IRAQI PM DESERVES CREDIT, PENTAGON SAYS
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki should be commended for taking the initiative to go after extremists and criminals in Basra, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said Wednesday. The Iraqi government launched an operation last week to go after militias and criminal elements that do not follow the rule of law in the southern oil city. "Citizens down there have been living in a city of chaos and corruption for some time, and they and the prime minister clearly have had enough of it," Morrell said.
News reports out of Basra said there has been fighting between the Iraqi army and illegal militias and criminal elements. Maliki ordered five extra battalions to the city, bumping the force up to 15,000. "They are conducting aggressive military operations... trying to rid the city of militias, thugs, smugglers that have been plaguing it for months now," Morrell said. "But I think it's very noteworthy that the prime minister, that the government, for that matter, is ready, willing and now able to take the fight to the extremists and to the criminals down there. They were not of this capacity some months ago." The Iraqi security forces could not deploy a force like this in the past, Morrell said. "Part of the point of the surge was to give them the time (and) the training to increase their capability, and they are now displaying it," he said.
The coalition has provided some air support in the operation, but no ground elements, the press secretary said. "This is an Iraqi-led operation, and what's more than that, it is a Shiia-dominated government going after Shiia extremists down there, and that is significant," he said. The Iraqi military has made enough progress that the government now feels confident in going after Shiite extremists in a part of the country where it previously had not exerted great influence.
The problems in Basra have been festering, said Morrell. "I think the city has always been dealing with a level of criminality and corruption that no one has been comfortable with, (but)... It has not been to a point such that it became a security threat that would undermine the central government."
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Centcom Press Release - Mar 28
IRAQI SWAT TEAM DETAINS SUSPECT, UNCOVERS WEAPONS
The Hillah Iraqi Special Weapons and Tactics unit, advised by U.S. Special Forces, detained a suspected high-level Special Group leader and recovered a significant weapons and munitions cache during a patrol on March 22nd in Hashimiyah of Babil Province. The Hillah ISWAT and U.S. Special Forces were conducting a daytime patrol in a known operating area for Special Groups and criminal militias that target Iraqi and Coalition forces, as well as Iraqi civilians, for attack.
During the patrol, the suspect argued with ISWAT officers as he attempted to prevent ISWAT vehicles from moving up a canal road in an industrial area of Hashimiyah, southeast of Hillah. Failing to convince ISWAT, he started to run away, disregarding orders from ISWAT to stop. ISWAT quickly caught the suspect and subsequently determined that he was a person long-sought by Iraqi and Coalition forces in Hillah.
The suspect is believed to be a Special Group battalion commander and a major figure behind Special Group violence and criminal activity in Babil Province. Credible intelligence links him to numerous rocket, mortar and improvised explosive device attacks against Iraqi and Coalition forces, criminal activity against Iraqi civilians, and trafficking of explosively formed penetrators. He is believed to be a central figure in weapons trafficking between Najaf, Karbala, and Nasiriyah.
Suspicious of the suspect's motives for not wanting ISWAT near the industrial area, ISWAT began an immediate and thorough search of several buildings in the area. During that search, ISWAT and U.S. Special Forces found a major weapons cache supporting Special Group violence in Babil Province. The cache included several EFPs, EFP components including more than 50 copper disks, 40,000 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition, 122 mm high-explosive rockets, more than 100 HE mortar rounds, 107 mm HE rockets, more than 200 pounds of C-4 explosive, 240 mm HE rockets, 50 complete rail systems for launching 122 mm rockets, components for constructing IEDs, rocket propelled grenade launchers with RPG rockets, a 81 mm mortar system, anti-personnel land mines and HE grenades.
The U.S. Special Forces team believes this to be a significant cache supporting Special Group and criminal militia operations in the area. The capture of the munitions as well as the suspected Special Group leader is expected to have a significant impact against groups that continue to operate illegally and which remain a threat in the area.
The Hillah Iraqi Special Weapons and Tactics unit, advised by U.S. Special Forces, detained a suspected high-level Special Group leader and recovered a significant weapons and munitions cache during a patrol on March 22nd in Hashimiyah of Babil Province. The Hillah ISWAT and U.S. Special Forces were conducting a daytime patrol in a known operating area for Special Groups and criminal militias that target Iraqi and Coalition forces, as well as Iraqi civilians, for attack.
During the patrol, the suspect argued with ISWAT officers as he attempted to prevent ISWAT vehicles from moving up a canal road in an industrial area of Hashimiyah, southeast of Hillah. Failing to convince ISWAT, he started to run away, disregarding orders from ISWAT to stop. ISWAT quickly caught the suspect and subsequently determined that he was a person long-sought by Iraqi and Coalition forces in Hillah.
The suspect is believed to be a Special Group battalion commander and a major figure behind Special Group violence and criminal activity in Babil Province. Credible intelligence links him to numerous rocket, mortar and improvised explosive device attacks against Iraqi and Coalition forces, criminal activity against Iraqi civilians, and trafficking of explosively formed penetrators. He is believed to be a central figure in weapons trafficking between Najaf, Karbala, and Nasiriyah.
Suspicious of the suspect's motives for not wanting ISWAT near the industrial area, ISWAT began an immediate and thorough search of several buildings in the area. During that search, ISWAT and U.S. Special Forces found a major weapons cache supporting Special Group violence in Babil Province. The cache included several EFPs, EFP components including more than 50 copper disks, 40,000 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition, 122 mm high-explosive rockets, more than 100 HE mortar rounds, 107 mm HE rockets, more than 200 pounds of C-4 explosive, 240 mm HE rockets, 50 complete rail systems for launching 122 mm rockets, components for constructing IEDs, rocket propelled grenade launchers with RPG rockets, a 81 mm mortar system, anti-personnel land mines and HE grenades.
The U.S. Special Forces team believes this to be a significant cache supporting Special Group and criminal militia operations in the area. The capture of the munitions as well as the suspected Special Group leader is expected to have a significant impact against groups that continue to operate illegally and which remain a threat in the area.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Centcom Press Release - Mar 27
SOLDIERS DETAIN 3 LINKED TO INDIRECT FIRE ATTACKS
Multi-National Soldiers detained three individuals suspected of conducting indirect fire attacks against Coalition Forces on March 25th. Soldiers from 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, conducted a combat operation after a surveillance team provided information about the three detainees. Soldiers cordoned off the building the suspects had entered and apprehended the men. They also seized an 81 mm mortar tube with base plate and tripod, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, RPG warheads, a mortar aiming circle, compass, global positioning system, sets of military-style uniforms, and AK-47s. Soldiers also discovered multiple mortar documents.
Multi-National Soldiers detained three individuals suspected of conducting indirect fire attacks against Coalition Forces on March 25th. Soldiers from 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, conducted a combat operation after a surveillance team provided information about the three detainees. Soldiers cordoned off the building the suspects had entered and apprehended the men. They also seized an 81 mm mortar tube with base plate and tripod, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, RPG warheads, a mortar aiming circle, compass, global positioning system, sets of military-style uniforms, and AK-47s. Soldiers also discovered multiple mortar documents.
Monday, March 24, 2008
IDF Deploys New Anti-Terror System
Source Article HERE.
From 'YNet News': A new system deployed by the IDF in the Gaza-region enables soldiers stationed in the operations room to fire at Palestinian terrorists near the Gaza fence, Ynet has learned. The systems, which are equipped with a camera and a machine gun, enable soldiers to watch any activity that takes place near the fence and if necessary to fire at the push of a button. The new system will soon be officially declared "operational." In recent months, the IDF Southern Command has integrated the system into its operational routine and instructed IDF field intelligence troops on using it. The system was developed by the Israel Armament Development Authority.
At this time, one system has been deployed north of the Gaza Strip. Additional systems will be deployed along the fence in the near future. "The system is not supposed to replace soldiers on the ground, and it won't replace the need to charge at terrorists when necessary," an IDF official said. "We will be able to distinguish between terrorists and innocent civilians," another military official said. "We won't fire needlessly, yet at the same time we are responsible for protecting IDF soldiers. Beyond this, through the system we will be able to upgrade our abilities to identify the enemy and thwart attacks in a more effective manner," he said.
Ever since IDF troops left the Gaza Strip, soldiers were able to thwart hundreds of attempts to breach the border fence and carry out attacks. However, IDF officials stress that terror groups are still highly motivated to carry out attacks, prompting the army to constantly improve its defenses.
From 'YNet News': A new system deployed by the IDF in the Gaza-region enables soldiers stationed in the operations room to fire at Palestinian terrorists near the Gaza fence, Ynet has learned. The systems, which are equipped with a camera and a machine gun, enable soldiers to watch any activity that takes place near the fence and if necessary to fire at the push of a button. The new system will soon be officially declared "operational." In recent months, the IDF Southern Command has integrated the system into its operational routine and instructed IDF field intelligence troops on using it. The system was developed by the Israel Armament Development Authority.At this time, one system has been deployed north of the Gaza Strip. Additional systems will be deployed along the fence in the near future. "The system is not supposed to replace soldiers on the ground, and it won't replace the need to charge at terrorists when necessary," an IDF official said. "We will be able to distinguish between terrorists and innocent civilians," another military official said. "We won't fire needlessly, yet at the same time we are responsible for protecting IDF soldiers. Beyond this, through the system we will be able to upgrade our abilities to identify the enemy and thwart attacks in a more effective manner," he said.
Ever since IDF troops left the Gaza Strip, soldiers were able to thwart hundreds of attempts to breach the border fence and carry out attacks. However, IDF officials stress that terror groups are still highly motivated to carry out attacks, prompting the army to constantly improve its defenses.
Singapore Detains Alleged Terror Group Member
Source Article HERE.
From 'International Herald Tribune': Authorities in Singapore arrested a suspected Muslim terror group member who once trained with militants in Afghanistan, the government said. Rijal Yadri Jumari, a 27-year-old Singaporean, was arrested last month for suspected involvement with Jemaah Islamiyah, the Home Affairs Ministry said Sunday in a statement on its Web site. The group is a loose network of Muslim militants in Southeast Asia. Rijal's arrest was announced amid a nationwide manhunt for a top Muslim terror suspect who escaped a high-security Singapore prison nearly a month ago.
In Pakistan, Rijal joined Jemaah Islamiyah's Al-Ghuraba cell, the ministry said. It did not say when. "He was one of several students talent-spotted by the JI to be groomed to become a future leader in the JI organization," the statement said. It said Rijal was sent to Afghanistan for terrorist training at an al-Qaida camp in Kandahar in 2000. While there he was trained in weapons handling, explosives, surveillance and guerrilla warfare - and he allegedly met al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden a number of times, the statement said.
Rijal later went into hiding to evade Singapore authorities, the ministry said. He was arrested with the help of "regional authorities" after Singapore's Internal Security Department discovered his whereabouts, the statement said. It did not say where he was arrested or give other details. At the time of his arrest, Rijal was suspected of working with foreign Jemaah Islamiyah operatives to discuss regrouping and reviving the network. He was arrested in February and detained on March 20 under the Internal Security Act, which allows for indefinite detention without trial.
Singapore, a close ally of the United States and a staunch supporter of the war on terror, was named an al-Qaida target by the group's alleged operative Khalid Sheikh Mohamed during a tribunal last year at the U.S. military detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Last month, the suspected local commander of the Jemaah Islamiyah network, Mas Selamat Kastari - suspected of once plotting to crash an airplane into Singapore's international airport - slipped away from a detention facility. The jailbreak, which triggered an island-wide hunt and tightening of border security, has been described by local leaders as a setback to the reputation of the usually well-policed island republic.
From 'International Herald Tribune': Authorities in Singapore arrested a suspected Muslim terror group member who once trained with militants in Afghanistan, the government said. Rijal Yadri Jumari, a 27-year-old Singaporean, was arrested last month for suspected involvement with Jemaah Islamiyah, the Home Affairs Ministry said Sunday in a statement on its Web site. The group is a loose network of Muslim militants in Southeast Asia. Rijal's arrest was announced amid a nationwide manhunt for a top Muslim terror suspect who escaped a high-security Singapore prison nearly a month ago.In Pakistan, Rijal joined Jemaah Islamiyah's Al-Ghuraba cell, the ministry said. It did not say when. "He was one of several students talent-spotted by the JI to be groomed to become a future leader in the JI organization," the statement said. It said Rijal was sent to Afghanistan for terrorist training at an al-Qaida camp in Kandahar in 2000. While there he was trained in weapons handling, explosives, surveillance and guerrilla warfare - and he allegedly met al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden a number of times, the statement said.
Rijal later went into hiding to evade Singapore authorities, the ministry said. He was arrested with the help of "regional authorities" after Singapore's Internal Security Department discovered his whereabouts, the statement said. It did not say where he was arrested or give other details. At the time of his arrest, Rijal was suspected of working with foreign Jemaah Islamiyah operatives to discuss regrouping and reviving the network. He was arrested in February and detained on March 20 under the Internal Security Act, which allows for indefinite detention without trial.
Singapore, a close ally of the United States and a staunch supporter of the war on terror, was named an al-Qaida target by the group's alleged operative Khalid Sheikh Mohamed during a tribunal last year at the U.S. military detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Last month, the suspected local commander of the Jemaah Islamiyah network, Mas Selamat Kastari - suspected of once plotting to crash an airplane into Singapore's international airport - slipped away from a detention facility. The jailbreak, which triggered an island-wide hunt and tightening of border security, has been described by local leaders as a setback to the reputation of the usually well-policed island republic.
Saddam and Terrorism: Emerging Insights from Captured Iraqi Documents
Source Article HERE.
From 'Federation of American Scientists': Captured Iraqi documents have uncovered evidence that links the regime of Saddam Hussein to regional and global terrorism, including a variety of revolutionary, liberation, nationalist, and Islamic terrorist organizations. While these documents do not reveal direct coordination and assistance between the Saddam regime and the al-Qaeda network, they do indicate that Saddam was willing to use, albeit cautiously, operatives affiliated with al-Qaeda as long as Saddam could have these terrorist–operatives monitored closely. Because Saddam's security organizations and Osama bin Laden's terrorist network operated with similar aims (at least in the short term), considerable overlap was inevitable when monitoring, contacting, financing, and training the same outside groups. This created both the appearance of and, in some ways, a "de facto" link between the organizations. At times, these organizations would work together in pursuit of shared goals but still maintain their autonomy and independence because of innate caution and mutual distrust. Though the execution of Iraqi terror plots was not always successful, evidence shows that Saddam's use of terrorist tactics and his support for terrorist groups remained strong up until the collapse of the regime.
To read the entire (redacted) report in 5 volumes, go HERE. A permanent link to this web page can be found in the right column under "Documents" (see "IDA").
From 'Federation of American Scientists': Captured Iraqi documents have uncovered evidence that links the regime of Saddam Hussein to regional and global terrorism, including a variety of revolutionary, liberation, nationalist, and Islamic terrorist organizations. While these documents do not reveal direct coordination and assistance between the Saddam regime and the al-Qaeda network, they do indicate that Saddam was willing to use, albeit cautiously, operatives affiliated with al-Qaeda as long as Saddam could have these terrorist–operatives monitored closely. Because Saddam's security organizations and Osama bin Laden's terrorist network operated with similar aims (at least in the short term), considerable overlap was inevitable when monitoring, contacting, financing, and training the same outside groups. This created both the appearance of and, in some ways, a "de facto" link between the organizations. At times, these organizations would work together in pursuit of shared goals but still maintain their autonomy and independence because of innate caution and mutual distrust. Though the execution of Iraqi terror plots was not always successful, evidence shows that Saddam's use of terrorist tactics and his support for terrorist groups remained strong up until the collapse of the regime.
To read the entire (redacted) report in 5 volumes, go HERE. A permanent link to this web page can be found in the right column under "Documents" (see "IDA").
Moroccans, Tunisians Reject Bin Laden's Call To Violence
Source Article HERE.
