Posted on 06/12/2003 9:11:52 PM PDT by null and void
Good Morning.
Welcome to the daily thread of Operation Infinite Freedom - Situation Room.
It is designed for general conversation about the ongoing war on terror, and the related events of the day. In addition to the ongoing conversations related to terrorism and our place in it's ultimate defeat, this thread is a clearinghouse of links to War On Terrorism threads. This allows us to stay abreast of the situation in general, while also providing a means of obtaining specific information and mutual support.
It will take a large pile of dead bad guys before we can make peace in the middle east. That looks to me like what is taking place.Very true.
The leader of the Iraqi National Congress (INC) Ahmad Chalabi
Defectors provided solid information about Iraq's weapons program: Chalabi
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The head of the US-backed Iraqi National Congress (INC), Ahmad Chalabi, said that he put US officials in contact with three Iraqi defectors who provided detailed information about Saddm Hussein's alleged weapons of mass destruction program.
"We ... introduced them to three defectors on the weapons program," Chalabi said after a briefing here with about 30 US lawmakers on a range of postwar issues, including the pace of Iraqi reconstruction and the prospects finding Saddam.
"One of them was an engineer," Chalabi said. "We believe that he had valuable information about sites. He did not have any operational information because he was not a military man, he was an engineer who built sites for the weapons storage areas," Chalabi said.
"The second one we introduced them to, he told them about the mobile biological labs," Chalabi said, referring to the trucks US officials have pointed to as proof of Iraq (news - web sites)'s weapons program.
After meeting the third individual, US officials decided not to pursue contacts, Chalabi said.
The former Iraqi exile denied that any of his contacts exaggerated claims of Iraq's weapons program.
"There was no hyping of information. There was no information that was given that was not substantiated," he said.
Chalabi said he is certain that US forces will ultimately succeed in their efforts to find deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons of mass destruction.
"There are weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and Saddam had them and he was developing them continuously," Chalabi said after a meeting with congressional leaders here.
"I think if there is a correct way to look for them, then they will be found," he said.
The former Iraqi exile renewed his assertion that deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein remains holed up somewhere inside the country.
"Saddam, I believe, is still alive and he is still inside Iraq working and I think, again, if we look for him in an intelligent way ... he will be found," Chalabi said.
Chalabi also renewed his charge that Saddam is one of the main instigators of continuing attacks against coalition forces in Iraq.
"He has put a bounty ... on the killing of American soldiers," Chalabi said.
"I believe that a US Apache helicopter was shot down by forces who are working under Saddam's control," he said, referring to an incident earlier Thursday in which an Apache helicopter was shot down by hostile fire in western Iraq.
The US military's Central Command (Centcom) said the two-member crew was injured shortly after the crash.
"It is not useful to deny that Saddam is coordinating these activities," Chalabi said.
"There are leaflets in Baghdad, distributed with his picture and with his name and slogan supporting him, so he is active," he said.
Chalabi renewed his call for swift US action to establish in Iraq a pluralistic, democratic government "that will be at peace with the Iraqi people and with Iraq neighbors committed to the renunciation of weapons of mass destruction," he said.
*************************************
BANGKOK, Thailand - Alerted by U.S. investigators, undercover Thai police on Friday arrested a man selling radioactive material that can be used to make a so-called dirty bomb.
Officers arrested Narong Penanam, 44, in the parking lot of a Bangkok hotel after he offered to sell agents a metal container that he said contained uranium, police Col. Pisit Pisutisak said. Narong expected to be paid $240,000.
An analysis of the material by the Office of the Atomic Energy for Peace later revealed it was not uranium but cesium-137, which has a number of medical and industrial applications and can used in a bomb designed to spread radioactive material over a wide area.
Narong was charged with illegal possession of nuclear materials, punishable by up to one year in prison and a fine of $240.
Pisit said Narong told authorities he got the container from neighboring Laos and claimed his sources have more.
The investigation was initiated by the U.S. Customs Service, whose agents were present during the arrest, said a U.S. Embassy spokesman, on customary condition of anonymity.
A US Coast Guard cutter patrols off New York's Staten Island. US student and self-proclaimed admirer of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, Paul Revak, 20, has been arrested by the FBI for allegedly plotting to blow up a Coast Guard station and an Army National Guard armory
Alleged self-styled "terrorist" arrested in US state of Washington
SEATTLE, Washington (AFP) - A US student has been arrested for allegedly plotting to blow up a Coast Guard station and an Army National Guard armory in the state of Washington, court documents revealed.
