Posted on 08/07/2006 3:43:15 PM PDT by DAVEY CROCKETT
Tehran & Damascus Move to Lebanon Lebanon-born Walid Phares is a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. Author of the recent book Future Jihad, he was also one of the architects of 2004’s United Nations resolution 1559, which called for the disarming of Hezbollah. NRO editor Kathryn Lopez recently talked to Phares about what’s going on in the Mideast, what happened to the Cedar Revolution, and this war we’re all in.
Kathryn Jean Lopez: What is “Future Jihad”? Are we seeing it in the Mideast now?
Walid Phares: “Future Jihad,” which has already begun, refers to a new and potent form of Islamic terrorism, characterized by a Khumeinist-Baathist axis. These are the two trees of jihadism, so to speak — the Salafism and Wahabism embodied in al Qaeda and the sort of jihadism led by Iran and also including Syria, Hezbollah, and their allies in Lebanon.
The alliance has not been in entire agreement as to strategy. The al Qaeda branch began its “Future Jihad” in the 1990s; its efforts culminated on 9/11 and have continued explosively since then. The international “Salafists” aimed at the U.S. in the past decade in order to strengthen their jihads on various battlefields (Chechnya, India, Sudan, Algeria, Indonesia, Palestine, etc.). “Weaken the resolve of America,” their ideologues said, “and the jihadists would overwhelm all the regional battlefields.”
As I argue in Future Jihad, bin Laden and his colleagues miscalculated on the timing of the massive attack against the U.S. in 2001. While they wounded America, they didn’t kill its will to fight (as was the case, for instance, in the Madrid 3/11 attacks). I have heard many jihadi cadres online, and have seen al Jazeera commentators on television, offering hints of criticism about the timing. They were blaming al Qaeda for shooting its imagined “silver bullet” before insuring a strategic follow up. But bin Laden and Zawahiri believe 9/11 served them well, and has put a global mobilization into motion. Perhaps it has, but the U.S. counter strategy in the Middle East, chaotic as the region currently appears, has unleashed counter jihadi forces. The jury is still out as to the time factor: when these forces will begin to weaken the jihadists depends on our perseverance and the public understanding of the whole conflict.
The other “tree” of jihadism, with its roots in Iran, withheld fire after 9/11. They were content to watch the Salafists fight it out with the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan and Iraq, not to mention within the West, as terror cells were hunted down. Ahmedinejad, Assad, and Nasrallah were analyzing how far the US would go, and how far the Sunnis and Salafis would go as well.
The fall of the Taliban and of the Baath in Iraq, however, changed Iran and Syria’s patient plans. The political changes in the neighborhood, regardless of their immediate instability, were strongly felt in Tehran and Damascus (but unfortunately not in the U.S., judging from the political debate here), and pushed the Khumeinists and the Syrian Baathists to enter the dance, but carefully. Assad opened his borders to the jihadists in an attempt to crumble the U.S. role in Iraq, while Iran articulated al Sadr’s ideology for Iraq’s Shiia majority.
A U.S.-led response came swiftly in 2004 with the voting of UNSCR 1559, smashing Syria’s role in Lebanon and forcing Assad to withdraw his troops by April 2005. In response, the “axis” prepared for a counter attack on the Lebanese battlefield by assassinating a number of the Cedar Revolution leaders, including MP Jebran Tueni. In short, the attacks by Hamas and Hezbollah and the kidnappings of soldiers were the tip of an offensive aimed at drawing attention away from Iran’s nuclear weapons programs and Syria’s assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri. Hezbollah was awaiting its moment for revenge against the Cedar Revolution too.
What we see now is 1) a Syro-Iranian sponsored offensive aimed at all democracies in the region and fought in Lebanon; 2) Israel’s counter offensive (which it seems to have prepared earlier); and 3) an attempt by Hezbollah to take over or crumble the Lebanese government.
