Posted on 08/07/2006 3:43:15 PM PDT by DAVEY CROCKETT
Tehran & Damascus Move to Lebanon Lebanon-born Walid Phares is a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. Author of the recent book Future Jihad, he was also one of the architects of 2004’s United Nations resolution 1559, which called for the disarming of Hezbollah. NRO editor Kathryn Lopez recently talked to Phares about what’s going on in the Mideast, what happened to the Cedar Revolution, and this war we’re all in.
Kathryn Jean Lopez: What is “Future Jihad”? Are we seeing it in the Mideast now?
Walid Phares: “Future Jihad,” which has already begun, refers to a new and potent form of Islamic terrorism, characterized by a Khumeinist-Baathist axis. These are the two trees of jihadism, so to speak — the Salafism and Wahabism embodied in al Qaeda and the sort of jihadism led by Iran and also including Syria, Hezbollah, and their allies in Lebanon.
The alliance has not been in entire agreement as to strategy. The al Qaeda branch began its “Future Jihad” in the 1990s; its efforts culminated on 9/11 and have continued explosively since then. The international “Salafists” aimed at the U.S. in the past decade in order to strengthen their jihads on various battlefields (Chechnya, India, Sudan, Algeria, Indonesia, Palestine, etc.). “Weaken the resolve of America,” their ideologues said, “and the jihadists would overwhelm all the regional battlefields.”
As I argue in Future Jihad, bin Laden and his colleagues miscalculated on the timing of the massive attack against the U.S. in 2001. While they wounded America, they didn’t kill its will to fight (as was the case, for instance, in the Madrid 3/11 attacks). I have heard many jihadi cadres online, and have seen al Jazeera commentators on television, offering hints of criticism about the timing. They were blaming al Qaeda for shooting its imagined “silver bullet” before insuring a strategic follow up. But bin Laden and Zawahiri believe 9/11 served them well, and has put a global mobilization into motion. Perhaps it has, but the U.S. counter strategy in the Middle East, chaotic as the region currently appears, has unleashed counter jihadi forces. The jury is still out as to the time factor: when these forces will begin to weaken the jihadists depends on our perseverance and the public understanding of the whole conflict.
The other “tree” of jihadism, with its roots in Iran, withheld fire after 9/11. They were content to watch the Salafists fight it out with the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan and Iraq, not to mention within the West, as terror cells were hunted down. Ahmedinejad, Assad, and Nasrallah were analyzing how far the US would go, and how far the Sunnis and Salafis would go as well.
The fall of the Taliban and of the Baath in Iraq, however, changed Iran and Syria’s patient plans. The political changes in the neighborhood, regardless of their immediate instability, were strongly felt in Tehran and Damascus (but unfortunately not in the U.S., judging from the political debate here), and pushed the Khumeinists and the Syrian Baathists to enter the dance, but carefully. Assad opened his borders to the jihadists in an attempt to crumble the U.S. role in Iraq, while Iran articulated al Sadr’s ideology for Iraq’s Shiia majority.
A U.S.-led response came swiftly in 2004 with the voting of UNSCR 1559, smashing Syria’s role in Lebanon and forcing Assad to withdraw his troops by April 2005. In response, the “axis” prepared for a counter attack on the Lebanese battlefield by assassinating a number of the Cedar Revolution leaders, including MP Jebran Tueni. In short, the attacks by Hamas and Hezbollah and the kidnappings of soldiers were the tip of an offensive aimed at drawing attention away from Iran’s nuclear weapons programs and Syria’s assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri. Hezbollah was awaiting its moment for revenge against the Cedar Revolution too.
What we see now is 1) a Syro-Iranian sponsored offensive aimed at all democracies in the region and fought in Lebanon; 2) Israel’s counter offensive (which it seems to have prepared earlier); and 3) an attempt by Hezbollah to take over or crumble the Lebanese government.
Lopez: So…did the Cedar Revolution fail?
Phares: Actually, it would be more accurate to say that the Cedar Revolution was failed. The masses in Lebanon responded courageously in March 2005 by putting 1.5 million people on the streets of Beirut. They did it without “no-fly-zones,” expeditionary forces, or any weapons at all, for that matter, and against the power of three regimes, Iran, Syria, and pro-Syrian Lebanon, in addition to Hezbollah terror. The “revolution” was for a time astoundingly successful; since then it has been horribly failed, and first of all by Lebanon’s politicians themselves. One of their leaders, General Michel Aoun, shifted his allegiances to Syria and signed a document with Hezbollah. Other politicians from the “March 14 Movement” then stopped the demonstrations, leaving them with the support of God knows what. They failed in removing the pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud and brought back a pro-Syrian politician to serve as a speaker of the house, Nabih Berri. Meanwhile, even as they were elected by the faithful Cedar Revolution masses, they engaged in a round table dialogue with Hezbollah, a clear trap set by Hassan Nasrallah: “Let’s talk about the future,” he said — with the implication, of course, that they forget about the Cedar Revolution and the militia’s disarming. While political leaders sat for months, enjoying the photo ops with Hassan Nasrallah, he was preparing his counter offensive, which he unleashed just a few days before the Security Council would discuss the future of Iran’s nuclear programs.
The Lebanese government of Prime Minister Seniora also abandoned the Cedar Revolution. His cabinet neither disarmed Hezbollah nor called on the U.N. to help in implementing UNSCR 1559. This omission is baffling. The government was given so much support by the international community and, more importantly, overwhelming popular support inside Lebanon: 80 percent of the people were hoping the Cedar Revolution-backed government would be the one to resume the liberation of the country. Now Hezbollah has an upper hand and the government is on the defensive.
The U.S. and its allies can be accused of certain shortcomings as well. While the speeches by the U.S. president, congressional leaders from both parties, Tony Blair, and Jacques Chirac were right on target regarding Lebanon, and while the U.S. and its counterparts on the Security Council were diligent in their follow up on the Hariri assassination and on implementing UNSCR 1559, there was no policy or plan to support the popular movement in Lebanon. Incredibly, while billions were spent on the war of ideas in the region, Lebanese NGOs that wanted to resume the struggle of the Cedar Revolution and fighting alone for this purpose were not taken seriously at various levels. Policy planners thought they were dealing with the “Cedar Revolution” when they were meeting Lebanon’s government and Lebanese politicians. The difference between the high level speeches on Lebanon and the laissez-faire approach from lower levels is amazing. Simply put, there was no policy on supporting the Cedar Revolution against the three regimes opposing it and the $400 million received by Hezbollah from Iran.
The Cedar Revolution was basically betrayed by its own politicians and is now essentially without a head. Nevertheless, as long as the international support remains, the Revolution will find its way and will face the dangers. The one and a half million ordinary citizens who braved all the dangers didn’t change their minds about Hezbollah’s terror. The resistance and counter-attack was to be expected. Unfortunately, thus far Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah have outmaneuvered the West and are at the throats of the Cedar Revolution. The international community must revise its plans, and, if it is strongly backed by the U.S. and its allies, including France, the situation can be salvaged. The good seeds are still inside the country.
