KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- A suicide bomber in an explosives-packed car followed and then struck a two-vehicle convoy carrying foreign police advisers south of Kabul on Friday, killing himself and wounding one adviser, police and NATO said. The bomber, whose charred body lay on the snow on the side of the main highway(ahhh...the Imagery)linking Kabul with Afghanistan's south, struck the vehicles in Logar province's Muhammad Agha district, said Gen. Muhammad Mustafa, the provincial police chief. One Afghan civilian was injured.
One of the two armored vehicles caught fire while the other took the wounded foreign police adviser toward Gardez, the capital of the neighboring Paktia province before police arrived, Mustafa said. The latest violence comes a day after NATO said its forces have killed or wounded 130 insurgents who crossed from Pakistan accompanied with trucks filled with ammunition, in the biggest battle of the Afghan winter. Also Friday, NATO-led troops insisted that an airstrike in southern Afghanistan only killed suspected militants and not at least 13 civilians as alleged by Afghan police. Charges of civilian deaths and NATO's obligatory denial edited from this post.
Brig. Gen. James Terry, the deputy operations commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, said a large engagement late Wednesday and early Thursday that left an estimated 130 Taliban fighters dead or wounded was one of the largest winter attacks the U.S. has seen.
Military intelligence warned of an impending attack Wednesday night in Paktika province, Terry said. Two groups of fighters - one about 125 strong and the other 60-80 strong - were observed for over two hours moving in military style formations from the Pakistan side of the border into Afghanistan before U.S. forces attacked. "The insurgent population coming across the border was well equipped" with AK-47s and machine guns, he said. "We got them defeated before they could actually conduct what we think were intended operations against Afghan and (NATO) security forces."
#1
The brutal Afgan winter has now been offset by the charred whatever it used to be. Inshala covers it. Maybe a few recent album sized border pics need to be sent to Perv for laughs.
NATO said Thursday its forces killed scores of insurgents who had crossed from Pakistan in the biggest battle of the Afghan winter, while Pakistan's army fired artillery at trucks supplying militants on the other side of the border. NATO tracked the suspected Taliban militants through air surveillance while the fighters were still in Pakistan. Once they crossed the frontier, NATO and Afghan soldiers attacked the two separate groups with ground fire and airstrikes during a nine-hour battle that began Wednesday evening.
Gen. Murad Ali, the Afghan army regional deputy corps commander, said the insurgents traveled into Afghanistan's southern Paktika province with several trucks of ammunition. Lt. Col. Paul Fitzpatrick, a U.S. military spokesman, said it was likely they were going to carry out an immediate attack, given the size of the groups.
The overnight offensive in Paktika province was the first major engagement of 2007 and appeared to be the largest battle since a multi-day operation killed more than 500 Taliban fighters in southern Kandahar province in September.
Fitzpatrick said 130 fighters were killed or wounded in the attack, down from NATO's initial estimate of as many as 150 dead. The Afghan Defense Ministry put the death toll at 80. It was not clear why there was such a disparity in the estimates. As is common in Afghanistan, independent confirmation of the death toll at the remote battle site was not immediately possible. Fitzpatrick said commanders lowered the estimate after further evaluating reports from observers made at night in difficult conditions. In early December, NATO said it had killed 70-80 fighters in Helmand province, but days later said only seven or eight had died.
Dr. Muhammad Hanif, who claims to speak for the Taliban, said in a text message to an Associated Press reporter in Pakistan that the initial NATO figure was "a complete lie." "The Americans want to boost morale of their troops while making such claims," the message read.
The Pakistani military has several checkpoints in the area where the insurgents crossed the border with Afghanistan. Pakistani army spokesman Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan said the army attack on the militants' trucks Wednesday night shows the army can act swiftly and effectively if it is given "real-time" intelligence. "We don't deny that some people are coming from this side. That's why we seek intelligence in real time. We are keen to stop it," he said.
It was the Pakistani army's first reported offensive in the North Waziristan tribal region since a September peace deal between the government and pro-Taliban militants that critics say has provided a sanctuary for insurgents. The peace deal in North Waziristan, which lies opposite Afghanistan's Paktika province, ended fighting between militants and the army. But U.S. and NATO military officials have voiced concern that cross-border attacks into Afghanistan have escalated since the truce, and pro-Taliban elements have gained more power.
In Afghanistan's Helmand province on Thursday, NATO airstrikes on a suspected Taliban compound killed 16 suspected militants and 13 people being held by the Taliban, said provincial police chief Ghulam Nabi Malakhail. An unknown number of civilians in a nearby home were also wounded. Also in Kandahar province, thousands of mainly ethnic-Pashtun tribesmen threw stones at a Pakistani border post and chanted "Death to Pakistan's links to the Taliban" during a rally to condemn new border measures. The protest was held in the town of Waish, across from the Pakistani town of Chaman near where Pakistan opened its first biometrics system to screen travelers - a step aimed at stopping the cross-border movement of militants. Pakistan has also announced plans to build a fence and plant land mines at selected places along the border, a proposal opposed by Afghanistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Shouldn't that be "the biggest battle of the brutal Afghan winter"
#2
Dr. Muhammad Hanif (Pashtun for "Jamil Hussein"), who claims to speak for the Taliban and who would surely never lie to us journalists!, said in a text message to an Associated Press reporter in Pakistan that the initial NATO figure was "a complete lie." "The Americans want to boost morale of their troops while making such claims," the message read. And naturally the good Doctor would not want to try to do the same for his side
Two interesting pieces of information
Terrorist suspects carrying British passports were reported to have been arrested last night after fleeing the American airstrikes in Somalia. The suspects were among 11 people held by Kenyan antiterrorist police as American special forces joined the hunt for key al-Qaeda suspects responsible for a string of terror attacks in East Africa.
Hundreds of US troops were dropped by helicopter from warships off the coast of Somalia after officials were forced to admit their airstrikes had failed to kill their main targets.
Local residents said that US teams were involved in heavy fighting around the town of Hayo, which is said to be the suspects main base near the Kenyan border. One local who watched the US-led action told The Times: Many civilians, including children, women, baby ducks, ponies have been killed.
Ethiopian officials, whose troops are reportedly fighting alongside the US special forces, confirmed that the American troops had landed in large numbers. US diplomatic sources in the region last night denied that troops were on the ground but said that the operation to track down the missing al-Qaeda suspects was continuing.
#2
Local residents said that US teams were involved in heavy fighting around the town of Hayo, which is said to be the suspects main base near the Kenyan border.
heh, you couldn't our people out of that fight. I'm sure they're leading, payback! I just wish I was young again and over there, like most of us do.
re. captured "Brit" al-Q combatants: should be able to arrange a "stay over" in Mog...... forever.
#5
...A thought occurs to me. A week ago, as far as anybody knew, it was just the Ethiopians kicking ass all the way across Somalia and the only people anybody was talking about were dead Somalian islamists and Al-Q.
Now - that we've admitted we're in - suddenly we have stories of 'US teams were involved' and 'US-led action' killing 'Many civilians, including children'.
I'm running out of words for this sort of thing.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/12/2007 6:22 Comments ||
Top||
#6
I noticed that too Mike.
Posted by: Mark Z ||
01/12/2007 6:44 Comments ||
Top||
#7
Youse guyz missed da point: The civilians were not killed in the proper religious manner, invoking the name of allen and slaying with scimitars.
Baby ducks are expendable.
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/12/2007 7:24 Comments ||
Top||
#8
Indeed, Omulet, shame on Timeonline that the "M" word is tabooed out of Dhimmitude but their media has no second thought about insulting all non-mozzie Asians similarly.
