Threat Matrix: February 2007

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[nwctwx]

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..

	Azzam the American: The Making of an al Qaida Homegrown
	Islamic Cells of Revenge Joins the al Qaida Movement
	Most Dangerous Destinations 2007

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[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=canada
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/02/12/muslim-poll.html

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http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=27159

"Canada's Jihadist Fifth Column "
By Stephen Brown
FrontPageMagazine.com | March 1, 2007

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "What’s in a number? That is what some Canadians are asking with disbelief after the results of a recent poll asking Muslims about their satisfaction with their lives in Canada.

What astonished people about the poll, broadcast on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation,was not the fact that about 80 percent of the approximately 700,000 Muslims living in America’s northern neighbor are happy with their existences: no surprise there, considering the shape of the countries many of them come from. Rather, it was an almost hidden figure that provided the jolt: 12 percent of Canadian Muslims believe the foiled terrorist attacks a cell of Muslim radicals were plotting for southern Ontario last summer were justified.

Eighteen Muslim men, many of them Canadian citizens, were arrested before they could execute their plan, which included truck bombs exploding on the streets of Toronto and the beheading of Canada’s prime minister after a storming of the Parliament buildings in Ottawa. To say the country was shocked by the details of the plot would be a classic understatement.

The fact that some 84,000 Muslims living in a western democratic country sympathize with the aims of these 18 would-be jihadists should not come as a surprise. Their number corresponds to the ten to 15 percent of the one billion Muslims worldwide who, experts say, support jihad. So even if one accepts the lower ten percent figure, that makes one hundred million people -- more than the membership of the Communist and Nazi parties combined -- who wish violent death upon the infidel. Not an insignificant number, to say the least."

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http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=22760

"Terror in Toronto"
By Stephen Brown
FrontPageMagazine.com | June 5, 2006
"Turns out they don’t have to find us. They are us.”

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "This statement by Toronto journalist Joe Warmington sums up perfectly the arrests last Friday of 17 suspected Islamist terrorists, mostly in the Toronto area, who were planning multiple attacks on targets in southern Ontario. Shockingly for Canadians, almost all the suspects, who range in age from 17 to 43 years, were either born in Canada or had arrived here at an early age and possess Canadian citizenship. Five are under the age of 18 and thus will be tried as young offenders under Canadian law; most of the others are in their early twenties.

According to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (Canada’s CIA), the group intended to blow up government buildings, including the CSIS and RCMP headquarters in Toronto, in retaliation for Canada’s support of America in the War on Terror. To do so, they had procured three tons of fertilizer of the type used to blow up the federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995, which took only one ton to destroy. In raids across the Greater Toronto Area and in Kingston, CSIS seized a cell phone detonator and military paraphernalia that had been used at a training camp the accused had set up in an isolated Ontario area. At the police press conference after the arrests on Friday, even the door the suspects had been using for target practice at the camp was put on display, riddled with bullet holes. CSIS also said the investigation is ongoing.

Many of the arrested are of Middle Eastern or Somali background, while at least two are converts to Islam."

[Cindy]

EVENT:

http://hotair.com/archives/2007/02/28/gathering-of-eagles-see-you-there/

[Cindy]

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

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http://hotair.com/archives/2007/02/27/ny-times-why-was-cheneys-trip-so-secretive/

"NY Times: Why was Cheney’s trip “so secretive”?"
posted at 10:33 pm on February 27, 2007 by Ian


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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

[Cindy]

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

http://www.billroggio.com/cgi-bin/cms/mt-search.cgi?tag=Pakistan&blog_id=1

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http://billroggio.com/archives/2007/03/pressuring_pakistan.php

"Pressuring Pakistan
The U.S. confronts Pakistan on the Taliban and al-Qaeda camps"
(March 1, 2007)

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=iran
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=ahmadinejad
http://www.truthusa.com/IRAN.html
http://www.memritv.org/Search.asp?ACT=S5&P1=148
http://www.memri.org/iran.html

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Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3371306,00.html

Iranian president blames US, Israel for international problems

Published: 03.01.07, 12:02 / Israel News

Iran's president blamed the United States and Israel for the world's problems Thursday in a lecture to Sudanese officials and intellectuals during his visit to Sudan.