More at link...
School Vandal Sought
Fifth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s assistance in their investigation of several acts of vandalism that occurred at three Holbrook schools on Sept. 20. Suffolk police say that during the early morning hours, Sachem School District security discovered three separate schools vandalized with spray paint. During the investigation, police found that letters and pictures had been painted on various surfaces of the schools. The targeted schools were Grundy Avenue Elementary on Grundy Avenue, Merrimac Elementary on Broadway Avenue and Seneca Middle School on Main Street. Anyone who may have witnessed this crime, or who may have information about it, is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
Man Seriously Burned in Basement Fire
Homicide and Arson Squad detectives are investigating a fire which left a 33-year-old man seriously injured in Mastic Beach on Sept. 20 at 11 a.m. Suffolk police say officers were called to a house on Woodside Road when neighbors reported that they heard an explosion at that location. When police arrived, they discovered that Gus Asimakopoulos of Mastic had been extensively burned. Asimakopoulos was working on the oil burner at the home. He was taken by police helicopter to Stony Brook University Hospital with burns over 75 percent of his body. The investigation is continuing.
http://www.longislandpress.com/index.php?show=article&cp=217&a_id=9870
http://www.longislandpress.com/?cp=162&show=article&a_id=9740
Holy High Alert!
Tom Durante 09/18/2006 3:02 pm
A threat on MySpace.com has forced administrators at Holy Trinity Diocesan High School in Hicksville to mandate tighter security and police presence at each of the school’s exits.
In a statement released on the school’s Web site, Holy Trinity officials said they had received a security and safety threat via MySpace.com and have been working with Nassau cops to catch the suspect or suspects involved. Holy Trinity has limited school access to three exits, each with a Nassau police officer to help “ensure safety.”
The school also said that if parents wanted to keep their children home today, it will be regarded as an excused absence.
[reminder report on shukrijumah]
Most alarming was the report that Adnan el-Shukrijumah, the appointed Mohammed Atta for the next 9/11, had secured the services of Mara Salvatrucha to reenter the United States after a series of all-out alarms had been issued for his arrest. Shukrijumah is now in the US as of this September 2005!
Adnan el-Shukrijumah was born in Guyana on August 4, 1975 – the first born of Gulshair el-Shukrijumah, a forty-four-year-old radical Muslim cleric, and his sixteen year old wife. In 1985 Gulshair migrated to the United States, where he assumed duties as the imam of the Farouq mosque – a mosque that raised millions for the jihad and that served as a recruiting station for Al Qaeda. In 1995 the Shukrijumah family moved to Miramar, Florida, where Gulshair became the spiritual leader of the radical Masjid al-Hijah and where Adnan became friend with José Padilla, who planned to detonate a radiological bomb in midtown Manhattan; Mandhai Jokan, who was convicted of attempting to blow up nuclear power plants in southern Florida; and a group of other home-grown terrorists.
Adnan attended flight schools in Florida and Norman, Oklahoma, along with Mohammed Atta and the other 9/11 operatives, and he became an accomplished commercial jet pilot, although he never applied for a license with the Federal Aviation Commission.
In April 2001 Adnan spent ten days in Panama, where he reportedly met with al Qaeda officials to assist in the planning of 9/11. He also traveled to Trinidad and Guyana. The following month, he obtained an associate’s degree in computer engineering from Broward Community College.
During this time, he managed to amass passports from Guyana, Trinidad, Saudi Arabia, the United States, and Canada. He also began to adopt a number of aliases, including Adnan G. el-Shukrijumah, Abu Arifi, Jafar al-Tayyar, Jaafar At Yayyar, Ja’far al-Tayar, and Mohammed Sher Mohammed Khan. (the name that appeared on his official FBI file.) He traveled to Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, where he met with Ramzi Binalshibh, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, and other members of the al Qaeda high command. The planners of 9/11. He also spent considerable time within the al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan, where he was trained in explosives.
El-Shukrijumah proved to be unique among the terrorists. Not only could he speak English without the slightest trace of an accent, but he also possessed the ability to blend into a crowd, to alter his looks, and to assume a multitude of identities. He represented the proverbial Mr. Cellophane.
Following the success of 9/11, el-Shukrijumah became singled out by bin Laden and al-Zawahiri to serve as the field commander for the next great attack on US soil – the so-called American Hiroshima – that would leave millions dead and the richest and most powerful nation on earth in ashes. In preparation for this mission, Adnan, along with fellow al Qaeda sleeper agents Anas al-Liby, Jaber A. Elbaneh, and Amer el Maati, was sent to McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, a facility that boasted a five-megawatt nuclear research reactor, the largest reactor of any educational facility in Canada.
At McMaster, where they may have enrolled under aliases, el-Shukrijumah and his associates wasted little time in gaining access to the nuclear reactor and stealing more than 180 ponds of nuclear waste for the creation of radiological bombs.
In the wake of Operation Enduring Freedom, US military officials discovered the reoccurrence of el-Shukrijumah’s name in “pocket litter” – documents and scraps taken from prisoners and dead al Qaeda soldiers. The name did not set off immediate alarms until Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, al Qaeda’s military operations chief, was captured in Karachi, Pakistan. After days of interrogations, coupled with severe sleep deprivation, Khalid Mohammed, as noted earlier, told US officials that bin Laden was planning to create a “nuclear hell storm” in America. Unlike other attacks, the terrorist chief said, the chain of command for the nuclear attack answered directly to bin Laden, al-Zawahiri, and a mysterious scientist called “Dr.X” He further confessed that the field commander was a naturalized American citizen whom he called “Jafar al-Tayyar” (“Jafer the Pilot”).
US officials soon learned that Jafar the Pilot was an alias for Adnan el-Shukrijumah and that he and other al Qaeda agents had been sent to McMaster. By the time Canadian officials became alerted to the situation, it was too late – the elusive Adnan had already crossed the border into Buffalo, where he remained sheltered by members of a local mosque.
On March 21, 2004, Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI director Robert Mueller issued a BOLO (“be-on-the-lookout”) for el-Shukrijumah and Amer el-Maati, along with Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani woman who received a biology degree from MIT and penned a doctoral thesis on neurological science at Brandeis; Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani (aka “Fôopie”), who took part in the 1998 embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania; and Adam Yahiye Gadahn (aka Adam Pearlman), a convert to Islam who grew up on a goat ranch in Riverside, California. Also mentioned was Abderraouf Jdey, the leader of the al Qaeda cell in Toronto.
Several days after the BOLO was released, Adnan and Jdey were spotted at a Denny’s Restaurant in Avon, Colorado, where one ordered a chicken sandwich and a salad. The restaurant manager described them as “demanding, rude and obnoxious.”
