Threat Matrix: June 2007

Previous Thread ^

[Cindy]

Thanks you JellyJam for this link.

http://wcbstv.com/topstories/local_story_178160005.html

“Power Restored After Major Outages”
Source: Lightning Strike Caused The Problem

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “(CBS) NEW YORK CBS 2 HD has learned all power has been restored to Manhattan and the Bronx after major power outages affected nearly 375,000 homes and businesses while stopping trains and trapping people in elevators. Sources tell CBS 2 that lightning may have been the cause of the problem.

CBS 2’s weather team, however, says there was not one single lightning strike in the Upper East Side. The closest strike came in Long Island City.

The affected areas in Manhattan stretched from 75th Street to 110th Street, and from 5th Avenue to the East River and began at 3:42 p.m. Traffic lights were reported out in the area as well.

Power in the Upper East Side began returning about 4:30.

Outages in the South Bronx were reported as well. Sources say the problem in the Bronx began due to a sub-station fire underground.

Digg This Story!

About 78,000 were reported without power in Manhattan and another 58,000 without power in the Bronx.

The outages come on a day where temperatures soared into the mid-90s with dreadful humidity making it feel even hotter. The heat index in the tri-state area was flirting with the low 100s.”

[Cindy]

http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/newsreleases/articles/070626brooklyn.htm

June 26, 2007

“29 defendants in New York, New Jersey and California charged with conspiracy to smuggle over 950 shipments of merchandise into the U.S.”

SNIPPET: “Federal agents seize counterfeit goods valued at approximately $700 million had they been authentic; defendants include merchandise distributors, freight forwarders, customs brokers, owners and managers of CBP-bonded warehouses, and managers of a CBP exam site”

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/newsreleases/articles/070626detroit.htm

June 26, 2007

Livonia man sentenced to 14 years for forcing women to work as exotic dancers
Ukrainian women were tricked into traveling to U.S., then forced to work in area strip clubs

DETROIT - A Michigan man was sentenced here yesterday in U.S. District Court to 14 years in prison as one of the ringleaders in an involuntary servitude and money-laundering conspiracy. This sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Stephen Murphy, Eastern District of Michigan; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Special Agent-in-Charge Brian Moskowitz; and FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Andrew G. Arena.

Aleksandr Maksimenko, 27, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in the Ukraine, resided in Livonia, Mich. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Victoria A. Roberts to 168 months in prison for his part as a ringleader in a conspiracy that forced Eastern European women to work as exotic dancers in Detroit-area strip clubs. He must also pay $1.5 million in restitution to the victims.

ICE began the investigation after receiving information that Eastern European women were being trafficked in the Detroit area under the guise of legitimate business. Maksimenko admitted that he and his partners smuggled women into the United States and compelled them through threats and coercion to work as dancers in strip clubs. Maksimenko and his partners took a number of steps to maintain compliance from the women, including: confiscating the dancers’ passports, imposing large debts, enforcing rules designed to isolate the dancers from potential rescuers through interrogations, assessing monetary penalties, physical violence and threats, searching the dancers’ apartments, and threatening to turn the dancers in to authorities because of their illegal immigration status.

“These criminals preyed upon the hopes and dreams of these victims who came to the U.S. for the sole purpose of bettering their lot in life, only to be forced into a life of enslavement, subjected to sexual exploitation, physical violence and isolation,” said Moskowitz, special agent-in-charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Detroit. “ICE will continue to vigorously pursue organizations that callously trade human cargo with no regard for the health or dignity these women, all while reaping the illegal profits from their suffering.”

“The defendants in this case took advantage of innocent women from Eastern Europe by enticing them to come to the United States, and then holding them in bondage for commercial and sexual exploitation,” said U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Murphy. “In sentencing Mr. Maksimenko to 14 years in prison, the Court underscored the gravity of this type of crime. Criminal operations involving human trafficking, such as this one, will be pursued with the greatest vigor by my office.”