From 'Magharebia': Moroccans and Tunisians have rejected fugitive al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's call to violence in two audio recordings aired last week. In bin Laden's first message, aired Wednesday (March 19th) by al-Qaeda's As-Sahab media unit, the terrorist leader accused Pope Benedict XVI of playing a role in a "new crusade" against Islam and warned of a "severe reaction" to cartoons containing images of the Prophet Mohamed reprinted in Danish newspapers in February. In the second message, aired on Thursday, bin Laden rejected negotiations and dialogue and called on Muslims to "liberate Palestine" with "fire and iron". He urged support for the "jihad" in Iraq, which he claimed is the path to Palestine's liberation.
Tunisian student Makram al-Hemeidi told Magharebia he hardly paid attention to the tape when it was broadcast on Aljazeera. "You can predict what the man is going to say, without having to continue to listen. We have heard him say that over and over again, and nothing has changed. Things are getting worse in the Arab world day after day." Student Ilham al-Dereidi suspects it was not bin Laden speaking. "In the age of technology, everything is possible. I think bin Laden has been dead for a while. They just use his pictures to voice whatever they wish to say."
In a statement to Magharebia, expert on Tunisian Islamist groups Slaheddine Jourchi underscored the timing of the new message, which coincided with the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq. Jourchi said bin Laden is trying to reach out to his followers who suffer from "a state of visible retreat", especially in Iraq where he said the terror organisation is experiencing a setback following a rise in anti-al-Qaeda sentiment.
Tunisian civil servant Murad bin Nusair responded sarcastically to bin Laden’s call. The threats, concealed under a stated desire to defend the Prophet, "were made on the eve of celebrating the birth of the Prophet, an event Muslims mark by highlighting the honourable virtues of their Messenger, not by threatening to kill innocent souls," he said. His colleague Hatim bin Milad thought the recent reprinting of the cartoons was more a deliberate affront to Muslims than a defense of freedom of speech. "As for bin Laden," he said, "those threats he voiced made him an ally of the Danish papers, whether he likes it or not."
Although the majority of Moroccans deplored bin Laden's call to violence, the terror leader's messages drew mixed reactions. International relations professor Mohamed Madihi told Magharebia that in his latest message, bin Laden attempted to exploit the sensitive issue of Palestine to rally the world's Muslims behind him. "Bin Laden is taking advantage of the opportunity to spread his message to an audience that is ready to hear it, and has chosen this moment to call for jihad. His recordings may therefore have the impact he hopes for," he commented.
Lahcen Daoudi, a member of the Islamist Justice and Development Party's parliamentary bloc, disagreed. "I don’t think Muslim communities will pay much attention to what Osama bin Laden has said, even though Muslims constantly seek news and information. Nevertheless, all world leaders should take the necessary precautions to prevent a backlash from a minority influenced by extremist thinking. Preventive measures are necessary to tackle extremism and terrorism," he said.
Many Moroccans said the terror leader's strategy is unhelpful to Muslims. According to IT worker Khalid Jouhari, bin Laden made a huge mistake on September 11th, 2001. "Because of him, Muslims are treated with suspicion and now face tremendous pressure, instead of being allowed to live their lives peacefully," he said.
"The publication of the cartoons of the prophet Mohamed was an insult and a crime, as bin Laden says," primary-school teacher Karima Raji told Magharebia. "But I don’t agree with him about the harsh reprisals he has announced. What we need is dialogue led by officials and intellectuals to resolve the issue, not violence."
From 'Magharebia': Moroccans and Tunisians have rejected fugitive al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's call to violence in two audio recordings aired last week. In bin Laden's first message, aired Wednesday (March 19th) by al-Qaeda's As-Sahab media unit, the terrorist leader accused Pope Benedict XVI of playing a role in a "new crusade" against Islam and warned of a "severe reaction" to cartoons containing images of the Prophet Mohamed reprinted in Danish newspapers in February. In the second message, aired on Thursday, bin Laden rejected negotiations and dialogue and called on Muslims to "liberate Palestine" with "fire and iron". He urged support for the "jihad" in Iraq, which he claimed is the path to Palestine's liberation.
Tunisian student Makram al-Hemeidi told Magharebia he hardly paid attention to the tape when it was broadcast on Aljazeera. "You can predict what the man is going to say, without having to continue to listen. We have heard him say that over and over again, and nothing has changed. Things are getting worse in the Arab world day after day." Student Ilham al-Dereidi suspects it was not bin Laden speaking. "In the age of technology, everything is possible. I think bin Laden has been dead for a while. They just use his pictures to voice whatever they wish to say."
In a statement to Magharebia, expert on Tunisian Islamist groups Slaheddine Jourchi underscored the timing of the new message, which coincided with the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq. Jourchi said bin Laden is trying to reach out to his followers who suffer from "a state of visible retreat", especially in Iraq where he said the terror organisation is experiencing a setback following a rise in anti-al-Qaeda sentiment.
Tunisian civil servant Murad bin Nusair responded sarcastically to bin Laden’s call. The threats, concealed under a stated desire to defend the Prophet, "were made on the eve of celebrating the birth of the Prophet, an event Muslims mark by highlighting the honourable virtues of their Messenger, not by threatening to kill innocent souls," he said. His colleague Hatim bin Milad thought the recent reprinting of the cartoons was more a deliberate affront to Muslims than a defense of freedom of speech. "As for bin Laden," he said, "those threats he voiced made him an ally of the Danish papers, whether he likes it or not."
Although the majority of Moroccans deplored bin Laden's call to violence, the terror leader's messages drew mixed reactions. International relations professor Mohamed Madihi told Magharebia that in his latest message, bin Laden attempted to exploit the sensitive issue of Palestine to rally the world's Muslims behind him. "Bin Laden is taking advantage of the opportunity to spread his message to an audience that is ready to hear it, and has chosen this moment to call for jihad. His recordings may therefore have the impact he hopes for," he commented.
Lahcen Daoudi, a member of the Islamist Justice and Development Party's parliamentary bloc, disagreed. "I don’t think Muslim communities will pay much attention to what Osama bin Laden has said, even though Muslims constantly seek news and information. Nevertheless, all world leaders should take the necessary precautions to prevent a backlash from a minority influenced by extremist thinking. Preventive measures are necessary to tackle extremism and terrorism," he said.
Many Moroccans said the terror leader's strategy is unhelpful to Muslims. According to IT worker Khalid Jouhari, bin Laden made a huge mistake on September 11th, 2001. "Because of him, Muslims are treated with suspicion and now face tremendous pressure, instead of being allowed to live their lives peacefully," he said.
"The publication of the cartoons of the prophet Mohamed was an insult and a crime, as bin Laden says," primary-school teacher Karima Raji told Magharebia. "But I don’t agree with him about the harsh reprisals he has announced. What we need is dialogue led by officials and intellectuals to resolve the issue, not violence."
Centcom News Feed - Mar 24
SECURITY FORCES COOPERATE ALONG AFGHAN-PAKISTAN BORDER
As part of their ongoing effort to enhance communication and cooperation, Afghan and Pakistani border security forces at Torkham Gate met on February 28th with the 173rd Airborne Brigade's Special Troops Battalion commander. The purpose of the meeting was to address security and communication issues, and the upcoming opening of the Khyber Border Coordination Center. The primary goal of the groups is prevent insurgent operations in the border area.
Preventing insurgent operations requires constant communication between the Afghan and Pakistan border forces, said Army Lt. Col. Jeffrey Milhorn, the battalion commander. He said he hopes to improve the chances of catching insurgents by supplying the Afghan and Pakistani border police with radio equipment so they can speak directly with each other. The recent improvements at Torkham Gate, such as installing an X-ray machine to scan incoming cargo trucks and people who regularly cross the border into nationwide databases, are just some of the processes that have been put in place to more efficiently regulate border operations.
Pakistan Army Col. Qaiser Alam stressed the importance of the Afghan and Pakistani border police pooling their resources with the U.S. military to combat a common enemy. "A terrorist is a terrorist," Qaiser said. "He has no nationality, no religion, no color." The meeting moved to the roof of the border checkpoint on the Pakistan side to take in a full view of the bustling Afghan border station across the bridge, and plans were discussed about future changes. Qaiser said he hopes for newer facilities on his side of the border, alleviating some of the burden from the Afghan side.
No paperless communication exists among the Afghan, Pakistani and U.S. forces, and although they're only a few hundred feet apart, the checkpoints work independently of each other. Improving the forces' cooperation ultimately will benefit both sides, officials said. "Estimates by experts indicate that (Torkham Gate) has the potential to generate $350 million in revenue each year - money that could be put back into government projects," said Army Maj. Scott Sonsalla, Special Troops Battalion's executive officer. "Our goal is to improve the country through prosperity and security. Closing the border to illegal traffic does both."
NAVAL FORCES HALT ILLEGAL SHIPPING
Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) operations in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden, have succeeded in disrupting the transit of contraband, narcotics and alcohol in recent weeks. As part of Combined Task Force (CTF) 150, Canadian multi-purpose frigate HMCS Charlottetown (FFH 339), guided-missile destroyers USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) and USS Carney (DDG 64), Royal Navy frigate HMS Argyll (F 231), and French frigate FS Guepratte (F 714) have all worked together in partnership with regional nations to halt criminal activities. Several seizures of narcotics and alcohol with a street value of over $30 million resulted from these coordinated multinational maritime operations. "Coalition efforts build a lawful maritime order for regional security," said Deputy Combined Maritime Forces Royal Navy Commodore Keith Winstanley. "When we work as a Coalition with regional partners, we are able to complement regional countries efforts and really make a difference."
The most recent interception of contraband occurred on March 12th in the Gulf of Aden by Charlottetown, who stopped illegal smuggling activities conducting Maritime Security Operations (MSO). Charlottetown boarded a dhow and discovered approximately 1.7 tons of hashish worth several million dollars. The drugs were disposed of at sea and the vessel was held until local authorities arrived. In February, CMF ships performed several at-sea rescues of mariners in distress.
But since the attacks of September 11th, the CMF have focused their efforts to disrupt terrorist activities by targeting criminal activities. Coalition ships assigned to CTF 150 operate throughout the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. Task Force 150 is commanded by French Navy Rear Adm. Jean L. Kerignard.
As part of their ongoing effort to enhance communication and cooperation, Afghan and Pakistani border security forces at Torkham Gate met on February 28th with the 173rd Airborne Brigade's Special Troops Battalion commander. The purpose of the meeting was to address security and communication issues, and the upcoming opening of the Khyber Border Coordination Center. The primary goal of the groups is prevent insurgent operations in the border area.
Preventing insurgent operations requires constant communication between the Afghan and Pakistan border forces, said Army Lt. Col. Jeffrey Milhorn, the battalion commander. He said he hopes to improve the chances of catching insurgents by supplying the Afghan and Pakistani border police with radio equipment so they can speak directly with each other. The recent improvements at Torkham Gate, such as installing an X-ray machine to scan incoming cargo trucks and people who regularly cross the border into nationwide databases, are just some of the processes that have been put in place to more efficiently regulate border operations.
Pakistan Army Col. Qaiser Alam stressed the importance of the Afghan and Pakistani border police pooling their resources with the U.S. military to combat a common enemy. "A terrorist is a terrorist," Qaiser said. "He has no nationality, no religion, no color." The meeting moved to the roof of the border checkpoint on the Pakistan side to take in a full view of the bustling Afghan border station across the bridge, and plans were discussed about future changes. Qaiser said he hopes for newer facilities on his side of the border, alleviating some of the burden from the Afghan side.
No paperless communication exists among the Afghan, Pakistani and U.S. forces, and although they're only a few hundred feet apart, the checkpoints work independently of each other. Improving the forces' cooperation ultimately will benefit both sides, officials said. "Estimates by experts indicate that (Torkham Gate) has the potential to generate $350 million in revenue each year - money that could be put back into government projects," said Army Maj. Scott Sonsalla, Special Troops Battalion's executive officer. "Our goal is to improve the country through prosperity and security. Closing the border to illegal traffic does both."
NAVAL FORCES HALT ILLEGAL SHIPPING
Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) operations in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden, have succeeded in disrupting the transit of contraband, narcotics and alcohol in recent weeks. As part of Combined Task Force (CTF) 150, Canadian multi-purpose frigate HMCS Charlottetown (FFH 339), guided-missile destroyers USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) and USS Carney (DDG 64), Royal Navy frigate HMS Argyll (F 231), and French frigate FS Guepratte (F 714) have all worked together in partnership with regional nations to halt criminal activities. Several seizures of narcotics and alcohol with a street value of over $30 million resulted from these coordinated multinational maritime operations. "Coalition efforts build a lawful maritime order for regional security," said Deputy Combined Maritime Forces Royal Navy Commodore Keith Winstanley. "When we work as a Coalition with regional partners, we are able to complement regional countries efforts and really make a difference."
The most recent interception of contraband occurred on March 12th in the Gulf of Aden by Charlottetown, who stopped illegal smuggling activities conducting Maritime Security Operations (MSO). Charlottetown boarded a dhow and discovered approximately 1.7 tons of hashish worth several million dollars. The drugs were disposed of at sea and the vessel was held until local authorities arrived. In February, CMF ships performed several at-sea rescues of mariners in distress.
But since the attacks of September 11th, the CMF have focused their efforts to disrupt terrorist activities by targeting criminal activities. Coalition ships assigned to CTF 150 operate throughout the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. Task Force 150 is commanded by French Navy Rear Adm. Jean L. Kerignard.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Terror Suspects Were To Bomb Philippine Airport
Source Article HERE.
From 'Philippine Daily Inquirer':
Three alleged foreign terrorists arrested in the Philippines last month planned to bomb a major airport and a military camp in Mindanao, according to a preliminary police report shown to the Inquirer. The report said Jordanians Khalil Hasan Al-Alih and Walid Abu Aisem and Indonesian Bae Haki admitted during interrogation that they were involved in plans to bomb Awang airport in Cotabato City as well as the headquarters of the 6th Infantry Division located beside the terminal.
The report was shown to the Inquirer by police sources who spoke on condition of anonymity for lack of any authority to speak on the matter. The sources said the authorities were tracking the suspects' funding source as well as other cohorts they may have had. Police arrested Al-Alih on February 15th at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Aisem and Haki were arrested in Davao between February 15th and 29th. The sources told the Inquirer the three were suspected members of an al-Qaida sleeper cell operating in the country that planned to bomb the American, British and other embassies in Manila.
Haki was reportedly a member of Jemaah Islamiyah, an Indonesia-based terror group with links to the al-Qaida international terror network of Osama bin Laden. The Philippine National Police, meanwhile, are also on the lookout for a terror suspect who escaped from detention in Singapore three weeks ago, according to a confidential report obtained by the Inquirer. The report said Singapore police had alerted their counterparts in the Philippines to be on the lookout for Mas Selamat Kastari after they failed to find him in the city-state. Kastari, 45, is reportedly the Jemaah Islamiyah leader in Singapore.
From 'Philippine Daily Inquirer':
Three alleged foreign terrorists arrested in the Philippines last month planned to bomb a major airport and a military camp in Mindanao, according to a preliminary police report shown to the Inquirer. The report said Jordanians Khalil Hasan Al-Alih and Walid Abu Aisem and Indonesian Bae Haki admitted during interrogation that they were involved in plans to bomb Awang airport in Cotabato City as well as the headquarters of the 6th Infantry Division located beside the terminal.
The report was shown to the Inquirer by police sources who spoke on condition of anonymity for lack of any authority to speak on the matter. The sources said the authorities were tracking the suspects' funding source as well as other cohorts they may have had. Police arrested Al-Alih on February 15th at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Aisem and Haki were arrested in Davao between February 15th and 29th. The sources told the Inquirer the three were suspected members of an al-Qaida sleeper cell operating in the country that planned to bomb the American, British and other embassies in Manila.
