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Gunmen Raid Aden Police HQ, Free Prisoners
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Afghanistan
2 Afghan Policemen, 5 Militants Killed in Paktia
[Quqnoos] In clashes between the Afghan police and Taliban militants in Paktia province on Friday, 2 Afghan Policemen and five militants were killed, officials said

The attack occurred on Friday in the Zurmat district of Paktia province, a spokesman for the provincial governor, Rohullah Samoon, told Quqnoos.

One Afghan policeman was wounded in this attack.

Reports say that two NATO supply cars have been damaged in the attack.

The Taliban insurgents have said that they will increase their attacks on NATO and Afghan forces in the summer.
Posted by: Fred || 06/20/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Nato air strike kills at least five civilians
[Dawn] At least five civilians, including two young girls, were killed in an air strike by Nato forces in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, police and hospital officials said.

"We have received five bodies of civilians in our provincial public hospital," Khost provincial health director Amirbadshah Rahmatzai Mangal told AFP.

"The dead include two female children of seven and eight years of age. A 14-year-old boy was wounded." Khost provincial police chief general Abdul Hakim Ishaqzai said six civilians were killed by the bombing, which targeted Taliban militants.

"The coalition forces bombed Taliban positions in Musa Khel district of Khost province today, which resulted in the killing of 38 Taliban and six civilians," he said.

The Afghan interior ministry and Nato could not confirm the incident, but said they were investigating.
Posted by: Fred || 06/20/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban

#1  38-6. Has to be hard to get the collateral damage ratio lower than that when the targets keep civilians close all the time.
Posted by: Glenmore || 06/20/2010 2:14 Comments || Top||

#2  Ditto Glenmore. Civilians who do not want to be collateral casualty need to live away from the terrorists. The best way to reduce the civilian collateral casualty is to blast them all together, and then the terrorists will not use civilians for protection because they will not be protected. If I had a wish, I will put all the politicians and their advisors in jail for sending our brave and young kids to die with their hands tied behind in those stupid foreign wars with barbarians with a mandate to kiss the ass of those enemies and for what?. Even the stupidest of stupid knows that none of those countries with Islamic majority could become friends of USA except the shapers of our foreign policy. In war with Japan, peace was restored by two nuclear bombs, not by appeasement and the Japanese were not as barbarians as the people of majority Islamist countries. Well, let them learn the civilized manners by giving the fear of their complete destruction. As it was before, it is still the only way to save American lives and to restore peace (unfortunately not for ever) in the world again. It is also unfortunate that most Americans do not feel pain enough to take drastic action if “kids of some one else” are killed by enemies of USA.
Posted by: Annon || 06/20/2010 4:59 Comments || Top||

#3  Accepting responsibility for the deaths of Civilian Human Shields is stupid. If the terrorist hides behind a civilian, and someone, by mistake kills the civilian in the course of attacking the terrorist - the civilian death is the fault of the terrorist - not the attacker. It was the terrorist who decided to hide behind the skirts of civilians.

And of course if the civilian knowingly shields the terrorist...

How many Civilian lives were saved by killing these vermin? Hundreds? Thousands?
Posted by: CrazyFool || 06/20/2010 9:25 Comments || Top||

#4  Dresden was a bitch for German civilians as well, but the Allies WON THE WAR!
Posted by: Besoeker || 06/20/2010 17:21 Comments || Top||


Arabia
Gunmen Raid Aden Police HQ, Free Prisoners
(Reuters) - Yemen blamed al Qaeda for an attack in which gunmen in military uniforms raided a police headquarters in the port city of Aden on Saturday, killing 11 people and freeing several detainees.

The attack "bore the hallmarks of al Qaeda," Yemen's Supreme Security Committee said in a statement, adding that seven security officers, three women and a seven-year-old child were killed in the early-morning assault.

Firing automatic weapons and mortars, the attackers managed to enter the intelligence police headquarters, surprising security forces there during a flag ceremony, a security official told Reuters earlier. There was a heavy exchange of gunfire for more than an hour, and flames raged through part of the building, located near the state television headquarters in the southern seaport.

"A number of suspects have been arrested," the security official said, declining to give details.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 06/20/2010 01:33 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:


25 Saudi Gitmo prisoners return to militancy
[Al Arabiya Latest] Around 25 former detainees from Guantanamo Bay camp returned to militancy after going through a rehabilitation program for al-Qaeda members in Saudi Arabia, a Saudi security official said on Saturday.

The United States have sent back around 120 Saudis from the detention camp at the U.S. naval base in Cuba, set up after the U.S. launched a "war on terror" following the Sept. 11 attacks by mostly Saudi suicide hijackers sent by al Qaeda.