Following this sighting, the diminutive Adnan, who stands at five feet four and weighs 132 pounds, resurfaced at a terrorist summit in the lawless Waziristan Province of Pakistan in March 2004. The summit has been described by the FBI as a “pivotal planning session” in much the same manner a 2000 meeting in Kuala Lumpur was for the 9/11 attacks. Attending the meeting were Mohammed Babar, who (as stated above) has been charged with buying materials to build bombs for use in attacks in Great Britain, and al-Hindi, a Pakistani technician whose computer contained plans for staging attacks at financial institutions in New York, New Jersey, and Washington, DC.
On May 27, 2004, el-Shukrijumah was spotted at an Internet café in Tegucigalpa, the hilly capital of Honduras, where he made calls to France, Canada, and the United States. He was described as badly dressed and bearded. At his table were Mara Salvatrucha leaders (jefes) from Panama, El Salvador, Mexico and Honduras.
From Tegucigalpa, he made his way north to Belize in British Honduras and , from Belize, to Mexico’s Quintana Roo State, south of Cancun.
El-Shukrijumah remained in Mexico for much of the summer. In late August, he was spotted in the northern Mexican province of Sonora near “terrorist alley” (Where 8,000 illegals from terror-prone countries like Sudan, Yemen, Egypt, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia have come into the US in the past six months.) Alberto Chapetti of the US Consulate in Nogales issued warnings about the presence of the terrorist in the area along with the posting of a $5 million reward for tips leading to his arrest.
Concern about el-Shukrijumah’s sojourn in Mexico was heightened in November 2004 with the arrest in Pakistan of Sharif al-Masri, a key al Qaeda operative. Al-Masri, an Egyptian national with close ties to Ayman al-Zawahiri, informed interrogators that al Qaeda has made arrangements to smuggle nuclear supplies and small tactical nuclear weapons into Mexico. From Mexico, the weapons were to be transported across the border with the help of a Latino street gang.
In response to this information, US officials began monitoring all heavy trucks crossing the border, while Mexican officials pledged to keep close watch over flight schools and aviation facilities. Such precautions may have been adopted too late. A piper PA Pawnee crop duster had been stolen from Ejido Queretaro near Mexicali on November 1, 2004. The plane’s tail number was XBCYP. The thieves, Mexican officials surmised, were either drug dealers or al Qaeda operatives, and clearly one was a highly trained pilot.
Dr. Paul Williams states that Osama has smuggled ten to twenty nuclear weapons into the US! American Hiroshima could happen soon!
http://www.stopdoomsday.com/article-Al-Qaeda-Connection.html
[several photos at link]
http://www.globalcrisiswatch.com/060929.php
As-Sahab Releases "Bush, the Catholic Pope, and Darfur: The Crusader's Wars"
By Nick Grace and Richard Lafayette
September 29, 2006
The thirteenth video of al Qaeda deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri was released on the Internet today by as-Sahab, the terror network's media wing. The 18-minute production, titled "Bush, the Catholic Pope, and Darfur: The Crusader's Wars," is not as well produced as previous Zawahiri messaging products and appears to have been rushed by as-Sahab "onto the street" in order to respond quickly to current events.
The video features two separate videos of Zawahiri - one which is well-produced using computer-generated and bluescreening techniques, and a second one that appears to have been hastily taped in front of a tarp in an open air environment. The well-produced segment is an 8-minute response by aZawahiri to a speech that President Bush delivered on September 7, 2006, relating to the Global War on Terror and the intelligence gains the U.S. has achieved through detainee interrogations. The second and poorly produced video is a 10-minute speech about the situation in Darfur and the controversial September 12, 2006, lecture by Pope Benedict XVI. The transition between the two segments is a hard cut in the video.
Interestingly, a key theme that has been visible in recent as-Sahab products but which is conspicuously absent from this video is al Qaeda's effort to undermine secular and moderate Muslims.
The video
The contrast between the cameras, lighting and environment used in both segments is light and day, and it is clear that the second video was recorded somewhat in haste. What remains unclear is why as-Sahab chose to bundle the two speeches into a single messaging product.
http://www.globalcrisiswatch.com/aq/060929_zawahiri.rm [38.1 Megs]
In advance of the product release onto the Internet , an animated gif banner was posted in advance on the al-Bouraq and Ekhlaas Forum message boards late on Wednesday, September 27.
The video was released in three file formats (DixX, RealMedia and 3GP) and packaged in the RAR format, which is usually used to "zip" multiple files together. The RAR files are password-protected, presumably to block the video from being opened and viewed by Web surfers who discover the files through random searches, with the password, "AVdeoC2008."
A total of four different file sizes have been posted to exactly 328 links on free file transfer sites.
183 Megs (DivX): 56 links
28.2 Megs (RM): 84 links
18.9 Megs (RM): 111 links
5.52 Megs (3GP): 77 links
Interestingly, the name of the RAR file varies on some of the links.
183 Megs (DivX): nd2-k.rar, ikjiokkkkkkawaer.rar, uytp.rar, oipf.rar, sauder4555.rar, tttttyttttyuucd.rar, 8iuuyyyyuuuu7.rar
28.2 Megs (RM): pend2m.rar
18.9 Megs (RM): dr_paN.rar, p-G3nd.rar, dr-paN.rar, drpaN.rar, N_low.rar
5.52 Megs (3GP): pGGnd.rar
The reason for the use of multiple file names is probably for security and counterintelligence purposes. In the event of a leak or mole within as-Sahab's nebulous network of Internet seeders, al Qaeda could determine the source of the leak by identifying who had access to and responsibility for a compromised file.
Segment 1
The first segment features Zawahiri wearing a white tunic and black turban and sitting in an office environment and reading from cue cards held just to the left of the camera. Close examination of the video, however, reveals that the "office" is a well-produced 3D graphic. Behind him is a flag bearing "No God but Allah" written in Arabic, a smaller desk flag, which cannot be identified, to his left and to his right a miniature model of a cannon, which symbolizes the ceremonial cannon used in the Middle East that is fired daily at sunset during the month of Ramadan to announce the break of the fast.
Indeed this segment has clearly been bluescreened. Although As-Sahab's bluescreening capabilities are increasingly sophisticated with the release of each new messaging product, the lighting used in the raw video footage is too bright against the softer tones of the background collage. The hard edges of the bluescreen matte is visible in his finger when he points upwards and also on his left shoulder, directly under the model cannon. The sides of his beard also display a "halo effect," which is a common problem when bluescreening is attempted. The "halo effect" is also noticeable in the blur of his hand and finger when he moves quickly. See examples here and here. Furthermore, the light of the lamp to his right does not contain a "hot spot" where the bulb would be and also does not shine onto the flag that "hangs" on the wall.
