Source Article HERE.
From 'Reuters': A raid by U.S. forces inside Syria on Sunday is believed to have killed a major smuggler of foreign fighters into Iraq, a U.S. official said on Monday. Syria condemned the attack as "terrorist aggression." The official spoke on condition of anonymity about the raid, in which residents and Syrian officials said U.S. troops landed by helicopter and killed eight civilians. A second U.S. official said U.S. forces had targeted only people they considered a threat and that women and children were alive at the site when they left.
The Pentagon and the White House have refused to officially confirm or deny U.S. involvement in the incident, which alarmed France and Russia. Both countries called on the United States to respect Syria's territorial sovereignty. If confirmed, it would be the first U.S. military strike inside Syria since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Syria says four helicopters attacked al-Sukkari farm in the Albou Kamal area in eastern Syria, close to the Iraqi border, and that U.S. soldiers stormed a building there. The first U.S. official said the raid targeted Abu Ghadiya, a former lieutenant of al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike in 2006.
"It was a successful operation," the U.S. official said by telephone. "He (Abu Ghadiya) is believed to be dead. This undoubtedly will have a debilitating effect on this foreign fighter smuggling network." The Bush administration, which will leave office in January after the U.S. presidential election on November 4th, blames Damascus for not doing enough to stem the flow of al Qaeda fighters and other insurgents into Iraq.
But Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem said on a visit to London it was not possible for Syria to patrol the entire length of its long border with Iraq. He accused the United States of trying to derail recent diplomatic overtures between Europe and Syria. "The Americans do it in the daylight. This means it is not a mistake, it is by blunt determination. For that we consider this criminal and terrorist aggression," he told a news conference.
Reuters Television footage showed a small fenced farm and a truck riddled with bullet holes. Blood stained the ground. Syrian state television showed a building site and a nearby tent with food and blankets and spent bullets laying around. The official Syrian news agency SANA quoted a survivor, Souad al-Jasim, as saying U.S. soldiers fired on her and her children in the tent. "Then they opened fire on the workers on site," she said. Jasim's husband was killed in the attack and one of her children wounded. Thousands of people attended a funeral held for those killed in the raid, SANA said.
The second U.S. official said U.S. military forces acted in support of "another agency" in conducting the operation. The official declined to elaborate but that description could suggest the involvement of the CIA. He described Abu Ghadiya as a "bad dude" who ran one of the most prolific networks bringing foreign fighters and suicide bombers into Iraq.
Moualem said Syria would ask the United States and Iraq for an investigation into the raid, which the Iraqi government said targeted insurgents responsible for attacks inside Iraq. "We put the responsibility on the American government and the need to investigate and return back to us with the result and explanation why they did it," Moualem said. Asked whether the Syrians would use force if the Americans conducted a similar raid in future, Moualem said: "As long as you are saying if, I will tell you if they do it again ... we will defend our territories."
Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said the attack was launched against "terrorist groups operating from Syria against Iraq," including one which had killed 13 police recruits in a border village. "Iraq had asked Syria to hand over this group, which uses Syria as a base for its terrorist activities," Dabbagh said. Syrian Interior Minister Bassam Abdel Majeed said last week his country "refuses to be a launching pad for threats against Iraq."
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Four Remanded On Terror Charges
Source Article HERE.
From 'News.Scotsman.com': Four men held on terrorism charges after a series of raids in Birmingham last week were remanded in custody yesterday. Shahid Ali, Mohammed Nadim and Shabir Mohammed appeared at a London court charged with engaging in conduct with the intention of assisting in the commission of acts of terrorism. Abdul Raheem was charged with failure to disclose information.
From 'News.Scotsman.com': Four men held on terrorism charges after a series of raids in Birmingham last week were remanded in custody yesterday. Shahid Ali, Mohammed Nadim and Shabir Mohammed appeared at a London court charged with engaging in conduct with the intention of assisting in the commission of acts of terrorism. Abdul Raheem was charged with failure to disclose information.
Police Arrest Terror Suspects In Spain
Source Article HERE.
