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Threat Matrix: February 2007
Previous Thread ^

Posted on 02/01/2007 7:36:02 PM PST by nwctwx

:::FreeRepublic's Threat Matrix:::
How al-Qaida Fared in 2006
-Full Story-

In 2006, agents of al-Qaida, as well as those inspired by its ideology, continued their attacks. Violence in Iraq intensified, and Afghanistan saw its bloodiest year since 2001.

Despite worsening chaos on those fronts, counterterrorist forces arrested and killed high-profile terrorists and kept the West free from attack. But these actions don't appear to have weakened the appeal of al-Qaida's agenda. "Home-grown" militants around the world joined its jihad, as regional fighting heightened perceptions of a global war on Islam.

Here's an assessment of some of the most significant gains and losses for al-Qaida last year: Read more..

Thread Forty-Five
Click for Color Code Information
Threat Matrix HTML designed by: Ian Livingston


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; alqaeda; alqaida; australia; diamonds; globaljihad; hamas; hezbollah; internet; iran; iraq; pakistan; taleban; taliban; threatmatrix
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To: All

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1792104/posts

"Appeasing Our Enemies Won't Bring Peace"
realclearpolitics.com ^ | February 27, 2007 | Ed Koch

Posted on 02/27/2007 12:21:12 PM PST by neverdem


1,361 posted on 02/27/2007 1:33:52 PM PST by Cindy
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To: BurbankKarl; Seadog Bytes; Grampa Dave; backhoe; piasa; Registered; doug from upland; ...

Off Topic?

---

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/015451.php

February 27, 2007
"What is going on in Beverly Hills?"


1,362 posted on 02/27/2007 3:17:54 PM PST by Cindy
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To: StillProud2BeFree; Calpernia; Velveeta; backhoe; piasa; JohnathanRGalt; yonif; ganeshpuri89; All

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1171894534328&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Feb. 27, 2007 22:15 | Updated Feb. 27, 2007 23:53

"Gang rapes Jewish women as 'revenge'"
By REBECCA ANNA STOIL AND SHELLY PAZ


ARTICLE SNIPPET: "A gang of serial rapists has been prowling the North, raping Jewish women as revenge for IDF actions in the West Bank, police revealed Tuesday after arresting six suspects."


1,363 posted on 02/27/2007 3:22:31 PM PST by Cindy
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To: All

UPDATE...
---

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=3190

Suicide Bomber Attacks U.S. Base in Afghanistan During Cheney Visit

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27, 2007 – Saying that changing his itinerary was “never an option,” Vice President Richard B. Cheney stuck to his planned schedule after a suicide bomber’s attack this morning on an entry gate at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, where the vice president was visiting.

A U.S. servicemember, a coalition member and a U.S. government contractor whose nationality was not immediately known died in the attack, officials with Combined Joint Task Force 76 said.

Military officials had no information to report on Afghan civilian deaths; civilian media reports quote Afghan officials as saying 23 people were killed. U.S. officials reported 27 people were wounded, but did not provide information on their condition.

The suicide bomber blew himself up outside the base’s outermost gate.

Cheney told reporters traveling with him he heard “a loud boom” at about 10 a.m., and U.S. Secret Service officers informed him of the attack.

“They moved me for a relatively brief period of time to one of the bomb shelters nearby, near the quarters I was staying in,” he said. “And as the situation settled down and they got a better sense in terms of what was going on, then I went back to my room.”

Cheney and his traveling party were preparing to leave the air base during the incident and continued with their schedule.

The vice president said he had not heard that the Taliban had claimed responsibility for the attack. He added that he wasn’t willing to relent to what the terrorists were trying to accomplish. “I think they clearly try to find ways to question the authority of the central government,” he said. “Striking at Bagram with a suicide bomber, I supposed, is one way to do that. But it shouldn’t affect our behavior at all.”

Army Lt. Col. James E. Bonner, base operations commander here, called the attackers were "cowardly" and have “taken the lives of three people who were working to create a better Afghanistan.” He expressed condolences for those killed in the attack. “We mourn their loss and will not allow their deaths to deter us in our commitment to the government of Afghanistan and its people,” he said.

Bagram Air Base maintains high-level security around the clock, he said. “Our security measures were in place and the killer never had access to the base,” Bonner said. “When he realized he would not be able to get onto the base, he attacked the local population.”


