Posted on 06/19/2007 4:43:36 PM PDT by DAVEY CROCKETT
Saudi King Says Middle East Crisis Will Affect The World
DUBAI, June 19 (Bernama) -- The Saudi king has warned of an impending "explosion" in the Middle East, saying that it will not only affect the region but will spread all over the world, the English daily Gulf News reports.
"The Middle East region suffers from the longest conflict in our contemporary history which is the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and Israel's occupation of Arab lands," King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, said in an interview with the Spanish El Pas newspaper which was published simultaneously in Al Riyadh newspaper yesterday.
"At this point in time we are exerting efforts to solve this conflict, but we are witnessing an expansion of the crisis to include other countries like Iraq and Lebanon," he said.
"This makes the region replete with troubles that pose grave concerns for us. My fears are the fears of all reasonable men that the explosive situation will not be confined to the region but will extend to the whole world," he added.
The Saudi monarch yesterday began a five-nation trip that will take him to Spain, France, Poland, Egypt and Jordan.
King Abdullah also underlined the importance of solving the problem of Iran's nuclear programme peacefully in a way that guarantees all countries in the region to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes in accordance with the standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/news_lite.php?id=268361
(Excerpt) Read more at bernama.com ...
PING New Thread
this is in responce to your email....I thought I pinged you and Quix on this, as I find it very very hard to believe Sam Nunn would have any part of this...
PREMEDITATED MERGER
North American union plan headed to Congress in fall
Powerful think tank prepares report on benefits of integration between U.S., Mexico, Canada
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
WASHINGTON – A powerful think tank chaired by former Sen. Sam Nunn and guided by trustees including Richard Armitage, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Harold Brown, William Cohen and Henry Kissinger, is in the final stages of preparing a report to the White House and U.S. Congress on the benefits of integrating the U.S., Mexico and Canada into one political, economic and security bloc.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55830
and here.....
A three-pronged plan to bring America down (Bush’s Amnesty advances North American Union)
Posted on 06/17/2007 11:53:07 AM EDT by cpforlife.org
Issues analysis
A three-pronged plan to bring America down
June 17, 2007
Joshua Herring
RenewAmerica analyst
In an article that I read recently, there was a tragic story. It filled my heart with sorrow to think of Americans devastated in the workplace by policies that exhibit an inexcusable lack of sensitivity and civic responsibility. This is the story of which I speak:
Fox News reported on a particularly tragic example of job displacement that took place in 2003: “Kevin Flanagan, a computer programmer with Bank of America, was fired from his job after being forced to train his replacement, an Indian worker who was taking over Flanagan’s job as part of Bank of America’s effort to replace its American workforce with foreign labor. Flanagan walked outside into his office parking lot and shot himself to death.” (emphasis added) [1]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1851677/posts?page=128
Actually, the longest conflict in history is that of Muslim vs. non-Muslim. It began while Mohammed was still alive and continues today.
Some have claimed they are the native American Indians.
the longest conflict in history is that of Muslim vs. non-Muslim
Thanks tons.
I don’t remember when I saw Sam Nunn first bend toward the globalists or over what. But it was a long time ago. It was subtle back then—but very clear for those of us who were studied up on it.
I don’t trust any of them further than I can throw the USS Ronald Reagan.