Saudi Arabia has put the returned prisoners along with other al-Qaeda suspects through a rehabilitation program which includes religious re-education by clerics and financial help to start a new life.

The scheme, which some 300 extremists have attended, is part of anti-terrorism efforts after al-Qaeda staged attacks inside the kingdom from 2003-06. These were halted after scores of suspects were arrested with the help of foreign experts.

Around 11 Saudis from Guantanamo have gone to Yemen, an operating base for al-Qaeda, while others have been jailed again or killed after attending the program, said Abdulrahman al-Hadlaq, Director General of the General Administration for Intellectual Security overseeing the rehabilitation.

He pinpointed strong personal ties among former prisoners but also tough U.S. tactics as the reason why some 20 percent of the returned Saudis relapsed into militancy compared to 9.5 percent of other participants in the rehabilitation program.

"Those guys from other groups didn't suffer torture before, the non-Guantanamos (participants). Torturing is the most dangerous thing in radicalization. You have more extremist people if you have more torture," Hadlaq told reporters in a rare briefing about Saudi anti-terrorism efforts.

Despite the setback with Guantanamo prisoners, Saudi Arabia regards the rehabilitation scheme, which kicks in after militants have served a prison term, as a success.

"There is no doubt that there is an effect," Hadlaq said.

U.S. President Barack Obama ordered the camp shut after taking office in January 2009 but his plans have been stymied. There are now about 180 detainees left, among them 13 Saudis. At its peak, the camp held about 780 detainees.

More than 2,000 sympathizers of al-Qaeda are still in prison in Saudi Arabia. Some 2,000 teachers have been removed from classrooms for their extremist views in the past five years while 400 teachers are in prison, Hadlaq said.

Saudi Arabia plans to build five more rehabilitation centers which will be able to accommodate 250 people each, he said.

The expansion plans are partly to cope with the eventual release of 991 suspected al-Qaeda militants whom the authorities said in October were awaiting trial for 30 attacks since 2003.

In July, a Saudi court sentenced one unnamed Islamist to death and handed out to others jail terms of up to 30 years in the first publicly reported trials since the arrests.
Posted by: Fred || 06/20/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Arabia

#1  These rehabs are a waste of time and money if you are taught from a young age to hate/kill infidels!
Posted by: Paul D || 06/20/2010 11:35 Comments || Top||

#2  It's not the 'infidels' the Saudis are concerned about, O Master of Obvious Statements and Possessor of the Holy Exclamation Point.

This is for home consumption.
Posted by: Pappy || 06/20/2010 12:09 Comments || Top||

#3  Pappy

You can keep making snide remarks about me even though i dont know you from Adam but you must hate that i dont bite back you sad old man!

Posted by: Paul D || 06/20/2010 14:31 Comments || Top||

#4  It's not about you.

It's about your commentary. It's Coals-to-Newcastle. 50,000 round-trips of it.

"It's Saudi Arabia and Pakistan!"? Anyone who's spent a week at Rantburg whose IP isn't from Riyadh or Lahore or Kuala Lumpur knows that. Even without the punctuation tic.

Am I being clear enough?

I'm not saying 'Don't post". But it'd be nice if Rantburgers got something to read besides rote once in a while.

(and I'm not old - most of my white hair ain't due to age).
Posted by: Pappy || 06/20/2010 15:09 Comments || Top||

#5  Pappy,

Tell me then oh wise one why are Amercian allies of Pakistan and Saudi then.Oil/Energy access?

Alot of people are telling me in the UK especially from muslims that US invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan was all about getting access to energy reserves in both countries.Would you agree?
Posted by: Paul D || 06/20/2010 17:54 Comments || Top||

#6  Tell me then oh wise one why are Amercian allies of Pakistan and Saudi then.Oil/Energy access?

It started as Cold War politics as far as I can tell, Paul D. Pakistan doesn't have any oil, which is why they want a natural gas pipeline from Iran. America allied with a lot of ugly characters to keep them from tying themselves to the Soviet Union. And Pakistan played that card to the hilt, starting from the time the country was separating from India, just as they now play the Al Qaeda card despite the ISI training and financing so many of the jihadi groups aimed at India, Afghanistan and the West. However the other issue, in some ways more urgent, is that the main supply line to all the Coalition units in Afghanistan is through Pakistan, with only minor supplies being flown in from the 'stans and Russia. So as long as we actually have troops in Afghanistan we will have to act as if Pakistan were an ally, despite knowing full well exactly what they are and do.