Self-described anarchist Paul Revak, 20, told an undercover FBI agent he admired al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and inquired about obtaining military-grade C-4 explosives and hand grenades, the documents showed.
The history student was planning to blow up defense installations sites and industrial and oil sites around Bellingham, a the northwestern port city near the Canadian border, according to a probable cause statement filed in US District Court in Seattle.
Federal Bureau of Investigation agents arrested the Western Washington University student as he emerged from a store in Bellingham with a newly-purchased pellet gun made to look like a semi-automatic pistol.
The agents then searched Revak's college dormitory, where they found a gym bag under his bed containing camouflage face paint, two camouflage hats, two pairs of black gloves, a black ski mask, a walkie-talkie and bolt cutters.
Although the investigation is continuing, it appears Revak was acting alone and not with a terrorist organization, the charging papers said.
The arrest came after the FBI put Revak -- who faces up to life in prison if found guilty of the charges -- under surveillance for nearly three weeks following a tip from a fellow student.
The informant said Revak had attempted to recruit him, and had gone to the authorities after failing to talk Revak out of his plans.
Agents arranged to have meetings between Revak and the other student which they recorded on audio and videotape.
Prosecutors say Revak possessed no explosives or weapons but had detailed plans to infiltrate a local Coast Guard station, blow it up and shoot the survivors.
The court papers say Revak had performed detailed reconnaissance of the station, and had made accurate reports on the facility, boats and personnel.
In a meeting Thursday between an undercover agent, Revak and the other student, the suspect asked the special agent about acquiring the powerful military explosive, C-4.
Revak allegedly told the agent that he had recently driven by an oil refinery at Cherry Point, near Bellingham, and had found it to be "so friggin' tempting."
Revak was charged with solicitation to commit a crime of violence and threats to use a weapon of mass destruction, Assistant US Attorney Andrew Hamilton said in a statement.
He faces a maximum of life in prison and up to 500,000 dollars in fines if convicted.
He is being held at a federal detention center pending a bail hearing Friday.
The United States has been cracking down on any internal terror plots following September 11, 2001, terror attacks that killed more than 3,000.
Iraq Prisoners Give Possible Weapons Info
WASHINGTON - Captured Iraqis have given U.S. interrogators information about possible chemical and biological weapons sites, the commander of American ground troops in Iraq said Friday.
Lt. Gen. David McKiernan said he's confident there are biological and chemical weapons still hidden in Iraq. No such weapons have been found, although President Bush said he ordered the war to eliminate what he said were Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.
Information on chemical and biological weapons is rare because so few Iraqis were involved in those programs, McKiernan told Pentagon reporters over a video link from Baghdad. Questioning of some Iraqi officials has been fruitful, however, he said.
"From some interrogations, we get information that leads us to another source, that we have to go locate certain facilities and go in there and check those out," McKiernan said. "I'm not going to go into the details, but there is discussion from both the chemical and the biological side that leads us to intelligence that we have to go confirm or deny."
The failure to find any banned weapons in Iraq has prompted critics in the United States and abroad to question whether Bush overstated the evidence that Saddam Hussein's regime had them. McKiernan said he had no such doubts.
"Even if there were no interrogations, I would tell you personally, I think there's a lot still hidden that it will take time for us to uncover," McKiernan said.
The general said the attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq do not appear to be coordinated by any central authority. A prominent former Iraqi exile, Ahmed Chalabi of the Iraqi National Congress, said this week that Saddam was still alive and offering bounties for the killing of American troops.
McKiernan said the attacks were "only coordinated locally, not nationally."
Still, "there is the probability that there are financial trails that lead to other parts of Iraq and there might be communications that go to other parts," McKiernan said. He didn't elaborate.
McKiernan said many of the attacks were from former members of Saddam's Baath Party, his intelligence services or Special Republican Guard.
American troops will begin to leave Iraq "when the time is right," McKiernan said, though he would not predict when that would be. Some units, such as the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, have been in Iraq for nearly three months after spending nearly a year preparing for the invasion in Kuwait.
"I'm not worried about our units and our soldiers losing their combat edge," McKiernan said, adding that some equipment had to be repaired or replaced.
Howlin, I tried to go to poll link but was too late. Admin hit it(we weren't doing badly were we?)
