News From the Long War

KAC, DOD and News Services | 1/23/07 | Knitting a Condundrum and Various

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, our nation has fought a global war against violent extremists who use terrorism as their weapon of choice, and who seek to destroy our free way of life. Our enemies seek weapons of mass destruction and, if they are successful, will likely attempt to use them in their conflict with free people everywhere. Currently, the struggle is centered in Iraq and Afghanistan, but we will need to be prepared and arranged to successfully defend our nation and its interests around the globe for years to come. DOD

Our enemies include all the Muslims who dream of knocking Western Civilization off its perch atop humanity’s dung heap. Islam is fractured into any number of sects, tribes and ethnic groups, but the dream of destroying us cuts across all the fault lines. Islamic terrorists are merely the tip of a very large spear.

J. Peter Mulhern, the American Thinker, September 18

The determination behind that fight is real, the hatred is real, and the excuses for doing this are very real in the minds of those who have decided to walk that path. We can respond in two ways: Try to ignore or negotiate with people who do not want to negotiate in good faith, because what they want is our destruction, or to stand up against the darkness of those who see all of us, our way of life, our culture and our aspirations as something worth eliminating.

Either: "And God willing, with the force of God behind it, we shall soon experience a world without the United States and Zionism," Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Or: "With vigilance, determination, courage, we will defeat the enemies of freedom, and we will leave behind a more peaceful world for our children and our grandchildren." GW Bush.

Here's where I will post news and info about the Long War. Let me know if you're interested.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

News Headlines from Haaretz:

16:39      French Foreign Ministry confirms diplomat and two guards abducted in Nablus (AP)
16:28     Panel okays accelerating legislation to protect those who shoot burglars (Haaretz)
16:24     MK Yachimovich: Too much consideration has been given to Katsav`s feelings (Ch. 10)
16:24     Senior French diplomat and 2 bodyguards named as Nablus abductees (Haaretz)
16:23     Katsav does not intend to resign Tuesday evening (Channel 10)
16:07     AG RECOMMENDS PRESIDENT KATSAV FACE RAPE CHARGES (Haaretz)
16:00     Palestinian militants say they have kidnapped 3 Westerners in West Bank (Reuters)
15:27     Finance Cmte. okays allocating NIS 27M to ministry headed by Lieberman (Haaretz)
15:25     Rights group rejects High Court proposal to turn mosque into museum (Haaretz)
15:02     60 hurt in general strike to topple Lebanon gov`t (Reuters)
14:49     Palestinian journalists impose news blackout to protest news outlet bombing (AP)
13:42     Libya changes finance, economy, justice ministers (Reuters)
13:02     UN: Lebanon faces major environmental risks following Israel-Hezbollah war (Reuters)
13:02     Palestinian militant dies from wounds sustained in September clash with Israel (AP)
12:48     UN: 17 Palestinians seized in Baghdad by armed men in police uniforms (Reuters)
12:39     Official at Iran`s Baghdad embassy denies raid by U.S. and Iraqi forces (Reuters)
12:05     Lebanon government supporter killed in clash with opposition protesters (Reuters)
12:00     Palestinian militant dies from wounds sustained in September clash with IDF (AP)
11:14     Palestinians claiming to be Qaida hit Gaza resort said owned by Dahlan (Reuters)
11:12     Source: Israeli defense official missing in Paris (Reuters)
10:51     HOT cable TV provider will retain BBC Prime, in response to protests (Haaretz)
09:58     Several airlines suspend flights to Beirut after road to airport blocked off (Reuters)
09:46     Iran says it still cooperating with the IAEA (Reuters)
09:26     Pakistan on guard for spillover from Sunni-Shi`ite conflict in Iraq (Reuters)
09:24     IDF: Haaretz report on Halutz talks during war taken out of context (Haaretz)
09:21     Police arrests six on suspicion of breaking into homes in Ma`alot area (Haaretz)
09:06     Immigration Ministry to give aid to immigrants in Gaza envelope (Israel Radio)
09:04     Misgav police arrests 11 Palestinians illegally in Israel (Haaretz)
08:11     Report: Russia completes anti-aircraft missile deliveries to Iran (Reuters)
08:06     Suicide bomber kills ten outside NATO base in southeast Afghanistan (Reuters)
07:21     Protesters block off only road to Beirut airport (Reuters)
07:10     U.S. to present UN resolution condemning Holocaust deniers (Reuters)
06:18     Israeli tennis player Shahar Pe`er loses in Australian Open 1/4 finals (Haaretz)
06:01     Hundreds of protesters block off roads in Beirut as opposition strike begins (Reueters)
05:20     Cancelled water fowl census falls foul of Sabbath debate (Haaretz)
04:11     Australian Open 1/4 finals between Israeli Pe`er, Williams begins (Haaretz)
03:01     Seniora urges Lebanese to ignore Hezbollah-led opposition strike (DPA)
02:30     U.S. officials: Al-Qaida planned to send militants to U.S. on student visas (Reuters)
01:55     General Staff document: Large rise in reported incidents of rape in IDF (Haaretz)
01:38     Lebanon`s Hezbollah-led opposition calls on Lebanese workers to strike (Reuters)
01:02     al-Zawahri says `Mujahideen` capable of destroying 10 U.S. armies (Reuters)
00:32     Saudi Ambassador: We won`t take sides in Iraq`s sectarian violence (Reuters)
23:50     Palestinian journalists to strike Tuesday to protest Al Arabiya bombing (Reuters)
23:26     Italian PM says his troops will remain in Afghanistan (Reuters)
22:52     Pakistani President Musharraf meets with Egyptian President Mubarak (DPA)
22:21     Blast rocks Al Arabiya offices in Gaza; no injuries but extensive damage (Reuters)
22:00     Men found dead in Rehovot are Ariel Kaminer, 63, and Raphael Ratzevi, 36 (Haaretz)

