Twenty-five militants were killed by US-led forces in Afghanistan, officials said on Wednesday, as the US military prepares to hand over security responsibilities in the violent south. Fifteen Taliban insurgents were killed during heavy bombing in three villages in Musa Qala of southern Helmand province on Tuesday night, Helmand's police chief Nabi Mullahkhail said. "The bombing lasted for several hours," he said. "As a result 15 Taliban were killed and 20 others wounded."
Several people who said they were from Musa Qala phoned journalists to say that most of those killed in the attack were civilians. A Taliban spokesman, Qari Mohammad Yousuf, said only one militant was killed in the raid and the rest were civilians.
Earlier, the coalition said in a statement it had killed seven militants on Tuesday in two separate incidents in the drug-producing region, where thousands of British soldiers are based as part of a NATO-led mission. Afghanistan's defence ministry said another two militants had been killed in combat in the south on Tuesday, and a third insurgent was killed in the southeast.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/27/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Oh those fluctuating numbers of dead Talibs. One day it is 19, the next 40, then 19 again, then a new figure, 25. Either way, its all great news to me!
Hmmm, the Talibanny might be re-thinking their Fall Offensive. Summer one has been a real bummer thus far.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/27/2006 10:31 Comments ||
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#3
The Arab world is going to wake up 5 or so years from now and realize they have sacrificed a whole generation of young men to allan and blood-cult islamofascists.
#4
They don't care. Polygamy means they have an excess men. Those go to Jihad and get killed but muslim birthrate is not reduced due to wives of polygamos hudbands still producing babies.
US requests to send two more planes carrying bombs and missiles to Israel via Britain in the next fortnight would probably be approved, The Times newspaper reported in London today.
The story follows criticism by British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett of reported stopovers in Scotland of US planes carrying munitions for Israel.
Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper said two chartered Airbus A310 cargo planes laden with GBU-28 bombs landed at Scotland's Prestwick airport over the weekend for refuelling and a crew rest on the way to Israel.
Ms Beckett said that she had raised the report with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and would issue a formal complaint to Washington if the report was found to be true.
The planes that landed at Prestwick had been designated "civilian flights" and US officials had failed to notify British authorities of their hazardous contents, The Times said.
It said that the diplomatic row was more about procedure than principle, and quoted an unnamed senior government official saying flights through Prestwick "will be allowed to continue".
"It is a right we have always granted."
The White House, too, has dismissed British concerns about the allegations, with spokesman Tony Snow yesterday calling it "a paperwork question".
The report came as British Prime Minister Tony Blair prepared to fly to the US today for a five-day trip.
He is not expected to raise the issue with US President George W. Bush.
In recent months Prestwick has also been the subject of claims that the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) used it for so-called "extraordinary rendition" flights to transport security suspects to third countries where torture might be used.
The Moscow City Court has sentenced Aslanbek Khasanov, the organizer of the bombing near a Moscow MacDonald's restaurant in October 2002, to 22 years in jail. The court found Khasanov guilty of terrorism, possessing and transporting ammunition, and murder, Interfax reports. On April 27 2004, the Moscow City Court sentenced the four other defendants in the Moscow restaurant bombing case to prison terms ranging between 15 and 22 years.
On October 19, 2002 a car bomb exploded behind a McDonald's franchise in Moscow, killing one and injuring at least seven. Police detained several suspects within the case, all of them alleged Muslim extremists supporting Chechnya's independence from Russia. The bombing took place days before the hostage crisis in Moscow Nord-Ost theater.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/27/2006 00:00 ||
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SERGEANT Asaf Namer's mother, Ava, begged her son not to fight but the 26-year-old's duty to his second home, Israel, drove him to volunteer for increasingly dangerous missions.
The Bondi personal trainer yesterday became the first Australian to die in the war in Lebanon after he and seven others in his unit were killed in a Hezbollah ambush in the southern town of Bent Jbail late on Wednesday night (AEST).
Still in shock yesterday, Ava Namer told The Australian that her son's death was not yet real to her.
"I still can't believe it, and he wants to go into combat," she said, almost to herself as she packed to fly to Israel yesterday afternoon.
"I'm just in shock, it's not true. It's horrible.
"I said, 'Stay here, don't go'. No, he wants to go fighting for his country. He's 25 (sic), he should stay here, he shouldn't go."
Ms Namer fled Israel during the 1991 Gulf War after it was targeted with Scud missiles, bringing Asaf and his older sister, Karin, now 29, to Australia.
She learned of his death at 3am yesterday morning, six hours after the ambush in the Hezbollah stronghold, when local Israeli embassy staff phoned her and described what happened.
"In Bent Jbail, they were in the mosque, all the Israelis were in the mosque, when they came out of the mosque they got ambushed," she said.
She said that at the time of the phone call the officials said her son's body had not been recovered from the scene because of the fighting.
Sergeant Namer had served as an Israeli soldier for just under two years, and planned to leave the service next month. Ms Namer pored over photos of her only son in uniform with his gun, and then pictures of an obviously happy young man with his girlfriend, Revital Bronstein, 29 - one of them lying on a bed together and another, arm in arm, by the sea in the Israeli city of Haifa.
He had only just talked to his mother about marrying Ms Bronstein.
"Maybe they get married, she was in the United States and when they came back they were going to live together," she said.
"Next month he's finished then they were going to live together.
"He said to me, everything's good, she loves him, he loves her, it was a big love."
She said her son enjoyed military life. "He would have liked more, he wants more combat, in the dangerous ones," she said.
Sergeant Namer's childhood friend Yael Mosesom told how the young soldier felt obligated to fight. She said he was a caring, headstrong young man. "He was such a unique kind of guy," she said.
"He wasn't your average type of male, I can tell you that now."
After graduating from Sydney's Moriah College with his HSC in 1997, Sergeant Namer began working as a personal trainer in Sydney, doing gigs at night as a DJ.
"He was doing it because he loved music, like he was big on fitness just because he loved it," his best friend, Danny Senecky, 26, said.
"It's an ideal for Jewish people. Going back to serve in the army is something that a lot of people aspire to but not many people actually do. Asaf was rare."
In Israel, Sergeant Namer had been living with his grandmother in the town on Kiryat Yam, near Haifa. He had returned to his birth country to be with his father.
Sergeant Namer had been serving with the Israel Defence Force's Golani 51 brigade when he was killed.
ONE of the men accused of plotting a terrorist attack in Australia had enough military-style ammunition to launch a continuous 35-hour barrage of gunfire. The evidence, from a ballistics expert, was quoted in court documents revealed yesterday as part of the case against nine Sydney men accused of planning an attack last year. The prosecution case against the group is so large it has been broken into 93 parts.
Court documents allege that as well as planning to construct improvised explosive devices, a massive arsenal was part of the group's plans for an attack. They show that a search in June last year of the home of one of the accused, Mohamed Ali Elomar, unearthed a cache of 12 rifles and pistols and 28,198 rounds of ammunition including 11,765 rounds of 7.62-calibre ammunition. "A ballistics expert has stated it would take approximately 34 hours and 48 minutes to fire all the 7.6239mm rounds in the possession of Elomar with the 7.62 rifle owned by Elomar which was seized by police," the court documents said.
Sigh, leaving out the obvious fact all that ammo was for a large group of terrorists with more than one gun.
When he was arrested in November, two pistols were found under his pillow.
Two more of the accused, Bradley Umar Baladjam and Mazen Touma were observed in June last year loading 7500 rounds of the same 7.62-calibre ammuni tion into a truck, which police later seized. "This type of ammunition is used in SKS or AK-47 type semi-automatic weapons," the documents say. Baladjam also tried to purchase a further 20,000 rounds of the 7.62 ammunition between July and August last year. The evidence includes dozens of statements from gun dealers about visits to gun shops and shooting ranges. Police and intelligence agencies watched the nine men's every move for more than a year before arresting them, even allowing them to take a "controlled delivery" of some chemicals that could be used in a bomb.
An index of evidence tabled in court includes 205 statements that have not been made available to the defence because they were awaiting an "undertaking". The top-secret evidence raised concerns yesterday that some defence lawyers were deliberately being excluded from the case. Among the statements not served were details of Moustafa Cheikho's alleged training with Lashkar-e-Taiba in 2001.
Speaking on behalf of the eight defence lawyers representing the nine accused, Greg Walsh, who is representing Baladjam, said he was concerned security clearances were being required for legal aid payments to exclude certain lawyers from the case. "I think it's a genuine agenda and I think it's a hidden agenda here and I think lawyers like me have a duty to speak out," he said. The eight lawyers have agreed not to submit themselves to security clearances. Prosecutor Wendy Abraham said two of the defence lawyers had been given the material after the prosecution had accepted assurances about its contents.
Posted by: Steve ||
07/27/2006 11:21 ||
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#1
Mebbe he was unaware that lawful Aussies are prohibited from owning firearms.
#2
Funny how the talk was about how much ammo he has and all the guns. But not much talk on his terrorist ties and plans. I guess the shock of owning a gun draws more press than a planned terrorist attack.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
07/27/2006 18:10 Comments ||
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#3
To leftists, the fact that he was in the country planning to kill you all isn't very exciting. But the thought that he had a GUN! Shocking!!!
The international effort to get to grips with the world's worst nuclear proliferation racket suffered a serious setback yesterday when the first criminal trial of an alleged top figure collapsed. A judge in the south-west German town of Mannheim threw out the prosecution case against Gotthard Lerch, a German engineer, four months into his trial on charges of helping Libya clandestinely build a nuclear bomb. Judge Peter Seidling said there was a danger of Mr Lerch not receiving a fair trial as the prosecution had withheld evidence.
The collapse of the proceedings is a major setback to the international attempt to close down the proliferation network of disgraced Pakistani metallurgist Abdul Qadeer Khan, who was exposed in 2003-4 as the supplier of nuclear technology, bomb blueprints and scientific expertise to Libya, Iran and North Korea. The outcome is a disaster for the German prosecution service, and came as the climax to a series of prosecution blunders.
Mr Lerch, 63, had been charged with violations of Germany's arms and exports laws for allegedly trafficking components for centrifuges for enriching uranium to Libya for Muammar Gadafy's since abandoned nuclear bomb programme. The prosecution alleged Mr Lerch was paid €28m (£19m) for the contracts. He faced up to 15 years' prison if found guilty.
The state prosecutor, Peter Lintz, said that Mr Lerch was among Mr Khan's four main associates, also said to have included British businessman Peter Griffin - who testified in May against Mr Lerch. Mr Griffin has denied any witting role in the scheme to turn Libya into a nuclear power. Mr Lerch also denied the charges.
Judge Seidling has yet to rule on whether there will be a retrial. The accused has been in German custody for more than a year and his defence team, which maintains that he was a fall guy for a western intelligence plot, is demanding his release. The defence team has regularly complained it was denied access to evidence, including German intelligence material.
The Lerch case was being closely monitored by international investigators since it was the first time that any suspect from the Khan network had been put on trial. Mr Khan admitted running the nuclear racket in February 2004 and was instantly pardoned by the Pakistani president, Pervez Musharraf.
Posted by: Steve ||
07/27/2006 14:46 ||
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One lost in Iraq two years ago, the other this weekend closing in on Osama in Afghanistan.
The second son was given an opportunity to opt out after he lost his older brother in the battle of Fallaluja. The younger son wanted to "continue the fight".
When these parents go home someday, their sons WILL be waiting for them.
#1
"The Lord bless you and keep you--the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious unto you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace."
#4
I Timothy 6:12
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
There is nothing I can say that would make you feel better. So, I won't. My condolences.
#5
Sometimes words fail. In such times, it's perhaps best to recall words already spoken by better men than I:
"I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours, to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom." -- Abraham Lincoln
fter this it was noised abroad that Mr. Valiant-for-truth was taken with a summons by the same post as the other, and had this for a token that the summons was true, "That his pitcher was broken at the fountain." Eccl. 12:6. When he understood it, he called for his friends, and told them of it. Then said he, I am going to my Father's; and though with great difficulty I have got hither, yet now I do not repent me of all the trouble I have been at to arrive where I am. My sword I give to him that shall succeed me in my pilgrimage, and my courage and skill to him that can get it. My marks and scars I carry with me, to be a witness for me that I have fought His battles who will now be my rewarder. When the day that he must go hence was come, many accompanied him to the river-side, into which as he went, he said, "Death, where is thy sting?" And as he went down deeper, he said, "Grave, where is thy victory?" 1 Cor. 15:55. So he passed over, and all the trumpets sounded for him on the other side.
#11
God bless you and yours. Thank you for your sons' service to our Country. May God grant you the Peace that passes all Understanding.
Posted by: BA ||
07/27/2006 14:14 Comments ||
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#12
I recall a Rantburg article a little while ago about Lebanese civilian deaths from Israeli bombings. There were no shedding of tears, no sweet Bible quotes or excerpts from Pilgrim's Progress. Just people saying that they have no sympathy for the dead. Because after all, all Lebanese supporters of Hezbollah, and if they are not, then they are just casualities of war for which no sorrow is called for.
Now a man has lost his children for the War on Terror. Such outpouring of affection and condolences. Except of course, if he were to say that Bush shouldn't have gone to war in Iraq, or if people realized that he is a poor Hispanic guy who may have voted for the Democrats in the last election. Then he would deserve his fate and the tear-jerking Bible quotes would stop. He might even be a damn Mexican taking our jobs.
Ah hypocrisy. Selective humanity is always wonderful to behold.