Yes, Saudi Arabia is about the oil, although not so much for America, actually. I'm under the impression they supply about 20pc of American consumption, although that number could be wrong. At any rate, they are our fourth or fifth foreign supplier, I believe. Much more importantly, Saudi Arabia is the number one supplier to the world, so breaking with them -- or declaring war on them as they deserve -- would send the rest of the world into an economic tailspin, much worse than the little rebalancing of the books that's going on now. Somehow it's never been the right time to push our real friends and allies, like Britain, into a 1930s style Great Depression. Actually, that's one reason for the big push to get Iraq producing again; Iraq has massive petroleum reserves, and could go a good bit toward replacing Saudi supply when the time came.
Posted by: trailing wife || 06/20/2010 21:54 Comments || Top||

#7  I'm not Pappy - I'm another moderator - but here's one answer to your question Paul.

The US formed alliances with the Saudis decades ago. Oil certainly played a role in that, but is by no means the only or even the largest factor.

Your UK had a much bigger role than the US in creating and shifting alliances in the region. After all, it was under the British mandate that Gertrude Bell more or less hand-picked who among the various tribes and clans ended up as the new Royals in the Middle East, not to mention where national borders were drawn.

Bell's favorites were installed in Baghdad, Jordan and Riyadh. Things were more complicated in Iran because Bell never did understand the Persians. A few decades later the Iranians figured out how much tax revenue the British government was taking from Anglo-Iranian Oil co. (now called BP) vs. what Iran got, leading to the move to nationalize Iranian oil production.

In 1951 a radical Islamist assasinated the Iranian politician who was attempting to convince the Brits just how strongly Iranians felt about the exploitation. The Shah cracked down hard in response, and a struggle ensued that ended up with the Shah's overthrow and Islamicists firmly in charge in Teheran.

The Saudis are devious and corrupt sons of b*tches, but not all of them are Wahabist. In fact, there's been a power struggle between several factions within the royal family for decades. The old king Faisal, however, built a military alliance with the US to counterbalance destabilizing moves both in Iran and also in Egypt. The latter were, for a while, leaders in a socialist movement intended to unite Arabs (which would have brought down the House of Saud). Egypt also (and partially as a result of Nasser's socialist government) was breeding a particularly virulent set of Islamic fundamentalists in the form of the Muslim Brotherhood - who by the way were one of the two groups that gave rise to al Qaeda.

I might remind you that Gulf War I was heavily financed by the Saudis, although the West led by the US did the actual fighting. There's a reason for that - Saddam's Baathist movement was an offspring, albeit a rather thuggish local one, of the socialist movement for which Nasser was the most visible figurehead and were working with the Russians, a relationship that continued right up to our entry into Iraq in March 2003.

The Saudis weren't alone. Jordan, for instance, has been a quiet ally. I should probably mention here that the Jordanian royal family and the House of Saud are related ....and worked together to overthrow the Turkish Ottoman rule in 1916.

The West has chosen to allow itself to become heavily dependent on imported oil. But at this point the oil in the Saudi kingdom is far less of an issue than their massive wealth invested in stock markets, currencies and a variety of commodities.

As for Pakistan, well .... it's not all that long ago that India was quite anti-American and Afghanistan was under Soviet control, or at least influence. Pakistan allied with the US militarily because it sits between those two countries and we allied with them for the same reason.
Posted by: lotp || 06/20/2010 22:13 Comments || Top||

#8  Alot of people are telling me in the UK especially from muslims that US invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan was all about getting access to energy reserves in both countries.Would you agree?

My apologies, Paul, I neglected to answer the second part of your post. But to summarize, a lot of people are stupid. That's why you and I hang out at Rantburg, after all. ;-) Below is an expansion on that statement.

Iraq: the U.S. allowed Iraq to sell oil development contracts as they desired. As I recall, in the first round none of the contracts went to American companies. On the other hand, British companies like BP and Shell did rather well. If we'd wanted the oil for ourselves, we wouldn't have allowed open bidding. Google "Iraq oil contracts" for details.

Afghanistan: doesn't have any oil, per the CIA Factbook, one of my favourite general information sources. They do have natural gas, but can you imagine how much it would cost to build and protect the infrastructure to ship it anywhere? There was talk of building a natural gas pipeline from Turkmenistan or someplace to Pakistan, and then eventually to India, but I have no idea what became of that. (I would be suspicious of Russia throwing her weight around, but I don't know enough to even have suspicions.)
Posted by: trailing wife || 06/20/2010 22:52 Comments || Top||

#9  Tell me then oh wise one why are Amercian allies of Pakistan and Saudi then.Oil/Energy access?

I believe that's already been explained.

Alot of people are telling me in the UK especially from muslims that US invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan was all about getting access to energy reserves in both countries.Would you agree?

No. Iraq's Baathist government, its support of terrorists, and its location were primary factors. Afghanistan was originally about getting the Taliban government to turn over al Qaeda leadership.