June 19, 2007 PM Anti-Terrorism News
(Pakistan) Blasts reported near Pakistan-Afghan border - Taliban
fighters at madrassa were said to be killed
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19310548/
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/19/ap/asia/main2948923.shtml
(Pakistan) Missiles kill 32 militants in Pakistan tribal region
http://au.news.yahoo.com/070619/15/13s8m.html
(Iraq) Mortar rounds hit Baghdad’s Green Zone
http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A9j8eu87IXhGrgQAIxfQtDMD;_ylu=X3oDMTBjMHZkMjZyBHBvcwMxBHNlYwNzcg—/SIG=12lv1oc60/EXP=1182364347/**http%3a//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070619/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_mortars_1
Update: (Iraq) 78 Killed by Bombing at Baghdad Mosque
http://enews.earthlink.net/article/top?guid=20070619/467754c0_3421_1334520070619-433048163
Afghan police retake district from Taliban
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Afghan_police_retake_district_from_Taliban/articleshow/2134953.cms
Afghanistan: Taliban steps up attacks in the south
http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level.php?cat=Security&loid=8.0.427195873&par=0
Afghanistan may release suspected Canadian terrorist
http://dose.canada.com/news/story.html?id=f5bcc606-f30f-49f5-9bc9-903edaf1a75e
US, Canada downplay Al-Qaeda camp graduation video
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070619/wl_canada_afp/usafghanistanattacks_070619163857;_ylt=A0WTcVP8DnhGgGEBEBgwuecA
(Germany) Al-Qaeda suspect to go on trial in Germany next month
http://news.monstersandcritics.com/europe/news/article_1319776.php/Al-Qaeda_suspect_to_go_on_trial_in_Germany_next_month
Kuwait commutes death sentences of four Qaeda members
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070619/wl_mideast_afp/kuwaitqaedaunrest_070619163409;_ylt=AmaPtInHo1uE9bZbClpEkywwuecA
(USA) 16 Companies May Violate U.S. Ban on Trade With Terror States
http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/06/16_companies_ma.html
(USA) FBI agent says Padilla doesn’t use jihad code on tapes
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/06/19/america/NA-GEN-US-Padilla-Terror-Charges.php
(Israel) PFLP Terrorist Cell Busted Open - planned to blow up a
synagogue in Modiin and kidnap Americans in Judea and Samaria
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/122804
http://washtimes.com/upi/20070619-111715-7542
(Gaza) 6 Islamic Jihad gunmen shot by Hamas in Gaza
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3411457,00.html
(Hamas) Hit hard in West Bank, Hamas vows comeback - “The West Bank may
surprise the world...”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19314477/
ZOA: Mahmoud Abbas Is No Moderate & Deserves No Support
http://www.zoa.org/2007/06/zoa_mahmoud_abb_1.htm
(Lebanon) Al Qaeda thugs promise Lebanon a long, hot summer
http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dc/2007/06/qaeda_thugs_promise_lebanon_a.html
(Philippines) Local terror group owns Weena bombings - Alkobar terror
group claims 2 deadly bus bombings
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/dav/2007/06/20/news/local.terror.group.owns.weena.bombings.html
Syrian Efforts to Deny Fath Al-Islam Affiliation With Syrian
Intelligence - MEMRI analysis of Syrian statements
http://memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=IA36507
(Indonesia) High-tech foreign help led to breaks in Indonesia’s terror
probe - Australian police tracked cell calls via U.S. satellites
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/06/19/asia/AS-GEN-Asia-Unraveling-Terror.php
(Iran) Bush to Olmert: ‘All options are on the table’ regarding Iran
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1181813075058&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Norwegian ambassador denies praising Iran
http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1843949.ece
Other News:
Carter: Stop favoring Fatah over Hamas
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1181813074587
Thanks to Davey for a new thread.
Laughing...........
And wondering, if Davey was not happy with the posts in the last thread and is going to make us try again?
“Keep doing it until you get if perfect”..........
Smile....
Thank you for the new thread, it is perfect.
The prior threads in this series are:
World Terrorism prior threads:
WT Thread #1: [Started on January 1, 2006]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1550424/posts?page=4809
WT Thread #2: [The communist manifesto, muslim manifesto and list of elected in U.S. who belong to the Socialist party, on the first page of the thread]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1607641/posts?q=1&&page=4951
Thread #3:
Beginning of Israel/Lebanon War and so much more.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1650751/posts?q=1&&page=4601
Thread #4:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1679491/posts?q=1&&page=1
Thread #5:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1711256/posts?q=1&&page=1
Thread #6:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/1754972/posts?q=1&&page=5151
Thread #7:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1791631/posts?q=1&;page=1
Thread #8:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1817890/posts?q=1&;page=1
And wondering, if Davey was not happy with the posts in the last thread and is going to make us try again?
http://www.littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=25898&only&rss
http://www.littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=25898&only&rss
Islamists in Ohio
Patrick Poole exposes some of the latest activities of Siraj Wahhaj,
the
Brooklyn-based radical imam named as an unindicted co-conspirator in
the
1993 World Trade Center bombing; he’s been helping to raise funds for
the
Sunrise Academy Islamic school in Central Ohio: Hometown Jihad: The
School
Gym that Terror Built
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=28778 .
