Threat Matrix: October 2006

Karzai Says bin Laden Not in Afghanistan
-Full Story-

President Hamid Karzai has insisted that Osama bin Laden is not in his country, in the latest installment in a row with the leader of Pakistan who says the Al-Qaeda chief is in Afghanistan.

Other militant leaders including Islamist warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar were also not in the country, Karzai told reporters in a briefing about his visit to the United States that was overshadowed by the spat.

'I can assure you they are not in Afghanistan,' Karzai said yesterday after being asked for his reaction to comments by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf who said Thursday that bin Laden is here.

	Musharraf: Bin Laden Is Alive and Hiding in Afghanistan
	Pakistan’s Intelligence Agency Comes under Fire
	Musharraf Warns West
	Behind the NIE

Thread Forty-One

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I am working with an engineer who came from China to the U.S. about 5 years ago. His wife is a university professor, and he followed her to the U.S. for her new position. They have a 6 year-old son who they have not seen in 5 years, he is living with grandparents. Heartbreaking!

Just having a general discussion regarding how he is enjoying his time here in the U.S., cultural adjustments, etc. I found out how truly ignorant I am regarding China...workers have just one holiday in China where they get a workday off....in February for Chinese New Year. I also asked he about his ability or knowledge regarding religion....no knowledge....no religion...no beliefs whatsoever. I had alway assumed that the Chinese were not able to outwardly proclaim their beliefs...but were still somehow able to read or have connections to the outside world enough to practice some type of religion. Really opened my eyes to how a government can drain a culture and create a society devoid of freedoms.

Note: The following text is a quote:
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http://www.defenselink.mil/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=1912

Iraqi Army Captures Bomb Makers; New Security Station Opens in Ramadi

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 30, 2006 – Iraqi police and soldiers captured members of a bomb-making cell and several weapons caches over the weekend.
Special Iraqi police forces with coalition advisors yesterday captured nine members of a bomb-making cell and a cache of weapons, improvised explosive devices and components for making IEDs in Kut. Iraqi police secured and searched multiple objectives and detained the bomb maker and other cell members without incident. The IED cell is responsible for attacks against Iraqi civilians employed by coalition forces. They are also suspected of constructing and placing IEDs in and around Kut.

A mortar system, assault rifles, full ammunition magazines, grenades, a completed IED and components for building other IEDs were found and secured during the raid. Operations on the objective caused minimal damage.

Elswhere yesterday, special Iraqi army forces with coalition advisors captured a large weapons cache and components used for making improvised explosive devices in Western Baghdad.

Iraqi forces established a cordon around the Shansal Mosque and entered to search for IED components and weapons believed to be stored there. Insurgents operating against Iraqi civilians and Iraqi army soldiers in the Jihad district were using the items found. The weapons and IED components were turned over to coalition forces and an explosive ordnance team for security and disposal. Three suspected insurgents with false identification cards were detained.

Only minor damage to the mosque was reported. There were no casualties among Iraqi civilians, Iraqi forces or coalition forces.

In other news from Iraq, Multinational Forces West established a central Ramadi security station Oct. 27 as part of its continued operations to eliminate insurgents there.

The establishment of the security station will increase security for the citizens, officials said. More than eight new positions in the city have been established since June. The central Ramadi security station is near a recent demonstration by insurgents claiming the establishment of an Islamic Republic. As part of recent operations, several insurgents were either killed or wounded this weekend near this location. There were no reports of civilian or coalition casualties.

(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)

Thanks to Grampa Dave for the ping to this post.
Note: The following post is a quote:
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1728640/posts

Zawahiri Was Target in U.S. Attack on Religious School in Pakistan
Abc News ^ | October 30, 2006 1:15 PM

Posted on 10/30/2006 10:33:55 AM PST by Perdogg

Ayman al Zawahiri was the target of a Predator missile attack this morning on a religious school in Pakistan, according to Pakistani intelligence sources.

ABC News has learned the raid was launched after U.S. intelligence received tips and examined Predator reconnaissance indicating that al Qaeda's No. 2 man may have been staying at the school, which is located in the Bajaur region near the village that is thought to be al Qaeda's winter headquarters.

Despite earlier reports that the missiles had been launched by Pakistani military helicopters, Pakistani intelligence sources now tell ABC News that the missiles were fired from a U.S. Predator drone plane.

(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.abcnews.com ...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1728677/posts

http://www.thedailystar.net/2006/10/31/d6103101044.htm

"4 killed, 300 injured as violence yet to die down"
Star Report

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Four people died and around 300 people were injured following violence between activists of Awami League (AL)-led 14-party alliance and the BNP-led four-party combine at different districts of the country yesterday."

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The battling parties traded around 50 shots and exploded 20 crude bombs. They also vandalised over 50 shops, offices and banks at Shaheb Bazar area. Law enforcers lobbed 70 tear-gas canisters and resorted to charging truncheons on them to quell the situation.

The clashes erupted when Shibir cadres hurled two crude bombs on a Workers' Party, a coalition partner of 14-party, procession near a police barricade set up to protect a Shibir rally at Shaheb Bazar Zero Point."

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Quoting locals, police said the assailants attacked Zobed and his son Abu Bakar in front of Gadaipur Primary School as they were returning from a party meeting in Ashashuni on a motorbike. The miscreants hacked them indiscriminately and left the scene. Zobed was severely injured.

He was taken to Satkhira Sadar Hospital where on-duty doctor declared him dead around 12:30am."

ON THE NET...