From 'UPI': Four suspected members of the Basque separatist group ETA were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly plotting terror attacks, Spain's Interior Ministry said. Three individuals were arrested in Spain's northern Navarra region, which has Basque roots, while the fourth was arrested in Valencia on Spain's eastern coast, CNN reported. Authorities seized two guns and ammunition, timers, detonating cord and substances that could be used to make explosives, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
From 'UPI': Four suspected members of the Basque separatist group ETA were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly plotting terror attacks, Spain's Interior Ministry said. Three individuals were arrested in Spain's northern Navarra region, which has Basque roots, while the fourth was arrested in Valencia on Spain's eastern coast, CNN reported. Authorities seized two guns and ammunition, timers, detonating cord and substances that could be used to make explosives, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
MNFI Press Release - Oct 28
INPs DISCOVER WEAPONS CACHE IN GHARTAN
Iraqi National Policemen (INPs) from the 5th Brigade, 2nd NP Division reported discovering a weapons cache on October 28th in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad. At approximately 10:30 a.m., Soldiers from the 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, attached to the 1st BCT, 4th ID, reported that the 1st Battalion, 5th Brigade, 2nd NP Division, found (10) 60 mm mortar rounds, (4) 82 mm mortar rounds, (3) 120 mm mortar rounds, (2) 122 mm rockets, (1) 155 mm artillery round, (1) 60 mm mortar tube, (2) RKG3 rocket propelled grenades, (4) undisclosed rockets and (2) undisclosed artillery rounds while conducting a patrol in the Ghartan community. An explosive ordnance disposal unit retrieved the munitions for proper disposal.
RECONSTRUCTION IMPROVES LIFE IN TARMIYAH
When students in Tarmiyah returned to school in September, they were welcomed by new classrooms full of new furniture and supplies. Their school, northwest of Baghdad, also had new electrical and sewer systems. After conducting a final assessment of improvements made to the Huda Teacher’s School on October 20th, Army 1st Lt. Erik Peterson, a native of Littleton Colorado, who serves in Multi-National Division - Baghdad with the 25th Infantry Division’s 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, met with the contractor, paid him the remaining funds for completion of his work and thanked him for a job well done.
This school is one of many reconstruction projects throughout Tarmiyah designed to provide the city’s residents more opportunity and a better way of life. “When we first arrived here in December 2007, I visited a girl’s school that had no bathrooms,” Peterson said. “Now the schools have brand new classrooms, lights, chalkboards, furniture and sanitary bathrooms with septic systems. The students now have the ability to wash their hands.”
Fatima, a 6th grade student who attends one of the renovated schools, said her school is much better than it was. "The doors have been painted, and we have lights and fans in our classrooms,” she said. “We learn about animals, reading, writing and how to speak a little bit of English. I love going to school.”
About $3 million will be invested into the reconstruction of Tarmiyah, with 13 school renovations, a media center, a bank, an ambulance center, road paving and solar lights among the scheduled projects. Funding for the reconstruction is provided through the provincial council and the Iraqi Commanders Emergency Relief Program, or ICERP, which allows the local government to get money for projects quickly and efficiently and to participate in the planning process. “ICERP is Iraqi money managed by Coalition forces so that we can use our paperwork system to spend and track where everything goes,” Peterson said. “Unlike the United States government, the government of Iraq’s current budget system is in the initial stages of development for delivery of a capital budget to the [communities] from the provincial level.”
Although the system is still developing, Peterson said, those involved with the reconstruction projects are vital to success and have shown they have the planning and technical expertise behind them to take on large projects and ensure they are quality projects that will last well into the future. “We have shown them a taste of our democratic system, but no matter how much we show them, we must understand that their culture is different than ours, and it is up to them to decide what they want to take away from that,” Peterson said.
With more than half of the projects completed, quality of life has improved immensely, but there is still work to be done, Peterson said. Planning is focused now on essential services and possibly a new sewer system, he added. “This development of this city will continue,” he said. “And in five months, it will be completely different from what it is now.”
