The Egyptian government has banned the Muslim Brotherhood's largest annual social gathering for the first time in 20 years, part of a concerted crackdown against the country's opposition, the group's leadership said Sunday.
Every year, the Brotherhood invites a diverse group of some 1,500 people to one of Cairo's five-star hotels for a gala dinner during Ramadan, the monthlong period when many Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. Brotherhood leader Mohammed Mahdi Akef criticized Egypt's Interior Ministry on Sunday for banning the annual meal, which the country's largest opposition group had planned for Saturday.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under: Muslim Brotherhood
#1
No Muslim Brotherhood RamaDamaDingDong,
what is the Religion of Peace coming to. *sigh* *spit*
A large number of Oslo taxi drivers already have been charged with tax evasion and welfare fraud. Now Oslo police suspect around 40 drivers and even more taxi owners of having close contact with Pakistani gangs, and operating as couriers of arms and drugs.
Newspaper Aftenposten reported on Monday that in some cases, the taxis are used as getaway cars after gang offensives in Oslo and the surrounding area. Uff da!
Aftenposten followed up over the weekend on earlier reports of what's known locally as taxijuks, that is, widespread fraud that's enriched Pakistani-Norwegian taxi drivers and owners, who in turn send much of their ill-gotten gains back to Pakistan in an effort to hide assets from Norwegian tax authorities.
Local tax officials claim 337 taxi owners have failed to report an estimated NOK 406 million in income, while 589 drivers have driven black-market taxi operations to the tune of NOK 116 million. Around 20 owners have been reported to the police, and prosecutors have brought formal charges against five of them.
Nearly 900 taxi owners and drivers have received more than NOK 100 million in state welfare payments, at the same time they're believed to have driven black-market operations. More than 100 of them have been reported to police, and 20 have been convicted of welfare fraud. Another 350 have been warned that they face welfare reimbursement demands totalling NOK 57 million.
Aftenposten reported on Sunday that a 39-year-old taxi owner sold his house just before he was forced into bankruptcy for failure to pay millions in taxes and fees owed to the state. It's unclear what became of the proceeds of the sale, however, and the 39-year-old now lives on Norwegian welfare, even though he's linked to successful businesses in Pakistan including a bus company, a gas station and several retail stores.
Other taxi owners and drivers charged with tax evasion in Norway are known to have large, expensive homes in Pakistan, where their families live affluent lives.
Gang ties
Oslo police, meanwhile, have also uncovered ties between criminal Pakistani gangs in Oslo and more than 40 taxi drivers. The drivers are suspected of carrying gang members and their weapons, as well as drugs.
Undercover police have, for years, observed a "striking" number of taxis with their lights turned off in the vicinity of gang operations, noted Tom Østreng of the Oslo Police Districe. Use of taxis, it's believed, is less risky than use of private cars that can pbe traced to their owners.
Many honest taxi drivers in Oslo and elsewhere in Norway now fear for the reputation of the entire industry. "There are many drivers who follow the rules and don't do anything wrong," driver Andivad Amin told Aftenposten. "This hurts everyone."
#2
After 9/11, in NYC, you could tell the Paki cabs by all the American flags attached to them. Also, all of a sudden they were hanging crucifixes from their rearview mirrors.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
09/17/2007 13:57 Comments ||
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#3
Hey, the Old Ped Himself didn't drive a taxi. Aren't these boys due a beheading for being unislamic?
Posted by: Titus Hayes ||
09/17/2007 18:56 Comments ||
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#4
Make citizenship a requirement to own or operate a taxi.
The Swedish media rallied on Sunday behind a cartoonist who drew a blasphemous cartoon of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him), which earned him death threats from Al Qaeda in Iraq, as Swedish companies braced for a backlash.
Cartoonist Lars Vilks said he was ready to die after extremists in Iraq offered $150,000 to anyone who slit his throat or $100,000 for his murder by other means. We must not give in, he was quoted as saying in the Dagens Nyheter daily which republished the blasphemous cartoon in small format on Sunday. Im starting to grow old. I could die at any time its not a catastrophe, he said.
The group calling itself the Islamic State of Iraq, otherwise known as Al Qaeda in Iraq, also put $50,000 on the head of Ulf Johansson, editor in chief of the Nerikes Allehanda newspaper which published the blasphemous cartoon. Swedish media condemned the threats, issued through the Internet on Saturday in the form of a statement in the name of the groups purported leader, Sheikh Abu Omar Al-Baghdadi. We live in a country where freedom of expression is not dictated by fundamentalists, nor by governments, wrote Dagens Nyheter chief editor Thorbjorn Larsson in an editorial. Dagens Nyheter has already published the cartoon. To me, publishing it was the obvious thing to do.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2007 00:00 ||
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[4 views]
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#3
Should Al Qaeda succeed in the assassination, the Swedes should begin massive repatriation of all Muslims out of Sweden! Short and sweet, take their country back; let the terrorist cut the throats of snakes and scorpions in the fields of their own deserts!
#4
There's some fortitude I didn't expect from this guy. (side note -- the sketches are very lame. Notice he's no longer an "artist" but a "cartoonist".)
Posted by: Captain Lewis ||
09/17/2007 5:31 Comments ||
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#5
It seems the frog has noticed the water heating up in his bathtub, and doesn't appreciate it as he ought.
#7
We have to start preempting this evil. Put a bounty on anyone leveling death threats against Westerners. Or do what the British used to do; sail up to the nearest port of convenience and start shelling.
#8
Zenster #2, valiant idea, would work in Texas!!, but I don't think self arming would work against a suicide bomber bent on revenge. Lars needs to be in a 'witness protection' type program or an assumed identity working and or living from an undisclosed location. Van Gogh had he been armed still would have been killed, the attack was too quick and unanticipated.
#9
"Or do what the British used to do; sail up to the nearest port of convenience..." yeah back when the Brits had balls. Now they just sail up and surrender......
The world should "prepare for the worst ... (which) is war" over the Iranian nuclear crisis, but seeking a solution through talks should take priority, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said on Sunday.
"We have to prepare for the worst, and the worst is war," he said in an interview broadcast on television and radio. "We must negotiate right to the end," with Iran, he said, but underlined that if Tehran possessed an atomic weapon, it would represent "a real danger for the whole world."
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/17/2007 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
Kouchner also said his nation and Germany are discussing the possibility of additional sanctions against Iran. He added that France has advised its large companies against doing business with Tehran.
It's nice to hear France saying something finally, but let's see what they say next week.
Posted by: Boss Craising2882 ||
09/17/2007 1:12 Comments ||
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#2
I suppose we must be thankful that another country is also voicing this idea. Let's if this lasts longer than the placement of Iran's next equipment order.
#3
I say prepare for the second-worst. The worst would be if they get their hands on a nuke. You just know they'd use it to try to coax the 12th Imam out of its hole.
#4
WORLDNEWS > BE VERY AFRAID OF THE US-IRANIAN GAME OF CHICKEN IN THE GULF. Mother of all Mutual Escalationisms - Syria actually fears an Israeli attack agz it vv Iran-controlled/suppor Lebanese terror groups should an Israel-Iran war break out. Also in WORLD NEWS > VLADIMIR PUTIN'S GLOBAL WARNING.
