On this day in history: April 5th
456 - St. Patrick returns to Ireland as a missionary bishop.
1614 - In Virginia, Native American Pocahontas marries English colonist John Rolfe.
1792 - U.S. President George Washington exercises his authority to veto a bill.
1923 - Firestone Tire and Rubber Company begins production of balloon-tires.
1951 - Ethel and Julius Rosenberg are sentenced to death for performing espionage for the Soviet Union.
#13
You're using wrong bait OP. Try Franklin brand lettuce.
Posted by: ed ||
04/05/2009 15:59 Comments ||
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#14
I see why Bob and Bing were so eager to be on whatever road she was.
Posted by: Mike ||
04/05/2009 16:25 Comments ||
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#15
Dorthy Lamour looks a lot better than anything she might catch with that fishing pole.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
04/05/2009 19:16 Comments ||
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#16
Evening, All. I checked the weather forcast. It's supposed to snow tomorrow night and have a low of 25 Tuesday morning. It's 72 right now.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
04/05/2009 20:47 Comments ||
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#17
Hit the submit button too soon. My daughter took me to Earth Fare, a new grocery store that specializes in organic and hormone free foods. It's right next to the University campus. There are some things about my college days I really miss. If a young guy wants to meet young women, that's the place.I almost felt senile.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
04/05/2009 20:50 Comments ||
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#18
University students can afford such fare nowadays, Deacon Blues? Times have changed -- I could just about afford $0.25 donuts and equally expensive Campbell's soup as my daily fare, and lots of cornflakes with milk.
A soldier in a NATO-led force fighting an extremist insurgency in Afghanistan died in a bomb blast on Saturday as the US military announced it had killed 35 Taliban-linked insurgents.
The fresh violence came as the US announced that NATO allies would send up to 5,000 more troops to Afghanistan in response to President Barack Obama's call for a greater alliance role in fighting extremists. An International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) soldier died after a bombing in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, ISAF said in a statement.
The ISAF, which draws its troops from 42 nations, does not release the nationalities of its casualties, leaving it to their home country. Nearly 80 international soldiers have died in Afghanistan this year, most of them in attacks, according to icasualties.org, which tracks the conflict here.
Two policemen: Also on Saturday, a remote-controlled roadside bomb killed two policemen and wounded four when it blew up their vehicle in southern Zabul province, deputy provincial police chief Ghulam Jailani Khan told AFP.
20 insurgents: The US-led coalition, which works alongside ISAF and the Afghan forces, said meanwhile that Afghan and international troops killed 20 insurgents in the southern province of Helmand on Friday. The battle in the strategic Kajaki district erupted after a patrol was ambushed by numerous men in a "known Taliban stronghold", it said in a statement. "The combined forces returned fire with small-arms fire and called for close air support, destroying six enemy fighting positions and killing 20 insurgents," it said.
Taliban in Kajaki are known to be heavily involved in bomb-making and weapons smuggling, attacks on troops and narcotics, the statement said. A statement later said 15 more Taliban were killed in Kajaki on Saturday and a large bomb-making facility, drugs lab and weapons cache uncovered. Afghanistan produces more than 90 percent of the world's opium, most of it in the desert province of Helmand, which shares a largely open border with Pakistan, where militants cross to join the insurgency. Kajaki district is the site of one of Afghanistan's largest hydropower dams, a Soviet-era facility that fell into disrepair during the country's decades of conflict and which the United States is working to rehabilitate. Troops control the area around the Kajaki but most of the district is known to be heavily influenced by the Taliban as are large swathes of southern Afghanistan.
Friday's battle was one of a series in the past week that the military says has inflicted heavy insurgent casualties, with 20 reported killed in Helmand on Wednesday and 30 in the Helmand-Uruzgan area on Monday. Responding to calls from military commanders for more troops, Obama in February announced he would send 17,000 extra US soldiers to Afghanistan, most of them headed to the south.
NATO leaders meeting in France on Saturday are expected to focus on Afghanistan, where the organisation is undertaking its biggest and most ambitious mission ever.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
patrol was ambushed by numerous men in a "known Taliban stronghold. The combined forces returned fire with small-arms fire and called for close air support"
This tactic sure does sound familiar - patrol out into Injun Country as 'bait' to draw the enemy out, then counterattack. As a tactic it may work, but it did not win the war when used in SE Asia.
[Jerusalem Post Front Page] Israeli freight company Zim's ship the Africa Star was attacked by Somali pirates on Saturday morning when the ship was sailing some 700 kilometers from Somalia, Israel Radio reported.
The incident began when pirates atop two speedboats opened handgun fire at the ship. They tried to climb the ship but a barbed wire running around the deck prevented them from getting aboard.
After their attempt to board the ship failed, the pirates returned to the speedboats and began tailing the Africa Star, an activity they pursued for several hours. But the ship managed to flee as the pirates and another mother ship that accompanied them were too slow.
As the incident began to unfold, the emergency room at the Zim offices in Haifa contacted NATO headquarters in the Gulf of Aden through the Foreign Ministry and the Navy.
A British fighter jet was scrambled and the pilot reported that he was in eye with the pirate ships. The Africa Star carries a Maltese flag.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2009 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV Latest] Somali pirates have hijacked an unidentified cargo ship between Kismayu and Mombasa Seaport, after failing to seize an Israeli vessel.
