World Terrorism: News, History and Research Of A Changing World #6 Disinformation, Inc.

VEVAK learned its methodology from the Soviet KGB and many of the Islamist revolutionaries who supported Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini actually studied at Moscow's Patrice Lumumba Friendship University, the Oxford of terrorism. Documented Iranian alumni include the current Supreme Leader (the faqih) Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, under whose Velayat-e Faqih (Rule of the Islamic Jurisprudent) apparatus it has traditionally operated. Its current head is Cabinet Minister Hojatoleslam Gholam-Hussein Mohseni-Ezhei, a graduate of Qom's Haqqani School, noted for its extremist position advocating violence against enemies and strict clerical control of society and government. The Ministry is very well funded and its charge, like that of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (the Pasdaran) is to guard the revolutionary Islamic Iranian regime at all costs and under all contingencies.

From the KGB playbook, VEVAK learned the art of disinformation. It's not so difficult to learn: tell the truth 80% of the time and lie 20%. Depending on how well a VEVAK agent wants to cover his/her tracks, the ratio may go up to 90/10, but it never drops below the 80/20 mark as such would risk suspicion and possible detection. The regime in Teheran has gone to great lengths to place its agents in locations around the world. Many of these operatives have been educated in the West, including the U.K. and the United States. Iranian government agencies such as embassies, consulates, Islamic cultural centers, and airline offices regularly provide cover for the work of VEVAK agents who dress well and are clean shaven, and move comfortably within our society. In this country, because of the severance of diplomatic relations, the principal site of VEVAK activities begins at the offices of Iran's Permanent Mission to the UN in New York.

Teheran has worked diligently to place its operatives in important think tanks and government agencies in the West. Some of its personnel have been recruited while in prison through torture or more often through bribery, or a combination of both. Others are Islamist revolutionaries that have been set up to look like dissidents - often having been arrested and imprisoned, but released for “medical reasons”. The clue to detecting the fake “dissident” is to read carefully what he/she writes, and to ask why this vocal “dissident” was released from prison when other real dissidents have not been released, indeed have been grievously tortured and executed. Other agents have been placed in this country for over twenty-five years to slowly go through the system and rise to positions of academic prominence due to their knowledge of Farsi and Shia Islam or Islamist fundamentalism.

One of the usual tactics of VEVAK is to co-opt academia to its purposes. Using various forms of bribery, academics are bought to defend the Islamic Republic or slander its enemies. Another method is to assign bright students to train for academic posts as specialists in Iranian or Middle East affairs. Once established, such individuals are often consulted by our government as it tries to get a better idea of how it should deal with Iran. These academics then are in a position to skew the information, suggesting the utility of extended dialogue and negotiation, or the danger and futility of confronting a strong Iran or its proxies such as Hizballah (Hezbollah). These academics serve to shield the regime from an aggressive American or Western policy, and thereby buy more time for the regime to attain its goals, especially in regards to its nuclear weaponry and missile programs.

MOIS likes to use the media, especially electronic media, to its advantage. One of VEVAK's favorite tricks is setting up web sites that look like they are opposition sites but which are actually controlled by the regime. These sites often will be multilingual, including Farsi, German, Arabic French, and English. Some are crafted carefully and are very subtle in how they skew their information (e.g., Iran-Interlink, set up and run by Massoud Khodabandeh and his wife Ann Singleton from Leeds, England); others are less subtle, simply providing the regime's point of view on facts and events in the news (e.g., www.mujahedeen.com or www.mojahedin.ws). This latter group is aimed at the more gullible in our open society and unfortunately such a market exists. However, if one begins to do one's homework, asking careful questions, the material on these fake sites generally does not add up.

Let's examine a few examples of VEVAK's work in the United States. In late October, 2005, VEVAK sent three of its agents to Washington to stage a press event in which the principal Iranian resistance movement, the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MeK), was to be slandered. Veteran VEVAK agent Karim Haqi flew from Amsterdam to Canada where he was joined by VEVAK's Ottawa agents Amir-Hossein Kord Rostami and Mahin (Parvin-Mahrokh) Haji, and the three flew from Toronto to Washington. Fortunately the resistance had been tracking these three, informed the FBI of their presence in Washington, and when the three tried to hold a press conference, the resistance had people assigned to ask pointed questions of them so that they ended the interview prematurely and fled back to Canada.

Abolghasem Bayyenet is a member of the Iranian government. He serves as a trade expert for the Ministry of Commerce. But his background of study and service in the Foreign Ministry indicates that Bayyenet is more than just an economist or a suave and savvy businessman. In an article published in Global Politician on April 23, 2006, entitled “Is Regime Change Possible in Iran?”, Bayyenet leads his audience to think that he is a neutral observer, concerned lest the United States make an error in its assessment of Iran similar to the errors of intelligence and judgment that led to our 2003 invasion of Iraq, with its less than successful outcome. However, his carefully crafted bottom line is that the people of Iran are not going to support regime change and that hardliner President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad actually has achieved greater popularity than his predecessors because of his concern for the problems of the poor and his fight for economic and social justice. To the naive, Bayyenet makes Ahmadinejad sound positively saintly. Conveniently overlooked is the occurrence of over four thousand acts of protest, strikes, anti-regime rallies, riots, and even political assassinations by the people of Iran against the government in the year since Ahmadinejad assumed office. So too, the following facts are ignored: the sizeable flight of capital, the increase in unemployment, and the rising two-figure rate of inflation, all within this last year. Bayyenet is a regime apologist, and when one is familiar with the facts, his arguments ring very hollow. However, his English skills are excellent, and so the naОve might be beguiled by his commentary.