#11
I can't wait for the first story about one of these gunnies being from Minneapolis. Its only a matter of time. Prolly have to have a talk with his family.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/12/2007 19:41 Comments ||
Top||
Kenyan police on Thursday interrogated two Al Qaeda suspects wives caught fleeing Somalia, as mystery remained over whether their husbands survived a US air strike. A Kenyan counter-terrorism source said the wives and three children of two Al Qaeda suspects, wanted for the 1998 embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania and a 2002 hotel blast on the Kenyan coast, had been arrested. Unconfirmed reports say one of three Al Qaeda suspects - Comorian Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, Sudanese Abu Talha al-Sudani and Kenyan Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan - was killed. But it was not known which one. Mohammed and Nabhans wives and children were caught trying to cross into Kenya from Ras Kamboni, on Somalias southern tip, long thought by Western and east African intelligence agencies to be the site of a militant training camp.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
(SomaliNet) A brush fire broke out when Somali and Ethiopian forces clashed with Islamic militiamen in southern Somalia early Thursday, witnesses said by two-way radio. This incident comes after Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said his forces were carrying out mop-up operations against Islamic militants in the extreme southern corner of Somalia and that he expected to withdraw his troops within a few weeks. "We are hearing bombardment in Ras Kamboni. It started around 6 a.m. and the strike is now continuing," one resident said, asking not to be named for fear of retribution. "We can't see planes, but we can hear heavy explosions."
According to Mosa Aden Hersi, who lives 15 miles from Ras Kamboni, said earlier fighting in the area had triggered a brush fire. At least 35 civilians were killed along with fighters during the battle. "We saw the dead bodies of 17 men in military uniform under a small hill, but we do not know their identity," he said.
"The fighting is near and around Ras Kamboni. This is the last hideout of the terrorists. It is a small unit, mopping up operations that have not yet been completed," Meles told reporters in Ethiopia on Wednesday.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) -- Islamic terrorists extremists involved in a deadly fire fight with police this month had blueprints of foreign embassies and documents naming foreign envoys, Tunisia's official news agency quoted the interior minister as saying Friday.
Interior Minister Rafik Haj Kacem described the extremists as "terrorists" in a closed door meeting with members of Tunisia's governing party, the TAP news agency reported.
It was the first time authorities had made available official information on the Jan. 3 confrontation with police that left 14 people dead - two of them members of the security forces.
Run with an iron fist, this country of some 10 million people, a tourist haven for Europeans, has largely been spared Islamic terrorism extremist violence. However, 21 people - mostly German tourists - were killed in a 2002 suicide attack on a synagogue on the Tunisian resort island of Djerba. Investigators linked the attack to al-Qaida.
Fifteen people were arrested following the Jan. 3 clash in Soliman, a town 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Tunis, the capital. An initial clash with security forces on Dec. 23 left two dead and two police officers injured. The minister said three police officers were injured but it was not immediately clear whether that was in addition to the two injured in December.
Blueprints of some foreign embassies and documents with the names of some foreign diplomats were seized following the fire fights, TAP quoted the minister as telling leading members of the ruling Democratic Constitutional Rally party. He did not name the embassies or identify the diplomats whose names figured on the documents, according to TAP. Explosives described as locally made also were seized, Kacem told the politicians. The minister also appeared to link the group to the Salafist Group for Call and Combat(GSPC)the main insurgency movement in neighboring Algeria, saying they were "Salafist terrorists."
The interior minister, confirming press reports, said a portion of the group had crossed into Tunisia from Algeria, which has been battling an Islamic insurgency since 1992. He did not provide nationalities for group members or a total number. Press reports have said that its leaders were Tunisian but that there was a Mauritanian among them.
The Tunisian Minister of Tourism Authorities had earlier referred to the group simply as "criminals."
An early morning explosion at the US embassy in Athens was caused by a rocket or bomb, police in Greece say. Officials said it was likely a rocket had been fired at the building.
Police said the explosion was caused by an "attack". "The blast was caused by an attack from the outside of the embassy. We are not in a position to say what kind of device was used," a senior police official said.
A US embassy spokesman said there were no injuries. Glass in neighbouring buildings was shattered.
Police cordoned off all roads around the compound. The tightly guarded building is surrounded by a 9ft-high steel fence. Guards are posted at every entrance and at street corners around it.
The embassy is frequently the focal point of demonstrations in the city.
ATHENS (Reuters) - An explosion ripped through the U.S. embassy compound in central Athens on Friday, police said.
It was not clear what caused the blast and there was no immediate word on whether there were any casualties.
"We are investigating the cause of the explosion. We are not ruling anything out," a senior police official told Reuters.
Dozens of police cars surrounded the embassy and police cordoned off all roads in the area, including a major boulevard in front of the mission.
"Police have cut off all traffic. I am standing right here but there does not seem to be any damage. Greece's anti-terror squad are now investigating inside the embassy," a U.S. embassy employee at the scene told Reuters.
The senior police official did not say whether the explosion was set off inside the compound or whether something might have been thrown into the embassy grounds.
Police officials at the scene said that whatever caused the explosion damaged the official embassy sign outside the mission, but there was little other indication of the extent of damage inside.
The tightly guarded building is surrounded by a 3-meter (9-feet)-high steel fence. Guards are posted at every entrance and at street corners around it.
Embassy officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
Local residents called in to state television saying they had felt the explosion, which shattered some windows.
Greece's biggest domestic security threat, the leftist November 17 guerrilla group, which had in the past killed U.S. and other foreign diplomats in Greece, was dismantled in 2002.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats ||
01/12/2007 0:32 Comments ||
Top||
#3
What time is it there? I wouldn't think diplo types are at work this early in the morning.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/12/2007 0:41 Comments ||
Top||
Four fire engines rushed to the scene, amid reports that the explosion struck the embassy building's third floor at 5:55am (1455 AEDT), the fire department said.
No reported injuries; apparently a small rocket grenade aimed at the embassy emblem, so probably symolic gesture, rather than attempt at death or destruction (Bali / 9-11 / London etc).
I'm wondering if it is linked to visit of Matthew Nimetz to athens re Nimetzs proposal of Republika Makedonija-Skopje as an official name for FYROM.
Greeks get a bit touchy about name Macedonia.
EAs most recent incident occurred on May 30, 2006, involving an assassination attempt on George Voulgarakis, the Greek Culture Minister and former Public Order Minister. Over 2 pounds of explosives were strapped to a bicycle stationed near Voulgarakis residence and then detonated via remote control. No injuries resulted from the explosion, but four parked cars and a school building succumbed to damage. EA later claimed the attack, stating Greek involvement in the war on terror and Voulgarakis suspected role in an illegal interrogation of Pakistani residents as justification for the bombing.
#8
Update: Radical group says responsible for U.S. Embassy attack in Athens
ATHENS, January 12 (RIA Novosti) - An extremist group has claimed responsibility for a shell attack on the United States Embassy in Athens early Friday morning, police said, citing an anonymous phone call to the embassy.
The attackers apparently targeted the U.S. emblem on the embassy building, but the rocket shell smashed through a window on the third floor and damaged toilets. No one was injured.
The Revolutionary Struggle group also claimed responsibility earlier for three powerful explosions near ministry buildings in the Greek capital, and for an unsuccessful assassination attempt on a former public order minister in June 2006.
#9
Update: Radical group says responsible for U.S. Embassy attack in Athens
ATHENS, January 12 (RIA Novosti) - An extremist group has claimed responsibility for a shell attack on the United States Embassy in Athens early Friday morning, police said, citing an anonymous phone call to the embassy.
The attackers apparently targeted the U.S. emblem on the embassy building, but the rocket shell smashed through a window on the third floor and damaged toilets. No one was injured.
The Revolutionary Struggle group also claimed responsibility earlier for three powerful explosions near ministry buildings in the Greek capital, and for an unsuccessful assassination attempt on a former public order minister in June 2006.
Athens, 12 Jan. (AKI) - An explosion has rocked the US embassy in Athens, reports said Friday. Police believe two attackers on a motorcycle fired a rocket at the US eagle symbol on the facade of the embassy. The rocket reportedly landed inside a toilet where it caused a small fire. No one was injured, the US State Department says. A left-wing radical Greek group called 'Revolutionary fight' has claimed responsibility for the attack on the embassy compound, located in central Athens, public order minister Byron Polydoras told journalists.