President Ahmadinejad's comments came as Iran and Sudan face mounting international criticism - Iran over its nuclear activities and Sudan over the conflict in Darfur. (AP)

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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1793149/posts


"Iran - Ahmadinejad: 'The Zionists are the incarnation of Satan'"
AFP via translation | March 1, 2007

Posted on 03/01/2007 12:42:33 AM PST by HAL9000

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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1793150/posts

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6404849.stm

Last Updated: Wednesday, 28 February 2007, 15:09 GMT

"Gunmen attack police in east Iran"

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=64190

you are here: Home > Reports > Consular Affairs Bulletins > Report
Warden Message: Kabul Roads Threat, Travel Restriction
Consular Affairs Bulletins
South / Central Asia - Afghanistan
28 Feb 2007

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27 Feb 2007
Afghanistan Suicide Bombings
22 Feb 2007
Warden Message: Kabul Demonstration February 23
14 Feb 2007
Warden Message: Embassy Kabul Holiday Closure
29 Jan 2007
Warden Message: Embassy Kabul Holiday Closure
13 Jan 2007
Warden Message: Potential Unrest
U.S. Embassy Kabul issued the following Warden Message on February 28:

The U.S. Embassy has received information about an increased threat of attacks on Jalalabad and Airport (Great Massoud) Roads. Use of these roads by Embassy personnel is restricted until further notice. The Embassy continues to recommend that all American citizens in Afghanistan maintain a high level of vigilance, and avoid unnecessary travel.

Americans in Afghanistan are urged to monitor the local news and maintain contact with the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. As the Embassy continues to develop information on any potential security threats to U.S. citizens in Afghanistan, it will share them with the American community via the Warden System. We take this opportunity to remind the community of the continuing threats outlined in the current Travel Warning for Afghanistan and Worldwide Caution Public Announcement. The full text of each can be found at http://travel.state.gov. Updated information may also be obtained by contacting the American Embassy in Kabul at usconsulkabul@state.gov or by calling the Consular Section on 070-20-1908.

The Department of State also shares information through its consular information program documents, available on the Internet at http://travel.state.gov. In addition to information on the Internet, U.S. travelers may obtain up-to-date information on security conditions by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the U.S. or outside the U.S. and Canada on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444.

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2007/s07020147.htm

ASSIST News Service (ANS) - PO Box 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609-0609 USA
Visit our web site at: www.assistnews.net -- E-mail: danjuma1@aol.com


Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Activist Testifies at U.N. Conference on State-Sponsored Rape

By Jeremy Reynalds
Correspondent for ASSIST News Service

SURREY, ENGLAND (ANS) -- A young woman activist from Burma gave heartrending testimony recently at U.N. conference about state-sanctioned rape.
Burma is in Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reported that Cheery Zahau, Coordinator of the Women’s League of Chinland, presented evidence of widespread rape by the Burma Army. She referred to past reports of the use of rape in Shan, Karen, Karenni and Mon states, and presented fresh evidence of rape in Chin State.

Zahau highlighted 38 cases of rape by the Burma Army against Chin women, five of which involved girls under the age of 18, including a 12-year-old victim. Almost half were gang rapes.

"Often the rapes have been carried out with extreme brutality and in some cases they resulted in the death of the victim. In one case, a woman was stripped naked and hung on a cross, in a deliberate act of mockery against her Christian religion," CSW reported Zahau said. "This indicates that sexual violence is being deliberately used as a weapon to torture and terrorize local ethnic populations into submission."

CSW stated Zahau added, "There is a collective understanding among the troops that they can rape with impunity. About a third of the rapes were committed by officers, sometimes in their own army camps."

