Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh yesterday asked leading opposition figures, along with government officials, to participate in a fresh mediation effort with Hussein Badruddin Al-Houthi, a radical cleric accused of leading an armed rebellion in the north of the country. Leaders of five main opposition parties, two Cabinet ministers, eight legislators, five prominent religious scholars and eight tribal chieftains would join a mediation team led by Al-Houthi's father. They will try to secure the surrender of the Shiite cleric whose armed followers have been battling since June 21 government forces surrounding their hideouts in the Maran district of the mountainous northern province of Saada. The reinforced mediation team was due to travel to Maran yesterday, a government official told Arab News. Al-Houthi is accused by authorities of leading an armed rebellion and inciting violence through organizing protests against the United States and Israel.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/28/2004 9:51:11 PM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
Police have found a car used by terrorists to flee after shooting dead an American citizen here last month. Security officials discovered the silver Lexus 2002 next to a furnished apartment building in A-Nahda neighborhood northeast of Riyadh at around 1 p.m. Tuesday during a combing operation, Al-Madinah newspaper reported. A man found standing next to the car was detained for questioning. Police searched the car for explosives and found nothing. The car with plate number 523 was also linked to incidents in Al-Fayha and Al-Quds neighborhoods of Riyadh. A terrorist suspect used the car to escape after engaging in a gunfight with police in the area. The car's license plate, which originally belonged to a Mitsubishi car, was stolen and was used to mislead police, the paper said, quoting police sources.
Gunmen killed 40-year-old Robert Jacob in a shooting incident in the capital on June 9. Witnesses said Jacob was shot by three gunmen who followed him from a nearby clinic to his villa and fled the area in a Lexus car. Jacob was an employee of the US defense contractor Vinnell Corporation, which trains the National Guard. Police officer Ghadeer Al-Qahtani who chased the assailants was also killed by the gunmen.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/28/2004 9:49:50 PM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[10 views]
Top|| File under:
The al-Qaeda cell in Saudi Arabia acknowledged in an online statement that surfaced Monday that two of its members were killed last week in a shootout with security forces that they described as battle to defend the wife and family of their leader.
Not to mention the head they had in the fridge...
In a statement that surfaced on Islamic Web sites, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula gave its own account of the raid last Tuesday on a house in Riyadh. US-based counter-terrorism expert Evan Kohlmann also noted the statement on his own Web site. The house was believed to be the hideout of Saleh Mohammed al-Aoofi, the group's leader. Saudi security forces detained al-Aoofi's wife and three children after raiding the house and finding the head of slain American hostage Paul M. Johnson Jr.
It was in the fridge. Don't forget that part...
The statement described a fierce battle with security forces, who blocked the house's exits with five cars that they set on fire "to prevent the mujahedeen from taking the family's car out."
Uh huh, the cops rammed cars into the exits and set them on fire.
The Interior Ministry said two militants were killed and three were injured in the battle, which also injured three security forces. The online statement acknowledged that Issa Saad Mohammed bin Oushan, who was on Saudi Arabia's most-wanted list, and Mujab Abu-Ras Al-Dossary, were killed in the raid. It said one of the three injured, Mashaal bin al-Sheik Hamoud al-Faraj, later died from his wounds.
Hope it was a very painful, slow lingering death
Gut shot, was he?
"After the wife of the mujahed ... al-Aoofi insisted that the mujahedeen should go out and leave her, after they nearly killed themselves in her defense, the mujahedeen decided to (pull out), and that happened with God's grace and no one of the brothers were hurt during it," the statement said.
"Leave me behind, save yourselves!"
"OK"
Saudi TV footage of the site of the raid in the King Fahd neighborhood of Riyadh showed the hulks of several burned out cars, a gutted pickup truck and another car with a shattered windshield and bullet holes. The footage also showed bloodstained and bullet-pocked walls, a bloodied blanket and a white robe, torn and pink with blood.
Nice visual
Security forces also seized weapons - including an anti-aircraft SAM-7 missile - explosives, chemicals, video cameras and cash from the al-Qaeda house. The statement identified the wounded as Hamad bin Shadeed al-Harby, who it said was hit in the heart;
His least vital part
and Saleh al-Ghaith, who later returned to the house and was apparently arrested.
Saleh al-Ghaith, AKA "Dopey"
"Hey, man! My Grandaddy gimme that missile! I couldn't leave it behind!"
Posted by: Steve ||
07/28/2004 10:08:24 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
There is a certain comic quality to al-Qaeda, it fits comfortably in the same would that produces
John Kerry 'for President' with M. Moore as his house 'Goebbels'.
A Bangladeshi businessman on Tuesday sought human rights redress with a lawyers' group over what he called his ordeal in being linked with a suspected senior member of the al-Qaida terrorist network, denying the accusations against him. Islam Mohamed Himu, 33, became the focus of Japanese police investigations after the police found alleged links between him and Lionel Dumont, a French national who is believed to have been building up an al-Qaida base in Japan. "Anywhere I go, I am falsely branded as an al-Qaida member but I am not," a tearful Himu told Japanese and international media at a Tokyo press conference after filing a complaint with the Japan Federation of Bar Associations. Himu said he had business dealings with Dumont five or six times, including selling prepaid telephone cards and buying a digital camera for Dumont, but that he had no inkling about Dumont's alleged al-Qaida link. "To me, he was just one of my 300 to 500 customers. I don't have the right to ask (about) his private life," he said, referring to Dumont.
Himu met Dumont in 1999 at a mosque in Gunma Prefecture, where he used to live, and knew him as a Swiss national named Samir. Himu operated two companies, one based in Tokyo and the other in Kanagawa Prefecture, southwest of Tokyo, both selling international prepaid cards. Himu said he had contact with Dumont from July 1999 to June 2003 mostly for the purchase of prepaid cards. In a separate news conference, Himu's lawyer, Takeshi Furukawa, criticized the investigators, saying, "The probe into Mr. Himu, who happened to have contact with the suspect Dumont, is simply to save face because they were unaware of Dumont's entry into Japan." Dumont was found to have lived in Japan for a year, mainly in Niigata Prefecture, just before being arrested in Germany in December in connection with an attempted bombing and other charges. But this information only surfaced this year. Often breaking into tears during his press conference, Himu said he suffered an ordeal during his 43-day detention. Although the charges against him were unrelated to al-Qaida, the police interrogations focused on questions linked to al-Qaida and Dumont, he said.
Himu was first arrested by the Kanagawa prefectural police on May 26 on suspicion of forging official company documents. He was released June 16. On the same day, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department arrested him on suspicion of hiring two illegal foreign residents in violation of the immigration law. He paid a 300,000 yen fine for his release. Himu said he still feels the effects of the al-Qaida allegations, saying banks do not allow him to remit money overseas and that business partners have cut him off. A resident of Toda, Saitama Prefecture, Himu is married to a Japanese woman and they have two children.
