Threat Matrix: January 2007

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[nwctwx]

Fighting Jihad: Strategic Thinking Needed
-Full Story-

The United States of America has some of the smartest leaders in government, military, and business in the world. Yet the American government has failed to collectively use this formidable brain-power 5+ years after the attack by Jihadists on the American homeland to develop a truly strategic plan to fight the global threat of Jihad and Islamist extremism. In one of the most complex wars in American history, rather than starting with holistic, big-picture thinking towards the challenges and prioritizing resources and actions accordingly, America has spent much of the past five years after 9/11 in reactive and bureaucratic churning.

	Zawahri Decries Moderate Arabs | Transcript: LauraMansfield.com
	There Is No Substitute For Knowing Your Enemy
	A Terror So Great We Forgot It At Once?

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[Cindy]

You're welcome Donna.

Always trolling the net for Mugniyah's latest look.
I wonder what he would look like without hair?

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1777223/posts

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3359485,00.html

"Iran militia threatens to kidnap Americans
Week after Bush orders US soldiers in Iraq to target Iranian agents, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards publishes article threatening American soldiers and civilians in Middle East, Europe and South America"

Dudi Cohen
Published: 01.31.07, 19:36

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards threatened to kidnap American soldiers and hinted at intentions to kidnap American citizens in Europe and South America as well.

The threat was apparently in response to President George W. Bush’s instruction to American soldiers in Iraq last week to target Iranian agents.

“The kidnapping of American citizens in the Middle East, Europe and South America is not difficult and can happen at any moment,” siad an article printed in the weekly Subah Sadak, which is considered the mouthpiece of the Revolutionary Guards in Iran."

[Cindy]

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

---

Thanks to J Verias for posting this thread and translation.
Note: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1776952/posts


Saddam Regime Document: Purchasing “Chemical Materials for Very Special Usage” (Translation)
Pentagon/FMSO website for Iraq Pre-war documents http://70.168.46.200/ ^ | January 31 2007 | jveritas

Posted on 01/31/2007 12:58:22 PM PST by jveritas

Saddam regime document CMPC-2004-003406 contains a memo that talks about importing “Chemical Materials for Very Special Usage” from the “Office in Morocco”. The deal according to the memo was based on the “Gentlemen Accord” and the condition was to pay cash and directly but they decided later on to pay it through a Syrian company called Seess and according the “Iraqi-Syrian Commerce Agreement”.

This document is of great importance because the “Chemical Materials for Very Special Usage” are very unlikely to fall under the civilian applications and much more likely to fall under the “Chemical Weapon Usage”.

The page where the memo is written is torn up, only the first 2 paragraphs are intact and it may be an apparent attempt by the Iraqis to destroy this memo either before the UN weapons inspectors returned to Iraq in November 2002, or before Operation Iraqi Freedom stared in March 2003.

Although there is no exact date written on this memo, it for sure written between the years 2000 to 2003 because on the top of the page is typed the year “200..”, it was a common practice for the Iraqis to handwrite 0 next to 200 and have the year 2000 or hand write 1 next to 200 to make 2001 or handwrite 2 next to 200 to make it 2002 etc… and in many cases they hand wrote the dates on the bottom of the letter rather on the top so they leave the date empty on the top and just year “200..” appears. I have observed these writing practices in many documents that I have read.

Translation of what left over from the memo on page of document CMPC-2004-003406

In the Name of God the most Merciful The Most Compassionate

The Republic of Iraq

The Presidency of the Republic

The Military Industrialization Committee

To: The respected Mr. Vice Prime Minister-The Minister of Military Industrialization

Salute and Regards

Date ------/

---

/200

Subject: The Morocco Office

1. The above office had earlier supplied Al Rashid General Company with “Chemical Materials for Very Special Usage” per a (Gentlemen) accord and with the conditions to pay cash and directly after accepting the materials (knowing that there was no account for financing).

2. Al Rashid General Company sent the payment contract to the Committee and the payment was transformed from the direct payment to that of the Syrian Agreement and that the Syrian company will be picked by our Committee with all its expenses and in condition to send the same due amount of money after (30) days only.

