Hi there, !
Today Thu 09/18/2008 Wed 09/17/2008 Tue 09/16/2008 Mon 09/15/2008 Sun 09/14/2008 Sat 09/13/2008 Fri 09/12/2008 Archives
Rantburg
531702 articles and 1855988 comments are archived on Rantburg.

Today: 94 articles and 431 comments as of 14:39.
Post a news link    Post your own article   
Area: WoT Background    Non-WoT    Opinion    Local News       
Pak Troops open fire at US military helicopters
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 1: WoT Operations
0 [] 
2 00:00 Omolugum Grundy4379 [] 
10 00:00 mojo [1] 
1 00:00 Barbara Skolaut [] 
8 00:00 Tibor [] 
1 00:00 tu3031 [] 
0 [] 
2 00:00 Ebbang Uluque6305 [] 
0 [] 
1 00:00 Old Patriot [] 
0 [] 
0 [] 
0 [] 
0 [] 
0 [] 
9 00:00 Redneck Jim [] 
Page 2: WoT Background
1 00:00 Betty Grating2215 []
2 00:00 USN, Ret. []
10 00:00 Abu do you love []
7 00:00 Ebbeamp Bourbon7949 []
7 00:00 rjschwarz []
4 00:00 tu3031 []
0 []
1 00:00 Old Patriot []
3 00:00 DLR []
4 00:00 Guillibaldo Spoter4229 []
3 00:00 Nimble Spemble []
5 00:00 DLR []
2 00:00 Redneck Jim []
2 00:00 Old Patriot []
2 00:00 Pappy [2]
5 00:00 Percy Whick1703 [1]
0 []
0 []
6 00:00 Old Patriot []
6 00:00 USN, Ret. []
0 []
Page 3: Non-WoT
3 00:00 Barbara Skolaut [1]
0 []
6 00:00 Cyber Sarge []
1 00:00 Procopius2k []
5 00:00 DarthVader []
1 00:00 Zhang Fei []
6 00:00 Goober Cheart1275 []
0 [1]
12 00:00 Cornsilk Blondie, formerly known as Swamp Blondie []
3 00:00 bigjim-ky []
2 00:00 JosephMendiola []
9 00:00 ex-lib [1]
3 00:00 Uncle Phester []
7 00:00 3dc []
27 00:00 Whoring Sinatra2153 []
11 00:00 Mike N. []
4 00:00 JosephMendiola []
4 00:00 Sheila4pd []
31 00:00 Redneck Jim []
5 00:00 bruce []
9 00:00 Procopius2k []
6 00:00 Glenmore []
5 00:00 ryuge []
27 00:00 JosephMendiola []
10 00:00 Uncle Phester []
16 00:00 Broadhead6 []
7 00:00 ed []
0 []
0 []
0 []
0 []
4 00:00 tu3031 []
6 00:00 Hupunter Poodle4567 []
2 00:00 logi_cal []
2 00:00 Angoque Hapsburg5982 []
1 00:00 Anonymoose []
0 []
9 00:00 Redneck Jim []
Page 4: Opinion
2 00:00 bigjim-ky []
3 00:00 Herb Thomp3566 []
3 00:00 DMFD []
0 []
Page 5: Russia-Former Soviet Union
6 00:00 mhw []
0 []
1 00:00 Barbara Skolaut [1]
4 00:00 Betty Grating2215 []
1 00:00 Sherry []
4 00:00 Broadhead6 []
10 00:00 Broadhead6 []
4 00:00 mom []
4 00:00 Swamp Blondie in the Cornfields []
4 00:00 JosephMendiola []
2 00:00 AzCat []
16 00:00 Jonathan []
4 00:00 Large Gleasing8438 []
3 00:00 lotp []
12 00:00 DarthVader []
Reminder
A quick reminder to all:

If it has to do with the 2008 election, it goes into Home Front: Politix. Not Lurid Crime Tales, appropriate as it might seem. Not SAST, not WoT, but Home Front: Politix. Please help the mods help you. Thanks
Posted by: || 09/15/2008 00:48 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "Not Lurid Crime Tales, appropriate as it might seem."

