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
Russia, which took over the G8 chairmanship for the first time this
month <<<<<
I saw that in an article and also wondered how he got to
be top dog so quickly.
Could it be, that they are actually afraid of him?
"Indian Muslim Islamic News"
http://www.milligazette.com/dailyupdate/2006/20060103-warterror.htm
This link is to an article on how America is in trouble, most of it is our fault, the terrible Right Wing of the
Republicans........he didn't miss many top names.......
Strange travel guide here to Fort Worth and Dallas, Texas.
Shows a bridge, downtown Dallas, and a photo of common
red roses, garden type.
Lists several travel sites in Texas and several country, one
photo, each of tourist sites (or cell members from the country or even names???)
http://www.aljazeerah.info/Cities,%20localities,%20and%20tourist%20attractions/Cities,%20locations,%20and%20tourist%20attractions.htm
Note: that this is the terrorist bragging about his kill in Algeria.
Note the "Media Department".
granny........
http://www.jihadunspun.com/intheatre_internal.php?article=105672&list=/home.php
Salafi Party For Da’wa And Fighting Claims“Dalas Port Expedition” In Algeria
Jan 02, 2006
By Ubaidah Al-Saif , Translation © Jihad Unspun 2005
As Jihad in Algeria enters a new phase, the Salafi Party for Da’wa and Fighting has carried out an
attack dubbed the “Dalas Port Expedition” and has issued a statement that makes clear the Mujahideen
in Algeria have once again organized and are actively carrying out operations against the Algerian
regime.
Algeria is an ally of the so-called US War on Terror and since 2001, has seen an increase in Mujahideen
activity. As the global jihad ignites, the Mujahideen are once again carrying out well planned attacks.
In this latest attack, the Salafi Party for Da’wa and Fighting were able to penetrate the multi-layered
security system and plant two very powerful bombs in strategic locations inside the port.
Here is their claim of responsibility, published here uncut and uncensored, as translated by JUS.
We remind our viewers that the opinions and points of view expressed in this statement are those of
the author and shall not be deemed to mean that they are necessarily those of Jihad Unspun, the
publisher, editor, writers, contributors or staff.
The Salafi Party For Da’wa And Fighting Carries Out “Dalas Port Expedition”, Issues Statement
In The Name Of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Praise be to Allah, peace and prayer be upon Muhammad, his family, and his companions.
{And fight them on until there is no more persecution, and the religion becomes Allah’s in its
entirety…..} 08:39
The prophet, peace be upon him, said:
“By Him in whose hand my life is! I would love to be martyred in Allah’s cause and then get
resurrected and then get martyred, and then get resurrected again and then get martyred and then
get resurrected again and the get martyred.”
Once more, the mythical so-called “tight security system” falls apart and the government ban on news
media cracked with the strikes of the Mujahideen.
On the night of 21 Thu Al-Qe’da, 1426, a group of knights from “Ansar Brigade” executed an attack on
Dalas Port, in the Bu-Merdas governorate. The port is heavily secured, fortified and defended, but by
the Grace and Power of Allah, and Him alone, your Mujahideen brothers were able to penetrate the
multi-layered security system, and plant two very powerful bombs in strategic locations inside the port.
As soon as a coast guard vessel came close to where the first bomb was located, your brothers
detonated the bomb by remote control. A contingency of the apostate forces came to the aid of their
comrades and to evacuate the dead Kafirs, but your brothers were just waiting for the right moment to
detonate the second bomb. The casualty was heavy among the enemies of Allah; your brothers have
taught them a very hard and costly lesson, by the Grace of Allah.
As usual, their propaganda machine acknowledged the death of one soldier. If it was not for the huge
and very loud explosion that was heard all over town, the apostates would have tried to deny that the
event had occurred. But the Wrath of Allah came to them from quarters they least expected and cast
terror into their hearts.
Allahu Akbar…Allahu Akbar…Allahu Akbar. Glory is to Allah, His messenger, and to the Mujahideen.
Media Department
The Salafi Party for Da’wa and Fighting
30 Thu AlQe’da 1426
December 31, 2005
English Translation © Jihad Unspun 2005
THIS IS THE PERFECT TREATMENT FOR ALL THE COFFEE DRINKING
FREEPERS........
Subject: Cellulite wrap
Coffee Ground Cellulite Wrap
Use warm coffee grounds and rub them into the thigh area. Wrap with
plastic wrap. Rinse off after 10 minutes.
You can add a little oil to the coffee grounds to make it more of a
paste. Most of it falls to the ground so have the floor protected with
newspapers. Many cellulite creams have caffeine in them. If you make
coffee every morning anyway you now have a free source of cellulite
treatment. :) The wrap is optional on this since you only leave it on
for 10 minutes or so.
I refuse to call it off topic, as so many Freepers, don't function, until that first cup of coffee.
There was no way that I could ignore this one.......
Still laughing at your shock as you read down to this one.....