Lopez: So…did the Cedar Revolution fail?
Phares: Actually, it would be more accurate to say that the Cedar Revolution was failed. The masses in Lebanon responded courageously in March 2005 by putting 1.5 million people on the streets of Beirut. They did it without “no-fly-zones,” expeditionary forces, or any weapons at all, for that matter, and against the power of three regimes, Iran, Syria, and pro-Syrian Lebanon, in addition to Hezbollah terror. The “revolution” was for a time astoundingly successful; since then it has been horribly failed, and first of all by Lebanon’s politicians themselves. One of their leaders, General Michel Aoun, shifted his allegiances to Syria and signed a document with Hezbollah. Other politicians from the “March 14 Movement” then stopped the demonstrations, leaving them with the support of God knows what. They failed in removing the pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud and brought back a pro-Syrian politician to serve as a speaker of the house, Nabih Berri. Meanwhile, even as they were elected by the faithful Cedar Revolution masses, they engaged in a round table dialogue with Hezbollah, a clear trap set by Hassan Nasrallah: “Let’s talk about the future,” he said — with the implication, of course, that they forget about the Cedar Revolution and the militia’s disarming. While political leaders sat for months, enjoying the photo ops with Hassan Nasrallah, he was preparing his counter offensive, which he unleashed just a few days before the Security Council would discuss the future of Iran’s nuclear programs.
The Lebanese government of Prime Minister Seniora also abandoned the Cedar Revolution. His cabinet neither disarmed Hezbollah nor called on the U.N. to help in implementing UNSCR 1559. This omission is baffling. The government was given so much support by the international community and, more importantly, overwhelming popular support inside Lebanon: 80 percent of the people were hoping the Cedar Revolution-backed government would be the one to resume the liberation of the country. Now Hezbollah has an upper hand and the government is on the defensive.
The U.S. and its allies can be accused of certain shortcomings as well. While the speeches by the U.S. president, congressional leaders from both parties, Tony Blair, and Jacques Chirac were right on target regarding Lebanon, and while the U.S. and its counterparts on the Security Council were diligent in their follow up on the Hariri assassination and on implementing UNSCR 1559, there was no policy or plan to support the popular movement in Lebanon. Incredibly, while billions were spent on the war of ideas in the region, Lebanese NGOs that wanted to resume the struggle of the Cedar Revolution and fighting alone for this purpose were not taken seriously at various levels. Policy planners thought they were dealing with the “Cedar Revolution” when they were meeting Lebanon’s government and Lebanese politicians. The difference between the high level speeches on Lebanon and the laissez-faire approach from lower levels is amazing. Simply put, there was no policy on supporting the Cedar Revolution against the three regimes opposing it and the $400 million received by Hezbollah from Iran.
The Cedar Revolution was basically betrayed by its own politicians and is now essentially without a head. Nevertheless, as long as the international support remains, the Revolution will find its way and will face the dangers. The one and a half million ordinary citizens who braved all the dangers didn’t change their minds about Hezbollah’s terror. The resistance and counter-attack was to be expected. Unfortunately, thus far Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah have outmaneuvered the West and are at the throats of the Cedar Revolution. The international community must revise its plans, and, if it is strongly backed by the U.S. and its allies, including France, the situation can be salvaged. The good seeds are still inside the country.
More at link...
Hello, how are you?
Not, hiding, out there working as hard as i can....LOL
The links to our first 3 threads are on the first page, just not at the top, as we are not real fancy.
Thank you for the link.
The radio said the cease fire had lasted only 4 hours, I don't think anyone expected it to last long.
I do not know what it is about war, that makes people think a piece of paper with a name on it, creates a winner.
Yes, I saw the submarine articles.
I've been scanning the pages - but I'm about 3 pages behind. LOL
"As far as I can make out, people have been arrested but none have been charged with anything or were caught at the scene of any crime.
