European intelligence agencies are quietly warning of another major attack by Al Qaida.
European intelligence sources said at least one security agency in the European Union has received information of Al Qaida plans to strike either Britain, Italy or the Netherlands this month. The sources said insurgency cells in Europe were being directed by Abu Mussib Al Zarqawi, commander of Al Qaida in Iraq.
"European security services right now are obsessed with the problem of European Muslims going to Iraq and returning to their countries for violence," Daniel Byman, director of Center for Peace and Security Studies, said. "And this is a problem that's likely to grow in the coming years."
The planned Al Qaida strikes were meant to coincide with the Islamic fast month of Ramadan, expected to begin over the next 48 hours. Islamic insurgency groups have reserved Ramadan for major strikes in such places as Algeria, Iraq and Israel.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
10/06/2005 01:29 ||
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A Spanish court Wednesday convicted a man, known in the local media as the "Spanish Taliban," of membership in the al Qaeda terrorist group, and sentenced him to six years in prison, a court spokeswoman told CNN.
Hamed Abderrahman Ahmed -- born in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on Morocco's north coast -- was detained in Pakistan, then held for two years at the U.S. base at Guantanamo, Cuba, and finally delivered to Spain in February 2004.
Spain's state-run news agency EFE reported that the sentence held that Abderrahman Ahmed "had full knowledge of the terrorist profile" of al Qaeda, and he decided to go to Afghanistan several years ago "with the aim of becoming a mujahideen (holy warrior) and carrying out Jihad (holy war)."
The Spanish prosecutor sought nine years in prison, but the National Court judges who heard the case decided on a lower sentence of six years.
Abderrahman Ahmed professed his innocence during the trial and at one point, according to the Spanish newspaper El Pais, declared that he was a "martyr" for having endured detention at Guantanamo.
"It's destroyed my life," the newspaper quoted the 31-year-old defendant as testifying during the trial.
The sentence comes 10 days after Europe's largest trial to date against al Qaeda suspects concluded in Madrid, with the National Court convicting 18 defendants of membership in or collaboration with al Qaeda, while acquitting six others.
The main defendant in that trial, Syrian-born Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas, got the stiffest sentence, of 27 years. That included 12 years for leadership of al Qaeda in Spain and 15 years for "conspiracy" in the planning of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.
He was not convicted, however -- as the prosecution had sought -- of being an accessory to murder, which could have brought a sentence of more than 74,000 years, computed for the murders of each of the 9/11 victims.
The Spanish court, in the sentence handed down on September 26 in the earlier trial, also found Al-Jazeera television reporter Taysir Alony of collaboration with al Qaeda and sentenced him to seven years in jail. Alony, a Syrian-born Spaniard, was not charged in connection with 9/11.
A total of 109 people have been charged in the train bombings, and 26 remain in jail. Indictments are expected soon, and a trial would follow, a court official told CNN.
Spain also has a separate case under investigation against suspects who allegedly plotted to send a truck bomb to the National Court headquarters, which handles cases of terrorism.
Arrests were made before the attack could occur, authorities say.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
10/06/2005 00:31 ||
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#1
So much for that 70000 years these guys were supposedly looking at...
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush accused Islamic militants on Thursday of seeking to "enslave whole nations and intimidate the world" and charged they have made Iraq their main front.
"The militants believe that controlling one country will rally the Muslim masses, enabling them to overthrow all moderate governments in the region and establish a radical Islamic empire that spans from Spain to Indonesia," Bush said. The president has been stepping up his defense of his Iraq policy in the face of declining public support for the war and a crucial test in Iraq with the Oct. 15 constitutional referendum.
In a speech before the National Endowment for Democracy, Bush likened the ideology of Islamic militants to communism. And he said they are being "aided by elements of the Arab news media that incites hatred and anti-Semitism."
"Against such an enemy, there's only one effective response: We never back down, never give in and never accept anything less than complete victory," Bush declared.
He spoke as recent polls show declining American support for the war that has thus far claimed more than 1,940 members of the U.S. military. His Iraq policy faces a crucial test in Iraq's Oct. 15 referendum on a new constitution, a vote that Bush has said terrorists will try to derail. "We are facing a radical ideology with immeasurable objectives to enslave whole nations and intimidate the world," Bush said.
Bush said the terrorists are aided by corrupt charities that direct money to terrorist activities and nations, such as Syria and Iran, calling them "allies of convenience" that back terrorists. Countering claims that the U.S. military presence in Iraq is fueling radicalism, Bush noted that American troops were not there on Sept. 11, 2001. He said Russia did not support the military action in Iraq, yet a terrorist attack in Beslan, Russia, left more than 300 schoolchildren dead in 2004.
"The terrorists regard Iraq as the central front in the war against humanity. And we must recognize Iraq as the central front in our war on terror," he said. "Our commitment is clear - we will not relent until the organized international terror networks are exposed and broken and their leaders held to account for their acts of murder," Bush said.
The president said that no one should estimate the difficulties ahead, nor should anyone be pessimistic about U.S. efforts to battle terrorism. "With every random bombing. And with every funeral of a child, it becomes more clear that the extremists are not patriots, or resistance fighters," Bush said. "They are murderers at war with the Iraqi people themselves."
Bush also took on war critics in the United States.
"There's always a temptation in the middle of a long struggle to seek the quiet life, to escape the duties and problems of the world and to hope the enemy grows weary of fanaticism and tired of murder," he said.
But Bush vowed to not to retreat from Iraq or from the broader war on terrorism. "We will keep our nerve and we will win that victory," he said.
Posted by: Steve ||
10/06/2005 11:22 ||
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#2
Bush said the terrorists are aided by corrupt charities that direct money to terrorist activities and nations, such as Syria and Iran, calling them "allies of convenience" that back terrorists.
GEE!!! Wonder where that $600,000 went that SHITHEAD(sheehan) gave em'!!
#3
Must be an oversight but he conveniently forgot to mention Soddy Arabia as if they aren't in it up to their eyeballs.
Good speech though.
Posted by: Don ||
10/06/2005 12:10 Comments ||
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#4
Everyone has been screaming for him to call a spade a spade regards Islam. It has begun - and he'll get slammed for this from the Moonbat enclaves, but I'm very very glad he has finally broken the ice and started saying Islam without an immediate followup peaceful religion caveat. We're getting there, just too slowly for those who aren't slaves to the Nightly News. To those folks, this will sound like a thunderclap. To us, barely a peep.
#6
About time! I've always liked GW and have been disappointed by the lack of this kind of stuff. I was willing to cut him slack on the basis of what he knows that I don't (nor any of his critics) and trust in his character and principles.
Now, I hope he follows this up on a weekly basis pointing to what ever atrocity is the latest to pound home the point. Also point out that the "Caliphate doesn't stop at either Spain or Indonesia, but would expand to the rest of the world as well.
#7
Bush doesn't have to mention the Saudis -- Congress is handling that front for him. And the princelings thought that spending all that advertising money, and whatsisname visiting the Ranch had bought them protection. Between that and funding terror education, it's no wonder their peepul have had to take a cut in their standard of living.
#8
It's just a speech; it's meaningless without action.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
10/06/2005 13:08 Comments ||
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#9
There is no room in a democracy for tyrants and religious leaders. The tyrants and religious nutcases do not want to give up power and they are using Islam to fight democracy.
Democracy is the enemy of these tyrants, and they will do anything to stop it.
The war will spill over into Iran very soon.
It will get worse. Much worse, with nuclear weapons involved.
The sooner this war is concluded, the better.
Victory is the only option.
#14
I think this is laying the groundwork for regime change in Syria. We may not be the visible cause, but our fingerprints (and DNA) will be all over it. Sooner the better.
Words are cheap - only actions count. Lets see if he delivers more then words. Even as a conservative and a guy who voted for him, I'm beginning to have my doubts.
Posted by: Yosemite Sam ||
10/06/2005 14:49 Comments ||
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#16
I suspect many frequenters of this site are going to become frustrated. Recall how long it took to get action on Iraq. And the only way he got overwhelming Congressional approval for it was by sending the legislation up right before the mid term elections so the donks would have to defend their vote to the people. When's the next mid term?
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
10/06/2005 14:54 Comments ||
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#17
"Against such an enemy, there's only one effective response: We never back down, never give in and never accept anything less than complete victory," Bush declared."
The Prez has Marine in him.
Posted by: Captain America ||
10/06/2005 15:27 Comments ||
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#18
lets assume this ISNT first and foremost about domestic politics. What message might W be trying to send to Iraq, and why now?
Theres an election taking place there on the Constitution in less than two weeks. Win or lose, its clearly to our advantage to have a high turnout, and thus Sunni Arab buy in to the political process.
Now there are folks trying to kill Sunnis who vote, and keeping close tabs on who votes, and and on Sunni Arab leaders who encourage voting. IF the US is going to withdraw to soon (and for these purposes, a withdral too soon doesnt only mean a sheehan-moonbat immediate withdrawl, it could also mean a Jacksonian, "let them take it care of it themselves,weve got other fish to fry" drawdown) then the logical thing for many of those Sunni Arabs is going to be to keep their heads down and defer to the insurgents/terrorists by not voting. IF the US is going to be around for awhile, then the best way to insure influence IS by voting.
So maybe W is trying to send a message to the Iraqi electorate.
#20
"It's just a speech; it's meaningless without action." But there can't _be_ much serious action unless he can persuade a good-size chunk of the electorate to back him on it. Explaining the war to America is one thing Bush has not done very effectively up until now. I'm with AlanC on this.
Posted by: James ||
10/06/2005 16:28 Comments ||
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#21
Bush Lashes Out Against Islamists
I knew he was behind the torture memo
Posted by: Captain America ||
10/06/2005 17:07 Comments ||
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#22
Bush needs to say these things every chance he gets(should have been doining it from the start).I've been a supporter of Bush from 9/11 on,but I'm begining to get the impression he is losing his strength of purpose,and I'm starting to get a feeling of diillusionment.We know where the terrs are getting thier support,we know thier transit points.But we do nothing,when are some jdams and cruise missles going to start hammering training camps,logistics centers and c&c nodes.When are hunter/killer teams going to start taking out terror leadership.These questions and the lack of answers/rersponse is what is causing my disillusionment.I need to hear an ultimatium to Syria and Iran"Stop the support,stop the infiltration,stop it now.No more talk,no more warnings,no more"unhelpfull" statements.The next word from the U.S. will be in the form of high explosives.".
#24
I'm glad he's finally saying it now, whatever his private reasons. But I agree that constantly ever so gently mocking the mass media's mistakes and miscalls would be very effective. They aren't ever going to be his friends anyway, so at least it should be publically called to their attention that they can't have it all their own way.
#25
always a good time to start doing the good things noted above for all the reasons noted above. Our MSM and Donk culture is really trying to bring back the "good old days" pre-9/11 as if the Republican win brought the WOT/attacks on...expect more in '06, and especially '08
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/06/2005 20:38 Comments ||
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#26
I loved the speech and dreaded leaving for work before he had finished. I hope to see the remainder of the speech soon.
I got this email which is pretty long, but which puts our fight in Iraq nicely in perspective:
I don't know who wrote this, but it's worth reading:
Sen. John Glenn thought you'd appreciate this. Regardless of your political views, this certainly gives us all food for thought. Sen. Glenn was so quick on his feet. When you speak from the heart and with passion, you never know what comes out. SENATOR JOHN GLENN SAID:
1. There were 39 combat related killings in Iraq during the month of January â¦
In the fair city of Detroit there were 35 murders in the month of January. That's just one American City, about as deadly as the entire war torn country of Iraq.
2. When some claim President Bush shouldn't have started this war, note the
following:
⦠FDR ⦠led us into World War II.  Germany never attacked us:  Japan did. From
1941-1945, 450,000 lives were lost, an average of 112,500 per year.
⦠Truman ⦠finished that war and started one in Korea.  North Korea never
attacked us. From 1950-1953, 55,000 lives were lost, an average of 18,334 per
year.
⦠John F. Kennedy ⦠started the Vietnam conflict in 1962. Vietnam never attacked
us.
⦠Johnson ⦠turned Vietnam into a quagmire. From 1965-1975, 58,000 lives were lost, an average of 5,800 per year.
⦠Clinton ⦠went to war in Bosnia without UN or French consent.  Bosnia never attacked us. He was offered Osama bin Laden's head on a platter three times by Sudan and did nothing. Osama has attacked us on multiple occasions.
3. In the two years since terrorists attacked us President Bush has liberated two countries, crushed the Taliban, crippled al-Qaida, put nuclear inspectors in Libya, Iran and North Korea without firing a shot, and captured a terrorist who slaughtered 300,000 of his own people. The Democrats are complaining about how long the war is taking, but...It took less time to take Iraq than it took Janet
Reno to take the Branch Davidian compound. That was a 51-day operation. We've
been looking for evidence of chemical weapons in Iraq for less time than it took
Hillary Clinton to find the Rose Law Firm billing records....
