Threat Matrix: August 2008

Previous Thread ^

[nwctwx]

Pentagon Makes Fighting Extremism Top Priority

Seven years after the Sept. 11 attacks, the Pentagon on Thursday officially named "the long war" against global extremism as its top priority and pledged to avert any conventional military threat from China or Russia through dialogue.

The Defense Department, in a new national defense strategy, also emphasized the need to subordinate military operations to "soft power" initiatives to undermine Islamist militancy by promoting economic, political and social development in vulnerable corners of the world.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he hoped the change would help establish permanent institutional support for counterinsurgency skills acquired in Iraq and Afghanistan within a defense community heavily skewed in favor of expensive conventional and strategic modernization programs. Read More

	Rethinking the Post-9/11 Strategy
	Al-Qaida in Iraq Leaders Reportedly Leaving for Afghanistan
	Defense Rests at 1st Guantanamo War Crimes Trail

Threat Matrix:
August 2008

July 2008

Threat Matrix Index

Theat Matrix Handbook

Theat Matrix 'BOLO'

Invaluable Tips

Preparedness

[Unrepentant VN Vet]

bttt

[Cindy]

http://www.truthusa.com/MoreThanCartoons.html
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/cartoonjihad/

#

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2057626/posts

#

http://ezralevant.com/Complaint%20rejected.pdf
http://ezralevant.com/2008/08/punished-first-acquitted-later.html

“Punished first, acquitted later”
By Ezra Levant on August 6, 2008 10:34 AM

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “My lawyers have just received a copy of a letter from the Alberta Human Rights Commission dismissing the complaint of “discrimination” filed against me by the radical Edmonton Council of Muslim Communities. They had complained that by publishing the Danish cartoons of Mohammed in the Western Standard in February 2006, I had engaged in an illegal act.

Their complaint was identical to the one filed earlier by an anti-Semitic imam named Syed Soharwardy. Soharwardy abandoned his complaint this spring. You can see Soharwardy’s complaint here; it named both me and the magazine. The Edmonton complaint named just the magazine. My initial legal response is here.

The two complaints cost Alberta taxpayers in excess of $500,000 and, according to access to information documents, involved no fewer than 15 government bureaucrats. What a scam – on the part of the complainants, who were able to wage “lawfare” against an infidel without paying a cent; and on the part of the HRC, as a make-work project.

Fire. Them. All.

You can see the Notice of Dismissal here..

You can see my press release on the subject here (it should be up at around 3 p.m. ET).

I’ll have an Op-Ed in the National Post, and it should be available here shortly.

Is this a victory? I suppose, in a narrow technical sense, it is. I’m off the hook now for both of the HRC complaints. That’s two legal battles done – though I’m still up to my eyeballs fighting defamation suits and other legal actions that the human rights industry piled on top of these complaints.

But I’ve read the dismissal letter three times now, and each time it makes me more angry. Because I haven’t been given my freedom of the press. I’ve simply had the government censor approve what I said. That’s a completely different thing.”

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/globalterrorism
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/domesticterrorism
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/ecoterrorism
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/alf
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/elf

#

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2057784/posts

#

http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=302914321822508

“Homespun Terrorists”
By INVESTOR’S BUSINESS DAILY
Posted Wednesday, August 06, 2008 4:20 PM PT

SNIPPET: “Terrorism: The time comes in every fringe group’s existence when it must decide to stay legitimate and obey the law or leap into violence and terrorism. The animal rights movement seems to have chosen the latter.

Read More: Global War On Terror”

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Make no mistake: The terrorism committed by the animal rights movement and some extreme environmental groups is real. Like all terrorists, they use force, threats and destruction of property to intimidate people into submission.

Having lost the debate in the marketplace of ideas, they choose instead to terrorize. As Jerry Vlasak, a spokesman for the Animal Liberation Front, told the AP, “If you had to hurt somebody or intimidate them or kill them, it would be morally justifiable.”

This threat couldn’t be clearer.”

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/hamas
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/muslimbrotherhood

#

http://www.westernresistance.com/blog/archives/004057.html
“How Britain Helps Hamas And The Muslim Brotherhood”
Part One (of Two)
July 18, 2008

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

#

http://www.westernresistance.com/blog/archives/004059.html
August 6, 2008
“How Britain Helps Hamas And The Muslim Brotherhood”
Part Two (of Two)

[Coleus]

.

