http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_1161.html
“Worldwide Caution”
January 17, 2008
SNIPPET: “This Worldwide Caution updates information on the continuing threat of terrorist actions and violence against Americans and interests throughout the world. American citizens are reminded to maintain a high level of vigilance and to take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness.”
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,342119,00.html
Report: Virginia Police Arrest at Least One in I-64 Shootings After Search Warrant Served
Friday, March 28, 2008
At least one person has been arrested in connection with a shooting spree along Interstate 64, a police source told the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
The news came shortly after a search warrant was served at a house in Crozet, Va., Friday in the case.
The warrant was executed at a rural residence called Yonder Hill Farm in Albemarle County and was related to the six-vehicle I-64 shootings early Thursday morning, said Virginia State Police Lt. Tim Hopwood. He was tight-lipped on further details. A press conference was planned for 10 a.m. EDT on Friday.
State and local police have also been investigating whether shots fired at a bank building and in a residential Virginia neighborhood could be tied to the I-64 shootings.
Police said shots were fired at a Dupont Community Credit Union in Waynesboro, Va., between midnight and 2 a.m. Thursday — the same time police were getting reports of someone shooting at vehicles on I-64 between Waynesboro and Charlottesville.
Bullets struck a window and part of the bank building, as well as a van parked in the lot. No one was injured.
snip..
Ongoing evaluation of Afghanistan annual ‘Spring Offensive’ by the Taliban:
I’ve found that this site has very good background and support for their observations in the past
http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/afghan/articles/20080328.aspx
March 28, 2008: As the Taliban announce their new “Spring Offensive,” they must also confront a public relations crises. A religious scholar has issued a fatwa condemning the Taliban for their un-Islamic activities (killing civilians, use of terror) and declaring them “out of Islam” (not Moslem). The Taliban continue to enhance this image. In the north, five de-miners were killed in an ambush. The attackers, who were apparently Taliban, fled when they realized who they had attacked. De-miners are very popular, and the Taliban was forced to make profuse apologies for earlier attacks......snip......
Last years Spring Offensive (which actually lasts until September), left 6,000 people dead, about two-thirds of them Taliban. But about 200 foreign troops were killed, along with two thousand Afghan civilians and security troops. The Taliban declared that a victory, but on the ground the reality was quite different. The Taliban lost a lot of popular support last year, and are increasingly seen as another bunch of bad guys trying to take over.