This segment is subtitled in English and appears to have been translated by a native English speaker. Common grammatical mistakes - leaving commas outside of end quotes - are prominent and the acronym "KIA" (Killed in Action) is used.
Zawahiri addresses President Bush, "the lying failure" and "deceitful charlatan," and focuses heavily on Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM), whose interrogations Bush specifically cited in his September 7 speech on the Global War on Terror. While stating that the "liberation" of KSM and other al Qaeda assets in U.S. custody is "a debt on our shoulders which we must fulfill," Zawahiri takes pains to make the point that KSM "has hurt you thousands of times more than you have hurt him."
Zawahiri claims that the U.S. is retreating in the face of advances by the Mujahideen in Iraq and Afghanistan, and repeatedly calls Bush a "liar" whose bluff the speech is meant to counter. "Can't you be honest at least once in your life," he states, "and admit that you are a deceitful liar who intentionally deceived your nation when you drove them to war in Iraq... And do you have the courage to stand in front of your people and tell your nation that you lied to them and drove them – and continue to drive them – to terrible things because of foolish fantasies?"
The video ends abruptly and hard cuts to the second segment.
Segment 2
The second segment features Zawahiri sitting in front of a brown tarp and appears to have been recorded in an open air environment with ambient lighting. The overall effect is odd, especially in comparision with the first segment, because the lighting is very poor and it appears that the source video was of very low quality. The sound of wind against the microphone clipped to his shirt is audible at times and the tarp ripples throughout the video. Nevertheless, Zawahiri is more relaxed in the segment as he reads cue cards to the side of the camera, gesticulates with both of his hands and even cracks a smile at one point.
This segment is not subtitled in English and its publication seems to have been rushed.
Zawahiri connects two subjects in the speech - the September 12 lecture by Pope Benedict XVI that led to outrage and riots across the world as well as the proposal over the deployment of United Nations peacekeepers to war-torn Darfur.
Regarding the Pope, Zawahiri calls him a "charlatan" and states that the Pope "accused Islam of being incompatible with rationality while forgetting that his own Christianity is unacceptable to a sensible mind." According to the SITE Institute, he calls upon the Pope and Christians to convert to Islam. "We will call upon him," he says, "and all of the Christians to become Muslims who do not recognize the Trinity or the crucifixion, and say that Allah united with the human."
He then rallies his audience to converge onto Darfur, where a largely Christian black minority is under siege from Sudanese Muslim Arabs, and states "O Muslim nation, come to defend your lands from Crusaders masked as United Nations (forces). Nothing will protect you except popular jihad."
Transcript of Segment 1
In the name of Allah, and all praise is due to Allah, and may peace and prayers be upon the Messenger of Allah, and his family, companions and allies. Muslim brothers everywhere: peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
The murderer and spiller of Muslim blood, Bush, has stated that he has secret prisons, in which he holds the dangerous leaders of the group Qaida al-Jihad, including the Mujahid brother Khalid al-Shaykh Muhammad (may Allah free him), and he has stated that during the three years after Khalid al-Shaykh Muhammad’s arrest, the interrogators have been able to get from Khalid al-Shaykh Muhammad valuable information which has helped the Crusaders to kill and arrest a number of leaders of al-Qaida.
But I ask this lying failure: who are these leaders of al-Qaida whose killing or capture was facilitated by the information extracted from Khalid al-Shaykh Muhammad?! And I say to him: you lying failure!
What is the extent of your losses after the capture of Khalid al-Shaykh Muhammad (may Allah free him)?
Bush – you deceitful charlatan – three and a half years have passed since your capture of Khalid al-Shaykh Muhammad, so how have you found us during this time?
Losing and surrendering? Or – by the grace of Allah – attacking, seeking martyrdom, advancing and injuring you on a daily basis, with Allah’s help?
The strikes of the Mujahideen have deprived you of the pleasure of quenching your thirst for revenge with the capture of our champions, those who repeat what Abu Firaas said:
I have been captured, although my friends are not defenseless in war
Nor is my horse a foal or its master unskilled
But if the elimination of a man is decreed
Then neither Earth nor sea can save him
And my friends said, “Either flight or death”
So I said: they are two things the sweetest of which is bitter
But I will go to that in which there is no shame
And enough for you are two things the best of which is captivity
They say to me, “You’ve sold safety for death”
So I said: by Allah, I have not suffered loss
And will death abandon me for an hour if captivity doesn’t abandon me?
Death is loss, so choose that which preserves your memory
For man has not died as long as his memory is preserved.
And I tell him: you lying failure, why can’t you be brave at least once in your life and inform your nation of the disasters being faced by your forces in Afghanistan and Iraq? Why don’t you tell them how many million citizens of America and its allies you intend to kill in search of the imaginary victory and in breathless pursuit of the mirage towards which you are driving your people’s sons in order to increase your profits?
Can’t you be honest at least once in your life, and admit that you are a deceitful liar who intentionally deceived your nation when you drove them to war in Iraq under the pretext of the presence of nuclear weapons there and under the pretext of al-Qaida’s connections with Saddam Hussein, following which evidence proved that you intentionally lied and misled?
And do you have the courage to stand in front of your people and tell your nation that you lied to them and drove them – and continue to drive them – to terrible things because of foolish fantasies?
And I tell him: you foolhardy charlatan, if the arrest of Khalid al-Shaykh Muhammad (may Allah free him) has helped you in the “war on terror,” why then are your forces retreating in secret from the south and east of Afghanistan and being replaced by the forces of NATO which are screaming for help due to the horribleness of what is happening to them at the hands of the Taliban and al-Qaida?
And I tell him: if the capture of Khalid al-Shaykh Muhammad (may Allah free him) has enables you to inflict blows on al-Qaida, why then are your forces hastily arranging their pullout from Iraq?
And I tell him: Khalid al-Shaykh Muhammad (may Allah free him) has hurt you thousands of times more than you have hurt him.
Abu Firaas says,
They boast of removing my clothes, while
My clothes are red with their blood
And a sword’s hilt whose blade broke in them
And the butt of a spear whose head was destroyed in them
Khalid al-Shaykh Muhammad is a soldier of Islam who has been fighting its enemies, the Russians and the Americans, for more than 20 years.
And I tell him: Khalid al-Shaykh Muhammad is the leader of a march, pioneer of an awakening and vanguard of a nation, and he has left behind him thousands who have either learned from him or learned from those who learned from him and who take as their example his life story and his continuing sacrifices and giving of himself in Allah’s path for the word of Allah to be the highest and the word of the unbelievers the lowest.
And I say to him: what you have perpetrated against Khalid al-Shaykh Muhammad and the other Muslim captives in your prisons and the prisons of your slaves in Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan and elsewhere, is not hidden from anyone, and we are a people who do not sleep under oppression and who do not abandon our revenge until our chests have been healed of those who have aggressed against us.
And we, by the grace of Allah, are seeking to exact revenge on behalf of Islam and Muslims from you and your soldiers and allies.