From post 64:
This is strange, porn, Twexus type word lists sites, dales
airport, pilotless plane, odd and odder.
http://www.google.com/search?q=Dalas+Port+Expedition&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&client=googlet&start=10&sa=N
Selects its members from the poorest of people and OBL:
http://www.google.com/search?client=googlet&q=Salafi%20Party
http://www.google.com/search?client=googlet&q=get%20martyred%2C%20and%20then%20get%20resurrected%20again
http://www.google.com/search?client=googlet&q=a%20group%20of%20knights%20from%20%93Ansar
Lots of terror here:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&client=googlet&q=30+Thu+Alqaeda+1426+&spell=1
Could prove interesting:
http://www.google.com/search?client=googlet&q=Mujahideen%20brothers%20were%20able%20to%0D%0A%20penetrate%20the%20%0D%0A%20multi-layered%20security%20system%2C%20and%20plant%20two%20very%20powerful%20bombs%20in%20strategic
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3193934,00.html
Iran confirms Islamic group captured 9 of its soldiers
Iran confirmed Monday that nine soldiers have been captured by an
Islamic group in southeastern Iran and the government was studying how
to win their release, the official Islamic Republic News Agency
reported.
"The Interior Ministry is probing the case in order to release them.
The Iranian government will do its best to provide security," IRNA
quoted government spokesman Gholamhossein Elham as saying. He did not
elaborate.
(01.02.06, 17:01)
Another version, almost a threat..........
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2005\12\31\story_31-12-2005_pg7_46
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Muslim groups seek electronic spying details from government
By Khalid Hasan
WASHINGTON: Two Muslim rights organisations have filed an application
under the Freedom of Information Act to obtain details of the groups,
buildings and individuals subjected to electronic surveillance after
the September 11 terror attacks. The surveillance was carried out to
determine if they were harbouring a "dirty" device for an attack on a
US target.
The revelation by an American magazine last week of the electronic
surveillance has shocked the Muslim community across the United
States, though not everyone is surprised. Ahmad Shakil Mian, a
Pakistani-American businessman and freelance journalist who speaks
Arabic and is actively involved in a range of the Islamic community's
activities, says: "I was not in the least surprised by the revelation
that Muslim groups and institutions, including mosques, had been
electronically spied upon.
Every one of us should assume that he is under surveillance. Maybe
there is no place for us and our younger generation in this country
any longer, unless we turn our back on our culture, religion and way
of life. The Republicans have done this country grievous and lasting
harm. It is my prediction that one day, (US President George W) Bush
is going to be remembered in the same way as Senator Jo McCarthy is
remembered today: a man who divided this country and put innocent
people under suspicion, in the process destroying many lives and
careers."
The Washington Post reports that faced with angry complaints, US
officials are now defending an anti-terrorism programme that secretly
tested radiation levels around the country, including more than 100
Muslim sites in the Washington area.
The officials insist, however, that no one was targeted because of his
or her faith. One official said that Muslim sites were included
because Al Qaeda terrorists were considered likely to gravitate to
Muslim neighbourhoods or mosques while in the United States. No
indications of radiation were found at the businesses, homes,
warehouses or mosques put under surveillance. The official said that
the radiation monitoring of Muslim sites started after the 9/11
attacks and lasted through 2003.
The Freedom of Information requests have been filed by the Council for
American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim Public Affairs
Council. Michael A Mason of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's
(FBI) Washington office told the Post: "We have not violated the law,
and we have not violated the constitution. We have not gone on private
property." He called the devices used "passive", comparing them to
holding a thermometer out of the window of a moving car to measure the
temperature.
The surveillance programme included airports, buildings and monuments
considered possible targets for a terrorist attack, with Washington as
the capital being under intensive focus. Authorities determined that
in the past, Al Qaeda terrorists or people close to them tended to
live in Muslim neighbourhoods or attend local mosques, which was how
some sites were included in the programme. Other sites were chosen
because of specific intelligence information.
According to Arsalan Iftikhar, the CAIR legal director: "We'd like our
federal law enforcement agencies to know (that) the American Muslim
community stands firmly behind protecting our nation's borders. But,
at the same time, we are not willing to give up our guaranteed
constitutional and legal rights in order to do that."
http://www.postchronicle.com/commentary/article_2122674.shtml
Muslim Violence Visuals Daily Occurrence
by J. Grant Swank, Jr.
Dec 31, 2005
Why should Muslims in Muslim countries fear blood, death and
mutilation when it is daily visual occurrence?
To grow up in a country where humans are mistreated in public by the
government is to conclude that mistreating humans is legitimate. These
kinds of horrific lessons are taught every day in Muslim nations where
human existence is cheap.
For instance, according to Iran Focus, on December 28 two Iranians
were hung in public in Ahwax. This event was made official in the
country's state news agency.
While children and adults watched, "two men, identified only by their
fist names as Naeem-Abdollah and Jaleel, were accused of being
'mohareb,'" that is, persons who "'waged war on God.'"
The two men were led to the city square. There the nooses were tied
around their necks. There the neighbors were witness to two human
beings hanging from ropes. This is legitimate, according to the
country's judiciary.
The press release did not specify how these two mortals "'waged war on
God.'" God, of course, in Iran, is defined as the Koran's Allah. There
are many sentences in the Koran stipulating how one can bring down the
wrath of Allah, thus suffering death penalty by hanging or other
means. Presumably, these two Iranians did just that so as to bring
their lives to an end at the hanging post.
The media simply explained: "In the past, Iran's judiciary has
executed political opponents of the Islamic Republic on the charge of
being a mohareb. The two men were hanged at dawn in one of the city's
main squares."
The only clue that outsiders might get for the "reason" for the
hangings is that perchance the two men contested something
governmental. The press did give this data: "Ahwaz, provincial capital
of Khuzistan, is home to Iran's ethnic Arab population and has been a
hotbed of anti-government demonstrations. Throughout the months of
April and July, the city was the scene of large-scale clashes between
people and government forces."
