Posted on 01/01/2006 6:41:58 PM PST by DAVEY CROCKETT
Weapons of Disruption
C 2006 Frederick J. Cowie, Ph.D.
Whereas we have no masses, it certainly would be seriously challenging to deliver a "weapon of mass destruction" in the vast majority of geographical areas in the American West, as well as in many areas in the East and South. For instance, Montana is approximately the size of Germany, yet the population hovers only around a million (we have one representative in the House). There is no "metropolitan" area anywhere around, though Spokane is about three hundred miles away. Wyoming has more sheep than people. Utah has Salt Lake City and a few nearby populous areas. Nevada has two populated regional areas, Las Vegas and Reno. North and South Dakota have, well, a few folks here and there. Idaho folks are few and far between. I swear you can drive from San Antonio to El Paso without seeing a city policeman, because I've done it several times. Then there are Arizona, New Mexico, eastern California, inter alia. The point is we have a few population points, while the rest of the states are empty excepted for isolated small communities.Thus, out West we probably need to talk more about "weapons of disruption." (Some folks say "weapons of mass disruption," but we have no masses!)
You must ask yourself: What would I do if I were a terrorist (or a terrorism preparedness instructor) looking into the ramifications of launching a rural terrorism attack? Personally, I would concentrate on considering the consequences of disruption rather than mass destruction. Here are a few scenarios you might want consider when your local rural emergency management/response group gathers to discuss terrorism exercises.
1) Wildland Fire Incidents: Incendiary (mostly wildland) warfare has been used by military strategists for at least 2500 years, over a thousand years before the use of gunpowder. The western U.S. is disrupted, seriously disrupted, every year by wildland fires. Quite a few are started by humans, accidentally and purposefully. Starting dozens of major fires in a dozen western states could be a brilliant line of attack if militants wished to disrupt America. Thousands of security personnel could do nothing and the perpetrator/s would probably never be implicated, much less captured. Are you prepared?
2) Railroad Chemical Incidents: Many railroad main lines go through tunnels. A few strategically placed armor-piercing shells in a series of chlorine cars, along with appropriately staged derailments leaving the leaking cars in the tunnels, could shut down many main line routes in the West. Spin-off scenarios are numerous. Ready?
3) Flammable Liquid Incidents: Bridges are not easily brought down from below and approaches to bridge support structures are often highly visible and randomly monitored. However, on CNN we all have seen many tanker truck accidents involving burning hydrocarbons which have made bridge structures unusable. How hard would it be to have a few terrorists steal trucks and drive them (as opposed to hijacking planes and flying them) to strategic bridges over wide rivers or narrow gorges, ignite the gasoline (or diesel or crude), block the approaches with other incendiary or chemical releases, and make the structures extremely dangerous and impassible to highway traffic? Gotcha!
There are many variations of these themes. You probably have or can make up many more plausible, novel, and easily implemented rural-specific attack scenarios. Design exercises around them. If you want to stop terrorist events you must think like a terrorist and quit fighting last year's war!
Peace, thanks, Fred
Please check out my website at fredcowie.com
To find recent presentations, Google (with quotation marks) "Fred Cowie"
Frederick J. (Fred) Cowie, Ph.D. E-mail: fredcowie@aol.com Phone: (24 hr cell) 406-431-3531 Website: fredcowie.com
Thank you for the compliment, it is nice to see recipes, they get your mind to working.......
Yes, go look at the man's greenhouses, that is one subject that you never "know it all".
Having worked with both types of greenhouses, glass and fiberglass, I prefer the fiberglass.
I think the glass heats too fast and cools off too fast.
When I grew in glass, it was a constant problem to keep the sun from cooking the plants, and you also needed to buy shade cloth, which costs as much and more than the greenhouse, or you use white wash on the glass and with that you would do just as well to use the corrugated fiberglass.
The glass falls out, breaks and has to be reglazed, etc.
Glass might be useful, if you wanted to look thru the greenhouse to see a view, etc.
