Threat Matrix: Daily Terror Threat

Al-Qaeda's Long March to War
(Full Story)

In recent weeks, media reports from both Iraq and Afghanistan have suggested the appearance of a slow evolution of the Islamist insurgents' tactics in the direction of the battlefield deployment of larger mujahideen units that attack "harder" facilities.

These attacks are not replacing small-unit attacks, ambushes, kidnappings, assassinations and suicide bombings in either country, but rather seem to be initial and tentative forays toward another stage of fighting.

	Karzai Condemns U.S. Troops Using Gunfire
	Taliban Kill, Kidnap Dozens of Afghan Police
	US Sends More Troops into Iraq
	Where does Karzai go from here?
	Kabul Comes Undone

Thread Thirty-Seven

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ON THE NET...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=iran

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Note: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1656248/posts

Iran to host Holocaust conference later this year
AFP ^ | June 25, 2006

Posted on 06/27/2006 1:08:13 AM PDT by West Coast Conservative

Iran has said it will still go ahead with its plan to host a conference questioning the Holocaust, with the event now scheduled for later in 2006.

The controversial idea emerged after hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad described the systematic slaughter of an estimated six million Jews during World War II as a "myth", and the event was initially set for early this year.

"It is going to be held in (the month of) Aban," foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters Sunday, referring to the Iranian month which starts on October 23.

Asefi also said there was nothing wrong with the idea, saying that the delay in the timing of the event was because "in Aban the weather in cooler".

"We do not consider it harsh to host a conference that will historically, scientifically and analytically talk about an event".

Ahmadinejad, an ultra-conservative who came to power in a surprise victory last June, has provoked international condemnation with a number of anti-Israeli and anti-Jewish remarks.

They include labelling Israel a "tumour" and calling for the Jewish state to be "wiped off the map" or moved as far away as Alaska. On the Holocaust, he has claimed it is merely a Western invention used to legitimise Israel.

In January, British Prime Minister Tony Blair described plans for the conference as "shocking, ridiculous, stupid", and advised Ahmadinejad to "come and see the evidence of the Holocaust himself in the countries of Europe".

But Iran responded by inviting Blair to take part in the conference and "defend the Holocaust" as an historical fact.

Note: The following text is a quote:
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http://intelligence-summit.blogspot.com/2006/06/recent-arms-transfers.html

Monday, June 26, 2006
Recent Arms Transfers
Recent arms transfers for selected countries:

Iran:

800 HS50 sniper rifles sold by Steyr-Mannlicher of Austria, cost not available

86 Mi-35P Hind-F attack helicopters sold by Rosoboronexport of Russia
80,000 AK-47 assault rifles w/ 9 million rounds of ammunition, Rosoboronexport; Package worth reportedly $5 billion

Saudi Arabia:

LaFayette S-3000-class frigate (Mecca/Makkah); 2nd of 3 ordered 1994 project Sawari II, DCN-Lorient of France, cost $3 Billion for 3

Sudan:

12 Mig fighter aircraft by MIG of Russia, cost est. $375 million

Venezuela:

6 Mi-17V5 armored helicopters, 3 Mi-35M attack helicopters, 1 Mi-26T transport helicopter by Rosoboronexport of Russia, cost est. $120 million

Syria:

Various SSMs, WMD material, defense raw materials, etc. Transferred for storage, retained by Syria on Iraqi collapse, shipped by Iraq government (august 2002-March 2003), cost not available

posted by Marko at 6/26/2006 03:13:00 PM

This was big news, even up here in this part of Texas last night.......at first I thought they had terrorists in that standoff.

SWAT team responds to North Austin home

11:20 PM CDT on Monday, June 26, 2006
Kevin Peters / KVUE News

A SWAT standoff ended peacefully Monday in north Austin.

KVUE's Kevin Peters reports
It happened near McPhaul and Newcomb streets, in a neighborhood that runs just behind North Lamar Boulevard between Braker Lane and Rutland Drive.

Immigration officials confirmed that the action was part of an alien smuggling investigation. They said several people were taken into custody.

Austin police said they got a call about a disturbance at a home before 2 p.m., where several people were reportedly being held against their will.

Multiple agencies responded, including federal agencies, and surrounded the home.