Could it be that these two who met their end at the officials' dictate
were demonstrators against Iranian evils? Could they have been
involved in "anti-government demonstrations?" Could they have been
defenders of public liberties?
It is known that there is a growing youth movement within Iran that
contests the killing cultic theocracy there. These youths, often
students, have formed organizations outside the country in order to
bring attention to the Iranian officials' atrocities against Iranians.
One such organization is the Student Movement Coordination Committee
for Democracy in Iran. Visit http://www.daneshjoo.org/
Whatever the definition of "war on God," two Iranians were put to
death before the waiting public at early dawn.
Further, according to Iran Focus, in the southern town of Jahrom,
Iranian officials "flogged three men in public." This was reported by
the state-owned daily.
These were young males who remained unnamed in the media release.
However, the watching public could see clearly what was leveled
against them because of their "drinking" and "unruly behavior," stated
the daily Etemaad.
With that, the men were flogged 300 times.
Neighbors watched in the town's Velayat Square as judiciary officials
looked on to make sure the 300 count was complete.
Thus is life in Iran.
This says he was granted bail.........talk about gamblers.
http://www.westernresistance.com/blog/archives/001337.html
December 31, 2005
UK: Muslim Threatens To Blow Up Train in Scotland
Today, the BBC reports that on Friday (yesterday) a Glaswegian man,
named Mohammed Hakeem told fellow passengers on a train out of Glasgow
that he was going to blow up the train.
42-year old Hakeem was today brought before Paisley Sheriff's Court
(pictured), charged with a racially aggravated offence under the Crime
and DIsorder Act.
His solicitor denied the charge, and Hakeem was granted bail by
Sheriff James Spy, and he will return to court in January. Hazel
Emmerson, the prosecutor, had opposed bail, citing the nature of the
offence and the type of threat made.
It is alleged he committed a breach of the peace, conducted himself in
a disorderly manner while shouting and swearing and placed members of
the public in a state of fear and alarm by threatening to target the
train.
http://www.westernresistance.com/blog/archives/001350.html
January 02, 2006
Germany: Predictable Muslim Reaction To Bavarian Integration Test
We mentioned the law which comes into force this week in the German
state of Baden-Wurttemberg, which requires prospective Muslim citizens
to answer a series of questions about their views on German culture in
an oral exam.
The European Assembly of Turkish Academics have already criticised the
law as "dicriminatory and racist". Most German Muslims are of Turkish
origin. Now another group has joined the criticism,Germany's Islam
Council.
The news comes from the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), and as
Iran is currently breaking international treaties, their copyright
rules do not apply here. So, in full:
Muslim group slams German state's tightening of rules for Muslims
seeking citizenship
A German Muslim organization on Monday lashed out at plans by the
south German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg to tighten rules on Muslims
seeking German citizenship, DPA reported.
The chairman of the Islam Council, Ali Kizilkaya was quoted as saying
in Cologne that the latest policy was a 'slap in face' of those
Muslims who want to integrate in Germany and hence want to obtain
German citizenship.
Kizilkaya added the tightened citizenship rules for Muslims were also
a violation of the equal rights amendment of the German constitution.
Under the new measure, Baden-Wuerttemberg state officials are to
question Muslims more intensely than other applicants effective January
1.
The only state in Germany, Baden-Wuerttemberg has introduced a new
handbook, containing 30 questions, allegedly testing the applicant's
loyalty towards the German constitution.
Applicants from 57-nation Islamic Conference Organization (OIC) are
required to respond to questions like for example the Muslims' view on
the 9/11 terror attacks in the US.
http://www.westernresistance.com/blog/archives/001330.html
December 30, 2005
Bangladesh: Islamist Claims Terrorism Is Funded From Middle East
We reported earlier of the arrest of Ataur Rahman Sunny (left and
below right), a leading member of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh
(JMB), on December 14. Rahman is the younger brother of Abdur Rahman,
the leader of JMB, the main group responsible for a series of bombings
that erupted across Bangladesh on August 17.
Since that day, JMB has made more bomb attacks, on courthouses, and
other targets in the judiciary.
After a brief hiatus during Ramadan (Oct 4 to Nov 4), JMB killed two
judges in Jhalakathi district on November 14, then mounted a double
suicide attack on courthouses in Chittagong and Gazipur on November
29, killing 10 people, followed by another suicide bombing at Gazipur
courthouse on December 1, which killed two and injured twenty.
Today, the New Nation, the Daily Star and the Bangladesh Independent
all report that Ataur Rahman Sunny has been given a 119 day remand on
17 cases connected with the August 17 nationwide bombing campaign. The
instances for which he is charged under the Explosives Act took place
in nine "thanas" of Dhaka, the capital.
Abdul Awal, the son-in-law of Abdur Rahman, who had been arrested at
Thakurgaon on November 18, was also remanded in custody for five more
days. This was his seventh remand. Awal was JMB's regional chief for
Rajshahi district.
Mufti Mohammad Abdul Hannan, the leader of Harkatul Jihad-e-Islami,
who was arrested on Saturday, 1 October, was also remanded for five
days, on charges of laying bombs on August 17 near the National Press
Club under Ramna police station. This is Hannan's thirteenth remand.
The aims of JMB and Harkatul Jihad are the same, as are the aims of
Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB). All want to establish an
Islamist state, governed by Sharia law, to replace the current
democratic system. The goal of a sharia-based system is also shared by
two political parties who have been accused of tacit involvement with
extremists, Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Oikya Jote. Both are in the
coalition government.