#16
I wasn't trolling. I did have a point to make--which you don't agree with, understandably. You on the other hand, definitely are trolling, unless guessing at what I do with my hands is the best logical comeback your brain can manage.
#18
Queeg, dear, Israeli munitions are so selective that while the Hizb'allah neighborhoods in Beirut are being turned to rubble, the next street over -- in the Christian neighborhood, or the Sunni, or the Druze -- the discos and the pubs and the cafes are overflowing with light and music and people enjoying the lovely evenings. I think it was one of the CNN reporters that showed film of that yesterday or the day before (check Rantburg - I saw the article here). And last week there were reports from southern Lebanon of gunbattles between Shia villagers trying to escape the barrage and Hizb'allah "militants" seeking to keep them there as human shields. Oh, and the 500,000+ refugees who've fled from Lebanon to Syria -- the Syrians are resentful about rising crime and housing prices.
The only conclusion one can draw from such facts on the ground, Mr. Queeg, is that the only Lebanese civilians left to be bombed are either Hizb'allah "militants" pretending not to be, their active supporters, or their unwilling shields. Regardless, functionally they were murdered by the Hizb'allah terror organization or martyred by them... in a war that Hizb'allah started on Iran's orders.
If those are the people you choose to grieve for, then you've picked your side. There is no moral equivalence in the situation.
Oh, yes. If you want to argue about the children and infants killed, either their parents allowed by choosing to stay, or Hizb'allah caused it by trapping them there. Either way, it was Lebanese adults that chose their deaths, not Israel.
#19
Queeg, which side are you on, Western enlightenment or Islamic darkness? Or do you fancy yourself above such trifles as defending your country, much the Lebanese did wrt Iranian sponsored Hizb'Allah taking over large tracts of territory and waging war from it? Final analysis, the Lebanese allowed cross border war to be launched from "Lebanese" territory. Now they are suffering the consequences, albeit tiny to what could be brought to bear. If the Lebs claim that the territory was not under their control, then they won't have any problems with the Israelis annexing it and bring it under control.
Posted by: ed ||
07/27/2006 17:17 Comments ||
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#20
Queeg, normally I try to be very cordial, even to dumbasses like you. The viseral responce you are getting from all the fine folks here at Rantburg have absolutely no problem with you discussion of the plight of the civs and the right or wrong of this war. But damnit when people are giving their respects for the dead there is no place for debate like yours! You fit in with that ass that goes to funerals to protest. If you want to spur debate go to another article and fire at will. Keep your bullshit retoric out of aricles like this!
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
07/27/2006 17:55 Comments ||
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My only point was that any innocent life lost must be mourned. You mentioned unwilling Lebanese being used as meatshields by the Hezbollah. Sure, it's not the Israelis fault that they die, but does that mean those people don't deserve our pity? If you read my post, you will see that that's all I meant. Even those people need the precious bible quotes, that's all. Or does getting killed helplessly just automatically make them unworthy of our prayers?
Also, I think your trust in Israeli surgical precision in their attacks is misplaced. I know of at least one Indian Hindu (can't remember the name)who was killed while working at a glssware plant in Lebanon. This happened in the first day of the Israeli bombings, so he persumably had no chance of leaving in time. Does he not deserve any sympathy?
ed:
Does my view that being selective in mourning people is hypocritical, put me on the side of Islamic darkness? Then by your logic, Islamic darkness almost seems cool, which I'm sure wasn't your intention.
49 Pan:
Me posting on a "RANT"ing website is not similar to someone desecrating a military funeral by protesting. For all your heartfelt biblethumping, the poor guy who lost his kids is very unlikely to see this article on this website anyway, so how does is it matter? Anybody can sit on their cushy ass and type a couple of lines on Rantburg showing their "solidarity" with someone who lost a loved one... and then move on to the next available porn site without skipping a beat.
#23
From this old soldiers perspective very soldier is a son, every family member a brother. So to imply that our "Solidarity" is not genuine shows you are so far off the fucking mark you come across as a fucking idiot. Clearly you missed the mark at even the lowest level here, pay attention here. Instead you resort to calling me a bible thumper, coffee alert for those that know me, and I prefer my sleeze in person so I'm not a porn surfer either, but nice try. If you care to know my passion go to www.zambokids.org. I have an ass load credit card debt and no savings trying to support these kids that number about 40% Muslim. When I first came across them they were mostly war orphans. So yes I do give a shit about the loss of life of all the kids and people that are not in the fight. The discussion as to the validity of the war is also warranted. Just not anywhere near an article where we express our sadness for a family that has experienced the horror of an experience such as this.
Where is .com when I need him???
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
07/27/2006 19:29 Comments ||
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#24
So to imply that our "Solidarity" is not genuine shows you are so far off the fucking mark you come across as a fucking idiot.
He's of a type: the "moral exhibitionist." For some reason, people like him feel some sort of compulsion to constantly badger other people about their alleged moral failings.
It's a form of public masturbation.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
07/27/2006 19:38 Comments ||
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#25
As John Donn said (paraphrased), the death of any man diminishes my world and me. I believe that the death of any GOOD man diminishes my nation and my world. As an old soldier, I've buried many good friends - killed in combat, killed in training, killed in just plain living. It's never easy, and it's never "good", but there are times when sacrifice is needed, and good men give their "last, full measure" to secure and maintain the freedom most of us take for granted. It's now up to the rest of us to ensure that this family's sacrifice is justified, by bringing peace and freedom to those that long for it, and are willing to give their lives alongside those of our young men to bring a freedom never before experienced to their nation and their peoples. God bless all men that fight for freedom, and especially the two sons of this Texas family.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
07/27/2006 21:07 Comments ||
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#27
Queeg don't do this. Especially on this thread.
"So how does it matter?" It matters a great deal to me and I'm sure many others here.
Respect for the dead and their families sacrifices mean something here.
Yes very well said OP. Ditto
Posted by: Jan ||
07/27/2006 22:17 Comments ||
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#28
This must be Andrew Velez of Lubbock, Texas.
He is a selfless man who did what he believed was
right, although I am sure he really enjoyed working
with the other great guys out there.
Of course it is the loved ones who have to live on
without the great guy who suffer most.
I hope Sean Hanity's Ollie North's foundation will
help if there are children
An Uzbek national arrested in Pakistan has told interrogators that Al Qaeda organised this year's deadly suicide attack on the United States consulate in Karachi, a security official said on Wednesday. Five people, including an American diplomat, were killed in the suicide bombing outside the US mission on March 2, the eve of a visit to Islamabad by US President George W Bush.
The security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the Uzbek Al Qaeda suspect had been picked up a few weeks ago in Wana, South Waziristan. The official said the suspect had revealed that the attack had been planned by a Qaeda unit and executed by local militants. "He said he brought the plan to Karachi from Wana and handed it over to local militants for execution," the official said. "The whole plan to bomb the consulate before President Bush's arrival was conceived by Al Qaeda in the tribal territory of Waziristan," he added. "We are very close to resolving the case and we believe that most of those who planned the attack were Uzbeks."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/27/2006 00:00 ||
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(KUNA) -- Unknown gunmen Wednesday shot dead principal of a cadet college in Southwestern Baluchistan province, said an official. Mian Maqbool Ahmed was gunned down near his residence in Mastung district, 50 kilometers southwest of Quetta, the provincial capital, District Police Officer (DPO) Hamid Shaukat told KUNA. He said it was not immediately clear who carried out the attack but authorities suspected nationalist militants hand behind the killing.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/27/2006 00:00 ||
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Government soldiers killed at least four suspected Islamic militants yesterday, three of them after they had illegally entered the Indian portion of Kashmir from Pakistani territory, an army spokesman said. The army recovered the bodies of three suspected insurgents after an exchange of gunfire in the Gurez sector along the Line of Control, said Col. H. Juneja, the army spokesman.
The intruders opened fire when challenged by the army on the Indian side of Kashmir, Juneja told The Associated Press. Another suspected Islamic guerrilla died in a gunbattle early yesterday in Handwara, a densely forested region north of Srinagar, the summer capital of India's Jammu-Kashmir state. The operation lasted more than four hours, Juneja said. Separately, suspected rebels hurled a grenade at a bus stand in Narbal, a village about 15 kilometres (10 miles) north of Srinagar, wounding five civilians, said Farooq Ahmed, a top police official in Kashmir. No group has claimed responsibility for the grenade attack.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/27/2006 00:00 ||
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MUMBAI: Two Indian Muslims, one of them a chemical engineer, have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in this month's Mumbai train bombings that killed more than 180 people, police said yesterday. "Two men were arrested on Tuesday night for their role in the blast incidents," K P Raghuvanshi, chief of Mumbai Police's anti-terrorism squad, said.
Jamir Sheikh, 31, and Sohail Sheikh, 38, were arrested after being questioned for several days over the blasts. Police suspect the two provided logistics support to the bombers, and they may have visited Pakistan to receive training. Jamir, who ran a key-cutting shop in Mumbai, and engineer Sohail were allegedly trained on how to make bombs in Pakistan in 2004-05, additional commissioner of police Jayjit Singh said. "They are from the core group that gave support to the terrorists," he alleged. "They had training in 2004-05. They told us and we have evidence for it. There will be more arrests," Singh added.
Police further said that the train bombers had probably left the country after the number of arrests in the inquiry rose to six. DNA newspaper said the duo had allegedly confessed to being members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a pro-Pakistan militant group. Police have said that the seven co-ordinated blasts that ripped through packed first-class train carriages on July 11 bore the hallmarks of Lashkar-e-Taiba but have stopped short of directly blaming the group. "We don't have conclusive proof but we believe it's true that the people who have done it are out of the country," said Singh.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/27/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
one of them a chemical engineer
Obviously an oppressed fellow, denied educational opportunity by the wicked kafir hindoos...
Posted by: john ||
07/27/2006 16:30 Comments ||
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MUMBAI: The name of Azim Chima has emerged as a common link between many of the arrests and detentions that have followed Terror Tuesday. Officials say Chima, whom they suspect of having played a significant role in the serial blasts of 11 July, was also responsible for training the bombers for 28 days before they were "prepared" for their mission. Chima, a key commander of the Lashkar-e-Taiba and in charge of the agency's anti-India operations, is based in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir and runs a militant-training centre in Bhawalpur.
Officials, who have been tracking Chima's terror career, say he is known for imparting various types of training depending on the module to which an operative is attached. If a trainee, for instance, is attached to a module involved in making bombs, he is told about various improvised explosive devices, the ingredients used in making them, their availability in the market (the ammonium nitrate and fuel oil used in the 11/7 blasts were easily available in the market) and given real-time demonstration on how a plastic explosive is detonated. Chima, officials say, also gives training on how to operate rocket launchers, Stinger missiles, AK-56 assault rifles and throw hand grenades. "He is a key planner in the Lashkar camp and trains people on how to strategise. He also trains the operatives on how to take advantage of weaknesses in the internal security system," a senior officer said.
Chima communicates with militants across the border in Kashmir on a regular basis. The Intelligence Bureau has nabbed a few terrorists in the recent past by keeping tabs on these conversations. Officials say Chima also arranges for funds for LeT operations; he sends this through the hawala network. In the recent past, Chima has turned his attention to directing LeT operatives in Maharashtra to recruit young men who can avenge the 2002 Gujarat riots. The Gujarat Muslim Revenge Force, an offshoot of LeT, is one such example, say officials.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/27/2006 00:00 ||
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(Weeks old, but interesting). The Haditha incident may have been the result of WWII-style house-clearing techniques, where instead of knocking first - and giving the enemy the chance to kill the point man - Marines detected shots coming from a house and grenaded and shot it up after noticing movement within the house. These aggressive rules of engagement make sense given that there was just over a squad of marines in a four-humvee convoy, one of which had been knocked out.
New evidence continues to emerge that U.S. Marines did not wantonly kill Iraqi civilians in Haditha last November - and the soldiers' accounts of what happened are backed up by videotape shot by an ultralight vehicle, NewsMax has learned.
According to media reports, last Nov. 19 members of a Marine Corps company killed some 24 innocent civilian Iraqis in Haditha, a town 140 miles northwest of Baghdad and near the Syrian border.
In the ensuing media firestorm that broke out after the story was revealed, many news reports here and abroad compared the Haditha deaths to the infamous My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War.
Michael Sallah, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his My Lai reporting, has said: "You would have difficulties finding a single newspaper in Germany or elsewhere in Europe which does not deal with My Lai."
But the facts and accounts from Marines and others on the ground tell another story.
#1
I look forward to this being resolved according to the truth, not politics. If they're innocent, I want Murtha tarred and feathered - after being forced to resign from the House.
Gee, I wonder what will become of his political tour for House candidates if it turns out that he's a cocksucking liar... Think Nancy will still want to send her boy out to rouse the base(less)?
#2
Murtha's tour is to the 'true believers'. They've never cared a wit about truth, it's all about how they feel. The tour is to raise money. They will. Cause in the end for them, its not about truth, justice, or 'the American Way', its about power.
#3
I've got a couple of old feather pillows around here. Who has the tar? Also, we need a large rail, to ride him out of Washington on. I think I can supply that, also...
On second thought, I think I'll DONATE that to all the other non-active Marines, so they can do it "to one of their own". The Marines not only take care of their own, they also clense their ranks. This is definitely one case where that's needed.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
07/27/2006 21:14 Comments ||
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(KUNA) -- A senior Iraqi official found dead a few hours after being kidnapped on Wednesday. A police source said the body of the Major-General Abdullah Shahadhah was found in Al-Sh'ab area to the east of Baghdad. Shahadhah was the director of Iraq's residency department in-charge of handling the affairs of expatriates and foreign visitors.