So persevere – if you can – through the horrors of war, because we – with Allah’s help – are persevering.
Al-Baroodi (may Allah have mercy on him) said,
When the people call on each other and the spears cross
And the war turns on its axis
When the people want to flee from death
And the horses’ chests heave and the blows become severe
And when the empty earth turns with us as if we
Have drunk of a cup from which no one awakes
I persevere in it until its sky clears
And I persevere when misfortune strikes
Bush, you deceitful charlatan: you’ve captured Ramzi Yousef, Umar Abd al-Rahman, Wali Khan, Ibn al-Shaykh, Ramzi bin al-Shibh, Khalid al-Shyakh, Abu al-Faraj al-Libi and hundreds of Mujahideen and champions of Islam in your war against Islam which you call the “war on terror.”
And you agents in the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan have captured thousands of the youth and soldiers of Islam whom you made to taste at your hands and the hands of your agents various types of punishment and torture.
But we, by Allah’s grace, are taking revenge on their behalf daily from your troops and the troops of your allies and agents in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, the Arabian Peninsula and all Muslims countries from Indonesia to Morocco, and moreover, on your own soil every day.
And the terribleness of the fighting only increases our determination to sacrifice and give of ourselves in the Path of Allah.
Abd al-Rahman, son of Hassan bin Thabit (Allah was pleased with them both) said,
I am from an honorable people who increase in
Hostility and courage with the severity of events
Bush, you deceitful charlatan: be aware that the liberation of our captives is a debt on our shoulders which we must fulfill, with Allah’s help and power.
And be aware, you deceitful charlatan, that you are not facing individuals or organizations, but rather are facing the Muslim nation in which the spirit of Jihad flows and which refuses humiliation under Zionist/Crusader arrogance.
So are you able to kill or capture the nation of Islam?
Therefore, stop the bluffing that you have captured so-and-so and killed so-and-so, because Iraq and Afghanistan are overflowing with the bodies of your KIAs, and their buddies are fleeing from death to death, suicidal and despondent.
[good photos at link]
http://www.globalcrisiswatch.com/060917.php
As-Sahab Releases "Jihad Poems of Sheikh Abu Yahya al-Libi"
By Nick Grace
September 17, 2006
As-Sahab, al Qaeda's media propaganda unit, today released a new 23-minute video on radical message boards called "Jihad Poems of Sheikh Abu Yahya al-Libi" that features Mohammad Hassan (alias Abu Yahya al-Libi), an al Qaeda fighter originally from Libya who escaped from Bagram prison in July 2005. He appears wearing a suicide vest as he reads handwritten notes in front of at least 14 al Qaeda militants, some of which clutch kalashnikovs. During the introduction of the video the crowd fires the weapons into the air.
This is the fourth known video to feature al-Libi. Previous as-Sahab videos that include him include a sermon in celebration of Eid, a eulogy to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and an interview about his imprisonment and escape from Bagram. Unlike most of as-Sahab's recent video products, this new video is not subtitled in English.
An animated gif banner was posted in advance on the Ekhlaas Forum, the main portal for al Qaeda messaging, on Friday, September 15.
The video was released in two file formats (MPEG and RealMedia) and compressed in the RAR format. The RAR files are password-protected, presumably to block the video from being opened and viewed by Web surfers who discover the files through random searches. The password, "qwert55," is included in the text of as-Sahab's post on the Ekhlaas Forum.
A total of five different file sizes have been posted to exactly 300 links on free file transfer sites, including sendspace.com, badongo.com, openupload.com, megaupload.com, depositfiles.com, filehostia.com, quicksharing.com, share2net.com, filecities.com, filefactory.com, bigupload.com, desiupload.net, clonefile.com, filehosting.cc, savefile.info, fileblob.com, uploadr.com, spywork.info, axifile.com, mytempdir.com, savefile.com, easy-share.com, sharex1.com, bigupload.com, rogepost.com, share42.com, rapidshare.de, zshare.net, ez-files.net, yourfilelink.com, quickdump.com, savefile.info, oron.com, storeandserve.com, crazefiles.com, reshare.co.uk, up4world.com, filecoast.com, uploadyourfiles.de, transferbigfiles.com, razr-host.net, uploadpalace.com, and hyperupload.com.
227 Megs (MPEG): 44 links
38.1 Megs (RM): 89 links
16.9 Megs (RM): 73 links
7.96 Megs (RM): 58 links
3.52 Megs (RM): 36 links
http://www.globalcrisiswatch.com/aq/060917_assahab.rm [38.1 Megs]
The video appears to have been recorded recently during the Summer months with two cameras. Wide shots reveal background topography, especially two distant hills behind al-Libi, but it remains unclear where this product was taped. Trained analysts may, in fact, be able to identify the location. The lighting is also rather poor in comparison with other videos and there does not appear to be any visible direct sunlight. It is possible that al-Libi's speech was conducted either at sunrise or shortly before dusk.
This is a 9-25-06 program on terrorism, I managed to hear the Pakistan portion and found it very good, the same and yet with more background info.
http://www.globalcrisiswatch.com/gcw/gcw_060925.mp3
from:
http://www.globalcrisiswatch.com/
This is a WorldNetDaily printer-friendly version of the article which follows.
To view this item online, visit http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52200
Friday, September 29, 2006
FAITH UNDER FIRE
Girl rejects boy – he starts riots that burn 18 churches
Nigerian catastrophe triggered when Christian brushes off Muslim's 'advances'
Posted: September 29, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
Pastor Olaribigbe in front of the destroyed Celestial Church of Christ
An investigation has revealed that the Muslim riots that destroyed 18 Christian churches, 20 homes owned by Christians and dozens of Christian shops in the Nigerian city of Dutse happened after a Christian girl rejected a Muslim boy's advances.
As WND reported earlier, the riots erupted after the boy accused the girl of "blasphemy" to the prophet Muhammad.
(Story continues below)
Now word comes from Voice of the Martyrs that the investigation shows nearly 5,000 Christians were displaced and 40 Christian shops destroyed in the capital city of Jigawa state.
"After an Islamic young man made several unsuccessful advances on Jummai, a female Christian, he angrily reacted by calling her a fake Christian who follows a 'useless Jesus,'" the VOM report said.
"Jummai responded by telling the boy he followed a 'useless prophet – Muhammad'," the report said. "Furious, the Muslim boy raised alarm through the town by proclaiming that a Christian lady blasphemed Muhammad. She was quickly taken to the local police station where she was kept in custody to diffuse the potentially volatile situation."
After several hours, the Muslim returned to the police station with a "militant band of friends" and incited them to attack police by alleging the woman wasn't being punished after her "insult" to Muhammad.
At least six Christians were injured in the resulting riots that destroyed churches, homes, vehicles and shops, officials said.
The government ended up imposing a nighttime curfew and deploying soldiers in tanks and trucks to deter further mayhem, officials said.