Colombia's government scored another victory against drug traffickers when their police forces seized a homemade submarine
SHhhhhhh don't tell <:)
Love your tagline!
train derails
Essex Steam train derails, injuries reported
Boston Globe - United States
--A steam train carrying tourists struck a dump truck on Monday, derailing and causing injuries, state police said. ... There was no visible damage to the train. ...
See all stories on this topic
Freight train derails in downtown Dallas
WFAA (subscription) - Dallas,TX,USA
The accident took place on a bridge over Stemmons Freeway, near the old Texas School Book Depository building in the West End. Union ...
Train Derails into Sheyenne River
KXMC - Minot,ND,USA
BNSF spokesman Gus Melonas says 14 cars were blown off the tracks as it crossed a bridge near Luverne during a severe thunderstorm. ...
Terror police target 70 'plots'
By John Steele, Toby Helm and David Derbyshire
More than 70 anti-terrorist investigations involving over 100 suspected Islamic extremists are under way in Britain in an operation unmatched even at the height of the IRA's mainland campaign.
Wish we weren't here: Air travellers wait in the rain at Heathrow after being prevented from checking in
John Reid, the Home Secretary, confirmed yesterday that police and security services were aware of about 24 "major conspiracies".
They are believed to be "multi-handed" terrorist plots, such as the alleged plan to blow up transatlantic airliners that led to the arrest of 24 people last Thursday.
Sources say that, on top of the inquiries confirmed by Mr Reid, up to 50 more are being conducted by anti-terrorist police, most of them involving Scotland Yard and MI5.
Some relate to fund-raising activity - aimed at Iraq or other foreign hot spots, as well as the UK - and intelligence-gathering, such as details of potential targets.
A significant amount of the activity involves internet communication between groups, often young Muslim men at college or university.
The total number of suspects in Britain has not been disclosed and security sources say it is often fluid.
Individuals sometimes drop in and out of suspect groups and, at times, obvious overlaps emerge between terrorist gangs.
"The numbers are very difficult," a source said. "Some may not be about to launch a bomb attack but may be suspected of background help."
Mr Reid told BBC News 24: "There would be more [plots] which are not at the centre of our considerations and there may be more that we don't know about at all."
He said that four major plots had been thwarted since the July 7 bombings in London last year in which 56 people died.
Mr Reid also disclosed that the al-Qa'eda threat to Britain dated from a planned attack on Birmingham which was thwarted in 2000.
For the fourth day, tightened security caused queues and chaos at airports.
A third of scheduled flights from Heathrow were cancelled and a fifth of flights are expected not to take off from the airport today. Some flights that escaped cancellation left virtually empty.
An estimated 20,000 to 25,000 passengers were prevented from checking in at Heathrow, although their planes were leaving on schedule, because the queues at security were too long. Delays at other airports were less severe.
BAA, the former British Airports Authority which owns the country's major airports, described the present procedures as "unsustainable".
There was speculation in Westminster that ministers would start looking today at easing them.
Mr Reid offered some comfort to passengers when he said that the special security measures would be "time limited".
He recognised that they were causing "huge inconvenience" and that they were "not indefinitely sustainable".
Airlines are furious with BAA over the delays. British Airways accused it of being unable to cope with the extra security and Ryanair and the Conservatives called for the Government to send in troops to mitigate the delays.
In turn, BAA reminded all airlines that they could be banned from flying if they do not stick to its rules.
David Davis, the shadow home secretary, said Britain should draft in security forces to ease the burden at airports.
"In America, for example, troops are being used … to help with the searches and the security oversight, which accelerates it somewhat."
Security experts have suggested that the number of suspects, at all levels of seriousness, runs to "treble figures" and possibly to the low hundreds.
But the difficulties involved in filtering the communications of determined would-be terrorists from the flood of belligerent, radical jihadi "chatter" are well known to security agencies.
It is suspected that hundreds of young men, both British born and foreign, have passed through training camps run by the Taliban, al-Qa'eda or other groups in Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere.