1,364 posted on 02/27/2007 3:33:38 PM PST by Cindy
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To: All

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=3193

"Cheney Visits Pakistan, Afghanistan to Discuss Border Security"

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27, 2007


1,365 posted on 02/27/2007 3:35:29 PM PST by Cindy
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To: All

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=3191

Iraqi Army Detains 16 Suspects; Insurgents Kill 15 Civilians

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27, 2007 – Special Iraqi army forces detained 16 suspected militiamen during operations today with coalition advisors in Sadr City, and insurgents killed 15 Iraqis and wounded nine in a car-bomb attack in Ramadi yesterday.

The operations in Sadr City were targeting the leadership of several rogue militia cells operating against Iraqi civilians, officials said.

Iraqi forces targeted several individuals who allegedly control multiple illegal militia cells and direct and perpetrate sectarian murder, torture and kidnapping, officials said. The wanted individuals are reported to operate out of Sadr City and are linked to attacks on coalition forces and the supply of weapons and munitions that support continued violence.

Iraqi forces entered several secondary objectives during the operations, but caused only minimal damage, officials said.

In Ramadi, insurgents killed 15 Iraqis, including women, children and two police officers in a car-bomb attack near a mosque in a residential neighborhood yesterday. The attack, which also wounded nine people, occurred at about 6 p.m.

"I am mortified at the absolute lack of regard for the lives of the Iraqi people which has been displayed by al Qaeda in Iraq," said Col. John Charlton, commander of the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division. "The murder of any Iraqi citizen is tragic, but to intentionally kill innocent children is proof positive that now more than ever, Iraqi citizens need to stand together with us in support of their local Iraqi security forces to stamp out this terrorist threat."

(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)


1,366 posted on 02/27/2007 3:38:12 PM PST by Cindy
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To: British chick; Brit_Guy; UK Guy; All

THANK YOU BRITS. -Cindy

---

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=3197

"Britain to Send 1,400 More Troops to Afghanistan"

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27, 2007


1,367 posted on 02/27/2007 3:40:55 PM PST by Cindy
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To: Jet Jaguar; All

THANK YOU TROOPS. -Cindy
---

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=3199

"More Special Ops Troops Will Better Answer Global Needs, Official Says"

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "ARLINGTON, Va., Feb. 27, 2007 – Special Operations forces will grow by 17,000 active-duty members over the next six years, a senior military official said today at the 18th annual Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict Symposium here.

“We are fielding … the largest growth in special operations history without sacrificing quality along the way,” Navy Vice Adm. Eric T. Olson, deputy commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, said.

The admiral said SOCOM’s role has been enlarged since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks."


1,368 posted on 02/27/2007 3:43:11 PM PST by Cindy
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To: All

http://www.cfr.org/publication/12700/
Online Debate

"Is Pakistan Doing All It Should to Secure Its Afghan Border?"


1,369 posted on 02/27/2007 3:47:29 PM PST by Cindy
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To: Cindy

Beverly Hills is made of arab money...has been for decades...In the early 80s, when I was in HS, we would drive by this property to see the nude statues on a huge lot with painted pubic hair. The "story" was that the guy's wife filed for divorce, and he had it torched when he left the country so she wouldnt get it. He was later arrested in Jordan, and then tortured by the family in Saudi Arabia.


Los Angeles -- Mohammed al-Fassi, a Saudi Arabian sheik, provoked the ire of his Beverly Hills neighbors in the late 1970s when he painted his Sunset Blvd. mansion and its outdoor nude statues garish colors.

Al-Fassi, 50, died of an infected hernia Dec. 24 in Cairo, Egypt.

Al-Fassi first gained notoriety in 1978, when he paid $2.4 million in cash for his Beverly Hills mansion.

He had the 38-room white stucco home painted a shade of green that one critic likened to the color of rotting limes.

He also replaced the red tile roof with copper, filled the outdoor urns with plastic flowers and -- most jarring -- had the classic Italian statuary surrounding the 3 1/2-acre estate painted in natural skin tones, with the hair and genital areas painted to appear more lifelike.

The mansion fell victim to arson in 1980 while the al-Fassis were traveling abroad. Many neighbors watched the spectacular blaze and chanted: "Burn! Burn! Burn!"