Hannan and Awal were both brought before the Chief Metropolitan
Magistrates Court at 3.30 pm local time today, with claims from
investigating officers that they had direct involvement with the
August 17 blasts, and therefore needed further interrogation.
Fariduzzaman Swapan, a financier for JMB, who was arrested shortly
before Ataur Rahman Sunny, his close associate, was not wanted for
further questioning and was sent to Dhaka Central Jail.
Five magistrates granted the remand for Sunny. It is the longest ever
remand granted in Bangladesh's 24 year history. He was taken away by
officers of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) for further interrogation.
The Bangladesh Independent notes that following Sunny's arrest, his
confessional statements led to the discovery of a large cache of
explosives at South Manda in Dhaka on December 15.
He had claimed that the sources for JMB's finances came mainly from
the Middle East:
In his confessional statement, Sunny disclosed that the huge amount of
money required for carrying out militancy in Bangladesh usually comes
from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Brunei, Sudan and some
other Middle Eastern countries and some Islamic NGOs, and moneyed men
of these countries donated the money for establishing the 'Rule of
Allah'. His brother used to receive the money for the purpose, Sunny
said.
Disclosing the names of some local Islamic NGOs, he has also added
that these non-government organisations also supply money for the
carrying out militant acts. But the names of these NGOs could not be
ascertained. Sources, however, said the intelligence agencies have
geared up their monitoring and watch on these NGOs.
One of the "non-government offices" is almost certainly the
Kuwaiti-based organisation, the Revival of Islamic Heritage Society
(RIHS), who are allowed to operate legally in Bangladesh, even though
it is claimed to have bankrolled the August 17 bombings.
RIHS has been on a US exclusion list since Jan 9, 2002, but in the
corrupt environment of Bangladeshi governnment the group received a
massive donation from the ruling coalition for the purposes of setting
up madrassas and mosques, and training imams.
One of the suicide bombers from the Chittagong courthouse attack
survived long enough to claim that there were 25 mosques in Shakhipur
upazila, Tangail district, which were used by members of JMB to plan
their activities, including bomb attacks. These mosques were built
with money from RIHS. The group actively involves itself with the
destabilising of countries in fragile political shape. Bangladesh is
currently becoming extremely destabilised.
The New Nation notes today that a 38-year old madrassa leader, Hafez
Shamsul Haque Munir was arrested on Thursday at noon in Faridhpur
district. He is head of Bagdanga Hafezia Madrasah in Boalmari upazila.
He was said to resemble Abdur Rahman, the head of JMB (pictured above,
left). This prompted a rumour that Rahman had been captured.
http://www.asianewsnet.net/level3_template1.php?l3sec=4&news_id=50534
Lanka wants new EU leader to act against LTTE terrorism
By Shamindra Ferdinando
The Island
Publication Date : 2006-01-01
Sri Lanka expects the new EU leader Austria to proscribe the LTTE for
brazenly violating the Oslo-arranged Cease-Fire Agreement regardless
of the EU warning following the assassination of Sri Lankan Foreign
Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar last August.
Austria takes over the EU leadership today (Jan 1) from the UK.
"We believe Austria would take a tougher line against the LTTE
(Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam)," a senior government official said
referring to India's recent call to proscribe the LTTE in EU member
states.
India's call was made in the backdrop of stepped up terrorist attacks
and denying a large group of Tamil speaking people in the northern and
eastern province their right to exercise their franchise at the Nov 17
presidential polls.
Another official expressed the belief that the EU would act before the
forthcoming visit here by EU External Affairs Commissioner Ms Benita
Ferrero Waldner, a former Austrian Foreign Minister. Waldner is
expected early this year.
The LTTE was continuing attacks even after the EU Ambassador based in
Colombo Julian Wilson and British High Commissioner Stephen Evans
representing the EU presidency, Japanese Ambassador Akio Suda and the
Deputy Norwegian Ambassador demanded an immediate end to attacks
during a meeting at Kilinochchi last Saturday (Dec 24).
The LTTE blew up an army truck at Puloly (west) three days later
killing 12 personnel.
EU is co-chair to the Tokyo Donor Conference. An effective EU ban
would automatically cripple LTTE operations in over a dozen member
states including France and Germany that bring millions of Euros to
the Tigers' war chest annually.
"We want a genuine crackdown," a senior security official said
pointing out the shortcomings in a UK-style ban that would allow
Tigers to operate freely threatening death and destruction unless the
government resumed talks on their terms.
Government sources said that the EU decision announced in late
September not to receive LTTE delegations in member states obviously
did not have the desired effect. This announcement was made in the
backdrop of Kadirgamar's assassination.
With India taking part in the consultations with co-chairs Colombo
firmly believes that there could be a significant change in the
decision making process. India had participated at the last
consultations, the sources said.
The government is of the view that the ongoing efforts to resume peace
talks should not in anyway hinder the decision making process.
http://ia.rediff.com/news/2006/jan/02flip.htm
Terrorism: The Enemy Within
January 02, 2006
Bangalore is learning what Delhi and Mumbai have long known, that
being a major metropolis attracts not just venture capitalists but
also the third rate scum known as terrorists.
Just as Delhi is the political capital and Mumbai our financial HQ so
is Bangalore the heart of the Indian software industry. It was thus
only a matter of time before terrorists struck -- as they did when
they murdered Professor M C Puri, and seriously injured four others
including one of the inventors of the Simputer, Professor Vijay
Chandru from the Indian Institute of Science.