Too bad.

It (unfortunately) in many cases is oh-so-appropriate. ;-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 09/15/2008 15:54 Comments || Top||


Good morning
Posted by: Fred || 09/15/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Excuse me, ma'am. I believe your bust is melting.
Posted by: Excalibur || 09/15/2008 5:02 Comments || Top||

#2  Trapped by the many fingers of Satan!
Posted by: Spot || 09/15/2008 8:00 Comments || Top||

#3  I think we should have a Sabrina appreciation week
Posted by: Classer || 09/15/2008 8:03 Comments || Top||

#4  week??

"If you have an er*ction lasting for more than four hours..."
Posted by: Frank G || 09/15/2008 8:08 Comments || Top||

#5  Priceless!
Posted by: Richard of Oregon || 09/15/2008 11:29 Comments || Top||

#6  You can tell she has big brown eyes even though it's a black and white photo.
Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC || 09/15/2008 13:21 Comments || Top||

#7  Thy Cup Runnth Over.
Posted by: Redneck Jim || 09/15/2008 19:51 Comments || Top||

#8  Sabrina, I'm bewitched.
Posted by: Tibor || 09/15/2008 20:47 Comments || Top||


Africa Horn
Sudanese army attacks Darfuris who signed peace deal
Sudanese armed forces have attacked the only Darfur rebel group to have signed a 2006 peace deal, killing four ex-rebels and threatening to end a two-year alliance, their leader said on Sunday. Minni Minnawi, a leader of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) faction turned presidential advisor after signing the peace deal with Khartoum, said his forces came under attack at their base at Kolge in the east Jebel Marra region.

"We want to respect the peace process but we are fighting in self-defense," Minnawi said, speaking by satellite telephone from the base in the war-ravaged western Sudanese region. "They attacked us with Antonov aircraft, helicopters and tanks," he added, accusing the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) of killing off the peace process. "If the peace agreement is over, it is over from one side - the NCP side," he said.

Four of his troops were killed and 16 wounded, while the ex-rebels captured 20 government vehicles, he said.

Government forces have now returned to Al-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, he added.

Minnawi returned to Darfur three months ago, citing frustration with the poor implementation of the peace agreement.

"This was definitely a deliberate attack on our forces, because our base is very well known," said Mohammad Bashir, who heads Minnawi's office at the presidential palace in Khartoum. "I am extremely surprised that the government has done this, but the government forces have now been chased back to Al-Fasher."

Elsewhere in Darfur, rebel fighters accused government forces on Sunday of burning three villages and destroying a health clinic in north Darfur during heavy clashes involving more than 100 vehicles.

Rebels said fierce fighting erupted on Friday southwest of Al-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state. "The fighting was very heavy, with government soldiers and militia attacking," said Abu Bakr Kadu, a senior commander with the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA)-Unity faction.

"There was fighting late on Saturday, but we are behind them and shooting now," Kadu said, speaking by satellite telephone from near to the battlefield. "There was very bad damage to the villages in the bombing, and in Khazan Tungur village the hospital was destroyed."

Kadu said the center was run by Partner Aid International (PAI), a European aid agency, which opened a health clinic in the village earlier this year.
Posted by: Fred || 09/15/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Sudan


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Gunbattle Kills 4, Wounds 8 Officers In Ingushetia
Militants battled security forces in Ingushetia, killing four security officers as rising violence threatens to further destabilize the troubled southern Russian region, officials said Monday. Sunday's gunbattle also killed two militants and left eight officers wounded, the Ingush Interior Ministry said.

The Interfax news agency, meanwhile, reported that that the deputy chief of regional Federal Security Service was killed in the operation.

Criminal group and armed gangs opposed to the Ingush government regularly attack authorities in Ingushetia. Critics attribute the violence to anger fueled by abductions, beatings, unlawful arrests and killings by government forces and allied paramilitaries.

