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Operation Phantom Fury--Day 287 - Now Operations River Blitz; Matador--Day 182
Various Media Outlets | 8/21/05

Posted on 08/20/2005 4:49:50 PM PDT by Gucho


Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker testifies on Capitol Hill in this Nov. 19, 2003 file photo. In an interview with The Associated Press Saturday, Aug. 20, 2005, Gen. Schoomaker said that the Army is planning for the possibility of having to keep the current number of soldiers in Iraq _ well over 100,000 _ for another four years. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook/ File)


TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: gwot; iraq; oef; oif; phantomfury
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Ali Hussein jumps in Tigris river for refreshment as a taxi boat approaches the river bank, in Baghdad, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2005. Temperatures in Iraq are reaching over 45C (114 F). (AP Photo/Mohammed Hato)

1 posted on 08/20/2005 4:49:55 PM PDT by Gucho
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Operation Phantom Fury--Day 286 - Now Operations River Blitz; Matador--Day 181

2 posted on 08/20/2005 4:50:49 PM PDT by Gucho
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To: Justanobody; Deetes; Lijahsbubbe; MEG33; No Blue States; Ernest_at_the_Beach; boxerblues; ...
Army Planning for 4 More Years in Iraq


Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker testifies on Capitol Hill in this Nov. 19, 2003 file photo. In an interview with The Associated Press Saturday, Aug. 20, 2005, Gen. Schoomaker said that the Army is planning for the possibility of having to keep the current number of soldiers in Iraq _ well over 100,000 _ for another four years. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook/ File)

Army Planning for Possibility of Keeping U.S. Troop Levels in Iraq Through 2009, Top General Says

By ROBERT BURNS - AP

WASHINGTON Aug 20, 2005 — The Army is planning for the possibility of keeping the current number of soldiers in Iraq well over 100,000 for four more years, the Army's top general said Saturday.

In an Associated Press interview, Gen. Peter Schoomaker said the Army is prepared for the "worst case" in terms of the required level of troops in Iraq. He said the number could be adjusted lower if called for by slowing the force rotation or by shortening tours for soldiers.

Schoomaker said commanders in Iraq and others who are in the chain of command will decide how many troops will be needed next year and beyond. His responsibility is to provide them, trained and equipped.

About 138,000 U.S. troops, including about 25,000 Marines, are now in Iraq.

"We are now into '07-'09 in our planning," Schoomaker said, having completed work on the set of combat and support units that will be rotated into Iraq over the coming year for 12-month tours of duty.

Schoomaker's comments come amid indications from Bush administration officials and commanders in Iraq that the size of the U.S. force may be scaled back next year if certain conditions are achieved.

Among those conditions: an Iraqi constitution must be drafted in coming days; it must be approved in a national referendum; and elections must be held for a new government under that charter.

Schoomaker, who spoke aboard an Army jet on the trip back to Washington from Kansas City, Mo., made no predictions about the pace of political progress in Iraq. But he said he was confident the Army could provide the current number of forces to fight the insurgency for many more years. The 2007-09 rotation he is planning would go beyond President Bush's term in office, which ends in January 2009.

Schoomaker was in Kansas City for a dinner Friday hosted by the Military Order of the World Wars, a veterans' organization.

"We're staying 18 months to two years ahead of ourselves" in planning which active-duty and National Guard and Reserve units will be provided to meet the commanders' needs, Schoomaker said in the interview.

The main active-duty combat units that are scheduled to go to Iraq in the coming year are the 101st Airborne Division, based at Fort Campbell, Ky., and the 4th Infantry Division from Fort Hood, Texas. Both did one-year tours earlier in the war.

The Army has changed the way it arranges troop rotations.

Instead of sending a full complement of replacement forces each 12-month cycle, it is stretching out the rotation over two years.

The current rotation, for 2005-07, will overlap with the 2006-08 replacements. Beyond that, the Army is piecing together the plan for the 2007-09 switch, Schoomaker said.

With the recent deployments of National Guard brigades from Georgia and Pennsylvania, the National Guard has seven combat brigades in Iraq the most of the entire war plus thousands of support troops.

Along with the Army Reserve and Marine Reserve, they account for about 40 percent of the total U.S. forces in Iraq. Schoomaker said that will be scaled back next year to about 25 percent as newly expanded active-duty divisions such as the 101st Airborne enter the rotation.