[Cindy]

https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=88614

YOU ARE HERE: Home > Reports > Consular Affairs Bulletins > Report
Warden Message: Controversial Anniversary, Burma
CONSULAR AFFAIRS BULLETINS
East Asia / Pacific - Burma
5 Aug 2008

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/mauritania/

#

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2057443/posts

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2057428/posts

#

Note: The following text is a quote:

https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=88585

YOU ARE HERE: Home > Reports > Consular Affairs Bulletins > Report
Warden Message: Mauritania Coup Reported
CONSULAR AFFAIRS BULLETINS
Sub-Saharan Africa - Mauritania
6 Aug 2008

Printer Friendly Email Article
RELATED REPORTS
7 Apr 2008
WARDEN MESSAGE: ESCAPED TERRORIST – SHOTS FIRED (MAURITANIA)
28 Feb 2008
WARDEN MESSAGE: MAURITANIA DEMONSTRATIONS FEBRUARY 28
14 Feb 2008
WARDEN MESSAGE: MAURITIANA DEMONSTRATIONS POSSIBLE FEBRUARY 15
U.S. Embassy Nouakchott issued the following Warden Message on August 6:

The U.S. Embassy in Nouakchott has received reports that a coup took in place in Mauritania at approximately 9:00 a.m. August 6, 2008. The Embassy urges all American citizens to exercise extreme caution to assure their safety. They should remain at home or where they are for the rest of the day. American citizens should limit their movements to essential travel only, avoid large crowds, and listen to media reports for information.

American citizens are advised to be watchful during this period and report any unusual activity to the Embassy. There is an increased presence of security forces in Nouakchott. Comply promptly with directions from the police and other Mauritanian security forces, and carry copies of your personal identity papers with you at all times.

The Embassy will remain open for emergency American Citizen Services only. Visa services and routine consular services are suspended until further notice. In case of emergency, please contact the Embassy at the numbers below.

American citizens should stay current of local events and be aware of their surroundings at all times. American citizens are also urged to register with the U.S. Embassy. They can do so in person or at https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/.

The Department of State continues to monitor security conditions overseas and, as always, will promptly disseminate information affecting the safety of Americans abroad through its consular information program. These documents are available on the Department’s Internet website at http://travel.state.gov.

The U.S. Embassy can be reached at:
Telephone: (222) 525-2660 (business hours)
(222) 525-3288 (after hours)
Address: 288, rue 42-100 (rue Abdallaye)
Nouakchott, Mauritania
Located between the Spanish Embassy and the Presidency

Website: http://mauritania.usembassy.gov

[Cindy]

BLOG:

http://darko-trifunovic-olympic-games-security.blogtownhall.com/2008/07/29/dr_darko_trifunovic_-_turkistan_islamic_party_tergeting_olympic_games_2008.thtml

“Dr Darko Trifunovic - Turkistan Islamic Party tergeting Olympic Games 2008”
Posted by Darko Trifunovic - Counter Terrorism Strategy on Tuesday, July 29, 2008 2:16:06 PM

#

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/07/25/monitor/entry4295655.shtml

July 25, 2008, 5:32 PM
“IntelCenter: Islamic Party Threatens Olympic Games”
Posted by CBS News Investigates

SNIPPET: “The Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) has released a 3-minute 24-second video entitled “Our Blessed Jihad in Yunnan” feauturing a statement by TIP Commander Seyfullah threatening the Olympic Games in China. The video is dated 23 July 2008, according to the IntelCenter”

#

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lESbcQMtFeA

Video - July 23, 2008
Video added to this YouTube.com account: July 25, 2008

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/weddings
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/wedding

#

http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1824.htm

#

VIDEO
(MEMRI TV)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_k1FGTngrI

“Wedding-Funeral for 1st Ever Suicide Bomber Turns into Brawl”

VIDEO DESCRIPTION - QUOTE:

Added: August 04, 2008 (Less info)
http://www.memritv.org/clip...
Category: News & Politics
Tags: suicide bomb Lebanon mideast MEMRI MEMRITV MEMRIBlog

[Cindy]

Wedding-Funeral ping.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2055031/posts?page=190#190

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/somalia
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/mogadishu

#

Note: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2057868/posts

Mogadishu blast kills 13, mostly women
Reuters Africa ^ | Sunday, August 3, 2008 | Abdi Sheikh (with Ibrahim Mohamed, ed by Robert Hart)
Posted on August 6, 2008 10:52:39 PM PDT by SunkenCiv

A roadside explosion in Mogadishu on Sunday killed at least 13 people, most of them women who were sweeping a street, witnesses said.