The pirates opened fire on an Israeli cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden in an attempt to hijack the vessel on Saturday. However the vessel called in air support, which drove the pirates away.
The Maltese-flagged cargo ship, The Africa Star, was owned by Israeli logistics and transportation giant Zim.
Having failed to hijack the Israeli ship, the heavily armed bandits captured another cargo ship holding as least 27 crewmembers hostage, sources told Press TV. The owner company of the vessel or the nationality of the crewmembers held hostage remains unknown.
More than 130 merchant ships were attacked in the region last year according to the International Maritime Bureau.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2009 00:00 ||
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Fifty-seven percent (57%) of U.S. voters nationwide favor a military response to eliminate North Koreas missile launching capability. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that just 15% of voters oppose a military response while 28% are not sure.
The telephone survey was conducted Friday and Saturday, April 3-4, the two days immediately prior to North Koreas launch. The question asked about a military response if North Korea actually did launch a long-range missile.
Support for a military response comes from 66% of Republicans, 52% of Democrats and 54% of those not affiliated with either major political party. There is no gender gap on the issue as a military response is favored by 57% of men and 57% of women.
Overall, 75% of voters say theyve been closely following news stories about the possible launch. That figure includes 40% whove followed the news Very Closely.
Seventy-three percent (73%) are at least somewhat concerned that North Korea will use nuclear weapons against the United States. Thats up just a few points from 69% who held that view in October 2006. Prior to that survey, North Korea had successfully conducted an underground nuclear test.
Forty-four percent (44%) now say North Korea is somewhere between an ally and an enemy, while eight percent (8%) are not sure.
Sixty-four percent (64%) of Republicans consider North Korea an enemy of the United States. That view is shared by 50% of unaffiliateds and 28% of Democrats. Most Democrats (57%) place North Korea somewhere between ally and enemy.
Only 27% say the United States should help North Korea rebuild its economy if it is willing to abandon its missile program. Fifty-one percent (51%) are opposed to such financial aid. These findings are largely unchanged from mid-February.
#2
Remember, we are the majority. Don't let the wingnuts run over us.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
04/05/2009 19:07 Comments ||
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#3
I'd wait a week and ask for 75%. People are fickle. When they find out Madonna didn't get her kid, they'll want to declare war on Uganda instead. Or Rwanda. Wherever.
#4
I find the poll hard to believe. I doubt that 50% even heard that NK has a missile. I would say that 1/3 wouldn't even know where NK was on the map.
#6
Exactly, Thing (and Instapundit reader who made the comment). Pretty hard - no, make that impossible - to believe the number's anything close to 57% in an electorate so doggedly unserious about the serious matters before the nation.
#7
I'm sure you could get a similar percentage who would agree with the statements "Would you like to see the US out of North America?" and "Would you like to ban dihydrogen minoxide?"
#10
ION NOKOR, WORLD MIL FORUM > IIUC US REAL FEAR IS NOT NORTH KOREA'S SATELLITE MISSLE, BUT CHINA'S GROWING POWER; + TROUBLE AGAIN IN THE CHINA SEA: VIETNAMESE MARITME PATROL SEIZES CHINESE VESSEL [Spratleys/Nanshas; Vessel = HK-registered].
North Korea failed in its attempt to get a satellite into space after a rocket launch early on Sunday, US and South Korean officials say. Two stages of the rocket and its payload landed in the Pacific Ocean, a US military statement said.
Almost as if it was meant to happen that way ...
Hours earlier North Korea claimed the satellite had successfully been put into orbit and was transmitting data.
The US, EU, Japan and South Korea condemned the launch, thought to be a cover for a long-range missile test.
In a statement on its website, the US Northern Command said North Korea launched a three-stage Taepodong-2 missile at 0230GMT. "Stage one of the missile fell into the Sea of Japan/East Sea. The remaining stages along with the payload itself landed in the Pacific Ocean."
"No object entered orbit and no debris fell on Japan."
US military authorities "assessed the space launch vehicle as not a threat to North America or Hawaii and took no action in response to this launch," the statement added.
Earlier, state media in North Korea said satellite 'Kwangmyongsong-2' had been placed in orbit. The satellite was transmitting data and the "Song of General Kim Il-sung" and "Song of General Kim Jong-il" - references to the late founder of North Korea and his son, the current leader - the report claimed.
The BBC's John Sudworth in Seoul says a failure would seriously detract from North Korea's ability to exploit the propaganda value of the launch, although it may never admit it to its own people.
In a previous satellite launch attempt in 1998, North Korea said it was sending up a device that would orbit the world transmitting revolutionary melodies. It claimed this was also successful but the launch is believed to have been a failure as no trace of the satellite was ever found.
Posted by: john frum ||
04/05/2009 09:16 ||
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PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command officials acknowledged today that North Korea launched a Taepo Dong 2 missile at 10:30 p.m. EDT Saturday which passed over the Sea of Japan/East Sea and the nation of Japan.
Stage one of the missile fell into the Sea of Japan/East Sea. The remaining stages along with the payload itself landed in the Pacific Ocean.
No object entered orbit and no debris fell on Japan.
NORAD and USNORTHCOM assessed the space launch vehicle as not a threat to North America or Hawaii and took no action in response to this launch.
This is all of the information that will be provided by NORAD and USNORTHCOM pertaining to the launch.