August has been the deadliest month of the war for the National Guard and Reserve, with at least 42 fatalities thus far. Schoomaker disputed the suggestion by some that the Guard and Reserve units are not fully prepared for the hostile environment of Iraq.

"I'm very confident that there is no difference in the preparation" of active-duty soldiers and the reservists, who normally train one weekend a month and two weeks each summer, unless they are mobilized. Once called to active duty, they go through the same training as active-duty units.

In internal surveys, some in the reserve forces have indicated to Army leaders that they think they are spending too much time in pre-deployment training, not too little, Schoomaker said.

"Consistently, what we've been (hearing) is, `We're better than you think we are, and we could do this faster,'" he said. "I can promise you that we're not taking any risk in terms of what we're doing to prepare people."

The Associated Press

3 posted on 08/20/2005 4:54:59 PM PDT by Gucho
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4 posted on 08/20/2005 4:56:13 PM PDT by Gucho
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Click Today's Afghan News

Saturday, August 20, 2005


Funerals held for Spanish soldiers killed in Afghanistan.


5 posted on 08/20/2005 5:07:19 PM PDT by Gucho
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Three insurgents detained


U.S. Army Soldiers from the 155 Brigade Combat Team, 198th Armor, detain a suspected drug dealer and terrorist in the city of Najaf, Iraq on July 30, 2005. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. Jeromy K. Cross)

August 20, 2005

BALAD RUZ, Iraq -- Soldiers of the 2-1-5 Iraqi Army Battalion detained three suspected insurgents August 15 in possession of anti-coalition handbills. These three insurgents confessed to printing and distributing anti-coalition handbills and have confessed to having knowledge of other insurgent personalities and operations.

News Brief By 42nd Infantry Division PAO

6 posted on 08/20/2005 5:18:10 PM PDT by Gucho
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Iraqi national arrested for suspected links with Aqaba attack -- source

AMMAN, Aug 20 (KUNA) -- Jordanian security authorities have arrested one person suspected of having links with the attack against the city of Aqaba yesterday, a security source said Saturday.

He told KUNA the suspect, who was arrested by driving his car, carried the Iraqi nationality.

The security authorities have, immediately after two rockets hit the Aqaba port area yesterday morning, carried out wide-scale combing operations in the Shallaleh and Khazzan areas, as well as searching in surrounding areas.

Two of the rockets hit a warehouse used by the Jordanian army and a hospital killing one soldier and wounding another. A third rocket hit the Israeli touristic city of Eilat slightly wounding an Israeli soldier.

7 posted on 08/20/2005 5:36:36 PM PDT by Gucho
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Explosion spreads panic in eastern Pakistani city

ISLAMABAD, Aug 20 (KUNA) -- A time-bomb went off Saturday evening in the city of Lahore but no casualties were reported according to the police.

The bomb blew up near the Lal (Red) Bridge, a few kilometers from the Punjab University, Director Inspector General (DIG), Tahiq Doger, told KUNA.

He said there was no life or material loss, adding that it was a terrorist activity aimed at creating panic.

No group has claimed responsibility for the explosion.

8 posted on 08/20/2005 5:42:05 PM PDT by Gucho
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"We continue backing Iraq''s political process for stability" - Kuwait PM

By Najem Abdullah

KUWAIT, Aug 20 (KUNA) -- His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah said here on Saturday that the State of Kuwait would continue supporting Iraqi people and their political project until security and stability have been restored in Iraq, stressing the strength of Kuwaiti-Iraqi relations.

This came during the Premier's meeting with Minister of Information Anas Al-Rushaid, Undersecretary of the Premier's Diwan Ahmad Al-Fahad, Chairman - General Director of Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), Head of Kuwaiti Journalists Society, Editors-in-Chief of Kuwaiti newspapers and Premier's Diwan Advisor Sami Al-Nisf.

H.H. Sheikh Sabah said the disturbance on Kuwaiti-Iraqi borders, which occurred few weeks ago, was over and what was invoked in some media coverage did not represent the Iraqi government's views.

He asserted there has not been any borders disagreement between the two countries and that Kuwaiti-Iraqi borders demarcation was finalized in accordance with the Security Council's resolutions.