Aderemi Ogunmola was treated for a slash on his head
Voice of the Martyrs also said Aderemi Ogunmola was one of the Christians who was caught in the violence, and was captured by the Muslim militants to be beaten and slashed. They doused him with gasoline but he fled before he could be killed.
Rioters also ransacked the Christ Apostolic Church and while Pastor Adeyinka was trying to flee in his car, they stopped him and burned his car as he escaped.
Pastor Adeyinki and his burned car
Voice of the Martyrs said it is mobilizing workers to help repair the damage at Calvary Life Church, Divine Life Church, Assemblies of God Church, Living Faith Church, Christ Apostolic Church, The Apostolic Church, Ecwa Clinic Church, Presbyterian Church, Anglican Cathedral, Celestial Church and others.
The Christian aid organization Barnabas Fund said the conflagration destroyed two-thirds of all Christian churches in the area, including St. Peter's Anglican Cathedral, and there were reports that the state's governor himself was attacked when he tried to calm the mob.
The Barnabas Fund noted Muslims already were in an uproar worldwide because of a recent comment from the pope where he cited a historic document that describes Islam as violent.
"There have been attacks against Christians in the Palestinian territories, Somalia and Iraq," the group said.
The comments from the pope that have left the Muslim world calling either for his death or his conversion to Islam came as he quoted 14th-century Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus.
"He said, I quote, 'Show me just what Muhammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached," the pope quoted.
Related special offer:
Stay informed! Sign up for a free subscription to The Voice of the Martyrs' newsletter now
Iran mulled nuclear bomb in 1988
By Frances Harrison
BBC News, Tehran
A letter from 1988 in which Iran's top commander says Iran could need a nuclear bomb to win the war against Iraq has come to light in Tehran.
The commander is quoted in the letter, written by the father of the Iranian revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini, to top officials in the final days of the war.
It has only now been made public - by former President Hashemi Rafsanjani.
The letter seems at odds with Tehran's statements that Iran is not seeking a bomb because it is against Islam.
Sensitive
The letter from Ayatollah Khomeini lists the requirements of military commanders if they are to continue fighting against Iraq.
It mentions more aircraft, helicopters, men and weapons, and also quotes the top commander saying Iran would within five years need laser-guided and atomic weapons in order to win the war.
Some Iranian news agencies have, however, deleted the reference to atomic weapons in the letter.
It is sensitive because Iran has always said it is not seeking a nuclear weapon and leading clerics say an atomic bomb would be against Islam.
Ayatollah Khomeini's letter also reveals how challenged Iran's economy and military were by the eight years of war against Iraq.
The letter quotes the prime minister of the time saying the economy was operating at a level below zero and volunteers for the front were in short supply.
Ayatollah Khomeini's letter has been made public at a time when Iran is preparing for a possible confrontation with the US over its nuclear programme.
But it also comes against a background of an argument between Mr Rafsanjani and a top military commander over who was instrumental in persuading Ayatollah Khomeini to agree to a ceasefire with Iraq that the Ayatollah himself likened to drinking a poisoned chalice.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/5392584.stm
Published: 2006/09/29 14:50:20 GMT
© BBC MMVI
Wreckage of Brazil flight spotted
Brazil's air force has located the wreckage of a passenger plane which disappeared over the Amazon rainforest, the country's airport authority says.
The Boeing 737, which had 155 people on board, was flying from Manaus to the capital, Brasilia, when it vanished.
It was found in a remote area of the rural state of Mato Grosso.
"At this moment there is no way of telling if there are any survivors," said Denise Abreu, a director of the Brazilian Aviation Agency.
Initial reports said the airliner appeared to have collided with a smaller private plane, but aviation officials now say this cannot be confirmed.
Flight 1907 was operated by budget airline Gol, which has expanded rapidly in recent years to become Brazil's number two carrier.
This is the first major crash involving Gol, which was founded in 2001.
In a statement, Gol said the plane involved was new, having only come into service this month.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/5395042.stm
Published: 2006/09/30 13:41:06 GMT
© BBC MMVI
Priest is horrified at body find
A Roman Catholic priest is "utterly shattered" that police looking for a missing woman have found a body in his Glasgow church.
Angelika Kluk, a 23-year-old Polish student, had been living at St Patrick's Church, where Father Gerry Nugent is the priest.
A post mortem will be carried out on the unidentified body.
Strathclyde Police said that Peter Tobin, the man last seen with Ms Kluk, was a registered sex offender.
Ronnie Convery, the director of communications at Glasgow's Roman Catholic Archdiocese, said everyone was horrified at the find and that Fr Nugent was "utterly shattered" when he heard the news.
Mr Convery added: "It is almost unbelievably horrific.
"The idea that a body could be found in or around a church almost defies belief.
"Obviously, those most directly affected are shattered by this news.
"Father Gerry Nugent, who's been spending every waking hour for the past week trying to help the police, has been asked to leave the premises because the whole place is sealed off.
"He's completely shattered by this news."
Strathclyde Police Detective Superintendent David Swindle said that it was too early to give any further details regarding the identification of the body.
He made a further appeal for Peter Tobin to come forward.
Ms Kluk was reported missing on Monday after she failed to turn up for work.
Tobin had been doing odd jobs at the church and had been known by the congregation as Pat McLaughlin.
Police said that 60-year-old Tobin had supplied officers with a false name, address and age before vanishing just days after the student went missing.
Homeless group
The last known address for Tobin, who was jailed in 1994 for raping a 14-year-old girl and indecently assaulting her friend in Hampshire, was in Paisley.
Police said the body was discovered at 2000 BST on Friday, after a detailed search of the church premises.
Earlier on Friday, police revealed that the man last seen with Ms Kluk was a registered sex offender.
This was the second summer the language studies student had stayed in Glasgow, where her sister Aneta, 28, works as a secretary. She had already bought her ticket home.
On Saturday, officers stood guard at the church entrance and a police cordon has been put in place across the gates to the chapel house.
Tobin became involved with the chapel about two months ago through the local homeless group Loaves And Fishes.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/glasgow_and_west/5394398.stm
Published: 2006/09/30 13:03:06 GMT
© BBC MMVI
Pakistan 'role in Mumbai attacks'
Pakistan's intelligence agency was behind the train blasts in Mumbai in July that killed 186 people, Indian police say.
The attacks were planned by the ISI and carried out by the Islamist militant group Lashkar-e-Toiba, based in Pakistan, Mumbai's police chief said.
AN Roy said the Students' Islamic Movement of India had also assisted.
Pakistan rejected the allegations and said India had given no evidence of Pakistani involvement in the attacks.
"We have solved the 11 July bombings case. The whole attack was planned by Pakistan's ISI and carried out by Lashkar-e-Toiba and their operatives in India," Mumbai (Bombay) police commissioner AN Roy told a news conference.
