Millions of dollars handed over to secure the release of South Korean hostages in Afghanistan have been used to buy weapons deployed against British and American forces in the country, the Taliban claims. Major Alexis Roberts, 32, Prince William's former platoon commander at Sandhurst, was one of the victims of the Taliban offensive funded by the hostage money. According to Taliban fighters interviewed by The Sunday Telegraph, the money has also been used to train recruits to carry out terrorist attacks in Britain and America.
South Korea has repeatedly denied claims by Afghan officials that it paid cash to secure the release in August of 21 Christian volunteers who were held for nearly six weeks. But in a recent meeting, three Taliban fighters involved in the conflict with the British in Helmand province said that $10 million cash handed over in two instalments had been used to boost operations in Afghanistan and abroad. "It was a God-sent opportunity," said Mullah Hezbollah, 30. "It has helped us to multiply our stockpile of weapons and explosives to wage battle for at least a year or so."
He said the money had been paid in August, shortly before the Taliban's fugitive spiritual leader, Mullah Omar, ordered Operation Nusrat (victory), an offensive against coalition troops which ran throughout the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which finished last week. During the operation, four British soldiers were killed in southern Afghanistan, including Major Roberts. "We were really concerned when we received orders to launch Operation Nusrat, because we had hardly any funds to buy weapons to carry out such a major offence," said Mullah Hezbollah. Thanks to the ransom payments, however, the operation proceeded with "full vigour".
Hezbollah and his two companions said they were emissaries of Mullah Mansoor, who took over as the Taliban military commander in southern Afghanistan after his one-legged brother, Mullah Dadullah Akhund, was killed by Special Boat Service troops in May.
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/14/2007 11:15 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Better that we had blown away the hostages in a "failed" attempt at their release. Many more of our soldiers are going to die instead because South Korea was willing to negotiate with terrorists. What's really sad is that we simply did not apply pressure for release of the hostages by executing those Taliban prisoners the kidnappers were demanding we release. Far better that we begin attaching a serious price tag to their fund-raising activites than let things slide over the edge like this. At the very leastif it was possiblewe should have considered throwing an electronic "blanket" over the hostage site to inhibit any ransom negotiations. We need to investigate imposing a communications "blackout" whenever this sort of crap occurs.
#3
How many Taliban have gotten themselves killed during the Ramadan offensive? Those four British soldiers have a very large honour guard to serve them in Valhalla.
#5
When, oh when will people understand you just DON'T negotiate with these thugs? You only buy more death and war with every penny spent protecting people that shouldn't be there in the first place.
This assures my never buying a Korean car or product if I can help it.
#6
AFTER we inspect the Norks nuclear sites, it's time to pull ALL US troops out of South Korea. SK's got the fifth largest economy in the world and they let the US do the heavy lifting for their defense. All the while heaping abuse on us. Time for them to pull their own weight.
A suicide bomber on a motorbike detonated his explosives in a crowded marketplace near Afghan police Saturday, killing seven people and wounding 29, officials said.
The blast, near the border with Pakistan, killed two police and five civilians in the city of Spin Boldak in the southern province of Kandahar, said Zemeri Bashary, the Interior Ministry spokesman.
Such attacks against Afghan police have become a trademark of Taliban suicide bombers. More than 600 police have been killed in insurgency-related violence this year, the Interior Ministry has said. Violence has killed more than 5,200 people this year, according to an Associated Press count based on official figures, the deadliest year since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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(SomaliNet) Sounds of big explosion followed by serious cross fire could be heard as a deadly clash took place in the former spaghetti plant which is currently the base of the Ethiopian troops in Mogadishu.
Sources said the battle started at around 9:15pm local time and was active for more than forty minutes. Some news just says that some mortars landed at some parts of Hiliwa market. But so far there is no death reported, but property damages as Abdisalan a freelance journalist reported. The battle later escalated to Ex-control Balad and around Igar factory.
It is yet unclear the damages of this combat. The city had been quite calm for the last two days. This skirmish coincides with when the people are celebrating for their Eid-ul- fitr festival.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
former spaghetti plant?
Another hated reminder of their Italian Colionialist past! "back then we had food...actual pasta...now we eat this qhat green weed and drool"
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/14/2007 8:08 Comments ||
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(SomaliNet) A government official has been badly wounded by a group of armed insurgents in Beledweyn city, 335km north of Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia on Saturday, witness said. Hassan Ibrahim, the head municipal in Beledweyn, has been wounded inside the city when six armed men opened fire on him. Ibrahim was left as he was dead but was still alive and taken to the hospital, according to a local resident.
The government officials in Belweyn condemned the shooting as a crime against the humanity and vowed to pursue those who were responsible for the latest attack.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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Two people were killed on Saturday in clashes between opposition activists and police in southern Yemen on the eve of a political meeting, witnesses told AFP. They said six people were also wounded during the violence in Al-Habilain 340 kilometres (210 miles) south of the capital Sanaa when police confronted opposition supporters.
The clash came ahead of an opposition-organised demonstration on Sunday to mark the anniversary of the October 14, 1964 uprising against British rule in what was then south Yemen. No official confirmation of the clash was immediately available. Thousands of people have taken to the streets in recent weeks to protest against rising prices in one of the world's poorest countries and to press for better public services. The protests have been orchestrated by opposition parties including the Al-Islah (Reform) Party, the main Islamist opposition party, and the Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP), which ruled the former south Yemen. Two people were killed and 18 wounded -- including 11 police officers -- in clashes between security forces and protesters on September 10 in the southern town of Dhaleh.
On October 6 the official Saba news agency reported an interior ministry warning to political parties and professional associations that anyone staging unauthorised demonstrations "will have to take the consequences."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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NEW Zealand police have arrested about 14 people in a series of anti-terrorist raids across the North Island, with Maori and environmental activists the main target according to media reports.
Police would not immediately disclose the reason for the operation.
However, detective inspector Harry Quinn confirmed specialist staff were continuing to search addresses looking for people, firearms and ammunition.
Fairfax Media said the arrests were the culmination of months of work by a police anti-terror unit which had hundreds of hours of recordings from bugged conversations, video surveillance, and tapped cellphone calls and texts.
It understood police had video of military-style training with live ammunition in camps deep in mountain ranges and expected to find machine guns and grenades during their raids.
Campaigners from various Maori sovereignty, environmental and "peace" groups were implicated, police said.
"These guys are serious. They are talking of killing people," a source was quoted as telling Fairfax.
It is understood police plan to charge up to 14 people with participating in a terrorist group under the Terrorism Suppression Act 2002.
THE trial of a man accused of training with a terrorist organisation begins in the NSW Supreme Court tomorrow.
Pakistan-born Izhar ul-Haque, 24, of Glenwood, was arrested in March 2004 after it was alleged he went to Pakistan in 2003 and received weapons and combat training during a three-week visit to a camp run by terrorist group, Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is on the Federal Government's list of terrorist organisations. He was the first Australian charged with training with a terrorist group. During his committal hearing, the University of NSW medical student gave evidence that he only intended to work as a medic in a camp.