Posted by: Steve ||
07/28/2004 2:53:45 PM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
A second wave of North Korean defectors arrived in the capital Wednesday, bringing the total in a two-day airlift from an unidentified Asian country to nearly 460, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said. It was easily the largest group of defectors ever to reach the South. All had recently fled the communist North and taken refuge in hopes of eventually reaching South Korea. Wednesday's group of 227 North Koreans arrived at Incheon International Airport on a chartered Korean Air plane arranged by the South Korean government. South Korean government officials have been reluctant to confirm the arrival of the North Koreans and have declined to reveal which country they are coming from, but news reports said that 230 arrived Tuesday.
A trickle of defectors to the South has grown into a steady stream in recent years as more North Koreans flee hunger and repression in their communist country, mostly fleeing across its long border with China before heading to other countries. Human rights groups have said that hundreds of North Koreans were living in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and other Southeast Asian countries, and were eager to travel to South Korea.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/28/2004 12:20:05 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Would you like flies with that rice? I hear Kim plays Titlest.
Wait for the punchline.
DES MOINES - Michael Wagner lied about his name. He told the trooper who stopped him for not wearing a seat belt that he couldn't find his identification. Then, Iowa State Patrol Trooper Kenneth Haas found a gun, three bulletproof vests, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, a flight simulator and a bag of flight manuals dating to 2001. Wait for it.
Haas testified at a federal court hearing Tuesday that he also found a 5-foot telescope hooked to camera equipment, night-vision goggles and a night-vision rifle scope when searching Wagner's sport utility vehicle on July 14 on Interstate 80 near Council Bluffs. The materials, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Rothrock, were "all of the equipment necessary for sniper attacks." Wait for it.
These were all religious artifacts! How's a good Muslim to pray properly without his rifle and sniper scope?
Haas said a tape showed that when Wagner was alone with his wife in a cruiser after they were stopped, he spoke of killing the officers at the scene to get away... His attorney, Angela Campbell, said the items found in Wagner's vehicle weren't illegal for average citizens to own and suggested that Wagner and his wife, Linda Maguire, were targeted because they are Muslim. Books written in Arabic, including the Koran, along with hundreds of pages printed from the Internet on the Iraq war and terrorism, were found in Wagner's vehicle. Wagner and his wife, who was at the court hearing, are both Muslim converts. BINGO!
#2
There's much more at the link that will cause great seething. For example: "Police dogs were allowed to step on Muslim writings and books, she [Wagner] said."
Posted by: Mr. Davis ||
07/28/2004 16:16 Comments ||
Top||
#3
"all of the equipment necessary for sniper attacks." ---> Suspicious
However, I must say that this is also an accurate description of what about 50% of Texas White Males have sitting at home in the gun case. Not sure of the laws in Iowa regarding firearms.
#7
Now, you people, let's slow down this rush to judgement.
It could just as easily have been one of us. In fact, just the other day, I was loading my truck and after tossing in the pipe bombs, cyanide, crudely written suicide note, and lots of porn magazines into the back, I thought, "Damn! This could look really suspicious."
#8
Would be a shame if fine people like Mr. Wagner are harrassed by the police (or locals). If they don't give this guy the rubber hose treatment and get some more info we are in sad shape. I wonder which mosque Mr. Wagner attends and who else goes there? This doesn't sound like a one man operation.
#14
I have been (nicely) talked too by deputies from several counties from several states about what I'm doing in the middle of nowhere at this time of the night with an of outstate license and with that thing...... (that ain't me)
#16
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20040728-9999-1m28santee.html
He is from Santee,Ca. about 8 miles from my home in Flinn Springs(El Cajon,Ca)
#19
on the #3 comment by anonymously yours,, exactly those white males in texas have theirs in their gun cabinets. Not riding arounf the interstate highway system talking about killing cops too get away.
#20
on the #3 comment by anonymously yours,, exactly those white males in texas have theirs in their gun cabinets. Not riding arounf the interstate highway system talking about killing cops too get away.
#23
I know dog drool probably necessitates destruction of the copy of the Koran and such, but is the sniper scope still OK to wipe-off and reuse? Can we get a ruling from the nearest Mullah?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/28/2004 22:44 Comments ||
Top||
A South African woman picked up in Texas almost 10 days ago may turn out to be a key, high-level al-Qaida operative. Her name is Farida Goolam Mohamed Ahmed. She was stopped at McAllen Miller International Airport on July 19 headed to New York. Eddie Flores of the U.S. Border Patrol office in McAllen, Texas tells FederalNewsRadio.com that a review of her papers raised some concerns. "In looking at her documents, they did not find any entry documents in her passport where she was legally admitted into the United States," says Flores.
Ahmed produced a South African passport to the agents with four pages torn out, and with no U.S. entry stamps. Ahmed reportedly later confessed to investigators that she entered the country illegally by crossing the Rio Grande River. Ahmed was carrying travel itineraries showing a July 8 flight from Johannesburg, South Africa to London. Six days later, Ahmed traveled from London to Mexico City before attempting to travel from McAllen to New York.
From IOL: According to the flight itineraries, on July 8 Ahmed travelled from Johannesburg through Dubai and the United Arab Emirates and then to London. A July 14 British Airways itinerary showed a trip from London to Mexico City. FBI Agent Gary Simmons testified at Ahmed's court hearing that she was carrying $6 350 (about R40 000), along with British currency, one South African Krugerrand gold coin worth about $400 (R2 500) and Mexican pesos.
Government sources tell FederalNewsRadio.com that capturing this woman could be comparable to the arrest of Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of 9/11. It was revealed in court Tuesday that she was on a watch list and had entered the U.S. possibly as many as 250 times.
So we can rule out the poor imigrant looking for work meme.
Tuesday, the South African government issued a warning that Al-Qaida militants and other terrorists traveling through Europe had obtained South African passports, and authorities believe they got them from crime syndicates operating inside the government agency that issues the documents.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
07/28/2004 2:30:21 PM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#2
250 times? Got a time frame for that many entries or did she straddle the border and hop?
Jeez.
Glad that they caught her, but the fact that she just waltzed across the southern border is proof that something needs to be done down there.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats ||
07/28/2004 17:13 Comments ||
Top||
#3
And by the way, from the article
Tuesday, the South African government issued a warning that Al-Qaida militants and other terrorists traveling through Europe had obtained South African passports
She was captured ten days ago and South Africa only mentions on Tuesday that passports are getting stolen. Which says to me that South Africa either had no idea their passports were being stolen till we told them, or they didn't bother to mention it till we nabbed somebody with one.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats ||
07/28/2004 17:16 Comments ||
Top||
Hassan Al-Ali is in federal custody tonight charged with possessing false identification. Over a twelve year period, federal investigators believe Hassan Al-Ali has assumed six different names and lived all over the country including New York, Florida, Washington D.C., South Carolina, Cleveland, and several places in metro Richmond. Investigators also say Al-Ali lived in Bangkok, London, Canada, and Kuwait. In June, The FBI raided Al-Ali's apartment complex on Stuart Circle in Richmond and confiscated conflicting photo I.D.'s, including two Virginia licenses, passports, and student identification cards from VCU and NYU. Some neighbors also claim Al-Ali kept various maps, pictures of monuments, and other suspicious materials in his apartment. Federal investigators are unsure why he's done so much traveling since 1992. Government agents say Al-Ali went by both Hassan Al-Ali and Hassan Mauz Abdullah, among other names. They say he racked up thousands of dollars in debt and had over two thousand dollars wired to him from an embassy in Kuwait.