#5
Affraid, Joe? Nope. It has to be done over with. Sure will suck. But a childs play compared with what awaits if the game is postponed until Ahmadinutjob can unleash his Mehdigeddon.
#6
You know when you get a guy like Kouchner talking like this it makes you wonder if these so-called intellectuals in Europe have been reading Mark Steyn. If only Merkel had the same sense of urgency and survival for her country that Kouchner and Sarkozy have for France.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
09/17/2007 9:33 Comments ||
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France is under new management. Applying to the new administration derived from DeGaulle-Chirac policy is about as absurd that thinking Truamn would be as silly as FDR respctive to to Stalin
Kouchner prefaced a a book about Saddam's crimes and defended the invasion something who amke him a patriah between in France's political landscape. And then Sarkozy nmintaed this pariah as foreign minister.
Out of nostalgia for Louis XIV and Napoleon time De Gaulle (and successors) could have liked to France into a positioon of being the referee between East and West or increasoing influence by allying with the most repugnant third world dictators nad genociders in planet (Amin Husseini liberated by De Gaulle in 1945, Khomeini protected by Giscard, Chirac and Saddam) but there are chances that Sarkozy didn't feel nostalgia for Louis XIV but instead, shame for France pandering with opressors in Hungary and elsewhere.
Not that sarko will solve any of France's woes; what he's done so far in the crucial first 100 days shows he intends to keep the system afloat, not reform it, and is still pure PR as opposed to concrete action (it seems like his team had no idea nor planning when coming to power).
Still, for an american, he will not be shirak, that will be a tremendous improvement, no doubt.
#11
I'd sooner a Chiraq who fixed France's internals. Then the rest would follow. Based on what you're saying, Sarko will be even less effective than was Reagan.
#13
I cannot believe the administration is truly planning...creating an WARNINGORDER/OPORDER...to attack Iran. We have all sorts of OPLANS and CONPLANS as part of Crisis Action Planning (CAP). However, I would be willing to bet a large sum of money that we are not working on WARNINGORDERS/OPORDERS on Iran.
How did we ever get into this sorry state of affairs...
Why we are Haunted for Hundreds of Years by these old windy Cob Webs that refuse to fade away gracefully.
The thin Payback,
A Troofertwofer,
ole Allen of GreenSpan-dex [surgical hose] and his wife, Andrea MSM Mitchell,
Andrea's area of expertise:
Energy Reporter NBC
Energy Crisis Expert
Three Mile Island Expert
China Syndrome Expert*
White House Q & A Front Row
Congressional Reporter Expert
Chief Foreign
Affairs Reporter Expert
Andrea Marries Allen
1997 Still Married Expert
No way could she have an elitist point of view eh?
an agenda perhaps?
How 'bout the occasional spin for Allen?
/* she saw the movie...
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
09/17/2007 4:26 Comments ||
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#4
"I guess I should warn you, if I turn out to be particularly clear, you've probably misunderstood what I've said."
#5
Well yes and no. We are in the middle-east because of oil security, that is a fact. You think we are engaged there since the 20's because of a lack of sand or camels in America? The oil is a two way street. We need it since our pols won't allow us to drill for it where we have it now. The other side is we buy with greenbacks and then sell engineering, construction, technology, F-16's etc. to get some of it back. But Allan is an economist not a quartermaster. He can only look at things in terms of supply and demand. Everything is for sale and everybody wants to buy. But he misses the whole Neo-con policy of pre-emptive aggression to protect our own assets. I guess though that by pontificating such it will put him at number 1 on NYT's book sales. Lone Survivor is still holding its own which is kind of weird knowing where most readers of the NYT's are coming from.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
09/17/2007 9:40 Comments ||
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WASHINGTON (AP) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Sunday he would recommend a veto of a Senate proposal that would give troops more rest between deployments in Iraq, branding it a dangerous "backdoor way" to draw down forces.
Democrats pledged to push ahead with the plan by Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., and expressed confidence they could round up the votes to pass it, although perhaps not by the margin to override a veto. "The operational tempo that our forces are under is excruciatingly difficult for our soldiers, Marines, all of our personnel and their families," said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I. "They deserve the same amount of time back home as they stay in the field."
It's almost as if they actually care about our troops. Almost.
With the Senate expected to resume debate this week on anti-war legislation, Gates sharpened his criticism of Webb's proposal. It would require troops get as much time at their home station as their deployments to the war front.
Gates was asked in broadcast interviews about recommending a veto to Bush should the proposal pass. "Yes I would," the Pentagon chief said. "If it were enacted, we would have force management problems that would be extremely difficult and, in fact, affect combat effectiveness and perhaps pose greater risk to our troops," he said.
Supporters of Webb's proposal say it has at least 57 of the 60 votes needed for passage. It would need 67 votes to override a veto.
A separate proposal by Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., seeks to restrict the mission of troops to fighting terrorist and training the Iraqi security force."The president has dangled a carrot in front of the American people talking about troop reductions," Levin said. "But, again, it is an illusion of a change of course and the American people are not buying it. My colleagues are not buying it."
"I think we have a good chance of getting to the 60 votes to call for a change in policy. I hope we get there in the next couple of weeks," he said.
If Webb's amendment were enacted, Gates said it would force him to consider again extending tours in Iraq. He explained that the military commanders would be constrained in the use of available forces, creating gaps and forcing greater use of an already strained National Guard and Reserve. "It would be extremely difficult for us to manage that. It really is a backdoor way to try and force the president to accelerate the drawdown," Gates said. "Again, the drawdowns have to be based on the conditions on the ground."
"We would have to be looking at gapping units where there would - a unit pulling out would not be immediately replaced by another," he added. "So you'd have an area of combat operations where no U.S. forces would be present for a period, and the troops coming in would then face a much more difficult situation."
Active-duty Army units today are on 15-month deployments with a promise of no more than 12 months rest. Marines who spend seven or more months at war sometimes get six months or less at home. "We're having difficulty trying to keep to my policy of 15 months deployed, 12 months at home, for the active force and a full-year mobilization limit on the Guard and Reserve. We're having enough trouble trying to make that work, without the strictures of legislation," Gates said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/17/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
So Roby is now 'crackin that whip' and doesn't want our boys to have time off for their families or a respite from that hellhole that is Iraq! Not entirely unexpected though, holding that line is a direct order by "W" and facing the option of resigning or taking that paycheck for another 13 months; I'd take it too! I'm pretty sure the University is keeping his 'seat' warm, for his graceful retreat when "W" is booted out on November 7th next year!!!
#3
This congress wants to force a drawdown in a manner where our troops are being shot at as they leave.
They want to upset the process no matter what. They are traitors.
#4
smn - you're consistently an idiot. Is "W booted out on November 7th"? No. He's term-limited out in January the next year. Apparently you are unfamiliar with the American political system, aren't you?
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/17/2007 8:19 Comments ||
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#5
So Roby is now 'crackin that whip' and doesn't want our boys to have time off for their families or a respite from that hellhole that is Iraq!
No, it's not that he doesn't "want our 'boys' to have time off for their families from that hellhole that is Iraq". They get time off already. What he doesn't want is a Congress doing a de facto cut in the number of troops available.