Mohsen Sazegara is VEVAK's “reformed revolutionary”. A student supporter of Khomeini before the 1979 revolution, Sazegara joined the “imam” on his return from exile and served in the government for a decade before supposedly growing disillusioned.

He formed several reformist newspapers but ran afoul of the hardliners in 2003 and was arrested and imprisoned by VEVAK. Following “hunger strikes”, Sazegara was released for health reasons and permitted to seek treatment abroad. Although critical of the government and particularly of Ahmadinejad and KhameneМ, Sazegara is yet more critical of opposition groups, leaving the impression that he favors internal regime change but sees no one to lead such a movement for the foreseeable future. His bottom line: no one is capable of doing what needs to be done, so we must bide our time. Very slick, but his shadow shows his likely remaining ties to the MOIS.

[reminds me of the jihadi personal submarines]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2554828,00.html

he Times January 19, 2007

Couple 'built stealth boats for drug-runners'
Marcus Leroux
# E-mail 'boasted of low radar signature'
# £12m was found at home in Suffolk
A couple sold “uncatchable” speedboats to drug smugglers while running a seemingly reputable boat-building business that counted the police among its customers, a court was told yesterday.

The £350,000 boats could exceed 70mph (112km/h) and were virtually untraceable on radar. Many were painted grey or black to make them less visible in water.

Ipswich Crown Court was told that Neil Davison, 39, and Ellen George, 41, had altered the boats, known as ribs, to make space for up to six tonnes of drugs. The prosecution alleges they knew that their clients included smugglers who trafficked drugs between Africa and Spain. In an e-mail sent to a potential customer, Mr Davison boasted that his boats were “uncatchable” and had a “low radar signature”, the jury was told.

The couple were arrested in March 2004 in a joint operation by British and Spanish customs officers. Revenue & Customs had placed them under surveillance after Spanish authorities seized several boats. The couple’s business, Crompton Marine, also sold vessels to Spanish police.

When police searched the couple’s home in Lowestoft, Suffolk, they found £1.2 million in cash stuffed in holdalls and hidden in cupboards and under the stairs. A further €1 million (£657,000) and £39,000 in cash was found at a home where Mr Davison was staying in Málaga.

George admitted money-laundering and possession of criminal property at an earlier hearing and is awaiting sentence. Mr Davison remains on bail in Spain where he faces drug-smuggling charges.

Simon Draycott, QC, for the prosecution, said that one prototype boat made and fitted-out by Crompton Marine could travel at 50mph with a load of six tonnes and five people on board. “This was such a powerful boat, it could carry a lot of drugs, a lot of contraband and still go so fast it could outrun any maritime craft,” he said.

“The ribs were built, sold and transported to southern Spain, North Africa and Morocco.”

Details of the boats emerged yesterday at the trial of Ian Rush, who is accused of selling Crompton Marine boats to drug dealers after the arrest of Mr Davison and George.

Mr Draycott told the court: “Davison, George and Rush knew those buying the boats wanted them for one reason — to transport drugs and contraband from North Africa to southern Spain. They also knew that the money used to pay for the boats was coming from the proceeds of crime.”

Police allegedly found plans for a 108ft (33m) boat that was big enough to carry five smaller boats. It was never built.

The couple left a paper trail of forged documents at their home, Mr Draycott said. The papers included forged ownership and competency certificates, which were handed over with the boat to help to hide the buyer’s identity.

Mr Rush, 42, of Butterwich, Lincolnshire, denies a charge of conspiracy to obtain criminal property. Philip Hackett, QC, for the defence, described Crompton Marine as “a moneylaundering outfit” using a web of offshore accounts and fake invoices, but stated that, after the arrest of Mr Davison and George, Mr Rush ran the business entirely properly.

He said that Mr Davison and George had generated £2.7 million in assets and moved £16 million across borders between 1998 and 2004, and that it was unlikely that all of this money came from sales of boats. He said that Mr Rush had never built boats like those described by Mr Draycott.

The trial continues.

7 Weapons Stolen From FBI Vehicle

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/18/AR2007011801209.html?nav=rss_metro

7 Weapons Stolen From FBI Vehicle
SUV Randomly Broken Into Near Agent's Home; Reward Offered

By Allan Lengel
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 19, 2007; Page B03

Seven weapons, including two submachine guns, were stolen last weekend
from an FBI agent's vehicle in Southwest Washington, the agency said
yesterday.

Also taken were ammunition, a police radio, bullet-resistant vests,
body
armor and photography equipment, the FBI said.

The theft triggered an intensive search for the property and whoever
took it. The FBI decided yesterday to seek the public's help by
offering
a $25,000 reward.

"We understand the seriousness of those weapons in the hands of
untrained individuals," said Joseph Persichini Jr., head of the FBI's
Washington field office. "We have employed significant resources and
have been working on this since Saturday. We are doing everything
possible to identify those responsible and recover the property."

The FBI vehicle belongs to a 35-year-old member of a special response
team who was authorized to take it home. It was one of about 20
vehicles
randomly vandalized in the 800 to 1100 blocks of Water Street between
midnight Friday and 3 a.m. Saturday, according to D.C. police and the
FBI.

A second bureau-issued car belonging to an agent at the FBI's
headquarters also was vandalized, but nothing of importance was taken,
authorities said. Both FBI agents live in the area and were issued
vehicles to take home because of their assignments.

