice American lives and resources for the state of Israel.
PS: Fred, we'll see your "neck lengthened" for Treason against United States, and that's a promise, not threat.
#3
Americans are herded to Iraq like cattle to slaughter -- visit http://AD LUSA.com#cattle but first delete space which was added due to censorship.
PLEASE NOTE: Rantburg is a Zionist propaganda BBS spewing hate against Moslems in order to incite wars and sacrifice American lives and resources for the state of Israel.
PS: Fred, we'll see your "neck lengthened" for Treason against United States, and that's a promise, not threat.
#4
Americans are herded to Iraq like cattle to slaughter -- visit http://AD LUSA.com#cattle but first delete space which was added due to censorship.
PLEASE NOTE: Rantburg is a Zionist propaganda BBS spewing hate against Moslems in order to incite wars and sacrifice American lives and resources for the state of Israel.
PS: Fred, we'll see your "neck lengthened" for Treason against United States, and that's a promise, not threat.
Sudanese security forces have arrested 10 military officers who were plotting to overthrow the government, a high-ranking military official said yesterday. The official told Reuters the officers were arrested on Sunday and were mostly from war-torn western Sudan. He said they all had sympathies to the opposition Popular Congress party, led by Islamist leader Hassan Al-Turabi.
Fundos, y'mean?
âThere are 10, all of officer rank, under the leadership of a colonel... It was an attempt at a coup dâetat,â the military official said, adding that the group had been caught meeting in a military headquarters in Khartoum. Turabi denied his party was involved in a coup bid but said his sources had told him around 27 officers had been arrested. The opposition leader is a former ally of Sudanese President Omar Hassan Bashir, who seized power in a 1989 military coup.
It's an old tradition...
Amid rumors of arrests, local press sources said they had been told by security not to publish anything on the issue. The military official said nine officers were from Darfur in west Sudan where the government has been fighting rebels for more than a year. The government has said major conflict in the area is over, but witnesses say government planes have bombed the area in recent weeks. âThe fact that five of the officers implicated were from the air force has very far reaching consequences because of the governmentâs reliance on aerial bombardment in its war against the rebels in Darfur,â the military official said.
Aerial bombardment works when the target's the presidential palace, too...
Turabi was detained in 2001 after a power struggle with Bashir and released from house arrest in October. He said while his Popular Congress party was not involved in any coup attempt he supported the charges by the western rebels who say their region has been neglected by the government. âItâs not only a purge. It is going to be a charge of attempted coup dâetat,â he told Reuters by telephone in Cairo about those officers arrested. He also said the officers were from the Darfur region, nearby Kordofan and other areas. In addition, Turabi said five senior members of his party had been detained yesterday, with the first arrests made in the early morning. But he said it was not clear whether they would be kept for questioning of a few hours or held longer. Another party official said a further seven activists had been arrested. The questioning of Turabiâs deputy, Abdullah Hassan Ahmed, on Sunday evening had centered on the uprising, he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/29/2004 7:34:01 PM ||
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The Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, and the Lebanese Hizbullah party have agreed on the importance of coordination among all Arab and Muslim resistance factions. Hamas, in a statement a copy of which was made available to the PIC, said that a Hamas delegation led by Khaled Mishaal, the Movementâs political bureau chief, and a delegation of the Hizbullah party led by Hasan Nasrallah, the partyâsâ secretary general, discussed in a meeting repercussions of the Zionist assassination crime of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.
"Awright, youse guys! Which one of us is gonna be next?"
The statement noted that both parties strongly condemned the terrorist crime that targeted one of the Muslim Ummahâs symbols and great leaders. The heinous crime would not, however, weaken resistance but rather would inflame resistance against Zionist occupation and would initiate a qualitative leap in the role and performance of resistance in Palestine, the statement elaborated. It quoted both parties as appreciating the Arab and Muslim massesâ reaction that proved anew the vitality of those masses and their true affiliation. The statement in conclusion said that Mishaal thanked Nasrallah and his brothers for their genuine fraternal feelings and backing to the Movement and Palestine, affirming that such a spirit would accelerate the Ummahâs renaissance and efforts to regain its occupied lands and wasted dignity. The party delegation had affirmed absolute solidarity with the Hamas Movement and declared that all party potentials were under the disposal of Hamas.
Hmmm... A merger, is it?
Posted by: Fred ||
03/29/2004 6:52:18 AM ||
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#1
This is standard super-villain (TM) ranting that doesn't mean anything. We have seen at the Arab Leauge summit that never was that Arab solidarity doesn't exist outside these kinds of ravings.
Also Israel has been proved right. Kill a terrorist leader and the level of terrorism goes down for a while.
Posted by: Phil B ||
03/29/2004 19:43 Comments ||
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#2
The IDF needs to keep its crosshairs on Rantisi with one in the chamber. If Hamas-Hizb'allah gets too frisky, then take another one out and reload.
Continue the above loop until:
1 run out of resistance, or
2 run out of leaders, or both.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
03/29/2004 20:00 Comments ||
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#3
Is this algorithm re-entrant? There have been coding errors in previous routines (e.g. Hunting Elephants) -- the pros know you have to put a qualifying datum in the last location to be searched so you don't end up in an endless loop. Mebbe they should put Ramallah last, just in case...
#4
Bull. If we're to take the stance (which I believe is a correct and justified one) that the terrorist leaders of Hamas are killed because they're a constant military enemy with whom there can exist no meaningful negotiations since their positions are fundamentally opposed, then there's no reason whatsoever in "keeping the crosshairs on Rantissi". This isn't a negotiation. This is war.
Take Rantissi out the moment you have him on said crosshairs. Then take out the next one who'll step on his place. And the next one. And the next one. Waiting until they "get too frisky" means what exactly, allowing them time to regroup? Or has there been some declaration of peace on the part of Hamas that I've not been aware of? Hamas has already declared full out war, they are already as frisky as one can get.
And Israel should also treat this as full-out war between itself and Hamas, because if it doesn't, even the death of Yassin becomes mere foolishness rather than justified.
#5
Thank you, Aris. That's a point I've made many times in the past. There's always more cannon fodder to be had. The way to win a war is to take out the enemy high command, who, by the process of conducting warfare, become legitimate targets. If Hamas should succeed in bumping off Sharon, by the way, the same principle would appy, though I'd react differently.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/29/2004 20:39 Comments ||
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#6
Well dang... I'm with Aris again. That 3 times this year.
Don't let the leaders of Hamas, PFLP, IH, Fatah, have more than 3 days on the job training.
#9
he IDF needs to keep its crosshairs on Rantisi with one in the chamber.
Not just Rantisi, but Nasrallah as well. If these terrorist organizations are going to have a merger of sorts, then there's every reason to whack ALL the leaders, no matter which "division" they belong to.
I would like to point out that by sponsoring and supporting the targetting and murder of innocent civilians (usually an act of war in most countries) Hamas and the PA and Hizbullah and all the rest are already in a state of war with Israel. Do you think they would, for one second, hesitate to murder Sharon (or any Jew for that matter)?
#11
The Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, and the Lebanese Hizbullah party have agreed on the importance of coordination among all Arab and Muslim resistance factions.
Great news! Now let's get them all into the same tent. Makes it a lot easier for the guy hovering over the bombsight.
He doesnât have a lawyer in the room, but Saddam Hussein apparently is practicing what most attorneys would advise: Donât talk. Diplomatic and military officials say the former Iraqi leader has provided little useful information in interrogations so far â and may even be having fun. Time to send in the Kurdish Truncheon A Team.
The questioning of Saddam â initially handled by the CIA â is now a joint CIA-FBI operation, a sign that the aim is changing from finding intelligence to gathering evidence for any eventual trials. The people who are asking the questions at the moment are from the FBI, said a U.S. intelligence official. Not sure thatâs a good thing, but thatâs just me...