I believe the 'blood for oil' started as a leftist trope. I'm not surprised that it's become a mantra in the UK.
Posted by: Pappy || 06/20/2010 23:49 Comments || Top||


Caribbean-Latin America
Breaking News: US Resident Among Kidnap Victims
Babelfish

An unidentified US resident is among three victims of abductions in Nogales, Sonora, according to the Sonora, Mexico news daily El Imparcial.

According to police reports, a Ford Focus with Arizona plates was intercepted by armed suspects last Tuesday on Avenida Ruiz Cortines last week. It is not known if this victim is a US citizen.

Also abducted last week were:

  • Cristián Iván Guzmán Denis, 29, was abducted June 8th while he was walking in Nogales.

  • Luis Nabor Valdez Castro, 30, was taken from his home on calle Duraznos June 14th in the Jardines del Bosque district.

Posted by: badanov || 06/20/2010 14:43 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  It's just not the same kind of fashionable tourist destination that it used to be.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 06/20/2010 16:54 Comments || Top||


Durango, Mexico: 11 Die in Helicopter Crash
Babelfish
Eleven people Mexican military died in a Mexican Air Force helicopter crash in Durango late Friday night, according to Mexican news accounts.

Reports indicate the helicopter, a Bell 412, was brought down due to the weather. The wreckage was found near the town of San Miguel del Alto, Durango.

The aircraft was transferring military personnel from Badiraguato, Sinaloa to a military base at 5 de Mayo when it went down at about 2240 hrs.

Reports are four of the dead were officials in the Mexican military but no names have been released.
Posted by: badanov || 06/20/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Tamaulipas: 8 Bad Guys, Three Soldiers Die
Babelfish. These events happened today, so we have very few details on what took place so far.
Elements of the Mexican Army confronted armed suspects in two areas in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas concluding with a death toll of eight suspected criminals and three soldiers, say Mexican news reports.

The initial encounter took place near the Marte R. Gómez reservoir across the Rio Bravo near the border with Texas in the municipality (county) of Miguel Aleman.

A second battle took place in the Fresnos district of Reynosa where no one was hurt and Mexican military forces seized two rifles, a pistol, several weapon magazines and ammunition cartridges, an armored vehicle as well as other materiel.
Posted by: badanov || 06/20/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


The Grand Turk
Twenty dead as Turkish troops clash with rebels
[Al Arabiya Latest] Turkish troops and Kurdish guerrillas clashed overnight in southeast Turkey, killing eight soldiers and 12 rebels, Turkey's military headquarters said on Saturday.

The battle at Semdinli in Hakkari province, near the border with Iraq, re-kindled the conflict in the region and prompted the armed forces to hit Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets inside northern Iraq later.

The PKK militants touched off the fighting with an attack on an army border unit and 14 soldiers were wounded, the General Staff said in a statement on its website. The wounded have been transferred to hospitals.

"Reinforcements were sent to the region and throughout the night support was provided to the conflict zone by attack helicopters and artillery. Separately, the Air Force struck targets identified in the northern region of Iraq," it said.

The military responded with helicopters and reportedly killed 12 rebels, the army statement added.

There has been an increase in separatist conflict in the mainly Kurdish southeast in recent weeks.

On Friday the Turkish military announced that at least 130 members of the PKK had been killed inside Turkey and in an air raid on rebel hideouts in Iraq since violence flared anew in March. The military had lost 43 personnel.

The military also said it expected the PKK to further intensify and spread its attacks.

The mounting violence in recent months has clouded the government's bid to seek a peaceful end to the 26-year-old conflict with Kurdish rebels seeking a separate homeland in the country's southeast.

The conflict with the PKK, considered a terrorist organization by Turkey and much of the international community, has claimed more than 45,000 lives since it began in 1984, according to the army.
Posted by: Fred || 06/20/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  There has been an increase in separatist conflict in the mainly Kurdish southeast in recent weeks.

PKK getting ammo from Mossad?
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 06/20/2010 16:57 Comments || Top||

#2  More likely from sympathetic elements among the Kurds.
Posted by: Pappy || 06/20/2010 23:51 Comments || Top||


Home Front: WoT
Protesters prevent unloading of Israeli ship
(06-20) 12:35 PDT OAKLAND -- Hundreds of demonstrators, gathering at the Port of Oakland before dawn, prevented the unloading of an Israeli cargo ship.

The demonstrators, demanding an end to Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip, picketed at Berth 58, where a ship from Israel's Zim shipping line is scheduled to dock later today. The day shift of longshoremen agreed not to cross the picket line.

