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

3,741 posted on 02/08/2007 8:10:16 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)

Many thanks to Mark Taylor and Milford421 for this update:

Police: Woman killed in lettuce truck was pinned

http://www.abc15.com/news/index.asp?did=33054
Associated Press
Posted: 2/2/07 11:57pm
A woman whose body was found in a truck delivering lettuce to a
grocery store warehouse in Iowa was accidentally pushed into the
trailer by a forklift after she walked into a loading zone at a Yuma
packing plant, Yuma police said.
The body of Sheila Kay Ross, 47, of McLoud, Okla., was found Tuesday
morning in the back of a semitrailer delivering lettuce to the Hy-
Vee warehouse in Chariton, southeast of Des Moines.
An autopsy showed she died of compressional asphyxiation, and her
death was ruled an accident. Ross' body was found by a dock worker
who was unloading the truck at the Hy-Vee warehouse.
The Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health will
investigate the circumstances and determine if any workplace safety
violations occurred.
Officer Clint Norred, a spokesman with the Yuma Police Department,
said the investigation showed that Ross walked into a loading zone
where she was accidentally pushed into the trailer by a forklift
with a load of lettuce, pinning her inside. The forklift driver was
cleared of any criminal act, Norred said in a news release.
Ross and her husband, who owned their own truck, arrived at the Dole
Foods plant in Yuma, Ariz., just after 9 p.m. Saturday. Ross left
the truck to get paperwork but never returned, police said.
Police said Ross' husband reported her missing about 11:55 p.m. When
an officer arrived, several semitrailers at the Dole plant were
unloaded. Officers also searched the plant and the surrounding area,
finding no sign of Ross, police said.
Officers obtained a list of semis that were at Dole at the time and
were able to contact several drivers who had been at the plant but
had left before police arrived.
The drivers were told to check their loads as soon as possible. Many
drivers returned the officers' phone calls saying they did not find
Ross in their trucks.
The driver of the truck that Ross was found in told Iowa authorities
that he had checked his trailer but did not see any sign of Ross,
police said.
Police said he was unable to see her because she was pinned between
two pallets in the middle of his trailer. The truck that she was
found in left the Dole plant at 10:50 p.m. Saturday, police said.
Police said the truck was owned by an R&J Trucking, but no further
information on the company was released.

3,742 posted on 02/08/2007 8:15:57 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)

To: All; FARS; Calpernia; Velveeta; Founding Father; LucyT

CDC Web Site Attacked By Virus

Thanks to Mark Taylor and Milford421 for this report:

ATLANTA (AP) -- Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention are concerned about a different kind of virus: a computer
one.

Hackers broke into the CDC's Web site last week and planted a virus
that could have infected visitors' computers. CDC officials said the
hacking was concentrated to the agency's podcast site -- which has
audio and video clips on a variety of public health topics -- and
they do not think any sensitive information was compromised.

The podcast site, www.cdc.gov/podcasts, will be down for a few days.
CDC officials encouraged visitors to the site to scan their
computers for viruses. CDC spokesman Tom Skinner said the podcast
site received several hundred visits in the few hours between when
the virus entered the system on Thursday and when the site was
deactivated.

The podcast site was launched in July and has received about 40,000
visits, he said.

http://www.wtlv.com/news/strange/news-article.aspx?storyid=75243

3,743 posted on 02/08/2007 8:19:20 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)

To: All; Calpernia; Founding Father; FARS; LucyT

[It appears that the computer virus warning from Australia, was a valid warning, my local server had fits most of yesterday.granny]

Dolphin Stadium Web site poses serious computer viirus

Thanks to Mark Taylor and Milford421 for this report:

Dolphin Stadium Web site poses serious computer virus risk
From staff reports

The official Web site of Dolphin Stadium has been compromised with
malicious code that can attack personal computers, according to
reports.

The Dolphin Stadium is currently experiencing a large number of
visitors, as it is the home of Sunday's Super Bowl. The site is
linked from numerous official Super Bowl Web sites and various Super
Bowl-related search terms return links to the site.

A link to a malicious javascript file has been inserted into the
header of the front page of the site, according to computer
technicians.

Visitors to the site execute the script, which attempts to exploit
two vulnerabilities: MS06-014 and MS07-004. Both of these exploits
attempt to download and execute a malicious file.

The file that is downloaded is a NsPack-packed Trojan
keylogger/backdoor, providing the attacker with full access to the
compromised computer.
http://www.thedailyjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20070202/NEWS01/70202018

3,744 posted on 02/08/2007 8:24:21 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)

To: All; milford421; FARS

Pakistan air force jet crashes in training flight; pilot ejects safely

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan:(AP) A Pakistani air force jet crashed during a
training
flight Wednesday in the eastern province of Punjab, but the pilot
ejected
safely and no one was injured on the ground, an official said.

The French-made Mirage fighter went down because of technical problems
near
Jhang, a city about 290 kilometers (180 miles) southwest of the
capital,
Islamabad, air force spokesman Cmdr. Sarfaraz Ahmed Khan said.

The air force has ordered an inquiry, Khan said. He provided no details
of
the technical problems.

Pakistan has seen several of its military planes crash in recent years.
The
previous crash was in December, when another Mirage jet went down
shortly
after takeoff from an air base near the southern city of Karachi.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/07/asia/AS-GEN-Pakistan-Fighter-Jet-Crash.php

3,745 posted on 02/08/2007 8:30:46 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)

To: All; milford421; FARS; Calpernia

*

Flight incident lands T.O. man in Winnipeg jail

WINNIPEG -- A 43-year-old Toronto man landed in a Winnipeg jail cell
rather
than home after allegedly assaulting a flight attendant aboard an Air
Canada
flight Monday.

Greg Bogden was arrested at the Winnipeg airport after a commotion
aboard
the Vancouver-Toronto flight forced the pilot to land.

A spokesman for Winnipeg police said Bogden was bothering another
passenger
and allegedly assaulted a flight attendant when staff tried to move him
to
another seat. The spokesman said the assault was minor.

The police spokesman said officials believe the man "appears to have
some
psychological issues to deal with."

[unknown url]

doctor?

http://www.google.com/search?q=Greg+Bogden&client=netscape-pp&rls=com.netscape:en-US

3,746 posted on 02/08/2007 8:36:12 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)

To: All; FARS; Calpernia; milford421

[How many does this make in Montana this year?]

Three dead in medical plane crash in Montana

MANHATTAN, Mont. (AP) Three people on a medical airplane have been
killed
when the aircraft crashed while preparing to land in Bozeman, Montana,
to
pick up a patient.

The pilot, nurse and paramedic were on board the "MercyFlight."

The small turboprop disappeared from radar about nine last night. The
crash
site was located about 15 minutes later by searchers on all-terrain
vehicles
and Jeeps. The wreckage was about 15 miles northwest of Gallatin Field
Airport.

Cause of the crash is under investigation.

[unknown url, from Pilot's group email]

3,747 posted on 02/08/2007 8:38:55 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)

To: All; milford421; FARS; Calpernia

Drug fear as woman dies on flight

A British woman died and a man is critically ill in hospital after
apparently suffering cocaine overdoses while on a flight from Mexico to
Britain.
The pair were on a Thomsonfly jet from Cancún to Birmingham which was
diverted to the Azores Islands after the male passenger suffered a
heart
attack.

He was treated during the flight by two doctors on board, then left the
plane at the Azores along with three other passengers. The woman, 23,
was
pronounced dead on arrival at hospital after the unscheduled landing at
7.30am on Tuesday.

The 21-year-old man, believed to be her boyfriend, was in a coma at the
Angra do Heroismo hospital in Terceira. Dr Leonora Bettencourt said he
had
tested positive in a urine test for cocaine, ecstasy and other drugs.
"We
found a large number of plastic bags inside him when we opened his
stomach
to perform an emergency operation. Those bags have been handed over to
police investigators."

The woman's body has been handed to state pathologists. The hospital
could
not confirm whether she had also ingested drugs.

The flight eventually left the Azores at 9.40am and arrived back in the
UK
at 1.10pm on Tuesday.

A Foreign Office spokesman said that officials were in contact with the
hospital but refused to comment on the speculation about a drugs
overdose.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/drugs/Story/0,,2007993,00.html

3,748 posted on 02/08/2007 8:41:04 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)

To: All; Founding Father; milford421; FARS; LucyT; struwwelpeter

RFE/RL: Berezovsky Breaks Silence On Litvinenko

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

http://www.rferl.org

LONDON, February 7, 2007 (RFE/RL) — Exiled tycoon Boris Berezovsky has
broken his silence on the case of his friend Aleksandr Litvinenko, the
former Russian security officers who died in a London hospital in
November after receiving a fatal dose of the radioactive isotope
polonium-210. Natalya Golitsyna, the London correspondent for RFE/RL's
Russian Service, spoke on February 6 to Berezovsky about his claims
that Litvinenko himself implicated a fellow former security officer,
Andrei Lugovoi, in his poisoning.