I grew Thompson Seedless Grapes in my greenhouse here, they are wonderful, I did not trim them and in about the 3rd year, they were 30 foot long, trained along the roof on wires, (not touching the roof), I would pick bushels of the grapes, planted 3 or 4 vines to do a 12x40' area.
Gourd vines would give you a quick screen, as they get carried away with good water and food. Luffa sponge will work too.
I found a large cone, about 3' high, 18' inches at the bottom, almost 3' foot wide at the other end, it was sheet
metal, for air conditioners duct work, I have had it over 30 years, it is easy to use, set it in the middle of the plant
bed, and work on filling it up, the weeds, the old leaves, the coffee grounds, tea bags, etc.
I would dump a bucket of manure in it, when I thought of it and use it to water the bed, just stick the hose in the cone.........lazy way to make manure and compost tea.
The last pair of rabbits I had, sat in their cage on top of the cone and it sure solved "cleaning", plus made good compost.
If you want to use cans for flower pots, cut both ends out of them, then with a pair of pliers, bend the bottom over,
I can't say how much, if big, maybe a half inch, on the smaller at least a 14 inch, the drop the end of the can back in, and add plant, dirt, etc.
Why do it that way?
If you want to plant it again, and not disturb the roots, you will be able to push it out.
It is easier than pounding holes in it and also if you want to set it in a pan of water, to water from the bottom, it will soak up the water better.
Above all, have fun.
EARLY HUMANS
January 29, 2006 Anti-Terrorism News
(Iraq) Sweet Shop Bomb: 11 Dead
http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-13499604,00.html
A bomb has killed 11 people in a sweet shop in a town south of Baghdad.
ABC anchor, cameraman in Iraq seriously wounded
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/01/29/iraq.main/index.html
News anchor Bob Woodruff and his cameraman were seriously wounded Sunday in a roadside bomb attack near Taji
(Newsweek) Exclusive: Direct Talks--U.S. Officials and Iraqi Insurgents
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11079548/site/newsweek/
Hamas floats Palestinian 'army'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4658872.stm
The political leader of the Hamas militant group has said it could create a new Palestinian army following its surprise election victory. Khaled Meshaal, who lives
in exile in Syria, said the force would include its militant wing and would "defend our people against aggression"
Russia Ready to Cooperate With Palestinian Islamist Govt. — Envoy
http://www.mosnews.com/interview/2006/01/26/pnaelections.shtml
Canadian Islamic Congress calls on PM-elect to recognize Hamas government
http://www.judeoscope.ca/breve.php3?id_breve=0624
Iraq captors: 'Last chance' for hostages
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/01/28/iraq.main/index.html
Kidnappers in Iraq have renewed their threat to kill four Western hostages unless U.S.-led forces release Iraqi prisoners
A new videotape showing the four -- two Canadians, an American and a Briton working with the Christian Peacemaker Teams -- was aired on the
Arabic-language news network Saturday
CIA expands drone use for terror targets
http://www.washingtontimes.com/upi/20060129-065756-2256r.htm
LA Times: The U.S. government is expanding use of unmanned drone aircraft to bomb al-Qaida suspects
Iran wants "more time" for Russia nuclear talks
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2006/January/middleeast_January788.xml§ion=middleeast
(Iran) Suspected Arson in Tehran Metro Station
http://daneshjoo.org/publishers/smccdinews/article_4498.shtml
(Iran) Tehran fast-tracking bomb with North Korea purchase?
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=48554
Pyongyang's growing plutonium cache attracting Iranian interest, U.S. concern
13 die as new violence flares in revolt-hit Nepal
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/subcontinent/2006/January/subcontinent_January1087.xml§ion=subcontinent
Pakistan rebuffs report delay let bin Laden get away
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060129/ts_nm/security_pakistan_binladen_dc;_ylt=AtCY_xjPhi7BkG9uu5jgDLSs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3b2NibDltBHNlYwM3MTY-
Pakistan's military spokesman says he had no knowledge of report that delay by Pakistan for U.S. airstrike gave time for Osama bin Laden to escape
MI5 admits: we've run out of leads on bombers (UK)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-2014722,00.html
"A leaked secret document reveals that MI5 has discovered almost nothing about the worst terrorist attack against Britain despite months of investigation."