This article starring:
Izhar ul-Haque
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
it was alleged he went to Pakistan in 2003 and received weapons and combat training
Why is it that the West cannot bring itself to place a travel ban on Pakistan? Combine that with harsher penalties for passport fraud related to visiting known terrorist nations and it might put a serious dent in this crap. It's not like Pakistan has any exports that are vital to the West.
#2
Why is it that the West cannot bring itself to place a travel ban on Pakistan?
The left opposes it because it would be effective and they need a quagmire. the right opposes it ecause if they call for it the left will point out that our 'ally' was ill chosen and that it is yet another failure and we are doomed to further quagmire-ness.
Posted by: Abu do you love ||
10/14/2007 16:10 Comments ||
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#3
Thank you, abu, for an honestif unencouraginganswer.
Unidentified gunmen on Saturday killed four people in Matta tehsil, a stronghold of pro-Taliban Tehrik Nifaz Shariah Muhammadi supporters, eyewitnesses said. No group claimed responsibility, but local residents said suspected militants could be behind the killing. The deceased were riding a car when some unidentified men opened fire with automatic weapons, said Riaz Khan, a local shopkeeper. An Islamic vigilante group killed four absconders, local administration chief Syed Mohammad Javed said. Their bodies were placed on the side of a road as a warning against crime, Javed told AFP. One of the alleged criminals managed to escape. The attack followed complaints from residents that the four had gone into hiding after being accused of crimes in the area, Javed added. The incident comes less than 24 hours after a vigilante group, calling itself the Eagle Force, publicly lashed three alleged kidnappers in front of a large crowd, also in Matta. The group is loyal to hardline cleric Maualana Fazalullah, who said in a sermon before the lashings that the punishment would deter would-be criminals. The three men were found guilty of kidnapping two young girls by a committee of Islamic clerics and sentenced to the whippings.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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Tribal elders, political agents and Akhtar Gul Masood, a member of the grand tribal jirga in South Waziristan, categorically denied reports of the release of 30 of the more than 250 soldiers abducted in South Waziristan on August 30 as they made their way to Ladha tehsil from Wana in a 16-vehicle convoy.
Reports that the local Taliban had released the soldiers, which appeared on several private TV channels, were completely baseless and unfounded, said Masood told Online. South Waziristan Political Agent Hussain Zada Khan and Assistant Political Agent Laddha Yahya Khawanzada also denied the reports. Also rejecting the news, local Taliban commanders in South Waziristan made clear that no abducted soldiers were released.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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Forensic experts have determined that the explosive devices used in Thursdays blast at the shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti closely resemble those placed in Hyderabads Mecca Masjid five months ago a fact which raises the prospect that the same terror group may have executed both strikes.
Tests conducted on an unexploded device recovered from the shrine late on Thursday night, as well as shrapnel recovered from the bomb that detonated killing three, have shown that both devices were packed with dynamite. India proscribed the production of nitroglycerine-based explosives like dynamite in 2004, but large stocks are believed to be still available on the black market. As at the Mecca Masjid, the bombs used in Ajmer were designed to be triggered by a mobile phones built-in alarm clock, which was set to 6:10 p.m.
Rajasthan police sources said the second bomb, stuffed inside a bag which also contained a crude map of the shrine, probably failed to explode because the phones speaker did not generate a voltage adequate to charge the detonator. Similar mobile phone malfunctions led to the failure of a second bomb planted in the Mecca Masjid and the car bombs fabricated by Bangalore engineering student Kafeel Ahmed for use in Glasgow and London earlier this year. Forensic experts said the fault was most likely caused by the use of mobile phones with low-grade components.
Rajasthan police investigators have arrived in Hyderabad to question suspects held for the Mecca Masjid bombings. Karachi-based Harkat-ul-Jihad-e-Islami terrorist Abdul Mohammad Shahid, who also uses the code-name Bilal, is wanted by Interpol for his alleged role in the Mecca Masjid bombings, as well as the subsequent serial bombings in Hyderabad this August. Rajasthan police sources noted that the Islamist terror networks, of which Shahid was a part, were known to have used Ajmer as a transit point in the past.
In December 2005, police in Ajmer interdicted a consignment of three Kalashnikov assault rifles, 229 cartridges and 15 detonators hidden in a truck carrying marble to Hyderabad. Investigators claimed that the trucks driver, Baramulla resident Shabbir Ahmed, had been tasked by the Hizb-ul-Mujahideens Pakistan-based chief, Mohammad Yusuf Shah, with delivering the weapons to terror cell in Hyderabad. Ahmed, a one-time operative for the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, had joined the Islamist Hizb-ul-Mujahideen after training in Pakistan in 1990.
Shabbir Ahmed told the Rajasthan police that the weapons were intended for Mujib Ahmed, a key figure in the terror networks now run by Shahid. Ahmed had spent several years in jail for his role in the 1990 assassination of Additional Superintendent of Police Krishna Prasad. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, but was released by the Andhra Pradesh government in 2004 as part of a controversial Independence Day goodwill gesture.
Soon after Mujib Ahmeds release from prison, investigators found that he reactivated his links with the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Harkat-ul-Jihad-e-Islami and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen. When Mujib was re-arrested in the wake of the Ajmer weapons haul, police discovered that he had produced several films in which he appealed for funds for his new terror operations from Islamist sympathisers in West Asia.
Amjad Ali, who was among Mujibs most trusted lieutenants, was responsible for recruiting Shahid. Ali, who the Central Bureau of Investigation held responsible for the assassination of former Gujarat Home Minister Haren Pandya, is thought to have despatched Shahid and at least 20 other Hyderabad men to train at the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Harkat-ul-Jihad-e-Islami facilities in Pakistan after the 2002 communal pogrom in Gujarat. Several members of Mujib Ahmeds network, including Nalgonda resident Abdul Rehman, were arrested for their alleged role in the 2005 attack on the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore.
This article starring:
Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front
Abdul Mohammad Shahid
HUJI
Abdul Rehman
HUJI
Amjad Ali
HUJI
Gujarat Home Minister Haren Pandya
Kafeel Ahmed
HUJI
Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti
Mohammad Yusuf Shah
Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
Mujib Ahmed
HUJI
Shabbir Ahmed
Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
Shabbir Ahmed
Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front
Superintendent of Police Krishna Prasad
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Indian Hyderabad Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen MP Asaduddin Owaisi with Hezbollah Commander in South Lebanon Hasan Hubullah in a Secret Location.
Owaisi's family has Razakar links (militia that carried out pogroms against Hindus in 1947-48).
From a family with pro-Pakistan ties, he has a record of asking detailed questions in the Indian parliament on defence matters. He built an Office tower that happens to overlook a DRDO military research facility.
Posted by: john frum ||
10/14/2007 14:34 Comments ||
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(KUNA) -- Indian security forces killed a "self-styled battalion commander" of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba in Kupwara district of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir Saturday. The encounter took place in Handwara area of Kupwara district, the news agency Press Trust of India reported. The slain guerrilla identified as Faisal, alias Abu Osama of Pakistan, provided logistic support to the terror outfits in Indian-administered Kashmir, the news agency said. One AK-47 along with three magazines, 14 rounds, four hand grenades and one pouch were recovered from the slain guerrilla.