International pressure to end the Gaza closure has increased since Israeli commandos stormed a flotilla of ships attempting to run the blockade on May 31, killing nine people. Last week, Israeli officials announced that they would loosen but not lift the blockade, allowing more goods to enter the impoverished area.

"Our view is that the state of Israel can not engage in acts of piracy and kill people on the high seas and still think their cargo can go anywhere in the world," said Richard Becker, an organizer with ANSWER, one of many peace and labor groups involved in Sunday's action.

Becker estimated that 600 to 700 people joined the demonstration, many of them arriving at 5:30 a.m. Oakland police, who estimated the crowd at 500 people, reported no arrests.

The demonstrators want to block the unloading of the Zim ship for a full day. After convincing the day shift of longshoreman to honor the picket line, the demonstrators dispersed around 10 a.m., Becker said. The ship is scheduled to arrive in mid-afternoon, and the demonstrators plan to gather again around 4:30 p.m. and re-establish their picket line before the evening shift of longshoremen arrives at 6 p.m.
Posted by: Penguin || 06/20/2010 16:52 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  What a bunch of idiots.
Posted by: crosspatch || 06/20/2010 21:29 Comments || Top||

#2  The old-fashioned Marxist-Leninists of International A.N.S.W.E.R. are long-time supporters of Hamas and Hizb'allah according to Wikipedia, so this action should not be a surprise.

But really, a few hundred demonstrators, when they used to be involved in the anti-invasion marches in 2002-2003 that contained more than a million? That's pretty pathetic. On the other hand, they were kicked out from the anti-war planning group because of their attitude and behaviour, so perhaps this is all that remains. No doubt they'll look pretty silly when it's revealed how many other Israeli cargoes have been unloaded in June that they were unaware of.
Posted by: trailing wife || 06/20/2010 22:24 Comments || Top||

#3  What I can't figure out is how people in Oakland can support an organization (Hamas) that is based solely on racism. Hamas in Gaza is like the KKK taking over a small portion of Alabama and vowing to not rest until only whites remain in the rest of the state.

Ask some simple questions:

How many mosques in Israel?

How many synagogues in Gaza?

How many Muslims live and work in Israel?

How many Jews live and work in Gaza?
Posted by: crosspatch || 06/20/2010 23:22 Comments || Top||

#4  Well for one crosspatch - the residents of Oakland are overwhelmingly Democratic - so their definition of 'Racism' has nothing to do with actual 'Race'. And Hamas is much like the old 'KKK' (who's members were mostly Democrats).

I guess you might say the democrats yearn of the 'Grand Old Days' of the old south. Jim Crow Laws (also a Democratic creation), segregation, and some good ole hatred (and even Lynching) of one race or another.

Posted by: CrazyFool || 06/20/2010 23:46 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Al Qaeda commander killed in US strike in North Waziristan
A US airstrike in Pakistan's Taliban-controlled tribal agency of North Waziristan killed an al Qaeda commander and a dozen members of the Islamic Jihad Group.

Abu Ahmed was among 16 people killed in the US strike earlier today in the town of Inzarabad near Mir Ali, according to Geo News.

Ahmed was an al Qaeda military commander who led fighters against NATO and Afghan forces across the border in Afghanistan, a US intelligence official told The Long War Journal. The majority of the 12 Islamic Jihad Group fighters killed are said to be from Turkey.

In the four airstrikes against insurgents in North Waziristan that have taken place since June 10, the US has killed three mid-level al Qaeda military commanders. A June 10 strike in the town of Norak in North Waziristan killed Sheikh Ihsanullah, an "Arab al Qaeda military commander," and Ibrahim, the commander of the Fursan-i-Mohammed Group. A Turkish foreign fighter was also killed in the attack. The deaths of Ihsanullah and Ibrahim were announced by the Taifatul Mansura Group, or the Victorious Sect, a transnational Turkish jihadist group that operates along the Afghan-Pakistani border.

The 12 insurgents killed today alongside the al Qaeda commander were from the Islamic Jihad Group (or Islamic Jihad Union), a splinter faction of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. The Islamic Jihad Group is based out of the Mir Ali region and maintains close ties with al Qaeda leader Abu Kasha al Iraqi and North Waziristan Taliban commander Hafiz Gul Bahadar. It is a Specially Designated Global Terrorist organization.

German and Turkish Muslims make up a significant portion of the Islamic Jihad Group. Its fighters are often referred to as German Taliban, and they carry out attacks in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. Last year, the Islamic Jihad Group released video of 'German Taliban villages' in Waziristan. Its fighters were seen training at camps and conducting military operations.