RFE/RL: When did Litvinenko first tell you about his suspicions?

Boris Berezovsky: The first time I went to see Sasha in the hospital
after his poisoning — at that time, you'll remember, they were
actively discussing the theory that [Italian security consultant
Mario] Scaramella was involved — he said to me: "Boris, you know, I
have a theory which I won't announce publicly, but which is the truth.
I met with Lugovoi on the day that I got sick [November 1]. Not just
with him — [Dmitry] Kovtun and another person, whom I was meeting for
the first time, were also there. I believe that it was these people
who poisoned me."

Honestly, I was surprised. The information that Lugovoi had
participated was unexpected. Moreover, exactly one day earlier — on
October 31st — [Lugovoi] had come to see me in my office. We even
shared a bottle of white wine between the two of us. And I mean
"between the two of us" literally, because there was no one else
there. And so what happened to Sasha the next day, and the fact that
Sasha then suspected it was Lugovoi who was mixed up in the poisoning
— of course, for me it was completely unexpected.

Do I believe this or not? After all the difficulties I've experienced
in recent years, I know it's not possible to simply rule this out.
What's more, of course, my suspicions have recently grown much
stronger. Because there's a very simple way for Lugovoi to eliminate
all the suspicion about him — just get on a plane and fly here to
Great Britain and voluntarily go to Scotland Yard. My experience with
the English legal system shows that if you're sure you're in the
right, then not even the smallest chance exists that that you'll be
subjected to illegal prosecution, that you'll become just a victim of
legal arbitrariness.

RFE/RL: Did Litvinenko explain what his suspicions were based on?

Berezovsky: Yes, Sasha explained. He said that clearly there was no
such thing as "formers" — meaning ex-employees of the KGB and the FSB.
He believed that Lugovoi was simply fulfilling an order. The first
stage was to get close to Sasha, to pique his interest with some
information; the second stage was simply to fulfill the order — to
kill him. After [Russian President Vladimir] Putin signed the decree —
this was seven-eight months ago — pemitting the special services to
kill, without judgment or consequence, so-called enemies of the regime
abroad who in fact are simply political opponents, Sasha said to me
many times that we were first on the list — him, [London-exiled
Chechen separatist envoy Akhmed] Zakayev, me. The "hit list" didn't
stop there, but we were the first.

RFE/RL: Assuming Lugovoi was capable of such a thing, why didn't he
attempt to poison you with polonium as well? He had an opportunity
when the two of you shared a bottle of wine, after all.

Berezovsky: You're completely correct in noticing this: the risks that
Sasha faced, that I and Akhmed Zakayev face, are the same. This
naturally prompts the question of why they killed Sasha and not me. I
can only guess. Questions like that should be put not to me, but to
the person who gave Lugovoi his orders. It has yet to be proven that
Lugovoi was in fact the person who did it. Sasha stated his
suspicions. Lugovoi, by being afraid to come here — I'm using
precisely that word, "afraid" — is simply increasing those suspicions.

But I think there were reasons why it was Sasha, and why it was now.
Sasha had been telling me what operations he was engaged in at the
time — not actual operations, but the people on whom he was gathering
very serious evidence of participation in criminal dealings. Knowing
Sasha, I understood that this was in fact very serious, because he was
truly a very good operative.

RFE/RL: How long have you known Lugovoi?

Berezovsky: Lugovoi emerged at the time when Yegor Gaidar ceased to be
[acting] prime minister [in late 1992]. Before that, Lugovoi, as far
as I understand, was the head of Gaidar's security. It was Yegor
Gaidar who recommended Lugovoi to me as a decent, honest person
capable of taking charge of my personal security. After I met Andrei,
he did in fact build the system I needed. There were a lot of former
employees of the KGB and the [KGB's] 9th Directorate [which provided
personal security for high-ranking officials] among my security
guards, including Lugovoi himself.

Then Badri [Patarkatsishvili, my longtime friend and partner, offered
Lugovoi the post of security chief at ORT [television], at that huge
organization. It was Lugovoi who organized ORT's security. After he
assumed that position, my ties with him sort of weakened, but he was
always in sight. We talked occasionally, and rather productively.

So I talked to him when he [first] came to London, about three months
before [these events]. My daughter was about to go to Russia, and I
asked Lugovoi to organize her security. And so he did. Essentially,
when he came to London [last time] and we met on [October] 31, I
wanted to thank him for organizing my daughter's security.

RFE/RL: What is the goal of the Russian Prosecutor-General's Office in
insisting on questioning more than 100 people in London?

Berezovsky: Let's start from the beginning. First of all, it is clear
that the Prosecutor-General's Office is an absolutely criminal,
gangster organization that serves as an instrument of supressing
people who essentially have the same mentality as Putin and others
sitting in the Kremlin. This is exactly what can help you understand
the purpose of their request and their inquiry.

Let's look at it this way. We know that Scotland Yard has completed
its investigation. It is clear that the investigation was conducted in
a professional and unbiased manner. Judging by information leaked to
the press, I have the impression that Scotland Yard knows who
committed this crime and they know very well who is behind it — that
is, the [Russian] state machine. The [Russian] Prosecutor-General's
Office is well aware of it too, so their actions are a diversion
tactic. They know who actually contracted and carried out this crime.
They know not only as much as the investigators of Scotland Yard, but
a lot more, because they have had access to information firsthand.

My attitude to this is very simple. I will do anything that helps
Scotland Yard, even if it presents a risk to myself. Therefore, I've
said I'm ready to meet with representatives of the Russian
Prosecutor-General's Office if it helps Scotland Yard's investigation.
Russia is blackmailing Scotland Yard in this case. [Russian officials]
say they will allow questioning [in Russia] if [Britain] allows
[Russia] to question [people in Britain]. I said, fine, they can
question me if it helps Scotland Yard find those who killed my friend.

In this regard my position is not different from that of Aleksandr
Litvinenko's wife, Marina. We will not allow the investigation to be
stopped and we will go to the end to seek out the criminals.

3,749 posted on 02/08/2007 8:47:28 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)

To: All; FARS; Founding Father; milford421; struwwelpeter

[Recent history, photos at link]

http://www.jinsa.org/articles/articles.html/function/view/categoryid/164/documentid/3652/history/3,2360,656,164,3652

JINSA Online, January 18, 2007
Iran, China Intent on Countering Navies
U.S. and Israeli Ships Targeted, Hezbollah Successfully Strikes with Iranian Missile

The aircraft carrier - a mobile island of air power - provides U.S. officials with a range of options in conducting relations with hostile or potentially hostile states - from merely a “presence” to the insertion of power ashore in wartime. Often, the enormous firepower that the aircraft carrier and its associated group of ships bring to bear is sufficient to deter acts of aggression before they are carried out or quickly extinguish any that may have begun. Not surprisingly, enormous military resources have been invested into protecting these critical assets. Recent events in the Pacific Ocean, the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea could indicate that carrier force protection has slipped even as regional powers increase their ability to project power above and below the water’s surface.
USS Kitty Hawk in Sydney Harbor, Australia.

On November 13, roughly 24 hours before experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reportedly discovered traces of plutonium and enriched uranium at an Iranian nuclear waste facility - further escalating tensions between Tehran and Washington - the Iranian government released what it claimed to be video from an indigenously-built unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that penetrated the air defenses of a U.S. carrier group operating in the Persian Gulf. The one-minute movie aired on the state-run Al Alam television network and showed a U.S. aircraft carrier underway with a flight deck packed with aircraft. While the Iranian broadcast did not mention when the footage was shot, it was claimed that Iranian officials possess ten such films that show, “more precise information and details about military equipment, foreign forces, and their activities in the Persian Gulf.”

Iranian officials claimed to have over flown another U.S. aircraft carrier in May 2006. And although no footage from that incident was released, Iranian press reports claimed that U.S. naval aircraft were launched in response to the incident but the UAV was able to return to Iranian airspace unscathed. U.S. Navy spokesman Lt. Bashon Mann “categorically denied” the incident took place and dismissed the media accounts of the story as “erroneous,” insisting, “no [U.S.] planes were scrambled at all, that did not happen,” according to the Navy Times, June 2, 2006.

Iranian/Russian Surveillance

U.S. Navy officials believe the video of the aircraft carrier released by Iran on November 13 is much older than Tehran claims. One reason in particular is the presence of F-14D Tomcat fighters on the flight deck. The F-14 was retired from U.S. Navy service in September and hasn’t operated in the Persian Gulf since late February. Moreover, the U.S. Navy puts out a public media release when U.S. ships are entering and exiting the Gulf, so claims by the Iranian government to surreptitiously locate and track American naval vessels, if accurate, are greatly exaggerated.
Russian Su-27 aircraft.