Kuwaiti government, he added, has been supporting the Iraqi political process, hopping to see a secure and stable new Iraq.

Regarding Kuwaiti-Iranian relations, Sheikh Sabah said the State of Kuwait and the Islamic Republic of Iran have had several brotherly relations, hoping that these relations would result in more close cooperation between the two countries and other states in the region.

Sheikh Sabah expressed confidence on the Iranian leadership and its elected President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad's abilities to resolve the nuclear issue.

He added that the international community has been keen not to create tension in the region, which has suffered a lot during the last period, affirming that escalation did not serve any party's interest. Regarding local press, the prime minister stressed the importance of its role in solving local and international issues, saying that the government has always valued the local press crucial responsibilities.

Sheikh Sabah also affirmed the private sector's important role in vitalizing the national economy, hoping that it would play a more effective role in attracting national workforce to the job market.

Replying to a question regarding Al-Sabiyah Bridge project which would link Kuwait City to northern Sabiyah area, Sheikh Sabah said that the government allocated adequate budget for that project. However, he added, there has been another vision, through which the private sector would construct Al-Sabiyah Bridge as well as other construction projects.

Concerning the impact of rocketing oil prices on the country's future projects, the prime minister said the government has been devoted to the Future Generations Fund, to which it has been making payments to ensure the Kuwaiti people's future.

Asked about relations between the Kuwaiti legislative and executive authorities and reports about MPs intentions to grill several ministers, Sheikh Sabah said that he has always called for cooperation and integration between the two authorities, stressing that parliamentary questioning was a constitutional right for MPs to practice.

Regarding the recent increase in consumer goods' prices, Sheikh Sabah said that the price rise was not due to local decisions, but because of slight increases in the prices of some imported products from their source of origin, lauding the Commerce Ministry's role in this regard.

9 posted on 08/20/2005 5:48:33 PM PDT by Gucho
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Mid East Edition

Basrah, Iraq


Kabul, Afghanistan

10 posted on 08/20/2005 5:50:43 PM PDT by Gucho
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Pacific Edition





Click World Weather Forecast


11 posted on 08/20/2005 5:51:44 PM PDT by Gucho
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Click Proximity Delays Mosul, Iraq

Michael Yon : Online Magazine

Saturday, August 20, 2005

12 posted on 08/20/2005 6:06:53 PM PDT by Gucho
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Iran 'supplies infra-red bombs' that kill British troops in Iraq

By Toby Harnden, Chief Foreign Correspondent

8/21/2005)

British soldiers in Iraq are being killed by advanced "infra-red" bombs supplied by Iran that defeat jamming equipment, according to military intelligence officials.

The "passive infra-red" devices, whose use in Iraq is revealed for the first time by The Sunday Telegraph, are detonated when the beam is broken, as when an intruder triggers a burglar alarm. They were used by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group against Israel in Lebanon from 1995.

A radio signal is used to arm the bomb as a target vehicle approaches. The next object to break the infra-red beam - the target vehicle - detonates the device.

Coalition officials see the disturbing development as a key part of an aggressive new campaign by Teheran to drive coalition forces out of Iraq so that an Islamic theocracy can be established.

American and British intelligence officials believe that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is training, supplying and funding part of Iraq's insurgent Shia network and that its activities have been stepped up since the spring.

Links between Shia and Sunni Muslim groups, usually via trading by criminal arms dealers, means that expertise quickly spreads across Iraq.

"These guys have picked up in two years what it took the IRA a quarter-century to learn," said an Army bomb disposal officer in Iraq.

Four British soldiers are believed to have been killed by infra-red devices made in the town of Majar-al-Kabir. The bombmaker, in his early forties, was one of the agitators behind the mob killing of six Red Caps there in June, 2003. The man, whose name is known by this newspaper but has not been published for security reasons, has connections to Iran, and has reportedly been seen with agents from Teheran. His arrest has been ordered, and two of his lieutenants were detained in June.

After the arrests, however, three soldiers from the Staffordshire Regiment were killed when their armoured Land Rover was blown up by a roadside bomb in al-Amara, last month as they were lured into a trap.

Second Lt Richard Shearer, Pte Leon Spicer and Pte Phillip Hewett died instantly as they investigated gunfire.