#11
Over at DU and Kos, they've probably already decided that this is a "Rove plot" intended to "frighten" the DINOs into supporting Bushitler's new war plan, or distracxt everyone's attention from Bushitler's new war plan, or maybe both at once.
Posted by: Mike ||
01/12/2007 6:29 Comments ||
Top||
#13
Say! Whatever happened to Aris? He could've given us the local perspective!
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/12/2007 7:25 Comments ||
Top||
#14
well , my take is .. its a bunch of lefty nutters combined with some *chuckle* wanna be jihadi young muslim youth , all being guided and taught by more extremist fanatical nutjobs .. Expect to hear more of this group as it develops the confidence and skills to carry out more 'dramatic' operations
#17
"two attackers on a motorcycle fired a rocket"
In light of this develpoment, it is my assessment that this article needs the "cycle of violence" pic.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/12/2007 8:56 Comments ||
Top||
#18
So long as the university keeps awarding "A" grades for espousing this sort of thing it is hardly surprising that some people should go out an do it. Time to clean house.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
01/12/2007 11:14 Comments ||
Top||
#22
LOL, RC! When I read the Yahoo News article on it earlier, they claimed it was an RPG that busted out a window and landed in the toilets (3rd floor). Made it sound like it didn't even explode, although the fire in the toilets story makes it sound like it did.
Question is, can an RPG really bust windows on nearby homes and cause that large an explosion to wake up people? Someone in the know here can probably say. Of course, it was early (quiet) morning, so that'll explain more people hearing it, but can an RPG round (which supposedly exploded 3rd floor-toilets) really damage nearby homes (windows) when I'm sure our embassy takes up the entire block (and has fencing)? Or is it more MSM touting the story with grandiose, made up details?
Posted by: BA ||
01/12/2007 11:25 Comments ||
Top||
#23
lol love that pic Robert C. heh how about using that weapon.....once.
#24
That scooter is possibly the most French thing I have ever seen. Ever.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/12/2007 13:11 Comments ||
Top||
#25
Am I paranoid or could this be outsourcing by Iran, albeit by some amateurs, because we took down some of thier "diplos" in Iraq? Actually I am paranoid anyway.
#27
RC's scooter looks like just the thing to use on the cellphone yakking yuppies and yuppie-ettes during the commute. especially if it capable of taking out the Bab's Hummer.....
I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with you JFM. Using a scooter as a military weapon seems awefully French to me.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/12/2007 14:42 Comments ||
Top||
#29
Bobby, Aris had an unfortunate meltdown because some of the Rantburgers disagreed with his interpretation of the American Constitution. Fred blocked him for a number of months, but the hiatus only increased his bile, so he's been blocked permanently. Every once in a while he finds a new computer and pokes his head in to continue an argument nobody else care about, and gets blocked again. Very childish behaviour from a young man who should be getting on with adulthood now that he's gotten his PhD, survived mandatory military service, and hopefully moved on to bigger projects. He used to blog under his own name, Aris Katsaris (I think that's properly spelt), and may still do. Very sad, because early on his perspective on the happenings in his part of the world were quite helpful.
#30
What is the name of the Greek terrorists? Like 17 November or something?
What is November 17?
A radical, leftist Greek terrorist group, also known as 17 N or N 17, with a tiny membership and a loathing for America, the West, and capitalism. Most anti-terrorism experts think the organization has no more than twenty-five membersmany of them related to one another, which may explain why the group was able to operate secretly and securely for almost three decades. But in July 2002, amid mounting pressure to track down terrorists before the 2004 Olympics, Greek authorities made a major breakthrough and began arresting November 17 members. In December 2003, Greek courts dealt November 17 a crippling blow as fifteen members of the group were convicted of various crimes including homicide; the leader of the group and several key operatives were given multiple life sentences.
#31
Heh. Looks like Olympics in Greece got them to do something good for themselves. I always wondered how the Greeks were going to keep that gang away from the olympics.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/12/2007 16:48 Comments ||
Top||
#32
Trailing wife, in most cases it's the same computers that I use to sometimes bizarrely discover that I'm allowed to post again (a couple exceptions ofcourse, e.g. like when I went to Samos or so forth). For example a few days ago I couldn't post from here at my home -- now it seems that again I can. I never know, nor does anyone ever say, whether these are glitches in the system or deliberate (if extremely temporary) unbannings.
Anyway, I don't even remember which argument you are referring to in relation to the American constitution. I remember several I've had here with Rantburgers ofcourse -- e.g. my bizarre and blasphemous support for the idea that the words "no person" truly refers to all people rather than only "American citizens" (I tend to be a literalist when trying to understand the meaning of legal documens)
But I don't remember if that's supposed to be the argument you claim I had a "meltdown" over, or if there was another argument.
Anyway standard behavior in such cases seem to be that they re-ban me immediately, regardless of what comment I make.
And btw, if you want any comment from me on this bombing, one post will not be sufficient -- and this one post (to be sent into sinktrap as always I guess) is probably all I'll have.
But here's a few tidbits.
On the people that imagine Islamic participation in this, I'll just comment that two or three of the 17th November terrorists were the sons of a Greek Orthodox priest, one of them having as profession the painting of Christian religious icons.
Do you think that Islam is the only religion with preachers that spend time preaching against America? At a time when murderous bastards like Putin are welcomed by the Greek priesthood as Protectors of the Orthodoxy, and the Patriarchate of Moscow has the Archbishopry of Athens as its ally in the attempt to gain leadership of the Eastern Orthodox church from the Ecumenical Patriarch in Constantinople?
What other comments on the situation do you want me to make? The basic comment I'll make is that the Greek establishment, servile to Moscow as it is, has no real reason at all to hunt down anti-American terrorist groups. It had some small reason in the time just before the Olympics. It has no reason now.
But given how Putin is such good friend with Greece, perhaps Bush can look deep into Putin's angelic soul and convince him to push Greece in the right direction of fighting terrorism.
#33
I didn't intend to imply that I thought November 17 was Islamist, just that they're terrorist.
And, just to stir the pot, "no person" applies to all people coverd under the Constitution, which are American citizens. ;-)
Anyway, tell your buddies that we didn't like that toilet anyway.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/12/2007 19:50 Comments ||
Top||
#34
Do you think that Islam is the only religion with preachers that spend time preaching against America?
No, lots of religions do it. Communists and EU-philes, for example.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
01/12/2007 20:13 Comments ||
Top||
#35
Useful perspective on what's going in Greece, Aris. Thank you. I'm perfectly happy to be wrong on the other, but that's how it appeared to me at the time. And I do hope that your life and career are going well, and that somewhere there lurks a lovely and strong-minded future Mrs. Katsaris. :-)
#36
See also EUPHORICEALITY.com > WAS THERE A
NUCLEAR EXPLOSION INSIDE IRAN? Unconfirmed as yet by outside sources but described as nuclear by var locals, espec in south-central Iran. One detonation may be sign of local Sunni Arab unrest, but NOT a nuke. Also, WAFF.com > CHINA REASSURES ISRAEL IT IS OPPOSED TO ANY IRANIAN NUKES.
(KUNA) -- U.S. F-16 jet-fighters arrived Thursday in Incirlik Air base in southern Turkish city of Adana after, the first time in three years. According to Local Cihan News Agency, at least 16 F-16 jets joined by early warning system AWACS airplane, as well as tanker airplanes landed here at Incirlik coming from an American base in Germany. An official at the U.S. embassy in Ankara announced that the planes arrived here for purpose of conducting exercises with the Turkish military in line with agreements between the two states.