Residents said a remotely detonated device exploded in Waberi district along a main road leading to the presidential palace. Nearly 50 people were wounded...

Four people died in the emergency room at the main Madina hospital...

Insurgents have launched near-daily attacks on the transitional administration and its Ethiopian military allies. Somalia has not had a functioning central government since 1991.

On Friday a roadside bomb killed a Ugandan member of a small African Union peacekeeping force based in the capital.

Violence in the Horn of Africa nation has killed more than 8,000 civilians and driven 1 million more from their homes since allied Somali-Ethiopian forces kicked a hard-line Islamist group out of Mogadishu early last year.

(Excerpt) Read more at africa.reuters.com ...

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/mexico

#

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2008/aug/06/soldiers-cross-into-us-hold-guns-to-agent/

“Border patrol agent held at gunpoint
Officers fear Mexican military encounters will turn violent”

Jerry Seper
Wednesday, August 6, 2008

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “A U.S. Border Patrol agent was held at gunpoint Sunday night by members of the Mexican military who had crossed the border into Arizona, but the soldiers returned to Mexico without incident when backup agents responded to assist.”

#

BLOGS:

http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/193537.php

August 06, 2008

“Dear Reader”

SNIPPET: “I don’t care if you’re left, right, up, down or in between, isn’t this what’s known as an act of war?”

#

http://markedmanner.blogspot.com/2008/08/bush-administration-mexican-military.html

Wednesday, August 06, 2008
“State Department: Mexican Military Held Border Agent At Gun Point Accidently”

http://markedmanner.blogspot.com/2008/08/us-border-patrol-agent-held-at-gunpoint.html

Wednesday, August 06, 2008
“US Border Patrol Agent Held At Gunpoint By Mexican Military”

[Cindy]

http://www.truthusa.com/IRAN.html

#

http://www.newsmax.com/headlines/Lieberman_Iran/2008/08/06/119751.html

“Lieberman: Iran’s Activities ‘An Act of War’”
By: David A. Patten

Wednesday, August 6, 2008 10:39 PM

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/globaljihad
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/samirkuntar
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/kuntar

#

http://www.infolive.tv

#

http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/hezbollah_e003.htm

Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center
at the Israel Intelligence Heritage & Commemoration Center (IICC)
August 7, 2008

“Strong criticism was heard in Lebanon following the celebrations marking the return of Hezbollah’s prisoners, notably Samir Kuntar. Hezbollah was accused of seeking to establish a radical Islamic country of “resistance” (terrorism) in Lebanon, ruled by Iran and exposed to harsh retaliatory measures from Israel.”

#

RECAP:

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/150467

“Kuntar: ‘Allah Willing, I’ll Get to Kill More Israelis’
(July 25, 2008, 09:19 am)

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21666&Itemid=128

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20080806-05
Aug. 6, 2008

MND-B Soldiers seize weapons in New Baghdad
Multi-National Division – Baghdad PAO

BAGHDAD – Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers seized a significant weapons cache inside a factory Aug. 6 during an operation in the New Baghdad district of eastern Baghdad.

Soldiers from 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, and 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, confiscated the weapons and ammunition during Operation Borzoi Strike 1. The cache included 42, 82 mm mortar rounds; a 120 mm mortar tube; nine 107 mm rockets, two of which are Chinese made; 150 TNT boosters; 100 Iraqi-made grenades; 100 M-87 fuses; four Yugoslavian-made rifle grenades; 100 assorted small-arms rounds of ammunition and 20 DHSKA rounds.

“Finding this cache will probably prevent indirect-fire attacks against security forces and save innocent Iraqi citizens’ lives,” said Maj. Joey Sullinger, a spokesperson for 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light), Multi-National Division – Baghdad. “We are glad to continue supporting Iraqi Security Forces as they rid the Baghdad streets of militant criminals and protect the people, bringing security and stability to Iraq and allowing the Government of Iraq to improve essential services.”

-30-

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21670&Itemid=128

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20080806-06
Aug. 6, 2008

MND-B Soldiers continue seizing weapons caches in Baghdad
Multi-National Division – Baghdad PAO

BAGHDAD – Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers discovered a weapons cache northwest of Baghdad Aug. 6.

At approximately 10:15 a.m., Soldiers with Company C, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, seized a weapons cache during a route-clearance mission northwest of Baghdad. The munitions included four Bulgarian OG-7 40 mm rounds; three PG-9s; two PG-7s; two 120 mm rocket warheads, a 130 mm Iraqi projectile, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher; 35, 12 gauge rounds; 35, 7.62 mm rounds and 20 feet of time fuse.

“Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers remain vigilant in taking these deadly weapons off the streets as they strive to safeguard the people of Baghdad,” said Lt. Col. Steve Stover, spokesman, MND-B and the 4th Infantry Division. “Along with our Iraqi Security Forces partners, we are actively engaged in providing safe neighborhoods for the Iraqi people.”

-30-

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21675&Itemid=128

Press Release A080807a-082
August 7, 2008

Coalition detains two suspects associated with Special Groups

BAGHDAD – Coalition forces captured two suspects believed to be associated with Special Groups Thursday morning in the West Rashid area of Baghdad.

Based on intelligence information, Coalition forces targeted the location of a suspected member of the Special Groups leadership for the Karkh area of Baghdad. The targeted individual is believed to be a critical node in the funding, logistics and other support aspects of the Karkh cell of Special Groups.

Coalition forces approached the targeted individual’s location where they detained two suspects believed to be associated with Special Groups.

-30-

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21676&Itemid=128

Press Release A080807b-274
August 7, 2008

Coalition forces capture alleged terrorist leader

BAGHDAD – Coalition forces detained 25 suspected terrorists Thursday during sweeps targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq operations and facilitation in central and northern Iraq.

The alleged leader of an AQI network within Baghdad and one of his suspected associates are in Coalition custody after two precision operations in the city. The man is believed to be associated with the terrorist network in the Karkh neighborhood. The associate is also reportedly involved with AQI’s foreign terrorist network, helping to bring facilitation agents to Baghdad. Another alleged Baghdad link to the foreign terrorist network was captured in a separate operation with two additional suspects.

Coalition forces captured a man and one additional suspect in Salman Pak assessed to be part of the Rusafa car-bombing network. Both the Karkh and Rusafa networks are known to attack Iraqi civilians and the security forces that protect them, and due to the degradation of AQI’s terrorist networks, their membership has begun to overlap.

Coalition forces continued to target AQI senior leaders in Mosul, capturing a suspected leader and one of his alleged associates. Intelligence reports indicate the suspected leader uses a local mosque to recruit extremists, collect money to finance terrorism, and store weapons for attacks against Coalition forces. Nine additional suspects were detained in the operation.

Coalition forces also targeted foreign terrorist facilitators in Bi’aj, about 130 kilometers southwest of Mosul, detaining four suspects.

South of Mosul, Coalition forces in Bayji detained three suspected terrorists for their suspected participation in hiding weapons and foreign terrorists in the area.

-30-

[Cindy]

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

#

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2008/s08080029.htm

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

China Banishes Pastor from Beijing Prior to Games
By Jeremy Reynalds
Correspondent for ASSIST News Service

BEIJING (ANS) — As U.S. President George W. Bush attends Olympic events in Beijing this week and a church service in the capital next Sunday, Chinese authorities have banished house church pastor Zhang Mingxuan from the city for the duration of the Games.

Compass Direct News (CDN) reported in a story that several other Christians are still in detention, or face ongoing harassment.

Plainclothes police officers forcibly removed Zhang and his wife Xie Fenglan from a guesthouse in Beijing on July 18 and took them to Yanjiao, Hebei province, to prevent them from meeting foreign officials visiting Beijing for the Games, according to Friday’s (August 1) South China Morning Post (SCMP).

According to CDN, the couple had moved from one guesthouse to another at least six times prior to the raid to escape police harassment. They have since moved from Yanjiao to another remote town in Hebei to await the completion of the Games.

CDN said Zhang told reporters that constant police crackdowns had reduced the number of house churches he has established over the past decade from more than 10 to just three.

According to CDN, thousands of Christians throughout China belong to similar house churches, which have refused to register with official government agencies so they can avoid legal restrictions on the size of their gatherings, appointment of clergy and sermon content.

History of Arrests

CDN said that Zhang, a Christian for 22 years, traveled as an itinerant evangelist throughout China before moving to Beijing in 1998. He is co-founder and president of the China House Church Alliance, established in April 2005 to defend the rights of house church Christians.

In 2005, CDN reported, President Bush invited Zhang to a meeting during an official visit to China. The meeting never took place, however, as officials detained Zhang before he could attend.

In June Zhang met with U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf and Rep. Christopher Smith during a visit to Beijing, but officials placed him under house arrest the following night, according to SCMP. Also in June, CDN reported, officials detained Zhang when he attempted to meet with Bastiann Belder, an official from the European Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs.