Ingushetia borders Chechnya to the west, and violence from Chechnya spills into Ingushetia and other neighboring provinces in Russia's volatile North Caucasus. Chechnya has seen two separatist wars in 14 years though major battles ended years ago.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 09/15/2008 19:31 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Top general among Russian crash victims
(PTI) A top Russian general was among the 88 passengers killed after the Boeing-737 crashed today in the Urals city of Perm. Chechnya war veteran, Colonel-General Gennady Troshev, decorated with the title of Hero of the Soviet Union Russia and the Order of Lenin Golden Star was among the victims of the crash.

He was on the Chechen militant hitlist. However, investigators have ruled out indications of a terrorist attack at this stage, RIA Novosti said.
He was on the Chechen militant hitlist. However, investigators have ruled out indications of a terrorist attack at this stage, RIA Novosti said.

A team of investigators has been sent from Moscow to the scene of the disaster. According to Aeroflot airlines there were 83 passengers and 5 crew in the ill-fated plane leased from a Dublin-based company in May 2008.

The Boeing 737-500 built in 1992 was earlier in service with Air China and was said to be in perfect shape.

Twenty one foreign nationals were also on board the crashed airliner. Five people were lucky enough to miss this ill fated flight. They had left for Perm by train, Vesti channel said.

Aeroflot pledged in a statement to pay bereaved families up to USD 80,000 in compensation per victim. Meanwhile, the Governor Perm region has declared a day of mourning tomorrow. President Dmitry Medvedev, who turns 43 today, was immediately informed of the crash by Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu.
Posted by: Fred || 09/15/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  When Khrushchev was deposed by the Soviet military, who used trickery to rig the politburo vote, Brezhnev had to promise them the Moon and the stars for their critical support over the other candidate.

He was amazingly bitter about this. So he spent his entire time in office planning, and when he knew that he was going to die, he arranged the most vicious purge of military leaders since Stalin.

From most radical to least radical, Admirals and Generals were dying like they had the mummy's curse. Their entire naval staff was taken out in a single aircraft crash at sea, something like seven commanding Admirals and their deputies at once.

This was followed with car crashes, heart attacks, suicides, slip and fall accidents, etc., that wiped out about 40 of their top military leaders. By the time Brezhnev died, his chosen successor Andropov, a KGB man, had zero military obligation or control.

And the KGB, and its successor, the FSB, have dominated politics in Russia ever since. This became even more pronounced with the huge RIF of the Soviet military with the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 09/15/2008 0:35 Comments || Top||

#2  Of course it was Krushchev who had the military behind him when he got rid of Beria.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 || 09/15/2008 11:56 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Pak Troops open fire at US military helicopters
Times of India reporting (Via Rooters).
The Pentagon on Monday denied reports that Pakistani troops fired on two US military helicopters after they crossed into Pakistan from Afghanistan and forced them to turn back.
"They did? Lemme check into that!"
"I've checked into that and find it to be a spurious report," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters. "Did not happen.
"Sometimes they say crap like that so the rubes at home will think they're heroic or something."
"I've checked all the places that would know about something like that and it doesn't appear to be accurate."
"In fact, it's a load of crap. They're still alive, aren't they?"
Earlier in the day, reports quoting Pakistani security officials said that firing by Pakistani troops forced US military helicopters to turn back to Afghanistan after they crossed into Pakistani territory in the early hours of Monday.
"Yeah, the Mighty Pak Army blew off a few rounds and the infidels flew away."
The incident took place near Angor Adda, a village in the tribal region of South Waziristan where US commandos in helicopters raided a suspected al-Qaida and Taliban camp earlier this month. "The US choppers came into Pakistan by just 100 to 150 metres at Angor Adda. Even then our troops did not spare them, opened fire on them and they turned away," said one security official.
"The Mighty Pak Army's got no mercy for infidels, believe you me!"
Pakistan is a crucial US ally in its war on terrorism,
... that's chock full of beturbanned nutbags waving guns and hollering...
and its support is key to the success of Western forces trying to stabilise Afghanistan.
... since there's no other way into Afghanistan without going through the Soviet Union Russia.
But Washington has become impatient over Islamabad's response to the threat from al-Qaida and Taliban fighters in Pakistan's tribal regions on the border. At least 20 people, including women and children, were killed in the South Waziristan raid earlier this month, sparking outrage in Pakistan and prompting a diplomatic protest.
"Damn those infidels! They've killed Mahmoud!"
"Yeah. And Mom's dead, too."