And when the mansion was sold and finally razed in 1985, 500 invited guests donned souvenir hard hats and marked the beginning of demolition with raised wine glasses. The land on which the mansion stood remains vacant.


1,370 posted on 02/27/2007 3:56:19 PM PST by BurbankKarl
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To: BurbankKarl

That's interesting.
Thank you BurbankKarl.

Is the ballot in Arabic new or has that existed for awhile?


1,371 posted on 02/27/2007 4:02:24 PM PST by Cindy
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To: JohnathanRGalt; backhoe; All
ADDING to post no. 1359:

WESTERN RESISTANCE.com - blog: "US: GEORGIA MUSLIM PREACHER JAILED" (February 27, 2007)

More Links (February 27, 2007)


MEMRITV.org - Video Clips: "HAMAS"

TKB.org - Group Profile: "HAMAS"

TANFITHYA.com: "OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE HAMAS 'EXECUTIVE FORCE'" (February 20, 2007)

1,372 posted on 02/27/2007 4:07:15 PM PST by Cindy
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To: Cindy

No, that is new. They used to have a couple paragraphs or something, this time they translated the whole ballot. It is in Farsi(Iranian), not Arab. A lot of the pre-overthrow Shah crowd came to the US right before the Ayatollah took over....and I guess they keep on coming. I was reading there are now a lot of Iraqi Christians showing up in L.A. also.


1,373 posted on 02/27/2007 5:04:17 PM PST by BurbankKarl
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To: BurbankKarl

In Farsi, thanks.
I really can't tell unless I see the various language buttons together.

COMMONSENSE - OPINION: This is America.
Legal immigrants always welcome.
ENGLISH spoken here.


1,374 posted on 02/27/2007 6:13:03 PM PST by Cindy
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To: All; backhoe; piasa

ON THE NET...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=florida
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=cuba

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=spies
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=spy
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=espionage

===
===

Note: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1792369/posts


College professor, wife sentenced as Cuban spies
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070227/ts_nm/usa_cuba_spies_dc ^

Posted on 02/27/2007 6:54:15 PM PST by tranzorZ

MIAMI (Reuters) - A Cuban-American couple who worked at a Florida university were sentenced on Tuesday to prison terms for funneling information about Miami's Cuban exiles to the Havana government.(snip)


1,375 posted on 02/27/2007 7:09:48 PM PST by Cindy
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To: All

ON THE NET...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=venezuela
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=hugochavez
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=chavez

---

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1792376/posts


"Hasta La Vista, Free Speech Hugo Chávez consolidates his hold on Venezuela's media."
The Weekly Standard ^ | 5 March 2007 | Blanquita Cullum

Posted on 02/27/2007 7:16:41 PM PST by A.A. Cunningham


1,376 posted on 02/27/2007 7:20:17 PM PST by Cindy
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To: WestCoastGal

Thanks for the info WCG.


1,377 posted on 02/27/2007 7:58:49 PM PST by Oorang (Tyranny thrives best where government need not fear the wrath of an armed people - Alex Kozinski)
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Authorities discover "sophisticated" explosives in south Lebanon
Feb 27, 2007

Beirut - Lebanese security forces Tuesday seized 31 pieces of what they called 'sophisticated' explosives near Ain el-Hilweh Palestinian camp in southern Lebanon. 'The seized explosives were electro-chemical detonators which can be timed for a prolonged period reaching 124 days,' a police statement said.

The find followed a tip-off that a terrorist group was planning to smuggle sophisticated explosives out of the camp in order to use them in terrorist actions. Ain el-Hilweh is home to 70,000 refugees. Security inside is controlled by Palestinian factions, but reports say the camp has seen the establishment of Sunni fundamentalist groups loyal to al-Qaeda, most of whom are Lebanese running from justice.

Excerpted

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/news/article_1270195.php/Authorities_discover_%26quotsophisticated%26quot_explosives_in_south_Lebanon

Cut water pipes sabotage test (Australia)
Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Police have been called in to investigate the sabotage of water pipes connected to the Kangaloon aquifer in the New South Wales' southern highlands. The Sydney Catchment Authority has started a test bore at the aquifer this week as part of a trial to assess whether it can supplement Sydney's water supplies. About five megalitres is being extracted from the aquifer daily over the next six months.