Posted by: john frum ||
04/05/2009 9:23 Comments ||
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#2
Meanwhile, in one small patch of the Pacific ocean, the population density of US Navy personnel is equivalent to one of the nicer parts of Hong Kong.
#7
The satellite was transmitting data and the "Song of General Kim Il-sung" and "Song of General Kim Jong-il" - references to the late founder of North Korea and his son, the current leader - the report claimed.
Damn. That's probably worse then ice cream truck music...
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/05/2009 12:33 Comments ||
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#9
Remember, the second button is for blowing up the rocket specialist
Posted by: European Conservative ||
04/05/2009 12:50 Comments ||
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#10
Hmmm... it appears that the NKs achieved a clean separation between the booster and stage 2. Did stages 2 and 3 separate cleanly? The article doesn't say.
#12
Sorry, Sherry. For the NKs, the launch was a great success.
The 2006 missile blew up 40 seconds after lift-off, because the booster stage and stage 2 failed to separate cleanly. The booster and the second stage of the latest missile appears to have landed where they were supposed to. Where is the third stage and the payload?
The Taepong-Do 2 is estimated to have a range of 4200 miles.
#16
According to the US Navy the highly unique North Korean satellite has entered subaquatic orbit in the Pacific Ocean, and is transmitting melodies of the immortal revolutionary paeans Song of General Kim Il-sung and Song of General Kim Jong-il on a 15 kHz acoustic channel.
ROTFL
Posted by: john frum ||
04/05/2009 14:55 Comments ||
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#17
NK has already been condemned by the UN in strong words, and Obama has said talks about what they might need to do will progress if they can find the time. What more do you want?
/sarc
Posted by: Charles ||
04/05/2009 16:14 Comments ||
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#18
"Landed in the Pacific Ocean" > Iff this was the light streak which [visibly]sped over North-Central Guam last nite, I'm a'guessin CENTPAC???
SSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHH, USAF planes launched what appeared to be night flares at roughly the same time.
#19
"No threat to North America or Hawaii" > GUAM? CNMI? MICRONESIA? POLYNESIA - Yoohoo, FRANCE = SARKOZY, I'm looking at youse!?
On a separate note, which I'm sure would NOT escape the attention of either KIMMIE or MOUD or OSAMA/RADICAL ISLAM, NEITHER JAPAN NOR USN AEGIS DESTROYERS MADE ANY EFFORT TO SHOOTDOWN THE ROCKET AS THREATENED, ESPEC JAPAN = NIPPON. DESPITE "FLYING OVER JAPAN".
#1
I found this: Japan said it stopped monitoring the Taepodong-2 rocket after it had passed 2,100 km (1,305 miles) east of Tokyo, indicating the launch had been a success. In its only previous test flight, in July 2006, the rocket blew apart 40 seconds after launch.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted a government official in Seoul as saying the rocket appeared to have carried a satellite, which Pyongyang had insisted was its plan.
#5
Obama and Japan said they would take action if the North Korean commies fired off their ICBM, and the commies fired off their ICBM, right over Japan's airspace. Is this what Biden meant about his 'international incident'?
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
04/05/2009 6:30 Comments ||
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#6
Anticipated Obama reaction: Strong letter to follow.
Posted by: Scott R ||
04/05/2009 6:33 Comments ||
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#7
yeah, nobody messes with Joe. But they sure do slap OBarry around, don't they?
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/05/2009 7:49 Comments ||
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#8
In other news, China believes US, Japan, and South Korea may be overreacting. No much for unanimous UN condemnation. I believe the Chinese said the same thing about lead paint in the plastic infact toys they ship here as well. Oh well, if you can't believe the Chinese communists, who can one believe?
#10
The stressfull anticipation of a strongly worded UN letter is almost to much to bare. What will the TOTUS do? Does the Sec of State have a pants suit that's appropriate for such of an occassion?
Posted by: Yosemite Sam ||
04/05/2009 9:21 Comments ||
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#11
Maybe Bambi will bow and kiss the ring of Kimmy like he did with the Saudis'. After all, there is nothing like being viewed as an obsequious (sp) fool on the world stage. Obama epitomizes the phrase "empty suit". And we have just under four more years to put up with this bullshit. Just sayin', ya' know.
A suicide bomber attacked a crowded Shiite mosque south of the Pakistani capital on Sunday, killing 22 people and wounding dozens more, officials said.
The suicide bomber set off his explosives Sunday at the entrance to a mosque in Chakwal city in Punjab province, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Islamabad, during a religious congregation, said Nadim Hasan Asif, a top security official in Punjab. He said the blast killed 22 people and injured more than 30. "The suspected man was stopped at the entrance and pushed himself in and exploded," Asif said.
Chaudhry Nasrullah, the top health official in Chakwal, confirmed that 22 people were killed and that more than 50 were injured, a dozen of them critically. He appealed to the government to send helicopters to evacuate the most seriously wounded.
Farid Ali, who left the mosque just before the attack occurred, said he felt the blast on his back and looked back and saw smoke and dust. "I saw several people lying dead," he told Express News TV. "There was blood everywhere."
Local television footage showed pools of blood on the road in front of the mosque. Torn clothes and a pair of shoes also littered the ground. Police investigators were shown collecting evidence, not far from a car and four motorcycles that were damaged by the blast. A policeman with both his legs bandaged and another wounded man whose shirt was stained with blood were shown on hospital beds crying in pain. A woman standing in the emergency ward of the hospital wailed, "Oh my God. Oh my God."