In another development, Iraq's Defense Ministry, in a press release, said during the past 24 hours, security forces arrested 32 gunmen, liberated two hostages and found three dead bodies belonging to two males and a female.
In addition, gunmen disguised as army soldiers kidnapped 17 civilians. Speaking to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), a police source said the gunmen stormed a residential building and kidnapped the civilians that included 10 men, five women and two children. The description of vehicles used by the gunmen was distributed to checkpoints in an attempt to rescue the hostages, added the source.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/27/2006 00:00 ||
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(KUNA) -- The Iraqi Army announced Wednesday that its soldiers were able to arrest eight people suspected of being fighters in Tal Afar west of Mosul, in Northern Iraq. Official in charge of operations in the Iraqi Army's second Corps Colonel Lokman Khurshid said in a press statement that the soldiers of the Iraqi army had arrested eight persons in the neighbourhood of Al Muthanna during a raid in Tal Afar. He pointed out that different weapons were seized in Valley Muthanna, adding that caves were discovered in the area.
Khurshid said that the search was still under way in the region and that the weapons seized were three mortars, three detonators of explossive devicess and a locally manufactured rocket launcher, four hand grenades and four Kalashnikov rifles in addition to the quantities of the bullets.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/27/2006 00:00 ||
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An Israel Defense Forces analysis of the messages transmitted by Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah to his men during the fighting in Lebanon reveals a slightly different tone from the one he took in three public television interviews in the same period and in an interview with the Lebanese newspaper A-Safir. A senior officer said Nasrallah took a less bellicose position when engaging in his internal dialogue in his organization, than in his appearances in the Arab media - but he remained aggressive.
Nasrallah's tone is apologetic in his messages and he explains that Israel escalated the confrontation by striking deep inside Lebanon after the soldiers were abducted, the officer said. Nasrallah admits that his organization is having morale problems and says his group will receive support and encouragement. He adds that not only Hezbollah, but also Israel, has been badly hit. He also complains frequently that the Arab states have deserted Hezbollah and the Lebanese and are not helping them against Israel.
The army admits that Nasrallah is prepared to continue fighting for a long time and that its military strength has not been broken in a way that will prevent it from carrying out its objectives. Nasrallah is continuing to function although he is underground.
All the media interviews came at his initiative and his men dictated the terms to the journalists to ensure his safety.
Israel is sparing no effort to try and assassinate him.
Hezbollah is believed to be planning additional surprises, as Nasrallah said, and these could include detonating a drone carrying explosives over Israel or firing Iranian Zilzal rockets at Tel Aviv. It is possible that Nasrallah will want to send such a missile as a last move before a cease-fire is set in motion, in order to serve as a deterrent in future rounds of fighting with Israel, the officer said.
Since the start of the fighting, the officer added, Hezbollah has suffered two significant hits: The bombing of its rocket alignment particularly the long-range rockets, and the losses of fighters which, after the latest ground battles, are estimated at around 100.
The officer said that, among those killed were senior activists.
This isn't much of a surprise, except for the speed in which Israel has tapped into Hezbollah's internal communications. Nasrallah admitted that he didn't anticipate the overwhelming Israeli response, a miscalculation that certainly has contributed to the declining morale in his organization. After all, Nasrallah made this sound like a milk run, and now the jihadis have another Israeli invasion on their hands.
It also sounds like Nasrallah had to make an accounting of his actions in order to convince his men to continue their fight. Having a commander communicate an apology of this sort indicates a growing dissatisfaction with leadership in the ranks. Nasrallah so far has done nothing to convince anyone that he has a grasp of either strategy or tactics. He has proven that he has no understanding of his enemy, nor much of his putative allies in the region, almost all of whom have declined to rush to his side in this fight.
Nasrallah had better have a victory to show them soon, or he may find himself replaced with wiser counsel.
Posted by: Mike ||
07/27/2006 13:05 Comments ||
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#2
Why would Israel release this information?
This seems to make the NYTimes security leaks look trivial.
2. Israel wants to use the intercept to undermine pan-Arab support for Hezbollah and the morale of Hezbollah and its sponsors (Iran & Syria), and judges this political objective worth the possible loss of a source of intercepts. (Could be.) With respect to that latter point, it's possible that:
a. Israel has a mole in Hezbollah who provided the intercept, and wants Hezbollah to think their code is broken so as to defect suspicion from the mole; hence, the sourcing to "IDF intercepts." (Possible.)
b. Israel is reading Hezbollah's mail and wants Hezbollah to think there's a mole in its ranks, thereby sowing fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD) and maybe provoking fratricide. (Possible.)
c. The whole thing is a fabrication, aimed at FUD-ing the Iranians and Syrians and their meeting with Nasrallah. (Lost less likely than (a) and (b) above, but if it's true, oh my, are these Mossad boys good or what?)
d. Mike has read his Tom Clancy novels and his copy of David Kahn's The Codebreakers too many times. (Definitely!)
Posted by: Mike ||
07/27/2006 13:41 Comments ||
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#4
"IDF: Nasrallah talk less bellicose"
He'll be even less bellicose when he's hanging by the neck at the end of a rope. Hunt the fucker down and kill him.
#7
While shouting 'Death to Israel' for years to his followers, Mr. Nasrallh forgot to mention that an attack on Israel would be no 'cake walk'. Now reality is setting in as Israel continues to kick their asses.
Posted by: Master Chef ||
07/27/2006 14:18 Comments ||
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#8
gorb
nope - I don't work for the NYTimes.
I never have.
In fact, I've never worked for any daily, weekly or monthly news pub
#9
"I'm not so sure about that. My understanidng, it is supposed to be pretty liberal and anti-government. Anybody from Israel able to comment?"
Theyre definitely on the dovish side, no friends to West Bank settlers, perpetually hopeful about Abbas, etc, etc. But this war even the doves (like Yossi Beilin) are supporting. I doubt theyd leak something they thought would harm national security. Note its sourced to a senior officer.
Any American lawyer could fix that problem easily:
"This terrorgram contains information that is intended only for the recipient named and may be confidential and subject to the terrorist communications privilege. Inshallah, if you are not the intended recipient or an agent responsible for delivering this communication to the intended recipient, or worse yet, if you are a Zionist occupier of Palestine, you are hereby notified that you have received this terrorgram by error, and that any review, dissemination, or distribution of this terrorgram is strictly prohibited by several suras of the Q'uran. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by telephone at 1-800-BOMB and delete the original without forwarding it to the Mossad. Thank you, infidel pig."
Posted by: Matt ||
07/27/2006 15:45 Comments ||
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#13
Far too much handwringing, he "sounds" less bellicose.
Meantime, the missiles keep flying into Israel killing and wounding innocence, there are still two soldiers kidnapped, there were 8 soldiers who loved ones wish were still alive.
Nasal's best sounds will be his last.
Posted by: Captain America ||
07/27/2006 16:37 Comments ||
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#14
Several commenters at The Cap't's are reporting It seems that among the treasures the IDF uncovered, was the information on the BUNKER SYSTEM. Which contained deeply buried reserves of missiles, launchers, food, and water. That's why there's been more bombing around and in Beirut.
I can find no other source about this. Anyone know if this is true? Thanks
#15
Blame Giulio Douhet! Italian military officer and early advocate of airpower. He was an early supporter of strategic bombing and the military superiority of air forces. He served in World War I, organizing Italy's bombing campaign, but was court-martialed for criticizing the Italian high command by publicly declaiming Italy's aerial weakness. He was released when his theories were proven true by the defeat of Italian arms by the Austrian Air Force at Caporetto. He was later recalled and was promoted (1921) to general. In 1922 he was appointed head of Italy's aviation program by Benito Mussolini. His book Command of the Air (1921) was very influential, especially in Great Britain and the United States and was regarded as a classic by early airpower theorists. He argued that command of an enemy's air space and subsequent bombing of industrialized centers would be so disruptive and destructive that the pressure for peace would be overwhelming. He maintained that control of the air could win a war regardless of land or sea power. Douhet's theories remain very popular, especially among military aviators. He is known as the father of airpower.
#16
Ha'aretz thinks it is the NYT of Israel, and so does the NYT, which links to it as one of the international newspapers it recommends. That said, I think Ha'aretz is thinking in terms of "the newspaper of record" and not "on the other side." Whatever Ha'aretz's conceits, when my father moved to the US, he got a mail subscription to the Jerusalem Post, despite being so Labour that he was the #2 man in Israel's OSHA for a number of years after independence (hwas responsible for the northern half of the country including the Haifa docks, where he instituted the wearing of hard hats and steel-toed shoes, cutting deaths from 1 per thousand man-hours to less than 1/year (yes, I'm very proud of him -- subsequently he went into the biochemistry professor shtick)).
#17
I think wretchard may have hit the nail on the head.
His hypothesis that the bombing in Beirut as well as the attacks on the border can only be understood as an attempt to disorientate the Hezbollah leadership (head) from the cadre (body). Releasing this statement would fit into that strategy of severing the head from the body by intimating that they are able to hack into the communication between both at will, in order to disorientate the group.
#18
I've always found the JP to be much more to my liking than Haaretz. Haaretz still believes in Oslo. Yes, on reflection I would think they probably do see themselves as Israel's NYT while they see the JP as Israel's New York Post. They're wrong in that assessment but none are so blind...(just like the NYT).
Posted by: mac ||
07/27/2006 17:33 Comments ||
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#19
hearatz is a mouthpiece for socialist hegemony.
forget islamofascism, thats the appendage used by the brain trust at the top to cultivate armies of useful idiots, all the leaders of the opposition are socialists....surprised?
the cold war is on and the useful idiots are the religious fanatics. Every movement needs to coesxist within an economic system....guess which system they have all coallessed around! the one and only ....socialism; disease of the pseudo elite.
Goooooooooooood morning, Gaza!
GAZA (Reuters) - An Israeli voice interrupted a Palestinian radio broadcast in Gaza on Thursday with a stern message in Arabic.
"The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) call on residents near the agriculture college to leave. Army forces will target it because terrorists use the place to fire rockets against the state of Israel," the voice said.
The message from the army was the latest to warn of an impending strike in what Israel says is an attempt to avoid civilian casualties, and the Palestinian government, led by the Hamas Islamist militant group, calls a "psychological war." Okay. So don't warn them. Wouldn't want to piss off, Hamas, would they?
"Many people left their houses near the agriculture college following the Israeli message on the radio," said Yamen Hamad, a local journalist from Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip.
"People take these threats very seriously and they live in panic awaiting the hour of destruction," he told Reuters.
The agriculture college had not been bombed by 1230 GMT, two hours after the broadcast.
The Information Ministry accused Israel of trying to spread panic in an offensive, launched a month ago, which has so far failed to achieve its goals of recovering a captured soldier and ending cross-border rocket fire.
At least 148 Palestinians have been killed in the campaign, which has not slackened despite being overshadowed by Israel's war with Hizbollah guerrillas in Lebanon. Three people were killed on Thursday.
The army confirmed the practice of issuing warnings in Gaza by breaking into radio and television broadcasts as well as through phone calls, flyers and loudspeakers.
"It is not a psychological war," an Israeli army spokesman said. "It's only due to the fact that Palestinian terrorists are operating from these civilian areas."
At least six Palestinian houses have been bombed, hours after receiving warning calls from Israeli army officers.
When Omar al-Mamlouk got a call two days ago, he thought at first it was a cruel joke by an acquaintance.
"What IDF? Are you joking me?" Mamlouk asked, but the firm voice replied: "The IDF does not joke with anybody."
Mamlouk hurried to alert his family. As soon as they left, abandoning all their furniture, the place was bombed.
"Let the house be destroyed for the sake of Palestine," Mamlouk said, denying army allegations the house was used to store arms for the Islamic Jihad militant group. No, no. Doesn't sound like somebody who'd support Islaminc Jihad...
Concerned that some Palestinians might imitate the Israeli warnings as pranks, the Palestinian attorney general has decided to stop callers hiding their number. Mahmoud Al-Beavis and Achmed Al-Butthead...
Many government officials, militants and some ordinary Palestinians had used the service, enabling them to conceal their phone numbers for security as well as social reasons.
The lone Palestinian Mobile phone company, Jawwal, circulated a text message to subscribers on Wednesday telling them they would no long be allowed to conceal their numbers. The IDF thanks you.
#4
This Gaza offensive is still using the old and outdated techniques, guaranteed that in long run to return everything to the status quo. The Israelis have got to cut that crap out.
Everything they do has to have *some*, *any*, permanent gain attached to it, otherwise it is ultimately futile. And the only gain that can be made against the Paleos is land.
And don't allow an Israeli civilian so much as to set a foot on that confiscated land, either, under threat of spending the next few years in prison. It is to remain a neutral zone, empty of people, and of buildings, and plowed flat without cover or concealment. Kept as a "military training area".
And thereafter, each and every time an offensive act is made by the Paleos, they lose another 100 acres. Without judicial review or appeal to the Israeli courts.
If necessary, using eminent domain to buy the land from its owner, whether or not he wants to sell. The fair market value of empty desert.