Incirlik base was used as a northern recon base for American forces during the Iraqi war in 2003 and since then the base served as a logistic backup for the U.S. army. Namik Tan, spokesman for the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also confirmed that the U.S. planes arrived for exercises' purposes.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Hmmm... I am left pondering the purpose of bringing an AWACS.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/12/2007 0:15 Comments ||
Top||
#3
...What has me wondering is why anyone needs to conduct an exercise in a war zone. The last time I heard of something like that was just after Desert Storm when the deployed commander of the 4 FW from Seymour Johnson AFB decided to have an exercise to keep his guys on their toes and started downloading and uploading planes that were supposed to be on alert. Needless to say, while he has four airplanes in various states of readiness, the word comes down to launch them for real.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/12/2007 6:30 Comments ||
Top||
#4
diplo pressure followed through with high visibility military movements/deployemnts
i.e. patriot defences for friendlies , and an incoming infux of birds with AWACS too , along with ship movements .. *ponder*
gotta love the drama , someones bowel movements in that region are prolly beginning to loosen
#7
I see these developments more as political chess than 'massing for attack' , although that is an secondary objective . More of a consolidation move , shoring up allied defences and gearing up for the impending iraqi/us v militia/iran showdown .
Would be interesting to find out what Israel are doing at the moment .
#12
add that to reports that B-1 Lancers have been used recently in Iraq. Other than practice runs for something why would they need B1 in Iraq for troop support when more than enough local based aircraft onsite. Add it all up and its either a hell of a message or positioning for a real "message"
#13
Chessboard is filling up. No need for Awacs now unless local air control/dominance is required to suppress enemy flights. Haven't checked air mileage to Iran from here. F-16's probably can't make non-stop runs from here without air refueling, but same is true for any Israeli F-16's. This would also be good spot to launch tankers from. Those carrier groups are also for defensive supression and control of shipping lanes for tankers. Offense will come from..well, why would B-1's be flying routes deep into the sandbox now ? Looks like GW is going to go all in. This poker game is going to end soon.
#14
Noteworthy: The combat radius of F-16s is about 350 miles. Incirlik is located near Adana on the Mediterranean. This would place it far outside typical un-refueled range from Iran.
However, it would fully encompass Syria.
In all the hubbub about Iran, perhaps we are neglecting a major component of the game here. That is, if the US did a quick overthrow of Syria, it would severely muck up a lot of Iran's territorial ambitions. It would crush Hizbollah and soothe all of the Sunni nations in the region.
In the short term, this would severely undermine Iran, and be a humiliating defeat.
#15
Non-combat range for the F-16 is 3200 miles (4800 km). As anonymoose said combat radius is 340 miles (550 km).
Incirlik to Baghdad should be well within this range. From there (or anywhere else in Iraq) to Kharg Island or Damascus and other points east or west should be relatively easy.
#16
Seems like the Turks have no objections to our use of their air space for upcoming operations.
I see a chess board with the pieces all in place for a major offensive. What else could it be ? A bluff ?
#17
This seems like way too much material for a bluff. Parts of the 82nd are in Iraq too on top of what's been discussed already in this thread.
I would think that if anything was in the works, the 82nd would be there. Anybody know where the 101st is, or the 4th?
Also, I think the Israelis have add on fuel tanks for the F-16 that bring its range to something like 700. Crap for air to air for sure, but would extend its range as a light bomber. Would that Tehran into range for the F-16's? I don't have an atlas handy.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/12/2007 20:04 Comments ||
Top||
#18
Aia to air will not likely be a problem if Iran is the target; they have so few operational fighters (of any flavor) that the good guys would only need a few figthers to escort any F-16s configured as bombers, and the B-1s would be in and out so fast that thee would most likely not be time to scramble any sort of meaningful defense. Of course that doesn't include any B-2s or carrier assets that would overwhelm anything Dinnerjacket could launch.
If Syria is the target, pretty much the same scenario, I would think. Maybe a bit less NAVAIR, unless there is a CVBG in the Med. I am not aware of one, please correct as necessary.
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/12/2007 21:54 Comments ||
Top||
#20
Frank, I think you're correct. The F-15s that Israel equipped with the extra fuel tanks are more than capable of a non stop to Iran. And back if I remember correctly. Think I read it in a Jpost article. .
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/12/2007 22:14 Comments ||
Top||
President Bush's plan to send tens of thousands of U.S. and Iraqi reinforcements to Baghdad to jointly confront Sunni insurgents and Shiite militias is likely to touch off a more dangerous phase of the war, featuring months of fighting in the streets of the Iraqi capital, current and former military officials warned.
"The terrorists and insurgents in Iraq are without conscience, and they will make the year ahead bloody and violent," the president said last night in explaining his revised approach. "Even if our new strategy works exactly as planned, deadly acts of violence will continue -- and we must expect more Iraqi and American casualties."
The prospect of a more intense battle in the Iraqi capital could put U.S. military commanders in exactly the sort of tough urban fight that war planners strove to avoid during the spring 2003 invasion of the country. The plan to partner U.S. and Iraqi units may compel American soldiers to rely on questionable Iraqi army and police forces as never before. And while the president insisted there is no timetable associated with the troop increase, military officials said sustaining it for more than a few months would place a major new strain on U.S. forces that already are feeling burdened by an unexpectedly long and difficult war.
Most of all, the White House's insistence on confronting all insurgents and militias, both Sunni and Shiite, may mean that the U.S. military will wind up fighting the Mahdi Army of radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. That militia is estimated by some U.S. intelligence officials to have grown over the past year to about 60,000 fighters, and some in the Pentagon consider it more militarily effective than the Iraqi army. Fighting it could resemble on a citywide scale the sharp combat that took place this week along central Baghdad's Haifa Street, in which U.S. jets and attack helicopters conducted airstrikes just north of the U.S. Embassy in the protected Green Zone.
"There will be more violence than usual because of the surge, and a surge with more casualties plays up on the international stage," said a senior Army official. Sadr "is going to have to make a choice, and if he decides on a confrontation, it will be pretty significant," added a senior Pentagon official.
Sadr is one of the most powerful figures in the Iraqi government, and he has forced it and the U.S. military to back down in the past. Yet if the Mahdi Army is not confronted, the entire offensive may falter and the sectarian conflict may intensify, because Sunnis will feel it is just one more way of attacking them while letting Shiite death squads go free, military experts said. "If our troops do not enter Sadr City, they belittle the notion of a surge because they would leave a leading militia unscathed," said Patrick Cronin of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a defense think tank.
The last time the U.S. military fought both Sunni and Shiite elements in Iraq was the spring of 2004, which became one of the most difficult times in the war. U.S. commanders were stunned to face a two-front conflict against Sunni insurgents in Anbar province and Shiites in Baghdad and across a broad swath of south-central Iraq. Troops from the Army's 1st Cavalry Division fighting in Sadr's stronghold of about 2 million Shiites in eastern Baghdad became enmeshed in a series of clashes resembling the movie "Black Hawk Down." Sadr's militias besieged isolated U.S. patrols and took over police stations, schools and municipal buildings.
An Army officer who recently commanded a battalion in Baghdad predicted last night that the plan would fail because Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his government "will do things to maintain protection" of Sadr's forces. He also dismissed as "happy talk" the president's notion that the predominantly Shiite Iraqi army and police could reassure pro-insurgent Sunni neighborhoods by conducting foot patrols through them.
Bush said it is now clear that there have not been sufficient troops in Baghdad, and that part of the difference in this approach is that the plan will be adequately resourced. Yet the total number of U.S. troops in Iraq after the planned increase will be about 153,000, less than the peak of about 165,000 in December 2005. Military experts last night wondered, as one said, how a "thin green line" of 17,500 additional soldiers in Baghdad could affect the security situation in a city where many of the 5 million residents are hostile to the U.S. presence. "Too little, too late -- way too late," said retired Col. Jerry Durrant, who has worked as a trainer of Iraqi forces.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff have resisted Bush's push for more troops, according to officials familiar with internal deliberations, but recently gave in to the president's wishes. Bush said last night that top commanders reviewed the new plans to add a total of 21,500 Army and Marine forces in Baghdad and Anbar province and approved of them.
"The 'surge' is actually quite small," said retired Army Col. Andrew Bacevich, who compared it with the 206,000 additional troops that Gen. William Westmoreland requested in Vietnam in 1968. "In effect, Bush is counting on the Iraqis to pull our bacon out of the fire," Bacevich said, adding that there is no evidence that the Iraqi military and government are capable of doing so.