German members of the Islamic Jihad Group have also been killed in combat inside Pakistan. Eric Breininger, a German man who converted to Islam, was killed while assaulting a Pakistani military outpost in North Waziristan on April 28. Three Uzbek fighters were also killed in the attack. Breininger was wanted for plotting attacks against US military bases and personnel in Germany.

Americans have also joined the Islamic Jihad Group. Over the past year, two American jihadists, Abu Ibrahim al Amriki and Sayfullah al Amriki, have been featured in propaganda released by the Islamic Jihad Group.

The Islamic Jihad Group has been the target of several US airstrikes in Pakistan's tribal areas. The US killed Najmuddin Jalolov, the leader of the Islamic Jihad Group, in a Predator airstrike in North Waziristan on Sept. 14, 2009.

Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2010/06/al_qaeda_commander_k.php#ixzz0rQbylgLg
Posted by: tipper || 06/20/2010 16:45 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  (blows whistle) .... Ok everyone, move up one man and continue the Jihad where we left off.
Posted by: Besoeker || 06/20/2010 17:22 Comments || Top||

#2  Goodness, Besoeker, it's like a game of Musical Chairs over there. Three cheers for the guys flying the UAVs!
Posted by: trailing wife || 06/20/2010 23:21 Comments || Top||


Main accused in Manawan case released
[Dawn] An Anti Terrorism Court on Saturday released a key suspect in the attack on the Manawan police training academy in Lahore. The suspect was released due to a lack of evidence presented against him.

Hijratullah was captured during the attack on the training academy where Rangers accused him for planning to attack a government helicopter.

Hijratullah was the only captured terrorist, while all others were killed during the siege.

However, it was reported that he will not be freed from police custody as he was previously arrested and charged for an attack at Makki Sharif on Ravi road. Hijratullah was given a 10 year imprisonment sentence in this case.
Posted by: Fred || 06/20/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Pakistan


Militants free accomplices from Karachi court
[Dawn] One policeman was killed in Karachi on Saturday when unknown gunmen opened fire near the City Courts.

The gunmen opened fire at a group of policemen who were escorting a number of prisoners to the courts and threw a hang grenade amid the crowd.

One policeman was killed as a result of the attack and four prisoners were able to flee along with the gunmen.

Security officials followed one of the gunmen, who fled to nearby Jodia Bazaar and killed himself. One hand grenade was recovered from his possession, while search teams have been sent to other areas to locate the remaining gunmen.

The four escaped prisoners were identified as Murad, Wazir, Miskeen and Murtaza, and were brought to the courts of the judicial magistrate south.

Two people were also injured as a result of the attack and have been shifted to Civil Hospital, officials told DawnNews.

DIG South Iqbal Mahmood later released the sketches of the escaped accused and the police also managed to seize cell phones and MM pistols of the attackers.

Mehmood said the militants were associated with an outlawed militant organisation, Jundallah.

Jundallah is accused of carrying out a number of terrorist attacks in the country including a recent attack on a procession earlier this year in Karachi, killing 76 people.

It was reported that the escaped prisoners were speaking on a cell phone before appearing in court.

The Karachi Bar Association urged the CCPO Karachi, the home minister and IG Sindh to tender their resignation and lawyers announced that they would boycott the city courts until proper security measures were put in place.
Posted by: Fred || 06/20/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: TTP


Four militants killed in upper Orakzai
[Dawn] Four militants were killed and two injured during a military operation in the Ahung area of upper Orakzai Agency on Saturday.

According to sources, several militant hideouts have also been destroyed by the security forces.

More than 1,000 militants have been killed during the military operation in approximately 45 days in the area.

Security forces also took control many areas in lower, middle and upper Orakzai.
Posted by: Fred || 06/20/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: TTP


Suspected US missile kills 13 in North Waziristan
A suspected US missile strike killed 13 people Saturday in a Pakistani tribal region where several militant outfits are bent on attacking Western troops across the Afghan border, officials said.
More detail on yesterday's story...
The missile, apparently fired from an unmanned drone, struck a house in Haider Khel village near North Waziristan's Mir Ali town, said two intelligence officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media on the record.

Local government official Noor Mohammad said at least 13 people had been killed, while the intelligence officials said some foreigners were among the dead. Their exact identities and nationalities were not immediately clear.

The US frequently uses missile strikes to take out Taliban and al-Qaida targets in Pakistan's northwest, especially the lawless tribal regions where many insurgents hide.

This year, the vast majority of the missile strikes have landed in North Waziristan, a segment of the tribal belt that houses several militant groups that focus on attacking Western troops across the border in Afghanistan.
Posted by: Fred || 06/20/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Pakistan

#1  Their exact identities and nationalities were not immediately clear

but probably include the 128th #3 man killed this year.
Posted by: Glenmore || 06/20/2010 2:17 Comments || Top||


Bomb kills one, wounds eight in Dera Ismail Khan
[Dawn] DERA ISMAIL KHAN: A roadside bomb targeting a police patrol killed a passer-by and wounded eight people in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday, police said.