Wait, thereâs more...Some people still don't understand why military personnel do what they do for a living. This exchange between Senators John Glenn and Senator Howard Metzenbaum is worth reading. Not only is it a pretty impressive impromptu speech, but it's
also a good example of one man's explanation of why men and women in the armed services do what they do for a living. This is a typical, though sad, example of
what some who have never served think of our military.
JOHN GLENN ON THE SENATE FLOOR Date: Mon, 26 Jan 2004 11:13
Senator Howard Metzenbaum to Senator Glenn: Â "How can you run for Senate when
you've never held a real job?"
Senator Glenn: "I served 23 years in the United States Marine Corps. I served
through two wars. I flew 149 missions. My plane was hit by antiaircraft fire on 12 different occasions. I was in the space program. Â It wasn't my checkbook, Howard; it was my life on the line. It was not a nine-to-five job, where I took time off to take the daily cash receipts to the bank. I ask you to go with me as I went the other day... to a veteran's hospital and look those men - with their mangled bodies - in the eye, and tell THEM they didn't hold a job! You go with me to the Space Program at NASA and go, as I have gone, to the widows and
orphans of Ed White, Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee and you look those kids in the eye and tell them that their Dads didn't hold a job. You go with me on Memorial Day and you stand in Arlington National Cemetery, where I have more friends buried than I'd like to remember, and you watch those waving flags. You stand there, and you think about this nation, and you tell ME that those people didn't have a job? I'll tell you, Howard Metzenbaum; you should be on your knees every day of your life thanking God that there were some men â SOME MEN who held REAL jobs. And they required a dedication to a purpose â and a love of country and a dedication to duty that was more important than life itself. And their
self-sacrifice is what made this country possible. Â I HAVE held a job, Howard!
 What about you?" For those who don't remember - During W.W.II, Howard Metzenbaum was an attorney representing the Communist Party in the USA.
If you can read this, thank a teacher.... If you are reading it in English thank a Veteran. Â
#27
Works for me, jules2. Interesting read - and I hadn't even heard of the exchange between Glenn and Metzenbaum, before.
I don't mind that everyone hasn't served, but I do mind when anyone attempts to negate the service of others. You don't get to choose your role in the service, but you do get the opportunity, ever single day, to do it well and make it count in the overall effort. If one didn't serve, they should be equally culpable for what they did do, doing it well or poorly, working for the the betterment of our country - or against it.
#29
Have that same preview tendency myself, .com. :)
Too bad the first few points about "being at war against countries who never attacked us" wouldn't fit on a bumper...to me, it's a devastatingly effective argument against those who oppose this war and it deserves widespread dissemination. I guess if these folks are consistent in their positions, then WWII was not justified, nor the War in Bosnia. Following that logic, they must be for genocide.
I only wish I knew who the source of the original email was...
#31
So true, jules 2. The frustrating PR game is simple: it's easy to hurl a charge - most brain farts serve as examples - it takes marshaled facts to definitively refute it. That's what makes the perfidy of the MSM so profound, IMHO - they turn brain farts into memes by repetition. At least 95% of what we face in the PR war is the Tower of Babble, memes stacked upon memes, requiring us to untangle them and laboriously refute them, one by one. One reason I fade in and out here is that it's so tiresome to keep explaining / pointing out the same things, over and over. They seem to bake blockheads in batches, lol.
#34
"...SPAIN TO INDONESIA" - first off, the Burqua Boyz are out to reclaim any and all lands touched by Islam, however defective or minutae, and then will go on to accompl a Global Islamist/Jihadist State; and Second, Dubya has affirmed that the similarities and agendas between contemporary Radical Islam and Cold War Communism are many, whilst the differences are very few, I.E. THE WOT AGS RADICAL ISLAM IS ALSO A WAR AGS ANTI-US, ANTI-WESTERN, ANTi-DEMOCRATIC GLOBAL COMMUNIST SOCIALISM. Thirdly, Dubya and his Admin. must also be aware that the WOT is, among other things, truly and genuinely a WAR FOR AMERICA'S IDENTITY, SOVEREIGNTY, AND SIMPLE SURVIVAL; and that once surreal future POTUS Hillary gets her eight years of Bill-style, MSM/LeftMedia-verified "success" and "prosperity", THATS WHEN THE SHIT WILL REALLY HIT THE FAN vv AMERICA. 2015-2020 > iff America does NOT accept Socialism and SOcie-domin OWG, the Lefties reserve their unilateral and unconditional right to resort to armed violence, anarchies, and mutually destructive Global Nuke War to make America so. THE OUTCOME OF THE GWOT WILL RESULT IN EITHER DE FACTO GLOBAL DEMOCRACY, INCLUDING WESTERN-STYLE OR "VOLUNTARY" DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM; OR WILL RESULT IN A GLOBAL MARXIST AND TOTALITARIAN STATE!? AMERICA EITHER WINS, OR IT WILL BE DESTROYED, WITH HALF-HALF SCENARIOS ONLY MEANING DELAYS TOWARDS INEVITABLE DEFEAT AND DESTRUCTION.
Finally, Dubya is prob aware that any new 9-11 or casualty-intensive WMDS attack(s) may have him andor the bulk of the GOP-Right as a target.
A top Pentagon analyst with expertise in the Middle East pleaded guilty yesterday to giving classified information to an Israeli Embassy official and members of a pro-Israel lobbying group.
Lawrence A. Franklin, 58, said during a plea hearing that he was frustrated with the government and that he had hoped the two members of the lobbying group could use their connections at the National Security Council to influence U.S. policy.
He also admitted giving classified data to a political official at the Israeli Embassy, but said the information he received from the official was far more valuable.
"I knew in my heart that his government had this information," Franklin said. "He gave me far more information than I gave him."
Franklin, of Kearneysville, W.Va., pleaded guilty to two conspiracy counts and a charge of unlawful retention of national defense information.
He faces up to 25 years in prison, but is expected to get far less under federal sentencing guidelines. U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III set sentencing for Jan. 20.
Franklin, who was one of the Pentagon's policy specialists on Iran and the Middle East, was indicted in June on five charges.
The two officials at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee accused of receiving information also have been charged with conspiring to obtain and disclose classified U.S. defense information.
AIPAC fired Steven Rosen, of Silver Spring, and Keith Weissman, of Bethesda, in April. The lobbying organization and Israel have denied wrongdoing.
According to the indictment, Franklin met periodically with Mr. Rosen and Mr. Weissman from 2002 to 2004 and discussed classified information, including data about potential attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq. Mr. Rosen and Mr. Weissman shared the information with reporters and Israeli officials. On at least one occasion, Franklin spoke directly to an Israeli official.
Mr. Rosen, a top lobbyist for Washington-based AIPAC for more than 20 years, and Mr. Weissman, the organization's leading specialist on Iran, are accused of disclosing sensitive information as far back as 1999 on a variety of topics, including al Qaeda, terrorist activities in Central Asia, the bombing of Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia and U.S. policy in Iran, according to the indictment.
Franklin at one time worked for the Pentagon's No. 3 official, Undersecretary for Policy Douglas J. Feith, on issues involving Iran and the Middle East.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
10/06/2005 00:34 ||
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#1
Execute him and each and every other person who spys for foreign governments and is a traitor to his nation and it's people who paid him and entrusted him with our protection.
The deal is if the spying is low level, like transcribing public information, no-one gets heated.
This guy was caught passing classified info, and yes, he should be shot.
I would handle Israel by asking for a concession (maybe this is why there was a Gaza pullout?) They are still an ally, and this might just be "trust through verification" on their part.
#4
Israel is on Israels side. Many times that is coincident with our side. But not necessarily. Remember the Liberty? Only two countries have a shot of being "on our side", Oz and the UK. The rest are just nations with permanent interests, not permanent allies.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
10/06/2005 12:31 Comments ||
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#5
"He also admitted giving classified data to a political official at the Israeli Embassy...He gave me far more information than I gave him."
This case goes far beyond Franklin, Satterfield, Pollack, Rosen, and Weissman. Unfortunately the big fish most likely will never be netted. Three Israelis no longer in Washington and all have diplomatic immunity (which prevents them from being subpoenaed) have already refused to cooperate. Two of the Israelis involved in the case are Naor Gilon, who was the political officer in the Israeli embassy in Washington, and Rafi Barak, who served as the Deputy Chief of Mission, the third Israeli is presumed to be a representative of the military intelligence in Washington.
oh...BTW- The U.S. congress has been approving an annual foreign aid bill totaling an average of $3 billion, 1.2 billion in economical aid, and $1.8 billion in military aid, to Israel since 1987.
#6
pardon, but the guys who franklin gave the info to are alleged to have turned it over to the press. Spies, as a general rule, DONT turn over the take to the media. This was a violation of law (if its all true, and the AIPAC guys deny it) but it was NOT espionage a la Pollard, or Ames, or whomever. Much less treason.
Oh, and the attack on the Liberty was an accident. Thats been shown pretty conclusively.
And btw, while Im pretty anglophile, i must insist that the UK and Australia both have their own permanent interests as well.
#7
'He also admitted giving classified data to a political official at the Israeli Embassy, but said the information he received from the official was far more valuable.
"I knew in my heart that his government had this information," Franklin said. "He gave me far more information than I gave him."'
Franklin was trading info with an ally. Now of course Franklin wasnt authorized to do so - cause he was a DoD policy guy, not State or CIA. Wonder why Franklin didnt work through CIA or State? Youd think RBers, of all people would realize why.
#8
The man was a spy for a foreign power and a traitor to his nation. He betrayed the trust placed in him by us and did so for his own interests NOT OURS. He deserves to be executed and none of us should have to pay to keep his sorry ass alive let alone have to live with the likes of him walking the streets. He doesn't deserve to live free here. There is no place for apologist BS hair splitting in this instance.
#11
Alas, it's not the definition of treason where we differ LH. You'd fancy it somehow more pardonable to sell out to some foreign governments but not others I imagine. I believe ALL foreign governments whether they be past, present, or future enemies have to be dealt with at arm's length and understood as being other than American. They rightly have their own interests that may or may not coincide with ours at any given time. Realistically, they need to be constantly considered in relation to their acts, words, interests and potential for both good and bad. All other nations are in that sense "enemies" to us by their very nature. But semantics aside, a betrayal of high trust by a government official who gives away classified information relating to national security (not the national endowment of the art or national education policy or national forrest sevice) to a foreign power has betrayed the trust of the American people and is in the absolute sense a traitor to those who placed the trust in him. For that he should be executed promptly. Call it fun and games, frolic and detour, espionage-lite, a well intentioned mistake, or the act of treacherous scum, what he did is not right. You find it wrong but not so bad I imagine. I find it utterly inexcusable under any circumstances. There's the real difference.
#12
Treason is providing aid and comfort to the enemies of the United States. If every foreign power is an enemy, than anyone who provides aid and comfort to any foreign power is an enemy. Every registered lobbyist for a foreign country is a traitor, everyone who supports the political positions of a foreign state is a traitor, etc. The US govt itself is engaged in treason, for giving foreign aid, etc.
Its an absurd definition, which is why the framers, in their wisdom, did not define treason that way. They were personal friends of the Marquis de Lafayette, who gave aid and comfort to the United States - they certainly didnt think he was a traitor to France.
Wisdom consists in making appropriate distinctions. And maintaining rule of law. Not all espionage is treason, and not all improper revelation of secrets is espionage.
Are you going to insist that Karl Rove and Lewis Libby be executed for treason, IF it turns out that they improperly released classified information relating to Valerie Plame Wilson?
#13
i mean good grief, we've had spies whove blown networks to the Soviets, resulting in the deaths of agents working for the US, who were NOT executed. How can you reasonably execute someone who gave info, whose passing has had NO demonstrable negative effects on the security of the US?
#14
The United States and Israel had several special protocols where classified information was exchanged, both ways. The United States gained considerably from these exchanges, including tons of Soviet military equipment the Israelis captured from Egypt during the 1967 war. Most of the agreements were unilaterally ended by the United States between 1977 and 1979. I think all Rantburgers can read between the lines and know WHO terminated these programs, and even have a pretty good guess why.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/06/2005 16:08 Comments ||
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#15
"...has had NO demonstrable negative effects on the security of the US?"
Posted by: Red Dog ||
10/06/2005 18:32 Comments ||
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#17
IIRC,Marquis de Lafayette was not a representative of the French government,he came over here to help our struggle on his on volition and on his own dime.
Here for now ... probably an industrial accident, but there seem to be a number of explosions of late in southern TX ... anyone know if this is fairly typical?
At least six people were injured in an explosion and fire at the Formosa Plastics plant in Point Comfort, Texas. The flames and smoke could be seen from miles away.