#5
Omar: HeyÂ….Mahmoud, whatÂ’s with all the long pipes yer stuffinÂ’ under your house? Mahmoud: AhhÂ…umÂ…er just fixing my plumbing. Omar: ReallyÂ…no shit, whereÂ’d ya get the dough to do that? [ClickÂ…Click] Hang on MahmoudÂ…damn call-waiting! [ClickÂ…Click] Yellohh. IDFÂ…what IDF? Are you joking me? [ClickÂ…Click] YeahÂ… MahmoudÂ…ya there? Just some frikkin pranksters. Now, where were we [ClickÂ… crackle Â…hummmmmmmmm] Mahmoud: Omar?Â…OmarÂ…can ya hear me know? Omar: [hummmmmmmmmÂ….crackleÂ… hummmmmmmmm]
#6
Oh, there's a permanent gain by the thunder runs through Gaza. Its a demonstration that Hamas, elected to fight and conquer Isreal, is impotent when push comes to shove. Its a punishment for the attacks and for electing a confrontational government. And its protective by destroying whatever stores Hamas has accumulated.
The Paleos wanted a state. Ok, they have one, states that attack other states that are stronger get their teeth smashed in. Welcome to the real world, buddy.
In a special meeting Thursday on the IDF's operations in Lebanon, most of the members of the security cabinet expressed their opposition to expanding ground missions, as per the army's request, and it appeared unlikely that IDF plans would be approved. Olmert needs to make sure his cabinet doesn't go wobbly.
Meanwhile, no heavy fighting was reported Thursday morning as IDF troops headed towards the center of Bint Jbail, where on Wednesday a well-planned Hizbullah ambush on the outskirts of the southern Lebanese village devastated Battalion 51 of the Golani Brigade, leaving eight soldiers, including three officers, dead and 24 wounded. Israel is getting too skittish about accepting any casualties. It is one thing not to lose the Army. It is another to not accept the inevitable casualties of war.
Dozens of Hizbullah gunmen armed with antitank missiles and machine guns and geared up in night-vision goggles and bulletproof vests set a trap for a force of Golani infantrymen led by Lt.-Col. Yaniv Asor, commander of Battalion 51. At 5 a.m. Wednesday, Asor and his men asked the Golani command center for permission to enter an area of the outskirts of Bint Jbail. Col. Tamir Yidai, commander of the brigade, gave the green light for the operation.
Asor and his men moved quickly through approximately 15 one-story homes. But as the troops moved through the narrow alleyways, a strong Hizbullah force sent a wave of gunfire and missiles at the force, killing and wounding several soldiers in the first moments of the fight. As Asor and his men fought to regain control of the situation, other Hizbullah cells outflanked them and opened fire on the force as well as other IDF positions in the town.
The battle lasted for several hours during which Asor and his men sustained heavy casualties and killed at least 40 Hizbullah guerrillas, some in gunbattles at point-blank range. Then the evacuation of the wounded began, which lasted six hours due to incessant enemy fire. Four IAF helicopter pilots risked their lives by landing in enemy territory.
Men from the Golani's elite reconnaissance unit and from Battalion 51 carried stretchers with their wounded comrades for three kilometers to the helicopters, which landed for just under one minute at a time beneath a cover of smoke grenades and massive artillery fire before taking off to evacuate the wounded to Israeli hospitals.
Meanwhile at the Golani Brigade's command center, emotions ran high as word came in of the fierce gunbattle and the heavy casualties. Soldiers ran back and forth with maps and officers screamed into encrypted cellular phones coordinating the evacuation of the wounded.
At one point, Brig.-Gen. Gal Hirsh, commander of Division 91, stepped out of the command center to update Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz. "We can't land the helicopters," he said. "The fighting is too intense."
On Tuesday, things in the town had looked entirely different. The IDF, senior officers announced matter-of-factly, had it surrounded and were in control of the town. "The town is in our control," Hirsh said Tuesday. "The work is almost completed and the terrorists are fleeing." Some terrorists, however, seem to have remained, with deadly results.
The Golani's fight didn't end the combat Bint Jbail. Wednesday evening, after the IDF had once again declared it had secured the town, a Paratrooper force nearby was hit by a Sagger antitank missile. One officer was killed and three soldiers were wounded in the attack and in the gunfight that ensued.
A high-ranking source in the Northern Command told The Jerusalem Post Wednesday that Bint Jbail could not be attacked by air since there were still several hundred civilians there. The officer said that the fighting in the town would continue at least for a day or two. Israel has to get tougher. Civilians should have been long gone and given Hezb'Allah's composition, it is quesionable whether anyone still in town was really a civilian or Hezb'Allah support.
OC Northern Command Maj.-Gen. Udi Adam said that the war in Lebanon would continue for several more weeks. "There will unfortunately be more days like this," Adam told reporters. "We need to achieve our goal to completely overcome Hizbullah."
A senior Hizbullah official, Mahmoud Komati, told The Associated Press Wednesday that IDF forces had managed to seize a few points inside Bint Jbail, but had not yet taken the town center. The IDF said several Hizbullah fighters had taken cover in a mosque. Why is it so hard to just let the IAF to drop the mosque. It's not like they will get worse publicity from the MSM.
Komati denied fighters were taking cover in a mosque and suggested the people involved may be civilians. "Fighters don't take shelter in mosques. They fight on the battlefield. If they can't, they retreat, but not to mosques," said.
Rahhal, a Hizbullah spokesman, angrily responded to a question about the mosque refuge. "What's the Israelis business that our fighters were in the mosque? Maybe they were praying at the time!" he said. Or replenishing their ammo. What difference does it make, spiritual resupply or physical resupply?
#1
"Meanwhile, no heavy fighting was reported Thursday morning as IDF troops headed towards the center of Bint Jbail, ".
They are waiting for the IDF to say they have control, then they will attack. Get more press that way.
#2
Rahhal, a Hizbullah spokesman, angrily responded to a question about the mosque refuge. "What's the Israelis business that our fighters were in the mosque? Maybe they were praying at the time!" he said.
#3
Israel should not have started going into Lebanon if they were not willing to do what it takes to destroy Hezbollah. Looks like they did not think this through and, if they go for some sort of hudna, it is going to result in further humiliation for Israel and aggrandizement of Hezbollah and its Iranian sponsor. Not good.
We spoke with a group of soldiers returning from 48 hours of intense fighting, including the rescue of soldiers from a tank destroyed in the fighting.
"They are attacking us in a very organized position," one soldier said. "They know where we are coming from. They know everything. They shoot us wherever they like. It's their country." He added they are "very well armed."
Now more Israeli soldiers are on the way, including an armored unit being transferred from Gaza to Lebanon. They have been told civilians have left the region where they will fight. "Over here, everybody is the army," one soldier said. "Everybody is Hezbollah. There's no kids, women, nothing."
Another soldier put it plainly: "We're going to shoot anything we see."
#1
""They know where we are coming from. They know everything."
Get a clue IDF, the UN observation posts are passing intelligence to the Hezbollah. Give a 10 minute warning and destroy every UN post.
"They are attacking us in a very organized position,"
This is what happens when you fight a war where appeasing the MSM is the primary goal. FAE the strongholds and be done with it. I know Rumsfeld would've done it. Maybe they could borrow Rumsfeld for a couple of days.
#5
Why are the un posts still manned? They were put in place to prevent Hezbollah from moving arms into south Lebanon and prevent hostilities. Since that mission was a resounding failure (one more onto the un history) there is absolutely no reason for the “peace keepers” to stay put.
#7
The only reason the UN troops are still there is what is known as passive resistance. That is to delay or slow down in a crowded intersection to screw those behind you. Asshole drivers do it all the time. In this case the asshole is Kofi Annon.
This is just another proof that the UN is not serious about it's duties. Kofi and most of the other UN delegates are playing VIP.
I'm not anybody important, but I play a VIP at the UN. They're just not serious.
#8
The UN is providing info to the Hezzies--you know it. IDF tell the UN outpost that you are bombing in 10 minutes (if you are feeling charitable). Or better yet, wait until the UN investigation team arrives and then bomb again. Solves a couple of problems. Seldom do you get a two-fer.
#10
there is absolutely no reason for the “peace keepers” to stay put.
"This coordinated artillery and aerial attack on a long established and clearly marked U.N. post at Khiyam occurred despite personal assurances given to me by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that U.N. positions would be spared Israeli fire," Annan said.
#11
The UN is providing info to the Hezzies--you know it. IDF tell the UN outpost that you are bombing in 10 minutes (if you are feeling charitable). Or better yet, wait until the UN investigation team arrives and then bomb again. Solves a couple of problems. Seldom do you get a two-fer.
The straw in your shoes is beginning to show. The UN peacekeepers are composed of soldiers from all over the globe, many of them allies. A Canadian soldier died in that attack. I know the US doesn't participate in these missions, so you don't give a shit about who you kill, but I do. So fuck you.
Amir Peretz (Hebrew: עמיר פרץ; born March 9, 1952) is an Israeli politician and Defense Minister of Israel. He also is the current leader of the Labour Party of Israel. Peretz is the former chairman of the Histadrut trade union federation and defeated Shimon Peres in the primary elections for the Labour leadership in November 9, 2005. He led the Labour Party to a second place showing in the 2006 Israeli elections. He was sworn in as Defense Minister[1] along with the rest of the new Cabinet of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on May 4, 2006.
[..]
Views and beliefs
Peretz is strongly committed to social issues and to the strengthening of the welfare state. He has declared that "within two years of taking office I will have eradicated child poverty in Israel". Notwithstanding, he has also reiterated his commitment to a market economy. For his movement in latter years towards "third way" positions, as well as for his earthy and warm personality, Peretz has been compared to Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
In matters concerning relations with the Palestinians and the Arab world, Peretz holds dovish positions. He was an early member of the Peace Now movement. He was also, in the 1980s, a member of a group of eight Labour party Knesset members, dubbed "the Eight" and led by Yossi Beilin, who tried to set a liberal agenda for the party in matters concerning the peace process with the Palestinians. Peretz connects between the peace process and internal Israeli social issues. He believes that the unresolved conflict with the Palestinians has also been a hindrance to the solution of some of Israel's most pressing social ills, such as rising inequality. He sees the resources allotted to the settlements in the West Bank as having diverted funds that could have helped to solve these problems. He has described the conflict as having mutated Israeli politics, so that the traditional left-right distinctions do not hold: Instead of supporting a social-democratic left which would advance their cause, the lower classes, mostly of Middle Eastern Jewish origins, were diverted to the right by the fanning of nationalist tendencies. Concurrently the left in Israel was usurped by the well-to-do, so that the Labour party had ironically become elitist. That is why Peretz sees an intrinsic connection between a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the resolving of Israel's internal social tensions (see Interview in Ha'aretz).
#13
I'm a bit more optimistic here than most about IDF tactics.
Of course, if Israel decided to play really ugly hard ball, and it might if the current tactics fail, then towns like Bint Jbeil will be reduced to dust.
#17
"The straw in your shoes is beginning to show. The UN peacekeepers are composed of soldiers from all over the globe, many of them allies. A Canadian soldier died in that attack. I know the US doesn't participate in these missions, so you don't give a shit about who you kill, but I do. So fuck you. "
Um... , I'd like to call your attention to the following quote...
"A Canadian U.N. observer, one of four killed at a UNIFIL position near the southern Lebanese town of Khiyam on Tuesday, sent an e-mail to his former commander, a Canadian retired major-general, Lewis MacKenzie, in which he wrote that Hezbollah fighters were "all over" the U.N. position, Mr. MacKenzie said. Hezbollah troops, not the United Nations, were Israel's target, the deceased observer wrote. . . ."
Oh, and fuck you too.
Posted by: Mark E. ||
07/27/2006 15:17 Comments ||
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#18
Ummm, what's with the F-bomb being tossed around here?
#19
Hey Celsius, have you seen the photos of Hezzie flags flying right along side UN flags at these 'UN posts'? I have. Try Michelle Malkin's website, or dozens of others. Then take a good long hard look at the info provided by Mark and others about what the Canadian observer reported. 'F*ck you' is not an argument. Tell me, Mr. Articulate, should Israel hold up just because the Hezzies fire rockets, then duck inside UN positions like the dirty stinking cowards they are? "Olle Ollie Oxen Free" is not a recognized battle strategy.
#20
"The UN peacekeepers are composed of soldiers from all over the globe, many of them allies."
Celsius,
Allies to whom. Kofi, EU, China, Iran, or perhaps Syria. The fact that he is Canadian doesn't mean jack. Ever heard of the American Taliban. If you think all Canadian soldiers working for Kofi denounces terrorism, give me some of what you're smoking. Your loose immigration laws allow Canada to be one of the biggest hubs for terrorists in the West. You don't believe me read this.
CanadaÂ’s Asylum System. Here is a list terrorist Muslim terrorist groups. What are the chances that 80% of these have a presence in Canada? The facts show, the chances are very good.
Abu Sayyaf
Aden-Abyan Islamic Army
Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya
Armed Islamic Group
Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades
Ansar al-Islam
Al-Qaeda
Asbat al-Ansar
Jama'at al-Tawhid wa'al-Jihad/Al-Qaeda in Iraq
Egyptian Islamic Jihad
Hamas
Harakat ul-Mujahidin (HUM)
Hezbollah
Hizbul Mujahideen
Islamic Front for the Liberation of Bahrain
Islamic Movement of Central Asia
Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
Jaish-e-Mohammed
Jaish Ansar al-Sunna
Jemaah Islamiyah
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi
Lashkar-e-Toiba
Lord's Resistance Army Christian/Pagan/Muslim terrorist group
Maktab al-Khadamat
Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group
Moro Islamic Liberation Front
Muslim Brotherhood
Palestinian Islamic Jihad
People Against Gangsterism and Drugs
Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat
Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan
Takfir wal-Hijra
Kurdish-Hizbullah
Hofstad Network
#21
celcius , no fuck you and you say we don't support these missions we just pay for them and if we are in them they are at least mildly succesful.So with that said take your ass over there and meet a IAF bomb
#22
Lancasters Over Dresden, interesting post, I'll forward it. Hope you're right.