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani condemned the attack, saying it was masterminded by people who are against the state and want to give Islam a bad name.
#2
I wonder if anyone keeps a running total of suicide bomb deaths. If so, its quite possible that in 2008, Pakistan was #1 beating out Iraq, Afghanistan, etc.
#3
Wait a minute Glenmore, these a**brains are doing this in the name of Islam. This is good for the image of Islam, just like the beating of women and the beheading of infidels.
Speaking of which aren't Shiites considered infidel by the Wahabi type drooling morons?
The Taliban are a diverse mix of different groups, each led by its own leader, which support each other in militancy. Still, it is not uncommon to see two Taliban groups at cross-purposes with each other, and fighting. At that point, something happens and the groups give up hostilities and once again become "brothers in faith and comrades. Most certainly, somewhere there is an infrastructure in place that makes this happen, such as a particular terror "secretariat" in Waziristan.
Some people in FATA who have had the opportunity to see the terror secretariat from inside shared with me what they observed. According to them,
The secretariat consists of three complexes owned by Jalaluddin Haqqani and run by his son Sirajuddin Haqqani. The first complex is located right in front of the Frontier Constabulary, FC Fort in main Miranshah bazaar in North Waziristan. Apparently there is a computer institute in this complex but the complex also contains compounds which are well-guarded and no-go area. The second complex is located in Sirai Darpakhel just behind Miranshah Bazaar. This complex consists of seven compounds and is believed to be the headquarters of the Taliban, who move back and forth between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The complex is believed to be commanded by diehard Taliban Bakhta Jan Afghani. The third complex, at a distance of not more than a kilometre from the Pakistan army camp in North Waziristan, is situated in Dandi Darpakhel on the road to Afghanistan.
The secretariat is a huge and spacious structure spread over an area of a 100 kanals. There is a madressah in the complex in Sirai Darpakhel. All the three complexes have large open grounds, big guest houses and no-go areas. Taliban and Al-Qaida terrorists active in various parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan are believed to stay in the guesthouses. The no-go areas are believed to contain a large quantity of weapons and ammunition. Also, the large grounds are quite possibly used for training terrorists. Jalaluddin Haqqani's extended family resides in the Dandi Darpakhel complex.
The people who went to the compound said that they talked to many students and teachers at the madrasa and observed them. It may well be that the teachers were teaching more than basic education to the students and that they were being trained to become suicide bombers. Qari Hussain, who is believed universally to be a master trainer of suicide bombers, is also resident in the area. There were many Pakhtuns, especially Mehsud and Wazir, as well as Punjabis, Arabs and Tajiks, Uzbeks, Afghans and Africans.
Jalaluddin Haqqani, an Afghan, is a former Mujaheedin leader. Due to his old age he has left the management of the complex to his son Sirajuddin. The senior Haqqani is widely respected among the Taliban and he uses his position to make peace among warring Taliban groups. When two Taliban groups anywhere in Pakistan or Afghanistan get at each other's throats and kill each other, Jalaluddin asks his son to invite the two to one of his guest houses in the terror secretariat. He ultimately convinces them to stop fighting each other, by giving money to some and weapons to others. Jalaluddin is also a key link between the Taliban of Swat and Baitullah Mehsud. Some time back he managed to make peace between Maulvi Nazir, who leads a strong group of Taliban in North Waziristan, and Baituallah Mehsud. The dispute was over the presence of Uzbeks in the area. Maullvi Nazir wanted them kicked out of Waziristan because they were not interested in fighting in Afghanistan.
In case of any action against the complex, the government will have to consider its close proximity to the FC fort in the area. It is quite possible that in case of an attack on the terror secretariat, the terrorists would try and take control of the fort and kidnap the FC soldiers deployed there. Also, the complex is not far from the main Miranshah bazaar, so any error in the operation may bring about significant collateral damage. The terrorists use women and children as human shields.
An attack on these terrorists needs to be considered, because of the major impact it could have on the coordination and networking of Taliban groups in FATA.
#1
The first complex is located right in front of the Frontier Constabulary, FC Fort in main Miranshah bazaar in North Waziristan.
The second complex is located in Sirai Darpakhel just behind Miranshah Bazaar.
The third complex, at a distance of not more than a kilometre from the Pakistan army camp in North Waziristan, is situated in Dandi Darpakhel on the road to Afghanistan.
No wonder they can't find the Taliban
Posted by: john frum ||
04/05/2009 9:21 Comments ||
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#2
It would be so satisfying were a few of our UAV missiles to accidentally go off course and hit these places. Oh, well.
Security forces killed a suspected Taliban in Dooba area of Hangu district on Saturday, locals told Daily Times. They said some Taliban were on their way to Zargari when security forces personnel stationed at the Shanwari Zargari checkpost asked them to stop. When they tried to flee, the troops fired at them. One of them was killed while others managed to run away.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2009 00:00 ||
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Local Taliban have increased patrolling and set up checkposts in their Lower Dir stronghold after seeing paramilitary vehicles in the area, residents and other sources told Daily Times on Saturday.