The bill would require that troops deployed for, say, six months, would get six months mandatory time at home. Since deployments are often for 10 months (Marines), that means units would be unavailable for deployment for 10 months. Meaning if another surge is required, or an immediate deployment elsewhere, there is a much-lessened list of units to draw from.
Since Congress has seen fit not to increase the troop levels, this is a transparent attempt to control how the Long War will be fought.
#6
What does Webb think the military has become - like oil workers on the platforms in the gulf? 28 days on and 28 off - free airfare home? Of course, we are over extended and the Marines are showing it with their 7 in 5 out. But if we had some friendly R&R bases nearby (Goa, Maldives, Seychelles, etc.) we could do that every 3 months for the grunts.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
09/17/2007 9:45 Comments ||
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#7
I don't suppose anyone's ever considered actually recruiting more troops.
Sure, it would take a while. That's why we should hurry.
#8
Frank G #4, by 'boot out' I'm suggesting a shocking mandated upset by the electorate of the Republican candidates to keep the office. I know "W" is a 'Lamed Duck', which makes his remaining decisions iron-clad in significance, and Gates can only 'piss in the wind' because of it!
#9
You must not be american, the phrase is "Lame Duck", not "Lamed Duck".
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
09/17/2007 15:22 Comments ||
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#10
Bush II is not actually a lame duck; he's merely finishing his second term in office. A lame duck is someone who has lost a bid for re-election; between the time he lost the election and the time he is scheduled to leave office, he is a lame duck. See, e.g., Carter & Bush I.
On a more personal note, Carter was a lame duck between the time he (Gott sei dank!) lost his reelection bid and the time Reagan took office. Ever since Reagan took office, Carter has been just lame. (Not that he wasn't before....)
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/17/2007 15:54 Comments ||
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#11
Jackal #7, You hit the nail right on the head, but remember; the last person in the ranks to seriously advise such a concept, was drummed out the Corps. Hmmm...General Shenseki!
#12
You mean the Webb amendment is not to enlarge the military to sufficient size to give the boys more time off?
Looks like I'm going to have to write my Senator again!
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/17/2007 16:53 Comments ||
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#13
remember; the last person in the ranks to seriously advise such a concept, was drummed out the Corps. Hmmm...General Shenseki!
1. Shineski was Army, not a Marine. hence no Corps to be 'drummed out' of.
2. His advice was for an increase of troops in Iraq, not an increase in the overall troop level of the Armed Forces. With everyone blathering how the 'general was right', I still hold reservations whether such an increase that early would have been effective and viable, given the war objectives at the time and the number of troops available. It might even have made matters worse.
#14
I thought troop levels were increasing. Slowly, but nonetheless. I seem to recall that recruitment, at least for the Army and Marines, has been above 100% of annually increasing targets, and retention has been higher than expected, too. There was a bit of a fuss in the media about lowered standards in order to mee the higher targets. Do I misremember?
#15
I agree the Army deployments are too long. Soldiers already get 2 weeks(?) individual leave at the 6 month point. Why not follow the Marine model and rotate units in every 7 months. The amount of travel will still be the same and there will be less stress on troops and families.
Posted by: ed ||
09/17/2007 23:33 Comments ||
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The CIA today employs more than 100 lawyers, the Pentagon 10,000. "Every weapon used by the U.S. military, and most of the targets they are used against, are vetted and cleared by lawyers in advance," Goldsmith notes. In this respect, the national security community resembles the larger society.
The audiotapes released last week of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed's interrogation remind us that we are faced with evil enemies and that getting information from them can save lives. Goldsmith, who withdrew his predecessor's interrogation opinions, nevertheless understands this and makes a strong case that our national security apparatus is overlawyered.
Most Americans seem to agree; an Investor's Business Daily poll shows that more than 60 percent of Americans -- and majorities of Democrats as well as Republicans -- favor wiretapping terrorist suspects without warrants, increased surveillance, retaining the Patriot Act and holding enemy combatants at Guantanamo. Unfortunately, the 30 percent or so who disagree are disproportionately represented in the legal profession and in the media.
The 1970s laws that have helped produce the overlawyering of this war were prompted by the misdeeds of one or two presidents. But they will hamper the efforts of our current president as well as his successors in responding to a threat that is likely to continue for many years to come.
#2
The overlawyering of the war can be attributed to the post-Vietnam leadership, both military and civilian. The former because they didn't want to be left holding the bag again for the politicians, and the latter because they were used to micromanaging war and because it was a 'safety feature'.
Advocate Atiq Ahmad Qadri, who was shot six times on Thursday in Landhi, died on Sunday. The fifty-year-old lawyer was attacked by two men in his house on the night of September 13. He was the second lawyer to be targeted in seven days.
His nephew, Imran Ahmad, said that the deceaseds condition had been critical from the very start and there was too much damage to expect he would recover. The doctors confirmed his death on Sunday and handed over the body to his relatives. His funeral prayers were held at Shahriya Mosque near his house in Landhi No. 4 and the burial took place at the Rehri Goth Graveyard. Qadri was a senior member of the Karachi Bar Association and has left behind four sons and two daughters.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2007 00:00 ||
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The local Taliban and the political administration in South Waziristan finalised an agreement on Sunday for the release of more than 250 soldiers held hostage since last month.
According to the agreement, the Taliban will release the abducted soldiers in phases, a private TV channel reported. Efforts for the safe release of the abducted soldiers have been underway for the last two weeks.
In return, the army will leave the area and the Frontier Constabulary (FC) will take responsibility for security.
In return, the army will leave the area and the Frontier Constabulary (FC) will take responsibility for security. The administration will also release the local Taliban who were arrested. Sources present during the talks with the local Taliban said that the abducted soldiers were kept in different locations, so they will be released phase wise starting on Monday. Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Major General Waheed Arshad told the TV channel that he has no information about the truce made between the political administration and the local Taliban.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
In return, the army will leave the area and the Frontier Constabulary (FC) will take responsibility for security. The administration will also release the local Taliban who were arrested.
A U.S.-initiated project that aims to reduce the dangers of nuclear proliferation and control radioactive waste gained support Sunday, as 11 more nations signed on with original members Russia, China, France and Japan. Under the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, a limited number of countries including the U.S. and Russia would provide uranium fuel to other nations for powering reactors to generate electricity, and then retrieve the fuel for reprocessing. This would deprive those nations of their own nuclear fuel enrichment programs, which can be used to make atomic arms.
Iran, North Korea and other proliferation dangers past and present have played a role in the U.S. concept -- and GNEP will also be discussed at a 144-nation International Atomic Energy Agency conference opening Monday.
One suggested solution to the controversy over Iran's program is for it to abandon its efforts to enrich uranium and just buy the necessary fuel from Russia. In Tehran Sunday, state television quoted Iranian Foreign Minister Mouchehr Mottaki as saying enriched uranium fuel is ready to be shipped from Russia to Iran's first nuclear power plant. But Russia's RIA-Novosti news agency quoted an unidentified Russian diplomat as saying that was not so.