Haki was reportedly a member of Jemaah Islamiyah, an Indonesia-based terror group with links to the al-Qaida international terror network of Osama bin Laden. The Philippine National Police, meanwhile, are also on the lookout for a terror suspect who escaped from detention in Singapore three weeks ago, according to a confidential report obtained by the Inquirer. The report said Singapore police had alerted their counterparts in the Philippines to be on the lookout for Mas Selamat Kastari after they failed to find him in the city-state. Kastari, 45, is reportedly the Jemaah Islamiyah leader in Singapore.
UK Teens Will Stand Trial In October
Source Article HERE.
From 'Dewsbury Reporter': Two Ravensthorpe teenagers facing terror charges have appeared at Leeds Crown Court.
During the hearing on Friday the 17-year-old and 18-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded not guilty to all charges. The 17-year-old is charged with the possession of material which could be used for the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism, and the possession of a document containing information useful in the preparation of an act of terrorism. Both charges relate to a file on his computer called The Proper Anarchist's Cookbook.
The 18-year-old is charged with possession of articles which could be used for the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism, and the possession of a document containing information useful in the preparation of an act of terrorism. The charges relate to quantities of potassium nitrate and calcium chloride and a file on his computer called The Anarchist's Cookbook found during police raids. The pair had their conditional bail extended until their trial begins at Leeds Crown Court on October 16, 2008.
From 'Dewsbury Reporter': Two Ravensthorpe teenagers facing terror charges have appeared at Leeds Crown Court.
During the hearing on Friday the 17-year-old and 18-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded not guilty to all charges. The 17-year-old is charged with the possession of material which could be used for the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism, and the possession of a document containing information useful in the preparation of an act of terrorism. Both charges relate to a file on his computer called The Proper Anarchist's Cookbook.
The 18-year-old is charged with possession of articles which could be used for the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism, and the possession of a document containing information useful in the preparation of an act of terrorism. The charges relate to quantities of potassium nitrate and calcium chloride and a file on his computer called The Anarchist's Cookbook found during police raids. The pair had their conditional bail extended until their trial begins at Leeds Crown Court on October 16, 2008.
Bin Laden Associate in US Custody
Source Article HERE.
From 'AFP':
On March 14th, the Pentagon disclosed the capture of an Afghan national who helped arrange Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's escape from Tora Bora in the mountains of Afghanistan in late 2001. Muhammed Rahim, described as one of Bin Laden's most trusted facilitators and procurement specialists, was turned over to the military by the CIA at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said.
CIA Director Michael Hayden said Rahim was detained in mid-2007 and eventually turned over to US custody and placed in the CIA's interrogation program. "Rahim is perhaps best known in counter-terror circles as a personal facilitator and translator for Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaeda leaders," Hayden said in a message to CIA employees. "In 2001, as the terrorist haven in Afghanistan was collapsing, Rahim helped prepare Tora Bora as a hideout. When Al-Qaeda had to flee from there, Rahim was part of that operation, too," he said. Bin Laden was believed to have been trapped in the mountain hideout near the Pakistani border, but eluded capture by slipping through a cordon of US and Afghan forces.
From 'AFP':
On March 14th, the Pentagon disclosed the capture of an Afghan national who helped arrange Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's escape from Tora Bora in the mountains of Afghanistan in late 2001. Muhammed Rahim, described as one of Bin Laden's most trusted facilitators and procurement specialists, was turned over to the military by the CIA at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said.CIA Director Michael Hayden said Rahim was detained in mid-2007 and eventually turned over to US custody and placed in the CIA's interrogation program. "Rahim is perhaps best known in counter-terror circles as a personal facilitator and translator for Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaeda leaders," Hayden said in a message to CIA employees. "In 2001, as the terrorist haven in Afghanistan was collapsing, Rahim helped prepare Tora Bora as a hideout. When Al-Qaeda had to flee from there, Rahim was part of that operation, too," he said. Bin Laden was believed to have been trapped in the mountain hideout near the Pakistani border, but eluded capture by slipping through a cordon of US and Afghan forces.
UN Pledges Continued Progress Against Terror
Source Article HERE.
From 'Xinhua': The UN Security Council concluded a two-day meeting on Thursday on measures to combat terrorism, pledging that the United Nations will continue to lead the global endeavor to fight terrorism despite the fact that considerable progress has been made in the process. Following Wednesday's open debate, which saw the attendance of senior UN officials and representatives from over twenty countries, the 15-member council unanimously adopted Resolution 1805 on Thursday, extending the mandate of its Counter-Terrorism Committee's Executive Directorate (CTED) until 31 December 2010 and endorsing its revised organizational plan.
Briefing the Security Council on Wednesday, Mike Smith, CTED's executive director, said that the international community has made considerable progress in the fight against terrorism. "Most countries had now criminalized terrorism," he said. "We have seen hundreds of new ratifications of the key counter-terrorism conventions and protocols... There has been an almost unprecedented level of international exchange of information and cooperation among relevant agencies across borders, with the purpose of disrupting planned terrorist attacks and enabling the arrest and prosecution of those engaged in terrorism," he said. Now the need is less to ensure that countries understand the seriousness of the challenge and more to make sure they have the capacity and expertise to implement the counter-terrorism measures contained in Resolution 1373, adopted in the wake of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, he added.
The resolution adopted Thursday underscored "the central role of the United Nations in the global fight against terrorism" and said the council remained "determined to contribute further on enhancing the effectiveness of the overall effort to fight this scourge on a global level." It urged CTED, whose "overarching goal" is to ensure the full implementation of Resolution 1373, "to continue strengthening its role in facilitating technical assistance ... aimed at increasing the capabilities of member states in the fight against terrorism by addressing their counter-terrorism needs." It also urged the executive office to intensify cooperation with member states and relevant international organizations "with a view to enhancing member states' capacity to fully implement Resolution 1372 and to facilitate the provision of technical assistance."
Resolution 1373 obliges all UN member states to criminalize assistance for terrorist activities, deny financial support and safe haven to terrorists and share information about groups planning terrorist attacks. Established in 2004, the CTED assists the council's Counter-Terrorism Committee in monitoring 1373's implementation.
From 'Xinhua': The UN Security Council concluded a two-day meeting on Thursday on measures to combat terrorism, pledging that the United Nations will continue to lead the global endeavor to fight terrorism despite the fact that considerable progress has been made in the process. Following Wednesday's open debate, which saw the attendance of senior UN officials and representatives from over twenty countries, the 15-member council unanimously adopted Resolution 1805 on Thursday, extending the mandate of its Counter-Terrorism Committee's Executive Directorate (CTED) until 31 December 2010 and endorsing its revised organizational plan.
Briefing the Security Council on Wednesday, Mike Smith, CTED's executive director, said that the international community has made considerable progress in the fight against terrorism. "Most countries had now criminalized terrorism," he said. "We have seen hundreds of new ratifications of the key counter-terrorism conventions and protocols... There has been an almost unprecedented level of international exchange of information and cooperation among relevant agencies across borders, with the purpose of disrupting planned terrorist attacks and enabling the arrest and prosecution of those engaged in terrorism," he said. Now the need is less to ensure that countries understand the seriousness of the challenge and more to make sure they have the capacity and expertise to implement the counter-terrorism measures contained in Resolution 1373, adopted in the wake of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, he added.
The resolution adopted Thursday underscored "the central role of the United Nations in the global fight against terrorism" and said the council remained "determined to contribute further on enhancing the effectiveness of the overall effort to fight this scourge on a global level." It urged CTED, whose "overarching goal" is to ensure the full implementation of Resolution 1373, "to continue strengthening its role in facilitating technical assistance ... aimed at increasing the capabilities of member states in the fight against terrorism by addressing their counter-terrorism needs." It also urged the executive office to intensify cooperation with member states and relevant international organizations "with a view to enhancing member states' capacity to fully implement Resolution 1372 and to facilitate the provision of technical assistance."
Resolution 1373 obliges all UN member states to criminalize assistance for terrorist activities, deny financial support and safe haven to terrorists and share information about groups planning terrorist attacks. Established in 2004, the CTED assists the council's Counter-Terrorism Committee in monitoring 1373's implementation.
Bosnian Police Arrest 5 Terror Suspects
Source Article HERE.
From 'International Herald Tribune': The Bosnian police have arrested five people suspected of terrorism, and seized anti-tank mines, laser sights, maps and manuals describing how to build bombs, officials said on Friday. The raids on the suspects' homes in Sarajevo and the central town of Bugojno on Thursday turned up what officials described as a significant amount of weapons, electronic equipment, maps and other items that they said could be used for acts of terrorism, a police statement said. The police did not identify those arrested by name, but said they were suspected of "having prepared a terrorism act as an organized group." Local media reports said they were members of a radical Muslim movement and were Bosnian citizens.
The group was under surveillance for several months by Bosnia's intelligence service and the prosecutor's office. During the surveillance, the authorities concluded that the five had set up a "group with the aim to cause damage on the territory of Bosnia-Herzegovina," the statement said. The Bosnian government formed an anti-terrorism unit after the attacks of September 11, 2001. In 2005, the police in Bosnia, in cooperation with the authorities in Denmark, Sweden and Britain, arrested a group that was plotting to blow up an unidentified European target. Four members of the group were sentenced to lengthy prison terms in Bosnia.
From 'International Herald Tribune': The Bosnian police have arrested five people suspected of terrorism, and seized anti-tank mines, laser sights, maps and manuals describing how to build bombs, officials said on Friday. The raids on the suspects' homes in Sarajevo and the central town of Bugojno on Thursday turned up what officials described as a significant amount of weapons, electronic equipment, maps and other items that they said could be used for acts of terrorism, a police statement said. The police did not identify those arrested by name, but said they were suspected of "having prepared a terrorism act as an organized group." Local media reports said they were members of a radical Muslim movement and were Bosnian citizens.
The group was under surveillance for several months by Bosnia's intelligence service and the prosecutor's office. During the surveillance, the authorities concluded that the five had set up a "group with the aim to cause damage on the territory of Bosnia-Herzegovina," the statement said. The Bosnian government formed an anti-terrorism unit after the attacks of September 11, 2001. In 2005, the police in Bosnia, in cooperation with the authorities in Denmark, Sweden and Britain, arrested a group that was plotting to blow up an unidentified European target. Four members of the group were sentenced to lengthy prison terms in Bosnia.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Centcom Press Release - Mar 17
AFGHAN CITIZEN TURNS IN IED CACHE
Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), assisted by Coalition forces, conducted a security patrol that found and disarmed an improvised explosive device (IED) cache turned in by a local Afghan citizen to Provincial Police Chief Juma Gul in Oruzgan Province, Afghanistan, on March 10th. The Afghan National Police Chief notified the Afghan National Army they had secured an IED cache site in the middle of a heavily travelled road during the operation. The ANA provided the outer cordon while a specially-trained ANP search and disarm team swept the area for additional IED material. One canister was identified, and the ANP began digging it up. The device was deemed too hazardous to recover and was destroyed in place. "The mission was managed and executed by the ANSF," said Army Capt. Vanessa R. Bowman, a Coalition forces spokesperson. "The destruction of the IED cache sends two strong messages; the Afghan civilian trusted the ANP, and the superior training of the ANSF led to saving Afghan lives."
IRAQI TROOPS RECOVER WEAPONS CACHE
A Hillah Iraqi Special Weapons and Tactics team recovered a weapons and munitions cache in Al-Iskandariyah as the result of a tip from a local citizen on March 13th. Following up on a call from a citizen to the ISWAT tip line, a Hillah ISWAT team conducted an Iraqi-only operation and recovered what they believe to be an al-Qaeda in Iraq weapons cache for use against Coalition forces bases in north Babil. The cache consisted of nine 122mm rockets, two 122mm artillery rounds with detonation cord, one 152mm artillery round with detonation cord, and four artillery fuses.
Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), assisted by Coalition forces, conducted a security patrol that found and disarmed an improvised explosive device (IED) cache turned in by a local Afghan citizen to Provincial Police Chief Juma Gul in Oruzgan Province, Afghanistan, on March 10th. The Afghan National Police Chief notified the Afghan National Army they had secured an IED cache site in the middle of a heavily travelled road during the operation. The ANA provided the outer cordon while a specially-trained ANP search and disarm team swept the area for additional IED material. One canister was identified, and the ANP began digging it up. The device was deemed too hazardous to recover and was destroyed in place. "The mission was managed and executed by the ANSF," said Army Capt. Vanessa R. Bowman, a Coalition forces spokesperson. "The destruction of the IED cache sends two strong messages; the Afghan civilian trusted the ANP, and the superior training of the ANSF led to saving Afghan lives."
IRAQI TROOPS RECOVER WEAPONS CACHE
A Hillah Iraqi Special Weapons and Tactics team recovered a weapons and munitions cache in Al-Iskandariyah as the result of a tip from a local citizen on March 13th. Following up on a call from a citizen to the ISWAT tip line, a Hillah ISWAT team conducted an Iraqi-only operation and recovered what they believe to be an al-Qaeda in Iraq weapons cache for use against Coalition forces bases in north Babil. The cache consisted of nine 122mm rockets, two 122mm artillery rounds with detonation cord, one 152mm artillery round with detonation cord, and four artillery fuses.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Taliban, Breaking With Al-Qaeda?
By Hawkeye:
On March 12th, it was reported that Al-Qaeda's online internet supporters were lashing out at the Taliban and suggesting that they are "straying from the path of global jihad". And what is it that the Taliban are guilty of? Well, Taliban leader Mullah Omar issued a statement suggesting that the Taliban are seeking better relations with the world, and that it even sympathizes with Shiite Iran. According to the Al-Qaeda supporters, this is the worst thing that has ever happened, and one even said, "the disaster of defending the (Iranian) regime is on par with the Crusaders in Afghanistan and Iraq."
Of course, there is no indication that Al-Qaeda's chat room supporters have any direct links with the leadership of Al-Qaeda. The Taliban on the other hand, were believed to have very close ties to Al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, at least until very recently. So, the question that begs to be asked then, is: Why this statement from the Taliban, and what does it portend?
I believe it suggests that a rift may have developed between Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Such an openly flagrant 'policy shift' would be sure to attract criticism, and would not have been done lightly. But what would cause such a rift? For that we need to review some recent articles to set the stage...
First, consider the stories coming out of Iraq. Though not fully defeated, Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) has been pushed out of large swaths of territory where it was once firmly entrenched. Media stories about 'The Anbar Awakening' and 'Concerned Local Citizen' groups (now referred to as the 'Sons of Iraq') have been numerous. Al-Qaeda's Sunni brethren in Iraq have turned against AQI, primarily because of their violence against fellow Sunnis and their brutally violent form of Sharia justice. We reported that AQI leaders had admitted that they were in panic and fear. In a December 2007 audiotape message, Bin Laden was showing signs of fear that he was losing in Iraq. In October, he even admitted mistakes had been made in Iraq while trying to bolster the insurgency there, all to no avail.
On the flip side, there have also been plenty of stories coming out of Iraq about Sunnis and Shiites reaching reconciliation on various issues. Shiites have begun to trust Sunnis and vice versa. Violence went down steadily. Life started returning to normal in many parts of Iraq. Refugees who fled the violence started returning home. In general, the Iraqi people are happy that Al-Qaeda is gone.
Next, consider that a recent poll taken in Pakistan found that sympathy for Al-Qaeda and the Taliban has dropped sharply in recent months. (See VAT article HERE.) The decline in pro-Taliban & pro-Qaeda sentiment is attributed in part to a wave of violence in Pakistan that was blamed on Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. The decline may also be due in part to their appearance of weakness and failure, stemming from the defeats they suffered in Iraq.
Then, consider that Darool-Uloom Deoband, a radical Muslim seminary that supposedly inspired the Taliban denounced terrorism as an unpardonable sin in late February.