A convoy of six vehicles carrying paramilitary personnel visited the Shago Hayaserai site on Wednesday -- where the Lower Dir district police officer and former district nazim Alam Zeb Khan had been killed last Sunday. Local Taliban commander Hafeezullah said the military had violated an "informal peace accord" in the area by travelling without prior consultation with the Taliban. "Therefore we are alerting our force to combat the army in case we are attacked," he said, adding that peace in the area was being disturbed by the government as part of a conspiracy to pave way for another military operation. Residents say the Taliban have started patrolling on the roads for the first time in the area, carrying weapons and checking vehicles. Several families are leaving their homes. The sources said the Taliban patrol roads in Kumbar, Lal Qilla, Bagh, Bandai and Shadas in the day and have faced no resistance. They have set up checkposts at Shakar Tangi, Kaladag, Shadas, Bijligar Hayaserai and parts of the Upper Maidan.
Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi chief Sufi Muhammad cooled down tempers in the area after a meeting with paramilitary officials on Wednesday. The troops reportedly assured him they went to the area only to see the Shago Hayaserai crime scene that police officials were reluctant to visit. Forces moved back to Timergara after the meeting. "The only solution to the deteriorating situation in the district is that the government should immediately enforce the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation and appoint qazis in all districts of Malakand Division," Rizwanullah, son of Sufi Muhammad, said while talking to Daily Times. He said the government should not deploy troops to the area if it was sincere in establishing peace.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2009 00:00 ||
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The banned Tehreek-e-Taliban (Bajaur Agency) has warned women against obtaining National Identity Cards (NICs), a private TV channel reported on Saturday.
Speaking at an FM radio station from Mamound tehsil, TTP (Bajaur Agency) chief Maulvi Faqeer Muhammad threatened strict action against "promoters of vulgarity". He also asked women to wear a burqa every time they left their houses.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Bullying women is their specialty, isn't it? What maroons.
[Geo News] The UNHCR's abducted official John Solecki has been admitted to Combined Military Hospital (CMH) here for medical treatment after his release late on Saturday night. Captors released Solecki in Khado Chowk area located in Mastung tehsil here on Saturday night, following his release; he was shifted to house of District Coordination Officer (DCO). Chief Minister Balochistan Nawab Muhammad Aslam Raisani, on information Solecki's release, arrived Mastung and inquired after his wellbeing. Later, he was taken to CMH for examination of his health conditions. John Solecki, the local head of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), had been snatched at gunpoint in Quetta, the capital of the southwestern province of Baluchistan, on February 2. His driver was killed during the abduction.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2009 00:00 ||
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[Geo News] An American UN official kidnapped in Pakistan has been released tired but apparently safe and well following a two-month hostage ordeal, UN and Pakistani officials said Sunday. John Solecki, the local head of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), had been snatched at gunpoint in Quetta, the capital of the southwestern province of Baluchistan, on February 2. His driver was killed during the abduction. It was the most high-profile Western kidnapping in Pakistan since 2002, when US journalist Daniel Pearl was snatched and beheaded by Al-Qaeda militants.
ŽŽI can confirm that he has been released. He has been released about 50 kilometres (32 miles) south of Quetta,ŽŽ UN spokeswoman Jennifer Pagonis told media by telephone. ŽŽHe is tired but he seems okay,ŽŽ she added. ŽŽA UN team has met him. He seems all right. The priority will be to get him medical attention,ŽŽ the UN spokesperson said. Interior ministry chief, Rehman Malik, confirmed the officialŽŽs release after an ordeal lasting nearly nine weeks, and said preparations were being made to reunite him with his family as quickly as possible. ŽŽHe has been found. He will be examined in a combined military hospital,ŽŽ Malik told the private Geo television station in a telephone interview.
ŽŽWe are making arrangements so that he can reunite him and his family as soon as possible,ŽŽ he added. SoleckiŽŽs 83-year-old mother had urged the Pakistani public to help secure her sonŽŽs release in an audio message released in February, saying that she and her 91-year-old husband had visited their sonŽŽs friends in Baluchistan. Baluchistan police chief Asif Nawaz Janjua told media Solecki had been found ŽŽsafe and soundŽŽ.
The details surrounding his release were not immediately clear and neither did Solecki appear in public. A shadowy organisation claiming to hold Solecki, the Baluchistan Liberation United Front (BLUF), had threatened to kill him unless the government freed more than 1,100 ŽŽprisonersŽŽ but numerous deadlines came and went. The United Nations frequently expressed concern about Solecki, who was in poor health, appealing for him to receive immediate professional medical care and expressing their willingness to speak directly to his captors. A grainy video released by the kidnappers and shown on Pakistani television channels in February showed a blindfolded Solecki appealing for his release. His safety is a welcome piece of good news for the beleaguered government in Pakistan, battling a wave of deadly extremist Islamist violence and which was criticised by Poland over the beheading of a Polish hostage in February.
Pakistan has condemned the kidnapping as a ŽŽdastardly terrorist actŽŽ and offered a reward of one million rupees (12,610 dollars) for information leading to SoleckiŽŽs rescue.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2009 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] A suspected US drone fired two missiles at an alleged militant hide-out Saturday in northwestern Pakistan, killing 13 people in the latest strike aimed at extremists who pose a threat to international troops in Afghanistan, intelligence officials and residents said.
The home targeted just after dawn Saturday is in North Waziristan, one of Pakistan's tribal regions that is believed to be an important base for al-Qaeda and Taliban militants, the intelligence officials said. The dead and injured included local and foreign militants, but women and children were also killed in the attack, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to the media.