It is fears that indigenous enrichment programs like Iran's could be misused for weapons that have led to attempts to create global fuel banks, guaranteeing supplies of energy-capable enriched uranium. Such plans could indirectly hasten the nuclear arms race, however, by encouraging countries to start or revive past programs before any global plan is in place.
Yup, might as well wring our hands and do nothing.
Already, Argentina and South Africa have said they plan to revive enrichment activities, while Australia plans to start from scratch. While no one suggests they want a weapons program, their examples could embolden other nations in less stable regions.
Additionally, critics of the initiative say resuming reprocessing -- or recycling spent fuel to gain new fuel, a process the U.S. abandoned in the 1970s over proliferation concerns -- can make it easier for terrorists or enemy states to obtain weapons-usable plutonium. And although the program envisions reprocessing through a technique where pure plutonium is not separated, that technology is commonly said to be decades away.
But senior U.S. officials played down concerns Sunday as they hosted a signing ceremony for the GNEP "Statement of Principles" -- a nonbinding document that basically expresses support for "the common vision of the necessity of the expansion of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes worldwide in a safe and secure manner."
Iran is "not something we have really thought about" at Sunday's Vienna meeting, said U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman. He denied suggestions that the project was meant in part to "identify some countries that are out to develop nuclear weapons" by casting the spotlight on nations that refused to join the plan and opted instead to develop their own enrichment program.
IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei praised the GNEP concept Sunday, saying it could "help the international community with some of the greatest international challenges we are facing -- which are development and security."
The 11 countries that signed for the first time Sunday were: Australia, Bulgaria, Ghana, Hungary, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Ukraine.
#2
Lest we fergit, FREEREPUBLIC Poster from long ago > WOT > True FINAL VICTOR = LAST -ISM STANDING in this GWOT may well be MARXISM,GOVERMENTISM, and ANTI-DEMOCRACY, regardless of whether the USA-West wins or loses.
The number of foreign fighters entering Iraq from Syria has decreased noticeably in recent months, corresponding to a similar decrease in suicide bombings and other attacks by the group al-Qaeda in Iraq, according to U.S. military and intelligence officials.
"There is an early indication of a trend," said Gen. David H. Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Iraq, in an interview. Border crossings from Syria that averaged 80 to 90 a month have fallen to "half or two-thirds of that over the last two or three months," Petraeus said.
An intelligence official said that "the Syrians do appear to be mounting a crackdown on some of the most hardened terrorists transiting through the country, particularly al-Qaeda-affiliated foreign fighters." The official, who was not authorized to speak on the record, said there is also evidence that the Syrians have been stopping return crossings by foreign fighters leaving Iraq.
Other administration officials, while confirming the decrease in border crossings, said they are not yet prepared to attribute it to Syrian action, instead citing increased U.S. operations against al-Qaeda inside Iraq and stepped-up cooperation by terrorist "source" countries, such as Saudi Arabia, in prohibiting travel to Damascus. U.S. intelligence has said Saudis form the biggest group of foreigners fighting with al-Qaeda in Iraq. Petraeus also said his command is uncertain of the reason for the decrease, adding that "we're watching it on the ground."
A National Intelligence Estimate last month attributed an apparent crackdown in Syria to that government's concern about the threat al-Qaeda posed to its own stability. The NIE also assessed that Syria had stepped up its support to non-al-Qaeda groups to bolster their influence -- and that of Damascus -- in Iraq. Several Iraqi Sunni extremist groups opposed to the United States and al-Qaeda in Iraq are present in Damascus.
The Bush administration has said that interference from Iran and Syria helped spark and continues to fuel much of the sectarian violence in Iraq. Iran is charged with training, arming and funding Shiite militias. The al-Qaeda in Iraq organization, which largely consists of Iraqi Sunnis, is said to be led by foreigners whose primary route into Iraq is through Syria. Syria is also believed by U.S. officials to be the primary route for foreign terrorists moving out of Iraq to return to their home countries in Arab countries, Europe and North Africa.
Iraq is currently occupied by Iran and the United States but the Persian state is the more dangerous, the spokesman of a leading insurgent group said in remarks aired Sunday. Ibrahim al-Shammari of the Islamic Army in Iraq told Al-Jazeera television that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government claims to be close to the Americans when in fact "the full loyalty is to Iran."
The Islamic Army in Iraq is among the best known insurgent groups in Iraq and consists many former members of Saddam Hussein's army and security agencies. In recent months, members of the group joined a revolt against al-Qaida in Iraq and blamed the terror organization for the killing of several of its cadres.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
IAI vs (Shiites, Kurds, Al-Qaeda, Iran, USA, and the Iraqi Govt)
Posted by: Boss Craising2882 ||
09/17/2007 1:15 Comments ||
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#2
TOPIX NEWS > GRAND JIHAD - MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD'S PLAN TO TAKE OVER THE USA. American SHARIA? > You just know "the World" and "Western Democracy", etc. is in there somewhere.
Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadrs political movement said on Sunday its defection was not aimed at toppling Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki despite having dealt another blow to Iraqs embattled premier. We have absolutely no intention of pushing Prime Minister Maliki out, Liwa Sumaysim, head of the political committee of the Sadr group, told AFP in the holy city of Najaf.
Sumaysim late Saturday announced at Sadrs headquarters in Najaf that the movement was withdrawing its 32 MPs from the United Iraqi Alliance (UIA), leaving Malikis coalition in control of only about half the seats in parliament. Our protest was about the attitude of the Shiite alliance in which they rejected our demands, he said.
Announcing the pullout, Sumaysim had complained of no positive response from the Shiite alliance. He did elaborate but other Sadr officials complained that Maliki had stopped consulting them over decisions and ordered an inquiry into the movements Mahdi Army militia, widely blamed for violence during a Shiite pilgrimage in the shrine city of Karbala last month that killed 52 people.
Abbas al-Bayati, a Turkmen Shiite lawmaker and member of the UIA, said the alliance would try to persuade the Sadr bloc to return. We will not neglect the Sadr movement and will keep open channels of dialogue with them to listen to them and understand the reasons for their withdrawal.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
That 'get out of Dodge' ticket al-Maliki has in his back pocket will be redeemed should the US pull out! He'll be the shadowy figure in the back seat of a Blackhawk that day! All al-Sadr has to do is play for time, and hope is Iranian buddies can recover from the upcoming operation "Clean Slate", next door that will level the scales again between the two states, such as what was attained during the Iran/Iraq war years ago!
#3
Detente Pappy...Detente! The US has plans that require total infrastructure collapse, regime change, and neutralization of the nuke program. No one is saying the Iranians won't throw a 'sucker punch' because of it, though. Where do you think al-Sadr will be when the fat hits the fan...Where was Sadam??
WASHINGTON (AP) - While "formidable challenges" remain in Iraq, President Bush said Saturday, the United States will start shifting more troops into support roles - in addition to the troop withdrawals announced last week.
In December, the United States will begin a new military phase in Iraq - one in which "our troops will shift over time from leading operations to partnering with Iraqi forces, and eventually to overwatching those forces," Bush said in his weekly radio address. Bush was following the recommendations of Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq.
In a televised speech Thursday, Bush announced he had approved Petraeus' plan to withdraw 5,700 troops from Iraq by the holidays and reduce the force from 20 combat brigades to 15 brigades by July 2008.