3. An amount of () dollars was sent to the Seess Syrian company according to our letter…

End of translation of the torn up memo, the amount of dollars paid to the Syrian company is not readable.

[Cindy]

sp= J Veritas

[Donna Lee Nardo]

I'll go one step further: I wonder what Imad would look like beheaded!

I know..I know...I'm so mean-spirited. :)

[Cindy]

Well, the way Muslims kills Muslims...you never know these days.

[Cindy]

http://signaleer.blogspot.com/2007/01/28-jan-3-feb-this-week-in-terror.html

"8 JAN - 3 FEB -- This Week in Terror History"

[Cindy]

UPDATE...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6318735.stm

Last Updated: Thursday, 1 February 2007, 07:55 GMT

"Kidnapping plot search continues"

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Forensic officers have spent the night searching 12 Birmingham properties in connection with an alleged plot to kidnap and kill a Muslim soldier.
Police are continuing to question nine men arrested over what security sources say was a plan to film the soldier being executed and post it on the web.

A Muslim serviceman who had served in Afghanistan and was on home leave was thought to be the target of the plot.

Police said the investigation was likely to take "days, if not weeks".

Officers sealed off roads across the city and are continuing to search homes and commercial premises.

All nine were arrested under the Terrorism Act - meaning police have a maximum of 28 days to hold them. They are being held at police stations in the West Midlands."

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Wednesday's arrests - orchestrated by police and the security service, MI5 - followed many months of activity.

Shortly after 0400 GMT, officers swooped on 12 addresses in the Sparkhill, Alum Rock, Kingstanding and Edgbaston areas and made eight arrests.


Among them were two houses and a general food store in Alum Rock and the Maktabah book store in Stratford Road, Sparkhill.

Less than 12 hours later, police announced in a press conference they had arrested a ninth person in the Birmingham area.

Assistant Chief Constable David Shaw, of West Midlands Police, told reporters: "That illustrates to you that this remains a dynamic, fluid operation and this is by no means finished."

He described being at "the foothills" of "a very, very major investigation"."

[Cindy]

Note to TMers - Make sure you read the comments on this thread, too.

===
===

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "WBZ spoke with the Berdvosky's lawyer and legal guardian Michael Rich, who said the Mass. College of Art student did cooperate with police. Rich also tells us the suspect is an exchange student from Belarus."

---

UPDATE:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1777234/posts


"Arrest Made In Boston's Hoax Device Incident ("Devices" Were Part Of A Marketing Campaign)"
CBS4Boston ^ | 1/31/07 | CBS4Boston/AP

Posted on 02/01/2007 12:45:38 AM PST by raccoonradio

"Menino Wants Turner To Reimburse Cities"

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Boston police say they have made in arrest in connection to the suspicious device scare that turned out to be a marketing ploy for a television cartoon. The Peter Berdvosky was arrested in Arlington Wednesday night and charged under a recently enacted statute making it a crime to place a hoax device that results in panic.

The scare forced bomb units to scramble across Boston all day. The "devices" were actually magnetic lights which resemble a character on the show "Aqua Teen Hunger Force", on Turner Broadcasting's Cartoon Network.

WBZ spoke with the Berdvosky's lawyer and legal guardian Michael Rich, who said the Mass. College of Art student did cooperate with police. Rich also tells us the suspect is an exchange student from Belarus.

"It's very disturbing," said Rich, "that what was just (an) employment for a struggling artist turned into some major misunderstanding."

Berdvosky was apparently working for InterferenceInc.com, which was the company hired by Cartoon Network to carry out the ad campaign. He will be arraigned at Charlestown District Court on Thursday morning.

The suspicious device reports forced the temporary shutdowns of Interstate 93 out of the city, a key inbound roadway, a bridge between Boston and Cambridge, and a portion of the Charles River but were quickly determined not to be explosive.

"It's a hoax -- and it's not funny," Gov. Deval Patrick said.

"We apologize to the citizens of Boston that part of a marketing campaign was mistaken for a public danger....We deeply regret the hardships experienced as a result of this incident," said Turner Broadcasting Chair and CEO Phil Kent in a writen statement.

More Than ten devices were found in Boston, Cambridge and Somerville. Attorney General Martha Coakley believes 38 of the light up boards were planted throughout the city.