Persichini said one of the agents stored equipment in his vehicle, an
SUV, because he has to be in a "ready position 24-7" as part of a
special response team. He said that the vehicle had an alarm and that
the equipment was kept in security containers that were broken into.

continued..........

Terrorists take over Google Earth

http://www.commsdesign.com/news/tech_beat/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=196901827

Terrorists take over Google Earth

Terrorists in Basra, Iraq, have turned Google Earth into a tool for
targeting attacks, according to The Daily Telegraph, a U.K. newspaper.

Citing unnamed British Army intelligence sources, the Telegraph said
that documents recovered from the homes of insurgents included
print-outs of Google Earth images with notations detailing the
longitude
and latitude of a British military camp.

The article quotes the unidentified intelligence officer as saying, "We
believe they use Google Earth to identify the most vulnerable areas
such
as tents," and notes that one solider has been killed and several
wounded in mortar attacks at the camp in question.

www.mentor.com/dsm
The implication that Google Earth bears some measure of responsibility
is dubious considering the mapping software has its limitations.

Google spokesperson Rachel Whetstone said she was unable to comment on
whether or not Google had spoken with British military representatives
about this issue. She did say, however, that Google was receptive to
such concerns when raised.

This isn't the first time that Google's avowed mission "to organize the
world's information and make it universally accessible and useful" has
collided with the military need for secrecy.

In December 2005, the New York Times reported (registration required)
that the governments of India, Russia, and South Korea, among others,
were concerned that Google Earth images might reveal too much about
their military bases.

A complicating factor in this controversy is that Google isn't actually
using satellites to spy on anyone. The company buys its images from the
likes of DigitalGlobe, an imagery company based in Colorado.

Whetstone said many people were aware of this. "I think there is a very
clear understanding that you can get the information on Google Earth
from other sources," she said. "The information all comes from third
parties. Google Earth imagery, on the whole, is used for the purposes
for which it was intended. Sadly, some things in life can be used for
things we might not want them to be used for."

£18m mosque plans sent in

http://www.expressandstar.co.uk/2007/01/18/%c2%a318m-mosque-plans-sent-in/

£18m mosque plans sent in

Controversial plans for a giant £18million mosque and community centre
in Dudley have been submitted to planners - signalling the start of a
month-long opportunity for residents to comment on the scheme.

The two-acre complex featuring a £6million mosque with a 65ft minaret
and a £12million commmunity centre is proposed for derelict land next
to
the bypass at Flood Street island.

People now have 28 days to give views on the project, after Dudley
Muslim Association registered the outline plans with the council.

Dudley Ukip councillor Malcolm Davis opposes plans saying the borough's
heritage is "at stake."

If outline planning permission is given, a detailed design would have
to
be submitted - together with further consultation -before full
permission would allow building work could start.

Two years ago, the original scheme sparked protests, petitions and
2,000
letters of objection claiming the mosque and minaret would dominate the
skyline.

Mosque bosses recently announced changes, including lowering the
minaret
and separating the mosque from the community centre.

"The Pride of Dudley" name was also dropped amid claims it insulted
non-Muslims. Underground parking and improved access for traffic has
also been added.

Dudley Muslim Association chairman Khurshid Ahmed said: "The community
centre will not be part of the mosque, it will be open to all. The
whole
purpose is to promote integration."

Councillor Davis said he had prepared petitions.

What do you think of plans for the mosque and community centre? Write
to
Letters to the Editor, Express & Star, Queen Street, Wolverhampton, WV1 1ES or email dudley@expressandstar.co.uk

By Mark Walsh

Theater Siege Victims Say Russian Authorities Block Investigation Into
Recent Terrorist Attacks

18.01.2007
MosNews

Victims of the 2002 Nord Ost theater siege and their relatives say
Russian authorities’ failure to thoroughly investigate the
circumstances
of the terror attack and punish officials responsible for a botched
rescue effort should be an issue in the upcoming presidential campaign,
the Associated Press reported on Thursday.

“Nord-Ost” hostage-taking raid in October 2002 was one of the
country’s
worst terror attacks. Chechen militants seized the theater in Moscow
during the performance of a musical called “Nord-Ost,” taking about
800
people hostage. Three days later, Russian special forces pumped a
narcotic gas into the theater to knock out the hostage-takers.

Sergei Karpov, whose 31-year old son died during the “Nord-Ost”
operation, reiterated long-standing accusations that the authorities
were stonewalling independent efforts to uncover the truth about it and
other notorious terror attacks to hit Russia.

Activists say they are trying to combine forces with victims of major
attacks, including the 2004 Beslan school hostage seizure, to force
Russian prosecutors to conduct independent investigations and the
official responses.

“Our task is simple: the investigation of the terror attacks of
recent
years should be on the agenda of the presidential campaign,” said
Marina
Litvinovich, a leading activist who runs a Web site.

One month after the theater raid, Russia’s lower house of parliament
turned down two proposals to set up a commission to investigate it.
With
Beslan, a parliamentary investigation — one of several official and
unofficial probes — blamed local law enforcement for failing to
increase
school security, but largely avoided harsh criticism of authorities.

Russia will hold presidential elections in March 2008 in what will
ostensibly be only the second, contested election since the Soviet
collapse. President Vladimir Putin is constitutionally barred from
seeking a third consecutive term, but some supporters have sought to
find some way for Putin to stay on in power.