Iraqi National Policemen (INPs) from the 5th Brigade, 2nd NP Division reported discovering a weapons cache on October 28th in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad. At approximately 10:30 a.m., Soldiers from the 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, attached to the 1st BCT, 4th ID, reported that the 1st Battalion, 5th Brigade, 2nd NP Division, found (10) 60 mm mortar rounds, (4) 82 mm mortar rounds, (3) 120 mm mortar rounds, (2) 122 mm rockets, (1) 155 mm artillery round, (1) 60 mm mortar tube, (2) RKG3 rocket propelled grenades, (4) undisclosed rockets and (2) undisclosed artillery rounds while conducting a patrol in the Ghartan community. An explosive ordnance disposal unit retrieved the munitions for proper disposal.
RECONSTRUCTION IMPROVES LIFE IN TARMIYAH
When students in Tarmiyah returned to school in September, they were welcomed by new classrooms full of new furniture and supplies. Their school, northwest of Baghdad, also had new electrical and sewer systems. After conducting a final assessment of improvements made to the Huda Teacher’s School on October 20th, Army 1st Lt. Erik Peterson, a native of Littleton Colorado, who serves in Multi-National Division - Baghdad with the 25th Infantry Division’s 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, met with the contractor, paid him the remaining funds for completion of his work and thanked him for a job well done.
This school is one of many reconstruction projects throughout Tarmiyah designed to provide the city’s residents more opportunity and a better way of life. “When we first arrived here in December 2007, I visited a girl’s school that had no bathrooms,” Peterson said. “Now the schools have brand new classrooms, lights, chalkboards, furniture and sanitary bathrooms with septic systems. The students now have the ability to wash their hands.”
Fatima, a 6th grade student who attends one of the renovated schools, said her school is much better than it was. "The doors have been painted, and we have lights and fans in our classrooms,” she said. “We learn about animals, reading, writing and how to speak a little bit of English. I love going to school.”
About $3 million will be invested into the reconstruction of Tarmiyah, with 13 school renovations, a media center, a bank, an ambulance center, road paving and solar lights among the scheduled projects. Funding for the reconstruction is provided through the provincial council and the Iraqi Commanders Emergency Relief Program, or ICERP, which allows the local government to get money for projects quickly and efficiently and to participate in the planning process. “ICERP is Iraqi money managed by Coalition forces so that we can use our paperwork system to spend and track where everything goes,” Peterson said. “Unlike the United States government, the government of Iraq’s current budget system is in the initial stages of development for delivery of a capital budget to the [communities] from the provincial level.”
Although the system is still developing, Peterson said, those involved with the reconstruction projects are vital to success and have shown they have the planning and technical expertise behind them to take on large projects and ensure they are quality projects that will last well into the future. “We have shown them a taste of our democratic system, but no matter how much we show them, we must understand that their culture is different than ours, and it is up to them to decide what they want to take away from that,” Peterson said.
With more than half of the projects completed, quality of life has improved immensely, but there is still work to be done, Peterson said. Planning is focused now on essential services and possibly a new sewer system, he added. “This development of this city will continue,” he said. “And in five months, it will be completely different from what it is now.”
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Not In Our Name, Say 63M Pakistanis
Source Article HERE.
From 'Times of India': In a gesture that has attracted record participation from ordinary Pakistanis, 63 million citizens - a third of the terror-battered country's population — have signed up to a unique anti-terror campaign. Billed as the biggest lobby effort anywhere in the world, Pakistanis signed a petition called "Yeh Hum Naheen (This is not us)" in a four-week period. It is seen as the strongest signal yet from Pakistanis - one could almost call it the cry of a nation stained with shame - that they don't want fundamentalism or terrorism to be known as the Pakistani way of life.
The campaign apparently ensured that most of the signatories were verifiable individuals. Given that the Taliban are raising suicide bombers and death squads from teens in the hardened badlands of FATA, children above 11 years were also allowed to sign. The campaign was launched in 2007 with a hit song featuring some of the country's biggest pop stars, including Ali Zafar. The idea originated with a British-Pakistani media consultant Waseem Mahmood, whose aim was to prove in a tangible manner that Pakistanis were against the violence that comes in the guise of Islamic "jihad".