The first device was found at an MBTA subway and bus station located under Interstate 93 on Wednesday morning. The device was detonated and determined to be harmless, but as a precaution the station and the interstate shut down temporarily.

Then, around 1 p.m., four calls came into Boston Police reporting suspicious devices at the Boston University Bridge and the Longfellow Bridge, which both span the Charles River, and the corner of Stuart and Columbus Streets and at the Tufts-New England Medical Center.

Another device was found in Somerville under the McGrath Highway Bridge. The latest package was found outside Fenway Park around 5:30 p.m."

[Cindy]

UPDATE:

http://www.nbc5.com/news/10894008/detail.html

"2nd Arrest Made In Boston Publicity Stunt"

POSTED: 3:25 am CST February 1, 2007
UPDATED: 3:27 am CST February 1, 2007

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "BOSTON -- There's been a second arrest in a Cartoon Network publicity stunt in Boston that backfired big time.

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley said Sean Stevens, 28, was arrested Wednesday on charges of placing a hoax device and disorderly conduct.

Peter Berdovsky, 27, was arrested earlier on Wednesday."

[Cindy]

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=26735

"Radical Islam vs. Civilization"
By Daniel Pipes
FrontPageMagazine.com | February 1, 2007

===
===

http://www.danielpipes.org/blog/724

Daniel Pipes' Weblog
"My Debate with London Mayor Ken Livingstone"
January 22, 2007

[ExSoldier]

ExSoldier, please contact Appalachian_Dweller before he has to send out the Canadian Mounted Police and French Foreign Legion to locate you. He definitely wants to talk with you.

Yep, he called me yesterday on my cell and left a message. I'll try and give him a holler today after work. I haven't noticed any mounties or frogs sniffin' around, so I must be okay....for now

[Cindy]

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

http://www.serbianna.com/photo_2007/0114.html

---

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/015059.php


February 01, 2007

"Kosovo jihadists show map of areas 'where Christians have not been expelled or murdered yet'"

[Cindy]

PERSECUTION.ORG
http://www.persecution.org

===
===

http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2007/s07010177.htm


Wednesday, January 31, 2007

"Is Christian persecution a blessing in disguise?"

By Sheraz Khurram Khan
Special Correspondent for ASSIST News Service in Pakistan

LAHORE, PAKISTAN (ANS)

[Cindy]

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

===
===

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3359710,00.html

Russia signals backing for IAEA-proposed ‘time-out’ for Iranian nuclear
dispute
Published: 02.01.07, 11:39

Russia on Thursday signaled that it backs a “time-out” proposed by the head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency that calls for holding off on imposing UN sanctions if Tehran suspends uranium enrichment.

"We believe the initiative put forward by the IAEA head ... suggesting that Iran suspend uranium enrichment in exchange for the UN Security Council’s reciprocal step regarding resolution 1737 deserves close attention,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. (AP)

[Cindy]

Note; The following text is a quote and it is for archival purposes only.

https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=62771

you are here: Home > Reports > Consular Affairs Bulletins > Report
Warden Message: North Sea Airborne Chemical Danger
Consular Affairs Bulletins
Europe - Netherlands
30 Jan 2007

Printer Friendly Email Article
Related Reports
10 Jan 2007
Warden Message: Netherlands Demonstration January 14
4 Jan 2007
Warden Message: The Hague Demonstration
20 Dec 2006
The Hague Demonstration December 22
6 Nov 2006
EU Clarifies Carry-On Luggage Restrictions
5 Nov 2006
Warden Message: Hussein Verdict Demonstrations
U.S. Consulate General Amsterdam released the following Warden Message on January 30, 2007:

This Warden Message is being issued to alert U.S. Citizens traveling to and residing in the Netherlands that the Consulate has been informed that a ship fire west of Amsterdam is releasing large amounts of Hydrogen-Cyanide and Carbon-Monoxide into the air, which is blowing east towards Amsterdam and north towards Beverwijk and Zaanstad. There is no danger to national health but please exercise caution if you are traveling in the vicinity of the Haarlem/Beverwijk/Zaanstad area. It is recommended that you close your windows. We encourage you to check the local news for updates. This Warden Message expires on January 31, 2007.