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has indicated in interviews that interrogators arenât learning much from the former president of Iraq. Just hand him over to the Iraqiâs, then. Maybe they can get some answers out of him?
In a recent interview, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said he occasionally sees the interrogation briefing reports. "Heâs a pretty wily guy, and heâs not giving much information that Iâve seen. But he seems to be enjoying the debate," Armitage told WPHT-AM radio in Philadelphia. The heâs not being beaten enough...
"Nurse! More giggle juice!"
When Saddam was captured, haggard at the bottom of an outhouse in an underground room in December, officials hoped the interrogation would yield details about the Iraqi insurgency, Saddamâs weapons programs, human rights violations and corruption in the U.N. oil-for-food program. Instead, House Intelligence Chairman Porter Goss, R-Fla., now calls the questioning a "patience project." My patience wears thin real fast...
"He is very good at denial and deception. I am not sure he even knows what the truth is anymore," Goss said. "I think heâs been surrounded by yes-men and syncophants." Lying, itâs what Arabs do best!
In an interview with the Associated Press last week, FBI Director Robert Mueller said the FBI is assisting with "certain interrogations" in Iraq, as well as helping with investigations into killings there. He said the bureau is also working with documents obtained in Iraq. Just wish we could see some concrete results, thatâs all.
Those most likely include Saddamâs papers. Vince Cannistraro, a former counterterrorism director for the CIA, said papers found with Saddam when he was captured have proved much more useful than anything the former leader has said. "Every thing that they have found and taken action on has come from documentation found on him," Cannistraro said. A defense official would say only that Saddam was in good health at an undisclosed location. Must be that free Cuban Iraqi health care weâve always heard about!
Details of the interrogations could come out in any eventual trial of Saddam. But the logistics â including the date â of any trial have yet to be settled. Do it Uncle Joeâs way - first the trial, then the execution.
On Sunday, Jacques Verges, a French lawyer who claims to be representing Saddam at his familyâs request, said he expects that a trial is still some time away. Verges has not met with Saddam and is trying to act as his lawyer from afar, a U.S. intelligence official said. Get the check up front, you freakinâ apologist for murder.
The International Committee of the Red Thingy Cross visited Saddam in jail for the first time in February. The group does not release details of such visits or of a prisonerâs confinement. However, Saddam did write a letter to his family that was to be delivered once the United States confirmed it did not contain any hidden messages to his followers. Verges did not discuss that letter. Because heâs not in the loop, methinks.
A team of 50 Justice Department prosecutors, investigators and support staff has traveled to Iraq to help assemble a war-crimes case against Saddam and others in his former government. But Justice officials take pains to say that the United States is there only to assist the Iraqis with advice on what their options for a trial might be. The officials say they are helping the Iraqis to organize evidence and lay out possible charges, and aiding them in finding cooperating witnesses and key documents. The U.S. team is joined by legal experts from Britain, Spain and Poland. If Saddam does not provide any useful intel in the next three months, let him loose in Baghdad and have the mobs tear him limb from limb, or give him the Mussolini lamppost sendoff. Donât waste my fucking tax dollars on the circus / charade that Saddamâs trial will be.
While itâs possible Saddam could be put on trial before any others, Justice officials say another approach would be to start lower and work up the ladder of seniority. The hope would be that some Iraqi officials might be persuaded to testify against Saddam to avoid harsh sentences. Well, where are these other trials?
The Iraqi Governing Council has already set up tribunals consisting of three panels of five judges each, with nine other judges to serve on an appeals panel. Good.
Verges said he believes the United States has violated the Geneva Conventions in its detention of Saddam, and said the world must wait for a trial to determine whether Saddam was guilty of wrongdoing. Like itâs not fucking obvious?
"We know that Mr. Bush has said heâs guilty," Verges told Associated Press Television News. "But what does that mean? Mr. Bush is not a judge. We cannot accept him as a judge. He is an enemy of Saddam Hussein." "What is the meaning of is?" This assclownâs benn reading too much Sartre or Foucault...
#3
Disregard OS. I feel like Merry and Pippin in LOTR. Heh heh. Nice weather today.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
03/29/2004 19:32 Comments ||
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#4
Aaah, don't bash Verges too hard. He's just a lawyer, that's all. When you don't have the law, you argue the facts. When you don't have the facts, you argue the law. And when you don't have either, you persecute the prosecutor. Time-honored legal tradition.
The spokesman gave no further information about Abdullah, but anti-terrorism experts in Washington identified him as an Iraqi national whose real name was Abdul Wahab. They said Wahab was heading al-Qaida operations in northern Afghanistan until December 2001, when U.S. forces defeated the Taliban regime.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/29/2004 3:33:50 PM ||
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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP)--Intercepted radio conversations indicate al-Qaida's top intelligence chief may have been killed in fighting in Pakistan, intelligence officials said Monday, but they admitted that no body has been found. The radio transmissions disclosed that a man named Abdullah had been killed and that the death caused a great deal of distress among the al-Qaida forces, a Pakistani intelligence official said on condition of anonymity. ``He was a very important person for al-Qaida,'' the official said. He added that interrogations of suspected al-Qaida members led the Pakistanis to believe that Abdullah was the group's top intelligence official. Another member of Pakistani intelligence said the military was showing photos of Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah to captured militants, but that so far none had identified the photo. He said all available information was also being shared with U.S. intelligence agencies. Without a body--and after earlier speculation that al-Qaida's No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahri was cornered--the officials were cautious about any conclusions, since many al-Qaida leaders use aliases.
Abdullah or Abdul?
Posted by: Steve ||
03/29/2004 16:06 Comments ||
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At least 19 people have been killed in a series of bombs and shoot-outs in Uzbekistan which officials blamed on Islamic militants trying to split the Central Asian country from the U.S.-led war against terror.
"This has been committed by the hands of international terror, including Hizb ut-Tahrir and Wahhabis," Foreign Minister Sadyk Safayev told a news conference on Monday.
Hizb ut-Tahrir, which aims to set up a pan-Islamic state that would include post-Soviet Central Asia, and the austere Wahhabi school of Sunni Islam are both outlawed in Uzbekistan.
"That's the hallmark of the terrorist acts we have already witnessed abroad," Safayev said. "Attempts are being made to split the international anti-terror coalition."
Hizb ut-Tahrir denied "any involvement whatsoever" saying it "does not engage in terrorism, violence or armed struggle."
The wiretaps from Milan say otherwise ...
In a statement issued in London it said "the finger of blame for these explosions must point at the tyrannical Uzbek regime which has orchestrated such events in the past in order to suppress legitimate Islamic political opposition".
The latest wave of violence began near the ancient Silk Road oasis city of Bukhara where some 10 people were killed and 26 wounded in an explosion in an apartment block which happened, officials said, when a "terrorist" was preparing a bomb.
Three policemen were killed in overnight gun battles with "suspected terrorists" in the capital Tashkent some 600 km (375 miles) to the northwest, Prosecutor General Rashid Kadyrov said.
Then on Monday, two female suicide bombers blew themselves up in separate attacks near Tashkent's biggest bazaar killing three policemen and a child, Kadyrov said. Such methods, he said, were "atypical for our nation and imported from abroad".
President Islam Karimov, visibly tense and dressed in a dark suit, told the nation in a televised address that preparations for the "terrorist acts" had lasted at least six months.
