Eight policemen and 12 Taliban insurgents died when rebels ambushed a security patrol and a firefight broke out in restive southern Afghanistan, a provincial spokesman said Thursday. The fierce clash in Kandahar provinces volatile Panjwayi district on Wednesday left another seven policemen and nine rebels wounded, spokesman Daud Ahmadi said. A police patrolling convoy was attacked by Taliban. Eight policemen and 12 Taliban were killed, Ahmadi said.
Maulvi Samad, a local Taliban commander, put the Taliban death toll at one and said the militants had killed 15 policemen. There was no independent verification for either sides claims. Separately, at least three civilians were wounded in an explosion on a main road in front of the governors office in the eastern city of Jalalabad, police said. It was not immediately clear what caused the blast, but militants have carried out attacks in the past in the city. Panjwayi is a known stronghold of the Taliban.
A suicide car bomber blew himself up in a bazaar in Panjwayi on August 3, killing 21 civilians and injuring several NATO soldiers in a passing convoy in one of the deadliest attacks in Afghanistan this year. The district some 30 kilometres (18 miles) west of Kandahar was the scene of fierce clashes between the coalition and Taliban troops in mid-May. Some 34 civilians also died when US-led warplanes bombed a village in Panjwayi. Separately on Thursday, seven civilians including an elderly woman were wounded when a rocket landed in the centre of the eastern city of Jalalabad, witnesses and an AFP reporter said.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
The dude in the picture kinda reminds me of Deacon Blues.
#6
Islamists want to live in the 7th century, forever. Kids are the future. Islam kills the future, quite often by killing kids. Islam is a death cult.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/11/2006 14:59 Comments ||
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#7
Don Adams in mufti
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/11/2006 16:13 Comments ||
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(CNN) -- Two of the suspects held in connection with the plot to down jetliners with explosives had contact with a Pakistani suspected of being an al Qaeda operative, U.S. and British officials said Friday. The officials allege that Matiur Rehman, described as an explosives expert in Pakistan who is now at large, met two of the British suspects in Pakistan.
But officials, who say the plot displays signs of al Qaeda participation but who are still investigating that angle, do not know whether Rehman was involved in the plot. After the two people returned to Britain, they received a wire transfer of money from Pakistan, the officials said. Authorities in Britain on Thursday announced the arrests of 24 people in connection with the plot. While the investigation continues, the government officials say the primary players are in custody.
Pakistani officials said the arrests of two British citizens and five Pakistanis last week directly contributed to terror arrests made Thursday in Britain. The original information about the plan came from the Muslim community in Britain, according to a British intelligence official. The tip resulted from a person who had been concerned about the activities of an acquaintance after the July 7, 2005, terror attacks in London, the official said.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2006 13:50 ||
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Masked explosives capable of destroying an airplane midair were recovered in a tense operation from a family travelling from London to Boston.
A source at Heathrow airport recounted the drama. The five-member family two adults and three children boarded American Airlines Flight 109 for Boston. They checked in at the last moment, inviting only a perfunctory check of the childrens hand-baggage.
After the aircraft took off the check-in computer at the airport flashed a warning that a person under observation had boarded the flight. Airline staff informed immigration and security officials. A background check revealed that the male adult member of the family was on a suspect list prepared by Scotland Yard after the 7/7 terror attacks in London.
By the time the pilot was alerted to the danger, the flight had been airborne for an hour. UK authorities and the pilot began deliberating on the possibility of checking the suspects luggage. But the plan was abandoned because it could have triggered a violent response from the suspect and caused panic on board.
The pilot was advised to proceed to Boston where US security agencies could take over. But he decided to return to Heathrow. To avoid causing suspicion, it was agreed that the pilot would not announce the change in itinerary.
The aircraft landed safely at Heathrow and armed marshals boarded it to take the suspect and his family in custody. A search revealed the deadly cargo.
#4
You mean like this? Transatlantic flight turns back to London over security alert Mon Aug 7, 5:27 PM ET British authorities questioned four people at London's Heathrow Airport after a flight to Boston turned around midway across the Atlantic because of a security alert.
American Airlines flight 109 carried 240 passengers and 13 crew members on the Boeing 777 jet, which landed back in London four hours after it departed. Four of the passengers were escorted from the plane when it landed in London, where six police officers were waiting for them, a Heathrow Airport spokeswoman told AFP. Anneliese Morris of American Airlines said the turn-around was "due to a security issue that needed to be resolved in London," but declined to comment further.
A spokeswoman for London's Metropolitan Police told AFP four people were interviewed by police officers at the airport, but had not been arrested. She declined to give details on the four. Britain's domestic Press Association said the four passengers questioned were believed to be a man who had been travelling with three women, believed to be his mother and two sisters.
The flight, which left London at 10:55 am (0955 GMT), had been due to arrive at Boston's Logan International Airport at 1:05 pm local time (1705 GMT). American Airlines told AFP it had re-booked passengers onto alternative flights to Boston.
According to the US Transportation Safety Administration, one of the passengers' names was on a so-called no-fly list, of persons not allowed to board airliners. "Early in the flight, TSA learned that a passenger on board was a positive match on the no-fly list. Out of an abundance of caution, TSA determined that the best course of action was to turn the flight around and at around 8:20 EST we instructed American Airlines Flight 109 to land," said Ann Davis, TSA spokeswoman. "This is the eighth international diversion due to a no-fly list match since the fall of 2004," Davis said. Air transportation was greatly bolstered after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
"It's important to note that American Airlines was in regular communications with the flight as it returned to Heathrow and there were no reports of any unusual activity on board. "US law enforcement is working with local law enforcement in the UK to interview the passenger on the ground," she said.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/11/2006 16:54 Comments ||
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#5
wasn't flight 109 that either blew up over Lockerbie or right after leaving new york a few years ago?
#6
John Fund ( radio segment) was discussing this same information yesterday. The constituents were found in bottles. This is the first I heard that it was in children's carry-on bags. Not surprising. These scumbags will stoop to any degraded level necessary to carry out their deeds. We need to keep in mind who we're dealing with here. There should be no hesitation in exterminating them when required.
#7
Very interesting. The 8/10 airliner bombing plot arrestees have been found to also have links to the 7/7 terrorists. The Brits have already said there were 3 independent cells involved in the plot. They just may have stumbled onto a fourth cell.
Posted by: ed ||
08/11/2006 19:42 Comments ||
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TERROR suspect Waheed Zaman met controversial MP George Galloway many times, his sister said last night.
Safeena, 24, said of her 23-year-old brother: He saw it as his duty to stand up for his community and thats what led him to know George Galloway. He has a lot of respect for him and has met him many times.
A spokesman for MP Galloway, above, said: Waheed Zaman is not a name that George is familiar with. He is not known to him on a personal level. "Zaman? No, don't know him"
There is no suggestion Galloway is an associate of Zaman uh huh
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/11/2006 09:26 ||
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#5
Don't think our LLL's are any different. This is exactley why I suspect thier is such resistance from the left on Data Minnning.
Data Minning is based alot on spider webbing known or suspected terrrorist 2,3,4 layers out with the basis that birds of a feather flock together. Like minded people hang together like anti-american LLL mentalities can jive with radical islamist anti-american ideology.
This is a good example or see Bajr in Iran linked to Iran pres to Chavez to Bontefello, Sheenan, to Hillary, Kerry ect...
#6
Galloway has officially outlived whatever usefulness he may have once possesed, if any. He should be cremated (perhaps prior to cessation of vital signs) so as to avoid contaminating any hapless worms who might accidentally feast upon his remains. The words facilitator and collaborator spring to mind.
ISLAMABAD - Pakistani intelligence agencies helped British authorities foil a plot to carry out mid-air bombings of planes to the United States, a senior Pakistani security official told AFP on Thursday. The actions that have been taken in London were made possible only with the close cooperation between Pakistani and British intelligence, the official said on condition of anonymity.
I'd like to believe this is true, I really would, but I need more convincing ...
Pakistani intelligence cooperated and provided vital information that led to these actions, the official added. They conducted an operation here and on the basis of that operation we provided leads to London police about the plan to bomb the airliners, the official added.
He would not give any details about the operation.
"I will say no more!"
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/11/2006 00:00 ||
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#2
Right on, gromgoru. Since the Brits have "revealed" (according to news reports I saw last night) they had a agent inside the plot, which struck me as particularly stupid to admit, the Paki claim is rather overstated, to say the least. Who knows how many versions of this operation will be in play next week.
Taking out the Hizb enablier Syria cuts off Hizb.
NWFP rearranging of the funiture by air and some special ops neutralizes Binny's Boyz and the Taliban. Iran may we made unstable by Syria and the MMs can be taken out with their dinner jacket. And last but not least, Saudi financiers taken out would let the Pak madarassas and other nefarious enterprises die on the vien, which will start neutralizing Pakistan.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/11/2006 12:22 Comments ||
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#6
AP, I agree in theory, but in truth, the best way to stop the entire nonsense is to stop the flow of money. That requires targeting the source first. My list:
Front-line troops:
6. Hezbollah/Hamas
7. NWFP/Taliban
8. Sudan
9. Somalia
10. Indonesia
11. Philippines/MILF-Abu Sayyaf
12. Malaysia
13. Bangladesh
Supporters:
13. Egypt
14. Libya
Whack 'em as listed.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/11/2006 15:10 Comments ||
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#7
Oldspook, are you able to provide any comments or insight on the informal halawah money transfer system commonly used by many Arabs? About the only other modern comparison might be to the Korean pak system.
I regard halawah as being a primary conduit for laundering albeit small scale but numerous contributions to terrorist causes. While it is critical to sever the huge funding provided by the Saudis, halawah represents a gigantic swarm of malarial mosquitoes compared to the Saudi cockroach.
(CNN) -- Terrorists planned to concoct an "explosive cocktail" using MP3 players and sports drinks to blow up as many as 10 jetliners bound for the United States, authorities said Thursday.
"All right, Mo'gyver! Drop the hairpins and the Pledge!"
... intelligence officials said the plotters hoped to stage a dry run by Friday. The actual attack would have followed days later
U.S. intelligence officials said the plotters hoped to stage a dry run by Friday, The Associated Press reported. The actual attack would have followed days later, the officials told AP.
Dry run on 8-11, with maybe the blowoff on 8-22, assuming they're coordinating with Terrorhran.
A senior congressional source said it is believed the plotters planned to mix a British sports drink with a gel-like substance to make an explosive that they would possibly trigger with an MP3 player or cell phone. The sports drink could be combined with a peroxide-based paste to form a potent "explosive cocktail," if properly done, said a U.S. counterterrorism official. "There are strong reasons to believe the materials in a beverage like that could have been part of the formula," the official said.
I suppose. I knew there was a reason I won't drink that stuff.
British and Pakistani authorities joined forces to block the plot to bomb the airliners, officials said. British police acted urgently overnight, arresting 24 people in what U.S. government officials said privately could have been the biggest terrorist attack since September 11, 2001.
Among those arrested were a Muslim charity worker and a Heathrow Airport employee with an all-area access pass...
Figure 250 people on 10 planes = 2500 dead innocents. Or 2500 more "little Eichmanns" if you're a fake Indian...
Among those arrested were a Muslim charity worker and a Heathrow Airport employee with an all-area access pass, according to Britain's Channel 4. Five suspects in the plot are still at large, ABC News reported on its Web site, citing U.S. sources.
Which is why they're still on alert. They're probably back in Bajaur or Wana by now, muttering in their beards as they vow Dire Revenge...
Information gathered after recent arrests in Pakistan convinced British investigators they had to act urgently to stop the plot, sources told CNN.
No telling which of the continuing trickle of perps was the one that gave the tipoff. The Paks barely bother reporting such anymore...
Pakistani authorities also made arrests in coordination with Britain, said a spokesman for the Pakistani Foreign Ministry. He did not say how many arrests were made.
I notice Hafiz Saeed's under house arrest again, though. I'm sure it won't be for long, but we do have to go through the motions, don't we?
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said the plans were "suggestive of an al Qaeda plot," and President Bush said the arrests are a "stark reminder" that the U.S. is "at war with Islamic fascists."
President Bush said the arrests are a 'stark reminder' that the U.S. is 'at war with Islamic fascists.'
As lotp observed yesterday, that'll cause the old undies to bunch. It's kind of like a verbal wedgie in some sectors, not all of them Islamic...
Bush thanked British Prime Minister Tony Blair for "busting this plot." Authorities immediately banned all passengers headed to or departing from U.S. airports from carrying any liquid in their carry-ons. The massive lines that resulted at security checkpoints made chaos of air travel worldwide as flights were delayed or canceled.
Quick multiple choice quiz here: Fill in your answer using blue or blue-black ink or crayon. You have your choice of a.) flight delay b.) cancellation or c.) KABOOM! ___________
The effects of the plot rippled across the globe Thursday. The U.S. raised the terror threat level to "severe" for all flights leaving Britain for the United States. Britain raised its alert level to "critical."
"Reginald, how critical is 'severe'?"
"Severely critical, Nigel. Critically."
Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney ordered the National Guard to Boston's Logan Airport, and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered the National Guard to airports in his state. Besides banning liquids, British police are also banning passengers from carrying electronic key fobs, which have the potential to trigger bombs.
What's technology coming to? USB detonators?
A U.S. administration official said the plot targeted Continental, United, British Airways and American Airlines flights to New York, Washington and California. As many as 10 flights were targeted, and the plot may have involved up to 50 people, U.S. officials told CNN.
at least 21 of those arrested are British citizens and some were of Pakistani ethnicity.
Not counting the potential victims, of course...
U.S. and British officials said some suspects could still be on the loose and their investigations were continuing. Indications are that at least 21 of those arrested are British citizens and some were of Pakistani ethnicity, a senior U.S. intelligence official said.
My guess would be that all of them were.
In a sign of the heightened security, Chertoff said the U.S. was dispatching extra air marshals to Britain. The plot was "intended to be mass murder on an unimaginable scale," London's Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Paul Stephenson said.
Maybe to an over-civilized western man. Back in Peshawar it's merely 'death to infidels.'"
Chertoff said the plan was reminiscent of a plot by September 11 coordinator Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who in 1995 had envisioned detonating bombs on 11 airlines possibly traveling over the Pacific Ocean.
Sounds like a replay, actually. Only the ocean's been changed.
The plot was "as sophisticated as any we have seen in recent years as far as terrorism is concerned," Chertoff said. CNN terror analyst Peter Bergen said two factors pointed to the influence of al Qaeda. He said al Qaeda was "obsessed" with commercial aviation and that the timing of the plot was "very interesting."
... the plan was reminiscent of a plot by September 11 coordinator Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who in 1995 had envisioned detonating bombs on 11 airlines possibly traveling over the Pacific Ocean.
Their "obsession" lies with public transport, where you're likely to find large numbers of people in confined spaces, preferably unable to resist the actions of the Islamic sooperdoopermen sent to dispatch them. Public transport is also essential to commerce, so they're hitting us in the economy even if the plot's not successful see today's airline stock quotes. What surprises me is that they haven't yet hit on sports. A big enough bomb at an Ohio State homecoming game would take out 100,000 people. But maybe the Big Turbans don't see sports fans as economically essential.
"It's not clear when this was going to be implemented ... but we are coming up on the fifth anniversary of 9/11. They do want to make a big statement," he said on CNN's "American Morning."
They appear to be big on the number "11", but they're not particularly big on anniversaries. And a high enough corpse count is all the statement they need.
"Due to the nature of the threat revealed by this investigation, we are prohibiting any liquids, including beverages, hair gels, and lotions from being carried on the airplane," a DHS statement said.
"Please leave Vaseline, KY Jelly, Dippety-doo, and similar substances in your luggage."
Increased security means airline passengers around the country should show up at least two hours early for all flights, an official with the Transportation Security Administration told CNN. British and U.S. security agencies quickly moved to impose strict limits on carry-on items in the wake of Thursday's arrests, causing extended delays at airport security checkpoints.
I still think passengers will eventually be required to fly naked and/or be allowed firearms up to .32 caliber.
The British Airports Authority said no hand luggage would be allowed onto planes leaving British airports until further notice. British Airways canceled all short haul flights in or out of Heathrow Airport for Thursday, and delays were stacking flights up at airports across Europe.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2006 00:00 ||
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The BBC still can't bring itself to use the M or the I word, except via a quote from GWB.
#3
The biggest casualty so far appears to be Duty Free. They are out of business.
Posted by: john ||
08/11/2006 8:04 Comments ||
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#4
"electronic key fobs" prolly refers to car key remote doorlock controls...
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/11/2006 9:49 Comments ||
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#5
London's Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Paul Stephenson must be suffering from IDD (Imagination Deficit Disorder), and should be sent for IRT (Imagination Remediation Training), either that, or a course in remedial English.
#6
A big enough bomb at an Ohio State homecoming game would take out 100,000 people. But maybe the Big Turbans don't see sports fans as economically essential.
You're right, Fred. We're not the only ones with cultural blind spots.
#7
A big enough bomb at an Ohio State homecoming game would take out 100,000 people.
Not to mention any Texas, Texas A&M, or a dozen other schools. The islamonutjobs should be very wary of doing any such mayhem. Pick the wrong game, and the entire middle east would become radioactive glass. Think Ohio/Michigan, Texas/Oklahoma, LSU/Alabama, UCLA/Washington, etc., etc., etc.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/11/2006 15:20 Comments ||
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#8
There was that muslim kid who blew himself up outside a (Oklahoma?)football game last year. The cops were quick to call it a simple suicide with no connection to terrorism. I still think he was arming the bomb when it went off before he got inside. That story vanished a little too quickly for me.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/11/2006 15:33 Comments ||
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#11
Auburn/Alabama, there wouldn't be enough immigration/Coast Guard/Navy to stop the whole southeast from forming a flotilla bound for the Mideast.
Wal Mart (ALL Wal Marts) would be completely out of Beer, (All Brands) Shotgun Shells, and plastic 5 gallon gas cans.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
08/11/2006 21:03 Comments ||
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(RIA Novosti) - A militant has been killed in a firefight with federal forces in central Chechnya, the North Caucasus counterterrorist operation headquarters said Friday. "On Thursday, at 2:30 p.m. Moscow time (10:30 a.m. GMT), a unit of Russian Interior Troops conducting a reconnaissance operation near the village of Agishty [the Shalinksy district], engaged an eight-member illegal armed group," a source at the headquarters said. "One gunman was killed in the exchange. His identity is being established." He said there were no losses among federal servicemen. A manhunt has been launched for the other militants.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2006 13:52 ||
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oh. I'm sorry. Did I say muslims were arrested? These were people arrested at muslim gathering places who were probably of pakistani descent who are probably british or italian. There's no good reason to assume they were muslim. At least, the media doesn't seem think so.
LONDON Police arrested 40 people in cities throughout Italy in raids on Muslim gathering places in a security crackdown after Britain thwarted an alleged terror plot, the Interior Ministry said Friday, as Pakistani intelligence agents claimed there was an Al Qaeda connection with ties to Afghanistan to the group of suspected terrorists arrested Thursday.
The arrests in Italy were made Rome, Milan, Venice, Florence, Naples and other cities on Thursday and Friday "as part of an extraordinary operation that followed the British anti-terrorist operation," the ministry said in a statement.
Continued on Page 49
#2
Muslims expressed shock and anger.... Do you think I f*&king care?? Muslims need to express some fear that if they don't get right, and soon, they won't walk the streets safely. Clean your own house, or it will get down for you. Over and OUT
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/11/2006 16:24 Comments ||
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#3
Saw it reported somewhere United tickets to USA were found in London for 8/16 travel.