A confirmed breach in carrier air defense, however, did occur some six-and-a-half years ago when two Russian military jets conducted high-speed, low altitude flyovers of the USS Kitty Hawk in the Sea of Japan. On December 9, 2000, Pentagon spokesman Ken Bacon acknowledged Russian warplanes flew over the Kitty Hawk on three different occasions, October 12, October 17, and November 9, 2000. During one of these encounters, a Russian Su-24 Fencer and a Su-27 Flanker allegedly buzzed the Kitty Hawk’s tower at an altitude of 200 feet and the ship was unable to launch an intercept for 30 minutes because it was taking on fuel from another ship and was on a reduced “Alert-30” status of readiness, a level of alert congruent with their location and lack of regional threats, Captain Kevin Wensing, a spokesman for the Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet, told Stars and Stripes, December 9, 2000.

Bacon added that carrier personnel had detected the inbound aircraft when they were 30-45 miles away from the Task Force. “We see Russian aircraft and Russian ships … all the time. We’re not in the Cold War anymore. No one looked at this as being much of an incident,” Commander Matt Brown, a spokesman for the 7th Fleet Command in Yokosuka, Japan, remarked, according to Stars and Stripes. Adding to the perception that the fly bys were a bit of showmanship, the Russian pilots allegedly sent hi-resolution photographs to the Kitty Hawk’s website and Russian officials reportedly released the same images a few days later that showed a flight deck in disarray and chaos as the crew scrambled to launch intercept aircraft.

Referring to Kitty Hawk’s reduced alert status, Wensing told Stars and Stripes “the battle group decides what kind of status they should be on. If you’re in the middle of the Persian Gulf, it would be a lot different than if you were in the middle of the Indian Ocean,” where the 2000 flyover took place. And it involved a non-hostile country. “If [the incident with Russia took place in] 1960, it would be a different sort of scenario. But it’s 2000.”
The INS Hanit.

Six years later the same cannot be said of Tehran, where the international community may well be on a collision course with Iran over the country’s nuclear enrichment program. Tensions in the Gulf region remain high and the ability of foreign UAVs to penetrate U.S. carrier airspace, if true, is alarming for a number of reasons, not the least of which would be Iran’s ability to locate, identify and track U.S. Navy vessels and monitor operations in the Persian Gulf.

Israel Blunders and Ship is Struck

A breakdown in fleet security occurred in the recent summer war between Israel and Hezbollah forces operating in southern Lebanon. An Israeli Saar-5-class missile corvette, the INS Hanit, was struck on July 14 by a sea skimming, anti-ship missile launched from the Lebanese coast, killing four sailors, crippling the vessel’s steering system and staring fires below the helicopter pad.

The incident reportedly involved two missiles in a coordinated, simultaneous “high/low” attack - the first “high” missile passed over the Israeli ship. Missing the target, it continued flying, hitting and sinking a civilian Egyptian ship cruising 32 miles from the shore. The second missile followed a sea-skimming flight profile hitting the Israeli vessel at the stern, killing the four sailors and setting the flight deck on fire and damaging propulsion and steering systems, according to media reports citing Israel Defense Forces sources. The Hanit was towed to Israel’s Ashdod naval base for repairs. This attack method, according to defense-update.com’s July 17 article “INS Hanit Suffers Iranian Missile Attack”, would require the launch of two types of missiles, a C-801/802 for the “high” profile and a C-701 TV-guided missile for the “low” profile. Both missiles are assembled in Iran from Chinese designs.
Iranian C-701 launching from truck transporter.

“We were not aware that Hezbollah possessed this kind of missile,” Israeli naval operations chief R. Adm. Noam Faig told Jane’s Defence Weekly, July 18, 2006. “We are familiar with that missile from other areas but assumed that the threat was not present in Lebanon.”

Missiles such as the C-802/C-701 present an extreme challenge because of their high speed and small radar cross-section. According to press accounts, the Hanit’s crew did not detect the inbound missile prior to impact because they had failed to activate all of the ship’s defenses, a serious error considering that the ship was but 10 miles from the coast of a hostile state during wartime. For reasons not revealed, the Hanit’s electronic countermeasures and electronic support measures, as well as the last-chance Vulcan Phalanx close-in weapon system also was not engaged, Jane’s reported. The early accounts were validated by an IDF/Navy inquiry whose findings were released in early January 2007. R. Adm. Nir Maor, a reserve officer who led the probe, declined to discuss specifics with the media but “acknowledged that technical issues were negligible compared to conceptual, operational and command deficiencies surrounding the July 14 event,” Defense News reported, January 8, 2007.

IDF/Air Force F-16s, however, were able to detect, intercept and shoot down a number of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) flown by Hezbollah into Israeli airspace this past summer. One of the shot-down UAVs recovered by Israeli forces was equipped with explosives and officials believe it was to be used as rudimentary cruise missile for high-priority targets within Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. According to numerous media accounts, the Hezbollah drone was suspected of being an Iranian Ababil, a 183-pound UAV with a 10-foot wingspan capable of carrying an 80-pound payload and can be manually- or GPS-guided.

While it appears that Tehran’s UAV surveillance claims may be a crude attempt to send a message to the U.S. government that the ships keeping the Straits of Hormuz open and the oil flowing are being watched by the Iranian military, UAVs remains a novel asymmetric threat for carrier defenses, especially when operating in the confines of the Persian Gulf where most ships may be on alert for fast moving aircraft and anti-ship missiles.
Recovered pieces of one of the Hezbollah UAVs shot down by Israel. It appears to be an Iran-produced Ababil.

According to a former U.S. Navy surface warfare officer who requested anonymity because of his current occupation, “most UAVs have a very small radar cross-section and unless you are looking for them, they could be difficult to detect and properly classify. When a U.S. carrier, or any ship in the U.S. Navy for that matter, enters an area of operations, they review what known capabilities and weapon systems hostile nations may leverage against them, including vessels, missiles, and aircraft. That usually means a radar operator is looking for faster targets and UAVs are slow. So, while the radar operator may see it [UAV] on the screen, he may not identify it as a threat platform.”

Iran, however, isn’t the only country of concern to U.S. Navy analysts and intelligence specialists.

China Expands its Navy’s Reach

A Chinese Song-class diesel attack submarine shadowed the USS Kitty Hawk Task Force undetected until it surfaced five miles from the Task Force on October 26, 2006 in waters off Okinawa, Japan. Unnamed defense officials told the Washington Times, November 15, 2006, that it is believed the Chinese submarine was conducting tracking and targeting maneuvers designed to attack U.S. aircraft carriers, which the Pentagon recently identified as the primary focus of China’s People’s Liberation Army’s Navy (PLAN) given their emphasis on specific weapon platform acquisitions including long-range, precision guided anti-ship cruise missiles, or ‘carrier killers’ in their annual report to Congress. The Song-class submarine is known to be equipped with Russian-made wake-homing torpedoes and anti-ship cruise missiles, according to the Washington Times.

“It would be pure conjecture to assume that the battle group commander was surprised by the appearance of the Chinese Song-class submarine in those particular waters off Okinawa, that the force ASW (anti-submarine warfare) readiness status was not alert, or that China’s diesel submarine tactics are well defined. The surfacing may very well have been merely a ‘poke-in-the-eye’ signal that he had achieved a vantage position on the force, and that he had best reveal himself before the force initiated deadly counter action. [The Chinese sub commander] had made his point,” Vice Admiral Bernard “Bud” Kauderer, USN (ret.), a member of the JINSA Board of Advisors and a former Commander of Submarine Force, Atlantic Fleet, said.

The fact that a Chinese submarine went undetected until it surfaced within weapons range of a U.S. carrier was described as provocative and could have resulted in “a miscalculation,” said Admiral William Fallon, head of U.S. Pacific Command, according to the Times.

But naval strategists are just as alarmed that a Chinese submarine was conducting patrols so far from the coast of mainland China, indicative of a power projection maritime strategy. In comments made in late December 2006 to Communist Party delegates and published in the People’s Liberation Army Daily, Hu Jintao, Chinese president and commander in chief, urged his country to build a “powerful navy that adapts to the needs of our military’s historical mission in this new century and at this new stage,” Investor’s Business Daily reported, January 2, 2007. Hu also urged “sound preparations for military struggles and (to) ensure that the forces can effectively carry out missions at any time.”
Chinese Song-class submarine.

“There should be no doubt that China intends to extend its sphere of influence well beyond the littorals to the outer island chains, and to challenge American dominance in the Western Pacific,” Kauderer said. China has embarked on a massive submarine build-up in the last decade that has seen the addition of 14 new submarines in the last four years alone with some16 new submarines currently under construction and additional vessels on order. These include a new class of nuclear attack submarine designated the Type-093 and a new nuclear ballistic missile sub, the Type-094. The Type-094 is reportedly equipped with the JL-2 ballistic missile, a sub-launched version of its land-based DF-31 ICBM. The JL-2 is equipped with multiple warheads and penetration aids that could reach the continental U.S. from China’s coastal waters.