Truth be told, this attack is something that several senior people had
been fretting about for quite a while. I understand General Balraj
Singh Takhar, head of the Southern Command, mused aloud on the
terrorist threat barely a few weeks ago. Now that the long dreaded
event has finally happened it is time to understand something else:
Bangalore will not be the last place in South India to be attacked by
terrorists.
Intelligence agencies know that the recent threat to blow up
Parliament House originated in Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu. Ten years
ago we saw the bomb blasts that shook Coimbatore, and subsequently led
to riots. Money laundering operations have been traced to Coimbatore
and to Guruvayur in Kerala. And public memory is not so short that we
have all forgotten the manner in which Hindus were carefully targeted
in the Marad massacres in Kerala.
I cannot help recalling something a very senior intelligence man told
me shortly after the brutal killings in Marad. "A bacterium lives
outside the cell -- like the terrorists in Jammu & Kashmir. But a
virus infects the cell and lives inside it -- and that is the danger
we face in Kerala."
Let us not forge that the hijackers who flew planes into the World
Trade Center on September 11 had lived unmolested in the very heart of
the United States. I fear that we too are in danger from these
'viruses.' Most of the intelligence officers to whom I have spoken
tell me, off the record, that the home-grown terrorist is the minor
threat.
Over 70% of the terrorists operating in India are believed to be
foreigners, not just Pakistanis but from at least ten other
nationalities. In fact, some in Delhi believe that the primary threat
could be coming from Bangladesh rather than Pakistan.
I know perfectly well that the dyed-in-the-wool 'secularists' will
jump all over me for this, but have you considered the dangers of
Bangladeshi infiltration in India? There are at least one crore
illegal migrants from Bangladesh in India. 99% of them may be economic
migrants (though that is no excuse for tolerating the pests). But what
if the remaining one per cent bear terrorist leanings? One crore is a
gigantic figure; even 1% of that comes to 100,000. That is far too big
a risk to take. But no government in Delhi has tackled this menace as
seriously as it ought.
Bangladesh: Next terror frontier?
In fact, every attempt to tackle illegal migration has been met with
howls of protest. Politicians fear loss of votes if the police is set
to seriously ferret the Bangladeshis. It is very late in the day but
some intelligent politicians have finally got the message. And even
the chief minister of West Bengal has complained about the menace
caused by the unchecked flow of migrants from Bangladesh.
That does not mean, of course, that the events in Bangalore were the
work of Bangladesh-based terrorists. India, sadly, has no dearth of
enemies, whether we look east, north, or south.
Let us also be very clear about another thing: India is on the target
map of global terrorism. Mullah Omar, the one-eyed chief of the
Taliban, and Osama bin Laden have both been quoted as saying that
India is one of the four major enemies, the others being the United
States, Russia, and Israel. No prizes for guessing which of the four
is the 'softest' State!
Osama bin Laden has indicated his desire to do more than just
'liberate' Jammu & Kashmir. He has entertained mad notions of tearing
Hyderabad, Junagadh, and the Muslim-majority areas of Kerala out of
the Indian Republic. (As also parts of Thailand and Sri Lanka.) The
fact that Osama bin Laden may be driven by delusions of grandeur
should not blind us to the fact that even a madman's threats may be
real enough.
That is a mistake that many of us made in South India. To us, despite
the evidence of Coimbatore and Marad, terrorism was something to be
associated with places like Kashmir and Assam. It was a problem that
was a headache only for people north of the Vindhyas. The murder of
Professor Puri should serve as a wake-up call for everyone.
T V R Shenoy
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1354552,curpg-1.cms
Anti-terror money turns into leisure fund in J&K
M Saleem Pandit
[ Monday, January 02, 2006 12:08:19 am TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
SRINAGAR: There would be few things to beat this, both on an irony and
corruption scale: swindling and misuse of money meant for
anti-terrorism activities in terrorism-hit Kashmir.
The adversary may be formidable, but that doesn't stop top officials
and ministers in J&K from using the Rs 521 crore assigned for
`security-related expenditure' to "construct and renovate VIP
bungalows, furnish houses of bureaucrats and, in some cases, do up
private residences of ministers."
According to sources, successive state governments since 1990 have
misused this money received from the Centre every year to organise
logistics and meet other expenses which should go into fighting
militancy in the state.
In fact, those at the forefront, the 36,000 special police officers
(SPO), who risk their lives everyday fending off well-trained and
well-equipped terrorists, receive a paltry remuneration of Rs 1,500 to
2,000 per month.
Continued.........
A few posts above, I posted that Iran said this was true.
granny
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/1/31ad5e94-0f0b-48cc-81b7-87a7dacf066f.html
Sunday, 01 January 2006
Iranian Soldiers Kidnapped Near Pakistan Border
(RFE/RL)
1 January 2006 -- There are reports that nine Iranian soldiers have
been kidnapped in Iran by a little-known Sunni Muslim rebel group.
The soldiers are said to have gone missing from their post close to
Iran's border with Pakistan.
On 31 December, a caller speaking on behalf of a group calling itself
Jundollah (God's Soldiers) told the Al-Arabiya television station that
the group wants Tehran to release 16 jailed members of its group in
exchange for the soldiers.
Edited.........
