Sanaa, Yemen, Jul. 18 (UPI) -- Yemen's military was preparing Sunday for a final attack on an Iranian-backed insurgent force near the border with Saudi Arabia.
Ah, so that's the foreign country you've been talking about.
Yemeni officials said the military has achieved significant gains over the last few weeks and captured most of the territory controlled by former Yemeni parliamentarian Hussein Badreddine Al Houthi, the Middle East Newsline reported. Officials said the month-long Shi'ite insurgency in northern Yemen has been financed by Iran.
From ArabicNews: The Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Saturday renewed his accusations for "foreign forces" to be behind the armed rebellion led by the Zeidi clergy Hussein Bader Eddine al-Houthi in Marran mountain in Sadaah province to the north of Yemen, at a time when Yemeni military sources said that 90 of al-Houthi supporters were killed during the past three days in addition to scores of policemen and thereby the number of one month of killings tolled 300.
In a meeting with former members of the people's assembly on the occasion of the 26th anniversary of assuming power, he said " I directly accuse foreign forces and this Houthi is just one element of the foreign forces." He indicated that al-Houthi's rebellion is " part if the foreign hirelings, rather than a thinking, sectarianism or a Zeidi sect." He added it is a foreign intelligence act which harassed " development, investment and undermine national unity."
He said " Evidences have cleared out and will be announced to the public, " stressing " we will not accept on our lands a foreign feet. We will never give up."
Yemeni Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Mohammed Ali Al Qassimi said the army has seized control of the city and surrounding region of Saada, the focus of the insurgency. Al Qassimi said the military was preparing a final assault on Al Houthi's hideout. Al Qassimi said the military had planned to attack Al Houthi's hideout in Maran at an earlier stage of the insurgency. But he said the operation was delayed because of the difficult topography in the Saada region.
Take your time and do it right.
Posted by: Steve ||
07/19/2004 3:16:01 PM ||
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#1
What is Iran up to? They seem to be acting unusually aggressive lately.
The Saudi Interior Ministry has announced another 57 wanted militants have surrendered to security officials in recent days under a month-long leniency offer set to expire this week. The Interior Ministry said 27 of the militants came from outside the country, with 30 others from inside Saudi borders. Their surrenders bring the total to 61. As Riyadh was marking its success, Crown Prince Abdullah issued a stern warning to the country's radical clerics. "Tell your colleagues ... that we are keeping an eye on them and we know them," Abdullah said, promising "Allah's wrath will fall upon them" if they sow seeds of extremism.
Security sources said more surrenders could come before Friday's deadline. Those who have surrendered have been jailed and are being interrogated, the Interior Ministry said. It is not immediately known if any of these men were on the Saudi's list of the 25 most wanted militants. A Saudi official who mediated some of the surrenders called it encouraging. The Saudi government issued an offer of leniency last month which exempted terror suspects from the death penalty in Saudi Arabia but not from civil suits by their victims' families. It was made specifically to suspects in attacks inside Saudi Arabia, an official said, and does not apply to those wanted for attacks in other countries. A Saudi cleric involved in the amnesty program has asked the Saudi government to extend the 30-day leniency offer beyond Friday.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
07/19/2004 8:50:04 AM ||
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British police have said they had launched an inquiry into how a secret police dossier went missing that according to a newspaper report contained counter-terrorist plans for London's Heathrow airport. The dossier, found lying in a road, showed 62 sites at the airport where al Qaeda was most likely to launch anti-aircraft missile strikes, the Sun newspaper said in its Monday edition. The Sun said the dossier included facts about surveillance, escape routes, evacuation plans and deployment of rooftop snipers at the world's busiest international hub. The plans, which have since been returned to police, were found by a motorist, the newspaper said. A police spokeswoman could give no details about what the dossier contained or where it was found, but confirmed it had been returned to police.
"We will say no more!"
"We treat any breach of security extremely seriously," the spokeswoman said. "We have launched an internal inquiry into the circumstances of how these documents went missing and will take the appropriate action when we have ascertained the facts surrounding this matter," the spokeswoman said. She could not confirm whether the dossier was compiled by the SO18 anti-terrorist Aviation Security team, which is based at Heathrow police station.
According to The Sun, the papers contained detailed maps and photographs, including aerial and satellite shots. In one section, the dossier identified a field close to the airport as being ideal for a terrorist attack. "This site affords an excellent site to attack aircraft departing Heathrow," the Sun quoted from the dossier, saying it included aerial and satellite photographs of the site. Dated June 26 2004, the dossier gave surveillance and assessment information valid until December, the newspaper said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
07/19/2004 12:00:00 AM ||
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#2
Yeah, oops indeed. Constable Perry set the dossier on the boot of his motorcar while he sipped his tea. Being interrupted by Cheif Constable Janice Taylor, 23, a playful, comely free spirit, with the eye of a lion....
A supermarket stacker was planning to take hostages and carry out executions in an attack on ASIO or the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), a court was told today. Zeky "Zak" Mallah faced a committal hearing at Sydney's Central Local Court today charged with planning a terrorist act and threatening to seriously harm an undercover federal official. The 21-year-old is the first NSW person charged under federal terrorism laws to face a committal hearing. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Crown prosecutor Desmond Fagan told the court that Mallah intended to enter the Sydney offices of either ASIO or DFAT, take hostages and "kill at least two" federal agents. "He intended to make available a final message in doing this," Mr Fagan said.
This message was on a video tape which he sold for $3000, along with a transcript of the tape and photographs of himself, to a federal agent posing as a freelance journalist, the court heard. Mr Fagan said while the plan was sparked by the Federal Government's refusal to grant Mallah a passport, his motivations were "not purely personal". "His political motivation broadly speaking was he wished to intimidate the Australian Government." He said Mallah intended to use the $3000 to clear his debts, which was necessary if he was to become a martyr as he intended. "He saw it necessary as a matter of religious duty to clear his debts," he said.
At least one witness's evidence will be held in closed court after lawyers for the NSW Police Commissioner made an application this afternoon. The application also was held in closed court. The Commonwealth Government will make a similar application for another witness tomorrow morning. Counsel for Mallah, Phillip Boulten, said his client wanted as much of the Crown evidence as possible heard in open court. "The accused's position is that all the evidence in this case capable of being heard against him should be heard in open court," he said. The committal hearing, which was set down for two days, continues tomorrow.
#1
Zak's defection to the "darkside" represents a grave loss to Australian society. Godd "stackers" are hard to come by.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/19/2004 22:34 Comments ||
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#2
A man dreams. He dreams a big dream. One that moves him up, lifting himself by his own bootstraps, as it were. And what happens? The Man comes along and slaps him down. Squashes his dream. Sad.