Consider that Sayyid Imam al-Sharif (once a mentor to Ayman al-Zawahiri) recently published a book -- 'Rationalizations on Jihad in Egypt and the World' -- in which he argues that the use of violence to overthrow Islamic governments is religiously unlawful and practically harmful. He also recommends the formation of a special Islamic court to try Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Zawahiri's response to al-Sharif was a book of his own -- 'A Treatise Exonerating the Nation of the Pen and the Sword from the Blemish of the Accusation of Weakness and Fatigue'. MEMRI -- Middle East Media Research Institute -- had this to say about Zawahiri's book...
Also consider that Egyptian cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who is also a preacher on the Arab satellite television network Al Jazeera, has called on al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden to surrender. "I ask Osama bin Laden to surrender and to hand himself over to an international tribunal in order to respond to the charge that he ordered the attacks of September 11," said al-Qaradawi in an interview with the Arab newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat.
The gist of all these stories of course, is that Al-Qaeda is losing influence in the Muslim world, while terrorism and violence (against Muslims at any rate) is being rejected. The likely reason for this growing trend is that Al-Qaeda is now being viewed among prominent Muslims as a failure. Al-Qaeda was not being rejected when it used coordinated terror attacks against western targets. But it is being rejecting now, when the vast majority of attacks by Al-Qaeda appear to be nothing more than indiscriminate bombings against Muslim civilians. Al-Qaeda in Iraq was not being rejected when the targets of their violence were American soldiers. But it was rejected when the targets of their violence became fellow Sunnis.
Given this background then, it would not be difficult to imagine that as influential Muslims around the world have begun to distance themselves from Al-Qaeda, the Taliban are simply joining that movement. Assuming that is the case, then there may indeed be a rift forming between the Taliban and Al-Qaeda resulting from Al-Qaeda's growing loss of influence and prestige in the Islamic world.
Or, it may strictly be a financial matter. With its loss of influence, Al-Qaeda may be losing financial support. The Taliban may see Al-Qaeda as a dying organization. It is quite possible then that the statement from Mullah Omar is a preliminary gesture toward the opening of relations with Tehran in an effort to create a new partnership for their on-going quest to try and regain control of Afghanistan.
On March 12th, it was reported that Al-Qaeda's online internet supporters were lashing out at the Taliban and suggesting that they are "straying from the path of global jihad". And what is it that the Taliban are guilty of? Well, Taliban leader Mullah Omar issued a statement suggesting that the Taliban are seeking better relations with the world, and that it even sympathizes with Shiite Iran. According to the Al-Qaeda supporters, this is the worst thing that has ever happened, and one even said, "the disaster of defending the (Iranian) regime is on par with the Crusaders in Afghanistan and Iraq."
Of course, there is no indication that Al-Qaeda's chat room supporters have any direct links with the leadership of Al-Qaeda. The Taliban on the other hand, were believed to have very close ties to Al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, at least until very recently. So, the question that begs to be asked then, is: Why this statement from the Taliban, and what does it portend?
I believe it suggests that a rift may have developed between Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Such an openly flagrant 'policy shift' would be sure to attract criticism, and would not have been done lightly. But what would cause such a rift? For that we need to review some recent articles to set the stage...
First, consider the stories coming out of Iraq. Though not fully defeated, Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) has been pushed out of large swaths of territory where it was once firmly entrenched. Media stories about 'The Anbar Awakening' and 'Concerned Local Citizen' groups (now referred to as the 'Sons of Iraq') have been numerous. Al-Qaeda's Sunni brethren in Iraq have turned against AQI, primarily because of their violence against fellow Sunnis and their brutally violent form of Sharia justice. We reported that AQI leaders had admitted that they were in panic and fear. In a December 2007 audiotape message, Bin Laden was showing signs of fear that he was losing in Iraq. In October, he even admitted mistakes had been made in Iraq while trying to bolster the insurgency there, all to no avail.
On the flip side, there have also been plenty of stories coming out of Iraq about Sunnis and Shiites reaching reconciliation on various issues. Shiites have begun to trust Sunnis and vice versa. Violence went down steadily. Life started returning to normal in many parts of Iraq. Refugees who fled the violence started returning home. In general, the Iraqi people are happy that Al-Qaeda is gone.
Next, consider that a recent poll taken in Pakistan found that sympathy for Al-Qaeda and the Taliban has dropped sharply in recent months. (See VAT article HERE.) The decline in pro-Taliban & pro-Qaeda sentiment is attributed in part to a wave of violence in Pakistan that was blamed on Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. The decline may also be due in part to their appearance of weakness and failure, stemming from the defeats they suffered in Iraq.
Then, consider that Darool-Uloom Deoband, a radical Muslim seminary that supposedly inspired the Taliban denounced terrorism as an unpardonable sin in late February.
Consider that Sayyid Imam al-Sharif (once a mentor to Ayman al-Zawahiri) recently published a book -- 'Rationalizations on Jihad in Egypt and the World' -- in which he argues that the use of violence to overthrow Islamic governments is religiously unlawful and practically harmful. He also recommends the formation of a special Islamic court to try Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Zawahiri's response to al-Sharif was a book of his own -- 'A Treatise Exonerating the Nation of the Pen and the Sword from the Blemish of the Accusation of Weakness and Fatigue'. MEMRI -- Middle East Media Research Institute -- had this to say about Zawahiri's book...
Al-Qaeda's decision to publish such a work is strong evidence that it is deeply worried that radical Islamists could be influenced by Sayyed Imam (to) abandon the jihad. Al-Zawahiri's Treatise is actually a sharp about-face for Al-Qaeda; up until this point, it had studiously ignored the substantive arguments put forward by Sayyed Imam, and had simply asserted that the Egyptian security services had tortured Imam into writing the book, and that it thus did not merit serious discussion. Hence, the Treatise is a tacit admission that Al-Qaeda is facing an unprecedented ideological challenge.
Also consider that Egyptian cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who is also a preacher on the Arab satellite television network Al Jazeera, has called on al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden to surrender. "I ask Osama bin Laden to surrender and to hand himself over to an international tribunal in order to respond to the charge that he ordered the attacks of September 11," said al-Qaradawi in an interview with the Arab newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat.
The gist of all these stories of course, is that Al-Qaeda is losing influence in the Muslim world, while terrorism and violence (against Muslims at any rate) is being rejected. The likely reason for this growing trend is that Al-Qaeda is now being viewed among prominent Muslims as a failure. Al-Qaeda was not being rejected when it used coordinated terror attacks against western targets. But it is being rejecting now, when the vast majority of attacks by Al-Qaeda appear to be nothing more than indiscriminate bombings against Muslim civilians. Al-Qaeda in Iraq was not being rejected when the targets of their violence were American soldiers. But it was rejected when the targets of their violence became fellow Sunnis.
Given this background then, it would not be difficult to imagine that as influential Muslims around the world have begun to distance themselves from Al-Qaeda, the Taliban are simply joining that movement. Assuming that is the case, then there may indeed be a rift forming between the Taliban and Al-Qaeda resulting from Al-Qaeda's growing loss of influence and prestige in the Islamic world.
Or, it may strictly be a financial matter. With its loss of influence, Al-Qaeda may be losing financial support. The Taliban may see Al-Qaeda as a dying organization. It is quite possible then that the statement from Mullah Omar is a preliminary gesture toward the opening of relations with Tehran in an effort to create a new partnership for their on-going quest to try and regain control of Afghanistan.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Egyptian Cleric Urges Bin Laden To Surrender
Source Article HERE.
From 'AKI': The Egyptian cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who is also a preacher on the Arab satellite television network Al Jazeera, has called on al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden to surrender. "I ask Osama bin Laden to surrender and to hand himself over to an international tribunal in order to respond to the charge that he ordered the attacks of September 11," said al-Qaradawi in an interview with the Arab newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat.
According to the well-known Muslim scholar, it is still not established "in a definitive way by the American secret services in their reports," of bin Laden's responsibility in the attacks that occurred in New York and Washington in 2001. For this reason, he calls on bin Laden to surrender and allow himself to be judged, with the hope that he will find himeself in front of a fair court that will be able to also judge other al-Qaeda terrorists.
"I would also like to tell the American president George W. Bush that his country committed the same errors as the terrorists when it attacked Afghanistan with the excuse of hunting [bin Laden] and instead killed children and innocent people," said al-Qaradawi. He said that terrorism cannot be fought with a war on a vast scale,"but by treating the causes of terrorism because even if Osama bin Laden is killed, thousands of others like him will come forward if the problems are not resolved." According to al-Qaradawi jihadi groups are wrong to use only violence because in Islam, "the ends do not justify the means."
From 'AKI': The Egyptian cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who is also a preacher on the Arab satellite television network Al Jazeera, has called on al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden to surrender. "I ask Osama bin Laden to surrender and to hand himself over to an international tribunal in order to respond to the charge that he ordered the attacks of September 11," said al-Qaradawi in an interview with the Arab newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat.
According to the well-known Muslim scholar, it is still not established "in a definitive way by the American secret services in their reports," of bin Laden's responsibility in the attacks that occurred in New York and Washington in 2001. For this reason, he calls on bin Laden to surrender and allow himself to be judged, with the hope that he will find himeself in front of a fair court that will be able to also judge other al-Qaeda terrorists.
"I would also like to tell the American president George W. Bush that his country committed the same errors as the terrorists when it attacked Afghanistan with the excuse of hunting [bin Laden] and instead killed children and innocent people," said al-Qaradawi. He said that terrorism cannot be fought with a war on a vast scale,"but by treating the causes of terrorism because even if Osama bin Laden is killed, thousands of others like him will come forward if the problems are not resolved." According to al-Qaradawi jihadi groups are wrong to use only violence because in Islam, "the ends do not justify the means."
Austria: Couple Guilty of Terror Involvement
Source Article HERE.
From 'USA Today': An Austrian husband and wife were found guilty of involvement in terror threats against targets in Germany and Austria and sentenced to prison terms, the Austria Press Agency reported Thursday. An eight-member jury pronounced its verdicts just before midnight Wednesday. Judge Norbert Gerstberger subsequently sentenced the man to four years and his wife to 22 months in prison. The two were identified only by their first names in keeping with Austrian law - Mohamed M. and Mona S.
The 22-year-old man was found guilty of involvement in a March 2007 video threatening Austria and Germany with attacks if they did not withdraw military personnel from Afghanistan and of other similar threats. His wife, 21, was convicted for helping him, mostly by translating Arab texts into German. Mohamed M. was also convicted of mentioning, in Internet forums frequented by Islamic radicals, the Vienna-based Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC, and the Euro 2008 soccer championship as potential terrorist targets.
At the start of the trial Monday, Mohamed M. pleaded not guilty to all charges but acknowledged he had been active in the Global Islamic Media Front. However, he disputed that the front had ties to al-Qaeda and described it as a media organization whose goal is the truth. He was calm on Wednesday, saying only, "I don't understand the verdict." He could have been convicted to a maximum 10 years in prison.
From 'USA Today': An Austrian husband and wife were found guilty of involvement in terror threats against targets in Germany and Austria and sentenced to prison terms, the Austria Press Agency reported Thursday. An eight-member jury pronounced its verdicts just before midnight Wednesday. Judge Norbert Gerstberger subsequently sentenced the man to four years and his wife to 22 months in prison. The two were identified only by their first names in keeping with Austrian law - Mohamed M. and Mona S.The 22-year-old man was found guilty of involvement in a March 2007 video threatening Austria and Germany with attacks if they did not withdraw military personnel from Afghanistan and of other similar threats. His wife, 21, was convicted for helping him, mostly by translating Arab texts into German. Mohamed M. was also convicted of mentioning, in Internet forums frequented by Islamic radicals, the Vienna-based Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC, and the Euro 2008 soccer championship as potential terrorist targets.
At the start of the trial Monday, Mohamed M. pleaded not guilty to all charges but acknowledged he had been active in the Global Islamic Media Front. However, he disputed that the front had ties to al-Qaeda and described it as a media organization whose goal is the truth. He was calm on Wednesday, saying only, "I don't understand the verdict." He could have been convicted to a maximum 10 years in prison.
Centcom News Feed - Mar 13
JUDGES RETURN TO SALMAN PAK, IRAQ
 Col. Wayne W. Grigsby Jr (left), greets Judge Razak in Salman Pak, March 10. (U.S. Army photo) |
Leaders in the 3rd BCT have worked with Iraqi security forces to secure Salman Pak since the brigade's arrival to the area last March. At the meeting, they assured the judges the area was secure. "We feel that the area is secure and is ready for your return," said Lt. Col. Jack Marr, from Minneapolis, the commander of the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment. "There will definitely be no shortage of work for you here. I was stopped three times on my way down here by citizens that have issues that need to be heard by you."
After viewing the facility, Judge Razak, the investigative judge for the Mada'in Qada, agreed it was time for the judges to return. "I've seen a big difference on the streets today," he said. "There are lots of people moving around on the streets. It looks better. Consider the judges back. We can be operating here in a couple of days if we can get all of our equipment and assistants here." Kuhn was happy to hear the news. "I know we are going to do great things for the good people here," Kuhn said. "We believe that more people will return when they hear that the court is back. This will bring more life back to this area."
Razak agreed, saying that Salman Pak was once a peaceful place. "Foreign terrorists penetrated this place and destroyed everything we had," Razak said. "Rule of law needs to take the place of revenge here." Col. Wayne W. Grigsby, from Prince George's County, Maryland, commander of the 3rd BCT, congratulated the judges on their decision and offered them his help in rebuilding their city. The 1-15 Infantry Regiment is assigned to the 3rd BCT, 3rd Infantry Division, from Fort Benning, Georgia, and has been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom since March 2007.
'VILLAGE OF HOPE' AIMS TO BOOST ECONOMY
 Tech. Sgt. Wayne Dingle teaches a class about electrical panels at the 'Village of Hope', March 4. (Courtesy photo) |
The Airmen-turned-teachers are with the 557th Expeditionary Red Horse Squadron, headquartered at Balad Air Base. The Village of Hope team has about 30 members who conduct classes from Patrol Base Stone, a Coalition outpost in the heart of the community. Tech. Sgt. Jacob Wilcock, a structural class instructor, said he had to adjust his mindset from pounding nails to teaching. "As builders, we are more attuned to seeing a completed structure or physical progress at the end of a work day," said Wilcock, from Phoenix. "Teaching is very rewarding, but the reward is seeing the students understand the lesson and do well on a practical exercise."
In addition to learning the basics of building over the three-month course, students will rebuild homes damaged or destroyed by extremists. Rebuilding homes is part of the lesson plan and as an added incentive, students are paid for attending class. "The students are very receptive, ecstatic and happy about the school," said Capt. Josh Aldred, Village of Hope project manager. "They are very grateful and fully understand we're here to help."
Local businesses will also benefit from the Village of Hope project. When classroom instruction ends and hands-on training begins, building materials available locally will be purchased from Hawr Rajab vendors. "Many come up to say that this is the best thing that has ever happened here," Aldred said. To ensure a steady supply of building materials, a brick and concrete block maker from Hawr Rajab was awarded a Baghdad-7 embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team (ePRT) micro-grant to help improve his business.
Airmen also see rewards coming from their new line of work. "I've deployed five times but I've never had the chance to help someone change their life," said Tech. Sgt. Christopher Collins, plumbing class instructor, from Fort Walton Beach, Florida. "This training will help them for the rest of their lives."
ANSF SECURE KHAK-E SAFID, AFGHANISTAN
One of the harshest Afghan winters on record, combined with the criminal and terrorist acts of insurgents, caused the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) to spring into action to give aid to citizens and clear the Khak-e Safid region of Farah Province, of enemy fighting positions, weapons and improvised explosive device (IED) making materials. In response to a plea from elders for assistance, the Afghan national army’s 207th Kandak, advised by Coalition forces, provided humanitarian and medical aid to Afghan citizens and drove out the insurgents. The Afghan National Army (ANA) treated numerous patients and supplied various items, primarily winter clothing. As the teams moved through other villages, a family approached the ANSF for assistance. The team gave the family supplies consisting of shoes, blankets and other winter items.
