Posted on 11/21/2005 6:56:19 AM PST by Straight Vermonter
Marines Clean Up Near the Syrian Border
See story below
Be Proud
Was Iraqi Militant (AMZ) Killed in Firefight With U.S. Forces?
Answer Will Come From DNA and Fingerprints
Officials in Washington today are playing down reports that militant leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi died in a firefight with U.S. forces during a weekend raid in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.
U.S forces in Iraq are preparing to compare DNA samples and fingerprints to the remains of what could be Zarqawi.
The U.S. Army's Stryker brigade has carried out a number of operations against suspected terrorist strongholds in the last few months and when three men blew themselves up rather than be captured on Saturday, it led to speculation one was Zarqawi. Jordanian intelligence officials tell ABC News that Zarqawi has sworn never to be taken alive by the United States, and travels with a suicide explosives belt.
U.S.-Iraqi Steel Curtain campaign ends, 136 insurgents killed
Steel Curtain, the joint U.S.-Iraqi military campaign in the western province of Anbar, ended Sunday with 136 suspected insurgents confirmed dead, said a high-ranking official from the Iraqi Ministry of Defence.
Abdelaziz Mohamed, director of military operations at the ministry, said that 10 Iraqi soldiers were killed in the operation and 57 wounded. A total of 256 suspected insurgents were taken into custody while 47 weapons caches and 123 bombs were seized.
Mohammed said that the operation had secured areas along the Euphrates River Valley, thereby making it safe for residents to participate in parliamentary elections scheduled for mid-December.
Information on total U.S. losses in the operation was not immediately available, although earlier statements from the military said it had confronted fierce fighting at several points.
Steel Curtain, which began November 5, drew on 2,500 U.S. troops and 1,000 from the Iraqi side. According to U.S. military statements it aimed at rooting out terrorist networks near the border with Syria and the Euphrates River.
U.S. and Iraqi officials said the area was a gateway into Iraq for foreign fighters who joined the insurgency.
Meanwhile, Minister of Defence Sadun Dulaymi said in statements broadcast Sunday on the state-owned al-Iraqiya channel that Anbar province had become an 'incubator and exporter of terrorism'.
'We were pained by the fact that the four people responsible for the recent explosions at the hotels in Amman were Iraqis from Anbar, and my sadness is even greater because (the woman involved) was from the Dulaym tribes in the province,' he added.
The minister's surname indicates that he comes from the same clan. The November 9 blasts in the Jordanian capital killed 57 people. Days later, Sajedah Atrous al-Rashawi, 35, the sole surviving suicide bomber, appeared on Jordanian television explaining that her explosives belt failed to detonate and saying that she hailed from the city of Ramadi, located in Anbar.
Two arrested in Konya for al-Qaeda links (Turkey)
A father and son have been arrested in the central Anatolian Turkish city of Konya for suspected links to al-Qaeda, reported the NTV new channel on Saturday. Police found bomb-making materials and a note that indicated they say that the two were planning al-Qaeda attacks in Turkey. The son, a university student, was released from prison earlier this year after serving a two-year sentence for his involvement in the 2003 Istanbul bombings
Police are carrying out further investigations in Turkey to prevent another al-Qaeda attack from occurring.
Al-Qaida Operative Nabbed Near Mexican Border
An al-Qaida operative who was on the FBI's terrorist watch list was recently captured near the Mexican border, housed in a Texas jail and turned over to federal agents, Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas, said on Friday.
"A confirmed al-Qaida terrorist, an Iraqi national, was held in the Brewster County jail," Rep. Culberson told ABC Radio host Sean Hannity. "He was captured in Mexico. This was within the last six weeks. He was turned over to the FBI."
The Texas Republican said he obtained the stunning information about the terrorist's capture "from the sheriffs who were directly involved.
"In fact, one was the sheriff who incarcerated him in the Brewster County jail [and who] confirmed this as well," he explained. The same sheriff also confirmed "that this guy is on the FBI's al-Qaida list," he added.
The al-Qaida operative "had been in Mexico, living just about 60 miles east of El Paso," Rep. Culberson said. "He was captured in a little town called El Porvenir, right across from Fort Hancock."
Rep. Culberson said the detainee had been living in Mexico for up to a year, where the terrorist "was taking careful notes on the movement of people, police officers, wildlife, etc."
The Iraqi national "had apparently aggravated a neighbor in Mexico, who turned him in to Mexican authorities," he explained. Mexican officials then turned him over to the U.S. officials, who temporarily housed him in the Brewster County jail.
Asked why this news hadn't been reported earlier, Culberson told Hannity, "That's a very good question and one that I intend to get to the bottom of in my subcommittee."
Rep. Culberson sits on the appropriations subcommittee with jurisdiction over the FBI and the Department of Justice. "I guarantee that we're going to get to the bottom of this," he pledged.