"This is about giving people a common platform to fight terrorism," Mahmood was quoted as saying by a British daily. He said all signatures were verified and most signatures collected by direct promotions. The campaign was financed by Muslim businessmen from UK and Indonesia and has caught the imagination of Pakistani celebrities and media.
You can see a video of the original song with English subtitles HERE.
You can go to the Yeh Hum Naheen website HERE.
From 'Times of India': In a gesture that has attracted record participation from ordinary Pakistanis, 63 million citizens - a third of the terror-battered country's population — have signed up to a unique anti-terror campaign. Billed as the biggest lobby effort anywhere in the world, Pakistanis signed a petition called "Yeh Hum Naheen (This is not us)" in a four-week period. It is seen as the strongest signal yet from Pakistanis - one could almost call it the cry of a nation stained with shame - that they don't want fundamentalism or terrorism to be known as the Pakistani way of life.
The campaign apparently ensured that most of the signatories were verifiable individuals. Given that the Taliban are raising suicide bombers and death squads from teens in the hardened badlands of FATA, children above 11 years were also allowed to sign. The campaign was launched in 2007 with a hit song featuring some of the country's biggest pop stars, including Ali Zafar. The idea originated with a British-Pakistani media consultant Waseem Mahmood, whose aim was to prove in a tangible manner that Pakistanis were against the violence that comes in the guise of Islamic "jihad".
"This is about giving people a common platform to fight terrorism," Mahmood was quoted as saying by a British daily. He said all signatures were verified and most signatures collected by direct promotions. The campaign was financed by Muslim businessmen from UK and Indonesia and has caught the imagination of Pakistani celebrities and media.
You can see a video of the original song with English subtitles HERE.
You can go to the Yeh Hum Naheen website HERE.
MNFI Press Release - Oct 12
COALITION REMOVES 12 SUSPECTS FROM AQI NETWORKS
Coalition forces detained 12 suspected terrorists, including three wanted men, during operations Saturday and Sunday targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) networks throughout the country.
Coalition forces captured a wanted man believed to be an AQI courier during an operation south of Mosul on Saturday. The man is also assessed to have links to local AQI leaders. Forces also pursued AQI regional leaders during an operation in Mosul on Saturday and detained one suspect. Coalition forces operating in Bayji Saturday, about 160 km south of Mosul, targeted a wanted man assessed to be connected to the city’s car bomb network. One suspect believed to be an associate of the wanted man was detained during the operation. In Baghdad on Saturday, forces targeted the city’s AQI foreign terrorist facilitation networks. Two suspects were detained during the operation.
A Sunday operation in Baghdad netted a wanted man who intelligence reports suggest is connected to the city’s car bomb and foreign terrorist facilitator networks. Two additional suspects were also detained. Three suspects were detained on Sunday just north of Mosul during a Coalition force operation targeting a wanted man assessed to be an AQI weapons facilitator and repairman. Also on Sunday, Coalition forces operating in Mosul captured a wanted man who intelligence reports suggest has connections to regional AQI leaders and may be involved in the terrorist network’s media operations.
Coalition forces detained 12 suspected terrorists, including three wanted men, during operations Saturday and Sunday targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) networks throughout the country.
Coalition forces captured a wanted man believed to be an AQI courier during an operation south of Mosul on Saturday. The man is also assessed to have links to local AQI leaders. Forces also pursued AQI regional leaders during an operation in Mosul on Saturday and detained one suspect. Coalition forces operating in Bayji Saturday, about 160 km south of Mosul, targeted a wanted man assessed to be connected to the city’s car bomb network. One suspect believed to be an associate of the wanted man was detained during the operation. In Baghdad on Saturday, forces targeted the city’s AQI foreign terrorist facilitation networks. Two suspects were detained during the operation.
A Sunday operation in Baghdad netted a wanted man who intelligence reports suggest is connected to the city’s car bomb and foreign terrorist facilitator networks. Two additional suspects were also detained. Three suspects were detained on Sunday just north of Mosul during a Coalition force operation targeting a wanted man assessed to be an AQI weapons facilitator and repairman. Also on Sunday, Coalition forces operating in Mosul captured a wanted man who intelligence reports suggest has connections to regional AQI leaders and may be involved in the terrorist network’s media operations.
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