Investigation of the Bukhara blast found large quantities of bomb ingredients in the building and one man was caught bringing 10 explosive devices into Tashkent, state television said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/29/2004 3:30:57 PM ||
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From World Tribune.com
Israelâs military has changed its training and weapons development concept over the last two years to adapt to the current Palestinian insurgency war. Military commanders said the war, well into its fourth year, has resulted in the acceleration and merging of processes in training, weapons development and procurement. They said the aim has been to ensure a rapid response to the changing tactics of Palestinian tactics. Tactics of increased despiration
"We started out as one army," Maj. Gen. Yiftah Ron-Tal, chief of the militaryâs Ground Forces Command, said. "Now, we have an army with several totally different sets of capabilities." The general said that since 2002 the Ground Forces Command changed its training doctrine to ensure that troops could enhance capabilities even while they maintained operational duty in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. This has resulted in the decrease in training to two periods per year. "Until two years ago, we had a separate operational period and a training period," Ron-Tal said. "Now we have integrated training in areas of mission. You have to prepare yourself during your operational mission."
Other commanders discussed the training of armored and artillery forces in infantry duties. They said these forces as well as their commanders have undergone additional training to fulfill infantry missions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in an effort to increase manpower flexibility. Commanders said the military has drastically shortened its period of weapons development and procurement. They said that in some cases the period of development of weapons and systems has taken as little as four months. Lt. Col. Yoram Abecasis, chief of LIC in the Weapons Development and Procurement Department, said the acceleration of weapons development was the result of a new organizational structure in which field commanders played a key role in decision-making. Abecasis said the result has sometimes been the introduction of uncertified and even unsafe weapons in the field for operational testing. In one case, Abecasis said, an unspecified remote-control system was introduced into operations after six months of development. The system was returned for further development after an unspecified period in the field. "We are taking a risk in safety," Abecasis said. "But we are achieving operational capability very fast." Commanders also initiated a development program to eliminate the vulnerability of the Merkava main battle tank to snipers and attackers. Commanders said the Ground Forces Command installed a sniper position on the Merkava Mk-3 and Mk-4 tank to prevent attacks from the rear of the tank. Gotta watch your six
Col. Yossi Turgeman, head of doctrine at the Armored Corps, said commanders had complained that their tanks were vulnerable to snipers and unarmed civilians when the hatches of the vehicles were closed in urban warfare operations. He said the commanders warned that they could neither see threats from the rear of the tank nor swerve its turret in the narrow streets and alleys of urban areas. Turgeman said the sniper position â meant to be manned by a member of the infantry forces â was established from the escape hatch in the rear of the tank. He said the development project sought to armor the proposed sniper position.
The rapid development of weapons also reflects a close cooperation with Israelâs defense contractors, commanders said. They said the intimate relations between the military and the defense industry has resulted in crash development programs even before full funding was obtained. "The development and fielding of weapons in record time takes advantage of the unique relationship with the defense industry," Ron-Tal said. "We call ourselves one family." Ron-Tal said the army has created new units to focus on the Palestinian war. He cited the establishment of three battalions for reconnaissance. He said the Ground Forces Command also established special forces units as well as those to operate the armored D-9 bulldozer. The St. Pancake Mark I and II models.
The changes in organization and doctrine have been the result of an assessment by the General Staff that the Palestinian war would continue for another few years. Commanders said the military will be required to fight a continuous war while maintaining its conventional capability. "The main challenge is to build up while fighting," Ron-Tal said.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
03/29/2004 1:48:54 PM ||
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#1
the weakest link in the IAF and IDF is tehir humanity. Without it the Paleos would be corpses
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/29/2004 15:29 Comments ||
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#2
The Paleos and other assorted Islamist terrorist organizations look at the humanity of Western civilization as a weakness to be exploited. It seems to have worked pretty well. The EU bought it hook, line, and sinker. The Arafish played good cop bad cop. Now the terrorists have gone too far with suicide boomers and the Israelis and the US and its allies have stood firm. If they keep it up, the gloves come off, like the IDF has done. The IDF is still trying to keep from raising the ante by avoiding the bombing of crowd swarms (human shields) around leaders like Rantisi.
Unfortunately, counterattacking on the installment plan in response to Paleo provications and booms costs Israel more casualties on her side.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
03/29/2004 16:31 Comments ||
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#3
Glad they didn't give away the secret GPS guided HIV mosquito.
Posted by: Moshe the lab rat ||
03/29/2004 20:44 Comments ||
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Russia has designed a "revolutionary" weapon that would make the prospective U.S. missile defense useless, Russian news agencies reported Monday, quoting a senior Defense Ministry official.
If you believe them, raise your hand....Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?
Besides, I thought the consensus was that SDI "couldnât work."
Or perhaps this is the other argument against missile defense: "it will cause an arms race."
Whatever the case, the Russkis sound worried.
Posted by: Jen ||
03/29/2004 12:34:05 PM ||
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#1
I'm thinking a reelee beeg bow and arrow might do the trick.
Posted by: James A ||
03/29/2004 13:26 Comments ||
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#2
The russians also claimed they could get to Mars at a third the cost and twice as quick as us. They are very optimistic these days.
With the growing threats in their neighborhood it seems to me they would be wise to cooperate with the US in building a missile defense rather than try to disuade us. Maybe if they cooperate we'll give them a discount when it comes to setting it up to protect Moscow from anything coming from Tehran or North Korea
#6
A fractional orbital bombardment system would work.
But the Russ know our ABM system is aimed 60 degrees away from them and in fact they might want the loan of one at some point in the not to distant future.
Bottom line: MAD still works between the US and Russia.
Edited for brevity.
Electric Boat will christen the third and final Seawolf-class submarine on June 5, kicking off the process of delivering the USS Jimmy Carter to the Navy later this year. The Navyâs first big ceremony involving the Jimmy Carter will be the commissioning, which will take place some time after the ship is delivered to the Navy, which sources said is expected in November. Normally a year or more will elapse between a shipâs christening and commissioning, but the usual circumstances surrounding the Carter have compressed the schedule.
The Carter was originally supposed to be finished in 2001, but in 1999 the Navy decided to modify it by inserting a special section that will add 100 feet to its length, and $887 million to its cost. It will create enough room for dozens of Special Forces and their gear.
Roslyn Carter is the sponsor of the ship, and will break a bottle of champagne against its hull to formally name the ship on christening day June 5. The ship is named for her husband, the 39th president of the United States, who was a 1947 graduate of the Naval Academy and a submariner who worked in the early days of the nuclear program â in fact, he was on the construction crew for Seawolf, SSN 575, the second nuclear submarine built in this country. He never actually served aboard a nuclear submarine, however, leaving the service after seven years to run the family farm after the death of his father.
The ship will have special maneuvering devices at the bow and stern that, coupled with the Seawolf-class hovering system, will allow it to maintain a fixed position in the ocean, as well as an upgraded radio room and communications suite, improved combat systems and better sonar processing. But the most radical change will be the new free-flooding hull insert with a special 80-inch diameter lockout that will allow equipment to be passed from within the pressure hull to the free-flooding area.
Posted by: Dar ||
03/29/2004 12:08:37 PM ||
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#1
Does ship have a defense against an attacking rabbit?
Posted by: Mike ||
03/29/2004 12:15 Comments ||
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#3
He never actually served aboard a nuclear submarine, however, leaving the service after seven years to run the family farm after the death of his father.
Ah, that answers the question of how this failure ever survived as a submariner, he didn't. While his micromanagement style would been perfect as a tech inspector, which is what a navy crew would be doing during construction, it would be a utter disaster as a commander.
Posted by: Steve ||
03/29/2004 12:26 Comments ||
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#9
mhw: LOL! ....perhaps they could adapt the Kaninchenverteidigungwaffe that the Germans deployed on their panzers.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
03/29/2004 12:50 Comments ||
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#10
I think I'll wait to hear what nickname the crew comes up with for her; or better yet, what nicknames the other sub crews come up with for her.
Posted by: Matt ||
03/29/2004 12:51 Comments ||
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#11
modify it by inserting a special section that will add 100 feet to its length, and $887 million to its cost. It will create enough room for dozens of Special Forces and their gear.
Sounds like it's designed to evacuate possible hostages and run like hell.
#12
I wait for the day the headline reads "The Jimmy Carter launched cruise missiles today at XXXX". I bet that will get old Carters blood pressure up.