He said FBI Director Robert Mueller had previously "confirmed" in testimony before his committee "that there are individuals from countries with known al-Qaida connections who are changing their Islamic surnames to Hispanic-sounding names and obtaining false Hispanic identities, learning to speak Spanish and pretending to be Hispanic immigrants."
"And these are clearly Arab terrorists," Rep. Culberson added, "from countries like Yemen, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. They're crossing the border, pretending to be Hispanic immigrants, and then disappearing."
Rep. Culberson said news of al-Qaida's penetration of the U.S.'s southern border has him worried that the next terrorist plot could involve setting off simultaneous truck bombs in major urban centers.
"The day they blow us up," he predicted, "the border will be sealed tighter than the Berlin Wall and you'll have armed United States military forces" enforcing immigration laws.
Morocco arrests 17 suspected al Qeada activists
Security forces in Morocco have arrested 17 radical Islamists on suspicion of belonging to a "terrorist structure" linked to al Qaeda, the state news agency MAP said on Sunday, quoting a police source.
Morocco has been on high alert since 2003 when suicide bombings killed 45 people in Casablanca, the country's financial capital.
"The 17 members involved in this project have been arrested and will face prosecution," the news agency said.
The police source said two Belgians of Moroccan origin, Khalid Azig and Mohamed R'ha, entered Morocco earlier this year to recruit members for the unnamed "terrorist structure" among Moroccans "permeated with extremist ideas."
28 Taliban, other militants surrender to Afghan govt (Significant surrenders)
Twenty-eight Taliban and militants surrendered to authorities in insurgency-hit Afghanistan on Saturday and renounced any anti-government activities, an intelligence official said.
The 28 had returned to Afghanistan from exile in neighbouring Pakistan and gave themselves up in Gardez, city’s head of intelligence Ghulam Nabi Salim told AFP.
They included 11 former members of the Taliban government and 12 members of the Hezb-e-Islami faction led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, he said.
Five former fighters for commander Jalaludin Haqani also surrendered, he added.
"These 28 people were living in exile in Pakistan and now they ... have declared they will not take part in anti-government activities," he said. President Hamid Karzai has offered an amnesty to members of the ousted Taliban movement and Islamic militias "whose hands are not stained with innocent people’s blood".
(NYC) Trial focuses on father, son ties to al-Qaida
By DAVID B. CARUSO
In his testimony before a military tribunal, Saifullah Paracha said he first met Osama bin Laden, somewhat by happenstance, on a charity mission to Afghanistan in 1999.
"He delivered the Koran and said he was a prophet. He said very nice things. Very impressive," said Paracha, a prominent Pakistani entrepreneur who split his time between Karachi and New York.
As Paracha tells it, he offered bin Laden his business card, explained that he was involved in television and asked whether he would consider appearing in a film to discuss "the terrorism program."
The project never panned out, but the meeting was one of a series of associations that led the U.S. government to declare Paracha an enemy combatant in 2003 and detain him at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The family's interaction with terrorists also led to the arrest of his son, Uzair Paracha, 25, who is being tried in Manhattan this month on charges that he tried to help get travel documents for an al-Qaida operative planning attacks in the U.S.
That criminal case has featured competing versions of just how the Parachas _ outwardly pro-American businessmen with strong ties to New York _ became involved with some of al-Qaida's most notorious figures.
On the witness stand Thursday, Uzair insisted he had his father had no interest in jihad and fell into company with al-Qaida members without realizing they were terrorists.
Saifullah Paracha has been telling a similar story to his U.S. captors.
Malaysia angered when mentioned with terrorist activities
Malaysia has urged other countries not to perceive it as being a springboard for terrorists, even though some of its citizens have been linked to militant activities overseas.
News reports said Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak expressed regret that two Malaysians, Azahari Husin and Noordin Top, have been among Indonesia's most wanted terror suspects in recent years.
Azahari, who was considered a key leader of the regional Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist network, was killed by Indonesian police earlier this month, while Noordin remains on the loose.
"We feel that it was unfortunate that Malaysians were involved but, other than that, we should not by right be held responsible for their actions," Najib was quoted as saying by the Star newspaper.
"We hope other countries will not link Malaysia (to terrorism) unless they have concrete evidence," Najib said.
Najib added that Noordin, who has been accused of being the main financier of Jemaah Islamiyah operations, was believed to be in Indonesia and is being tracked down by security forces.
"If he escapes to Malaysia, then it is our responsibility to hunt him down," Najib added.
(The coalition has been so effective in limiting terrorism in much of the rest of the world that southeast Asia has begun to stand out as the "hottest" area in the world for terrorism. Malaysia, Indonesia, Burma, Myanmar and Thailand have all seen problems worsening while things are getting better elsewhere.)
‘Major tragedy’ foiled, two HM militants held (India)
TWO persons, having allegiance to Hizbul Mujahideen militants outfit, have been arrested by the Special Operation Group personnel from Rajiv Nagar area here on November 17. The duo were arrested on the suspicion of being here to carry out some major activity in the city. Based on specific information provided by the Intelligence Agencies, the two persons were picked by the team of Special Operation Group (SOG) on November 17 night from Rajiv Nagar area. The duo have been identified as Iftikhar and Mir both of Ghulam Haveli area in Doda district, said sources.