As the mission progressed, other ANA-led security and clearing teams conducted a search of several suspected insurgent compounds and a canyon with enemy fighting positions. In the canyon, they found a weapons cache of IED making materials, 107 mm rockets, and rocket propelled grenades and launchers. Also found was a reinforced cave complex and an insurgent structure used as a base to conduct robberies.
The ANSF destroyed the structure, the cave and numerous fighting positions, hampering insurgents' ability to conduct future operations. The final portion of the mission came when the ANA-led force cleared the Khowst Pass and positively identified several insurgent enemy positions preparing to ambush friendly forces. ANSF engaged the insurgents and called for precision air strikes eliminating the threat. "Security patrols, such as this, illustrate that the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan not only continues to establish a stable and secure environment for the people, but is also committed to increasing the quality of life for all people in Afghanistan," said Army Capt. Vanessa R. Bowman, Coalition spokesperson.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Friend of London Bombers Jailed for 'Terror' Manual
Source Article HERE.
From 'AFP':
A close friend of two of the bombers in the July 2005 suicide attacks in London was jailed for 16 months on Tuesday for possessing an Al-Qaeda training manual. Khalid Khaliq, 34, confessed to owning the manual on a CD which was discovered in a raid on his home by police investigating the July 7, 2005 attacks that saw four suicide bombers blow themselves up on underground trains and a bus, killing 52 others and injuring 700. He was arrested following the raid by anti-terror police. The CD contained a declaration of jihad or holy struggle, an interview with Osama bin Laden and information about weapons and tips on how to deal with being interviewed by police. A photograph showed Khaliq white-water rafting in north Wales with bombers Shehzad Tanweer and Mohammad Sidique Khan. Leeds Crown Court heard that all three men were also trustees of the Iqra book shop, a centre for young Muslims in the Beeston area of Leeds which was the focus of police investigations following the bombings.
From 'AFP':
A close friend of two of the bombers in the July 2005 suicide attacks in London was jailed for 16 months on Tuesday for possessing an Al-Qaeda training manual. Khalid Khaliq, 34, confessed to owning the manual on a CD which was discovered in a raid on his home by police investigating the July 7, 2005 attacks that saw four suicide bombers blow themselves up on underground trains and a bus, killing 52 others and injuring 700. He was arrested following the raid by anti-terror police. The CD contained a declaration of jihad or holy struggle, an interview with Osama bin Laden and information about weapons and tips on how to deal with being interviewed by police. A photograph showed Khaliq white-water rafting in north Wales with bombers Shehzad Tanweer and Mohammad Sidique Khan. Leeds Crown Court heard that all three men were also trustees of the Iqra book shop, a centre for young Muslims in the Beeston area of Leeds which was the focus of police investigations following the bombings.
Terror Plotters Lose Last Appeal
Source Article HERE.
From 'Scotsman.com':
A Cambodian man and two Thais convicted of plotting attacks on the US and British embassies in Cambodia lost their last appeal against their life sentences today. Cambodia's Supreme Court upheld the convictions of Sman Ismael, a Cambodian Muslim, and Thai citizens Abdul Azi Haji Chiming and Muhammad Yalaludin Mading. The trio targeted the embassies in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh.
From 'Scotsman.com':
A Cambodian man and two Thais convicted of plotting attacks on the US and British embassies in Cambodia lost their last appeal against their life sentences today. Cambodia's Supreme Court upheld the convictions of Sman Ismael, a Cambodian Muslim, and Thai citizens Abdul Azi Haji Chiming and Muhammad Yalaludin Mading. The trio targeted the embassies in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh.
Al-Qaeda Online Supporters Lash Out at Taliban
Source Article HERE.
From 'FoxNews': Al-Qaeda supporters on the Web have unleashed an unprecedented flood of criticism of Afghanistan's Taliban, once seen by extremists as the model of an Islamic state. Now extremists accuse the Taliban of straying from the path of global jihad after its leader Mullah Omar issued a statement saying he seeks good relations with the world and even sympathizes with Shiite Iran.
In February, the Taliban announced it wanted to maintain good and "legitimate" relations with neighboring countries. Then, last week online militants were outraged when the movement expressed solidarity with Iran, condemning the latest round of sanctions imposed on Tehran by the U.N. Security Council over its nuclear enrichment. The Shiite Islamic state of Iran is viewed as anathema by the Sunni militants of Al-Qaeda and other extremist movements.
"This is the worst statement I have ever read... the disaster of defending the (Iranian) regime is on par with the Crusaders in Afghanistan and Iraq," wrote poster Miskeen, whose name translates literally as "the wretched" and who is labeled as one of the more influential writers on an Al-Qaeda linked Web site. While anyone with a password can comment on these militant Islamist forums, the forum moderators who are linked to Al-Qaeda single out certain individuals as particularly important. It's not clear, however, whether the resentment among Al-Qaeda supporters reflects a rift between the Taliban and Al-Qaeda's leadership. The Taliban hosted Osama bin Laden until the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 toppled the movement, and since then the Taliban and Al-Qaeda are believed to have worked closely in the Afghan-Pakistan border area.
"The Taliban seeks to be a respected political movement that can at the same time govern Afghanistan and be at limited peace with its neighbors," said Rita Katz, the director of the Washington-based SITE Intelligence Group which monitors militant Web traffic. But she cautioned that the "Taliban's surprising call to support Iran in the face of new U.N. sanctions does not mean that the group is suddenly offering unequivocal support to Iran," though it shows readiness to coexist with the neighbor.
Cairo-based expert on Islamic movements Diaa Rashwan linked the Taliban's quest for international legitimacy to possible future negotiations with the Afghan government. "Mullah Omar's statement about good relations are in response to accusations from the West that the Taliban is radical and does not accept dialogue or negotiations with others," he said. Afghan President Hamid Karzai said in September he was ready to negotiate with the Taliban, including Mullah Omar himself, to put an end to the insurgency, while U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan William Wood said in December he would support reconciliation talks, with some conditions. "The only problem about an eventual compromise with the Taliban is the fate of Al-Qaeda, whether it will be expelled from Afghanistan or commit itself to the Afghan government," Rashwan said.
The Taliban came to power in Afghanistan in the mid-1990s and created a society run according to the strictest interpretation of Islamic law that has since been seen as a model for conservative Muslim militants the world over. However, it's pursuit of practical policies that involve working together with entities that have different ideologies counters the beliefs of the global jihadist trend represented by Al-Qaeda. "I am afraid that a nationalist... trend is penetrating Taliban regime," Miskeen said. "Sheiks Osama (bin Laden) and (Ayman) al-Zawahri should censure Taliban for these statements," said another poster, by the name al-Zarqawiya, an allusion to Al-Qaeda leaders.
From 'FoxNews': Al-Qaeda supporters on the Web have unleashed an unprecedented flood of criticism of Afghanistan's Taliban, once seen by extremists as the model of an Islamic state. Now extremists accuse the Taliban of straying from the path of global jihad after its leader Mullah Omar issued a statement saying he seeks good relations with the world and even sympathizes with Shiite Iran.
In February, the Taliban announced it wanted to maintain good and "legitimate" relations with neighboring countries. Then, last week online militants were outraged when the movement expressed solidarity with Iran, condemning the latest round of sanctions imposed on Tehran by the U.N. Security Council over its nuclear enrichment. The Shiite Islamic state of Iran is viewed as anathema by the Sunni militants of Al-Qaeda and other extremist movements.
"This is the worst statement I have ever read... the disaster of defending the (Iranian) regime is on par with the Crusaders in Afghanistan and Iraq," wrote poster Miskeen, whose name translates literally as "the wretched" and who is labeled as one of the more influential writers on an Al-Qaeda linked Web site. While anyone with a password can comment on these militant Islamist forums, the forum moderators who are linked to Al-Qaeda single out certain individuals as particularly important. It's not clear, however, whether the resentment among Al-Qaeda supporters reflects a rift between the Taliban and Al-Qaeda's leadership. The Taliban hosted Osama bin Laden until the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 toppled the movement, and since then the Taliban and Al-Qaeda are believed to have worked closely in the Afghan-Pakistan border area.
"The Taliban seeks to be a respected political movement that can at the same time govern Afghanistan and be at limited peace with its neighbors," said Rita Katz, the director of the Washington-based SITE Intelligence Group which monitors militant Web traffic. But she cautioned that the "Taliban's surprising call to support Iran in the face of new U.N. sanctions does not mean that the group is suddenly offering unequivocal support to Iran," though it shows readiness to coexist with the neighbor.
Cairo-based expert on Islamic movements Diaa Rashwan linked the Taliban's quest for international legitimacy to possible future negotiations with the Afghan government. "Mullah Omar's statement about good relations are in response to accusations from the West that the Taliban is radical and does not accept dialogue or negotiations with others," he said. Afghan President Hamid Karzai said in September he was ready to negotiate with the Taliban, including Mullah Omar himself, to put an end to the insurgency, while U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan William Wood said in December he would support reconciliation talks, with some conditions. "The only problem about an eventual compromise with the Taliban is the fate of Al-Qaeda, whether it will be expelled from Afghanistan or commit itself to the Afghan government," Rashwan said.
The Taliban came to power in Afghanistan in the mid-1990s and created a society run according to the strictest interpretation of Islamic law that has since been seen as a model for conservative Muslim militants the world over. However, it's pursuit of practical policies that involve working together with entities that have different ideologies counters the beliefs of the global jihadist trend represented by Al-Qaeda. "I am afraid that a nationalist... trend is penetrating Taliban regime," Miskeen said. "Sheiks Osama (bin Laden) and (Ayman) al-Zawahri should censure Taliban for these statements," said another poster, by the name al-Zarqawiya, an allusion to Al-Qaeda leaders.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Police Nab 8 Over Mercaz Harav Attack
Source Article HERE.
From 'Jerusalem Post': Police have arrested eight people in connection with Thursday's terror attack at Mercaz Harav Yeshiva, they said Saturday. The gunman, Ala Abu Dhaim, did not meet the typical profile of Palestinian attackers, police said. "He is not known to the security forces," Jerusalem Police Chief Cmdr. Aharon Franco told Channel 2. "He was a normal man... who was going to wed soon." Franco added that the gunmen drove students to school for a living, once again denying Abu Dhaim's family's claim that he had been working at the Yeshiva. He said that while Abu Dhaim had recently become more religious, he was not devout. Franco said he believed Abu Dhaim had planned the attack some time in advance and that it was not a response to recent violence in the Gaza Strip. "We think he had done some surveillance of the place and planned [to attack] it specifically. He chose a strategic and sensitive [target]. He knew where he was going."
From 'Jerusalem Post': Police have arrested eight people in connection with Thursday's terror attack at Mercaz Harav Yeshiva, they said Saturday. The gunman, Ala Abu Dhaim, did not meet the typical profile of Palestinian attackers, police said. "He is not known to the security forces," Jerusalem Police Chief Cmdr. Aharon Franco told Channel 2. "He was a normal man... who was going to wed soon." Franco added that the gunmen drove students to school for a living, once again denying Abu Dhaim's family's claim that he had been working at the Yeshiva. He said that while Abu Dhaim had recently become more religious, he was not devout. Franco said he believed Abu Dhaim had planned the attack some time in advance and that it was not a response to recent violence in the Gaza Strip. "We think he had done some surveillance of the place and planned [to attack] it specifically. He chose a strategic and sensitive [target]. He knew where he was going."
China Thwarts Olympic 'Terror Plot'
Source Article HERE.
From 'The Press Association': Chinese police have broken up a terror plot targeting the Beijing Olympics, and in a separate case, a flight crew foiled an apparent attempt to crash a Chinese jetliner, officials have said. Wang Lequan, the top Communist Party official in the far western region of Xinjiang, said materials seized in a January 27 raid in the regional capital, Urumqi, suggested the plotters planned "specifically to sabotage the staging of the Beijing Olympics...
Their goal was very clear," Mr Wang told reporters in Beijing. Mr Wang cited no other evidence or sources of the information and earlier reports on the raid had made no mention of Olympic targets.
Speaking at the same meeting, Xinjiang's governor said a flight crew prevented an apparent attempt to crash a China Southern flight from Urumqi to Beijing on Friday. Nur Bekri did not specifically label the incident a terrorist act, saying it remained under investigation. No passengers were injured and police were investigating, he said.
The incidents may give greater force to China's arguments that extreme measures are necessary to ensure social stability and the safety of the August Olympics, already the focus of negative publicity from the regime's critics. While deadly violence is less common in China than in many countries - Beijing bans virtually all private gun ownership - officials were quick to assert that a deadly hostage drama involving 10 Australian travel agents last week was not an embarrassment in the run-up to the Olympics. The hostage-taker was shot and killed by a police sniper after a stand-off lasting almost three-hours in the northern tourist hub, Xi'an. The hostage-taker's motive was not known. (See 'Victory Against Terror' article HERE).
Chinese forces have for years been battling a low-intensity separatist movement among Xinjiang's Uighurs, a Turkic-Muslim people who are culturally and ethnically distinct from China's Han majority. Iron-fisted Chinese rule has largely suppressed the violence, however, and no major bombing or shooting incidents have been reported in almost a decade. China has ratcheted up anti-terror preparations ahead of the Games, with the nation's top police official last year labelling terrorism the biggest threat facing the event. Although terrorism experts say the threat is not high given China's tight social controls, they warn that Beijing's counter-terrorism capabilities are weak, especially in intelligence-gathering and analysis.
From 'The Press Association': Chinese police have broken up a terror plot targeting the Beijing Olympics, and in a separate case, a flight crew foiled an apparent attempt to crash a Chinese jetliner, officials have said. Wang Lequan, the top Communist Party official in the far western region of Xinjiang, said materials seized in a January 27 raid in the regional capital, Urumqi, suggested the plotters planned "specifically to sabotage the staging of the Beijing Olympics...
Their goal was very clear," Mr Wang told reporters in Beijing. Mr Wang cited no other evidence or sources of the information and earlier reports on the raid had made no mention of Olympic targets.
Speaking at the same meeting, Xinjiang's governor said a flight crew prevented an apparent attempt to crash a China Southern flight from Urumqi to Beijing on Friday. Nur Bekri did not specifically label the incident a terrorist act, saying it remained under investigation. No passengers were injured and police were investigating, he said.
The incidents may give greater force to China's arguments that extreme measures are necessary to ensure social stability and the safety of the August Olympics, already the focus of negative publicity from the regime's critics. While deadly violence is less common in China than in many countries - Beijing bans virtually all private gun ownership - officials were quick to assert that a deadly hostage drama involving 10 Australian travel agents last week was not an embarrassment in the run-up to the Olympics. The hostage-taker was shot and killed by a police sniper after a stand-off lasting almost three-hours in the northern tourist hub, Xi'an. The hostage-taker's motive was not known. (See 'Victory Against Terror' article HERE).
Chinese forces have for years been battling a low-intensity separatist movement among Xinjiang's Uighurs, a Turkic-Muslim people who are culturally and ethnically distinct from China's Han majority. Iron-fisted Chinese rule has largely suppressed the violence, however, and no major bombing or shooting incidents have been reported in almost a decade. China has ratcheted up anti-terror preparations ahead of the Games, with the nation's top police official last year labelling terrorism the biggest threat facing the event. Although terrorism experts say the threat is not high given China's tight social controls, they warn that Beijing's counter-terrorism capabilities are weak, especially in intelligence-gathering and analysis.
Turkish Police Foil Terror Plot
Source Article HERE.