For the latest information, Americans living and traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet web site at http://travel.state.gov, where the current Worldwide Caution, Public Announcements, and Travel Warnings can be found. Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S., or, for callers outside the U.S. and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).

The U.S. Consulate General in the Netherlands is located at Museumplein 19, Amsterdam, tel. (31)(20) 575-5309. The after-hours emergency telephone number is (31)(70) 310-2209.

[Cindy]

Note: The OSAC Report in post no. 1936 has expired.

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_2765.html

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
This information is current as of today, Thu Feb 01 2007 03:36:47 GMT-0800.

Bangladesh

January 31, 2007

This Public Announcement reminds American citizens of concerns about the fluid security situation in Bangladesh and strongly urges U.S. citizens to closely monitor current information before traveling to the country. This Public Announcement supersedes the Public Announcement for Bangladesh dated January 12, 2007, and expires on April 23, 2007.

On January 11, 2007, President Ahmed stepped down as leader of the Caretaker Government after declaring a state of emergency. Elections previously scheduled for January 22 have been postponed indefinitely. The political and security situation throughout Bangladesh remains fluid. An initial curfew has been lifted, but a new curfew could be reinstated at any time. There is the potential for American citizens to become caught up in demonstrations or other situations which do not directly target them. The Embassy expects the situation throughout Bangladesh to remain uncertain for the foreseeable future, and the Department of State strongly urges U.S. citizens to closely monitor the most up-to-date information before traveling to the country.

In late October 2006, political violence erupted in Dhaka and provincial cities, killing approximately 40 people and wounding several hundred. The political opposition successfully shut down the country’s major port in Chittagong, border entry points from India, and major highways leading to Dhaka and Chittagong. All modes of transportation, including rail and river, were temporarily disrupted.

The Embassy advises all Americans traveling or residing in Bangladesh to keep abreast of developments, remain vigilant and avoid large crowds and political demonstrations. U.S. citizens can expect a more robust presence of security forces, including the airport. A curfew would limit the ability to travel, and travelers should plan accordingly.

For the latest information on Bangladesh, U.S. citizens should consult the Department of State's Consular Information Sheet for Bangladesh, the current Worldwide Caution Public Announcement, and the Middle East and North Africa Public Announcement, which are available via the Internet at http://travel.state.gov. American citizens may obtain up-to-date information on security conditions by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada, and (202) 501-4444 from overseas.

U.S. citizens visiting or residing in Bangladesh are encouraged to register with the U.S. Embassy, where they may obtain updated information on travel and security within Bangladesh. Security updates are e-mailed to all registered Americans with an e-mail address. Registration is done on-line and can be done in advance of travel at https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/. Information on registering can also be found at the Embassy website: http://dhaka.usembassy.gov or at the Department of State's Consular Affairs website: http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/registration/registration_1186.html.

During normal business hours American citizens may call the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka at (880-2) 882-3805; for after-hours emergencies call (880-2) 885-5500, dial "0" and ask for the duty officer. The fax number of the consular section is (880-2) 882-4449. The U.S. Embassy is located in the diplomatic enclave north of downtown Dhaka, at Madani Avenue, Baridhara, Dhaka 1212. The Embassy's workweek is Sunday through Thursday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. The American Citizens Services (ACS) unit is open to the public from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, Sunday through Thursday, except for American and most local holidays.

[texpat72]

That's a good idea.

[Cindy]

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

---

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1776893/posts


"IRAN: Khamenei Proposes Anti-U.S. Alliance to Russia"
adn kronos international ^ | 29 Jan.2007

Posted on 01/31/2007 11:06:27 AM PST by Mount Athos

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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1777549/posts

"Iranians block UN inspectors at nuclear facility"
France 24 ^ | 01/02/07 19h52 GMT

Posted on 02/01/2007 12:45:55 PM PST by maquiladora

===
===

Thanks to Calpernia for the ping to this thread:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1777537/posts

"Iran blocks IAEA camera installation at Natanz uranium enrichment plant"
AFP via translation | February 1, 2007

Posted on 02/01/2007 12:13:36 PM PST by HAL9000