Munich terrorist 'regrets nothing'
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1137605934245&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
PLO member behind 1972 attack that killed 11 Israel athletes speaks to press.
(Germany) Interior Minister: 'High risk' of dirty bomb
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/01/28/germany.dirtybomb.reut/index.html
It is probably only a matter of time before Europe falls victim to a terror attack with a "dirty bomb" combining conventional explosives and radioactive material
(Spain) ETA bomb injures policeman
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,17978302%255E1702,00.html
A bomb exploded outside an office of the Spanish state employment agency in the Basque country today, causing extensive damage and injuring a policeman
(Australia) Imams 'condone domestic violence'
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,17977910%255E2702,00.html
The nation's most senior Islamic woman has attacked Muslim religious leaders who condone "wife-beating" and other forms of domestic violence.
Non bearing tomatoes, if they did not get shaken, then it was lack of polinization.
But where did you get the seeds?
JG how are you haven't seen you in a while.
Praying for your family.
Leave all those eggs out yuk.
Chavez I still want one of his action figures LOL
It can go with my x-files one.
19 Cases of Al-Zarqawi Terrorist Suspects
By Observer Staff
Jan 28, 2006 - Vol. IX Issue 03
SANA’A - Yemen has detained 19 people on suspicion of planning attacks against Westerners on the orders of the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, according to the official September 26 website. The website quoted government sources as saying those held would be questioned before possibly standing trial for planning “sabotage and terrorist attacks” in the port of Aden.
“Several members of the group had returned from Iraq after Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi told them to go back to Yemen and carry out terrorist attacks, including killing American citizens,” the site quoted a source as saying. It said one of the targets was the Aden Hotel and the suspects had bought arms, explosives and detonators. “This group was planning to carry out terrorist operations, including attacks on places frequented by Americans such as Aden hotel,” the website said, quoting an unidentified security official. Some of the suspects came back from Iraq after Al-Zarqawi had directed them to go back to Yemen for terrorist operations, including assassinations of Americans, the website claimed.
“One of the suspects who came back from Iraq, Ali Abdullah Asyan, [who called himself Abu Ali Al Harethi Jr,] and other returnees planned to take revenge for the killing of Abu Ali Al Harethi who was murdered in November 2002,” said the official. Before being arrested on May 9, 2005, the group headed by Jamal Saif Abdullah Saleh, also known as Abu Obaid, had purchased weapons, explosives and remote control devices; and they designed charts and maps showing the targets. An official said the group had forged various official documents, including identification cards with fake names, and rented flats to carry out their operations. Meanwhile last Monday, files of six Al-Qaeda suspects, including four turned over to Yemen by the US, were also referred to the general prosecution. The suspects include Walid Shaher Al-Qadasi, Salah Salem Qarw, Mohammed Saleh Abdullah Al-Asad, and Mohammed Faraj Basumaila.
Mohammed Hamdi Al-Ahdal, accused of being a finance officer, and Ghaleb Al-Zaidi, both arrested in Sana’a on December 2003, are also suspects. Al-Ahdal, alleged to be second man after Al-Harithi in the Al-Qaeda organization in Yemen, admitted he received hundred thousands of dollars through persons in Kuwait and in another country. According to the investigation report, Al-Ahdal would give money to the families of the detainees, prisoners, and victims.
Al-Ahdal is alleged to be one of the most active members of Al-Qaeda, and is said to have fought in Chechnya and Afghanistan. After one of his legs was damaged, he is alleged to have moved into supervision and financing, and is said to have become a key link in financing Al-Qaeda operations, particularly in Yemen. He is alleged to have to received half a million dollars in 2002 for the buying of arms and explosives to conduct terrorist acts in Yemen. Yemen has cracked down on Al-Qaeda-linked militants following attacks including the bombing in 2000 of the U.S. warship Cole and an attack in 2002 on the French supertanker Limburg, but some ordinary Yemenis still support Al-Qaeda’s campaign against the West.