Posted by: TS(vice girl) ||
07/28/2004 1:59:00 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Multiple Id's = Up to no good, no valid reason for it.
Money wired from an Embassy? Pray tell, which one CBS 6? Get the full scoop then get back to our agent TS! Should be an entertaining followup, if it ever comes!
#6
I see he's been touring the usual Islamic holy sites; Florida, Bangkok, London, Canada. My money would be on him being al-Q from Saudi.
Posted by: Steve ||
07/28/2004 8:52 Comments ||
Top||
#7
Steve, Steve, Steve,
Can't a simple Muslim pilgrim, steeped in Islamic piety, visit the places most important to his religion without taking flak?
You know:
The Golden Flight School of Marytrdom
Righteous Temple of Nuclear Fission
Most Exalted Chlorine Gas Shrine
Venerable Unmarked Mass Grave of the Infidels
A South African woman was charged today with illegally entering the United States. Federal authorities say she appeared at an airport near the U-S-Mexico border with a mutilated passport, several plane tickets and flight schedules, and a pair of wet, muddy pants in her bag. Federal authorities are investigating whether Farida Goolam Mohamed Ahmed has ties to al Qaeda or other terrorists groups. They have not substantiated anything so far. That's what a senior federal law enforcement official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The 48-year-old was arrested July 19th at the McAllen airport after she failed to produce a visa to prove her legal travel within the United States. That's what F-B-I Special Agent Davie Delgado said in an affidavit. The affidavit says that Ahmed provided a South African passport that was missing four pages. Authorities say she said that her Visa was in New York. Authorities say she later told them she was smuggled into the United States from Mexico by crossing the Rio Grande. Ahmed's attorney says there's no evidence that his client has terrorist ties. The Associated Press reported earlier today that authorities believed crime syndicates operating within the South African government were believed to be selling illegal passports.
Posted by: TS(vice girl) ||
07/28/2004 12:29:06 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Here's a breaking news AP story that's prolly related - about stolen South African Passports...
#4
The conditions under which Ahmed was detained were a violation of her civil rights, regardless of her status, said Will Harrell, executive director for the Texas office of the American Civil Liberties Union.
The usual suspects creep out from under their rocks to say a few lawyerly words...
Posted by: rex ||
07/28/2004 12:29 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Mexican serial killer Rafael R. Ramirez was wanted for capital murder in Texas and was able to cross the border at will several times. He was even picked up and released by the border patrol for an illegal crossing while he had murder warrants. Nothing was done to fix the border. He was only caught because a relative turned him in for cash.
No doubt, the assholes-who-don't-like-us have read his story too.
#6
Ahmed's attorney says there's no evidence that his client has terrorist ties.
Who gives a rat's ass? The main issue isn't one of ties to terrorist organizations; it's one of illegal entry, and that her documentation isn't in order. The solution? Deport the wench. Case closed.
Oh, and doesn't it seem a wee bit unusual that she would have an attorney???
#7
Oh, and doesn't it seem a wee bit unusual that she would have an attorney???
Not really. She'd be appointed one, and probably the local CAIR office has a few on retainer.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
07/28/2004 13:28 Comments ||
Top||
#8
Down here in South Texas every other billboard has a ad for imigration lawyers.
Posted by: Steve ||
07/28/2004 14:27 Comments ||
Top||
#9
(Farida Goolam Mohamed) Ahmedâs attorney says thereâs no evidence that his client has terrorist ties.
Big hot air defense lawyer fibberoonie. Read updates on this lady, smuggled across our Mexican border[hello Tom Ridge] at the recent article on Page 1 today entitled:
"High-level Al-Queda suspect arrested in Texas?" http://www.rantburg.com/#39226
Posted by: rex ||
07/28/2004 17:49 Comments ||
Top||
Court papers indicate a driver stopped on an Iowa highway this month was found with flight-training manuals, Arabic documents and night-vision goggles. According to the papers, he also told troopers he knew of terrorist plans to shoot up trains in San Diego. Michael Wagner -- of San Diego -- said he had knowledge of terrorist activities and people and groups tied to al-Qaida and the Taliban. Wagner also said that he knew about things in the Muslim communities in San Diego that would interest federal authorities. Federal prosecutors have declined to comment on the case. And it's not immediately known whether authorities were able to corroborate his claims.
"We will say no more!"
Wagner pleaded innocent today in federal court in Des Moines to being a felon in possession of body armor and weapons.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
07/28/2004 12:00:00 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Jeez. Let the other shoe drop! Is this just a guy seeking "fame" / "infamy" / whatever - or is he legit?
The worms are crawling outta the can, but I don't know enough to know if it matters. Weirdness. Let's hope there's a big followup where it turns out he's a big fish AlQ cell leader and can unravel 10 plots - or they give him a forest view from his rubber room. Sigh.
#2
As part of my medical training, I learned how to draw up commitment papers. Always knew that skill would come in handy some day. Now then, what was the judge's fax number again?
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/28/2004 0:16 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Lol! Get 'im Steve! Then prescribe giggle juice, lol!
EFL
Police won't charge militant cleric Abu Bakar Bashir in the 2002 Bali bombings, officials said Wednesday, after Indonesia's constitutional court curbed the use of a tough anti-terror law. Wednesday's announcement is the first sign that the Constitutional Court ruling last Friday on the use of the terror law could hamper efforts to prosecute militants. The court ruled that the law, rushed through parliament in the wake of the Bali bombings, could not be used for crimes committed before it was enacted.
Posted by: Dragon Fly ||
07/28/2004 7:41:35 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Wonder if he'll be involved in yet another unfortunate event.
Posted by: Mr. Davis ||
07/28/2004 11:11 Comments ||
Top||
#2
You can bet on it.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/28/2004 13:00 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Be nice if we were talking of an "unfortunate event" like he gets hit by a bus or something, but we're not, right?
