Threat Matrix: December 2006

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[nwctwx]

Fighting Jihad in Cyberspace
-Full Story-

The setting is familiar to anyone who watches the evening news. A large, executive-style desk, a laptop perched on top, a logo in the background and a screen showing shifting images to reinforce the newsreader's message. The only difference is the presenter, who is swathed in an Arab headdress and masked to hide his identity, and the subject of the broadcast, a call for an Islamic state for Iraq and a vow to use Iraq as a launching pad to crush the "Zionists" in Israel.

Welcome to the "Voice of the Caliphate", the latest offering from the Global Islamic Media Front, widely regarded as the mouthpiece of al-Qaeda and the worldwide jihadist movement.

Distributed over the internet, the mock news format is just one of many employed by al-Qaeda's highly sophisticated propaganda arm.

	Mystery Surrounds Zawahri’s Silence
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	Significant Terrorist Incidents, 1961-2003: A Brief Chronology

Thread Forty-Three

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[Velveeta]

"Sayonara Majid"

The sooner the better!

Any idea where the dad is?

[Velveeta]

Iran President sends message to Pope

IRANIAN President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has sent a message to Pope Benedict XVI urging greater understanding between religions, officials said today.

Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki arrived in the Vatican City today to deliver in person Mr Ahmadinejad's message, his latest letter in a series of missives to world leaders, the official news agency IRNA reported.

“It is not a political letter,” Ehsan Jahandideh of the Iranian president's press office said.

“President Ahmadinejad insisted in his letter on the common teachings of the prophets and the importance of establishing new political and human relations based on those teachings.

“The unjust relations that exist at the moment require the cooperation of different religions to remedy them,” Mr Jahandideh quoted the letter as saying.(snip)

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20979969-1702,00.html#

[Velveeta]

Lost Luggage Found in Houston Trash Bin

Authorities were trying to figure out Tuesday how dozens of pieces of luggage belonging to air travelers ended up in a trash bin behind a Houston pet store.

FBI special agent Rolando Munoz said 68 pieces of luggage from various international flights were discovered.

(snip)

tags on the bags showed some of the travelers were going to or from London and Dubai.
http://www.crimelibrary.com/news/ap/1206/2701_lost_luggage_trash.html

[Oorang]

K. Timmerman hits the nail on the head again. Thanks for posting that article Cindy.

[Oorang]

Thanks for posting ffnj. I just hope he hangs before his 70th birthday which I believe is April 1st. Iraqi law says you can't execute anyone over the age of 70.

[Oorang]

Well that's interesting. Thanks Velveeta.

[Oorang]

Military: Abu Sayyaf chief remains found
12/27/06

MANILA, Philippines - Remains believed to be from the chief of the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf group, who was the target of a monthslong U.S.-backed manhunt, have been found in the southern Philippines, the military said Wednesday.

Khaddafy Janjalani is on a U.S. list of wanted terrorists with a $5 million bounty on his head for a series of beheadings, bombings and mass abductions. He has proven elusive in the dense jungles of the southern Philippines, and earlier reports of his demise have proven to be premature.

Lt. Col. Ariel Caculitan, the Philippine marines spokesman, said the decomposing remains were found buried in a remote part of Jolo island. Janjalani was believed to have been killed in a Sept. 4 clash with marines, Caculitan said, but DNA tests would be needed for confirmation.

"We are not yet officially confirming that it's him. We are still waiting for the results of the DNA examination," Caculitan said. He added the U.S. was providing help in forensic tests.

Excerpted

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061227/ap_on_re_as/philippines_abu_sayyaf

Taliban official admits U.S. strike killed military chief
Wednesday, December 27, 2006

A Taliban official has confirmed a top military commander with close ties to Osama bin Laden and Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar was killed in an air strike on Dec. 19, according to a report out of Pakistan.

Akhtar Mohammad Osmani died when a U.S. plane fired at his vehicle in the southern province of Helmand, near Afghanistan's border with Pakistan, U.S. authorities said on Saturday.

Excerpted

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2006/12/27/osmani-death.html?ref=rss

Top aide to Muqtada al-Sadr killed in Iraqi raid
Dec. 27, 2006

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A top aide to anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr was killed in a raid by US troops Wednesday in the Shi'ite holy city of Najaf, an Iraqi lawmaker said.

The US military, however, said American troops participated in a raid led by Iraqi forces that led to the death of a man with the same name as the aide, Sahib al-Amiri. The military described al-Amiri as a criminal involved in the use of roadside bombs.

Nassar al-Rubaie, the head of al-Sadr's bloc in parliament, said al-Amiri was killed when American forces entered his home at dawn.