From 'The Press Association': A Turkish news agency says police have foiled an alleged plot to bomb US companies in the country. Police arrested three suspects belonging to a leftist militant group during a raid in Istanbul, the Dogan agency reported. Authorities seized a remote-controlled toy car allegedly being prepared to be used in a bombing. Police also seized a list of US companies that the DHKP-C group was targeting, including Coca Cola, Pepsi and Citibank, Dogan reported. The DHKP-C is listed as a terror group by the US and EU, and has been active since the 1970s.
From 'The Press Association': A Turkish news agency says police have foiled an alleged plot to bomb US companies in the country. Police arrested three suspects belonging to a leftist militant group during a raid in Istanbul, the Dogan agency reported. Authorities seized a remote-controlled toy car allegedly being prepared to be used in a bombing. Police also seized a list of US companies that the DHKP-C group was targeting, including Coca Cola, Pepsi and Citibank, Dogan reported. The DHKP-C is listed as a terror group by the US and EU, and has been active since the 1970s.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Russian Arms Dealer Arrested In Thailand
Source Article HERE.
From 'Boston Globe': Viktor Bout, the Russian alleged to be the "Merchant of Death" of the clandestine arms trade was arrested in a U.S. sting operation in Thailand on Thursday. He will stand trial in Bangkok before extradition is considered, Thai police said on Friday. Bout was arrested at a hotel hours after arriving in Bangkok from Moscow, facing a charge of "seeking or gathering assets for terrorism," sought in an international warrant, Police Lieutenant General Adisorn Nonsee said. Bout is charged in New York with conspiring to sell weapons worth millions of dollars to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, and faces up to 10 years in jail if found guilty in Thailand. The FARC is fighting a four-decade-old insurgency against the Colombian government and is designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department.
The United States, which has given billions of dollars in military aid to Colombia to fight the Marxist rebels and drug cartels, plans to seek Bout's extradition, but Adisorn said that would have to wait until after he was tried in Thailand. "Bout has to be tried in Thailand before extradition," Adisorn told a news conference where Bout was paraded for the media, guarded by heavily-armed police commandos. Thai laws require detained foreign terror suspects to be tried in the country and Bout's Russian lawyer complained his arrest was "unacceptable."
A senior official said Thai police would move as quickly as possible on the case as U.S. authorities were already working on Bout's extradition with Thai prosecutors. "It has to be quick since we don't want to keep this time bomb in our home for too long," Major-General Surapol Thuanthong told reporters. Asked to comment if Washington would want to extradite Bout before he finished any Thai sentence, Drug Enforcement Administration regional director Thomas Pasquarello told reporters: "The attorneys between the two nations will be working that out."
Bout and an associate, Andrew Smulian, are charged in New York with agreeing to sell weapons to the FARC including surface-to-air missile systems and armor-piercing rocket launchers between November 2007 and last month. Smulian, 46, was charged with conspiring to provide material support to a terrorist organization. If convicted in the United States, both men face up to 15 years in prison.
The DEA told Thai police Smulian might be traveling with Bout to Thailand between March 3 and 13, Lieutenant Colonel Nondhawat Amaranonda, who led the police raid, told Reuters. But Smulian was not among five foreigners detained with Bout and later freed, Nondhawat said. However, Surapol said the DEA wanted the Thai police to arrest Smulian, but a Thai court declined to issue a warrant, citing a lack of evidence. Four other Russians and a Briton with Bout when he was arrested were freed because there was no evidence they were involved in any wrongdoing, Surapol said.
Bout, due to appear in court for a formal detention hearing on Saturday, had said nothing to investigators since his arrest, Surapol said, and kept his mouth shut at the news conference. His only comment was on his arrest, when he told police "the game is over," Surapol said.
From 'Boston Globe': Viktor Bout, the Russian alleged to be the "Merchant of Death" of the clandestine arms trade was arrested in a U.S. sting operation in Thailand on Thursday. He will stand trial in Bangkok before extradition is considered, Thai police said on Friday. Bout was arrested at a hotel hours after arriving in Bangkok from Moscow, facing a charge of "seeking or gathering assets for terrorism," sought in an international warrant, Police Lieutenant General Adisorn Nonsee said. Bout is charged in New York with conspiring to sell weapons worth millions of dollars to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, and faces up to 10 years in jail if found guilty in Thailand. The FARC is fighting a four-decade-old insurgency against the Colombian government and is designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department.
The United States, which has given billions of dollars in military aid to Colombia to fight the Marxist rebels and drug cartels, plans to seek Bout's extradition, but Adisorn said that would have to wait until after he was tried in Thailand. "Bout has to be tried in Thailand before extradition," Adisorn told a news conference where Bout was paraded for the media, guarded by heavily-armed police commandos. Thai laws require detained foreign terror suspects to be tried in the country and Bout's Russian lawyer complained his arrest was "unacceptable."
A senior official said Thai police would move as quickly as possible on the case as U.S. authorities were already working on Bout's extradition with Thai prosecutors. "It has to be quick since we don't want to keep this time bomb in our home for too long," Major-General Surapol Thuanthong told reporters. Asked to comment if Washington would want to extradite Bout before he finished any Thai sentence, Drug Enforcement Administration regional director Thomas Pasquarello told reporters: "The attorneys between the two nations will be working that out."
Bout and an associate, Andrew Smulian, are charged in New York with agreeing to sell weapons to the FARC including surface-to-air missile systems and armor-piercing rocket launchers between November 2007 and last month. Smulian, 46, was charged with conspiring to provide material support to a terrorist organization. If convicted in the United States, both men face up to 15 years in prison.
The DEA told Thai police Smulian might be traveling with Bout to Thailand between March 3 and 13, Lieutenant Colonel Nondhawat Amaranonda, who led the police raid, told Reuters. But Smulian was not among five foreigners detained with Bout and later freed, Nondhawat said. However, Surapol said the DEA wanted the Thai police to arrest Smulian, but a Thai court declined to issue a warrant, citing a lack of evidence. Four other Russians and a Briton with Bout when he was arrested were freed because there was no evidence they were involved in any wrongdoing, Surapol said.
Bout, due to appear in court for a formal detention hearing on Saturday, had said nothing to investigators since his arrest, Surapol said, and kept his mouth shut at the news conference. His only comment was on his arrest, when he told police "the game is over," Surapol said.
List of Thwarted Terror Attacks Since Sept. 11
Source Article HERE.
From 'FoxNews': The following is a list of known terror plots thwarted by the U.S. government since Sept. 11, 2001.
• December 2001, Richard Reid: British citizen attempted to ignite shoe bomb on flight from Paris to Miami.
• May 2002, Jose Padilla: American citizen accused of seeking "dirty bomb," convicted of conspiracy.
• September 2002, Lackawanna Six: American citizens of Yemeni origin convicted of supporting Al Qaeda. Five of six were from Lackawanna, N.Y.
• May 2003, Iyman Faris: American citizen charged with trying to topple the Brooklyn Bridge.
• June 2003, Virginia Jihad Network: Eleven men from Alexandria, Va., trained for jihad against American soldiers, convicted of violating the Neutrality Act, conspiracy.
• August 2004, Dhiren Barot: Indian-born leader of terror cell plotted bombings on financial centers.
• August 2004, James Elshafay and Shahawar Matin Siraj: Sought to plant bomb at New York's Penn Station during the Republican National Convention.
• August 2004, Yassin Aref and Mohammed Hossain: Plotted to assassinate a Pakistani diplomat on American soil.
• June 2005, Father and son Umer Hayat and Hamid Hayat: Son convicted of attending terrorist training camp in Pakistan; father convicted of customs violation.
• August 2005, Kevin James, Levar Haley Washington, Gregory Vernon Patterson and Hammad Riaz Samana: Los Angeles homegrown terrorists who plotted to attack National Guard, LAX, two synagogues and Israeli consulate.
• December 2005, Michael Reynolds: Plotted to blow up refinery in Wyoming, convicted of providing material support to terrorists.
• February 2006, Mohammad Zaki Amawi, Marwan Othman El-Hindi and Zand Wassim Mazloum: Accused of providing material support to terrorists, making bombs for use in Iraq.
• April 2006, Syed Haris Ahmed and Ehsanul Islam Sadequee: Cased and videotaped the Capitol and World Bank for a terrorist organization.
• June 2006, Narseal Batiste, Patrick Abraham, Stanley Grant Phanor, Naudimar Herrera, Burson Augustin, Lyglenson Lemorin, and Rotschild Augstine: Accused of plotting to blow up the Sears Tower.
• July 2006, Assem Hammoud: Accused of plotting to hit New York City train tunnels.
• August 2006, Liquid Explosives Plot: Thwarted plot to explode ten airliners over the United States.
• March 2007, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed: Mastermind of Sept. 11 and author of numerous plots confessed in court in March 2007 to planning to destroy skyscrapers in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.
• May 2007, Fort Dix Plot: Six men accused of plotting to attack Fort Dix Army base in New Jersey.
• June 2007, JFK Plot: Four men accused of plotting to blow up fuel arteries underneath JFK Airport in New York.
From 'FoxNews': The following is a list of known terror plots thwarted by the U.S. government since Sept. 11, 2001.
• December 2001, Richard Reid: British citizen attempted to ignite shoe bomb on flight from Paris to Miami.
• May 2002, Jose Padilla: American citizen accused of seeking "dirty bomb," convicted of conspiracy.
• September 2002, Lackawanna Six: American citizens of Yemeni origin convicted of supporting Al Qaeda. Five of six were from Lackawanna, N.Y.
• May 2003, Iyman Faris: American citizen charged with trying to topple the Brooklyn Bridge.
• June 2003, Virginia Jihad Network: Eleven men from Alexandria, Va., trained for jihad against American soldiers, convicted of violating the Neutrality Act, conspiracy.
• August 2004, Dhiren Barot: Indian-born leader of terror cell plotted bombings on financial centers.
• August 2004, James Elshafay and Shahawar Matin Siraj: Sought to plant bomb at New York's Penn Station during the Republican National Convention.
• August 2004, Yassin Aref and Mohammed Hossain: Plotted to assassinate a Pakistani diplomat on American soil.
• June 2005, Father and son Umer Hayat and Hamid Hayat: Son convicted of attending terrorist training camp in Pakistan; father convicted of customs violation.
• August 2005, Kevin James, Levar Haley Washington, Gregory Vernon Patterson and Hammad Riaz Samana: Los Angeles homegrown terrorists who plotted to attack National Guard, LAX, two synagogues and Israeli consulate.
• December 2005, Michael Reynolds: Plotted to blow up refinery in Wyoming, convicted of providing material support to terrorists.
• February 2006, Mohammad Zaki Amawi, Marwan Othman El-Hindi and Zand Wassim Mazloum: Accused of providing material support to terrorists, making bombs for use in Iraq.
• April 2006, Syed Haris Ahmed and Ehsanul Islam Sadequee: Cased and videotaped the Capitol and World Bank for a terrorist organization.
• June 2006, Narseal Batiste, Patrick Abraham, Stanley Grant Phanor, Naudimar Herrera, Burson Augustin, Lyglenson Lemorin, and Rotschild Augstine: Accused of plotting to blow up the Sears Tower.
• July 2006, Assem Hammoud: Accused of plotting to hit New York City train tunnels.
• August 2006, Liquid Explosives Plot: Thwarted plot to explode ten airliners over the United States.
• March 2007, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed: Mastermind of Sept. 11 and author of numerous plots confessed in court in March 2007 to planning to destroy skyscrapers in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.
• May 2007, Fort Dix Plot: Six men accused of plotting to attack Fort Dix Army base in New Jersey.
• June 2007, JFK Plot: Four men accused of plotting to blow up fuel arteries underneath JFK Airport in New York.
Charges Finalized Against Gitmo Detainee
Source Article HERE.
From 'U.S. Department of Defense':
The Defense Department announced Wednesday that two charges have been referred against Guantanamo detainee Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al Qosi of Sudan. Al Qosi is charged with providing material support to terrorism and conspiring with Usama bin Laden and other al Qaeda members to target, attack and murder civilians; attack civilian objects; commit murder and destroy property in violation of the law of war; commit terrorism; and provide material support to terrorism. If convicted, the accused could be sentenced up to life in prison.
The charges allege that between 1996 and 2001, Al Qosi personally served as an armed guard and driver for Usama bin Laden. Until about 1998, Al Qosi is alleged to have provided logistical support by obtaining supplies and provisions for Al Qaeda, an international terrorist group dedicated to opposing non-Islamic governments with force and violence, at a compound near Jalalabad known as the "Star of Jihad." It is further alleged that from 1998 through 2001, al Qosi lived at an al Qaeda compound near Kandahar, Afghanistan, with other al Qaeda members, including Usama bin Laden, where he provided security, transportation, and supply services. Between 1998 and 2001 he allegedly traveled from the Kandahar compound to the front line near Kabul, where he fought in support of al Qaeda as part of a mortar crew. The charge sheet sets out that in 2001, Al Qosi, armed with a Kalashnikov rifle, evacuated the Kandahar compound and traveled to Kabul, then to Jalalabad, and then into the Tora Bora Mountains to provide transportation, security and support to Usama bin Laden and other al Qaeda members.
In accordance with the Military Commissions Act of 2006, the accused and his detailed defense counsel will be served a copy of the charges in English and the accused's native language. Additionally, a military judge will be detailed to the case. The Manual for Military Commissions requires the accused to be arraigned within 30 days of the service of charges and the military judge to assemble the military commission within 120 days of the service of charges. Assembly is the procedural step that usually occurs when all parties, including the jury, are present and sworn. The military trial judge will contact attorneys in the case to set an initial trial schedule.
The military commissions provide the following protections for the accused: the right to remain silent and to have no adverse inference drawn from it; the right to be represented by detailed military counsel, as well as civilian counsel of his own selection and at no expense to the government; the right to examine all evidence presented to a jury by the prosecution; the right to obtain evidence and to call witnesses on his own behalf including expert witnesses; the right to cross-examine every witness called by the prosecution; the right to be present during the presentation of evidence; the right to prevent admission of statements obtained by torture; the right to have a military commission panel of at least five military members determine his guilt by a two-thirds majority; and the right to an appeal to the Court of Military Commission Review, then through the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The charges are only allegations that the accused has committed offenses under the Military Commissions Act, and the accused is innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
From 'U.S. Department of Defense':
The Defense Department announced Wednesday that two charges have been referred against Guantanamo detainee Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al Qosi of Sudan. Al Qosi is charged with providing material support to terrorism and conspiring with Usama bin Laden and other al Qaeda members to target, attack and murder civilians; attack civilian objects; commit murder and destroy property in violation of the law of war; commit terrorism; and provide material support to terrorism. If convicted, the accused could be sentenced up to life in prison.
The charges allege that between 1996 and 2001, Al Qosi personally served as an armed guard and driver for Usama bin Laden. Until about 1998, Al Qosi is alleged to have provided logistical support by obtaining supplies and provisions for Al Qaeda, an international terrorist group dedicated to opposing non-Islamic governments with force and violence, at a compound near Jalalabad known as the "Star of Jihad." It is further alleged that from 1998 through 2001, al Qosi lived at an al Qaeda compound near Kandahar, Afghanistan, with other al Qaeda members, including Usama bin Laden, where he provided security, transportation, and supply services. Between 1998 and 2001 he allegedly traveled from the Kandahar compound to the front line near Kabul, where he fought in support of al Qaeda as part of a mortar crew. The charge sheet sets out that in 2001, Al Qosi, armed with a Kalashnikov rifle, evacuated the Kandahar compound and traveled to Kabul, then to Jalalabad, and then into the Tora Bora Mountains to provide transportation, security and support to Usama bin Laden and other al Qaeda members.
In accordance with the Military Commissions Act of 2006, the accused and his detailed defense counsel will be served a copy of the charges in English and the accused's native language. Additionally, a military judge will be detailed to the case. The Manual for Military Commissions requires the accused to be arraigned within 30 days of the service of charges and the military judge to assemble the military commission within 120 days of the service of charges. Assembly is the procedural step that usually occurs when all parties, including the jury, are present and sworn. The military trial judge will contact attorneys in the case to set an initial trial schedule.