This article starring:
Faisal, alias Abu Osama
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Posted by: john frum ||
10/14/2007 9:13 Comments ||
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#2
Indian army Chief Deepak Kapoor addressing a press brefing in a camp in Beerwah, 40 km (25 miles) north of Srinagar, Kashmir, India
A helicopter carrying the new Indian Army Chief Deepak Kapoor in a camp in Beerwah, 40 km (25 miles) north of Srinagar.
An Indian Border Security Force (BSF) soldiers patrol on the India Pakistan international border against the rising sun at Garkhal post of Akhnoor sector about 42 KM from Northern Indian city of Jammu, the winter capital of Kashmir.
Posted by: john frum ||
10/14/2007 9:15 Comments ||
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#3
Nice pics, JF.
The indian habit of putting whacked jihadis on display is actually a good idea, though it would seem unlikely to be adopted anytime soon by a modern western army.
The jihad wannabes and cheerleaders have an harder time arguing their Boyz are tearing the unmanly kufrs to pieces, when the ragtag, lice-ridden bodies of their heroes are laid for everybody to see, along with the captured weaponry.
In some way, the US equivalent is the release either by the soldiers or by the army of "kinetic responses" on insurgents-occupied building.
Still, this has not the same "de-glamourizing" effect, just check on livebreak : for each such vid, you've got comments by the anti-US/pro-jihadis crowd, arguing that the building was full of civilians, that the US or western soldier (for afghanistan) can't fight and has to hide behind planes, etc, etc...
Posted by: john frum ||
10/14/2007 14:19 Comments ||
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#15
Tactial boots are usually 6" (as opposed to combat boots that are taller--8" and up). Also, membrane is usually resistant to blood borne pathogens and there may be other features that separate it from regular hiking boots (which they do look like), better quality material. Most importantly, Chinese mil boots are dime-a-dozen (well not really, but cheap).
#19
Just the ISI making good use of the US aid funds.
Can't very well use it to fight Al-Qaeda...
Posted by: john frum ||
10/14/2007 16:44 Comments ||
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#20
And all of them are new-issue
Actually, Pappy, all I can say: "They are so 90's!" (albeit brand new). The latest model would have a side zipper on (inside side) and would be about 1" taller.
Seems that Chinks are dumping their mil surplus to the "lowest" bidder.
Practical mullahs of Turkey
Columnist Amir Hashim Khakwani wrote in daily Express, that Tayyab Ardogan has shown a new strategy for Islamic movements. He faced strong opposition from the army, judiciary and bureaucracy, but opted for a liberal economy and attracted foreign investment. The opposition of Jamal Abdul Nasir by Akhwan ul Muslimeen, the Islamic Salvation Front of Algiers, the Taliban of Afghanistan, and the suicide bombers of Pakistan should learn a few hidden lessons from the peaceful revolution in Turkey.
Not even a rat is ready to support the opposition
Sarerah wrote in daily Nawa-e-Waqt, that Jamiat Ulema Pakistan (JUP) Punjab president Pir Syed Masoom Shah Naqvi said that if Nawaz Sharif starts growing a beard, they would make him president of JUP and would welcome him in Pakistan and wouldnt let him be deported again. Sarerahe said that the All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) could not bring people out on the streets and what would the JUP alone do to bring people out on the streets? The government is claiming that even a rat is not ready to come out on the streets with the opposition. People went home and watched some movies and selected songs to please themselves (dil pehowari kartay hain).
Cinemas closed in Swat
As reported in Daily Pakistan, after the closure of CD shops and barber shops, people have started shifting to Peshawar, Nowshera and Charsada to set up their businesses. According to a report of the Interior Ministry of NWFP, the cinemas are closed for an indefinite period in Swat after receiving bomb attack threats. Cinemas in Nowshera also received threats from the local Taliban.
Reward for killing Danish cartoonist
As reported in daily Khabrain, an organisation associated with Al Qaeda has announced a reward of US$ 100,000 for killing the Danish cartoonist and US$ 50,000 for killing the editor of the newspaper which carried his cartoon. The Islamic state organisations head announced on an Islamic website that if Sweden didnt apologise, they would attack Swedish companies. They announced a reward of US$ 150,000 for cutting the throat of the cartoonist.
Nawaz should have arrived at Lahore airport
As reported in Daily Pakistan, the leader of Tehreek e Insaf, Imran Khan, said that Nawaz Sharif had no option but to come to Pakistan after the Supreme Courts decision in his favour. He said that after the arrival of Muqaran and Saad Hariri, Nawaz should have changed his plans. It would have been a great show if he had landed at Lahore airport.
Dispute of Imamat turns into gunfight
As reported in daily Khabrain, in Jamal Garhi, Mardan Umarzada group and Rafiq Shah group had a dispute over the Imamat (prayer leader), and opened fire on each other. Five worshippers were killed and four injured. The injured were shifted to the Mardan hospital.
People not coming out to support democracy
Kaldip Nayyar wrote in daily Express, that the episode of Nawaz Sharif proved that Pakistanis are not ready to come out on the streets for democracy. It is true that four to five thousand people were arrested before the arrival of Nawaz Sharif, but we didnt see the kind of forceful agitation for democracy as was the case in Nepal, against the King. The emotional agitation of lawyers for the restoration of the Chief Justice for four months convinced him that the people would rise if the situation arose.
Tora Bora situation in tribal areas
As reported in daily Express, ex ISI chief Hamid Gul said that a suicide attack on the army base in Tarbela could be the reaction of our support to Americas so called War on Terror. He said that the situation is out of control in the tribal areas and we should revise our policies. Instead of using force, we should rely on dialogue. He said that America wants to create an Iraq-like situation in Pakistan. He said that he agrees with Musharraf in that nobody can make Pakistan into Tora Bora, because we are doing it ourselves.
No interest-free bank in Islamic world
According to daily Jang federal religious minister Ijaz ul Haq said that our Zakat and Baitul Mal system is the best in the Islamic world. He said banks earn billion of rupees from the depositors money and the small profit given by the bank to depositors is not interest. He said no Islamic country has interest free banking.
A madrassah girl disappears mysteriously
As reported in daily Khabrain, in Jandiala Sher Khan a labourers 15 year old daughter Muqqadas disappeared from the hostel of a madrassah. She had been studying for three years to learn the Quran. Her mother went to see her and the head of the madrassah Maulvi Shah Nawaz Hashmi told her that her daughter was not coming to the madrassah and they were looking for her. She registered an FIR against Maulvi Shah Nawaz Hashmi, and appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan to recover her daughter.
Duty versus prayers
As reported in daily Jang, ASP Cantt profusely abused a sub inspector who left his duty at a mosque to offer his prayers. He was later suspended. The sub inspector told policemen to be alert and then went inside the mosque to pray with the congregation. The ASP Defence arrived at the scene and asked for the in-charge, and was told that he was offering his prayers inside the mosque.