Can't these guys ever get their party planning right?
#6
To any persons in the US government who may happen upon this
The bombs were to be assembled on the aircraft, apparently with peroxide-based solution and everyday carry-on items such as a disposable camera or a music player, two American law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because Britain asked that no information be released.
Find these 2 and shoot them. No trial take them out and shoot them for treason. These leaks have got to stop and stop now. No one will share info with us if we can't keep it secret and it's obvious we can't. We are in a war. Leakers are traitors. Shoot their worthless asses and leave them to rot.
#9
I disagree, now people who fly know to watch for anyone trying to disassemble a walkman (Etc) and Jump them.
Think of the hundreds of people who already hate the hassle of No Carry-ons, endless waits at airports (Be there two hours before the flight) and let them catch somebody pouring a bottle of baby's milk into a bottle of aftershave, then disassembling some kind of hand held electronics.
The flight would have to be steam cleaned upon landing to get all the bloody pieces out of the carpets.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
08/11/2006 21:12 Comments ||
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Michigan - go figure!
The three suspects are now facing two counts each of Homeland Security Terrorism charges. All three suspects are due to be arraigned August 12th.
Around 1:00am August 11th the three men purchased cell phones from the Wal-Mart store on M-81 near the corner of M-24 in Caro. Wal-Mart places a limit on the number of cell phones that can be purchased at once, that number is three. The three men allegedly bought 80 by purchasing them three at time so that an alert wouldn't be triggered by the cash register. They also paid cash. hmmmmmm
An alert clerk grew suspicious and called Tuscola County central dispatch. The Caro Police Department sent a unit and stopped the rented van on M-81 just east of Caro. The suspects were headed towards Bad Axe on M-81 where there is another Super Wal-Mart. "alert" as in "conscious", but good job.....
The three men are described as being of Palestinian descent but live in Texas. Police say the three, ages 19, 22, and 23 appear to be naturalized citizens. from Palestine, TX? Nope?
One man was driving while the other two were in the back opening the phone packages with box cutters throwing the phones in one box, batteries in another and the packaging and phone charger in another container. The suspects had 1000 other cell phones in the van. There was also a bag of receipts showing that someone was in Wisconsin the day before. busy lil beavers
The phones were Nokia TracFones selling for $20 at Wal-Mart. For your twenty dollars you receive a phone charger and 40 minutes of airtime. The phones do not have to be registered with a name. Also discovered was a laptop with store addresses and store logos.
Tim Nausler with the Michigan State Police bomb squad says this has all the tell tale signs of using cell phones to detonate bombs. He says you need two phones to detonate a bomb one to be with the explosive and the other to make the call to that phone. In some instances he says you can detonate with one phone using the alarm clock function. hmmmm ....ROP?
The TracFones are a nationwide prepaid wireless phone service and are even offered with international long distance. These phones according to tracfone.com don't even have coverage in the Thumb area where they were purchased.
The men have been "cooperative, upfront, not hiding" anything according to police. They also told officers they get stopped frequently and say they buy the phones for $20 and sell them elsewhere for $38. They sell them without the packaging or charger.
The Caro Police Department, the FBI and the Homeland Security Terrorism Taskforce are involved in the case.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/11/2006 17:49 ||
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#1
"Clean phones" are used by drug dealers, here in Australia.
Many people make a nice little earner going around weekend markets buying second-hand phones, and then on-sell to the dealers who chuck them away after a few days. Hinders the cops doing electronic surveillance on them
British police and MI-5 "thwarted" [a word which has not been used in conversation for the past 150 years until today] a plot to blow up between six and ten US airliners while they were crossing the Atlantic Ocean from Heathrow to JFK or Dulles or LAX.
The Home Secretary held a press conference in London along with the deputy top cop of the London Metropolitan Police.
About an hour later, the Secretary of Homeland Security in Washington had one and was joined by the Attorney General and the head of the FBI.
Helicopters hovered over the flats where the terrorists had lived, met, plotted and, presumably, been caught.
As the morning wore on great (and well deserved) kudos were heaped on the police, intelligence, and security services in the UK, the US and Pakistan for banding together to stop this horrific act.
Meanwhile In Marietta, Ohio another plot was broken up.
You know about Marietta, Ohio 45750. It is the place where I went to college; met and married the Mullings Director of Standards & Practices; witnessed the birth of The Lad; and served on the City Council.
This, more or less, is what happened, as reported by Brad Bauer in the Marietta Times:
Two guys walked into the Radio Shack in Marietta, Ohio and bought a number of pre-paid cell phones - maybe a dozen. The two guys refused to give the Radio Shack salesman their names when they wanted to purchase time on two of the phones, which the Radio Shack salesman thought was strange.
So, he called the Sheriff's office and told them about these two guys and the cell phones and the name thing.
The Sheriff sent a car out looking for the two guys, found it, and got in behind it.
At some point, the two guys with all the phones but no names made a turn without having first put on their turn signal.
Whoop! Whoop! Traffic stop.
The Sheriff's deputy gets up to the car, sees about a dozen cell phones and what turned out to be $11,000 in cash. And smells Marijuana.
Cell Phones. Turn signal violation. Marijuana. Ohhh, kaaaayyy, boys. Why'nt cha just step out of the car, slowly, and let me see your hands.
The two guys, it turns out have names which happen to be Osama Sabhi Abulhassan and Ali Houssaiky (no kin to the Houssaiky or Abulhassan families from the neighboring town of Coal Run, Ohio, I'm told.)
It comes to pass that they lied to the deputy about what they were doing with all the phones and what with the name thing and the turn signal thing and the Marijuana thing they were arrested on a charge of "obstructing official business."
After the bust, the Deputies searched the car and found a map showing every Wal-Mart from Michigan to South Carolina, as well as airline passenger lists and airport security information, and so they called the Feds.
Abulhassan and Houssaiky admitted to buying over 600 phones in the area over the past few weeks and, further, explained how they took the phones apart and sent the chips to some other guy in Dearborn, Michigan who paid them a five dollar profit on each phone.
Then they explained how "they send these [phones] overseas and they use the chips against the troops detonating bombs."
Old Osama and Ali must'a slept through the training session on not spilling your guts about international terrorism after you've been busted on a traffic violation.
The Feds showed up and the charge of obstructing official business was dropped in favor of a charge of money laundering on behalf of Hezbollah which, as a former reporter and City Councilman, I don't believe is a listed offense in the Marietta, Ohio Code of Ordinances.
The two are now being held on $200,000 bond each in the Marietta lockup.
That's the way this war on terrorism is fought. CIA, FBI, MI-5 on the one hand. A Radio Shack salesman who smelled something funny and the Sheriff's department of a small county in Ohio on the other.
Both worked.
It was a good day for the good guys.
On the Secret Decoder Ring Page today: A link to the original Marietta Times piece and the follow up by the Associated Press; a vexing Mullfoto of the day ALSO having to do with cell phones; and a Catchy Caption which makes fun of a French guy.
#1
Now if Radio Shack will just, as a public service, review what store locations have the highest cell phone sales per capita and pass that info along....
Just saying...
Posted by: DanNY ||
08/11/2006 14:31 Comments ||
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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Intelligence agents arrested at least seven people, including two British nationals of Pakistani origin who provided information on an alleged terror plot aimed at blowing up U.S.-bound passenger jets from Britain, a senior government official said Friday. The arrests were made in the eastern city of Lahore and in Karachi, the official said on condition of anonymity because he did not have the authority to speak formally on the issue. Two were Britons arrested a week ago who provided information about the plot during interrogations, he said. The five Pakistanis were arrested on suspicion that they served as their local "facilitators," the official said. It wasn't clear when they'd been detained. The official did not know whether they had links with any local or foreign militant organizations.
Pakistan's government said Thursday it had played "a very important role" in uncovering the plot allegedly to bring down as many as 10 jetliners in a nearly simultaneous strike that U.S. officials say was suggestive of an al-Qaida operation. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam on Friday said some arrests were made in Pakistan but refused to give details.
"The investigation is going on. We are not talking about their identities," she told The Associated Press.
Pakistani intelligence officials also confirmed the arrest four or five days ago of a suspect in Faisalabad, a city about 75 miles east of Lahore. They did not provide further details about the suspect's nationality or connection with the plot. The arrest appeared to be separate from the arrest of the seven others. More arrests were expected, officials said.
British authorities arrested 24 people Thursday based partly on intelligence from Pakistan. The suspects were believed to be mainly British Muslims, at least some of Pakistani ancestry.
A Pakistani intelligence official said an Islamic militant arrested near the Afghan-Pakistan border several weeks ago provided a lead that played a role in "unearthing the plot." The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
Pakistan, a key ally of Britain and the U.S. in the war on terrorism, has been long been regarded as a center of Islamic militancy.
Three of the four suicide attackers in the July 7, 2005, bombings on the London transport system that killed 52 people were British Muslims of Pakistani origin and had visited Pakistan before the attacks.
One of the bombers visited a pro-Taliban seminary run by the hard-line Jamaat al-Dawat group in the eastern city of Lahore before the blasts, but officials in Islamabad say none of the London bombers received militant training or support during their visits.
Pakistan placed the hard-line group's leader, Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, under house arrest on Thursday for a month in Lahore, but officials said it wasn't linked to the aircraft plot. Lahore police chief Khawaja Khalid Farooq said authorities feared Saeed's plans to address a rally Saturday could lead to unrest.
British suicide bombers were within days of blowing up 12 passenger jets above five US cities in an unprecedented terrorist attack designed to commit "mass murder on an unimaginable scale", counterterrorism sources claimed last night.
Anti-terrorist agents said they had uncovered the plot from surveillance of a group of young British Muslims, which began nearly a year ago and was on a scale never before undertaken.
US and British counterterrorism officials claimed the men, the majority British Muslims of Pakistani descent, were going to disguise liquid explosive as bottles of soft drink and carry them in their hand luggage on to US-bound planes leaving British airports.
When the jets were in midair over American cities, they planned to combine the explosives and detonate them using an electric charge from an iPod, the security services believe. BA flights were among the targets. US officials said the bombers had been seeking to hit New York, Washington, San Francisco, Boston and Los Angeles. Other airlines targeted were thought to be United, American and Continental.
#1
The only carrier flying nonstop to Seattle from Britain is British Airways, and the other two don't have any nonstop flights there from London from any carriers at all.
Although BA was targeted, the other cities have American flag carriers that also land there, so they might have been more attractive targets (plan B in case an American carrier wouldn't take them...take BA?)
Who knows? Not enough recruits to include Seattle? Maybe they thought their butts might go numb by the time it got there? One of the chemicals/the iPod batteries wouldn't last that long? They didn't want to piss off Starbucks?
#2
I've been saying for a long time, if the terrorists deliver a devastating (NBC) hit to a big liberal urban area like those listed above, the left will have 2 problems: 1) We'll have martial law. 2) They'll be having to ask the right to spot them 8 to 10 million voters to replace those killed in a massive attack.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
08/11/2006 11:49 Comments ||
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Why did Pakistan rat its jihadis out? Because if the plot had gone through, Uncle Sam would have ended up in Pakistan and a universal draft would have been instituted to deal with the occupation. The invasion of Iran would probably have followed.
#5
Because if the plot had gone through, Uncle Sam would have ended up in Pakistan and a universal draft would have been instituted to deal with the occupation.
Safe bet, ZF. I can only imagine just how eager our military is to confiscate the only Muslim controlled nuclear arsenal in the world. Kahn's proliferation (and lack of court trial) has shown us exactly how stable or secure Pakistan's actual grip on nuclear technology really is.
As to terror attacks on blue cities, my only guess is that they're going for a Zapatero effect. Sadly, in view of how spineless America's liberals seem to be of late, it just might work. I remain very thankful that our military will never surrender to these psychotic lunatics (no, not the liberals, the terrorists).
#9
Jackal, there's lots of 'em from Orlando (with bunches of kids going to Disney), Las Vegas is kinda/sorta red and they've got a bunch, and Phoenix has quite a few. Not sure how to classify Miami, but it's got international flights, too.
#10
The terrorists blow themselves up, MOVEON.org Dems and domestic anti-American Americans will do the rest, ala PC isolationism and "justified" closed society and reactionist, popular Governmentism-Totalitarianism = National Safety-Security, Responsibility, Accountability, etc.
Yup, my guys with the baby-blue helmets come through ...
(CBS) CHICAGO Chicago police on Thursday morning arrested one of the 11 Egyptian students who were wanted for failing to show up for an exchange program in Montana. It all started with some heated words at a ticket counter.
At 8 a.m., about four hours after heightened security restrictions went into effect following a foiled terror plot in Britain, a man at the Delta terminal at OHare International Airport tried to use a ticket to go to Bozeman, Montana, but his ticket was out of New York rather than Chicago, police Supt. Philip Cline said at a news conference. A disturbance then ensued. He was raising his voice for the level for the counter agent to call for the police officer to come over, Cline said.
The man, Ahmed Mohamed Mohamed Abou El Ela, 22, was found to be one of the missing Egyptian students, Cline said.
He was acting in a strange, erratic behavior, and the Delta supervisor and they went a little farther in their investigation with the ticket, and they discovered that he was one of the missing students that they were looking for, said Chicago police officer Tim Bolger, who arrived at the scene. We get disturbances occasionally, but its not unusual for people to be a little irate at the ticket counter, added Bolger.
Check the pic of Officer Bolger at the link. I wouldn't mess with him. He's got the healthy, military-reserve look about him ...
The Delta supervisor contacted the university, who in turn told her to call the Chicago Police Department and the FBI, Bolger said. They say he was kind of fidgety, moving around and kind of talking in a loud voice, which caused for a little bit of alarm, Bolger said.
El Ela was calm when Bolgar arrived. He was taken into custody and turned over to federal authorities, Bolgar said.
Mayor Daley said Bolger did a tremendous job checking out the disturbance. All of a sudden a name comes up and a person of interest, Daley said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/11/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Good to see Chicago's finest actually doing something other than towing vehicles on Halsted and Stony Island.
#5
Heard on radio this morning they've bagged 6 out of the 11.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/11/2006 9:56 Comments ||
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#6
So let's see. I'm illegal, I'm Arab, every cop in the country is looking for me, a major terrorist plot involving aircraft has been uncovered this morning, and I'm in O'Hare with a ticket issued from New York.
Let me walk over to this ticket counter and start screaming. I'm sure nobody will notice.
The man charged in the shootings of six people at Seattle's Jewish Federation offices has indicated he wants to plead guilty, his attorney told a judge Thursday. Naveed Afzal Haq, of the Seattle area, is charged with aggravated first-degree murder in the death of Pamela Waechter, who was the director of the Jewish charity's annual fundraising campaign, and with five counts of attempted murder.
Haq is accused of forcing his way into the downtown offices of the Seattle charity and opening fire with a handgun, saying that he was upset about the war in Iraq and US support of Israel.
Haq, 30, said little at his brief arraignment Thursday, but his court-appointed attorney, C. Wesley Richards, told the judge that Haq "is indicating that it his desire to enter guilty pleas." Richards said he was not aware before the hearing that Haq intended to plead guilty. At the attorney's request, the rest of the hearing was delayed until next Tuesday to give him time to determine whether Haq is competent to enter a guilty plea. Haq is accused of forcing his way into the downtown offices of the Seattle charity and opening fire with a handgun, saying that he was upset about the war in Iraq and US support of Israel.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Do you not remember when you were a child, Naveed?
Could you ever imagine such violence you would do as a "man" shooting Pregnant women? Do you find that appropriate in your religion or am I watching a Zombie movie "Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar". We took YOUR family in and yet you find need to bring that mooselimb violence onto this soil?
No son, you are sane enough for a firing squad but you lucked out. You did it in Oregon.
I personally think this is a politial crime and all of these should be looked at as suh because YOU HAVE NO GOD, Haq.
May your soul rot in the listless spiritual void to be example for mooselimbs all across America to see. Maybe they will see how spiritually void the world has become from your shame and lack of connection to humanity. If Muslims are not careful, they will be held in quarantine in the islamic country of their choice due to fators that interefere with Humanity and moreover GOD.
Do you know who you are in the Bible, Punk?
You are a nobody in the Koran.
#3
As I said in my weblog, these people have the right to find their own path to hell - they just don't have the right to try to take us with them, especialy by force. When we catch one of these insects committing a crime against others, we need to squash them the same way we'd squash a cockroach.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/11/2006 15:43 Comments ||
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#4
Word via radio news was that the primary reason the judge delayed the arraignment was to prevent the early guilty plea being used as a way to get any convidtion tossed, since he 'didn't confer with his attorney.' Score a pre-emptive legal strike for the Black Robed One!!!
* Funds given to two British citizens of Kashmiri origin and an Islamabad-based Kashmiri builder
* Earthquake relief money remitted to individuals alarmed British agencies
By Sarfaraz Ahmed and Maqbool Ahmed
KARACHI: A UK-based Islamic charity organisation remitted a huge amount of money to three individuals in three different bank accounts in Mirpur, Azad Kashmir, in December last year with the sole purpose of helping its recipients and their organisations carry out the aircraft bombing plan in the UK, insider sources told Daily Times yesterday.
An investigation carried out by Daily Times showed that Muslim Charity of UK remitted not so long ago a huge amount of money under the head of earthquake relief to the accounts of three individuals in three different banks Saudi Pak Bank, Standard Chartered and Habib Bank Ltd. One of these banks is UK based and has its presence in Azad Kashmir because of a huge number of British citizens of Kashmir origin in UK. The money was transferred from UK to banks in Azad Kashmir through Barclays Plc..
Two of the recipients of the transaction are British citizens of Kashmir origin while the third is an Islamabad-based builder, also of Kashmir origin. They were arrested in the last two weeks at three different places in the country. One of them was arrested in Karachi, the builder was arrested in Islamabad while the place of the arrest of the third suspect is still not known. There are no available details about these three suspects with regard to their links with organisations such as Al Qaeda or Lashkar-e-Taiba or both.
Pakistani FIA investigators were apparently tipped off by the British authorities about the fund transfers and asked to investigate. Following their arrests the three suspects revealed some key elements of the aircraft bombing plan during interrogations by various agency personnel, who were also aided by at least one expert specialising in money laundering. The Pakistani and British investigators were able to discover how operatives at both ends had raised and moved their funds around. These investigations also established that it was due to the prompt and successful operation of Pakistans intelligence agencies, particularly the FIA, that the world was saved from a fate worse than 9/11.
Had we been even slightly complacent, the perpetrators of this plot might have been able to carry out their operations without little or no problem in the UK because of two broad reasons, said a senior government official, who was privy to the inquiry carried out by Pakistani agencies following the receipt of a tip from UKs National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit in June this year.
First, he said, Pakistani anti-terrorism agency counterparts abroad have been showing a lot of trust in our skills and abilities and none of our reports has so far been challenged by them. Second, he added, any delay on the part of the Pakistan agencies in acquiring and relaying this information would have cost the NTFIU dearly for it was desperate to know the outcome of Pakistans inquiry report in order to determine whether or not to ask the UK authorities to declare a red alert in the country. Giving details, the official said the NTFIU, which reportedly plays a central role in informing and implementing British government policy on terrorist finance and is an integral part of the UKs intelligence structure targeting terrorist finance, had asked Pakistani authorities to carry out a highly discreet inquiry on some money transfers.
According to the NTFIU, a huge amount of money had been transferred from Britain to Azad Kashmir for quake relief efforts two months after the quake caused devastation. Neither the amount nor the purpose for which money was sent caused any concern in the British investigation unit, said the senior official. What raised alarm among British sleuths specialising in finances was the fact that the entire money was remitted to three individuals, not to any organisation or organisations involved in the relief work.