Pakistani army chief General Ashfaq Kayani said in a strongly worded statement last week that Pakistan would not allow foreign troops onto its soil and Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity would be defended at all costs.
"To include national annihilation!"
Another security official said on Monday that US armoured vehicles were also seen moving on the Afghan side of the border, while US warplanes were seen overhead. He said Pakistani soldiers sounded a bugle call and fired in the air, forcing the helicopters to return to Afghan territory.
"Hark, Murphy! A bugle call!"
"You heard that over the rotors?"
"No. It's on my ipod... Say! Are those guys down there on the Pak side of the border having gun sex?"
"Why, damn me! I believe they are! That's disgusting!"
"Don't look! It'll rot your mind!"

Military spokesman Major Murad Khan confirmed that there had been shooting.
"Yeah. A bunch of our guys shot off... Their guns, I mean."
But he said the American helicopters had not crossed into Pakistani airspace and Pakistani troops were not responsible for the firing.
"But it wudn't the Mighty Pak Army. They wudn't even there. They wuz... ummm... someplace else."
"The US choppers were there at the border, but they did not violate our airspace," Khan said. "We confirm that there was a firing incident at the time when the helicopters were there, but our forces were not involved."
This article starring:
Angor Adda
South Waziristan
Military spokesman Major Murad Khan
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 09/15/2008 08:44 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Military spokesman Major Murad Khan confirmed that there had been shooting. But he said the American helicopters had not crossed into Pakistani airspace and Pakistani troops were not responsible for the firing.

"The US choppers were there at the border, but they did not violate our airspace," Khan said. "We confirm that there was a firing incident at the time when the helicopters were there, but our forces were not involved."


Sounds like somebody's fulla shit here.
Posted by: tu3031 || 09/15/2008 11:35 Comments || Top||

#2  Well, that changed in 5-1/2 hours....Thank you, Rooters!
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 09/15/2008 11:59 Comments || Top||

#3  Do not forget that firing up in the air near aircraft, even in a wedding celebration with no bad intent, could be suicidal. I think the Pak troops know that.
Posted by: rjschwarz || 09/15/2008 14:23 Comments || Top||

#4  Even money the first chopper downed will turn out to be Paki. Oops.
Posted by: Chuck Simmins || 09/15/2008 14:43 Comments || Top||

#5  Pakistan is a crucial US ally in its war on terrorism...

Why do people keep saying this?
Posted by: Parabellum || 09/15/2008 14:56 Comments || Top||

#6  In Urdu it rhymes with:

Even then our troops did not spare them, opened fire on them and they turned away
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 09/15/2008 15:01 Comments || Top||

#7  Why do people keep saying this?

Because if they don't, the USAF will have to provide air support to the various Indian army strike corps as they dismantle Pakistan.
Posted by: john frum || 09/15/2008 15:15 Comments || Top||

#8  Is that a bad idea John?
Posted by: 3dc || 09/15/2008 16:13 Comments || Top||

#9  "Fired at" is not the same as "Hit."

Got a hunch that if it were the latter, the news report would be somewhat, uh, different.
Posted by: USN, Ret. || 09/15/2008 16:45 Comments || Top||

#10  As in "Pak Army unit ravaged by precise fire, missile strikes. All a mistake, apparently. 'Sorry!' says DOD..."
Posted by: mojo || 09/15/2008 17:13 Comments || Top||


One killed, five injured in Kurram clashes
Clashes between rival tribesmen continued in various parts of Kurram Agency on Sunday, leaving one person dead and five injured, a political administration official said. Toori and Mangal tribesmen clashed in Inzari, Tangi, Pewar and Bagh Zani areas, he said. There were reports that Toori tribesmen had vacated their trenches in the restive Pewar village near the Pak-Afghan border and handed them over to the law enforcement agencies. Efforts were underway to convince the Mangal and Kharwoti tribes to vacate their trenches as well in order to bring peace to the violence-hit agency, the official added.
Posted by: Fred || 09/15/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: TTP