Carolina.. something for you (us)
I remain UNDER WEATHER. 8 days now. I understand this nasty stuff is the 3 week plus variety. Joy. I am fastidious re: health//clean hands & food issues. but I guess you cannot protect yourself from the air indoors that you share w/others. I rarely get sick. First time for flu/URI or cold in probably 10 years. I stay on computer maybe 10 min at stretch a few times day. Then MORE sleep
Bush has worked hard w/Palestine but it seems that we never truly get peace until one party gets their butt beat severely (like a word called war)
I thank you all for comments. I have been mostly lurking but do want to drop in to say hello & let you know I appreciate the news/views that you share.. (and yes, we too need arks here - my grass is over a foot in some areas & will wait until it is dry & I am healthy).. our rivers/canals have been overflowing in many areas.
Too cold for kayaking??? Nonsense!!!
CAMP DOHA, Kuwait -- Coalition Forces continue to aggressively patrol Iraq to eliminate crimes against people and property, rid populated areas of weapons, ammunition and explosives, and stop the black market trade in fuel and other commodities. Coalition Forces also continue to conduct joint security patrols with Iraqi police to increase the professionalism of the police force and prepare them for their role in a self-governed Iraq.
Coalition Continues to Seek and Destroy Subversive Elements
A Coalition raid was conducted 150 kilometers Northwest of Baghdad Wednesday as part of the continued effort to eradicate Ba' ath Party loyalists, paramilitary groups and other subversive elements.
Coalition forces collected seventy to eighty Surface to Air Missiles (SA7's), 75-78 Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs), and approximately 20 AK47's.
Any information or intelligence gathered at the site of the raid by specially trained soldiers would assist coalition forces in providing a safe and secure environment for the Iraqi people.
Weapons Turn-In Program:
Iraqi citizens voluntarily turned in a variety of weapons under the Weapons Turn-In Program that began June 1. As of today, Iraqi citizens have delivered to Weapons Collection Points a total of 115 pistols, 75 semi-automatic rifles or shotguns, 406 automatic rifles, 45 machine guns, 152 anti-tank weapons (i.e., rocket-propelled grenade launchers), 11 anti-air weapons, and 266 grenades and other explosive devices.
The amnesty period for the Weapons Turn-In Program will run through June 14.
Coalition Activity:
The 173d Airborne Brigade conducted a raid Thursday near Kirkuk after receiving intelligence information about alleged anti-Coalition elements. They apprehended 74 suspected Al-Qaida sympathizers.
An organized group of attackers fired RPGs at a 4th Infantry Division tank patrol in Balad on Friday. The tanks returned fire, killing four of the attackers, and forcing the remainder to flee. Tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles reinforced with AH-64 Apache helicopters pursued the enemy personnel killing 23 of the attackers.
The occupants of two vehicles with AK47 rifles fired upon a 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment vehicle patrol Thursday west of Samarrah. Soldiers returned fire and the vehicles fled. The vehicles were pursued but lost in traffic. Soldiers in a nearby unit were notified of the engagement and given the description of the vehicles involved. Coalition forces located a car that may have been used in the attack, and detained two individuals. There were no injuries or equipment damage.
Two individuals on a motorized cart fired at 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) checkpoint and then fled on Thursday. An Army helicopter tracked the vehicle to a building, where it disabled two fleeing vehicles, while soldiers on the ground detained three individuals for questioning.
Three individuals fired upon a 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) patrol in Mosul with AK47 rifles on Friday. Two individuals fled, one surrendered. Coalition forces confiscated a hand grenade.
4ID Conducted raid on Police Station in Khaneqin that seized a sizeable weapons cache. A raid was also conducted on illegal arms traffickers in Bayji. Two illegal weapons dealers were detained. Dealers may have information pertaining to a June 5 attack on US forces.
An Iraqi gunman with an AK47 was detained by the 4th Infantry Division patrol for questioning after a search of his residence produced 63 flares and 10 automatic weapon magazines.
Fifteen individuals driving vehicles towards Iran with blackout lights were apprehended by the 1st Marine Division for questioning.
A joint raid was conducted to capture suspected Ba'ath party members in Al Hillah. Iraqi police and Marines from the 4th Marine Regiment detained six individuals.
Police Activity in the Last 24 Hours:
Coalition Forces conducted 10 raids and a total of 2,648 patrols throughout Iraq. Of those patrols, they conducted 322 joint Iraqi and Coalition patrols. They also detained or arrested 351 individuals for a variety of criminal activities including looting, curfew violations, weapons violations, theft, larceny and dealing drugs.
Recent Police Activity:
Army MPs and Marines continued the five-day police-training program for 499 students in As Samawah.