Putin himself said he does not want to stay on, but has suggested he
might retain substantial influence or clout through other means.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/chechnya-sl/

[He learned his lessons well from the KGB]

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/01/18/africa/ME-GEN-Iran-US.php

Iranian official accuses U.S. of sabotaging Arab-Iranian relations,
inflaming Sunni-Shiite tensions

BEIRUT, Lebanon: Iran's top security official Ali Larijani accused the
United States of fanning Iranian-Arab tensions and inciting divisions
between Sunni and Shiite Muslims with the aim of dominating the Middle East.

Larijani's comments, made to a group of Lebanese journalists, were
published in three Beirut newspapers on Thursday.

The leading An-Nahar daily quoted Larijani as saying that America seeks
to block any bilateral strategic ties between Iran and Arab states, so
that it can develop its own security arrangement with those countries.

"The Americans occasionally resort to sabotaging relations among these
countries through stirring up Sunni-Shiite disputes or through inciting
the Arab-Iranian discord," he said. "If those countries were in
agreement, there would have been no need for American oversight."

The As-Safir daily quoted Larijani as saying that Arabs states are
"dear" to the Tehran government.

The paper said Larijani was "encouraged" by his visit this week to
Saudi Arabia --- a pro-American predominantly Sunni Arab kingdom considered a
rival of the overwhelmingly Shiite Persian Iran in the Gulf.

"We feel happy that Saudi Arabia and other states in the region have an
accurate understanding" of the Arab-Iran and Shiite-Sunni disputes,
Larijani said, adding that those disputes were fueled by the United States and Israel.

This week, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he had sent a
message to Saudi King Abdullah proposing the two countries cooperate in
trying to ease the violence in Iraq --- a message apparently delivered
by
Larijani during his visit. Saudi officials have not commented on the
messaage.

In December, Larijani asked Arab leaders to shut down U.S. military
bases in the Gulf region and invited Gulf countries to build a regional
security alliance with Iran that would replace the U.S. security
umbrella.

But pro-Western Gulf Arab governments have shown no interest in a
security alliance with Iran, who the United States and its Western
allies fear seeks to produce weapons with its nuclear program.

Tehran denies this, claiming its nuclear program is for peaceful
purposes only. Washington also has accused Tehran of undermining
security in neighboring Iraq by backing Shiite militias there.

But in the interview, Larijani claimed that Iran supports the Iraqi
government, "with all its factions."

"We support a secure and independent Iraq under a national unity
government," Larijani added.

He also said that during his visit to Riyadh, Iran and Saudi Arabia
agreed to help resolve the political standoff in Lebanon between the
U.S.-backed government and the opposition there.

The two regional powers, Iran and Saudi Arabia, have considerable
influence in the country --- Saudi Arabia supports Lebanese Prime
Minister
Fuad Saniora's government, while the opposition, which quit the Cabinet
in November, is led by the pro-Iranian group Hezbollah.

Since December, opposition supporters have been camping out in downtown
Beirut, staging protests against the government.

Are Filipino Maids Being Priced Out of the Market?

http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7&section=0&article=91121&d=19&m=1&y=2007

Are Filipino Maids Being Priced Out of the Market?

THE new Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) rules for
women going abroad to work as domestic helpers are being decried by
many
maids and their employment agencies for being too onerous and an
obstacle to them finding jobs abroad.

Effective March 1, the minimum salary for a Filipino maid has been set
at $400 a month, a 100 percent increase over the previous minimum of
$200 a month. Not only that, but the minimum age for overseas
deployment
has been raised to 25, and the POEA is asking Saudi employers to
provide
them with a map showing their house location, a plan of the house
showing its size and number of rooms, photos of all family members, and
proof of income of the employer.

Naturally, Saudi recruitment agencies have been up in arms at these
requirements and have allegedly stopped hiring Filipino women to work
in
the Kingdom.

I think these new requirements are good as they will force employers to
pay for quality Filipino labor, and will also help protect the most
vulnerable and abused of OFWs.

If Philippine embassies have the complete address and photos of the
employers of Filipino maids, it will make it much easier for them and
local authorities to track abusive employers and take action against
them.

Some Saudis will invariably say that such requirements make them look
like potential criminals. But it is the sad truth that maids, be they
Filipino, Indonesian or Sri Lankan, are the most abused of foreign
workers here. If Saudi families want Filipino maids, most of whom have
college degrees, they will have to pay them better wages and give all
requested information to Philippine officials. It's a small price to
pay
for quality labor.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/01/19/africa/ME-GEN-Iraq-Convoy-Claim.php

Al-Qaida-linked insurgents claim responsibility for attack on convoy
that killed American woman, three security contractors

CAIRO, Egypt: An al-Qaida-linked coalition of Iraqi Sunni insurgents
claimed responsibility for an attack on a convoy in Baghdad that killed
an American democracy worker from Ohio and three security contractors.

The Washington-based National Democratic Institute identified its slain
staffer as Andrea Parhamovich of Perry, Ohio. Contractors from Hungary,
Croatia and Iraq also were killed in the ambush Wednesday. Two other
people were wounded, one seriously.

Parhamovich had working with NDI in Iraq since late 2006 as a
communications specialist advising Iraqi political parties on how to
reach out to voters and constituents helping "build the kind of
national
level political institutions that can help bridge the sectarian divide
and improve Iraqi lives," the NDI said in a statement.

"There is no more sacred roll of honor than those who have given their
last full measure in support of freedom," said NDI's chairman, former
secretary of state Madeleine K. Albright. "Yesterday, in Iraq, Andrea
Parhamovich and our security personnel were enshrined on that list."

