#1
Security has sharply deteriorated in Afghanistan since late 2004 when many US troops were evacuated to Iraq. A resurgent Taliban have made deadly strikes on government facilities including schools, and on foreign troops. The nearly daily attacks, which began in the southern provinces along the country's border with Pakistan, have spread to the east.
And it seems the Karzi government is not doing enough for the people in the hinterlands, where the drug trade flourishes under the Taliban. So I guess this is a quagmire, too, as the folks will increasingly support the Taliban - they know how to control things!
Posted by: Bobby ||
06/27/2007 7:33 Comments ||
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Violence has been escalating in the capital [of Somalia], where insurgents are launching attacks almost daily on government officials, the Ethiopian troops backing them and African Union peacekepers trying to stop the fighting. The Somali government has responded by detaining elders from opposition clans in a bid to force them to back the authorities.
Ah, hostage-taking.
But during a visit to Washington by Ali Mohamed Gedi, the prime minister of the Somalia Transitional Federal Government (TFG), US officials relayed their concerns that such arrests were hampering the reconciliation process.
US officials don't understand the concept of hostage-taking.
"We underscored the importance of political accomodation with key Somalia stakeholders," said a US State Department statement issued after a meeting with Gedi Monday. "We also expressed our concern that recent arrests and detentions of prominent citizens and respected non-governmental organizations in Mogadishu undermine efforts for a national dialogue and political reconciliation, including the general amnesty issued by President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed," it added.
Gedi was also urged to ensure "the immediate release of individuals currently in detention consistent with the terms of the amnesty, and prevent further harassment of the opposition and the press".
Earlier this month, a United Nations-backed peace conference was postponed for the third time due to a lack of funds and insurgent threats. It is now scheduled to take place on July 15.
#1
It might be better to keep the State Department out of what is going on in Somalia for the forseable future. Their presence is every bit as useful as a grand piano on a canoe trip.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
06/27/2007 0:37 Comments ||
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#2
The State Dept is useless and is unreformed. Dr Rice has failed to live up to expectations.
A suspected bomb blast killed five women outside a busy market in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Tuesday, witnesses said. Residents said an explosive device was apparently detonated by the burning of garbage in the citys central Howlwadag area. Five died, I could not count the wounded. They were all women who were cleaning the streets, said Hawa Ibrahim, a cleaner who witnessed the blast. We will stop the clean-up exercise. No one is willing to die for cleaning the street.
Businesswoman Hawa Jama described an ugly scene.
I could not count the dead, I just glanced at once and ran away for my life, she told Reuters.
The latest blast came after heavy clashes overnight in the north and south of the city between suspected Islamist fighters, police and Ethiopian troops. A senior policeman in the north said assailants armed with machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and artillery mounted on trucks attacked police in Horuwa, an Islamist stronghold.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/27/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Islamic Courts
A man formerly held in the U.S. detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was killed Wednesday in a shootout with security agents in a restive North Caucasus republic, Russia's top security agency said.
Ruslan Odizhev was killed amid gunfire that erupted when agents tried to arrest him and another man in Kabardino-Balkariya, a region near Chechnya that is plagued by violence linked both to crime and to religious tensions, the Federal Security Service said in a brief statement.
The service, known by its Russian acronym FSB, said Odizhev had been held at Guantanamo Bay and was believed to have been a supporter of the Taliban. Odizhev was one of seven Russians released from the detention facility in 2004; his whereabouts recently had been unknown.
The FSB did not specify why agents were trying to detain him, but said he was a suspect in the 1999 bombings of apartment buildings in Moscow and Volgodonsk and that he took part in a 2005 insurgent attack on police and government facilities in Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkariya.
That attack left 139 people dead, including 94 militants. Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev, who was killed in 2006, claimed credit for planning the attack.
The FSB said Odizhev was the "spiritual leader" of Yarmuk, an Islamic extremist organization connected to an array of violence in the region.
The office of the republic's top prosecutor, Oleg Zharikov, said Odizhev was killed in Nalchik and that three homemade explosive devices were found on his body. It said he and a rebel named Anzor Tengizov were cornered by agents in the courtyard of an apartment building across the street from a mosque in the central part of the city.
Odizhev and six other Russians who had been detained in Afghanistan were released from Guantanamo in 2004 after investigators said they found no evidence of their involvement with the Taliban. Several were briefly jailed after returning to Russia.
In March, Human Rights Watch charged that the seven had been tortured or harassed and abused by Russian law enforcement agents since their return.
One of them, Rasul Kudayev, is in custody in Nalchik on charges of participating in the 2005 attack. His mother told The Associated Press this spring that he had been repeatedly beaten.
Two others, Ravil Gumarov and Timur Ishmuratov, were sentenced last year to prison terms of 13 and 11 years for blowing up a natural gas pipeline even though they had been acquitted of the charges in an earlier trial.
#2
Or we could simply combine the two approaches: catch and then release into the line of fire of a firing squad.
Posted by: Jonathan ||
06/27/2007 15:30 Comments ||
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#3
Bad Boys, Bad Boys, whatcha gonna do?
Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?
Die like rats, What your'e supposed to do.
That's what you do when they come for you.
Bad Boys, Bad Boys , deaders too.
That's what you do when they come for youuuuuu.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/27/2007 17:13 Comments ||
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At least five people have been placed in isolation and parts of the Surfers Paradise evacuated after a suspicious white powder was found in an envelope today.
A man delivered the envelope to the woman it was addressed to at a Surfers Paradise restaurant around 2pm (AEST) after picking it up from the local post office. "It was opened and found to contain a small amount of white powder,'' a police spokesman said.
Iocaine powder!
The couple then went to the local police beat (shopfront) to report the finding. "As a result, police have cordoned off a number of areas that she either walked through or had contact with, and a number of people who she had direct contact with have also been separated to be examined further,'' he said.