Iran has broken seals placed on nuclear centrifuges by U.N. inspectors and resumed work on the equipment, raising fresh fears that a deal to keep Tehran from joining the world's nuclear-armed powers has collapsed. Diplomats at the Vienna, Austria-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations' lead agency on nuclear proliferation, confirmed yesterday that Iran had resumed construction of centrifuges, a key part of the nation's nuclear program. The equipment can be used to produce the material needed for atomic bombs. Iranian officials reportedly broke the IAEA seals on the centrifuge equipment late last month.
Diplomats told reporters that Iran has stopped short of using the centrifuges to begin production of enriched uranium for the bombs, a step that clearly would violate Iran's obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said U.S. officials had not confirmed the Iranian move independently but that it fit with what the Bush administration considers a clear pattern of cheating by Iran's Islamic government on its nuclear pledges. "Iran's commitment to cooperating with the IAEA, to put it kindly, remains an open question," Mr. Ereli said, "given its past failures to follow through on promises made to the [IAEA] board of governors."
Paul Leventhal, president of the Washington-based Nuclear Control Institute, said the Iranian decision was "clearly provocative" and a direct challenge to diplomatic efforts to rein in its nuclear programs. "The Iranians only confess to what they are caught doing, so we don't know how much more there is to learn," he said. "Iran has been playing a very dangerous cat-and-mouse game, constantly testing how much they can get away with."
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
07/28/2004 1:21:28 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Iran has broken seals
And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.
Posted by: Steve ||
07/28/2004 9:07 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Steve...that sound's familiar. Johnny Cash? Ark of the Covenant?
#3
I would hazard a guess that the program ebbs and flows in correlation with how Kerry is doing in the polls.
Posted by: Tom ||
07/28/2004 9:25 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Steve...that sound's familiar. Johnny Cash? Ark of the Covenant?
It's Revelations. The movie you heard it quoted in was "Pale Rider". The young girl was reading her scriptures and looking out the window, saw Clint Eastwood on a pale horse, and quoted the last line "and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him." If you know the movie, truer words were never spoken.
Posted by: Steve ||
07/28/2004 10:07 Comments ||
Top||
#14
Despite the disclosures, British diplomats said Iran and the three European powers will hold a previously scheduled meeting later this week at an undisclosed European location.
"We still firmly believe that this is the right way to achieve our goal," a British Foreign Office official told Reuters news agency yesterday.
This would be known as the Carrot-With-No-Stick approach.
#15
I fear that soon Iran will soon have Nuclear weapons...hocus pocus and presto...just as Pakistan did. One day they don't, the next day they do.
I've seriously tried to think my way through this, but I have yet come up with a solution. I had previously proposed a large scale military raid, hold the ground just long enough to know that the destruction was complete...apologize profusely, and with a wave of the hand say, "See you guys later," and just get the hell out.
But as I mull on this, I am fairly sure that this wouldn't work either. Anyone else have any effective ideas on this?
Straight out war with Iran does not seem to be an option. So, in the end, just let Iran have the Nuclear Weapons...what can be done?
#16
"This would be known as the Carrot-With-No-Stick approach."
No this is known as your carrot stuffed up your ass buy Moose Limbs effect. You are non-believers you may be lied to, killed , enslaved all quite proper and plain in the Koran I imagine.
If Islam is just like NAZI ideology. If you read Hitler's Mein Kampf the result if put into action would be plain to you (and was in hind sight.) Then if you read the Koran would not you see the same thing? There are no good live NAZIs. How can there be any good live Moose Limbs? Will Europe will be over run by Islam because they are just as blind to it as they were to Hitler? I ask this question of those with a better intelect than I have.
Gunnies Armed protesters forced two Palestinian ministers into an embarrassing retreat in the Gaza Strip yesterday, highlighting a collapse in law and order that almost led to the departure of Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei, who was back at work. Qorei withdrew his resignation and ended his standoff with Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat that had paralyzed the Palestinian leadership. Qorei returned to his desk in his offices in the West Bank town of Ramallah, a day after retracting his resignation which he submitted on July 17 after a spate of kidnappings had highlighted a collapse of law and order in the Palestinian territories.
Yesterday, Social Affairs Minister Intisar Al-Wazir and Education Minister Nayam Abu Al-Hummos were forced to turn back to the border between Israel and Gaza and then use back roads to reach Gaza City after being stopped in their car near the town of Beit Hanun, security sources and witnesses told AFP. Hummos later insisted there had been no problem but several security sources confirmed angry protesters had told them they should return to the West Bank and put obstacles in the road to prevent them from driving on. A security source added that the two ministers "were prevented from getting into Gaza City by armed people and forced to go back to Erez and they then used another road." Hummos however denied that there had been any problem, saying on Palestinian radio: "I went through Erez unhindered."
Meanwhile, Qorei's bureau chief, Hassan Abu Libdeh, said that the premier was drawing up an evaluation of the performance of all ministers before a possible reshuffle in coming months. "There are no immediate plans to reshuffle the Cabinet," he said. "After we evaluate the performance of the ministers we will then draw up a plan for how we work in the future after yesterday's agreement."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/28/2004 9:52:01 PM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Qorei returned to his desk ... Isn't it sort of Taoist to think that having Qorei back at his desk playing video solitaire and surfing dhimmi porn sites will be beneficial to security in Gaza?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/28/2004 22:25 Comments ||
Top||
1. What were the sources of the two explosions on either side of the vehicle in the beginning ? Seemed quite small for a mine or mortar, and I did not see any trails from an RPG.
2. What would the soldiers be shooting at ? I doubt that a bunch of armed terrs are showing themselves in broad daylight. Are they required by SOP to light up likely hiding areas ?
Posted by: Carl in N.H. ||
07/28/2004 11:24:21 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Those seemed to be RPG's.I learned when taking fire,you return fire.Sort out the rest later.
#2
More than likely the first blast is a small caliber mortar round command detonated and the other is probably a hand grenade based off where it went off. First gunfire seems to be AK met by alot of 3 round bursts from our guys. Other than the lead suburban slowing down or starting to stop, petty good reaction to the ambush. Notice the lack of pedestrians, they should have seen this one coming.
Kidnappers seized two Iraqi citizens in Fallujah Wednesday for apparently working for a Saudi contracting company, reports said.
Well, it's not like they could find any Saudis working.
Families of the victims told United Press International that the two were snatched and taken to an unknown destination.
"One minute they were here and the next, poof - they waz gone!"
The kidnappers did not identify themselves or make demands, they said.
"We demand all Iraqis leave Iraq.....no wait,... We demand all Iraqis leave Saudi....no that's not right, We demand all Saudis workers leave....no, we'll have to get back to you on this, ok?"
The latest kidnappings increased to 22 the number of hostages belonging to various Muslim, Arab and foreign nationalities being held in Iraq.
So, how many muslims or arabs have been decapitated?
Posted by: Steve ||
07/28/2004 12:43:17 PM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
So now what? They tell Iraq to get out of Iraq?