In an audio tape earlier this month attributed to Zarqawi, he urged Muslims in countries neighbouring Iraq and in Yemen to join the insurgency against U.S. forces and Baghdad’s government. Bin Laden named Zarqawi as his deputy in Iraq after he pledged allegiance to the overall al Qaeda leader in 2004.
Copyright (c) 2004 - 2005
Yemen Observer Newspaper
http://www.yobserver.com/news_9329.php
19 Cases of Al-Zarqawi Terrorist Suspects
By Observer Staff
Jan 28, 2006 - Vol. IX Issue 03
SANA’A - Yemen has detained 19 people on suspicion of planning attacks against Westerners on the orders of the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, according to the official September 26 website. The website quoted government sources as saying those held would be questioned before possibly standing trial for planning “sabotage and terrorist attacks” in the port of Aden.
“Several members of the group had returned from Iraq after Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi told them to go back to Yemen and carry out terrorist attacks, including killing American citizens,” the site quoted a source as saying. It said one of the targets was the Aden Hotel and the suspects had bought arms, explosives and detonators. “This group was planning to carry out terrorist operations, including attacks on places frequented by Americans such as Aden hotel,” the website said, quoting an unidentified security official. Some of the suspects came back from Iraq after Al-Zarqawi had directed them to go back to Yemen for terrorist operations, including assassinations of Americans, the website claimed.
“One of the suspects who came back from Iraq, Ali Abdullah Asyan, [who called himself Abu Ali Al Harethi Jr,] and other returnees planned to take revenge for the killing of Abu Ali Al Harethi who was murdered in November 2002,” said the official. Before being arrested on May 9, 2005, the group headed by Jamal Saif Abdullah Saleh, also known as Abu Obaid, had purchased weapons, explosives and remote control devices; and they designed charts and maps showing the targets. An official said the group had forged various official documents, including identification cards with fake names, and rented flats to carry out their operations. Meanwhile last Monday, files of six Al-Qaeda suspects, including four turned over to Yemen by the US, were also referred to the general prosecution. The suspects include Walid Shaher Al-Qadasi, Salah Salem Qarw, Mohammed Saleh Abdullah Al-Asad, and Mohammed Faraj Basumaila.
Mohammed Hamdi Al-Ahdal, accused of being a finance officer, and Ghaleb Al-Zaidi, both arrested in Sana’a on December 2003, are also suspects. Al-Ahdal, alleged to be second man after Al-Harithi in the Al-Qaeda organization in Yemen, admitted he received hundred thousands of dollars through persons in Kuwait and in another country. According to the investigation report, Al-Ahdal would give money to the families of the detainees, prisoners, and victims.
Al-Ahdal is alleged to be one of the most active members of Al-Qaeda, and is said to have fought in Chechnya and Afghanistan. After one of his legs was damaged, he is alleged to have moved into supervision and financing, and is said to have become a key link in financing Al-Qaeda operations, particularly in Yemen. He is alleged to have to received half a million dollars in 2002 for the buying of arms and explosives to conduct terrorist acts in Yemen. Yemen has cracked down on Al-Qaeda-linked militants following attacks including the bombing in 2000 of the U.S. warship Cole and an attack in 2002 on the French supertanker Limburg, but some ordinary Yemenis still support Al-Qaeda’s campaign against the West.
In an audio tape earlier this month attributed to Zarqawi, he urged Muslims in countries neighbouring Iraq and in Yemen to join the insurgency against U.S. forces and Baghdad’s government. Bin Laden named Zarqawi as his deputy in Iraq after he pledged allegiance to the overall al Qaeda leader in 2004.