In her hometown in Ohio, the spokesman for Parhamovich's university,
Marietta College, remembered her well as a student who graduated in
2000
with a degree in advertising and public relations with a minor in
journalism.

"We saw what an excellent person she was, and she obviously had a
passion for something and wanted to go there and be a part of it," Tom
Perry said. "We're proud she wanted to do this. It shows it's not just
the soldiers who are in harm's way."

Parhamovich's brother-in-law, Joe Zampini, and David Rolfes of NDI
stood
near the family home in Perry, asking reporters not to approach the
house. Zampini appealed for privacy and said the family was in
seclusion.

The National Democratic Institute supports democratic processes and
institutions worldwide. Its staffers in Baghdad run training programs
in
democracy and political participation, as well as women's rights. The
group has had staffers in Iraq since June 2003.

Gunmen opened fire on the three-vehicle convoy on Wednesday in Yarmouk,
a predominantly Sunni neighborhood in western Baghdad. The group was
returning from a program elsewhere in Baghdad, according to NDI.

The insurgent coalition issued a claim of responsibility on an Islamic
Web site, saying, "Praise be to God, in an attack with light and medium
weapons and RPG's in the Yarmouk area in Baghdad on Jan. 17, two SUVs
belonging to the Zionist Mossad were destroyed and a third one was
severely damaged."

A U.S. official said that the statement's authenticity could not be
determined.

Its purported author --- Islamic state in Iraq --- is considered
al-Qaida in
Iraq's political arm, said the official, who did not want to be
identified because of the information's sensitivity.

Creation of the group in October was taken as a propaganda move and a
signal of al-Qaida in Iraq's interest in unifying all Sunni jihadists
under one umbrella, but the official said some Sunni groups haven't
embraced the new organization.

In its Web statement, the group did not say anything about how many
were
killed or their nationalities, but al-Qaida usually refers to
foreigners
whose nationalities it does not know as members of the Mossad, the
Israeli spy agency.

Parhamovich was the first full-time staffer for NDI to be killed in
Iraq. A security contractor for the organization was killed in March
2004.

The group is a non-governmental organization that is independent of the
U.S. government and was not working under a U.S. contract in Iraq. Like
many NGOs, it receives some funds from the USAID, the U.S. government
foreign aid agency, but its main funding comes from independent donors,
according to NDI.

According to its Web site, NDI works in more than 110 countries,
providing "practical assistance to political and civic leaders
advancing
democratic values," building political and civil groups and promoting
citizen participation in government.

According to insurance claims on file at the Department of Labor, 770
civilian contractors have been killed in Iraq since the war began in
March 2003 through Dec. 31 and 7,761 civilian contractors have been
injured. The contractors include foreign workers.

Qaeda's Successful Recruiting Efforts

http://www.nysun.com/article/47019
Qaeda's Successful Recruiting Efforts
By STEVEN STALINSKY
January 19, 2007

In response to reports that recruitment into America's armed forces is
at its lowest level in years, Secretary of Defense Gates has called for
increasing the Army and Marine corps by 92,000 troops over the next
five years.

On the other hand, Al Qaeda and other Islamist terrorist groups seem to
have an unlimited pool of recruits. This is because their followers are
brainwashed — through messages that they receive in schools and
mosques as well as on television — that if they give their lives for
jihad, they will be rewarded in the afterlife with 72 blackeyed virgins.

As Sheik Ahmad Qattan explained on Saudi Iqra TV on January 3, 2005,
"The martyrdom seeker … these heroes who stand in line and await their
turn … to sacrifice themselves for the sake of their God's religion
… seek the … longest life in the heavens. They want to join their
brothers, the martyrs, and to reap martyr's rewards. … He is married
off to 72 black-eyed women."

Al Qaeda in Iraq, an organization led by the late Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi,
published a statement addressed to America on January 26, 2005, which
discussed what is promised to its recruits: "We have men who love death
as you love life. Our fallen [go to] heaven, and yours — to hell.
While your reinforcements come from the Jews and the Christians, ours come
from the Blessed and Lofty Allah. … Oh the gardens [of Eden], prepare
yourselves; oh black-eye [virgins], approach. ... The martyrs' wedding
is at hand." A year and a half later, Zarqawi's clan celebrated his
wedding in Jordan after he was killed.

During the second intifada, the Palestinian Arab press frequently
reported the death of suicide bombers by printing wedding announcements and
"bridal" pictures.

One announcement read, "In the name of Allah, all merciful, all the
compassionate, do not consider who died for the sake of Allah as dead.
Rather as alive, the Martyr, Ali-Khadha Al-Yassini, who was wedded to the
blackeyed virgin in the Garden of Eternity on the morning of September
16, 2001. Congratulations to him for his wedding."

A writer for the official Palestinian Arab daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida,
reported the death of another "groomsman" on October 4, 2001: "The mother
of Wail Awad, did not plan on holding a second wedding, after his
marriage on August 10, 2001, to his fiancée in a simple ceremony. But
yesterday was Wail's real wedding day, and the angels of the Merciful
married him … to ‘the black-eyed,' as all around [them] rose the cries of
joy."

The mother of a Hezbollah "martyr" Bassel Ala' Al-din gave an interview
to Al-Manar TV on May 22, 2005. "Bassel had a wish," she said.
"Whenever I told him I wanted to marry him off, he would say, ‘Yes, mother,
you'll marry me off like this in paradise.' And indeed, the martyr
Bassel got married in paradise. I congratulate the black-eyed virgins who
took Bassel from me."