An Nasiriyah, Iraq - Approximately thirty five anti-Iraqi force members were killed and more than 40 were detained when Multi-National Forces and Iraqi forces were engaged by AIF during a joint operation in the vicinity of As Suwayrah around 7 a.m. July 28. Seven Iraqi Force members were killed and 10 were injured during the operation. There were no injuries to MNF Soldiers. The patrol consisted of Iraqi, U.S. and Ukrainian Soldiers assigned to Multi-National Division Center South.
#1
Article: Seven Iraqi Force members were killed and 10 were injured during the operation.
Goddamn it - that's too high - way too high. They need to get better - a lot better. I hope they are getting everything they need, including body armor and fire support - mortars, artillery, aerial assets, the works.
#2
Five for one isn't bad, especially considering what the Paks get. Lessons learned and continuous imporvement is what they need the most. Sooner or later they need to be weaned from the teat of ncle Sugar.
Posted by: Mr. Davis ||
07/28/2004 10:12 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Agree with both -- more stuff for the Iraqis in the short term, movement towards independence in the medium term. I'm certain the latter is a key part of our training and operations. What's really interesting to me about this is the location -- the south. Who are these bad guys? Sadr's boys hung it up a while ago. Any info or guesses?
#6
"[A]nti-Iraq force memebers?" What the hell does that mean. Were the 9-11 terrorists "Anti-American force members?" Why does our government and the media have so much trouble calling things for what they are. Calling them "insurgents" is bad enough.
After wrapping up what Army Maj. Gen. Eric Olson called "The most successful offensive military since Operation ENDURING FREEDOM began," the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) has begun retrograding from Afghanistan. The MEU arrived in Afghanistan in late March and soon began conducting combat and civil military operations in the country's Oruzgan province, birthplace of Taliban leader Mullah Omar and a long-time stronghold of anti-coalition militia activity. The MEU's specific goals were to disrupt anti-coalition militia activity, deny them sanctuary in regions where they've long held reign, and provide a secure environment for United Nations voter registration efforts. "This is an area that has seen little American presence," said Lt. Col. Asad A. Khan, commanding officer of Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 6th Marines, the MEU's ground combat element, during an interview in early May. "They've seen some special operations-type forces, but we're the first sustained presence in the area and we're having a great impact." (Khan's call sign is Ghengis-6)
Consisting of its Command Element, BLT 1/6, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 266 (Reinforced), and MEU Service Support Group 22, the 22nd MEU (SOC) was designated Task Force Linebacker and reinforced with Army engineer, psychological operations, civil affairs, and infantry forces. "We've had great success in the Oruzgan provice," said Col. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., the MEU's commanding officer. "We've dealt the enemy a serious blow and I believe the area is now ripe for the introduction of NGOs [non-governmental agencies] and other relief agencies to help the people here." The MEU operated from Forward Operating Base Ripley, (prolly named for Col Ripley, google him & read about the brige at Dong Ha)
which it built from scratch near the town of Tarin Kowt. From FOB Ripley, the MEU conducted 12 named combat and civil military operations in the Oruzgan and Zabol provinces. During these operations, 101 enemy fighters were killed, nearly another hundred taken into coalition custody, 2,500 weapons and 80 thousand pieces of ammunition or ordnance confiscated, more than two thousand medical and dental patients treated, and approximately 58 thousand Afghan citizens registered to vote in the country's historic upcoming elections. Good work lads - it's Miller time.
These successes did not come without cost. Cpl. Ronald Payne Jr. of Lakeland, Fla. was killed in a firefight with Taliban insurgents near the village of Tawara on May 7, and 11 other Marines have been wounded during the MEU's time in Afghanistan. Rest in Peace brother, Semper Fidelis.
When the MEU pulled out of FOB Ripley in mid-July, the Army's 2nd Bn., 5th Infantry, assumed responsibility for combat operations and Provincial Reconstruction Team Tarin Kowt picked up any uncompleted civil affairs project begun by the 22nd MEU (SOC). Most of the MEU's Marines and Sailors will fly to Kuwait via strategic airlift where they will board the amphibious assault ships WASP, WHIDBEY ISLAND, and SHREVEPORT to begin the journey home. The unit is expected to return to Camp Lejeune and other North Carolina bases in mid-September, but stands ready to undertake any mission it may be assigned. Like maybe going to Darfur and killing janjaweed losers for shits and giggles.
Posted by: Jarhead ||
07/28/2004 8:06:04 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#2
JH, I beleive that Ripley was the most senior Marine assigned to USNA one of my years there. I remember looking at a dioama displayed in the Rotunda and feeling rather ashamed of my measily 6 pull-ups.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/28/2004 13:32 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Lucky, I believe it's a real possibility that may happen. I'm not a big advocate of fixing all the world's problems, but as usual, everyone will prolly turn to us to un-fuck darfur sooner or later.
Iraqi forces, insurgents, civilians and three U.S. service members lost their lives in violence Wednesday, among them at least 68 in a Baquba suicide bombing and 42 in fighting in south-central Iraq. In addition, an Iraqi was killed in a blast near a Baghdad police station and an enemy combatant died in fighting in Ramadi. In the Baquba attack, police said the bomber drove a Toyota mini-bus into a marketplace near a police station, where would-be recruits were lined up outside, and detonated the explosives. Among those killed were 21 passengers on a bus driving by. At least 56 others were wounded. The Baquba suicide blast was so intense it shattered glass in nearby cafes, ripped facades off buildings and set fire to other vehicles, video from the scene showed.
Doctors Without Borders announced Wednesday that the killings of five of its staff members and the danger of further attacks has prompted the international medical relief agency to pull out of Afghanistan. The group, also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres, said it was unhappy with the investigation into the June 2 killings. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. Police arrested ten people over the killings but the MSF said the Afghan government failed to conduct a "credible investigation." The relief organization also blamed the U.S.-led forces of using humanitarian aid for "political and military motives", but refused to elaborate. "Today's context is rendering independent humanitarian aid for the Afghan people all but impossible," the agency said in a statement. A spokesperson for the group said they would provide more details about their decision on Thursday. Um, Medecins Sans Frontieres, that's French, right?
Posted by: Rafael ||
07/28/2004 1:50:29 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
#2
Yep, it's French. Not that I can't see why they're pulling out (anger at a bad investigation), but on the contrary, Coalition forces using carrot and stick is a perfectly appropriate approach.
Posted by: Edward Yee ||
07/28/2004 3:42 Comments ||
Top||
#3
maybe they should call themselves "doctors without gonads."
#6
Doctors Without Borders announced Wednesday that the killings of five of its staff members and the danger of further attacks has prompted the international medical relief agency to pull out of Afghanistan.
Damn Afghans. That's gratitude for you, eh?
The relief organization also blamed the U.S.-led forces of using humanitarian aid for "political and military motives", but refused to elaborate.
Refusing to elaborate == blowing smoke out their asses.