The couple, along with three police officers who were in the police beat at the time, have been isolated and are undergoing health checks. The Ten Network said at least one woman was suffering ill-effects from the powder.
The police spokesman said the eastern end of the Paradise Centre, the police beat and the post office had been evacuated. A Queensland Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said "very little'' would be known about the substance until it was scientifically tested. "We treat it as a very valid emergency until otherwise determined,'' he said.
Roads around the area have been closed off, causing peak hour traffic chaos.
Posted by: Oztralian ||
06/27/2007 06:53 ||
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Top|| File under: Global Jihad
CHARSADDA: An explosion on Tuesday destroyed the Singeet Nigar CDs Centre and partially damaged dozens of nearby shops in the Shabqadar area of Charsadda district, police said. According to Charsadda police, the locally made bomb weighed two kilograms. Charsadda District Police Officer Feroz Shah visited the bomb scene and directed investigators to expose those behind the blast. Earlier, CD shops in the Shabqadar area received anonymous letters asking their owners to shut down their businesses. The letters stated that the business was un-Islamic. The blast was the first one since the letters were received. Police have registered a case against unidentified persons and started an investigation. Agencies add: The bomb exploded at 4am, completely obliterating two shops and partially destroying 10 others. There were no casualties.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/27/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Taliban
#1
They could have been illegal copies, in which case I'd investigate the RIAA.
Posted by: Gary and the Samoyeds ||
06/27/2007 20:15 Comments ||
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#2
The bombing is just a cheap rip off of a Chicago White Sox promotion from the 80's.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
06/27/2007 22:18 Comments ||
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MIRANSHAH: A rocket landed 200 metres away from the runway of a military base in North Waziristan late on Monday night, officials said, adding that it landed on the western side of the base and didnt cause any damage. The political administration has booked four people under the FCR for the attack, officials told Daily Times.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/27/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Taliban
LANDI KOTAL: An explosion shattered the windowpanes of a Combined Military Hospital (CMH) here on Tuesday. The explosion occurred outside the colony of the political administration. No loss of life and property was reported. Security in the area was tightened after the incident.
"Hello, Chaudry? Got me a proctologist up here right away! [KABOOM!]... Sorry. Cancel that."
Posted by: Fred ||
06/27/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Taliban
Local Taliban militants and tribal elders have reached a unique verbal agreement under which the former will respect the tribal code of life in Mohmand Agency and not interfere in local customs, officials and tribal sources said on Tuesday. This is the first time the Taliban have agreed not to interfere in the tribal code of life since they emerged as a force after the ouster of Mullah Omars government in Afghanistan in 2001. Two groups of Taliban agreed to a demand from elders of the Haleemzai and Saafi tribes that they would not interfere in tribal affairs, the sources told Daily Times.
A nine-member jirga of the two major tribes reached the verbal agreement with the Taliban on June 15, days after tension between the Taliban and local tribal elders rose amidst fear the militants were interfering in tribal customs,
According to tribal elders, Amir Gul, a resident of Mian Mandi, had a feud with blood relatives who were close to the Taliban and they ordered him to settle his dispute with his relatives according to their wishes. Under the tribal code, a dispute between two persons has to be decided by local elders and no individual or group can dictate terms to one side or the other to settle the dispute. The ultimatum from the Taliban for Amir Gul was seized as a threat to tribal traditions and the Haleemzai and Saafi tribes met on June 14 in Ghazi Beg to take up the issue with the Taliban.
It was not clear what concessions the two tribes gave to the Taliban in return for their commitment to respect tribal traditions. Tribal elder Muhammad Ali Haleemzai was instrumental in the verbal agreement with the Taliban. We followed a live-and-let-live policy, he told Daily Times by phone from Shabqadar in Charsadda district. The Taliban leaders told us at the jirga it was a misunderstanding as they are concerned with jihad only and do not mean to interfere in local traditions, he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/27/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Taliban
#1
The Taliban leaders told us at the jirga it was a misunderstanding as they are concerned with jihad only and do not mean to interfere in local traditions
Bwahaha! Good to know westerners aren't the only suckers in this drama. How many seconds do you suppose this "verbal agreement" would survive after the coaliton leaves?
In blow to Bush, commanders say security forces are unable to hold ground
BAGHDAD - American military commanders now seriously doubt that Iraqi security forces will be able to hold the ground that U.S. troops are fighting to clear gloomy predictions that strike at the heart of Washington's key strategy to turn the tide in Iraq.
Several senior American officers have warned in recent days that Iraqi soldiers and police are still incapable of maintaining security on their own in the most crucial areas, including Baghdad and the recently reclaimed districts around Baqouba to the north.
Iraqi units are supposed to be moving into position to take the baton from the Pentagon. This was the backbone of the plan President Bush announced in January when he ordered five more U.S. brigades, or about 30,000 soldiers, to Iraq. The goal is to reduce the violence to a level where the Iraqis can cope so that Americans can begin to go home.
But that outcome is looking ever more elusive. The fear is that U.S. troops will pay for territory with their lives only to have Iraqi forces lose control once the Americans move on.
Unless Iraqis can step up, the United States will face tough choices in months ahead as pressure mounts in the Democratic-controlled Congress to draw down the nearly 160,000-strong U.S. force.
Iraqi forces may be able to handle security in the Kurdish north and parts of the Shiite south. But that would face huge challenges in Baghdad and surrounding provinces where Sunni insurgents are deeply entrenched. The Americans then would face the dilemma of maintaining substantial forces in Iraq for years perhaps a politically untenable option or risk the turmoil spreading to other parts of the Middle East.
"The challenge now is: How do you hold onto the terrain you've cleared?" said Brig. Gen. Mick Bednarek, the operations chief of the current offensive in Baqouba, where Sunni insurgents have taken root in recent months. He said this week that U.S. forces have control of much of Baqouba.
