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Locked on 08/01/2007 10:40:04 PM PDT by Religion Moderator, reason:
New Thread: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1875105/posts |
Posted on 07/01/2007 2:42:24 PM PDT by nwctwx
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http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4951304.html
July 8, 2007, 2:26PM
Iraqi politicians call on civilians to arm themselves
Weekend violence claims over 220 lives, including 2 U.S. soldiers
By ROBERT H. REID
Associated Press (excerpt)
BAGHDAD — Prominent Shiite and Sunni politicians called on Iraqi civilians to take up arms to defend themselves after a weekend of violence that claimed more than 220 lives, including 60 who died today in a surge of bombings and shootings around Baghdad. The calls reflect growing frustration with the inability of Iraqi security forces to prevent extremist attacks. . .
The call for civilians to take up arms in their own defense was echoed today by the country’s Sunni Arab vice president, Tariq al-Hashemi, who said all Iraqis must “pay the price” for terrorism. “People have a right to expect from the government and security agencies protection for their lives, land, honor and property,” al-Hashemi said in a statement. “But in the case of (their) inability, the people have no choice but to take up their own defense.” He said the government should provide communities with money, weapons and training and “regulate their use by rules of behavior.”
Another prominent Sunni lawmaker, Adnan al-Dulaimi, said Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had failed to provide services and security but he stopped short of saying his followers would seek to topple the Shiite-led government. “The situation has become terribly bad,” al-Dulaimi told The Associated Press. “All options are open for us. We are going to study the situation thoroughly, and we are going to look into the possible measures which go with the interests of the Iraqi people. We will also consider whether to keep on with the government or not.” . . .
Local defense forces would offer a way to compensate for weaknesses in the Iraqi police and army, but without careful controls, the system could backfire by promoting more militias in a country already awash in weapons. . .
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/233661
Iraq’s Sadr back in Iran, military sources say
July 08, 2007 (excerpt)
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Fiery Iraqi Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has gone back to neighbouring Iran, U.S. military sources in Baghdad said today. Earlier this year, U.S. officials said the anti-American cleric was hiding in Iran to avoid a major security crackdown in Baghdad, although his aides say he never left Iraq. “Our sources do show Moqtada in Iran,” one U.S. military source said, declining to speculate on why Sadr had gone back. A senior aide to Sadr denied the cleric had left Iraq.
Sadr disappeared from public view shortly before the launch of a U.S.-led offensive in Baghdad in February but re-emerged in the holy Shi’ite Iraqi city of Kufa on May 25. Analysts had speculated Sadr had returned to reassert his authority over his Mehdi Army militia, which the U.S. military says has begun breaking into splinter groups. . .
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/BUL853592.htm
Rift between Sadr bloc and Iraqi PM widens
08 Jul 2007 15:47:54 GMT
Source: Reuters (excerpt)
BAGHDAD, July 8 (Reuters) - A powerful Shi’ite bloc lashed out at Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Sunday after he accused it of failing to take a clear stance on violence, signalling a deepening rift between Maliki and a former backer. Followers from the movement of anti-American Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, whose support propelled Maliki into the prime minister’s office last year, also held street protests in Baghdad in the wake of the Iraqi leader’s comments on Saturday.
“This government is at the edge of an abyss. It will collapse,” said Ahmed al-Shaibany, a prominent cleric and member of Sadr’s inner circle of advisers. “Maliki ... wants to send a message to the (U.S.) occupiers: ‘I can implement your requests’ ... We tell you that you are committing a mistake,” he said in a statement. . .
http://www.france24.com/france24Public/en/news/world/20070708-Iraq-cleric-Sadr-Maliki-PM.html
France 24 - 24 hour International News Channel
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Sadr movement warns Iraqi PM to back off
By AFP (excerpt)
NAJAF, Iraq, July 8, 2007 (AFP) - Followers of Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr accused Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki of attacking them in order to appease his US allies Sunday and warned him his days in office might be numbered. On Saturday, Maliki issued a bluntly worded statement calling on Sadr’s Mahdi Army to put aside its weapons and alleged the movement had been infiltrated by terrorist supporters of Saddam Hussein’s ousted regime.
Sadr’s aides reacted with fury, and some suggested the statement had been designed to pave the way for a crackdown on their populist Shiite movement, which fields one of Iraq’s largest armed militias. “Maliki’s statement is just like a green light to occupation troops to strike and annihilate the Sadr movement,” said Salah al-Ubaidi, Sadr’s spokesman at his headquarters in the holy city of Najaf.