#3
lol, .com. He coulda been a contender. I hear he was on the short list for lable specialist.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/19/2004 23:56 Comments ||
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#4
"He coulda been a contender."
Shit! I wish I'd though of that one! I love how he claims it wasn't personal. Prolly watched the Godfather and had a thing for Duvall's character. Weirdness. Abounds. :-/
AUSTRALIAN terrorist suspect Mamdouh Habib wore an Osama bin Laden T-shirt and tried to sign up Sydney Muslims for jihad, according to former spiritual colleagues. But he never posed a serious threat to the community despite his "big mouth", said members of a western Sydney mosque, who fell out with the Guantanamo Bay detainee over his increasingly erratic behaviour.
"'e's a looney!"
In a report to be aired on ABC television's Four Corners program, the spiritual leader of the mosque said Mr Habib was a disturbed man who regularly argued angrily about religion. "He used to wear the photo of Osama bin Laden (on) his T-shirt," Sheikh Abu Ayman told the program, describing it as a "childish thing".
My wife has a Shirley Temple cup. I'm keeping an eye on her...
Mr Habib also appeared at the mosque, which was near the Lakemba mosque, dressed in a "ninja hat or something like that and white suit and black belt", he said. "I could say he's a disturbed man. If you don't agree with him he will accuse you of every name under the sun and again this is not a normal thing from a normal person to do."
"Yup. 'e's a nutbag."
Sheik Abu said people would give their names to Mr Habib and "find out that he's collecting these names for so-called jihad or something like that". He did not know where Mr Habib wanted people to fight, but believed it was overseas, probably in Chechnya. "Chechnya was the main area, the hot area in that time," he said.
"Whaddya mean, you signed me up for jihad in Chechnya? If I miss any more work my boss is gonna fire me!"
Australia's most senior Islamic cleric, Sheik Taj Aldin al-Hilaly, reportedly almost deported in the 1980s for radical religious views, described Mr Habib as "sharp and aggressive. He would get angry quickly and then calm down quickly."
Starting to sound like he's bipolar...
A taxi driver who frequented Mr Habib's coffee shop was quoted as saying Mr Habib travelled to Afghanistan to "live with bin Laden" and to have his children learn Islam there. On returning, Mr Habib had not said what he had done, but said he had met bin Laden and found Afghanistan a "truly great place". But the taxi driver did not believe Mr Habib was a terrorist.
"No, no! Certainly not!"
"He ain't no terrorist! He's a goof!"
"People join the army but they don't all go to war," he said. The Four Cornersreport says Mr Habib met two Germans near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, and the three then caught a bus headed for Karachi. Pakistani police stopped the bus and detained the Germans. Mr Habib was only arrested after protesting angrily about the treatment of his companions.
I suspect the names of his companions weren't "Hans" and "Franz".
Sheikh Abu said he wasn't surprised Mr Habib was detained in Guantanamo Bay, "because a man with a big mouth like this, he will end up there. But the Government didn't do anything to let the American (Government) understand this is not the right man in your hand, he is not what he claims he is. He is a disturbed man (but) he doesn't deserve that punishment for his big mouth."
I dunno. Sounds like he fit right in back in South Waziristan...
The Australian Government believes Mr Habib trained with Pakistani terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba and al-Qaeda before he was arrested on October 5, 2001.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
07/19/2004 12:00:00 AM ||
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Dutch Interior Minister Johan Remkes incorrectly claimed last week that a threatening letter from terror network al-Qaeda was mailed to the United Nations in New York. The letter which supposedly warned of terrorist attacks in Brussels and The Hague does not appear to exist, despite the fact that Minister Remkes said last week the letter was being examined by the Dutch secret service AIVD. An Interior Ministry spokesman has told television current affairs programme NOVA and daily newspaper De Volkskrant that an mistake was made. "The matter is at that moment still being investigated," he said.
An anonymous source within one of the investigation services told newspaper De Volkskrant that Remkes acted extremely poorly. He said it is incomprehensible that the minister made a statement despite the fact the matter had not been fully investigated. The error is also noteworthy given the fact that since the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US, the fight against terrorism has been top priority, Dutch public news service NOS reported. Moreover, the Netherlands has held the rotating European Union Presidency since 1 July and the EU appointed in March a Dutchman, Gijs de Vries, as the new European anti-terrorism co-ordinator. Socialist Party MP Harry van Bommel has demanded answers from Remkes about the "phantom letter". If the minister fails to give an adequate response, he wants to recall the Parliament from its summer recess.
It was reported on 15 July that a letter, allegedly from al-Qaeda, had been sent to the UN headquarters in New York warning that European organisations in The Hague and Brussels were potential targets for terror attacks. The announcement came after the Dutch government issued a general terror alert on 9 July, leading to heightened security at government and other buildings, train stations and infrastructure points. The Dutch secret service AIVD has indications that Islamic extremists are possibly preparing terrorist attacks against the west of the Netherlands or "soft targets" where large crowds gather. Minister Remkes said on Saturday the alert has not been rescinded and Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende has cautioned the public to be watchful for suspicious activity. Two arrests carried out on Saturday allegedly thwarted a violent attack against Dutch or foreign soldiers participating in the Nijmegen Four Day March, scheduled to start on Tuesday.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
07/19/2004 8:34:49 AM ||
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#4
There are a lot of people who find religion when they fall on hard times. Those who convert to Christianity, Buddism, Hinduism, etc, turn to do good and help other people. Those who convert to Islam, turn to destruction, murder, bigotry and terrorism. This is one of the most striking difference between any religion and Islam.
#5
A4617 - Hey, Sis! Good to see you're still with us! And a terrific spot-on observation, though I think it's time to stop referring to Islam as a religion. I think of it as a pathogen, but then you may recall how much shit that term stirs up, heh. I hope your packing and arrangements are going well!
#9
the word that showed up nowhere in the NYT article - wahabism. Were these converts to wahabism? What percentage of Western converts to Islam are converting to Wahabism.
Wahabism - now THERES a pathogen. IMHO failing (as the MSM regularly does) to distinguish between Wahabism and other forms of Islam accounts for much of the current confusion between a religion (albeit one that, like Judaism, attempts to regulate parts of life that in Christianity are left to Caesar), and what is essentially a political ideology, and a hatefilled one at that.
#11
raising concerns among antiterrorism officials on both sides of the Atlantic that the new recruits could provide foreign-born Islamic militants with invisibility and cover, by escaping the scrutiny often reserved for young men of Arab descent.