The official, who refused to disclose the amount, however said that the entire transaction was in pound sterling. It is up to you to deduce. What I can say is that it was a huge amount. Had it not been gone into the accounts of individual, nobody would have been bothered, he said.
A senior Pakistani banker who has successfully dealt with a number of money laundering cases told Daily Times on condition of anonymity that the UK has had extensive experience of tracking, disrupting and undermining the finances of terrorist networks and continues to develop new ways in which such targeting and disruption can be effectively achieved. In this case too, the UK Units expertise provided immense guidance to Pakistani sleuths to uncover the plot, he added. Another senior official told Daily Times that the Pakistani agencies have in recent months been able to effect significant seizures of terrorist cash and identify and disrupt terrorist fundraising activity.
According to him, all banks, including multinationals, and financial institutions have been cooperating fully in seeking out sources of terrorist funding since 9/11. This was mainly due to the cooperation of the three banks through which money was transferred to these suspects, the official said, and added that one of the most significant features contributing to the success of this case was increased integration between key bodies involved, ranging from government, law enforcement and regulatory bodies at home and abroad.
Posted by: john ||
08/11/2006 20:19 ||
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#1
Ahhh, that old world wisdom. I wonder what is going on in Indonesia right now. Hmmmm.
#3
Muslim Charity of UK remitted not so long ago a huge amount of money under the head of earthquake relief to the accounts of three individuals in three different banks Saudi Pak Bank, Standard Chartered and Habib Bank Ltd. One of these banks is UK based and has its presence in Azad Kashmir because of a huge number of British citizens of Kashmir origin in UK. The money was transferred from UK to banks in Azad Kashmir through Barclays Plc.
Two alleged members of the terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) were arrested with two kg of RDX by the Special Cell at New Delhi railway station here on Thursday. The police suspect that the duo was part of a module despatched to the Capital to carry out strikes in the run-up to the Independence Day celebrations. According to Joint Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Karnal Singh, a team under the supervision of Sanjeev Kumar Yadav recently received a tip-off from the intelligence agencies that two persons suspected to be working for the LeT would sneak into the Capital. During interrogation, the two identified themselves as Abrar Ahmed, a resident of Bihar, and Abu Anas, a Pakistan national. The two were subsequently whisked away to the Lodhi Colony interrogation cell.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2006 13:59 ||
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NEW DELHI - The U.S. Embassy in India's capital warned Friday that foreign militants, possibly al-Qaida members, may be planning to carry out bombings in two major Indian cities in the coming days.
An e-mail sent to American citizens registered with the embassy said New Delhi, the capital, and Bombay, the country's financial and entertainment hub, were the targets of the alleged plot, and that the attacks were believed to be planned around India's Independence Day, which falls on Aug. 15.
The embassy confirmed that it had sent the e-mail, and the chief secretary of India's Maharshtra state, where Bombay is located, confirmed that authorities had intelligence about a possible terror plot.
But the chief secretary, D.K. Sankaran, refused to provide additional details, saying only that "adequate security measures are being taken at sensitive installations, offices and areas."
That was clear on the approach road to New Delhi's international airport, where guards armed with assault rifles stopped cars, buses and trucks, checking IDs and searching some vehicles.
However, Indian Home Ministry officials said they had received no notice of the possible plot. Home Secretary D.K. Duggal called the warning "innocuous," saying it was an internal embassy matter.
The U.S. Embassy's warning for India said the "likely targets include major airports, key central Indian government offices, and major gathering places such as hotels and markets."
It urged American citizens to maintain a low profile, and be alert and attentive to their surroundings between Aug. 11 and Aug. 16.
Security around India has already been beefed up because of the coming Independence Day celebrations, a time of year when militants from the country's myriad regional separatist movements often launch attacks.
The alleged plot appeared tied to Independence Day and not the reported plan to blow up airliners over the Atlantic.
Although neither U.S. nor Indian officials would explain the source of their intelligence reports, the Press Trust of India reported Friday that police in New Delhi had arrested two members of a Pakistani Islamic militant group suspected in a string of bombings in India, including last month's attacks on Bombay's commuter trains, which killed 207 people.
The news agency said the arresting officers believed they had foiled a terror plot by the Pakistan-based group Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, which is believed to have ties to al-Qaida.
One of the two alleged Lashkar-e-Tayyaba militants arrested is Pakistani, and both were arrested late Thursday with 4.4 pounds of a powerful explosive known as RDX, and a huge quantity of other ammunition, PTI reported. They were nabbed at New Delhi's train station.
The Pakistani was identified only as Anaz, a native of Islamabad, and the other man as Abrar Ahmed, from the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, PTI said.
(Xinhua) -- Indian Border Security Force (BSF) and Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) exchanged gunfire at border for nearly eight hours overnight, creating panic and tension in the area, local news agency UNB reported Thursday. There was no report of any casualty from the exchange of gunfire that began at 11:00 p.m. (1700 GMT) Wednesday and continued till 7 a.m. (0100 GMT) Thursday at Amalshid border in Bangladesh's northeastern Sylhet district. However, Khalilur Rahman, 70, a resident of Amalshid village, died of cardiac arrest apparently from the impact of heavy sound created by mortar shells, UNB reported. Many local residents, who left their homes, are yet to return while some others were staying at their homes by digging bunkers.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
What happened? To find out you might have to cut and paste until the moderators approve the link. There are 20 million Bengali illegals in India.
Two Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists, including a Pakistani, were arrested on Thursday night and two kg of RDX and huge quantity of other ammunitions were seized from their possession as police foiled a possible terrorist plot to subvert Independence Day celebrations. Anaz, hailing from Islamabad, and Abrar Ahmed, a resident of Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh, were nabbed by Special Cell sleuths of the Delhi Police outside Ajmeri Gate terminal of the New Delhi railway station. The duo, who had reached Delhi by Swaraj Express from Jammu, was about to get into an autorickshaw when they landed in police nets, Deputy Police Commissioner (Special Cell) Alok Kumar said.
Two kg of RDX and five detonators were seized from the two, who disembarked at platform number eight of the crowded station, he added. The two terrorists were in mid-30s, were interrogated by a team of Special Cell officers to find out their motives and to get details about their contacts in the capital which is in a state of high security alert in view of Independence Day.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2006 00:00 ||
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PESHAWAR: Suspected militants killed a tribal elder in South Waziristan for allegedly "spying" for the United States, officials said on Thursday. Noor Muhammad was gunned down late on Wednesday in Angoor Adda, 40 kilometres west of Wana, said administration officials on condition of anonymity. Noor, 44, had been receiving threatening letters for the past few months, accusing him of "spying" on militants on both sides of the Pak-Afghan border for the US-led coalition, his family told reporters. One letter, said his cousin, had warned: "Stop spying for US forces in Afghanistan or you will be killed." This is the second such execution to have taken place in the area this week. On Monday suspected militants, believed to have links to the Taliban, beheaded a tribesman in North Waziristan on similar charges.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Likely not a spy; that accusation is probably just 'cover' for killing a guy somebody doesn't like for other reasons. From Taliban perspective it doesn't make much difference - killing somebody accused of spying (true or not) provides good disincentive to others considering spying or any other uncooperative behavior.
QUETTA: Suspected renegade tribesmen blew up a bridge on a major road in Balochistan on Thursday, disrupting traffic between Quetta and Karachi, an official told The Associated Press. No one was reported injured in the explosion in Ornach, a rugged area about 400 kilometres south of Quetta, said Abdul Samad, a local government administration official.
The explosion on the bridge led to the suspension of traffic on the road linking Quetta with Karachi, stranding dozens of vehicles, Samad said. He did not give details on the extent of damage to the bridge, but said explosives planted under it had been set off. Authorities will divert traffic between Karachi and Quetta to an alternate route, Samad said. No one claimed responsibility for the explosion but Samad suspected local tribesmen. Separately, security forces seized arms from militants during a search operation in Dera Bugti district, while three more commanders of Nawab Akbar Bugti surrendered to the government on Thursday, Online reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2006 00:00 ||
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(KUNA) -- National Security Adviser Muwaffaq Al-Rubaie announced Thursday that Iraqi security forces arrested 17 Qaeda leaders and killed another one in the past few days and said 35,000 Iraqi policemen were successfully involved in the implementation of Baghdad's security plan. In a press conference held here, Al-Rubaie said security forces arrested 17 Qaeda leaders, including five who were detained in Baghdad, and killed another.
Al-Qaeda member Muhammad Ali Al-Obaidi is accused of killing hundreds of Iraqis in tens of car explosions.
He showed photographs of the detainees which included a photo of "Dr. Saad" who was killed a few days ago in a raid south of Baghdad, and the photo of Ameer Al-Qaroghly, the Al-Qaeda's religious leader in Al-Yousefiya, Al-Mahmoudiya, Al-Karma, and Al-Doura. He also demonstrated the photo of Al-Qaeda member Muhammad Ali Al-Obaidi who is accused of killing hundreds of Iraqis in tens of car explosions. Al-Rubaie said among the arrested are Wisam Al-Douri, a senior Qaeda member accused of terrorist attacks, and Dhia Abd Olaiwi Al-Rakabi, the first deputy of Qaeda leader Abdullah.
According to Al-Rubaie more than 30,000 patrols were spread since the beginning of Baghdad's security plan, in which 22,000 local police members and 13,000 national police members are participating. He stressed that the government is supporting the Iraqi police forces, saying "I would like to kiss every policeman on his forehead and tell him thank you for all what you sacrificed". "My message to the terrorists and death squads is 'failure is your ally'", he emphasized.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2006 00:00 ||
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#4
There's an al-Douri in there. Wonder if there's any kinship between him and Ibrahim al-Douri, one of the most wanted men in Iraq. Pliers and panties definitely called for!
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/11/2006 15:56 Comments ||
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#5
even if just for the name/clan....
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/11/2006 17:27 Comments ||
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(KUNA) -- Iraqi Ministry of Defense said Thursday that their soldiers were able to arrest 27 armed men and the dismantling of two cars loaded with explosives in different parts of the country. A statement by the ministry said the arrest of five armed men in the northern city of Mosul coincided with the arrest of seven others in the Ramadi city in the west of Iraq. Eleven other armed men were arrested north of Baghdad, while the dismantling of two car bombs was made in the Howaija and Al-Khales towns, statement added.
Meanwhile, Iraqi military forces said today that they have found a militant hide out in the Al-Azameya area in Baghdad designed to be used for making bombs. Iraqi forces have also arrested four suspects in the Forat river mid west of Iraq.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2006 00:00 ||
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(KUNA) -- Iraqi police raided Thursday a mosque in western Baghdad to arrest three gunmen involved in an armed attack on Iraqi police in which a police colonel was killed, said the Iraqi Interior Minister in Baghdad. "Group of terrorists attacked the national police in Saydiah area in Western Baghdad, and then took refuge in Turkey bin Talal Mosque," said the statement.
The gunmen "continued firing from the mosque killing Colonel Dhiaa Al-Samirrai and two other policemen," added the statement. The Iraqi police then arrested the three gunmen, one of whom was wounded by police fire, said the statement, noting that police also confiscated a large quantity of weapons stored in the mosque. An Iraqi security source told KUNA earlier gunmen clashed with Iraqi police in Ighilsidiya area in Western Baghdad. Three Iraqi policemen including a senior officer were killed in the clash, he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
A large quantity of weapons in the mosk ?
Truly shocking.
(KUNA) -- Six civilians were killed and three others were injured in a bomb explosion at a restaurant in western Baghdad, said a police source on Thursday. An unidentified person left a bag full of explosives inside a crowded restaurant in al-Sayedyah area this afternoon which exploded, causing the casualties and damaging surrounding buildings, said Iraqi interior ministry source.
Al-Sayedyah area has witnessed clashes today between gunmen and police forces, which resulted in the killing of seven of the gunmen, according to Iraqi defense ministry sources. An interior ministry source said that a police Colonel and two policemen were also killed in the clash.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2006 00:00 ||
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(Xinhua) -- The U.S.-led coalition forces have arrested four Iraqis suspected of abducting a U.S. female journalist who was kidnapped earlier in the year and then released, a U.S. military spokesman said Wednesday. "Coalition forces have detained four Iraqi men that we believe have been involved in the kidnapping of Jill Carroll," Major General William Caldwell, U.S. military spokesman, told reporters in a news briefing in Baghdad.
Carroll, a reporter of the U.S. Christian Science Monitor, was kidnapped and her Iraqi interpreter was killed in western Baghdad on Jan. 7. She was later released on March 30. The spokesman showed pictures of a hot spot area between Baghdad and Fallujah, west of the capital, which he said have been suspected by his soldiers. "Marines from the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force were able to identify the location in which we believe Jill Carroll was held," Caldwell said.
Carroll's captors, calling themselves the Revenge Brigades, hadthreatened to kill her unless all women detainees in the U.S. and Iraqi prisons were released.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2006 00:00 ||
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NAJAF: At least 51 people were killed across Iraq on Thursday. A suicide bomber killed at least 35 people and wounded over 90 on Thursday near a Shia shrine in the southern Iraqi city of Najaf, dealing a blow to fresh efforts to avert a sectarian civil war. Hospital sources said the bomber blew himself at a police commando checkpoint on his way to the Imam Ali shrine, one of the most revered sites in the world for Shia and an annual destination for thousands of pilgrims. Dr Riyadh al-Shibli said 35 were killed and 94 wounded. Shia al-Forat television channel said there were two attacks, including the suicide blast, in the city which is home to Iraqs top Shia clerics. Suddenly my cart and the cans and the people were flying through the air, said Moussa Khadhan, a 37 year-old street vendor, who was nearby at the time.
The blast ripped through the checkpoint as the United States boosted its troop levels in Baghdad, some 160 km to the north, in another attempt to ease communal bloodshed tearing the capital apart. Ambulances drove through the streets of Najaf appealing for blood donations as the scale of carnage became clear and the number of injured rose. Television pictures showed the body of a child being laid besides other bloodied corpses on a patch of ground beside a hospital. The dead, marked with numbered white labels on their foreheads for identification, included both police and civilians, police and hospital sources said.
Meanwhile, at least 13 people were killed across Baghdad on Thursday as US and Iraqi security forces began executing the new phase of a security plan for the capital. Insurgents ambushed and killed the head of a national police brigade and six officers while they were carrying out a raid in the flashpoint neighbourhood of Al-Maalif in southwest Baghdad, medics and a defence official said. Seven, including the colonel, were killed in the battle, a Defence Ministry official said, adding that the officers had been ambushed by insurgents during a raid intended to seize a major weapons cache.In another incident not far from Al-Maalif, six people were killed when a bomb exploded in a busy restaurant in Baghdads Saydiyah neighbourhood, an Interior Ministry official said.
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Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2006 00:00 ||
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#2
Seems suicide boomers have been way down lately.
A few days ago, the escalating-surging-blossoming-exploding-surging-violence-
leading-to-the-impending-civil-war-quagmire had 35 killed across the nation, including three or four booms.
I tellya, we're winnin'!
Posted by: Bobby ||
08/11/2006 6:53 Comments ||
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I'm too disgusted to comment. Condi will NEVER get my vote as President
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert faced a backlash on Friday over a U.N. proposal to end the war in Lebanon, with army officers saying they were held back and right-wing rivals calling for new elections.
"Olmert must go," read a front page headline in Israel's left-leaning Haaretz newspaper.
Opinion polls, conducted before details of the proposed Security Council resolution emerged, showed public support eroding for Olmert, a career politician who lacks the combat credentials of many of his predecessors.
Twenty percent of those surveyed by Haaretz believed Israel was winning the war.
Leading members of the right-wing opposition Likud party called the resolution a victory for Hizbollah.
"We will work to bring down the government," said Likud's Silvan Shalom. Yuval Steinitz, also of Likud, said the Israeli government should resign and call new elections.
Some Israeli military commanders said an expanded ground offensive, authorized by Olmert and his security cabinet on Wednesday, should not have been put on hold.
They accused Olmert of denying the army a chance to gain more ground militarily to secure a ceasefire that would be more favorable to Israel and less so to Hizbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
Army officers said Israeli troops massed along the Lebanese border were now "sitting ducks" while Israeli political leaders awaited the outcome of the negotiations at the United Nations.
"We need to keep on going with the military operation," one officer said. He did not want to be identified.
Another officer told Haaretz: "Nasrallah will continue to mock us, and in the end there will be another war."
Justice Minister Haim Ramon defended the government, telling Israel Radio: "War in the name of the war is not an objective."
Tzachi Hanegbi, a senior member of Olmert's Kadima party, said that, if it was possible to remove Hizbollah from southern Lebanon through diplomacy, "obviously this is far preferable to a military clash with its heavy price in lives of fighters."
LATEST PROPOSAL
The latest proposal calls for the existing U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon to be reinforced by French and other troops, although Beirut has rejected a proposed mandate allowing the use of force for more than just self-defense.
Hizbollah would pull out from south of the Litani river, 13 miles from the border -- as Israel wants.
Israeli critics say the resolution would not secure the immediate release of two soldiers seized by Hizbollah, whose capture on July 12 sparked the war, and does not guarantee the guerrilla group's disarmament.
Political sources said Israel was still pushing for changes to the resolution to make sure troops would withdraw only once the expanded peacekeeping force was on the ground.
Israel also wants the resolution to spell out how an embargo will be enforced to prevent Hizbollah from receiving new arms.
A poll published in Haaretz on Friday showed only 48 percent of Israelis were satisfied with Olmert's performance compared with more than 75 percent early in the fighting.
A poll in the mass-circulation Yedioth Ahronoth showed 66 percent were satisfied with Olmert, down from 73 percent.
Haaretz columnist Ari Shavit wrote: "You cannot lead an entire nation to war promising victory, produce humiliating defeat and remain in power."
Ben Caspit, a columnist for Maariv, agreed that it would be hard for Olmert to remain: "The public in Israel will not keep silent about this month.. without reaching a victory or exacting an appropriate price."
(Additional reporting by Jonathan Saul)
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/11/2006 19:52 ||
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#1
"You cannot lead an entire nation to war promising victory, produce humiliating defeat and remain in power."
George W. Bush, are you listening??? Get the lead out of your ass AND GROW A DAMN SPINE!!!!!
Posted by: Dave D. ||
08/11/2006 20:04 Comments ||
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#2
Condi isnt the guilty here, Olmert didnt wanted to do anything. I didnt like her in the begining of crisis but i am more worried with her specially with Iran.
#3
Consider how all of this will be perceived in Iran, Syria, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Osama's cave, Pakistan, Europe's Islamist enclaves, etc.
Israel has lost. The West is losing. When and how can the tide turn? I'm 40, I've already served, and I'll do it again when necessary -- but there's got to be a leadership that wants us to WIN THE WAR.
Posted by: Kalle ||
08/11/2006 20:17 Comments ||
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#4
I don't know whether we're losing; but we're sure as hell not winning very fast.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
08/11/2006 20:33 Comments ||
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#5
We lost. Nothing here that can be described as a win. Only Iran and Syria gained. Israel lost men and treasure, Leabanon lost people and infrastructure Hizb'allah decalres a victory.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
08/11/2006 21:48 Comments ||
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#8
I side with the folks at The Corner, who conclude that you can't get on paper (the resolution) any more than you can gain on the ground (in Lebanon after a month).
This isn't Bush or Condi's fault. It is Olmert's fault and, frankly, those who voted him into office.