Posted by: Patrick ||
03/29/2004 13:25 Comments ||
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#13
Difference between the man and the machine:
One has a Nobel Peace Prize--the other enforces peace nobly.
Posted by: Dar ||
03/29/2004 13:28 Comments ||
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#14
Steve, I think Carter actually sailed on diesel boats. USNA grads can't do 7 years of shore duty unless tehy play football.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
03/29/2004 13:28 Comments ||
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#15
If this sub is true to its namesake, it will launch one unsuccesful Special Forces raid and be retired after four years for being ineffective and damaging to the security of the U.S.
Posted by: Tibor ||
03/29/2004 13:38 Comments ||
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#16
They should have named a laundry ship after him instead (like the Simpson's did to Mondale).
#17
His one and only time on a submarine was a ride on the Los Angeles (poor bastards). The Peanut was one of Admiral Rickover's staff (which is probably where he learned to micro manage).
He NEVER qualified on ANY boat. He IS NOT A SUBMARINER. (we don't give out honorary dolphins, you earn them or you don't have them)...
Rick T
MM1(SS)
USS Omaha SSN-692 Plankowner
Posted by: Rick T ||
03/29/2004 14:06 Comments ||
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#18
I stand corrected. Maybe he was on the chess team.
#19
He isn't very bright for an "engineer" either. Was he really a nuclear engineer, or was that a fanciful stretch of the truth too?
Posted by: Tom ||
03/29/2004 14:57 Comments ||
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#20
The Carter Library has this to say about Carter's sub service:
17 Dec 1948-1 Feb 1951: Assigned to USS POMFRET (SS 391) , a diesel boat. Received his dolphins 4 Feb 1950.
10 Nov 1951-16 Oct 1952: Assigned to USS K-1 (SS K-1), , apparently the first of an intended new class of subs.
16 Oct 1952 - 9 Feb 1953: Duty under instruction with Atomic Energy Commission to qualify as an engineering officer for nuclear submarine power plants. Left the service before training completed.
Jimmy initially was commissioned a surface line officer and served on two battleships but never qualified as a Surface Warfare Officer (SWO). All in all, his naval career seems to demonstrate the same stellar performance, aggressiveness and leadership we saw during his term as President ...
Posted by: Sofia ||
03/29/2004 15:05 Comments ||
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#21
So I take it that he had less than four months of incomplete engineering training, then left the service and claimed to be a former nuclear engineer. He's a liar in addition to his other shortcomings.
Posted by: Tom ||
03/29/2004 15:10 Comments ||
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#22
All in all, his naval career seems to demonstrate the same stellar performance, aggressiveness and leadership we saw during his term as President ...
#26
I think it's funny how the "peace" -loving Dems change tune when the chance to become "famous" roles around. "They're going to name a ship of war after me? Okeedokee! Count me in!"
Good thing they didn't name one for Bill Clinton. After the Monica Lewinski trist, that would be just too weird a visual.
No, but he can make a Peanut Butter sandwhich. However, the sandwhich tens to get up and enslave other food products under Sharia law.
Posted by: Charles ||
03/29/2004 18:42 Comments ||
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#28
Tom, I don't have a reference handy, but I understand that he left the training program after there was some sort of accident and he was exposed past his career quota of radiation. This may explain his aversion to nuclear power during his administration. (For the record, though, I disagree with his apparent position on nuclear power; the long explanation would be an essay in itself.)
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
03/29/2004 19:30 Comments ||
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#29
Sofia, thanks for the research and info. So he is a Submariner, but not a Nuc power officer. I found it interesting that his bio shows a BS degree from Annapolis, but not his major..... At least it wasn't a BA......
Posted by: Rick T ||
03/29/2004 19:32 Comments ||
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#30
Confession time: I saw the headline, but didn't read the article. I have not read any of the comments. I note, however, that 27 comments or so have already been posted. If what you read now is a rehash of a particular post above, then I apologize. Having said this, let me make my opinion known: If there is ANY way to prevent a ship from being named after Jimmy Carter, then please advise ASAP. Who, pray tell, in there right mind, would wish to be assigned to a ship named after Carter? I believe the man was on watch when the War on Terror began in November, 1979. I say to you and am prepared to debate the issue that radical Islamism reared it's head in Tehran, Iran in November of 1979. Consider a moment what SHOULD have been response to the Islamic radicals in Tehran in November, 1979 (but wasn't): Release all American hostages unharmed within 24 hours OR your holiest cities will be annihlated each hour ONE by ONE. Would the Soviets have risked the health of Moscow over this priniple? No. Would the Chi-coms have risked the health of Bejing? No. Screw the UN and Europe. Persians (who I have an abidding respect for) would have been destroyed but terrorism would have been set back 100 years and I submit there never would have been a 9/11.
Posted by: Mark ||
03/29/2004 19:43 Comments ||
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#31
Good thing they didn't name one for Bill Clinton.
Some sailor did a satire a few years back about the Navy commissioning a Maternal Support Ship so all the single-mom and pregnant sailors could deploy with their ships. Christened the USS William J. Clinton, natch.
#32
I think it would be nice to get a bunch of volunteers guys and gals together and charge admission and blog it out and raise some money from earth friendly bizness and put together a really nice wooden hospital ship and name it the Jimmuah Catuh and give it to Haiti.
The Central Asian country of Uzbekistan, a former Soviet republic, has gotten a lot of attention in the United States lately - none of it enviable. In a recent TV sitcom, a teen-ager complained that not being able to find Uzbekistan on a map got her a low grade on a test. Flip to the "educational channel" and you hear a pitch for funds, with a free atlas offered as a premium, so that the next time the intellectuals who favor such fare hear about Uzbekistan, theyâll be able to locate it.
But there are some people hereabouts who claim to know a great deal about Uzbekistan. The Washington Post on March 4 and an op-ed column by playwright Tony Kushner on March 8, assailed Uzbekistan and its ruler, Islam Karimov. The pretext in the first instance: a State Department judgment that "Uzbekistan is an authoritarian state with limited civil rights." Some might say that the real reason behind the rage at State and on the Postâs editorial board was the praise for Uzbekistan from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who recently visited the nation and thanked it for its "wonderful cooperation" with our side in the war on terror.
When we turn to Kushnerâs fit of pique, the context changes a bit. The writer is incensed that the Uzbek authorities allegedly have abused one of their citizens, Ruslan Sharipov, who has proclaimed his journalistic aspirations as well as his same-sex proclivities. According to Kushner, the Uzbek government was motivated to act against Sharipov not because the country is a remote, Muslim-majority land untouched by Western sophistication about the public declaration of out-of-the-ordinary affections. No, according to him, Uzbekistan was imitating an America whose "leaders deplore the overturning of sodomy laws and flirt openly with a constitutional amendment, the first ever, designed to restrict the rights of gay and lesbian citizens."
Thus, the playwright warns us, "The world is listening." How absurd; rather like the science-fiction classic in which the death of a butterfly, caused by a time traveler into the distant past, leads to Adolf Hitler winning World War II. But neither the Post editorial nor Kushnerâs tantrum mentioned a few words that normally should be included in any discussion of Uzbekistan and the terror threat familiar to all its citizens: the "Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU)" and "Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HT)." The former was a terrorist entity aligned with al-Qaeda. Hundreds of IMU members were killed defending the Taliban in Afghanistan. The second, whose Arabic name means "the party of liberation," is an ultra-Islamist conspiratorial movement illegal in most Muslim countries. The group calls Uzbek President Karimov a "Jew" and demands the overthrow of the Uzbek government. The Uzbeks have defeated both the IMU and HT, which should be cause for celebration in Washington. Instead, allegations by HT that Uzbekistan and its "Jewish" president are repressing ordinary Muslims are commonly heard among Western human-rights monitors, supplemented by horrifying atrocity stories.