People don't convert to Wahabism or to Salafism, etc. (I'm pretty sure you know that). So it isn't clear how you would know even if good conversion records were kept. The more interesting stat is how many people attend mosques with raving lunatic Imans and donate to causes championed by raving lunatic Imans. The answer is a lot.
#17
Anonymous4617---Fred has done an IP search on what you wanted, as well as a search for the poster you requested on Rantburg. Email him and he will give you the information, or you can email me.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
07/19/2004 22:49 Comments ||
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via BBC - EFL
And now what? Got any leverage left? Iran trial debacle angers Canada
Canada is recalling its ambassador to Iran after Tehran abruptly ended the trial of an intelligence agent accused of killing a Canadian journalist. Foreign Minister Bill Graham said Ambassador Philip MacKinnon would return to Canada after what he called a "flagrant denial of justice". Mr MacKinnon was at Saturday's hearing but was barred from the second day. Lawyers for slain Iranian-born Zahra Kazemi said the trial was a farce and refused to sign the court record. ...more...
Perhaps Canada should learn to seethe.
I thought they withdrew him last week? Did he come back? How many times a month are they going to withdraw him?
Posted by: .com ||
07/19/2004 12:59:02 AM ||
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#1
The image of a Canadian seething is one that reduces me to laughter. The people there are so-o-o-o sensible!
I think eye-rolling is out, and don't even ask about gun sex.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/19/2004 1:02 Comments ||
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#2
Canada recalled its Ambassador when the journalist was killed.Sent him back to Iran,and after a few weeks will send him back again.
Posted by: Stephen ||
07/19/2004 1:22 Comments ||
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#3
How pathetic. Iran obviously sees Canada as posing zero threat to them with their crashing SeaKing helicopters and rusty old naval tugboats. I can almost hear the crazed Iranian mullahs chortling and saying to Canada: "Blow it out your ears, girlie men infidels." Now if Canada were part of the coalition in Iraq, he, he, I think it could get a little help from its friends[read: USA, UK, Aussies] and get lots & lots of respect for Tehren.
Posted by: rex ||
07/19/2004 1:25 Comments ||
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#4
There are still the boys of '39, while America played baseball for chriss-sakes.
#5
I meant no insult to Canadians, #4. I have Canadian extended family. I meant that the Canadian military had been stripped by the long inglorious reign of the Liberal Party of Canada-specifically by Comrades Pierre E. Trudeau and Jean Chretien.
Posted by: rex ||
07/19/2004 2:33 Comments ||
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#6
I mean total insult. I've heard canucks lay that "boyz of '39" on Americans more than once. Like they stood tall before America. But now they wrap the bravery of their fathers around their clucking toungues. (compared to Mexico that doesn't do shit, nada)
Iran pissed on America, they seethed and we stayed cool and fought them by proxy. Now Canada gets to "stay cool", but they can't fight.
It has nothing to do with your extended family M' rex. Canada has chosen by their own free will to be passive snoots! BTW if you go to Vancouver park your car someplace safe. Street folks have nothing stopping them from just busting loose.
#7
Sons and Daughters of '39, no more. On the 4th I was stuck on a Canadian island near Vancouver, and was called an "asshole American" because I only had Visa cards and an American debit card--and guess what, that's no good for beer. You need an "Interac" card.
$8.50 CAN for a 6-pack of piss, for chrissakes. You'd think a country that talked beer up so much would be able to deliver a little to the people.
Anybody ever notice that in Canada you're only an "American" if you're regarded as an "asshole," and the rest of the time you're "from the States, eh?" "American" seems to be a term very much on the derogatory side of things up there, and "States" is a little backhanded too.
#10
While it is easy to make all of Canada our whipping boys; we should keep in mind that there are men in the Canadian military that are brave warriors and have fought beside us in Afghanistan. Sure it's fun--and easy--to take Canada out to the wood shed. But in so doing we dishonor those to our North who love us and given the right political environment would fight and die beside us in every battle.
Wasn't Canada part of the British empire back then? We fought the British to get out of that racket. (It's nice to think of the Brits as fighting for the free world, but the fact is that they held back till the very last minute - and for good reason - the best course was for Hitler to duke it out with the Soviets, and have the two of these evils kill each other off. Unfortunately, the Soviets made a deal with Hitler). The Canucks went to fight for the Queen and for the empire. Hard to see what dog we had in that fight - until the last of the European dominos fell, and Hitler started looking like a world conqueror. Pearl Harbor and Hitler's declaration of war were simply fig leaves for American intervention in Europe. There was no way the US could have settled for either a Nazi- or Soviet-dominated Europe.
#16
Jarhead, I speculate that a percentage of the "Canadian" Boyz of 39 hailed from Buffalo and Livonia - if you catch my drift. It's allright; they lent us some skates for our victory in Squaw Valley to square things.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/19/2004 17:10 Comments ||
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#17
The Brits fought out of a mix of idealism and self interest, as did the US. The Canadians were in from the beginning, and fought hard in the battle of the Atlantic, at Dieppe, in Italy, and on D Day. Yup, pre-Pearl Harbor there were Yanks in the Canadian forces - IIUC there were Canadians who joined US forces in Viet Nam.
Wonder if there are any Canadians in US forces in Iraq now?
#19
You know, for all the barking going on here about Iran, you Yankees are doing what, exactly, about the Iranian threat? *crickets* *more crickets* Talk about seething.
If you'd only stop and talk to some recent Iranian immigrants, you'd quickly find out that even though the people hate the mullahs as much as you, they hate the Great Satan to the same extent. Soooo, if you're not having an easy time of it in Iraq, you're going to have an exponentially worse time in Iran. So much so, that I'm willing to bet the current administration has forgone any military involvement, and has chosen the (nuclear) detterent option. In other words, Iran will be left unto itself.
Posted by: Rafael ||
07/19/2004 20:33 Comments ||
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#20
Rafael - Lol!!! Barking, huh? I think you missed sugar-coating your words. We shall see, won't we? How much are you willing to bet? 8^)
#21
Rafael,
Revolution is about to bust out all over Iran. E.g., look at some photos in the thread here. BTW, sorry about formating that screwy. It made the page go wobbly.
#22
Barking, huh?
Yeah, as in "all bark and no bite".
How much are you willing to bet?
It depends on what we are betting on. An Iraq-style invasion? Fo'get aboud id. A few Tomahawks lobbed at the nuclear plants? Probable, but highly unlikely.
Revolution is about to bust out all over Iran
And? Some Iranian fellow told me the same thing, more or less. But guess what, either way, US-Iran relations won't change. They hate you as much as the mullahs.