#1  Here, they "go to the matresses".
There, they "vacate the trenches"...
Posted by: tu3031 || 09/15/2008 13:14 Comments || Top||


Afghan killed for 'spying' in Miranshah
Unidentified terrorists killed a man in North Waziristan on Sunday, accusing him of spying on them for the United States. The body of the nearly 70-year old man was found on the Bannu-Miranshah main road near the Esha checkpost with stab wounds to the neck and head. A note found near the body said the victim was a US spy and warned of similar reprisals against others caught doing the same. The political authorities have sent the dead body to Afghanistan.
Posted by: Fred || 09/15/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Swat Taliban likely to free kidnapped security personnel
Taliban in Swat are likely to release 38 kidnapped security personnel in the next 48 hours, sources told Daily Times on Sunday. The security personnel, including police and Frontier Constabulary (FC) officials, had been kidnapped by terrorists who besieged a police post in the Dewlay area of Swat some two months back.

The abducted personnel were scheduled to be released on Sunday afternoon. However, their release was delayed as the Taliban's shura (council) meeting was postponed until Monday morning, sources said. They said the council was likely to order the release of the security personnel today as a 'goodwill gesture' for the government and security forces.

Earlier, a local committee, comprising elders and influential from Kanjoo and other areas of Kabal tehsil of Swat, succeeded in brokering a temporary ceasefire between the security forces and Taliban in Kanjoo. The committee members held separate talks with security officials and Taliban representatives.

Sources said the committee would meet the Taliban again today (Monday) for an extension in the truce. Sources said the security forces asked for the withdrawal of terrorists from the Kooza Bandai area of Kabal tehsil. The Taliban said they would vacate the area on the condition that security forces would not then enter it and establish checkposts.
Posted by: Fred || 09/15/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: TTP


Seven militants die in Swat
The security forces on Saturday killed seven militants and injured scores of others during a daylong operation in Koza Bandai area of restive Swat Valley, while the militants killed an activist of the Awami National Party (ANP).

According to ISPR, the security forces pounded the suspected hideouts of the militants in Koza Bandai and Kotlai areas of the Kabal Tehsil with artillery and gunship helicopters. It said the forces killed seven militants and inflicted injuries on scores of others during a daylong operation. During a gunfight with the militants near Koza Bandai, two personnel of the security forces sustained injuries, the ISPR said.

Continuing the siege of Koza Bandai, the security forces shelled the suspected positions of the Taliban militants but no loss of life was reported.

Artillery shelling by security forces in different locations and clashes in Kanju left four persons injured while several houses were damaged in Koza Bandai. A suspected militant, Bakht Afsar, wounded in the same village was taken into custody by police from Saidu Sharif Hospital. The forces targeted the alleged hideouts of the insurgents in Sar Banda area of Matta, but the militants did not suffer casualties.

Meanwhile, a reconciliatory committee of Kanju held talks with the Taliban in Dherai to seek a solution to the multiplying problems of the people of Koza Bandai. The area has been under curfew for last 12 days creating food shortage in the holy month of Ramazan besides causing other problems. The committee succeeded to secure a one-day ceasefire in the area, but the ISPR has shown indifference to the development.

Chief of Taliban militants in Swat Valley, Maulana Fazlullah, also talked to the committee members on phone and made it clear that the militants would not leave Koza Bandai, as it was their native village. He said instead the security forces should leave the valley, which would also ensure durable peace in Swat.

Meanwhile, militants picked up a police constable from Charbagh and shifted him to an unknown location. They had already kidnapped 38 personnel of the security forces who they wanted to be swapped for their 70 fellows arrested by the security forces.

On the other hand, continuing to target the ANP, the militants killed another activist of the party, Abdul Latif, in his home in Pishtonai on Saturday. The ANP activist was a schoolteacher by profession.