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/11/2006 22:36 Comments ||
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#9
Sitzkrieg folks. Nothing more. Spines are only made from pressure and neither we nor Israel are being truly pressured. I am confident it will happen though the price will be high.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has accepted an emerging Mideast cease-fire deal and informed the United States of his decision, Israeli officials said Friday. Olmert will recommend that his government approve the deal in its meeting on Sunday, said Gideon Meir, a senior official in the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
Meir said the military offensive in Lebanon would continue for the time being. It was not immediately clear if it would be halted after the U.N. Security Council vote on the cease-fire deal later Friday, or only after the Israeli Cabinet has endorsed it.
Posted by: ed ||
08/11/2006 18:07 ||
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#1
Been sayin it all day...and he couldn't wait. This was his end goal all along and FUBAR'd this beyond belief. Only hope is that his govt. shoots it down. What a crock.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
08/11/2006 18:18 Comments ||
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#2
What I want to know is why Bush is covering for him damn we had the shot oh well back to the drawing board.
Is this some kind of American-Israeli rope-a-dope con game being played on the Hizzies, Syria and Iran to convince them we're hopelessly Stuck On Stupid™ in hopes that they'll get overconfident and make some fatal blunder, and then we'll spring the Super-Secret Trap™ on them and blow them to Kingdom Come??
Or is it that we're just Stuck On Stupid, period?
Posted by: Dave D. ||
08/11/2006 18:24 Comments ||
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#4
Olmert thought he could finesse everybody, Hez-B, UN and US. Screw him.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
08/11/2006 18:25 Comments ||
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#5
This is the Europeasation of Israel. A cultural shift that is happening in top politicians,journalists etc It is also happening in USA
Posted by: Dave D. ||
08/11/2006 18:33 Comments ||
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#8
Is a military coup possible in Israel?
Posted by: kelly ||
08/11/2006 18:36 Comments ||
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#9
Clerert nailed it.
We ran interference for Israel for a month. Even the freakin Egyptians and the Soddies gave them the green light to eliminate an direct threat to their country. Still, despite this unprecedented opportunity to do what is just, the Olmert government showed no interest in doing so. Given this 'Europeanization' the UN deal is the best we can do.
If I were Israeli, I'd think about moving to the US before they are overrun. Israel can only afford one strategic defeat. This may be it.
#10
I am so bummed, GWB is really starting to piss me off...I got pictures of the dood hanging on my walls and I am wonder now why they are there!!
I am begging him to take the gloves off. I can't believe we are being pushed around by a midget dictator and a bunch of people living in the 3rd century...
Let's just get this over with!! If it goes to nukes then fuck it!! Let's just get this shit over!! I am so tired of trying to be nice to these fucking cock sucking MOOOSLIMS!!
KILL THEM ALL!!
Fuck it!!
Hopefully they were never fighting for Olmert, but for God & country.
Posted by: RJB in JC MO ||
08/11/2006 18:56 Comments ||
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#17
Fighting continues, resupply is still denied and getting Lebonen forces mobilized will take weeks.
Kofi says to "stop hitting" but the guns are still pumping out rounds.
It ain't over till thay start talking about swapping prisoners...
#18
I'm just as disappointed as everyone else in regards to the weakness showed but I'm wondering if any of our capitulation to the Euro-weenies viewpoint has to do with Iran and its date with the UN at the end of August.
#20
This is the first defeat that Israel has suffered since 1948.It's not a military defeat, but a defeat of will. From now on it can expect to be subjected to the "death of a thousand cuts", as attacks on it by non-state actors escalate, with the full backing of regional players. These backers lived in fear during the present conflict that Israel might bring them to account. Nothing happened to them, so they will be emboldened to escalate conflicts in the region, and will expect Israel, and by definition the US, to seek a political solution. Expect interesting times in the Middle East if the US tries to lean too hard on Iran over their nuclear ambitions.
#21
I'm just as disappointed as everyone else in regards to the weakness showed but I'm wondering if any of our capitulation to the Euro-weenies viewpoint has to do with Iran and its date with the UN at the end of August.
If we don't have the collective balls in the West to deal with the Hezzie scum, do we have the will to deal with a growing Iranian nuclear threat? It is going to take a great deal more sense of purpose and will to defeat this scourge to mankind.
What the hell is going to happen to the Israeli soldiers who were kidnapped? Are they just going to be left hanging out in the breeze?
What are the Iraqians going to think about the
West's determination to win the WOT.
We are going to be plagued by this agreement forever. It is going to lead to a very serious war soon.
Who in the hell is vying for an Arafat Nobel Peace Prize?
#22
Yep. The Rumsfeld game plan in action, and Condi sitting there pushing it onward. Welcome to PC war, ready your burqas, ain't it grand no ones feelings will get hurt.
Make do with as little as possible, and ensure the enemy a fair fight. They will love us now.
#24
Disgusted. Gut-wrenching feeling going on in my stomach. Olmert is going to be the worst PM of Isreal for a long time. If he lasts, I have the feeling he will resign when public opinion goes down lower than Bush's numbers.
Posted by: Charles ||
08/11/2006 20:17 Comments ||
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#25
Tie it to Rumsfeld - I'd tie you to Michael Moore. Same Dif
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/11/2006 20:17 Comments ||
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#26
"Olmert will recommend that his government approve the deal in its meeting on Sunday"
This is the only moron that I know that would agree to a deal before it's even drawn up. If an investment banker did this, he would canned in two seconds.
"U.N. Security Council vote on the cease-fire deal later Friday"
I would surprised if this wasn't a black tie event. This way, the hard working diplomat's wouldn't take a chance on missing the 8pm dinner reservations. Who cares about Jews, when there's lobster on the menu?
#27
No Frank. This make-do with as small of a force bullshiat and fighting a PC war is tied directly to Rumsfeld whether you like it or not. Look where it's gotten us in Iraq, and now look what the same attitude and approach has gotten the Israelis. I am pissed off as fuck, and I can't believe these clowns have learnt nothing from Vietnam.
#28
If you go to war, you fight it like it's a goddamned war and finish it! No mercy, no PC shenanigans! If you're not ready to do that, you don't fight it at all!
#29
you think Rumsfeld fought a PC losing war in Afghanistan or Iraq? Ask the Taliban (hiding in Pakland) who were supposedly invincible. Ask Saddam or Qusay or Uday? You can't, can you? Meh
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/11/2006 20:25 Comments ||
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#30
"One survey, by the independent Dahaf Institute, said Olmert's personal approval rating dropped from 73 percent to 66 percent."
Oooh! A staggering 7 point drop. I haven't seen this much forgiveness even among Christians. Boy, the Jews really know how to make their politicians pay for wrong decisions. Maybe, Olmert will stay in power due to the re-redistricting plan coordinated by Delay.
Bush is fighting a WoT and his approval rating is inside the 40's. Imagine what would happen if Bush fought the WoT like Olmert.
#31
We didn't fight a PC war in Afghanistan, and we employed people who were probably not our best friends, but they got the job done. We bombed who needed to be bombed, and didn't give a rats ass to what any media would say.
That changed in Iraq. Rumsfeld brought along the idea of "we can make do with less" approach to warfare, and it has not proven to be the wise choice. Not only that, the PC bullshiat has led to our own military charging our own boys with war crimes to "show fairness" to the goddamned bloodthirsty Iraqis that we will prosecute our own. And who brought about these allegations? Oh, gee, "freedom fighters". All in the name of showing our PC side and showing our "fairness". Bullshiat!
Israel has taken the same approach to this war. The same old PC bullshiat. Leaflet them before they attack, give the damn Hezbollitos time to move on, and leave bodies for propoganda purposes. Meanwhile, after the media criticizes and hates Israel(WHICH THEY WOULD DO ANYWAYS), say that you are going to run an investigation into what happened, and , OH WE SO SORRY! in the meantime.
No, feh, Israel knows how to fight fucking wars, the problem is they listened to the bullshiat ideas coming from over here.
"No mercy, no PC shenanigans! If you're not ready to do that, you don't fight it at all!"
Whose fault do you think it is? Not Rumsfeld. I have another question for you. If Kennedy, Schumer, and Biden wrote a letter to Rumsfeld to do whatever it takes to defeat the terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan, do you think Rumsfeld will wait 1 second or 2 seconds to give the order to wipe out entire towns in the Sunni Triangle?
Get off Rumsfeld. Blame the bleeding hearts or as Fred would say "....or is that chili?"
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/11/2006 20:47 Comments ||
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#34
Is Rumsfeld in charge, or is Kennedy, Schumer, and Biden? No. If you are in charge of fighting a war and winning it, you do what it takes REGARDLESS of what your political opponents have to say. The very fact that you bring up that those morons are controlling what's happening, tells me that Rummy isn't as in control of the situation as he should be. I'll bring it up again, you can't fight a PC war, and if Rummy has let those assholes take charge, then Rummy is an appeaser, isn't he?
#35
The buck has to stop somewhere. I should hope that it stops with the people who were voted in charge of running this country! Not the dipshiat senators from Massachusettes or New Yorkistan.
#36
Rumsfeld maybe in charge of DoD, but the Senate can haul him in and make a public spectacle of him, anytime they want. Unfortunately, that's political reality. Anyone who has been around Reagan as long as Rumsfeld, could never be an appeaser.
#38
I understand where you are coming from PR, and I know the dipshiat opposition. If Rummy can't handle it though, maybe it's time for him to pass the reigns in to someone else. Someone who won't be afraid of the scrutiny, and letting these gasbag senators from the east coast run things. If he can't handle it, then it is time for him to get off the pot. I want to see someone there who will do whatever it takes, and kick people like Biden and Kennedy to the curb if they don't like it.
The sad thing is this has spread now to Israel, and they should be mad as fuck.
#39
like WHO? suggestions? or just bitching? I'm all ears
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/11/2006 21:09 Comments ||
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#40
btw - I DO believe in fighting to win. I lay this on Olmert first, second, Condi's lack of "buck the fuck up, you spineless wimp" AKA Churchill/Thatcher backbone
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/11/2006 21:13 Comments ||
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#41
Mainly just bitching Frank, to be honest.
I would just like to see someone with balls take over this crap, and do what needs to be done.
#44
no disagreement, Thoth :-) We want the same end result
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/11/2006 21:24 Comments ||
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#45
apparently W thinks Olmert is roadkill...
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/11/2006 21:25 Comments ||
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#46
The "too few troops" argument does have one thing going for it: the Sunnis first and now the Shiites do not feel well and truly beaten. Wars end when one side gives up.
We have fought a PC war, but I do not blame Rumsfeld for this. We will lose the PC, or we will lose our lives. There is not a third way.
#47
Only 2 people to blame Olmert and G.W. Bush. The Buck does stop there.
It sure wasn't the fault of the war figheters it is a failure of leadership. GW. Bush is not doin the job to the best of his ability. Time for him to quite acting like Goofy and get his ass in gear.
This is what it looks like when the Left wins. Hizb'allah and Iran declare victory.
#50
Understood - and I don't know who in Israel's the answer. Bibi? Someone else? Where are the Dayan's and Meir's?
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/11/2006 21:55 Comments ||
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#51
Bibi is a good speecher. Nothing more for him i am afraid. I think you are getting the past rose tinted glasses syndrom while Dayan was great in 67 he wasnt in 73 and Meir Gov felt because of war. But it's true the gamble was much bigger.
Our society doesnt educate for those able to reach leadership or maybe there are too many good firms to go, good money and no public exposition and media arrest .
#52
someone needs to be the Churchill of Israel. Time is now. Who?
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/11/2006 22:25 Comments ||
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#53
IMO the US-Israel are trying to verify iff Syria and Lebanon want to stay democratic and sovereign or against Iran while trying to make it look like they aren't. Ditto for North Korea wid its missles. Syria = Lebanon = North Korea > the WOT may be their only chance to break free pf control-domination by another power [ChiComs = Radical Iran]. 9-11 + WOT > America's enemies want to destabilize + implode America so America has to destabilize + implode back, wid out resort to mutually destructive global nuke war [2015-202].Dubya correcrly interpreted 9-11 as either America rules the world, or its enemies will destroy America.
#57
My beef is either we're gonna go all out on this or no. If no, then don't take our boys there. If you're not going to back em up 100%, then don't send them "over there". And sure as hell if you are not going to back up our allies(Israel) 100%, then bugger the frick out of it, and don't play part in ceasefire agreements that are just going to hurt them even more.
#58
True enough Joe, but GW isn't operating to his interpretation. The problem is not enough have died in the west for the folks to push this to total war. It is no different than before WWII. The public didn't have the stomach for it, and if the public doesn't then the leadership won't. Neither we nor the Israelis are going to go native on our enemies until the stakes become real in an absolutely visceral sense. When the Israelis can just go to Tel Aviv and party or go to the beach to get away from the war, Olmert can do a peace treaty. Likewise if the US population does not feel really threatened, we are not going to go all out as we should. Sucks, but there it is. Many of us will die before we end this thing.
#59
The buck has to stop somewhere. I should hope that it stops with the people who were voted in charge of running this country! Not the dipshiat senators from Massachusettes or New Yorkistan.
I hate to tell you this, but under our current system of government the dipshit senators from Massachussetts and New Yorkistan have enough authority to keep shit from getting done. And in the field of energy policy, they _have_ done so, and the result has been expensive gas and lots of increaced profits for the people funding terrorism.
(And voters bitching about Dick Chainey's Evil Plots, so guess what? The guys who actually stop drilling off of Florida or wind farms off of Connecticut never have to face the music...)
Posted by: Phil ||
08/11/2006 22:55 Comments ||
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#60
thoth - I feel the same - my son enters the Army in Sept and if they aren't going to use him/defend him/plan for him 100% then WTF? Why should I support this admin in any way, shape, or form. Believe me, I've let them know, while I withheld all the $ I gave before
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/11/2006 22:59 Comments ||
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#61
Phil, who has the majority of both houses? Who has control of the executive branch? Who now has control of the judicial branch? Who has control of the government? If the Republicans don't at this time, then there is something either very seriously wrong with this country, or we've allowed a bunch of patsies take over the place.
To keep blaming everything wrong as to why this administration doesn't take the bull by the horns and fight this like a freaking war on the douchebag senators in Massachussettes and New Yorkistan tells me one of either 2 things.
1) Our systemn is a total failure
2) GWB and crew are a gang of nutless leaders who talk a good game but will bend in the face of their minority opponents.
My oldest son is less than 2 years from graduation, and he wants to join the military and fight for our country(He wants to be a Marine, I'm trying to convince him "go Navy!"). I support him 100%, but I want to know damned well that the people in charge are going to support him as well. So far I saw that early on, but it looks like this administration caves in more and more all the time. I was glad to see Bush finally say what needed to be said. It's a war against Islamofascism. I was getting really tired of the "war on terra" crap. That isn't what it is, and if our leader couldn't say it, why should my son or anyone elses go to follow this prick until he says what the war is, get's serious about, and gives our troops everything they need to do to accomplish their mission, and make sure these Izlamofascists are bombed into such oblivian that they need 10 years to learn how to grow squash.
I get it. I know what's going on. I wish Rumsfeld and crew would also learn to know that the majority of America would support them in what they need to do, instead of playing patty cake political games with people who will never see it their way anyhow.
#64
Wow. The best and thanks to your sons, Frank and Thoth.
I'm really concerned that people don't really understand the message this sends to the Hezbos. This is VICTORY, in their playbook, and will further embolden them and gain support of other "moderate" Moslems watching from the sidelines. Basically, if it looks like a certain group of Moslems are winning, you will have "defections" from the non-participants. It happened overnight in Iran--partiers became Mullah, hardline supporters. When the "victimized" underdog sees he has a chance, he goes all out. If this isn't poker, GWB style, we're in a lot of trouble.
#65
exactly the same here - either use them with the best tools to protect and utilize for their mission or quit. We should accept no less. Our allies (hellloooo Israel?) should do the same...
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/11/2006 23:35 Comments ||
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#66
Thoth, take (for instance) Energy Policy. Theory says the Republicans won and the Republicans should control everything. But the last time there was actually a vote on drilling on the continental shelf, 75% of Republicans voted for it, 100% of Democrats and 25% of Republicans voted against it. The 100% of Dems and 25% of Republicans carried the day, because they had a "working majority."
It's been like this for about the past five years. During that time period the vast majority of my sales have wound up being overseas. I go home knowing both that and knowing who created that situation and log onto the internet, and see people blaming Dick Cheney for high oil prices.
High oil prices _they_ helped put up. Not Cheney, and ultimately not even the senators from Mass. and NY. The ELECTORATE.
Our system is fucked up because _we_ put these people into office with a lot more economic power than they were originally supposed to have, and tell ourselves we're doing OK as long as they manage the division of the spoils in what feels like a fair manner. And we're not paying attention to what they're doing.
I mentioned wind power earlier. That's a good example. Did you know that Texas has passed California in the amount of wind power connected to the grid, in both absolute and per-capita measurements? In spite of CA having big state tax subsidies for wind power going back to the 80's?
I'd say that it's because the government of CA is a bunch of assholes, but the truth is more complex: the people who elect the government of CA are assholes. They want to judge windpower based on the environmental impact in one particular spot (Altamont Valley) of a windmill design that hasn't been produced in about twenty years because it's too much of a pain to work with. And they also want to blame Enron when the power supply gets tight.
Well, the power supply there got really tight again this year. Too bad it didn't get really tight, it would have been interesting to watch them try to blame Enron when the company no longer exists any more.
(I know, I'm mentioning Energy and Oil a lot because that's what I work in and can see a lot of what's happening instead of what gets reported in the general press. According to the conventional wisdom, this would make me biased and not to be trusted on the subject, which IMHO is just more proof that the conventional wisdom is fucked up along with the rest of our system. As an aside about the incomplete stories... people have read about the need to protect the Caribou, and they may have read that BP hadn't been inspecting their pipeline enough, but did they ever _notice_ that some of the rigs that used to be on the North Slope are now in other countries across the Pacific Rim? I know because I do support for one of the ones that had to move. And the Big Bad Oil Company that decided to move the rig in question from Alaska to ________ ______, ______ wasn't Enron, or Shell, or Halliburton. It was the American electorate. And they don't even notice.)
Posted by: Phil ||
08/11/2006 23:39 Comments ||
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#67
So you're saying the system is messed up, right?
Phil, I love you man, but I don't see how any of what you're saying ties into how this war is being run. I've been known to be slow at times, I might need a better explanation. I trust you, and I'm listening.
#68
My son is already in and just recently re-upped. I hate that we're tying their hands behind their backs. When did being PC overtake our will to do what's right.
I have been very angry over how all of this has been shaking out.
The direction that our country has been taking is really screwed up.
Not just with energy and oil, as told by Phil, but with my daughter going for mechanical engineering, I'm told that around 66% of the students at her college are foreigners for this program. Hell she'll probably be able to get a scholarship for being an american citizen.
We need to make more than a strong cup of coffee, no one's smelling the coffee and waking up around here.
I email cousins in Haifa and it's frightening how they are living each day there.
Posted by: Jan ||
08/12/2006 0:13 Comments ||
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#69
earlier you said:
To keep blaming everything wrong as to why this administration doesn't take the bull by the horns and fight this like a freaking war on the douchebag senators in Massachussettes and New Yorkistan tells me one of either 2 things.
1) Our systemn is a total failure
2) GWB and crew are a gang of nutless leaders who talk a good game but will bend in the face of their minority opponents.
I was arguing that option 1) is probably more likely to be the case.
We elect a lot of people with a lot of authority to the House and Senate but never hold them responsible for what they do with that authority. This screws us up in a lot of areas going from defense funding through energy resource management and independence (which ties into where the other side gets _its_ funding) and the conduct of the war.