[continues]
Garden gnomes hid smuggled snakes
Australian customs officials have found live reptiles hidden in the hollowed insides of ceramic garden gnomes sent as gifts from England.
http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?fr=yalerts-keyword&c=&p=bomb+found+at+school&ei=utf-8
2 News Photos
* 1.
Bomb-scare culprits captured on video Open this result in new window
The Record - 23 minutes ago
Two people in white hooded sweat shirts were videotaped placing incendiary devices inside lockers at Wayne Valley High School shortly before the items were found by school staff Wednesday morning, police said Thursday.
* 2.
Suspicious Package Found Near Hyde Park School Bus Open this result in new window
WBZ Boston - Jun 19 11:34 AM
Boston Police and the bomb squad shut down a street in Hyde Park Tuesday afternoon to investigate a suspicious package near a school bus. More Massachusetts News
* 3.
Woman sentenced for bomb threats at school Open this result in new window
Sidney Herald-Leader - 2 hours, 49 minutes ago
The former Sidney High School student who confessed to making two bomb threats earlier this year has been sentenced to time in a state medical facility.
* 4.
Bainbridge student arrested after school death threats Open this result in new window
Seattle Post-Intelligencer - 33 minutes ago
Police searching the home of a 17-year-old Bainbridge Island High School student suspected of leaving death threats at the school Monday found as many as 30 computers, bomb-making materials and a small marijuana-growing operation.
* 5.
Bomb scare at Joburg school Open this result in new window
iafrica.com - Jun 19 5:23 AM
Glenanda Primary School in Glenvista, south of Johannesburg, was evacuated after a bomb threat on Tuesday morning, school principal Graham King said.
* 6.
School evacuated after bomb threat Open this result in new window
Independent Online - Jun 19 4:56 AM
A Johannesburg primary school was forced to evacuate over a thousand of its pupils after an anonymous bomb threat was made.
* 7.
School closed after bomb threat Open this result in new window
News 24 South Africa - Jun 19 7:11 AM
A Johannesburg primary school has been evacuated after a man phoned the school and made a bomb threat.
* 8.
Cops quiz 22 kids in Wayne bomb scare Open this result in new window
The Record - Jun 19 4:43 AM
WAYNE — Having interviewed 22 students about a Wayne Valley High School bomb scare, police paused Monday to discuss what the children and their parents can expect when police invite them in for a talk.
* 9.
Pupils sent home after bomb threat Open this result in new window
Mail and Guardian - Jun 19 4:56 AM
Glenanda Primary School in Glenvista, south of Johannesburg, was evacuated after a bomb threat on Tuesday morning, principal Graham King said. He said 1 200 pupils were sent home after a telephone call by an anonymous man at 9am.
* 10.
19 Westchester students in court for fake bomb prank Open this result in new window
Kingston Daily Freeman - Jun 18 9:31 PM
CORTLANDT - Fifteen high school seniors pleaded not guilty Monday to bomb charges after duct-taping alarm clocks to the walls of their northern Westchester school.
Backyard bomb shelters now curiosities
By The Associated Press
Las Cruces Sun-News
Article Launched:
ALBUQUERQUE — Fay Barz wasn’t really looking for a place to hide from atomic bombs when she bought a home two years ago. But there it was, right there on the MLS listing: bomb shelter.
Barz wasn’t thrilled about the prospect — she thought a big hole in the ground might pose a safety issue for her son, Colin, now 7. But then she saw the shelter was covered by two heavy steel doors that no child could lift alone.
Now covered by an attractive, removable wooden deck, Barz’s backyard bomb shelter is an amazing monument to America’s Cold War-era faith in civil defense.
The shelter is 20 feet deep and about 120 feet in area, completely lined in cinder block and containing a bedroom, hallway and bathroom. The bed folds up and the space also contains a stove and toilet, said Barz. It used to be wired for electricity, but now you need a flashlight to find your way around.
It’s really just a damp, cramped place that attracts spiders, but it is a magnet to everyone who comes over, said Barz.