"You have to do that shoulder-to-shoulder with Iraqi security forces. And they're not quite up to the job yet," Bednarek said. 'We can't stay here forever'
To the south, Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch says he's mapped out plans to stem the flow of roadside bombs into Baghdad from the outskirts of the capital.
But the key, again, is whether Iraqis can do their part.
"The issue is we can't stay here forever and there's got to be a persistent presence and that's got to be Iraqi security forces," Lynch said. "And that's always our biggest concern."
Lynch said there were large portions of his area "where there are no Iraqi security forces at all" and so "the enemy fills the void."
All that sounds quite different from the assurances Bush gave in January that Iraqi forces would succeed this time when he announced the U.S. buildup.
"In earlier operations, Iraqi and American forces cleared many neighborhoods of terrorists and insurgents, but when our forces moved on to other targets, the killers returned," Bush said. "This time, we'll have the force levels we need to hold the areas that have been cleared."
#3
thanks mojo,
I noticed that too [PMSMBC]. Seems a little premature to condemn the entire "Surge" before it is over, even recognizing that some parts/units of the Iraqi Armed Forces and police have problems while some units perform quite well.
#4
This is more about fulfilling Harry Reid's prophecy.
Posted by: Bobby ||
06/27/2007 13:37 Comments ||
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#5
As I said before, the Diyala IA forces are the least of the IA, which almost goes without saying, because otherwise there wouldn't be a problem in Diyala.
All the other IA were mediocre at best until they had spent considerable time being reordered by US Army and Marines. Now they are doing quite well, thank you.
So we should expect that there will now be intense training, equipping, more training, evaluation, practice, and more training, until the Diyala and Baghdad area IA are up to snuff.
#6
While #5's opst is about the what SHOULD be, I look for some 'realignment' within the top brass. perhaps someone who's rose colored glasses have the same prescription as W's.
too late for carpet bombing, and all the testosterone has left the building.....
Scroll down into the comments to about Posted by Max | June 27, 2007 12:27 AM and read from there -- rather, just read all the comments. Good info on this topic. Seems, some generals disagree with other generals. And, it depends on where the Iraqi forces are! Dud...
#8
To some degree Iraqi forces won't lose ground back to Al Quaeda - they'll sell it back to them. When capitalism and corruption meet, the progeny can be ugly.
#9
There's some interesting spin going on recently. The 'surge' really is just STARTING. It took until a week or two ago to get the full complement of troops and equipment in theater.
#10
USN, Ret: I wouldn't be too pessimistic. Compare the Diyala IA with a green crew on a shakedown cruise, where to the old hands it looks like a total cluster drill while the ship is falling apart around them.
But in this case, the old crew is on its third or fourth shakedown with green crews, so they expect it to look like a mess, and know how to get things ship shape with all due speed.
(Ground pounders should not try to use naval analogies. I bet your teeth clenched at least once reading the above.)
#11
Charge! Flank Speed and don't fire till you see the whites! Darn those torpedoes, they're s0000 cute, scalp 'em! Then bury the torpedo in a pigskin and drop 'em over Mekka! Wit a MOAB!
#12
I wouldn't compare the Iraqis to the Koreans or Vietnamese; entirely different cultures and standards when it comes to martial prowess. Plus, as others mentioned, proficiency often depends on region and local commanders, tribal and otherwise. Sad but true. We can only do so much. Some IA units will be inherently better than others. Training a competent non-corrupt professional military organization will take years. It's gonna take years just to re-program their NCOs and Officers.
As operations north of Baghdad in Baqubah and south in Babil province have taken center stage, the third theater in eastern Anbar province has received little attention in the reporting from Iraq. The reporting has been so sparse that the name of Multinational Forces West's operation has yet to be released. In an interview with Brigadier General Charles M. Gurganus, commanding general of Ground Combat Element, Multi-National Force-West, The Fourth Rail has learned the name of the operation is Fahrad Al Amin, or Operation Safety and Security.
As we noted at the opening of Operation Phantom Thunder, the focus of combat operations in eastern Anbar province includes Fallujah, the Karma region, and the desert expanse of the Thar Thar region. Brig Gen Gurganus confirmed this, however he noted that Multinational Forces West did not expect to meet serious opposition in any of the three areas of focus. "I could only hope that they would stand and fight," said Brig Gen Gurganus. "We should be so lucky because that is our strength."
The purpose of Fahrad Al Amin is to "make sure al Qaeda and the insurgents have no safe sanctuary where they can rest, refit, stage, and plan for attacks," said Brig Gen Gurganus. "We want to keep any of ones we have in Al Anbar from getting to and being able to join the fight in Baghdad."
Regimental Combat Team - 6 is conducting the bulk of operations in Fallujah, where Coalition and Iraqi forces are working to establish police stations and neighborhood watches in each of the 11 districts in the city.
The 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit [13th MEU], which just arrived in eastern Anbar province, is conducting operations up to the Thar Thar region. The Marines and Iraqi troops operating in the Thar Thar area are "starting to establish a relative freedom of movement up to and through the Thar Thar region." The arrival of the 13th MEU as part of the surge "gives us an opportunity to go into areas where previously we quite frankly we couldn't stretch that far and maintain a permanent presence."
The Marines operating in Thar Thar "haven't seen a lot of accurate attacks yet." They have mainly encountered indirect fire attacks and took some casualties from enemy IEDs. When asked if he expected a major battle in Thar Thar, Brig Gen Gurganus said no. "I don't expect it, I expect to continue to find IEDs, indirect attacks, they'll pop up and fire a few rounds and take off. I really do think they will look for a seam to try to squeeze out and go where there is not a Coalition force presence," the general admitted.