“With promises of good money, his only intent was to make lots of bad money,” said IRS Special Agent in Charge Maurice Aouate. “IRS-CI continues to work with the law enforcement community to financially disrupt any criminal organization and attack the fuel of their criminal conduct.”

“The FBI is committed to working with its law enforcement partners to investigate aggressively allegations of human trafficking,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Arena.

Maksimenko is the fourth of nine defendants to be sentenced for crimes associated with this trafficking conspiracy. Still to be sentenced is another of the ringleaders of the scheme Michail Aronov, a Lithuanian citizen from the Chicago area, who pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the civil rights of the dancers through involuntary servitude, as well as immigration, money laundering, and obstruction conspiracies. Aronov is scheduled for sentencing on Aug. 16.

Three other individuals were already sentenced as a part of this conspiracy:

Duay Jado, 28, a Greek citizen who has previously been ordered deported by an immigration judge, was sentenced to 46 months after pleading guilty to charges of interstate travel in aid of racketeering enterprises act. He was responsible for the fire bombing of dancer Tatiana Golovina’s automobile.
Evgeniy Prokopenko, 28, and Alexander Bondarenko, 28, both Ukrainian citizens, were sentenced to time served and processed for deportation after pleading guilty to visa fraud. They each entered into sham marriages for the purpose of securing visas for dancers.
The investigation and prosecution of others in this case continues. ICE, the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation division, and the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service are providing investigative assistance.

Assistant U.S Attorney Mark Chutkow and Lou de Baca, Senior Litigation Counsel at the Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Criminal Section, are prosecuting the case. Peter Ziedas, Assistant U.S. Attorney is handling the asset forfeiture part of the case.

— ICE —

[Cindy]

PANDEMIC FLU.gov
http://www.pandemicflu.gov

#

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1857306/posts

“Potentially Lethal H5N1 Bird Flu Resurfaces In Europe”
Times Of India ^ | 6-27-2007

Posted on 06/27/2007 2:27:43 PM PDT by blam

Potentially lethal H5N1 bird flu resurfaces in Europe

27 Jun, 2007 l 1751 hrs

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “PRAGUE: A bird flu scare in Central Europe was spreading on Wednesday as Czech authorities said the H5N1 virus potentially lethal to humans had been found in a flock of chickens after discoveries among wild birds in Germany.

The presence of H5N1 bird flu was confirmed on a poultry farm near the village of Norin, just four kilometers (2.5 miles) from a farm where some 6,000 turkeys were slaughtered last week after the deadly virus was detected there.

The farm in Tisova was the first incidence of H5N1 bird flu in Europe in four months. Then on Sunday Germany joined the latest outbreak confirming six cases in wild birds found dead near Nuremberg, followed by another report on Tuesday involving three wild swans in the east of the country.

Zbynek Semerad, a spokesman for the Czech veterinary services, said on Wednesday the H5N1 virus had been confirmed by a national laboratory. He said it was “the most serious animal infection” in the country since an episode of foot-and-mouth disease in 2001.

Czech authorities suggested the bird flu had been detected for the first time in Czech domestic poultry which could be due to wild birds contaminating litter. The infection could have been transferred between the two poultry farms which belong to the same cooperative on the shoes of a worker or on a car tyre.

All previous 13 cases of bird flu in the Czech Republic since March 2006 had only affected wild swans.”

[Cindy]

RECALLS.GOV
http://www.recalls.gov

~

http://www.fda.gov/opacom/7alerts.html

~

Note: This is a summary index. To read the all the alerts,
click on the link above this note.