On Friday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates raised the possibility of cutting U.S. troop levels in Iraq to 100,000 or so by the end of next year - well beyond the cuts Bush announced in his speech Thursday. The defense secretary confirmed that he was referring to cutting from the projected level of 15 combat brigades in July to 10 brigades at the end of 2008, and that this would translate to roughly 100,000 troops.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/17/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
NO surprise here, but Amers should remember that AQ, etal is down but not out. In the absence of a de facto US-Iran conflict before 2008, US should expect a ST "lull/slow period" or so for AQ + Radical islam to unilater rebuild and re-arm, then attack again. Odds will favor AQ, etc iff no demo "regime change" of any sort occurs inside Iran, and Radical Iran stays Radical Iran for a long while yet.
#2
In meantime, US troops deserve a break whenever they can get it, so I agree wid Dubya to try and bring some units home while he can - good for the troops and good for national morale and Ratings. NO "REGIME CHANGE IN IRAN > troops will be back soon enuff to face the Spetzlamies.
#3
And this is different from Korea, where we still have troops 50 years later in a 'support role'. So, how about it, where's your withdraw plan for Korea, Donks? Or are you uncertain that some of that Hsu political drug money isn't coming from there? Don't want to dry up the money flow too quick.
Here's an idea for the Iraqi government. Listening Baghdad? You need to redirect some of the oil money or cook the books on the aid money to lobbyists and start contributing big sums of dinero into the Donks' campaign funds. That's the ticket. You out spend the Moveon types and you'll be in for a major surprise on how quickly the pimps pols can 'reassess' the situation. It's ugly, but true.
Israeli officials fear that terror groups are planning attacks against Israeli holidaymakers abroad, Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Monday.
An Israeli official told the newspaper that security officials believe terror groups plan to use a boat laden with explosives to sink an Israeli cruise ship in the Mediterranean. "We have warning about terror plans to carry out attacks abroad," the official said. "One scenario is an attack using a ship or a boat carrying explosives."
The official said that security would be boosted onboard Israeli cruise ships whose sailing lines would be altered. "There are various scenarios: booby-trapped boats, using boats to fire explosives at passenger ships and more. Over Sukkot many Israelis are leaving for cruises from Haifa and Ashdod and we have to ensure that these ships are well protected," the official added.
But officials at the counter-terrorism bureau said that global jihad terrorists were always planning attacks against Israelis abroad. "The intentions of members of the global jihad to attacks Israeli ships are well known. Over the last two years there were two attempts to target Israeli ships in Turkey. Al-Qaeda there has them in sights because they are packed with hundreds of Israeli tourists and are therefore an attractive target to attack," the officials said.
#1
And yet the source of the problem is left there to fester on the "west bank" and "Gaza". We have nobody to blame but ourselves for allowing this to continue.
The United States is giving cash-strapped Jordan an additional $78 million this year to boost its Arab ally's efforts to combat terrorism and compensate it for hosting hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees, the embassy said in a statement Sunday.
The money, which will be disbursed by Sept. 30, is in addition to $454 million in economic and military aid already appropriated this fiscal year for Jordan.
US President George W. Bush signed the supplemental appropriation into law on May 25 after the US Congress earlier approved the additional aid. Of the total, $10.3 million will go to Jordan's efforts to improve basic education and health services in communities that have experienced a significant influx of Iraqi citizens, the statement said.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Your tax dollars at work.
Next election, we will vote on whether we want to give more money to foreign countries.....NOT....
#2
Although Jordan has infuriated me with their shelter for Saddam's daughter & bank funds (which flowed to the Ba'athist insurgents), they also have quietly provided critical aid. That includes the quiet flow of military supplies through to Anbar province and, reportedly, overflight rights through their airspace at certain valuable moments.
Worth keeping in mind when you threaten to weaken the King's government by cutting off modest aid. Jordan is cash strapped in good part due to the rise in oil prices which they must pay. Would you rather they got their funds from the Saudis?
#4
yes, I know about the 'exiles' in Jordan and their funding.
Which is why I pay attention when people who've served in Anbar tell me how helpful Jordan has been. And why giving them aid which helps to strengthen the king vs. the 'exiles' (or shall I call them Palestinians?) is a reasonable investment IMO.
#5
The ancient hill region of what is now Jordan were once known for their rich copper mines, supplying King Solomon's construction needs. With the Asian boom, the price of copper has skyrocketed, and thieves are stealing it for scrap. Putting some of those Paleos to honest work might infuse some cash for an ally in the region.
The IDF has abandoned its official silence in a seven-year-old case that has been characterized as a "blood libel" against the IDF and the State of Israel.
On September 10, the deputy commander of the IDF's Spokesman's Office, Col. Shlomi Am-Shalom, submitted a letter to the France 2 television network's permanent correspondent in Israel, Charles Enderlin, regarding Enderlin's story from September 30, 2000, in which he televised 55 seconds of edited footage from the Netzarim junction in the central Gaza Strip purporting to show IDF forces shooting and killing 12-year-old Muhammad al-Dura.
After its exclusive broadcast that day, France 2 offered the edited film free of charge to all media outlets. The footage, and the story of the purported IDF killing of al-Dura, was quickly rebroadcast around the world. Within days, al-Dura became a symbol of the Palestinian war against Israel. His name has been repeatedly invoked by terrorists and their supporters as a justification for killing Israelis, Jews and their Western supporters.
In his letter, Am-Shalom asked for the entire unedited 27-minute film that was shot by France 2's Palestinian cameraman Talal Abu-Rahma that day, as well as the footage filmed by Abu-Rahma on October 1, 2000. Am-Shalom requested that the broadcast-quality films be sent to his office no later than September 15. France 2 has yet to hand over the requested film.
The IDF's move came against the backdrop of French media watchdog Philippe Karsenty's legal battle with France 2 regarding the network's coverage of the al-Dura affair.
Last year, France 2 and Enderlin sued Karsenty, who runs the Internet media watchdog Web site Media Ratings, for defamation for a letter he sent out in 2004 accusing France 2 of staging the al-Dura story. Karsenty also called for the resignations of Enderlin and of France 2's news director, Arlette Chabot, for their roles in promulgating the alleged hoax.
In October 2006 a French court decided in favor of France 2 and Enderlin, and against Karsenty. The court acknowledged that Karsenty had submitted significant evidence indicating that the event had been staged. Still, in ruling in favor of the plaintiffs, the judges said Karsenty's accusations lacked credibility because, it claimed, he had based his accusations on a single source.
The court also stressed that "no Israeli authority, neither the army - which is nonetheless most affected, nor the Justice [Ministry] has ever accorded the slightest credit to [Karsenty's] allegations" regarding the authenticity of the France 2 report.
In his letter to Enderlin, Am-Shalom disputes the judges' assertion. "It is my duty to note," he wrote, "[that their claim] does not correspond to repeated attempts made by the IDF to receive the filmed materials, and with the conclusions of the IDF's committee of inquiry [into the purported shooting] that were widely publicized in the international and French media."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Perhaps the most famous PallyWood Production Ever...
grrr...