Brig Gen Gurganus expressed confidence in the ability of Iraqi troops and police to secure the regions in his area of operations. On June 24, Brig Gen Mick Bednarek, the general in charge of the offensive in the north, and Maj Gen Rick Lynch, the commander in the south, expressed doubts about the ability of the Iraqi Army to hold the regions after they were cleared by U.S. forces.
"In our areas we probably have sufficient forces if they are not drawn off to be used in other parts of Iraq," said Brig Gen Gurganus. "Our strength in numbers will be sufficient to leave a presence." The Iraqi Army in the region is now manned well of 80 percent -- close to 90 percent in the 1st Iraqi Army Division. As late as last year, units were at as low as 39 percent. Brig Gen Gurganus attributed the surge in recruiting to the Anbar Awakening and other tribes that now oppose al Qaeda's attempt to subjugate the Iraqi people.
But the ability of the Iraqi Army and police to conduct complex counterinsurgency operations remains. "I don't worry about numbers as much as capabilities to fight a counterinsurgency," he noted. It is difficult to "raise an army as it fights at the same time."
Brig Gen Gurganus stated that despite these concerns he is very comfortable in integrating the Iraqi security forces into Multinational Forces West's operations. He noted the interaction between the Iraqi Army and police and Coalition forces in Ramadi and Fallujah have been "success stories" that he expects will be repeated throughout Anbar.
Success on both the security and political fronts In Anbar has allowed for some optimism in the province, which was written off as lost just last fall. "While I'm always guarded, I'm extremely cautiously optimistic that we've turned a significant corner in the fight out here in Anbar," said Brig Gen Gurganus.
#1
Thanks Mr. Roggio, I wish your reporting was on page 1 or 2 in every newspaper across this country. Finally some real journalism w/out the spin and other muck the MSM delves out. Nice to have some actual substance and facts.
#2
This is actually an incredibly important development. It means that we have not only enough personnel in theater to oppress the bad guyz everywhere they are, but enough forces to set up blocking positions where they aren't.
This changes the complexion of a fight from a series of battles to an annihilation campaign. It is a final act to eliminate the enemies mobility, because once denied, they are boned.
My one concern is whether or not we are leaving them an escape route into Iran. This would only be done if there is so much terrain it could not be policed; but it is preferable that they are exterminated, as a military axiom.
At least five people were killed when Shiite militiamen ambushed an Iraqi army patrol on Tuesday in the central city of Diwaniyah, as United States President Bush reaffirmed US support for Iraq following Mondays suicide bombing.
Two women were among the dead and another 14 people were wounded in Diwaniyah, according to a security official. The fighting began when gunmen opened fire on the patrol in the northern part of the predominantly Shiite city, setting a Humvee alight. Explosions and gunfire spread across neighbouring areas. Two police cars have been burned and ambulances cannot reach the area, a police official said shortly after the fighting began. He later added that five houses and 15 civilian vehicles had been destroyed. After a few hours the fighting calmed down and ambulances were allowed in to evacuate the wounded.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/27/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Mahdi Army
U.S. Paratroopers targeted an insurgent stronghold nicknamed Hawaii outside of Mahmudiyah June 23.
The paratroopers from Company C, 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (BCT) (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division conducted Operation Peregrine II and captured five members of an insurgent cell in north Babil.
The operation was a nighttime air assault to capture several (individuals) that we believe are directly responsible for attacks in our area, including the bombing of a bridge that took the lives of three of our fellow soldiers, said U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Karl Zaglauer of Company C. This was actually the third raid we have conducted in response to the bridge attack.
The paratroopers trained and rehearsed for three days in preparation for the mission.
Prior to take off we learned that the main target had moved locations, Zaglauer said. So we came up with a hasty plan, and our guys executed it flawlessly.
Though the paratroopers executed the plan without mistakes, some solutions were improvised during the raid.
It was difficult. This was our first air assault, and at the last minute there was a change, but we were flexible and stuck to the basics, said U.S. Army 1st Lt. Nathaniel Bretz, a platoon leader with Company C.
U.S. Army Master Sgt. Mark Powell, a military policeman with the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division provides security while other paratroopers search inside a house for insurgents and weapons during Operation Peregrine II outside Mahmudiyah, Iraq, June 23, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Johnnie French
According to Bretz, several factors added to the difficulty of the operation, including the sheer number of houses nearby the target.
Everything was a little more built up than we expected, he said. But, we were able to clear the objective and take five insurgents off of the street.
We like conducting these types of operations because it gives you the element of surprise, said U.S. Army Capt. Stew Lindsay, commander of Company C.
In all, 19 suspected members of the improvised explosive device cell have been detained. Company A, 2nd Battalion, 69th Armored Regiment, attached to 377th Parachute Field Artillery Regiment, 4th BCT, (ABN), 25th ID, detained 14 insurgents Sunday while conducting a raid south of Baghdad alongside the Iraqi Army.
#1
Improvisation, initiative, action oriented plan. That is why you strategize as Generals, train them up as Colonels, give them tactics as Majors and Captains, lead them as Louies and execute as Msgt and Sgt Majors. I don't see anywhere in this orderly, reasoned hierarchy a Senator or two.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
06/27/2007 13:37 Comments ||
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#2
Jack,
"a Senator or two"
Mine clearing? Iranian style.
A Palestinian man was killed on Tuesday as Israeli soldiers raided the home of a militant from the Islamic Jihad group in the occupied West Bank, a Palestinian security official said. An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed that soldiers were operating in the area of the Jenin refugee camp.
Witnesses said troops surrounded the home of a wanted Palestinian militant in the camp, and that a relative of the wanted man was killed in an exchange of fire between the soldiers and gunmen hiding inside the house. Israel frequently raids Palestinian towns to arrest wanted militants it accuses of involvement in plotting or carrying out attacks against the Jewish state.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/27/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Islamic Jihad
Even as Israelis absorb the news out of Sharm El-Sheikh of the release of hundreds of convicted terrorists, western Negev communities continue to absorb Kassam rocket attacks from the Palestinian Authority in Gaza. Three rockets targeting Jewish towns landed over the course of the last 24 hours.