There are no reports of fatalities, but at least one of the injured workers was flown to UTMB in Galveston. Two more were taken by ambulance to Memorial Medical Center in Port Lavaca. Hospital spokeswoman Pat Trigg described their injuries as minor.
Nonie Cody's husband works at the plant. She said he called her to let her know he was OK. "There was a huge explosion down there," Cody said via e-mail. "He said there was a fire and lots of black smoke."
The plant was evacuated and a shelter-in-place was issued for residents of Point Comfort and nearby Port Lavaca. Students at Point Comfort Elementary School were evacuated to HJM Elementary in Port Lavaca as a precaution.
The flames were still raging out of control more than two hours after the initial explosion.
well that last bit isn't surprising ... industrial fires can take a long time to bring under control when there are big feedstock inventories on site
The explosion happened at the Olefins 2 unit at the plant which makes PVC and vinyl. "Big black smoke coming up and we're sitting here watching the smoke kinda go over the bay," said Port Lavaca City Manager Jerry Broz.
One witness e-mailed 11 News to say she could see smoke from 40 miles away. And a woman in Kemah said she and several neighbors "heard and felt a strong explosion" even though they're 120 miles away from Point Comfort.
The explosion happened at the Olefins 2 unit at the plant which makes PVC and vinyl. The blast at the Formosa Plastics facility caused the Port Lavaca causeway, state Highway 35 and Farm-to-Market Road 1593 to close. Point Comfort and Port Lavaca are in Calhoun County.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will investigate the blast.
#4
Father-inlaw used to design some of their plants. He didn't do the vinyl one on Point Comfort but did designed the ABS one. (he's long dead so no info as to their current situation).
Around Houston, industrial explosions and fires are a fact of life along with phrases like "shelter in place" Lots of useful but flammable stuff gets produced there.
I've added a link to the Fox story on this. CNN has a longer article here Interestingly, they note Bush's comments about 10 al-Q attacks foiled, 3 in the US already ....
Have updated the title to reflect more info coming out.
#10
I'm afraid the IslamoSnakes are going to strike without warning where and when we least expect. Remember, they are the Evil ones, not the stupid ones.
#13
LMAO...Roach Coach? Man, that sure brings back some fond memories of early '70s gastronomic nirvana! (presented on various on USAF runways). The pre-fab sausage and BisKits were to die for!
#14
New York State in ClintonLand - elect Hillary cuz as an anti-Fascist Fascist = Communist = Federalist Desperate MarxWife she shared the same dangers to her life from those mere men known as anti-USA Spetzlamists, and as any of the dead of 9-11, poor woman. And there's Cindy, a'threatin Saint/Good Girl Hillary and New York = not a'threatin Hillary-New York by telling West Coast States to demand Dubya bring the NG home, where wanting the Commie Airborne to invade and save "occupied" US cities and Lefty = Conservative enclaves from Dubya = NOT wanting the Commie Airborne to attack and invade.
An animal rights activist who faces a potential two-year prison term for freeing thousands of mink from Midwest fur farms says he has no regrets. Peter Daniel Young, 28, told The Associated Press during a jailhouse interview that serving time will be nothing compared to what caged animals suffer. "As bad as it could get, it will never be as bad as it was for those mink," Young said. "I would do it all over again."
Prosecutors believe Young and an accomplice were acting on behalf of the Animal Liberation Front when they broke onto mink farms in Iowa, South Dakota and Wisconsin in 1997 and freed about 7,000 mink. The FBI considers groups like ALF among the nation's top domestic terrorist threats. Young, 28, scoffed at the comparison. "If saving thousands of lives makes a terrorist, then I certainly embrace the label," Young said. "I would have been just as fast to act if those cages had been filled with human beings."
But Teresa Platt, executive director of Fur Commission USA, a national association of fur farmers, called Young's philosophy nonsense, saying he has "been fed a steady string of propaganda for 10 years." Alex Ott, owner of a fur farm Young raided in Tomahawk, said he treats his mink well and has every right to make a living. He said such activists "attack and they terrorize."
Young and accomplice Justin Samuel were indicted in 1998 but disappeared soon after. Samuel was captured in Belgium in 1999, while Young eluded authorities until his arrest in March for shoplifting CDs from a Starbucks in San Jose, Calif. Young pleaded guilty to animal enterprise terrorism and faces up to two years in prison. Sentencing was set for Nov. 8. Samuel pleaded guilty in 2000 and was sentenced to two years in prison.
Young said he and Samuel targeted Midwest fur farms because authorities in the Northwest were putting too much heat on them. Wisconsin also had the largest concentration of mink farms in the nation, he said. He gets 10 letters a day, he said, and activists from around the country show up for his court appearances. Someone is selling T-shirts emblazoned with Young's face online. "Most people are just appalled I'd be put in prison for freeing the animals," he said. "I wish nothing short of the end of the entire (fur) industry ... they kill for what they do."
Platt said Young represents a disconnect between urban and rural America. City dwellers don't realize how much people depend on animals, she said. "One hundred years ago when we all lived on the farm, we would have laughed Peter Young out of the room," she said.
Posted by: Steve ||
10/06/2005 11:19 ||
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Young eluded authorities until his arrest in March for shoplifting CDs from a Starbucks
"I would have been just as fast to act if those CD racks had been filled with human beings. I'm working for social justice for all sentient beings and mass-produced petroleum-based audio storage platforms. Those CDs were just working for The Man. They are now free to self-actuate and reach their full potential without having external paradigms forced upon them. Plus I needed the dough."
The FBI's counterterrorism unit has launched a broad investigation of US-based theft rings after discovering that some of the vehicles used in deadly car bombings in Iraq, including attacks that killed US troops and Iraqi civilians, were probably stolen in the United States, according to senior government officials.
Inspector John E. Lewis, deputy assistant director of the FBI for counterterrorism, told the Globe that the investigation hasn't yielded any evidence that the vehicles were stolen specifically for car bombings. But there is evidence, he said, that the cars were smuggled from the United States as part of a widespread criminal network that includes terrorists and insurgents.
Cracking the car theft rings and tracing the cars could help identify the leaders of insurgent forces in Iraq and shut down at least one of the means they use to attack the US-led coalition and the Iraqi government, the officials said.
The inquiry began after coalition troops raided a bomb-making factory in Fallujah last November and found a sport utility vehicle registered in Texas that was being prepared for a bombing mission.
Investigators said they are comparing several other cases where vehicles evidently stolen in the United States wound up in Syria or other Middle East countries and ultimately into the hands of Iraqi insurgent groups -- including Al Qaeda in Iraq, led by Jordanian-born Abu Musab Al Zarqawi.
Citing the sensitive nature of the ongoing inquiry, investigators wouldn't say how many specific cases they have found, and FBI spokesman Edwin Cogswell in Washington did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
But Lewis said the origins of the vehicles in question were unearthed by tracing the vehicle identification numbers, or VINs -- a standard production marker stamped on during manufacture -- as well as through other forensic tools such as auto parts. Some of the automobiles can be easily identified, specialists said, while others have had their VINs ground down or have been fitted with fake ones.
You don't really expect Zarq to drive around in a Renault, do you?
Investigators believe the cars were stolen by local car thieves in US cities, then smuggled to waiting ships at ports in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Houston, among other cities. From there they are shipped to black-market dealers all over the world, including in places like Syria where foreign militants fighting in Iraq are thought to be transiting from countries across the region and where they gain critical logistical support.
''It is getting a tremendous amount of attention in the US government," said Steven Emerson, who runs the Investigative Project on Terrorism, a Washington research firm that consults for law enforcement and intelligence agencies. ''We have gotten more calls on this than anything else in the last three or four weeks. [Auto theft] is an unregulated market. Some of the proceeds are going to terrorists."
Citing recent discussions with government investigators, Emerson said Al Qaeda terrorists suspected in suicide attacks in Saudi Arabia in recent years also apparently used cars stolen in the United States.
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, more than 1 million cars were stolen from US streets in 2003, the most recent statistics available. Government officials think the vehicles insurgents use were stolen from locations as varied as Virginia, Maryland, Texas, and Florida. Arizona reported more than 56,000 vehicles stolen last year, the largest per-capita number of thefts in the country.
Terrorism specialists think Iraqi insurgents prefer American stolen cars because they tend to be larger, blend in more easily with the convoys of US government and private contractors, and are harder to identify as stolen.
The new disclosures are part of a pattern, according to government officials. US law enforcement and intelligence agencies are increasingly finding links between violent Islamic extremists groups and vast criminal enterprises such as drug trafficking, weapons smuggling, and car theft.
Since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the federal government has cut off some of the terrorists' access to money, including freezing bank accounts of suspect groups and individuals and pressuring Middle Eastern governments to terminate aid. But terrorist operatives have found other means to raise cash, acquire weapons, or gain other logistical help. Facing greater scrutiny, terrorist groups are increasingly using illegal, highly lucrative business arrangements to support their operations, according to the FBI and other law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
Investigators say the criminal activities that terrorists use to raise money run the gamut from creating and selling fake documents to insurance fraud. Taliban and Al Qaeda followers are thought to be heavily involved in the expanding heroin trade in Afghanistan, and a US-based cigarette smuggling ring was linked to Hezbollah militants in Lebanon
James G. Conway, Jr., legal attache at the US Embassy in Mexico City, told the Globe that ''where you find terrorists you often find some kind of criminal activity."
Car theft, a criminal enterprise that costs US citizens more than $8 billion a year, now seems to have become a new enterprise for some terrorist groups, according to the law enforcement officials and private specialists.
''The car bomb is the top weapon in the world for carrying out terrorist attacks," said Lieutenant Greg Terp, commander of the Miami-Dade Police Department's Auto Theft Task Force. ''These car thieves don't necessarily know that they are financing terrorism, but they might."
Tracing the path of these vehicles from the streets of America to the local ''chop shop" -- where criminal wholesalers process stolen vehicles -- and then on to the black market half a world away could help thwart a terrorist network that has wrought some of the worst violence against US troops and thousands of Iraqi civilians.
''They want to follow it through the whole process so they can identify as many people in the process as they can," Terp said. ''As you go back to the chop shop guy, he may not know the end user is some terrorist, but who are his contacts?"
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
10/06/2005 01:53 ||
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Pity these cars were not equipped with OnStar...
#5
A little reminder that alot of crimes have an impact far beyond the obvious and readily appreciated.
The consequence of both law enforcement and a judiciary who treat car theft as an insurance issue rather than the inherent criminal act that it is. Car thieves are in and out of jail as though it was a time out in school. Reap what you sow.
#6
this is very intersting, but it can't be helpful to the FBI that we are reading about it.
As for this comment, "where you find terrorists you often find some kind of criminal activity."
That's because Jihad is just an Arab mob. I hope our FBI doesn't go at it the same way they go after our mob at home, because they've done precious little to rid us of mob influence here at home.
#8
Makes me remember how when my son's motorcycle was stolen when he was in Coronado. The police said, "oh yeah they grab them and run across the border only being a few miles away...." "Cracking the car theft rings..." More evidence of how important it is to close the border.
Hey 2b, no worries my arthritis makes me hit the wrong keys most of the time ;)
Posted by: Jan ||
10/06/2005 10:49 Comments ||
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#9
Investigators believe the cars were stolen by local car thieves in US cities, then smuggled to waiting ships at ports in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Houston, among other cities.
The vehicles from Seattle tend to end up in more... northerly climes.
#10
likewise in So California - the cars pass Go the border, collect $200 and disappear. Bet this is a Jersey/east coast/Fla thang
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/06/2005 11:27 Comments ||
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#11
The ones here in Texas go straight across the border, then some of the higher value vehicles get shipped all over the world. China is a favorite destination for luxury cars, BMWs, Mercedes, Lexus, etc. Constuction equipment is also a "hot" export item.
Posted by: Steve ||
10/06/2005 11:37 Comments ||
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#12
Odds are that these cars have been containerized during their transoceanic shipment. Whoever is financing the containers is the big player in this scheme. Find that kingpin and begin unraveling all the other contacts spreading therefrom. What foreign he|| hole of a jail or shallow grave they disappear into matters not to me.
#13
Some are in containers for sure, but I've seen many autos lashed down as deck cargo on tramps in Port Everglades, Miami and come to think of it Port St. Joe.
#14
In the mid-90's, a huge car ring was busted because someone noticed late night activity at a storage warehouse in Chicago. Specific orders for SUV's were custom delivered to be loaded intact, not stripped, into shipping containers. They went either out Lake Michigan to Norway, and driven off into Russia, or down the Mississippi to NO. Ex-KGB Mafia teamed up with local gangs. We bought the locked steering wheel bar as they were partial to Suburbans, as were Iraqi's fleeing across the desert. A Jordanian cabbie told me the secret of driving through the blizzard we were experiencing was the same as how he crossed the desert--deflate the tires by half! Bet they arrive in Syrian and Turkish ports.