Here are some numbers that are never mentioned when far-off, hard-to-locate Uzbekistan comes under discussion: Uzbekistan takes pride in its seven Jewish communities, including the Farsi-speaking Bukharan Jews, who have lived in peace with their neighbors for 2,500 years. The countryâs Christian population includes 62 Korean Protestant churches, as well as 24 Evangelical Baptist, 20 Full Gospel, four Lutheran and four New Apostolic congregations. It also has five Roman Catholic churches.
These figures are slender when one considers that Uzbekistan is 88 percent Muslim, but eloquent when contrasted with the absence of synagogues and churches from the territory of Saudi Arabia, another ally in the war on terror. Is the U.S. State Department pressing the Saudis to allow religious freedom? Hardly. But Uzbekistanâs Islamic majority is also unique and important because, unlike the Saudi kingdom where the ultraradical Wahhabi cult is the state form of Islam, Uzbekistan is dominated by the Sufi tradition, which emphasizes inner cultivation and seeks to avoid conflict. Devotion to Sufism, as much or more than repression by the authorities, has helped Uzbekistan defeat the IMU.
The State Department declares that if Uzbekistan continues to receive U.S. military aid, Karimov must implement "a far-reaching democratic transformation." But what other country in the world has managed such a feat overnight or by fiat? Rumsfeld is correct in praising Uzbekistan for its cooperation, which is indeed wonderful. He and others in Washington also should praise its victory over the IMU and its determination to protect its moderate Islamic tradition. The world desperately needs Muslims of the Uzbek kind, as much or more than the United States needs an ally on the borders of Afghanistan.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
03/29/2004 12:04:09 PM ||
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#1
Ah, I get it. To State, if you fund their retirement, you can be as repressive and backwards as you like. Don't give 'em a dime and you gotta reform. Who sez this foreign policy stuff is hard?
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) - The first of 1,000 militiamen in southern Afghanistan gave up their weapons to return to civilian life Monday, the latest step in a growing nationwide disarmament program. President Hamid Karzai's interim administration has pledged to demobilize 40,000 militiamen nationwide by the end of June, in an effort to improve security ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections in September.
"I'm going to give up my weapon. It's the order of our federal government, and every soldier should obey the orders of their government," 28-year-old militia fighter Zaulat Khan said, handing over his assault rifle as tribal elders and provincial government leaders looked on in Kandahar, the south's largest city.
"Besides, I got three more rifles at home. And a mortar."
"I'm happy - it's a good step," said Khan, who hoped to quickly join Afghanistan's newly formed national army.
"So's I can get this rifle back!"
In Kandahar, militia corps commander Khan Mohammed watched Monday while hundreds of his fighters gave up their weapons. "They fought against Russia, and they spent most of their life in the defense of their country," Mohammed said. "Our wish and our desire is that Afghanistan rewards them."
Afghan national army officials sorted the assault rifles and machine guns into usable and unusable - keeping the good for distribution to the national army and police. Most of Monday's weapons appeared in good condition.
Of course. Man's only as good as his rifle in these here parts.
Within five days, authorities expected to collect 1,000 assault rifles, 2,000 machine guns, and an unspecified number of rockets, said Gen. Ihzapullah Sarbaz, deputy commander of the local disarmament effort. About 1,000 men will be demobilized within the same period, Sarbaz said.
Authorities have pledged that disarmed fighters would be given consideration for slots in the new national army or in police forces, or would be given help with farms or businesses. Mohammed, the militia corps commander, said heavy-weapon collection would begin in Kandahar whenever Karzai's central government gives the word.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/29/2004 9:22:22 AM ||
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#1
Now, where do I sign up to be a drug-runner?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
03/29/2004 12:22 Comments ||
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#2
Hmmm.wonder if they would like to be Syria/Iraqi border gaurds.
Course we would have to have a few First Born Sons,and a 1/6 dozen imams for hostages.
A senior al-Qaeda figure has been killed in the latest Pakistani offensive against militants near the Afghan border, the army has said. A military spokesman identified the dead man as "Mr Abdullah", who, he said, was an intelligence chief. There was no other information about him, Maj Gen Shaukat Sultan said.
Oh sure, just tease us.
Pakistan says it will continue operations to clear suspected foreign militants from villages along the Afghan border. The army said it had dismantled a "terrorist structure" in a prolonged operation in the South Waziristan tribal area that ended on Sunday. It was aimed against al-Qaeda and Taleban members and tribesmen sheltering them. Pakistan says 46 soldiers have died so far in nearly two weeks of fighting, as well as 63 opposition fighters. Another 163 have been arrested.
Cordon lifted
"This stage of the operation is over," Gen Sultan told the BBCâs Urdu service. He said the "basic objectives" of the operation were met - one of which was " to dismantle the terrorist structure" in South Waziristan. The army on Sunday lifted a cordon around the area of the fighting and began withdrawing some of its troops. But the spokesman said troops would remain in the tribal areas until they were "purged of militants". There were reports that another key militant, the Uzbek Islamist Tahir Yuldashev - said to rank 10th in the al-Qaeda leadership - was wounded and still at large in the region. On Sunday fighters linked to al-Qaeda released 12 hostages they seized at the beginning of the army offensive. Two more hostages are expected to be released soon.
The Yargulkhel tribesmen had insisted they would not release the hostages until the army ceased its operation in South Waziristan. The army operation in South Waziristan focused on an area west of the town of Wana.
US co-ordination
Pakistanâs largest military operation in the tribal areas began on 16 March with the aim of catching or killing al-Qaeda leaders and their supporters in the area. Initially, al-Qaeda deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahri was believed to have been among them. However, a tape recording purportedly by Mr Zawahri was aired on Arabic television during the offensive - and deemed by the American CIA to be probably authentic, even though the time of its recording could not be established. The army conceded during the operation that suspects may have escaped through a network of secret tunnels. The Pakistani operation was being co-ordinated with a similar sweep by US forces on the other side of the border.
The US has announced it is sending up to 2,000 more marines to Afghanistan to step up the hunt for Osama Bin Laden and other al-Qaeda and Taleban leaders.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
03/29/2004 8:49:46 AM ||
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#1
I'm guessing we got Zawahri. Otherwise they wouldn't have tried to convince us he wasn't surrounded by airing a tape.
Posted by: Charles ||
03/29/2004 9:07 Comments ||
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#2
Doubtful. There will follow a news blackout for four days while the Indian subcontinent focuses, quite rightly, upon the cricket.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
03/29/2004 9:13 Comments ||
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#4
Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan identified the intelligence chief only as Abdullah. When pressed for details, including Abdullah's full name and nationality, Sultan said he had no more information. Sultan said the army had confirmed Abdullah's death through "independent intelligence sources" but would not say if it had his body. Abdullah is a common name in the Islamic world, and it was impossible to know which of many al-Qaeda and other terror suspects Sultan might be referring to.
Unless they have a body, I wouldn't put much hope in it.
Posted by: Steve ||
03/29/2004 9:48 Comments ||
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Shouldn't be too hard to track down, how many terrorist leaders named Abdullah can there be around there?
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/29/2004 10:15 Comments ||
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#6
"Unless they have a body, I wouldn't put much hope in it."
brains... Brains.... BRAINS....
"Shouldn't be too hard to track down, how many terrorist leaders named Abdullah can there be around there?"
