Threat Matrix: April 2007

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1793738/posts ^

[Cindy]

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

Note: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1814618/posts

Fatwa Issued Over Pakistan Minister’s Embrace of Foreign Man
Fox News ^ | Monday, April 09, 2007 | AP

Posted on 04/09/2007 3:02:31 PM PDT by SubGeniusX

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Islamic clerics at a radical mosque in Pakistan’s capital have demanded the minister for tourism be fired, after she was pictured committing a “great sin” by hugging a foreign man.

Minister for Tourism Nilofar Bakhtiar on Monday rejected the Taliban-style edict against her by clerics at Islamabad’s Red Mosque, who last week set up their own court to deliver Islamic justice.

Photos carried in the Pakistani press showed Bakhtiar, helped by a male instructor during a charity parachute jump she made in France last month to raise money for victims of the massive earthquake that hit Pakistan in October 2005. Another picture shows a woman — apparently Bakhtiar — hugging the instructor.

On Sunday, two clerics at the mosque’s Darul Afta or Department of Edicts issued a fatwa, or edict, that this was “an illegitimate and forbidden act.”

“Without any doubt, she has committed a great sin,” a copy of the fatwa seen by The Associated Press said. It declared that Muslim women must stay at home and must not venture out uncovered.

The fatwa demanded that Bakhtiar be sacked, given some other unspecified punishment and that her family should “force her to ask for forgiveness so that she does not repeat this un-Islamic act.”

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...

[Cindy]

Thanks to fanfan for the ping to this thread:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1814575/posts

“Fatal bomb larger than usual, military says”
National Post ^ | 2007-04-09 | Jonathan Fowlie

Posted on 04/09/2007 1:44:54 PM PDT by Clive

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan

and this post:

QUOTE:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1814575/posts?page=8#8

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan—The bomb that killed six Canadian soldiers on Sunday was likely a bigger than normal charge that was set at a choke point where vehicles would have to drive in order to bypass a series of desert irrigation wells, said the commander who leads the battle group that lost the soldiers.
“It was a big bomb,” said Lt.-Col. Rob Walker, commanding officer of 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment. Mr. Walker said he believes the bomb was a pressure-sensitive improvised explosive device that would have gone off under the weight of the passing LAV III.

Canada ping.

Please send me a FReepmail to get on or off this Canada ping list.

8 posted on 04/09/2007 2:15:35 PM PDT by fanfan (”We don’t start fights my friends, but we finish them, and never leave until our work is done.”PMSH)

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=32731

Six Taliban Fighters Killed in Afghanistan; Weapons Cache Destroyed

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 9, 2007 – Coalition forces and Afghan National Army forces killed six Taliban combatants and destroyed a weapons cache in Afghanistan over the past two days.

Taliban fighters launched rocket and mortar fire at a combined Afghan national army and coalition base in the Cahar Cineh Valley of Oruzgan province today. A local Afghan woman near the base suffered shrapnel wounds to her chest and abdomen as a result.

Combined forces returned mortar fire at the Taliban fighters, who quickly retreated over a ridgeline, and coalition medics quickly stabilized the woman’s life-threatening wounds, U.S. officials said. The victim was evacuated to a medical facility in Tarin Kowt, where she is listed in stable condition. No other injuries to Afghan civilians were reported.

“Taliban fighters continue to inflict pain and suffering on innocent Afghan civilians,” said Army Maj. Chris Belcher, a Combined Joint Task Force 82 spokesman. “Taliban fighter tactics are no match for the determination and skill of (Afghan National Army) and coalition forces.”

In Afghanistan yesterday, six Taliban fighters fired a rocket-propelled grenade round into the side of an ANA vehicle as they drove past the combined forces patrol in the Sangin district of Helmand province. Coalition aircraft were notified and observed the Taliban-operated vehicle for several kilometers as it traveled out of the populated Sangin district area. After the vehicle had traveled a safe distance from Afghan civilians and structures, coalition forces destroyed the vehicle, killing all six of the Taliban fighters.

Also yesterday, ANA and coalition forces received small-arms and RPG fire from more than 10 Taliban fighters hiding in a compound on the Sangin district’s east side. The combined patrol returned small-arms fire at the Taliban fighters before maneuvering toward the compound. While searching the compound, combined forces discovered a large weapons cache containing an RPG and 82 mm rounds. The cache was destroyed at the site.

“Violent extremists have resorted to conducting unsuccessful cowardly attacks and suicide-bomb tactics in an attempt to strike fear in the hearts of the Afghan people,” Belcher said. “The ANA soldiers showed extreme proficiency and probably kept these extremists from harming innocent Afghans.”