As the United States continues to enforce stringent immigration laws, 79 Pakistanis, expelled for their involvement in minor crimes, arrived in Islamabad yesterday, officials said. âThese Pakistanis returned by a special flight and the authorities are presently verifying their travel documents before allowing them to leave Islamabad Airport,â officials said.
Most of the deportees were said to be involved in minor crimes such as illegal stay and put in different jails under âinhospitableâ conditions before their expulsion. Reports about manhandling of Pakistani prisoners in the jails have circulated for some time, and a number of those who recently returned to Pakistan said they faced ârough treatment â in the US jails.
Borrowing from the al-Q manual on prisoner treatment, eh?
Posted by: Fred ||
10/06/2005 00:00 ||
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As long as they're gone - and we figure out where to get the gumption to stop them coming back. Lol, "rough" treatment. I'm thinking they haven't a clue what rough really means, lol.
A suicide bomber attacked a mosque packed with Shiite Muslim worshipers marking the first day of Ramadan on Wednesday evening, killing 36 people and wounding 95, Iraqi hospital officials and police said.
The Ibn Nama Hilli Mosque in Hillah, south of Baghdad, was full of mourners who had gathered to remember a restaurant owner slain Monday by insurgents. There were conflicting reports about whether the bomber was in a car or on foot, but several witnesses said a man walked into the mosque carrying explosives around his chest and in a bag.
The detonation shot fire through the mosque walls and sent bodies and limbs flying into the street, where flags had been hung to celebrate Ramadan, Islam's holiest month, during which observant believers fast from dawn to dusk. The wail of ambulances rang in the streets for more than an hour as medics tried to evacuate the wounded.
Ahmed Tahir, a 30-year-old neighbor of the slain restaurant owner, said he had attended the ceremony, finished his prayers and walked out into the street, where he met a friend. As they stood chatting, the mosque exploded.
"This is how the terrorists inaugurated this holy month of Ramadan," Tahir said. "But God will not keep silent after this. God's revenge will be severe."
The blood bath came on a day when Iraqi politicians moved to quell sectarian tensions by reversing a controversial decision that would have made it harder for Iraq's draft constitution to be defeated in a national referendum Oct. 15.
Wrangling over the constitution has driven a wedge between Iraq's Sunni Arabs, many of whom oppose the charter, and Shiites and Kurds, who had the largest role in writing the text and who are campaigning for its approval. Shiites and Kurds had pushed the election rule change through the transitional National Assembly on Sunday, angering Sunnis and drawing criticism from U.N. and U.S. officials.
At United Nations headquarters Wednesday, Secretary-General Kofi Annan praised the assembly's decision to rescind the rule change. "It is very important that the Iraqi parliament reversed itself, because that decision was patently inappropriate, and we made that clear to them," he said.
At the crux of the conflict was how many "no" votes would be needed to defeat the constitution. The country's interim charter stated that the document would take effect if more than half the voters nationwide approved it, unless two-thirds of voters in three or more provinces rejected it.
But lawmakers decided Sunday that for the draft to be defeated, two-thirds of registered voters â rather than two-thirds of those who cast ballots â in three provinces must vote against it.
Saleh Mutlak, chairman of the National Dialogue Council and a leading Sunni member of the constitutional committee, complained that the change "gave a bad signal to the Iraqis, saying that this National Assembly is ready to forge and impose the constitution by force."
Several assembly members said Sunnis had threatened to boycott the referendum unless the vote was reversed.
Shiites and Kurds, though, have feared that violence in advance of the referendum could keep voters away from the polls, skewing the vote in favor of a "no" that they say would not represent the will of Iraq's majority.
Saad Jawad, an assembly member affiliated with the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, a Shiite political party, said the reversal "makes it possible for 1,000 people to defeat the constitution against the will of 10 million." But because his party is "keen that the U.N. takes part," he said, it decided to endorse the reversal at Wednesday's sparsely attended National Assembly session.
Laith Kubba, a spokesman for Prime Minister Ibrahim Jafari, said the move would lend credibility to the political process, even if it meant the constitution might fail. "It's more important that it has the reputation of being transparent," he said.
Mahmoud Othman, a Kurdish leader, said the U.N. pressure enabled legislators to change course without appearing as though they were bowing to American or Sunni demands. "They have a good excuse â to say that the U.N. doesn't accept this and thinks it's a violation," he said.
U.S., U.N. and Iraqi officials have hoped the constitution would heal the nation's political and sectarian rifts. But the skirmish over voting rules was yet another controversy that could further alienate Sunni Arabs from the political process. Their participation is seen as vital to bringing down the Sunni-led insurgency and restoring stability to the country.
Annan on Wednesday acknowledged the deep rifts among Iraqis. "We had hoped that this electoral process and the transition arrangements would pull the Iraqis together," he said. "It has not worked as we had hoped, but we still urge the parties to work together, and I believe the reversal by the parliament of the decision ... would help the process."
This week, the U.N. began distributing ballots, voting boxes and more than 5 million copies of the constitution around Iraq. American commanders are warning that the coming days could be even more violent than usual, especially in the capital, which averages about 28 attacks a day.
"The insurgents do not want the referendum to pass, do not want the Iraqi people to adopt a new constitution," Army Maj. Gen. William G. Webster, commander of U.S.-led troops in Baghdad, said in the capital's heavily fortified Green Zone on Wednesday. "We think they will try to take advantage of this referendum by intimidating voters not to vote, through threats and actual violence."
Wednesday's mosque bombing in Hillah struck a predominantly Shiite town about 60 miles south of the capital. In Najaf, a bomb killed a child and injured four people shortly after midnight. Last Thursday, Balad, another Shiite town 50 miles north of Baghdad, suffered a string of bombings that left at least 100 people dead.
Webster said that U.S. commanders were particularly worried about attacks in Baghdad, which he noted was home to about a quarter of Iraq's 26 million people. "We believe that the insurgents will try to make a surge in their attacks inside Baghdad because of its value in trying to convince the people that this government cannot protect them, and also in terms of trying to make the results of the election illegitimate," he said.
West of the capital, American and Iraqi forces have launched a large offensive in the Euphrates River valley, seeking to control the unruly area near the Syrian border. Sunni Arabs and others say that continuing military operations in Al Anbar province, a stronghold of insurgents in western Iraq, will hurt voter turnout in that area.
Though Ramadan, which began in Iraq on Tuesday for Sunnis and Wednesday for Shiites, is a month of fasting and spiritual introspection, the insurgent group Al Qaeda in Iraq called on followers this week to step up attacks during the period. Calling for resistance against foreign occupiers, the group urged people to make Ramadan a "month of victory for Muslims and a month of defeat for the hypocrites and polytheists."
Both President Bush in Washington and U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad sent Ramadan greetings to Iraqis on Wednesday before the bombing.
"During Ramadan, as always, our thoughts are with the Iraqi people and our common desire for peace," Khalilzad said in a statement. "I wish the people of Iraq a peaceful, secure and prosperous Ramadan."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
10/06/2005 01:07 ||
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#1
"It's beginning to look a lot like Ramadan . . ."
#2
Y'know, pretty soon these sheep Shi'a are gonna figure a couple of things out: if anyone doesn't look right, like mebbe they're packin' a splodeydope vest, they'll shoot first, and apologize to the next of kin later. And, if they have 2 neurons to rub together, they'll start closing off streets around their main pedestrian areas, such as moskkks. Frickin' duh.
U.S. Marines and Iraqi forces began their second major offensive in four days in western Iraq on Tuesday, dropping bombs and recapturing a cluster of Euphrates River settlements at the hub of an insurgent infiltration route from Syria.
The U.S. military said five troops died Monday. A Marine, Cpl. John R. Stalvey, was slain in fighting in Karabilah. Three soldiers were killed outside Haqlaniya by a roadside bomb; they were not immediately identified. The troops were the first American casualties of the two offensives in Al Anbar province, an insurgent stronghold. Elsewhere in the province, a U.S. soldier died near Fallouja, far from the two offensives, the military said.
Residents of Haditha, the main target of the newest offensive, reported street fighting between insurgents and U.S. forces. They said American troops ordered people to stay indoors, opened fire from rooftops at motorists trying to leave town, and chased suspected insurgents into the hospital, where they detained the director and several patients.
In Baghdad, meanwhile, a suicide attacker set off a car bomb at the main entrance to the Green Zone, the heavily fortified district that houses Iraqi government ministries and the U.S. and British embassies. The blast killed three Iraqi policemen.
At least a dozen other Iraqis died in scattered violence across the country on the first day of Ramadan, the holy Islamic month of fasting. Al Qaeda in Iraq, the most violent and vocal insurgent group, urged its followers in a Ramadan message to intensify attacks and make it "a month of defeat" for U.S. and Iraqi forces.
The coming weeks in Al Anbar province will test the ability of Iraqi forces to protect cities and towns secured by U.S. forces.
The offensive launched Tuesday, codenamed River Gate, brought Marines back to Haditha and the adjacent villages of Haqlaniya and Parwana two months after driving insurgents out of the area 130 miles northwest of Baghdad. U.S. forces suffered heavy losses in that early August assault; 14 Marines and their interpreter died when an armored vehicle hit a landmine.
Days after American forces left, however, militants were back in control, dominating a region of 100,000 people with no government presence or police force. U.S. officials say Haditha is a smuggling crossroads for Al Qaeda in Iraq, linking its infiltration route from the Syrian border to roads leading to Mosul, Ramadi, Fallouja and Baghdad.
This time, the Marines brought along what U.S. officials called the largest contingent of Iraqi troops to join in an anti-insurgent assault. Army Lt. Col. Steve Boylan, a U.S. military spokesman, said that about half the 2,500 troops taking part in the offensive were Iraqis.
"What's different is there are more Iraqi forces in the field with more experience," Boylan said, adding that some of them would remain behind to keep the insurgents from coming back.
Residents contacted by telephone in Haditha, however, said they saw no Iraqi forces alongside the Americans.
The assault began with predawn strikes by U.S. warplanes and helicopters that knocked out a bridge across the Euphrates and cut off electricity to the city and neighboring villages.
Using loudspeakers to warn residents to stay indoors, troops went door to door arresting suspected insurgents, witnesses said, and flooded the city with leaflets urging people to turn in others. The troops told people that they had come to enable the Iraqi government to establish civilian authority in the area.
People in Haditha say they have lived in fearful tolerance of the insurgents only because there was no other consistent armed presence. But residents contacted by telephone Tuesday spoke harshly about what they called a heavy-handed military invasion.
"If they want to clean out our city, don't do it by shooting at our people," said Ali Abed Allah, 44. "If they want to bring in government officials, we can allow them to come in. There must be a more peaceful way."
U.S.-led forces were in the fourth day of a similar offensive affecting Karabilah and two other cities about 90 miles upriver, targeting insurgents who receive reinforcements and supplies over the nearby Syrian border. At least 57 suspected insurgents have been killed in that operation, the U.S. military said.
Sheik Usama Aljadaan, a tribal leader reached by telephone in Karabilah, said U.S. soldiers had sealed off the city Saturday, bombed it, and moved in ground forces Tuesday. Although Iraqi forces are also officially part of the operation there, he said he had not see any.
U.S. officials say a goal of the offensives is to help Iraqi authorities set up polling places so people in Al Anbar can vote, free of insurgent threats, in an Oct. 15 referendum on a proposed constitution. On Tuesday, Al Qaeda in Iraq repeated its call for a boycott of the vote.
The Bush administration is counting on a yes vote to advance its plan for democratic institutions and undermine the Sunni Arab-led insurgency. Sunni political leaders in Al Anbar, who are urging their followers to vote no, have accused the United States of timing the offensives to disrupt communities and displace people to prevent them from voting.
Boylan, the military spokesman, denied that intention. But he said, "You can't plan these operations to wrap up by a certain date."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
10/06/2005 01:04 ||
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#1
Military operations during Ramallah? How, um, insensitive.
#3
"If they want to clean out our city, don't do it by shooting at our people," said Ali Abed Allah, 44. "If they want to bring in government officials, we can allow them to come in. There must be a more peaceful way."
I bet this is how insurgents feel.
Iraqâs parliament on Wednesday bowed to UN and US pressure by reversing changes to the rules of next weekâs referendum that critics deemed were unfair to opponents of the divisive new constitution.
The move came as thousands of US troops widened a sweep for Al Qaeda fighters near the Syrian border to shore up security and a top US general warned of intensified attacks in the run-up to the crucial Oct 15 vote.
The dramatic last minute U-turn by parliament came after MPs drew sharp criticism from the United States, the United Nations and the increasingly alienated Sunni community by changing voting rules on Sunday.
The constitution will now be approved if a simple majority of all those who turn out to vote say âyesâ and if two-thirds of voters in at least three provinces do not say ânoâ. The move was approved by 119 of the 147 MPs present.