Date: Mon 2 Jan 2006 From: Alfonso Rodriguez
ajrm_msds@yahoo.es
Source: Yahoo Noticias, Espana, Associated Press report, Fri 30 Dec 2005 [translated by Mod.JGM, edited]
http://es.news.yahoo.com/30122005/4/guatemala-declarada-alerta-brotes-rotavirus-provoco-muerte-ninos-ultimos-meses.html
Guatemala: Increase in Number of Cases of Rotavirus Infection ----------------------------------------------- A state of alert was declared because of an outbreak of rotavirus infection that caused the deaths of 2 children in the last 2 months.
The Guatemalan Ministry of Health declared today [Fri 30 Dec 2005] a state of alert because of the increase in the number of cases of rotavirus infection, a disease that causes diarrhea in children less than 5 years old and that, in the last 2 months, has affected at least 1021 children and caused the deaths of 2 of them. "An alert was issued to all health services, and we already have 2 deceased children," said Dr. Edgar Santos, epidemiologist from the Ministry of Health.
The community of Chimaltenango, located 50 km east of Guatemala City, is the most severely affected region. In 2004, at least 60 children died because of rotavirus infection, and there were more than 7000 cases of this infection.
There is no known cure for rotavirus infection, but if care is taken, i.e. making sure that children are well hydrated, the disease is not lethal. Rotavirus infection, as is the case with other gastrointestinal diseases, can be easily prevented by taking appropriate hygiene measures. However, with the lack of sanitation infrastructure in Guatemala, where more than half of the population live in poverty, diarrheal and respiratory diseases are the main causes of death in young children.
-- ProMED-mail promed@promedmail.org
[Rotavirus infection is the principal cause of severe gastroenteritis in young children worldwide, leading to an estimated 600 000 deaths a year.
Efforts to develop an effective and safe vaccine resulted in licensing in 1998 of a live oral vaccine (RotaShield) that was withdrawn less than one year later, after 9 reports of intussusception occurred within the 1st 7 months of vaccine use, more than double the cases reported in the previous 7 years.
Intussusception occurs when the intestine telescopes into itself, causing an obstruction of the bowel that may have to be repaired surgically. An investigation of vaccinated infants confirmed that the vaccine was indeed the cause of the complication.
Most of these infants had intussusception shortly after their vaccination. The risk of intussusception was 10 times higher than normal, and within the 1st 7 days after vaccination, the risk was 14 times higher than normal.
This experience with RotaShield has resulted in the development of new candidate rotavirus vaccines that are currently in late phase III clinical trials.
One of these vaccines, GlaxoSmithKline's Rotarix, was licensed in July 2004 to be used in Mexico.
A review article in Arch. Med Research 37 (1), 1-10, Jan-Feb 2006, by J. Perez-Vargas J. et al., entitled "Rotavirus vaccine: early introduction in Latin America -- risks and benefits," describes the general background for rotavirus vaccine development, the different vaccine candidates that have been tested or are currently being evaluated and discusses the benefits and risks of the fast-track introduction of Rotarix in Latin America, particularly in Mexico.
(ProMED-mail has no commercial or other association with GlaxoSmithKline or other vaccine manufacturers. The information is relayed in the public interest). - Mod.CP]
http://www.tol.cz/look/TOL/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrIssue=139&NrSection=4&NrArticle=15207
O, To Be Angola
by David Hogarth
27 October 2005
Too little attention has been paid to the technical obstacles to the
development of Russia's oil industry – and the implications for
foreign policy.
If Russia's oilmen could choose their weather and geography, what
would they choose? It may seem unlikely, but Angola is in many
respects the ideal source of oil. At war for many years, Angola
nonetheless always managed to get large quantities of oil to market.
Because it had oil fields offshore, its production was unaffected by
the fighting; and because it could use tankers to distribute its oil,
it could sell its oil on almost any market, enabling it to react
rapidly to changes in market prices.
Unlike Angola, Russia cannot produce oil with relative ease and get it
to almost any market it chooses. That might be hard to guess by
reading optimistic academic theories about Russia's potential as an
energy giant. But for some time now, the technical evidence available
has indicated that Russia's environment is a fundamental obstacle to
the development of its oil industry. Even so, engineers still have
problems convincing social scientists about the gravity of their
findings – not because the evidence is hard to understand but more
perhaps because the data often contradicts established theories.
Richly endowed with black gold (estimates of Siberia's oil reserves
hover around 100 billion barrels) and bordering many of the world's
great or emerging markets, Russia does on paper have huge potential to
supply the world and make its citizens richer. However, geography
makes its potential hard to realize and almost impossible to realize
efficiently. Moreover, while oil may give Russia strategic strength,
it also leaves Russia exposed.
TOO LITTLE FROST, TOO MUCH ICE
This is not, of course, the first time that Russia's weather has been
underestimated. "In general, people exaggerate the climate here,"
wrote Marshall Davout during Napoleon's wretched 1812 campaign. It was
also in part because of the environment that Russia's energy resources
were left largely stranded during the Soviet era.
Technology has advanced since then, but for two reasons, Russia's
weather remains a huge engineering and logistical problem for the
energy industry. Indeed, it is becoming increasingly unpredictable and
testing. Like the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, all Siberian pipelines are
built on permafrost. Unfortunately, though, permafrost is no longer so
permanent. As global temperatures rise, the permafrost is starting to
melt. This phenomenon is confounding traditional construction
techniques and is turning concrete foundations into tectonic plates.
The stress could cause new and existing pipelines to subside, buckle,
or in the worst case to topple over, with potentially serious
environmental consequences. A ruptured pipeline at Nyagan in 1993
narrowly missed fouling the Sosvinsky Nature Preserve; a year later
another accident, at Usa, heavily polluted the Pechora and Kolva
rivers.