Dr Israr wants another suo moto action
In daily Jang, Dr Israr ul Haq wrote that revolutionary verdicts are being announced by the Chief Justice of Pakistan, who has also freed innocent people from jail. He urged the Chief Justice to take a suo moto action and release the national hero, Dr Qadeer Khan, because according to the British newspaper The Sunday Times, and the interview of ex Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali, it is now proven that he was arrested on American pressure and that the charge sheet against him is suspicious.
Fake MBBS degrees from Afghanistan
As reported in daily Jang, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in Peshawar has started investigating MD doctors in government hospitals who have acquired degrees from Afghanistan. There are 300 doctors in NWFP who have Afghan degrees, but the majority never went to Afghanistan. 200 doctors are working for the health department, and NAB sealed three clinics and arrested the doctors. Doctors may be jailed for 10 years if the investigation proves that their degrees are forged.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
dil pehowari kartay hain
Ee-i, ee-i, o.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
10/14/2007 7:08 Comments ||
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Three members of Anbar Salvation Council were gunned down and two other members injured in Al-Riyadh district of city of Kirkuk, while two Christian clergymen were kidnapped in Mosul, north Iraq, Sunday. The five casualties were ambushed by unknown gunmen who opened fire from a speeding car, sources of the Joint Coordination Center of Iraqi police told KUNA.
Meanwhile, two Catholic clergymen - Mazen Yaso' and Teus Ufas - were kidnapped in Al-Thawrah district of city of Mosul.
Coalition Force helicopters killed six enemy fighters attempting to plant an improvised explosive device Oct. 8 near a major road in east Mosul. These enemy fighters were in the act of placing an IED when our helicopters positively identified them, killed them and maintained observation on the area until ground forces arrived and removed the device, saving countless Iraqi and Coalition lives, said Maj. Roderick Cunningham, spokesperson for the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.
Helicopters from the 4th Squadron, 6th Air Cavalry Regiment, stopped nine enemy fighters attempting to emplace a roadside bomb in the al-Sinaa neighborhood of east Mosul. Helicopters fired a Hellfire missile, killing two and forcing the others to flee.
Three additional individuals were attempting to escape to the west when they were engaged with 21 rockets and 40 rounds of 5.56 mm ammunition, killing all of them. Two more enemy fighters from the original group were discovered hiding in a nearby creek bed. The aircraft engaged them with an additional Hellfire missile, killing one.
A ground force from E Co., 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment was called to conduct a sweep of the area and find the IED that was being emplaced. They found a propane tank IED with an initiator in the middle of the road, as well as a 9mm pistol and a sledgehammer.
One enemy fighter was found wounded in critical condition and died en route to a combat support hospital, despite first aid administered at the scene by Coaltion Forces. Coalition explosive ordnance disposal specialists destroyed the IED where it was found.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Iraqi Insurgency
#1
That's terrible! How did that one guy get away? :-)
Too bad it took 21 rockets to get those three guys. Seems like it could be pretty expensive. Don't we have something that can home in on motion like that? Or are they some kind of cheap dumb rockets?
#2
The rockets were probably Hydra 70 folding fin attack rocets. They have no guidence system (so far!). It is unusual, but the pilot may have elected to Salvo an entire pod, after one or two spotter rounds. If so, Wheee!
Part of the confusion is that for the military, rocket implies no guidence system after launch, while missile implies that the weapon can modify it's trajectory after launch. example: a hellfire missile has a seeker head that homes in on a spot of reflected laser energy. A Hydra 70 rocket is a powered ballistic projectile guided only by Sir Issac Newton.
You can be sure that most journalists are neither interested in nor capable of understanding the difference.
Posted by: N guard ||
10/14/2007 7:10 Comments ||
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#3
the rockets couldn't be too expensive considering they did their jobs and our troops weren't hurt by the bomb
#5
You can be sure that most journalists are neither interested in nor capable of understanding the difference.
[chuckle] Candidate for Snark of the Week?
Posted by: Bobby ||
10/14/2007 9:55 Comments ||
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#6
These enemy fighters were in the act of placing an IED when our helicopters positively identified them, killed them and maintained observation on the area until ground forces arrived and removed the countless body parts the device, saving countless Iraqi and Coalition lives,
Seems like we are seeing more reports of heli-zapping. I wonder if it is due to more jihadis getting ratted out while they are in the act, or due to more aerial surveillance. Or maybe just better reportage.
#12
"...as well as a 9mm pistol and a sledgehammer."
Hmmm, sledgehammers; the detonator of last resort.
.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
10/14/2007 15:32 Comments ||
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#13
They found a propane tank IED with an initiator in the middle of the road, as well as a 9mm pistol and a sledgehammer.
Does this mean we have disrupted the flow of IED high explosives from Iran? Does this mean the availability of high explosives in Iraq are starting to dry up? Or were these guys just using what was readily available?
Three Iraqis, including one police officer, were killed, and seven Iraqis, including another police officer, were wounded, when an insurgent detonated a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device Oct. 12 in the Rusafa District, an eastern section of the Iraqi capital. One Iraqi Police vehicle was also destroyed in the explosion.
Shortly after the attack, Iraqi Army personnel and Soldiers with Company D, 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, attached to the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, responded and sealed off the area. The wounded were transported to a medical facility for treatment. Both U.S. and Iraqi forces launch daily clearing operations to capture insurgents and uncover weapons caches. These missions aim to reduce sectarian violence and set the conditions for Iraqi takeover of security.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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Information provided by concerned citizens in Haswah led to the capture of 12 terrorists, including the second most wanted man in North Babil, Oct. 12. Acting on the tip, Iraqi policemen and Paratroopers from Company A, 3rd Battalion, 509th Airborne, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division cornered the suspected high-value individual inside a mosque.
Where else?
The 4th BCTs second most wanted individual is responsible for attacks against Iraqi Security Forces, Coalition Forces and local residents. After receiving approval, the Iraqi policemen entered the mosque and detained the men. Two AK-47 machine guns, two grenades and two ammunition vests were also found inside the mosque. The suspected extremists are being held for further questioning. The weapons were confiscated for use in the investigation.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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Working together to deny sanctuary to insurgents, two surge brigades cooperated to catch the 3rd Infantry Divisions No. 4 most-wanted terrorist in Baghdad Oct. 11.
The No. 4 high-value individual frequently operated near the village of Nahrwan, in the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Inf. Div.s area of operation. The individual fled Narhwan after the 3rd HBCT began operations to detain him.
Maj. David Fivecoat, the 3rd HBCTs operations officer, believes the apprehension of the key insurgent will effectively disrupt extremists in the area. This capture will disrupt the extremist network that previously had conducted rocket and improvised explosive device attacks against the 3rd HBCT from the relative safety of the town of Narhwan, Fivecoat said.
Fivecoat, a native of Delaware, Ohio, attributed the success to the recent surge. The capture of HVI No. 4 by 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, is a great example of two surge brigades working together to detain a high-level insurgent that, before this summer, would have been able to find sanctuary, said Fivecoat. With brigades working together like this, the extremists will have a much harder time operating freely.