Copyright (c) 2004 - 2005
Yemen Observer Newspaper
http://www.yobserver.com/news_9329.php
Ok now you guys know the real reason for WT. This is my grandson eating his first real food. LOL
I can't believe how much he has grown since Thanksgiving.
http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos1425/6/53/7/5/98/0/98050753609_0_ALB.jpg
Pakistan rebuffs report delay let bin Laden get away
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/ISL201748.htm
Revealed: huge rise in ID theft
http://www.sundayherald.com/53811
Teacher inaugurates Russian language studies
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2006/01_29-42/CBN
Yakut Movement Demands Russia Acquiesce Claim On Mine
http://www.diamonds.net/news/newsitem.asp?num=14206&type=all&topic=all
For all those who miss the Cold War (especially Mr Putin), some bad news…
By Niall Ferguson
(Filed: 29/01/2006)
I miss the Cold War. I know I ought not to, but I just can't help it. So I was naturally delighted by last week's spy story. Admittedly, as one of the papers here cruelly remarked, it was more Johnny English than James Bond. In a television documentary that had Kremlin fingerprints all over it, four British embassy staff were accused of being spooks. Blurred video footage purported to show them fiddling with a rock in a Moscow suburb.
http://www.opinion.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2006/01/29/do2902.xml&sSheet=/opinion/2006/01/29/ixopinion.html
N. Korea sees 'dark clouds of a nuclear war'
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-nkor29.html
Pakistan seeks nuclear ties with Russia
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/subcontinent/2006/January/subcontinent_January1122.xml§ion=subcontinent&col
JUST WOW
'Frozen tsunamis' stun Alaska residents
ANCHORAGE (AP) — Ridges of Arctic Ocean sea ice were shoved onto a Barrow road in quantities not seen in nearly three decades.
Two ice surges, known to Alaska Natives as ivus, stunned residents who had never seen large blocks of ice rammed ashore.
"It just looked like a big old mountain of ice," said L.A. Leavitt, 19, who left his nightshift job at the city early Tuesday to check out the ridges.
Ivus are like frozen tsunamis and crash ashore violently. They have killed hunters and are among the Arctic's most feared natural phenomena.
Residents said the northernmost ivu, about 20 feet high and 100 feet long, contained car-size blocks and left coastal Stevenson Road with only one lane.
The ice stopped about 30 feet short of a borough pump station that provides access to Barrow's underground water and sewer system, said North Slope Borough disaster coordinator Rob Elkins.
Strong winds from Russia and eastward currents began pushing pack ice toward Barrow on Saturday, Elkins said.
By late Monday night, thick, old sea ice, called multiyear ice, had shoved younger, thinner ice onto shore.
Elkins, who got a 5 a.m. Tuesday wake-up call from police, said a second ivu on the south side of town came to rest near a smaller coastal road and an empty playground. That ridge stretched about 200 feet.
"It was just an amazing sight," said Elkins, a five-year Barrow resident. "It looks like huge stacks of huge ice cubes."
The ivus, about two miles apart, had stopped moving when Elkins arrived. Bulldozers cleared the ice.
Winds from the west slowed Tuesday afternoon. Whalers also noted that a protective pressure ridge had formed more than a mile offshore.
Whaling captain Charlie Hopson, who coordinates oil spill responses in the area, said he could see blocks of ice churning slowly in the frozen ocean.
Whalers were happy to see the approach of multiyear ice. A solid platform of nearshore ice means safer travel and butchering.
"We always want this thing to happen before the whaling season to help get the ice solid and safe to travel on and then we can pick our way out to the lead," Hopson said.
Whaling co-captain Lloyd Leavitt said he had not seen such a big ivu since 1978, when winds peaked at 80 mph and blocks of multiyear ice about 12 feet thick slid ashore like pancakes from a frying pan.
"It knocked down all the power poles on the beach front, every last one from the Barrow mechanical building to Browerville," he said.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/2006-01-27-ice-surge_x.htm
Davey, I tried your link............I keep getting a "FORBIDDEN" message. Sure wish I could see your grandson.