Arab terrorists in Gaza fired two rockets at the city of Sderot and environs Tuesday morning. One of the PA rockets slammed into the yard of a yeshiva in Sderot and damaged a nearby building. The second rocket hit an open field in Kibbutz Nir Am, adjacent to the city. No injuries were reported from either impact zone.
Late on Monday afternoon, as well, Gaza terrorists fired a rocket towards the southern city of Ashkelon. The rocket hit an unpopulated area within the area of the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council. No injuries were reported.
#2
But these rockets are how the poor Palestinians protect themselves from the evil Joooo bombardment of their innocent rocket launchers and their kin.
Posted by: Bobby ||
06/27/2007 7:14 Comments ||
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#3
Its their "resistance" man, you gotta have the "resistance" or life in Paleswine is meaningless.
#4
i rather doubt that israel will go extinct from rockets fired into open fields. Or artillery shells that fall on the Gaza side of the "border". Especially as long as Israel continued to respond with effective actions against "militants" which they did yesterday in Gaza.
#5
3dc - I agree. Not only the present Israeli leadership but even Sharon who created the Gaza pullout plan. Even when Netenyahu predicted what would happen (i.e. Hamas would take over,etc.) Even our leadership especially when it comes to Iran and Syria. If we do not take out Iranian support to the insurgents and their nuclear program we can kiss Israel, Saudi Arabia and Iraq good bye in 5-10 years time. What would Truman do?
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
06/27/2007 13:41 Comments ||
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According to the information, gunmen were outside Saymarys home waiting for him to arrive, and called him as he was about to enter. As soon as he turned to answer they shot him three times, causing his instant death. I'm not qualified to have an opinion on the matter, but that sounds awfully professional to me.
Although the dead cleric is a member of the Iranian Arab population of Ahvaz, the regime blames both a small Arab-speaking separatist group from Ahvaz and the Wahabbis -the religious sect that Ben Laden belongs to- for the killing.
Interestingly, the other two assassinations took place too close to Tehran for the regime to blame the separatists.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
06/27/2007 15:41 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
and called him as he was about to enter. As soon as he turned to answer they shot him three times, causing his instant death
Interesting. I have a sense of deja vu. Read this somewhere before. May not have been shooting, maybe dagger or a sword.
The battle between the army in the old section of the Palestinian refugee camp continues. The army today announced the arrest of 40 Fatah al- Islam militants. The Lebanese army also killed 15 militants today, as they were trying to infiltrate the army positions at the camp. The army says 300 militants have been killed or wounded since May 20, 2007.
Today about 40 bodies of killed militants were cleared by the army from the camp. According to the army, Shaker el Absi, the fugitive leader of Fatah al Islam, was spotted inside the old camp a couple of days ago. The statement did not indicate Absi's condition. He was reportedly severely wounded last week.
In a related development, Lebanon's Defense Minister Elias Murr told al Arabiyeh TV that the UNIFIL attack on Sunday was not the work of a suicide bomber, it was a car bomb which was remotely activated.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/27/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Fatah al-Islam
#1
OH Hezbollah=Syria=Iran are at their old tricks again..........
Reigning national super flyweight boxing champion Ahmed Elomar is among four Australian Muslims arrested in Lebanon on suspicion of having links to terrorists. And a second Australian, former Sydney taxi driver Omar Hadba, may have been the owner of a workshop found in the Lebanese city of Tripoli brimming with almost half a tonne of weapons and explosives.
The Australian understands that Lebanese security authorities are also interested in questioning former Sydney-based hardline Muslim cleric Feiz Mohamed, who is linked to Elomar, Hadba and two other men arrested in Tripoli.
The arrests came after Hadba, an Australian Muslim, was arrested last Wednesday and alerted authorities to the other men. Lebanese soldiers arrived at a 3mx4m ( 10ftx13ft) workshop on Saturday afternoon and removed an arsenal of weapons and explosives.
According to a man who rented the adjoining shop, Mohamed Chawk, neighbours were stunned at the number of weapons taken away. "I couldn't believe that he was involved in all of this," Chawk said. "But when we saw them open the shop it was packed to the roof with guns. We are talking Kalashnikovs, M16s, sniper rifles, hand guns, masks, rocket-propelled grenades, land mines and grenades. It filled up one military truck to the limit."
Posted by: Fred ||
06/27/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Fatah al-Islam
#1
For every Pat Tillman there is a ...
Posted by: Super Hose ||
06/27/2007 0:19 Comments ||
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#2
"an Australian Muslim, was arrested last Wednesday and alerted authorities to the other men"
This is good. They should be weary of any westerner they think is on thier side. Could be working for us, or much more loose lipped then true believers.
#3
Ever wonder why so many British and Australian muzzies are caught or killed working for AQ or other terrorists. Compared to the good old American muzzie - we had a few cells broke up and we have that nutcase Ghanan (sp?) but I don't seem to recall and outbreak of American muzzies joining insurgents and terrorists overseas.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
06/27/2007 13:45 Comments ||
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#4
#1 Super Hose,
You said it! I was watching the opening ceremonies of the Copa America (South America's continent wide soccer championship) being held in Venezuela.
There was retired superstar (and cokehead extraordinaire) Diego Maradona yucking it up with Hugo Chavez and Evo Morales of Bolivia. Lest one think he's just contractually obligated to smile, piece of shit Maradona also likes to hang out with Fidel in Cuba. He actually supports these criminals!
That's why Pele will always be the greatest in my book.
At least one petrol station has been set on fire in the Iranian capital, Tehran, after the government announced fuel rationing for private motorists. Iranians were given only two hours' notice of the move that limits private drivers to 100 litres of fuel a month. The restrictions began at midnight local time on Wednesday (2030 GMT Tuesday).