Company C, 2-325th Airborne Inf. Regt., 82nd Airborne Division, from Fort Bragg, N.C., part of Multi-National Division-Baghdad, apprehended the 3rd Inf. Div.s No. 4 during a raid. Upon verifying the identity of the HVI, he was turned over to elements of the 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 3rd HBCT, 3rd Inf. Div., for processing and detention.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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Coalition forces killed one terrorist and detained 17 suspects during operations early Saturday targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq in the central and northern parts of the country.
During an operation in Mosul, Coalition forces targeted an individual believed to be an al-Qaeda in Iraq leader responsible for terrorist security in the city. Intelligence reports also indicate the individual was allegedly involved in the facilitating of kidnapping operations, to include transporting the victims to an illegal terrorist detention facility. As Coalition forces entered the target building, the wanted individual fired a pistol at the ground force. Responding in self-defense, Coalition forces engaged, killing the armed terrorist.
East of Baghdad, Coalition forces captured a wanted individual and one suspect during an operation targeting associates of al-Qaeda in Iraq operating in the Ad Dora area. The wanted individual is believed to have information regarding the car-bombing network operating in and around the city.
In an operation near Habbaniyah, Coalition forces captured a wanted individual alleged to have ties to al-Qaeda in Iraq senior leaders and information regarding their communications. Four additional suspects were detained on site without incident.
Intelligence gained from previous operations led the ground force south of Baqubah to the location of a terrorist reportedly responsible for attacks against Coalition forces. Four suspected terrorists were detained during the operation.
During an operation in Bayji, Coalition forces detained two suspects while targeting an alleged associate of an al-Qaeda in Iraq foreign terrorist facilitation network. The targeted individual is also believed to have ties to Syrian based al-Qaeda members.
Four suspected terrorists were detained during an operation in Kirkuk targeting an associate of al-Qaeda in Iraq believed to be involved in weapons facilitation and a suicide-bombing network operating in the city. The targeted individual is also believed to have knowledge of foreign terrorist facilitators in the region. Were continuing to target specific leadership nodes of al-Qaeda in Iraq to weaken and ultimately destroy their network, said Maj. Winfield Danielson, MNF-I spokesman.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
What do they do with all these guys? They must have tens of thousands of them by now. Do they grind them up and make fertilizer out of them? How are they going to hold onto them for the rest of their lives?
#3
I think that if they have evidence that an individual had a hand in bombing on the street, that would make him guilty of murder or attempted murder and he should stand trial and be punished. After his sentence he can rejoin his unit in a POW camp.
The others who are merely associating with men wanted for questioning about their activities, should also be questioned and detained in a POW camp. A low rent POW camp.
#5
What do they do with all these guys? They must have tens of thousands of them by now.
the fact that they dont have the tens of thousands of them in detention tells you just how many of them are 'catch and release'... an easy way to keep the numbers up.
Posted by: Abu do you love ||
10/14/2007 16:16 Comments ||
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Multi-National Division Soldiers captured a kidnapper and freed a hostage being held for ransom Oct. 9 after being tipped off by residents of Northern Baghdads Adhamiyah neighborhood.
Members of the 2nd BCT, 82nd Airborne Division, conducted the operation which freed Majhid Hamid Majeed, a 33-year-old shop owner and father of five, from the confines of the tiny, squalid room where he was being held hostage. Majeed had been abducted the previous day by kidnappers who beat him and threatened to kill him unless his family paid a $10,000 ransom. As word about the kidnapping spread through the community, a Concerned Citizen called a local tip line with information about the identities of the kidnappers.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
I wonder which Dem-Cong candidate will be first to share this heartwarming story with a campaing audience?
(KUNA) -- Police Commander of the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk escaped an assassination attempt, while one of his escorts died and three others injured when the commander's motorcade came under an attack on Saturday. An explosive device was detonated while the motorcade of Brigadier Torhan Abdulrahman passed through Al Quds street in this oil rich Iraqi city, a police source told KUNA. Eight people including two policemen died when the motorcade of the commander of city's traffic department was ambushed on Thursday.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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(KUNA) -- Iraqi Army on Friday captured a key al-Qaeda leader in Muqdadiya district of Diyala province 57 kilometers northeastern Baghdad along with one of his aides and separately four others, including the Mufti of the so-called Islamic state of Iraq.
Brigades belonging to the Army's fifth squadron managed to make the arrest of the leader and his aide on Thursday through a raid, Diyala Operations' Command said in a statement without providing any further details. Another statement by the Command said that the other raid that resulted in arresting the four suspects, took place inside Shams village south of Baquba.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Look for more stories such as these. Iraqis are by and large outraged by the number of atrocities committed, not by the "Great Satan Occupiers," but by AQI, by and large by "illegal immigrants" to Iraq. Meanwhile, with the Iraqi Sunnis onboard, look for the MNF to turn its attention to those nasty Iranian tourists.
#2
It's been happening, Doc. The 'surge' is both the savior of Iraqi freedom and the needle in Pelosi's eye. The Iraq war is politically off the table, and the donks are working late trying to come up with an issue. Some really stupid donks would give $5,000 to everyone.....well, maybe not.
#3
Looks very much like intelligence is opening up the networks faster than than AQ and the Saddamites can plug the leaks.
One consequence is that a lot of the guns for hire will drop out cos they no longer like the risk reward ratio. One rarely remarked aspect of the Iraq 'insurgency' is the lack of home grown true believers. Normally, the source of recruits and the sea in which they swim.
Hamas on Saturday morning said one of its fighters was killed and five other people were wounded in an Israeli ground missile attack in the early morning hours. The IDF said troops targeted a squad that had launched a rocket attack on Israel, and identified a hit.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
effective Counter-Battery, hmmm?
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/14/2007 0:12 Comments ||
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(KUNA) -- Sri Lankan troops sank a boat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the rebels sank an Army vessel Saturday off the countrys northern coast in which three rebels were killed and three soldiers were missing. The conflict occurred off Sri Lankas Jaffna peninsula when five LTTE boats attacked two Army patrol craft, the news agency Press Trust of India reported. One LTTE boat was sunk in which three rebels were killed, while one Army boat was destroyed, the news agency said.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Odd, last week they reported all vessels sunk, now another pops up?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
10/14/2007 13:47 Comments ||
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TWO Israeli soldiers captured by Lebanon's Shiite movement Hezbollah in 2006 have been handed to Iran and could be freed in a German-brokered swap, an Arabic newspaper reported.
Asharq Al-Awsat quoted a source identified as a high-ranking official in the office of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as saying they had been transferred by the elite Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
The operation to transfer the two Israeli soldiers to (a country) outside Lebanon and then to Iran was executed by a special unit belonging to the Al-Quds Legion, the source said, according to London-based Saudi-owned paper.
The two soldiers were captured by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in July last year, triggering Israel's large-scale offensive against the group in Lebanon during a 34-day war.
The source said the operation was led by a general he identified as Al-Quds chief Qassem Sulaimani, who he claimed was based in Lebanon with other high-ranking Guards officers during the Lebanon war.
He did not specify when the soldiers - Ehud Goldwasser, 31, and Eldad Regev, 26 - were taken from Lebanon, nor name the transit country.