According to the Washington Times, November 15, 2006, Admiral Fallon said the Kitty Hawk Task Force was not conducting active anti-submarine patrols when the Chinese submarine successfully infiltrated the carrier Task Force, but said the U.S. Navy nevertheless was reviewing submarine defense protocol. But Kauderer warned, “there can be no ‘time out’ periods during which a Battle Group Commander can assume that a submarine threat has been reduced to zero, anti-submarine warfare is an art to be practiced 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

As such, the event could be seen as a lapse in U.S. Navy efforts to protect aircraft carriers from undersea threats, especially in light of the Defense Department’s recognition that U.S. aircraft carriers have become the Chinese Navy’s primary focus and the USS Kitty Hawk serves as one of America’s primary deterrents in the Pacific, especially against Chinese aggression towards Taiwan. “We should not ever be surprised by the appearance of Chinese ships and submarines in any waters previously considered beyond their capability. They are developing their skills and tactics, while coincidently ‘marking their turf,’” Kauderer said.

“It wasn’t so much the anti-submarine technology, it’s good and being improved. The problem is there were no standard anti-submarine procedures in place during this carrier group’s operation. I think this will result in the 7th Fleet significantly re-posturing its anti-submarine procedures and tactics,” the former U.S. Navy officer told JINSA.

But the U.S. Navy has, for a number of years, recognized its atrophying anti-submarine capabilities since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the subsequent decline in the Russian naval threat.

ASW Must Be Practiced Continuously

“The decline of the USSR paralleled the decline in our focus on ASW,” Kauderer, said in a previous JINSA article that explored the issue. “Instead, our naval forces became more involved in strike warfare.” ASW is an art that demands “practice, practice, practice, in order to hone [ASW] skills,” Kauderer explained.

In the last few years, the U.S. Navy has initiated a number of new programs designed to improve its ASW capabilities. The introduction of modern Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) systems in non-nuclear submarine fleets led to this re-invigorated focus on ASW. Such systems address the diesel-electric submarine’s Achilles heel – the need to run near the surface to draw air for the diesel engines via a snorkel tube. The engines drive generators that charge the banks of batteries to power electric motors that drive the submarine. Quiet running time on battery power is severely limited to the charge held in the batteries unlike the case with the nuclear-powered submarines of the U.S. fleet whose underwater operation is indefinite, limited only by the supply of food aboard.
Swedish Gotland-class submarine.

The most developed AIP technology is the “Stirling engine” that runs on liquid oxygen and diesel fuel to drive generators for either propulsion or charging batteries. The AIP endurance of the 1,500-ton Gotland-class boats built by the Swedish firm Kockums is said to be around 14 days at five knots (9 km/h). The German firm Howaldtswerke Deutsche Werft AG’s Type-209-class also features the Stirling technology. These companies can be expected to actively market AIP-equipped submarines worldwide. “The advent of Air-Independent Propulsion has made the easily detected, noisy diesel submarine a relic of the past,” Kauderer noted. “This is a significant threat to our surface forces.”

In 2005, the U.S. Navy approached the Swedish Navy, one of approximately seven countries utilizing AIP technology, to lease a Swedish AIP-equipped Gotland-class submarine and its crew of 25 for ASW training. Stationed in San Diego, the Swedish boat participated in a number of ASW exercises with the U.S. Navy in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters.

AIP Subs Increasingly Present

America’s future plans to reduce the number of attack submarines in its fleet could have a dire consequences for the U.S. Navy’s future ASW capabilities, Kauderer warned. “The SSN (nuclear powered attack submarine), by virtue of its ability to operate in the same stratum as a threat submarine, may be the best detection system available to the force commander. Unfortunately, long-range plans for the composition of our Navy call for the reduction of our attack submarine force to a level of 55, which at the current building rate of one per year, will not be sustained.”

Meanwhile, “it is anticipated that China will continue to increase the capabilities of its submarine force by the acquisition of modern, top-of-the-export-line Russian submarines, such as the Kilo-class, while continuing the development of its indigenous diesel and nuclear powered attack boats. A worldwide intelligence network is gathering industrial technology that will expedite the fielding of ever more capable ships, not unlike the rapid increase in quality we have witnessed in their commercial products. China also has access to weapons … which pose a long-range threat to our carrier forces, and to sub-surface to surface anti-ship cruise missiles,” Kauderer said.

by JINSA Editorial Assistant Jonathan Howland.

Source: http://www.jinsa.org/articles/view.html?documentid=3652

3,750 posted on 02/08/2007 9:59:57 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)

To: All; FARS; struwwelpeter; Founding Father; Calpernia

http://www.jinsa.org/articles/articles.html/function/browse/categoryid/170/documentid/170/history/3,2360,652,170

Articles in Information, Analysis and News : Proliferation of WMD and Delivery Vehicles : Russia
Nuclear Smuggling, A First Step to Nuclear Terrorism (posted 8-19-2003)
U.S. Anti-Proliferation Failure: Russia and China (posted 2-21-2000)
Russia's Deadly Expertise (posted 3-27-1998)
The ABM Treaty Charade (posted 1-1-1998)
Russian companies may be providing critical help to Iran (posted 12-31-1997)
Nationalism in the Former Soviet Empire: A New Challenge to Western Strategic Thinking (posted 8-31-1993)

Home - Recent News - Information Archives - About JINSA

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http://www.jinsa.org/articles/articles.html/function/browse/categoryid/148/documentid/148/history/3,2360,652,148

Articles in Information, Analysis and News : Proliferation of WMD and Delivery Vehicles : Proliferation of WMD and Delivery Vehicles -- General
Pakistan-Nigeria Nuke Deal a “Typographical Error?” (posted 4-15-2004)
Pakistani President Blames Washington for Nuclear Debacle (posted 2-12-2004)
Missile Defense Chief Discusses Emerging Threats (posted 11-1-2002)
Pakistani Missile Tests - May 2002 (posted 5-31-2002)
Unclassified Report to Congress on the Acquisition of Technology Relating to Weapons of Mass Destruction and Advanced Conventional Munitions.1 January - 30 June 1999 (posted 7-14-2000)
The New Islamic Bomb by Dr. Stephen Bryen (posted 4-12-2000)
The Russian Missiles We Could Have Stopped (posted 10-12-1999)
Executive Summary of the Report of the Commission to Assess the Ballistic Missile Threat to the United States (posted 7-15-1998)
The New Threat of Nuclear Terrorism (posted 6-8-1998)
Observations on Financial Sanctions (posted 6-8-1998)
Nonproliferation Policy Reform: Enhancing the Role of Congress (posted 6-8-1998)
Rising Cost of High-Tech Weapons Fuels Developing World's Nuclear Ambitions (posted 3-1-1995)

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http://www.jinsa.org/articles/articles.html/function/browse/categoryid/652/documentid/652/history/3,2360,652
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http://www.jinsa.org/articles/articles.html/function/browse/categoryid/156/documentid/156/history/3,2360,655,156

Articles in Information, Analysis and News : Terrorism : Terrorism in the U.S.
Al Qaeda Preparing for Another Attack in U.S., WMD Use Probable (posted 4-11-2005)
U.S. Law Enforcement Starting to Focus on Maritime/Seaborne Terror (posted 4-16-2004)
Toolkit Aims to Secure Vital Infrastructure from Terrorism (posted 8-21-2003)
Marine Corps Establishes Anti-Terrorism Brigade (posted 3-29-2002)
Tenet's February 2001 Testimony in Light of September 11: Eyes Wide Shut? (posted 10-4-2001)
Enhancing Public Preparedness for Chemical and Biological Terrorism (posted 4-3-1998)
Foreign Terrorists in America: Five Years after the World Trade Center (posted 2-24-1998)
Secretary of State Testimony on Terrorism (posted 5-13-1997)
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http://www.jinsa.org/articles/articles.html/function/browse/categoryid/655/documentid/655/history/3,2360,655

3,751 posted on 02/08/2007 10:21:52 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)

To: All; milford421; Founding Father; FARS; struwwelpeter; Donna Lee Nardo

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070208/60414285.html

Russian analysts suspect U.S. of intentions to revive "Cold War"

08/02/2007 17:01 MOSCOW, February 8 (RIA Novosti) - Russian analysts argue that Washington's consistent efforts to redeploy its missile defense system closer to Russia's borders may be an indication the U.S. administration seeks to revive the "Cold War" against Moscow and its allies.

Washington has recently moved its largest sea-based missile defense radar in the Pacific from Hawaii to the Aleutian Islands, not far from Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula. It has also announced plans to install a radar system in the Czech Republic and a missile interceptor site in Poland, which it says it needs to protect itself against a potential threat from Iran.