CDN said that when police tried to persuade Zhang and his ailing wife to leave Beijing prior to the Games, Zhang refused.

“A police officer even suggested paying us 5,000 yuan (US$730) if we would leave Beijing for three months,” CDN said Zhang told reporters. “We’ve been praying for a successful Olympic Games for eight years. We didn’t do anything wrong, so why are they doing this to us?”

CDN commented that officials are perhaps aggravated by the activities of the China House Church Alliance, backed by a team of Christian lawyers who file cases against local authorities when Christians are jailed or sent to labor camps. To date some 30 cases have been filed, and six have been successful, Zhang said. Prior to the formation of the alliance, Christians rarely took such cases to court.

CDN reported that one of the lawyers, Li Baiguang, said it was very difficult to win such cases, but when they ended, at least officials stopped harassing these Christians.

Baiguang was scheduled to meet with members of the U.S. Congress in Beijing in June, but officials detained him and one other lawyer to prevent them from attending the meeting. Several other lawyers were warned not to attend, or they would face severe consequences.

Bookstore Owner’s Health Worsens

CDN reported that Christian bookstore owner Shi Weihan, detained without charges by authorities on March 19, has suffered a rapid deterioration in health. In addition, officials have reportedly convinced Shi to sign a “confession” convicting him of engaging in the printing and distribution of a large number of illegal publications.

CDN said China Aid Association (CAA) reported on July 31 that Shi’s weight had dropped by more than 22 pounds. Shi suffers from diabetes, a condition exacerbated by a poor diet and restricted access to appropriate medication.

Sources told CDN that Shi’s bookstore continues to operate in its prime location near the Olympic Village.

The bookstore is registered with authorities, and Shi had permission to sell Bibles and other Christian materials. CDN said that officials objected, however, when Shi printed some Bibles and Christian literature without authorization for distribution to local house churches, according to Asia Times Online.

CDN said that despite a law restricting detention without charges to a maximum of two months, officials in June stated they would delay action on the case indefinitely. By late June, they had granted only one visit by Shi’s lawyer, Zhang Xingshui.

Elsewhere in China

CDN said that CAA reported officials also evicted Christian rights activist Hua Huiqi from his home in Beijing on July 2. After using a heavy hammer to break down the doors and locks of his apartment, they beat Hua’s brother and forced the entire family, including Hua’s 90-year-old father, onto the street with their furniture.

CDN said CAA also reported that on July 6, officials moved Pastor Zhang Zhongxin of Jiaxiang county, Shandong province to a labor camp to begin two years of re-education through labor. With the help of a lawyer, Zhang’s wife Wang Guiyun has since submitted an appeal to the Jining City district court asking it to withdraw the labor camp sentence.

On July 14, CDN reported, police raided the home of Lu Xiaoai, a fellow church member of Zhang and Wang, seizing Bibles and Christian materials. They also investigated church member Lian Dehai, seizing Christian material from his home and placing him in criminal detention.

Police then carried out several other raids on the homes of house church members in Jiaxiang county.

CAA reported on other incidents in Beijing municipality, Gansu and Henan provinces during June and July.

CDN said that at Olympic venues however, China has presented a different face, with clergy from the five accepted religious groups providing official religious services to athletes and other visitors.

The Chinese Olympic committee has granted athletes permission to bring personal religious articles into the Olympic village, and permission for well-known evangelist Luis Palau to distribute his evangelistic book, “A Friendly Dialogue Between an Atheist and a Christian,” to athletes and coaches during the Games.

In June, CDN reported, Chinese authorities announced they would print 50,000 gospel booklets – including 10,000 Chinese-English complete Bibles – for distribution during the Games.

CDN said that in July, the state newspaper Xinhua published a visitors’ guide to churches in Beijing. The article gave a brief history of the Catholic and Protestant streams of Christianity but made only a brief mention of four Catholic churches in the capital.

Xinhua also noted that “since the Chinese constitution was amended in 1982 to allow freedom of religion,” the number of Christians in China had “surpassed 16 million,” an official figure given by the China Christian Council, an agency representing government-approved Protestant churches.

CDN said that Compass sources, however, estimate there are at least 60 million evangelical Christians in China: 10 million in major house church networks, 35 million in independent rural house churches and 15 million in independent urban house churches.

In addition, there are 15 million Catholics and 15 million members of the official Three-Self Patriotic Movement church.