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Long War Ping!

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Meretz MK Gal-On calls on President Katsav to resign
(16:40 , 01.23.07)
Attorney General decides to indict President Katsav
(16:08 , 01.23.07)
1 dead in northeast India blast
(15:57 , 01.23.07)
Al-Aqsa: 3 foreigners suspected of collaborating with Israel nabbed
(15:25 , 01.23.07)
Iranian foreign minister: Middle East on way to war
(15:11 , 01.23.07)
US Military in Baghdad investigates what appears to be crash of civilian aircraft
(15:10 , 01.23.07)
MK El-Sana probed for Syria visit
(14:36 , 01.23.07)
US warns Iran to back off in Persian Gulf
(14:13 , 01.23.07)
Committee criticizes IDF Chief Halutz's conduct on July 12
(14:06 , 01.23.07)
MK: Kadima members should sign letter of loyalty to PM
(14:04 , 01.23.07)
Peres: Set up settlements for Gaza evacuees
(13:49 , 01.23.07)
Man sentenced to 3 years for attacking elderly woman
(13:16 , 01.23.07)
Armed men seize 17 Palestinians in Baghdad
(12:57 , 01.23.07)
1 dead, 9 wounded in clashes in Lebanon
(12:18 , 01.23.07)
4 wounded in Lebanon shooting
(12:08 , 01.23.07)
Livni testifies before Winograd Committee
(11:46 , 01.23.07)
Stones thrown at vehicle near Qalqilya
(11:40 , 01.23.07)
Knesset approves budget for Ministry of Strategic Affairs
(11:38 , 01.23.07)
Palestinian attackers blow up vacant Gaza resort
(11:35 , 01.23.07)

[Uncle Ike]

" Long War Ping!"

Thanks, Knitting....

Lebanon seems to be rapidly heading towards boil-over point...

Should we move that discussion over here?

[Knitting A Conundrum]

• 
  Three Frenchmen kidnapped in West Bank AFP - 30 minutes ago

  NABLUS, West Bank (AFP) - Three Frenchmen have been kidnapped by armed Palestinians in the northern West Bank town of Nablus.