The plan calls for the Iraqi government to designate one overall commander for all Iraq army and police personnel in Baghdad. The city would be divided into nine sectors, each with an Iraqi commander and with a U.S. Army battalion assigned to it to support the Iraqi forces.
In the short to medium term, the U.S. military increase in Iraq will involve accelerating some troops into Iraq and extending the tours of others, creating an overlap that raises the overall troop level. At least one Army brigade not originally scheduled to rotate into Iraq -- the 2nd Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division -- has begun moving into Iraq from Kuwait.
Four more Army brigades in the United States that are already part of the planned 2007 Iraq rotation are expected to deploy beginning in February, between two weeks and two months earlier than scheduled. In Iraq, three Army brigades will be extended past their scheduled one-year tours, in one instance for about four months. Meanwhile, a large Marine combat unit now in Anbar province will have its tour of duty extended.
In the longer term, sustaining elevated troop levels will probably require remobilization of Army National Guard and Army Reserve units. Senior Army officials said they were concerned that soldiers will have longer tours in the war zone or less time at home to see their families, train and repair equipment. Speeding up deployments also carries risks by curtailing time units have to train and receive equipment.
#1
"The 'surge' is actually quite small," said retired Army Col. Andrew Bacevich, who compared it with the 206,000 additional troops that Gen. William Westmoreland requested in Vietnam in 1968. "In effect, Bush is counting on the Iraqis to pull our bacon out of the fire," Bacevich said, adding that there is no evidence that the Iraqi military and government are capable of doing so.
One of the possible drawbacks of the fantastically effective professional militaries opted for by the USA and the UK: expense. Is it possible this surge of twenty-thousand is the most that can be mustered? And this against the back-drop of the UK canceling parachute training for the Paratroop Regiment and plans to mothball half the Royal Navy.
#2
The publication of this "surge" bothers me. If I were any sort of terrorist leader near Baghdad and found myself concerned with this troop increase, I'd just lie low for a few weeks until it blew over and tell my jihadi underlings to take their "hard-earned vacation time" (or the muzzie equivalent). Failing that, I'd try to relocate our efforts elsewhere at least temporarily.
I hope the real news is the change in RoE, masked behind the trumpets blaring all this hype about the troop surge. It seems to me taking the gloves off and, especially, kicking Sadr's ass would be of more use than 20,000 additional troops.
Posted by: Dar ||
01/12/2007 13:00 Comments ||
Top||
#3
On Hugh Hewitt's blog, they mention that the 17000 going to Baghdad is effectively doubling the amount of troops in baghdad.
#4
The prospect of a more intense battle in the Iraqi capital could put U.S. military commanders in exactly the sort of tough urban fight that war planners strove to avoid during the spring 2003 invasion of the country.
If it's not a quagmire it's another Stalingrad, Fallujah notwithstanding.
#5
The Washington Post can always find someone to bash Bush.
Why else would you send 20,000 troops anywhere, except to intensify combat operations?
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/12/2007 13:14 Comments ||
Top||
#6
The significance of "the surge" is not the number of additional troops. It is the change in the Rules of Engagement. That and the fact that Iran and Syria have been explicity added to the board rather than remaining hidden players.
Previously, we were relying on Iraqi politcal maneuvering to bring the militias to heel. Iran and Syria helped make sure that did not happen. Now the choice for the militias is disarm or die. Maliki will not be able to save them. Given the arab love of martyrdom, no doubt "die" will be the most popular choice. It will not be pretty.
As for the British military meltdown, I suspect that has as much to do with lack of national will and purpose as budget.
#7
Exactly. My thinking is that the main reason for the "surge" is to distract the moonbats.
While they whine and moan the ROE's serioulsy change and we get with business.
By the time the lunies figure it out it will be too late.
Posted by: kelly ||
01/12/2007 13:43 Comments ||
Top||
#8
"some in the Pentagon consider it [the Mahdi Army] more militarily effective than the Iraqi army."
That's rich when you consider the Mahdi Army is recruited largely from drug addicts in Sadr City. The last time we thumped them the kill ratios were astronomically high.
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
01/12/2007 14:10 Comments ||
Top||
#9
Frozen Al-
The acknowledged kill ratios in Najaf were astronomically high, and it is my understanding that political sensitivities caused the ratios to be drastically understated (understated across the GWOT, lest we seem 'too mean' and 'unfair' to the poor, out-classed terrorists.)
#10
With 2, 3, and some with 4 tours under their belt, those boys are getting hard and salty. I think they can take the heat. In fact I think most of them have been waiting for this for a long time.
#11
The acknowledged kill ratios in Najaf were astronomically high, and it is my understanding that political sensitivities caused the ratios to be drastically understated (understated across the GWOT, lest we seem 'too mean' and 'unfair' to the poor, out-classed terrorists.)
If the video I saw on the Jawa Report is accurate, I can believe that:
Video opens with jihadis in a tactics briefing. The "commander" pushes around a couple of toy cars in an improvised sand table. The objective appears to be a couple of bunkers near a road. The bunkers are connected by a trench. During the briefing the other jihadis stand around and try to look menacing in their black masks and AKs. There's no sign they're actually paying any attention to the briefing.
After an incredibly long time showing the "briefing", we cut to the back of a pickup somewhere in the desert. The jihadis are still in their black masks. It's daylight.
Camera pans over to show the bunkers. To my untrained eye, they're maybe 10 yards from the truck at this point.
I had no sound on the machine I used to watch this, so I assume at this point the US forces opened up on the trucks. I gather that from the camera man jumping from the truck bed, the smear of blood on the truck bed, and the general confusion among the jihadis.
Cameraman then hares off into the desert. Then stops, and the camera falls to the ground.
The video ends with "THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU F*&^ WITH US" and a montage of the dead jihadis and their shot-up pickups.
From what I could see, these geniuses mounted a daylight frontal assault on a prepared position along an approach that allowed BOTH bunkers to fire on them. They DROVE up to the site in PICKUPS with black masks and carrying their rifles.
I'd honestly be surprised if they got off more than a handful of shots before they were all dead.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
01/12/2007 16:03 Comments ||
Top||
#12
With regard to the change in the ROE: I already know how the NYT and WaPo will describe this when it happens: Syria = Cambodia, and Iran = Laos.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/12/2007 16:41 Comments ||
Top||
#13
Sadr City wont be as easy as Najaf. the Sadrists were in Najaf, what, a few months when we went in? In a city that was largely hostile to them?
Sadr City is their home turf, most of the locals are friendly to the Mahdi army, and theyve had YEARS to prepare. Hezb showed how hard an urban fight can be when the baddies are given enough time to prepare the ground.
Doesnt mean we cant win it. But it will be damned harder than Najaf.
Which is what I think Sistani talking to Sadr was about. Trying to give Sadr a chance to give in to coalition conditions peacefully, so we dont have to storm Sadr City. In return for which he gets to keep playing the political game. Win-win. Or we can take the costs, and break the Mahdi Army.
#15
liberalhawk said: Sadr City wont be as easy as Najaf. the Sadrists were in Najaf, what, a few months when we went in? In a city that was largely hostile to them?
Sadr City is their home turf, most of the locals are friendly to the Mahdi army, and theyve had YEARS to prepare. Hezb showed how hard an urban fight can be when the baddies are given enough time to prepare the ground.
If we take the gloves off Sadr City won't have to be stormed. Surround the enclave and cut off every route out. Announce nothing. Reduce the city using air bombardment and artillery. Do it hard, nasty, and brutally. Once the city has been reduced, then go in block by block from all directions using search & destroy or hammer/anvil tactics. Anyone with a weapon is killed. Anyone surrendering becomes a POW. Sort any hard boys out of the POW group using interrogation (we don't shoot POWs because we're not Nazi's).
I'm serious. Destroy Sadr City. Level it. Kill anyone with a weapon or stupid enough not to surrender. Clear the rubble then bulldoze it all level to enable the Iraqi government and people to rebuild it (tell 'em that we won't clean up all their messes for them).
