Posted on 05/25/2003 8:54:58 PM PDT by null and void
Good Morning.
This is the Daily Thread of Operation Infinite Freedom, formerly Operation Iraqi Freedom - Situation Room - LIVE THREAD.
It is designed for general conversation about the ongoing war on terror, and the related events of the day. In depth discussion of events should be left to individual threads - but links to the threads or other articles is highly encouraged. This allows us to stay abreast of the situation in general, while also providing a means of obtaining specific information.
Nafeeza Sahib, left, and Rasheed Sahib are seen in this August 2002 family photo from Nafeeza's 18th birthday. Rasheed Sahib, 22, was killed in Iraq when another soldiers gun discharged while they were cleaning their weapons, officials said Monday, May 19, 2003. Sahib was fatally injured Sunday in the town of Balad, Iraq, after a bullet struck Sahib in the chest.
In Iraq, U.S. Troops Are Still Dying -- One Almost Every Day
Monday, May 26, 2003 - The family of Army Spc. Rasheed Sahib, 22, of Brooklyn is particularly suspicious of the military's explanation of his death. According to the Pentagon, Sahib and another soldier were cleaning their weapons when the other soldier's weapon accidentally fired on May 18 in Balad, Iraq. The round hit Sahib in the chest.
His sister, Nafeeza Sahib, 19, said the family wants to know whether he was killed because he was a Muslim. She said her brother, who came to the United States from Guyana when he was 5, was proud to serve his country and hoped to join the FBI. But, she said, he also told her that "it was very tough on him after the World Trade Center. He said people looked at him differently."
FoxNews: Second sailor falls overboard USS Nassau
--- --- ----
Fleet Week sailor killed by cab
Sunday, May 25, 2003 NEW YORK (AP) -- A sailor visiting New York for the Fleet Week naval observance was killed Sunday when he stumbled off a sidewalk and was hit by a car, authorities said.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Phillip A. Simone, 20, was walking in Manhattan's Tribeca neighborhood about 3 a.m. when he fell and was struck by a livery cab. He died about 45 minutes later at a hospital, said Navy spokesman Capt. Bill Armstrong.
Sun May 25, 2003 - BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A U.S. soldier was killed and another injured Sunday in an explosion at a facility containing Iraqi ammunition south of Baghdad, the United States Central Command said.
The explosion at Ad Diwaniyah, about 75 miles south of Baghdad, occurred Sunday morning while the soldiers were on guard duty, the statement said.
SO LAST WEEK, NEWSWEEK has learned, the U.S. intelligence community grew more than a little alarmed when it discovered another cryptic posting on Alsaha.com. “Oh brothers, further attacks are to come in the next 48 hours,” it read. “All good Muslims in New York, Boston and other cities on the seacoast should leave.” Was this a starting gun to sleeper cells to spring into action? Another oracle that chaos was about to erupt in America’s crowded Northeast corridor? The counterterror analysts were unsure. The FBI and CIA had no other direct warnings of an attack, and analysts could not rule out the possibility that the terrorists were planting disinformation to stir panic. Yet the terrorist “chatter” level was on the rise again. Electronic intercepts from tapped phones and spy satellites suggested that Al Qaeda operatives around the world were planning something.
Sun May 25, 2003 - BAGHDAD ~ Iraqi port workers cheered Iraq's U.S. administrator Paul Bremer Sunday as they unloaded a major food shipment, but efforts to introduce new political structures and restore law and order hit fresh problems.
In the southern port of Umm Qasr, a dock worker soaked in sweat from unloading 50 kg (110 lb) sacks of rice in the 45 Celsius (113 F) heat hugged Bremer.
"I think this is a really wonderful indication of how things are getting better in Iraq. It is the face of the new Iraq," Bremer told reporters.
Israel gives peace plan a grudging nod
JERUSALEM -- The Israeli government yesterday grudgingly approved the US-backed road map for peace, officially recognising the right to Palestinian statehood for the first time, in a move hailed by the White House.
But the cabinet at the same time passed a resolution denying Palestinian refugees their right of return, dampening hopes that the blueprint aimed at putting an end to the 32-month-old cycle of violence was well on track.
US President George W. Bush (R) and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi (L) hold a joint press conference at Bush's ranch 23 May, 2003 in Crawford, Texas. Bush and Koizumi vowed that they "will not tolerate" nuclear weapons in North Korea, advancing US efforts to forge a united front in the region.
US mulling ‘public and private actions'
WASHINGTON (AFP) -Top members of US President George W. Bush's administration will meet Tuesday to discuss strategy toward the Islamic Republic amid allegations that it is harbouring members of the al-Qaeda terror network, the report said.
Pentagon officials are advocating trying to foment a popular uprising to topple Iran's government, and the State Department may accept that approach if Iran does not take steps to crack down on al-Qaeda by Tuesday, the Post said.
Nasrallah: Hizbullah not to disarm
The leader of Lebanon's Hizbullah said Sunday his group will not give up its weapons and has warned Israel and the United States against attacking Lebanon or Syria. "They want to disarm us, but we refuse to do so. Today we need to keep betting on the resistance," he said.
Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said such an attack would be met by suicide bombers.
Intercepts Show Senior Al Qaeda in Iran Played Role in Saudi Bombings
The official said the U.S. had intercepts for months prior to the bombings, which showed that senior Al Qaeda operatives in Iran were communicating with Al Qaeda operatives in Saudi Arabia about an upcoming attack, with cryptic language suggesting the attack was going to happen in Saudi Arabia.
The operatives had been in Iran for at least months, and came there after they fled Afghanistan during the U.S. military's attack aimed at toppling the Taliban government.
ANKARA, Turkey - Seventy-four people, mostly Spanish peacekeeping forces serving in Afghanistan were killed when a Ukrainian plane crashed early Monday while trying to refuel in northwest Turkey, Turkish media reported.
The plane was flying from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, to Zaragoza, Spain, with a refueling stop in Trabzon, private NTV television reported, quoting unnamed Turkish aviation officials.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.