Earlier this week, the Global Islamic Media Front posted on Islamist
Web sites a 20-page book titled "The Desire of the Souls for the Women of
Paradise." The book includes excerpts from medieval Islamic sources
focusing on the characteristics of the virgins who await those who enter
paradise after becoming martyrs.

Chants of "Oh, Muslim, arise, there is a black-eyed virgin in paradise.
… We will return to Kabul. … Oh, blessings of the all-merciful, the
Sunna after the Koran, there is a black-eyed virgin in paradise" were
heard on the Islamist Web site Tajded.net, which posted footage of
Taliban military commander Mullah Dadallah's visit to an Al Qaeda base in
Afghanistan on December 28.

The video, produced by Al-Sahab Productions, then referred to the
September 11, 2001, attacks and the black-eyed virgins who were awarded to
the hijackers: "Oh, bin Laden, there is a blackeyed virgin in paradise.
… The plane flew above the clouds, and their tower was destroyed in
two strikes. … The first strike awoke the sleeping, and the second
divided the people into two camps. … On the one hand, the camp of Bush
and the leaders of darkness, and on the other hand, the camp of the
sheik, with their heads held high. … Whoever sold his life and his
property will buy the blessing of the black-eyed virgins." e Islamist Web
sites, mosques, and some programming on Arab TV are all helping to recruit
young Muslims to jihad by celebrating the 72 black-eyed virgins,
nothing stipulates that they must martyr themselves only in the Middle East.
According to their narrative on September 11, all the hijackers in
America got to enjoy their "wedding day."

This should serve as a reminder of what we are facing daily in the war
on terror.

Mr. Stalinsky is the executive director of the Middle East Media
Research Institute.

Bluff called on 'cellar family'

http://www.thelocal.se/6123/20070117/

Bluff called on 'cellar family'

Published: 17th January 2007 14:20 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/6123/

"In the early hours of Monday morning eight members of the same family
were hospitalised for smoke-related injuries having taken shelter in a
cellar on the outskirts of Gävle," The Local reported at the beginning
of last week.

But much of the story, in which an immigrant family was pitted against
Swedish bureaucracy, has turned out to be a stunt, staged by the family
in question to garner media support for their quest for lodgings in the
town of Gävle.

A journalist at local newspaper Gefle Dagblad, which ran extensive
coverage of the family's plight, began to suspect that something was
not
quite right.

Mats Hedström looked at the public records and found that the "hero"
of
the tale, a supposed passer-by who had alerted the authorities to the
family's dire situation, was in fact a brother of the woman at the
centre of the story.

Prior to this revelation media outlets of all shapes and sizes had
descended on the local council demanding to know why the family, with
origins in Iraq, was not being granted housing. How could they let a
family with six children resort to lighting hazardous fires in decrepit
cellars?

"We were exposed everywhere as the council that had children living in
a
cellar, and that was difficult," Wolter Planck from Gävle's social
services department told Svenska Dagbladet.

It soon became clear that the family was in fact registered in Malmö,
where the local council had already provided them with housing. But
they
were keen on a move to the eastern town of Gävle.

"They used the media to put pressure on us to arrange accommodation for
them," said Planck.

The family claimed that they had fled Malmö following continued
harassment from a neighbouring family.

"The only verifiable information is that they hired a guard through
Malmö council. The guard watched over the family for two weeks, 24
hours
a day, 7 days a week.

"At the end of that time he had nothing to report," Mats Hedström told
The Local.

All six children were released from hospital on the same day they were
admitted.

"Only hospital staff know the extent of the injuries, and they will not
say anything," said Hedström.

But all's well that ends well for the family. Gävle council finally
found them a home.

"But it wasn't because of the cellar story. It was the fact that their
situation changed when the contract for their flat in Malmö ran out,"
said Wolter Planck.

Paul O'Mahony

[another KGB trained terrorist]

http://www.webloggin.com/al-qaeda-forces-in-iraq-retreating-in-advance-of-american-surge/

Al-Qaeda Forces In Iraq Retreating In Advance of American Surge

By the Webloggin Editor
January 17, 2007 at 9:01 am in Feature Article, The War on Terror, Iraq

Richard Miniter is reporting that al-Qaeda forces have been ordered to retreat from Baghdad in anticipation of the 21,000 extra forces that President Bush is deploying to help calm the area. This is a tactical change for the terrorists who have been known to display unrealistic confidence and bravado under the direction of previous leaders such as Zarqawi. His death paved the way for new leadership to take charge - one that is implementing a more military strategic style of command than the traditional “martyr for the cause” approach.

The apparent evacuation of Baghdad by al Qaeda forces comes from direct orders issued by al-Masri, the former soldier who took control of the Iraqi wing of al Qaeda following the June 2006 bombing death of Zarqawi.

Initially, the intelligence officer informed Pajamas, the Baghdad-based AQ fighters did not want to leave. Al-Masri had to send unequivocal orders for their retreat, adding that one of the lessons from the Fallujah campaign was that Americans have learned how to prevail in house-to-house fighting. Masri said that remaining in Baghdad was a ‘no-win situation’ for the terrorists.

Iraq the Model was the original source for Miniter’s report which has subsequently been confirmed by military intelligence officers.