The military commissions provide the following protections for the accused: the right to remain silent and to have no adverse inference drawn from it; the right to be represented by detailed military counsel, as well as civilian counsel of his own selection and at no expense to the government; the right to examine all evidence presented to a jury by the prosecution; the right to obtain evidence and to call witnesses on his own behalf including expert witnesses; the right to cross-examine every witness called by the prosecution; the right to be present during the presentation of evidence; the right to prevent admission of statements obtained by torture; the right to have a military commission panel of at least five military members determine his guilt by a two-thirds majority; and the right to an appeal to the Court of Military Commission Review, then through the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The charges are only allegations that the accused has committed offenses under the Military Commissions Act, and the accused is innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
'Osama bin London' Jailed For Terror Training
Source Article HERE.
From 'AFP': An extremist who dubbed himself "Osama bin London" was jailed on Friday along with the fellow ringleader of a cell which organised training camps in Britain for would-be jihadis. A judge at Woolwich Crown Court -- where a jury convicted the men last month -- gave Mohammed Hamid, 50, an indefinite prison sentence and recommended he serve at least seven and a half years before being considered for parole. Fellow leader Atilla Ahmet -- a former spokesman for the extremist Muslim cleric Abu Hamza Al-Masri -- was jailed for six years and 11 months for grooming young Muslims to carry out attacks. "The purpose was to go abroad to commit offences but was no less serious for that. Somebody killed by a terrorist act is as serious if it is committed abroad as here," said judge Christopher Pitchers.
Hamid's followers included four of the men convicted of being involved in failed suicide bomb attacks on the London public transport system on July 21, 2005. The judge said Hamid -- described during the trial as a "recruiter, groomer and corrupter of young Muslims" -- would continue to be a danger to the public due to his ability to persuade others to turn to violence. He was found guilty of organising terrorist training in the New Forest in southern England and at a paintballing centre in the county of Berkshire, west of London, as well as of soliciting murder. Ahmet admitted three charges of soliciting murder in September last year, a month before Hamid's trial began at the high security court in southeast London.
The court heard that Hamid wanted to send recruits for training in Afghanistan and east Africa and boasted that his name was "Osama bin London", a play on the name of the Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. The court also heard that Hamid was arrested in October 2004 at a stall in London's Oxford Street shopping district with the ringleader of the failed 2005 suicide bomb attacks, Muktar Said Ibrahim. Security services had begun investigating Hamid after the July 7, 2005 attacks, when four Islamist extremist suicide bombers killed themselves and 52 others on London's public transport system. Three other men -- Kibley da Costa, 25; Mohammed Al-Figari, 45; and 20-year-old Kader Ahmed, 20 -- were found guilty of attending the training camps in southern and northwest England and of other terrorist offences.
From 'AFP': An extremist who dubbed himself "Osama bin London" was jailed on Friday along with the fellow ringleader of a cell which organised training camps in Britain for would-be jihadis. A judge at Woolwich Crown Court -- where a jury convicted the men last month -- gave Mohammed Hamid, 50, an indefinite prison sentence and recommended he serve at least seven and a half years before being considered for parole. Fellow leader Atilla Ahmet -- a former spokesman for the extremist Muslim cleric Abu Hamza Al-Masri -- was jailed for six years and 11 months for grooming young Muslims to carry out attacks. "The purpose was to go abroad to commit offences but was no less serious for that. Somebody killed by a terrorist act is as serious if it is committed abroad as here," said judge Christopher Pitchers.Hamid's followers included four of the men convicted of being involved in failed suicide bomb attacks on the London public transport system on July 21, 2005. The judge said Hamid -- described during the trial as a "recruiter, groomer and corrupter of young Muslims" -- would continue to be a danger to the public due to his ability to persuade others to turn to violence. He was found guilty of organising terrorist training in the New Forest in southern England and at a paintballing centre in the county of Berkshire, west of London, as well as of soliciting murder. Ahmet admitted three charges of soliciting murder in September last year, a month before Hamid's trial began at the high security court in southeast London.
The court heard that Hamid wanted to send recruits for training in Afghanistan and east Africa and boasted that his name was "Osama bin London", a play on the name of the Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. The court also heard that Hamid was arrested in October 2004 at a stall in London's Oxford Street shopping district with the ringleader of the failed 2005 suicide bomb attacks, Muktar Said Ibrahim. Security services had begun investigating Hamid after the July 7, 2005 attacks, when four Islamist extremist suicide bombers killed themselves and 52 others on London's public transport system. Three other men -- Kibley da Costa, 25; Mohammed Al-Figari, 45; and 20-year-old Kader Ahmed, 20 -- were found guilty of attending the training camps in southern and northwest England and of other terrorist offences.
Pakistani Police Interrogate 6 Over Lahore Blast
Source Article HERE.
From 'Reuters':
Pakistani investigators interrogated six people on Wednesday in connection with a suicide bomb attack on a navy college, the latest violence to hit the country, where a new government is preparing to take power. More than 80 people have been killed in four suicide attacks in as many days in nuclear-armed Pakistan, on the front line of the U.S.-led campaign against al Qaeda and the Taliban. Two suicide bombers attacked a navy college in the eastern city of Lahore on Tuesday, killing three people and wounding 14, the military said. Initially, officials said there was one bomber. A navy spokesman said the attackers drove to the rear gate of the college on a motorbike, and police said six people were being questioned as investigators focused on the bike. "We have not detained or arrested anyone but are interrogating these people to find the owner of the motorbike," said Chaudhry Masood Aziz, a police superintendent. Navy spokesman Captain Akram Naqi said the severed heads and limbs of the attackers had been recovered.
Pakistan has been battling Islamist militancy since joining the U.S.-led campaign against terrorism after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. Militants linked to al Qaeda and the Taliban have stepped up attacks since an army assault on a radical mosque complex in the capital, Islamabad, in July. More than 500 people have been killed in attacks this year.
The latest bombings came as winners of February 18 elections, led by the party of Benazir Bhutto, herself killed in a suicide gun and bomb attack on December 27, hold talks on a coalition government. Asif Ali Zardari, Bhutto's widower and political successor, condemned the Lahore blast as "inhuman, barbaric and most despicable". Zardari's Pakistan People's Party said he found it "intriguing" there was a spurt in violence just as a democratically elected government was about to take power. "He asked the people to strengthen the democratic forces to foil the designs of conspirators and extremists," the party said in a statement.
From 'Reuters':
Pakistani investigators interrogated six people on Wednesday in connection with a suicide bomb attack on a navy college, the latest violence to hit the country, where a new government is preparing to take power. More than 80 people have been killed in four suicide attacks in as many days in nuclear-armed Pakistan, on the front line of the U.S.-led campaign against al Qaeda and the Taliban. Two suicide bombers attacked a navy college in the eastern city of Lahore on Tuesday, killing three people and wounding 14, the military said. Initially, officials said there was one bomber. A navy spokesman said the attackers drove to the rear gate of the college on a motorbike, and police said six people were being questioned as investigators focused on the bike. "We have not detained or arrested anyone but are interrogating these people to find the owner of the motorbike," said Chaudhry Masood Aziz, a police superintendent. Navy spokesman Captain Akram Naqi said the severed heads and limbs of the attackers had been recovered.
Pakistan has been battling Islamist militancy since joining the U.S.-led campaign against terrorism after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. Militants linked to al Qaeda and the Taliban have stepped up attacks since an army assault on a radical mosque complex in the capital, Islamabad, in July. More than 500 people have been killed in attacks this year.
The latest bombings came as winners of February 18 elections, led by the party of Benazir Bhutto, herself killed in a suicide gun and bomb attack on December 27, hold talks on a coalition government. Asif Ali Zardari, Bhutto's widower and political successor, condemned the Lahore blast as "inhuman, barbaric and most despicable". Zardari's Pakistan People's Party said he found it "intriguing" there was a spurt in violence just as a democratically elected government was about to take power. "He asked the people to strengthen the democratic forces to foil the designs of conspirators and extremists," the party said in a statement.
Chinese Hijacker Shot, Killed After Taking Australians Hostage
Source Article HERE.
From 'VOA News':
Chinese police shot and killed a bus hijacker in northwest China on Tuesday, after he took a group of Australian tourists hostage. A spokeswoman for the Australian Embassy in Beijing says all of the hostages escaped unharmed. Armed with explosives, the man seized 10 Australian tourists and a local translator. Nine of the tourists were later released, but a 48-year old Australian woman and the Chinese translator remained with the hostage-taker until police agreed to his demand for another vehicle. China's official Xinhua news agency says police shot and killed the hostage-taker, Xia Tao, after negotiations failed and he had driven off in the second vehicle. Police say the man was a worker in Xian, but have yet to give a reason for his actions. The standoff with police lasted about two hours and took place in the center of Xian city in China's Shanxi province. Xian is a popular tourist stop in China and near the site of the famed terra-cotta army where thousands of life-sized figures of warriors and horses are preserved in a tomb with China's first emperor.
From 'VOA News':
Chinese police shot and killed a bus hijacker in northwest China on Tuesday, after he took a group of Australian tourists hostage. A spokeswoman for the Australian Embassy in Beijing says all of the hostages escaped unharmed. Armed with explosives, the man seized 10 Australian tourists and a local translator. Nine of the tourists were later released, but a 48-year old Australian woman and the Chinese translator remained with the hostage-taker until police agreed to his demand for another vehicle. China's official Xinhua news agency says police shot and killed the hostage-taker, Xia Tao, after negotiations failed and he had driven off in the second vehicle. Police say the man was a worker in Xian, but have yet to give a reason for his actions. The standoff with police lasted about two hours and took place in the center of Xian city in China's Shanxi province. Xian is a popular tourist stop in China and near the site of the famed terra-cotta army where thousands of life-sized figures of warriors and horses are preserved in a tomb with China's first emperor.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Bad News For Al Qaeda... And For Liberal Talking Points
Source Article HERE.
From 'Power Line Blog':
For years now, the American left has been arguing that the war in Iraq is a distraction from the "real" war against al Qaeda and is counter-productive because it's "creating" new terrorists. Apparently, it never occurred to these deep-thinkers that inflicting a defeat on al-Qaeda in Iraq -- a defeat made possible because a previously sympathetic population turned with our help against al Qaeda -- might constitute a devastating blow to al Qaeda's standing in the Arab world.
The idea that losing a war hurts one's standing may be a novel one for our sophisticated liberals. But Osama bin Laden has long grasped it, famously stating years ago that "when people see a strong horse and a weak horse, by nature, they will like the strong horse."
Our amazing progress in Iraq is demonstrating that, for now, al Qaeda rather than the U.S. is the weak horse in the very country that al Qaeda has identified as the key battleground in its struggle against us. Consequently, as Peter Wehner shows, the tide within the Islamic world is beginning to run strongly against al-Qaeda. For example, Sayyid Imam al-Sharif recently published a book -- Rationalizations on Jihad in Egypt and the World -- in which he argues that the use of violence to overthrow Islamic governments is religiously unlawful and practically harmful. He also recommends the formation of a special Islamic court to try bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda's number two and its ideological leader. These words are significant, Wehner says, because Sharif was once a mentor to Zawahiri and has been described by terrorism expert Jarret Brachman as "a living legend within the global jihadist movement."
Similarly, Sheikh Abd Al-'Aziz bin Abdallah Aal Al-Sheikh, the highest religious authority in Saudi Arabia, issued a fatwa late last year prohibiting Saudi youth from engaging in jihad abroad. It states: "I urge my brothers the ulama [the top class of Muslim clergy] to clarify the truth to the public... to warn [youth] of the consequences of being drawn to arbitrary opinions and [religious] zeal that is not based on religious knowledge." Around the same time, Sheikh Salman al-Awdah, an influential Saudi cleric whom bin Laden once lionised, wrote an “open letter” condemning bin Laden. “Brother Osama, how much blood has been spilt? How many innocents among children, elderly, the weak, and women have been killed and made homeless in the name of al-Qaeda?" Sheikh Awdah wrote. "The ruin of an entire people, as is happening in Afghanistan and Iraq... cannot make Muslims happy."
Public opinion polls seem to confirm al Qaeda's suddenly low standing in the Muslim world. Wehner points to a survey in Pakistan finding that in January less than a quarter of Pakistanis approved of bin Laden, compared with 46 per cent last August, while backing for al-Qaeda fell from 33 per cent to 18 per cent. And Pew reports that the percentage of Muslims saying suicide bombing is justified in the defense of Islam has declined in seven of the eight Arab countries where trend data are available. In Lebanon, for example, 34 per cent of Muslims say such suicide bombings are often or sometimes justified. In 2002, before the Iraq war began, 74 per cent expressed this view.
Wehner notes that, even in the face of evidence like this, Barack Obama declared in a recent debate that "we are seeing al-Qaeda stronger now than at any time since 2001." This may reflect the counsel he's getting from Zbigniew Brzezinski, Lawrence Korb, and Samantha Power. However, with Sunnis in Iraq siding en masse with the American "infidel" and "occupying power" to purge al Qaeda, and with prominent Islamic clerics throughout the region following suit, Obama's view bears no apparent relation to reality.
From 'Power Line Blog':
For years now, the American left has been arguing that the war in Iraq is a distraction from the "real" war against al Qaeda and is counter-productive because it's "creating" new terrorists. Apparently, it never occurred to these deep-thinkers that inflicting a defeat on al-Qaeda in Iraq -- a defeat made possible because a previously sympathetic population turned with our help against al Qaeda -- might constitute a devastating blow to al Qaeda's standing in the Arab world.
The idea that losing a war hurts one's standing may be a novel one for our sophisticated liberals. But Osama bin Laden has long grasped it, famously stating years ago that "when people see a strong horse and a weak horse, by nature, they will like the strong horse."
Our amazing progress in Iraq is demonstrating that, for now, al Qaeda rather than the U.S. is the weak horse in the very country that al Qaeda has identified as the key battleground in its struggle against us. Consequently, as Peter Wehner shows, the tide within the Islamic world is beginning to run strongly against al-Qaeda. For example, Sayyid Imam al-Sharif recently published a book -- Rationalizations on Jihad in Egypt and the World -- in which he argues that the use of violence to overthrow Islamic governments is religiously unlawful and practically harmful. He also recommends the formation of a special Islamic court to try bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda's number two and its ideological leader. These words are significant, Wehner says, because Sharif was once a mentor to Zawahiri and has been described by terrorism expert Jarret Brachman as "a living legend within the global jihadist movement."
Similarly, Sheikh Abd Al-'Aziz bin Abdallah Aal Al-Sheikh, the highest religious authority in Saudi Arabia, issued a fatwa late last year prohibiting Saudi youth from engaging in jihad abroad. It states: "I urge my brothers the ulama [the top class of Muslim clergy] to clarify the truth to the public... to warn [youth] of the consequences of being drawn to arbitrary opinions and [religious] zeal that is not based on religious knowledge." Around the same time, Sheikh Salman al-Awdah, an influential Saudi cleric whom bin Laden once lionised, wrote an “open letter” condemning bin Laden. “Brother Osama, how much blood has been spilt? How many innocents among children, elderly, the weak, and women have been killed and made homeless in the name of al-Qaeda?" Sheikh Awdah wrote. "The ruin of an entire people, as is happening in Afghanistan and Iraq... cannot make Muslims happy."
Public opinion polls seem to confirm al Qaeda's suddenly low standing in the Muslim world. Wehner points to a survey in Pakistan finding that in January less than a quarter of Pakistanis approved of bin Laden, compared with 46 per cent last August, while backing for al-Qaeda fell from 33 per cent to 18 per cent. And Pew reports that the percentage of Muslims saying suicide bombing is justified in the defense of Islam has declined in seven of the eight Arab countries where trend data are available. In Lebanon, for example, 34 per cent of Muslims say such suicide bombings are often or sometimes justified. In 2002, before the Iraq war began, 74 per cent expressed this view.