“People always end up going down there. I once had an entire Sunday school class of 17 people in there,” said Barz. “People go and stand in it, and then they can cross it off their life’s list: ‘OK, I’ve been in a bomb shelter.’ “
Barz is one of a handful of Albuquerqueans living with a backyard bomb shelter, a lasting relic of a time when people thought hiding in the ground could protect them from an apocalyptic blast.
There are no records showing how many people in Albuquerque built backyard shelters, but experts suspect the number here is higher than in the rest of the United States, said UNM history and science associate professor Timothy Moy.
Barz said she cannot see how anyone would think a bomb shelter could protect someone from a bomb blast.
“I really want to know what that guy was thinking. I just think you would have cooked like a chicken.”
Barz said she has no plans for the shelter, except to use it as a history lesson for her son.
“It’s really just for fun. All the men who visit say it’s just the coolest fort,” said Barz. “We also get tons of jokes about how we need to turn it into a wine cellar.”
Joe McKinney has a bomb shelter in the back yard of his historic Old Town home, and he’s heard a lot of wine cellar suggestions, too. So many, in fact, that a few years ago he finally did the research to see if it would work.
Not even close.
“We got a hydrometer and we found it heated up to 87 degrees and the humidity was well over 85 percent,” said McKinney. “At that level of humidity, the wine labels fall off the bottles.”
Unlike Barz, McKinney didn’t know his house had a bomb shelter when he bought it back in 1975. It was tucked away in the backyard, hidden by a chamisa bush. McKinney said he stumbled across it a few days after moving in.
“It’s a precast piece that looks like a septic tank,” he said. “It’s about 6 feet deep and 5 to 6 feet across.”
McKinney, who worked as a planner for the city of Albuquerque and the University of New Mexico, said his home was built in 1939 as the model home for the subdivision.
The builder, Leon Watson, used the bomb shelter as a marketing gimmick, said McKinney.
When McKinney’s son, Collin, was younger, he and his friends used the shelter as a clubhouse.
“It would have been really easy to fill it in,” said McKinney. “But that just didn’t seem right. This is a historical property.”
The McKinneys’ home and bomb shelter was featured in a 2003 episode of the HGTV remodeling show “Restore America.” The house is on the New Mexico state registry of historic homes.
There are no reliable records showing how many Americans built backyard bomb shelters during the Cold War era, but it is estimated that only about 1 percent of the population did, said Moy, who specializes in the history of the Cold War, civil defense, the arms race and nuclear age.
One of the most famous families ever to do it was the Chester and Harriet White family of Albuquerque, who built a shelter in the basement of their home. In 1961, amid massive television and print coverage, the Whites and their five children lived for a week in their underground bomb shelter, just to prove someone could.
Albuquerque was a hot spot for backyard bomb shelters, said Moy.
“With the military bases and the labs and the many elements of the nuclear weapons and military complex located here, I have no doubt that if we had a full-blown war with the Soviet Union, we would have a pretty significant number of nuclear weapons headed our way,” he said.
In the Cold War years, private citizens who chose to build shelters at home were often driven by a sense of duty, patriotism and the desire to avoid feeling helpless, explained Moy.
The U.S. government, concerned that people would be turned off by the prospect of an unwinnable nuclear war, eagerly encouraged civilians to take part in civil defense actions such as building and stocking their own shelters and participating in drills.
Another reason Albuquerque may have had more shelters than the rest of the United States was because the Albuquerque-based Lovelace Foundation was a major government contractor and manufacturer of prefabricated bomb shelters and supplies, said National Atomic Museum director Jim Walther.
Ultimately, the backyard bomb shelter craze didn’t last long, peaking from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s, said Moy.
As the U.S.-Soviet arms race continued, the emphasis changed from a few hundred weapons on each side to overwhelming stockpiles of thermonuclear bombs that could destroy the Earth many times over, said Moy.
“By the ‘60s, people realized that (having a backyard shelter) wouldn’t make much of a difference.”Backyard bomb shelters now curiosities
http://www.lcsun-news.com/ci_6166607?source=most_viewed
EGYPT QUIETLY SUPPORTS HAMAS TAKEOVER
LONDON [MENL] — Egypt has quietly supported the Hamas takeover of the
Gaza
Strip.