QUOTE - SNIPPET:

View Class I Recalls By Date
June 19, 2007
Gills Onions Recalls One Lot of Diced Yellow Onions

June 15, 2007
Drug Safety Information: Propofol (marketed as Diprivan and generic products)

Update: Counterfeit Toothpaste Falsely Labeled as “Colgate”

Labeling Revision for RotaTeq (Rotavirus, Live, Oral, Pentavalent) Vaccine

June 14, 2007
Counterfeit Colgate Toothpaste Found

Confidence, Inc. Issues a Voluntary Nationwide Recall of all lots of Long Weekend, a Product Marketed as a Dietary Supplement

Agriculture Department Warns Consumers of Tainted Raw Milk Sold by Clarion County Dairy

[Cindy]

Fyi Only.

Video:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/06/20070627-2.wm.v.html

###

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/06/20070627-2.html

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 27, 2007

President Bush Rededicates Islamic Center of Washington
The Islamic Center of Washington, Washington, D.C.

Video (Windows)
White House News
Fact Sheet: Strengthening Our Friendship with the Muslim Community Worldwide
11:08 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Imam, thank you very much. Thank you for inviting me. I bring my personal respect to you, sir. And I appreciate your friendship. I do want to thank the governors of the Islamic Center. I welcome the Ambassadors. Thank you all for coming. I appreciate other distinguished guests who are here. It is an honor to join you at this rededication ceremony.

As the Imam mentioned, half a century has passed since one of our great leaders welcomed the Islamic Center into our nation’s family of faith. Dedicating this site, President Dwight D. Eisenhower offered America’s hand in friendship to Muslims around the world. He asked that together we commit ourselves “to peaceful progress of all men under one God.”

Today we gather, with friendship and respect, to reaffirm that pledge — and to renew our determination to stand together in the pursuit of freedom and peace. We come to express our appreciation for a faith that has enriched civilization for centuries. We come in celebration of America’s diversity of faith and our unity as free people. And we hold in our hearts the ancient wisdom of the great Muslim poet, Rumi: “The lamps are different, but the light is the same.”

Moments like this dedication help clarify who Americans are as a people, and what we wish for the world. We live in a time when there are questions about America and her intentions. For those who seek a true understanding of our country, they need to look no farther than here. This Muslim center sits quietly down the road from a synagogue, a Lutheran church, a Catholic parish, a Greek Orthodox chapel, a Buddhist temple — each with faithful followers who practice their deeply held beliefs and live side by side in peace.

This is what freedom offers: societies where people can live and worship as they choose without intimidation, without suspicion, without a knock on the door from the secret police. The freedom of religion is the very first protection offered in America’s Bill of Rights. It is a precious freedom. It is a basic compact under which people of faith agree not to impose their spiritual vision on others, and in return to practice their own beliefs as they see fit. This is the promise of our Constitution, and the calling of our conscience, and a source of our strength.

The freedom to worship is so central to America’s character that we tend to take it personally when that freedom is denied to others. Our country was a leading voice on behalf of the Jewish refusniks in the Soviet Union. Americans joined in common cause with Catholics and Protestants who prayed in secret behind an Iron Curtain. America has stood with Muslims seeking to freely practice their beliefs in places such as Burma and China.

To underscore America’s respect for the Muslim faith here at home, I came to this Center six days after the 9/11 attacks to denounce incidents of prejudice against Muslim Americans. (Applause.) Today I am announcing a new initiative that will improve mutual understanding and cooperation between America and people in predominately Muslim countries.

I will appoint a special envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference. This is the first time a President has made such an appointment to the OIC. (Applause.) Our special envoy will listen to and learn from representatives from Muslim states and will share with them America’s views and values. This is an opportunity for Americans to demonstrate to Muslim communities our interest in respectful dialogue and continued friendship.

We have seen that friendship reflected in the outpouring of support Americans have extended to Muslim communities across the globe during times of war and natural disaster. Americans came to the aid of the victims of devastating earthquakes in Pakistan and Iran, and responded with urgency and compassion to the wreckage of the tsunami in Indonesia and Malaysia. Our country defended Muslims in Bosnia and Kosovo after the breakup of Yugoslavia. (Applause.) Today we are rallying the world to confront genocide in Sudan. Americans of all beliefs have undertaken these efforts out of compassion, conviction, and conscience.