Been away from the 'puter for a couple of days. We went to Deadwood (SD) yesterday morning and wound up spending the night there. We had one of those "let's get out of Dodge" moments.....and just took off with an overnight bag on the spur of the moment. I feel very blessed to be able to care for my aging parents, but sometimes the constant catering just gets to me. Yesterday was one of "those times". Our son and daughter-in-law stepped in and took over our duties for us. We had a really nice little get away......won enough money on the slot machines to pay for our room and meals......with a bit left over.
Have some catching up to do. Really wish your link worked for me.
China's Gang-Related Crimes at Peak Period
Severe social problems in China create breeding ground for gangs and crimes
Epoch Times Staff Jan 29, 2006
On October 12, 2005, the Meishan Intermediate People court in Sichuan Province sentenced six members of a gang to death (Getty Images)Under the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) rule, the unfair social wealth distribution, poverty gap, and other negative social phenomena are growing more noticeable. More and more disillusioned and upset members of society are joining gangs and mafias as a last resort. These people include laid off workers, peasants, unemployed people, those with no power, those who live in poverty and also those who have not had their injustices addressed. For these people, joining gangs and mafias is their final gamble. China's social problems provide a breeding ground that allows these organizations to grow in strength everyday. Outlook News Weekly , owned by the CCP, has already alerted the public that organized crime has reached a new pinnacle in China.
Disadvantaged Groups Make Up Mainstream of Gangs in China
Investigations by Outlook News Weekly indicate that disadvantaged groups that wish to rid themselves of their weak position through dark means exist at each stage of the development of gangs. Nearly half of the more than 20 suspects involved in the Yunliang Ling criminal syndicate in Hebei Province are unemployed, the rest are laid off workers and peasants. In the case of the WenBo Zhan gang that was uncovered in Jiling Province, two thirds of the 19 criminal suspects were the unemployed, peasants, and drivers. Data also shows that large portions of criminal organizations eradicated by the police are similarly composed of the unemployed, people who were arrested and released, and other disadvantaged social groups..
Sociologists point out that unbalanced economic developments and unbalanced wealth distributions have brought about urban-rural differences, unemployment, income distribution imbalance and other societal problems, which provide gangs and mafias with their social base.
Gangs' Partners
Some policemen know that a group of corrupt officials will be exposed every time a gang is destroyed. Corruption and gangs are in cahoots. To attain criminal goals, gangs pressure and bribe police officers, who, in turn, control and hire gangs in order to pursue their own economic or political goals..
In a few cases involving gangs and mafias that have been uncovered in recent years, some police have been known to offer advice and suggestions to some criminals, even lending them firearms. In a major and key criminal case uncovered in Liaoning Province two years ago, among the 64 Party and government personals involved in illegal activities, 32 were police officers, including directors of the public security bureau, criminal policemen, patrol policemen, and civil policemen. The rest came from a great variety of party and government organs, such as the industry and commerce bureau, tax bureau, financial bureau, audit bureau, land and resources bureau, banks, neighborhood offices, and even law offices.
Officials Turn to Gangs for Help
In recent years, officials in mainland China have frequently committed crimes by hiring thugs and gangs to murder political opponents, individuals who expose their corruption, mistresses who pester them, and district-attorneys in charge of their cases.
To protect their power or to win promotions and gain wealth, some officials hire gang members at high prices to murder their political opponents by means of shooting, traffic accident, and other vicious means. Thus gangs and mafias can now make their dirty money from the masses while under the protection of officials. This allows these underground organizations to thrive, and results in a mixing of "mafia" and "police," making it difficult to discern good from bad.
Some local government officials' lacking in governing abilities create power vacuums that give gangs the opportunity to interfere with government affairs by "helping" the government "manage affairs."
In some rural towns in northeastern China, local authorities allow gangs to break into peasants' homes in order to enforce the "Program to Return Farmland to Forests," or to collect electricity fees. In some places, gangs are even issued, and wear uniforms, thus allowing them to directly "enforce the law."
http://www.theepochtimes.com/news/6-1-29/37500.html
Looks like he really enjoys those sweet potatoes, or is it carrots? What a little doll!!!