Zahau urged the U.N. Security Council to continue to address the crisis in Burma, and called on China and Russia to reconsider their position and support a resolution on Burma, which they vetoed in Jan. She also encouraged India to reconsider its policies of economic and military engagement with the Burmese regime.

"We are convinced that only genuine political change to democracy, restoration of the rule of law, establishment of a civilian government through free and fair elections, and a withdrawal of Burma Army troops from ethnic areas will bring an end to the systematic sexual violence in Burma," CSW reported Zahau said.

Mervyn Thomas, Chief Executive of CSW said in a news release, "We are delighted that Cheery Zahau was chosen to speak at this conference. We stand fully behind her and other such brave activists who are involved in the difficult and dangerous work of documenting gross violations of human rights, and informing the world. The Chin people are among the most forgotten people in the world, and we will do all we can to raise awareness of their plight. The grotesque use of rape as a weapon of war by the regime in Burma must be brought to an end."

The conference was organized by the U.S.-U.N. Office, at the 51st session of the Commission on the Status of Women.

Zahau was a member of a joint Chin and Kachin delegation which recently visited London, Brussels, Berlin and Washington, D.C. to raise awareness about human rights violations in Burma, including sexual violence, human trafficking and religious persecution. The visit was organized by CSW.

Additional information about the Chin people is available at www.chinland.org. To learn more about CSW go to www.csw.org.uk

Jeremy Reynalds is a freelance writer and the founder and director of Joy Junction, New Mexico's largest emergency homeless shelter, http://www.joyjunction.org or http://www.christianity.com/joyjunction. He has a master's degree in communication from the University of New Mexico, and a Ph.D. in intercultural education from Biola University in Los Angeles. His newest book is "Homeless in the City: A Call to Service." Additional details about "Homeless" are available at http://www.HomelessBook.com He lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For more information contact: Jeremy Reynalds at jeremyreynalds@comcast.net. Tel: (505) 877-6967 or (505) 400-7145. Note: A higher resolution JPEG picture of Jeremy Reynalds is available on request from Dan Wooding at danjuma1@aol.com.

** You may republish this story with proper attribution.

[Cindy]

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cricket_world_cup/cricket_world_cup_3119.html

"Cricket World Cup Fact Sheet"

[Cindy]

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/spring_break_mexico/spring_break_mexico_2812.html

"SPRING BREAK IN MEXICO – 'Know Before You Go!'"

[Cindy]

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_1161.html

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
This information is current as of today, Thu Mar 01 2007 04:04:06 GMT-0800.

Worldwide Caution

October 11, 2006

[Cindy]

PERSECUTION.ORG
http://www.persecution.org

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1793172/posts


"This Day In History - World War I March 1, 1917 Zimmermann Telegram published in United States"
http://www.history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=328 ^

Posted on 03/01/2007 3:43:16 AM PST by mainepatsfan

[Godzilla]

placemark

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1793151/posts?page=10#10

To: processing please hold
Processing please hold asked, "I'm only here for a sec, but didn't we intercept some liquid explosives headed for Syria the other day?"

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We have discussed various explosives via pointing to news reports on FreeRepublic.com - The Threat Matrix.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=threatmatrix
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http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&um=1&tab=wn&q=%22liquid+explosives%22&scoring=d

http://blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch?hl=en&client=news&q=%22liquid+explosives%22&ie=ISO-8859-1&scoring=d

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http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/another_arrest_in_airline_bomb_plot/Top_News/20070301-064949-5800r/

Updated: 03/01/2007 7:06:11 AM -0500 UTC


NewsTrack - Top News
Published: Mar. 1, 2007 at 7:06 AM
Another arrest in airline bomb plot

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "LONDON, England, Mar. 1 (UPI) -- Police in London have arrested a 27-year-old man in connection with the 2006 planned liquid explosive attack on U.S.-bound passenger jets, police said."

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Security sources told CNN that the alleged terrorists planned to use electrical charges to ignite liquid explosives over the Atlantic Ocean. The plot was foiled when an intelligence agent infiltrated the group."