Police have up to 28 days to question suspects under the Terrorism Act 2000.
There is talk also of "managing expectations": the possibility that some of those arrested through association with the main suspects may be freed.
So far, Scotland Yard has not disclosed any details of what has been seized in searches in High Wycombe, Bucks, north-east London, and Birmingham.
It is suspected that the alleged plotters planned to take the elements of peroxide-based explosives on to airliners in drinks containers, possibly with detonators in electrical devices. Similar explosives were used in the July 7 bombings.
There was no confirmation of reports that "martyrdom videos" had been found.
It is thought that not all those arrested are suspected of being potential suicide bombers.
A vital aim of the complex process of questioning and inquiries is to establish central figures and any who may have supported, financed or otherwise given assistance.
Ruth Kelly, the Secretary of State for Communities, will begin a series of meetings today between ministers and Muslim leaders in fresh attempts to improve community cohesion.
Similar meetings will be conducted by John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, who is standing in for Tony Blair while he is on holiday.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/08/14/nterror14.xml
Al Qaeda
Britain''s Al-Qaeda Leader Seized
Mediafax - Bucuresti,Romania
Security sources believe that a man arrested in last week’s anti- terror raids in Britain is Al-Qaeda’s leader in this country, Sunday Times daily reported ...
See all stories on this topic
Intelligence points to bomb link with al-Qaeda
Financial Times - London,England,UK
Security officials in the UK and Pakistan on Sunday said intelligence was pointing to a likely link between al-Qaeda and the alleged plot to bomb commercial ...
See all stories on this topic
Evidence grows of al-Qaeda link to bombing plot
Zee News - Noida,India
... terms of the complexity, the sophistication, the international dimension and the number of people involved, this plot has the hallmarks of an al Qaeda type plot ...
See all stories on this topic
Al Qaeda arrest shows its hand
Hindustan Times - India
THE TEENAGE son of a Muslim immigrant from India and the suspected leader of the Al Qaeda in Britain are among the 24 people arrested in connection with the ...
See all stories on this topic
Britain's Al Qaeda Leader Arrested?
The Moderate Voice - USA
The Times of London reports that one of the suspects arrested in the anti-terror raids last week, is believed to be Al Qaeda's leader in Britain. ...
See all stories on this topic
Kashmir on Al Qaeda radar
Hindustan Times - India
Al-Qaeda’s links with Kashmiri militant outfits date back to the 1990s. ... Al-Qaeda operates in conjunction with local groups — in J&K Lashkar-e-Taiba. ...
Mumbai Braces for Al-Qaeda Attack
OhmyNews International - South Korea
... was slowly sinking in among the people of Mumbai, Indian officials put the city on red alert after receiving a warning from the US about al-Qaeda's plan to hit ...
See all stories on this topic
Al Qaeda Terrorists Operating in Kashmir: Indian Special Forces
Focus News - Sofia,Bulgaria
Terrorists that are part of the international terrorist network Al Qaeda are operating in Indian region of Kashmir, Xinhua reports citing an anonymous source ...
Al-Qaeda leader among UK plotters
NDTV.com - New Delhi,India
The Scotland Yard believes one of the men arrested in the aborted terror plot in the UK could be the leader of the Al-Qaida in Britain. ...
See all stories on this topic
Message intercepts show Al-Qaeda presence in Kashmir
Hindu - Chennai,India
... Intercepts of telecommunication messages between militants in Jammu and Kashmir and their mentors in Pakistan suggest that cadres of Al-Qaeda were present in ...
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China confirms new H5N1 human case
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-08/15/content_664634.htm
BEIJING -- China reported five more infections Monday in an outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease Encephalitis B in a northern city which has so far killed 19, state media reported.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/health/1500AP_China_Encephalitis_Outbreak.html
UK parks being used as terrorist training camps: Report
London, Aug 14: Popular national parks in England and Wales are being used by suspected terrorists in Britain to carry out training exercises, a media report said today.