Posted by: Rafael ||
07/19/2004 21:13 Comments ||
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#23
US-Iran relations won't change. They hate you as much as the mullahs.
Yeah, right. That's why part of LA is dubbed "little Tehran." Do you know how many American Iranians canât even speak English? They are grateful, though.
#25
Have you spoken to a recent immigrant from Iran? I have. A student in fact. Intelligent. But still hates the US.
BTW, I'm speaking from a Canadian perspective. Adjust as needed.
Posted by: Rafael ||
07/19/2004 21:27 Comments ||
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#26
The people who populate "little Tehran" largely fled Iran when the Mullahs took over -- but still have relatives back in Iran who they have regular contact with. The Iranians donât hate the U.S.
The people who can get out of Iran now (to be students in the "Great Satan" U.S.) did so with the advice and consent of the Mullahs. Hmmm, I wonder if that means anything . . .
#27
WTF? From YOU?
No, from YOU, as in the United States of America. Constant whining about Canada, yet doing nothing yourself. It's called hypocrisy.
This makes no sense.
You're right it doesn't. I meant to say it's possible but highly unlikely.
Not my statement
I never said it was. Anybody following the thread will figure it out.
You seem out of sorts.
Well, re-read the snarky commentary and you'll have the reason why.
Posted by: Rafael ||
07/19/2004 21:38 Comments ||
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#28
The people who can get out of Iran now...did so with the advice and consent of the Mullahs.
And you know this how? The student I spoke to emigrated on his own volition. All is not what it seems. If you think that you can intervene in Iran and be greeted with rose petals, you are mistaken.
Posted by: Rafael ||
07/19/2004 21:45 Comments ||
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#29
Well Raffy, how about commenting on the article then. Canada can't do squat about anything, unless they sue at the Hague or pout to the UN.
Iranian hard boyz beat the shit out of and kills one of yours and Canada recalls their ambassador? What say you Raf, from a Canadien point of view.
#30
No revolution will break out in Iran. Why? Because the mullahs in power will kill anyone and their family/clan who even looks looks cross-ways at them, and the Iranian people know it. Iran probably lost 500K dead in the Iran-Iraq war and the mullahs did not bat an eyelash. Power is an all or nothing proposition to those guys and how can they be wrong when Allah is on their side?
Iran has a population of 70 million, lot of whom are of fighting age, and a lot of mountainous terrain. The only way the mullahs will be toppled is if the US goes in with large army (500K-1mil) and a large expat Iranian army to take control for a while. While it may be possible to get Iranians to join the in-country, it seems to be poor strategy to rely on it. Since the entire US Armed Forces active duty force is 1.4 mil, it ain't gonna happen.
Posted by: ed ||
07/19/2004 21:56 Comments ||
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#31
Prolly about right ed. And I don't discount what Rafael has to say about Iranians hating the great satan and all. Many do for sure. I read about a year ago on some blog how many Iranians hostile to the mullahs are pissed that they havn't devoloped the bomb yet.
1) The intel indicates the Iranians are still some time (at least a year or more) away from ability to deliver nuke.
2) Skeery wins.
Otherwise, if the Iranian Nuke Pgm doesn't go "critical" before November - which would be a drop-dead action signal - and Bush is re-elected...
Other than Rafael, who seems to have a shitty outlook because of comments about Canada, does anyone here believe that the US won't, at the very least, do the short-term (whack nuke facilities) itself or support in every way an Israeli effort (recent F16I comment indicates they would have the range) to do so?
Anyone?
I disagree with you, ed, as posted up in another thread. Such is life.
#33
Canada can't do squat about anything, unless they sue at the Hague or pout to the UN.
Canada is one tenth the population of the United States, and you're pretty much complaining that they've not invaded Iran by themselves.
What would you have wanted them to do? Even if they became as fully militarized as North Korea, they'd still not have the power to invade Iran. Let us hear some actual suggestions on your part.
Like Australia, Canada has the power to take part in global wars only through *gasp* multilateral efforts. Following the banner of UK, or USA, or both.
And that's not something *shameful*, that's just a fact of life: Some countries have less power (and population and military capacity) than the US does.
Iranian hard boyz beat the shit out of and kills one of yours and Canada recalls their ambassador?
Iran supports a guerrilla war in Iraq that has already killed dozens, possibly hundreds of Americans. And same as Rafael, I believe that there's practically no chance of a US invasion of Iran, and only a slim possibility of any US bomb/missile strikes at all.
#34
Canada can't do squat about anything, unless they sue at the Hague or pout to the UN.
That's not in dispute, now is it? What would you like us to do, invade? We'd get slaughtered faster than the Germans at Messines Ridge. Not because our guys can't fight, but because we don't have your GDP to spend on the military.
Iranian hard boyz beat the shit out of and kills one of yours and Canada recalls their ambassador?
A little detail you don't mention is that the photo journalist that was killed was also an Iranian citizen. There's not much that Canada can do in a situation like this, now is there? Now go ahead and debate the detriments of dual citizenship to your philosophical heart's content, but it won't change the way the world is.
.com> Other than Rafael, who seems to have a shitty outlook
...based on candid conversations with a particular Iranian, and based on a couple of years at Rantburg.
Posted by: Rafael ||
07/19/2004 22:27 Comments ||
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#35
.com,
I think Israel will go boom. I also think cites in the US will also go boom before this is over, because we won't do the terrible violence to end this quickly.
Even if the US or Israel attacks known and suspected nuclear facilities, I am sure the mullahs are smart enough to have redundant facilities unknown to the US. Don't you think a 50,000 sq. ft. underground facility can hold 5,000 centrifuges. Couple that with underground electric lines or oil pipelines to power it. Such a place will be almost impossible to find and our spy capability in Iran seems to suck. Now replicate this 10 or 20 times.
All an attack will do is bounce rubble (I would have moved all sensitive equipment out) and unite the Iranian population against the US agression. If we are going to attack, then kill the regime and take the country in one blow.
I will look for the other thread you mentioned.
Posted by: ed ||
07/19/2004 22:33 Comments ||
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#36
"a particular Iranian"
One guy. Not exactly a confidence-building sample, now is it? One or two or three recent immigrants to Canada would not a solid case make, IMO. BUT I did not dispute you, did I? No, because I take first-hand accounts as very important, so I kept my mouth shut. Bitch at someone else, if you're still in the mood. I happen to support Canadian troops - as with my first post in this thread - because I served with some and they were certainly fine men. And we've been here before, if your memory is intact, regards a thread about Afghanistan when a Canadian soldier died, some time back. It's Canadian politicians and policy-makers (e.g. immigration policy) that get my American goat. Canuck soldiers are as good as your government allows them to be - limited only by the training, equipment, and uses to which they are put.