Gleb Pavlovsky, Russia's most famous spin-doctor, said that U.S. plans to build missile defense sites in Central Europe may spur an arms race.

"This surely is the beginning of an arms race in some sense," he said. "Which is all the more unjustified given that Russia has never, not on a single issue, expressed an intention to confront the U.S. or to deter it."

According to Pavlovsky, another sign of Washington's increasingly hostile policies vis-a-vis Moscow is Freedom House's latest Freedom in the World survey, where the U.S. government-funded advocacy group placed Russia in the ""not free" category, alongside North Korea, Cuba and Libya, countries where the U.S. is waging or considering military action.

"We should be aware that Russia has been placed in the group of targeted nations," he said.

Sergei Markov, director of the Institute for Political Research, also believes the United States views Russia as a potential adversary.

"We can see that Russia is increasingly perceived [by the U.S.] as a potential foe," he said, explaining that Washington tends to build its missile defense shields near countries whose political regimes it deems dangerous for its own security.

Speaking to the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Peter Pace said: "I think we need the full range of military capabilities. We need both the ability for regular force-on-force conflicts because we don't know what's going to develop in places like Russia and China, in North Korea, in Iran and elsewhere."

Vasily Likhachev, deputy head of the International Affairs Committee in Russia's upper house of parliament, said the deployment of U.S. missile shields close to Russian borders is intended as a political weapon against Moscow.

"It is not as much about the [George W.] Bush Administration's self-promotion to boost ratings as it is about [creating] a system of ideological and political pressure on Russia and its allies," he said.

"Is it the 'Cold War' in a 21st-century packaging, or just some elements of it? That's a subject for further reflection. But this much is clear: the West is not ready for full-fledged cooperation with Russia."

Leonid Ivashov, vice president of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, interpreted the U.S.'s latest moves in the area of missile defense as an offensive on Russia's strategic interests. He specifically cited the deployment of U.S. interceptor missiles around Russia's borders and the creation of a radar and space reconnaissance system.

"The Americans withdrew from the ABM [Anti-Ballistic Missile] treaty precisely to restore full control over the strategic nuclear potentials of Russia and China," he said.

In December 2001, President Bush announced the U.S. would unilaterally pull out of the treaty, signed with the Soviet Union during the "Cold War" era, saying it hindered his government's ability to protect the nation from future terrorist or missile attacks by rogue states.

Ivashov warned that unless it takes countermeasures to neutralize the U.S. threat, the country could be in for a bleak future.

"Russia may end up cornered in the north, and it will become a tiny Nordic country."
other articles
17:25 16/01/2007 Cold War was "paradise" compared to modern threats - Ivanov
16:47 05/02/2007 U.S. missile shield plans in Europe target Russia - expert
16:10 01/02/2007 Russia will respond effectively to U.S. missile defense in EU
15:32 07/02/2007 Scrapping medium-range ballistic missiles a mistake - Ivanov-1
14:22 07/02/2007 Russia to put 50 Topol-M missile systems on duty before 2015

3,752 posted on 02/08/2007 10:51:12 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)

To: All; Founding Father; struwwelpeter; Donna Lee Nardo; DAVEY CROCKETT; milford421

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070208/60396620.html

Prosecutors file charges against ex-senator Chakhmakhchyan

08/02/2007 13:06 MOSCOW, February 8 (RIA Novosti) - Russian prosecutors have filed embezzlement charges against Levon Chakhmakhchyan, a former member of the upper house of parliament.

Chakhmakhchyan, 54, an ex-senator from the Kalmykia Region in southern Russia, is accused of "misappropriating property" worth $1.5 million, the Prosecutor General's Office said.

Prosecutors accuse Chakhmakhchyan of forming an organized crime group to extort funds from companies, including air carrier Transaero.

Investigators said Chakhmakhchyan and his associates arrived at the Transaero office June 2, where they were caught receiving $300,000 in cash specially marked by police.

"Last April, former senator Chakhmakhchyan and other members of the criminal group pressed top managers of a major airline, through deception and abuse of office, to give them $1.5 million for resolving the company's alleged problems with tax payments and customs duties," investigators said.

The ex-senator's lawyer, Boris Kuznetsov, said he would appeal the charges. "I will appeal with the Basmanny Court of Moscow against the charges because I find them illegal and unsubstantiated," he said.

A former deputy head of the Federation Council's committee for self-government, Chakhmakhchyan was dismissed from the post after being allegedly caught up in the bribery scandal in June 2006. He was not arrested until February 1 for health reasons.

On that day, the Basmanny Court sanctioned a two-month custody for Chakhmakhchyan, adding that the former senator could face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty. The judge also said Chakhmakhchyan's health allowed him to stay in custody.

Russia's Supreme Court agreed in December to launch criminal proceedings in absentia against Chakhmakhchyan, who was in the hospital at the time. The former senator's defense appealed the decision, and the court will hear the appeal March 6.

In June, Federal security agents found $300,000 in cash, which had been previously marked with special ink, in the office of the chief accountant of the non-governmental organization, Association of Russian-Armenian Business Cooperation. An ethnic Armenian, Chakhmakhchyan was vice president of the organization.

Prosecutors said Chakhmakhchyan's "crime group" also involved his son-in-law, Armen Oganesyan, who was an assistant auditor in the Russian Audit Chamber, and the chief accountant at the Association of the Russian-Armenian Business Cooperation.

Chakhmakhchyan's lawyer said the two suspects in the case had been arrested but that his client dismissed all the accusations as "absolute nonsense."

3,753 posted on 02/08/2007 10:58:07 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)

To: All; milford421; struwwelpeter

http://en.rian.ru/world/20070208/60395728.html

Uzbekistan denies reports of two pilots' deaths in copter crash

08/02/2007 12:53 TASHKENT, February 8 (RIA Novosti) - Uzbekistan Thursday denied media reports that two pilots had been killed in a helicopter crash on the border with Kazakhstan.

According to media reports, two Uzbek helicopters with bodyguards on board were flying along the border between the Central Asian countries February 7 when the tail of one of the aircraft caught fire, after which the helicopter quickly lost altitude and crashed.

"Some media reports alleging that Uzbek border guards were flying along the border aboard two helicopters, and that three people, two of whom died, were on board the crashed helicopter, are untrue," Uzbekistan's defense ministry said.

There was one helicopter with no relation to border guards, and only one person died in the crash, the ministry said.

On February 7, an Mi-24 helicopter performing engine ground tests unexpectedly took off and crashed, killing the pilot, the ministry said.

3,754 posted on 02/08/2007 11:00:22 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)

To: All; milford421; FARS; Founding Father

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070208/ts_nm/iran_spying_dc

Iran says identifies, detains U.S., Israeli spies

1 hour, 42 minutes ago

TEHRAN (Reuters) -
Iran's intelligence minister said Iran had identified 100 people he described as U.S. and Israeli agents and said some were arrested trying to leave Iran to attend "spying" courses abroad, state TV reported on Thursday.

Iran's highest authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has previously warned about a "velvet revolution" -- a supposed U.S. plot to use intellectuals and others inside the country to bring about "regime change."

Intelligence Minister Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei was quoted by state television as saying Iran had "identified 100 American and Israeli spies at the Iranian border. They were planning to obtain military and political information within Iran."

He did not give any nationalities and it was not clear to which border point he referred, but several Iranian activists and journalists in recent weeks have been detained or barred from leaving Iran at airports on the way to courses abroad.

"We were able to identify and arrest all those who were leaving the country with the excuse of passing educational courses and with the aim of attending spying training courses," Mohseni-Ejei told a gathering of clerics in the city of Qom.

continued.............

3,755 posted on 02/08/2007 11:19:47 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)

To: milford421; FARS; Founding Father; struwwelpeter

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1781506/posts?page=8

CENTCOM: Driverless, Remote-Controlled Car Bombs 'Guaranteed To Prolong Resistance' ~ Islam Memo
CENTCOM ^ | Feb 2007 | staff

Posted on 02/08/2007 11:21:40 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach

Terrorism: Islam Memo Describes New Remote Control Vehicles Used by Iraqi Resistance

On 1 February, a website posted a description of what it called "the Mujahidin's new technology" as quoted by "an unidentified police source." The posting was about "the new remote-controlled vehicles directed at US and Iraqi forces without suicide drivers, which were tried first in Al-Durah then in Al-Taji districts last week."

The following is a translation of the posting:

"The Iraqi resistance has introduced a new technology in its fight against the American Army and Safawis [Shiites], described by experts as a method guaranteed to prolong the resistance for years to come.

