Free Republic

The Jalal brothers recently gained massive notoriety after posting a series of videos to Facebook where they dress up in Arabic-style robes and hurl suspicious parcels at random strangers while running off and sparking panic in their targets. The brothers, a group from Melbourne, Australia, call themselves the Jalals and just yesterday posted their third bomb scare prank video. The reactions they get are typically the same – the victim running away in sheer panic whether out of their vehicle, up an escalator, or even into a body of water. This time, however, they apparently got a different reaction while...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24, 2006 – The Iraqi government is ready to send whatever number of troops is needed to help secure Baghdad, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said today. “The commander and chief of the Iraqi army can move the units of Iraqi army from different parts of Iraq to Baghdad,” Talabani told CNN’s John King, who was sitting in for Wolf Blitzer on “Late Edition.” “Of course our capital is Baghdad, and we are much interested to secure (it).” This would help satisfy U.S. Army Maj. Gen. James Thurman’s recent statement that an additional six battalions of Iraqi soldiers, or...

KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 7 - Two months before Afghanistan holds its first election for president, preparations have an air of democratic bustle. Nearly nine million eligible Afghans have registered to vote so far, several million more than expected, despite efforts by the Taliban to disrupt the process. NATO has agreed to provide extra forces to help the 18,000 American troops who are maintaining security. The incumbent, President Hamid Karzai, and 22 opponents have registered for the race and are starting to hold rounds of news conferences and rallies. Despite the trappings of democracy, the real decision about who will be...

American Said Died in Yemen Strike 2 hours, 13 minutes ago By AHMED AL-HAJ, Associated Press Writer SAN`A, Yemen (AP) - An American was believed to be among the six militants killed in a CIA (news - web sites) missile strike this weekend, a security source said Thursday. The six men, including Qaed Salim Sinan al-Harethi, al-Qaida's top man in Yemen, were killed Sunday when a Hellfire missile fired from a pilotless CIA spy plane destroyed the car they were riding in. The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the other five were known by their aliases — Saleh...