You have no idea hope much I hope you're wrong - of course I know you would like it to be otherwise, too. Sigh. My deepest fears are that you're right.
#38
One guy. Not exactly a confidence-building sample, now is it?
Admittedly not. But neither did the conversation take place in a vacuum. Maybe a year ago I would have doubted him, but it's hard to argue against something that makes sense, backed up by personal experience.
I know many immigrants; Iranians, Pakistanis, Indians, Afghanis, more Pakistanis, and one Bangladeshi. One particular Afghani hated the Taliban, and also hates Bush. Now how can anyone figure that one out?!?!? (without Rantburg of course). What this Iranian guy told me seems plausible and after further deliberation, seems logical as well: don't expect to be loved by whoever takes power after the Mad Mullahs disappear.
Posted by: Rafael ||
07/19/2004 23:54 Comments ||
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#39
The thing is, Rafael, et al, your sample is by definition skewed. Any Iranian (or Afghani, pakistani, whatever) that dislikes America, but wants all the benefits of the lifestyle, will choose to emigrate to Canada. Contrariwise, by definition those who like America will land a little further south. So, of course both sample sets say different things. No doubt this reflects divisions in the home countries as well. We saw this in the reaction to the invasion of Iraq: some on both sides of the ocean were enthusiastic and supportive, even to the point of enlisting in the U.S. or Iraqi armed forces, police, etc. Some on both sides engaged in attempts at Jihad, sabotage, and so forth.
So please accept that you all are correct within your own particular sample group, and turn your clever minds to figuring out how the mullahs can be toppled....quickly, please!
Raf, Aris, I'd like to see Canada (with a capitol C) get behind the USA and quit acting like girly men. If Canada thinks the USA is on a global conquest say it out loud. But don't be piss'n and moan'n and acting like Canada and Greece have shit to offer anybody until they put their asses on the line and act against the evil that is staring you in the face. Thats what I want you to do. Read it agian, Step up and do the unpopular hard thing(y)
Aris, how goes security in Greece? Hope everything is tidy.
#41
Lucky> like to see Canada (with a capitol C) get behind the USA and quit acting like girly men
In which case, Iran would still be where it was, doing exactly what it is doing, because "getting behind the USA" meant invading Iraq and not doing anything about Iran.
What you mean to say is that you object to Canada being independent rather than a part of the USA. What you mean to say is that you have contempt for any decision of Canada that doesn't coincide with that of the USA. What you mean to say is that a "manly man" must follow his master's leash.
So you still didn't answer the question. What do you think Canada should do about IRAN?? Spelled with an 'N'.
And as for your references to Greece, you still have the retarded nationalists' outlook that my name automatically means that everything I say and every opinion I do somehow refers to Greece, and therefore that you can somehow counter it by also referring to Greece. Like antisemites treat Jewish ancestry and racists use race, likewise you use my nation.
But since you asked, security in Greece has been going very well. Unlike in the USA or Israel, no people have been killed due to terrorism for several years.
#42
Actually just the opposite on your Canada take. A united front in Iraq would be a scary thing for Iran. Irans time is coming. Canada will snip and quilble like girls. I don't have any contempt for canada for being independant. I have contempt for their contempt of what the USA is trying to do. And thats lead Aris. Canada can't be troubled though.
"Greece to rely on NATO for security" I use your nation as an example of those countries, like Canada, who stop at actually doing what needs to be done. Anti-Greco my ass. I hear its very pretty and the food is to die for. Cluck cluck Aris.
The families of seven victims of the attack on the U-S-S Cole are suing the Sudanese government in Norfolk federal court. The lawsuit claims that the north African nation financed and trained the al-Qaida terrorists who carried out the attack in October 2000 in the port of Yemen. It alleges that Sudan harbored Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network from 1996 through 2001. The suit seeks ten (m) million dollars for each of five spouses and five (m) million dollars for each of the victims' children. The families filed suit in Norfolk because the Cole is based at Norfolk Naval Station and several of the families still reside in the area. The families also allege that Sudan and bin Laden operated joint businesses and a bank that provided the financing for the Cole attack. The president of Sudan also is accused of personally authorizing bin Laden's entry into the country and allowing him to avoid paying taxes. The attack on the destroyer killed 17 sailors. Six suspected al-Qaida operatives were charged earlier this month in Yemen with plotting the attack.
#1
May I be the first to say why? Even if they win a suet against the Sudanese government they will never see a penny of that settlement. They might as well sue bin Laden himself.
Posted by: John ||
07/19/2004 18:14 Comments ||
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#2
Civil court is a worse venue to fight terrorism as criminal court (an incredibly bad venue itself.) Terrorists should be killed and not prosecuted. Terrorist enabling regimes should be removed not sued. If a terrorist is accidentally captured, they should be tried in a military tribunal and represented by a lawyer who understands that leaking classified documents to other terrorists will result in hard time for him, as well. Also all terrorists should be executed. Although I fully agree with the pope's statements calling for use of the death penalty only in cases where the perp represents a further danger to innocents, I think all terrorists meet the special case criteria. What we are seeing in Iraq and have seen throughout the world in the last forty years is that incarcerating terrorists results in hostages taken and killed.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/19/2004 22:19 Comments ||
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Malaysia has released five members of a militant group believed to be linked to a regional offshoot of Al-Qaeda, a newspaper reported on Sunday.
The members of the Kumpula Militan Malaysia (KMM) group have been placed under restricted residence orders for two years, Mingguan Malaysia said, citing an Internal Security Ministry spokesperson.
They will be required to report to a police station everyday, and are not allowed to leave the areas assigned to them without written permission from the authorities, the report said.
"They were freed in stages from the detention camp," the report quoted the spokesperson as saying.
The five were detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA), which allows indefinite detention without trial. The report did not say how long they had been detained.
KMM has not been directly linked to any acts of terror but security sources say the group had some links to Jemaah Islamiah, which is regarded as the Southeast Asian offshoot of Al-Qaeda.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
07/19/2004 9:00:22 AM ||
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Unidentified gunmen burst into a Christian church in central Indonesia and opened fire, killing the female minister and wounding four worshippers, police said on Monday. The killing on Sunday evening took place in Palu, central Sulawesi province, which has been hit by sporadic violence between Muslims and Christians since 2001. At least 1,000 people have been killed.
Two men armed with automatic weapons overpowered the security guard at Palu's Effata Church before opening fire, national police spokesman Gen. Paiman said. Preacher Susianti Tinulele was killed instantly, and four others were injured, he said. "We are trying to determine the motive," said Paiman, who goes by a single name. "It is very disturbing that attacks like this continue to happen in churches in Palu."