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
09/17/2007 3:18 Comments ||
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#2
If France 2 isn't willing to cough this tape up that will be pretty damning in itself. What was their "reason" that they couldn't give the IDF the rest of the tape in the first place?
#4
Not Palliwood, Red. It's the highly civilized French who's edited the 27-minute film sent to them by a Paleo cameraman into a 55 second of what amounts to modern blood label---you can't beat experience.
#6
Btw, this is a big development, if Israel is willing to push the french Establishment into the ropes; the al dura affair is basically a war crime (this led to at least two direct deaths, and a wave of hatred that will stay for long), comitted by the Enlightened Elites, and I can't think for a second that yacoub ibn shirak, galouzeau "de villepin", the quai d'orsay's "rue arabe" (and its mouthpieces, from the AFP to the canard enchainé) and the usual suspects were not implicated at least at posteriori
#7
I'm not saying this was a straight conspiracy, rather a "run of the mill" pallywood, that was made into a "scoop" by enderlin (who was not present at the scene, but added the fact that the boy "died" from direct, aimed IDF fire), perhaps only because it fitted both his personal crusade and the tone of the french msm, and when it literally exploded as a story, the Establishment turned this into a propaganda missile against Israel (cf the very unusual fact of GIVING away the rights to this very coveted clip by the State-run F2).
"Funnily" enough, this backfired, because this clip was so inflamatory, that it was partly responsible for the steep increase of antisemite violence in France in the 2000-2002 years, and up to this day in a lesser degree, only 7% of which attributable to the far-right, according to the always well-informed RG police intelligence, the rest coming from Youts.
This led to PR over-reactions from the shirak gvt, during an hoax, notably,... since that particular France is *obsessed* by antisemitism, especially when it comes from the phantasmatic "far right", and by the "good jews" (the WWII victims) at home, all the while undermining the "bad jews" (israelis) and supporting the modern-day proponents of genocide, think about shirak's meeting with nasrallah.
#9
If they refuse to turn over the tape, then inform them that it makes them complicit in supporting terrorist actions against Israel. Declare France 2 a terrorist organization and announce military operations against the terrorists will begin immediately. Put a Hellfire through Enderlin's window and I'll wager the tape shows up right quick.
#10
As Charles Johnson (of LGF) said: I dont understand why they didnt do this right away, instead of waiting seven years. The damage caused by France 2s treachery has been immense.
GENEVA (KUNA) -- The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), told the Human Rights Council (HRC) Thursday that the report of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief called for stronger denunciation of violence by Muslim leaders in order to "de-link" Islam from terrorism.
Representing the OIC, Pakistani diplomat Marghoob Saleem Butthead said that there had been many such denunciations and a matching response had not been forthcoming. "The ever-growing incidents of religious intolerance and xenophobia in the west were taking the world far from its aim of religious and cultural harmony. And who better to speak about harmony than pakistain? The OIC condemned forced religious conversions by majority religious groups, attacks of places of worship, restriction on the display of religious symbols and erosion of rights of parents to ensure moral education for their children, " the diplomat added. The Bizarro world part is, I believe he's talking about the treatment of The Master Religion in the West, not how his co-religionists handle minorities and non-believers.
The representative of the OIC stressed that the Islamic countries deplored States that linked freedom of belief with freedom of expression and opinion in order to shrug off responsibility. "Unrestricted and disrespectful enjoyment of freedom of expression was contrary to the spirit of peaceful dialogue. Equating religions with extremist terrorism was dangerous and it was essential to de-link terrorist acts from the right to peacefully follow one's faith," the diplomat added. The representative of the OIC said efforts were needed to eliminate intolerance and discrimination, including through education and interfaith dialogue.
While the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Asma Jahangir, presenting her report, said that in some countries, believers belonging to religious minorities were not allowed to worship or conduct any religious activities without State approval or prior registration. "Furthermore, places of worship or religious properties had been attacked or otherwise subjected to restrictions, and also misused by non-State actors for illegitimate purposes," she added. Jahangir said that the freedom of pursuing one's religion or belief should be protected and respected. "On the other hand, the rights of individuals had also to be protected from being violated on the premise of religion or belief. The mandate had noted, time and again, that victims of religious intolerance belonged to all religions and beliefs. At the same time, the perpetrators were also not confined to one or a few identified religious or belief communities," she said. Jahangir added that freedom of religion or belief was a multifaceted human right. "States should devise pro-active strategies in order to prevent acts of intolerance and discrimination," she stressed. Meaning more undue favors and cultural surrendering, without any reciprocity, for muslims living in (for now) kufr lands, I take?
#3
The only way to delink Islam from terrorism is to delink Islam from the Koran and The Pepophile Mohammad.
Posted by: Titus Hayes ||
09/17/2007 13:15 Comments ||
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#4
Imagine the contortions they would go through if it was suggested that Muslims who advocate violence in the West should be stripped of all the luxuries of their religion.
That is, be prohibited from attending mosques by restraining order, no longer be able to have their demands heard by religious courts, could not wear veils or turbans in public, etc.
They would not even be able to register with any government organizations, or identify themselves to law officers as Muslims. Instead registered as "none" under religion, like an atheist.
Ironically, if carefully crafted, it could not even be said to legally violate freedom of religion, as that right can be denied for unlawful conduct.
#6
Someone needs to push a bullet into Marghoob's head. Distortions like this are tantamount to a crime against humanity. This is nothing but pure taqiyya.
Lebanon's parliament majority leader MP Saad Hariri called for resumption of all-party roundtable talks "immediately," and appealed to his rivals, telling them that if you want dialogue, don't just say it, do it. "Let's resume dialogue at once and not just settle for expressing a desire to start talks through the media, because the only way out of the crisis is through immediate dialogue," Hariri told a dinner banquet on Saturday. "Let's brush aside political, constitutional and media bickering and meet," Hariri told a dinner banquet on Saturday.
"Presidential elections should take place in accordance with the constitutional schedule," Hariri said. "Hampering the election process is a big crime against Lebanon. Anyone who seeks to hamper the elections doesn't want the good for Lebanon."
"A Presidential vacuum and threats of a second government are dangerous for everyone, not just for March 14," he stressed. "They pose a threat to Lebanon's unity and legitimacy and, consequently, (pose) a threat to all."
Addressing Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Hariri said: "Open the door today and you will see that we (March 14) will be the first to enter the dialogue room for a get-together (meeting)."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2007 00:00 ||
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Hezbollah has declared that Free Patriotic Movement leader General Michel Aoun is the only presidential candidate of the opposition, to replace Lebanon's president Emile Lahoud.
"The opposition's only presidential candidate is Gen. Michel Aoun, and no one else will run for the presidency from our ranks," said Ghaleb Abu Zainab, a member of Hezbollah's politburo. "Contacts exist between opposition forces, and its political maneuver is directed towards subsequently declaring a presidential candidate who is well-known," Zainab said in remarks published by the daily An Nahar on Sunday.
This is the first time Hezbollah declares Aoun as its candidate
Other pro-Syrian politicians such as Suleiman Franjieh , Wiam Wahab and Talal Arslan have declared Aoun as their candidate.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2007 00:00 ||
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Yesterday the Lebanese army and the Lebanese security forces were able to arrest the fugitive spokesman of Fatah al-Islam , a terrorist organization that was based in the Nahr el Bared Palestinian refugee camp. The army today released his picture and some details about him.