Fear and power is the only thing these guys seem to understand. Let's instill some real fear in them and demonstrate what real power is once and for all.
Damn the condemnations of our actions and tell the rest of the world to either help us fix the problem or STFU.
#16
As a former grunt {many moons ago}, I am happy with the surge concept as it has been outlined. The basic thrust is to double the amount of actual combat troops in Baghdad and create a series of urban assault bases, using joint Iraqi-US troops. 30 assault bases dispersed around Baghdad makes tracking the movement of the assault teams much more difficult - 30 places to watch instead of 5 big bases' gates. Plus, with 30 assault bases, any movement out of the gates will produce a warning call through the terrorist networks since they will have to assume that any movement is a raid. To do otherwise would lead to a rapid and terminal decline in operational cells, being rolled up in unanticipated raids.
Wear and tear on the enemy, and the eventual slacking off of vigilance on their part will lead to more dead terrorists. Will this mean the end of the terrorists in a single year? Probably not, but the grinding down of the terrorists, along with the loss of Saddam and his sons as the Baathists' Mahdi, will undercut much of the underlying rationale for continued Sunni stupidity. So in a couple of years, the terrorist problem in Baghdad, at least, will be down to a manageable level - sort of like the danger level in East LA.
#17
The usual suspects predict that Bush's "surge" will fail because US forces must fight along side Shiite (as opposed to Sunni b/c of sectarian strife) Iraqi forces, and they won't fight fellow Shiites in Tater's militia.
But I read today that Bush is going to use Kurds who are Sunni but not Arab, the Kurdish Peshmerga who are pretty tough fighters.
#18
FOTSGreg nails it. They are pushing us to go "Israeli" (well, at least prior to Olmert) on them. Screw the "world's" condemnaions. They are pushing us into NOT caring what we do and forcing the average American to "wanna go postal" on these punks. Yeah, I know the polls say most don't want MORE troops in there. BUT, the same polls also show they don't want a pullout either. We learned that lesson 30+ years ago.
Listen, I used to be about as passive as they came on "international affairs". Rantburg has cured that for me, starting with 9/11. I've almost switched to the opposite, "nuke 'em all" pole. Clear the media, clear the attorneys and let's get down to business. Continuing to pussy-foot around is only gonna get more killed. When this nation gets backed into a corner, you'd better watch it with that stick, poking at us. I think Bush and crew are to that point now. I pray they are so we can WIN this thing and bring the boyz (and girlz) home.
Posted by: BA ||
01/12/2007 20:04 Comments ||
Top||
#19
Just cut off Sadr city and cut the power and water. Let anyone coming out unarmed go, then once it's cleared, go in to destroy the jihadis and weapons caches.
No power, no water -- I'd bet they'd be thirsty in a month or two. Sooner if they're too stupid to have prepared for a siege.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
01/12/2007 20:10 Comments ||
Top||
#20
The key to success in Baghdad, Sadr City, and the WoT in general is to change the Rules of Engagement to that of heavy duty war, as outlined in the above comments. Precision weapons do not produce Shock and Awe. Concentrated, overwhelming force does. Something like a MOAB on Tater's house will produce SAA.
I am all for the so-called Surge, IFF the RoEs are changed to wartime, and not police standards, and we let our troops do what they were trained to do, and that is destroy the enemy.
We DO NOT need to play the very tough and dangerous urban fighting game like we did in Fallujah. Our Marines were magnificant, but too many good men died in this house-to-house stuff, where surrounding the city with troops and applying overwhelming aerial bombardment would suffice to break the will of the enemy.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/12/2007 21:53 Comments ||
Top||
DO NOT EMBED SOURCE URL IN TEXT. Put it in the source box on the poster page. AoS.
Iran Press News reported that based on unconfirmed received reports from reliable sources in Iraq, Hassan Abbasi was among those who was arrested in the Thursday, January 11th early-morning raid in the Iraqi town of Erbil. An excerpt:
Abbasi has been among the highest ranking members of the Islamic regimes terror operations for many years, acting as Khameneis foreign policy and defense advisor. Abbasi has had an active voice under not only Khamenei but also Rafsanjani and Khatami as well. The Martyrdom Brigades of the Global Islamic Awakening is controlled by Abbasi.
Based on unconfirmed received reports from reliable sources in Iraq, Hassan Abbasi was among those who was arrested in the Thursday, January 11th early-morning raid in the Iraqi town of Erbil. Hassan Abbasi known by his friends as "The Dr. Kissinger of Islam," is the guru of the Islamic Republic's revolutionary guard corps which puts volunteers and recruits through rigorous training in four camps funded and run by the Revolutionary Guard.
There was a tense standoff later in the day between the American soldiers and about 100 Kurdish troops, who surrounded the American armored vehicles for about two hours in this northern Iraqi city.
The attack was denounced by senior Kurdish officials, who are normally Americas closest allies in Iraq but regarded the action as an affront to their sovereignty in this highly tribal swath of the country. Irans Foreign Ministry reacted in Tehran with a harsh denunciation that threatened to escalate tensions with the Bush administration.
The American military said that it had been conducting routine security operations in Erbil Jan. 11 and detained six individuals suspected of being closely tied to activities targeting Iraqi and coalition forces. One individual was released and five remain in custody.
#8
Smells more like the Kurds taking a hint from the Sunnis and Shia and getting too big for their breeches. Apparently we had to send in Blackhawks to get the surrounded troopers out, sans HUMVEEs. I heard a radio interview of Kurds by NPR that confirms the NYT report, not that they aren't the two worst media orifices behind the AP. But even a stopped clock is right twice a day
Perhaps the Kurds need to be left to the tender mercies of their Iranian masters for a while.
#10
The Kurds are battling the Sunnis in Kirkuk and Mosul and points South and East. Makes no sense they would shelter a bigtime facilitator of Sunni 'insurgents'.
Assuming the report is true there is more too this.
(KUNA) -- Four gunmen, two were Arab nationals, were killed during clashes with Iraqi police forces in Tal Afar district northern Mosul, while unknown gunmen assassinated an international transportation director, an Iraqi police official said Thursday. The nationalities of the Arab gunmen were not revealed by Tal Afar Police Brigadier Najim Abdullah, who revealed the attack to reporters.
Meanwhile, another Iraqi police source said that International Transportation Director at Rabia'a border checkpoint Hazim Zainal was gunned down at his working place near the Syrian borders by anonymous armed men.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
dont you love the way Iraqis use "arab nationals" to refer only to non-Iraqis?
#2
Well, at least they didn't call it "occupied Tal Afar".
Posted by: ed ||
01/12/2007 10:18 Comments ||
Top||
#3
i wasnt being sarcastic - I meant it like all this shit theyve gotten the last 4 years has really meant a lot of them (not just the Kurds) barely think of themselves as Arabs anymore.
#4
You're absolutely right LH. More and more they are calling people from any other ME nation as Arabs. It would seem as though they are as sick of the Arabs as we are. If this phenomenon is with the Iraqi press alone, I don't know. But, if the average Iraqi also sees it that way it could be a very big indicator of what will develop between Iraq and it's Arab neighbors.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/12/2007 10:58 Comments ||
Top||
(KUNA) -- Authorities have located and confiscated a helicopter suspected to have been concealed by insurgents at a troubled spot south of the capital, the state-run television station reported on Thursday. The television said security personnel confiscated today the multi-winged aircraft in the town of Al-Madaen, that had been a scene of recurring armed action pitting government troops against armed groups in the past. The government forces have recently carried out a successful security operation in the region that largely restored calm and order.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
multi-winged aircraft
???
Well, I guess "rotary winged aircraft" doesn't sound so stoopid after all.
In Baghdad, Iraqi and US forces are still targeting what seem to be pre-selected spots.
According to local TV, Iraqi troops made an airborne assault in al-Iskandariya area south of Baghdad in a quality operation where 6 al-Qaeda local commanders were arrested. In addition to that large weapons caches were discovered near Taji north of Baghdad and containers full of aircraft parts and an entire helicopter were unearthed in Mada'in southeast of Baghdad.
a Saddam's Air Force stash?