US commanders blame Sadr’s army for much of Iraq’s sectarian violence and say they have evidence some of his commanders work for secret cells controlled by officers from neighbouring Iran’s covert Qods Force. In recent weeks and months there have been several raids by Iraqi and US forces on Mahdi Army strongholds in Baghdad, while in the south of the country the militia has fought street battles with Iraqi and British forces. . .
Britain’s PM Brown: World Must Work Together to End Terror
http://youtube.com/watch?v=6cbGX2L954w
Sky News interviews British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on the need for increased international sharing of intelligence. This is on the heels of security leader Admiral Alan West saying the overall threat to Britain is at its highest level ever and the country has at least a 15 year battle ahead.
==
Why Doctors? Tactics of a Terror Attack Against the West
http://youtube.com/watch?v=5D0nKQC-qFA
“Quiet; unassuming; professional.” CNN’s Week at War explains that one reason Doctors are a target for recruiting is that al Qai’da seeks people who will not be detected in a world of increasing surveillance.
OPINION-SPECULATION: One could only speculate, but yes, it’s all about doing the right thing (re the visits) and it’s also a *yes we know and we want you to know that we know* thing, too.
Thank you for both those links, nw.
Maybe PM Brown needs to sign up on FR and read TM daily.
We cover the world here and our posters and posted material
are from various locations around the world.
Gordon Brown, and many others, could certainly benefit from the vast amount of knowledge and education available here on the TM.
Best thread on FR, IMHO, of course.
Smiling at you, I agree — it’s a stark, frank, direct thread.
Good deal for those who are interested in information.
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=46662
Afghan, Coalition Forces Detain Militants, Thwart Ambush
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 8, 2007 – Afghan and coalition forces detained six suspected militants today during an operation designed to disrupt the facilitation of insurgent attacks against the Afghan government, military officials said.
Credible intelligence led the forces to a compound in the Chaparhar district of Nangarhar province suspected to harbor anti-coalition militants. Six suspects were detained for questioning about their involvement in insurgent activities.
“Afghan and coalition forces will continue to work together to purge the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan of militants who attempt to undermine the peace,” said Army Maj. Chris Belcher, a Combined Joint Task Force 82 spokesman. “The insurgents are fighting a losing battle.”
Officials said no shots were fired during the operation and no one was injured.
Meanwhile, Afghan security forces supported by coalition forces defeated an attempted Taliban ambush near the village of Danjabad, in Farah province, July 6.
Military officials said Taliban insurgents engaged a combined Afghanistan National Army and Afghan National Police patrol from fortified positions with heavy machine guns, small arms and rocket-propelled grenades. The Afghan forces returned fire and countered the attack.
Five Afghan troops were wounded in the operation. More than 30 insurgent fighters were killed by accurate small-arms fire and precision air strikes, officials said.
“All fires were directed by the ground force commander, who carefully evaluated risk of collateral damage against the military necessity, and controlled by a qualified coalition force joint tactical air controller,” Belcher said. “It is important to note that many targets were not bombed or fired on due to Afghan national security force and coalition force precautions against causing collateral damage.”
No civilian casualties were reported during the engagement, officials said.
(Compiled from Joint Task Force 82 news releases.)
Is it me or do things seem to be happening at a quicker pace?
Several key aides to the leader of Afghanistan's Taleban rebels, Mullah Omar, are reported to have been arrested in Pakistan. An Afghan intelligence source told the BBC four senior associates of Mullah Omar were being held after operations by Pakistani security forces. The arrests took place in two areas of the city of Quetta in western Pakistan.
The source said those arrested included two men responsible for Mullah Omar's letters and communications. They have been named as Mullah Jahangir and Mullah Mohid. Others now in detention are said to be Mullah Nazir, who was Taleban commander in the southern Afghan province of Uruzgan, and Mullah Tahir, the former Taleban commander for the capital, Kabul.
Afghanistan observers say these four men were all close to the reclusive Mullah Omar, whose whereabouts remain unknown.
In the past year or more, there have been rising tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Some senior Afghan leaders accused their neighbour of letting the Taleban use its soil, including Quetta, as a sanctuary. Pakistan denies such accusations and four months ago it arrested another key Taleban leader, Mullah Obaidullah, on its own soil.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6281886.stm
Wanted men 'control Red Mosque'
Sunday, 8 July 2007
Pakistan's religious affairs minister has said wanted Islamic militants are in control of a besieged mosque in the capital, Islamabad. Ejaz-ul-Haq said the militants were "hardened terrorists" holding women and children hostage inside the Red Mosque.