Radical fundamentalist Zoroasterians? Why all the phony PC nonsense -- he knows exactly what the motive was.
In May, gunmen killed a prominent Christian prosecutor in Palu as he left church. The town, 600 kilometers (1,000 miles) northeast of Jakarta, was a major battleground in fighting between Christians and Muslims three years ago.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
07/19/2004 12:00:00 AM ||
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Hezbollah militia official was killed Monday when his car exploded as he was prepared to leave his home in southern Beirut, the Islamic militant group said, blaming Israel for the bombing. Ghaleb Awali, 40, was "an official of the resistance," a Hezbollah spokesman said. He declined to give any details and spoke on condition of anonymity. Al-Manar TV, run by Hezbollah, showed pictures of the burned out car and said it blew up when "one of the strugglers in the resistance" started the engine to leave his home.
Where's my femtoviolin?
"The Zionist enemy is fully responsible for this brazen crime, which was an act of vengeance for the resistance's victories and steadfastness," Hezbollah said in a statement faxed to The Associated Press in Beirut. Hezbollah generally refers to Israel as the "Zionist enemy" rather than by name. Awali's casket, draped in Hezbollah's yellow flag, was carried through a crowd gathered to hear a eulogy from the group's next exploding leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah. Nasrallah said Israel ultimately was responsible for Awali's death and promised to cut off the hands of those who killed him. Awali, he said, was a member of the team who in later years was supporting the Palestinians against Israel. "He's the martyr of the road to Palestine, a martyr of Jerusalem, the Al-Aqsa Mosque in confronting the Zionist project," Nasrallah said.
He's also dead. Consider.
A Lebanese security official said the blast went off at 9:05 a.m. local time in the predominantly Shiite Muslim neighborhood of Harat Hreik, a Hezbollah stronghold. Several nearby buildings were damaged, their windows shattered, but there were no other casualties in the explosion, he said. Hezbollah said in a statement that Awali died instantly, though a Lebanese security official said he was rushed to a nearby Hezbollah-run hospital where he died soon after.
Thus depriving the locals of their car-swarm.
Awali, also known as Abu Mustafa, began participating in operations against Israel in 1982, when Israeli forces invaded southern Lebanon. He led many operations and was captured and detained by Israeli forces early on, according to Hezbollah, which did not provide details. The group said he had participated in several advanced military courses, and later in cultural and administrative courses.
A similar blast in August 2003 killed Ali Hussein Saleh, who was widely believed to be an explosives expert for Hezbollah and worked as a security guard at the Iranian Embassy in Beirut. An unidentified man sitting beside him and a passer-by also were killed and several people were injured. Hezbollah accused the United States and Israel of masterminding Saleh's killing. Awali, who was married with five children, was to be buried later Monday in his birthplace of Toulin, in southern Lebanon.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
07/19/2004 8:33:12 AM ||
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#2
The security official also said Awali had recently returned from abroad, though neither he nor Hezbollah would say where he had been or for how long.
hmmmm maybe his trip pissed somebody off?
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/19/2004 11:14 Comments ||
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#3
YOU CAN PUT HIM ON THE BOARD .... YES. B Melton.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/19/2004 12:04 Comments ||
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#4
Frank - or his number two decided he wanted to move up...
I have no idea what's causing the server to gag. Perhaps it's the knowledge it's going to be replaced this week. I just restarted it for about the 6th time since yesterday morning.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/19/2004 2:32:48 PM ||
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#1
Fred,
Anytime you have a problem I get a virus laden email from one of the other commenters here. You may wanna look into the possibility of a virus problem.
Posted by: Matt ||
07/19/2004 14:44 Comments ||
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#3
I just mailed a donation for the tip jar so you could buy expendables for the new installation. Maybe you'll want to buy anti-gag medicine for the old server instead.
Islam Online is reporting that negotiations are underway between Algeria and Chadian rebels holding Amar Saifi, one of Al Qaeda-linked GSPC's leaders.
Algeria is negotiating with a Chadian opposition group over the handover of a senior leader of the Salafi Group for Islamic Call and Fighting, Interior Minister Nourredine Yazid Zerhouni has revealed.
I thought Libya was trying to get him?
"Ammar Saifi is held by a Chadian opposition group and Algerian authorities are negotiating his handover to stand trial before an Algerian court," Zerhouni told a press conference Saturday, July 17. He did not elaborate on the talks, declining further to name the group so that such a "sensitive" operation would prove a success.
No word out of Libya yet, who earlier threatened to bomb the same rebels if they would not hand him over to them, rather than to the Algerians.
Update 07/19/2004: The Chadian rebels not mentioned are thought to be the "Movement for Democracy and Justice in Tchad" or MDJT. We have this tidbit of info on them, taken from the State Department's web site:
Since October 1998 Chadian Movement for Justice and Democracy (MDJT) rebels have skirmished with government troops in the Tibesti region, resulting in hundreds of civilian, government, and rebel casualties, but little ground won or lost. The rebellion lingers but in recent months has withered. In August and September 2003, following an accord with the government, several hundred rebels rejoined the Chadian Army.
Meanwhile, Reuters is reporting that a statement has been released by the GSPC on their website, claiming:
"Mustapha Abou Ibrahim and six other mujahideen are, for us, reported missing. We do not know their fate," the GSPC said in a statement posted on its Web site, dated July 17. "In the event of their deaths being confirmed, that will not harm us."
From Wretchard, as his underlying link doesn't work... Michelle Malkin links to an article in the Philippines Daily Tribune which reports that the Philippines has paid an Iraqi terrorist gang US$6 million dollars for the release of hostage Angelo de la Cruz.
A ransom of $6 million was offered and paid out to the Iraqi rebels holding Filipino truck driver Angelo de la Cruz hostage, to ensure his release before President Arroyo's scheduled State of the Nation Address (Sona) on July 26, a high level Philippine intelligence officer told the Tribune yesterday. This offer was alleged to have been approved by the President herself, who then tapped Malaysian emissaries for the job, the intelligence officer, who asked for anonymity, said. Of the $6-million payoff, $5 million was shouldered by Malaysia and $1 million by the Landbank of the Philippines, the officer added.
He seems to think this is a credible possibility.
Operationally these ransom payments are actually cash infusions into terrorist coffers and the "matching funds" are probably a kind of disguised contribution by certain Malaysian and Libyan sympathizers to the cause. However that may be, the scale of the ransom reported by the Philippines Daily Tribune can be gauged by comparison to the World Trade Center attacks which cost Osama Bin Laden half a million dollars. The "ransom" paid by the Philippine Government is twelve times that amount and will kill dozens of Americans and Iraqis before it is expended. Six million dollars buys a lot of IEDs. No kidding. Disgraceful if we let them do this.