An Islam Memo correspondent in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, quoted a source in the Iraqi police, which is loyal to the occupation, confirming the information that "the terrorists" have introduced, through their military operations, a new technology of planting explosives in vehicles and exploding them on the American and Iraqi forces. The source, who refused to identify himself, added that the new method has already been implemented, a few days ago, when they controlled vehicles without drivers, for 40 to 50 meters [ 131 to 164 feet], directing them toward a targeted convoy or gathering, without a driver.

The source said that the American forces discovered this technology in two incidents, first in Al-Durah, then in Al-Taji, where they were surprised to see a speeding vehicle that came out of an alley, or the beginning of a road, speeding toward the target without a driver, exploding and causing massive destruction.

Regarding this technology, our correspondent met with professor of "Micatronics" in Baghdad University, engineer "Rafid al-Qaysi", who said that the possibility of possessing this technology requires a specialized engineer who is an expert in remote control equipments and vehicle speeds. Al-Qaysi thought that the resistance is able to acquire such technology, especially with the increasing daily support of Iraqis to the resistance. "Al-Qaysi" added that this technology will not be limited to one [resistance] group without the other, but rather all groups are bound to benefit from it, particularly those groups without suicide brigades such as Al-Qa'ida Organization."

3,756 posted on 02/08/2007 11:30:43 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)

To: All; FARS; Founding Father; milford421; struwwelpeter

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1781504/posts

Pentagon prepares for possible war with Russia
PanARMENIAN ^ | 08.02.2007

Posted on 02/08/2007 11:21:22 AM PST by lizol

Pentagon prepares for possible war with Russia

08.02.2007

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ U.S. Defense Secretary thinks that American armed forces must be ready for a large-scale war, the Associated Press reports. “We need a full set of measures to conduct a war, including both special military units necessary for war against terrorists and infantry troops to be able to fight against large regular armies. We do not know what changes can take place in such countries as Russia, China, North Korea, Iran and others,” Robert Gates stated.

He made this statement February 7 during hearings in the U.S. House Committee on Armed Services, when congressmen were discussing United States’ military budget of FY2008. Gates supported the military budget, which supposes to increase the number of U.S. infantry and marines. These measures must increase the number of ‘free detachments’ under the control of Pentagon, in order to be able to respond to possible new threats.

It is worth mentioning that after the end of “cold war” Russia and China were not labeled by the higher command representatives of U.S. army as potential enemies alongside with North Korea and Iran, which are included in the list of the so called “axis of evil”, Lenta.ru reports.

3,757 posted on 02/08/2007 11:34:05 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)

To: All; Velveeta; Calpernia; Founding Father; milford421

falcons and hawks]

http://jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2370165

Volume 3, Issue 40 (October 17, 2006) | Download PDF Version

The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons Emerges as a Rival to the PKK

By James Brandon

On August 28, the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (also known as the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks, Teyrêbazên Azadiya Kurdistan, or TAK) set off several bombs in the Turkish cities of Marmaris, Istanbul and Antalya. The attacks, the latest in a series, killed three people and injured 21. The bombings illustrated the secretive group's growing ability to carry out multiple simultaneous operations. The attacks also demonstrated TAK's growing threat not only to Turkey, but also to the Kurdistan Workers' Party's (PKK) self-appointed role as sole defender of Turkey's 15 million Kurds.

Just two years ago, in mid-2004, the group carried out its first attacks. These earliest bombings were largely small and non-lethal, but from 2005 onward the TAK launched more deadly attacks—notably killing five foreign tourists in their bombing of the resort city of Kusadasi on July 16, 2005 (BBC, July 16, 2005).

At present, little is known about the TAK's size, leadership or ideology, although the group probably has only a few dozen active members. The group is presumably secular-leaning; however, its signature attacks on foreign tourists raise the possibility of a broader anti-Western agenda in common with the then-Marxist PKK during the 1980s and 1990s. Although there is no precise information, it is possible that the TAK was founded by Kurds who disagreed with the PKK's softening stance toward Turkey. Since the capture of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in 1999, the PKK's goals have shrunk from demanding full independence for Kurdistan to the granting of cultural rights and some form of limited autonomy to Turkish Kurds. Although Turkish politicians and media argue that the TAK is a front for the PKK, it is more likely that the group is a rival and potential successor to the PKK.

There are important ideological differences between the PKK and the TAK. While the PKK mainly attacked military and political targets—for example, targeting army bases and assassinating judges—the TAK has deliberately attacked Turkish and foreign civilians. The geographical spread of TAK attacks also suggests that its members live in Kurdish migrant communities in western Turkey and in Istanbul, rather than in the Kurdish heartlands of the southeast that were the focus of PKK actions.

Additionally, while the PKK now issues carefully-worded demands, intended to be the basis of negotiation, the TAK's sporadic statements are deliberately uncompromising. The TAK's violent and nihilistic rhetoric is also remarkably similar to that of radical Islamists—although without the Islamic references—perhaps indicating the growing influence of jihadi methodology even among secular Middle Eastern groups. For example, after one minor bombing in Istanbul in March, one TAK press release stated: "We declare to the public that our people are not without protection. The Kurdish people will not remain defenseless. From now on, every attack against our people will be met immediately by even more violent acts. We will start to harm not just property, but lives too. With our actions, we will turn Turkey into hell. The bomb attack in Kocamustafapasa [an Istanbul district], carried out by our action team was just a warning" (al-Jazeera, March 31). TAK statements are only rarely issued, and the TAK gives a low priority to communications. It briefly ran a website at http://www.teyrebaz.com, but when that was taken off-line, it was never replaced.

There are other indications of a growing rivalry between the PKK and the TAK. From mid-August, Murat Karayilan, a senior PKK commander on Mount Qandil in northern Iraq, declared that a new PKK cease-fire would come into effect on September 31 (KurdMedia.com, August 24; Terrorism Monitor, September 21). The TAK, however, dealt the cease-fire a probably fatal blow when they carried out a triple resort bombing on August 28. Kongra-Gel, a branch of the PKK, swiftly condemned the August 28 TAK attacks, perhaps fearing that the violence would make Ankara less willing to compromise on Kurdish issues (Firat News Agency, August 30). Within days of the attack, the Turkish prime minister and the army's chief of staff both said that they would not recognize the PKK cease-fire and would continue to treat the group as a "terrorist organization." The TAK attack, therefore, dealt a blow to both Turkey and the PKK.

The TAK, therefore, appears less a front group or successor to the PKK than a marginal, but more radical, alternative. Although Turkey may struggle to tackle the TAK in the short–term on account of its secretive nature and its low-risk style of attack, unless the group can produce a more positive ideology it is unlikely to ever become more than an irritant between Turkey and its Kurds.

Find this article at:

http://jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2370165

3,758 posted on 02/08/2007 1:15:25 PM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)

To: All; Founding Father; milford421; FARS

[June 2006 report]

Jamestown Foundation
http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2370015

Islamic Radicalism in Mexico: The Threat from South of the Border

By Chris Zambelis

The ongoing controversy surrounding the debate over illegal
immigration and border security issues in the United States,
specifically as it applies to the porous U.S.-Mexico frontier and the
status of millions of undocumented workers and other migrants that
enter the country each year from Mexico, continues to dominate
headlines. Although the overwhelming majority of those entering the
United States from Mexico each day are in search of opportunity, many
observers worry that it is only a matter of time before al-Qaeda
exploits this vulnerability for its own ends.

In assessing this threat, Muslim communities in Mexico have come
under increasing scrutiny by U.S., Mexican and international security
officials both as potential enablers for terrorist infiltration and
as ideological sympathizers for the brand of radicalism
characteristic of al-Qaeda. Muslim conversion trends in Mexico and
Latin America have also raised concerns, especially given al-Qaeda's
successes in luring some Muslim converts to its cause. To date,
however, these assessments have been way off the mark and in many
respects divert attention away from the far more pressing threats at
hand. A closer look at the nature of Islam and the outlook of Mexican
Muslims may explain why.

Islam in Mexico

Compared to other countries in Latin America that are home to
sizeable Muslim communities with longstanding ties to the region,
Mexico's Muslim minority is tiny. At the same time, it is one of the
most diverse and dynamic in the region. Despite varying figures and
scant data, only a couple thousand Muslims are believed to live in
the overwhelmingly Roman Catholic country. Nearly all are Sunni
Muslims. Of this group, approximately half trace their origins to
what is modern-day Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine, mostly the
descendants of traders and peasants who emigrated from the Middle
East in the latter part of Ottoman rule. Mexico's Arab Muslim
community is assimilated in major urban centers such as Mexico City.
Significantly, Mexico is also home to a much larger Arab Christian
community, also originating from the Levant, which numbers in the
tens of thousands. Both communities share close ties and feel a
shared sense of pride for their common Arab heritage [1].