Sundayâs change had said two-thirds of âregistered votersâ would be required in three provinces to block the charter, but the new decision has changed this back to read just âvotersâ.
Sunnis and the United Nations had expressed unease at the weekend decision, as the passages on approval from a simple nationwide majority still referred to âvotersâ â lessening the hopes of Sunni factions of voting down the charter.
âIt is a good decision because the changes were not correct. Unfortunately the deputies sent the wrong message to the electorate by trying to cheat on the text,â said Salah Motlak of the National Dialogue Party, a Sunni group.
âYou cannot have two different meanings in one article. Itâs using interpretation to your own benefit,â a representative of the UN Assistance Mission to Iraq had said of the changes to voting rules.
And US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said parliament should stick to the spirit and the letter of the original article.
The vote on the constitution is a key stage in the countryâs political transition and comes before planned elections in December.
It is being held just four days before Saddam Hussein and seven of his former lieutenants are due to go on trial. They face the death penalty if convicted.
The charter has caused deep divisions between Sunnis and Shias and their Kurdish allies who now dominate parliament.
Al Qaedaâs Iraq branch, headed by Abu Musab al Zarqawi, urged Sunnis to boycott the referendum, saying calls by Sunni groups for a ânoâ vote were meaningless.
The US general commanding troops in Baghdad, William Webster, warned that guerillas would increase their attacks in Baghdad before the referendum in a bid to discredit both the government and the political process.
âWe believe that the insurgents will try to make a surge in their attacks inside Baghdad because of its value in trying to convince the people that this government cannot protect them and also in terms of trying to make the results of the election illegitimate,â he said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
10/06/2005 00:53 ||
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Defying the White House, the Senate voted overwhelmingly to require the Pentagon to set clearer standards for interrogating prisoners and take steps to prohibit "cruel, inhumane or degrading" treatment of military detainees.
The 90-9 roll call endorses efforts by Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) to establish the Army Field Manual as the uniform standard for the interrogation of any person "in the custody or under the effective control" of the Defense Department.
The margin is far more than the two-thirds majority needed to overcome a threatened veto. With President Bush due to deliver a major address today on his Iraq policy and the terrorism war, the vote highlights increasing divisions among Republicans over the administration's handling of the prisoner issue.
The White House has repeatedly raised veto threats against the McCain amendment, with Vice President Cheney and others warning that Congress would intrude on executive authority to conduct the war against terrorism.
McCain should take over as Secretary of Defense if he thinks he can do it better than Rummy. Meantime, he pisses on the pant legs of those charged with conducting the war.
Posted by: Captain America ||
10/06/2005 00:25 ||
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#1
This makes me very angry that the Senate is now going to play politics with the War on Terror instead of allowing what is best for our soldiers and their unhindered prosecution of the WOT.
I do not care about the BBC, the MSM, HRW, ACLU the Muslims or any other anti-American organization, what they say or think.
They do not care about our soldiers.
They only care about the criminals at the sake of the victims.
These anti-American organizations should have no say in how our military conducts its business and the Senate should not be doing their bidding.
Please, join with me to support those who oppose this McCain bill.
If this bill is added to the Defense Bill then a bill which annuls it should be added to hurricane relief bill.
Please, help me to fight McCain, this bill, the other MSM darlings and any senator who would dare support it.
Our soldiers should be above our politics.
Any one using them for politics should be considered a traitor.
As a supporter of President George W Bush and the Republican party I will make it clear that not one penny of what I give to the party will be given to any Republican who supports any bill that hinders, restricts or endangers our soldiers or holds them up to public ridicule in any way.
Fifty five minus 9 are 46 Republicans Senators who should be very ashamed of themselves.
Please, help me to shame them now if they aren't shameless (my definition of a politician)!
#3
Why am I not suprised? When is McCain going to be called out as the RINO attention whore that he is. Just the fact that he is a MSM darling should be all the info required. He is dead wrong on this issue.
There are no Choir boys being held in Guantanamo, and they should live constantly under the threat of being shot.
#4
I disagree; this is overdue and welcome. Congress is charged with the creation and maintenance of the armed forces under the Constitution, and it has the final authority and responsibility (not the President) to set these rules.
GWB can and should engage the Congress on what exactly the rules should be, and I think some cooperation here would go a long way to helping us in the field. Soldiers would understand exactly what is and isn't allowed, and it would help with a more unified front at home (excepting Pelosi, Hildebeast, etc). The debate so far has been more reasonable than not, and that's a good thing.
I'm with McCain in this particular instance (ick, why do I feel soiled?). The Army Field Manual is completely defensible and responsible, and it should the rule we use for handling detainees. There, that's my nickel.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/06/2005 9:04 Comments ||
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#5
Here's 4¢ change. Now go wash you mouth out with Phisohex, lol. :)
#7
I can see Mc'Cain's (gee I feel soiled too...) interest in the treatment of Prisoners -- wasn't he a POW during the Vietnam war (as a LEGAL COMBATANT)?
But I think any guildlines should clearly state (in every other pargraph in bold so it does not get missed) that the standards only apply to LEGAL COMBATANTS and the ILLEGAL COMBATANTS can be summarily shot and treated however-the-hell the military wants - in accordance with the Geneva Conventions.
#8
Congress is charged with the creation and maintenance of the armed forces under the Constitution, and it has the final authority and responsibility (not the President) to set these rules.
While looking at this it's hard to also know what a strong influence these other agencies have had on Congress. I wonder if instead of having clear communication with the president and following their hearts that they are being swayed by the MSM, CAIR, etc I've never liked the idea of tying our soldiers hands behind their backs, their job is hard enough.
Posted by: Jan ||
10/06/2005 11:15 Comments ||
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#9
I'm with CF on this one. I'm even o.k. with it for LEGAL COMBATANTS. But, the bill should CLEARLY define what that is (as if current law already doesn't do so...). And, when you're deemed a "NON-LEGAL COMBATANT", the military can use you for the next Lyndie England sex video or target practice for all I care.
Posted by: BA ||
10/06/2005 11:27 Comments ||
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#10
The passage of this amendment is a disgrace. Four years after 9/11 a "Republican" Senate is taking away the "Republican" president's authority to wage war.
It accepts the propaganda pushed by the MSM, Abu Ghraib, an "evil" Gitmo as perpetuated by the likes of Kennedy and DTurban.
McCain is pushing his own version of a cook book on interrogation, but for those of us with experience, any cook book goes out the window with an unprecedented enemy. It represents more bureaucratic b.s.
Posted by: Captain America ||
10/06/2005 12:19 Comments ||
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#11
Incidentially, McCain recently became the favored recepient of letters from modern day Kerry wannabes, who prefer to do end-arounds rather than go through the military investigative process.
Posted by: Captain America ||
10/06/2005 12:22 Comments ||
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#12
I don't know what I think about the legislation, exactly.
#13
It wasnt just McCain, you guys. Every GOP senator but 9 was on this. Maybe they know something we dont? Like maybe a lot of military guys are damned unhappy with what this sh*t has done to morale and standards with the military? I think standards and guidelines make sense - perhaps different guidelines for unlawful combatants, then for lawful, but guidelines for BOTH are needed.
My sense is that we're long past the point of diminishing returns on the use of certain interrogation techniques.
#16
What missing is all the coverage of the military actually prosecuting their own for mistreatment and violations in the WOT. One of the big lies about Abu Ghrab is that the media discovered it. Centcom briefed the press in January, followed by notification of the completion of the investigation in March. By January members of the chain of command were being relieved. In April the judicial/courts martial process began. It was then that one of defendents family, desperate to save their perp's ass tried to shift the blame elsewhere first going to Seymour Hersh and then CBS with photos. Then in sweeps month, CBS 'breaks' the story. One big media BS sham.
The military has had numerous investigation and court martials against its own serving members. Usually buried by the MSM. Notice how much even the conviction of the Abu Ghrab group got? The system is working. There is absolutely no perspective to this act.
#18
Seems several of you are for more guidelines for legal combatants. Isn't that what the Geneva Convention is for?
Generally, guidelines are good. Follow them and you are less likely to get into trouble. Part of the problem with the recent brouhaha is that there were no guidelines for detainees, so there was no "allowable" actions, all were "questionable". As a result, all were questioned!
Some folks will always exceed the guidelines to get the job done. The line give us something to measure from - a little every once in a while, or a lot, all the time?
Hunger strikes, for example. The detainees can be on strike all they like, lose as much weight as they like, and look as pale as a ghost, but we will keep them alive and relatively healthy by standard medical means, under medical supervision, and assure they can either be set free someday, or stood up against the wall and face the firing squad.
Perhaps this is the thinking of the 90 Senators? Kennedy and Kerry STILL don't count!
Posted by: Bobby ||
10/06/2005 14:44 Comments ||
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Bureacracy is a deadly thing during times of war. And, for the record, the issue has zero to do with the Geneva Convention. At issue is dealing with unlawful combatants.
The Senate caved to popular MSM folklore and only enboldened the conspiracy loons who baffooned the "supposed" widespread abuse at Abu Ghraib and Gitmo.
McCain is lamenting the fact that he couldn't find Rummy with a whip and hip boots.
There ARE guidelines for the treatment of all detainees (lawful and unlawful combatants) and there has been for years.
This is just another baldfaced media attention whore move by McCain. The Repubs have become whimps.
Posted by: Captain America ||
10/06/2005 15:25 Comments ||
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"seeking clarification"
Ok, how about this: We will beat and mangle them until we get bored.
#22
McCain would sell us down a river to get a paragraph or two touting his "moral authoruity". This from a man who's cut off your freedom of expression in election periods, taken money from Soros, and sold favors in the Keating Five. Absolutely pathetic. Favorite republican in the MSM...
describe what's "degrading behavior", LH? What's "cruel or inhumane" when a prisoner knows where an IED is buried and won't tell? Sanctimonious prick - don't try the moral highground with me
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/06/2005 20:23 Comments ||
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#23
> McCain would sell us down a river to get a paragraph or two touting his "moral authoruity". This from a man who's cut off your freedom of expression in election periods ...
Err, some of the foaming-at-the-mouth comments about McCain are mystifying to me. On the scale of 1-10 Antichrist, he doesn't even move the meter for me. Some of you seem to think he's the worst enemy of the Republic.
And, Frank G., if you're looking for the man who's cut off your "freedom of expression in election periods," you can start with one George Walker Bush, who signed that turd of a bill into law, after first saying he thought it was unconstitutional.
At least McCain has had the stones to say it was a mistake, in hindsight.
#24
MM? hindsight? Propose a modification then....hasn't, has he? Moral cowardice, and I include W in that. McCain is a puke not because of his hero status, which is rightly deserved, but on the way he uses that to deflect any questions about his judgement (nuts with an anger mgmt problem) and ethics (bad to worse by deed). He's planning on running for Pres...would you but a Saving and Loan acct from him? Then why would you vote for him? I'm thinking George Allen in '08
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/06/2005 20:49 Comments ||
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#25
I'm leaning Allen or Brownback '08
Posted by: Captain America ||
10/06/2005 23:26 Comments ||
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#26
The problem is not setting standards. That's a legit role for congress and it should have been handled a long time ago. The problem is the moral preening from those who get to pontificate from their offices while our people are getting killed everyday on the battlefield. I'd be shocked if we don't have to re-write some field manuals to deal with these scumbags.
Reuel Marc Gerecht had an interesting take. He said his talks with europeans familiar with our interrogation methods suggest we're not hard enough but that we should be doing it on US soil not hiding in Gitmo. Of course, to do so would have taken an act from a gutless congress.
US and Iraqi forces continued executing Operation River Gate on Wednesday in western Iraq, while the Iraqi government called upon residents of Haditha village to remain in their homes and cooperate with troops. A US Army statement said that some 2,500 US Marines and more than 3,000 Iraqi soldiers were taking part in regular purgation operations in villages in the province of Al-Anbar, western Iraq.
The statement also said that US fighter planes and helicopters shelled a number of bridges in western villages to prevent militants from escaping to Syria. Up to five US marines participating in Operation River Gate had been killed yesterday in the villages of Al-Haqlaniyah and Barawna in Al-Anbar province. Meanwhile, a US Army statement said 41 militants has been killed in the same operation, adding that the operation was launched ten days before the constitution referendum aimed at "liberating local residents from the death and terror campaign being executed by terrorists." For his part, official spokesman for the Iraqi Prime Minister Laith Kabbeh said in a press conference in Baghdad that more than 3,000 Iraqis were currently responsible for control, monitoring and search operations in the village of Haditha. He called upon residents to remain in their homes, stressing that security forces were searching for specific people and at specific locations.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/06/2005 00:00 ||
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A VISION of an Islamic society that bans mixed dancing and sternly disapproves of homosexuality has been given by Mahmoud Zahar, the most senior leader of Hamas in Gaza.