SNIP:Mr ul-Haq told the BBC that between two and five of the militants were wanted in connection with "high-profile cases". He said the militants had complete control inside the mosque, and that Abdul Rashid Ghazi was being used as a figurehead.
Excerpted
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6282084.stm
CD's seized from bomb suspect's house (India)
July 09, 2007
INDIAN police said today they had seized CDs containing 'radical materials' from the homes of two suspects held over the failed British car bombings. "They were found in the houses of Kafeel Ahmed and his brother Sabeel and we believe these CDs contain material on Islamic military movements in various nations,'' a top police officer said in the southern city of Bangalore.
"These are radical stuff,'' he said as sources added the data contained on at least two seized CDs related to the conflicts in Chechnya and Iraq. The two brothers are among three Indians arrested in Britain for the failed car bombings in London and Glasgow. They hail from the middle-class district of Jayanagar in Bangalore, India's software capital.
Police said they were also studying the database at the transport office in Jayanagar from where they had found the driving licence details of a man who rammed a flaming car into Glasgow airport on June 30. Officers said they were interested in a man named as Saleem Ahmed, adding investigators were also probing the possibility that fake Bangalore driving licences were used in the bomb plot.
Excerpted
“hardened terrorists” and more...
THANKS Oorang.
It’s not just you.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/08/AR2007070800693.html
Pentagon chief cancels Latin America trip
Reuters
Sunday, July 8, 2007; 4:54 PM (snip)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Sunday canceled a long-planned, four-country trip to Latin America less than 24 hours before departure to help prepare a report for Congress on the Iraq war, the Pentagon said.
“Events this week require the Secretary’s participation in policy meetings on Iraq in advance of the July 15th benchmark report,” the Defense Department said. Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman was not available for further comment on Gates’ last-minute decision. . .
http://www.gulfnews.com/region/Iraq/10137844.html
‘I am not in competition with Al Maliki’
07/09/2007 12:30 AM | By Mayada Al Askari, Staff Reporter (excerpt)
“ . . . Eyad Allawi: What is taking place in Iraq today is a real disaster, and its implications will extend beyond Iraq to the region as a whole as well. This situation is the result of mistakes accumulated before the 2003 war and many mistakes committed after the war. In fact these mistakes were built over many others. Policies alien to the Iraqi people were imposed, leading to widespread violence, sectarian strife and fighting within the same sect.
The current government lacks credibility. This led to a state of chaos, lawlessness and nonexistent security. The government’s inability to administer the country’s economy also led to a number of issues, one of which is an unprecedented immigration to neighbouring and other countries. Another outcome can be seen in regional interferences in Iraq’s internal issues.
The implications will not stop in Iraq but will supersede it towards the entire region. If things continue in this manner, Iraq will defiantly reach the point of no return and a huge crisis will ensue in the region. That is why we have to put an end to these repercussions and give new emphasis to the re-building of Iraq based on reason and preserving Iraq and its people. What is going on in Iraq today is dangerous for the people of Iraq, the country’s future and the future of the region as well. . .
As I see it, matters are deteriorating in an unbelievable manner. Despite this fact, I do believe we have time, but this time is extremely tight. If some major solution does not take place in Iraq, we will witness a crisis which will engulf the whole region. . .”
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/06/18/europe/EU-GEN-Spain-Saudi-King.php
Saudi king expresses fear Middle East conflicts could become global
The Associated Press
Monday, June 18, 2007 (snip)
MADRID, Spain: Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah, a key player in Middle East politics, said he fears conflicts in the Palestinian territories, Lebanon and Iraq could explode into a global one, adding that his monarchy was making great efforts to reach peace.
“My fears are similar to those of all sensible people, that the continuation of all these conflicts will provoke an explosion that will not be restricted to the region, but will have global dimensions,” the monarch told Spain’s leading daily El Pais in an interview published Monday prior to his arrival in Spain for a three-day visit. . .
This heat is a recipe for Armageddon
By Niall Ferguson, Sunday Telegraph
Last Updated: 12:01am BST 17/06/2007 (snip)
“. . . For some time I have been warning that the next great global conflict will begin in the Middle East, just as the two world wars had their origins in eastern Europe. The lethal combination of ethnic disintegration, economic volatility and an empire in decline (in this case, the United States) makes an upward spiral of violence hard to avoid. Add to that the demographic pressures due to high Muslim birth-rates, the money generated by vast deposits of oil and natural gas, and the risk that the most revolutionary power in the region will soon possess nuclear weapons, and you have a recipe for Armageddon. . .”