Secondly, the calm, warm African waters off Angola are a world away
from the realities of Russia's ports. Mainland Russia's only ports
serving Europe – Murmansk, Kogulev Island, and Varandey – all lie
along the coast of the Barents Sea, in the Arctic. The best time to
load is, of course, the summer, but even then it is extremely
difficult. At the Varandey oil terminal, for example, crude oil is
pumped aboard tankers through an underwater pipe that has to be
manually connected to the ships' hulls by teams of frogmen. In winter,
empty tankers usually have to make several slow runs at protruding ice
shelves before they shave off enough ice to get close to the loading
point. The crude oil is then poured aboard from a mobile
sledge-mounted pump that has been pulled over the ice. Unfortunately,
pumps regularly go for a walk: the ice sheets have a tendency to break
up during the loading process, causing the makeshift terminal to float
away, dragging men behind it, and leaving hoses spurting oil into the
air. (Oil trapped under ice is the bane of oil-spill response teams.
Cleaning it up is dangerous and the inevitable residual oil that
cleaners can't reach keeps re-emerging during thaws. Oil may be a
biodegradable product, but the low Arctic temperatures cause it to
congeal and solidify both on land and in the water.) Once loaded,
tankers reach the open sea by following in the wake of icebreakers.
There are similar difficulties in the east. A recent study by Plymouth
University on Japan's energy shipping policy argues that, because of
the extreme conditions and the unsuitability of loading terminals, it
will not be viable to extract oil from one key project on Sakhalin
Island that could have been a major source of oil for Japan.
In the south, geography seems more promising, since, in Novorosiisk,
Russia has a warm-water port. But that promise has faded. The
Bosphorus Straits that separate Europe from Asia are a bottleneck.
Delays are common and significant even at current capacity; in future,
limitations on tankers (and also on Black Sea pipelines) may become
tighter because of environmental concerns. Those concerns may
eventually be reflected in law, since Turkey's bid for European Union
membership will oblige it to adopt EU environmental law.
In other words, Russia's efforts to get oil to market from the Arctic
are undermined by thawing ice and largely trapped by ice floes and, in
the Black Sea, stuck in a bottleneck in the highly sensitive marine
environment.
THE DEPENDENT ENERGY SUPERPOWER
To make full use of its potential, Russia needs to find solutions to
the difficulties of distributing its oil. Technologically, that is
currently difficult; politically it may prove even more complicated.
There must also be a question about Russia's willingness to engage
with that challenge, since it has for many years neglected even its
existing energy distribution infrastructure. The capacity of its trunk
"source-to-port" pipelines is low, restricting export potential.
Russia's leader, though, does not seem particularly concerned.
President Putin has so far declined to spend money on upgrading the
pipeline network of state-owned Transneft, which distributes 93
percent of Russia's oil. Badly corroded and unreliable (over 300 leaks
were recorded in its western Siberian pipelines in 2002), the network
also lacks the ability to separate the different grades of crude oil
traveling through it. The network therefore produces a sub-standard
mongrel blend called "Urals oil" that, not surprisingly, sells for
less than benchmark crude. The oil is again mixed with a cocktail of
additives to stop it from "waxing" (a process in which paraffin in the
oil begins to solidify and can clog up the pipe) in sub-zero
temperatures. The oil is worth less but costs more to refine than
benchmark crude, because the additives must then be removed from the
oil. An upgrade of the system is vital to ensuring Russian oil is
competitive.
Still, while seemingly unwilling to invest in vital technology,
Russia's leaders have outlined a geopolitical strategy. Yevgeny
Primakov, prime minister and foreign minister in the Yeltsin era,
advocated a strategic reorientation towards India and China partly to
reduce dependence on the West and also partly because he envisaged
pipelines carrying oil (and gas) to these huge markets. Putin
initially embraced Primakov's policies, but after 9/11 he turned
westward. Now he is warming up relations with India and China again,
and Iran too is a strategic focus.
These kinds of solutions to Russia's problems of distribution are
extremely problematic. Russia's relationship with Western Europe has
been relatively predictable (and that probably helps explain Putin's
pro-Western record), but relations with former communist states
continue to be complicated by wariness and scandals (including the
alleged attempt by a former KGB agent to bribe a Polish minister and
buy a state-owned Polish oil refinery at a knockdown price). Ukraine's
new pro-Western, pro-NATO orientation raises question marks in Moscow,
while a stronger embrace of Belarus would reinforce Western
reservations about Russia's course.
And to the east lie two huge economies capable of consuming all the
oil that Russia currently produces: Japan and China. Earlier this
year, Putin indicated that a pipeline that could have run to Japan via
the eastern port of Nakhodka would instead run to Daqing in northern
China. Putin then reneged on his promise to deliver oil directly to
Daqing. Now, it seems, oil will be sent to China by rail, a
complicated process that requires a change of rolling stock at the
Chinese border since Russian and Chinese trains have different gauges.
Still, trains – the clumsy and relatively inefficient land equivalent
of tankers – at provide Russia some flexibility in its energy policy.
Putin's wavering over the Daqing pipeline highlights the fundamental
strategic problem associated with pipelines. As is often seen with
other parts of the former Soviet Union, pipelines can easily create a
relationship of dependence – but it is a dependence that also ties the
producer to the customer. In the absence of a large-capacity
warm-water port, the best that Russia can perhaps do to avoid
dependence is to diversify its customer base.