After controversies when a Hamas-led council halted a dance festival and Islamist gunmen stopped a rap band performing in Gaza, Dr Zahar defended the enforcement of a strict interpretation of Islam.
âA man holds a woman by the hand and dances with her in front of everyone. Does that serve the national interest?â Dr Zahar said on the Arabic website Elaph. âIf so, why have the phenomena of corruption and prostitution become pervasive in recent years?â
Because of successes by Hamas in municipal polls and its likely strong showing in Januaryâs parliamentary elections, secular Palestinians fear that it will try to impose its ultraconservative vision on them. Its Gaza heartland has no cinemas or bars, yet the West Bank has a brewery and Ramallah restaurants serve wine.
Dr Zahar condemned homosexual marriage, saying: âAre these the laws for which the Palestinian street is waiting? For us to give rights to homosexuals and to lesbians, a minority of perverts and the mentally and morally sick?â
He denied that Hamas wanted a puritancial regime, and said its political and social institutions included women.
Posted by: Captain America ||
10/06/2005 18:50 ||
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#1
Dammit! I pre-ordered my tickets to the Gaza opening of "riverdance"! Now what am I gonna do?
#2
You can still see Gaza's Chippendales, unless this is covered by the "sternly disapproves of homosexuality" clause, in which case, ask for a refund.
Posted by: Rafael ||
10/06/2005 19:22 Comments ||
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#3
I thought being queer as a 3 dollar bill was part and parcel of islamo-fascism. I mean it seems to be allen's will.
#4
Don't be silly, SPoD. Boys, babies and goats for pleasure, girls for offspring and beating. The Islamofascist Man has got to be versatile these days.
GAZA - Masked Palestinian gunmen shot and critically injured a deputy of assassinated former Palestinian security chief Moussa Arafat in Gaza City on Thursday, Palestinian sources reported. Bassam Azam, a senior officer in Palestinian military intelligence, was shot in front of his house in Gaza City, they said.
The shooting was another example of increasing lawlessness in Gaza after Israelâs September 12 withdrawal from the Strip, which ended 38 years of occupation. Moussa Arafat was shot outside his home in Gaza City on September 7, several days before the withdrawal.
Posted by: Steve ||
10/06/2005 12:14 ||
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#5
Better send the Blue Helmet UN Guys in right now! They are our last hope. Otherwise, we're doomed, doomed, I tell ya!
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/06/2005 14:31 Comments ||
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#6
The shooting was another example of increasing lawlessness in Gaza ...
Yeah, right. As if the Palestinians' continuous sponsorship of terrorism, murder and mayhem doesn't already represent the ultimate in lawlessness. No noticeable "increase" is possible, the rapacity of these maggots topped out long ago.
Al-Qaida's new Internet TV channel on Wednesday branded Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas a "collaborator with the Jews," accusing him of assisting Israel in its war on Hamas.
The attack on Abbas is the first of its kind by Al-Qaida and is seen by some Palestinians as an indication of the terror organization's growing involvement in Palestinian affairs.
PA officials in Ramallah expressed fear that Al-Qaida was seeking to undermine Abbas by inciting against him through its broadcasts.
"This is a very dangerous development," said a senior official. "Al-Qaida and other Islamic terror groups are trying to replace the Palestinian Authority with a radical regime."
The new TV channel is called Sawt Al-Khilafah (Voice of the Caliphate), a reference to the Islamic empire that emerged after the death of the prophet Muhammad. One of Osama bin Laden's declared goals is to reestablish the empire that once stretched from Turkey to Spain.
The attack on Abbas coincides with reports that Al-Qaida has been trying to establish its own terror cells in the Gaza Strip following the Israeli withdrawal from the area.
A masked anchorman with a Koran at his elbow and a rifle next to him accused Abbas of "collusion" with Israel and said he was a man who was leading his people "from one failure to another."
The anchorman claimed that Abbas and Israel were responsible for the explosion that took place during a Hamas rally in Gaza City two weeks ago. At least 20 people were killed and more than 120 injured when a Kassam rocket exploded accidentally during the event, held to celebrate the Israeli withdrawal.
Referring to the recent Israeli clampdown on Hamas, the anchorman said: "What's happening in the Gaza Strip is being done with the help of Abbas and his aides, who are all collaborators with the Jews, with the aim of undermining the jihad [holy war]," he said.
Wednesday's news program began with a report about the kidnapping and killing of Israeli businessman Sasson Nuriel of Pisgat Ze'ev in Jerusalem. Hamas has claimed responsibility for the killing of Nuriel, whose body was found near Ramallah last week, four days after he was kidnapped.
The broadcast claimed that Nuriel was an Israeli "security officer" and that the kidnapping and murder was in response to Israeli "crimes" in the Gaza Strip. The report concluded with the following statement: "This is only a little of what the Jews deserve."
Item No. 2 was dedicated to the Israeli air raids on the Gaza Strip and tensions between the PA and Hamas. The rest of the broadcasts focused on Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as famine in Nigeria. The TV channel expanded on "heroic" anti-US attacks launched by "Muslim warriors" in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The report on Nigeria was exploited to attack the Saudi royal family, which rushed to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina in the US while ignoring the plight of Muslims in poor countries. In another report last week, the TV channel told viewers how "the wrath of Allah [Katrina] visited the city of homosexuals [New Orleans]" and "the entire Islamic world overflowed with joy."
By leading its broadcasts with reports on the situation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Al-Qaida is sending a message that the Palestinian issue is now on the top of its agenda.
A PA security source pointed out that leaflets signed by a hitherto unknown group called the Palestine Branch of Al- Qaida had been distributed recently in various parts of the Gaza Strip. The source said the leaflets included threats to assassinate Abbas and other senior PA officials.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
10/06/2005 01:28 ||
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#1
"A masked anchorman with a Koran at his elbow and a rifle next to him..."
Who was that strange, masked anchorman? And how will he put this gig on his resume?
#5
"This is a very dangerous development," said a senior official. "Al-Qaida and other Islamic terror groups are trying to replace the Palestinian Authority with a radical regime."
#7
I'd feel a whole lot sorrier for Abbas if he hadn't gone and pandered so blatantly to the violent Palestinian factions by adopting his "Abu Mazen" nom de guerre. By aligning himself with the resident thugs, he gave them a tacit seal of approval which will continue to haunt his potentially brief administration.
Someone feel free to correct me, but isn't anyone who hasn't signed their al Qaeda membership card in blood generally considered a "collaborator"?
#8
There are no sports-casts because Palestinians aren't athletes.
Isn't it apparent yet that the Palestinians simply can't play football. The Egyptians can. Uzbekistan can. Even tiny Bahrain can. If there was a single striker among the whole lot of Paleos I'd be amazed. See...skill when blowing up innocent bystanders just isn't a needed skill in the real world.
The problem with soccer is, it's a team sport. Back when Qusay was running soccer in Iraq, a missed tackle could result in death. Now, in the New Palestine, the players could actually be killing each other during the game.
Would be fun to watch. Bee-hive ball with attitude.
FIVE elite police teams began scouring the Indonesian archipelago by helicopter yesterday as the hunt for senior members of the Bali terror network was stepped up after the first suicide bomber was identified.
Police in Surakarta, central Java, confirmed yesterday a man known as Gareng had been "a target of our investigations" since well before the weekend's blasts, but that he had escaped their surveillance recently.
Police believe Gareng was the suicide bomber responsible for the last of three attacks on Saturday night. Husband and wife Colin and Fiona Zwolinsky and Jennifer Williamson, all of Newcastle in NSW, were killed in that assault, on Nyoman Cafe on Jimbaran Bay, south of Kuta. Mrs Williamson's husband, Bruce, and others from a large group of Newcastle holidaymakers were seriously injured.
Surakarta police said they recognised Gareng from their files on Wednesday, after photographs of the three suicide bombers were distributed by investigators in Denpasar and published in newspapers early this week. "We matched that to an old photograph we have," a Surakarta investigator said. A source close to senior police in Jakarta said the investigation was now focused on searching for relatives and friends of the bombers, none of whose identities has been publicly released, and on rounding up people involved with the 2002 attacks.
One of the teams is focused on east Java, where investigations are homing in on an area in the north around the town of Lamongan, near the provincial capital, Surabaya. Original Bali bomber Amrozi was arrested in the same region, at his home in the village of Tenggulun.
The field teams are under the command of Indonesian counter-terrorist chief Gorries Mere. Another team is based in East Nusa Tenggara province, whose capital is Lombok, immediately to the east of Bali, and which stretches east to the border with East Timor. A third team is based in Banten province, west Java, and two more teams are based in Bali. The squads use helicopters to move quickly from town to town as they piece together elements of the bombers' trail. In the east Java town of Jember yesterday, local police said the region was on high alert for anyone on terrorist watchlists.
In Bali, public access to the areas around the three bomb sites - two cafes in the upmarket dining area of Jimbaran Bay, south of Kuta, and Raja's restaurant in Kuta Square - is being restored, with police lines now drawn back to cover just the actual crime scenes.
Investigation spokesman Brigadier General Soenarko dismissed reports yesterday that a man had been arrested in west Java on Wednesday based on his resemblance to fugitive terror mastermind Azahari Husin. Azahari, a Malaysian scientist who studied in Australia, and his associate Noordin Top, are being sought for their roles in the 2002 Bali bombings as well as in the latest atrocity.
"I can tell you a man was arrested by immigration police in Sukabumi, west Java, but we can state there is as yet no connection to this case," General Soenarko said. "His name was Masnin Hasin, a Malaysian who after interrogation was found to have passports issued by Singapore and Malaysia as well as many ID cards. He is still in custody in West Java."
Masnin has some explaining to do
In Denpasar, Bali, plainclothes police have been circulating among Muslim communities to ask local people whether they recognised the three suicide bombers as depicted in the police photographs. One policeman who has been engaged in that task for the past two days said yesterday he was sent to Nyoman Cafe on the night of the explosion, where he retrieved Gareng's severed head from the beachfront wreckage.
Posted by: Steve ||
10/06/2005 15:13 ||
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Bali, 6 Oct. (AKI) - Police warned restaurant owners on the Indonesian island of Bali of the likelihood of fresh terror attacks one month before Saturday's blasts that left 22 dead and injured when suicide bombers detonated devices in Jambaran and Kutah, according to Indonesian police captain D. Dharamada. Police raised the alarm in Bali - where an attack on a nightclub in October 2002 killed over 200 - after a home-made bomb was discovered in a hotel on the island, Dharamada said.
"If they appropriate measures had been taken in time, Saturday's attacks would probably not have happened," he said, adding that he was "vexed" by restaurant owners on Bali's decision to postpone discussions of stepping up security at the end of the religious festival of Galugan - which ended on Wednesday - four days after the three suicide bombings on the island.
Police are currently hunting five suspects in connection with the bombings. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, although it is thought the bombers may be linked to the al-Qaeda associated Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), held responsible for the October 2002 Bali nightclub bombings and various other terror attacks in Indonesia.
Posted by: Steve ||
10/06/2005 09:16 ||
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At least three persons were killed and eight others were wounded in a clash between security forces and gunmen off Tawi-Tawi province in the southern Philippines, officials said on Wednesday.
Officials said one policeman and two gunmen were killed and eight other government militias were injured in the clash that occurred near Languyan town on Monday.
"We still don't know the identities of the gunmen, but they could be pirates victimizing our fishermen. I have ordered security forces to intensify the operation against bad elements in the area," said Tawi-Tawi Governor Sadikul Sahali.
The fighting erupted after the gunmen opened fire on patrolling security forces that tried to intercept them.
It was not immediately known if the gunmen were members of the al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf.
"We cannot say right now if they are Abu Sayyaf members or not. The gunmen had fled after the clash," Sahali said.
The Abu Sayyaf group is known to actively operate in Tawi-Tawi and have kidnapped Indonesian sailors and Chinese fishermen in the past near the border with Malaysia.
Last month, troops captured six alleged Abu Sayyaf members in Bongao town in Tawi-Tawi and seized a small cache of weapons.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
10/06/2005 01:35 ||
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Indonesian police say they are pursuing a tip from a caller who claimed that one of the Bali bombers studied in an area famous for its hardline Islamic schools.
The possible lead was one of the few announced by police since they began circulating nationwide photographs of the three bombers' bruised severed heads, recovered from the weekend attacks on the crowded restaurants in the resort island. The blasts Saturday killed 22 and injured 104.
The tipster called police in Solo, a city on the main island of Java, and said one of the bombers had studied in the area, home to a hardline Islamic boarding school attended by several militants convicted in previous terror attacks, Solo's police chief commissioner Abdul Madjid said Wednesday.
"He identified one of the bombers," said Madjid, adding that the caller claimed the man's name was "Gareng." Madjid provided no further information and said authorities were pursuing the lead.
Investigators across the country were interrogating jailed terror convicts, seeking information about the bombers, Bali police chief Maj. Gen. I Made Mangku Pastika said.