“I seen SWAT team at the corner an hour later,” neighbor Michael Villela said. “They surrounded the house talking to the people. Nothing is going to happen if they come out.”

Neighbors said two men, a woman, and baby came out of the home. But there were still more inside.

Those people were then taken into police custody and loaded onto a bus.

Several of the people taken into custody are reportedly from different Latin American countries.

Although the call initially came across as people being held against their will, it was still unclear if that's what happened, or if these people just panicked and were afraid.

http://www.kvue.com/news/local/stories/062606kvueswatstandoff-cb.c56bdc2a.html

Ex-Bush aide takes helm of NYPD's anti-terror unit

President Bush's former deputy homeland security adviser was named counterterrorism chief for the New York Police Department, officials announced yesterday. Richard Falkenrath, who served at the White House until May 2004 before becoming a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, will bring "Washington experience and savvy," to the post, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said.

Falkenrath, 37, said part of the NYPD job would be to balance the threat of homegrown terror against foreign-trained jihadists drawn to New York City as a symbolic target.

"In the past four years, attacks in the West have been homegrown, forming spontaneously with only limited links to terror, not foreign operatives trained abroad," he said. "But anything can happen if you let your guard down, so you have to focus on both."

Falkenrath was named senior director for policy and plans within the Office of Homeland Security, and special assistant to the President shortly after Sept. 11.

He later became deputy assistant to the President and deputy homeland security adviser, in charge of developing and coordinating all aspects of U.S. homeland security policy as well as counterterrorism threat-assessment and response.

He begins his NYPD stint July 10 and replaces Michael Sheehan, a former National Security Council member, who resigned in May.

Falkenrath said he will resign his part-time consulting work with Civitas Group, a prominent advisory and investment-services firm serving the homeland and national security markets.

Thanks to Velveeta and Calpernia to the ping to this thread about the hotel explosion:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1656389/posts

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http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/06/27/motel.explosion.ap/index.html
AP

"Worker missing after Georgia motel blast
Survivor: 'I was scared to death'"

Tuesday, June 27, 2006; Posted: 2:47 p.m. EDT (18:47 GMT)

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "BREMEN, Georgia (AP) -- A two-story motel partially collapsed after an explosion Tuesday, and a maintenance worker was feared trapped in the rubble, authorities said.

Investigators said it appeared to have been a gas explosion that rattled the 73-room motel shortly before 9 a.m., collapsing the roof over a corner of rooms and dumping debris on cars parked below."

ARTICLE SNIPPET #2: "Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commission John Oxendine said the cause of the explosion was under investigation."

Thanks to Velveeta for the ping to this thread:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1656405/posts

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http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&ie=UTF-8&ncl=http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp%3FS%3D5084731%26nav%3D23ii

http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0606/339697.html
AP

"Security Breach Briefly Delays Flights at Dulles"
Tuesday June 27, 2006 11:14am

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "A spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration says a checkpoint was closed at about 9:15 a.m. when an explosives detector sounded. Screeners were examining the luggage of a woman who tried to bring a knife through the checkpoint and then surrendered it.

After the explosives alarm went off, the woman was quickly located and the baggage was re-screened, the passenger cleared to go."

THAILAND
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ON THE NET...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=thailand

http://www.jihadwatch.org/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=Thailand

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1040.html

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5119724.stm

Last Updated: Tuesday, 27 June 2006, 06:18 GMT 07:18 UK

"Thai bombs target teacher convoy"

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Five security officers have been killed by a roadside bomb in Thailand's south.
They were attacked by a group of suspected insurgents, who ambushed them as they were guarding teachers on their way to a school in Yala province.

The attack is the latest in a string of violent incidents in the Thai south, where more than 1,300 people have been killed since January 2004.

Officials blames Muslim insurgents for much of the unrest, although criminal motives are also thought to be at work.

The southern provinces are predominantly Muslim, with a separate language and culture to much of the rest of Thailand.

Militants often target schools and teachers because they see them as symbols of the Buddhist Thai authorities.

In many areas of the south, the government now provides teachers with armed escorts to and from their classes to prevent them from being harmed.

Ongoing violence

In Tuesday's attack, a bomb exploded under a military truck guarding the teachers, immediately killing a Buddhist soldier.