A local tribal elder, Dilawar Khan, confirmed that 13 people were killed in the strike, saying the owner's family was among the dead. He said he did not know the identities of the other people killed or whether there were militants staying at the home, in Data Khel village very close to the Afghan border. Government officials were not immediately available for comment.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2009 00:00 ||
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[Associated Press of Pakistan] At least eight people were killed in a suicide blast at the camp of Frontier Constabulary here Saturday night, said Deputy Inspector General (Operations) Islamabad Police, Bin Yameen. Talking to media at the site of the blast, he said, eight officials of FC have lost their lives while four of them were injured.
Regarding firing, he clarified that it was done in retaliation by the FC personnel after the suicide bomber hit the barrack number 7 of the camp at 1937 hours, where the FC personnel were stationed, adding that no cross firing had taken place. The police officer said the legs of the suicide bomber were found at the site of the blast. I'd have been surprised if they'd walked away, though I guess they coulda jumped.
He said two platoons were staying in the highly guarded camp, while 24 FC personnel were present in the camp at the time of the incident. The DIG said a suspected person was apprehended from the site who is being interrogated by the securities agencies.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2009 00:00 ||
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[Associated Press of Pakistan] In a suicide attack seven civilians including two children embraced shahadat while 39 others injured near Miranshah in North Waziristan agency on Saturday. According to sources here, the injured also included six security personnel. The details revealed that at around 1320 hours a suspicious vehicle was seen approaching a security forces convoy. FC troops in the nearby checkpost spotted the vehicle and fired warning shots. Following firing of shots from the FC troops, the vehicle driver blew up the explosive laden vehicle.
Later, eleven of the injured including eight civilians were flown in a military helicopter to a hospital in Peshawar for medical treatment, where a security personnel died.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2009 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Pakistan
[Haaretz Defense] The Israel Police revealed late Saturday that they had found in the notebooks of 15-year-old Basma Awad al-Nabari, the 9th grader who was killed during a foiled shooting attack at a Border Police base in the Negev, writing indicating that she had planned to avenge Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Al-Nabari, a Bedouin girl from a nearby village, had opened fire on a Border Police barracks at Shoket Junction in the south.
The girl arrived at Shoket Junction shortly before 2 P.M. and walked toward the main gate of the base. When she tried to fire on the sentry from a distance of a few meters, he turned the barrel away and escaped the bullets. She then ran away and took cover, while the sentry and another officer who had arrived at the scene tried to persuade her to turn herself in.
When the brief negotiation failed, another gun battle ensued, at the end of which the officer shot the attacker dead.
According to investigators, police found letters among the attacker's books in which she had written that she wanted to become a Shahid, or martyr, and that the aim of the shooting was to avenge the offenses committed by Israel's security establishment against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Investigators were looking to determine whether the girl acted alone, or whether some organization stood behind the incident, which would have provided training, support and equipment.
The police findings contradicted the claims of Al-Nabari's family, who argued that the girl had been shot for no reason. Ali al-Nabari, the attacker's cousin, said following the incident that "it couldn't be. The police is lying and exaggerating. Maybe she was there to make a complaint and got mixed-up."
"The person manning the base gate thinks that anyone wearing a kaffiyeh is a terrorist," the cousin continued. "His friends shot her for no reason. She is involved in a program for exceptional students and active in social projects. It isn't logical that someone could have influenced her. She is in school from the morning until the afternoon and she comes straight home from there. There is no internet, or anything else. Maybe the police made up the gun."
Other family members also had trouble believing the reports. "This is a false claim by the police," said a family member who asked to remain anonymous. "They are looking to cover up their actions. This could not have been a terror attack."
"This was a special and kind child," added another family member. "Why didn't they show the gun on television? They only filmed her bag. They killed her accidentally and we intend to fight this to the end. We will hire lawyers and petition the courts until everyone knows the truth."
Police Commissioner David Cohen held a makeshift press conference at the scene of the attack, in which he urged the public to remain alert.
"This is the third time in a month someone attempts policemen's lives," Cohen said. "In this case as well, police reacted swiftly and efficiently. I'm calling on the public to be alert and inform police about every suspicious occurrence."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2009 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian woman who fired at a police base in southern Israel Saturday, and also killed two militants in a separate incident in the Gaza Strip, medics and Israeli security official said.
In a rare incident in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a woman opened fire at a guardpost at the Shoket Junction in southern Israel and was gunned down by police immediately, the Israeli official said.
The woman was armed with a pistol and a bomb that police were defusing, the official added. There were no Israeli casualties.
There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the incident nor was it clear whether the woman was an Israeli Arab citizen, most of whom are of Palestinian origin, or a Palestinian from the Occupied Territories who infiltrated the frontier.
Israeli police set up roadblocks on highways to block traffic in the area and are searching for further suspects.
In a separate incident earlier on Saturday Palestinian medics recovered the bodies of two gunmen in Khan Yunis who killed by Israeli troops near the Gaza border. The men were identified as 23-year-old Muhammad Al-Hamayda and 26-year-old Jamil Quffa, Maan Agency reported.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said troops shot at several gunmen in northern Gaza and hit two of them. One of the slain gunmen belonged to Islamic Jihad and another to a renegade militant group called the Popular Resistance Committees, members of both groups said.
However eyewitnesses said Israeli forces were firing shells and heavy gunfire as clashes continued in the morning.