'Baseless'
Mr Roy said 15 people had been arrested, and that some of the bombers had received training in Pakistan.
Tariq Azim Khan, Pakistan's minister of state for information, rejected the allegations.
"We are still studying the Indian statement. Needless to say, this is once again baseless allegations - yet another attempt by India to malign Pakistan," he told the BBC.
"Both the president and the prime minister condemned this terrorist attack on the train when it happened. But India also must look at home for reasons for this growing insurgency at home," he said.
On 11 July 2006, seven co-ordinated blasts within 15 minutes ripped through trains on Mumbai's busy commuter network.
Indian security officials suggested early on in their investigations that the bombings bore the hallmarks of Lashkar-e-Toiba, a leading militant group fighting in Kashmir and based in Pakistan.
Pakistan denied any involvement in the blasts and Lashkar-e-Toiba condemned the attacks.
India postponed talks with Pakistan after the bombs, but Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf met recently in Cuba and said they had agreed to resume talks.
The two nations, both nuclear armed, have fought three wars since independence, two over the disputed territory of Kashmir.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/south_asia/5394686.stm
Published: 2006/09/30 12:30:25 GMT
© BBC MMVI
West 'will fail' without Pakistan
'We helped the West'
Pakistan's president has warned the West would be "brought to its knees" without his country's co-operation in the so-called war on terror.
"If we were not with you, you won't manage anything," said President Pervez Musharraf in a BBC Radio 4 interview.
He said the Taleban, not al-Qaeda, was now the focus of the struggle against militancy in the region.
"The greatest danger today is if the Taleban movement gets converted into a people's movement," he warned.
Earlier this week Tony Blair assured Gen Musharraf a leaked paper condemning Pakistan's intelligence service did not reflect his government's view.
In the leaked report, a naval commander at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) claimed Pakistan's intelligence service, ISI, had indirectly helped the Taleban and al-Qaeda.
In the BBC interview Mr Musharraf rejected these claims and said ISI's support was vital.
If we were not with you, you won't manage anything
President Pervez Musharraf
"You'll be brought down to your knees if Pakistan doesn't co-operate with you. That is all that I would like to say. Pakistan is the main ally. If we were not with you, you won't manage anything," he said.
"Let that be clear. And if ISI is not with you, you will fail."
'Historic debt'
He also claims the US and Britain had a historic debt to pay as Pakistan had helped "win the Cold War" for the West.
He argued that the West's strategy in Afghanistan towards the end of the Cold War helped to create the conditions which led to al-Qaeda's rise.
President Musharraf said mujahideen fighters went into the area from all over the world and the West armed and trained the Taleban. He said Pakistan was then left "high and dry".
His comments develop arguments he has made over the past few days at meetings with US President George W Bush and Tony Blair and a speech given in Oxford.
Gen Musharraf said the Pakistani government's aim in the country's tribal border areas was to "wean the people away" from supporting the Taleban, pointing out that while al-Qaeda was mainly comprised of "foreigners", the Taleban's support was more locally based.
He denied the suggestion that the tribal elders with whom the government has forged a recent agreement are a front for the Taleban.
He said the tribal elders were the "only way" to establish support from the local population: "The army cannot get them on our side".
'Disappearances 'denied
Gen Musharraf also strongly denied allegations by the human rights organisation Amnesty International that some alleged terror suspects had vanished without trace.
"I don't want even to reply to that, it is a nonsense, I don't believe it, I don't trust it," he said.
Gen Musharraf said the authorities had detained some 700 people, but all of them were accounted for.
Of the leaked MoD paper, British defence officials claimed it was written by a junior official, was unfinished and had not been seen by anyone who actually makes government policy.
After two hours of talks on Thursday Downing Street said Gen Musharraf had accepted Mr Blair's reassurances.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/south_asia/5394278.stm
Published: 2006/09/30 10:58:01 GMT
© BBC MMVI
Links to a search for al qaeda, appears to be mostly after
2000, all the old threats here, speeches, tapes, etc.
Worth taking a look at:
http://www.agmnews.com/buscador/search.jsp?start=0&lang=lang_es&accion=START&palabra=al-qaeda%20site:www.cnn.com
[unknown url]
Extremist Islam may be rising in Morocco
Associated Press
Friday, September 29, 2006
By JOHN THORNE, Associated Press Writer
Little would seem to connect a soldier, a shopkeeper, airline pilots'
wives and a woman known for helping people in need. But all have been
named as suspects in a purported Islamic terrorist plot, suggesting
extremism may be leaping Morocco's class divides.
In all, Moroccan authorities arrested 56 people last month for
allegedly being part of a network that was planning attacks on military and
tourist sites in hopes of bringing down the government of this North
African monarchy.
Since the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States and suicide bombings
two years later that killed 33 people in Casablanca, this country's
economic capital, Moroccans have grown accustomed to police crackdowns on
Islamic militants.
Thousands have been detained, drawing frequent accusations of abuse and
forced confessions at the hands of police.
What's new in the latest case is the wide range of people accused.
Middle-class women and security force members allegedly formed the core of
a group that authorities say called itself Ansar al-Mehdi, or
Supporters of the Mehdi - a divine figure in Islamic tradition who will
establish justice on Earth before Judgment Day.
Previously, Islamic extremism was most evident in Morocco's urban slums
like Sidi Moumen, the cinderblock jungle in Casablanca where many of
the 2003 suicide bombers lived. If the charges are true, the new case
would suggest Muslim militancy is spreading into the middle class.
Penetration of the army would be a particular blow because the
Western-equipped force has traditionally stood as a pillar of state power.
After the sweep, King Mohammed VI fired the head of military intelligence
and the head of Morocco's general security forces.
Morocco ended compulsory military service this month, but officials
said it had nothing to do with the Ansar al-Mehdi revelations.
Officials have released little information about the Mehdi suspects and
their alleged targets, divulging just a few names. The Justice Ministry
says judges are preparing for public hearings originally planned for
mid-September but now delayed until late October.
Two of the four female suspects are wives of Royal Air Maroc pilots,
and Interior Minister Chakib Benmoussa alleged they were recruited by
alleged Ansar al-Mehdi chief Hassan Khattab to carry out suicide attacks
in Morocco.
Khattab spent two years in jail for involvement in the May 2003 suicide
bombings.
Another woman in custody, Fatima Zahra Rehioui, 51, is described by
authorities as a central figure in the alleged plot. In a rare news
conference in August, Benmoussa said Rehioui was a confidant of Khattab and
knowingly gave him $17,280 for terrorist activities.
Rehioui's lawyer tells a different story, describing her as someone who
helps people. Attorney Khalid Idrissi said Khattab asked Rehioui for
the money so he could see a doctor about a heart condition and she gave
the money freely, with no questions asked.
"She's known as a very charitable woman who helps poor families in her
area, especially during Ramadan and at other religious festivals,"
Idrissi said.
