Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=48313
Army Civilians Could Receive Furlough Notices by Christmas
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Dec. 4, 2007 – Some Army civilian employees may get layoff notices before Christmas, because $178 billion in emergency funds have not yet been approved to continue the war on terror, a senior Defense Department official said today.
President Bush called on Congress twice publicly this week to pass an emergency funding bill, but has vowed to veto any bill that imposes a mandatory troop withdrawal date.
Some members of Congress have responded by saying the Pentagon has funds to continue operations through March, but a Pentagon spokesman today said furlough notices for Army employees could start going out the middle of this month. The employees would not be furloughed until after Christmas, but some contracts require a 60-day notice if the furlough will be longer than 60 days, Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters at the Pentagon. The department is using fiscal 2008 funds – not part of the supplemental funding needed – to keep operations going in the war on terror, he explained.
“Anyone who thinks that this is not a serious situation is simply misinformed or is ignoring the facts. We have tried to be as matter of fact as we can on this, but the reality is that we are using our program budget for FY 08 … to fund our operations in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Whitman said.
DoD is using its readiness funding, or operations and maintenance accounts, which typically pay for training, supplies, and maintenance of weapons and equipment.
Earlier this month, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates requested to shift $3.7 billion from Navy and Air Force payrolls and an $800 million excess in the working capital fund to Army and Marine Corps operations.
If funding continues to be delayed, it could affect as many as 200,000 civilian employees and contractors, DoD officials reported earlier.
“In mid-February, the Army will run out of all of their O&M funding for the entire year, because they will have spent it on operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. That will require some fairly significant and harsh actions by the department, specifically the Army. And the Marine Corps is only about a month behind them,” Whitman said.
Military installations soon will have to shut down operations and furlough civilian employees, terminate contracts, and move into what Whitman called a “warm” status.
“Facts are the facts. We’re trying to keep people as well informed as we can, but anybody that thinks that we have sufficient funding to go beyond what we have stated is just either misinformed or electing not to examine the facts,” he said.
Related Articles:
Bush Asks Congress to Pass Funds for Troops
Bush Urges Congress to Approve Funds for Troops in Combat
Lack of Supplemental Funding May Lead to Civilian Furloughs
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/hp708.htm
December 4, 2007
HP-708
Treasury Designates AQIM Emir
Washington, DC—The U.S. Department of the Treasury today designated Abdelmalek Droukdel (Droukdel), the leader or emir of Al Qaida in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). AQIM, a violent extremist group based in Algeria, merged with al Qaida in September 2006.
“As emir of AQIM, Droukdel has supervised and ordered deadly terrorist attacks against innocents,” said Adam J. Szubin, Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). “We will continue efforts to dismantle AQIM’s financial infrastructure and financially isolate its members.”
As a result of the merger with Al Qaida, AQIM, formerly known as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), changed its name to AQIM. Droukdel assumed leadership of AQIM in mid-2004.
Today’s action was taken pursuant to Executive Order 13224, which targets the financial networks of terrorist groups and their facilitators. As a result of the designation, any assets Droukdel may have under U.S. jurisdiction are frozen, and U.S. persons are prohibited from doing business with Droukdel.
Droukdel reportedly supervised the April 2007 AQIM bombings of the Prime Minister’s office and police facilities in Algiers, killing 33. Droukdel used an April 2007 Internet video addressing these bombings as a vehicle to urge his followers to become suicide bombers. He also ordered the December 2006 attack on a U.S. company’s bus in Algiers that killed one and wounded nine, including a U.S. citizen. Further, Droukdel ordered the March 2006 assassination of a former AQIM leader who had surrendered to Algerian authorities.
In a May 2007 video announcement, Droukdel publicly called on regional AQIM commanders to seek recruits and select targets for suicide bombings. Speaking on behalf of AQIM, Droukdel has announced AQIM’s formal allegiance to al Qaida, encouraging other jihadist movements to join al Qaida, and reaffirmed allegiance to Usama bin Laden (UBL). Droukdel publicly announced GSPC’s name change to Al Qaida in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb, and stated AQIM’s decision in May 2007 to use “future martyrdom operations.”
Droukdel in 2006 stated that he had consulted with al Qaida second-in-command and Specially Designated Global Terrorist Ayman al-Zawahiri regarding AQIM’s upcoming plans and missions in Algeria and the Maghreb countries.
GSPC was one of the fifteen entities originally named as an SDGT pursuant to E.O. 13224 on September 23, 2001 and was added to the UN’s consolidated list of individuals and entities associated with UBL, al Qaida and the Taliban on October 6, 2001.
Identifying Information
AKAs: Abdelmalek Droukdal
Abdelmalek Droukadal
Abdelmalek Dardakil
Abdelmalek Drokdal
Abdelmalek Dourkdal
Abdelmalek Drougdel
Abdelmalek Droukbel
Abdelmalek Derdoukal
Abdel Malek Deroudel
Abdel Malek Droukdel
Abdelmalik Droukdal
`Abd al-Malik Drukdal
`Abd al-Malik Durikdal
`Abd-al-Malik Drokdal
Abd-al-Malik Dridqal
Abdelouadour Droukdel
Abu-Mus’ab Abd-al-Wadud
ABDELMALEK DROUKDEL
Abou Mossaab Abdelouadoud
Abu Musab Abdeloudoud
Abu Mussaab Abdelouadodud
Abu Mus’ab Abdelouadoud
Abu Mossab Abdelouadoud
Abou Moussaab Abdelouadoude
Abou Moussab Abdelouadoud
Abou Mousaab Abdelouadoud
Abou Musab Abdelouadoud
Abu Musab Oudoud
Abou Mossab Abdelouadoud
Abou Mossab Abd El Ouadoud
Abou Mousab Abd El Ouadoud
Abi Mossaab Abd El-Ouadoud
Abi Mousaab Abdelouadoud
Abu Mossaab Abdel El-Wadoud
Abou Mossab Abdel Wadoud
Abou Mossab Abdelwadoud
Abou Moussaab Abdel Wadoud
Abdou Moussa Abd al-Wadoub
Abou Mosaab Abkelwadoud
Abou Abdelwadoud
Abdelouadoud Abou Mossab
Abdelouadoud Abou Mossaah
Abdelwadoud Abou Mossaab
Abdelwadoud abu Musab
Droukdal Abdelmalek
Drokdal Abdelmalek
Droukdel Abdelmalek
DOB: 20 April 1970
POB: Meftah, Algeria
Alt. POB: Khemis El Khechna, Algeria
Address: Meftah, Algeria
Nationality: Algerian