The Gaza border has seen sporadic Israeli-Palestinian violence despite a mid-January ceasefire achieved after a three-week Israeli assault on the coastal Strip which killed over 1400 many of whom were civilians.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2009 00:00 ||
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Over 250 terrorists were reported killed including senior LTTE rankers Theepan(LTTE's former 'Northern region' chief), Ruben, Nagesh, Gadaphi (former body guard of Prabakaran), Vidusha ('Malathi' female wing head), Durga ('Soothiya' female wing head) and Kamalini following pitched battles that ensued between troops and LTTE, East of Puthukkudiyirippu since last night (April 4), military sources reported.
Troops have also gained total control over Puthukkudiyirippu considered LTTE's last stronghold at the Mullaittivu battlefront, neutralizing pockets of terrorist resistances military said adding that troops are now positioned to make further tactical moves into the remaining territory to free hundreds of civilians held hostage by LTTE.
According to latest information received, the 53 Division, Task Force -8 and 58 Division troops have forced into the remaining LTTE resistance positions killing scores and seizing a large haul of LTTE weaponry. Battlefield reports citing 53 Division infantrymen confirmed observing over 120 terrorist bodies scattered at the battle zone. A total of over 400 terrorists are believed killed since military began fresh advances towards the remaining LTTE defences on 1st April, security sources said.
Meanwhile, 58 Division have also located over 140 LTTE bodies scattered ahead of the battlefront East of Puthukkudiyirippu. LTTE's intelligence wing leader Pottu Amman, Theepan and Bhanu have led the LTTE fighting formations while, ground sources citing intercepted enemy communication said that Bhanu have sustained injuries during yesterday's fighting.
Posted by: john frum ||
04/05/2009 15:59 ||
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#1
ION PAKISTANI DEFENSE FORUM > INDIA PATRONIZES HINDU MILITANT FOR BREAKING BANGLADESH AND SETTINGA UP A [Bangla] HINDU STATE; + OVER 1/2 MILYUHN INDIANS LIVING, WORKING ILLEGALLY IN BANGLADESH.
Compare wid WAFF.com > IIRC RUSSIAN BORDER GUARDS BUSY BLOCKING/STOPPING ILLEGAL CHINESE IMMIGRANTS/RUSSIA COULD HAVE UP TO 10MILYUHN ILLEGAL CHINESE IN FIVE YEARS [espec in Russian Far East-Siberia], versus A CHINESE INVASION [2003 Artic - 3.26Milyuhn Chin illegals in Russia]. IN 20-30 Years, ETHNIC CHINESE COULD EASILY BECOM THE MAJORITY POPULAT/DMEOGRAPHIC IN RUSSIA, NOT RUSSO-SLAVS [Russia = North Korea = LEGALLY UN-ANNEXED CHINESE PROVINCES, or will they?].
Also on CMF > POSTERS = PARTS OF CHINA THAT NEED TO BE LIBERATED [Tibet, East Turkestan = Uighurs, etc., Lower Mongolia]; + SEE THE MAP OF THE ANCIENT/FORMER YUAN EMPIRE [Dynasty] AND I SEE THE FYURE OF CHINA [approxi 1/2-plus/minus of Eastern Russia to Arctic Circle recovered by China]???
[Bangla Daily Star] Sri Lankan security forces destroyed three Tamil Tiger boats yesterday and killed at least 18 guerrillas trying to escape a major military ground offensive, defence officials said.
Tiger rebels are battling to resist an military assault that has pushed them into a 20-square-kilometre (eight-square-mile) patch of land in the northeast coastal district of Mullaittivu.
The navy's special boat squadron sank one vessel belonging to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) while two others were destroyed by ground troops when they tried to beach, a military spokesman said.
The military believed that at least 11 rebels were killed by the navy while another seven perished when the army directed ground fire at Tiger boats that were trying to get to shore, he said.
The defence ministry said two sailors were wounded and three naval craft slightly damaged during the confrontation.
The guerrillas were believed to be leaving a narrow strip of land that is still under their control when the battle erupted.
Sri Lankan troops captured a key village from the Tigers on Friday after heavy fighting that left at least 44 guerrillas dead while another 13 rebels were killed elsewhere, the military said.
The United Nations and foreign aid organisations say as many as 150,000 civilians may be trapped in the combat zone, although the Sri Lankan government insists the figure is less than half that.
A top UN official, Walter Kalin, was visiting camps for war displaced people in the north of the island on Saturday, officials said.
Kalin, the UN secretary general's representative on the human rights of internally displaced persons, spoke with people in the government-held town of Vavuniya who had fled the fighting.
His visit came as UN chief Ban Ki-moon again urged Tamil rebel leaders to allow trapped civilians to move freely out of the conflict area in northern Sri Lanka.
"The secretary general calls upon the LTTE leadership to allow civilians to leave the conflict area of their own free will," said a statement issued by UN spokeswoman Michele Montas in New York.
"The severe restrictions of the LTTE on their freedom of movement violate international law."
Ban also reminded the Colombo government "of its responsibility to protect civilians, and to avoid the use of heavy weapons in areas where there are civilians, as promised."
He said the Sri Lankan government "should receive and treat displaced persons in accordance with international law, and work closely with the United Nations in meeting the protection and physical needs of displaced persons."
At the height of their power in the mid-1990s, the Tigers controlled more than a third of the total landmass of Sri Lanka as they pushed for an independent Tamil homeland.