The greatest challenge facing people of conscience is to help the forces of moderation win the great struggle against extremism that is now playing out across the broader Middle East. We’ve seen the expansion of the concept of religious freedom and individual rights in every region of the world — except one. In the Middle East, we have seen instead the rise of a group of extremists who seek to use religion as a path to power and a means of domination.

These self-appointed vanguard — this self-appointed vanguard presumes to speak for Muslims. They do not. They call all Muslims who do not believe in their harsh and hateful ideology “infidels” and “betrayers” of the true Muslim faith. This enemy falsely claims that America is at war with Muslims and the Muslim faith, when in fact it is these radicals who are Islam’s true enemy. (Applause.)

They have staged spectacular attacks on Muslim holy sites to divide Muslims and make them fight one another. The majority of the victims of their acts of terror are Muslims. In Afghanistan, they have targeted teachers for beatings and murder. In Iraq, they killed a young boy, and then booby-trapped his body so it would explode when his family came to retrieve him. They put children in the backseat of a car so they could pass a security checkpoint, and then blew up the car with the children still inside. These enemies bombed a wedding reception in Amman, Jordan, a housing complex in Saudi Arabia, a hotel in Jakarta. They claim to undertake these acts of butchery and mayhem in the name of Allah. Yet this enemy is not the true face of Islam, this enemy is the face of hatred.

Men and women of conscience have a duty to speak out and condemn this murderous movement before it finds its path to power. We must help millions of Muslims as they rescue a proud and historic religion from murderers and beheaders who seek to soil the name of Islam. And in this effort, moderate Muslim leaders have the most powerful and influential voice. We admire and thank those Muslims who have denounced what the Secretary General of the OIC called “radical fringe elements who pretend that they act in the name of Islam.” We must encourage more Muslim leaders to add their voices, to speak out against radical extremists who infiltrate mosques, to denounce organizations that use the veneer of Islamic belief to support and fund acts of violence, and to reach out to young Muslims — even in our country and elsewhere in the free world — who believe suicide bombing may some day be justified.

We need to rally the voices of Muslims who can speak most directly to millions in the Arab world left behind in the global movement toward prosperity and freedom. For decades the free world abandoned Muslims in the Middle East to tyrants, and terrorists, and hopelessness. This was done in the interests of stability and peace, but instead the approach brought neither. The Middle East became an incubator for terrorism and despair, and the result was an increase in Muslims’ hostility to the West. I have invested the heart of my presidency in helping Muslims fight terrorism, and claim their liberty, and find their own unique paths to prosperity and peace.

The efforts underway in Afghanistan and Iraq are central in this struggle, but that struggle is not going to end the threats; it’s not going to end there. We believe the ultimate success of Afghans and Iraqis will inspire others who want to live in freedom, as well. We will work toward a day when a democratic Palestine lives side by side with Israel in peace. (Applause.) We have already seen stirrings of a democratic future in other parts of the Middle East, though it will take time for liberty to flower. A democratic future is not a plan imposed by Western nations, it is a future that the people of the region will seize for themselves. A future of freedom is the dream and the desire of every loving heart.

We know this because of the 8 million people who braved threats and intimidation to vote in Afghanistan. We know this because of the nearly 12 million people who cast ballots in free elections in Iraq. And we know this because the world watched as the citizens of Lebanon raised the banner of the Cedar Revolution, drove out their Syrian occupiers, and chose new leaders under free elections. Even now the hope for freedom is felt in some dark corners in the Middle East — whispering in living rooms, and coffee houses, and in classrooms. Millions seek a path to the future where they can say what they think, travel where they wish, and worship as they choose. They plead in silence for their liberty — and they hope someone, somewhere will answer.

So today, in this place of free worship, in the heart of a free nation, we say to those who yearn for freedom from Damascus to Tehran: You are not bound forever by your misery. You plead in silence no longer. The free world hears you. You are not alone. America offers you its hand in friendship. We work for the day when we can welcome you into the family of free nations. We pray that you and your children may one day know freedom in all things, including the freedom to love and to worship the Almighty God.