Guardsman Anthony Wakefield of the Coldstream Guards died from wounds inflicted by a similar infra-red device in al-Amara in May. As the "top cover" gunner, his head and shoulders were exposed in an armoured Land Rover. The bomb was set at a precise height and directed towards the road so it would hit a soldier in this position.

"This was something completely new," said one military intelligence officer. "Before, they used to keep bashing away with the same crude devices again and again. The Iranian influence has shown itself in the sophistication of their bombs and a new ability to innovate."

British intelligence reports indicate that complete infra-red devices, carefully machined in military workshops, are being delivered to Shia militants in Iraq.

British officials said Iran had also been providing Shia insurgents with "shaped charges", which use a directional explosive force to fire a metal projectile that penetrates heavy armour.

Iran's interference threatens to inflame sectarian tensions in Iraq and hasten what coalition officials dread most - civil war between the Shias and the Sunni minority.

Iran's recent elections, in which the hardline Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was elected president gave fresh impetus to its "meddling" in Iraq, according to Mohammad Mohaddessin, an Iranian opposition leader in exile in Paris.

"The regime in Teheran is very concerned about a democracy being created right next to Iran," he said. "They also believe that the more chaos there is in Iraq, the less attention will be paid by America and Britain to Iran's nuclear ambitions."

Iranian policy had already been boosted by Iraq's elections. They returned a Shia-dominated government led by Ibrahim al-Jaafari, who lived in exile in Iran, rather than the secular Iyad Allawi, the candidate preferred by Washington.

Before the introduction of infra-red devices, bombs in Iraq were usually set off by an electronic remote control signal found in a mobile telephone, car locking device, garage door opener or even a child's toy.

They could be blocked by electronic countermeasures developed by the Army in Northern Ireland.

These are powerless, however, against infra-red beams, which can be modified from burglar alarm systems. Military commanders have briefed soldiers to be more cautious and avoid rushing into potential attacks. Patrol routes are varied so that no pattern is set.

Infra-red beams have been used by the IRA, and by the Red Army Faction to kill Alfred Herrhausen, the chairman of the Deutsche Bank, in 1989.

"There has always been cross fertilisation of terrorist technology across the terror diaspora," said a former Army bomb disposal officer. "Infra-red is virtually impossible to jam whereas radio control and cell phone systems are jammable."

Maj Gen Ali Hamadi, who commands Iraq's border defence force, was wounded in the stomach and accused American troops of opening fire on his vehicle in Baghdad, local police reported. A US military official denied that any of their soldiers had been in the area at the time. Iraqis often accuse US troops of opening fire on motorists, sometimes killing them.


13 posted on 08/20/2005 6:17:45 PM PDT by Gucho
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Terror vets gather in Bosnia

By UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL

August 19, 2005

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina -- Terrorists who previously targeted the United States are now in Bosnia, Cybercast News Service said Friday.

Convicted terrorists are moving to Bosnia after being freed and they have access there to a "one-stop shop" of jihad training camps, weapons and illegal Islamic "charities" -- all at the doorstep of Europe, terrorism experts said according to the report, which was carried by the Assyrian International News Agency.

"[Convicted terrorist] Karim Said Atmani recently returned to Bosnia after being released early from French prison for 'good behavior,'" terrorism expert and author Evan Kohlmann told CNS.

Atmani, a Moroccan, was linked to the "millennium bomb plot" and convicted by a French court of colluding with Osama bin Laden. He has been linked to the Armed Islamic Group (GIA), an organization responsible for airplane hijackings and subway bombings in France, CNS said.

Also finding haven in Bosnia is Abu el Maali, who like Atmani, was a foreign national who fought in the Bosnia war. El Maali was later accused by French authorities of attempting to smuggle explosives in 1998 to an Egyptian terrorist group plotting to destroy U.S. military installations in Germany. He was also accused of leading terrorist cells in Bosnia, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation (AHF), a charity that was later found by the U.S. Treasury to be underwriting terrorist operations including al-Qaida, shut its offices in Bosnia after the U.S. announcement but reopened under the name "Vazir." The new organization was registered as an "association for sport, culture and education," CNS said.