Mexican Converts

The other segment of Mexico's small Muslim community is made up of
Mexicans who converted to Islam in recent years. Islam is one of the
fastest growing religions in the world, partially as a result of
intermarriage and religious conversion. This trend is also evident
elsewhere in Latin America, despite the longstanding influence of the
Roman Catholic Church. In fact, widespread and growing disenchantment
with the Catholic Church is leading many Mexicans and others in the
region to find spiritual solace elsewhere, including Islam.

One of Mexico's longest running and most influential Muslim
organizations is the Centro Cultural Islamico de Mexico (CCIM).
Founded in 1995, the CCIM is a Sunni Muslim organization based in
Mexico City. It is led by Omar Weston, a British Muslim convert who
was born Mark Weston. It runs two mosques and an array of social
welfare and education programs that include Arabic language training
and a dawa (call) for conversion. It also has links with Muslim
communities elsewhere in Latin America and the Caribbean
(http://www.islam.com.mx). Despite some vague and unsubstantiated
reports, there is no evidence implicating Weston and the CCIM to
radicalism or terrorism.

Mexico is also home to a number of small Sufi orders led by two
women, Sheikha Fariha and Sheikha Amina, the most prominent being the
Nur Ashki Jerrahi order, a branch of the Halveti-Jerrahi Tariqat
community of dervishes based in the Masjid al-Farah in New York City
and other major U.S. cities. The group has branches in Mexico City,
Curernavaca and Oaxaca (http://www.nurashkijerrahi.org). The group
has been described as adhering to an unconventional blend of
traditional Sufi mysticism and New Age ideologies [2]. There is no
evidence implicating these groups to radicalism or terrorism.

The Murabitun (the Almoravids, after the African Muslim dynasty that
ruled North Africa and Spain in the 11th and 12th century) also has a
presence in Mexico (http://www.cislamica.org). The group is a well-
funded international Sufi order based in Granada, Spain that claims
thousands of followers across the globe, including many European
converts. It is also regarded as one of the most aggressive
missionary movements in Latin America and a major rival of Omar
Weston's CCIM. It was founded in the 1970s by Sheikh Abdel Qader as-
Sufi al-Murabit, a Scottish Muslim convert born Ian Dallas who was
formerly a playwright and actor. Dallas is a controversial figure
who, among other things, is a vocal critic of international
capitalism and modern forms of finance. Although there is no evidence
linking him or his organization to violence or terrorism, he has been
accused of harboring pro-Nazi leanings and other radical ideologies.
Othman Abu-Sahnun, an Italian Muslim convert and former ranking
member of the Murabitun who had a falling out with the group,
dedicates an entire website accusing his former leader of extremism,
corruption and being party to alleged sinister conspiracies involving
Freemasonry (http://www.murabitun.cyberummah.org).

Chiapas

In recent years, Mexico's volatile and impoverished southern state of
Chiapas, which is home to a predominately indigenous population that
traces its ethnic and cultural lineage to the Mayans, has been the
target of Muslim missionaries. The indigenous peoples of Chiapas are
underserved and face severe discrimination in Mexican society. In
fact, these circumstances are one of the main reasons why Evangelical
and other Protestant Christian sects target them in search of new
adherents, an ongoing trend in Chiapas and elsewhere in Latin
America. In an effort to win over converts, Christian missionary
organizations have been running social welfare and humanitarian
programs for decades targeting Mexico's indigenous communities. In
doing so, they emphasize what they describe as the failure of the
Roman Catholic establishment to cater to the spiritual and material
needs of the people in the region, often with great success [3].

Muslim missionary groups, especially the Murabitun, which is led by
Aurelino Perez in the region, and Omar Weston's CCIM, use similar
tactics in an effort to win over adherents in Chiapas. In addition to
providing much needed social welfare and humanitarian aid, the
Murabitun argue that Catholicism represents a vestige of European
imperialism that is directly responsible for the destruction of Mayan
culture. Likewise, Catholicism is seen as a tool of the state that is
to blame for the poverty and plight of the indigenous peoples. The
anti-capitalist message of the Murabitun in particular also resonates
with some of the impoverished locals. Murabitun discourse even
emphasizes what it describes as the close cultural and ethnic links
between the indigenous peoples of the region and the Muslim Moors who
once ruled Spain. Therefore, conversion to Islam represents a
reversion to their original identity, essentially an assertion of
cultural and ethnic identity long suppressed by European colonialism.
The Murabitun went as far as to engage Subcommandante Marcos and his
Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN), following the group's
armed rebellion in Chiapas in 1994, in an effort to gain support
(http://www.ezln.org.mx).

The number of indigenous peoples who have converted to Islam is
believed to number in the hundreds. Significantly, the majority of
indigenous peoples converting to Islam are among those who previously
converted to Protestantism and other sects. Although religious
affiliation in Chiapas tends to be more pluralistic relative to the
rest of Mexico due to the influence of indigenous beliefs and
customs, Mayans who turn away from the Catholic Church often face
discrimination and violence. Many have even been expelled from their
homes by violent gangs and are now known locally as the expulsados
(the expelled). For example, many of the Muslims of Chiapas trace
their lineage to the Tzotzil Mayan village of San Juan Chamula. A
large segment of this community was expelled decades ago for adopting
Evangelical Christianity. They now reside in Nueva Esperanza, an
impoverished section of San Cristobal [4].

In addition to the Murabitun, Muslim missionary activity in San
Cristobal has been attributed to the efforts of a group known as the
Mission for Dawa in Mexico, represented locally by Esteban Lopez
Moreno, a Muslim convert from Spain who is also linked to the
Murabitun [5]. Organizations such as the Murabitun and other Muslim
groups line up alongside Pentecostals, Jehova's Witnesses, Mormons
and other proselytizers in the hunt for new adherents. Under these
circumstances, impoverished locals will often convert to a new faith
based on which congregation could provide the most benefits. Many,
however, take their newfound faith seriously. With the financial
support of local and international groups, Mayan Muslims made the
pilgrimage to Mecca in 2005, the first group from Chiapas to do so
[6].

Reports pointing to possible terrorist links with Muslim missionaries
in Chiapas have surfaced in the Mexican and Spanish media. Spanish
authorities have raised suspicions about possible links between
Spanish members of the Murabitun living in Chiapas and radical
Islamists in Spain. Other reports have even linked the group with
Basque separatist movements such as ETA. Othman Abu-Sahnun is a
proponent of this theory (http://www.murabitun.cyberummah.org).
Mexican authorities have also investigated the activities of the
Murabitun due to reports of alleged immigration and visa abuses
involving the group's European members and possible radical links,
including to al-Qaeda [7]. Despite these allegations and extensive
media hype in Mexico and other Spanish-language press, no concrete
evidence has surfaced to date substantiating such claims.

Conclusion

U.S. policymakers and security officials should continue to worry
about border security and the potential for al-Qaeda infiltration
into Mexico. Given the evidence to date, however, any potential
inroads by al-Qaeda into Mexico is not likely to come through ties
with Mexico's Muslim community—and this includes local converts or
otherwise. Washington would be better served by concentrating its
resources to confront Mexico's weak institutions, corruption, the
influence of drug and other criminal gangs and poverty that may be
exploited by al-Qaeda as a means to a greater end, as they have all
too often in other parts of the world.

Notes

1. Luz Maria Martinez Montiel, "The Lebanese Community in Mexico: its
Meaning, Importance and the History of its Communities," The Lebanese
in the World: A Century of Emigration (New York: I.B. Tauris, 1993).
2. Natascha Garvin, "Conversion and Conflict: Muslims in Mexico,"
International Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World
Review [Netherlands], Spring 2005).
3. Thelma Gomez Duran, "Muslalmanes en Chiapas," WebIslam: Islam en
Latinoamerica, No. 132, July 20, 2001.
4. Bill Weinberg, "Islamic Sect Targets Chiapas Indians," Native
Americas Journal, August 28, 2003.
5. "Los musulmanes del sureste mexicano," Univison, October 4, 2004.
6. Dawn, January 28, 2005.
7. Natascha Garvin, "Conversion and Conflict: Muslims in Mexico."

3,759 posted on 02/08/2007 1:51:40 PM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)

To: All; Founding Father; milford421; FARS; Calpernia

[July 2006]

Jihadis Adapt to Counter-Terror Measures and Create New Intelligence
Manuals
By Abdul Hameed Bakier
[From: Terrorism Monitor (The Jamestown Foundation, USA) Volume 4,
Issue 14 (July 13, 2006)]
http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2370062

Islamist websites are filled with security manuals and training
information for jihadi militants. These manuals are often posted on
forums sympathetic to violent Islamists, and the visitors to the
forums are able to ask questions to different jihadi security experts
regarding fighting tactics and intelligence strategies. In
intelligence training and sharing practices, the jihadi sites have
posted three significant documents: the Great Jihad Encyclopedia, a
letter from al-Qaeda operative Abu Yahia al-Libi and a document
titled "How to Confront and Cope with Intelligence Agency
Interrogators."