The other news was that the area of Haifa street had seen an influx of militants from Amiriya sent by the infamous terrorist "Ibn Quoza" who's a former bandit and a wanted criminal.
The curfew in the area has been lifted but only through one passage at al-Talayi' Square and only women and children are allowed on the street so they can shop for food and other needs. She explained that men wouldn't go out because they are afraid the troops might get suspicious and arrest them "most of the militants are now hiding in basements or in the nearby cemetery there are many Afghan-Arabs, they are like ghosts; they come from nowhere and disappear just like that. Like I said before, those do not care to distinguish between Sunni and Shia and they'd kill anyone they suspect"
(KUNA) -- Two Jewish settlements were bombarded with four improved medium-range missiles, al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian movement Fatah, said in a statement Thursday.
According to the statement, the settlements of Kibbutz Saad and Shuvat in the western Naqab (Negev) region were hit with the missiles code-named Yasser. Israeli Army denied any losses in lives or properties despite acknowledging the attacks. The attacks were in retaliation against the crimes committed by Israel against Palestinians in the city of Gaza, the statement concluded.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#3
as long as
A. The rockets keep missing and
B. The pals keep fighting each other and
C. IDF etc, keep successfully pulling off quiet "grab and goes",
(KUNA) -- The Palestinian Izzdien al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced Thursday seizure of an Israeli reconnaissance plane that went down in the Gaza strip today. The plane went down in Gaza and was confiscated by the brigades' fighters, a brigades' statement said. The plane will be photographed and its footage will be distributed to media later on, it added. The Israeli army had announced earlier today that an plane went down due to a technical error in an area north of Gaza.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
And why might I ask did Israel not blow it up?
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/12/2007 0:17 Comments ||
Top||
#2
They had no problem since it was unarmed and NOT FLYING!
As Monsieur Bugs Bunny once said, "What a bunch of rhubarbs."
Lebanese news agency said Thursday evening that UNIFIL ordered 15 IDF soldiers to return to Israeli territory after they had allegedly crossed into southern Lebanon, Israel Radio reported. According to the report, the force had penetrated some 50 meters into the country, south of the village of Bint Jbil. The IDF said that the peacekeeping force did not submit any such complaint. Weaponry belonging to Hizbullah was discovered overnight Wednesday by IDF soldiers patrolling the Lebanese border, the army reported earlier in the day.
Troops from the 12th Golani Battalion found the equipment - including RPG and LAU missiles and a submachine gun - hidden among the shrubbery near Moshav Zirit at the 105 border marking, where IDF reservists Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser were kidnapped on July 12. A pair of shoes was also discovered at the site.
The IDF said that it was still too early to determine whether, as some speculated, the weapons had been used in the abduction. According to Army Radio, the weapons were an indication that Hizbullah had made extensive preparations to kidnap IDF soldiers. Also, the report said, at least 20 operatives had taken part in the attack.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Found a Hiz cache right under UNIFIL's nose along the border, eh? You don't suppose UNIFIL is trying to make it go away, do you?
#3
I wonder if the shoes were the mythical al-ruby curly toed slippers; tap the heels together and repeat " There's no jihad like our jihad" and so it shall be.
those would indeed be the weapons the UN was trying to protect, guns 'we can get.'
Border policemen dressed as Palestinian Arabs infiltrated a Jenin refugee camp Thursday morning and arrested Khaled el-Haj, a senior Hamas commander in the northern West Bank, along with one of his lieutenants. El-Haj was released from an Israeli prison only two moths prior to Thursday's arrest operation, military sources said.
Palestinian witnesses said the daytime arrest raid was executed quickly, and no shots were fired during the course of the operation. According to the witnesses, the border policeman arrived in a civilian vehicle to a building in refugee camp just after noon. The troops surrounded the home and swiftly arrested el-Haj and a second man, before placing the militants in their vehicle and driving away. Additional jeeps arrived to secure the extrication from the refugee camp, and the forces left the area before locals became aware that a raid had taken place. A handgun was found in the building where the two men were located, the army. Both men were handed over to the Shin Bet (Israeli Security Services) for questioning.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Put a bomb around their necks and attach it to a dead-man's switch. That'll at least guarantee the mission is a 50% success.
#3
Personally, I like the idea of installing a tamper-proof explosive collar around their neck.
Simple rules, really,
1) Any attempt to remove or tamper with the collar and it will explode.
2) If you start to move out of radio range, or into a shielded area, the collar will glow red. If it glows red for 1 minute, then it explodes.
3) The collar also has a microphone, so anyone who speaks in its vicinity will be heard.
4) The battery runs low periodically, so the wearer has to report back to the Israelis to get his battery replaced. If he doesn't do this, well, you guessed it.
Police raided a house Thursday on Sulawesi Island where several alleged Islamic militants were staying, sparking a fierce gun and bomb battle that left one suspected terrorist dead, a top police chief said Thursday. Four other alleged militants were arrested in the raid in the town of Poso in central Sulawesi, the scene of bloody violence between Muslim and Christian gangs six years ago and sporadic bombings and shootings ever since, said Brig. Gen. Badrodin Haiti.
The alleged militants hurled at least eight bombs and opened fire with automatic weapons at officers who moved in after receiving information the men were in the area, Haiti told The Associated Press. "We killed one of the terrorists and arrested four others," Haiti said.
Police seized three bombs and five automatic weapons from the house, he said. He said the five men were wanted by police in connection with the fighting in central Sulawesi between 2000 and 2001, which killed some 1,000 people and attracted Muslim militants from all over Indonesia.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
A police officer was killed in Poso (Central Sulawesi) by a mob during the funeral of terrorist leader, an veteran of the Afghan Jemaah Islamiyah, who died this morning in an Indonesian police operation. The officer, Brinda Dedi Hendra, died instantly in the cemetery.
The incident began when a rumour spread among Muslims who had gathered for the funeral that a prominent Muslim community leader, an ustadt, had been killed by the police. Police deputy spokesman Brigadier General Anton Bachrul Alam denied the claim. Instead, he said that the man killed in a shootout with the police was identified as Rian also known as Santoso alias Abdul Hakim, 40, a veteran from the war in Afghanistan, and considered number two in the so-called called Afghan Jemaah Islamiyah, who also knew Mukhlas, jailed for his involvement in the 2002 Bali bomber.
Rian is suspected of chairing a secret meeting between Indonesian Muslim extremists in Tawang Mangu (Central Java) soon after the Bali bombings that killed 202 people five years ago. He was also wanted for his involvement in the beheading of three females students in Poso in October 2005.
In this mornings clash with police a second terrorist, Ibnu, died and another nine were arrested. That currently leaves 24 terrorists on the run. Indonesian Police Chief General Sutanto has called on Muslim community leaders to cooperate with the authorities and has urged the wanted men to give themselves up.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Cooperation from muslim community leaders? The same sort of cooperstion we get from CAIR in the US. "Hamas...a terrorist organization? Surely you jest?"
The US military spokesman said the carrier USS John C. Stennis will join the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower strike group. Both will be deployed in the Persian Gulf for a period of months. The second carrier will not just be showing force, but be actively involved in combat operations and providing air support across the region.
US-Iranian tensions are mounting over Washingtons charges of Irans disruptive interference in Iraq, which were spelled out by President George W. Bush Wednesday. US forces detained six Iranian nationals in two raids in Irbil, northern Iraq Thursday.
If someone "speaks TOE", would you say how many patriot launchers are in a Battalion? It is vital to US operations that an effective layered missile defense be placed around border areas of Iran adjacent to US interests.
#2
This is really interesting: a whole lot of USAF presence in Turkey and now two CVBGs in the Gulf. Add the Patriot system and just where is the Marine Group from a couple of weeks ago? They have kind of fell off the radar.
Couple that with the minesweeping activities the Iranians did and the resulting explosions....Just why did they feel the need to sweep the harbor just now anyway?
I think the Pre-game show may be winding down and the opening pitch is just about to be thrown.