(I could also mention the budgetary fallacy of saving money on weapons systems by handbuilding everything instead of running production lines but I'm already low on time).
Right now we're screwed up in fighting the war in Iraq without dealing with the life support systems keeping the terrorists in Iraq running in Syria and Iran. Israel (to give another example) appears to want to deal with Hezbollah in Lebanon without doing anything in Syria (gee, that country's name is starting to sound familiar).
The reason we are fighting Syria in Iraq (and via Israel in Lebanon) rather than Syria (which Syria would not be able to stand very well) is because of the accepted "division of power" between Congress and the Presidency. The only way the President can expand the war to another theater would be a) if those countries I mentioned attacked with troops in uniform rather than irregulars pretending to be insurgents, which they're unlikely to do unless they think they have a really good trump card (see the speculation about whether or not they have the bomb already), or b) if Congress gave him permission and funding to do so. In order to do that he virtually has to make the question an issue in the midterm election. Which I suspect either he or Iran is going to do.
Now let me see if this'll post or I'm too late.
Posted by: Phil ||
08/12/2006 0:16 Comments ||
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In an unusual move, Israeli helicopters fired missiles at two houses in the West Bank refugee camp of Jenin on Wednesday, killing two Islamic Jihad leaders, the army said. The IDF said the targets were senior members of the Palestinian terror group, and that they were planning attacks against Israel. The two men, who were identified as Osama Attili, 24, from Atil near Tulkarm, and Muhammad Atik, 26, from Burkin near Jenin, were leaders of Islamic Jihad's military wing.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2006 13:57 ||
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#1
Which part of the paleo terrorism strategy leads them to conclude that it's working?
The Palestinian terrorist organizations enjoy what can only be the greatest degree of upward mobility. The final stage of which is usually enhanced by cordite.
The Palestinian terrorist organizations enjoy what can only be the greatest degree of upward mobility. The final stage of which is usually enhanced by cordite
the management retirement plan is to die for
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/11/2006 17:36 Comments ||
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#9
Someday someone might wonder why there are "houses" if it's supposed to be a "camp".
Posted by: Baba Tutu ||
08/11/2006 19:42 Comments ||
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Peace activist murdered by Palestinian Angelo Frammartino, a 24 year-old student from Italy who arrived in Israel as a human rights organization activist, was stabbed to death Thursday by an Arab knifeman. "He believed in what he did and was always ready to help others," a friend described him.
The website of Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera reported that Frammartino was working for the setting up of a children's supper camp for Palestinians in Jerusalem's Old City, and was supposed to return to Italy on Friday. The youth was stabbed in the back while walking with four friends in the Sultan Suleiman street in the capital, near the Prahim Gate. The attacker left the knife at the scene of the crime and fled. Police set up checkpoints in the area and arrested three suspects for suspected involvement. It is believed that the attack was a nationalistically motivated terror attack, and not an attempted robbery.
Resuscitation attempts by Magen David Adom paramedics who arrived on the scene could not save him, and Frammartino was declared dead due to loss of blood. Frammartino, a resident of Monta Rotondo, arrived in Israel at the start of the month with an Italian organization, ARCI, working to advance human rights in the world. He planned for the experience for a year and was chosen with another youth from his city to take part in the project. Frammartino was a law student. "He was very interested in politics and in the issues of society, like his father," said Monta Rotondo's Mayor, Anonino Lopi. "Something so beautiful ended in such a tragic way," he added.
The mayor expressed his condolescenes on behalf of the whole city.
#2
You just got to love the irony. The backstabbing bit is true to form, too. IIRC, in the 70's, apart from hijackings and paramilitary infiltrations of "fedayeens" from jordan then lebanon, random knifing of israeli civilians was the favorite past time of the paleos. Blast from the past.
#9
Angelo Frammartino, a 24 year-old student from Italy who arrived in Israel as a human rights organization activist, was stabbed to death Thursday by an Arab knifeman. "He believed in what he did and was always ready to help others," a friend described him.
But like they said in the 1992 rioting here in L.A. (when people "acquired" many a TV and CD player from unoccupied stereo stores) ...
"Ya gotta understand the 'rage'! "
Whats a dead pacifist compared to understanding 'rage'?
That's why these bastards have to be all sent to their virgins. We must defend the clueless, like Mr Frammartino, among us.
(KUNA) -- Israeli forces besieged a residential building in Umm Al-Sharayit neighborhood in the West Bank town of Ramallah as they searched for militants. Eyewitnesses told KUNA, a large number of Israeli forces besieged a number of Al-Aqsa martyrs brigades' militants in a home while soldiers opened heavy fire at the building.
Israeli forces have arrested the commander of Al-Aqsa martyr's brigades in the West Bank, Ramzi Obeida, who Israel has been seeking since 1995 after having his wife ask him to turn himself to the troops over loudspeakers. In Nablus, Israeli forces arrested five Palestinians including a girl after raiding their house in the town. During the raids, the army was firing randomly towards homes, eyewitnesses said.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2006 00:00 ||
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The police have reported that at least 110 Katyusha rockets have fallen in various parts of northern Israel since early Thursday morning. This latest barrage has so far resulted in two killed, one person seriously wounded, and 69 people who have been treated for shock.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2006 00:00 ||
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#3
Yep, open the lines of "communication" - start bombing and say you'll stop when Hezbollah is destroyed. Everything outside of Israel (and Jordan, at the moment) is a target. Barrage pattern, fire for effect.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/11/2006 16:05 Comments ||
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August 11, 2006: Liquid explosives are back in the news, after British counter-terrorism forces arrested 21 local Moslems on August 10th, for participation in a plot to smuggle liquid explosives onto airliners and set them off once aloft. This has long been feared as a possible terrorist tactic. The recent scare came about because there appeared to be a large terrorist organization supplying the explosives, detonators, and suicide bombers.
Liquid explosives have been around for a long time. But these explosives share two bad traits. They are either very unstable (like nitroglycerin), or subject to deterioration as the different elements suspended in the liquid settle, and become less explosive. Overall, liquid explosives aren't very explosive compared to more solid one. Another problem with liquid explosives is that their components are usually noxious, if not poisonous. Nitric Acid, for example, is nasty stuff, but can be added to more benign substances to produce fairly stable explosives, like Nitromethane.
In 1995, an al Qaeda bomb maker used nitroglycerine (in a contact lens solution bottle) to fashion a bomb that blew a hole in the side of a Boeing 747, but did not destroy the aircraft. Nitroglycerine is one of the more powerful explosives, but subject to going off spontaneously if jarred. Very dangerous to carry around.
Another favorite liquid explosive is one using various types of nitrates. Fertilizer can be mixed with diesel oil to form an explosive slurry. Not something that would pass a smell test at airport screening. But some nitrates, like Methyl nitrate, are more explosive, and only need exposure to another chemical to detonate.
Chemicals found in household products, especially those used for cleaning, are popular for home-made explosives. For example, mixing hydrogen peroxide with nail-polish remover or paint thinner produces an explosive mixture that can be set off. You need more than a few ounces (as with nitroglycerine). In fact, a quart or more is needed to assure fatal damage to a large aircraft. These are not particularly powerful explosives, and have not been widely used for terrorist attacks. There are also doubts whether such explosives could actually do enough damage to penetrate the hull of an aircraft, and create a situation that would cause the airliner to crash. Keeping dangerous liquids off of airliners is not easy, for the containers can be strapped to the bodies of the suicide bombers, along with the detonator (which can also be a liquid).
The key thing with all of these possible liquid explosives is that you need someone, who knows what they are doing, to mix up a batch that will work. The big thing to come out of the August 10th incident will probably be the capture, or identification, of a guy terrorists like to call, "the engineer." These fellows usually have a degree in something like chemistry, and maybe some work experience in the chemical industry. Terrorist movements don't attract a lot of people like this, and the Israelis figured out that if you went after "the engineers" you could cripple a terrorist movement. This was what the Israelis did two years ago to halt the Palestinian suicide bombing campaign against them.
The most dangerous terrorist group to ever exist was Aum Shinrikyo, a 1990s Japanese cult that was able to recruit well qualified engineers and scientists. These people proceeded to achieve the Holy Grail of modern terrorism, producing their own nerve gas. So far, Islamic terrorists have not attracted the caliber of people Aum Shinrikyo (radical Buddhists) was able to recruit. But the potential is there. With Aum Shinrikyo grade techies, Islamic terrorist groups could produce all manner of liquid horrors, including explosives and various chemical weapons.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/11/2006 09:09 ||
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#1
The most dangerous terrorist group to ever exist was Aum Shinrikyo Agreed, they may even have attempted an atom (nuclear) bomb.
#2
I have several objections to what this article states are disadvantages. I'm no chemist or explosives expert by any means, but it seems to me that if a liquid explosives are A) unstable like nitroglycerin, or B) subject to deterioration, that's not going to bar some suicide bombers who A) are not stable themselves and want the bomb to go off, prematurely or not, and B) plan on using the material immediately, not putting it into storage!
Aside from explosives, I'm also concerned about:
o Creating a toxic reaction, like chlorine gas or some other poisonous inhalant that could kill/blind/incapacitate many if not all crew and passengers.
o Creating a highly corrosive substance that will eat through cables, hoses, and other flight control elements.
Remember, these guys aren't concerned about their own safety, much less the safety of others. This only has to work one time for them to score a victory and kill a lot of innocent people.
Posted by: Dar ||
08/11/2006 11:04 Comments ||
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#3
Nitroglycerine is one of the more powerful explosives, but subject to going off spontaneously if jarred. Very dangerous to carry around.
OK! New idea for a security screening! Every passenger has to step onto a platform that jars them up and down a little bit. With a little work, a trip through security could be like a brief amusement park visit. Wheee!
#4
"Okay, sir, now if you'll step over here, put your feet on the footprints in the mat ... very good sir, I'm going to stand behind this plexiglas shield ... now please, sir, jump up and down ten times."
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/11/2006 11:43 Comments ||
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#5
Let's not give Aum too much credit. They attempted seven or eight times to initiate an anthrax attack with zero success. They attempted several Sarin attacks, with two succeeding. The issue with the second attack, the subway attack, wasn't the Sarin. It was the lack of decontamination by rescuers and thus secondary and tertiary exposures far outnumbered primary exposures.
The terrorists face one primary issue with every plot, whether it be this one or a WMD one. How do they minimize the number of potential points of failure? In Oklahoma City there was one, the risk that the timer would fail to operate. This whole plot seems to have several points of failure connected tot he transport and mixing of the chemicals.
I think that the article has inadvertently identified the most lethal terrorist approach. Release a poison gas agent into the ventilation system. At a minimum the terrorist would kill many passengers. It is also very likely that it would get the flight crew with a crash resulting. Easier to make, easier to deploy.
#8
I wear contacts, so I am concerned about those who are being forbidden to take such fluids onto their planes. However, I have a simple solution: If a passenger has a contact lens fluid bottle and claims it is for himself, have him wash his hands, remove his left contact (test #1), shake the bottle vigorously (test #2), and reinsert using the fluid from the bottle (test #3). Repeat for right hand contact unless he is writhing on the ground or has no free hand to perform removal and re-insertion.
TWO policemen were killed by suspected members of the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist group in an area controlled by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in North Cotabato, the group said in a statement. Abdul Dataya, chairman of the MILF ad hoc joint action group, said Insp. Marlon Frilles and PO1 Binggo Utto, members of the Special Action Force's Rapid Deployment Co., were shot and killed by JI fighters while attempting to serve an arrest warrant on Indonesian national Adulhir bin Hir alias Marwan in Barangay Balong in Pikit town at 1:35 a.m., Thursday.
Marwan is a suspected financier of the Islamic militants based in Mindanao. Frilles and Utto were killed in a firefight that lasted 30 minutes, Dataya said. "MILF fighters were not responsible for the killing of the two cops," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2006 14:01 ||
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Three Indonesian Christians convicted of leading attacks on Muslims will be executed on Saturday, officials say. The three men, who have been on death row since 2001, will face the firing squad just after midnight local time (1600 GMT). They were sentenced for inciting attacks during religious rioting in Central Sulawesi in 2000.
Sulawesi province has a long history of violence between Muslim and Christians. More than 1,000 people are believed to have been killed during two years of violence triggered by a brawl between Christian and Muslim gangs in December 1998.
Fabianus Tibo, Dominggus da Silva and Marinus Riwu were convicted of masterminding a series of attacks on the Muslim community in the central district of Poso in 2000. The men, who say they are innocent, had their final appeal rejected by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono last year.
On Thursday, the European Union warned that the executions could harm the "fragile equilibrium that exists between different ethnic and religious groups".
'Fragile equilibrium'? The Y'urp-peons never fail to impress with their euphemisms.
In Christian-dominated Tentena, demonstrators condemned the decision. "Tibo, Dominggus and Marinus do not deserve to be executed because they are not the main culprits," Christian leader Rinaldy Damanik told the crowd. "Whatever happens, we cannot accept their executions," the Associated Press news agency quoted him as saying.
But a spokesman for the attorney-general said the executions, set to take place in a secret location in the Central Sulawesi provincial capital of Palu, would go ahead. "There will be no delay unless there's a natural catastrophe," I Wayan Pasek Suartha told journalists.
So these three guys are praying to the volcano god right now ...
#8
Too bad they don't give the terrorists the same treatment for the killings they are attempting in West Papua and the crap in East Timor. But thats Muslims killing Christinas so I reckon by Islamofascist standards, thats OK. Just another of the 4001 reasons to kill Islamofscists and their supporters.
#9
One of several reasons why I did not give one penny to Tsunami relief.
I took a beating here for suggesting that we force Indonesia to agree upon substantially enhanced anti-terrorism measures prior to receiving a penny of foreign aid after the tsunamis. As of now, I truly regret having back-pedalled on at least delivering humanitarian medical aid without these agreements in place.
If these terror havens want access to global largess in times of need, they had d@mn well better start toeing the line with respect to snuffing Islamist jihadis. Indonesia's kid glove treatment of Bashir, even as he spewed about Muslims being entitled to nuclear weapons against the West, was the breaking point for me.
We need to isolate these Islamic cesspools and let them submerge in their own corrupt filth. If they get up on their hind legs, slap them down and make it known that they are on the Christmas list for regime change.
#10
Zenster:
I was one of those who rejected your conditions, saying that needed to help people first and then worry about cleaning up the islamic mess.
#11
"The stay of execution was granted after the Vatican delivered an appeal for clemency to the Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono."
I know, I know. It's crazy in Indonesia. But for Yudhoyono to agree with the Pope is unheard of. Hopefully, he'll inch his way further to sanity and avoid the civil unrest which will follow executions.
(KUNA) -- In one of the biggest casualties in recent times, as many as 45 Tamil civilians and four soldiers were killed in Sri Lanka between the government forces and the Tamil rebels Thursday. The civilians died in military strikes in villages near a disputed canal in Northeastern Sri Lanka Thursday, news agency Indo-Asian News Service reported from capital Colombo. The soldiers were also killed in an encounter with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) near the canal Thursday, the news agency reported.
On Thursday when Sri Lankan soldiers made an attempt to strengthen their position, they came under attack. The closure of the sluice gate of the irrigation canal in Northeastern Sri Lanka deprived about 15,000 farming families of water. It was opened Tuesday night. More than 300 LTTE cadres, government troops and civilians have been killed during the attacks and counter attacks in the area during the past two weeks, according to the news agency.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2006 00:00 ||
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Israel began an expanded ground offensive in southern Lebanon on Friday after expressing dissatisfaction over an emerging cease-fire deal, government officials said. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and his defense minister, Amir Peretz, made the decision to expand the offensive after meeting for four hours Friday. Peretz instructed the military to launch the offensive, officials said. Olmert's spokesman, Asaf Shariv, told The Associated Press that the expanded incursion had already begun. An emerging cease-fire deal being worked out by the U.N. Security Council fails to meet Israel's basic requirements, such as stationing robust international combat troops in southern Lebanon once Israel withdraws, Shariv said. "Yesterday we were very optimistic, but they (the Security Council) took the wrong turn," Shariv said.
The government has decided to implement a Cabinet decision on Wednesday granting the army permission to carry out a massive ground offensive "to deal with the Hezbollah positions in south Lebanon, from which barrages of missiles continue to be launched against the Israeli civilian population," said Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev. Regev added, however, that Israel was still open to a negotiated solution as the U.N. Security Council prepared to vote on a proposed cease-fire deal. "Our action does not exclude a diplomatic option. On the contrary, we are following developments in New York closely. But so far diplomacy has not produced concrete results and it is incumbent upon the government to defend its citizens," Regev said. He said he could not comment on the time frame or scale of the offensive.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2006 13:34 ||
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#1
Hopefully we will see BiBi at the helm by this time next week. And Bush will have given foggy bottom a bitch slap. And Syria.... ah, yes.
Woohoo mama, i need me a fried peanut butter sammich and a RC cola.
Posted by: Evil Elvis ||
08/11/2006 14:01 Comments ||
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#4
This sounds like Vietnam compressed into a few weeks. Bomb, Halt Bombing, Christmas Pause, Tet Truce, Tet Offensive, etc. etc. etc. Operation Linebacker came 6 to 7 Years too late.
#10
Stop Rolling Thunder, restrict bombing to below the 18th Parallel. Le Duc Tho and Kissinger are negotiating in Paris. Peace is at hand. (Please do not pay any attention to the enemy replenishing their missile supply)
Day 31: Hizbullah fired a Khaibar-1 rocket at Haifa on Friday, police confirmed. The explosion of the 302 mm rocket echoed as far south as Hadera, residents said. A barrage of several long-range Katyusha rockets landed in the city on Friday, with one of the rocket slamming in the midst of the coastal highway, which was reopened in the afternoon.
In Kiryat Shmona, a man was moderately injured by shrapnel from a rocket that hit a building Friday afternoon, paramedics said. Several people were treated for shock and firefighters battled a fire that broke out in the 11-storey building. Earlier Friday afternoon, rockets were launched at Kiryat Shmona, one hitting a structure and also causing a subsequent fire. Two additional barrages landed on nearby communities, one of them hitting a dairy, killing and wounding several cows. According to regional authorities, attacks thus far have caused the deaths of over fifty cows.
Hizbullah launched more barrages at northern Israel communities Friday afternoon. MDA crews treated one person, injured from shrapnel, as a result of a direct rocket hit on a Safed home at 2:15 p.m. Meanwhile, a fire broke out in a meadow, adjacent to a northern Galilee town, as a result of rocket hits. Large fire crews are working to contain the blaze, which presents a significant danger if it spreads because flames would move in the direction of a nearby artillery battery.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2006 13:29 ||
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#1
what will the israelis do if they keep killing cows at that rate?
One month after the outbreak of the war in Lebanon, during which the Israeli army has established a security zone along the border and reached a depth of 12 kilometers into Lebanese territory, the IDF got a 'green light' Friday night to continue north up to the Litani River. The order was given against the backdrop of a fervor of international diplomatic talks hoping to reach a ceasefire agreement as soon as Friday night.
The aim of the operation is to distance Hizbullah terror cells, especially those responsible for rocket attacks on Israeli, as far north as possible, thus widening the buffer zone along the border. IDF officials assessed this week that the completion of such a mission could take two months. The IDF presented the cabinet with a timetable for its operations in the field, by which the operation would take a minimum of one week to reach the Litani River. Another four to six weeks would be required to defeat the Hizbullah operatives in the field. It was still unclear whether the green light was time-limited and aimed pressuring Lebanon and Hizbullah into giving in to Israel's demands as part of a ceasefire agreement.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2006 13:29 ||
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#1
Sounds like they want to get to the Litani fast in order to prevent Hezballan thugs from getting accross and out of Israeli range.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
08/11/2006 13:46 Comments ||
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#2
they'd have been in Tyre in the west and then spread east along the Litani with armor (and come with infantry from the Golan in the east)less than 5 days days had they done this in force at the beginning, as the original ground commanders had allegedly planned.