Niall Ferguson is Laurence A Tisch Professor of History at Harvard University
Besieged cleric urges Islamic revolution
Web posted at: 7/9/2007 2:46:42
Source ::: Agencies
(excerpt)
islamabad • A rebel cleric said he and his fighters hoped their deaths would spark an Islamic revolution in Pakistan, as commandos blew holes in the walls of their besieged mosque compound to help women and children escape.
Troops have surrounded the Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, in Islamabad since Tuesday when clashes between armed student radicals and government forces erupted after months of tension.
Rebel cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi has said he prefers “martyrdom”. In a statement carried by yesterday’s newspapers the cleric said he and his followers hoped their deaths would spark a revolution.
“We have firm belief in God that our blood will lead to a revolution,” wrote Ghazi. “God willing, Islamic revolution will be the destiny of this nation.” . . .
http://www.nysun.com/article/58009
Syria Threatens Israel on Golan Heights
Vows ‘Resistance’ Unless It Withdraws
BY AARON KLEIN - Special to the Sun
July 8, 2007 (excerpt)
GOLAN HEIGHTS — If Israel doesn’t vacate the strategic Golan Heights before September, Syrian guerillas will immediately launch “resistance operations” against the Golan’s Jewish communities, a top official from Syrian President Bashar Assad’s Baath party told the New York Sun in an interview.
The Baath official, who spoke on condition his name be withheld, said Damascus is preparing for Israeli retaliation following Syrian guerilla attacks and for a larger war with the Jewish state in August or September. He said that in the opening salvo of any conflict, Syria has the capability to fire “hundreds” of missiles at Tel Aviv.
“Syria passed repeated messages to the U.S. that we demand the return of the Golan either through negotiations or through war. If the Golan is not in our hands by August or September, we will be poised to launch resistance, including raids and attacks against Jewish positions (in the Golan Heights),” the Baath official said. The Golan Heights is strategic mountainous territory that looks down on Israeli population centers captured by Israel after Syria twice used the territory to attack the Jewish state. . .
The security officials said the greatest threat Syria poses to the Jewish state is the country’s missiles and rockets. They noted Syria recently test-fired two Scud-D surface-to-surface missiles, which have a range of about 250 miles, covering most Israeli territory. The officials said the Syrian missile test was coordinated with Iran and is believed to have been successful. It is not known what type of warhead the missiles had. . .
According to security officials, recent American intelligence estimates predict a strong possibility of war between Israel and Syria in the coming months. . .
http://www.meforum.org/article/510
Poisoned Missiles: Syria’s Doomsday Deterrent
by Dany Shoham
Middle East Quarterly
Fall 2002
(snipped)
. . . What follows is a controlled speculation as to how Syria might actually use its CBW, in a scenario of sharply heightened conflict in the Middle East, and particularly against Israel.
• First strike. A first strike, launched at a country as small and densely inhabited as Israel, could be crippling. The implementation of chemical weapons against Israel, especially in a first strike, would be designed to impair Israel’s fundamental military superiority by striking its retaliatory capabilities, especially airfields and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) command and control installations. Other likely targets would be mobilization centers, equipment warehouses, and transportation intersections. In the early stages of the war, the mission would be to prevent the arrival of reserve forces at the northern front and exert pressure on Israeli forces at the front. Were Syrians to cross the chemical Rubicon, they might also strike at population centers and industrial areas.
According to satellite imagery, the operational alignment of Syria’s Scud-C missiles is such that Syria is positioned to launch a surprise chemical attack. The missiles in those photographs were aimed at the nuclear reactor in Dimona and at Israel’s airports and large cities.[26] For Syria, a first strike is a first-rate strategic option—depending on its objectives and provided Syria is prepared to absorb the counterblow.[27] Syrian ballistic missiles armed with chemical warheads could neutralize a substantial number of Israel’s military installations and tie up its major population and industrial centers around Tel Aviv and Haifa. The effect would be even greater if the missiles were implemented in a first strike, and even more so in a surprise attack.[28]
• Golan grab. A more limited version of this scenario postulates a Syrian attack limited to northern Israel in an attempt to conquer the Golan Heights. Syria would deploy long-range launch systems and long-lasting chemical warfare agents in order to neutralize military targets (air force bases, command and control centers, radar stations, reserve mobilization and assembly areas, and equipment warehouses). Short-range launch systems would implement volatile chemical warfare agents at the front in order to ease the rapid penetration of Syrian ground forces. The idea would be to enable Syria to achieve its goal of seizing the Golan Heights before the IDF could complete the mobilization of its reserves, presenting the international community with a fait accompli.