As a spokesman and media coordinator for Fatah al-Islam he used the name of Abu Salim Taha. His real name is Mohamed Saleh Zawawi a Syrian citizen of Palestinian origin who came to Lebanon from the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp near Damascus , Syria.
According to army sources the arrest of Zawawi could lead to the arrest of Shaker al Absi , the leader of Fatah al Islam who was able to escape. The majority alliance has accused Syria of creating, training and funding Fatah al-Islam. Shaker al-Absi , like Zawawi is also of Palestinian origin and like Zawawi he too came to Lebanon from Syria. Syria has denied any connections with Fatah al-Islam .
Update : 8 :00 PM Beirut time
This is how the army was able to find and arrest Zawawi. According to An Nahar newspaper the army received intelligence reports indicating that Fatah al-Islam fugitives were hiding at a deserted Palestinian base in the Tubul mountain overlooking the city of Tripoli. The army launched a lightning attack at dawn ( about 4 : AM ) yesterday and was able to find and arrest Zawawi along with 3 other key members of Fatah al Islam :
One Syrian - Omar Mohammad Othman , his title is Abu Al-Hareth
One Saudi - Salem Amer Salman , his title is Abu Said
One Tunisian
The Syrian and the Saudi are key members of Fatah al-Islam leadership council which is called 'the Legitimate body '. The ' legitimate body' elected Absi as the leader of Fatah al- Islam. The four fugitives were taken to Army Intelligence Center where they were roundly thumped initially interrogated. The interrogation revealed that Shaker al-Absi is still hiding in north Lebanon.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
He looks like Richard Reid's infintesimally more intelligent brother.
AL-Qaeda called on Islamists to sow terror in the West to create a climate of fear, in a third video marking the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US, which was posted on the internet today. Called "reasons and motives for the attacks on New York and Washington," the video features a montage of images of the burning World Trade Centre towers and scenes from Islamist training camps.
"We must take Islamist terrorism to Western countries so that it becomes a normal part of life like natural disasters," a voiceover says. "In that way, we will have acts of mass extermination in which people will feel that their affluence also brings death... and we will have created a balance of deterrence between us and them," the unidentified voice adds.
The new video also includes clips from old voice recordings of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and his Egyptian deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri, as well as a short video clip of Mustafa Abu Al-Yazid, also known as Sheikh Said, the group's commander in Afghanistan.
Al-Qaeda already released a videotape and an audiotape featuring bin Laden earlier this month to mark the sixth anniversary of the attacks that killed nearly 3000 people in the US. A third release had been trailed by al-Qaeda's media arm, As-Sahab. In the event the new video was issued in the name of al-Tanzem, prompting suggestions the network has launched a new media arm.
#1
This strikes me as unwise. Something like 70% of Germans now believe they are at risk for an Islamist terror attack, almost as high a percentage as Americans, if I recall correctly. Thus far the Islamists (if that's what they now call themselves) have been lucky almost all of their planned attacks have failed; had they succeeded, the atmosphere in Europe would be very different now. As it is, more and more non-Muslims are noticing exactly how unacceptable the Islamist ideas are, and most will not bother to make the differentiation between radicals and moderates that politicians are so fond of.
#3
And as more bombs go off in crowded areas, more leftist and innocent bystanders die, resulting in a more conservative approach to Islam. If anything, while destroying itself, Islam will destroy PC as well. Let's hope so.
#4
Radicals typically feel more threatened by moderates than by radicals on the other side. However, wouldn't it be hilarious if we could convince radical Muslims that the greatest threat to them comes from old hippy Moonbats?
#6
"We must take Islamist terrorism to Western countries so that it becomes a normal part of life like natural disasters," a voiceover says. "In that way, we will have acts of mass extermination in which people will feel that their affluence also brings death... and we will have created a balance of deterrence between us and them," the unidentified voice adds.
There will be a mass extermination all right. But the muslims will not emerge on the other side of it. Those "moderates" had better start to speak up soon and do so in defense of Israel, the United States and that handful of other countries where muslims are free to practice their religion in peace. If not, these sanctuaries will be closed to them and they will have to take there chances. I suspect there are quiet millions waiting for the straw that breaks the camel's back.
#7
Then us doing strikes on terrorists and killing them wherever they live, killing people supporting and financing them and killing anyone who helps them must be a normal part of life as well.
#8
"We must take Islamist terrorism to Western countries so that it becomes a normal part of life like natural disasters,"
If there is one single thing that will hasten the Muslim holocaust, this is it. Islam needs to make a 180º turn and make it damn soon. All signs indicate it will not and thateven confronted with total destructionit will absolutely refuse to do so.
We have already seen the folly of liberating Islamic tyrannies only to watch them immediately install shari'a law at the earliest opportunity. A new phase must be entered where we eradicate jihad's prime movers. Once Islam is freed from their influence and reform is still not forthcoming, that will be the signal to begin the wholesale destruction of all Muslim majority nations. The farce is over.
Islam has been successful because they've flown so low that some blind folks don't see a danger. This guy wants to ensure the Islamic world is recolonized and treated like the violent infants they are.
Al Qaeda is trying to expand through corporate-style takeovers of regional Islamic extremist groups, The Los Angeles Times reported on Sunday.
Citing unnamed US intelligence officials and counterterrorism experts, the newspaper said these moves indicated a shift in strategy by the terrorist group as it sought to broaden its reach and renew its ability to strike Western targets. Certainly we do see Al Qaeda trying to influence the broader movement and to control some of these affiliates in a more direct way, the paper quotes a senior counterterrorism official as saying.
Bruce Riedel, a senior CIA counterterrorism official until late last year, said Al Qaeda central stands to gain hundreds or even thousands of foot soldiers, many of whom carry European passports and do not require a visa to travel to the United States, The Times said. I think what we are seeing is the reconstitution of their capabilities to strike targets in Western Europe and ultimately North America on a scale identical or bigger than September 11, Riedel is quoted as saying. The report said Al Qaeda leaders - based in northwestern Pakistan - have rebuilt a network of field commanders that was largely decimated in the post-September 11 attacks on its bases in Afghanistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Hostile takeovers? Surely that's taking the business model a little too far.
Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Ladens deputy, has seized control of Al Qaeda and rebuilt the terror network into an organisation capable of launching complex terror attacks in Britain and America, the Sunday Telegraph reported on Sunday.
Osama has not chaired an Al Qaeda meeting in two years: The weekly quoted intelligence officials as saying that bin Laden has not chaired a meeting of Al Qaedas ruling shura, or council, in more than two years. Instead, Zawahiri, bin Ladens nominal number two, is credited with rebuilding the terror network since the Afghan war in 2001.
Intelligence sources in Washington have revealed that Western spy chiefs were recently forced to revise dramatically their view that Al Qaeda was so depleted that it was little more than a cheerleader for extremists. Instead, British and American intelligence agencies believe that a network of terrorist cells, funded, controlled and supported by Al Qaedas central command, based in the lawless tribal areas of Pakistan, is in place again. Zawahiris task has been made easier because not a single prominent Al Qaeda leader has been captured since March 2006, nearly 18 months ago.