It is important to understand the evolution of the war if we are to grasp the effectiveness of strategies that will no doubt be incorporated into future war plans. The United States is not engaged in a traditional war. The terrorists are experts at fading into the population and striking with regularity using proven guerrilla warfare tactics. The American and coalition forces are constantly adjusting and it appears that the effort is starting to pay off in that respect. The surge and purge sweeps have proven to be a no-win situation for the terrorists and they have decided to run rather than make a stand in a decidedly losing effort.

This news is both good and bad. On the good side it validates that our tactics on the ground are proving to be effective. We are getting better at running the terrorists out and killing or detaining them before they can reintegrate back into the insurgency.

But it also demonstrates that the al-Qaeda leadership is becoming more sophisticated in their approach to combating Western forces. They are at a disadvantage in just about every aspect with the exception of the press who act as a mouthpiece for terrorist propaganda. Losing a battle in the surge would not be a very good strategic move and would deal a big blow to the terrorists.

There are other troubling aspects of Al-Masri who took over when Zarqawi was killed. He is reported to have been trained in military strategy by the soviets (strange how they continually come up in these discussions). This is why he is considered more dangerous than previous leaders such as Zarqawi.

Al-Masri’s evacuation order – assuming that it is authentic – reveals that al Qaeda in Iraq leader has a good grasp of a tactical situation. “He is far more formidable than Zarqawi was,” the intelligence officer said, because of his training at Soviet special warfare schools.

He is also thought to be known by the alias Abu Hamza al-Muhajir. Wikipedia reports as follows:

According to Caldwell, Masri joined Ayman al-Zawahiri’s Egyptian Islamic Jihad in 1982, where he was Zawahiri’s protégé. He remained a member after that organization was merged into Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda. He went to bin Laden’s Farouk (or al-Farouq) camp in Afghanistan in 1999, where he worked with explosives, especially truck bombs and roadside bombs like those currently used in Iraq. After the American invasion of Afghanistan, he went to Iraq, where he took charge of al-Qaeda’s operations in the southern part of the country. The United States military said that Masri “helped draw other insurgent groups into al-Qaeda’s fold.” DefenseLINK News reported that Masri “helped establish the Baghdad cell of al-Qaeda in early 2003. Soon after, he “worked the ‘rat line’ down the Euphrates River Valley supplying suicide bombers via Syria.” Alexis Debat, a leading authority on Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, said Masri was in charge of al-Qaeda’s overseas networks beginning in 2004. Masri organized fund-raising and recruitment efforts in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East to aid in al-Qaeda’s activities in Iraq. One envoy he sent for those purposes was Yasser al-Misri, arrested in Algeria in July 2005.

Masri was “engaged” in the 2004 battle of Fallujah, Iraq, and is suspected of involvement in the 2004, 2005 and 2006 Sinai bombings in Egypt.

Iraq The Model sums up the stakes:

… the bad guys are adjusting their plans as the government and US military adjust theirs. The clear and hold tactic means militants will have little chance to maneuver within Baghdad like they used to do to work around previous crackdowns so now they are planning to make long-range maneuvers in provinces outside Baghdad.

Although the main objective of the new security plan is securing Baghdad, it would be a good idea for the military commanders to keep an eye on a few other provinces because we don’t want to fight the same men twice, or thrice!

The battle in Iraq is proving to be a pivotal battle in the war against terror. Those who want to cut and run are fooling themselves if they think this will somehow make Americans safer. On the contrary, a loss in Iraq will deal a severe blow to American security.

Others: Captains Quarters, Pajama’s Media

Technorati Tags Richard Miniter, al-Qaeda, Baghdad, President Bush, terrorists, Zarqawi, Al-Masri, United States, Iraq
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One Response to “Al-Qaeda Forces In Iraq Retreating In Advance of American Surge”

1. Right Truth says:

The Sane War Manifesto…

Hillary Clinton has finally presented her plan for the war on terror. After her trip to Iraq, complete with presidential-looking photo op with Iraqi leaders, she has decided (1) Afghanistan needs more troops; (2) Iraq needs less (or no) troops;…
January 18th, 2007 at 11:54 am

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Copyright © 2007, Web

LAX runway blunder forces incoming jet to pull away

Commercial airliner had to veer away at the last moment to avoid
another
plane that had swung onto its runway.

A commercial airliner approaching Los Angeles International Airport on
Tuesday afternoon had to veer away at the last moment to avoid another
plane
that had swung onto its runway.

The Delta Air Lines jet pulled up from its landing about a half-mile
from
the airport and circled around, flying low over part of El Segundo. The
Aeromexico flight that had blundered into its path took off with no
further
problems.

The Federal Aviation Administration was investigating the incident and
had
not classified its severity. But it appears to be the first significant
safety violation on the runways of LAX this year; the airport had nine
close
calls, or runway incursions, last year.

On Tuesday, the Delta 737 jetliner was on its final approach to LAX
just
before 5 p.m., completing a flight from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. At the
same
time, the Aeromexico MD-83 jet was rolling toward its departure runway,
bound for Mexico City.

An air traffic controller told the Aeromexico pilot to taxi toward the
beginning of the runway.

The pilot answered, "Roger," taxied to the beginning of the runway --
and
then turned and set up on the runway for takeoff, without
authorization.

The controller saw the mistake and quickly cleared the Aeromexico
flight for
takeoff, in an attempt to get it out of the way of the approaching
Delta
jet. Seconds later, the controller realized that wouldn't work and
ordered
the Delta plane to abort its landing and go around.