Senior police official Aslam Khatak said the attack happened as the patrol vehicle traveled through the town of Dera Ismail Khan.

Among the wounded was an area police official who played an important role in arresting militants, he said.

Six policemen and two civilians also were wounded.

Dera Ismail Khan lies near Pakistan"s troubled South Waziristan tribal region.

A bomb that also targeted a police patrol in the city in May killed 13 people, including an area police officer who had received threats.
Posted by: Fred || 06/20/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: TTP


Militants' commander among 16 killed in NWA drone attack
[Geo News] A US drone attack destroyed an Al-Qaeda hideout in North Waziristan, killing 16 militants including a key militants' commander Abu Ahmed Saturday in the tribal redoubt on the Afghan border, Geo News reported. The aircraft fired two missiles into the compound in Inzarabad village, 25 kilometres (15 miles) east of Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan, known as a hub of Taliban and Al-Qaeda linked militants.

The compound had been used by Al-Qaeda operatives, source said.

It was the first US drone attack reported since twin strikes 12 hours apart killed 14 militants east of Miranshah on June 11. The US military does not, as a rule, confirm drone attacks, but its armed forces and the Central Intelligence Agency operating in Afghanistan are the only forces that deploy pilotless drones in the region.

More than 900 people have been killed in over 100 drone strikes in Pakistan since August 2008. On June 1, Al-Qaeda said its number three leader and Osama bin Laden""s one-time treasurer Mustafa Abu al-Yazid had been killed, in what security officials said was an apparent drone strike in North Waziristan.

Washington has branded Pakistan""s northwestern tribal area a global headquarters of Al-Qaeda and officials say it is home to Islamist extremists who plan attacks on US-led troops in Afghanistan and on cities abroad.

Waziristan came under renewed scrutiny when Faisal Shahzad, the Pakistani-American charged over an attempted bombing in New York on May 1, allegedly told US interrogators he went there for bomb training. The United States has been increasing pressure on Pakistan to crack down on Islamist havens along the Afghan border. Pakistani commanders have not ruled out an offensive in North Waziristan, but argue that gains in South Waziristan and the northwestern district of Swat need to be consolidated to prevent troops from being stretched too thinly.
Posted by: Fred || 06/20/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Pakistan


Iraq
Twin suicide car bombings in central Baghdad kill 26
At least 26 people have been killed in a twin suicide car bombing in central Baghdad, Iraqi officials have said.

The bombers blew up their vehicles within minutes of each other outside a state-owned bank and government offices in the capital's Yarmouk district.

One building contained an interior ministry agency where identity cards are issued, and people had been queuing outside at the time of the blasts.

The explosives-packed cars were stationed in parking lots a few hundred metres apart and blew up at around 1130 (0830 GMT).

The area targeted by the bombers, which includes the headquarters of the publicly-owned Trade Bank of Iraq and interior ministry offices, was crowded with people at the start of the work week.

The Trade Bank of Iraq is one of the public sector's most active financial institutions and at the forefront of efforts to encourage foreign investment.

Several buildings were heavily damaged in the blasts, and among the dead were security personnel deployed outside, officials said.
Posted by: tipper || 06/20/2010 08:13 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


AQI operative netted in Kirkuk
KIRKUK / Aswat al-Iraq: A combined security force arrested a member of the Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) network southwest of Kirkuk on Saturday, according to a source from the city's Joint Coordination Center (JCC).

“A force from the Kirkuk Districts' Police Department (KDPD) and the Tarklan police station arrested a wanted man in accordance with article 4 of the law on terrorism at a checkpoint on the main road linking Kirkuk to al-Huweija district,' the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

“The detained man is a resident of the village of Karha Qazan, al-Riad district, 45 km southwest of Kirkuk,' he added.

The source said that the arrested man, a member of the “terrorist Al-Qaeda organization, was referred to the anti-crime department in Kirkuk province, and is currently remanded under investigative custody'.
Posted by: Steve White || 06/20/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:


6 wounded in two separate blasts in Mosul
NINEWA / Aswat al-Iraq: Six people, including two policemen, were wounded in two separate bombing attacks in central Mosul city on Saturday, according to a local security source in Ninewa.

“An improvised explosive device (IED) went off near a police patrol in the area of Hadirat al-Sada, central Mosul, leaving two policemen wounded,' the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

“The injured policemen received treatment and already left hospital,' he added.