Lebanon has land borders only with Israel and with Syria, Iran's main regional ally.
#1
Perish the thought that anyone might pointedly note how Iran isonce againcomplicit in the ransoming of non-Muslim hostages. Anyone who believes that Iran won't be seeking a ransomespecially for dreaded Jewsshould feel free to bid on this bridge I have for sale.
#2
"Pakistan worries me more than Iraq," a top Belgian anti-terrorism official said. "It's true that Iraq scares them a bit because many of them end up getting strapped up with the explosive belt right away. In Pakistan, they have time to be trained as operatives."
No one appears to be keeping a close eye on events in Lebanon except for us here at Rantburg and maybe Israel. I say "maybe" because the Olmert government is currently wrapped up in the stately polonnaise leading up to the Annapolis conference, which even if it results in agreements is going to be torpedoed by Hamas.
Lebanon, meanwhile, is in the midst of the 21st century equivalent of Archduke Ferdinand's grand tour through the Balkans, with the part of Gavrilo Princip being played by Hassan Nasrallah. Syria's playing Austria-Hungary, and may meet the same fate, and Iran is playing the part of Germany under Kaiser Bill. None of the American pols seem to be aware this one is coming, and the consequences have the potential to be devastating for large portions of the world.
The current issue of the Kuwaiti paper al-Seyassah carries the story on Hezbollah's new "militia" of 50,000 hard boyz who're being prepared to depose the government of Fuad Siniora and the March 14th Movement. Yesterday, apparently reacting to the same information, Druze leader Walid Jumblatt accused the Persian puppets of intending to occupy Beirut. There's probably a certain amount of truth to the story. Certainly it fits with Hezbollah's parallel communications system and the stories that they're building new roads to connect their strong points.
Hezbollah has been encamped in downtown Beirut since last December, with the expressed intention of forcing the March 14th government from office. The current government crisis was initiated when Hezbollah pulled its ministers from the government, at which point Emile Lahoud, the Syrian-imposed president, pronounced Siniora's government illegitimate. The root of the crisis is the attempt to perpetuate Syrian hegemony over Lebanon. It's the Arab way or the highway, to paraphrase Bashir Assad's interview with the Tunisian daily al-Shuruk published last Thursday.
Closely tied to the Syrians' concern with regaining their colony is Hezbollah's determination to retain its guns. Resolution 1559 demands that all militias in Lebanon disarm. The Hezbullies deny they're a "militia," instead calling themselves the "resistance" and piously proclaiming up until the present instance that they're there to fight the hated Zionists and that they'll never shed Lebanese blood. Resolution 1701 basically adds "this means you!" to the original resolution.
Since the Hariri assassination Hezbollah has become less and less convincing in their pretence to be loyal Lebanese and not Iranian proxies, even starting a war without so much as a by-your-leave from the government. Jumblatt has described them as a branch of the IRGC. That particular mask has either slipped or been discarded.
So what unlikely chain of events will bring about a situation that holds the potential to be just as horrible as the aftermath of Archduke Ferdinand's grand tour?
Try this: Lebanon was due to elect a new president last month. This is done by the parliament, not by direct election, and it's subject to a number of rules and customs, one being that the president will be a Christian and another being that on the first go he has to receive two thirds of the vote. Parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri called the parliament into session and the two thirds vote wasn't there. That means that parliament has to be called into new session, currently scheduled for October 23rd. In that session only a majority is required to elect the president, which March 14th has promised to do, whether they meet in the parliament building or in Jumblatt's living room.
Lahoud has threatened to turn the government over to the military, which is of course unconstitutional, because he describes the Siniora government as unconstitutional. This raises the specter of two competing governments within the country, one of them allied with Syria and the other unarmed. This could be thought of as the Syrian option.
The Persian option is the 50,000-man militia route. Given its absolute lack of even the rudimentary subtlety the Syrians are capable of, we're guessing it originated in Teheran, possibly with Ahmedinejad himself. If it flies -- and it probably will if the Syrians are unable to assassinate enough politicians in the next nine days to eliminate the March 14th majority -- then at some point before October 23rd Hezbollah will stage its putsch. Parliament will be occupied, transportation routes will be cut, and elements of the military command will be replaced. A "provisional government" will be set up, with the same old odious Syrian puppets in charge, probably with Michel Aoun as president, and the new Leb government will express its undying admiration for all things Syrian and Persian. Iran and Syria will be left to squabble over who gets the tribute. The Syrians will quietly begin moving their "intelligence" hard boyz back into the country. The new government will petition the UN to disband the Hariri tribunal and the Russians or the Chinese or both will back the request. Jumblatt, Saad Hariri, and any surviving Gemayels will meet with unfortunate accidents if they can't make it to Paris.
That's the scenario that will take place if everything goes right. If it doesn't, Lebanon's civil war could fire up again -- though at this point it looks like the "resistance" is the only party ready for it.
Regardless of the internal actions, the civilized world will be faced with a case of conquest analogous to Iraq's takeover of Kuwait. The quandary will be that if we, the civilized world, decided to try and make the Hezbollah dog cough up the bone of Lebanon it could well be over Syria's and the ayatollahs' dead bodies, along with those of many of their countrymen. That's not surprising -- we've seen it coming for years, and at times it's looked closer than it does now. The real surprise is that we could see the balloon go up within the next 30 days. Watch for it.
This article starring:
Archduke Ferdinand
Bashir Assad
Emile Lahoud
Fuad Siniora
Gavrilo Princip
Hassan Nasrallah
March 14th
Michel Aoun
Nabih Berri
Resolution 1559
Resolution 1701
Walid Jumblatt
al-Shuruk
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
perhaps this time, the fight will be taken to Damascus, where it's funded and armed (with a lot of Iranian help). I think the Israelis have proven the Syrians have NO defense to attack. Time to disrupt Hezb's supply line? Or wait and cut off the snake's head and body at the same time?
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/14/2007 0:09 Comments ||
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#2
Interesting analysis. I do think the major thesis is correct: Syria can't allow a new presidential election. To do so enshrines the March 14th Movement as the government for another five years.
Syrian foreign policy since the end of WWII has been to create a 'greater Syria'. While Ba'athist ideology may be dead, the territorial dream remains very much alive in the minds of PencilNeck and his cronies. Lebanon has to be subjugated, the Golan has to come back to Syria somehow, and then Jordan is next. That's greater Syria.
it's interesting that the Alawites, now declared official Shi'a, have been able to pull off an alliance with the Iranians given that most of their population is Sunni. If I were a world-class troublemaker and in charge of our own foreign policy, I'd try to exploit that in nefarious ways. The Syrians have had the luxury of playing offense the past twenty years since Assad's daddy crushed the Islamic Brotherhood. It's time to bring the fear back.
In the meantime, Syria-Iran-Hezbollah has to consolidate their grip on Lebanon. They need the whole nation-state to do their bidding so that they can continue their encirclement of Israel. So I think you've got it pretty close on this one, Fred.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/14/2007 0:22 Comments ||
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#3
Good analysis.