101st Airborne (Air Assault) Division continued to conduct police academy training in Qayyarah and As Shurah, and plans to graduate 80 new policemen in late June. They also conducted joint small arms training in Dahuk with the New Iraqi Security Force.
The 1st Marine Division graduated 280 new Iraqi policemen from the Ad Diwaniyah police academy.
An Iraqi citizen was shot at in South Baghdad by five unidentified males. Iraqi police transported the victim to the Al Yarmuk hosptial for treatment. An investigation is being conducted by the Iraqi police.
A car jacking occurred in North Baghdad. A local Iraqi citizen was on his way from Mosul to purchase horses in Baghdad. The victim reported that eight individuals in two vehicles armed with AK-47's and two pistols pulled him from his vehicle and drove it away. Victim reports that there was 19 million Dinar in his vehicle intended for horse purchase(s).
A family dispute erupted in West Baghdad, killing one civilian and wounding three others. Iraqi police continue to investigate this incident.
CAMP DOHA, Kuwait – Coalition Forces continue to assist in developing a safer and more secure environment in Iraq through the following activities.
NORTHERN AND CENTRAL IRAQ
Coalition Forces recently:
Reported conditions in Kirkuk continue to improve on a daily basis. Long lines for benzene no longer exist. Traffic into the city and activity in the market place has increased significantly. Basic services are being provided.
Reported Kirkuk citizens have accepted the interim government, which continues to make positive strides under the mentorship and guidance of Coalition Forces. Soldiers are working with the Iraqis in formulating the new structure of city government and working to hire department heads, developing of a long-range security and economic plan, and developing a city budget.
Completed payments to 500 additional Iraqi government ministry personnel. Also met with Ministry contractors and obtained a written contract for reconstruction of main Ministry building and 4 additional buildings.
Delivered 843,300 liters of fuel, and 3,940 cylinders of propane in Western Baghdad.
Facilitated the establishment of 84 of 88 Neighborhood Advisory Councils in Baghdad.
Obtained preliminary estimates for water infrastructure improvement projects in Adhamiyah that will establish new services to 650 homes, and restore service to thousands of civilians. Also purchased repair parts for two pump trucks in the city that will allow their maintenance team to conduct repairs of the sewage system.
Reported the situation at most gas stations; schools and hospitals in the Mosul area continue to improve. The average wait time for gasoline continues to diminish, school attendance continues to increase, and Coalition efforts to obtain supplies for upcoming school exams have been highly successful.
Continued sewage and garbage removal project in the Al Farat area.
Conducted "Task Force Neighborhood" mission in Baghdad that renovated a soccer field and a school / clinic. Conducted a second mission in Al Fallujah that repaired three other soccer fields. Assessed clinics and hospitals in the Mosul area for medical supply shortages, and delivered medical supplies.
Conducted a women’s clinic mission near Hadithah that treated 50 Iraqi women and numerous children.
Assessed the Fallujah Brick and Cement Factory for serviceability and assisted in efforts to reopen the facility.
Received 78 benzene and 59 propane trucks in Baghdad from Turkey this morning. The high volume of trucks carrying supplies from Syria to Iraq continued Thursday, with 227 truckloads of humanitarian and commercial supplies crossing into Iraq.
SOUTHERN IRAQ
Coordinated the barley and wheat subsidy plan in Al Hillah with agricultural officials.
Escorted fuel trucks as they distributed 560,000 gallons of fuel in As Samawah, Ar Rumaythah, and Al Khidr.
Assisted the Ad Diwaniyah water director in locating 10 tons of chlorine for water purification, alleviating the current shortage of this critical water purification chemical.
Participated in a grand opening of the Al-Rifah school in An Najaf, which was rehabilitated by U.S. Navy Seabees.
Delivered $25,500 to the Karbala Minister of Health for renovation of the Al Hussein Hospital’s emergency room and general infrastructure, and to requisition a 2-month supply of sanitation and pollution testing chemicals.
Reported Karbala sanitation workers began the cleaning of the aeration tanks at the water treatment plant in preparation for the final power washing.
Reported that Karbala received and began distribution of 60 tons of propane cooking fuel to residents.
Monitored and provided security for the distribution of bonuses to the Headmasters of the Al Kut schools. An estimated 6,574 teachers received their $30 bonuses Thursday, for a total of $197,000.
Found a faithful blogger posting live from Iraq, a POW guard (NOT a wanker). Reposting the link (check out his website):
A grateful Iraqi doctor thanks a US Colonel
The online journal of Chief Wiggles -- Straight from Iraq. ^ | June 6, 2003
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.