A total of 20 men belonging to various groups, some of them with known terrorist links, are being monitored by the anti-terrorist branch of London's metropolitan police after this trend came to light, the Guardian newspaper reported, quoting unnamed security sources.
"Police believe they have clear evidence that the men were preparing for a mission of some sort," the newspaper quoted the sources as saying.
However, none of them are believed to be related to the plot to blow up us-bound airplanes which was foiled with the arrest of 24 people on Thursday.
Investigators have collected evidence regarding the exercises in England's lake district to be passed on to government prosecutors. However, the exercises did not involve explosives or weapons training, the report said.
Bureau Report
http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?aid=315548&sid=WOR
Al-Qaeda and Al-Jama'ah Islamiyah Clash
14/08/2006
By Abduh Zaynah
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat - The discovery of an alleged plot to bomb transatlantic flights between London and the United States has reawakened the conflict between the Al-Jama'ah Islamiyah and al Qaeda.
Last week, Ayman al Zawahiri, al Qaeda’s second in-commanded, announced that several members of the Egyptian group have joined forces with Osama bin Laden’s men, a claim which the Al-Jama'ah Islamiyah denies.
Senior leaders in the Al-Jama'ah Islamiyah emphasized that al Zawahiri’s claims were part of a wider plan to implicate their group and insinuate that it has backed down on its plan to halt violence, which it announced in 1997, thereby damaging the trust it had built with the Egyptian government. This became clear when the plot to bomb airlines in Britain was foiled, they added.
On the other hand, the Al-Jama'ah Islamiyah said Hezbollah has strong links with Iran, which provides it with military aid, and with Syria, in a statement published on the internet on Sunday. It pointed out that the Iranian regime has its own agenda and was playing a no longer secret role in facilitating the entry of US forces into Iraq.
The Egyptian group refused to compare the situation in Lebanon to that in Iraq and pointed out that the Lebanese problem was complex because of the country’s make-up and history,.
The statement also said that the steadfastness of the people of Lebanon strengthened the resistance in the Palestinian territories and Hezbollah's success in fighting the advancing Israeli army shattered the myth of an invincible Israeli military.
Hezbollah, it concluded, has achieved a miracle in southern Lebanon.
http://aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=1&id=5999
plane crashes
Utah Co. Mayors Say Improved Radar Could Reduce Plane Crashes
KSL-TV - Salt Lake City,UT,USA
... Sure, improved radar "might" reduce air crashes. ... At the same time, I can think of more than one plane that has flown into South Mountain, in the salt lake ...
See all stories on this topic
Small plane crashes near eastern UP prison
WOOD-TV - Grand Rapids,MI,USA
KINCHELOE, Mich. A small plane crashed in Michigan's eastern Upper Peninsula, narrowly missing buildings at a state prison. A Michigan ...
See all stories on this topic
Sport plane crashes near Coldwater, passenger killed
Coldwater Daily Reporter - Coldwater,MI,USA
COLDWATER — Jackson pilot Richard A. Dix suffered serious injures while passenger Thomas Bolenbaugh died in a crash of a small sport bi-plane west of the ...
3 Missing as Plane Crashes into Lake in Russia’s Siberia
MOSNEWS - Russia
An amphibious plane, presumably carrying three crew, crashed in the Republic of Altai early on Monday, the Interfax news agency reports. ...
See all stories on this topic
Resident Revives Pilot When Plane Crashes In Back Yard
NBC 10.com - Philadelphia,PA,USA
"I saw a plane come over the trees and it hit a big tree, and the tree split in half. The plane came and flipped over and landed ...