A radar system designed to warn of impending runway collisions sounded
an
alarm, said Michael Foote, the local president of the National Air
Traffic
Controllers Association. But by then, he added, the controller had
already
seen the problem and ordered the Delta jet to pull up.

The incident happened on the south side of LAX, which has been the site
of
most of the airport's close calls over the years. Last year, airplanes
twice
came within about 100 feet of colliding on the southern runways -- in
both
cases, a pilot disregarded instructions from air traffic controllers to
stay
off an active runway.

The airport is spending $333 million to reroute runways, to give
airplanes
more room to slow down and maneuver.

http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/articles/5248036.html

*

Two planes make emergency U-turns

Two Boeing jets operated by private carriers made separate emergency
returns
to airports shortly after takeoff Wednesday for "technical reasons",
airline
officials said.

A Mandala Airlines plane that left Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta Airport for
Ambon in Maluku took off and returned to the airport twice -- at 5 a.m.
and
later at 6:40 a.m. -- Mandala spokesman Alex Widjojo said.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, a Batavia Air plane returned to
Manado in
North Sulawesi, just 20 minutes into its flight to Jakarta, an official
at
the airport said.

Alex said the Mandala plane, a Boeing 737, returned twice to the
airport
because a cockpit warning light turned on, indicating the aircraft's
wheel
doors were malfunctioning.

"For us, the safety of our passengers and the conditions of our planes
are a
must; they cannot be negotiated. Our pilots have acted professionally
and
carefully by choosing to land rather than continuing the journey," Alex
said
in a statement sent to The Jakarta Post.

After being thoroughly checked by technicians, the flight was
eventually
canceled and the 112 passengers were rescheduled on another Mandala
flight,
he said.

The Batavia aircraft took off at 10:50 a.m. to Ambon with 91 passengers
on
board, the Manado airport official told AFP.

"It left at 23:23 GMT and returned at 23:43," he said.

A Batavia spokesman, Zacky, said there was "a problem with the gear"
but did
not elaborate.

Soekarno-Hatta Airport administrator Bambang Cahyono later confirmed
the
Mandala aircraft made a second attempt to fly but returned to the
airport
because its landing gear indicator stayed lit.

Another Mandala plane was also grounded after air safety officials
reported
that "the navigation system was not running well".

On Tuesday evening, Cahyono said inspectors also grounded a Batavia Air
aircraft because of a malfunction in its "power management circuit".

All three aircraft would be grounded until the malfunctions were
repaired,
he said.

The latest incidents come in the wake of a string of bad sea, air and
rail
accidents, which have prompted President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to
form a
team to evaluate and improve transport safety.

The accidents began on Dec. 29, when a passenger ferry with some 600
people
on board sank in rough seas off the coast of Java. An estimated 400
people
are still missing and presumed drowned.

Days later, an Adam Air plane vanished near Sulawesi island on Jan. 1
with
102 people on board. On Tuesday, a overloaded train carriage derailed
and
plunged off a bridge into a dry riverbed, killing five and injuring
around
100 others.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20070118.A07&irec=6

*

Connecticut AG Demands No-Fly Zone For Proposed LNG Terminal

Claims FAA Has 'Ignored' Airborne Threats To Floating Facility
In a letter to the FAA Monday, Connecticut's Attorney General Richard
Blumenthal Monday demanded the agency establish a no-fly zone around a
proposed natural gas terminal to be established in the middle of Long
Island
Sound. Blumenthal says the agency has "completely ignored" threats from
the
air to the facility.

Called the Broadwater proposal, a consortium of energy companies has
offered
plans to build a 1,200 foot long floating liquefied natural gas
terminal in
the center of Long Island Sound. The facility would supply enough gas
to
heat 4 million homes.

The proposal's backers say the terminal is needed to meet a projected
37
percent growth in natural gas use across the region by 2021.
Connecticut
forecasts it will use LNG for 47 percent of its electrical generation
needs
next year.

Naturally, the plan has drawn its share of criticism -- not the least
of
which is those who fear the floating behemoth would be "an obvious
target"
for terrorists... or so they say.

Blumenthal's letter to the FAA demands it establish a permanent no-fly
zone
for the facility like that established around the nation's capitol,
although
its not entirely clear what data he's drawing from on which to base
such a
demand -- especially as he claims the studies completed to date have
not
considered the threat from the air to the planned facility.

But according to the Connecticut Post, John Hritko Jr., senior vice
president of Broadwater, said Blumenthal has his facts wrong. He says a
Coast Guard study included in the draft proposal did, in fact, consider
air
security.

Hritko said no-fly zones are not in place at the Millstone or Indian
Point
nuclear plants, and quoted the draft document as stating: "the FAA
generally
does not establish no-fly zones around energy facilities such as oil or
petroleum product storage tank areas, oil platforms or nuclear plants."

Air traffic in the region is frequently directed over the sound to keep
it
away from populated areas. Blumenthal said creating a no-fly zone over
the
sound would raise pollution, security and quality-of-life concerns for
those
over which flights would be re-directed. If you can't have the facility
without a no-fly zone, but a no-fly zone would create an untenable air
traffic situation, one wonders just what Blumenthal's goal is. From his
bleak outlook, it doesn't seem likely he's looking for a way to keep
the
facility "safe" from a "terrorist attack."

Indeed, in a press conference announcing his demands to the FAA
Blumenthal
said, "To be very blunt, we're opening a new front in the battle
against
Broadwater."

FMI: www.tfr.faa.gov, www.faa.gov
aero-news.net

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