• Palestinian gumen say seized 3 Westerners Reuters - 45 minutes ago

  NABLUS, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinian militants said on Tuesday they seized three Westerners in the West Bank city of Nablus.

• Palestinian gunmen attack empty resort AP - 1 hour, 17 minutes ago

  JERUSALEM - Dozens of masked gunmen claiming to be members of al-Qaida stormed an empty Gaza Strip beach resort Tuesday and blew up a reception hall, saying they were sending a message to an ally of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, witnesses said.

• 
  Musharraf calls for new Mideast initative AFP - 1 hour, 38 minutes ago

  AMMAN (AFP) - Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf called for a "strong initiative" to restore stability in the Middle East, after talks with Jordan's King Abdullah II.

• 
  Opposition protesters paralyze Lebanon AP - 1 hour, 40 minutes ago

  BEIRUT, Lebanon - Hezbollah-led protesters paralyzed Lebanon Tuesday by burning tires and cars on major thoroughfares in and around the capital to enforce a general strike that aims to topple the government.

• Israel defense official missing in Paris: source Reuters - 2 hours, 4 minutes ago

  PARIS (Reuters) - The head of the Israeli Defense Ministry Mission to Europe has disappeared from his Paris house, leaving behind notes that indicate he might have been considering suicide, a police source said on Tuesday.

• 
  Palestinian journalists protest Al-Arabiya bombing AFP - 2 hours, 33 minutes ago

  GAZA CITY (AFP) - Around 200 Palestinians, many of them journalists, have demonstrated in Gaza City to denounce the bombing of the offices there of the Al-Arabiya satellite news channel.

• 
  Former general to take over Israeli army AP - Tue Jan 23, 6:09 AM ET

  JERUSALEM - Gabi Ashkenazi, the incoming commander of Israel's armed forces, is a reserve infantry general with a mission to restore Israel's deterrent posture and public confidence, both dented by last year's costly and inconclusive Lebanon war.

• 
  Palestinian militant in Gaza dies from wounds AFP - Tue Jan 23, 4:52 AM ET

  GAZA CITY (AFP) - A Palestinian miltiant has died from wounds suffered in September during a clash with Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian medical source said.

• Israeli army using mock city to train AP - Tue Jan 23, 4:43 AM ET

  TZEELIM MILITARY BASE, Israel - Under the cover of thick smoke, a Muslim call to prayer sounding in the background, the masked Israeli commandos stormed a concrete building and "killed" two soldiers posing as Hezbollah guerrillas.

• 
  Entebbe veteran named as new Israeli army chief AFP - Tue Jan 23, 4:25 AM ET

  JERUSALEM (AFP) - Major General Gabi Ashkenazi is awaiting final confirmation as Israel's new army chief of staff after his predecessor quit over the handling of last summer's war in Lebanon.

• 
  Arabiya TV office in Gaza damaged by bomb Reuters - Mon Jan 22, 7:51 PM ET

  GAZA (Reuters) - An explosion ripped through the office of Al Arabiya television in Gaza City on Monday, causing no injuries, police said.

[Just A Nobody]

Let me know if you're interested.

I'm interested! Thanks!

[pinz-n-needlez]

I'm in, thanks, Knitting.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

I would...just cause the depth of the thread is shorter...

[Knitting A Conundrum]

A Bangladeshi court sentenced to death three members of an outlawed Islamic militant outfit for carrying out a string of bombings in a northwestern town two years ago, a domestic news agency said Tuesday.

The men were convicted in the Aug. 17, 2005 bombings, part a nationwide terror campaign by the banned Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh, the United News of Bangladesh said.

No one was hurt when the bombs exploded at crowded public places - including a court house, a government office and a bus station - in Naogaon, 190 kilometers (120 miles) northwest of the national capital, Dhaka.