Excerpted

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1164881990530&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[Oorang]

Somalia: Ethiopian warplanes bomb Lego, an Islamist base

Mogadishu 26, Dec.06
Two Ethiopian fighter jets have air bombed Lego, the current Islamist defensive town, which is 140 km (88 miles) away from the capital Mogadishu.

Witnesses said four civilians have been wounded in the air raid. The Ethiopian fighter jets dropped bombs on Mogadishu’s international airport and Baledogle, 100 km away from the capital yesterday.

Excerpted

http://www.shabelle.net/news/ne1948.htm

[Oorang]

Thanks for the update Cindy.

Just to try and put it all in one place here's the PakTribune article from yesterday:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1747324/posts?page=1276#1276

And here's the DailyTimes article from today with more details:

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006/12/27/story_27-12-2006_pg1_6

[freeperfromnj]

The war on terror continues. I am dreading next month when the rats take over

[Velveeta]

You're very welcome.

[Velveeta]

Bad day for top terrorism leaders.

[Oorang]

Afghanistan arrests Pakistani ‘suicide bomb supplier’
Wednesday, December 27, 2006

KHOST: Afghan authorities on Tuesday said that they had arrested a Pakistani national who had allegedly been providing suicide bombers to the Taliban in eastern Paktika province.

The man, whose name was not revealed, was “in charge of recruiting suicide bombers and equipping them,” provincial governor Mohammad Akram Khpolwak said.

Excerpted

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006/12/27/story_27-12-2006_pg7_7

Militants bomb girls’ school in Darra Adam Khel
Wednesday, December 27, 2006

PESHAWAR: Men claiming to be local Taliban bombed a girls school in Noor Ali village in Darra Adam Khel on Monday night and threatened further attacks if the students did not wear veils. The militants also left Urdu pamphlets at the school saying, “Be veiled, otherwise we will bomb you again.”

“The attackers planted the bomb near the principal’s office at the Government Girls Middle School. The bomb exploded at 12:45am, destroying three rooms and partially damaging four others,” political authorities said. The blast also destroyed window panes around the school. There were no casualties reported.

A source in the area, seeking anonymity, told Daily Times that the local Taliban had asked locals to stop their daughters from going to college. “They have however allowed veiled students to go to middle and high schools,” he added.

Excerpted

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006/12/27/story_27-12-2006_pg7_2

FBI Says Files In Leak Cases Are ‘Missing'
December 27, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO — The FBI is missing nearly a quarter of its files relating to investigations of recent leaks of classified information, according to a court filing the bureau made last week.

In response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, the FBI said it identified 94 leak investigations since 2001, but that the investigative files in 22 of those cases "are missing" and cannot be located. "There is no physical slip of paper on the shelf which indicates that the file has been charged out to a particular FBI employee, so therefore there is no way of knowing where the file may actually be," an official in the bureau's records division, Peggy Bellando, wrote in a December 22 declaration.

"That's an amazing number," an academic who has studied the FBI's record-keeping procedures, Athan Theoharis of Marquette University, said in an interview yesterday. "These are very sensitive investigations. ... They could be called to account for whether they are monitoring reporters. These are records that should be handled very well."

Excerpted

http://www.nysun.com/article/45755

[Oorang]

Macedonia Police Intercept Explosives
December 27, 2006

Macedonian police confiscated more than a pound of C-4 high explosives from a furloughed convict who was allegedly trying to take it into Greece.

Former policeman Dusko Lazarevic, on a weekend leave from a jail at Idrizovo, allegedly stashed some 17.7 ounces of the explosive in a spare tire of his Mercedes and set off for Greece, Serbia's RTS radio-television reported Wednesday.

The Interior Ministry of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia said officers at the Bogorodica crossing point at Gevgelija were warned by informers of Lazarevic's alleged plans to cross into Greece with forged documents and hidden explosives, RTS said.

Skopje's Vreme daily quoted experts as saying the C-4 explosive, which is made in the United States, is not used by Macedonia's police or military.

http://www.playfuls.com/news_10_6523-Macedonia-Police-Intercept-Explosives.html

Preston breeding ground for extremism fear (United Kingdon)
December 27, 2006

Racial hatred is threatening to turn Preston into a breeding ground for extremism, a community leader warned. Sohail Nawaz has warned that ignoring the views held by Muslims towards other ethnic groups, such as white and black people, would lead to "violent extremism" being bred on the city's streets.

He said that research had shown that a study of the city's young Muslims had shown some thought it would be "cool" if terrorists were in possession of nuclear weapons.

Excerpted

http://www.prestontoday.net/ViewArticle2.aspx?sectionid=73&articleid=1945671

Israel to Retaliate Against Palestinians
December 27, 2006

Over 60 rockets have been fired by Palestinians against Israel since the November “truce” was agreed upon. Israel has remained committed to the truce but, after a Palestinian rocket attack against Sderot on Tuesday, advised that it will now retaliate militarily.