Moroccan authorities say that Badr Bouziki, a 27-year-old shopkeeper,
also was deeply involved with Ansar al-Mehdi and that he helped test
explosives in forests near Sale, just outside the Moroccan capital, Rabat.
"I know that he's not guilty," said one of Bouziki's relatives. He
asked not to be further identified, saying he feared possible government
reprisal.
The relative said that Bouziki is not particularly religious and that
his arrest at a bus station while visiting relatives in north-central
Morocco came as "a complete surprise."
When he visited Bouziki in jail, the relative said, the suspect
complained of torture and showed signs of beatings.
Mohamed Khalouki, 27, whose family lives in an outlying village of
Sale, is one of five soldiers arrested in the terror sweep.
"We know the truth: He has nothing to do with Ansar al-Mehdi," said
Khalouki's sister, who also said she feared being quoted by name.
Growing up amid dusty fields, stands of pine trees and patches of
rubbish, Khalouki sought purpose in military service, choosing to enroll at
a military school at age 12, his family said.
Drawn early to music, he became a drummer in the army band, traveling
to Europe for concerts and shifting his ambitions to a musical career.
Denied permission to quit the army, he deserted in 2005 and was captured
this year, serving three months in jail, the family said.
"On the day he was supposed to get out, I went to pick him up, but he
wasn't there," a brother said. Khalouki had been transferred into police
custody for alleged involvement with four fellow band members in Ansar
al-Mehdi.
Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Hey granny ready to start a new thread...see email in about 5 minutes.
NEW THREAD OVER HERE>>>>
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1711256/posts
NEW TREAD OVER HERE>>>>????
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1711256/posts
http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2006&m=September&x=20060930101506esnamfuak0.7168238
30 September 2006
Bush Says Iraq Action Has Not Worsened Terror Threat
Says United States will keep its commitments to Iraqis who desire liberty and peace
President Bush rejected the notion that the 2003 U.S. and coalition military action in Iraq has worsened the threat from terrorism. He also warned that a premature withdrawal from Iraq would embolden extremists.
Speaking September 30 in his weekly radio address to the American public, Bush made his comments in reference to portions of the classified National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) that recently were leaked to the press and, in the president’s words, have “created a heated debate … and a lot of misimpressions about the document's conclusions.” (See related article.)
The president said the NIE concludes that extremists are exploiting four factors in an effort to attract supporters.
“[F]irst, long-standing grievances such as corruption, injustice, and a fear of Western domination; second, the jihad in Iraq; third, the slow pace of reform in Muslim nations; and fourth, pervasive anti-Americanism,” he said.
He warned against “buy[ing] into the enemy's propaganda that the terrorists attack us because we are provoking them,” and said the United States and Americans are targeted by terrorists because “they hate everything America stands for, and because they know we stand in the way of their ambitions to take over the Middle East.”
The president said the United States “keeps its commitments to those who long for liberty and want to live in peace,” and would not withdraw its forces from Iraq until their mission is accomplished.
“We will stand with the nearly 12 million Iraqis who voted for their freedom, and we will help them fight and defeat the terrorists there, so we do not have to face them here at home,” he said.
A withdrawal also would embolden extremists, he said. “It would help them find new recruits to carry out even more destructive attacks on our Nation, and it would give the terrorists a new sanctuary in the heart of the Middle East, with huge oil riches to fund their ambitions.”
The president also said that the only way for the United States to protect its citizens is to go on the offensive against terrorists around the world.
“When terrorists spend their days working to avoid capture, they are less able to plot, plan, and execute new attacks on our people,” he said.
An audio link to the president’s remarks is available on the White House Web site.
Following is the transcript:
(begin transcript)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
Saturday, September 30, 2006
RADIO ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT TO THE NATION
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Today I want to talk to you about a matter of national security that has been in the news -- the National Intelligence Estimate on terrorism. The NIE is a classified document that analyzes the threat we face from terrorists and extremists. Parts of this classified document were recently leaked to the press. That has created a heated debate in our Nation's capital, and a lot of misimpressions about the document's conclusions. I believe the American people should read the document themselves and come to their own conclusions, so I declassified its key judgments.
The National Intelligence Estimate confirms that we are up against a determined and capable enemy. The NIE lists four underlying factors that are fueling the extremist movement: first, long-standing grievances such as corruption, injustice, and a fear of Western domination; second, the jihad in Iraq; third, the slow pace of reform in Muslim nations; and fourth, pervasive anti-Americanism. It concludes that terrorists are exploiting all these factors to further their movement.
Some in Washington have selectively quoted from this document to make the case that by fighting the terrorists in Iraq, we are making our people less secure here at home. This argument buys into the enemy's propaganda that the terrorists attack us because we are provoking them. Here is what Prime Minister Tony Blair said this week about that argument: "This terrorism isn't our fault. We didn't cause it. It's not the consequence of foreign policy." Prime Minister Blair is right. We do not create terrorism by fighting terrorism. The terrorists are at war against us because they hate everything America stands for, and because they know we stand in the way of their ambitions to take over the Middle East. We are fighting to stop them from taking over Iraq and turning that country into a safe haven that would be even more valuable than the one they lost in Afghanistan.
Iraq is not the reason the terrorists are at war against us. Our troops were not in Iraq when terrorists first attacked the World Trade Center in 1993, or when terrorists blew up our embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, or when they bombed the USS Cole, or when they killed nearly 3,000 people on September the 11th, 2001. Five years after the 9/11 attacks, some people in Washington still do not understand the nature of the enemy. The only way to protect our citizens at home is to go on the offense against the enemy across the world. When terrorists spend their days working to avoid capture, they are less able to plot, plan, and execute new attacks on our people. So we will remain on the offense until the terrorists are defeated and this fight is won.
In my recent speeches, I've said we are in the early hours of a long struggle for civilization, and that our safety depends on the outcome of the battle in Iraq. The National Intelligence Estimate declares "perceived jihadist success there would inspire more fighters to continue the struggle elsewhere." It also says that "Should jihadists leaving Iraq perceive themselves, and be perceived, to have failed, we judge fewer fighters will be inspired to carry on the fight."
Withdrawing from Iraq before the enemy is defeated would embolden the terrorists. It would help them find new recruits to carry out even more destructive attacks on our Nation, and it would give the terrorists a new sanctuary in the heart of the Middle East, with huge oil riches to fund their ambitions. America must not allow this to happen. We are a Nation that keeps its commitments to those who long for liberty and want to live in peace. We will stand with the nearly 12 million Iraqis who voted for their freedom, and we will help them fight and defeat the terrorists there, so we do not have to face them here at home.
Thank you for listening.
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
They got this one...a kid.
Hello Ruth.
I'm having tremendous difficulty with the site today. I posted a great amount of information. It's not posting...having you received any of the e-mails today or yesterday?
Milford
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