Wehner notes that, even in the face of evidence like this, Barack Obama declared in a recent debate that "we are seeing al-Qaeda stronger now than at any time since 2001." This may reflect the counsel he's getting from Zbigniew Brzezinski, Lawrence Korb, and Samantha Power. However, with Sunnis in Iraq siding en masse with the American "infidel" and "occupying power" to purge al Qaeda, and with prominent Islamic clerics throughout the region following suit, Obama's view bears no apparent relation to reality.
Israel Kills 2 Militants in Gaza Air Strikes
Source Article HERE.
From 'Reuters': Israel's air force killed two Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, one of them a rocket squad member who had launched a salvo across the border, militant and medical sources said. The air strikes followed a five-day Israeli assault on the ruling Hamas Islamists in the northern Gaza Strip. Hamas said one of its gunmen died in a missile strike in Gaza City, near the border with the Jewish state. An earlier air force attack killed a member of an Islamic Jihad rocket squad in the northern Gaza Strip, and wounded one of his comrades, the Palestinian militant group said. Islamic Jihad said its men launched seven rockets at the Israeli border town of Sderot. The salvo damaged a home but caused no casualties, an Israeli military spokeswoman said, confirming that the air force then struck the rocket crew and later the gunman in Gaza City.
Israel says that Hamas bears responsibility for all cross-border attacks from the territory. Olmert has vowed no let-up in military action to curb the rocket strikes. "These daily and lethal assaults on our civilians will be met with our unbending resolve to continue our defensive measures in the Gaza Strip, to enable Israelis to live a life free of Palestinian rocket attacks on their homes, schools and city centers," said David Baker, an Olmert spokesman. Israel also said its ground offensive had succeeded in stemming rocket salvoes by Hamas. But Hamas, which claimed victory after Israel withdrew, denied that its fighters felt deterred but it did not claim any rocket attacks since Monday afternoon.
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Israel says that Hamas bears responsibility for all cross-border attacks from the territory. Olmert has vowed no let-up in military action to curb the rocket strikes. "These daily and lethal assaults on our civilians will be met with our unbending resolve to continue our defensive measures in the Gaza Strip, to enable Israelis to live a life free of Palestinian rocket attacks on their homes, schools and city centers," said David Baker, an Olmert spokesman. Israel also said its ground offensive had succeeded in stemming rocket salvoes by Hamas. But Hamas, which claimed victory after Israel withdrew, denied that its fighters felt deterred but it did not claim any rocket attacks since Monday afternoon.
U.S. Forces Fire Missiles Into Somalia, Target Terrorist
Source Article HERE.
From 'New York Times': American naval forces fired missiles into southern Somalia on Monday, aiming at what the Defense Department called terrorist targets. Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman in Washington, said the target was a "known Al Qaeda terrorist." The missile strike was aimed at Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, a Kenyan born in 1979. Nabhan is wanted for questioning by the FBI in the nearly simultaneous attacks in 2002 on a hotel in Mombasa, Kenya, and on an Israeli airliner taking off from there.
An American military official said the naval attack on Monday was carried out with at least two Tomahawk cruise missiles fired from a submarine. The official said the missiles were believed to have hit their targets. Witnesses on the ground described the attack... "I did not know from where they were launched, but what I know is that they hit a house in this town," said Muhammad Amin Abdullahi Osman, of Dhobley, a small town in southern Somalia near the Kenyan border. Mr. Muhammad said two missiles slammed into the house around 3:30 a.m.
In the attacks to which Mr. Nabhan has been linked, three suicide bombers drove up to the Paradise Hotel in Mombasa on November 28, 2002, and blew themselves up, killing 3 Israeli tourists and 10 Kenyans. That attack took place after terrorists aimed shoulder-fired missiles at an Israeli airliner taking off from Mombasa's airport, but missed. The Kenyan police say Mr. Nabhan bought the vehicle used in the hotel bombing. Kenyan authorities also suspect that Mr. Nabhan was involved in the bombings of United States Embassies in Nairobi and in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on August 7, 1998, in which more than 200 people were killed and 5,000 wounded.
From 'New York Times': American naval forces fired missiles into southern Somalia on Monday, aiming at what the Defense Department called terrorist targets. Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman in Washington, said the target was a "known Al Qaeda terrorist." The missile strike was aimed at Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, a Kenyan born in 1979. Nabhan is wanted for questioning by the FBI in the nearly simultaneous attacks in 2002 on a hotel in Mombasa, Kenya, and on an Israeli airliner taking off from there.An American military official said the naval attack on Monday was carried out with at least two Tomahawk cruise missiles fired from a submarine. The official said the missiles were believed to have hit their targets. Witnesses on the ground described the attack... "I did not know from where they were launched, but what I know is that they hit a house in this town," said Muhammad Amin Abdullahi Osman, of Dhobley, a small town in southern Somalia near the Kenyan border. Mr. Muhammad said two missiles slammed into the house around 3:30 a.m.
In the attacks to which Mr. Nabhan has been linked, three suicide bombers drove up to the Paradise Hotel in Mombasa on November 28, 2002, and blew themselves up, killing 3 Israeli tourists and 10 Kenyans. That attack took place after terrorists aimed shoulder-fired missiles at an Israeli airliner taking off from Mombasa's airport, but missed. The Kenyan police say Mr. Nabhan bought the vehicle used in the hotel bombing. Kenyan authorities also suspect that Mr. Nabhan was involved in the bombings of United States Embassies in Nairobi and in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on August 7, 1998, in which more than 200 people were killed and 5,000 wounded.
Centcom News Feed - Mar 4
IRAQI ARMY, RAKKASANS FIND CACHES
Soldiers of Company A, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment (Rakkasans), 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), uncovered one of the largest weapons caches found since the brigade's arrival last October. They discovered the cache west of Owesat Iraq, on February 25th, a day after Iraqi army soldiers turned in three caches in Yusufiyah.
While establishing a checkpoint, Soldiers from 1st Platoon, Company A, conducted a security sweep. Staff Sgt. Jon Hood, from Kansas City, Missouri, noticed a plastic bag on the ground. When he kicked the bag and heard a clink, he looked down and discovered several rounds uncovered by the rainy weather. Seeing the exposed rounds, Hood and his fellow Soldiers started digging up the cache to see what else was in there. "There was a lot more to that little cache that we thought," Hood said. In all, more than (300) live mortar rounds, between 56 mm and 155 mm, were intermixed with more than (8,000) mortar shells. With the help of local Sons of Iraq, the unit spent more than 26 hours digging up the cache.
"This is the largest cache I've seen since I was a platoon leader with 3rd Infantry Division during Operation Iraqi Freedom I," said Capt. Terry Hilderbrand, of Atlanta, Georgia, commander of Company A. "This is definitely the largest cache we've pulled up since we've been here."
The discovery of the massive munitions stash came one day after Soldiers from Company C, 3-187th Inf. Regt. received three big caches from their Iraqi Army (IA) counterparts. Iraqi troops from 4th Battalion, 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division recovered three large caches from Qarghuli Village and Shubayshen and turned the munitions over to Iron Rakkasans at Patrol Base Yusufiyah. In total, the three caches yielded one complete improvised explosive device, (190) pounds of unknown bulk explosive, (40) pounds of dynamite, (74) 82 mm mortar rounds, (18) 122 mm artillery rounds, (38) 60 mm mortar rounds, (400) additional projectiles between 23 mm and 155 mm, hundreds of assorted munitions pieces, several radios and documents.
Soldiers of Company A, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment (Rakkasans), 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), uncovered one of the largest weapons caches found since the brigade's arrival last October. They discovered the cache west of Owesat Iraq, on February 25th, a day after Iraqi army soldiers turned in three caches in Yusufiyah.
While establishing a checkpoint, Soldiers from 1st Platoon, Company A, conducted a security sweep. Staff Sgt. Jon Hood, from Kansas City, Missouri, noticed a plastic bag on the ground. When he kicked the bag and heard a clink, he looked down and discovered several rounds uncovered by the rainy weather. Seeing the exposed rounds, Hood and his fellow Soldiers started digging up the cache to see what else was in there. "There was a lot more to that little cache that we thought," Hood said. In all, more than (300) live mortar rounds, between 56 mm and 155 mm, were intermixed with more than (8,000) mortar shells. With the help of local Sons of Iraq, the unit spent more than 26 hours digging up the cache."This is the largest cache I've seen since I was a platoon leader with 3rd Infantry Division during Operation Iraqi Freedom I," said Capt. Terry Hilderbrand, of Atlanta, Georgia, commander of Company A. "This is definitely the largest cache we've pulled up since we've been here."
The discovery of the massive munitions stash came one day after Soldiers from Company C, 3-187th Inf. Regt. received three big caches from their Iraqi Army (IA) counterparts. Iraqi troops from 4th Battalion, 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division recovered three large caches from Qarghuli Village and Shubayshen and turned the munitions over to Iron Rakkasans at Patrol Base Yusufiyah. In total, the three caches yielded one complete improvised explosive device, (190) pounds of unknown bulk explosive, (40) pounds of dynamite, (74) 82 mm mortar rounds, (18) 122 mm artillery rounds, (38) 60 mm mortar rounds, (400) additional projectiles between 23 mm and 155 mm, hundreds of assorted munitions pieces, several radios and documents.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Maliki Hails Unity of Iraqis
Source Article HERE.
From 'AFP': Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki hailed success in national reconciliation on Thursday as he joined millions of Shiite Muslims at a holy ceremony in the shrine city of Karbala. "The terrorists wanted to tear apart Iraq... destroy its unity. They wanted sectarian strife and a civil war but with your hands you banished the spectre of civil war," Maliki said. "Through the awareness of the people we succeeded on the ground. Thank God, national reconciliation among Iraqis has succeeded. We have succeeded in eliminating sectarianism," Maliki said.
He was speaking to a vast crowd of pilgrims gathered at the Imam Hussein shrine -- one of the most sacred for Shiites -- where the faithful beat their chests and chanted in trance-like unison for Arbaeen. Officials said a record 10 million people converged on the city for the ceremony which marks the anniversary of the 40th day after the seventh century slaying in Karbala of the revered Imam Hussein. Security was tight in an effort to thwart any attacks by Sunni insurgents who have often targeted Shiite festivals in the violence that has plagued Iraq since the downfall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.
Police chief Major General Raed Shakir Jawdat said around 10 million devotees had visited the city for Arbaeen, which Karbala governor Akhil al-Khazali said was a record turnout. Most Shiite rituals in Karbala and Najaf, another important Shiite shrine city, were all but banned under Saddam but have been held freely since the fall of the regime. This year, around 50,000 Iraqi policemen and soldiers were on guard in and around Karbala to thwart any attacks. "The security plan put in place has worked the way we expected," said Jawdat.
From 'AFP': Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki hailed success in national reconciliation on Thursday as he joined millions of Shiite Muslims at a holy ceremony in the shrine city of Karbala. "The terrorists wanted to tear apart Iraq... destroy its unity. They wanted sectarian strife and a civil war but with your hands you banished the spectre of civil war," Maliki said. "Through the awareness of the people we succeeded on the ground. Thank God, national reconciliation among Iraqis has succeeded. We have succeeded in eliminating sectarianism," Maliki said.He was speaking to a vast crowd of pilgrims gathered at the Imam Hussein shrine -- one of the most sacred for Shiites -- where the faithful beat their chests and chanted in trance-like unison for Arbaeen. Officials said a record 10 million people converged on the city for the ceremony which marks the anniversary of the 40th day after the seventh century slaying in Karbala of the revered Imam Hussein. Security was tight in an effort to thwart any attacks by Sunni insurgents who have often targeted Shiite festivals in the violence that has plagued Iraq since the downfall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.
Police chief Major General Raed Shakir Jawdat said around 10 million devotees had visited the city for Arbaeen, which Karbala governor Akhil al-Khazali said was a record turnout. Most Shiite rituals in Karbala and Najaf, another important Shiite shrine city, were all but banned under Saddam but have been held freely since the fall of the regime. This year, around 50,000 Iraqi policemen and soldiers were on guard in and around Karbala to thwart any attacks. "The security plan put in place has worked the way we expected," said Jawdat.
Computer Companies Were Target of Terror "Techies"
Source Article HERE.
From 'Times of India': Infosys, Dell and IBM were the targets of recently arrested terror suspects. The "techies" who were arrested had been gathering explosives for an attack. Police investigating terror cases in Davanagere and Hubli submitted this information before a Hubli court in February. The prosecution revealed this to the court in both the remand applications (filed while taking Mohammed Asif, arrested MBBS student, in custody) and in the application filed to oppose Asif's bail plea. In the case filed in the Gokul Road PS, Hubli police named 12 persons as accused. Of them, seven have been arrested - Mohammed Asif (23), Riyazuddin Nasir (20), Asadullah K Abubaker (20), Shakeel Ahmed (29), Alla Baksh (23), Yahya Iyas Kamakutty (32), and Syed Sadiq (33) alias Sameer. Five others - Adnan alias Hafeez Hussain Mulla alias Jeda; Dr Mirza Ahmed Baig; Sibli alias Sabeeth from Kottayam, Kerala; Sattar Nagori alias Iqbal; and Syed Nayeem - are absconding. The accused have been charged under various sections of IPC pertaining to terrorism; Prevention of Unlawful Activities Act and Explosives Act.
Kamakutty was arrested only recently. "Infosys, Dell and IBM and other public places were the targets. He, along with his associates, was gathering explosives for this purpose. We recovered 100 gelatin sticks, 100 detonators and one hand bomb from his possession," stated the documents filed by the investigating officer. According to the documents, Asif revealed the network of the banned Students' Islamic Movement of India.
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Kamakutty was arrested only recently. "Infosys, Dell and IBM and other public places were the targets. He, along with his associates, was gathering explosives for this purpose. We recovered 100 gelatin sticks, 100 detonators and one hand bomb from his possession," stated the documents filed by the investigating officer. According to the documents, Asif revealed the network of the banned Students' Islamic Movement of India.
Suspects Charged in Bhutto's Assassination
Source Article HERE.
From 'Sydney Morning Herald': Two men accused in the assassination of the former prime minister and opposition leader Benazir Bhutto have appeared in a special terrorism court. Wearing black hoods and with hands in cuffs, Sher Zaman, 32, and Aitzaz Shah, 15, were led into court on Saturday morning. The public and news media were barred from the proceedings, but lawyers at the court familiar with the case said the two were formally charged. They are accused of supplying a vest packed with explosives to a suicide bomber and ammunition to gunmen who fired several shots before the bomb was detonated. They also said Abdul Rashid, a taxi driver; Husnain Gul; and a man known only as Rafaqat - were accused of providing transport and other assistance. Police also filed charges against Baitullah Mehsud, the top Taliban commander in Pakistan, and four others accused of planning Ms Bhutto's assassination. Mehsud, who operates in the tribal area of South Waziristan, has denied the charges.
From 'Sydney Morning Herald': Two men accused in the assassination of the former prime minister and opposition leader Benazir Bhutto have appeared in a special terrorism court. Wearing black hoods and with hands in cuffs, Sher Zaman, 32, and Aitzaz Shah, 15, were led into court on Saturday morning. The public and news media were barred from the proceedings, but lawyers at the court familiar with the case said the two were formally charged. They are accused of supplying a vest packed with explosives to a suicide bomber and ammunition to gunmen who fired several shots before the bomb was detonated. They also said Abdul Rashid, a taxi driver; Husnain Gul; and a man known only as Rafaqat - were accused of providing transport and other assistance. Police also filed charges against Baitullah Mehsud, the top Taliban commander in Pakistan, and four others accused of planning Ms Bhutto's assassination. Mehsud, who operates in the tribal area of South Waziristan, has denied the charges.
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