#3
" they'd have been in Tyre in the west and then spread east along the Litani with armor (and come with infantry from the Golan in the east) less than 5 days had they done this in force at the beginning . . . as the original ground commanders had allegedly planned . . ."
Why is it that stupid-ass politicians never listen to these guys? Aarrgh! (which is polite for whatever you'd like to fill in)
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed on Friday that the government has given the green light for army to widen its operations in southern Lebanon and to capture the territory south of the Litani River, officers confirm.
Large troops along the border are preparing to enter Lebanon. (Hanan Greenberg)
#1
We've been here before....believe it when I see it but this is probably Olmert's last chance, and it might not even be that.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
08/11/2006 12:27 Comments ||
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#2
On their push to the Litani River watch Israel move to prevent this from happening again.
They will need to do this to secure their flanks. I am sure somebody will remember what the key passes where in the Golan Heights. So I would appreiciate a little help.
#6
Olmert's phony shock and awe did not work. BTW, there was almost a military coup in Israel according to Israel Insider.
We all hope this lawyer might have to recall his son who lives in Paris.
Just like a fucking yo-yo. I guess Hezbollah declaring victory was a little too much. The way Israeli politicians are managing this war, I figure the ground offensive will be called back in 15 minutes.
Defense official says the Israeli defense minister has instructed the military to launch its expanded ground offensive in Lebanon.
#1
I fear you are right. Sharon would not have been so reckless. After Sharon's decisive victory expelling 100,000 people from thier homes what else could you expect from this crew.
#2
Maybe we should have a 24 hour comment delay on these kinds of things. Otherwise some good Rantburgers are gonna burst some blood vessels in elation or dispair.
#3
Betcha it ain't. UN to vote on draft ceasefire resolution. My money sez Olmert takes it as it's what he's always wanted. End result - catastrophic Hez-B victory and Israel established as paper tiger.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
08/11/2006 14:51 Comments ||
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#4
This sounds like Vietnam compressed into a few weeks. Bomb, Halt Bombing, Christmas Pause, Tet Truce, Tet Offensive, etc. etc. etc. Operation Linebacker came 6 to 7 Years too late.
#5
Done deal. Olmert takes the cease fire without the IDF achieving any of the goals assigned to it...it's not as if they were allowed to. Olmert should be arrested for gross negligence and deriliction of duty.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
08/11/2006 18:24 Comments ||
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Tehran, 11 August (AKI) - One of Osama bin Laden's sons, Saad, together with a number of top al-Qaeda commanders, including Seif al Adel, are hiding in Iran and are not in Syria as reported by several Western papers this week, a well informed source told Adnkronos International (AKI). The source, a top Iranian intelligence official until a few months ago, said al-Qaeda and members of Iran's powerful revolutionary guard, the Pasdaran, are negotiating coordinated actions against the United States and Israel.
We've been hearing reports Saad has been a 'guest' of Iran for some time.
The al-Qaeda members had been living for the past four years in a neighbourhood in northern Tehran under the surveillance of Iran's revolutionary guards corps, the Pasdaran, but were recently moved to a military base 80 km south-west of the capital, along the road to the holy city of Qum.
"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer"
The source said that Saad bin-Laden doesn't need take unnecessary risks and move to Syria to organize militantss to send to Lebanon to fight against the Israelis alongside the Shiite Hezbollah militias.
Much easier to do it from the comfortable guest quarters
According to the same source, the death of the former leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi , who was killed in a US air raid on 7 June and was known for his hatred of Shiite Muslims, paved the way for talks on a "tactical cooperation" between the Pasdaran and a significant part of the predominantly Sunni al-Qaeda organization of Osama bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahiri.
Zarq had a major hard-on for killing Shiites. Zawahiri kept telling him to back off, but he wouldn't listen. Lends more credence to the thought al-Qaeda dropped a dime on him.
"The decision to transfer of Saad bin Laden and of other leading members of al-Qaeda to this military base managed by the al Quds battallion of the Pasdaran was taken to make it easier for members of the militant group and the army to meet," the source told AKI.
There's also an old tradition of holding one of your "allies" family hostage to ensure cooperation
The latest statement by Ayman al-Zawahiri aired on 27 July by al-Jazeera was considered by many analysts an unprecedented step by al-Qaeda's number two, towards Shiite movements. In the message, Zawahiri praised Hezbollah and called on Sunni Muslims to fight with the soldiers of the group's leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend, for now.
However, the source told AKI that the message was a consequence of dialogue started after the death of al-Zaerqawi.
"The statements made by [Iranian president] Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Israel and Jews and the threats of Pasdaran top officials agains the Americans and British, the campaign of Iranian papers against the presence of foreign troops in Iraq facilitated negotiations with al Qaeda's men."
The same source expressed the belief that ideological and theological divergences between the Iranians and al Qaeda remain but the needs dictated by current events prevailed and forced the radical Shiites to seek an accord with the terror group.
SEE: Enemy of my enemy
"Grassroots members of both groups will probably not welcome an accord though an agreement is key for both if they mean to strike the common enemy with terror actions."
They'll be looking sideways at each other fondling their guns
"The Islamic Republic has the advantages and the limits of a state sitting in international organizations but needs an organization able to do the dirty work while al Qaeda needs the cover of a government, though it has overhauled its organization."
The Iranian source however denied reports alleging that Iran, which is believed to arm Hezbollah with Syria, needs al Qaeda to support Hezbollah's fight against Israel.
They'd use al-Qaeda for deniable attacks on western targets
"Providing Nasrallah with the support of al Qaeda would destroy the myth of Hezbollah's invincibility," the source said. "Iran will use Palestinian militants if the Shiite guerrilla needs help, further strengthening ties with Hamas, an alliance which has added value on a political level."
Posted by: Steve ||
08/11/2006 09:24 ||
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Beirut, 11 August (AKI) - Israeli planes on Friday flew over Beirut dropping thousands of leaflets bearing the names of 100 Hezbollah militants Israel says it has killed since the current conflict began just over a month ago. The leaflets were mostly sprinkled over the Lebanese capital's southern Shiite districts which are regarded as a Hezbollah stronghold.
The inscription: "[Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah is having your sons killed for nothing. What follows is a list of names of those killed, who Nasrallah abandoned and whose death he has denied" also appeared on the pieces of paper.
"Making a list and checking it twice,
gonna find out who's naughty and got iced,
the IDF is coming to town"
Posted by: Steve ||
08/11/2006 09:13 ||
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#1
As some day it may happen that Hezbollah must be found,
I've got a little list I've got a little list
Of jihadi cannon fodder who might well be underground,
And who never would be missed who never would be missed!
They're the pestilential nuisances who bomb a city bus
The people who fire Katyushas right at us
Their children they wire up with bombs, and floor you with 'em flat
They ask for a ceasefire, but they turn on you like that
And all mad mullahs who on killing Jews insist
They'd none of 'em be missed they'd none of 'em be missed!
I have them on my list, and they will not be missed
Posted by: Mike ||
08/11/2006 12:08 Comments ||
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#2
An extra Chu Hoi Leaflet - Just in case there's any "little people" caught unawares.
Quan Luc Dong Minh triet Thoai
song song voi su lon mnh cua Quam Luc VNCH
Cac ban ca binh Cong san
Thuc hien nhung dieu khoan dac biet ve toi tan hoa Quan Luc VNCH de thay the vai tro chien
dau chong Cong san tai vung Dong Nam A, tinh den ngay 21.20.1970, Quan Luc Dong Minh, nhat la Quan Luc chien dau Hoa Ky, da hoi huong mot quan-so tuong duong voi 5 su doan. Su kien nay da lam cho luan dieu tuyen truyen cua phe Cong san vo cung tro tren va lo bich.
IDF officials admit that the biggest surprise of the ongoing war against Hizbullah is the ease by which terrorists have destroyed IDF tanks.
At least 30 tanks have been totally destroyed or seriously damaged in bomb and anti-tank rocket attacks involving state-of-the-art Russian anti-tank rockets.
About one-half of the military personnel killed in southern Lebanon were inside tanks. Per capita, Hezbollah probably has the most, and most varied arsenal of anti-tank weaponry of any fighting force on the planet. However, they expend this expensive ordnance like fireworks.
#1
They expend it on both armor and infantry. Regardless of cost, it works. And it doesn't cost as much as Merkava's. Israel/Olmert has really screwed this war up and will pay for it in the next one.
Dont hit the enemy all oover jsut do "pinpricks" from the air. Send the tanks in by ones and twos, then keep them static and pussyfooting aroudn to try to avoid inflicting casualties, then withdraw them after a day or two. Thats terrible operational art and crap armor tactics. And thats why they are losing their armor - they are using it wrong due to political constraints. WW2 had a ton of examples of this sort of operational stupidity.
Israel blew this when they decided to dribble forces in, instead of dealing a hammerblow by roulling up to Typer and down the Litani at the start with several divisions. The casualties are a result of that piss-poor half-assed way of doing things.
You cannot bend reality to fit your fantasy in the military or you will get your people killed. No matter how much the Liberals want to beleive that such alterred reality is possible, it just results in death when the messy real world comes crashing in on their unworkable ideals.
I think the Israeli political leaders need to spend less time on Marx & Engls and other leftists and pacifists, and more time on Frederick the Great, Napoleon, Boney Fuller, Guderian, Rommel, and Patton (as well as Giap for what they are facing). they might jsut get a clue before they get even more of their citizenry and soldiers killed.
#5
"You cannot bend reality to fit your fantasy in the military or you will get your people killed. No matter how much the Liberals want to beleive that such alterred reality is possible, it just results in death when the messy real world comes crashing in on their unworkable ideals.
I think the Israeli political leaders need to spend less time on Marx & Engls and other leftists and pacifists, and more time on Frederick the Great, Napoleon, Boney Fuller, Guderian, Rommel, and Patton (as well as Giap for what they are facing). they might jsut get a clue before they get even more of their citizenry and soldiers killed."
1. Olmert is not a socialist. Hes a long time Likud member, and afaik a loyal defender of free markets and capitalism.
2. Peretz, the Defense Minister, who IS a leader of a leftist party, and who is certainly more left on economic issues than any leader Labour has had in 30 years (though hes still not a Marxist) has actually been pushing for a more aggressive stance militarily, at least in the last couple of weeks.
3. Olmerts approach does seem to have messed up, falling in between two approaches that might have worked better - going in with a big ground force from the beginning, OR switching to a focus on diplomacy after the first few days of air attacks. (I note again the main advocate of the latter seems to be FM Lipni, also from an old Likud background, NOT a socialist)
4. Its not clear now what Israel military intell was telling the govt about the strength of Hezb on the ground, and how much this was an intell failure vs how much a failure of Olmert. That will be thrashed out in Israel after the war - they are very good at recriminations. If Olmert cant establish a rock solid defense of his approach (IE a better defense than Rumsfelds) Olmert will be history, I have little doubt.
5. Once again, folks here who comment on Israeli politics would be well served to follow it more closely. While Bibi IS both VERY pro-capitalist, and (lately) very hawkish, and the old Mapam party was both socialist and dovish, Hawk vs Dove doesnt map all that well to Capitalist vs Socialist in Israeli politics. Ben Gurion and Golda Meier were both probably more socialist than any major Israeli pol today (and probably actually HAD read Marx) but both were firm hawks. OTOH many of the doves in Israels Meretz party, are yuppies who with little real enthusiasm for leftie economics. Sharon grew up on a Kibbutz, started a party that he intended to ally with Labour, and switched to supporting the Israeli right strictly on security policy grounds.
#7
Halutz should not get off scot free, either. It appears he sold Olmert the "Air Power can do it all" bill of goods. It is also going to be interesting to see what comes out of the Kaplinski-Adam swap. Israel has way too many uncontrolled internal divisions. Such divisions are inseparable from the big egos required to run these organizations. But part of leadership is keeping them under control and moving in the same direction. That was Eisenhower's skill. Ultimately, Olmert is responsible and has failed miserably to provide strong unified leadership.
What is starting to astound me is how long Israel is willing to be led by Olmert after his incompetence has become plain for all to see.
I believe most of your points are spot on save perhaps for your call for an IDF headstrong push into Lebanon.
Hezbos are fighting a conventional, fixed position battle, and that means IDF should have overwhelmed their fortified positions with a combination of firepower and massive infantry assaults.
Flamethrowers and napalm, incidentally neither of which are outlawed by internationl law, should be used along with HE, tank fire, and air power.
It now appears that Israel's liberal-leftist politicians have blown this war.
Consequences will be severe.
Idiotic comment of the Year:
Simon Peres: "Since Israel did not start this war, she does not have to win it. She only has to stop it."
#9
The IDF lost a lot of armor in 73 war early on due to not using tanks on close cooperation with infantry so that the infantry could take out the AT teams.
After a pause, IDF changed tactics and beat the Egyptians. Could be same thing here - using tanks too forward.
#10
Nimble Spemble you're a loudmouthed ignoramus with a serious chip on your shoulder about Israel.
Oldspook. Shuf Mountains are not armor country. And most of these Merkavas will be back in operation a week from now.
p.s. The US military would take 10 times the casualties for the same results.
furstus and foremost Armor and Armies must shock, surprise and overwhelm and crush their opponents.
In the beginning I was hoping that Israel would have also assulted Lebanon/Hizzbos simultaneously from the Med. North of the Latani. [but what the fark do I know]
Of course kofi, al-MSM, and the Libs would have gone ape shit, shed crock tears and wrung the skin off their hands.
#13
I don't know whether this is relevant, but tanks don't seem to be playing a big part in the slaughter of the Taliban. It's mostly about infantry units calling in pinpoint airstrikes as required. The Israelis don't seem to be using these tactics: their bombing seems to be mainly strategic.
#14
Grom makes an excellent point about the "destroyed" term in the article. Most of the vehicles will be repaired. I'm also interested to know how many of these "tanks" are really APC's, which are thinner skinned and more vulnerable. I'm guessing that the idiot journos wouldn't know the difference.
#16
Well, Remoteman, I don't know if they've used them in the present conflict, but I think the Israelis ahve experimented with using tank hulls as the basis for APC's.
Posted by: Phil ||
08/11/2006 13:22 Comments ||
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#17
Phil, there are two kinds that I've seen on TV. One is a modified M113 and the other appears to be what you are talking about.
#18
Libhawk you're so wrong its comical. Call yourself a hawk, and don't know Guderian?
Guderian cleaned the Soviet's clocks until he was forced into fixed positional warfare by Hitler's idiocy. And as far as Guderian and his brilliance as an operational armored commander goes, the Soviets respected the hell out of him - they used his history, writings and methods to train their tankers for their offensive in WW2, and continued to do so generations that followed WW2. Heinz Guderian was an idol for Soviet tankers and his doctrines formed the basis for a lot of the teachings at the Malinovskiy armor academy in the old Soviet Union. At the Frunze General Staff Academy they also study Guderian - indeed "Guderian" was a nickname given to Soviet tankers (as a mark of respect). Learn history sonny - all of it, don't leave out the bits that discredit your ideology - something liberals always seem to try to do. You guys seem to always color your history until its no longer recognizable, robbing it of any educational or probative value.
Additionally, the political labels of Israeli politicians are not entirely accurate, but their combined actions and political policies are reflective of typical liberal and leftist sentiments - pacifists, and tend towards half measures. That much is very clear with the vacillation and nature of the conduct of the wa as driven by the politicians. And any of these would be called Liberal in the US, which is what I was using for the standard.
A further correction for you Libhawk: Marxists are pacifists when it comes to western nations defending themselves against marxists. Or did you miss the entire 1970's and 80's peace movements that were sponsored by Communist and Soviet organizations (Remember the Pershing missiles?) Once again , your grasp of history is tenuous at best due to the ideological blinders you place on yourself as a liberal. You make a useful fool for them if you cannot see that clearly.
Grom, you didn't read what I wrote. The Litani from Tyre along IS armor country for that stretch - where I said the advance should have been done. And armor is effective in combined arms teams in the more broken terrain. Or can you not read English and a map? The point is to not push into the mountains bit by bit, but to cut them and isolate those in them in a hard blow, quickly and harshly. Its called shock - that and hitting the C3I elements hard early on would have caused a disruption and possibly even shattered a large number of those Hezbollah hedgehog positions. That would have forced them to either starve out under artillery and air bombardment, or come out and fight in more open terrain - unsupported by command control comms or intel, they would have been chopped up and destroyed. Either way its more favorable than the slow bleed Israel needed up using. Its called "shaping the battlefield". Also Grom, its an idiotic assertion that the US would take 10x the casualties. Look to the initial armored sweep into Iraq and the casualty rates there - far more opposition, far longer range action, far larger scale. In modern armored warfare, its mobility that saves lives, and Israel has failed to use their mobility to any real advantage. To deny that is to deny reality - is that where you are coming from, what color is the sky in your imaginary place?
Also, there was a complete lack of operational surprise and audacity - hallmarks of ops that will be successful. Israel was give a green light but decided to half-step into things, and the political leadership with the DM being a former pacifist was stupid enough to believe that it would work.
here's a free clue to all you who apparently know nothing of the operational art:
FM 100-5.
Read it, know it, live it.
And pick up an good military history book or two. There are normally a few at the local library. Or go to a university library and grab the West Point Atlas series, and some DoD histories, as well as the aforementioned Field Manuals (The USMC has a good one on the Operational art as well).
#19
Isn't the Merkava built up from an M-60 chassis, with new turret & fire control/electronics suite? IDF looked at M1A2, but too big/heavy for bridges and narrow streets - same reason they couldn't up-armor the Merkava.
#20
"Guderian cleaned the Soviet's clocks until he was forced into fixed positional warfare by Hitler's idiocy. And as far as Guderian and his brilliance as an operational armored commander goes, the Soviets respected the hell out of him - they used his history, writings and methods to train their tankers for their offensive in WW2, and continued to do so generations that followed WW2. Heinz Guderian was an idol for Soviet tankers and his doctrines formed the basis for a lot of the teachings at the Malinovskiy armor academy in the old Soviet Union. At the Frunze General Staff Academy they also study Guderian - indeed "Guderian" was a nickname given to Soviet tankers (as a mark of respect). Learn history sonny - all of it, don't leave out the bits that discredit your ideology - something liberals always seem to try to do. You guys seem to always color your history until its no longer recognizable, robbing it of any educational or probative value. "
I admit I have more to learn about the details of operational armored warfare in WW2. Nonetheless, Guderian made the wrong strategic choices, standing with a man who was a lunatic, and invading a country that Germany almost certainly couldnt have beaten whatever choices Hitler had made.
"Additionally, the political labels of Israeli politicians are not entirely accurate,"
Change that to not at all accurate.
" but their combined actions and political policies are reflective of typical liberal and leftist sentiments - pacifists, and tend towards half measures."
Pacficists dont believe in war by half measures. They dont beleive in war at all.
"That much is very clear with the vacillation and nature of the conduct of the wa as driven by the politicians."
Politicians of all stripes have historically used half measures in war. Sometimes its the right strategy, sometimes its not. Depends on the value of the objectives, and the political context.
" And any of these would be called Liberal in the US, which is what I was using for the standard. "
I dont think Olmert would be called a liberal in the United States.