Also in Afghanistan yesterday, Afghan national police assisted the 13th Psychological Operations Battalion during a bomb-defusing operation in Charikar. Explosive ordnance disposal technicians from Bagram Air Base defused a 250-pound Soviet bomb that fell on a village 18 –years ago. Due to the bomb’s potential blast radius, more than 70 villagers had to be evacuated to a safe zone, where Afghan police officers provided security and humanitarian aid.

“The people were very friendly, but unsure,” said Army Maj. Lance Baker, of the 13th Psychological Operations Battalion. “They didn’t want to leave their homes, (but) it’s our job to interface with local nationals, and our mission was to assist EOD and make sure the villagers don’t interfere with EOD’s mission.”

The Afghan National Police forces’ assistance was critical to the operation.

“We’re here for their security in case the insurgents attack,” said ANP Pvt. Safay Ullah. “Also, if we’re not here, people may not cooperate. They have respect for us.”

A village elder interviewed expressed gratitude. “We are always grateful when (they) help us,” he said.

(Compiled from Combined Joint Task Force 82 news releases.)

[Cindy]

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=32732

“Four Guard Brigades Alerted for Iraq Duty”

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 9, 2007

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=32735

Troops Detain 14 Suspects in Iraq; Car Bomb Kills 17, Injures 26

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 9, 2007 – Coalition forces captured 14 suspected terrorists during operations across Iraq today, and terrorists killed 17 Iraqis and wounded 26 in a car bomb yesterday.

In raids around Iraq today, coalition forces northwest of Bayji detained five suspected terrorists with ties to foreign-fighter facilitation. Coalition forces in Tarmiyah captured seven suspects with alleged ties to al Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq terrorist group.

Elsewhere today, coalition forces northwest of Karmah nabbed two suspected terrorists with links to a car-bomb cell allegedly responsible for planning attacks against Iraqi police and coalition forces, military officials said.

“Coalition forces continue systematic operations to hunt down terrorists no matter where they may hide,” said Army Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman.

In other news from Iraq, 17 Iraqis died yesterday and 26 were wounded when a car bomb detonated near Mahmudiyah. The incident occurred on a main Iraqi highway near the Mahmudiyah health clinic and a local Mosque.

Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, and with 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, responded to the blast. The combined forces brought 17 of the wounded civilians to Forward Operating Base Mahmudiyah for medical care and evacuated eight victims to the 28th Combat Support Hospital via helicopter for further treatment.

Task Force 2-15 cordoned off the area around the site of the attack and diverted traffic. The incident is under investigation, U.S. officials said.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1814634/posts

“Arsenic In Chicken Feed May Pose Health Risks To Humans”
Science Daily ^ | 4-9-2007 | American Chemical Society

Posted on 04/09/2007 3:51:01 PM PDT by blam

[Cindy]

ON THE NET...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=iran
http://www.memri.org/iran.html
http://www.truthusa.com/IRAN.html

#

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/015987.php

April 09, 2007

Iran announces “industrial” nuclear fuel work
1938 Alert. More on this story, by Parisa Hafezi for Reuters:

NATANZ, Iran (Reuters) - Iran announced on Monday it had begun industrial-scale nuclear fuel production in a fresh snub to the U.N. Security Council, which has imposed two rounds of sanctions on it for refusing to halt such work.

The announcement marks a shift from experimental atomic fuel work involving a few hundred centrifuges used for enriching uranium to a process that will involve thousands of machines.

Western nations fear this will bring Tehran closer to what they say is its aim of building atomic bombs. Iran, the world’s fourth largest oil exporter, insists it only wants the fuel for generating electricity so it can export more of its oil and gas.

However, the uranium they are enriching is not suitable for the Russian nuclear power plant currently under construction.

“I proudly announce that as of today Iran is among the countries which produce nuclear fuel on an industrial scale,” President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told a gathering at the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in central Iran.

Washington swiftly denounced the declaration, saying it was a further sign Iran was defying the international community.

Iran, which announced a year ago it had produced its first tiny batch of enriched uranium, had said it would install 3,000 centrifuges as a first stage towards “industrial-scale” output.

Chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani was quoted by Mehr News Agency as saying Iran had “reached the capacity of 3,000”. Asked if feedstock uranium gas had been injected into them, he told reporters: “Yes, we have injected gas.”

Diplomats previously said Iran had set up a third of the 3,000 machines but had not introduced feedstock. An Iranian official told ISNA news agency U.N. inspectors who routinely visit would confirm centrifuge numbers in 20 days’ time.

Analysts say Iran has used such announcements of atomic progress in the past to strengthen its bargaining position with the West, but that such statements have often glossed over technical glitches they say have plagued Iran’s nuclear work.