Curfew remained in force on the 11th straight day in Kabal, deteriorating food shortage in the area. People continued leaving for safer places on Saturday but curfew and closure of roads hampered their migration. Curfew was relaxed from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm in the valley.
Posted by: Fred || 09/15/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: TTP


U.P. authorities stalled action against Delhi suspects
NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh authorities stonewalled efforts to arrest three Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) operatives who are emerging as key suspects in Saturday's serial bombings in New Delhi, highly placed police sources have told The Hindu.

Delhi Police sources said that the three Azamgarh-based men -- whose identities are being withheld by The Hindu to avoid compromising the investigation -- had been identified as core members of an Indian Mujahideen team planning fresh attacks by two top terror commanders held in Uttar Pradesh earlier this month.

Fearing that police action against the three men might fuel tension in communally charged Azamgarh, police sources said, Uttar Pradesh authorities refused to order their arrest or detention for questioning, saying that interrogation reports from Gujarat and Rajasthan did not constitute adequate grounds for such action.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: john frum || 09/15/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


30 terrorists killed in Bajaur operation
KHAR: At least 30 terrorists were killed and several others injured during military action in Bajaur Agency on Sunday.

The security forces pounded terrorist hideouts with heavy artillery and helicopter gunships in the Loyesam, Tangkhata, Rashakai, Bi China and Khazana areas of the agency.

Forces petrol: Meanwhile, security forces patrolled Loijor, Tangi and Charmang, areas previously held by terrorists, for the first time. The ongoing military operation has restored the government's writ in Atman Khel and Khar tehsil areas of the agency.

Markets opened and a large number of people come out to shop on Sunday when the curfew was relaxed in Khar from 7am to 2pm.

The political authorities had also announced a relaxation in the curfew in the Haji Lawang, Yousaf Abad, Qazzafi and Jaar areas from 7am to 2pm.

However, a curfew remained in place for the 11th consecutive day in Sadiq Abad, Tauheed Abad, Shandi Mor and Bilal Abad.

The political authorities announced the imposition of curfew in the agency's second largest bazaar in Inayat Kilay and arrested several suspects fleeing the area with the displaced local population.
Posted by: Fred || 09/15/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: TTP


PAF jet flies over NWA as US drone reappears
A Pakistani jet fighter was seen flying in the skies of North Waziristan Agency (NWA) on Saturday soon after a US drone flew over the border areas but there was no untoward incident.

Tribal sources said a PAF jet fighter appeared at around 1:30pm in the border towns of NWA, minutes after a drone was seen inside the Pakistani territory and hovered over the area for more than 40 minutes. Neither the CIA-operated Predator nor the Pakistani jet fighter took any offensive action as the two planes didn't encounter each other.

Meanwhile,
A Jirga of the in the NWA threatened US-led forces stationed in Afghanistan with attacks in Kabul, Bagram and Kandahar, if it failed to stop attacks on innocent tribesmen across the border and announced to raise a tribal Lashkar for the purpose.
a representative Jirga of the tribal elders in the NWA threatened the US-led forces stationed in Afghanistan with attacks in Kabul, Bagram and Kandahar, if it failed to stop attacks on innocent tribesmen across the border and announced to raise a tribal Lashkar (force) for the purpose.

The Jirga comprising Malik Nasrullah, Malik Qadar Khan, Malik Mamoor, Malik Muhammad Afzal Khan, Malik Mumtaz and Malik Habibullah welcomed the statement of Pakistan's Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and vowed to defend the country's frontiers against foreign aggression alongside the security forces. "Statement of the Army chief is the voice of eight million tribesmen and that of the 160 million Pakistanis and has served as healing sources for the heirs of those innocent women and children, who were killed in the attacks," they said.

The elders believed that the US attacks in Pakistan were providing reasons to the tribesmen to fight alongside their brethren in Afghanistan against the occupation of their land by foreign forces.

Malik Afzal Khan Darpakhel on the occasion said history of tribesmen is replete with the stories of bravery, valour and courage, which would definitely be repeated at this critical juncture of time, adding, "In Parvez Kayani, we see that leadership and we offer him our all-out support against the aggressors, who deserve a befitting reply for their cowardly acts against innocent population," he said.