Sri Lanka has said for months that its forces are on the verge of dealing a crushing blow to the Tigers in the decades-old ethnic conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2009 00:00 ||
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Fierce fighting between Sri Lankan troops and Tamil Tiger rebels defending their last remaining territory in the country's war-ravaged north killed 93 rebels on Saturday, the military said.
The military also said it destroyed three rebel boats and recovered a torched bulletproof vehicle belonging to the leader of the Tamil Tiger guerrillas. Government forces are in what they say is a final push to defeat the rebels - the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam - and end 25 years of civil war. A string of major victories by the military in recent months, in which the rebels' administrative capital and main bases were captured, has pushed the guerillas into a small strip of coastal land measuring just 21 square kilometers in the northeast.
Military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said separate battles broke out Saturday as soldiers fought to capture the remaining rebel territory. Soldiers found the bodies of 93 rebels after the battles, he said, without giving details of casualties suffered by government forces. A military statement earlier Saturday said five vehicles, including one used by rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, were recovered late Friday. It said the rebels torched them as they withdrew. Navy spokesman Cmdr. Mahesh Karunaratne said a sea battle took place in the middle of the night when 10 rebel boats were intercepted by the navy.
He said the navy destroyed one boat, disabled a second, and that ground forces destroyed two others when they tried to beach under heavy navy fire. The remaining boats fled. Karunaratne did not know how many Sea Tigers, as the rebel navy wing is called, were killed. He said some navy boats were damaged. The Sri Lanka military does not give casualty figures. Karunaratne said the rebel boats took off from and returned to a government declared "no-fire" zone, which makes up almost all the war zone.
The military says the rebels have set up bases in the zone, which was designated to protect the tens of thousands of civilians trapped by the fighting. The United Nations and aid and rights groups have expressed grave concerns about the civilians caught in the fighting. The military says the rebels are holding them as human shields in a desperate attempt to avoid defeat. But the Tigers say the people do not want to leave and have asked for their protection. The UN says an estimated 150,000 to 190,000 people are trapped, resulting in dozens of deaths each day. But the government says more than 23,000 civilians escaped last month and 30,000 to 40,000 still remain.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2009 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Jerusalem Post Front Page] Israeli freight company Zim's ship the Africa Star was attacked by Somali pirates on Saturday morning when the ship was sailing some 700 kilometers from Somalia, Israel Radio reported. 
[Iran Press TV Latest] Somali pirates have hijacked an unidentified cargo ship between Kismayu and Mombasa Seaport, after failing to seize an Israeli vessel. 
A suicide bomber attacked a crowded Shiite mosque south of the Pakistani capital on Sunday, killing 22 people and wounding dozens more, officials said.
[Geo News] The UNHCR's abducted official John Solecki has been admitted to Combined Military Hospital (CMH) here for medical treatment after his release late on Saturday night. Captors released Solecki in Khado Chowk area located in Mastung tehsil here on Saturday night, following his release; he was shifted to house of District Coordination Officer (DCO). Chief Minister Balochistan Nawab Muhammad Aslam Raisani, on information Solecki's release, arrived Mastung and inquired after his wellbeing. Later, he was taken to CMH for examination of his health conditions. John Solecki, the local head of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), had been snatched at gunpoint in Quetta, the capital of the southwestern province of Baluchistan, on February 2. His driver was killed during the abduction.
[Geo News] An American UN official kidnapped in Pakistan has been released tired but apparently safe and well following a two-month hostage ordeal, UN and Pakistani officials said Sunday. John Solecki, the local head of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), had been snatched at gunpoint in Quetta, the capital of the southwestern province of Baluchistan, on February 2. His driver was killed during the abduction. It was the most high-profile Western kidnapping in Pakistan since 2002, when US journalist Daniel Pearl was snatched and beheaded by Al-Qaeda militants. 
[Bangla Daily Star] A suspected US drone fired two missiles at an alleged militant hide-out Saturday in northwestern Pakistan, killing 13 people in the latest strike aimed at extremists who pose a threat to international troops in Afghanistan, intelligence officials and residents said.
[Associated Press of Pakistan] At least eight people were killed in a suicide blast at the camp of Frontier Constabulary here Saturday night, said Deputy Inspector General (Operations) Islamabad Police, Bin Yameen. Talking to media at the site of the blast, he said, eight officials of FC have lost their lives while four of them were injured. 
[Associated Press of Pakistan] In a suicide attack seven civilians including two children embraced shahadat while 39 others injured near Miranshah in North Waziristan agency on Saturday. According to sources here, the injured also included six security personnel. The details revealed that at around 1320 hours a suspicious vehicle was seen approaching a security forces convoy. FC troops in the nearby checkpost spotted the vehicle and fired warning shots. Following firing of shots from the FC troops, the vehicle driver blew up the explosive laden vehicle. 
[Al Arabiya Latest] Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian woman who fired at a police base in southern Israel Saturday, and also killed two militants in a separate incident in the Gaza Strip, medics and Israeli security official said.
[Bangla Daily Star] Sri Lankan security forces destroyed three Tamil Tiger boats yesterday and killed at least 18 guerrillas trying to escape a major military ground offensive, defence officials said.
Fierce fighting between Sri Lankan troops and Tamil Tiger rebels defending their last remaining territory in the country's war-ravaged north killed 93 rebels on Saturday, the military said.