Western intelligence sources said Egypt cooperated with Hamas in
allowing
shipments of weapons, munitions and explosives that facilitated the
Islamic
takeover of the Gaza Strip last week. The sources said Egypt concluded
that a
Hamas takeover would halt or reduce insurgency infiltration in the
Sinai
Peninsula.
“The Egyptians were in the picture as early as several weeks ago,” an
intelligence source said. “[Hamas leader Khaled] Masha’al discussed the
Fatah
strategic threat and said Hamas would stop [Fatah security chief
Mohammed]
Dahlan at any cost.”
In a recent telephone conversation with Egyptian intelligence chief
Gen. Omar
Suleiman, Masha’al said Dahlan and his allies were working with Al
Qaida-aligned groups to undermine Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The sources
quoted
Masha’al as saying that Fatah was allowing Al Qaida to infiltrate the
Sinai
Peninsula to facilitate attacks on the regime of President Hosni
Mubarak.
All part of al-Qaeda’s old and long-term plan. Nothing new here.
http://www.npr.org:80/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11173538
Groups Associated with Al-Qaida Grow
Since Sept. 11, 2001, dozens of radical groups have sprung up across
North
Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere that claim links to al-Qaida.
Some of these groups are new. Others are long-standing networks that
have
recently tacked the al-Qaida name onto their own.
Intelligence officials say some of these groups really are part of
al-Qaida,
while others are simply local bands of religious militants. Either way,
they
present worrying evidence of an expanding, revitalized al-Qaida.
For a local terrorist group, joining al-Qaida makes it harder for
members to
move around - and harder to raise funds openly. But, on the plus side,
publicity will increase, which is good for recruitment. A link to
al-Qaida
may bring other monetary investment. And, seen through the eyes of
would-be
jihadi, al-Qaida means prestige.
“Al-Qaida, because of its perceived success - especially in Iraq - is
the
team you want to be on,” said Daniel Benjamin, of the Brookings
Institution,
who was formerly a director for counterterrorism at the National
Security
Council.
The appearance of new offshoot groups across the Middle East and North
Africa is good news for al-Qaida’s core leadership, believed to be
holed up
in Pakistan, Benjamin said.
“Remember, what al-Qaida wants most is to mobilize the Muslim world.
And so
every time a new group signs on, particularly takes the name, then it’s
-
it’s a coup for them,” Benjamin said.
One of the most significant recent developments along these lines is
the
appearance, in Algeria, of “Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb.” This is
not a
new group. Under its previous guise, the Salafist Group for Preaching
and
Combat, it worked for years to overthrow the Algerian government. But
this
past September brought a formal announcement that the group’s ambitions
were
about to widen.
Since Ayman Al-Zawahiri, al-Qaida’s No. 2 official, announced that the
Algerian group had joined forces with Osama bin Laden, the group has
stepped
up attacks, including an April suicide bombing in Algiers that killed
some
30 people.
This is worrying enough. But the real fear among intelligence officials
and
analysts is that the new partnership with al-Qaida brings new
obligations to
attack what’s known as the “Far Enemy” - the West. This month, police
in
Milan arrested several members of the group, who were allegedly
planning
attacks in Italy.
Rob Richer, a former deputy director of the CIA’s clandestine service,
says
the advantage for would-be terrorists is that once you’re inside
Europe, you
can move around anywhere freely and with little notice.
“You disappear into these great North African basins of populations, of
second- and third-generation North Africans who are living in those
countries,” Richer said. “And you can’t be tracked. French security
services
will tell you, there are certain population areas of France they don’t
go
into! They can’t operate there. Well, I would say to you - if you’re
gonna
have a significant threat (to) an American embassy, an American
business -
it’s gonna come from that venue.”
Along with developments in Algeria, this spring also saw a pair of
explosions in neighboring Morocco. Richer says this area of the world -
North Africa - is his single greatest concern right now in the war on
terrorism. But he cautions against concluding that al-Qaida has
launched a
coordinated effort to destabilize North Africa.
“I don’t believe there’s a North Africa front leader who actually has
day-to-day command and control - and is saying, ‘OK, tomorrow it’s
Morocco.
0h, let’s do Algiers next.’ What I do believe is, there’s probably
someone
who’s got the portfolio. And he’s is in contact with cells, or cells
are in
contact with him. His agenda is to further al-Qaida’s efforts in North
Africa and probably into Europe,” Richer said.