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

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

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

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http://www.internet-haganah.com/harchives/005763.html

25 October 2006
"Un sacrificio por la causa de allah"

ARTICLE SNIPPET:

"Since we first reported on Hizballah's Latin American offspring, it appeared to be a strictly Venezuelan phenomenon. Since then, however, new shoots have sprung up in El Salvador and in Chiapas in southern Mexico. To say that these folks are not "real Hizballah" is true to a point. We are used to thinking of Hizballah as a strictly-controlled entity of Lebanese origin operating at the behest of the Iranian regime. It is possible that no one is more surprised than Hizballah Lebanon to learn that they have given rise to Latin American affiliates, but they have. If there is one thing Iran and Hizballah could use right now, it's operatives who are not Iranian, not Lebanese, not obviously Arab or Persian - people who are more likely to be able to travel below the radar. Guys like this (sans the bomb - we're sure the Revolutionary Guards can hook the brother up with something more effective when he gets to his final destination)"

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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1728614/posts

"Freeper StJacques on LIDDY Now!"
Radio America ^ | G G LIDDY SHOW

Posted on 10/30/2006 9:56:37 AM PST by FrPR

"...Talking about his research on Oaxaca and the South American Connection. Cool!"

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Note: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1728614/posts?page=5#5

Just to post a brief review of what was discussed.

Evidently, prior to my getting on the phone with him, Liddy was discussing the lack of honest information developed in the MSM on the situation in Oaxaca, the rest of Mexico, and its relationship to Hugo Chavez. He questioned me directly about the larger connections, I heard him telling his audience that they needed to keep in mind the fact that someone must be funding all of this leftist activity just before he brought me on the phone, and I discussed the entire issue of Mexican-Venezuelan relations surrounding the expulsion of Venezuelan Ambassador Vladimir Villegas in November 2005 for interfering in Mexican politics. I brought up the investigation of Villegas by Segob (Mexico's Interior Ministry), the contacts between the FARC and the EPR Mexican guerrillas, and the fact that all of this has been reported in the Mexican press. Liddy then went with the Chavez connection and asked me if I had any opinion on something he had heard, which is that Fidel's brother Raul Castro, who Liddy thinks is already running the show in Havana, doesn't think too highly of Hugo Chavez. I replied that the Cubans are the "old Left" in Latin America and they probably do not have a very high opinion of Hugo Chavez, who I described as someone whose "elevator doesn't reach the top floor," but there is the problem of oil in the picture, which I explained in terms of the subsiding of Cuba's oil imports by Chavez and I concluded that Cuban national interest may trump personal impressions since Cuba needs Venezuela's oil. Liddy said that he didn't think Raul Castro's "table was completely unfolded either" and then he asked me to say something about what I thought of the situation of leftist activity in Mexico, which Liddy thought was much more important than many Americans realize and especially since we're not getting the full story on what is going on just south of our border from the American media.

I then began to explain that it was a shame that we were not hearing much about recent leftist agitation in Mexico and that the reason for its increase, as I saw it, was perhaps best explained by the "rising expectations" of the poor in Mexico due to the recent turnaround of the Mexican economy under Fox, for which I related details, and that the full story would be better understood if we were getting higher quality information from the American media, who I did not think were doing a very good job of presenting the story to the American people. I then heard the music starting up in the background which told me that it was time for a commercial break, and Liddy thanked me for coming on and told the audience that I was doing a good job of presenting information from the Mexican press to track this story, and told everyone that they could go to FreeRepublic.com to keep track of it.

I was called back and told that they might want to speak to me again on this subject at a later date and I offered to make myself available.

5 posted on 10/30/2006 10:39:53 AM PST by StJacques (Liberty is always unfinished business)

http://mensnewsdaily.com/2006/10/29/us-intelligence-agencies-still-working-to-get-it-right/

"US Intelligence Agencies Still Working to Get It Right"
October 29, 2006
Vox Populi, Jim Kouri
by Jim Kouri, CPP

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The United States’ intelligence community is undergoing the most extensive — perhaps even radical — transformations since the Office of Strategic Services gave way to the Central Intelligence Agency. Recognizing that people are the critical element in transformation initiatives is key to a successful transformation of the intelligence community and related homeland security organizations.

Successful major change management initiatives in large public and private sector organizations can often take at least 5 to 7 years to create what is needed to ensure success. As a result, committed and sustained leadership is indispensable to making lasting changes in the intelligence community.

Accordingly, the US Congress may want to consider lengthening the terms served by the directors of the intelligence agencies, similar to the FBI Director’s 10-year term as was recommended by a panel from the General Accountability Office last year.

One of the major challenges facing the intelligence community is moving from a culture of “need to know” to a “need to share” organizations, while maintaining secrecy. The experience of leading organizations suggests that performance management systems–that define, align, and integrate institutional, unit, and individual performance with organizational goals –can provide incentives and accountability for sharing information to help achieve this shift."

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/10/20061030-5.html

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 30, 2006

Continuation of National Emergency Regarding the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction

On November 14, 1994, by Executive Order 12938, the President declared a national emergency with respect to the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States posed by the proliferation of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons (weapons of mass destruction) and the means of delivering such weapons. On July 28, 1998, the President issued Executive Order 13094 amending Executive Order 12938 to respond more effectively to the worldwide threat of weapons of mass destruction proliferation activities. On June 28, 2005, I issued Executive Order 13382 that, inter alia, further amended Executive Order 12938 to improve our ability to combat proliferation. Because the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them continues to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States, the national emergency first declared on November 14, 1994, must continue in effect beyond November 14, 2006. In accordance with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing for 1 year the national emergency declared in Executive Order 12938, as amended.

This notice shall be published in the Federal Register and transmitted to the Congress.

GEORGE W. BUSH

THE WHITE HOUSE,

October 27, 2006.

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