Iran aims to build 54,000 centrifuges, which spin at high speeds to produce fuel for power plants or, if it is enriched further, bombs. With 3,000, Iran could make enough material for a bomb in one year if it wanted to, Western experts say.

Posted by Marisol at April 9, 2007 02:05 PM

#

[Cindy]

UPDATE:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1814632/posts

http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=10712

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 399-07
April 09, 2007
“Ten Missing WWII Airmen are Identified”

[Cindy]

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

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

#

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1814631/posts

Chris Hedges: “AMERICAN FASCISTS” The Christian Right vs USA [*barf alert* ten-bagger!]
Youtube ^ | February 10, 2007 | Chris Hedges

Posted on 04/09/2007 3:39:51 PM PDT by EternalVigilance

Anti-Christian bigotry on vivid display.

[Cindy]

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

#

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3385997,00.html
(AP)

“Italian government paid $2 million to Taliban for hostage”
Published: 04.09.07, 16:57

[Cindy]

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200704/POL20070409b.html

“Top Democrat Meets With Radical Islamists”
By Patrick Goodenough
CNSNews.com Managing Editor
April 09, 2007

#

http://www.cnsnews.com/ForeignBureaus/Archive/200704/INT20070404a.html

“Syrians Hail Pelosi Visit as Diplomatic Triumph”
By Julie Stahl
CNSNews.com Jerusalem Bureau Chief
April 04, 2007

Jerusalem (CNSNews.com)

[Cindy]

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

#

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=27760

“Training Day”
By Jane Novak
The Weekly Standard | April 9, 2007

[Cindy]

QUOTE:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1741897/posts?page=303#303

UPDATE:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1741897/posts?page=302#302

Thanks to ButThreeLeftsDo for the ping to this thread.

Note: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1813762/posts

A Real Moderate Takes a Stand Against CAIR and the Flying Imams
National Review Online ^ | 4/6/07 | Andy McCarthy

Posted on 04/07/2007 2:55:22 PM PDT by ButThreeLeftsDo

Three cheers — no, three million cheers — for Zuhdi Jasser, a practicing doctor and retired Navy Lieutenant Commander, who is trying to catalyze fellow moderate Muslims into standing up against the jihadists and their cheerleaders. He has written this important article at FamilySecurityMatters.org denouncing CAIR and the lawsuit it is pushing on behalf of the infamous Flying Imams against US Airways and the “John Doe” passengers who had the temerity to be frightened and speak out.

Read it all. Here is one excerpt of the words we’ve been longing to hear from Muslim moderates:

Make no mistake. This lawsuit forces our courts and our community to firmly clarify our rules of engagement and the tools we can and cannot use to stay safe and maintain our freedoms. If this case is not thrown out early by the courts it stands to chill civilian reporting of suspicious behavior which will further embolden those who target our American citizenry—Muslim and non-Muslim. Frankly, it will also create a deeper wedge and greater fear whether based on reality or ignorance between the Muslim and non-Muslim community. Contrary to the CAIR spin machine and their sympathizers, this case is about much more than a few Muslim imams from Phoenix who felt their rights (to fly) were infringed by U.S. Airways and some passengers (John Does) who passed notes to the crew. It is about much more than such a simplistic view of the known facts.

As a nation, our collective response to this will be a defining moment in the articulation of our values, while also defining our priorities in defense of civilian America against the threat of militant Islamism and all those enemies who target us.

We are seeing at play in this case elements that illustrate the pathology of political Islam and how it blindly drives many Muslims who believe in it, whether or not their means are wise or their ends are understood. The longer we avoid the deeper discussion of the machinations of political Islam (Islamism) in America, the longer we allow it to take cover and thrive under the guise of political correctness within our pluralistic democracy. The longer we continue to disengage from the real aims and overriding denial of Islamist organizations that wage public battle through their toxic mixture of religion and politics, the further we fall behind in this war of ideas. Without engagement, Islamism, Salafism, and radicalism will continue to flourish within the very construct of our Constitutional government and protection of our Bill of Rights - including its establishment clause – and all the while Islamists strive to create a society which honors neither.

302 posted on 04/07/2007 3:07:55 PM PDT by Cindy

303 posted on 04/07/2007 3:12:26 PM PDT by Cindy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 302 | View Replies | Report Abuse ]

To: ButThreeLeftsDo
Thanks to ButThreeLeftsDo for the ping to this thread and article:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1814624/posts

http://www.aim.org/guest_column/5359_0_6_0_C/

“The Flying Imams: A Defining Moment in American Values?”
By M. Zuhdi Jasser | April 9, 2007

304 posted on 04/09/2007 5:08:37 PM PDT by Cindy

[Cindy]

UPDATE:

http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2007/April/07_crm_229.html

“Our Defendants Sentenced on one of New England’s
Largest Counterfeit Goods Conspiracies”

WASHINGTON

(April 9, 2007)

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2007/April/07_crm_227.html

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2007
WWW.USDOJ.GOV

Ecuadorian National Charged with Attempting to Kill a DEA Agent
Extradited to the U.S. from Colombia

WASHINGTON – An Ecuadorian national charged with the attempted murder of a DEA agent has been extradited from Colombia to the United States, the Department of Justice announced today.