Bomb Threat on Wilmington Bus
WECT - Wilmington,NC,USA
AUGUST 14, 2006 -- A bomb threat aboard a Wilmington City bus tied up
traffic
during evening rush hour Monday. Police say a man ...
http://www.wect.com/Global/story.asp?S=5280867&nav=2gQc
Fired officer's ex-partner testifies in bomb threat trial
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (subscription) - Milwaukee,WI,USA
... Kurt Lacina was one of several Milwaukee officers who took the
witness
stand in the first day of Bartlett's trial on charges he called in a
bomb
threat to the ...
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=483301
You know what I find odd? That Delta Airlines is never picked by the terrorist.<<<
Check and see if Dubai or Saudi money is invested in them...?
LOL, I expected you to catch that line that we would have to pay the money if we wanted to buy an F-16.
I suspect we waste our time chasing terrorist, we should be chasing the ones elected to office, who do not serve in a manner that benefits the entire country.
I thought Colombia's government was the drug traffickers! Submarine I have heard it all.<<<
It must have been 3 years ago, that they were on the jihadi threads, 10 million, will buy you one that holds 4 to 6 people.
This has a couple.
http://www.google.com/search?q=where+to+purchase+personal+submarine&client=netscape-pp&rls=com.netscape:en-US
Remember the plans that I found the other night?
You said if I got it built I could put it in you pond...
Do you recall the article that I posted a few weeks ago, a jihadi, who had served a long prison term and was at last out, some place in the mid-east, it said that all he wanted to do was be left alone and to finish building the airplane that he was building from scratch...........
http://www.constitution.org/okc/jdt.htm
A page on OKC,
May be other items of interest, I did not have time to check.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1683767/posts
Two arrested trying to steal explosives
San Antonio Express-News ^ | 8/14/06 | Marvin Hurst
Posted on 08/14/2006 8:02:50 PM PDT by AlaninSA
Two college students from San Antonio were arrested Sunday night, accused of stealing explosive material from a construction site in north Bexar County.
Deputies say they caught one of the teens trying to break-in into a shed that had explosives.
The two teens already had a 50-pound bag of ammonia nitrate and some blasting caps before the deputies arrived. Deputies say the teens were trying to get to the dynamite when they arrived at the scene.
Agents from the Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms and the FBI have been called into the investigation. Deputies say this is the same explosive material used in the Oklahoma bombing.
(Excerpt) Read more at mysanantonio.com ...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1683794/posts
A (Yemeni) Judge Sympathetic to U.S. Frees 19 of Its Enemies; Islamic Law Allows Jihad
Wall Street Journal ^ | August 14, 2006 | GREG JAFFE
Posted on 08/14/2006 9:19:53 PM PDT by Ooh-Ah
SANA, Yemen -- The U.S. has spent millions of dollars in Yemen to help the government crack down on Islamic extremists who want to wage violent jihad against nonbelievers.
There is just one problem with the strategy: It is not clear that jihad is illegal in Yemen.
Last month a Yemeni judge, sitting on the state's special terrorism court, ruled that 19 defendants who had traveled to Iraq to kill American soldiers and fight alongside al Qaeda there had done nothing wrong. The defendants -- 14 Yemenis and five Saudis who had been caught with guns and fake Iraqi passports -- made no attempt to deny their connection to al Qaeda in Iraq. They openly praised Osama bin Laden, and bore wounds from fighting American and Iraqi troops.
...
His argument: "Islamic Sharia law permits jihad against occupiers" of Muslim lands.
...
In an interview, Judge al-Baadani says he has no doubt that the 19 men he acquitted were dangerous and misguided. During the trial he scolded them for sneaking off to Iraq without the approval of the president or their parents. But, he says, no laws prohibit Yemenis from fighting Western forces in Iraq. If such laws were enacted or enforced by the courts, they would only drive more Muslims to al Qaeda, he argues. By contrast, he says that under Yemeni and Sharia law it is against the law to attack U.S. or Western targets outside of occupied lands. That reading would make last week's foiled attacks on commercial airliners flying out of London illegal.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
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