May God bless you.

END 11:21 A.M. EDT

[Cindy]

Fyi Only.

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/06/20070627-8.html

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 27, 2007

Fact Sheet: Strengthening Our Friendship with the Muslim Community Worldwide
President Bush Announces He Will Appoint A Special Envoy To The Organization Of The Islamic Conference

White House News
President Bush Rededicates Islamic Center of Washington

Today, President Bush Participated In The Rededication Of The Islamic Center Of Washington, In Washington, D.C.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower attended the Dedication Ceremony of the Islamic Center of Washington on June 28, 1957, to demonstrate America’s respect for the Islamic faith. To underscore this respect for Muslims everywhere, President Bush visited the Islamic Center of Washington six days after the 9/11 attacks to denounce any prejudice against Muslim-Americans.

The President Announced He Will Appoint A Special Envoy To The Organization Of The Islamic Conference (OIC). The OIC is an inter-governmental organization that strengthens political, economic, social, cultural, and scientific cooperation among its 57 member states.

The President’s Announcement Reaffirms The United States Government’s Outreach To Muslim Communities Based On Mutual Respect And Understanding. This is the first time in history that a president has made such an appointment to the OIC.

The Special Envoy Will Represent America’s Views And Values And Work To Demonstrate To The Wider Islamic World Our Interest In Respectful Dialogue And Continued Friendship. The Envoy will maintain formal contact with the OIC Secretariat, the Secretary General, the chairing country, plus other member countries, to follow OIC affairs and activities, understand the views of OIC members and leaders, seek ways for the U.S. and the OIC to cooperate, and seek to promote U.S. views on important policy matters that may come before the OIC.

Today, We Have An Opportunity To Help The Forces Of Moderation Win The Great Struggle Against Extremism. In the Middle East, we have seen the rise of a group of extremists who seek to use religion as a path to power and a means of domination.

Extremists Falsely Claim That America Is At War With The Muslim People And The Muslim Faith, When In Fact It Is These Radicals Who Are Islam’s True Enemy. They have staged spectacular attacks on Muslim holy sites to divide Muslims and make them fight one another, and they have killed more Muslims than they have killed people of any other faith.

The President Has Committed His Administration To Helping People Fight Off Terrorism And Find Their Own Paths To Prosperity And Peace. The efforts underway in Afghanistan and Iraq are central to this struggle, but the struggle will not end there. The stirrings of a democratic future have already been seen in other parts of the Middle East, though they may take time to be realized.

Men And Women Of Conscience Have A Duty To Speak Out And Condemn The Murderous Movement Of Extremists - And In This Effort, Moderate Muslim Leaders Have The Most Powerful And Influential Voice. America admires and thanks those Muslims who have denounced what the OIC Secretary General called “radical fringe elements who pretend that they act in the name of Islam,” and we must encourage more Muslim leaders to add their voices.
# # #

[Cindy]

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/017136.php

June 27, 2007

“Jihad through legal intimidation: the ISB lawsuit”

“In ‘A lawsuit without merit,’ Jeff Jacoby sums up the Islamic Society of Boston’s now-dropped frivolous lawsuit in the Boston Globe”

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1741897/posts?page=320#320

Thanks to ButThreeLeftsDo for the ping to this thread.