Syria wants their colony back. But Iran wants both a deflection from the pressure being placed on them and a leverage for 'negotiations'. Lebanon would be that (Gaza might be the other, but Hamas proved they couldn't lead a parade out of a paper bag with the route marked and that they don't follow instructions well). Perhaps other nations that are supporting those two also have a hand in it.
#5
It feels like Lebanon is ready to flare up again. I think this will be both the "indirect" answer of Syria and Iran to the Israel/US attack last month. One of the big questions though is how the UNIFIL will deal (not deal) with this upcoming conflict.....
#6
It doesn't feel like Ferdinand because there's no Triple Entente willing to back the Lebanese up against the Central Powers' bullying. Ima thinkin Czechoslovakia 1938 by proxies.
#7
If Lebanon erupts into full scale war, UNIFIL will either be taken as hostages, or left alone I think. Although this time, I don't think Israel will stop will just going after Hazbollah. Syria will pay the full price with full US (well, except for Rice) blessing.
#9
What is the relationship between the March 14th Movement and the Lebanese army ?
Don't know, but it's a great question.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/14/2007 11:51 Comments ||
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#10
That's a good question. Going down the list of possibilities:
1. The Leb army would defend the present government. It's got the support of the populace, there's a new-found sense of pride and identity as a national force. However, it could also fragment. Problem is that doesn't have the strength or the assets to match Hesb'allah.
2. The Siniora government could request outside assistance; the French would likely respond. In that case, it would have to be done very quickly. The Leb army would have to hold out long enough for relief to arrive; that's not a likely scenario.
3. The U.S. could send support in conjunction with the French and any other forces. That too involves a time-lag or pulling out troops from Iraq. I suspect the Iranian or Syrian supported insurgency will stage sympathetic attacks to tie down coalition troops.
4. NATO could respond, especially if European troops are attacked. Given the Western Euros' current paucity of... concern(France aside - Lebanon is in their sphere of interest), that's as likely as me shedding 40 pounds by next week.
The one certainty is that the UN will be useless; China, Russia, and their proxies will see to that.
In any case, the clincher is that it all becomes a planned distraction, taking heat off Iran and to a lesser extent, Syria.
#12
How about the US Navy ? If we had a list of priority targets, we could independently whack Hezbollah keeping them from getting their shit together long enough to launch an effective campaign against the Lebanese army.
#13
well a regional power, as France is wont to be, would see that a period of crisis/instability is coming, and project power to secure their troops, stabilize the population, and put down the insurrection. Where's the De Gaulle? that'll tell you how serious France is or osn't...
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/14/2007 13:49 Comments ||
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#14
France is a bit mroe ready than you might imagine, thanks to Sarkozy. And if France is asserting itself in its old colonial areas as a savioer, then that brings the old Gallic Pride to the forefront - which does cross party lines there from what I can ell.
#15
Pappy, our forces could indeed help with an intervention in Lebanon. Problem is, they'd have to go through Syria. Hmmmm ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/14/2007 15:12 Comments ||
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#16
I think that if anything happens this time, Israel will whack Damascus, hard. That's the best way to buy enough time to get its mainly reserve army together to take on Hezbollah. I also don't think you'll see much of a waiting game, using the Air Force to "neutralize" the Hezbollah rockets. Israel will strike with a vengence against the Litani, and anything that stands in its way to the river. I think you'll also see a huge attack on Gaza, to keep Hamas from attacking into Israel's southern flank. Whether they attack Fatah and the West Bank will probably be dependent upon what Fatah does. I do believe Israel's best chance is to totally neutralize everything between Beirut and the Litani. Fire and brimstone (napalm and willie pete) would be a great start, with iron bombs, JDAMS, rockets, artillery, CBUs, and anything else in the Israeli arsenal as backup. I don't think Israel will worry about "civilian" casualties this time, as they know Hezbollah will be hiding among civilians, and trying to be careful will only get Israeli soldiers killed. I wouldn't be surprised if a nuke or two went off somewhere in the Muddled East during the process, especially if Iran got involved. A nuke against Qom and another against IRGC headquarters would put the entire nation of Iran in disarray, and I believe Israel is both knowledgable of that, and willing to take the chance.
Things could get VERY interesting before Christmas.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/14/2007 15:26 Comments ||
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#17
OS - I could actually see France stepping up to the plate with Sarkozy in charge. We could also provide a "distraction" on the eastern border with air-runs, psy-ops, and encouraging "insurrection" among the Syrian minorities... sauce for the impotent gander, so to speak. Syria needs to be taken out hard and early so Nasrallah has no external support
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/14/2007 15:49 Comments ||
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#18
I think that if anything happens this time, Israel will whack Damascus, hard. That's the best way to buy enough time to get its mainly reserve army together to take on Hezbollah.
Israel won't support the Lebanese government. However, it just might take on Hesb'allah's installations that are a threat to Israel.
Things could get VERY interesting before Christmas.
Yeah. Something(s) caused them to move up the timetable...
#19
Israel faces no threat with the current Maronite/Shia/Sunnis mix barring Hezb intervention. If Syrian/Iranian/Hezb influence were removed (militarily, I assume), the country might just stabilize and flourish.. then get rid of the Paleo Cold Sores Refugee Camps
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/14/2007 16:54 Comments ||
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#20
U.S. 6th Fleet is in the Mediterranean. This situation between Syria and Israel has been building for some time now. What capability does Syria have?
#21
Lebanon, Gaza, West Bank, Syria are just part of the Big Crock Pot that has been simmering for years now. Due to the inactions and messages of weakness of the Israeli government, Iran, Syria, and their respective proxies have been slowly but steadily encircling Israel. They have had their noses bloodied, but they have not been really wacked, like they should have to stop their activities.
There will be war here soon, like Fred predicts. The one thing going for Israel is that Hizb'Allah, Syria, et al will jump the gun and give Israel a chance to take them out. Israel better take this one, because if they don't, it will become just another stalemate, which pushes Isreal back further against the wall, making it closer to having them use their nuclear hole card.
The US has been derelict, too. There have been no serious consequences for Syria's dirty little nefarious business in Iraq. We have become a paper tiger. Condi's activities have been a joke and an international embarassment.
The US and Israeli govts have not done their homework, and a lot of good people in both countries will pay a heavy price.
Well, we are where we are and I hope that our respective governments do what is necessary and right and quick f*cking up. When you show weakness to thugs, the thugs move against you.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/14/2007 19:01 Comments ||
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#22
JohnQC, I'm not the intel guy here, but I'll take a shot at the question, what capability does Syria have?
Conventional arms: not a lot. They have some quantity, but quality, training and maintenance are poor. Their air force isn't very good and would not stand up more than an hour against the IAF. They have tanks but these are mostly obsolete. Their army might fight well on the defensive for a little while until they got tired of being blasted and out-flanked.
They do have a vaunted air defense system, I'm told, but apparently no one threw the power switch the day the IAF hammered the nuke site.