#7
I dunno, Jarhead. You find them working in some rough areassometimes. Attitudes may vary with the station, I suppose.
Posted by: James ||
07/28/2004 12:37 Comments ||
Top||
#8
"Todayâs context is rendering independent humanitarian aid for the Afghan people all but impossible," the agency said in a statement."
That's right, babe. Aid should be dependent on dealing with humane humans, which the Taliban ain't. If you are affiliated with another species (Homo Neandroterrorismus), you ain't getting aid.
#9
This is too weird. They're pulling out of all of Afghanistan over killings in one place? Afghanistan is the size of New England. Doctors without gonads is right.
#10
As a response to those who are quick to criticize Doctors without Borders as lacking courage when the going gets rough...keep in mind that these 2500 doctors and nurses are VOLUNTEERS with no special combat training who put their lives on the line to help others in global disaster situations. These professionals are not paid to deliver health care in these Third World nations, where often they are are viewed with suspicion because they are Westerners. Consider how many lawyers are out in these hellholes trying to mediate conflicts and doing it pro bono. Or what about stock brokers or sports figures or CPA's giving up their day jobs and going in to crises areas of the world along with doctors to help with re-building of devastated homes and water supplies, etc -even useless Jimmy Carter could hammer nails into a home, so you don't need to be a carpenter to do this stuff. Ergo, these doctor civilians are doing more to ameliorate nasty eventualities in the world than other professionals.
And yes though it was started by a Frenchman and the organization is most certainly left wing, Doctors without Borders has an American chapter and all these doctors in spite of their politics give more with no great fanfare than many of us, myself included.
Posted by: rex ||
07/28/2004 15:06 Comments ||
Top||
#11
Obviously I can't speak for every conflict they've been in, though I can take this one on its own merit. The following statement makes my point, as usual they blame us. "The relief organization also blamed the U.S.-led forces of using humanitarian aid for "political and military motives", but refused to elaborate." No one said a doc can't carry a sidearm.
#12
The following statement makes my point, as usual they blame us.
I'd bet anything that the "they" are the pencil pushing bureaucrats sitting in the cush-y Manhattan office, where Doctors Without Borders is located. And the blaming spin is what emanates solely from the brains and mouths of same anti-American bureaucrats.
Look I'll agree that a good percentage of the doctors in this organization are probably recent idealistic med school graduates or good dooby Christian semi-retired types who are left wing leaning in politcs, so they may not be cheerleaders for the military. But I very much doubt these doctors would make such a politicized comment.
Doctors I know -and I know plenty - are pretty apolitical or at the very least they don't wear their politics on their lab coat sleeves and this schtick sounds like some propoganda piece coming out of the mouth of a bureaucrat.
Unfortunately, it probably is a fact that most parts of Afghanistan are not safe for volunteers -especially Western Caucasian nurses and doctors- and that's why they are pulling out.
And I doubt very much that physicians doing Dr. Kildaire stuff in the Third World are going to wear side arms, Jarhead. These medics need to win the trust of the locals to allow them to go under the surgical knife or to be innoculated with giant needles[think Tetanus], so if a Rambo equipped doc comes on the scene, it is not going to be a warm and fuzzy situation.
Posted by: rex ||
07/28/2004 16:15 Comments ||
Top||
#13
No slam on the doctors intended. Just what is the no bullsh*t translation of using humanitarian aid for "political and military motives. That is code for...?
#14
That's the point, #13. There is no translation because the message is changed by the office bureaucrats. What the doctors probably said to head office of Doctors Without Borders was something short and sweet like: "It's unsafe for us to be here at this time. We're pulling out."
The Manhattan office for Doctors without Borders says" Okay, we get the message. We'll make the official announcement." Subsequent press release from Doctors Without Borders reads:"Our doctors are leaving Afghanistan. They do not want to be used as political pawns by the US military. We have have no more details at this time."
Posted by: rex ||
07/28/2004 16:28 Comments ||
Top||
#15
rex, while it's nice to give the benefit of the doubt to these French doctors, they are FRENCH.
The story makes clear that the Taliban killed their people.
The secondary blaming of the US military was a cheap shot which is something I've learned to expect from the French these days.
Notice the language: Jules is right.
"For political and military motives?" There is a war on there still, Hello!
Our soldiers are involved in skirmishes daily with the Taliban and AQ fighters in Afghanistan.
When you get out of Kabul, it's a pretty rough place.
These French assholes are complaining because the US hasn't totally cleaned up the country and made it into Disneyland yet!
Oh, yeah--and they act as if they're the only doctors available in the world, too.
I'm sure that American charities and those of other Coalition countries have sent medical teams as well and Aghanistan even has some doctors of its own.
Au revoir, mes amis and take your whining back to Jacques Chirac.
I have no doubt that the Chirac's government "encouraged" them to come home, being a French charity, so as not to help the American cowboys with their "phony" Bush war.
The French have categorically refused across the board to help our Coalition in Iraq or Afghanistan and it seems their charities will now be no exception.
#17
Today, France is still largely involved in Afghanistan. Now, 540 French troops are deployed in Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force, whose duty is to maintain security at the Kabul airport and its surroundings. And France is also playing a significant role in training the new Afghan army, alongside the US and the United Kingdom, having organized three battalions of 500 men and being presently involved in the training of all Afghan officers.
With the Navy contribution to OEF, a total of 1,470 French troops are involved in the stabilization of Afghanistan. They will amount to 1,820 with the arrival of Eurocorps in Kabul during the summer.
#18
while it's nice to give the benefit of the doubt to these French doctors, they are FRENCH
Doctors Without Borders is an international organization with chapters throughout the world. Although it was founded in 1971 by a small group of French doctors, it is no longer "French."
The US office in Manhattan is also the same office for its UN liason staff, which may have been co-ordinating the medical contingents going into Afghanistan. Some of these doctors in Afghanistan may have been American, Cdn, British whatever. I re-read the posted CBC article and there was no mention that the doctors being pulled out of Afghanistan were French nationals.
While it is true that the major reason that caused the pull-out was the targeted murder of 5 MSF workers on June 02 when a clearly marked MSF vehicle was ambushed in the northerwestern province of Badghis, you have to realize a few things and not blame "French" doctors for being cowards.
a) this is the first time in the 30 years of MSF operating in hellholes of the world - MSF gave aid in Afghanistan when they were fighting the Russians for example- and they've worked in Rwanda, etc... and there has always been a "respect" from the local savages...but not the Taliban it would seem. People, these are VOLUNTEERS -they are not trained military medics. They have no tough expensive mercs as body guards. They are humble little idealistic good dooby docs and nurses trying to help locals. They are neither Pubies nor Rats in this endeavour. They are just medics. They have families back home who are dependent on their getting back in one piece.
b) To add insult to injury, the local gov't refused to prosecute the bad guy murderers of the 5 MSF workers. Blame the Afghan gov't for not doing the "right" thing after the murders, don't just label the docs "cowards." Who are the real cowards in this scenario? I'd say the PM of Afghanistan, whom we are throwing lots of $ at, should get better focused on this issue and ease off on his near obsessive electioneering efforts.