He also urged the government to come forward and represent its own people by safeguarding their interests instead of looking towards others for country's safety. "The government should not turn its back to the tribesmen in this hour of need," he said.
Posted by: Fred || 09/15/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan

#1  "Command, I keep pushing the 'fire' button on these US made missiles, and they keep not firing. Are you sure they work?"
Posted by: Anonymoose || 09/15/2008 0:37 Comments || Top||

#2  Uh, did we forget to remove the red teather thingy with the letters "REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT".
Posted by: Ground Crew || 09/15/2008 3:15 Comments || Top||

#3  A lashkar ya say? Listen for the drums, boyz!
Posted by: Frank G || 09/15/2008 5:59 Comments || Top||

#4  CIA-operated Predator

Wrong and wrong.
Posted by: Parabellum || 09/15/2008 7:51 Comments || Top||

#5  I don't think these guys are technically savvy enough to try and use our own weapons against us. Might be in for some nasty surprises.
Posted by: mojo || 09/15/2008 10:46 Comments || Top||

#6  BTW: The check DID clear, right?
Posted by: mojo || 09/15/2008 10:48 Comments || Top||

#7  Was he lost?
Posted by: tu3031 || 09/15/2008 11:31 Comments || Top||

#8  mojo. I'm sure that as nights get long, sooner or later, a Pakistani pilot is going to fly into a mountain. And just as sure that, according to the Pakistanis, the cause will be anything BUT their pilot's fault.
Posted by: Minister of funny walks || 09/15/2008 12:44 Comments || Top||

#9  Paging Haliburton Mountain Raising division.

Haliburton to the white Phone please.
Posted by: Redneck Jim || 09/15/2008 20:04 Comments || Top||


Iraq
Iraqi police arrest five suspects in slaying of Al-Sharqiya journalists
Iraqi police on Sunday arrested five men suspected of involvement in the brutal abduction and killing on Saturday of a four-member team from the Al-Sharqiya television channel, police said. Two suspects were arrested as they were driving a car which was allegedly used in the crime, said Brigadier General Khalid Abdel-Sattar, spokesman for the police in Nineveh, the province surrounding the northern city of Mosul where the incident occurred.

He said police also found a gun with the two suspects.

Abdel-Sattar said three other suspects were arrested in the city's Al-Thawra neighborhood. "We are interrogating them," he added.

The arrests came just hours after Premier Nuri al-Maliki ordered a probe into the incident. "We offer our condolences to the martyrs' families and Al-Sharqiya channel at this painful time," Maliki said. "We condemn all attacks that target the Iraqi media and violate the rights and the freedom of journalists.

"This crime will not prevent our security forces from enforcing the law and security in Nineveh and in all Iraq's provinces," he added.
Posted by: Fred || 09/15/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Iraqi Insurgency


Southeast Asia
Bomb hits near Indonesia airport built by US firm
A bomb exploded Sunday near an airport built by a U.S. gold mining giant in Indonesia's restive Papua province, police said. No one was injured and there was little damage.

The blast half a mile from the runway at Moses Kilangin airport came days after two mortars were detonated on a road leading to the massive mine operated by Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc.

"Whoever did this is trying to create unrest and to get international attention," said police chief Maj. Gen. Bagus Ekodanto, as an elite anti-terrorism unit and bomb squad rushed to the scene.

Papua is home to separatist rebels who have long denounced the mine operated by PT Freeport Indonesia, a subsidiary of the New Orleans-based company. They see it as a symbol of Jakarta's rule over the region.

A little-known group calling itself the West Papua National Army circulated pamphlets early last week demanding its closure, but police have refused to speculate who was behind any of the recent attacks.

The police chief would not say whether Sunday's bomb was related to the explosions on Friday. But other officials noted that all three makeshift bombs were made out of old mortars.

Ekodanto said Sunday's blasts occurred in an empty field and that no one was hurt.

Part of the mortar hit a small electrical depot, creating a loud explosion, said Col. Paulus Waterpau, a senior detective. Residents said they could hear the blast three miles away.

Access to the airport was cut off and witnesses said Freeport's mine in Timika also was under heavy security.