TROUBLED SOUTH

Home to most of Thailand's 4% Muslim minority
Muslim rebels fought the government up to the mid-80s
Suspected militants have upped attacks since 2004, targeting Buddhists
Security forces' response criticised by rights groups

Thailand's restive south
Militants waiting nearby then shot four security officers in the head, before leaving the scene with their weapons, police said.

In a separate incident, also on Tuesday, at least one person was killed in a drive-by shooting in Narathiwat province.

Militants also launched two bomb attacks on convoys of security forces in Narathiwat, but nobody was hurt, police said."

ON THE NET...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=japan
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=china

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http://intelligence-summit.blogspot.com/2006/06/how-to-fend-off-foreign-spies.html

Tuesday, June 27, 2006
"How to Fend off Foreign Spies"

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Intelligence Online: The Japanese foreign ministry (Gaimusho) has just issued a guidebook to its diplomats on how to thwart overtures by foreign intelligence operatives.

The new security measures deployed by Gaimusho are aimed primarily at countering the powerful Chinese secret service, Guoanbu , which was behind the suicide of a Japanese encryption officer in Shanghai in May, 2004 (IOL 515).

Not exclusively, however. From now on, all young diplomats preparing for overseas assignment are obliged to undergo far more extensive counter-espionage training than in the past. Senior officials at the ministry who consulted with specialists from Japan's counter-intelligence service Koancho , would like to see preventive measures taken from the very outset, when would-be diplomats attend courses at the Foreign Service Training Institute run by Koichi Takahashi .

Prior to last month, only heads of mission received training in fending off spies. Courses are now being dispensed in the ministry's headquarters in the Kasumigaseki district of Tokyo. Some 1,600 diplomats are attending this year, or triple the number in 2005. The guidebook on protection against espionage was drafted under the supervision of Akinori Wada , head of the ministry's security division and previously deputy legation head in East Timor."

JI
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ON THE NET...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=JI

http://www.tkb.org/Group.jsp?groupID=3613
"Group Profile:

"Jemaah Islamiya (JI)
Aliases: Islamic Community, Islamic Group
Base of Operation: Indonesia; Malaysia; Philippines; Singapore"

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Note: The following text is a quote:
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http://intelligence-summit.blogspot.com/2006/06/jemaah-islamiyah-conducts-5-month.html

Tuesday, June 27, 2006
JEMAAH ISLAMIYAH CONDUCTS 5-MONTH BOMBING TRAINING
MANILA, June 27, 2006 (STAR) By Jaime Laude - For the past five months, the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist network has been conducting bomb and demolition training in the jungles of Mindanao for planned attacks in the region with Indonesia as a "primary target," a senior anti-terrorism official warned yesterday.

The official source said that bomb experts of the al-Qaeda-linked terrorist network are supervising the training currently being held in two sites in Lanao del Sur.

Without giving further specifics, the official, who asked not to be named, said these training sites are within the municipalities of Piagapo and Butig.

According to the source, the bomb and demolition training began last April and is expected to end by September in time for the execution of the bombing spree that would coincide with the commemoration of the Sept. 11, 2001 suicide attacks in the United States.

"The JIs are planning to conduct simultaneous bombings in the region with Bali, Indonesia as one of its prime targets," the source said.

The source added that the regional terrorist network are planning to mount a deadlier attack in the Indonesian resort of Bali, as it did in October 2002 — an attack that left 202 mostly Australian tourists dead and 209 more wounded.

Aside from the Bali resort, the regional terrorist network is also eyeing key targets in the country for planned simultaneous bombing runs.

Among the targets, the source revealed, were the US Embassy in Manila, a hotel in Zamboanga City, a bus terminal in Cagayan de Oro and in Cotabato, and an establishment in Makati City.

The source said the alleged training sites of the terrorists are being secured by heavily armed followers of a certain Commander Abdullah Macaapar of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Aside from foreign recruits, participants of the training are members of the homegrown Abu Sayyaf bandits, Rajah Sulaiman Movement (RSM) and renegade MILF members, the source added.

The mainstream MILF, a separatist rebel group that has battled the government for decades, is engaged in peace talks with the Arroyo administration that are sponsored by Malaysia.