UPDATE:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1857340/posts

“Judge refuses to limit media access to case involving imams (Flyin’ Imams!!)”
KARE11.com ^ | 6/27/07 | Amy Forliti, AP

Posted on 06/27/2007 3:24:43 PM PDT by ButThreeLeftsDo

320 posted on 06/27/2007 3:38:26 PM PDT by Cindy

[Cindy]

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

#

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1857054/posts

“Numerous rescues as Hill Country deluged by rain — 6 months (19 Inches)”of Rain in 10 hours!
News8Austin ^ | 6/27/2007 | Staff

Posted on 06/27/2007 7:19:39 AM PDT by twntaipan

www.news8austin.com

Numerous rescues as Hill Country deluged by rain
Updated: 6/27/2007 7:13:50 AM
By: News 8 Austin Staff

[Cindy]

UPDATE...

blog:

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=26033_Australian_Muslim_Detained_in_Lebanon_May_Be_Terrorist_Leader&only

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

“Australian Muslim Detained in Lebanon May Be Terrorist Leader”

Snippet: “One of the four Australian Muslims arrested in Lebanon may actually be a leader of the Syria-linked Fatah al-Islam terror group.”

#

http://theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21980591-2702,00.html?from=public_rss

“Detainee may be terror group chief
Martin Chulov and Richard Kerbaj”
June 28, 2007

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “A FORMER Sydney taxi driver detained in Lebanon on suspicion of having links to terrorists has been identified as a possible leader of the al-Qa’ida-linked outfit, Fatah al-Islam.

A Tripoli car dealer who rents a shop next to a shed owned by Australian man Omar Hadba - where almost 500kg of military weapons were allegedly found hidden - said security officials had told him his neighbour was a leader of Fatah al-Islam, which has been locked in battle with the Lebanese military for weeks.

Mr Hadba is one of four Australians arrested in Lebanon on allegations of being affiliated with terrorists. No charges have been laid against any of the men.”

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=46557

Coalition Troops Put Pressure on Insurgents During Operation Phantom Thunder

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 27, 2007 – The troop surge has become “a surge of operations,” and coalition forces are in the early stages of a difficult fight, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman told reporters in Baghdad today. (Video)

Coalition and Iraqi troops working together have led successful operations recently in Baqubah, Mosul, Anbar and Diyala provinces, and north of Baghdad, Army Brig. Gen. Kevin Bergner said.

“We are on Day 12 of Operation Phantom Thunder, the Multinational Corps’ offensive to simultaneously increase pressure in and around Baghdad. This has been, and will continue to be, a tough fight; we are in the early stages of that fight,” he said.

Acknowledging the continuing violence in the region, Bergner said he joins Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in condemning the June 25 bombing of a busy Baghdad hotel that claimed 13 victims. Four tribal sheiks who were important coalition allies against al Qaeda in Anbar province were among those killed.

“This attack on Iraqis who sought peace and reconciliation is an affront to all people, and further proof of the barbaric nature of al Qaeda,” said Bergner, who noted that al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack.

Speaking about recent operations, the general said coalition forces killed two senior al Qaeda leaders June 23 south of Hawija in Tamim province.

One of the leaders killed operated a cell that helped foreign fighters move into Iraq; he also fought against coalition forces in Afghanistan in 2001. The other slain insurgent, known as Khalil al-Turki, operated with the same cell and held close ties to other senior al Qaeda leaders, Bergner said.

In Baqubah June 25, combined troops discovered an illegal prison and house used by al Qaeda for executions. Nearby, forces also uncovered a torture chamber and makeshift courthouse linked to the terrorist network, he said.

In raids around the site, coalition elements uncovered a medical facility where injured al Qaeda operatives received treatment, a stockpile of rocket-propelled grenades and a vehicle wired for use as a car bomb.

“This array of facilities is an example of how the enemy seeks to consolidate and create an operating base from which they can conduct attacks on the local population, and launch spectacular attacks into Baghdad,” Bergner said. “It is further evidence of the importance of applying pressure in and around Baghdad to remove extremist safe-havens and operating bases.”

Local residents in Mosul this week led Iraqi and coalition forces to a weapons cache and a large bomb factory where troops found insurgents assembling four truck bombs and two car bombs “in an assembly-line manner,” Bergner said. In conjunction with this raid, combined forces nabbed 32 suspected terrorists.