It could be worse; they could all be named Steve.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
03/29/2004 10:19 Comments ||
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"...how many terrorist leaders named Abdullah can there be around there?..."
actually given the fact that Abdullah is a popular name (Mohammud the prophet's father was named Abdullah) and the fact that terrorists have a non de guerre in addition to their own name and the fact that false identities are common, it might be more difficult than you think to id the deceased
I think that the Pakis probably have some knowledge of what the AQ spy chief looks like. By Spy Chief, I don't think they are talking about international spying. This was the local interface who let every body important know when it was time to jump into the tunnel. Abdullah's infinite lunch break should be inconvenient for those on the run. It makes it more likely that they will try a border crossing.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
03/29/2004 12:29 Comments ||
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If my speculation is correct than the fact that he "was killed" doesn't mean that the Pakis killed him. It could be that Abdullah received some very low marks on his most recent fitness report.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
03/29/2004 12:33 Comments ||
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Just in from NBC, no conf.yet but it looks like the story is "firming up"
BREAKING NEWS
NBC News and news services
Updated: 12:27 p.m. ET March 29, 2004ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - An al-Qaida intelligence chief reported killed during a 12-day border offensive by Pakistani forces is believed to be one of the FBIâs âmost wantedâ terrorists and an architect of the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, senior U.S. officials told NBC News on Monday.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they had no independent confirmation of the Pakistani claim that a âMr. Abdullahâ had been killed in the fierce fighting along the border with Afghanistan. But they said they believe that the person referred to by Pakistani authorities is Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, who has been indicted on murder and conspiracy charges in connection with the simultaneous attacks on the U.S. embassies, which killed 224 people, including 12 Americans, and injured more than 5,400.
#14
...the person referred to by Pakistani authorities is Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah ...
Hey Bomb-o-rama -- you were only one Abdullah off!
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/29/2004 15:31 Comments ||
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Is it me or is much of the world just plain name lazy, witness Omar (just Omar), in a do-loop Butro Butros or just lacking in imagination Abdullah and yes Kim & Lee. Hell the local school system provides enough new first names in a year by 17 yr. olds to provide for a country the size of Pakistan.
Posted by: Fransico Ponce de Leon Jaun Jose Maria Shipman ||
03/29/2004 15:40 Comments ||
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MOSUL, IRAQ - Task Force Olympia military police killed four anti-coalition personnel early Sunday evening after stopping a car matching the description of a vehicle wanted in connection with a drive-by shooting in Mosul earlier in the day. Early Sunday morning, anti-coalition forces engaged a Task Force Olympia military police patrol in Mosul with small arms fire. The military police pursued, but were not able to apprehend the suspects.
Late Sunday afternoon, a second patrol noticed a similar vehicle to the one that engaged the Soldiers earlier in the morning. While approaching the vehicle, four suspects opened fire. The MPs returned fire, killing all four suspects. Two coalition soldiers received non life-threatening wounds and were transported to the 67th Combat Support Hospital in Mosul for treatment. Inside the vehicle, coalition soldiers found three AK-47s, one rocket propelled grenade launcher, four RPG rounds, four RPG boosters, four grenades, a 60mm mortar round, and other assorted ordnance.
Iraqi security forces and coalition soldiers are investigating whether this vehicle and its occupants were involved in any of the recent attacks against Iraqi government officials, Iraqi security forces or coalition soldiers. "The series of attacks in Mosul today against Iraqi government offices and personnel, Iraqi Security Forces, and against coalition soldiers only strengthens our resolve to stand together against these enemy forces who continue to try to hinder Iraqi progress," said Lt. Col. Joseph Piek, Task Force Olympia spokesperson. Task Force Olympia continues to work with the citizens and leaders of the Mosul region to make northern Iraq more safe and secure.
TIKRIT, Iraq - 1st Infantry Division soldiers from the 141st Engineer Battalion detained two individuals at a checkpoint and discovered nearly 20 million Dinar (approximately $60,000 US) in their car west of Samarra at approximately 9:50 a.m. March 27. The individuals and the money were transported to a Coalition detention facility near Samarra.
CAMP BABYLON, Iraq - Five suspected terrorists were captured during a joint raid conducted by Multinational Division Center-South soldiers and the Special Purpose Platoon of the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps March 26 near Karbala. During the raid, the suspected terrorists opened fire on coalition troops. The troops returned fire and subdued the suspects. No one was wounded in the raid. In addition to the captures, the team confiscated weapons, ammunition, documents and communication devices. The confiscated documents indicate the site was a terrorist logistic base. The detainees are being investigated and all materials from the scene are being analyzed.
MOSUL, Iraq - A Task Force Olympia Stryker vehicle was attacked by rocket-propelled grenade fire in west Mosul this afternoon. (3-28-04) An RPG hit the external armor on the left rear of the Stryker. The armor caused the RPG to detonate before it hit the vehicleâs hull; however, shrapnel ignited an external fuel can, causing the vehicle to catch fire.
The Stryker crew was able to exit the vehicle without injury. The new armor continues to prove itself. And, lesson number 104, donât carry gas on your vehicle.
Clashes between supporters of Zimbabwe's ruling party and the opposition killed one person and wounded at least 11 during the second day of polling in a parliamentary by-election on Sunday. Witnesses said gunfire was heard during voting early Sunday in the town of Chitungwiza, 20 miles south of Harare. A hospital official said one person died from gunshot wounds. Other injuries were caused by iron bars, clubs and stones. Welshman Ncube, secretary general of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, identified the dead man as Francis Chinozvinya, an opposition supporter. Chinozvinya was shot in the chest as suspected ruling party supporters tried to raid the home of opposition candidate James Makore, Ncube said. A second opposition supporter was shot in the leg.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/29/2004 6:28:45 AM ||
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Apparently they had the by-election because the current occupant of the seat had to vamooze -- too many death threats and attacks. If Makore wins this seat it'll be interesting to see how long it takes for he has to leave as well. Perhaps the opposition could form a parliament-in-exile somewhere?
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/29/2004 8:31 Comments ||
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Other injuries were caused by iron bars, clubs and stones. - exit polling?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
03/29/2004 12:44 Comments ||
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Supporters of President Mikhail Saakashvili swept to victory in Georgia's parliamentary election, according to preliminary results released Monday, giving him crucial backing as he tries to crack down on corruption and rein in one of the country's restive provinces. The voting Sunday marked the last stage of the country's transition out of the era of Eduard Shevardnadze, who was driven from office by public protests that Saakashvili spearheaded. The protests were touched off by widespread fraud in Nov. 2 parliamentary elections, and Sunday's vote replaced that annulled ballot. Saakashvili's National Movement-Democrat party had 76 percent of the vote, with about 9 percent of ballots counted, the Central Elections Commission said. Only one other party made it past the 7 percent minimum necessary to gain seats in the legislature: the moderate opposition Right Opposition-Industrialists party, which won 7.5 percent. An exit poll conducted by several non-governmental organizations showed Saakashvili's party winning 78.6 percent of the vote. "We did everything to make these elections fair," Saakashvili said late Sunday. "This was the first election campaign in Georgia's modern history in which, outside Adzharia, not a single instance of violence against opposition parties was recorded."
The voting commission said intimidation marred balloting in Adzharia, the restive province whose leader, Aslan Abashidze, has challenged Saakashvili's authority. But it wasn't enough to invalidate all results from the region. Abashidze's Renaissance party won a slight majority of votes in the region, said Zaza Daraseliya, a spokesman for the Foundation for Free Elections. Monitors for the non-governmental organization counted about 48 percent of votes going to Abashidze's party, as opposed to 44 percent going to Saakashvili's. Central Elections Commission chief Zurab Chiaberashvili said "chaos" broke out at two Adzharian polling stations, spoiling the ballots. He said there were reports of "physical abuse and intimidation of the elections commission members" at several other stations, the ITAR-Tass news agency said. Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania, who spent election day in Adzharia, said Monday that the vote had gone off "without major violations." Abashidze claimed that Georgian special forces disguised as observers were arrested at a polling station and "it is those people who could have organized riots," the Interfax news agency reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/29/2004 6:22:12 AM ||
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Given that there was a former head of the Chiefs of Staf with a distinct Georgian name (Tsakishasvili or something like that) I wondered if they were referring to the former Soviet Union state or to the US southern state.