OT : why refer to Israel as a "she"? France is a feminine word in french (yes, countries have genders, in french, often feminine), and the bare-chested marianne is the emblem of the republic, so I don't mind France being called a "she"... but this is real weird for Israel, which really hasn't a feminine tone, especially from etymology IIRC. Am I missing a linguistic habit?
#23
Regrettably, Israel has been reduced to telegraphing every freakin movement they make.
They send candygrams to everyone warning them to evacuate. And, what the Hezzies don't know, they get by watching the tube.
All this transparency is getting Israeli soldiers shot up and killed.
Posted by: Captain America ||
07/27/2006 16:50 Comments ||
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#24
A5089, in English all countries are referred to as 'she' or 'it', never as 'he'. The use of 'she' (rather than 'it') implies familiarity or affection.
#25
Hebrew is actually a gendered language, a5089. Most democratic countries are "she", welcoming and nurturing, most militaristic and/or totalitarian countries "he," testosterone-raddled and overendowed (or so they hope!). Israel was founded by true-believing labour socialists, in the hope that the Jews had would be able to live in peace and freedom, and make the desert bloom.
#26
TW, not too long ago I studied the Peel Commission plan for the partition of what Britain referred to as Palestine (sans Transjordan, which had already been hived off.)
The British made the mistaken assumption that the few poor, downtrodden, socially and culturally backward Arab residents of that unhappy place would be glad to have smart, hardworking, moneyed people come and improve their lot by the injection of knowledge and capital to the country. The British erred in believing that but not for any obvious reason; it's certainly reasonable to think that way. The problem lay in the minds of the people they were working with on the Arab side.
In reading the Commission's report, I was repeatedly struck by the idea that if the British and Palestine's Jewish inhabitants had been dealing with ANYONE other than Muslim Arabs, that root assumption would probably have held true. However, Islam's shame/honor culture kicked in and every good thing the returning Jews did was held against them as being an affront to Arab pride. Even drastically lowering the country's infant mortality rate through the provision of better medical care and the draining of malarial swamps was not appreciated.
One of the most telling lines in that report's conclusion noted that in Palestine by 1936 the mutual distrust and dislike between Jews and Arabs was worse than the similar relationship existing between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. For a man like Reginald Coupland, who truly knew his British history, to have written such a thing after having closely witnessed the events of 1916-1936 speaks volumes about the situation. If anything, it's worse now than it was then. I pray every day that we'll find something to replace oil quickly so we can take away the weapons it gives Muslims. That's the only way, short of killing them all first, that I can see to stop them from eventually destroying Israel.
Posted by: mac ||
07/27/2006 18:04 Comments ||
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#27
"The fact that he is Canadian doesn't mean jack. Ever heard of the American Taliban. If you think all Canadian soldiers working for Kofi denounces terrorism, give me some of what you're smoking. Your loose immigration laws allow Canada to be one of the biggest hubs for terrorists in the West. You don't believe me read this.
"
I find this attitude disrespectful to Major Hess von Krudner and his family. Why insinuate terrorist allegiance? He is from Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, the same unit that plugged more than a few Taliban during Operation Anaconda and still holds the world's longest sniper kill. Weak assylum system is a problem indeed, but your comments are way out of line. While Hess von Krudner didn't serve in Afghanistan, there is nothing to indicate that he was anything less than a dedicated soldier.
"The officer, nicknamed Wolf by his colleagues and believed to be in his mid-40s, participated in peacekeeping missions in Cyprus, Bosnia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a member of the storied Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.
Regimental Warrant Officer Pete Palmer, based with the Princess Pats in Edmonton, recalled Major Hess-von Kruedener as "one of the most fit, gung-ho types of soldiers."
"He was demanding of both professionalism and knowing your job, and also being able to lead by example. He was in excellent physical condition."
#28
I judge people by their actions not their nationality. If this soldier is as you say, I highly salute his service not only to Canada but also, the great job in behalf of America in Afghanistan.
However, I still stand by my statements as an overall comment. If he is going to be posted in a station where you have the U.N. flag and Hezbollah flag next to each other, then be ready to accept the consequences. Frankly, Canada should've worked a little harder to get this great soldier out of the war zone. This war has nothing to do with him or Canada. If you feel otherwise, then Canada needs to provide direct military support to Israel or Hezbollah. If not, then leave. Pick a side, don't stand in the middle. The U.S. gives direct military support to Israel, so we stick around.
#33
Welcome to the country of Rantburg, King David Leroi. :-D
Where do you hail from when you're not dropping by here (if you don't mind my asking)?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
07/27/2006 23:20 Comments ||
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#34
I am writing from Paris, where there is no Hezbollah terrorist (yet) but where there are a lot of Hezbollah-minded media, as anti-American as Al-Manar (I sometimes would like to FAE those rabid anti-American and anti-Israeli french media).
#35
I am not going to blame the soldiers that died, but Kofi Anus he is the one that is to blame the SOB left them their to die and it is on his head the POS.
A Canadian-Israeli professor has been held by Israeli authorities for 18 days without access to a lawyer, on suspicion of spying for Hezbollah and Iranian intelligence agents.
A gag order on the case was lifted Wednesday after Haaretz appealed to Nazareth Magistrates Court.
Professor Ghazi Falah was arrested while touring the Rosh Hanikra area, on July 8, four days before the outbreak of the current conflict in Lebanon.
He was approached by individuals who identified themselves as security officials, and who instructed him to stop photographing. Falah refused, and after an argument, was arrested.
Falah, a professor of geography at the University of Akron, said he had taken the pictures as part of his acadmic research.
Before Wednesday, Falah had not been permitted to speak to his lawyer, Hussein Abu Hussein. The police and the Shin Bet security service repeatedly refused to lift the gag order placed on this case, despite wide publicity in media sources in Canada, U.S., and Britain.
According to security officials, Falah is suspected of "spying for hostile sources, with the goal of harming state security," apparently in reference to his alleged connections with Hezbollah and Iranian intelligence.
They hinted that Falah was allegedly sent by these sources to photograph various locations, and to report where rockets have landed in Israel.
Security officials said Falah was photographing a military antenna in Rosh Hanikra. He recently took a trip to Beirut, and two years before visited Iran.
Posted by: Captain America ||
07/27/2006 02:19 ||
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Article: Professor Ghazi Falah was arrested while touring the Rosh Hanikra area, on July 8, four days before the outbreak of the current conflict in Lebanon.
Ghazis are, of course, the warriors who won an empire for Muhammad back in the day. Soldiers fight for pay - warriors fight for loot, ransoms and slaves.
#2
The Western countries had over 250,000 Lebanese citizens who hold Western passports of convenience. Simple demographics indicates that many/most are Hizbollah supporters. Presumedly some are under Iranian Basiji direction to attack Western infrastructure, if the conflict expands. As I write, 27 US Muslim groups are pressuring the FBI to cease investigation of Muslims with Hizbollah connections, because that is: "profiling."
#3
I donÂ’t know what the Israelis are thinking here. Everyone knows that Professors donÂ’t have to abide by any laws or morals like commoners. Before long the entire world will rise up and demand his release. Oh wait you said he was Canadian? HeÂ’s a spy take him out back and shoot him.
Every morning, visiting journalists gather at a bombed-out roadside cafe in southern Beirut to be escorted by Hezbollah operatives through a bewildering wasteland that used to house 50,000 people.
Mountains of rubble that once were shops and apartment buildings -- including the home of Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah -- line the streets of the Dahiyah neighborhood. This was also the headquarters of Hezbollah's Al Manar television, which is now broadcasting from a secret location.
A week after Israeli F-16s dropped 23 tons of explosives on the neighborhood -- which was hit by another 20 Israeli rockets late yesterday -- the ruins have become a familiar backdrop for photographers and television cameras.
The photogenic skeletons of nine-story apartment buildings strung with dangling electrical wires have given the world the image of a shattered city, and Hezbollah is making the most of it.
Indeed, across the Hezbollah-dominated Shi'ite regions of southern Lebanon, whole villages have been flattened, almost 400 people killed and hundreds of thousands more displaced.
But just north of Beirut, business remains strong in the lush resorts of the nearby Shouf Mountains. Nightclubs in the Christian suburb of Jounieh still rock to '80s disco and '90s Eurobeat, and Lebanese who weathered the country's horrific 15-year civil war still sip arrack and eat hummus late into the night.
Posted by: Captain America ||
07/27/2006 01:06 ||
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#1
The Chouf Mounatins are southeast of Beirut and there aren't Christians left there. Walid Jumblatt's Druze cleared them all out, killing thousands in the process.
#2
Article: Indeed, across the Hezbollah-dominated Shi'ite regions of southern Lebanon, whole villages have been flattened, almost 400 people killed and hundreds of thousands more displaced.
Whole villages flattened and only 400 dead? These must be tiny villages.
#4
Hey, dude, cut me some slack... I have already sent those same tired photos of bombed out Hezi apartments back like 3 days ago. That prick editor has me on a deadline and I went clubbin' last night. I had to submit something with my expense report.
#6
The obvious point in this article, albeit the geography is bad, is that 100 percent of the Western news coverage encompasses a very small fraction of Beirut and the northern environs.
This will probably change as the Hezzies start shootin and scootin from the northern sectors of Lebanon.
Posted by: Captain America ||
07/27/2006 16:57 Comments ||
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#7
Actually, Walid and his Druze faction have been allowing Christians to move back to the Shouf. Indeed, in some towns they never left. Are there areas where they did leave and haven't returned? You bet.
#1
Skyhook, heh, I'd prefer a full-court press. Take the gloves off and stop playing patsy with these Islamof=8ckers
Posted by: Captain America ||
07/27/2006 0:41 Comments ||
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#2
I've been wondering myself whether or not standard radar-guided antiaircraft guns might be effective against the rockets.
Posted by: Phil ||
07/27/2006 1:14 Comments ||
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#3
It would be interesting to see if it would work in a combat environment. It has the power (to vaporize incoming rounds and missiles) and speed (~ 1 shot per second) to do the job. Will be a challenge to acquire, track, and kill multiple incoming bogeys in combat. Also, the upkeep of the system will be very difficult and dangerous, but payback might be well worth it.
#6
The author is right. Issues re: operational use of lasers do include power supply considerations (lower powered ones can run off of electricity, i.e. a local generator but these higher powered ones with chemical sources are indeed logistically intense).
But another issue is air space management. An energy beam that doesn't hit the intended target continues unabated for a good distance. There are a lot of coordination issues to consider if you've got air assets of your own in the region. Under just the wrong circumstances, you might even blind a low-altitude satellite. Lots of training and doctrine have to be developed before they're going to be deployed on anything other than a very limited trail basis.
#9
Phika: I was thinking of something more along the lines of a radar-guided 3 inch gun.
If a radar guided 20mm gun can hit an incoming artillery shell, a 3" gun firing proximity fused shells ought to be able to handle an unguided artillery rocket that isn't maneuvering or anything.
Posted by: Phil ||
07/27/2006 10:10 Comments ||
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#10
An energy beam that doesn't hit the intended target continues unabated for a good distance.
But since it would be into Syria/Lebanon then ain't that a 2-fer?
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats ||
07/27/2006 14:37 Comments ||
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#11
The laser shoots upward at an angle. You're far more likely to hit an Israeli helicopter or fighter/bomber than anything on the ground in Syria or Lebanon. ;-(
#12
If a radar guided 20mm gun can hit an incoming artillery shell, a 3" gun firing proximity fused shells ought to be able to handle an unguided artillery rocket that isn't maneuvering or anything.
Absolutely true, but the number of guns required we be crazy.
#13
The proximity fuse idea is ok. The thought of using a CIWS is nuts. The problem is that you'd have thousands of 20mm shells flying downrange within your own territory. They'd probably do more damage than the incoming missile.
#14
The Phalanx with proximity fused shells are being used for base protection in Iraq to take out rockets and mortars. But that has to be fairly expensive unless Raytheon changed the burst length (naval version was 100 rounds). Phalanx Zaps Mortar Shells in Iraq
Posted by: ed ||
07/27/2006 17:50 Comments ||
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#15
Hmmm, you may be right Phil but still dont like the idea of a radar guided aa gun defence, tried and tested in 44 against V1's but V2's were different. 60 years later different but same same, better to counterbattery and kill at source & supply.
After laying siege to a house in the West Bank village of Kadum, IDF special forces arrested a Palestinian fugitive overnight Wednesday who was suspected of being part of a terror cell planning an attack on a target inside Israel. The fugitive was fired on by soldiers as he attempted to flee from the house and was subsequently evacuated to an Israeli hospital.
Earlier, Police had declared a heightened state of readiness throughout Judea, Samaria and the Sharon region following an intelligence alert indicating that the terror cell was planning an infiltration into Israel. In the wake of the alert, police set up roadblocks throughout the West Bank and increased security checks at existing roadblocks.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/27/2006 00:00 ||
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"We received emails from him a few days ago, and he was describing the fact that he was taking fire within, in one case, three meters of his position for tactical necessity, not being targeted. Now that's veiled speech in the military. What he was telling us was Hezbollah soldiers were all over his position and the IDF were targeting them. And that's a favorite trick by people who don't have representation in the UN. They use the UN as shields knowing that they can't be punished for it.