“This is an example of what can be achieved by working and living in the neighborhoods with the people we seek to secure, and operating in partnership with Iraqi police and army forces,” he said.

Speaking about operations in Anbar province, Bergner said troops there discovered a facility where improvised explosive devices were being produced, seizing 66 IEDs and bomb-making components.

In Diyala province, the confidence and trust between local tribes and security has led to success, Bergner said, quoting the provincial police director. Troops there have detained or killed roughly 100 al Qaeda operatives and netted multiple weapons caches, he added.

The coalition’s Iraqi counterparts are “very much in the fight,” the general said. “They are increasingly the first line of defense, while taking casualties at rates of two to three times that of the coalition, and they are not deterred in their mission.”

Some 10,000 Iraqis will join their nation’s army in the next two weeks, Bergner said, and Maliki is considering expanding the Iraqi security force size “to meet the requirements both today and into the future.”

In recent operations in Baghdad’s Sadr City neighborhood, Iraqi special forces detained the leader of a kidnapping, murder and IED cell. The suspect also has provided false identification, uniforms and vehicles to insurgent fighters, Bergner said.

In a dangerous Baghdad area, Bergner visited the Joint Security Station — one of the mixed communities where Iraqi army and police forces are working in concert.

“I saw firsthand the cooperation, the integration and the courage of those forces,” he said. “They sit astride a very tense area in the Adhamiya neighborhood, but they’re helping to restore security to this area.”

Bergner said that coalition progress is mirrored by progress among the Iraqi people.

“Ultimately, the progress of the Iraqi people is our progress,” he said. “We are humbled by their courage, and reminded every day of their sacrifice. We are working hard to help them move forward, but this will remain a tough fight that is likely to get harder before it gets easier.”

Multinational Force Iraq

[Cindy]

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=46568

“Congressional Report on Iraqi Security Forces”

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 27, 2007

[Cindy]

http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/PATH_Plot.pdf

~

http://counterterrorismblog.org/2007/06/new_from_the_nefa_target_ameri_1.php

“New from the NEFA “Target America” Series: “The PATH Tunnel Plot””
By Evan Kohlmann
(June 27, 2007)

###

http://counterterrorismblog.org/2007/06/new_from_the_nefa_target_ameri_1.php

Previously...

QUOTE:

Week of June 18, 2007: The East Coast Buildings Plot
Week of June 11, 2007: The Illinois Shopping Mall Plot
Week of June 4, 2007: The L.A. Plot to Attack U.S. Military and Jewish Targets
Week of June 4, 2007: The Miami Plot to Bomb Federal Buildings and the Sears Tower

[Cindy]

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

#

http://www.memritv.org
http://www.memri.org/jihad.html

#

http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=subjects&Area=jihad&ID=SP163807

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1638
June 28, 2007 No.1638

“Warnings in the Egyptian Press: The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt Is Going the Way of Hamas in Gaza”

SNIPPET: “In the wake of Hamas’ takeover of Gaza, some in the Egyptian press have expressed fears that the Muslim Brotherhood may seize power in Egypt. They expressed concern at the similarities between Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, and said that lessons should be learned from the Palestinian experience in Gaza.

The following are excerpts of articles from the Egyptian press”

[Cindy]

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=26029_Religion_of_Peace_Strikes_Again_in_Thailand
(June 27, 2007)

#

Note: The following news brief is a quote:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/topstories/topstories.php?id=119742

Police nab 24 after explosions

Narathiwat (TNA)

Three terrorist bombs exploded on grocery shelves in different stores in Narathiwat town on Wednesday, and a police security sweep resulted in 24 men being detained.

The bombs exploded almost simultaneously, but no one was reported wounded in the attacks.

Police believe that bombers who targeted the three locations are from the same group because the bomb was built into a milk carton and each was placed on a shelf in three grocery stores.

One store owner said he captured has footage of a bomber placing the device on the shop’s closed-circuit television camera.