The Great Jihad Encyclopedia

It is not clear when the Great Jihad Encyclopedia was prepared, but
it was originally released in 2002. The encyclopedia is a manual on
security and intelligence techniques collected from different sources
and from experienced jihadi militants. The encyclopedia is broken up
into different sections spanning 70 pages, and the sections suggest
that the document was prepared from the archives of the renowned
services office Maktab al-Khidamat in Pakistan (the Afghan Services
Bureau). Maktab al-Khidamat was, essentially, a guesthouse rented by
Osama bin Laden in 1984 in Peshawar to receive and organize Arab
mujahideen volunteering in the war against the Soviets in Afghanistan
[1]. The Great Jihad Encyclopedia was written by "Abu al-Qaidan." The
true identity of Abu al-Qaidan is unclear since covert al-Qaeda
operatives use pseudonyms. The fact that there was an Algerian
intellectual called Abu al-Qaidan suggests that the author could be
an Algerian [2].

The jihad manual consists of 11 separate postings. The first posting
by Abu al-Qaidan occurred on February 22, 2002, and he continued
posting intermittently. His last one is dated September 27, 2002.
Some sections of the encyclopedia articulate the fundamentals of
security and intelligence trades, while others explain serious
intelligence work such as the use of cover stories, surveillance and
safe houses. Similar to any training curriculum, the manual commences
the training with definitions of security and intelligence
terminologies, interjecting pertinent Islamic perspectives of the
practices. Furthermore, it explains the process of acquiring,
analyzing and presenting information as a finished intelligence
product followed with a section on how to preserve the
confidentiality of the gathered intelligence and the means of
utilizing it.

The encyclopedia elaborates on many intelligence skills such as
espionage, counter-terrorism, sabotage, the importance of human
intelligence (HUMINT) and agent handling. Moreover, it includes
training on quality intelligence work such as the use of safe-houses,
defensive and offensive intelligence, operating behind enemy lines,
preventive security and a detailed explanation of reconnaissance. In
command and control situations, the manual recommends security
inspections of current operatives every six months to uncover any
possible moles, although it does not explain how to conduct such
inspections. In addition, the manual teaches the mujahideen how to
resist arrest and interrogation. Finally, the course talks about the
two most important prerequisites for any successful intelligence
operation: good cover stories and casing a target.

Advanced intelligence agencies focus on the creation of good cover
stories that allow for the efficient performance of their agents. The
section on cover stories was very explicit and elaborate. Remarkably,
the example used for cover training to distract suspicious enemy
agents is the Soviet-style method called "secret exhibition," which
was used by ex-KGB agents. The "secret exhibition" method is when the
covert operative himself plants false evidence for the probing enemy
to find. The evidence, then, corroborates the cover story. For
instance, if the operative is posing as an Italian using a fake
Italian passport, it is useful to also have in his possession fake
personal letters supposedly sent to him from a friend in Milan to his
address in Rome; another example would be for this particular agent
to keep a bus ticket used in Italy.

Casing is another important tool in the intelligence world necessary
to eliminate enemy targets successfully. The manual's section on
casing is presented in a clear and standard form akin to that of any
intelligence service. It provides practical examples of casing a
target. In the manual, the example used was a house in the al-Ansar
wa al-Mohajireen district, which is most likely in Peshawar.

Al-Libi's Letter Outlining U.S. Interrogation Techniques

The same forum posted a letter, at a different date, regarding U.S.
interrogation techniques sent by one of four terror suspects who
escaped from the U.S. prison in Bagram in Afghanistan in July 2005.
The suspect, Mohammed Hassan (known as Sheikh Abu Yahia al-Libi), is
a Libyan national in his mid-30s who studied Sharia doctrine in
Mauritanian universities and wrote a book entitled al-Ijmah Wa
Mafhoumeh fi al-Sharia al-Islamia (The Concept of Consensus and its
Meaning in Islamic Law). In his letter, al-Libi describes, in four
major parts, U.S. arrest and prisoner transfer procedures, the
locations of five different U.S. prison facilities in Afghanistan,
torture methods, interrogation issues and the information that U.S.
operatives are seeking to extract from the mujahideen. Al-Libi states
that U.S. interrogators are seeking information on the following:

- Information on preparations for future terrorist attacks;
- The whereabouts of Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri and other
prominent al-Qaeda leaders;
- The whereabouts of Mullah Omar and other Taliban leaders;
- The sources of mujahideen funds;
- Training facilities, launch pads and routes used by the mujahideen.

Al-Libi reiterates that there is a variety of other information
constantly sought by U.S. interrogators throughout the incarceration
period [3]. Al-Libi is a prominent member of al-Qaeda who recently
posted a videotape on the internet inciting Muslims to attack France,
Norway and Denmark for mocking the Prophet Muhammad in political
cartoons (Middle East Online, May 12). In November 2005, he sent a
message to al-Zarqawi in Iraq calling upon him to review, reform,
revise and evaluate his jihad activities. It was not clear from the
short message whether al-Libi was reprimanding al-Zarqawi for faulty
techniques or simply advising him to avoid failed terrorist
operations (al-Arabiya, December 19, 2005).

How to Confront and Cope with Intelligence Agency Interrogators

Contextually, another mujahideen site also released an extensive
training manual on interrogation called "How to Confront and Cope
with Intelligence Agency Interrogators" [4]. Albeit the subject is
not as exhaustive as the encyclopedia, it thoroughly covers the
different aspects of interrogation. The subject was prepared from
three different jihadi sites by an individual named al-Kandahari, a
very common alias name that refers to the city of Kandahar in
Afghanistan. The subject defines the objectives, methods of
interrogation and interrogation resistance techniques. The training
is a step-by-step guide to almost every procedure the mujahideen
might face during interrogation. Interestingly, it even tells the
mujahideen how to manipulate the interrogator into drawing preferable
conclusions. To manipulate the interrogator and even to intimidate
him, al-Kandahari suggests that the mujahid:

- Restrain from answering the same question twice;
- Smile at the interrogator and remind him of God's punishment for
persecuting innocent mujahideen;
- Make eye contact and tell the interrogator that he will one day
leave his job and will no longer enjoy the protection of the agency
he works for, insinuating that the mujahideen know his name and where
he lives;
- Try to figure out the information that the interrogator is after
and give seemingly accurate but false information.

The use of interrogation is a very essential technique used by the
security apparatus to extract information. It is, basically, a
struggle between two individuals. The more that one party understands
the technique, the better chance he or she has of prevailing in the
struggle. Therefore, al-Kandahari's document is very useful knowledge
for the mujahideen because it teaches them what to expect and how to
resist releasing important information.

Conclusion

The encyclopedia and the other different training subjects that
jihadis are preparing and sharing remain within the normal practice
of the intelligence cycle. It is clear that parts of the Great Jihad
Encyclopedia were prepared from non-Arabic and government sources. In
addition, the training style used in the documents appears to
originate from military intelligence, and the encyclopedia is
organized in a logical, sequential training order. The only unique
aspect of the mujahideen training manuals is the interjection of
Quranic verses and stories of intelligence practices in the Islamic
epoch, apparently introduced to different parts of the text to
justify certain intelligence work-a necessary addition since much of
the manual appears to have originated from governmental sources. For
instance, in one stark contradiction, under the "general guidelines
for intelligence operatives" section, the manual advises the
operative not to drink too much alcohol or to trust women; a stark
contradiction to Islamic code that the writer failed to omit from the
final document.

From the documents, it is clear that many of the intelligence lessons
were drawn from the Eastern intelligence school style of training.
This makes sense in light of the information that some ex-Iraqi
intelligence officers have joined al-Qaeda in Iraq. In the future, it
is possible that these jihadi planners will find a Quranic verse to
justify non-conventional intelligence operations involving non-
Islamic behaviors such as deep cover operations in the West that
could expand rapidly via the advanced technology in communications
that has previously helped radical Islamists perpetrate terrorist
acts and evade capture.

Advancement in communication technology is the key to the success of
any counter-terrorism operation by security and intelligence
agencies; unfortunately, the same applies to terrorist operations
that use the same technological systems to utilize and disseminate
their ideology and methods. Consequently, the internet is the most
preferable means of terrorist communication and regardless of how
hard the security agencies attempt to control the terrorists'
propaganda and communications by shutting down their websites, the
terrorists are always able to find an outlet on the internet to
communicate and share their experiences to better confront the
security forces.

Notes

1. See http://altanaya.com/vb/showthread.php?mode=hybrid&t=2388.
2. See http://www.alsakifah.org/vb/showthread.php?t=15166.
3. See http://www.alsakifah.org/vb/showthread.php?t=47446.
4. See http://www.tawhed.ws.

3,760 posted on 02/08/2007 1:56:28 PM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)

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