Grandbabies add a whole new dimension to loving.......and make living so very worth while.
Give him a hug for me.
I believe it is carrots another picture has green so I think that will be the peas.
U.S. warns citizens to defer non-essential travel to Pakistan
Washington: The Bush Administration has issued a travel advisory warning American citizens to avoid or defer non-essential travel to Pakistan amid concerns over “terrorist” activity.
http://www.newkerala.com/news.php?action=fullnews&id=96626
War on terror in East AfricaU.S. military task force works to stabilize area seen as potential breeding ground for terroristsBy Shashank BengaliKnight Ridder NewspapersSANKABAR, ETHIOPIA - This is the war on terrorism that most Americans haven't heard of:
A few days after Christmas, U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Adam Reed rode into the parched, hungry village of Sankabar with a present: a new water pump. This month, Reed returned to the village, where elders gleefully showed the soldier from Sidon, Miss., what the simple irrigation system had brought: budding green fields of corn, bananas and oranges, the most promising crops in years.
A small U.S. military task force in East Africa is installing water pumps, rebuilding schools and health clinics, making medical house calls and training national armies -- all part of a mission to stabilize a region that's seen as a potential breeding ground for terrorist groups.
``We are coming out of drought because of the pump,'' said Omar Ahmed, a Sankabar elder. ``So we say thank you, America. And thank you, Mr. Reed. He is the first guy to give us help.''
What's going here provides a glimpse of the Bush administration's global war on terrorism, which is being fought -- mostly in the shadows -- elsewhere in Africa and across the Middle East, South Asia and Southeast Asia using different combinations of military, covert, economic and diplomatic weapons.
Separated from the Middle East by only a narrow waterway, the Horn of Africa is home to 90 million Muslims, many of whom live in crushing poverty and political isolation. Al-Qaeda has had success in the area, bombing U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, attacking the USS Cole off the coast of Yemen in 2000 and nearly shooting down an Israeli charter plane over Kenya in 2002.
The 1,500 troops of the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa have been stationed since 2002 at Camp Lemonier, a former French base on the Red Sea in the tiny coastal nation of Djibouti. They were sent to hunt down al-Qaeda operatives in East Africa, but there are few known terrorist cells working in the vast area -- two-thirds the size of the United States -- and the troops haven't made many arrests.
Instead, theirs has become a humanitarian mission, with public relations benefits. By bringing aid to remote villages, commanders say, they help alleviate the poverty and alienation that foster terrorism and score image points against terrorist recruiters who would paint the United States as a villain.
``We are in a generational fight for hearts and minds,'' said Maj. Gen. Timothy Ghormley, the task force commander. ``We do water projects and build schools that help a poor child in a village, and in 20 years that child will remember us.''
Ghormley, who as a young Marine in Vietnam helped to train militias to fight Viet Cong, likes to boast that his troops haven't fired a single shot. Made up largely of engineering and construction units, the task force has built 52 schools, 23 medical facilities and 25 water wells. It has also trained military forces in six countries, including Uganda and Ethiopia, to shore up their border security.
Though far smaller, it's the most significant U.S. military engagement in Africa since 25,000 troops went to Somalia in 1992, an operation that ended after 18 were killed in the infamous ``Black Hawk Down'' episode.
In villages where the troops have worked, the feel-good factor is unmistakable. But the region is huge and complex and the mission's budget limited, and some experts wonder whether the military is willing to remain in the region long enough to have a serious impact.
It's nice that we can do these things, but this isn't long-term development, said Princeton Lyman, the director of the Africa task force at the Council on Foreign Relations, a research center in New York and Washington. It's good for our image... but it doesn't substitute for general development because the troops come and go.
Still, Ghormley sees hope in his mission.
``If we fight this battle here well,'' Ghormley said, ``we won't have to fight battles like we do in Iraq and Afghanistan.''
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/ohio/news/world/13741021.htm?source=rss&channel=ohio_world
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