A joint force of police and military personnnel detained 24 local residents, all for suspicion of involvement in the insurgency during a security sweep conducted on Wednesday morning.

More than 300 security personnel raided more than 20 locations in Sungai Padi district and detained 24 locals for questioning. The officials seized an unregistered gun, ammunition, extinguishers, urea fertiliser, and gunpowder.

Police had earlier detained 51 suspects during raids last weekend and took them for further questioning at a military camp in Pattani.

[Cindy]

http://www.nbc10.com/news/13575065/detail.html

“Police: Father, Son Try To Kidnap Daughter’s Fiancé”
Family Says Matter Is Private”

POSTED: 5:48 pm EDT June 26, 2007
UPDATED: 8:57 am EDT June 27, 2007
MIDDLETOWN TOWNSHIP, Pa. —

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “”The victim advised me that his fiancée’s family was trying to kill him, drag him into a car and take him somewhere, where he believed he was going to be killed,” Webber said.

Webber said the alleged victim told him his fiancée’s family was upset the two had moved in together.

He said there were cultural differences and that’s why 48-year-old Mohd Nasher and his son 20-year-old Mohammed Nasher were allegedly gunning for the fiancé.

“The father and son came in, grabbed our victim, pulled him outside, began choking and beating him. Drug him into the back of a Ford Explorer and that’s where they advised him that they were going to take him somewhere. He jumped out the other side window in fear for his life and as he went to run away the father told him, ‘I’m going to find you and I’m going to shoot you.’ The son went and grabbed a bat and went to chase after him,” Webber said.
Both Nashers were charged with assault and kidnapping. They both posted $20,000 cash bail and were released.”

[Cindy]

Previously...

Blog:

http://www.westernresistance.com/blog/archives/003793.html

June 22, 2007

“Mutilation And Killing For Muslim “Honor”: Part One (of 3)”

(Note: “This article by Adrian Morgan (Giraldus Cambrensis of Western Resistance) appeared earlier today in Family Security Matters and is reproduced with their permission.”)

http://www.westernresistance.com/blog/archives/003795.html

June 25, 2007

“Mutilation And Killing For Muslim “Honor” - Part 2 of 3”

(Note: “This article by Adrian Morgan (Giraldus Cambrensis of Western Resistance) appeared earlier today in Family Security Matters and is reproduced with their permission.”)

http://www.westernresistance.com/blog/archives/003796.html

June 26, 2007

“Mutilation And Killing For Muslim “Honor” - Part 3 of 3”

(Note: “This article by Adrian Morgan (Giraldus Cambrensis of Western Resistance) appeared earlier today in Family Security Matters and is reproduced with their permission.”)

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1857366/posts

“Our Enemy’s Attrition”
NRO ^ | 06/27/2007 | Victor Davis Hanson

Posted on 06/27/2007 4:42:51 PM PDT by Harrius Magnus

June 27, 2007, 2:30 p.m.

“Our Enemy’s Attrition
Reasons to reexamine the Middle East’s negative prognosis.”

By Victor Davis Hanson

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1857390/posts?page=5#5

#

Note: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1857390/posts

Iran Picks A Fight
IBD Editorials ^ | 27 june 2007 | Staff

Posted on 06/27/2007 5:08:32 PM PDT by Kitten Festival

Middle East: Reports of Iranian forces crossing the border into Iraq have gotten a bit of — though not enough — media attention this week. But this is nothing new for a regime with a nasty habit of meddling in the region.

The British Sun newspaper reported Tuesday that “Iranian forces are being choppered over the Iraqi border to bomb Our Boys, intelligence chiefs say.”

An unnamed intelligence source told the Sun that “we have hard proof that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps have crossed the border to attack us.

“It is very hard for us to strike back. All we can do is try to defend ourselves. We are badly on the back foot.

“In effect,” the source said, “it means we are in a full on war with Iran — but nobody has officially declared it.”

Iran, under the hard-line rule of a militant Islamist government, has been conducting proxy wars for decades.

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