Wonder how Kofi will explain this? cue crickets...
A direct inference that the deaths of the UN peacekeepers was direct result of UN intransigence, incompetence, and a desire to embarass Israel. The suggestion is that the UN knew in advance that Hezbollah was using the post as a shield and that they were warned by their own people and Irael to get out.
Posted by: john ||
07/27/2006 10:29 Comments ||
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#5
CTV.ca has the complete e-mail on their site: A Canadian soldier's report from South Lebanon After the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah, and the subsequent bombing campaign began against Lebanon, CTV.ca received an email from Major Paeta Hess-von Kruedener, a Canadian Forces soldier serving with the UN in South Lebanon. "If you are interested in a Canadian perspective on the events of yesterday and what is happening here in the area I am serving in, I can provide some concise info for you about the current situation," he wrote.
It's a good read on their mission and what was happening on the ground.
Posted by: Steve ||
07/27/2006 10:50 Comments ||
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#6
BUT I AM RELEVANT.
DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?
WHY IS EVERYONE LAUGHING AT ME?
Twenty-three Palestinians, including a baby and two toddlers, were killed yesterday as Israel pounded the Gaza Strip with air strikes and artillery on the deadliest day in the territory for two weeks.At least 137 Palestinians have now been killed in the four-week assault that has been increasingly sidelined as the world focuses on a deadlier conflict in Lebanon, triggered by the capture of two soldiers by Hizbollah.
While world diplomats in Rome tried but failed to agree on calls for a ceasefire in Israel's war on Hizbolla, 23 Palestinians were killed in multiple Israeli attacks east and north of Gaza City, medics said. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned what he called "unacceptable acts" and charged that "Israel is clearly violating the Geneva convention" in attacking civilian areas. Only hours earlier, he demanded an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories following talks with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
At least seven of the dead were militants but a seven-month-old Palestinian baby girl was also killed, along with two three-year-old girls and a 17-year-old boy. Gunfire erupted on the ground as Israel stepped up its offensive after a relative lull.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/27/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
"Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned what he called "unacceptable acts" and charged that "Israel is clearly violating the Geneva convention" in attacking civilian areas."
Here we go again with the Geneva convention nonsense again. First, Geneva convention concerns standing armies NOT terrorists. Second, Geneva convention states that you can't deliberately target civilian areas but, if the army/terrorists use the civilian area as command and control, then the civilian area is considered a military target. Therefore, the Paleo deaths are justified, by law.
#2
It's time Israel took out Abbas and his "PLO" "government", along with all their support and infrastructure. They should also broadcast on all frequencies that "if you're going to be stupid and continue to play these types of games, we're going to kill you, whoever you are". There is nothing worthwhile about keeping the "palestinian" question going another minute. Clean out this cesspool, all the way to the bottom.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
07/27/2006 22:06 Comments ||
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At least 10 Muslim guerillas have been killed in the town of Guindulungan, Maguindanao province as fighting between members of two warring Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) groups entered its fourth day on Thursday, a spokesman for the group said.
Eid Kabalu, citing a report from MILF field commanders, said both sides had suffered casualties in sporadic clashes triggered by a land dispute. He said the MILF leadership had sought the help of the Malaysian-led International Monitoring Team but asked the military not to intervene as the MILFÂ’s efforts were underway to prevent the escalation of conflict.
Guindulungan Mayor Antao Midtimbang has sent emissaries to separate the warring Mulslim guerillas and convince them to settle their land dispute through peaceful means. Midtimbang said the fighting was confined to the hinterlands of Guindulungan, about 30 kilometers away from the highway.
Three militants on death row for the Bali bombings will file a final appeal against their convictions, forcing prosecutors to delay plans to execute them next month, a lawyer and a prosecutor said Wednesday. The three men were among more than 30 people convicted in the nightclub bombings, which officials say were carried by the al-Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah terror group. The attack killed 202people, mostly foreign tourists.
One of the men's lawyers said he planned to file a final appeal - known as a judicial review - to the Supreme Court soon."The attorney general has to be careful," Wiranan Adnan said. "We are going to file a judicial review." Wiranan did not reveal the basis of the appeal, but others lawyers defending the men have said they plan to challenge the verdict on the grounds that the men were convicted of violating a law passed after the attacks. Indonesia's Constitution does not allow retroactiveprosecutions.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/27/2006 00:00 ||
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Sri Lanka's Air Force bombed Tamil Tiger territory in the island's restive east yesterday, officials said, just hours after UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres visited the area. The air attack, a violation of a shaky ceasefire according to Nordic monitors, came as a Norwegian envoy considered how to resuscitate peace monitoring efforts in the South Asian country, officials said.
The attack was launched in the rebel-controlled Verugal region of Trincomalee district, 215km northeast of capital Colombo, air force spokesman Group Captain Ajantha Silva said. The military claimed they needed to clear the region before moving engineers in to repair a water tank as Tamil rebels had, according to the government, refused to allow them to do so. Air force jets struck three times, wounding two civilians and destroying two houses, Elilan, a top Tamil Tiger official in Trincomalee, was quoted as saying in the pro-rebel TamilNet website. Guerillas suffered no casualties. A government statement said the "limited operation" was conducted on "humanitarian grounds" to neutralise disruptive forces that are preventing free flow of water to over 15,000 families.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/27/2006 00:00 ||
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ISRAEL'S Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu today compared the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict in Lebanon to the Hollywood movie Alien.
The 1979 science-fiction thriller starring Sigourney Weaver depicted "alien ferocious bodies that plant themselves in a host and lurch out, burst through the chest, and attack the person next to the host and in doing so, kills the host", Mr Netanyahu told Canadian broadcaster CTV from Tel Aviv.
"Hezbollah is the alien body and Lebanon is the host," he said.
"And the mother alien, if you will, producing these poisoned eggs, is Iran, with its way station to Syria."
Israel would be the bystander struck by the alien monster, he implied.
"If we're going to have a future of peace and good neighbours, a future of tranquility, then this alien ... it's got to go," he said.
#6
You know that was the only movie that I've seen besides Full Metal Jacket that accurately captured the patter of an infantry platoon (at least the ones that I hung out around).
An apparent discrepancy in the portrayal of events surrounding the deaths of four unarmed U.N. observers in Lebanon threatens to unravel Secretary-General Annan's initial accusation that Israel "deliberately" targeted the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon.
A Canadian U.N. observer, one of four killed at a UNIFIL position near the southern Lebanese town of Khiyam on Tuesday, sent an e-mail to his former commander, a Canadian retired major-general, Lewis MacKenzie, in which he wrote that Hezbollah fighters were "all over" the U.N. position, Mr. MacKenzie said. Hezbollah troops, not the United Nations, were Israel's target, the deceased observer wrote. . . .
Mr. MacKenzie, who after retiring from the Canadian military became a politician, had a very different interpretation. "I happen to know" the now-deceased Canadian U.N. observer, Major Paeta Hess-von Kruedener, Mr. MacKenzie told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in a radio interview yesterday.
"We've received e-mails from him a few days ago and he was describing the fact that he was taking fire within, in one case, three meters of his position ‘for tactical necessity — not being targeted,'" Mr. MacKenzie said he wrote.
In one such e-mail, obtained by The New York Sun, Hess-von Kruedener wrote about heavy IDF artillery and aerial bombardment "within 2 meters of our position." The Israeli shooting, he added, "has not been deliberate targeting, but has rather been due to tactical necessity."
The correspondence between the trooper and former commander amounted to "veiled speech in the military," Mr. MacKenzie, who once commanded the U.N. troops in Bosnia, told the CBC. "What he was telling us was Hezbollah fighters were all over his position and the IDF were targeting them, and that's a favorite trick by people who don't have representation in the U.N. They use the U.N. as shields knowing that they cannot be punished for it."
Posted by: Mike ||
07/27/2006 15:01 ||
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#1
Just how aware of this was Kofi? Is this part of the Bribes for Blood program?
#5
In my mind, I don't think Kofi cares as much about the truth of a situation as much as he cares about positioning himself to keep his job. The thing that makes most sense would be he has other scams going to divert $$$ into his interests' pockets. The guy is incompetant at running the UN and drags his feet when it comes to investigating and prosecuting scandal. The only thing he manages to accomplish is to survive in his position. Obviously there is an accountability problem. The time is long overdue to replace him with someone less corrupt, but there doesn't seem to be a mechanism. As far as I'm concerned, one good-sized screwup at the UN and you're out. This guy has had several.
#6
The investigation being asked for by the Canadian PM is why were these UN assets in the middle of the battlefield in the first place, in light of the fact that it is well known tactic to dare the other side to shoot at you while hiding behind the UN.
#7
He was voted in for one reason and one reason only, he can be controlled like a trained dog. You can bet your bottom dollar that Bush&Co. already have few choices ready to go for January. Vacation time for the Islamic countries at the U.N. is over, after January.
Clinton in a political hack move, today stated from Canada "It's important for us to get some kind of ceasefire now." He says that he would pick a rifle and die for Israel, but he doesn't want to allow Israel to pick up a rifle to defend themselves. Like a dog on a bone, he wants that top U.N. job. Now, that he is undermining Bush, on foreign soil of all places, on Bush's Israel policy, he can forget about that U.N. job.
#8
A diplomatic bomb dropped on Turtle Bay. If Kofi cannot depend on Canada to protect the UN's left flank, then they are in real trouble.
Immediate response is to shoot the messenger. MONTREAL (CP) - Prime Minister Stephen Harper's reaction to the death of a Canadian peacekeeper in Lebanon was irresponsible and risks making Canada irrelevant in the region, interim Liberal leader Bill Graham said Thursday. http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2006/07/27/1705461-cp.html
Sorry Bill. Your UN centered approach has been irrelevant for years.
Posted by: john ||
07/27/2006 19:00 Comments ||
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#9
Commanders are responsible for their troopps. Kofi is the commander of these UN troops.
(1)Why were they there when their is no peace to be kept?
(2)The officers in charge on the ground knew what was going on yet still sent these fellow out of be "observers." What in the world is up with that? The should have been in barracks packing to leave for a safe location.
The Kofi, the UN, and Hizb'allah have much to answer for but don't hold your breath.
#10
SPOD: Why were they there when their is no peace to be kept?
Funny how UN troops always get out of the way when Arab countries are preparing to invade Israel, but never when Israel is preparing to invade an Arab country.
#12
Kofi is the mouthpiece of the same ole communism, he is at the center of the Internationals center, which post saddam, has moved to the u n. Why is any one surprised. hugo is kissing putins ring, gleeful in all his glory as dictator moving up the charts....what a sham world government is. the cold war is back in all its regalia, vlad the impaler with all that looted oil money is running the show....he's got the cabal of the u n in his pocket.
Meanwhile democrat and republicanss stonewall and cajole the public; committed as they are to the hegemony of servitude...
We need a New N...not the same ole u n where apointed socialist hacks find no microphones at the tables of thier largess.
#13
Kofi Annan has constantly been lying, and, as says JohnQC, getting people killed.
In 1993, Kofi Annan was the Head of the UN peacekeepers; he received a fax from Rwanda, sent to him by the belgian general who was leading the UN troops in this country, telling him that a source in the Hutus had just describe to him how the Hutus were training death squads to exterminate the Tutsis, and that this genocide was planned to begin before two months. The brave Kofi phoned the Hutus, asking if this was true (and probably getting the source killed), and then asked the UN to take away the peacekeepers; the UN troops began to leave, and the genocide started: 1.100.000 Tutsis were exterminated by the Hutus. Great job, Mr Kofi Annan.
It was made public (in march or april 1993) by an anonymous worker of the UN who had read it and had been disgusted by Kofi Annan decision to keep it secret.
A top Iranian envoy was in Syria on Thursday for talks on the Israeli-Hizbullah conflict in a meeting that brought together the guerrilla organization's two key sponsors, according to Iranian news reports. A Kuwaiti newspaper reported that Hizbullah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah was taking part in the session.
Kuwait's Al-Siyassah newspaper, known for its opposition to the Syrian regime, said the meeting was designed to discuss ways to maintain supplies to Hezbollah fighters with "Iranian arms flowing through Syrian territories." Al-Siyassah said it learned of the meeting from "well-informed Syrian sources" it did not identify. According to the newspaper, Nasrallah was moving through Damascus with Syrian guards in an intelligence agency car. He was dressed in civilian clothes, not his normal clerical garb.
The Mehr news agency in Iran said Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, was in Damascus for meetings on the crisis, but gave no other details. Similar reports were carried by the Iranian Labor News Agency and the Fars agency. Al-Siyassah said Larijani would meet Syrian President Hafez Assad and Nasrallah. There was no mention of Larijani's travels in Iranian state-run media. None of the reports could be independently confirmed.
Posted by: Steve ||
07/27/2006 11:12 ||
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#1
Nasrallah to his handlers: We ain't gonna last until Augst 22nd when your missiles are ready to fly.
#4
"You guys stay here and resist the Zionist incursion. Remember, if you die, you die as a glorious martyr to Islam."
"Where are you going, Sheik?"
"Damascus."
"But the Zionists are here."
"I'm going to, uh, get reinforcements and supplies and, uh, bring them back here 'cause, uh, you see, I'm not . . . not . . . not worthy of glorious martyrdom like you. Yeah, that's it, that's the ticket. Seeyagottagobye!"