"A further correction for you Libhawk: Marxists are pacifists when it comes to western nations defending themselves against marxists. Or did you miss the entire 1970's and 80's peace movements that were sponsored by Communist and Soviet organizations (Remember the Pershing missiles?)"
I didnt miss the cold war. And I knew of at least a few Marxists who opposed pacifist policies in the cold war, cause they were not Leninists, and they saw what the USSR did to Marxists who were not Communists.
In any case, Hezbollahs not Marxist so its not relevant.
"Once again , your grasp of history is tenuous at best due to the ideological blinders you place on yourself as a liberal. You make a useful fool for them if you cannot see that clearly"
A useful fool for whom? For Hezbollah? I hate Hezbollah, and am trying to help figure out a strategy against them? A fool for Peretz? Ill admit to have a grudging respect for Peretz, contingent on how he comes out in Israels postwar investigations. Olmert? I still think Olmerts general approach to the Pal question is right, but im quite open to the possibility that he screwed up royally here. It has nothing to do with him being a socialist, a pacifist, or a liberal, none of which he is.
#22
I admit I have more to learn about the details of operational armored warfare in WW2. Nonetheless, Guderian made the wrong strategic choices, standing with a man who was a lunatic, and invading a country that Germany almost certainly couldnt have beaten whatever choices Hitler had made.
Ding! Use of historicism! Minus Fifty DKP!
Seriously, though, it's hard to discuss Guderian's mistakes and non-mistakes if it's approached from the standpoint that no matter what he did he was doomed to lose anyway.
In fact, it's hard to discuss history in general anyway if everything is viewed as inetivable.
Posted by: Phil ||
08/11/2006 14:19 Comments ||
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#23
BTW, FM 100-5 is now FM 3-0. All of the services are moving to a joint numbering system for their pubs.
#24
not everything is inevitable, by any means. Much depends on accident. Germanys defeat in WW2 is probably one of the better candidates for historical inevitability though.
Guderian, if was so brilliant, could have advised that the war was unwinnable, as Yamamoto, IIUC, advised the govt of Japan.
He also could, later, have joined the plot against Hitler, as did several German generals, including, of course, Rommel.
#26
1) The Merkava looks nothing like a M60 Patton. If anything, it bears a family resemblance to the Centurion series, although it is an Israeli design from the ground up.
2) The Merkava is easily confused with an APC, since it has an oversize crew compartment located in the rear of the tank for maximum forward defensive potential, with a rear hatch for emergency use as an APC. There are armoured ambulance versions of the Merkava, and apparently at least one battalion's worth of actual Merkava APCs, which may have seen action with the Golani.
3) Where they're operating is, in fact, terrible tank country, and I wish I had been wrong two weeks ago when I said that early reports boded poorly about their mis-use of armour in hill-and-village country.
4) The Israelis just don't have enough dismounted infantry to fight the grinding attritional bunker war they *ought* to be fighting, and this seems to be creating a crippling sense of indecision on the part of the politicals. Nevertheless, they *have* to let go of this indecision, and wholely commit to the fight. Israel may not survive continued demonstrations of weakness because
5) Those rockets raining into Israel could easily be fitted with nasty, persistent chemical weapons, and make the north uninhabitable for weeks or months. If Olmert's ongoing weakness makes the Syrians think that the Israelis won't be able to retaliate, or only retaliate with conventional weapons, then they might take the safeties off, and the only thing keeping Hezbollah & Iran from gassing Israel off the map is the Samson threat.
6) August 22nd might be the promise of such a comprehensive gassing, regardless of the Samson threat, possibly because of an Iranian nuke.
I don't know about you, but I'm far enough from the coastal cities here in the states that I'm pretty sure I'll survive August 22nd if the surprise is a backpack in New York or Baltimore. It makes me sick to think something like that. I just spent a week working a convention in Baltimore...
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
08/11/2006 15:38 Comments ||
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#27
Been gone a while--please help me catch up. Isn't part of the problem that Israel didn't actually realize how dug-in and outfitted the Hezbos were in terms of the tunnels/supplies/infrastructure/communications/pr campaign with US and other Western news media? And isn't the terrain an issue (tank problems)? Also--wouldn't a real "shock and awe" for a week, followed by massive
ground troops provided a better equation for winning this? Is it too late now? And what's with August 22nd? What does that mean? THANKS.
#28
In any case, taking out Israeli artillery, etc. is REALLY gonna embolden the Hezbos, as well as the rest of the Islam-ick facists, and there's no doubt about that. All the philosophy/politicing in the world can't stand up to a raw fight, and in the end it only matters WHO wins.
The UN Security Council has taken up a new resolution which if approved would give Iran until August 31 to suspend uranium enrichment and accept a package of international incentives.
Iran had previously set August 22 as the date when it would formally respond. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has vowed his country will never surrender its right to pursue uranium enrichment, a process that could lead to the production of a nuclear weapon.
Iran picked the 22nd but since that also happens to be one of Islam's holiest events, the great cataclysm that Shiite Muslims believe will forever resolve the battle between "good" and "evil."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Liberal Hawk pfffsts this one out of his ass and sneaks it into the discussion about armored warfare:
"Nonetheless, Guderian made the wrong strategic choices, standing with a man who was a lunatic.."
Liberalhawk lectures Guderian telling him he made the wrong StraTEGery!
I call MORON! Liberalhawk do you want to keep digging? Or how low do you actually want to go?
In Tehran, Kazem Jalali, a spokesman for the Iranian parliament's foreign affairs and security commission, said the resolution was "unacceptable" and would create a situation where no one benefits.
"It seems America has done its utmost to divert Iran's case from the path of dialogue and drag it into crisis," Jalali told the Students News agency."
This is PR, and it is designed to play into the hands of the US Dems.
The draft ceasefire plan agreed to by the United States and France may result in an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, but it will not disarm Hizbullah. It appears that United Nations efforts are concentrating on halting Israeli military operations throughout Lebanon, but no effort is being made to eliminate the Hizbullah threat. The draft agreement only calls for pushing Hizbullah north of the Litani, not far enough from Israels northern border to place Hizbullah rockets out of range from northern Israeli civilian population centers.
While the draft agreement supports UN Resolution 1559, demanding Hizbullah be disarmed by the Lebanese government, it does not make this a precondition to the implementation of the ceasefire. The plan calls or the deployment of the current UNIFIL force in southern Lebanon, to be supported by some 10,000 French forces and 15,000 Lebanese army troops. Other countries may also send troops to take part in the force, which will be responsible to prevent Hizbullah attacks into Israel.
Lebanese authorities and Hizbullah are already signaling the plan is unacceptable since it does not demand an immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon, but permits a gradual withdrawal of forces over a month. In addition, Lebanese officials are calling the plan discriminatory, since it mentions the need to work towards the release of captive IDF soldiers while not making mention of the release of Lebanese soldiers.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2006 00:51 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[9 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
So, let me get this straight (If there is anything in the world that is straight anymore). You, THE WORLD are beholden to demands of terrorists and it is not only US and France policy to negotiate with terrorists, but the UN's point of view as well?
#3
When the survival of the state has been established to be very much in doubt - when the duly elected government has brokent their vow to protect the populace especially when that same populace has made it clear they wish the enemy to be crushed, then I would think the military has every right to remove them. Olmert's government is on the brink of declaring itself illegitimate.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
08/11/2006 1:33 Comments ||
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#4
So Israel sends it back for modification, just like Lebanon did last week, and we go round and round and round....
#6
Not so sure gromgoru - if recent accounts are true. We gave them all the green light they needed and Olmert didnt' pack the sack necessary. Now Condi is out there trying to salvage what we can thanks to spineless Olmert. I don't see any backstabbing on our part....at least not yet.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
08/11/2006 2:34 Comments ||
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#7
Yes, yes, Rex. The fact is, USA has plans for the Middle East. Ones' that do not include the only way Israel can become really secure.
#8
Olmert don't want to fight and we can't make him. I am sorry but the US is not going to hold his hand. What is that old saying "sh*t ot get off the pot."
#10
I reserve judgment until more facts come to light.
Let's give it another 12 days. It sounds like the Lebanese are unwilling to let any form of UN-sponsored obstacle be erected in front of Hizb'Allah. So be it.
I suspect that the fog of war is dense. I expect that the enemy will provoke a larger fight. I worry that this campaign in WW IV will only be remembered as a prelude to major battles.
I believe the US, Israel and a strong, small, willing coalition are ready for anything the Islamofascists will throw at us. The last 40 years have strengthened and emboldened our enemy, without and within. We will suffer large losses. Our leaders and intellectuals have painted us into this corner -- and the only way out will be worse than any sane person would hope for.
Even when it may seem we are losing, or about to lose, always remember that the Western Way of War will prevail. If needs be, the spirit of Leonidas and his men can be found in our midst. We are at war. A war that will last a long time, cost us dearly -- and lead to the annihilation of our enemy.
Diplomats and ceasefire plans are but smoke. Who is shaping the battlefield behind that smoke's screen?
#11
" The senior minister added that there are several points that must be included in any ceasefire plan, including the deployment of a multinational stabilization force in southern Lebanon, removing the threat of future Katyusha rocket attacks against Israel, disarming Hizbullah and setting in motion a plan towards the release of captive IDF soldiers."
1. deployment of a multinational stabilization force in southern Lebanon=Israel's myopia!
2. removing the threat of future Katyusha rocket attacks against Israel=Israel's on crack!
3. disarming Hizbullah and setting in motion a plan towards the release of captive IDF soldiers=Israel's hallucinating erotic fantasy!
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
08/11/2006 4:16 Comments ||
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#13
So it looks like this then ...
There will be a force now deployed South of the Litani. Hezbollah is now free to fire their rockets from North of the Litani and if Israel wants to get them, they now have to fight their way through a UN force first. In other words, the UN transforms from a Hezbollah "monitoring" force, to a Hezbollah protection force.
Wonderful ... just fricken wonderful. What jeenyus thought this up?
#14
IsraelNationalNews just said that "30 Israeli tanks have been destroyed by [Hezbonuts]" and that "The militaries are surprised how easily Hezboschmucks are able to destroy tanks, with top-of-the-art Russian anti-tank rockets".
I wanted to post the link, but the news disappeared strangely from their site.
(IsraelNN.com) Israel is calling on the United States to speed up the delivery of M-26 short range cluster munitions rockets, which deliver a wide blast to the target area.
The rockets would be particularly effective against Hizbullah missile launchers. They are fired by the dozen and strike a wide range area.
Some State Department officials are seeking to delay approval of the rockets, the New York Times report, explaining opponents fear the use of the rockets would sharply increase civilian casualties.
The deal involving the M-26 rockets has been approved, but shipment did not take place prior to the start of the war against Hizbullah in July. Israel is now working to expedite delivery.
#17
Latest update. Lebanon: Cease-fire draft 'unacceptable'
A new obstacle arose over the latest UN draft proposal to stop the fighting between Israel and Hizbullah on Thursday night, when Lebanon refused to allow the French to enforce its mandate as allowed by the UN's chapter VII regulations.
Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh said in an interview with Al-Jazeera news station that he was opposed to the draft proposal because it did not call for an immediate cease-fire.
#19
Seems to me that weapon is likely to result in too much collateral damage. Israel needs to get someone with Infantry experience to head the IDF and then go kill Hezbos one by one until they are all dead. They would be finished by now if they had started a month ago. The objective is simple. Kill All Hezbos.
#20
I'll reserve judgment on this "enemy reload agreement." What does this agreement gain the West? What does the agreement gain Israel? Why is resoultion 1559 not enforced, i.e. disarmament of Hezzballah. We are going to end up paying a greater price later. Rembember the mass murder of the 241 Marine peacekeeping force in the early 1980s. Doing nothing only emboldened these terrorists and the countries behind them. Nassarallah, Hezzballah, Syria, and Iran are going to view this agreement as a win and become more emboldened. The price for addressing the problem in the future will be even greater. The West had better count their collective fingers after shaking hands on any agreement with these guys to see if any of them are missing. This agreement will just be another step towards achieving the islamofacist's overall goal of power and world domination. Their pursuit of this goal is widespread, focused, relentless, and driven by religion. There is no appeasement with these guys. It didn't not work with Adolph Hitler and it will not work with these folks. Appeasement just emboldened Hitler to seize more and kill more to accomplish his objective. Hitler stated in Mein Kamf what he intended to do. He proceeded to do what he said. The Iranian nut case has basically stated his intentions, i.e. to destroy Israeli. Why is this not clear to the world?
An end to senseless bloodshed. Israel has been defeated morally by Hezb' Allah. They apparently do not now have the will to fight this war. Therefore, it is senseless and immoral to continue killing people to no end. Israel needs to have an election and decide if they want to survive as a nation or if they are really going to throw in the towel.
#23
"...release of captive IDF soldiers while not making mention of the release of Lebanese soldiers."
No resolution will end this conflict if there is any perception of humiliation on either side. (Especially Hizbullah) Call it what you want but its a fact. With that said, if Israel capitulates on the unconditional release of their abducted soldiers (with the exception of captured HAMAS legislators), they will have publicly acknowledged that kidnapping is a legitimate tool for negotiation.
#24
Reality folks. Hezb is stronger and more dug in than Israel OR the US expected when this war began (we can debate whos at fault for THAT, but its not relevant now) To fully destroy Hezb would take months, and the US cant wield its veto to stop a ceasefire indefinitely, at an acceptable diplomatic cost, with so many other irons in the fire. Besides, suppose you DO kill every Hezb militant, and destroy every missile, at the cost of alienating EVERY Lebanese, and destroying all the anti-Syrian and anti-Iranain elements in the Leb govt. What then? Israel still has to leave at some point. Then the Iranians, who set up Hezb in the first place, just come back and create Hezb 2.0.
There IS no way to destroy Hezb now. The BEST outcome is a ceasefire, and some improvement in terms of an international force, Leb army troops, and keeping Hezb away from the border. The arguement within Israel now is HOW to achieve that, whether to focus on diplomacy, or another week or two of fighting to improve bargaining leverage.
The rockets are NOT now threatening Israels existence. If Hezb is pushed north of the Litani, their short range missile are out of the picture, and its only their costlier, yet innaccurate long range ones that matter. In the worst case, if they fire off the heads of the international force and the world does nothing, they cant threaten Israels existence. Meanwhile youve given the US more room to deal with the bigger threat, which is Iran itself.
#25
Hezb is stronger and more dug in than Israel OR the US expected when this war began (we can debate whos at fault for THAT, but its not relevant now) To fully destroy Hezb would take months
You say. It is not clear that there has ever been a competent sustained effort to remove Hezb by sufficient combined arms forces.
There IS no way to destroy Hezb now. The BEST outcome is a ceasefire
And that is an invitation to Iran to create Hezb 2.0. This logic is evidence of the moral failure that has caused the defeat of Israel in this war. Israel has never been in mortal danger in this war from rockets or any other material factor. It's morale has been attacked and, by this logic, defeated. The only way for Israel to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat is to destroy Hezb' Allah now, regardless of what the Lebnanese think, regardless of what the Americans think.
And a moral defeat of these dimensions for Israel will only lead Ahmedinajihad to believe he can achieve a similar defeat of the Americans, not give the Americans more room for anything. And the election returns from Conneticut didn't do much to dissuade him.
When this campaign widens into war with Syria and Iran, the US will take the opportunity to destroy these two terrorist states. Hizb'Allah does not live or grow in a void.
Israel has not lost and doesn't have to agree to a ceasefire as long as they are killing Hizb'Allah members and the Lebanese government supports Hizb'Allah and the distinct Syrian as well as Iranian threats remain. If these two believe --as many do-- that Israeli leadership is confused or weak, they may very well make their fatal mistake.
I'm not prepared to judge now whether the information on the state of Israeli leadership is accurate. I remain open to the possibility that there are much wider strategic objectives in play.
During WW II a lot of disinformation was only aimed at the enemy's secret services. Today the UN and MSM are so involved in shaping perception (and planning) that one should assume these are scenes of disinformation.
#27
Kalle, widening the war to include Syria and Iran is politically more feasible the quicker it is done, not the slower. The current delay simply gives the usual world anti-Israel coalition time to mobilize.
#28
"Hezb is stronger and more dug in than Israel OR the US expected when this war began (we can debate whos at fault for THAT, but its not relevant now) To fully destroy Hezb would take months
You say. It is not clear that there has ever been a competent sustained effort to remove Hezb by sufficient combined arms forces."
Thats my point. The reason they thought they could win WITHOUT a large combined arms force was BECAUSE they didnt think Hezb was that strong.
"There IS no way to destroy Hezb now. The BEST outcome is a ceasefire
And that is an invitation to Iran to create Hezb 2.0."
Yes, but Hezb 2.0 wont be south of the Litani. Thats a benefit militarily, and begins to weaken Hezb politically, on the ground in S Leb. And strengthens the Leb state.
" This logic is evidence of the moral failure that has caused the defeat of Israel in this war. Israel has never been in mortal danger in this war from rockets or any other material factor. It's morale has been attacked and, by this logic, defeated."
For now. If they get a good political deal that will reduce the loss of morale. And then they will fix whats wrong with the military, and probably get rid of Olmert. It will take them months to a year or more to recover morale, but they will do it.
" The only way for Israel to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat is to destroy Hezb' Allah now, regardless of what the Lebnanese think, regardless of what the Americans think. "
Israel cannot afford to ignore the Americans. Can NOT. Then when they have to fight Hez 2.0, they will do so isolated.
"And a moral defeat of these dimensions for Israel will only lead Ahmedinajihad to believe he can achieve a similar defeat of the Americans, not give the Americans more room for anything."
Which isnt necessarily bad. The more Ahmadinajad overreaches, the worse it is for him.
" And the election returns from Conneticut didn't do much to dissuade him."
Disappointed as I am with those returns (enough to consider changing my party registration) I doubt Ahmadinajad follows them closely.
#29
"When this campaign widens into war with Syria and Iran, the US will take the opportunity to destroy these two terrorist states. Hizb'Allah does not live or grow in a void."
If thats whats going to happen, then its all the more important for Israel to take steps that help the US political and diplo position, more important than killing a few more Hezb terrorists.
#30
It is difficult to imagine a peacekeeping force implementing UN resolultion 1559--particularly if the force is largely made up of the Lebanese military. The Lebanese military, most likely, is made up of a fair number of Hezzballah. So where does that put the West? Not in the catbird seat by any means. Seems like same old same old--as was said by by LH and NS--a Hezzballah Version 2.0. Improved and more dangerous with all the newest bells and whistles provided by Iran and Syria.
#32
Reality is what you create on the ground. Even if a UN resolution is reached, who will enforce it? France? Don't make me laugh. The Israelis would have an easier time attacking France than visa versa.
So far only localized raids have been conducted to kill local concentrations of shiite jihadis. The key to this conflict is to drive the shiites into sponsor Syria. That means attacking shiite towns and villages to create a refuggee flow into Syria and then destroying the structures, electical, water, and sewer systems that make easy return possible. If any shiite later tries to return, then shell them until they leave. No shiites, no support system for Hizb'allah. Ideally, the Israelis should annex southern Lebanon as punishment for starting this war, but since they won't do it, they need to ensure the abandoned shiite areas are repopulated buy a friendlies. The shiites started the war against the Israeli civilain population. The Israelis are late in joining.
Posted by: ed ||
08/11/2006 11:38 Comments ||
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#33
Diplomatic pressure
"According to one of my sources Israel is going to reject the diplomatic efforts spearheaded by America at the UN.
The resolution that America in the end has agreed to will do nothing to protect Israel
As a result of this according to my source in the next few hours Olmert will give the order to restart the war and the IDF will march north to the Litani River and maybe beyond."
yoni blogger
I am afraid this reaction to critcism will end badly. I dont expect Olmert to know how wage war.