"So far the detained terrorists do not know them," Pastika said.
Those questioned included Amrozi bin Nurhasyim and Imam Samudra, sentenced to death for their roles in the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people.
Meanwhile, the recent bombings have triggered new calls for Washington to give Indonesian investigators access to detained Southeast Asian terror mastermind Hambali -- a Muslim cleric once dubbed Osama bin Laden's point man in Southeast Asia.
Washington's refusal, a long-standing irritant between the two nations, comes as the United States tries to boost anti-terror cooperation with Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation.
"I think the time has now come for the United States to give full access to the Indonesian police so they can interrogate Hambali," said Theo Sambuaga, chairman of Parliament's political and security commission.
However, U.S. State Department press officer Tom Casey said Wednesday that the United States had shared with Indonesia information they had received from Hambali.
"We believe those responsible for terrorist acts in Indonesia should be brought to justice, and we are committed to cooperate to that end," Casey said.
The United States says giving Indonesian investigators access to Hambali, also known as Riduan Isamuddin, could compromise their own investigation of him, reportedly involving alleged links to two of the September 11 hijackers and a plan to recruit new pilots for another wave of suicide hijackings in the United States.
Hambali, a 41-year-old Indonesian citizen, is also accused of being Jemaah Islamiya's operations chief.
Thai forces and the CIA captured him two years ago in the ancient Thai temple city of Ayutthaya. He was handed over to U.S. authorities and flown to an undisclosed location for interrogation.
Asked about access, the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta on Tuesday reissued a statement from last year saying it "was committed to allow the Indonesian government to bring Hambali to justice for terrorist attacks perpetrated in Indonesia by Jemaah Islamiyah at the appropriate time. However, we have set no timetable for such a turnover."
On Wednesday, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono called on his military to stamp out the scourge of terrorism, saying the bombings "have spoiled Indonesia's reputation in the eyes of the world."
Saturday's attacks have put Southeast Asian nations on high alert to prevent more bombings. Hundreds of thousands of troops were on standby, while security was tightened on beaches and along borders.
Bomb disposal squads and hazardous materials experts were rushed to the U.S., British, Australian, French and Russian embassies in Malaysia on Wednesday after receiving packages threatening retaliation for perceived injustices against the Muslim world, police said.
The parcels were later dismissed as a hoax, as were similar envelopes sent to six other diplomatic missions a day earlier, said Abdul Aziz Bulat, the chief of Kuala Lumpur police criminal investigation.
But Indonesia has said such a ban would be ineffective because the elusive underground group has no established organization. However, officials have pledged to aggressively fight terrorism.
Bali meanwhile tried to get back to business, with shops installing shatterproof glass and some hotels hiring one security guard for every 10 rooms.
Police have been out in force, patrolling the streets and airport.
Bali has been a popular tourism destination for decades -- particularly for Australians, with more than 200,000 making the trip last year.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
10/06/2005 01:09 ||
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Tehran, 6 Oct. (AKI) - Iran has rejected accusations by British officials that it is involved in attacks which have killed at least eight British soldiers in Iraq. On Wednesday, one senior British official said the insurgents in the south of Iraq were using a sophisticated roadside bomb, triggered when an infra-red beam is touched, designed and produced by the Iranian-backed guerrilla group Hezbollah. But speaking on Iranian television, foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza-Asefi branded the claim a lie.
"The British are the cause of instability and crisis in Iraq," he said. "By drafting such scenarios they are trying to find a partner in their crimes." "From the very beginning, we have stated our position very clearly - a stable Iraq is in our interests and that is what the Iraqi authorities have said themselves on many occasions."
The technology is thought to have been used in attacks by insurgents from the Mehidi army, led by radical Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr. One of the group's leaders, Ahmed al-Fartusi, was recently arrested by British troops, sparking anti-British protests in the southern city of Basra, where the UK forces are based.
The British official, speaking anonymously, accused Iran of helping Sunni as well as Shiite insurgents, despite the Islamic Republic being Shiite-dominated. He also suggested that Iran's involvement in providing the technology could be related to British pressure over Iran's suspected nuclear weapons ambitions. Britain, France and Germany were the three European Union countries given the task of trying to resolve the problem. "It would be entirely natural that they would want to send a message 'Don't mess with us'," the official said.
In July one of the roadside devices killed three soldiers who were patrolling near the Iranian border. Five other soldiers were killed this year by similar bombs, as well as two British security guards who were protecting diplomats.
Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia recently sparked a diplomatic row with Iran by accusing it of meddling in Iraq's internal affairs. Iranian foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki has now put off a planned visit to the Saudi kingdom. One of the main concerns of Sunnis in Iraq over the new constitution is the provision for an autonomous region in the Shiite south, along the lines of the Kurdish region in the north. They fear an autonomous region in the south would divide Iraq, allowing Shiites to control all the oil wealth there and allowing Shiite-ruled Iran to gain influence in Iraq.
Posted by: Steve ||
10/06/2005 09:07 ||
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BRITISH officials yesterday accused Iran's Revolutionary Guards of supplying the lethal explosive technology responsible for killing British solders in Iraq.
American and British intelligence chiefs have long suspected that Iran was training, supplying and funding part of Iraq's insurgent Shia network but this is the first official confirmation of such action.
A senior British official said there was evidence the Iranians were now in contact with Sunni Muslim insurgents fighting the coalition forces in Iraq.
Recent attacks on British troops, believed to be the work of Shi'ite militia groups, had used armour-piercing explosives and infra-red controls "which basically you would need specific expertise to use".
He said the Iranian action could be an attempt to warn off Britain over its demands that Tehran should abandon its nuclear programme.
"It would be entirely natural that they would want to send a message 'Don't mess with us'. It would not be outside the policy parameters of Tehran," the official said.
He said it was believed that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had been responsible for supplying the explosives technology.
A radio signal is used to arm the bomb as a target vehicle approaches. The device is detonated when the infra-red beam is broken.
Coalition officials view the weapon as a key part of an aggressive new campaign by Tehran to drive coalition forces out of Iraq so that an Islamic theocracy can be established.
A Sunday newspaper reported in August that four British soldiers had been killed by infra-red devices made in the town of Majar-al-Kabir, but for security reason the Ministry of Defence refuses to confirm the nature of the bomb used.
The previous month, three soldiers from the Staffordshire Regiment were killed when their armoured Land Rover was blown up by a roadside bomb in Amara.
A guardsman of the Coldstream Guards was said to have died from wounds inflicted by a similar infra-red device in Amara in May. As the "top cover" gunner, the guardsman's head and shoulders were exposed in an armoured Land Rover. The bomb was set at a precise height and directed towards the road so it would hit a soldier in this position.
"This was something completely new," said one military intelligence officer. "Before, they used to keep bashing away with the same crude devices. The Iranian influence has shown itself in the sophistication of their bombs and a new ability to innovate."
The British official refused to be drawn yesterday on whether the IRGC were acting on government orders in Tehran.
Although Iran is Shia Muslim, the official said it now appeared that elements in Tehran were in contact with Sunni Muslim insurgent groups across the border in Iraq.
Sunni Muslims linked to al Qaeda have been blamed for trying to ignite a civil war with the majority Shias. The official said he still believed it could suit Iranian interests to work with the Sunni insurgents.
"There is some evidence that the Iranians are in contact with Sunni groups," he said.
"If part of the aim was to tie down the coalition in Iraq, it would be entirely consistent with supporting those groups."
British diplomats had previously protested to the Iranian government after the seizure of arms being smuggled across the border into Iraq. "We continue to press Iran on that and we continue to encourage the Iraqi government to do that," the official said.
A British Foreign Office spokesman said: "Iranian links to militant groups are unacceptable and undermine Iran's long-term interest in a secure, stable and democratic Iraq."
The Herald revealed almost two weeks ago that two British Special Reconnaissance Regiment troopers rescued from Mehdi Army militia captors in Basra were gathering evidence against an Iraqi police group suspected of involvement in the deaths of British soldiers.
According to sources, their surveillance target was the Jamiat Gang, a band of 50 civilian police officers operating under cover of Basra's serious crimes unit and the internal affairs directorate.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
10/06/2005 01:16 ||
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#1
The stage is being set for you Mullahs, we're coming to get you.
Iran's new president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has placed the military firmly in control of his nation's nuclear program, undercutting his government's claim that the program is intended for civilian use, according to a leading opposition group.
Leaders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) now dominate Iran's Supreme National Security Council, the country's top foreign policy-making body under the constitution. Mr. Ahmadinejad, a little-known former mayor of Tehran before his surprise election in July, is a former IRGC commander, as is new council Secretary-General Ali Larijani, who has taken the lead in negotiations about Iran's nuclear programs.
This just makes it official and removes the pretense.
Revolutionary Guard commanders also have taken charge of the council's internal security, strategy and political posts, according to a report issued by the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran. A Revolutionary Guard veteran even serves as the council's press spokesman. "The military under the new president is firmly in control of the nuclear program and the nuclear negotiations with the United Nations and the West," said Mohammad Mohaddessin, chairman of the NCRI's foreign affairs committee, in a telephone interview yesterday.
The personnel changes "make it less and less credible that Iran is pursuing nuclear programs for peaceful uses," he said.
But it makes it much easier politically for either Bush or Sharon to nail the Iranians, since the targets are now specifically military.
The report, which also tracks Iran's extensive nuclear infrastructure and technical programs, charges that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamanei has turned to IRGC personnel in order to "eliminate all bureaucratic and political obstacles to obtaining nuclear weapons."
The NCRI is the political arm of the People's Mujahadeen, a secular Iranian bloc that broke violently with the Islamic leaders of the revolution shortly after the ouster of the Shah. Branded a terrorist group by U.S. and European governments, it also has proven to be the single best intelligence source on Iran's clandestine nuclear programs, exposing in recent years massive research and testing sites inside Iran unknown to U.N. and Western monitors.
But other analysts also have reported a wave of senior appointments for Iran's military, especially from within the more ideological forces under the direct control of the ruling Islamic clerics. Houchang Hassan-Yari, a political scientist at the Royal Military College of Canada, noted in a recent analysis that current and former members of the IRGC now can be found throughout Iran's political and administrative bureaucracy, from lawmakers in parliament to mayors, university officials and even managers of some of Iran's biggest business concerns. The corps is "on the verge of being transformed from a junior player in the country's military defense to a key factor in the country's military and security doctrine -- a rise that could come at the [traditional] army's expense," he noted.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/06/2005 00:22 ||
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No surprise here - NOSTRADAMUS: "None shall see the powers of Asia destroyed until the SEVEN [SEVENTH?]holds the line". May a king(s) die so Sparta and Greece may live? BAND OF BROTHERS? or Custer-Sitting Bull and the defensive battle known as LITTLE BIG HORN? "WHITE RABBIT" - the theme from PLATOON? GO ASK ALICE - FEED YOUR HEAD.
#7
I was getting flashbacks to Berkeley daze in the 60s. Got to tone down, Joe, pleeze, man. At least bring down the all-caps. My synapses are burning......
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/06/2005 10:26 Comments ||
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#8
the all new "Serotonin-Free" Joe Mendiola, improved with ADD!
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/06/2005 11:29 Comments ||
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#9
"takes"?
Whatever, it was intended to be their program the whole time.
The IRGC will have to change its name to (IRGW) Iranian Revolutionary Glow Worms after we nuke their sorry asses until the sky glows.
#10
This new Iranian pres is a freekin hardcore WAKO Zealot. But not stupid radical non-giving yes no PR skills in the PC world OHH yeah. Dangerous big time.
I am seriously starting to think that this guy's way of thinking is going to pretty soon if not already tell him that war is coming and that if we stabalize Iraq and get positioned Iran will be screwed. If he makes the first move he will at least make a dent. Right now it would take a moment to reposition our Air assets to counter a full press by the Iranians. I doubt they would be able to actually win or cause serious military damage thier military would still be slaughtered if they tried to make the run down the roads into Iraq. What I am talking is heavy missle strikes on Isreal maybe some of Iraq would be good PR they are fighting for the Muslims and would help tie thier war with the muslim world and draw recruit a lot of soldgiers. After all in a preemtive strike thier air force maybe able to make some hits in Iraq on US assets but it they wait for US to move first they will lose thier air force on the ground or shot out of the sky in the first days of action, this way they at least make some use of the air force. And hell thier navy may actually do some damage to if they have suprise on thier side otherwise ehhh they will be looking at days and no effect. Isreal would propably retaliate makeing it a JOOOOO conspiracy and it would take some time for our forces to reposition to drive into Iran proper. Either way it would take the initiative away. Their was alot of pre-invasion runnup stuff done in Iraq SOF, scouting, mapping, ect.. and such that went along way, I dont think we are anywere near that point yet in Iran maybe begining stages but not ready.