Posted by: Mike ||
07/27/2006 12:25 Comments ||
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#5
If we know Baby Asshole, Nasrallah, and Iranian military is meeting in Damascus, I think US should hit it with massive attacks for 24 hours , leveling everything around the suspect area. They might be in bunkers, but it would provide a nice wake up call. It's time to provide real time assistance to Israel.
#7
Brave Nasrallah ran away.
Bravely ran away, away!
When danger reared its ugly head,
He bravely turned his tail and fled.
Yes, brave Nasrallah turned about
And gallantly he chickened out.
Bravely taking to his feet
He beat a very brave retreat,
Bravest of the brave, Nasrallah!
The following are excerpts from an interview with Iranian Expediency Council Secretary Mohsen Rezai, which aired on the Iranian News Channel (IRINN) on July 25, 2006.
Deploying NATO in Lebanon is Occupation; NATO is an Army That Attacks and Conquers
Mohsen Rezai: "Israel and America want NATO to be deployed [in South Lebanon]. NATO is, in fact, a military force. Deploying NATO means the occupation of Lebanon, this time not by Israel, but by Israel's partner. If NATO is deployed in South Lebanon, it will be an explicit and clear occupation, albeit with a diplomatic tone and language, and a peaceful appearance. In fact, it is a type of occupation. After all, NATO is not a peacekeeping force. NATO is an army. It is the kind of army that attacks and conquers. It is an interested party in this matter. It faces Syria, and it has problems with China and the Islamic world. Therefore, NATO is different from the U.N. forces and the Lebanese army."
[...]
"Can they drive Hizbullah north beyond the Litani River, deploy NATO forces there, and then ask... Disarm Hizbullah? Who would dare? Who has the power to disarm Hizbullah? Today Lebanon is in the hands of Hizbullah. The security of Lebanon - even the security of the streets and alleys in Lebanon - is run by Hizbullah. The border and the sea are in the hands of Hizbullah."
[...] "If Hizbullah's Patience Runs Out... The War Will Change Dramatically... There Will Be Chaos in Tel Aviv"
Mohsen Rezai: "If Hizbullah's patience runs out and it enters a new phase, the war will change dramatically. First of all, there will be chaos in Tel Aviv, as well as in many cities between Haifa and Tel Aviv. There are atomic and chemical arsenals right between Haifa and Tel Aviv, and there might be problems there. An unexpected situation might develop. So far, Hizbullah has demonstrated manliness, restraint, and humanitarianism. But as of yesterday, they began attacking the towns and villages south of the Litani like madmen, and I don't know what will happen in the days to come."
[...]
Interviewer: "So if they push Hizbullah to the Litani, Haifa may still get hit?"
Mohsen Rezai: "Haifa goes without saying..."
Interviewer: "Tel Aviv as well?"
Mohsen Rezai: "Hizbullah has trump cards, but Israel has exploited Hizbullah's humanitarianism. The Israelis think that since the Hizbullah men have not carried out their initial threats, they have nothing up their sleeves. This has made these [Israeli] gentlemen somewhat audacious."
[...] "The Legal Experts of the Islamic World [Should Take]... Legal Action Against Ms. Rice"
Mohsen Rezai: "In my opinion, it would be best if the legal experts of the Islamic world prepare some kind of legal action against Ms. Rice. I think this lady is the first ever female war criminal, and she should be brought to trial. She has explicitly declared - and I think this was a political mistake by her - that she is giving Israel a free hand to attack Lebanon. This in itself is enough to prepare a case against her as a war criminal."
Posted by: Steve ||
07/27/2006 08:40 ||
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Wonder how much CNN has yielded to the Mad Mullahs™ to have access in Teheran.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Surrounded by yellow Hezbollah flags, more than 60 Iranian volunteers set off Wednesday to join what they called a holy war against Israeli forces in Lebanon.
The group -- ranging from teenagers to grandfathers -- plans to join about 200 other volunteers on the way to the Turkish border, which they hope to cross Thursday. They plan to reach Lebanon via Syria on the weekend. Organizers said the volunteers are carrying no weapons, and it was not clear whether Turkey would allow them to pass.
A Turkish Foreign Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, would not say Wednesday if Turkey would allow them to cross. Iranians, however, can enter Turkey without a visa and stay for three months.
Wonder if the Kurds get the same deal.
Iran says it will not send regular forces to aid Hezbollah, but apparently it will not attempt to stop dupes volunteer guerrillas. Iran and Syria are Hezbollah's main sponsors. "We are just the first wave of Islamic warriors from Iran," said Amir Jalilinejad, chairman of the Student Justice Movement, a nongovernment group that helped recruit the fighters. "More will come from here and other Muslim nations around the world. Hezbollah needs our help."
Yasss, lotsa blood to be spilled on the ground in the fight against the Zionists, and yours is as good as any.
Military service is mandatory in Iran, and nearly every man has at least some basic training. Some hard-liners have more extensive drills as members of the Basiji corps, a paramilitary network linked to the powerful Revolutionary Guard. Other volunteers, such as 72-year-old Hasan Honavi, have combat experience from the 1980-88 war with Iraq. "God made this decision for me," said Honavi, a grandfather and one of the oldest volunteers. "I still have fight left in me for a holy war."
The group, chanting and marching in military-style formation, assembled Wednesday in a part of Tehran's main cemetery that is reserved for war dead and other "martyrs." They prayed on Persian carpets and linked hands, with their shoes and bags piled alongside. Few had any battle-type gear and some arrived in dress shoes or plastic sandals.
Pathetic, but that doesn't stop the Mad Mullahs from using them, or CNN from covering them.
Some bowed before a memorial to Hezbollah-linked suicide bombers who carried out the 1983 blast at Marine barracks in Beirut that killed 241 U.S. servicemen. An almost simultaneous bombing killed 56 French peacekeepers.
Speakers praised Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah and laid scorn on Muslim leaders -- including their own government -- for not sending battlefield assistance to Hezbollah since the battles erupted two weeks ago. Even if the volunteers fail to reach Lebanon, their mobilization is an example of how Iranians are rallying to Hezbollah through organizations outside official circles.
Iran insists it is not directly involved in the conflict on the military side, but it remains the group's key pipeline for money. Iran has dismissed Israel's claims that Hezbollah has been supplied with upgraded Iranian missiles that have reached Haifa and other points across northern Israel.
#1
260 volunteers out of a population of how many tens of millions? Not very impressive -- they got more volunteers a some months ago, when this war was only a gleam in Ahmadenihad's eye. And they are seeking volunteers, they aren't overwhelmed by large numbers spontaneously seeking martyrdom, there is no Children's/Mothers'/Grandpas' Jihad flowing unstoppably toward Lebanon.
Local broadcasters in Lebanon reported Wednesday night that Israel hit an army base and an adjacent relay station belonging to Lebanese state radio 30 miles north of Beirut. The report said a transmission tower was knocked down, although it was not immediately clear if the attack was by air or shelling from ships.
Earlier Wednesday, 13 Lebanese people, including six children, were wounded in Lebanon Wednesday after the Israeli Air Force bombarded Hizbullah headquarters in the city of Tyre in south Lebanon. Lebanese security officials reported that the targeted building served as the offices of senior Hizbullah leader Sheikh Nabil Qaouk, but the building was empty of Hizbullah operatives at the time of the strike.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/27/2006 00:00 ||
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Read this earlier...anyone got some background on why the Lebanese army base was hit?
Posted by: Captain America ||
07/27/2006 0:44 Comments ||
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It's the communications system they're bringing down. Probably got power or something from whatever was hit on the base. If Israel wanted to wax the Leb Army, they'd be history tuit suite and there'd be far more than a building or two taken out.
#3
#1, CA, I found this at link. Israeli military officials said the target of the airstrike was a radar station used by Hezbollah for attacks like the one on the Israeli missile boat on July 14.
#4
Not one communications relay system can be allowed to be left standing. You gotta believe that the military and domestic Lebanese communications system is being used by Hezbollah. Israel should trust nothing. Destroy every communications post. In fact, I bet the Hezbollah is using the U.N. post as a communications. BTW, if the Hezbollah want fire rockets next to an U.N. post or use U.N communications system, give a 10 minute warning and destroy the U.N. post. Too many Israeli soldiers are dying because Israel is trying to be too careful. ItÂ’s time for Israel to stop placating to the U.N. and really get down to business.
Israel's two-front conflict saw its heaviest day of fighting on Wednesday, claiming 9 Israeli soldiers, dozens of Hezbollah fighters and at least 23 Palestinians in Gaza. The death toll on Wednesday was IsraelÂ’s highest since fighting began on July 12 after Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers during a raid into Israel. The most intense ground combat came around the hilltop town of Bint Jbail, a Hezbollah stronghold just a few miles from the Israeli border.
Two days ago, Israeli military officials on the border confidently announced that first the village of Maroun al-Ras and then the larger town of Bint Jbail had been subdued. But renewed fighting erupted in the region around daybreak on Wednesday and by the afternoon military officers were being more circumspect about their progress. In Maroun al-Ras, one Israeli soldier was killed and three more were wounded on Wednesday, the Israeli military said. Hezbollah fighters fired an antitank rocket that hit the soldiers in a building, it said.
When asked what the Israeli military had achieved after two weeks of fighting, General Gantz replied: “I would suggest asking what Hezbollah has achieved. They came as defenders of Lebanon but basically have destroyed the country.”
General Gantz, a lean, graying man who is famous for having been the last Israeli to leave southern Lebanon in the pullout six years ago after an 18-year Israeli presence there, insisted that the fight, though long, would ultimately go Israel’s way. Yet he showed glimmers of frustration with the political pressures that are shaping the battle plan. When asked if he thought Israel’s response to the initial Hezbollah raid was disproportionate, as many critics have charged, he minced no words. “I don’t think it was disproportionate,” he said. “It should have been much stronger and that’s what we’re going to do.”
“We have a long way to go and a lot to achieve,” he said, although he would not talk about how many villages needed to be cleared of Hezbollah fighters or what geographic area Israel need to occupy in order to create a credible buffer zone. Israeli Army officers are saying it is probably unrealistic to expect that the military can wipe out Hezbollah’s well-hidden and widespread arsenal, which was believed to have contained more than 10,000 missiles when the fighting began. General Gantz conceded that it would be difficult to stop the rockets that have menaced northern Israel with purely military means, noting that the launchers are mobile and easily hidden and can be fired remotely or with timers.
Another officer, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the press, noted that even if Israel managed to destroy 50 or 60 percent of those rockets, there would still be enough left to keep up the current pace of roughly 100 rockets a day for weeks. “All Hezbollah has to do to win is not lose,” another officer said.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/27/2006 00:00 ||
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SPECIAL POST (Perhaps my final one)
The Etiquettes of Yawning.
As you guys will be yawning a lot upon repeatedly hearing "sissy pant" and "puppy shame" casualties, I will give you some religious guidelines on yawning. Try to stop the yawn. If you can't, place the back of the palm to cover it. You must not yawn openly as this is a state of weakness and the mouth becomes one of the entry points of Satan and subsequent possession (though mild). Ofcourse, yawning loudly also looks disgusting.
I would also like to update the casualty figures from last night-not 13 dead but 19 dead and over twenty sent to the vegetable ward. Remember, this was the "Israels" Golani special unit, the cream of their army-all slaughtered and sent to hell. Hardy Har Har!
Watch on as Hezbollah now empties the rest of the "Israeli" cities-Netenya and then Tel-Aviv. Hardy Har Har! Watch the shock victims. Watch the terror. Watch the fear. "Israel" must return to it's true owners-the Palestinians. You can still change sides. Become Muslim now-this may be your last chance.
I also would like to reply to "trailing wife" who said that my Mom didn't teach me any manners. I know why you are so upset at me. You are scared that we Muslims upon victory will put a burqa (Afghani head dress) on your head. I would like to assure you that we won't do any such thing. According to the Sharia, a burqa is not to be worn by elderly women, girls under puberty and unattractive women. From various posts at the Rantburg, I have learnt that you sport nose and facial hair and a light beard. So don't worry. With your great political/historical knowledge and unique looks, we can use you for dispersing mixed gatherings. I wish the Taliban knew you. We could have improved their image to the West-no need for whips.
I am very interested in watching your Halloween ball with your strange writers. (Sorry, Trailing Wife. I can't be on your dance card as you requested on an earlier post-even though you'll look normal that day).
We will also be holding the "Elephant Man" ball upon Ariel Sharon's death. Watch our joy at the party. We hope to invite OUR Michael Jackson from Bahrain. Yeahhhhh! Should be happening in about a week's time. I wish we can all see both parties by tele-conferencing.
Final note-Remember, in the end WE WILL WIN. DON"T TELL ME I DIDN"T WARN YOU.
1 Rajab 1427 Muslim era
27 July 2006 Christian era
The Levant
Posted by: the Levant. ||
07/27/2006 15:14 Comments ||
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#2
yoo kan keep mikal jaxson. he kan make a good baby sitter for ya
#6
Become Muslim now-this may be your last chance.
You could be right, we'll be hanging a "Going out of business" sign on your front door real soon now.
Posted by: Steve ||
07/27/2006 17:16 Comments ||
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#7
Sooner or later we're going to get tired of trying to civilize you filthy savages, Levant. And when we do, a simple calculus will emerge:
No more ummah = no more Islamic bullshit.
Have a nice day, Shithead.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
07/27/2006 17:24 Comments ||
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#8
See the sole of my shoe, Mr. Levant. Oh, and I wiped my left hand upon your handkerchief when I yawned -- you fail to amuse with your talk of burqas. What say you, Rantburger ladies and gentlemen: is Mr. Levant an ibn Alawite? possibly even el Assad? What must his papa do to gain him internet access from within Ba'athist Syria's totalitarian controls, that allowed him to learn English?