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http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/0/bbc254ee8d2d0165c225728f004eb351/Body/0.82?OpenElement&FieldElemFormat=jpg

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/0/BBC254EE8D2D0165C225728F004EB351?OpenDocument

Liquid Explosives Hunted Across the Atlantic Busted in Lebanon

Nearly six months after feverish search by U.S. and European intelligence agencies for lethal "liquid explosives" Lebanese police confiscated the first batch of such deadly weapons, sources told Naharnet Tuesday.

One source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said each of the 31 confiscated explosive devices is made up of two tubes filled with blue liquid, fitted on a board and connected to a timer-detonator.

A police communiqué said a squad of its intelligence branch carried out a "swift operation during which it confiscated 31 explosive sets."

The communiqué said the confiscated sets included "sophisticated electro-chemical timers-detonators that can be timed to explode after as late as 124 days."

The sets were confiscated in an area "in the vicinity" of the Ain el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp, near the southern port city of Sidon, 45 kilometers from Beirut, the communiqué said.

The sets were to be "smuggled and used in terrorist acts," the communiqué added.

The source, however, told Naharnet the sets were busted nearly 12 days ago in the Sikkeh district of Ain el-Hilweh in a "daring, swift and clean raid."

The sets, according to the source, were "assembled and awaiting a squad to smuggle them to another location. Police, apparently, postponed issuing a communiqué on the bust in an effort to tail members of what is believed to be a major network of terrorists operating between various sectors of Lebanon."

He said material used in the sets is of an "eastern European origin." He refused to elaborate.

British, U.S. and European Union intelligence agencies have been searching since August for the lethal liquid explosives after London said it unveiled a scheme to blow up passenger aircraft on flights across the Atlantic.

Stringent security measures have been applied at almost all western airports, banning air passengers from carrying any liquids, even food for infants.

The Lebanese police operation was the first ever reported bust of liquid explosives in the world.


Beirut, 27 Feb 07, 16:21


10 posted on 03/01/2007 12:56:53 PM PST by Cindy

[Cindy]

Thanks to FARS for the ping to this thread:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1793464/posts


"Shiites Will Kill SAudi King December 18th, 2007"
OSC via AntiMullah ^ | 2/28/07 | Saudi Arabia

Posted on 03/01/2007 11:46:54 AM PST by FARS

[Cindy]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6407287.stm

Last Updated: Thursday, 1 March 2007, 11:58 GMT

"Dengue sparks Paraguay emergency"

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Hospitals may not be able to cope if cases go on rising, doctors say Paraguay has declared a 60-day state of emergency to deal with an outbreak of dengue fever which has killed at least 10 people in the past two months.
Officials say 14,654 people have been diagnosed with dengue.

But doctors say the figure is 10 times higher, and are worried about a new more virulent variant of the disease.

Brazil and Bolivia have also seen a rise in cases of dengue, which is spread by mosquitoes and is endemic in much of the Americas.

Dengue fever causes severe headaches, as well as muscle and joint pain.

Protest planned

Doctors in Paraguay say that at least five of those who died were suffering from a particularly virulent variant of the disease called "gastric dengue", never seen before in the country."

[Cindy]

http://www.pandemicflu.gov

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https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=64212

you are here: Home > Reports > Consular Affairs Bulletins > Report
"Warden Message: Kuwait Bird Flu Cases"
Consular Affairs Bulletins
Middle East / N. Africa - Kuwait
28 Feb 2007

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=yemen
http://www.yementimes.com

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Note: The following text is a quote:

https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=64244

you are here: Home > Reports > Consular Affairs Bulletins > Report
Warden Message: Southern Sanaa Gunfire
Consular Affairs Bulletins
Middle East / N. Africa - Yemen
1 Mar 2007

Printer Friendly Email Article
Related Reports
27 Feb 2007
Yemen 2007 Crime & Safety Report
25 Feb 2007
Warden Message: North Yemen Restricted Travel
4 Feb 2007
Warden Message: Marib Governate Open to Limited Official Travel
25 Jan 2007
Warden Message: Travel Restricted to Yemen's Marib
14 Jan 2007
Warden Message: Marib Inter-tribal Violence
U.S. Embassy Sanaa issued the following Warden Message on March 1, 2007:

The U.S. Embassy has reports of heavy, sustained gunfire in the area near Shahran Hotel in southern Sanaa, near the mountains of Hadda Village. U.S. Embassy personnel have been instructed to remain in their residences and avoid the area until further notice.