That may not be possible given the technical, geographical, and
political obstacles. Even in the best-case scenario, however, Russia's
potential diversification is limited to a relatively small clutch of
countries. As such, no diversification would enable Russia's energy
policy to be purely price-driven. To divert oil from one important
neighbor to another important neighbor becomes a political decision.
To increase oil deliveries to one rather than the other could be taken
as a measure of the relative strength of geostrategic relations. An
energy superpower it may be, but pipeline politics will ensure that
the foreign-policy agenda of Russia's president will be tricky,
nervous, and ambiguous.
If you are hunting al-Qaida, start in Angola, see qaeda link:
http://www.google.com/search?client=googlet&q=al-Qaida%20in%20Angola
Training Camps:
http://www.google.com/search?client=googlet&q=al-Qaida%20training%20camps%20in%20Angola
Diamonds, Oil, Weapons:
http://www.google.com/search?client=googlet&q=Russia%20in%20Angola
Interesting:
http://www.google.com/search?client=googlet&q=Angola%20Russia%20al-Qaida%20connection
CUBA and Russia Military train the Angola military.
http://www.google.com/search?client=googlet&q=Russian%20military%20in%20Angola
I know little about Angola, and had no idea that Cuba has been involved there 45 years and had a military contract with Angola, or so many men there.
http://www.google.com/search?client=googlet&q=Cuba%20Angola%20connection
http://www.google.com/search?client=googlet&q=Cuban%20bases%20in%20Angola
http://www.balkanalysis.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=593
How to Handle Turkey's Legitimate Nuclear Aspirations
Posted on Friday, November 18 @ 16:00:00 EST by CDeliso
By Mehmet Kalyoncu
This provocative analysis of Turkey's nuclear ambitions, informed by
current political realities and a historical summary of the country's
previous plans and nuclear partnerships, asks the devil's advocate
question: what do the US and EU plan to give Turkey to keep it from
going nuclear?
Recent heated statements of a nuclear variety made by both Iran and
Israel toward each other introduce a whole new dimension for Turkey's
security concerns in its neighborhood. Given the current
circumstances, Turkey could even be considered late in developing
nuclear capabilities for defense purposes. However, that Turkey can
and that Turkey might procure nuclear weapons are determined by two
different sets of conditions.
The former possibility largely depends on Turkey's financial and
technical capabilities as well as political connections with nuclear
powers such as Pakistan. The latter possibility depends on primarily
the US', secondarily the European Union's approval.
There are legitimate reasons for them not to approve Turkey going
nuclear. The question is: what do they have to offer Turkey instead,
to convince it not to go nuclear? Accordingly, how can Turkey take
advantage of the nuclear debate going on in its immediate neighborhood?
Despite its seemingly stable (albeit somewhat rocky) relationship with
Iran, Turkey neighbors here on one of the most threatening nuclear
powers of the time. Recently, openly radical Islamist and
anti-democratic Mr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his aides seized power in
the country. Accordingly, Iran has been more confrontational not only
with its long time foe, the US, but also with arguably friends, or
relatively less foes, the European powers. Let alone it does not
comply with the rule and regulations of the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) on opening its all facilities for inspection.
Moreover, as some Western commentators argue, Turkey has turned to be
an equally potential target for fundamentalist Islamist groups such as
Al-Qaeda and its global derivatives. A series of bombings in both
Istanbul and Ankara in 2004 has only bolstered that argument, showing
that the same terrorists who attacked the US on September 11, 2001 and
Spain on March 11, 2003 would not hesitate to attack secular and
democratic Turkey, either.
In addition, even though it seems to have a rather friendly
relationship with Israel, Turkey is neighboring another nuclear power,
one which would not think twice in case it feels obliged to use its
nuclear capabilities to counter a standing national security threat.
Given all these reasons, Turkey even would appear to be late in
obtaining nuclear weapons, whereas some of the Western countries, such
as France and the United Kingdom, have procured their nuclear powers
even though they are not exposed to the same level of nuclear threat.
Apparently, Turkey should have nuclear capabilities to protect itself.
Yet does Turkey qualify to go nuclear? To be realistic, whether Turkey
qualifies to possess nuclear weapons or not depends not on its
technological and economic capabilities, but on whether the United
States, and increasingly the EU, allows Turkey to have nuclear
weapons. To put it another way, whether Turkey may go nuclear or not
depends on international factors, mainly on US approval, whereas
whether Turkey can go nuclear or not depends on Turkey's own
technological and economic capacity.
It accordingly entails two questions: If the US and the EU do not
approve of Turkey having nuclear weapons, what do they have to offer
Turkey instead? How could the Bush administration justify its
dissidence with Turkey's potential nuclear aspirations whereas it has
been more than willing to tolerate India, a long time
Non-Proliferation Treaty rebel, to continue its nuclear program; and
similarly let North Korea continue its uranium enrichment activities?
Is the Iran-Israel Confrontation a Threat for Turkey?
It is more obvious than ever that as long as it is headed by a man who
does not hesitate to publicly pronounce his aspirations to wipe
another sovereign country off the map, nuclear Iran will continue to
be a major threat to Turkey. Even if Iran does not directly target
Turkey, its nuclear confrontation with third parties equally threatens
Turkey's national security because the effects of nuclear warfare are
not limited geographically as in conventional warfare.
[This is a very long report and is continued at link]
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