However, it was found yesterday that the pipes connected to the ground water borefield trials were cut on Sunday night. The State's Environment Minister, Bob Debus, has condemned the action. Mr Debus says the sabotage of Sydney's water supply was deplorable and that the matter had been handed over to police for investigation.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200702/s1858091.htm


1,378 posted on 02/27/2007 8:39:41 PM PST by Oorang (Tyranny thrives best where government need not fear the wrath of an armed people - Alex Kozinski)
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To: JohnathanRGalt; backhoe; piasa; All

ON THE NET...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=iraq
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=sadr
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=alsadr

---

http://www.kenyanewsnetwork.com/artman/publish/article_2830.shtml


"Iraq: Children deployed in anti-US attacks and kidnappings - another case of 'Lost Innocence'"
Posted By: topi lyambila
Feb 28, 2007, 03:56


ARTICLE SNIPPET: ""My family is very proud of me. Every day I return home telling them what I have done and they kiss me saying that God has reserved a place beside Him for me," Hamza said.

"My father is one of the most important fighters of the militia and he has instructed me in detail on how to be a good soldier in the name of God. One day, I will carry my gun and kill every American who walks over our land," he added."


ARTICLE SNIPPET: "NGOs working in Iraq have confirmed that al-Sadr's militia has been encouraging children and youths to fight the US army or by acting as spies for the militia. Any Shia youth can participate in the attacks by Mahdi´s Army as long as their family agrees.

Al-Sadr's office refused to speak to IRIN about the issue. It only said: "Whatever the [youth's] age is, the important thing is that they have decided on their own to fight the occupiers.""

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Last month, IRIN spoke with children between the ages of seven and 12 who were collaborating with the Sunni insurgency in Iraq, mostly in Anbar province. Some were even being trained by the same groups to become suicide bombers."

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs said that it was taking care of at least 200 children who had been arrested for participating in kidnappings or robberies."

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Saleh Muhammad, a spokesman for the Baghdad-based Children Saving Association (CSA), said that, "Children and youth are seriously denied human rights in Iraq. Hundreds of children are being brainwashed and used as fighters with insurgents and militias."

===
===

Note: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1790960/posts


Al-Sadr: Baghdad Security Plan Doomed
The Guardian (UK) ^ | 2-25-2007 | Sinan Salaheddin

Posted on 02/25/2007 10:46:50 AM PST by blam

Al-Sadr: Baghdad Security Plan Is Doomed


Sunday February 25, 2007 6:16 PM

By SINAN SALAHEDDIN

Associated Press Writer


BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - The leader of Iraq's biggest Shiite militia complained Sunday that bombs ``continue to explode'' in Baghdad and that U.S.-led security crackdown is doomed to fail, issuing a statement the same day a suicide attacker struck outside a college campus, killing at least 41 people.

Many Shiites believe that bombings have continued because the Shiite-led government bowed to American pressure and persuaded the radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to take his Mahdi Army fighters off the streets.

Al-Sadr's statement, read to his followers in Sadr City, is likely to add pressure on U.S. and Iraqi forces to show results in the nearly two-week-old crackdown.

``I'm certain, just like all oppressed Iraqis are certain, that no security plan will work and no good will come of any occupier,'' al-Sadr said in the statement. ``Here we are, watching booby trapped cars exploding to harvest thousands of innocent lives from our beloved people in the middle of a security plan that is controlled by an occupier who does as he pleases.''

U.S. and Iraqi leaders have urged the public to be patient, warning that it will take months before the security operation shows results. President Bush has ordered 21,500 more U.S. troops to Baghdad and surrounding areas, although the last units are not due until May.

Al-Sadr urged Iraq's mostly Shiite security forces to ``make your own Iraqi plans independent of the Americans.''

Most of the victims of Sunday's bombing were students at the college, a business studies annex of Mustansiriyah University that was hit by a series of deadly explosions last month. At least 46 people were injured in Sunday's blast.

(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...


1,379 posted on 02/27/2007 10:23:06 PM PST by Cindy
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To: fanfan; GMMAC; backhoe; All

Off Topic, but interesting.
---

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&um=1&q=%22aly+hindy%22&sa=N&tab=nw

===


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OTfacRDBJo

"Michael Coren/Imam Hindy"

Added February 21, 2007

"Michael Coren discusses the subject of adultery with Imam Aly Hindy. Part of a panel discussion."


1,380 posted on 02/27/2007 11:12:32 PM PST by Cindy
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