Two of the defendants were in court Tuesday, while a third was tried in absentia.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1167467796612&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[pinz-n-needlez]

Reposting the Fox news story on Lebanon...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,245778,00.html

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Tens of thousands of people have walked silently behind the coffin of murdered Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, in a vast funeral cortege in Istanbul.

The newspaper editor, 52, was gunned down in the Turkish city on Friday, metres from his offices.

Dink wrote controversial articles about the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War I.

Mourners carrying placards reading "We are all Armenians" paused and applauded as they passed where he was shot.

Silent walk

Many roads were shut to allow the mourners to reach an Armenian Orthodox Church five miles (8km) across the city, where the funeral service was led by the patriarch.

(exerpt)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6289275.stm

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Pressure appears to be mounting on Iran's President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

His main political rival, former president Hashemi Rafsanjani, implicitly criticised his slow move towards privatisation of the economy.

Hardliners in parliament also appear split with many of Mr Ahmadinejad's former supporter now critical of him.

It is becoming clear that the green light has been given from the very top for open debate of President Ahmadinejad's record in power.

Normally compliant newspaper editorials have suddenly started criticising his handling of the economy and his undiplomatic language.

Now the former president, Hashemi Rafsanjani, has voiced public criticism of President Ahmadinejad's tendency towards a highly centralised state-controlled economy.

(exerpt)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6290101.stm

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Palestinian journalists imposed a daylong news blackout on Tuesday to protest an explosion at the Gaza City offices of the al-Arabiya satellite news station.

There was no claim of responsibility for the blast on Monday, and the station did not assign blame.

But it did accuse the Hamas-led government, which has been critical of the Arabic-language news channel's coverage, of failing to protect it. Al-Arabiya journalists said they had received dozens of threats, including death threats.

Hundreds of journalists and Palestinian officials gathered in the courtyard of the parliament building in Gaza City on Tuesday to protest the attack, which caused considerable damage but no injuries because the offices were empty at the time.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1167467796228&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[Knitting A Conundrum]

One dead, 60 hurt in Lebanon clashes
ap and jpost.com staff, THE JERUSALEM POST Jan. 23, 2007

One person was killed and dozens more wounded in clashes between government supporters and pro-Hizbullah demonstrators throughout Lebanon on Tuesday.

Opposition protesters paralyzed Lebanon by burning tires and cars at major thoroughfares in the capital and its approaches to enforce a general strike that aims to topple the government.

Clustering in small groups to man the blazing roadblocks, opposition supporters escalated their nearly two-month protest. Commuters were stranded and an eery silence hung over many commercial districts.

As a result, at least seven international flights to Beirut have been cancelled.

Violence was reported involving stone throwing, fist fights and even firing of guns. Police said 14 people sustained gunshot wounds in disturbances between opposition supporters and pro-government activists in central and northern Lebanon. Michel Aoun, a senior opposition leader, told Al-Arabiya television that the seven wounded were opposition members.

Several people were injured in scuffles in neighborhoods of Beirut as well as in central, eastern and northern Lebanon.

In Israel, Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman MK Tzahi Hanegbi expressed concerned over the developments in Beirut, saying the opposition's attempt to overthrow Sinora's government could enflame the region, following a period relative calm following the summer's war.

"We are talking about an Iranian and Syrian attempt to topple the legally elected government," Hanegbi said.

Police and troops deployed in the thousands across the country worked to open roads, sometimes negotiating with protesters, but they refrained from using force. In some instances, the military separated the two opposing sides who scuffled and exchange insults and stones or charged the crowds, managing to open some roads.

Troops brandishing automatic rifles and batons kept hundreds of people from each side separated and away from motorists, and made few arrests on the coastal highway north of Beirut near the Christian port city of Jounieh. Shots were fired in the air, apparently by security forces to disperse the crowds.

Hizbullah chief Sheik Hassan Nasrallah and other opposition leaders called for the strike that was backed by labor unions. Prime Minister Fuad Saniora and his supporters urged Lebanese to ignore the call, a move endorsed by banking associations and business leaders.