During the Sderot attack, two 14-year old boys were injured and one remains in critical condition. The group Islamic Jihad has claimed responsibility for this latest attack.

Said to be angered by Israel’s intention to fight back against the Palestinians’ attacks, Hamas spokesman Ghazi Hamad said: "I think it came as a consistent policy for the Israeli government to continue their aggression against our people in the West Bank and Gaza City. But I confirm that there is an agreement, which is an agreement for a ceasefire."

http://www.theconservativevoice.com/article/21483.html

[Cindy]

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

===
===

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1759118/posts

http://www.insightmag.com/Media/MediaManager/Baker_5.htm
"Baker sought to cover-up illegal trade with Saddam's Iraq, Israeli charges"
Issue Date: www.insightmag.com - Dec. 26-Jan.1, 2006, Posted On: 12/23/2006

===
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1755996/posts

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=117784
"Baker Hired Israeli to Collect Iraqi Debt, Evade U.S. Sanctions"
14:48 Dec 20, '06 / 29 Kislev 5767
by Hana Levi Julian

===
===

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1755429/posts

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53421

"Baker accused of skirting
U.S. sanctions on Saddam
Businessman charges ex-secretary of state
used middleman to 'sell out' Israel for profit"
Posted: December 18, 2006
5:00 p.m. Eastern

By Aaron Klein
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com

===
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1755794/posts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w77sLtz754

"ZUCKER TAKES ON THE IRAQ STUDY GROUP AND JAMES BAKER"

Added December 18, 2006


===
===

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=IRAQSTUDYGROUP
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=ISG
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=IRAQSURRENDERGROUP

[Cindy]

RECAP:

A closer look at James Baker and the Iraq Study Group (December 26, 2006)

BILL ROGGIO.com - THE FOURTH RAIL - blog: "ANBAR PROVINCE AND THE IRAQ STUDY GROUP REPORT" (December 22, 2006)

COUNTERTERRORISM BLOG.org: "ZAWAHIRI USES ISG REPORT TO CALL FOR NEGOTIATIONS" by Daveed Gartenstein-Ross (December 20, 2006)

WorldNetDaily.com: "BAKER ACCUSED OF SKIRTING U.S. SANCTIONS ON SADDAM Businessman charges ex-secretary of state used middleman to 'sell out' Israel for profit" by Aaron Klein (December 18, 2006)

FRONTPAGE MAGAZINE.com: "BAKER-HAMILTON LUNACY" by Kenneth R. Timmerman (December 15, 2006)

TOWNHALL.com: "WHAT DID THE IRAQ STUDY GROUP TELL US? -by Charles Krauthammer (December 15, 2006)

DANIEL PIPES.org (NEW YORK SUN): "JAMES BAKER'S TERRIBLE IRAQ REPORT" by Daniel Pipes (December 12, 2006)

DIA.mil: Washington - "CLARIFICATION OF COMMENT IN 'THE IRAQ STUDY GROUP REPORT'" (December 12, 2006)

DEFENSElink.mil (AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE): Washington - "BLAIR: FAST IRAQ PULLOUT ENTAILS 'SERIOUS' REPERCUSSIONS" by Gerry J. Gilmore (December 10, 2006)

DEFENSElink.mil (AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE): Washington - "RUMSFELD: EARLY IRAQ, AFGHAN PULLOUTS WOULD BE 'TERRIBLE' MISTAKE" by Gerry Gilmore (December 8, 2006)

OFF-TOPIC.INTERNET-HAGANAH.com (JERUSALEM ISSUE BRIEF): "THE IRAQ STUDY GROUP: IMPLICATIONS FOR ISRAEL" (December 8, 2006)

WASHINGTON TIMES.com: "PANEL SEEKS FINAL PULLOUT IN '08'" by Joseph Curl (December 7, 2006)

Regarding the Iraq Study Group (December 6, 2006)

1 Article from OFF-TOPIC.INTERNET-HAGANAH.com (December 7, 2006)

A Google Search

"www.usip.org/isg/iraq_study_group_report/report/1206/index.html"

[Cindy]

"...needs followup"

I agree.

[Cindy]

No idea, really.

(Speculation: Britain? Not sure, though.
So many common names and disinformation
on the internet.)

[Oorang]

Very interesting. Thanks for putting various links on this issue in one place.

[Cindy]

ON THE NET...

http://www.persecution.org

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

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1747324/posts?page=1303#1303

===
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http://www.internet-haganah.com/harchives/005813.html


26 December 2006
"What are jihadis yammering* about now?"

===
===

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/014582.php
December 27, 2006

""Rise up and march with Somalia to destroy Christianity and establish Khilafah"
Making clear what the war there is about. From the Islam First website, with thanks to DFS:"