• On the brink of defeat. Were Syria on the verge of conventional defeat, it might also resort to chemical weapons in order to avoid disaster. This option was non-existent in the previous wars between Arab states and Israel. The Syrians would justify the use of chemical weapons by claiming that their very survival was at stake. If Syria were on the brink of military defeat, any use of chemical weapons would almost certainly be aimed at the source of the immediate danger: Israeli forces, other targets at the front, and air force bases. Civilian centers would be a lower priority. But also in these circumstances, a chemical attack on civilian targets cannot be ruled out, especially if it promised to accelerate superpower intervention for a ceasefire.
• Restoring deterrence. Syria’s chemical weapons are meant to deter strikes against strategic targets deep in Syrian territory, especially highly sensitive targets like government installations, dams, and civilian infrastructure. Were the Syrians to conclude this deterrent were failing, they could use chemical weapons in order to restore it. An example of this scenario was given in Kuwait’s Al-Qabas newspaper in a report from its Damascus bureau. There it is suggested that Syria would fire chemical-tipped missiles were Israel to make even limited bombing attacks against Damascus.[29]
One could add still more scenarios to this brief list. The point is that there is no dearth of scenarios, and that they are increasingly realistic.
New Strategic Balance?
Syria’s acquisition of a CBW option has not occurred in a vacuum. It also has to be viewed in the context of Syria’s own alliances. And the most important of Syria’s strategic ties are not with its “brother” Arab states. For fifteen years, Syria’s closest strategic and military bond has been with Iran—a large, powerful Muslim state, one that is close to acquiring nuclear weapons and that has missiles capable of reaching Israel.
Could Syria one day find itself under an Iranian nuclear umbrella?
If it did—and the road to that point may not be so long—Syria’s threshold for first use of CBW could be lowered. For example, in a grab for the Golan, Syria might contemplate a limited chemical exchange with Israel, on the assumption that Israel would not retaliate with a nuclear escalation. Given the futility of all past Syrian attempts to gain military superiority over Israel by means of conventional forces, the CBW option might grow legitimate in Syrian eyes.
And if a nuclear Iran gave assurances to Syria, it might diminish Syrian fears and inhibitions in choosing its weapons. . .
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2007/2/FDD0EA6C-1B71-4FA3-A682-532F0E8A20C6.html
Ahmadinejad Says After Chaos There Will Be God
February 2, 2007 — French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy has quoted Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad as saying that one should really hope for “chaos” because “there will be God” afterward.
Douste-Blazy writes in his new book that Ahmadinejad made the comment on the sidelines of the 2005 UN General Assembly, during nuclear talks with the foreign ministers of France, Germany, and Britain. In the book, which was published February 1 in France, Douste-Blazy writes that the EU ministers were “stunned” by the Iranian president’s comment.
Ahmadinejad stirred controversy by saying that he felt surrounded by light when he delivered his speech at the UN General Assembly in September 2005. Ahmadinejad has also called for the return of al-Mahdi, a messiah-like figure in Shi’ite Islam, whose reappearance is supposed to restore justice before the end of the world.
(AFP)
http://counterterrorismblog.org/2007/07/uk_terror_july_8.php
“UK Terror Investigations - News Roundup - July 8”
By Jeffrey Imm
(July 8, 2007)
####
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1862794/posts
“New Terror Threat From Foreign Students (UK)”
The Telegraph (UK) ^ | Brendan Carlin, John Steele and Duncan Gardham
Posted on 07/08/2007 7:08:36 PM PDT by blam
“New terror threat from foreign students”
By Brendan Carlin, John Steele and Duncan Gardham
Last Updated: 2:25am BST 09/07/2007
SNIPPET: “The new crackdown on terrorism following the attempted car bomb attacks is “fatally flawed” amid fears of widespread failings on immigration checks, the Government was warned last night.”
Yes and thanks nw.
Following the jihadis back and forth...
..it’s like gang bangers — all thugs, all pukes,
big mouths, evil agenda, dirty and oh yes, lots
and lots of weapons (and lots of dope).
It’s going to be an interesting summer.
Thanks for the ping.
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