It was reported last year that a number of JI operatives, including Umar Patek and Dulmatin, were holed up in the terrorist jungle lair of Mt. Cararao in the boundary of Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur.

Patek and Dulmatin were key suspects in the Bali bombing in 2002 and carry a reward of $10 million and $1 million, respectively, for their capture.

This reward was put up by the US government, which in the past months has poured significant anti-terrorism resources into Mindanao.
posted by Marko at 6/27/2006 08:06:00 AM

NOTE: The following text is a quote:
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http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jun2006/20060627_5519.html

Afghanistan Raid Kills 10 Extremists; Makeshift Bomb Recovered

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 27, 2006 – Afghan National Army soldiers and coalition forces killed 10 extremists yesterday in a raid on a Taliban compound belonging to a known weapons and bomb distributor, U.S. military officials reported.
No injuries to civilians were observed during the operation, which was conducted in Uruzgan province, officials said.

"We will continue to intensify our pursuit of extremists hiding in southern Afghanistan," said Army Lt. Col. Paul Fitzpatrick, a Combined Joint Task Force 76 spokesman. "We call on the extremists to reconcile with the government of Afghanistan. Our efforts are to improve security, economic development and stable governance for the Afghan people."

Also, Afghan National Police discovered an unarmed bomb June 23 in Khowst province. Immediately after finding the device, the police notified coalition forces, according to coalition reports.

Task Force Wolf Pack, which consists of the 4th Battalion, 25th Field Artillery Regiment from Fort Drum, N.Y., as well as attached personnel, arrived shortly after the Afghan police reported their find and discovered the area was already secure.

"It's significant that the Afghan National Police were able to spot the device and secure the perimeter before coalition forces arrived," Army Maj. Eric Zenk, a U.S. military spokesman, said. "This shows that the security forces of Afghanistan are making progress and their training is paying off."

(Compiled from Combined Forces Command Afghanistan news releases.)

NOTE: The following text is a quote:
--

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jun2006/20060627_5520.html

Coalition Forces Detain 14 Terrorists in Iraq

American Forces Press Service

BAGHDAD, June 27, 2006 – Coalition forces detained 14 terrorists yesterday during raids north of Yusifiyah, Iraq, U.S. military officials reported.
Two of the captured terrorists are known leaders of the Tawhid Waal Jihad and Jaysh al-Islami terrorist insurgent groups operating in the Yusifiyah area, officials said. Both groups have consistently launched joint attacks against Iraqi and coalition security forces throughout the region.

The terrorists were captured without incident. Coalition forces are using intelligence gathered from the raids to destroy terrorist activity in the area and restore security and stability to Iraqi citizens, officials said.

The other detainees are members of the two groups and have been known to plant makeshift bombs aimed at restricting the safe movement of local citizens and security forces in the area.

The raids are indicative of Iraqi and coalition efforts to target all terrorist groups, military officials said.

Several women and children were present at the raid sites. None were harmed and all were returned to their homes once the troops ensured the area was secure.

(From a Multinational Force Iraq news release.)

THANKS to jay777 for the ping to this thread:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=aclu

Note: The following post is a quote:
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1656638/posts

FBI Says ACLU’s Victory Claim Disingenuous
Stop The ACLU ^ | 27-Jun-06 | John Stephenson

Posted on 06/27/2006 1:13:27 PM PDT by Jay777

At the ACLU's website we are hearing the shouts of "victory" over the FBI!

The American Civil Liberties Union today declared victory in their legal battle with the FBI over a Connecticut library group's right to keep patron records private. After dropping their vehement defense of the gag provision accompanying the request, the FBI has now abandoned the demand all together.
"First the government abandoned the gag order that would have silenced four librarians for the rest of their lives, and now they've abandoned their demand for library records entirely," said Ann Beeson, Associate Legal Director of the ACLU. "While the government's real motives in this case have been questionable from the beginning, their decision to back down is a victory not just for librarians but for all Americans who value their privacy."

To the ACLU this is a victory for that precious "right" to privacy for the ACLU against the "questionable" motives of the FBI. That is the way those that live in ACLU land see things. Of course there is always more than one perspective to the story. Here's is how the FBI responded.

(Excerpt) Read more at stoptheaclu.com ...

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