#1
Correct me if Im wrong but wasnt the funding of terrorist organizations one of the reasons we went into Iraq in the first place?
Posted by: John ||
07/19/2004 14:31 Comments ||
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#2
If this is true (and I wouldn't put it past her) then Arroyo has just placed a $6M pricetag on the head of each and every filipino worker in the Middle east.
Nice going.... What a great way to protect the Filipino workers.....
#4
I think ransoms are much cheaper within Phillipines, itself. Domestic torrostists will be screaming about the injustice of such a high ransom paid to a "foriegn" terrorist band. Patriotic Pillipine terrorists will up their price demands to compensate.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/19/2004 14:59 Comments ||
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#5
Paying ransoms merely funds continued terrorism. The extremists will now kill even more people.
America should cut aid to the Philippines by 12 MILLION. It would be a sure-fire demonstration of how much displeasure we feel at their financing the killers of our soldiers.
In a fiery sermon last month, an influential state-appointed cleric declared it a sin for women to work. He condemned the "intermingling of sexes in civil services" and chastised the "scantily dressed women" on Moroccan beaches. The sermon at Morocco's largest and most prestigious mosque has sparked a war of words between modernists and Islamists as Morocco tries to modernize without isolating its conservative religious base or emboldening a growing number of radical Islamists. "The problem is that there is a discrepancy between the official religious speech and the popular speech of the Islamists," says Islam specialist Mohamed Darif, noting that Moroccan authorities have vowed to rein in radical clerics and revise religious rhetoric to spread a more moderate Islam.
The growing popularity of ultraconservative Islam has the government worried that moderate Islam is slowly losing ground to radical Wahhabism, which many fear could turn Morocco into a breeding ground for terrorists.The spreadof radical Islam also makes it more difficult to institute modern reforms, such as implementing the country's relatively new women's rights law. In recent years, the Internet and satellite TV have made it possible to package and sell to a broader audience the austere theories of foreign Wahhabi clerics like Hassan Yacoubi, Youssef al-Qardawi, and Moroccan and Saudi-educated Omar al-Qazabri. In response, Moroccan authorities are trying new tacks to clamp down on extremism.
The Ulema Councils, which have always been a tool to legitimize the religious status of the king, have been reorganized to spread the government-approved version of Islam among Moroccans and to put the country's 32,000 mosques - which are both state-controlled and privately funded - under tight scrutiny. In a speech last April before the country's most renowned ulemas, King Mohamed VI vowed to "revamp the domain of religious affairs in order to shield Morocco against the perils of extremism and terrorism."
Here is the interesting tidbit: Saaedan added that he heard one of the terrorist calling Al Jazeera TV reporter to come to record a video tape. He was then forced to sit in front of Al Jazeera reporter and camera and one of the terrorists read the statement. He was then moved into another place waiting for the execution on 4 June 2004.
On the early morning of the same day there were an exchange of fire between the terrorists and the US forces which helped Saaedan to escape with the help of one of them.
Mr Saaedan now taking legal action against Al Jazeera TV because they joined the terrorist in his death and have not informed the officials about what it has happened with him especially they know all about it including his place and the execution.
In actual fact Saaedan saw the tape broadcasted by Al Jazeera on 5 June 2004 after his escape as well as by the BBC.
#6
Al-Jizz is acting suspicious about the Bulgarian hostage tape...trying to keep the Bulgarian offiials from analyzing it.
So, it's pretty clear that Al-Jizz films the hostages and the beheadings for the terrorists.
#7
Sky is blue, check.
Water is wet, check.
Michael Moore is fat, check.
Al Jazeera allegedly cooperated with terrorists to film threatened hostage, DUH!
Posted by: Scott R ||
07/19/2004 16:13 Comments ||
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#8
Hmmm, I guess I should have made this an article instead of a link. He had no direct link to the post, so you have to scroll down to June 28th.
Thanks for posting that Crazyfool. Does anyone have a link to the marine Lt that witnessed two Al Jazeera stringers pay Iraqis to riot outside of one of their positions? It ran as a column in a small paper a few months back.
#9
Clean em out. Once they start colaberating in the abductions and murders of hostages they loose their "freedom of the press" status in my book.
Posted by: John ||
07/19/2004 18:31 Comments ||
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#10
Amen, John. We (RBers) were calling for the licensing of the "Press" in Iraq over a year ago - say $50K for each Press Pass. All those who were deemed by the CPA or CENTCOM Mil Cmd to be biased would be tossed, permanently. Al Jizz would've been thrown out in the first week. I wonder how many lives would've been saved because there wasn't some group of asshats setting up IED's or rocketing a base or firing on aircraft for a promo film?
#12
Even if they are not personally complicit they are working for a "on going conspiracy"m to destablize Iraq.
Take them out. I have a feeling the reporters killed so far were standing with bad guys when killed. Message to reporters, don't hang with or encourage bad guys.
An Algerian Islamic militant group with ties to al Qaeda has reported its leader missing, one month after the North African country's military said he was shot during a gun battle. The army said on June 20 it had killed the chief of the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) Nabil Sahraoui, also known as Mustapha Abou Ibrahim, and three top aides during an operation in Bejaia province, east of the capital Algiers. "Mustapha Abou Ibrahim and six other mujahideen are, for us, reported missing. We do not know their fate," the GSPC said in a statement posted on its Web site, dated July 17. "In the event of their deaths being confirmed, that will not harm us."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
07/19/2004 9:22:32 AM ||
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Chechen law-enforcement agencies have prevented an attempt on the life of Chechen Mufti Akhmed-Khadzhi Shamayev, a Russian military spokesman told Interfax on Monday. An improvised explosive device was discovered near the mufti's home not far from the village of Vashindaroi in the Shatoi district, spokesman for the anti-terrorist headquarters in the North Caucasus Ilya Shabalkin said. The bomb had been planted a long distance from the federal convoys' route, which suggests that it was intended for Shamayev, he said. Earlier, rebels killed Shamayev's son in the same village, Shabalkin added.
The Chechen Interior Ministry told Interfax that a group of unidentified armed assailants wearing camouflage stopped a motor vehicle belonging to the Chechen government's energy committee and stole it. A search has been launched to detain the assailants. Armed rebels shot a resident of the village of Stariye Atagi in the Groznenski district as he was returning home from a local mosque on Sunday evening. The motive behind the murder has not been established yet. Also in the Groznenski district, armed assailants broke into the home of a woman in the village of Pervomaiskaya and stole 97,000 rubles.