Israeli warplanes destroyed an empty building containing the offices of Hezbollah's south Lebanon commander in this southern port city Wednesday, and 12 people in a nearby structure were wounded, security officials and witnesses said. The explosions in the center of the city raised a giant column of smoke over Tyre, and electricity was knocked out in some areas.
The target was seven-story building housing the office of Sheik Nabil Kaouk, the Hezbollah commander in south Lebanon. The building was heavily damaged, with the top floors were pancaked on top of each other, but witnesses and doctors said it was believed to be empty. The airstrike damaged a neighboring building, wounding 12 people, including six children. The wounded included a woman and child who were seriously hurt, said Dr. Ahmad Mroue at Tyre's hospital.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/27/2006 00:00 ||
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The wounded included a woman and child who were seriously hurt, said Dr. Ahmad Mroue at Tyre's hospital.
Israel clearly and strongly advised all those living near Hizbollah strongholds to evacuate as they would be bombed. No sympathy for those who chose to ignore the advice. Choose to stay is to choose to die. Sick and tired of the MSM hand-wringing over stupid, stupid "casualites".
(KUNA) -- The Israeli army said on Wednesday that it "hardly" evacuated 33 soldiers, four with critical injuries on the outskirts of the town of Bint Jbiel in southern Lebanon. "The army has finally managed to evacuate injured soldiers, despite heavy and continuing military encounters," a military source told Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz, reporting through its website.
The army acknowledged that one of its well-trained units was ambushed by Hezbollah while progressing into Bint Jbeil. The army has not declared any losses of lives among its soldiers, yet media reports say that at least 13 soldiers were killed as a result of the ambush. Meanwhile, Israeli medical sources said that 55 Israeli soldiers were injured this morning due to missiles launched by Hezbollah on northern Israel. The sources told Ha'artez that 119 missiles hit several Jewish settlements in Haifa, Safad and Tabariya.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/27/2006 00:00 ||
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Time for Sherman's march, stop the nicey-nicey, it's costing good soldiers
Posted by: Captain America ||
07/27/2006 0:46 Comments ||
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(KUNA) -- Eight Israeli soldiers were killed and 22 injured, three seriously, in fighting with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, the Israeli army confirmed Wednesday. Haaretz newspaper, through its website, quoted military sources as saying the casualties among the Israeli forces took place in Maroun Al-Ras village and Bint Jbeil town in the middle sector of southern Lebanon.
The source said the fighting in these two areas "were the most difficult facing the Israeli army for long years." An elite unit in the Israeli army was advacing and found itself in a landmine field which was followed by a fierce attack by Hezbollah fighters who were using light weapons and mortar shells, said the sources.
When the landmines exploded, "scores of terrorists appeared suddenly and launched a face-to-face attack with our soldiers. It was a tough battle, the toughest we have faced in years," they added. Three of the injured are in "very critical conditions," the sources added.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/27/2006 00:00 ||
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BEIRUT: A large UN aid convoy arrived in the southern Lebanese port of Tyre yesterday and aid workers said they planned to step up deliveries to an area devastated by Israeli bombardment. The convoy of 10 trucks carrying 90 tonnes of food and basic medical supplies travelled from the capital Beirut down a so-called humanitarian corridor, a route cleared with Israel beforehand to ensure the vehicles were not bombed. "We hope this is the tip of the iceberg," said Khaled Mansour, UN spokesman in Lebanon, after the gruelling six-hour drive to Tyre. "We got here so it means the system is working, the humanitarian corridor is working."
Young men unloaded the trucks, lugging sacks of wheat flour on their backs and stashing them in the underground parking lot of a bank. Meanwhile, a Jordanian plane landed at Beirut international airport yesterday in the first airlift of urgently needed aid for blockaded Lebanon as deliveries of assistance started to reach thousands of displaced people in the besieged south.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/27/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
SO -- at least one runway must have been spared.
Al-Qaida's No. 2 leader warned in a new videotape released Thursday that the terrorist group would not stand idly by while Israeli bombardments "burn our brothers" in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. In the message broadcast by Al-Jazeera television, Ayman al-Zawahri, second in command to Osama bin Laden, said that al-Qaida now saw "all the world as a battlefield open in front of us."
The Egyptian-born physician said the Hezbollah and Palestinian battles against Israel would not be ended with "cease-fires or agreements." The fighting began last month following a Palestinian cross-border raid in which an Israeli soldier was captured, then expanded to Lebanon after Hezbollah militants captured two other soldiers in a raid earlier this month. "The war with Israel does not depend on cease-fires. ... It is a Jihad for God's sake and will last until (our) religion prevails," al-Zawahri said. "We will attack everywhere."
This AP story left out an important line. The full quote is; "It is a Jihad for the sake of God and will last until (our) religion prevails ... from Spain to Iraq," al-Zawahri said. "We will attack everywhere."
Al-Zawahri wore a gray robe and white turban. A picture of the burning World Trade Center was on the wall behind him along with pictures of two other militants. The Arab satellite station appeared not to have transmitted the entire tape, using instead selected quotes interspersed with commentary from an anchor.
"The shells and rockets ripping apart Muslim bodies in Gaza and Lebanon are not only Israeli (weapons), but are supplied by all the countries of the crusader coalition. Therefore, every participant in the crime will pay the price," al-Zawahri said.
Including; He also said that Arab regimes were complicit in Israeli fighting against Hezbollah and the Palestinians. "My fellow Muslims, it is obvious that Arab and Islamic governments are not only impotent but also complicit ... and you are alone on the battlefield. Rely on God and fight your enemies ... make yourselves martyrs."
#2
BTW, I saw a bit of the video. He's in a professional studio , framed by a black drape, and large professionally made posters of Osama...and the World Trade Center in flames.
#3
I saw a bit of the video. He's in a professional studio..
He's upgraded their video production department:
Al Qaeda's media production wing, Al-Sahab, had announced the al-Zawahiri tape would be ready soon in a message earlier Thursday on an Islamic Web site.
I need to look at the video a little closer, the short piece I saw almost looked like he was superemposed over the back drop. That kind of production can be done on a laptop these days with commercial software.
Posted by: Steve ||
07/27/2006 12:59 Comments ||
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#4
Ok, looked at what is available of the video. It looks like he was chromakeyed in front of a "virtual set". The lighting on him was flat and he looked kind of washed out compared with the backdrop. I'd say the cameraman shot him in front of a single color backdrop, lighting him directly from the front to remove any shadows. Then by using the same techniques they use to put your TV weatherman in front of the map, placed him in a virtual set. Lot's of TV stations are doing this now for their newscasts.
The pictures and framing holding them in the al-Zawahri look too perfect compared to him. You can see an example of a set here.
Posted by: Steve ||
07/27/2006 13:27 Comments ||
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#5
Dude...looks like AQ is already past the SeethingTM stage and is moving quickly through Dire RevengeTM!!!
#3
Glorious Doris is holding a shower cap. Rocky being an "ambitious" homosexual, it's amazing she could do so many romantic scenes with him.
Posted by: Captain America ||
07/27/2006 16:31 Comments ||
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#4
Doris is holding a swim cap, Captain America. To keep her hair dry while in the pool -- girls wore them through the 1960's, to keep the pool filters from getting clogged up. Racers still wear them, to reduce drag.
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.
Twenty-five militants were killed by US-led forces in Afghanistan, officials said on Wednesday, as the US military prepares to hand over security responsibilities in the violent south. Fifteen Taliban insurgents were killed during heavy bombing in three villages in Musa Qala of southern Helmand province on Tuesday night, Helmand's police chief Nabi Mullahkhail said. "The bombing lasted for several hours," he said. "As a result 15 Taliban were killed and 20 others wounded." 
The Moscow City Court has sentenced Aslanbek Khasanov, the organizer of the bombing near a Moscow MacDonald's restaurant in October 2002, to 22 years in jail. The court found Khasanov guilty of terrorism, possessing and transporting ammunition, and murder, Interfax reports. On April 27 2004, the Moscow City Court sentenced the four other defendants in the Moscow restaurant bombing case to prison terms ranging between 15 and 22 years.
ONE of the men accused of plotting a terrorist attack in Australia had enough military-style ammunition to launch a continuous 35-hour barrage of gunfire. The evidence, from a ballistics expert, was quoted in court documents revealed yesterday as part of the case against nine Sydney men accused of planning an attack last year. The prosecution case against the group is so large it has been broken into 93 parts. 
An Uzbek national arrested in Pakistan has told interrogators that Al Qaeda organised this year's deadly suicide attack on the United States consulate in Karachi, a security official said on Wednesday. Five people, including an American diplomat, were killed in the suicide bombing outside the US mission on March 2, the eve of a visit to Islamabad by US President George W Bush.
(KUNA) -- Unknown gunmen Wednesday shot dead principal of a cadet college in Southwestern Baluchistan province, said an official. Mian Maqbool Ahmed was gunned down near his residence in Mastung district, 50 kilometers southwest of Quetta, the provincial capital, District Police Officer (DPO) Hamid Shaukat told KUNA. He said it was not immediately clear who carried out the attack but authorities suspected nationalist militants hand behind the killing.
MUMBAI: Two Indian Muslims, one of them a chemical engineer, have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in this month's Mumbai train bombings that killed more than 180 people, police said yesterday. "Two men were arrested on Tuesday night for their role in the blast incidents," K P Raghuvanshi, chief of Mumbai Police's anti-terrorism squad, said.
MUMBAI: The name of 
(KUNA) -- A senior Iraqi official found dead a few hours after being kidnapped on Wednesday. A police source said the body of the Major-General Abdullah Shahadhah was found in Al-Sh'ab area to the east of Baghdad. Shahadhah was the director of Iraq's residency department in-charge of handling the affairs of expatriates and foreign visitors.
(KUNA) -- The Iraqi Army announced Wednesday that its soldiers were able to arrest eight people suspected of being fighters in Tal Afar west of Mosul, in Northern Iraq. Official in charge of operations in the Iraqi Army's second Corps Colonel Lokman Khurshid said in a press statement that the soldiers of the Iraqi army had arrested eight persons in the neighbourhood of Al Muthanna during a raid in Tal Afar. He pointed out that different weapons were seized in Valley Muthanna, adding that caves were discovered in the area.
After laying siege to a house in the West Bank village of Kadum, IDF special forces arrested a Palestinian fugitive overnight Wednesday who was suspected of being part of a terror cell planning an attack on a target inside Israel. The fugitive was fired on by soldiers as he attempted to flee from the house and was subsequently evacuated to an Israeli hospital. 
Twenty-three Palestinians, including a baby and two toddlers, were killed yesterday as Israel pounded the Gaza Strip with air strikes and artillery on the deadliest day in the territory for two weeks.At least 137 Palestinians have now been killed in the four-week assault that has been increasingly sidelined as the world focuses on a deadlier conflict in Lebanon, triggered by the capture of two soldiers by Hizbollah.
Three militants on death row for the Bali bombings will file a final appeal against their convictions, forcing prosecutors to delay plans to execute them next month, a lawyer and a prosecutor said Wednesday. The three men were among more than 30 people convicted in the nightclub bombings, which officials say were carried by the al-Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah terror group. The attack killed 202people, mostly foreign tourists.
Sri Lanka's Air Force bombed Tamil Tiger territory in the island's restive east yesterday, officials said, just hours after UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres visited the area. The air attack, a violation of a shaky ceasefire according to Nordic monitors, came as a Norwegian envoy considered how to resuscitate peace monitoring efforts in the South Asian country, officials said.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Surrounded by yellow Hezbollah flags, more than 60 Iranian volunteers set off Wednesday to join what they called a holy war against Israeli forces in Lebanon.
Local broadcasters in Lebanon reported Wednesday night that Israel hit an army base and an adjacent relay station belonging to Lebanese state radio 30 miles north of Beirut. The report said a transmission tower was knocked down, although it was not immediately clear if the attack was by air or shelling from ships. 
Israeli warplanes destroyed an empty building containing the offices of Hezbollah's south Lebanon commander in this southern port city Wednesday, and 12 people in a nearby structure were wounded, security officials and witnesses said. The explosions in the center of the city raised a giant column of smoke over Tyre, and electricity was knocked out in some areas. 
(KUNA) -- The Israeli army said on Wednesday that it "hardly" evacuated 33 soldiers, four with critical injuries on the outskirts of the town of Bint Jbiel in southern Lebanon. "The army has finally managed to evacuate injured soldiers, despite heavy and continuing military encounters," a military source told Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz, reporting through its website.
(KUNA) -- Eight Israeli soldiers were killed and 22 injured, three seriously, in fighting with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, the Israeli army confirmed Wednesday. Haaretz newspaper, through its website, quoted military sources as saying the casualties among the Israeli forces took place in Maroun Al-Ras village and Bint Jbeil town in the middle sector of southern Lebanon.
BEIRUT: A large UN aid convoy arrived in the southern Lebanese port of Tyre yesterday and aid workers said they planned to step up deliveries to an area devastated by Israeli bombardment. The convoy of 10 trucks carrying 90 tonnes of food and basic medical supplies travelled from the capital Beirut down a so-called humanitarian corridor, a route cleared with Israel beforehand to ensure the vehicles were not bombed. "We hope this is the tip of the iceberg," said Khaled Mansour, UN spokesman in Lebanon, after the gruelling six-hour drive to Tyre. "We got here so it means the system is working, the humanitarian corridor is working."