In another incident four civilians were wounded when an unidentified gunman hurled a hand-grenade at a police patrol near a souk (outdoor market) on al-Cornich street, central Mosul,' the source added. The gunman managed to escape.

Mosul, the capital city of the violence-ridden province of Ninewa, 405 km north of Baghdad, is witnessing armed operations nearly on a daily basis against Iraqi security forces, civilians and government facilities.

The culprits of these operations are believed to belong to Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) and other linked armed groups.
Posted by: Steve White || 06/20/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Police in Basra open fire on demonstrators
BASRA / Aswat al-Iraq: Police forces in Basra opened fire on Saturday targeting hundreds of demonstrators in central the city protesting lack of electricity.

“Police random fires left a number of casualties,' an eyewitness told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

He noted that the forces are affiliated with the Basra Provincial Council.
Posted by: Steve White || 06/20/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  If we lost electricity, it wouldn't occur to me to take to the streets to protest...
Posted by: American Delight || 06/20/2010 12:26 Comments || Top||

#2  Some western suburbs in Chicago lost power for two days after a storm earlier this week. Not a single riot as far as I know, though some people did have to fire up the Weber and grill a lot of meat ...
Posted by: Steve White || 06/20/2010 14:02 Comments || Top||

#3  If we lost electricity, it wouldn't occur to me to take to the streets to protest...

The Basra Provincial Council has had a lot of issues since its inception. It was intended to be the Western ideal of a secular, nonpartisan provincial government. Judging by past news reports, what it's ended up being is a circus of political inexperience, vulnerable to predations from both Baghdad and local Shiite power-brokers. They've tried to curb corruption, to the displeasure of both and their attempts at secularism (like permitting alcohol sales) have upset the latter.

I suspect the demonstrations were called by the Shiite leadership. "Community organizing" at its finest donchaknow.
Posted by: Pappy || 06/20/2010 14:50 Comments || Top||


Southeast Asia
Parents shot in front of daughter in Thai attacks
A two-year-old girl was injured in a shooting that killed both her parents in the latest bout of violence to hit Thailand's restive south, police said Sunday. The attack -- which targeted a former ranger driving with his wife and daughter in Pattani's Muang district on Saturday -- came just minutes after a grenade attack on a mosque in Sai Buri that wounded two nine-year-old boys.

Plus:

A village headman was seriously injured in a suspected terrorist insurgent gun attack in Ra-ngae district. He was heading home after a bird-singing competition at a nearby market when his attackers emerged on another pick-up truck, police said. His neighbour was also in the vehicle. The gunmen shot at Mr Kuheng's truck as they were overtaking it. He lost control of the vehicle, which left the road and hit a tree.

Mr Kuheng's neighbour, who was unhurt, fled the truck. Villagers who came to check on the truck took Mr Kuheng to hospital. Doctors said he was shot twice, in the left cheek and the torso. They suspect terrorists insurgents are behind the attack.
Posted by: ryuge || 06/20/2010 10:33 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Good morning
Posted by: Steve White || 06/20/2010 00:30 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  <Happy Birthday/Daily Gam Shot

Rossana Podesta aka Helen in "Helen of Troy" (age 76)



Cheryl Lynn Phelps, Age 66


Candy Clark, Age 63

Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC || 06/20/2010 3:29 Comments || Top||

#2  Baby Barack Doll
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 06/20/2010 9:23 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
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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.
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Two weeks of WOT
Sun 2010-06-20
  Gunmen Raid Aden Police HQ, Free Prisoners
Sat 2010-06-19
  Pakistani officials: Suspected US strike kills 13
Fri 2010-06-18
  Malaysia: Terror bombing plot foiled
Thu 2010-06-17
  Uptick in Violence Forces Closing of Parkland Along Mexico Border to Americans
Wed 2010-06-16
  Taliban 'reappear' in Bajaur Agency
Tue 2010-06-15
  Yemen says thwarts al-Qaeda plot in oil province
Mon 2010-06-14
  4 cops killed in Algeria suicide kaboom
Sun 2010-06-13
  Son of Al Qaeda mentor Issam Abu Mohammed al-Maqdessi 'killed in Iraq'
Sat 2010-06-12
  US missiles kill 15 Taliban in N Waziristan
Fri 2010-06-11
  Iran snarls at China over UNSC sanctions
Thu 2010-06-10
  UN slaps fourth set of sanctions on Iran
Wed 2010-06-09
  Pak: 50 NATO trucks torched on Motorway, 4 people dead
Tue 2010-06-08
  Suicide Bombers Attack Police Compound in Kandahar
Mon 2010-06-07
  Yemen detains 30 foreigners as Qaeda suspects
Sun 2010-06-06
  Two US men arrested at JFK airport on terrorist charges

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