Despite its huge energy reserves Iran lacks refining capacity, forcing it to import about 40% of its petrol. Tehran is trying to rein in fuel consumption over fears of possible UN sanctions over its nuclear programme. Iran fears the West could sanction its petrol imports and cripple its economy.
Eyewitnesses have seen at least one petrol station in the outskirts of the west of Tehran on fire and there are reports that three people died in the blaze.
All over the city there are huge queues and reports of scuffles at petrol stations as motorists try to beat the start of the rationing and fill their tanks. Iran's petrol is heavily subsidised, sold at about a fifth of its real cost. So far there has been no announcement about whether Iranians can buy more petrol at the real market cost. Our correspondent says rationing fuel is only likely to add to high inflation and the rising cost of living.
It is a dangerous move for any elected government, especially in an oil-rich country like Iran where people think cheap fuel is their birthright and public transport is very limited, she says.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
06/27/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Makes sense to me: lack of fuel, so you vandalize and destroy some of what limited stock you have. What a buncha morons. Reminds me of a plan i read about recently to charge higher rates for less electricity.
#7
At least one petrol station has been set on fire in the Iranian capital, Tehran, after the government announced fuel rationing for private motorists.
Yesiree, Bob Omar! No better way to protest gasoline shortages than by destroying petrol dispensing facilities. That's sure to help things a lot.
It is a dangerous move for any elected government, especially in an oil-rich country like Iran where people think cheap fuel is their birthright and public transport is very limited
Especially so when that elected government intentionally has taken great pains not to upgrade, expand or even maintain its refining infrastructure. This can be traced directly back to the policy of khodkafa'i. A program of self sufficiency similar toand about as effective asNorth Korea's juche and it has been a near-total catastrophe for Iran's industrial and economic sectors.
Some interesting facts emerge in the Wall Street Journal's article: "Iran's Economic Crisis".
Because it controls the oil revenue, which comes in U.S. dollars, the Islamic state has a vested interest in a weak national currency. (It could get more rials for the same amount of dollars in the domestic market.) Mr. Ahmadinejad has tried to exploit that opportunity by printing an unprecedented quantity of rials. Economists in Tehran speak of "the torrent of worthless rials" that Mr. Ahmadinejad has used to finance his extravagant promises of poverty eradication. The result has been massive flights of capital, mostly into banks in Dubai, Malaysia and Austria. Ayatollah Mahmoud Shahroudi, the Islamic Chief Justice, claims that as much as $300 billion may have left the country since President Ahmadinejad was sworn in.
The president's favorite catchword is "khodkafa'i" or "self sufficiency." To the horror of most Iranians, especially the millions connected with the bazaars, who regard trade as the noblest of pursuits, Mr. Ahmadinejad insists that the only way Iran can preserve its "Islamic purity" is to reduce dependence on foreign commerce.
Much like with Pakistan, the quest for "Islamic purity" seems to be an endless succession of Phyrric victories. The ingrained Muslim obsession with being "more Islamic than thou" will be their doom. In their quest to remain untainted by impure capitalistic and perceived Zionist financial cabals, these Islamic wingnuts also manage to remain uncontaminated by the least hint of economic success.
"Whatever we can produce we should do ourselves," the president likes to say. "Even if what we produce is not as good, and more costly." His rationale goes something like this: The global economic system is a Jewish-Crusader conspiracy to keep Muslim nations in a position of weakness and dependency. Thus, Muslims would do better by relying on their own resources even if that means lower living standards.
Khodkafa'i has had catastrophic results on many sectors of the Iranian industry. Unable to reduce, let alone stop, imports of mass consumer goods (including almost half of the nation's food) controlled by powerful mullahs and Revolutionary Guard commanders, President Ahmadinejad has tightened import rules for a range of raw materials and spare parts needed by factories across the nation. The policy has already all but killed the once-buoyant textile industry, destroying tens of thousands of jobs. It has also affected hundreds of small and medium-size businesses that, in some cases, have been unable to pay their employees for months.
Mr. Ahmadinejad has also used khodkafa'i as an excuse to freeze a number of business deals aimed at preventing the collapse of Iran's aging and semi-derelict oil and gas fields. He has also vetoed foreign participation in building oil refineries, forcing the Islamic Republic to import more than 40% of the refined petroleum products consumed in Iran. The prospect of a prolonged duel with the U.N., and possible military clash with the U.S., has also hurt the Iranian economy in the past six months.
Mr. Ahmadinejad's next coup will likely be a major privatization scheme affecting more than 40 public corporations across the country. He has promised to help the employees buy up to 10% of the shares. The rest will go to rich mullahs and Revolutionary Guard officers and their business associates, using low interest loans from state-owned banks. By the time the scheme is ready, however, the Islamic Republic may be facing too deep an economic crisis for anyone--even greedy mullahs and corrupt Revolutionary Guardsmen--to want to invest even a borrowed rial there.
[emphasis added]
The parallels to communist China are rife. Iran's khodkafa'i is a thinly rebranded "great leap forward" and holds even less promise than the original. Ahmadinejad's privatization plan, which will unload state monopolies into the mullacracy's hands at fire-sale prices, is a carbon copy of Beijing's own corrupt policies that favor and enrich their political elite. Despite his lust for nuclear weaponsa financially crippling enterprise in and of itselfAhmadinejad's policy of khodkafa'i may well prove to be the best thing for Western interests in the MME (Muslim Middle East) since the death of Khomeini himself.
#10
I wonder 'pure' Islam wants gasoline around at all. It is a 'religion' which seems designed to permit only subsistence lifestyle with ALL activity beyond that being devoted to worship of Allan. Gasoline, AK-47s, even nuclear bombs are just tools to reach that end state. (Of course, religious leadership is exempt from the lifestyle restrictions, much like the Senate in the US.)