The U.S. Embassy is located at Dhahr Himyar Zone, Sheraton Hotel District, P.O. Box 22347. The telephone number of the Consular Section is (967)(1) 755-2000, extension 2153 or 2266. The fax number is
(967)(1) 303-175. The after hours emergency number is (967)(1) 755-2000 (press zero for extension). In case of an emergency, if these regular numbers do not work, please call 967-733213509.

Current information on travel and security in Yemen may be obtained from the Department of State by calling 1-888-407-4747 within the United States and Canada, or, from outside the United States and Canada, 1-202-501-4444. U.S. citizens should consult the Travel Warning for Yemen, the Consular Information Sheet for Yemen, the Middle East and North Africa Public Announcement, and the Worldwide Caution Public Announcement on the Department's Internet site at http://travel.state.gov.

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_3073.html

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
This information is current as of today, Thu Mar 01 2007 13:24:27 GMT-0800.

Fiji

February 28, 2007


This Public Announcement is updated to reflect the current situation in Fiji following the December 5, 2006 military coup. The declared state of emergency remains in effect. The Department of State continues to warn U.S. citizens to consider carefully the risks of travel to the Republic of Fiji until the security situation is clarified. This Public Announcement supersedes the Public Announcement issued on January 28, 2007, and expires on May 28, 2007.

On December 5, the Commander of Fiji’s military force deposed the lawfully elected government of Fiji and declared a state of emergency. The unelected interim government established by the military reiterated January 15 that a state of emergency remains in effect. Many basic rights have been curtailed, including the rights of assembly and freedom of expression. Individuals who speak out against the military are routinely questioned, detained and intimidated. While the situation in Fiji currently is quiet, political and economic uncertainties continue and military checkpoints remain in place in and around major population centers, including Suva, Nadi and Lautoka. The Department recommends that private American citizens in Fiji evaluate their personal security. The security situation, especially in Suva, is uncertain and could deteriorate rapidly. Risks could include indiscriminate attacks on government or civilian targets.

American citizens in Fiji should remain vigilant, particularly in public and military places in the greater Suva area, and should avoid demonstrations and large crowds. Even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence unexpectedly. Americans considering travel to Fiji despite this Public Announcement, as well as those residing or traveling in Fiji, are urged to register with the Department of State or the U.S. Embassy through the State Department’s travel registration website, https://travelregistration.state.gov. By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy to contact them in case of emergency. The Embassy is located at 31 Loftus Street in Suva. The American Citizen Services Unit of the U.S. Embassy can be reached by phone at (679) 331-4466 and by e-mail at consularsuva@state.gov.

Updated information on travel and security in Fiji may be obtained from the Department of State by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada, or for callers outside the United States and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. For further information please consult the Consular Information Sheet for Fiji and the Worldwide Caution Public Announcement, which are available on the Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet website at http://travel.state.gov.

[Cindy]

https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=64270

===

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6406831.stm

Last Updated: Thursday, 1 March 2007, 06:17 GMT

"E Timor rebel urged to surrender"

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has urged a rebel leader in East Timor to surrender to the authorities.

Australian troops are closing in on Major Alfredo Reinado and his men at their hideout in Same, 50km (30 miles) south of the capital Dili.

Maj Reinado said he might negotiate, but added that he would rather die than be made to surrender by force.

The Timorese authorities are pursuing Maj Reinado for his role in clashes with government forces last May.

He was jailed over his role in the unrest, but escaped in a mass breakout from a Dili prison last August."