Threat Matrix- Daily Terror Thread (4):

New York Post ^ | February 24, 2004 | By NILES LATHEM

[Revel]

February 24, 2004 -- WASHINGTON - The Pentagon has dispatched the elite commando force that hunted down Saddam Hussein to Afghanistan for a new operation aimed at getting Osama bin Laden, officials said yesterday. Military sources confirmed that members of the shadowy Task Force 121, the unit that conducted the high-tech search for Saddam and his henchmen, have recently begun operating in the remote mountainous region along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border where bin Laden and key al Qaeda and Taliban fugitives are believed to be hiding. The Task Force is made up of highly trained Delta and SEAL commandos, as well as CIA paramilitary operators. It operates outside normal military channels.

[Indie]

If you have a good doc, now might be a good time to get some Rx for the family like Cipro, or whatever they recommend as the best "catch all" in an emergency. One would use it as insurance against not being able to get medicine due to public disorder, not as a self-medicate prophylaxis unless an absolute emergency.

[tubavil]

Thanks for the ping.

Any advance warnings from daleel or any of his buddies?

Is he crowing ex post facto?

BTW, a major muslim terrorist center has been abandoned here in Seattle (as far as I can tell) for the last 4-6 weeks.

We're working on the next one :-)

No muslims, no terror.

[Calpernia]

I'm afraid on the ones enabling the 2nd tier though.

And the sleepers that haven't yet been activated. Those sleepers are 1st tier.

[abner]

Enlighten me. I've never heard of "black pox."

Small pox, only messed with by humans to make it a far more dangerous strain. Nasty. There were some threads here about it right after 9/11.

[PureSolace]

BTW, a major muslim terrorist center has been abandoned here in Seattle (as far as I can tell) for the last 4-6 weeks.

couldn't that also mean that they could of planted something and dont wanna be around when it happens? What do you mean???

[abner]

Smallpox

Smallpox – a biological weapon?

Smallpox may no longer occur naturally but this once deadly disease makes a perfect agent of bio-terrorism.

Photo courtesy of CDC/Cheryl Tryon

What is smallpox?
Smallpox is a viral disease unique to humans. Symptoms resemble the flu, followed by a flat red rash that form into pustules all over the body.

Like the flu, it spreads from person to person via airborne droplets containing virus particles that land on the mucosal membranes of the nose, mouth and throat, or through physical contact with patients or sheets and blankets.

There are three forms of smallpox: variola major, variola minor and hemorrhagic smallpox, or black pox. These vary in severity and fatality with black pox being 100% fatal.

Black pox is the hemorragic version.

[MamaDearest]

"...if the TV folks delivered real news instead of pap, we wouldn't be surfing all these places."

Another concern about the TV news is the slanted agenda of those who purport to be unbiased in their presentation of the news. They skew their wording so it is assimilated by the viewer to raise doubt concerning politicians with whom they are not aligned. My sources on internet news have always been accurate, non-biased and usually much faster than any TV news commentator anyway. Also, there are stories on the net that never appear on any news broadcast. The idea that the networks pick and choose what is NEWS to us, is a bit unsettling as well.

[GOP_Thug_Mom]

Radio active material in a white pickup?

My husband used to deliver radio active medicine to hospitals years ago--in a silver pick-up.

[MamaDearest]

At least 14 dolphins found dead in Panhandle bay

Uh oh!

[Labyrinthos]

Thanks for the info, although I know wish I hadn't asked. Not a pretty thought.

[TexKat]

What Lou Dobbs entitled Secret War

Secret War

Well, the fight against radical Islamist terrorists, of course, is global. CNN has learned that the U.S. military is now involved in a secret war against radical Islamist terrorists in North Africa, U.S. forces this week providing communications, intelligence and reconnaissance to troops from Chad. The Chad government today said its soldiers killed 43 radical Islamists in a battle near the border with Niger.

CNN senior correspondent Jamie McIntyre has the report -- Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN MILITARY AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Lou, as you said, the Chad government made an announcement that they killed those 43 radical Islamic militants in that two days of fighting along the border with Niger.

But what the Chad government didn't say, but sources tell my colleague, CNN's Barbara Starr, is that Chad's Army had help from a small group of U.S. military forces. Sources say the help was limited to intelligence, communications and reconnaissance and that the U.S. troops were not directly involved in the combat. But that help included overflights from P-3 Orion jet, a Navy surveillance plane, that was able to provide critical intelligence that gave Chad's military a significant edge.

Now, the U.S. has not openly acknowledged the role of U.S. military forces in Chad. And the number of troops there said to be about 100. But officials tell CNN it's all part of a low-profile campaign to battle in a number of African countries against a group called the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat. That's, we're told, a hard-line Algerian Islamic group that recently pledged allegiance to al Qaeda.