#11
Zen's article answered a question for me, anyway. I was wondering why I hadn't seen a good ol' fashioned flag burning (US or other Western democracy) from Tehran for a while. No textile industry.....less gas....no torchy fun for the masses.
#13
Mr. Ahmadinejad's next coup will likely be a major privatization scheme affecting more than 40 public corporations across the country. He has promised to help the employees buy up to 10% of the shares. The rest will go to rich mullahs and Revolutionary Guard officers and their business associates, using low interest loans from state-owned banks.
Ahmadinajad and Chavez have been spending lots of time together.
#17
Ahmadinejad's privatization plan, which will unload state monopolies into the mullacracy's hands at fire-sale prices, is a carbon copy of Beijing's own corrupt policies that favor and enrich their political elite.
It was intended to go to the mullahs, but may end up in the hands of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. The IRGC saw what the mullahs have in the way of economic control, and wanted a piece of the action. They've partly gotten what they wanted.
An impoverished people can't overthrow the government. Seems to work great in Zimbabwe and North Korea.
Zimbawe is a slightly different case. They know Mugabe's a thieving, despotic bastard, but he's their thieving, despotic,(and more importantly)African bastard.
But in this case, it's making the ruling powers nervous. Their support comes from the rural areas and the smaller towns; the ejection of Afghan refugees from eastern Iran is partly based on placating rural Iranians.
It's also worrying the IRGC. Hence all those bravado-laden statements how the sanctions are making the IRGC leadership 'stronger' and 'more popular'. It's also causing internal problems" the Qoms force needs the money to continue their 'extra-national work'. That may portend a conflict between those who want the money to continie exporting the Revolution, and those who think, at this time, it'd be put to better use at home.
#19
Now is really the time for the refineries to have an "accident". The tipping point is now.
But that accident should not be a comando action blowing the refineries to ashes. Much better if it loos like incompetency. A vital component who breaks and there are no spare parts would be the ideal secnario.
#20
Spare parts available only from Halliburton would lend an ironic touch, don't you think?
Posted by: Bobby ||
06/27/2007 10:54 Comments ||
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#21
note the worst protests have been not in secular North Teheran, but in the poorer areas that should be Ahmedinajads base. Also probably why their inclination is to torch the stations - these guys arent sophisticated in the way of the market, and Ahmedinajad hasnt helped with his rhetoric, and they are lashing out emotionally.
Not good news for the regime. That the mullahs havent pushed Ahmedinajad out yet, may indicate they are too weak to do so, in defiance of the Rev Guard.
#24
Look at it this way. Chavez is following the political economics of his hero Castro and Ahmadinejad is following the Chavez model. Castro got his from Kruschev and Mao. They got theirs from Marx and Engels. Pretty good lineage of success there, eh?
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
06/27/2007 13:51 Comments ||
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#25
Rantburg, resource beyond the MSM. Got to love it.
One wonders why Allen's Mullies don't build more refineries.
#26
The Iranians are upscale by ME standards. they are well educated because their education system performs well. They dress western, and own cars and the usual communication gadgets. They are aware of the world's situation, and they might even have an agenda of their own. Burning gas stations would lead to a general strike, which would lead to serious leadership problems, and after a time, some sort of leadership changes.
Surely Iranians know that their country spends huge amounts to refine uranium, while no money is spent on refineries which would serve the people.
This is the opening shot, but of what I don't know.
#27
Ahmadinijad is in a far different position from Chavez. Chavez, whatever else one may thing of him, came after a regime which neglected many social needs and inequities in Venezuala. Chavez had the good fortune to succeed them just when the price of oil was skyrocketing. Hes spending too much money on his pet projects abroad, but he hasnt managed to get Ven on anyones sanctions list. Hes got a lot of good will stockpiled with the Ven poor, and while his latest maneuvers on oil dont look smart, he can probably hang on a long time.
Imanutjob, however, came after the Iranian revolution was long in power, and claimed he would improve life by cleaning up corruption. So far hes managed to sound like an idiot in ways that look far more obvious to Iranians (who really arent threatened by Israel) than Chavez rants do to Venezualans (who live in a part of the world where the US HAS in the past exercised a lot of power) Hes gotten them sanctioned, and their living standards have declined. Now, when he takes steps to introduce market type reforms, he doesnt have the legitimacy to get them through. At least not without the riots weve seen so far (BTW, I was wrong,at least one torching is in NW Teheran) Apparently its spread to some govt owned stores and banks. It MAY have spread outside Teheran, no confirmed reports yet.
#30
Who ever thinks that the Iranians are too poor to get weapons should look at their neighbors : Iraq and Afghanistan. Less than half of the population in Iran is Persian, the rest are ethnic minorities that have large populations in both Afghanistan and Iraq. The Iranians cannot keep Afghani heroin out of Tehran, so Pashtun or Kurdish AKs would be a simple step from there.
Also, so many of the young people hate the regime that the Iranian government uses Paleos as a special security force against college students. That is because the Iranian Army is not politically reliable enough for actions like that.
#32
Also, so many of the young people hate the regime that the Iranian government uses Paleos as a special security force against college students.
That would be the Basij. The force also include Chechens, Afhganis, Pakistanis, and muslims from the Balkan regions. The Basij has evolved into a combination religious police and internal security force.
A year or so back, there was footage released by the Iranian media, showing their new 'police recruits'. They were black-chador-clad women rappelling down buildings, countering roadblocks, and firing from high speed vehicles. The police recruits were actually Basij.
Ya think? This report is UNFIL's way of disowning responsibility for a situation they helped to facilitate last year.
Security along the Lebanon-Syria border is too lax to prevent arms smuggling and Lebanon should quickly establish a mobile force to intercept any weapons, a U.N.-appointed team said in a report obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press.