#34
"It is difficult to imagine a peacekeeping force implementing UN resolultion 1559--particularly if the force is largely made up of the Lebanese military. The Lebanese military, most likely, is made up of a fair number of Hezzballah. So where does that put the West? Not in the catbird seat by any means. Seems like same old same old--as was said by by LH and NS--a Hezzballah Version 2.0. Improved and more dangerous with all the newest bells and whistles provided by Iran and Sy"
The Leb army wont be asked to FULLY implement 1559, since 1559 calls for the full disarmament of Hezb. What the Leb Army WILL be tasked with is keeping Hezb out of the zone south of the Litani.
Will they be up to it? Unclear. Only 15,000 troops will go, not the entire Leb Army, and it may be possible to select more reliable units. Also the US will be training the Leb army.
If anyone in the Leb army is shot at by Hezb, that will be a huge deal politically in Lebanon, and will open up the possibility of a different configuration of forces against Hezb.
#35
The US had 3 years to attack Syria and 5 years to attack Iran. I didn't happen even under severe provocation. Get used to it. This administration does not have the stomach another war. Syria will continue sponsoring terrorists against th US and Syria until Israel, not the US, overthrows them. As for Iran, they will become the second Islamic nuclear power. I expect the Iranians to attack the US when they build up several thousand warheads (15-20 years). In the mean time, the Iranians will harass and demoralize us with ever increasing attacks both against our military and cities in order drive the US out of the middle east, then south Asia, then Europe. I believe the 27 years and counting of Neville Chamberlain's policyies w.r.t. Iran will cause the US greater deaths than WW2 (all nations combined).
Posted by: ed ||
08/11/2006 11:52 Comments ||
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#36
Reality folks. Hezb is stronger and more dug in than Israel OR the US expected when this war began (we can debate whos at fault for THAT, but its not relevant now) To fully destroy Hezb would take months, and the US cant wield its veto to stop a ceasefire indefinitely, at an acceptable diplomatic cost, with so many other irons in the fire. Besides, suppose you DO kill every Hezb militant, and destroy every missile, at the cost of alienating EVERY Lebanese, and destroying all the anti-Syrian and anti-Iranain elements in the Leb govt. What then? Israel still has to leave at some point. Then the Iranians, who set up Hezb in the first place, just come back and create Hezb 2.0.
There IS no way to destroy Hezb now. The BEST outcome is a ceasefire, and some improvement in terms of an international force, Leb army troops, and keeping Hezb away from the border. The arguement within Israel now is HOW to achieve that, whether to focus on diplomacy, or another week or two of fighting to improve bargaining leverage.
As long as Israel is fighting to "improve bargaining leverage" rather than to wreck the enemy, Hizbullah isn't going to be wrecked.
You know, when this whole cluster**** started, Oldspook dropped by the O-Club and described in depth what he thought was wrong with Israel's strategy.
He didn't say that Israel was going to fail to destroy Hezbollah because Hezbollah was indestructible. He said Israel was going to fail because they weren't specifically doing a number of actions to transform the war from battles of attrition to battles of maneuver. (Loosely summarizing; I hope he or someone else will correct me if that summary is wrong).
He gave examples at the time.
I thought at the time he was being unduly pessimistic.
However, it seems to have been borne out by subsequent events. He made predictions based on what courses of action Israel took, that if they did one thing it would produce one result, and if they did another it would produce another result.
None of these were based on "Hizbollah being tougher than everyone thought."
Posted by: Phil ||
08/11/2006 11:52 Comments ||
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#37
since the lebanese army = hezbollah i don't see much good there
#39
The Leb army, if deployed south of the Litani, will be made of largely of shiites. Guess where their sympathies lie. Even if they wanted to enforce the central government's will, their families/clan/tribe are vulnerable to Hizb'allah.
The only positive to Leb army deployment is that attacks restart, the responsiblity will fall on the central government, which can then be defeated and the land taken away.
Posted by: ed ||
08/11/2006 12:00 Comments ||
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#40
Olmert just rejected the Fwench cease-fire (arutz 10 & Fox) and the invasion is on.
#42
I dont know what OSs intell was on the degree of fortification and strength of Hezb, or how that related to the intell in Olmerts plan.
Im going by what I read in the Israeli press, and the debate going on in Israel, including by IDF generals who thought Olmert was wrong.
Im not sure how a war of maneuver wins. Hezb is presumably supplied in its strongholds for months, and Israel would inevitably have faced a ceasefire in less time than it would take for to cutting off Hezb to be effective. Everyone in the ME is aware of what Sharon did in '73, and I dont beleive Hezb was in the same logistical situation as the Egyptian 3rd army was. Blitz warfare doesnt work if the staybehinds can outlast you.
#43
"It was not immediately clear whether Israel was trying to pressure the U.N. Security Council, which was expected to vote soon on a cease-fire resolution, or whether it was really determined to send troops deeper into Lebanon.
The Israeli officials said Israel was upset about apparent last-minute changes that seemed to weaken the mandate of a multinational force."
#44
I am watching TV now.
Israelis are are warming up,
UN convoy headed west , out of the way.
Posted by: j. D. Lux ||
08/11/2006 12:45 Comments ||
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#45
LH: I took notes at the time, and had permission to edit them slightly and repost them (he didn't want to reuse some civil war/ww2 comparisons he was worried might be inappropriate) but I didn't have time to edit them and he later made similar analogies in the comments in the pages 1 and 2 sections.
I suggest asking him.
I don't want to argue from authority or try to repeat what he said with my faulty memory, because I'd wind up putting words in his mouth that he didn't say.
Google isn't helpful in this regard. I guess one day we'll get a "comment search" feature with author, date ranges, and keyword variables.
It does seem odd to suggest that now an interdiction approach instead of a frontal assault approach wouldn't have worked because the frontal assault approach didn't work.
Posted by: Phil ||
08/11/2006 12:57 Comments ||
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#46
Anyway, for about three and a half of the last four weeks I've been thinking Oldspook was wrong, and Olmert was just about to go on the offensive in a major way.
I've heard six or seven reports over that time that the Big Offensive was about to kick in. Each one turned out to be wrong.
They might be wrong this time, but for the six or seven previous times I owe all the pessimists an apology.
Posted by: Phil ||
08/11/2006 13:59 Comments ||
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#47
... and the only way out will be worse than any sane person would hope for.
Then color me less than sane, Kalle. We will find a way out from under the spectre of Islamist terrorism, be it with or without any active cooperation from the world's Muslim population.
As to all of this Hezbollah 2.0 horseradish, it will be pretty hard to re-arm these maggots if Syria and Iran become bouncing rubble.
This administration does not have the stomach another war.
You're presuming that America will continue to engage its enemies with conventional warfare, as in Afghanistan or Iraq, ed.
Any American general worth his or her salt must now know that the era of nation-building is through, possibly forever, at least with respect to Islamic autocracies. We must now adopt a policy of simply breaking the bad boys' toys and letting them crawl out and rebuild on their own. If they reconstruct another terrorist sponsoring regime break rinse and repeat. I will repeat, there is absolutely nothing worse that could be sucked into an Iranian power vacuum than what we are already confronted with as of now.
Olmert's lack of courage is more than disappointing. Israel should declare a vote of no confidence in their current leadership and elect someone with the determination to crush their enemies for once and all.
#48
Another in the many reasons why the deep tank strike us not in the cards here is that unlike earlier IDF wars, the objective here is to inflict casualties on the Hezzies, not break them up and bypass them.
#49
"I am afraid this reaction to critcism will end badly. I dont expect Olmert to know how wage war."
I am afraid that many people will not understand that the nature of this war will be different than what Israel has fought before. This will not be a war of maneuver with great tank units outflanking an enemy and causing them to surrender. This will be a slog through clearing bunkers like the US had to do against Japan in the Pacific. One bunker at a time against a well-armed fanatical enemy armed to the teeth and willing to fight to the death.
This is the kind of fight that brings out weapons such as flame throwers to clear bunkers and it is very slow and causes a lot of casualties. The IDF has never engaged in this kind of fight before and it took us a couple of years to perfect our methods for it during WWII ... and that expertise is gone now, for the most part.
#50
I"m more convinced there will be no attack. The US and France have agreed to ceasefire language and will bring to a vote quickly to save Olmert's butt because he has signaled repeatedly that he does not want to fight it out. Green light....feh..you don't announce your intentions...you announce what you've already undertaken. I hope I'm wrong on this...we'll find out soon.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
08/11/2006 16:05 Comments ||
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#51
Turn on your television to Fox News ... it has already started. Tens of thousands of troops are at this moment moving across the border.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
08/11/2006 18:49 Comments ||
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#55
Crosspatch - I hope that you are correct. If things remain as they are now, Israel will be in full retreat from now on. And Olmert still wants to leave the West Bank.
Cliche #1. The Arabs can make many mistakes, but Israel can only make one. A cliche, but true none the less.
Cliche #2. The Arabs lose, but someone always saves their asses. This time it appears to be the USA. (!)
Cliche #3. The IDF is the toughest army in the world. True, but the political leadership appears to be rotting from the head.
Cliche #4. We can always been able to count on Israels sense of self preservation. I'm not so sure now.
I believe that things always make sense from some level. Something behind the scenes is causing sensible people to take actions that appear non-sensical. I am beginning to wonder if democracies can defeat the challenge of Islamo-Facisism.
Just heard exerts of Mike Wallace's interview with Sean Hannity about his talk with Ahmanutjob. Wallace appears to have been totally charmed by the maximum jihadi in Teheran - he repeadedly called Israel the Zionist entity. He is a posterchild for the MSM: morally backrupt and an enemy of this nation. The bonds that hold America together continue to fray. I am going to buy another case of ammunition.
#56
I guess I was being optimistic when I said I'd reserve judgment for 12 days.
Olmert has opened the door to the total destruction of Israel. Europe will follow shortly. The survival of Western civilization depends entirely on the USA -- and it will take Islamist nukes on all of the West before the people of this country pick leaders who will take on the real sponsors of Islamofascism.
It's not 1938. It's not 1941. It's 2006, and time for Dan Simmons' three words.
August Twenty-Second. Jerusalem, Rome, London. Recombined bubonic pest. It doesn't matter which it is now, this capitulation to Hizb'Allah opens the door to whatever it will be. We can't count on or hope for anyone else's actions.
Ceterum censeo, Mecca delenda est.
Posted by: Kalle ||
08/11/2006 20:00 Comments ||
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#57
"Peace in our time!" -- it may look like 1938, but it's much much worse.
Posted by: Kalle ||
08/11/2006 20:09 Comments ||
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Tehran, 8 August (AKI) - An Iranian hardline Islamist journalist claims she has recruited 56,000 Iranians, a third of them women, to carry out suicide attacks against American, British and Israeli targets. Afrouz Rajai, who in 1979 was among a group of Iranian students who held 52 US diplomats hostage in the American embassy in Teheran for 444 days, also told Adnkronos International (AKI) that 35 of the would-be terrorists are "of the Jewish faith."
The firebrand activist, dubbed "Allah's widow," by her detractors in Iran formed what she said was a "non governmental organisation" three years ago to recruit volunteers prepared to "carry out suicide actions against the United States, Britain, the Zionist entity (Israel) or any nation or person hostile to Muslims or the Islamic faith," she said.
She also claims that some of those her organisation has trained have already carried out suicide attacks abroad, but did not provide details...
#2
The new Nazis. Something tells me that either they will rule the world in about 30 years -- when the political dithering and her Tranzi PC accomplices finally drag us down into oblivion -- or she won't have any ancestors.
I choose to fight for the latter option, in every possible course of action I can find. She and her muzzbots, and all of the others who practice the abomination Islam, deserve the kiss of oblivion. No human disease brings more death and misery and is more deserving of eradication.
#7
Why do I have a feeling that radicals in Iran claim to have been one of the US embassy hostage takers, much like radicals in the US claim to have marched with Martin Luther King.
#9
I want them to meet allan just as badly as they do. Though I am sure the way I mean to arrange that meeting is much different then their assumption.
#10
Swamp Blondie, better to thank Mr. Carter for telling the Shah to step aside for the Islamic Revolution. Were it not for the moralistic constraints imposed by Carter, the Savak would have killed Khomeni in Paris and wiped out his accomplices in Teheran and Qom. Iran today is brought to you in all its glory by Jimmy Carter, the worst president in the history of the Republic.
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.
Eight policemen and 12 Taliban insurgents died when rebels ambushed a security patrol and a firefight broke out in restive southern Afghanistan, a provincial spokesman said Thursday. The fierce clash in Kandahar provinces volatile Panjwayi district on Wednesday left another seven policemen and nine rebels wounded, spokesman Daud Ahmadi said. A police patrolling convoy was attacked by Taliban. Eight policemen and 12 Taliban were killed, Ahmadi said.
(CNN) -- Terrorists planned to concoct an "explosive cocktail" using MP3 players and sports drinks to blow up as many as 10 jetliners bound for the United States, authorities said Thursday.
(RIA Novosti) - A militant has been killed in a firefight with federal forces in central Chechnya, the North Caucasus counterterrorist operation headquarters said Friday. "On Thursday, at 2:30 p.m. Moscow time (10:30 a.m. GMT), a unit of Russian Interior Troops conducting a reconnaissance operation near the village of Agishty [the Shalinksy district], engaged an eight-member illegal armed group," a source at the headquarters said. "One gunman was killed in the exchange. His identity is being established." He said there were no losses among federal servicemen. A manhunt has been launched for the other militants.
The man charged in the shootings of six people at Seattle's Jewish Federation offices has indicated he wants to plead guilty, his attorney told a judge Thursday. 
Two alleged members of the terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) were arrested with two kg of RDX by the Special Cell at New Delhi railway station here on Thursday. The police suspect that the duo was part of a module despatched to the Capital to carry out strikes in the run-up to the Independence Day celebrations. According to Joint Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Karnal Singh, a team under the supervision of Sanjeev Kumar Yadav recently received a tip-off from the intelligence agencies that two persons suspected to be working for the LeT would sneak into the Capital. During interrogation, the two identified themselves as Abrar Ahmed, a resident of Bihar, and Abu Anas, a Pakistan national. The two were subsequently whisked away to the Lodhi Colony interrogation cell.
(Xinhua) -- Indian Border Security Force (BSF) and Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) exchanged gunfire at border for nearly eight hours overnight, creating panic and tension in the area, local news agency UNB reported Thursday. There was no report of any casualty from the exchange of gunfire that began at 11:00 p.m. (1700 GMT) Wednesday and continued till 7 a.m. (0100 GMT) Thursday at Amalshid border in Bangladesh's northeastern Sylhet district. However, Khalilur Rahman, 70, a resident of Amalshid village, died of cardiac arrest apparently from the impact of heavy sound created by mortar shells, UNB reported. Many local residents, who left their homes, are yet to return while some others were staying at their homes by digging bunkers.
Two 
PESHAWAR: Suspected militants killed a tribal elder in South Waziristan for allegedly "spying" for the United States, officials said on Thursday. Noor Muhammad was gunned down late on Wednesday in Angoor Adda, 40 kilometres west of Wana, said administration officials on condition of anonymity. Noor, 44, had been receiving threatening letters for the past few months, accusing him of "spying" on militants on both sides of the Pak-Afghan border for the US-led coalition, his family told reporters. One letter, said his cousin, had warned: "Stop spying for US forces in Afghanistan or you will be killed." This is the second such execution to have taken place in the area this week. On Monday suspected militants, believed to have links to the Taliban, beheaded a tribesman in North Waziristan on similar charges.
(KUNA) -- National Security Adviser 
(KUNA) -- Iraqi Ministry of Defense said Thursday that their soldiers were able to arrest 27 armed men and the dismantling of two cars loaded with explosives in different parts of the country. A statement by the ministry said the arrest of five armed men in the northern city of Mosul coincided with the arrest of seven others in the Ramadi city in the west of Iraq. Eleven other armed men were arrested north of Baghdad, while the dismantling of two car bombs was made in the Howaija and Al-Khales towns, statement added.
(KUNA) -- Iraqi police raided Thursday a mosque in western Baghdad to arrest three gunmen involved in an armed attack on Iraqi police in which a police colonel was killed, said the Iraqi Interior Minister in Baghdad. "Group of terrorists attacked the national police in Saydiah area in Western Baghdad, and then took refuge in Turkey bin Talal Mosque," said the statement.
(Xinhua) -- The U.S.-led coalition forces have arrested four Iraqis suspected of abducting a U.S. female journalist who was kidnapped earlier in the year and then released, a U.S. military spokesman said Wednesday. "Coalition forces have detained four Iraqi men that we believe have been involved in the kidnapping of 
NAJAF: At least 51 people were killed across Iraq on Thursday. A suicide bomber killed at least 35 people and wounded over 90 on Thursday near a Shia shrine in the southern Iraqi city of Najaf, dealing a blow to fresh efforts to avert a sectarian civil war. Hospital sources said the bomber blew himself at a police commando checkpoint on his way to the 
In an unusual move, Israeli helicopters fired missiles at two houses in the West Bank refugee camp of Jenin on Wednesday, killing two Islamic Jihad leaders, the army said. The IDF said the targets were senior members of the Palestinian terror group, and that they were planning attacks against Israel. The two men, who were identified as Osama Attili, 24, from Atil near Tulkarm, and Muhammad Atik, 26, from Burkin near Jenin, were leaders of Islamic Jihad's military wing.
Angelo Frammartino, a 24 year-old student from Italy who arrived in Israel as a human rights organization activist, was stabbed to death Thursday by an Arab knifeman. "He believed in what he did and was always ready to help others," a friend described him. 
(KUNA) -- Israeli forces besieged a residential building in Umm Al-Sharayit neighborhood in the West Bank town of Ramallah as they searched for militants. Eyewitnesses told KUNA, a large number of Israeli forces besieged a number of Al-Aqsa martyrs brigades' militants in a home while soldiers opened heavy fire at the building.
TWO policemen were killed by suspected members of the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist group in an area controlled by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in North Cotabato, the group said in a statement. Abdul Dataya, chairman of the MILF ad hoc joint action group, said Insp. Marlon Frilles and PO1 Binggo Utto, members of the Special Action Force's Rapid Deployment Co., were shot and killed by JI fighters while attempting to serve an arrest warrant on Indonesian national Adulhir bin Hir alias Marwan in Barangay Balong in Pikit town at 1:35 a.m., Thursday. 
Three Indonesian Christians convicted of leading attacks on Muslims will be executed on Saturday, officials say. The three men, who have been on death row since 2001, will face the firing squad just after midnight local time (1600 GMT). They were sentenced for inciting attacks during religious rioting in Central Sulawesi in 2000.
(KUNA) -- In one of the biggest casualties in recent times, as many as 45 Tamil civilians and four soldiers were killed in Sri Lanka between the government forces and the Tamil rebels Thursday. The civilians died in military strikes in villages near a disputed canal in Northeastern Sri Lanka Thursday, news agency Indo-Asian News Service reported from capital Colombo. The soldiers were also killed in an encounter with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) near the canal Thursday, the news agency reported.
The draft ceasefire plan agreed to by the United States and France may result in an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, but it will not disarm Hizbullah. It appears that United Nations efforts are concentrating on halting Israeli military operations throughout Lebanon, but no effort is being made to eliminate the Hizbullah threat. The draft agreement only calls for pushing Hizbullah north of the Litani, not far enough from Israels northern border to place Hizbullah rockets out of range from northern Israeli civilian population centers.