Osama brandname, Zawahiri grand strategist: Bruce Hoffman, a member of the US Military Academys Combating Terrorism Centre, said, Bin Laden is the brand name but al-Zawahiri is the grand strategist. He has taken control of Al Qaeda. Despite the new video [released this month], bin Laden has ceased to be a major force in decision-making and propaganda effort.
A window on the changing outlook on Al Qaeda came in July when a US government National Intelligence Estimate concluded that the organisation had regrouped. Prof Hoffman said: The idea that they were just a franchise for ideology was simply not true. While we were saying that Al Qaeda had been diminished and degraded, it was just wishful thinking.
What forced the re-evaluation was the plot last August to blow up 10 aircraft en route from Britain to the US. That sent shock waves through the intelligence agencies of both countries, said Prof Hoffman. It was incontrovertible evidence that Al Qaeda was back, and that it was prepared to go after hard targets.
Zawahiri promoting new generation of leaders: A former British intelligence officer said that Al Qaeda under Zawahiris direction had promoted a new generation of leaders to the highest echelons of the shura, a group of about 20 to 30 leaders who govern operations, finance and religious fatwahs. The guys on the subs bench are now in the first XI, he said. They have stopped using mobile phones to talk to each other, which has made it more difficult to find them.
Zawahiri quadruples number of propaganda videos: The daily says that Zawahiri - who has quadrupled the number of videos produced each year to more than 60 - is credited with stepping up the propaganda effort. Adam Raisman, an analyst with the Search for International Terrorist Entities institute, which intercepts jihadi broadcasts, said: The releases are getting more elaborate both in content and delivery. The old grainy video has been replaced by high-definition, near DVD-quality video. They are now issuing them in formats for cell phones. Michael Scheuer, the head of the CIAs bin Laden unit between 1996 and 1999, warned that officials who have concluded that there is no overt threat in bin Ladens new message may be making a dangerous miscalculation.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Article tells me that Osama is physically incapacitated albeit alive - What needs to be done/eval now is the role of Zawi versus Osama's younger [male?] heirs within AQ.
#3
It doesn't MATTER!! They are both wanted 'Dead Or Alive' by "W", they are communicating by carrier pigeons and 'walkers', and no matter how far away from each other's rock they are, Actionable Intelligence will bring justice to them before they are brought to Justice. With positive proof of location, I believe "W" would dispatch either, whether surrounded by one or ten thousand men!
#4
smn, I am not sure that we would really be too keen to gather decomposing OBL.
I think that the "dead or alive" does not literaly mean that if he's dead, anyone wants him in that form. Say your ex-GF says "I want you dead!" I doubt it can be construed in any form that she wants you at her side after you die. ;-)
Posted by: Captain Lewis ||
09/17/2007 5:35 Comments ||
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#7
He's got that Harry Potter scar thing, heh.?
Cap'n, yew referring to Zawahiri's head-bangin' callus? For +99.99...% of this world's Muslims it's thene plus ultra in extreme devotion and piousness. Many definitions of this physiological feature include the specific word, "stigma".
In the real [cough] my world it will become a preferred aiming point.
Psycho Sidebar: Please think about it. A huge number of us have known, worked with or met thousands of Muslims in our lives. I qualify in all three categories.
My hatred of Saddam was so great that back in the early 1990'swhile talking with some "Persian" (later revealed to be Iranian) men I met at a bus stopmy references to the straits of Basra made them ask me if I worked for the State Department.
As with a lot of you, it's taken me a while to adjust to Islam's threat. While I hadn't really looked for such an outward physical sign, neither had I seen it very often. The point is: How many of you have met Muslims who had prominent calluses on their foreheads? I'm a fairly observant person and yet really had not witnessed this phenomenon at all. Has anyone out there known a lot of Muslims with this particular wear spot?
In closing, I'm obliged to think that these zealots scrub their noggins into the ground whilst kneeling so as to obtain this particular facial feature. Sorta like tatts for bikers, including all the gangster-related similarities you can joke about.
I guess that's our new term for the day:
Forehead Callus = Muslim Tattoo: As in "He's got that Muslim Tattoo."
#10
Twobyfour#4, the humiliation of being wanted "Dead or Alive" as required back in the ole west meant that even if the wanted had died or been killed, his body was required to be brought back to 'Authorities' for 'inspection'. This thought I'm sure is what haunts Osama, knowing that his teeth will someday be on display in the US, for all to gawk at!
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.
The Swedish media rallied on Sunday behind a cartoonist who drew a blasphemous cartoon of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him), which earned him death threats from Al Qaeda in Iraq, as Swedish companies braced for a backlash.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Sunday he would recommend a veto of a Senate proposal that would give troops more rest between deployments in Iraq, branding it a dangerous "backdoor way" to draw down forces.
Advocate Atiq Ahmad Qadri, who was shot six times on Thursday in Landhi, died on Sunday. The fifty-year-old lawyer was attacked by two men in his house on the night of September 13. He was the second lawyer to be targeted in seven days.
The local Taliban and the political administration in South Waziristan finalised an agreement on Sunday for the release of more than 250 soldiers held hostage since last month.
Iraq is currently occupied by Iran and the United States but the Persian state is the more dangerous, the spokesman of a leading insurgent group said in remarks aired Sunday. Ibrahim al-Shammari of the Islamic Army in Iraq told Al-Jazeera television that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government claims to be close to the Americans when in fact "the full loyalty is to Iran." 
Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadrs political movement said on Sunday its defection was not aimed at toppling Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki despite having dealt another blow to Iraqs embattled premier. We have absolutely no intention of pushing Prime Minister Maliki out, Liwa Sumaysim, head of the political committee of the Sadr group, told AFP in the holy city of Najaf.
The United States is giving cash-strapped Jordan an additional $78 million this year to boost its Arab ally's efforts to combat terrorism and compensate it for hosting hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees, the embassy said in a statement Sunday. 
Lebanon's parliament majority leader MP Saad Hariri called for resumption of all-party roundtable talks "immediately," and appealed to his rivals, telling them that if you want dialogue, don't just say it, do it. "Let's resume dialogue at once and not just settle for expressing a desire to start talks through the media, because the only way out of the crisis is through immediate dialogue," Hariri told a dinner banquet on Saturday. "Let's brush aside political, constitutional and media bickering and meet," Hariri told a dinner banquet on Saturday.
Yesterday the Lebanese army and the Lebanese security forces were able to arrest the fugitive spokesman of Fatah al-Islam , a terrorist organization that was based in the Nahr el Bared Palestinian refugee camp. The army today released his picture and some details about him.
AL-Qaeda called on Islamists to sow terror in the West to create a climate of fear, in a third video marking the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US, which was posted on the internet today. Called "reasons and motives for the attacks on New York and Washington," the video features a montage of images of the burning World Trade Centre towers and scenes from Islamist training camps.
Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Ladens deputy, has seized control of Al Qaeda and rebuilt the terror network into an organisation capable of launching complex terror attacks in Britain and America, the Sunday Telegraph reported on Sunday.