Now, sources say that the Islamic militants were chased into Chad by Niger's military and then surrounded by forces from Chad's military, and again with help from the U.S. military, they were able to, they say, kill 43 of those people. Now, the Pentagon says publicly only that U.S. forces are in a number of African countries assisting in training, but doesn't acknowledge exactly what was going on here in Chad.

But, privately, Pentagon officials say this is all part of the quiet effort to battle Islamic militants wherever they are -- Lou.

DOBBS: And they are operating apparently in something like 30 countries around the world, and active engagements in which U.S. troops are involved. That was the last report that I had seen. Can you add anything to that, Jamie?

MCINTYRE: Well, no, I think that's about right. There are various levels in various countries.

And what the U.S. is finding is that if it can provide some really high-tech assistance and sometimes just advice and strategy to the local governments in these countries, such as in Chad, they can be pretty effective in battling these groups on their own.

DOBBS: Jamie, thank you very much -- Jamie McIntyre, our senior Pentagon correspondent. More now on that secret war against radical Islamists, globally and particularly in North Africa. I'm joined now by General David Grange. It's good to have you with us.

The level of troops, U.S. troops, in Chad fighting, were you aware of their presence and their role there before?

RETIRED BRIG. GEN. DAVID GRANGE, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Lou, I was aware of U.S. forces in many countries around the world, to include what Jamie McIntyre just stated in regions of Africa.

And it's a very prudent thing to do. We have the expertise. We have the military that is some of the best counterguerrilla, counterterrorist forces in the world, that provides advice to some of these other fledgling countries of military capabilities that are a lesser degree of prowess, and it nips it in the bud early. It gets rid of these bad guys early, up front.

DOBBS: The attacks, Chad reporting 43 radical Islamists killed in this exchange. Does the size of that engagement surprise you?

GRANGE: It does not. And I would venture to say there's probably other small groups throughout this sub-Sahara region in Africa operating.

But the ties to al Qaeda, this is an example of something to get early, so you don't have situations happen like in Madrid as an example, before they get a great foothold and can expand their operations.

DOBBS: These counterterrorist, counterinsurgent operations, how long have they been going on to your knowledge in North Africa, through the region?

GRANGE: Well, as long as I can remember. And they should be going on. And I think it's again very prudent that these preemptive actions, which may just be providing advice or some technical assistance for intelligence gathering, makes all the difference in the world to these type of militaries that are trying to take care of these problems in their countries.

DOBBS: General David Grange, thank you.

GRANGE: My pleasure.

[thecabal]

Does anyone think there is significance to the fact that this attack happened exactly 2 1/2 years after 9/11?

[oceanview]

911 days (not counting the leap year) as posted on other threads.

but shhh, CNN doesn't want anyone to know, it was really the ETA...

[abner]

Your welcome. The threat today, of Wings of Black Death made me think of the Black Pox thing before plague.

I know that the "Black Death" is traditionally considered plague, but that is easily treated.

I also know that Smallpox would hit the children since they are not vaccinated. After 9/11 I remember that Al Queda came out with some warning or other that said that the kids are next.

Small pox or similiar could be devastating to anyone born after 1971.

Not good.

[Velveeta]

Fish kill investigation in a Goshen park (Indiana)

Posted: 03/11/2004 11:40 pm
Last Updated: 03/11/2004 11:44 pm

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management is investigating a fish kill in a Goshen park.

Thousands of small fish and dozens of frogs were found dead along a ditch in Shanklin Park.

IDEM says the water in the ditch is discolored shortly after a storm drain empties into it.

IDEM and city sewer employees are trying to track the substance that is discoloring the water to its origin to see if that is what is killing the fish.

IDEM is recommending you and your pets stay away from the ditch water until they figure out what the substance is.

http://www.wndu.com/news/032004/news_24491.php

[Labyrinthos]

Since you seem to be the only person up right now, you must suffer my venom, although I'm not directing it at you personally: You can't believe the number of people I've spoken to today who have no idea what happened in Spain, and then when I tell them, they shrug their shoulders and say "life goes on." I am so John F'n Kerry pissed... you have no idea.

[MamaDearest]

BTW, a major muslim terrorist center has been abandoned here in Seattle (as far as I can tell) for the last 4-6 weeks.

That could be a very bad sign for Seattle.

[Revel]

Hey...What happened in Spain ?

[abner]

Not to worry. I understand your frustration. Maybe this will make you feel better. I was pleasantly surprised today when my young employee came in to work(she is 15 years old) this afternoon. I asked her what she thought about the bombing and I was surprised when she knew what I was talking about.

I was impressed.

To be fair, she is not your average 15 year old though. She argues politics with her liberal social studies teacher. She is winning. :-)

It may affect her grade though.

[Labyrinthos]

Talk about black humor... :-)