Sources said that they were statying at the house of one Ghulam Nabi, a schoolteacher, and were picked by the SOG from there on suspicion. The duo had gone to Pakistan in 1992 to received arms training and had crossed over to this side through Wagah on fake identity, sources said and added that both were associated with Hizbul Mujahideen outfit.
Further, sources said that keeping in mind, the Rajiv Nagar massacre in which around 36 people were killed by the militants, the agencies are trying to confirm the duo had come here to perform some militant activities in the area.
A senior police official said that right now the duo are under interrogation at counter intelligence cell and nothing concrete have come out from them so far. The official said that only the investigation will reveal whether they were here to carry out some major activity.
Osama is alive and active in Pak villages bordering Afghanistan (Grain of salt alert)
From M Rama Rao
The most wanted terrorist, Osama bin Laden is very much alive and is living in remote tribal villages of Pakistan on the borders with Afghanistan. This has been conclusively established giving a lie to the claims of Islamabad.
President Pervez Musharraf, while regularly denying Osama's existence in his country, and maintaining that he might have even died, has been saying that it is possible that he could be living in the remote tribal lands of Waziristan 'where the writ of Islamabad has no effect'.
Osama has not been seen in videos, issued by his Al Qaeda network, for over a year and western intelligence agencies believe he may be dead.
But the latest assertion on the whereabouts of Osama is based on the fact that he had evaded capture by Pakistani troops this spring by just 30 minutes as they zeroed in on him in a remote village close to the Afghan border.
A report in the News of the World, a London tabloid, said that Pak troops had pinpointed the hideout by tracking the mobile phone used by one of one of bin Laden's closest aides but by the time they could mount a raid, the al-Qaeda chief had slipped away.
The Pakistani diplomatic mission in London confirmed the report saying, "We think we missed him (bin Laden) by 30 minutes. It was the closest we have been since 2001".
"We acted on intelligence reports and were close. Such fleeting opportunities come and either you succeed in a moment or you fail and miss the opportunity for a long time," an American TV channel quoted Musharraf as saying in an interview.
Babbar Khalsa militants arrested in Punjab
The Punjab police today arrested three Babbar Khalsa International terrorists in Ludhiana today.
Over two kgs of RDX and a large quantity of arms and ammunition were recovered from the ultras.
According to the police, they were planning to kill Congress leaders Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar and former chief minister of Haryana Bhajan Lal.
Out of Taliban shackles, Afghan women fly high Kabul
Banned from even taking up jobs by the Taliban, women in Afghanistan have a come a long way - flying even fighter planes and assuming an increasing role in their country's army. Captains Latifa and Lailoma, who fly Mi-8 helicopters and Mig-17 fixed wing aircraft, are among 147 women serving the Afghan National Army (ANA).
The two women pilots, who graduated from the erstwhile Kabul Air University and have 14 years of experience in flying, are among the 56 others selected for the Air Corps of ANA.
"When I wear my uniform and I'm flying the helicopter my only goal is to help the people of Afghanistan and establish peace and security," Lailoma said.
Latifa said: "Hopefully, in the near future, women will be allowed to apply and compete for positions in these institutions which will open more opportunities for education, training and career development.
"Part of my responsibility is to make the path clear for the future and for women who have the desire to become pilots in ANA," she said, beaming with confidence.
During the Taliban rule that ended with the US military intervention in 2001, women in Afghanistan were prevented from taking jobs, forced to stay indoors until they were veiled, and prevented from going to even schools and colleges.
Ping
It's good to have you back. And thanks especially for the Taliban info; I'd missed that. Cheers!
I do SO hope that it is Zarqawi's DNA being 'tested'...........
I'm glad it's back. It seems both of us had been busy being unable to post at the frequency we had before.
WELCOME BACK SV, MISSED SEEING THESE REPORTS YOU POST IN YOUR ROUNDUPS.
This is sure a lot of work to blend in -- But we all know that they are just coming here to work and do jobs Americans won't do!!
Thanks for the great links. Love the post!
An al-Qaida operative who was on the FBI's terrorist watch list was recently captured near the Mexican border, housed in a Texas jail and turned over to federal agents, Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas, said on Friday.
Anyone have a name?
Glad you're back.
So glad to have you back!!! Thank you SV!
You DO NOT want to miss this!!!
Thanks!! Welcome back.
Did you hear thet 2 of the Morocco terrorists were in Gitmo before....
Thanks for the great update.
Hope we got the Z man in Mosul!
Thanks, great post.
Thanks SV. Good to see you again. Take care.
Thanks for the roundup and welcome back! Whether we got Zarqawi this time or not, his days on this earth are few!
God Bless Our Troops!
Welcome back! Missed you.
I have missed you and your posts. I am glad you are back!
It is good to have you back.
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