Large-scale operations to find weapons and ammunition are continuing in Grozny and in several villages. Separate districts are also being checked. Control has been tightened over approaches to Grozny, the Interior Ministry said. According to Shabalkin, a group of about 15 rebels attacked residents of the village of Guni in the Vedeno district, stealing food, cash and other valuables. Four rebel groups have been eliminated in Chechnya over the past 24 hours. Twenty-one rebels have been killed in fighting. Three of them had attempted to cross into Dagestan, Shabalkin said. He said that operations to detain rebels are continuing in Chechnya and in Ingushetia.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
07/19/2004 9:19:07 AM ||
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In a major breakthrough in anti-terror operations, Pakistan police killed seven militants of the banned militant outfit Harkatul Mujahideen, including its chief Osama Nazir, who carried a reward of Rs 50,000 for his arrest. The seven were killed in a special operation yesterday in Pakistani town of Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistanâs Online news agency reported Nazir, who has taken part in militant attacks in Kashmir in the past, hailed from Bahawalpur and police accused him and his associates of being responsible for the suicide attacks committed against Pakistani Christian institutions in Murree, Taxila and other cities.
Police also arrested Sardar Ibrahim, a member of the banned Pakistani militant outfit, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi after raiding a hotel room in Abottabad. He also carried Rs 50,000 on his head. Harkatul Mujahideen is a splinter organisation which has close links with Al Qaeda. Earlier, Nazir worked for militants outfits like Jaish-e-Muhammad and later formed Harkatul Mujahideen.
Meanwhile, Pakistani security forces clashed on Sunday with militants in the tribal region of south Waziristan on Sunday as they moved against a suspected stronghold that fighters had used to launch attacks against government forces.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
07/19/2004 9:03:47 AM ||
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#1
so was Nazir on the outs with JeM such that JeM doesnt take offense at his killing? IE is Pakland taking on the core of the Jihadis, or just the wayward extremists they dont care about?
Algeria is negotiating with a Chadian opposition group over the handover of a senior leader of the Salafi Group for Islamic Call and Fighting, Interior Minister Nourredine Yazid Zerhouni has revealed. "Ammar Saifi is held by a Chadian opposition group and Algerian authorities are negotiating his handover to stand trial before an Algerian court," Zerhouni told a press conference Saturday, July 17. He did not elaborate on the talks, declining further to name the group so that such a "sensitive" operation would prove a success.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
07/19/2004 8:48:46 AM ||
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The Afghan government freed 65 suspected Pakistani militants on Monday, the latest group to be released after being caught fighting for the Taliban during the U.S.-led war in late 2001. Looking exhausted but relieved, the bearded prisoners were freed from the notorious Pul-i-Charki jail just outside Kabul. "I am happy that I am free now," said Hashmat Ali, following his release. "But I am upset about my other friends who are still in jail." Pakistani diplomats have welcomed the releases as a positive move towards improving relations between the two countries. One Pakistani diplomat in Kabul said he hoped the rest of the prisoners in Afghanistan would be released soon.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
07/19/2004 8:38:24 AM ||
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#1
I wonder if these were just fodder types or are they the types that will take up arms against the Afghan govt.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
07/19/2004 11:37 Comments ||
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#2
Forgot last word of sentence:
again.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
07/19/2004 11:38 Comments ||
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via Rooters (h/t: Lucianne)
Mon Jul 19, 2004 01:16 AM ET
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A suspected car bomb blew up outside a police station in southwestern Baghdad on Monday killing at least eight people and wounding four police officers, Iraqi officials, witnesses and the U.S. military said. U.S. army Colonel Bill Salter said he believed the attack was carried out by a car bomber and said there were several dead. A Reuters witness saw body parts scattered across the area in front of the police station, including a severed foot.
Iraqi National Guard Lieutenant Adnan Qathan told Reuters eight people were killed in the blast, and another guardsman said he believed all were civilians. The attack took place shortly after 8 a.m. (0400 GMT) as people were arriving at work.
Posted by: .com ||
07/19/2004 1:29:55 AM ||
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The Pakistani media has reported a split in the Jamaatud Dawa (JD), the political wing of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LET), reminiscent of the split in the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HUM) in 2000, which led to a large number of its members led by Maulana Masood Azhar leaving the organisation due to disputes over property and the sharing of the funds collected and forming a separate organisation called the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JEM). While operating separately since then, the HUM and the JEM continue to accept Osama bin Laden's ideology and to be members of his International Islamic Front (IIF), whose activties are being co-ordinated for over a year now by the LET due to the logistic and other difficulties faced by Al Qaeda in continuing to act as the co-ordinator. The most detailed account of the split in the JD has been carried by the usually reliable "Daily Times" of Lahore in its issue of July 18, 2004. To quote from its report:
The Jamaatud Dawa (JD), believed to be Pakistan's largest pro-jihad party, has split, with violent clashes likely over party assets.
"The breakaway faction, which has taken the name Khairun Naas (KN), consists largely of members of the banned Lashkar-e-Toiba (LET). Some of them have taken an oath to kill Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, the head of the JD.
"Both sides are now plotting how to take control of party assets, such as the Markaz-e-Toiba in Muridke, Markaz Qadsia in Lahore and other valuable properties.
"The leaders of the breakaway faction have accused Hafiz Saeed of nepotism, diverting the party from its original objective and the unfair distribution of funds. The Khairun Naas was also unhappy at Saeed's second marriage to a fallen comrade's widow.
"According to sources, Prof Iqbal is currently in Saudi Arabia seeking the support of Saudi clerics and the party's structure will be announced when he returns, probably with him at the top.
A local leader of Russia's main pro-presidential party was shot to death in Chechnya early yesterday in what the region's prosecutor said was a contract killing linked to next month's presidential election, Russian media reported. Tamara Khadzhiyeva of the United Russia party, which supports President Vladimir Putin, was killed by masked gunmen who broke into her home in Shali, southeast of the Chechen capital Grozny, the ITAR-Tass and Interfax news agencies reported. Three attackers entered Khadzhiyeva's home at about 3:30 a.m. (local time) and shot her at point-blank, ITAR-Tass quoted Chechnya's chief prosecutor Vladimir Kravchenko as saying. Kravchenko said it was a contract killing that was "no doubt linked" to preparations for Chechnya's August 29 election to replace the region's pro-Moscow president, Akhmad Kadyrov, who was assassinated in a bombing in Grozny in May. There was no claim of responsibility, and police named no suspects.
Musta been the Samoans.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
07/19/2004 12:00:00 AM ||
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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.