#3
that's good, because after the Super Bowl, there's just not much on...I'd prefer to see frantic Iranian AA tracers unsuccessfully into the Qom/Tehran sky while secondary explosions blossom on the ground... but that's just me. I hope it's in high-def :-)
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/12/2007 22:40 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Frank, as soon as I got to the word superbowl I started laughing so I hard I had to stop reading.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/12/2007 23:00 Comments ||
Top||
#5
:-)
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/12/2007 23:05 Comments ||
Top||
via www.Lucianne.com
Three explosions which Thursday shook the southwestern Iranian port of Khorramshahr were caused by mine-sweeping operations, a local official told the Fars news agency. Quite possibly he's telling the truth. Perhaps even so much as a 50% possibility.
Khorramshahr's district governor Mohammad-Alii Shirnai told Fars that owing to the expansion of the operations, the sound of the explosions was quite strong and shook some buildings in the city.
Following the initial Fars report, there had been speculation of renewed sabotage acts in in Khorramshahr, located in the Khuzestan province bordering Iraq. There had been several bombings in the recent years in the Khuzestan province by Iranian-Arab separatists. Seven Iranian-Arabs from the provincial capital Ahvaz are reportedly to be executed in connection with sabotage acts in 2006 and efforts to topple the Islamic system. And there's the other 50% or so possibility.
#1
Mine sweeping, eh? I see no reason why we shouldn't engage in a little tit-for-tat in Iran. Sowing a little mayhem and destruction would be good practice for the Seal teams. You know they want it.
#4
Wait, the explosions were in Khorramshahr? Wasn't that the city on the Shatt al-Arab which was the scene of most of the fighting in the first year of the Iran-Iraq War? It might actually have been UXO, mines or lost artillery shells or something.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
01/12/2007 8:13 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Agreed, probably old, low-tech stuff. Our guys would attach some device about the size of a pack of gum directly to the bottom of a ship that would rip its hull open worse than a bite from Godzilla.
(KUNA) -- A Lebanese soldier was injured in clashes on Thursday at Ein el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in south Lebanon, the Lebanese army said here. The Lebanese army said in a release that a military post at the Palestinian refugee camp came under repeated fire by refugees, leaving a Lebanese serviceman injured. Lebanese soldiers responded by firing back, and the situation was now under control.
Earlier Thursday, Lebanese security sources said the army clashed with several Palestinian refugees at Ein el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp, the largest and most populated Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, where around 70,000 refugees live. Lebanon hosts 12 Palestinian refugee camps on its soil.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Had to read it in order to remember what the actual name is. Ein Hell sounds right.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
I hate to keep ya waiting on the line, but I 've all these snappy comments to right write over at the Rantburg. I know you'll understand --- uh, honey, you there?
#5
"Thank you for calling the Greater Rantburg Chamber of Commerce; how may I direct your call?"
Posted by: Mike ||
01/12/2007 15:47 Comments ||
Top||
#6
This seems as appropriate a place as any to post the following, though it might not be seen and read as much as I'd prefer.
Attention please, Gentlemen of Rantburgia:
First, the bad news:
A few weeks (months?) back I posted notice of an impending competition sponsored by Rangerup.com involving nubile cadets and midshipmen from the Army and Navy, respectively, featuring t-shirts, shorts and unmentionables available at Rangerup.com.
Yesterday an email was sent to me from Nick at Rangerup.com "customer services". Nick wrote to apologize and has advised that the contest has been nixed by the brass of the respective military academies. In short, Rangerup.com will not need the services of Fred Pruitt to be a celebrity judge in the formerly anticipated contest.
Now, the good news:
Nick has advised that GRACE and a few of her friends will be partaking in a photo shoot this weekend moldeling Rangerup.com attire and that Grace and friends with be accompanied by a vintage WWII jeep. I trust this news will warm the hearts of more than a few vintage Rantburgers still able to recall what a WWII jeep looks like.
The pics of GRACE and friends from the photo shoot will be posted at Rangerup.com in the very near future. I'm being told to anticipate getting a heads up in advance. I will advise my fellow Rantburgians accordingly.
Sincerely,
Mark Z
Rantburgia's First Illegal Immigrant
Posted by: Mark Z ||
01/12/2007 15:58 Comments ||
Top||
#7
WOW! Thanks, Mark.
BA, Secretary
Ministry of Environmental Destruction Protection
Republic of Rantburgia
Posted by: BA ||
01/12/2007 16:24 Comments ||
Top||
#8
Is the post of Minister of preservation of Vintage Iron still available? With my many years of devoted servise to Grumman Ironworks aircraft, I feel that I am qualified for the post. I would lovingly polish the hood and whatever else Grace and comapny used as a prop.
(saunters off to take a cold shower)
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.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- A suicide bomber in an explosives-packed car followed and then struck a two-vehicle convoy carrying foreign police advisers south of Kabul on Friday, killing himself and wounding one adviser, police and NATO said. The bomber, whose charred body lay on the snow on the side of the main highway 
NATO said Thursday its forces killed scores of insurgents who had crossed from Pakistan in the biggest battle of the Afghan winter, while Pakistan's army fired artillery at trucks supplying militants on the other side of the border. NATO tracked the suspected Taliban militants through air surveillance while the fighters were still in Pakistan. Once they crossed the frontier, NATO and Afghan soldiers attacked the two separate groups with ground fire and airstrikes during a nine-hour battle that began Wednesday evening.
(SomaliNet) A brush fire broke out when Somali and Ethiopian forces clashed with Islamic militiamen in southern Somalia early Thursday, witnesses said by two-way radio. This incident comes after Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said his forces were carrying out mop-up operations against Islamic militants in the extreme southern corner of Somalia and that he expected to withdraw his troops within a few weeks. "We are hearing bombardment in Ras Kamboni. It started around 6 a.m. and the strike is now continuing," one resident said, asking not to be named for fear of retribution. "We can't see planes, but we can hear heavy explosions." 
President Bush's plan to send tens of thousands of U.S. and Iraqi reinforcements to Baghdad to jointly confront Sunni insurgents and Shiite militias is likely to touch off a more dangerous phase of the war, featuring months of fighting in the streets of the Iraqi capital, current and former military officials warned.
That militia is estimated by some U.S. intelligence officials to have grown over the past year to about 60,000 fighters, and some in the Pentagon consider it more militarily effective than the Iraqi army. Fighting it could resemble on a citywide scale the sharp combat that took place this week along central Baghdad's Haifa Street, in which U.S. jets and attack helicopters conducted airstrikes just north of the U.S. Embassy in the protected Green Zone.
(KUNA) -- Four gunmen, two were Arab nationals, were killed during clashes with Iraqi police forces in Tal Afar district northern Mosul, while unknown gunmen assassinated an international transportation director, an Iraqi police official said Thursday. The nationalities of the Arab gunmen were not revealed by Tal Afar Police Brigadier Najim Abdullah, who revealed the attack to reporters.
(KUNA) -- Two Jewish settlements were bombarded with four improved medium-range missiles, al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian movement Fatah, said in a statement Thursday.
Police raided a house Thursday on Sulawesi Island where several alleged Islamic militants were staying, sparking a fierce gun and bomb battle that left one suspected terrorist dead, a top police chief said Thursday. Four other alleged militants were arrested in the raid in the town of Poso in central Sulawesi, the scene of bloody violence between Muslim and Christian gangs six years ago and sporadic bombings and shootings ever since, said Brig. Gen. Badrodin Haiti.
A police officer was killed in Poso (Central Sulawesi) by a mob during the funeral of terrorist leader, an veteran of the Afghan Jemaah Islamiyah, who died this morning in an Indonesian police operation. The officer, Brinda Dedi Hendra, died instantly in the cemetery.
(KUNA) -- A Lebanese soldier was injured in clashes on Thursday at Ein el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in south Lebanon, the Lebanese army said here. The Lebanese army said in a release that a military post at the Palestinian refugee camp came under repeated fire by refugees, leaving a Lebanese serviceman injured. Lebanese soldiers responded by firing back, and the situation was now under control.