Freeport's mining complex in Timika is one of the world's largest single producers of copper and gold, the company says on its Web site. Open-pit mining at the site began in 1990 and is expected to continue until mid-2015, it says.

Posted by: Fred || 09/15/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Indonesia "annexed" the former Netherlands colony of Netherlands New Guinea by force in 1960. None of the local tribes wanted Indonesian masters, and have been rebelling ever since. Indonesia has flooded the area with muslim settlers, occasionally at gunpoint, to push out the natives. It wouldn't trouble me one bit if the locals were able to force Indonesia to withdraw and allow the area to unite with Papua New Guinea, as most of the indigenous population wishes.
Posted by: Old Patriot || 09/15/2008 15:06 Comments || Top||


Terror Networks
Report: Mashaal's secretary assassinated in Syria

Head secretary to Hamas' political leader in exile, Khaled Mashaal, was killed four days ago in the Syrian city of Homs, according to recent reports. Hisham el-Badni, a resident of Damascus, was reportedly dragged from his car and shot in the light of day.

The incident was first made public by the Reform Party of Syria, an opposition group whose members operate mostly outside of the country's boundaries, usually in the United States. Neither Hamas nor officials in Syria have commented on the report.

The Qatari paper Al-Arab reported on Friday that Syria had issued an official warning aimed at leaders of the Palestinian factions operating within its borders, including Mashaal and Islamic Jihad Secretary-General Abdullah Ramadan Shallah, urging them to act with caution. Palestinian sources told the paper the Syrian government had warned the two leaders that they may be targeted by Israel, even on Syrian territory. They were asked to limit their appearances in the media in order to prevent Israel from locating them.
Posted by: tu3031 || 09/15/2008 16:55 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Exile in Syria doesn't look so sweet, now, does it, asshole?
Posted by: Frank G || 09/15/2008 22:02 Comments || Top||

#2  They call it "takin' out the trash."
Posted by: Omolugum Grundy4379 || 09/15/2008 22:45 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
74[untagged]
4TTP
3Govt of Pakistan
3Govt of Iran
2Govt of Sudan
2Taliban
2al-Qaeda
1Hamas
1Global Jihad
1Iraqi Insurgency
1Palestinian Authority

Bookmark
E-Mail Me

The Classics
The O Club
Rantburg Store
The Bloids
The Never-ending Story
Thugburg
Gulf War I
The Way We Were
Bio

Merry-Go-Blog











On Sale now!


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.
Click here for more information

Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
Steve White
Seafarious
tu3031
badanov
sherry
ryuge
GolfBravoUSMC
Bright Pebbles
trailing wife
Gloria
Fred
Besoeker
Glenmore
Frank G
3dc
Skidmark

Two weeks of WOT
Mon 2008-09-15
  Pak Troops open fire at US military helicopters
Sun 2008-09-14
  Pakistan order to kill US invaders
Sat 2008-09-13
  30 dead, 90 injured as five blasts hit Indian capital
Fri 2008-09-12
  Kimmie recovering from brain surgery
Thu 2008-09-11
  Seven years. Never forgive, never forget, never ''understand.''
Wed 2008-09-10
  Head of al-Qaeda in Pakistain dead in Haqqani raid
Tue 2008-09-09
  Car boom attempt on Chalabi
Mon 2008-09-08
  Drones hit Haqqani compound
Sun 2008-09-07
  Mr. Ten Percent succeeds Perv as Pakistan president
Sat 2008-09-06
  Sauerland Group planned attacks in major cities
Fri 2008-09-05
  Lanka troops move to take LTTE capital
Thu 2008-09-04
  Fifteen killed in Pakistan in cross-border raid
Wed 2008-09-03
  Pakistan PM survives assassiation attempt
Tue 2008-09-02
  Two Canadians killed in Wana missile attack
Mon 2008-09-01
  Missile strike kills six in Miranshah

Better than the average link...



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.
52.90.235.91
Help keep the Burg running! Paypal:
WoT Background (21)    Non-WoT (38)    Opinion (4)    Local News (15)    (0)