Cybercast News Service has also obtained a video that terrorism analysts say depicts an active jihad training camp in Bosnia-Herzegovina, a region previously described by analysts as an ideal gateway for terror missions into Europe.

The video shows outdoor maneuvers, explosives training and training inside what appears to be a school gym. Exercises in hostage-taking are also shown.

14 posted on 08/20/2005 6:29:39 PM PDT by Gucho
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Man behind attack on Musharraf to be hanged today

Aug 20, 2005

MULTAN: Muhammad Islam Siddiqui, a member of the Pakistan Army, will be hanged today (Saturday) in New Central Jail Multan. Siddiqui, who belongs to a poor Hari family from Jacobabad, was tried in court martial and was sentenced to death for plotting to kill Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Pervez Musharraf.

He made a mercy petition to the president and the vice chief of army staff, but the petition was turned down. He was moved to Multan prison from Sialkot last month.

His parents, who met him in prison on Friday, requested the jail superintendent to provide them with an ambulance to take his body to Jacobabad for burial. Jail authorities declined to give information about when the attack was planned and who Siddiqui’s accomplices were. staff report

15 posted on 08/20/2005 6:37:06 PM PDT by Gucho
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To: Gucho; Straight Vermonter

That's a great post. Do you do that often?

Straight Vermonter, you should link to this post as part of your Daily Terrorist Roundup post. If Gucho does this often, you guys should coordinate.

Great job, to both of you.


16 posted on 08/20/2005 6:42:47 PM PDT by FreedomPoster (NRA)
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Iran seeks missing soldiers in Iraq

8/20/2005

Iranian Commander of the committee in charge of searching for those missing in action (MiAs) Brigadier General Mir Feisal Baqerzadeh today called for coordination with occupation troops of allied countries in Iraq to proceed with serach operations in Iraqi territory for remains of Iranian soldiers left behind from eight-year Iraqi-imposed war, IRNA reported.

"Unfortunately, the Iranian nation does not have good memory about ICRC (Red Cross) during Iraqi-imposed war. ICRC refrained from issuing any statement to deplore violation of conventions in dealing with war affairs by Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and its army."

In a meeting with the ICRC representative in Iran, Baqerzadeh the castigated ICRC "for not condemning crimes perpetrated by US and its allies against civilians in Iraq."

"We do not have problems with Iraqi officials. The main concern is coordination of occupation forces in Iraq. We want to set up a camp in Basra to follow up search operation for remains of Iranians MiAs.

He called on ICRC to provide Iranian search teams with mine-sweeping choppers and other means the teams need for search operations.

17 posted on 08/20/2005 6:48:17 PM PDT by Gucho
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To: FreedomPoster

Thanks - This is TexKat's thread and I am temporarily
filling in.


18 posted on 08/20/2005 6:52:50 PM PDT by Gucho
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Pope appeals to Muslims on terror


The Pope said the Church had good and bad elements.

Saturday, 20 August 2005, 21:41 GMT 22:41 UK

Pope Benedict XVI has appealed to Muslims to help combat the "cruel fanaticism" of terrorism.

At a meeting with Germany's Muslim leaders in Cologne, the pontiff said Islamic teachers had a "great responsibility" to educate the young.

Afterwards, the Pope led an open-air prayer vigil at a park outside the city, which was attended by at least 700,000 people.

Pope Benedict wraps up his four-day trip to his native country on Sunday.

'New barbarism'

The meeting with some 30 Muslim leaders follows the Pope's earlier pledge to build "bridges of friendship" with other faiths.

He urged Muslims to join Christians to try to stop the spread of terrorism, which he called a "new barbarism".

The Pope spoke of past wars that had been waged between Christians and Muslims with both sides invoking God's name as if, the Pope said, killing the enemy could be pleasing to God.

The Pope said by working together, Muslims and Christians could "turn back the wave of cruel fanaticism that endangers the lives of so many people and hinders progress toward world peace".

Since the Pope's election four months ago, he has been ultra-cautious in his comments on recent acts of international terrorism such as the London bombings, says the BBC's David Willey in Cologne.

The pontiff has limited his remarks to describing the perpetrators as fanatics who do not represent the true Muslim faith, our correspondent says.

There are about 3.5m German Muslims, mainly of Turkish descent - one of the highest figures in Western Europe.