This guy is really starting to act like he dont see a alternative. This is exactly why Iran couldnt be allowed to have a nuke in the first place the risk they would get some wako who either had a dream with allah that told him or just plainly thought war was the only option and decide to go Myrtr ya know garanteed virgins and all as long as he cough his nation takes down a good number of infedels first. The Soviets while dangerous didnt want to die just as long as they hit the capatilist real good first.
A hand grenade was found in the parking lot where a prominent Lebanese judge, overseeing a probe into a bank scandal case involving Lebanese and Syrian officials, resides. Police inspected the parking lot of the Flouty and Bassil building, in the Kesrouan area of Sahel Alma, where Judge Nazem Khoury usually parks his Mercedes 180. Police were alerted after the janitor of the building found a hand grenade in a corner of the lot where Khoury parks his car. A military expert in explosives, who was immediately dispatched at the request of the concerned judiciary, revealed that the grenade was Russian made and operable but unequipped for detonation.
Khoury, who has been handling the controversial Bank Al-Madina file, has already received numerous death threats resulting in him leaving for Cyprus for three weeks. Bank Al-Madina involves $1.2 billion in swindled deposits attributed by judicial investigators to the bank's executive secretary over the past three years, Rana Qoleilat. Senior Syrian intelligence officers, including the former head of Syrian intelligence in Lebanon, Major General Rustom Ghazaleh, were also reportedly involved. Among other high ranking Syrian officials, Ghazaleh has also been questioned by Detlev Mehlis the head of the UN team investigating the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri to discover whether he is involved in the crime. Three branches of Bank Al-Madina have recently been sealed with red wax at Khoury's orders.
Jounieh's Internal Security Forces commander, Brigadier General Bahij Watfa listened to the janitor's statement and instructed the criminal investigators to take fingerprints to see if they matched those already taken from Khoury's car four days ago.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/06/2005 00:00 ||
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on the grenade there was a "made in Antioch" inscription.
Two people were murdered in an ambush in the town of MâSila, 250 kilometres south of the Algiers, the Algerian press reported on Wednesday.
The deaths came just days after 97.38 per cent of Algerians voted in favour of a national reconciliation plan in a September 29 referendum following years of civil war.
In MâSila 17 people had been killed in the weeks before the referendum.
In Jijel, 360 kilometres east of the capital, where seven soldiers were recently killed, several terrorists were killed in bomb attacks, press reports said.
Fifty fighters from the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) were encircled by soldiers, other reports said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
10/06/2005 01:39 ||
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Two murdered v. fifty of their own captured? The GSPC don't look any better than Al Q. in Iraq these days!
LADHA: Unidentified individuals kidnapped and shot dead a tribal elder in sub-division Ladha of the South Waziristan Agency on Wednesday. Mohammad Alam was kidnapped from Sarwek Langar Khel, and his dead body was found in a deserted area.
Mohammad Alam had reportedly collaborated with security forces in the recent crackdown on militants hiding in the tribal areas. Although no one has yet claimed responsibility for the killing, militants including Arabs, Central Asians and Afghans, believed to be operating in the Waziristan region, are suspected of targeting tribesmen who cooperated with security forces.
They're still "unidentified individuals." They're not yet referring to them as Taliban, even though they know damned well that's who they are.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/06/2005 00:00 ||
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A smoking jacket over a tux? No wonder they shot him...
QUETTA: There was a powerful explosion outside a polling station in the Macch area on Wednesday. Police Inspector Balkh Sher said Frontier Corps personnel were present inside the Government High School for Boys, which had been made a makeshift polling station for today's (Thursday) third phase of the local council system. He said no casualties were reported. Nobody has claimed responsibility for the blast.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/06/2005 00:00 ||
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KANDAHAR: Two people were killed as a suicide bomber tried to ram a car bomb into a convoy of Afghan and foreign troops in Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing himself and a 10 year-old boy and wounding one Canadian soldier, officials said. A US-led foreign forces spokesperson said that the blast occurred outside a Canadian civilian and military reconstruction teamâs office on the road leading to the airport from Kandahar.
Kandahar police official Janan Khan said the attacker tried to ram the convoy, but the car bomb exploded prematurely, killing him and a ten-year-old boy and wounding a man. A Canadian soldier suffered minor burns, said Colonel Jim Yonts, a spokesman for the U.S.-led military force in Afghanistan. Canadian media however quoted a Canadian military spokesman as saying three Canadian soldiers suffered minor injuries.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/06/2005 00:00 ||
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A Pakistani military court on Tuesday sentenced four air force members to death and handed two others life terms for their role in a 2003 attempt to assassinate the president, Pervez Musharraf, the air force said. They were involved in an al-Qaeda-linked plot to kill Musharraf by blowing up a bridge in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, on December 14, 2003, the Pakistan Air Force said in a statement. âSix junior ranking PAF employees involved in the assassination attempt on the president of Pakistan on December 14, 2003 were tried by a court martial of PAF during the last six months,â the statement said. âThe proceedings of the court martial concluded on October 3, 2005. Four have been awarded death sentences whereas two have been awarded life imprisonment.â
Posted by: Fred ||
10/06/2005 00:00 ||
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Two people were killed and three were wounded when a blast rocked the indutrial area in the Skikda province, 650 kilometers east of Algiers, the Civil Defense Department said Wednesday. It said that the blast took place last night at the Terminal Skikda which transports oil from the Algerian Desert to Skikda. It added that a 51,200-cubic meter storage tank caught fire, causing the explosion. The cause of the fire was not known. The Skikda industrial area was rocked a powerful blast last January, killing 27 technicians and wounding 23 others. The area was also hit by similar incidents over the past two years.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/06/2005 00:00 ||
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A British Muslim arrested in Pakistan denied on Wednesday any involvement in the July 7 suicide bombings on Londonâs transport network, reports Reuters.
"No, no! Certainly not!"
In a letter to British newspaper Daily Telegraph, Zeeshan Siddiqui rejected reports he had met senior Al Qaeda leaders and one of the London bombers, Shehzad Tanweer.
"Lies! All lies!"
Siddiqui had been arrested as a possible so-called âmissing linkâ to the four bombers who killed 52 commuters on three London underground trains and a bus, the Telegraph reported. âI condemn these acts of violence,â Siddiqui wrote. âI have never taken part in any terrorist activity, nor do I support or ever intend to support any terrorist activities.â
"Really. Trust me on this!"
The Telegraph said that 25 year-old Siddiqui had only been charged with forgery and offences related to overstaying his entry visa by Pakistani authorities. Magistrates in Peshawar had granted Siddiqui bail on September 15, but he remained in jail after failing to give copies of travel documents he says he has lost, said the newspaper.
"Yup. Lost 'em. Dunno where they are. I looked around me, and â pfffft! â they wuz gune!"
Posted by: Fred ||
10/06/2005 00:00 ||
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The law enforcers are on the hunt for the associates of Mufti Abdul Hannan, a leader of the banned Islamist outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami. A Rapid Action Battalion said they had been conducting drive since the arrest of the militant leader. Hannan, also prime accused in a case related to the attempted assassination of former prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, was placed on a 10-day remand on Sunday in connection with the August 17 countrywide bomb blasts at Tejgaon in Dhaka.
The Task Force for Investigation members have been interrogating Hannan in a RAB office at Uttara. Hannan reportedly named some of his associates, but did not say anything about his involvement in the August 17 blasts. He also kept silent about his expertise in bomb-making and the assassination attempt. The sources said three banned Islamist outfits â Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh of Shaikh Abdur Rahman and Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh of Siddiqul IslamBangla Bhai â jointly carried out the attacks to âestablish Islamic rule.â Hannan earlier had meetings with the two other militant outfit chiefs in his Gopalganj house for several times, the sources said. After the August 17 blasts, Hannan again went to his village home and celebrated the event by sacrificing animals.
The battalion personnel, meanwhile, till Wednesday failed to arrest Shakil, who reportedly introduced himself as the nephew of former home minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury and financed Hannan during his hiding. âThe mystery would be cracked if the law enforcers could arrest Shakil,â the sources said.
In Khagrachhari, the police submitted the charge sheet of the August 17 blast to court on Wednesday, accusing 14 people, including Shaikh Abdur Rahman and Bangla Bhai. Investigation officer Abul Kalam Azad, also officer-in-charge of the Khagrachari police, filed the charge sheet. Out of the ten arrested, nine have made statements in the court. The other four accused â Shaikh Abdur Rahman, Bangla Bhai, Belal and Monju â are yet to be arrested. In Chittagong, two militants, arrested during bombing incidents in the Chittagong court building on Monday, revealed important information on Wednesday, the first day of their 10-day remand, the police said.
The CMP assistant commissioner, Mosharraf Hossain Miazee, told New Age that they had conducted three drives in Coxâs Bazar, at Chakaria bus stand and in the Paithong hilly area at Lama. âBut no militants were arrested as they left the hideouts after the blasts.â Mosharraf said the arrested were giving more important leads regarding the militancy. The police declined to elaborate further in the interest of investigation. A source in the interrogation cell said Shahdat and Laltu said more attacks would be launched at court buildings in future and in the next phase, suicide bombers of Shahid-Nasrullah-Al Arif Brigade of Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh would be in operation. In Chandpur, the police arrested three more JMB activists, Zakir Hasan, Kausar and Mahfuz, from Barura in Comilla and Kachua and Hajiganj in Chandpur on Wednesday.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/06/2005 00:00 ||
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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.
79 Pakistanis, expelled for their involvement in minor crimes, arrived in Islamabad yesterday, officials said. âThese Pakistanis returned by a special flight and the authorities are presently verifying their travel documents before allowing them to leave Islamabad Airport,â officials said.
US and Iraqi forces continued executing Operation River Gate on Wednesday in western Iraq, while the Iraqi government called upon residents of Haditha village to remain in their homes and cooperate with troops. A US Army statement said that some 2,500 US Marines and more than 3,000 Iraqi soldiers were taking part in regular purgation operations in villages in the province of Al-Anbar, western Iraq.
GAZA - Masked Palestinian gunmen shot and critically injured a deputy of assassinated former Palestinian security chief Moussa Arafat in Gaza City on Thursday, Palestinian sources reported. Bassam Azam, a senior officer in Palestinian military intelligence, was shot in front of his house in Gaza City, they said.
A hand grenade was found in the parking lot where a prominent Lebanese judge, overseeing a probe into a bank scandal case involving Lebanese and Syrian officials, resides. Police inspected the parking lot of the Flouty and Bassil building, in the Kesrouan area of Sahel Alma, where Judge Nazem Khoury usually parks his Mercedes 180. Police were alerted after the janitor of the building found a hand grenade in a corner of the lot where Khoury parks his car. A military expert in explosives, who was immediately dispatched at the request of the concerned judiciary, revealed that the grenade was Russian made and operable but unequipped for detonation.
LADHA: Unidentified individuals kidnapped and shot dead a tribal elder in sub-division Ladha of the 
QUETTA: There was a powerful explosion outside a polling station in the Macch area on Wednesday. Police Inspector Balkh Sher said Frontier Corps personnel were present inside the Government High School for Boys, which had been made a makeshift polling station for today's (Thursday) third phase of the local council system. He said no casualties were reported. Nobody has claimed responsibility for the blast.
KANDAHAR: Two people were killed as a suicide bomber tried to ram a car bomb into a convoy of Afghan and foreign troops in Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing himself and a 10 year-old boy and wounding one Canadian soldier, officials said. A US-led foreign forces spokesperson said that the blast occurred outside a Canadian civilian and military reconstruction teamâs office on the road leading to the airport from Kandahar.
A Pakistani military court on Tuesday sentenced four air force members to death and handed two others life terms for their role in a 2003 attempt to assassinate the president, Pervez Musharraf, the air force said. They were involved in an al-Qaeda-linked plot to kill Musharraf by blowing up a bridge in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, on December 14, 2003, the Pakistan Air Force said in a statement. âSix junior ranking PAF employees involved in the assassination attempt on the president of Pakistan on December 14, 2003 were tried by a court martial of PAF during the last six months,â the statement said. âThe proceedings of the court martial concluded on October 3, 2005. Four have been awarded death sentences whereas two have been awarded life imprisonment.â
Two people were killed and three were wounded when a blast rocked the indutrial area in the Skikda province, 650 kilometers east of Algiers, the Civil Defense Department said Wednesday. It said that the blast took place last night at the Terminal Skikda which transports oil from the Algerian Desert to Skikda. It added that a 51,200-cubic meter storage tank caught fire, causing the explosion. The cause of the fire was not known. The Skikda industrial area was rocked a powerful blast last January, killing 27 technicians and wounding 23 others. The area was also hit by similar incidents over the past two years.
A British Muslim arrested in Pakistan denied on Wednesday any involvement in the July 7 suicide bombings on Londonâs transport network, reports Reuters. 
The law enforcers are on the hunt for the associates of 