Soldiers and firefighters moved in to remove the obstacles, but black clouds could be seen billowing into the air around the capital and on major highways in testament to their limited success.

Witness accounts and television footage suggest that the opposition had shut down many neighborhoods and suburbs of the capital, Beirut, as well as areas around the country. Nonetheless, Beirut Mayor Abdel-Munim Ariss, put on a brave face, telling Al-Arabiya television that the city was functioning normally.

Many workers stayed home, either in support of the strike or simply fearing violence. Some schools which had earlier said they were open sent mobile text messages to parents announcing closures because of the unrest.

Blazing roadblocks cut off the road to Beirut international airport and the highway linking Beirut with the mountains and the road to Damascus, the Syrian capital.

Aviation officials said the country's only international airport was operating as normal, albeit with fewer staff.

The director general of Civil Aviation, Hamdi Shawq, told Al-Arabiya that the airport was working, but passengers were having difficulty reaching and leaving it by road.

Five flights arrived at the airport, six others left but another seven flights were canceled.

Government officials described the disturbances as an attempted coup.

"It is one of the chapters of the putsch," said Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh said of the opposition action. "This will fail as in the past, and the legitimate government of Lebanon will remain steadfast," he told Al-Arabiya television. In another television interview, he called the protesters "thugs."

Another Cabinet minister, Ahmed Fatfat, expressed concern that there would be more violence between the rival sides.

"The opposition is attempting a coup by force ... This is not a strike. This is military action, a true aggression and I'm afraid this could develop into clashes between citizens," Fatfat, the youth and sports minister, told Al-Arabiya.

The strike came two days before Saniora and his economic team seek financial aid for Lebanon at an international donors' conference in Paris. The opposition has also said the grants and loans - which local analysts set at around US$5 billion (€3.1 billion) - would only increase the national debt and further weaken the economy, hard hit by the summer war between Hizbullah and Israel.

A Saniora aide, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the prime minister was still in Beirut following the developments, contrary to earlier media reports that he had left for France.

The strike has deepened the existing political divisions. The anti-Syrian parliamentary majority, made up of mostly Sunni Muslims, Druse and Christians, backs Saniora. The opposition is led by the pro-Syrian and pro-Iranian Shi'ite Muslim Hizbullah, and includes also some Druse and Christians.

The opposition has been camped out in front of the prime minister's office in downtown Beirut and staged several protests to press its demands since Dec. 1. Troops have been deployed in central Beirut for weeks to keep order. But the action has largely been peaceful.

Nasrallah urged supporters late Monday to participate in an "effective and powerful manner" in the strike. He reiterated the demand by Hizbullah and its allies for a veto-wielding share of the Cabinet - a request that Saniora has rejected.

Hours earlier, Saniora criticized Hizbullah's tactics, saying the Iranian and Syrian backed group wanted to give the world "a disturbing picture of Lebanon."


http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1167467793409&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter

[Unrepentant VN Vet]

Okay, got through a spell of my SatLink spitting up on me and ready to lurk on the New-and-Improved thread.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Police source: Israeli defense official missing in Paris
By Reuters and Haaretz Service

The head of the Israeli Defense Ministry Mission to Europe has disappeared from his Paris house, leaving behind notes that indicate he might have been considering suicide, a local police source said on Tuesday.

The man, named as David Dahan, has not been seen since the weekend, the source said.

"The possibility of suicide has not been ruled out given the psychological state of the person in recent times and notes he left behind," the source said, declining to be named.

(exerpt)

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=816862&contrassID=1&subContrassID=1

[pinz-n-needlez]

WOW! That one sounds particularly messy!

[La Enchiladita]

It's a good sign to me that you put "Israel" in the keywords...*smiling.*

To All: Tune in C-SPAN3, where Lt. Gen. David Petraeus is now being questioned by Senate Armed Services Committee, re his nomination as commander of OIF.

Now, must run off to ready for work ...

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Got your name on the update list...

[Knitting A Conundrum]

It's definitely one of the lynch pins!