A day earlier, the Pope met German Jewish leaders during a visit to a synagogue in Cologne.

He warned of rising anti-Semitism and paid his respects to Jews murdered during the Nazi era.

It was only the second time a Pope has visited a Jewish place of worship, following Pope John Paul II's visit to a Rome synagogue in 1986.

'Much to criticise'

After meeting the Muslim leaders, the Pope attended the outdoor evening service at Marienfeld, the site of disused coal mine outside Cologne.

He told the huge crowd that there was "much that could be criticised in the Church".

"We know this and the Lord himself told us so: it is a net with good fish and bad fish," the pontiff said.

Many of the pilgrims are expected to stay the night in the open air so they can attend the Pope's morning Mass - a huge outdoor event that is being seen as the climax of his visit, which marks World Youth Day.

The World Youth Day festival, created by Pope John Paul II who died in April, is held in a different part of the world every three years.

19 posted on 08/20/2005 7:09:29 PM PDT by Gucho
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Group linked to al-Qaeda claims responsibility for rocket attack


The USS Ashland is seen at Aqaba port in Amman August 19, 2005. Two U.S. Navy ships sailed out of Jordan's port of Aqaba on Friday, soon after one of the vessels narrowly missed being struck by a missile, the U.S. Fifth Fleet and witnesses said. Attackers fired a rocket near the USS Ashland, but the missile missed the vessel and hit a nearby warehouse instead, U.S. military officials said. The two vessels had been on a joint training exercise with the Jordanian navy. (Abraham Faroujian/Reuters)

Saturday, 20 August , 2005 - 08:07:00

Reporter: Peter Cave

ELIZABETH JACKSON: An al-Qaeda related group has claimed responsibility for a Katusha rocket attack launched from a rented warehouse in the Jordanian Red seaport of Aqaba which killed a Jordanian soldier and injured an Israeli taxi driver.

The main target appears to have been two US warships docked in Aqaba, which escaped unscathed.

Our Foreign Affairs Editor Peter Cave reports from Jerusalem.

PETER CAVE: Aqaba lies on the Red Sea just 15 kilometres across the water from the Israeli resort of Eilat.

Three Russian-designed Katusha rockets were launched from the roof a warehouse building in Aqaba. The first shot across the bow of the USS Ashland and hit a wharf building with a thunderous explosion. A Jordanian soldier on guard outside was killed.

A second rocket passed near a second US ship, the USS Kearsage. It exploded in the grounds of a nearby public hospital, causing no major damage or injuries.

The third rocket crossed the narrow gulf of Aqaba and hit a road beside the Eilat airport, wounding the luckiest taxi driver in Israel. The Katusha ploughed through the empty back seat of his car, gouging a deep hole in the roadway, but did not explode.

The two US warships – a helicopter carrying amphibious assault ship, and a small aircraft carrier equipped with harrier jump jets – immediately put to sea.

The Israeli and Jordanian Governments have launched a joint investigation, and Jordanian authorities said they were seeking a Syrian and two Iraqis driving a car with Kuwaiti plates.

The warehouse where the Katusha launchers were found had been rented this week by four people believed to be Iraqi or Egyptian.

Not long after the attack a claim of responsibility, which can’t be verified, was posted on the website of called the Abdullah al Azzam Brigades of the al-Qaeda organisation.

It said a group of our holy warriors targeted a gathering of American ships docked in Aqaba port and also in Eilat port, with three Katyusha rockets and the warriors returned safely to their headquarters.

The same group has also claimed responsibility for the bombings in July of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula resort of Sarm el Sheik.

A spokesman for the US fifth fleet based in Bahrain said it was pretty safe to conclude that they were probably trying to hit one or both of the US ships. He said no sailors or marines were injured and that both ships would continue joint exercises with the Jordanian navy.

A spokesman for Jordan's Interior Ministry said the building which was damaged was a logistics hub for Iraq used by the US military for moving commodities. He said there was little damage.

News of the attack immediately sent world oil prices back above the $US 64 dollar mark, in what analysts described as a knee jerk reaction to perception that the Middle East remains a powder keg.

This is Peter Cave in Jerusalem for Saturday AM.

20 posted on 08/20/2005 7:23:55 PM PDT by Gucho
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