Guess some of those guys made it home from Waziristan already...
Two people were killed and about 20 people injured in an explosion, described as a "terrorist act" by authorities, at the largest bazaar in Uzbekistan's capital Tashkent on Monday, police said. "The terrorist act struck Chorsu bazaar in the Old City," a police official told Reuters. Foreign Ministry spokesman Ilham Zakirov said the explosion was one of several attempts to conduct terrorist acts. It took place outside a large children's store.
Must be Islamists, then...
"We have detained the culprits. They are currently being interrogated. Right now it is only clear that this is a pre-planned action and there is someone behind it... Who? We do not know at the moment," he said.
My first guess would be IMU. Second would be Hizb ut-Tahrir.
The Russian news agency Itar-Tass, reporting from Tashkent, said preliminary information suggested the explosion had been caused by a female suicide bomber, but this could not immediately be confirmed.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/29/2004 6:19:19 AM ||
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Two boomers and a "work accident": Two suicide bombings, attacks on police and an explosion at an alleged terrorist bomb-making factory in Uzbekistan killed 19 people and injured 26, the Central Asian country's prosecutor general said Monday. Prosecutor General Rashid Kadyrov said the events began Sunday night with an explosion that killed 10 people at a house being used by an extremist in the central province of Bukhara.
Wonder how many of those in the house were "innocent by-standers" just gathered for a "religious meeting"?
There were also two attacks on police Sunday night and early Monday, killing three policemen, and two attempted suicide bombings near the Chorsu bazaar in Tashkent's Old City, killing three policemen and a young child, he said. The suicide bombings were the first reported in Uzbekistan. Kadyrov said the attacks were carried out by Islamic extremists - singling out the banned Hizb-ut-Tahrir group and followers of the strict Wahhabi sect of Islam.
"A preliminary investigation shows all the events are interconnected and aimed at the destabilization of the country," Kadyrov said. He said the tactic of suicide bombings was previously unknown in Uzbekistan and indicated foreign involvement in the attacks. "The character and method of this act is not common to our people. It was probably exported from abroad," he said.
Posted by: Steve ||
03/29/2004 10:43 Comments ||
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#4
Pretty easy call on that one...
Posted by: Fred ||
03/29/2004 11:04 Comments ||
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Deep thinking
Does a tree falling in the forest make a sound if there is no one there to hear it?
Is a suicide bomber still a suicide bomber if the bomb goes off before it is intended to?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
03/29/2004 12:48 Comments ||
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Mullah Mohammad Omar, the fugitive leader of the Taliban, was wounded in a U.S. bombing raid earlier this month that killed four of his bodyguards, Deutsche Presse- Agentur said, citing a newspaper report in Pakistan. Omar was injured in the legs and left side of his body and won't be able to move about for two months, DPA said, citing an interview in the Urdu language daily newspaper, Ausaf, with Jabbar Aziz, a doctor. The report said the raid took place in the southern Afghan province of Zabul. The newspaper, which is known for having contacts with the Taliban, didn't say where or when the interview with Aziz took place, DPA reported.
#11
this can not be true.dont you feel shy to tell us lies all the time?
Shy? No, I don't feel shy telling people about the WoT. I feel shy when I realize there's a Paleo nearby though.
"Duck and Cover!"
Posted by: Charles ||
03/29/2004 9:09 Comments ||
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#12
this can not be true.dont you feel shy to tell us lies all the time?
Damn Proud American NEVER lies. Now piss orf.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
03/29/2004 9:30 Comments ||
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#13
I'm sorry, Anon. I was really looking forward to seeing you in that car swarm holding up Omar's liver or spleen. By the way, I'm still waiting for you to put Yassin's left nut up on eBay.
Posted by: Dar ||
03/29/2004 10:16 Comments ||
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#14
Omar was injured in the legs and left side of his body and won't be able to move about for two months, DPA said, citing an interview in the Urdu language daily newspaper, Ausaf, with Jabbar Aziz, a doctor.
Drat. I was hoping that it was Omar's OTHER eye that got "injured".
Oh well, at least he should be easier to catch, no? After all, a person that isn't ambulatory can't be riding any motorcycles...
#16
Has anybody told Omar that all our munitions used in the Middle East have been dipped in pig fat? Maybe we'll just keep that between ourselves. Oh, and also, let's keep the botulism toxin rumor quiet, too. We don't want to get the UN needlessly upset.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/29/2004 12:06 Comments ||
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#17
hope he gets gangreen
Posted by: Shep UK ||
03/29/2004 13:35 Comments ||
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#18
Omar was injured in the legs and left side of his body and won't be able to move about for two months, DPA said, citing an interview in the Urdu language daily newspaper, Ausaf, with Jabbar Aziz, a doctor.
There must be some way of changing that "two months" to "forever."
#1
Excerpt: On July 21, 2001, .... Iraqi newspaper Al-Nasiriya carried a column headlined "America, An Obsession Called Osama Bin Ladin" ... [that] predicted that bin Laden would ... "try to bomb the Pentagon after he destroys the White House."
The same state-approved column also insisted that ... the U.S. "will curse the memory of Frank Sinatra every time he hears his songs" - an apparent reference to the Sinatra classic "New York, New York."
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
03/29/2004 6:59 Comments ||
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.... Initially, the Government of Gen. Pervez Musharraf deployed mainly para-military forces, but of late, more and more regular troops have joined. This is partly under US pressure and partly on their own volition after the two attempts to assassinate Musharraf last year.
The investigation into the assassination attempts has not made much progress except to identify the two suicide bombers who participated in the second attempt. The Pakistani authorities seem to suspect that the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JEM) carried out the unsuccessful attempts at the instance of Al Qaeda. In a recent statement, Musharraf has claimed that the investigation so far has turned the needle of suspicion on an absconding Libyan member of Al Qaeda. ....
While there is no common military command and control, there is definitely a common intelligence command and control. The intelligence component of the hunt is led by the National Security Agency (NSA), the technical intelligence (TECHINT) agency of the US, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the USAâs Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).
Pakistani officials themselves, while vehemently denying the presence of any Western troops in their territory, are admitting the presence of US intelligence officers in South Waziristan, where the brunt of the operation from the Pakistani side has been concentrated. They give the total number of US intelligence officers attached to their military units as about a dozen, but independent reports say many more are attached.
The flow of human intelligence (HUMINT) has been very poor due to the following reasons: Lack of a well-trained professional police in the Federally-Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), of which South Waziristan is a part. In counter-terrorism operations, much of HUMINT comes from the police which has its ears closer to the ground than the Army and has better relations with the community than the Army. The hunt for bin Laden and other Al Qaeda dregs in this area does not have the benefit of such police back-up.
While the Army units deployed in the area consist largely of recruits from outside FATA, the para-military units consist largely of local recruits, whose sympathies are with the local tribal communities. The local terrain offers very little scope for covert operations by intelligence agencies and special forces. The kind of unnoticed and unannounced operations that one can launch in built-up cities such as Karachi or Peshawar or elsewhere, one cannot in South Waziristan or anywhere else in the FATA.
Even for TECHINT, the American as well as the Pakistani operatives have to considerably depend on local recruits for the translation of intercepted messages and conversations, which are often in the various dialects of the Pashto language spoken locally as well in the languages and dialects of the Uzbecks, the Chechens etc. This affects the accuracy of the translation.
If bin Laden and Al-Zawahiri are hiding in the South Waziristan area as is generally speculated about, there has to be a sizable number of Arabsâmainly Saudis, Yemenis and Egyptiansâmeant for their protection from the so-called 055 Brigade of Al Qaeda in the area. There are so far no reports of the presence of such a large number of Arabs in that area.