From the MSF website, ...Although government officials have presented MSF with credible evidence that local commanders conducted the attack., they have neither detained nor publicly called for their arrest. The lack of government response to the killings represents a failure of responsibility and an inadequate commitment to the safety of aid workers on its soil.
c) It would appear that in S. Afghanistan on May 12, 2004, coalition troops distributed pamphlets promoting the idea that locals could get medical help from MSF in exchange for tips on Taliban. Well that's not really smart, because then MSF gets connected with the coalition military effort and makes MSF a target and truthfully speaking MSF is a-political and is not tied in with any particular country or political ideaology. The troops can offer $ for tips but they should not pretend that MSF's medical aid is contingent on giving troops "tips." I think this last point was shoved under the rug until the targeted killing took place in June and then when the Afghan officials sat on their hands and did nothing to apprehend the "bad guys", it was the final straw.
The Afghans are perfectly capable of protecting neutral medics. And if they choose not to and let the Taliban murder medics, too bad, so sad, but it's them who lose because of their lack of courage to stand up to the Taliban. It's not like they don't have plenty of coalition troops back up. Duh. These Afghan Muslims need to get off their giant collective butts and start helping others so as to help themselves. Sheesh.
Posted by: rex ||
07/28/2004 17:41 Comments ||
Top||
#19
rex: These Afghan Muslims need to get off their giant collective butts and start helping others so as to help themselves. Sheesh.
I think some of it is also that the various Afghan commanders don't necessarily like having Westerners around, even doctors. Some of these guys aren't really all that different from the Taliban, except now they know better than to openly shelter al Qaeda operatives. They can't do anything about the American presence unless they want to get into a world of hurt, so they target NGO's. And if they need medical care, well, they're commanders, aren't they? Why would they care if their people can't get access? Not their problem.
#20
Let's see, I'm a care giver of western descent in a foreign country that's just been pulled out of the 7th century. Some of the locals would have no hesitation in killing me or my medical staff on the basis of our backgrounds. Due to their cultural mores some of them mistake kindness for weakness & others are just straight up thugs. Maybe I'll just make myself a walking target and run for the hills when trouble comes. Yep, totally logical and well thought out - that's the ticket.
Btw - carrying a sidearm in order to protect ones own life so that you may save another's isn't really being armed to the teeth rambo-style. Actually, I made that comment w/tongue in cheek in my last quote, but the more I think about it, the more plausible I think it is.
#21
Jarhead, I often agree with you but not on this issue. I think you're feeling defensive and prickly because there was military error in judgement involved. The coalition troops did not kill the 5 medics but the lies in the May pamphlet thingy promoted the false idea that MSF folks were military operatives, causing the MSF to lose their neutrality in the eyes of the locals.
a) These are volunteer medics. They are not going to arm themselves with a side arm. They need to win trust. They must look totally non weaponized, non militarized to reach the locals living in the 7th century with modern medical care, much of which is threatening[needles] and involves pain before relief[surgery].
b) MSF has operated for 30 years in hellholes so the docs are not your run of the mill cowards. In all those years the MSF never been targeted for murder, nor have they ever been forced to pull out of a country before they completed what they set out to do. These medics have shown courage in dangerous places for 30 years and have not gone "running for the hills" at the first sign of trouble in all those 30 years. Over the last 24 years, MSF has continued to provide health care throughout difficult periods of Afghanistanâs history, regardless of the political party or military group in power.âAfter having worked nearly without interruption alongside the most vulnerable Afghan people since 1980, it is with outrage and bitterness that we take the decision to abandon them.
c) The Afghans contributed to the MSF pull out because the Afghan gov't officials, the real cowards, made zero effort to apprehend the Taliban murderers living in their midst. Although government officials have presented MSF with credible evidence that local commanders conducted the attack, they have neither detained nor publicly called for their arrest. The lack of government response to the killings represents a failure of responsibility and an inadequate commitment to the safety of aid workers on its soil.
d) The coalition troops should not have involved MSF docs in their pamphlet drive to get "tips" in exchange for medical care. That was stupid, pure and simple. Whatever military genius who came up with this pamphlet idea should get a reprimand a.s.a.p. The pamphlet was a lie. MSF had nothing to do with the coalition military. MSF is a-political. MSF would give medical care to Afghans whether they were informants or not. MSF denounces the coalitionâs attempts to co-opt humanitarian aid and use it to âwin hearts and mindsâ. By doing so, providing aid is no longer seen as an impartial and neutral act, endangering the lives of humanitarian volunteers and jeopardizing the aid to people in need. Only recently, on May 12th 2004, MSF publicly condemned the distribution of leaflets by the coalition forces in southern Afghanistan in which the population was informed that providing information about the Taliban and al Qaeda was necessary if they wanted the delivery of aid to continue.
By promoting this falsehood in May, the coalition military drew targets on the backs of the medics, which was clearly stupid. In addition, following the assassinations, a Taliban spokesperson claimed responsibility for the murders and stated later that organisations like MSF work for American interests, are therefore targets and would be at risk of further attacks. This false accusation is particularly unjustified as MSF honours the separation of aid from political motives as a founding principle...The killing of our colleagues, the governmentâs failure to arrest the culprits and the false allegations by the Taliban has regrettably made it impossible for MSF to continue providing assistance to the Afghan people.
Quotes from the MSF website.
Posted by: rex ||
07/28/2004 19:57 Comments ||
Top||
#22
Back in the day, most corpsmen I knew deployed with Marine units, including myself, carried a sidearm while in the field. The instant we did so, we all knew that we were no longer "non-combatants" under the Geneva Convention and could be brought up on charges. Three hots a day and a mattress in the brig didn't sound too bad. While it wasn't the 'slims that were after us, I had no doubt that I was targeted by the bad guys and would be killed regards of my combatant status if the opportunity was there.
The MSF MDs are naive if they belive their good intentions will protect them. It seems like they are learning. Corpsmen have the protection of the nastiest warriors on the face of the earth. It is because of that fact that allows us to recover, treat and evacuate WIAs effectively. The MSF has no such protection.
Sorry guys, my view is if the host country can not or will not protect the MSF Docs, pack up and get the hell out of that shithole.
Casting some blaming the US for this is of course a cheap shot - they're french for Christ's sake! You expected more from them? But it remains that it's a bad pair of legs that let's a body get shot at while noone is willing to shoot back in your defense.
#23
"I think you're feeling defensive and prickly because there was military error in judgement involved."
Uh, negative, I never made mention of a military error in my previous posts, I did make mention that MSF blamed us for using them but they would not elaborate on it - so please do not put words in my mouth, I think you know me better then that.