The team said the four agencies that manage Lebanon's side of the border don't coordinate operations or planning or share intelligence. In addition, most of Lebanon's border posts are far from the border and operate without clear procedures to determine which goods to inspect and which people to question.
The situation makes it easy for a determined smuggler to move explosives, light weapons and ammunition, and even heavy weaponry such as missiles and rockets into Lebanon concealed in trucks and passenger vehicles, the team said.
While the five-member team said it found "widespread professional will to secure the borders of Lebanon," it also found "the present state of boder security was insufficient to prevent smuggling, in particular the smuggling of arms, to any significant extent."
"The assessment was further strengthened by the fact that not a single on-border or near-border seizure of smuggled arms has been documented to the team," the 46-page report said.
The team said Lebanon's failure to stop any arms smuggling "is troubling" and shows the need for a solution that will dramatically increase the ability of enforcement agencies to detect weapons.
The U.N. Security Council authorized the independent mission to assess how the frontier is being monitored following reports of arms smuggling across the border.
Weapons transfers to Hezbollah militants are banned under the U.N. resolution that ended last summer's 34-day war between Israel and the Iranian- and Syrian-backed fighters.
The team recommended that Lebanon create a multi-agency mobile force to combat arms smuggling; adopt international standards for immigration and cargo checks; relocate border posts close to the border and establish cooperation with Syrian border guards.
Trends in other countries indicate that Lebanese seizures of gasoline, clothing and other items could be an indication that weapons are also crossing the border, the report said.
It said heavily armed Palestinian refugee camps in the border zone constitute "a major obstacle" to border security, it said, and the incomplete delineation of the Lebanon-Syria border also poses difficulties
Posted by: lotp ||
06/27/2007 00:00 ||
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Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice issued a veiled warning to Syria on Tuesday, saying a Lebanon tribunal must be safe while it handles the murder of a Lebanese leader, a prominent critic of Syrian influence in Lebanon.
"One thing we'll be talking about is how to make certain these people can be secure in their work," Rice told reporters after discussing plans for the tribunal with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora.
Rice referred to the string of political killings since the 2005 assassination of then-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Asked how outsiders could safeguard the Lebanese tribunal members, Rice referred to the string of political killings since the 2005 assassination of then-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Supporters of Hariri blame Syria and its affiliates for the deaths.
"One thing is to make sure there is a spotlight on the problem of intimidation and the kinds of assassinations that have taken place in Lebanon," Rice said.
The United Nations Security Council is creating a tribunal to consider the Hariri case, after Lebanon's parliament, deadlocked between opponents and allies of longtime overlord Syria, failed to convene the panel on its own.
The tribunal underlies the current political standoff in Lebanon, the country's most serious crisis of governance since the end of the 1975-90 civil war.
Saniora's Western-backed government and the opposition led by the Syrian-backed Hezbollah movement are struggling for power, and rival Lebanese politicians have not met since a national dialogue conference ended last year without agreement.
The anti-Syrian forces contend that Syria fears the tribunal and is using its influence in Lebanese politics to try to kill or cripple it.
Posted by: lotp ||
06/27/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
This is a novel idea that could save us money in our domestic judiciary procedings. Instead of sequestering juries and having a witness protection program, we could just demand that the accused not hurt or intimidate material witnesses or jury members. That should take cover it.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
06/27/2007 0:51 Comments ||
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#2
This game is not lost.......I love seeing Bolton behind Condi at the UN.........We always knew how to play black hat and white hat..........delicious
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.
A suspected bomb blast killed five women outside a busy market in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Tuesday, witnesses said. Residents said an explosive device was apparently detonated by the burning of garbage in the citys central Howlwadag area. Five died, I could not count the wounded. They were all women who were cleaning the streets, said Hawa Ibrahim, a cleaner who witnessed the blast. We will stop the clean-up exercise. No one is willing to die for cleaning the street. 
At least five people have been placed in isolation and parts of the Surfers Paradise evacuated after a suspicious white powder was found in an envelope today.
Local Taliban militants and tribal elders have reached a unique verbal agreement under which the former will respect the tribal code of life in Mohmand Agency and not interfere in local customs, officials and tribal sources said on Tuesday. This is the first time the Taliban have agreed not to interfere in the tribal code of life since they emerged as a force after the ouster of Mullah Omars government in Afghanistan in 2001. Two groups of Taliban agreed to a demand from elders of the Haleemzai and Saafi tribes that they would not interfere in tribal affairs, the sources told Daily Times. 
BAGHDAD - American military commanders now seriously doubt that Iraqi security forces will be able to hold the ground that U.S. troops are fighting to clear gloomy predictions that strike at the heart of Washington's key strategy to turn the tide in Iraq.
As operations north of Baghdad in Baqubah and south in Babil province have taken center stage, the third theater in eastern Anbar province has received little attention in the reporting from Iraq. The reporting has been so sparse that the name of Multinational Forces West's operation has yet to be released. In an interview with Brigadier General Charles M. Gurganus, commanding general of Ground Combat Element, Multi-National Force-West, The Fourth Rail has learned the name of the operation is Fahrad Al Amin, or Operation Safety and Security.
At least five people were killed when Shiite militiamen ambushed an Iraqi army patrol on Tuesday in the central city of Diwaniyah, as United States President Bush reaffirmed US support for Iraq following Mondays suicide bombing.
A Palestinian man was killed on Tuesday as Israeli soldiers raided the home of a militant from the Islamic Jihad group in the occupied West Bank, a Palestinian security official said. An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed that soldiers were operating in the area of the Jenin refugee camp. 
Reigning national super flyweight boxing champion Ahmed Elomar is among four Australian Muslims arrested in Lebanon on suspicion of having links to terrorists. And a second Australian, former Sydney taxi driver Omar Hadba, may have been the owner of a workshop found in the Lebanese city of Tripoli brimming with almost half a tonne of weapons and explosives.
I am moving the site to