One more place to watch: Libya. U.S. intelligence officials say the
Libyan
Islamic Fighting Group has been on the cusp of joining al-Qaida for
some
time. It hasn’t - yet - but Roger Cressey, a former White House
counterterrorism official, says more Libyans have been showing up in
senior
positions in the al-Qaida hierarchy.
“We’ve seen North Africans become significant operational players
within the
remnants of al-Qaida’s leadership,” Cressey said. “So, years ago, it
was
Egyptians and Saudis that ran the show. Now we’re seeing the North
Africans
taking a more prominent role.”
And, he said, this marks a real shift in patterns of global terrorism.
“For many years, we had worried about the east-west axis - the threat
coming
from the east, be it Afghanistan, Pakistan or, even now, Iraq and the
Gulf -
moving to the west,” Cressey said. “Now, what we’ve seen is a
north-south
axis - and that from North Africa, we’ve seen groups and individuals
moving
into Europe. So, in some respects, it’s the worst of both worlds.”
Indeed, the most talked about al-Qaida-inspired group in recent weeks
operates not from North Africa, but from a Palestinian refugee camp
inside
Lebanon. The group, Fatah al-Islam, emerged late last year. For more
than a
month now, it has been battling Lebanese security forces near Tripoli.
Fatah al-Islam’s leader has said he supports al-Qaida’s ideas. But
there’s
no evidence of direct contact with Osama bin Laden’s network.
A senior U.S. counterterrorism official, who asked not to be named
while
speaking on intelligence matters, told NPR, “Al-Qaida’s been eager to
merge
with groups far and wide. But you have to prove you’ll bring something
to
the relationship. Fatah al-Islam is too small and too unpredictable.
And
Lebanon is a quagmire even for al-Qaida, which is saying something.”
Meanwhile, there’s growing concern about a Palestinian al-Qaida cell
forming
inside Gaza.
“If Gaza descends into chaos, I would argue it would become much easier
for
al-Qaida-like-minded groups to establish networks in Gaza,” said Fawaz
Gerges, chair of international affairs and Middle Eastern studies at
Sarah
Lawrence College. Gerges has spent the past year traveling across the
Middle
East, collecting material for a new book on radical Islam. He argues
that
the fighting among rival Palestinian groups sets the stage for al-Qaida
to
move in.
“Remember, al-Qaida breeds on chaos and war,” Gerges said. “And if the
Palestinians descend into all-war, in the next few weeks we’ll likely
witness the emergence of new networks, who tend to subscribe to
al-Qaida
ideology.”
The senior U.S. counterterrorism official agreed, calling the situation
“worrisome.” He said, “There are early signs that Palestinians are more
interested in al-Qaida’s message than we’ve ever seen before.”
If so, the situation in Gaza would fit a pattern.
Benjamin said, al-Qaida’s appeal worldwide appears to be growing and
that
the core network has been revitalized.
“The jihadist movement, essentially, has been growing and strengthening
since the invasion of Iraq,” Benjamin said. “That, I think is clear.
It’s
also that their ambitions are intact, and their willingness to try big,
dangerous conspiracies is there.”
The good news in all this, Benjamin said, is that none of the new
offshoot
groups appear capable of directly threatening the United States. But
al-Qaida-linked groups are “ever more active in more parts of the
world,” he
said. “And that is not the outcome we wanted.”
SYRIA ORDERS MIG-31 FROM RUSSIA
MOSCOW [MENL] — Syria has ordered the advanced MiG-31E fighter-jet
from
Russia.
Industry sources said the Syrian contract was signed in early 2007 and
the
first aircraft delivery was expected over the next few months. The
sources
said the MiG-31E, with a configuration similar to that ordered by
India,
would provide Syria with a huge leap in air combat capability.
“The Syrians will be getting the top line of Russian aircraft through
financing by Iran and share some or most of the platforms with the
Iranian
Air Force,” a Russian industry source said. “This is the start of a new
era.”
The deal marked the first Syrian combat aircraft procurement since
Damascus
ordered the Su-24 Fencer in 1988. In December 2006, Syrian President
Bashar
Assad met Russian leaders in Moscow in an effort to replace Syria’s
aging
combat fleet.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.