I've never had a problem admitting military blunders as I see errors in judgement everyday, luckily they don't make the media radar most of the time. And, I strongly agree w/you that bardering medical attention for tipoffs is bad business in any case. Hopefully we learned a lesson from this, *if* that is what indeed happened. Did the military claim to have offered medical care from MSF and not from purely military medical units for tipoffs? If they involved MSF as you think - then that is stupid and goes against what we are taught in dealing w/NGOs and Civilian/Military Operations (CMO). I went through Civilian Military Operations Course some years back. The SOP on dealing w/NGOs i.e. IRC, MSF, SA, is pretty thick & strict. There's also a certain protocol about dealing w/them as well as Host Nation Support (HSN). I could go on and on but you get the picture. So, I'm not concerned about what the taliban claims or for that matter what MSF claims, my concern is that if the U.S. military did in fact implicate MSF in bardering medical care for information then somebody in the U.S. military is absolutely accountable (even if it's indirectly) for civilian deaths and should be dealt with. My other concern is that somewhere in an office in NY as you say some MSF bureacrat is pointing fingers at the mil and they may not be right. If they are right, then some commander needs to be removed for breaking U.S. mil regulations.
#24
One more thing, as Doc so ably put it. The onus of protection for ones self is always on that individual. If you put your trust in a fledling Afghan gov't which has its own troubles and you're stuck out in injun country - you better watch your own ass or just pack it up. Yeah, I know your trying to win hearts and minds and shit and don't want to look like a cowboy, but sometimes it takes a cowboy.
#25
Amen, Jarhead and Doc8404 and I'm picking up a hostile attitude on the Frenchies part that they don't like, respect or try too very hard to work with the American cowboys who are protecting their asses and they're too "peace-loving" to carry guns even in a war zone.
No whine for these Frogs!
#26
GJ, for me, it just comes down to simple common sense. What would I do in the same situation? Again, I'm definitely no expert on medicine or care giver ethics but seems to me if your in some fucked up shit hole in Oruzgan then you stash a piece of heat somewhere, maybe under your gown or whatever, maybe it saves your life, maybe it don't, but at least you got a chance. I see rex's point and agree w/him that if the U.S. mil did indeed employ a silly program of involving NGOs for tips then someone needs to be reprimanded. OTOH, if some MSF paper pusher is lying & making false accusations about the mil then they need to catch a bullet in the face.
#27
Of course aid is linked to the military. Who provides most of the foreign medical aid? The US military. Who provides most of the food and development aid? The US government. Where is it directed? Areas where the Taliban had their asses kicked and are less likely to be shot at. There is no mention of MSF in any military leaflets, but what the leaflets said is true. If the Taliban comes back to the area, the development aid will stop. The food and medical aid will be severly curtailed or stop.
MSF hasn't yet figured out that they have changed sides. When the Taliban were in power, the Dhimmi's money and work benefitted them and were tolerated. Now any good MSF does goes against the Taliban interests because such acts benefit the Afghan government and coalition. Afghans and foreigners (including journalists) providing food, water projects, roads and medicine have been targeted since the fighting started in late 2001.
Posted by: ed ||
07/28/2004 21:43 Comments ||
Top||
The women of Jammu and Kashmir are paying with their honour and lives as terrorists target the families of those who they feel have betrayed them. Mariam Begum of Gandoh in Doda district was raped for days together before she was defaced by militants, who chopped off her nose and ears. She had to pay with her honour because her brother, a militant, had decided to lay down arms and live a normal life. "How could that be?" Mariam's captors reportedly asked her as long as she was in their captivity last month. If Mariam, who is in her twenties, is thanking god that she survived to live another day, women in the border district of Rajouri have not been so lucky.
Teenaged Zarina, for whom her father Mohammad Shafi was looking for a match as girls in rural areas are married off at an early age, was lowered into a grave on Monday afternoon. Her beheaded body had to be put together before the last rites. Her father and brother were also buried in a similar condition the same day. A week ago, two female members of Abdul Ghani's family were among five people shot dead by Lashker-e-Toiba terrorists. The fault of both these families was that their men were suspected of siding with the Indian security forces. Women, in most cases, are raped, if not killed as the militants attempt to humiliate families suspected of working with the security forces. "The women are targeted because this is the raw nerve of all the families and the militants have used rape as a tool against these families," said a police officer. Even the official documentation of such incidents does not tell the whole story. Most cases of rape go unreported as shamed families keep matters to themselves, police said.
Posted by: TS(vice girl) ||
07/28/2004 12:24:32 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
No respect for that religion, zip, zero, nope, nothing.
#2
Islam is an evil religion. Nevertheless, foolish Moslem schoolgirls insist on dressing in peculiar clothes in order to show their solidarity with it.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
07/28/2004 17:54 Comments ||
Top||
#3
I'm not sure that's foolish Mike, could be a fine sense of self preservation.
A Chechen rebel web site has posted a video it says shows Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev looting an arsenal of the Interior Ministry in Ingushetia. The video claims the footage was shot during last month's nighttime assault on Ingushetia that targeted police and other law enforcement officials. In the video, the man identified as Basayev claimed he led the raid. The Kavkazcenter.com site showed a bearded man it identified as Basayev and about a dozen camouflage-clad men pulling weapons and ammunition boxes off of shelves in a building. In the poor-quality, grainy black-and-white video, Basayev claimed the building was an Interior Ministry arsenal in Ingushetia being looted on the night of June 21-22, when hundred of fighters mounted a series of brazen, coordinated raids on police posts in Ingushetia. "I express my gratitude to the leadership of Ingushetia for preserving the weapons and ammunition for us in good condition," the man identified as Basayev said. "We are taking what they have seized from us this year." The man, dressed in combat gear, was shown issuing orders to gunmen in a large room and demonstrating several pieces of weaponry. The man said he personally led a group of 570 militants to raid Nazran, Ingushetia, and that the rebels had seized 700 Kalashnikov assault rifles, 800 pistols and 1 million rounds of ammunition. Although Basayev had a foot amputated in 2000, in the video the man appeared to be quite agile.
Frogs grow their limbs back. Just a thought.
The video did not offer any evidence showing that the building was an Interior Ministry arsenal, or that the footage was shot on the night of the raid. "I don't know whether the video is authentic or not, but there has been a lot of cases when strange footage turned out to be authentic," said Alexei Malashenko, an analyst with the Carnegie Moscow Center. Sergei Koryakov, director of the Federal Security Service in Ingushetia, was cited by Interfax as saying that the video "could be used as factual proof of the events that occurred." An Interior Ministry official in Ingushetia told Interfax that law enforcement agencies had received information that Basayev had led the raid before the video was posted on the web. "That Basayev was there is confirmed by the testimonies of rebels that have been arrested after the raids," the official said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
07/28/2004 12:00:00 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
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.