Jairo Motta-Vargas arrived in Miami from Colombia on April 4, and was transported to Washington, D.C. yesterday. He is scheduled to appear before a magistrate judge at U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. today at 1:45 p.m.

Jairo Motta-Vargas has been named in a two-count indictment previously returned in the District of Columbia on June 20, 2000. Motta-Vargas was charged with the attempted murder of a DEA agent, and with unlawfully impeding, with the use of a deadly weapon, a DEA agent in the performance of his duties.

“The arrival of Jairo Motta-Vargas in the United States demonstrates our resolve to bring to justice those who attempt to kill or hurt American citizens, particularly our front-line law enforcement agents,” said Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales. “I again thank the Colombian government for their assistance in extraditing Motta-Vargas and for their continuing partnership in the war against drugs.”

“DEA’s courageous men and women put their lives on the line every day for the safety of our nation. We take attempts or threats on their lives seriously, and we relentlessly pursue their attackers as long as it takes to see justice done,” said DEA Administrator Karen P. Tandy. “Our agents are especially vulnerable and brave because they willingly put themselves in the drug underworld, where profits and power are more valued than human life. We are grateful that our agent walked away from this attack unharmed, and that his attacker, Jairo Motta-Vargas, will now answer to an American judge and jury.”

Motta-Vargas was allegedly a member of a Quito, Ecuador-based international drug trafficking organization. In 1999, law enforcement authorities in London, England seized 20 kilograms of heroin belonging to Motta-Vargas’ drug trafficking organization, according to the indictment. On July 12, 1999, in Quito, Motta-Vargas, believing that a DEA Special Agent was responsible for the seizure, fired at least three shots from a Beretta 9mm semi-automatic pistol at point-blank range at the DEA agent while the agent was seated in a motor vehicle. Motta-Vargas was arrested several days later by Ecuadorian police and was ultimately sentenced to six years in prison.

After his release from prison, Motta-Vargas was returned to Colombia, where the United States filed a provisional arrest request and a request for extradition. On March 23, 2007, the government of Colombia granted the extradition request on the charge of attempted murder of a DEA agent, but denied extradition on the charge of impeding a DEA agent in the performance of his duties. Motta-Vargas will only be tried on the attempted murder charge, and if convicted, faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

An indictment contains only allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.

The investigation in this case was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, and is being prosecuted in the District of Columbia by Robert Feitel and Carmen Colon of the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section (NDDS) of the Criminal Division at the Department of Justice. The extradition was handled by the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs and NDDS.

###

07-227

[Cindy]

Sadly, watching the body count in Philly:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1814677/posts

“Stray Bullet Kills (Philly) City Man As He Dresses For Work”
CBS 3 PHILADELPHIA ^ | 09 APRIL 2007 | AP

Posted on 04/09/2007 5:30:47 PM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist

(CBS 3) PHILADELPHIA

[MamaDearest]

Sadly, watching the body count in Philly:

1.4 million PA warrants remain unserved

Snip: For the first time, a statewide computer system makes it possible to put a number on how many warrants for major crimes to minor offenses remain unserved across Pennsylvania , 1.4 million, including more than 100 for homicide, The Associated Press has found.

[MamaDearest]

The new issue of Technical Mujahid, a Training Manual for Jihadis

Snip: According to the editor-in-chief of Technical Mujahid, Abu al-Mothanna al-Najdi, the objectives of the magazine are to eradicate the phobia and anxiety suffered by those who refrain from participating in jihad because they erroneously believe that intelligence services are monitoring their every move. Additionally, the publication aims to spread a sense of security, vigilance and self-confidence, in a scientific way, among members of jihadi forums by educating them in jihadi propaganda and enhancing their knowledge of field operations. To achieve these objectives, the magazine is organized into six sections of technical training that are aimed at helping the mujahideen carry out certain tasks.

[Cindy]

Yep..technically speaking, I’m waiting for the technical mujahid issue where it shows what’s it’s like living a tiny jail cell.

[MamaDearest]

I’m waiting for the technical mujahid issue where it shows what’s it’s like living a tiny jail cell.

The kind without ammenities would suit their humble needs quite well.