According to available information, the foreigners present there (about 100, but Pakistani officials say 400) are mainly Chechens led by one Daniar, Uzbecks, led by Tahir Yuldesh, head of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, and Uighurs from the Xinjiang province of China and the Central Asian Republics. Amongst the local tribal chiefs, Nek Mohammad, Sharif Khan, Nur Islam, Maulvi Abbas and Maulvi Aziz, have been in the forefront of the anti-Pakistani and anti-US resistance.
While the Arabs of Al Qaeda, particularly those meant for the protection of bin Laden and Al-Zawahiri, have been discouraged by their supervisors from marrying local women, many of the Chechens, Uzbecks and Uighurs have married local women and produced children. The local tribals do not look upon them as foreigners. Instead, they look upon them as their own and are not prepared to co-operate with the Pakistani forces by handing them over. ....
The Pakistani component of the operation has passed through the following stages: In the first stage, it was directed against specific tribals suspected of giving shelter to the dregs of Al Qaeda and the Taliban.
In the second, it was directed against tribal chiefs who were not co-operating with the security forces in their hunt for foreign terrorists.
In the third and present stage, it is directed against the foreign terrorists, the local tribals giving them shelter as well as against the non-co-operative tribal chiefs.
Instead of creating a divide between the foreign terrorists and the locals, the high-minded manner in which the Pakistanis have been carrying out their operations has resulted in further strengthening the bonds of solidarity amongst the terrorists and their local supporters. There have been ferocious attacks on the Pakistani security forces, resulting in heavy casualties. The official figures of fatal casualties since March 16 are 15 members of the security forces and 26 suspected terrorists. Only two of the dead bodies of the suspected terrorists have been recovered, both Chechens.
On the contrary, according to the local observers, the security forces have suffered more fatal casualties than the terrorists and their supporters. Moreover, at least 20 members of the security forces and some civilian officials have been taken hostage by the tribals.
The ferocity of the recent tribal (not Al Qaeda as claimed by the Pakistani officials) attacks on the security forces led to an interpretation by Musharraf himself as indicating that a high-value target was sought to be protected by them. While he himself did not name Al-Zawahiri as such a target, junior officials started speculating, reportedly on the basis of HUMINT, that the target being protected must be Al-Zawahiri after an incident in which a group of about 50 heavily-armed men, in an almost suicide bid, escorted an armor-plated vehicle out of a cordon thrown by the security forces.
It is claimed that many of them died in a diversionary exchange of fire with the security forces. Taking advantage of this, the vehicle managed to pass through the cordon without being intercepted, but subsequently crashed against a wall and its occupants managed to escape after abandoning it. The local speculation that Al-Zawahiri was one of the occupants has not been corroborated so far. The picture emerging from South Waziristan continues to be as confusing as ever.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
03/29/2004 1:45:06 AM ||
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In an exceptional move, Russia extended important intelligence information to Islamabad about the presence of top Uzbek militant Tahir Yuldashev and dozens of other Central Asian militants in South Waziristan Agency. âThe Russians have long been tracking the Chechens and other Central Asian militants who left Afghanistan after the fall of Taliban government a couple of years back but it was only recently that they informed Islamabad about the presence of these people in South Waziristan Agency,â diplomatic sources said. They said that this Russian information, based on the inputs from some credible Afghan sources, was handed over to Pakistani authorities as both the countries have entered a new era of bilateral cooperation after a period of stagnation spread over several years. The sources said that it could not be assumed that the Russian information alone led to the bloodiest operation in South Waziristan Agency but that did play a vital role in this regard.
According to Pakistani officials, Tahir Yuldashev was one of the top al-Qaeda leaders and was also head of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. He was injured in the recent military operation near Wana and now was hiding most likely somewhere in the tribal area, they said. Despite Yuldashevâs escape Pakistan army arrested dozens of foreign militants including Chechens and Uzbeks. But, according to the sources, the Russian government had not made any request to Islamabad so far to hand over some wanted persons.
"What'd we do with 'em? We have enough people in jug. You guys put 'em up for awhie."
The sources said that Islamabad was also seeking Russian weapons for Pakistanâs armed forces and the matter would be raised at bilateral commission to be established by the end of 2004. The sources said that earlier Russia supplied MI-17 dual-purpose helicopters to Pakistan, an important step along with some others that were described as signs of thaw in the relations of two states.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/29/2004 1:18:51 AM ||
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I interpret the Russian lack of an extradition request to mean, "we see no overriding necessity for his live capture."
Posted by: Super Hose ||
03/29/2004 12:42 Comments ||
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"Just send us his head if you find it. We'll even pay postage."
A report released by a commission investigating the September 11 attacks on the US has said Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf met Taliban chief Mullah Mohammed Omar in April 2000 to convince him to expel Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, reports the Press Trust of India. The report said the meeting took place at the request of former US president Bill Clinton after he raised the issue during his visit to Pakistan on March 25, 2000, PTI added. The report stated, âThe Pakistanis asked for evidence that Bin Laden had really ordered the US embassy bombings (in East Africa) a year and a half earlier. In a follow-up meeting the next day with Under Secretary of State Thomas Pickering, President Musharraf argued that Pakistan had only limited influence over the Taliban.â
Despite these reservations, President Musharraf âdid meet Mullah Omar and did urge him to get rid of Bin Ladenâ, it said. In early June 2000, according to the report, Pakistanâs interior minister went to Kandahar with Mr Pickering and delivered a joint message to Taliban officials. âBut the Taliban seemed immune to such pleas, especially from Pakistani civilians like the interior minister,â it observed. âPakistan did not threaten to cut off its help to the Taliban regime.â
The report also provided so far classified information about joint US-Saudi efforts to influence the Taliban regime on this issue. Their first joint effort to evict the Al Qaeda chief from Afghanistan began in May 1998 when President Clinton designated Central Intelligence Agency Director George Tenet as his representative to work with the Saudis on terrorism. Mr Tenet met Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah twice and convinced him to make an all-out secret effort to persuade the Taliban to expel Bin Laden for eventual delivery to the US or another country, the report said. Riyadh decided to send Saudi Intelligence chief Prince Turki bin Faisal as Prince Abdullahâs special emissary to Kandahar. He also took with him a sealed indictment against Bin Laden issued by a New York grand jury. Prince Turki held several meetings with Mullah Omar and other Taliban leaders in the summer of 1998. Employing a mixture of possible bribes and threats, he received a commitment that Bin Laden would be handed over, the report said.
That worked well, didn't it?
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/29/2004 12:16:30 AM ||
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Mullah Omar - Amir el Momineen - the chosen one.
Prefers Chevy Suburbans to Taliban double-hatch Toyota pickups. Now drives red Suzuki 200 cc motorcycle, based out of Dae Rawood, Urozgan province, Afghanistan.
Gunmen opened fire Sunday on a convoy carrying Iraq's minister of public works, killing a driver and a bodyguard and injuring two others, the U.S.-led coalition said. The minister, Nisreen Berwari, was unharmed. Berwari was returning to Mosul from a meeting in the city of Dohuk when her convoy was attacked, said Kristi Clemens, a coalition spokeswoman in Baghdad. Saro Qader, an official with the Kurdistan Democratic Party, described the attack as an "assassination attempt." Berwari is a member of the Kurdish party.
Sounds like a hit, doesn't it?
Iraqi police said the attack occurred around 11 a.m. in the al-Karama neighborhood of Mosul. They said the two men who were killed were both bodyguards, and that Berwari was in another car that was not hit by gunfire.
Bodyguards did their job.
Berwari, who earned a degree at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1999, is one of five Kurdish ministers in the coalition-appointed interim government. Previously, Berwari was development minister in the Kurdistan regional government, and she also served with United Nations organizations in Iraq.
She's also the only woman on the IGC, the other one having been bumped off previously. A pattern?
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/29/2004 12:00:00 AM ||
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[Off-topic or abusive comments deleted]
Posted by: John Doe TROLL ||
03/29/2004 0:30 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