Not conventional: Syria has a large quantity of SCUD-C and -D missiles, and some shorter range missiles. While they could mount conventional warheads on them, that would be nothing more than an irritant and an invitation for the Israelis to go ape on them. They're known for having substantial chemical wepaons, have an unknown but suspected biological weapons capability, and (especially now) have no nuclear capability.
Terrorist: they're great friends with the Hezbies and with various flavors of Paleo scum. They could easily use those connections to support a general attack on Israel.
That's the short version. If Dan Darling were here he'd give you the detailed version.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/14/2007 20:05 Comments ||
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#23
How do these calculations change if Russia crashes the party?
#24
Jules, not in Russian interest. At least not at this time. Waiting for spoils to be easily attainable is the name of their game. Also, simmering and protracted conflics are very good for arms deals. Involvement would create a partial negative cash flow. Why to wreck good times?
#26
Syria needs to be taken out hard and early so Nasrallah has no external support
Absolutely, Frank.
Lebanon, Gaza, West Bank, Syria are just part of the Big Crock O Shit
Fixed that for ya, AP.
The one thing going for Israel is that Hizb'Allah, Syria, et al will jump the gun and give Israel a chance to take them out. Israel better take this one, because if they don't, it will become just another stalemate, which pushes Isreal back further against the wall, making it closer to having them use their nuclear hole card.
Word, AP. Too bad Muslims are so overconfident dense that they have no concept of this.
Jules, not in Russian interest. At least not at this time. Waiting for spoils to be easily attainable is the name of their game.
Le bingo, twobyfour. Three words: Low. Hanging. Fruit.
#27
We should have helped and encouraged Israel to fight Hezbollah during that last little dust up they had and NOT tried to arrange for any kind of truce. We should have flown our heavy bombers over southern Lebanon with a vengeance to pound the crap out of Hezbollah if for no other reason than they really are an extension of IRGC. My argument is that this upcoming nonsense could have been nipped in the bud at that time with decisive action. Hezbollah was hurt but not bad enough to keep them from claiming victory. Now, it seems, Pencil Neck in conjunction with Hezbollah and with support from Iran has declared war on Lebanon which will put Israel in mortal danger all over again.
Posted by: Abu Uluque6305 ||
10/14/2007 23:40 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Millions of dollars handed over to secure the release of South Korean hostages in Afghanistan have been used to buy weapons deployed against British and American forces in the country, the Taliban claims. Major Alexis Roberts, 32, Prince William's former platoon commander at Sandhurst, was one of the victims of the Taliban offensive funded by the hostage money. According to Taliban fighters interviewed by The Sunday Telegraph, the money has also been used to train recruits to carry out terrorist attacks in Britain and America.
A suicide bomber on a motorbike detonated his explosives in a crowded marketplace near Afghan police Saturday, killing seven people and wounding 29, officials said. 
(SomaliNet) Sounds of big explosion followed by serious cross fire could be heard as a deadly clash took place in the former spaghetti plant which is currently the base of the Ethiopian troops in Mogadishu. 
(SomaliNet) A government official has been badly wounded by a group of armed insurgents in Beledweyn city, 335km north of Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia on Saturday, witness said. Hassan Ibrahim, the head municipal in Beledweyn, has been wounded inside the city when six armed men opened fire on him. Ibrahim was left as he was dead but was still alive and taken to the hospital, according to a local resident. 
Two people were killed on Saturday in clashes between opposition activists and police in southern Yemen on the eve of a political meeting, witnesses told AFP. They said six people were also wounded during the violence in Al-Habilain 340 kilometres (210 miles) south of the capital Sanaa when police confronted opposition supporters.
THE trial of a man accused of training with a terrorist organisation begins in the NSW Supreme Court tomorrow.
Unidentified gunmen on Saturday killed four people in Matta tehsil, a stronghold of pro-Taliban Tehrik Nifaz Shariah Muhammadi supporters, eyewitnesses said. No group claimed responsibility, but local residents said suspected militants could be behind the killing. The deceased were riding a car when some unidentified men opened fire with automatic weapons, said Riaz Khan, a local shopkeeper. An Islamic vigilante group killed four absconders, local administration chief Syed Mohammad Javed said. Their bodies were placed on the side of a road as a warning against crime, Javed told AFP. One of the alleged criminals managed to escape. The attack followed complaints from residents that the four had gone into hiding after being accused of crimes in the area, Javed added. The incident comes less than 24 hours after a vigilante group, calling itself the Eagle Force, publicly lashed three alleged kidnappers in front of a large crowd, also in Matta. The group is loyal to hardline cleric Maualana Fazalullah, who said in a sermon before the lashings that the punishment would deter would-be criminals. The three men were found guilty of kidnapping two young girls by a committee of Islamic clerics and sentenced to the whippings.
Tribal elders, political agents and Akhtar Gul Masood, a member of the grand tribal jirga in South Waziristan, categorically denied reports of the release of 30 of the more than 250 soldiers abducted in South Waziristan on August 30 as they made their way to Ladha tehsil from Wana in a 16-vehicle convoy.
Forensic experts have determined that the explosive devices used in Thursdays blast at the shrine of 
(KUNA) -- Indian security forces killed a "self-styled battalion commander" of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba in Kupwara district of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir Saturday. The encounter took place in Handwara area of Kupwara district, the news agency Press Trust of India reported. The slain guerrilla identified as 
Practical mullahs of Turkey
Three members of Anbar Salvation Council were gunned down and two other members injured in Al-Riyadh district of city of Kirkuk, while two Christian clergymen were kidnapped in Mosul, north Iraq, Sunday. The five casualties were ambushed by unknown gunmen who opened fire from a speeding car, sources of the Joint Coordination Center of Iraqi police told KUNA.
Coalition Force helicopters killed six enemy fighters attempting to plant an improvised explosive device Oct. 8 near a major road in east Mosul. These enemy fighters were in the act of placing an IED when our helicopters positively identified them, killed them and maintained observation on the area until ground forces arrived and removed the device, saving countless Iraqi and Coalition lives, said Maj. Roderick Cunningham, spokesperson for the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.
Working together to deny sanctuary to insurgents, two surge brigades cooperated to catch the 3rd Infantry Divisions No. 4 most-wanted terrorist in Baghdad Oct. 11. 
Lebanon, meanwhile, is in the midst of the 21st century equivalent of 
Hezbollah has been encamped in downtown Beirut since last December, with the expressed intention of forcing the March 14th government from office. The current government crisis was initiated when Hezbollah pulled its ministers from the government, at which point 
So what unlikely chain of events will bring about a situation that holds the potential to be just as horrible as the aftermath of Archduke Ferdinand's grand tour? 
The Persian option is the 50,000-man militia route. Given its absolute lack of even the rudimentary subtlety the Syrians are capable of, we're guessing it originated in Teheran, possibly with Ahmedinejad himself. If it flies -- and it probably will if the Syrians are unable to assassinate enough politicians in the next nine days to eliminate the March 14th majority -- then at some point before October 23rd Hezbollah will stage its putsch. Parliament will be occupied, transportation routes will be cut, and elements of the military command will be replaced. A "provisional government" will be set up, with the same old odious Syrian puppets in charge, probably with 
