Threat Matrix: January 2008

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[nwctwx]

Still in Control

Pervez Musharraf was calm, confident and—despite a flurry of rumors—not about to announce his resignation. Instead, the Pakistani president's "concession" to his troubled nation was an announcement that he would allow Britain's Scotland Yard to help local law enforcement agencies with their investigation into last week's assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

Speaking in a nationally televised address two hours after Pakistan's election commission announced the postponement of the ballot to Feb. 18, six weeks later than had been scheduled, Musharraf was notably deferential in his remarks about Bhutto, often invoking her "martyrdom" and extolling her liberal democratic credentials. "May she go to heaven," he said. "I stand for the same things she said." Read More

	Pakistan's Frayed Politics
	Musharraf's Dangerous Liaisons
	Pakistan after Bhutto

Threat Matrix:
January 2008

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[PGalt]

Thanks for the ping Ian. Thanks to all contributors/researchers/linkers who have informed/educated us.

[drymans wife]

Thank you, it is never to late.

[flutters]

Thank you for the new thread ping.

Happy New Year to all.

[drymans wife]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,319934,00.html

Car Bomb Explodes in Turkey, Wounds 30

Thursday, January 03, 2008

ANKARA, Turkey — A car bomb exploded in the Kurdish-dominated southeastern city of Diyarbakir on Thursday, wounding around 30 people, including military personnel, news reports said.

A bus reportedly transporting military personnel was passing by a five-star hotel when the bomb exploded, the state-run Anatolia news agency said.

snip..

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1947895/posts

“Reward Offered In Geno’s Steaks Assault [Video at link]”
CBS 3 (Philadelphia) ^ | Jan 3, 2008 2:24 pm US/Eastern
Posted on 01/03/2008 1:14:55 PM PST by Gondring
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3)

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Geno’s owner Joey Vento said he is offering a $5,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest in the assault.

If you have any information, please call police at 215-686-3013.”

[Cindy]

Thank you Dryman’s wife for the post #44.

Adding 1 link:

Note: The following news brief is a quote:

http://www.arabmonitor.info/news/dettaglio.php?idnews=21799&lang=en

Year: 2008

Car-bomb attack kills five in Turkey’s Diyarbakir

iyarbakir, 3 January - Five people were killed and 67 wounded by a huge car-bomb that exploded in Diyarbakir at the passage of a military vehicle in the city centre. The explosion also triggered off a huge fire that engulfed five vehicles besides the one targeted. The number of injured was high because at the time of the remote-controlled bomb explosion students from a nearby school were out on the streets. This attack, as well as last week’s two minor bomb attacks in Istanbul are being attributed to PKK cells operating inside Turkey.

[Cindy]

SP=Diyarbakir

[Cindy]

http://www.memri.org/turkey.html
http://thememriblog.org/turkey

#

Re: Bomb Attack in Turkey:

Note: Includes photo.

UPDATE:

http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/4385.htm

[Cindy]

http://counterterrorismblog.org/2008/01/raising_the_costs_for_tehran.php
http://truthusa.com/a/index.php?topic=672.0
http://truthusa.com/a/index.php?topic=1296.0
http://www.truthusa.com/IRAN.html
#

http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=2700

PolicyWatch #1324
“Raising the Costs for Tehran”
By Michael Jacobson
January 3, 2008

[Rushmore Rocks]

Buried in all the Iowa Caucus news, I heard today that Adam Gadahn, aka Azzan (?) the American, will soon be releasing a new video.

[Cindy]

Yes.

[Cindy]

ADDING to post no. 52:

Thank you RR for the ping to this thread:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1947906/posts

“New Video Due From American Qaida Member”
AP via Breit Bart ^ | 01/03/08 | Staff
Posted on 01/03/2008 1:42:00 PM PST by txroadkill

[Cindy]

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=48566

“Afghan Troops Disarm Roadside Bombs, Save Lives”
American Forces Press Service
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, Jan. 3, 2008

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=48568

Troops Kill 2, Capture 21 in Iraq

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 3, 2008 – Iraqi and coalition forces killed two suspected terrorists and detained 21 others in Iraq over the past three days, military officials said.

In Kirkuk today, coalition forces captured a wanted individual believed to be an improvised explosive device cell leader for an Ansar al Sunna extremist group operating in the city.

Reports indicate the suspect commanded two brothers detained Dec. 31 by coalition forces for their role in IED attacks against troops. Ground forces detained the wanted individual’s brother, who military officials said is a suspected terrorist.

During other operations today in Jalula, Samarra and north of Muqdadiyah, coalition forces detained 11 suspected terrorists while targeting al Qaeda in Iraq associates involved in murder, intimidation and terrorist financing.

In Mosul yesterday, troops captured a wanted individual believed to be associated with an al Qaeda senior leader operating in northern Iraq. The suspect claims to have been involved in attacks against coalition forces and is associated with a foreign terrorist facilitator operating south of Baghdad who was detained Nov. 16, military officials said.

“Coalition forces are working to clear and hold areas where terrorists think they can hide,” said Navy Lt. Patrick Evans, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman. “We will continue to take the fight to al Qaeda, diminishing their ability to attack innocent civilians.”

In Baqouba on Jan. 1, Stryker Brigade soldiers killed two enemy fighters and detained seven. Three of the detainees are known members of an IED cell operating in the area, military officials said.

Soldiers of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, from Fort Lewis, Wash., conducted the raid in the Baqouba suburb of Burhitz.

“It was a successful operation in that we captured seven detainees, and when we were engaged by anti-coalition forces, our soldiers returned fire and were able to ward off the attack, killing two of the enemy,” said Army Capt. Philip Mundweil, the company commander. “The soldiers performed spectacularly in accordance with their training, and the information we gain from the detainees will undoubtedly lead to follow on information that allows us to kill or capture more al Qaeda in Iraq in the future.”

Elsewhere in Iraq on Jan. 1, Multinational Division North soldiers received a report that an ambush in Salahuddin province killed one Iraqi police officer and injured six others, including the Salam Iraqi police commander. The report added that three Iraqi National Police officers also were injured in the attack.

Coalition forces evacuated six of the injured to a local hospital and three others to a Multinational Division North medical treatment facility, officials said.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq, Multinational Corps Iraq and Multinational Division North news releases.)

[Cindy]

http://www.longwarjournal.org/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?tag=Pakistan&blog_id=7

#

http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2008/01/taliban_military_cla.php

“Taliban, military clash in South Waziristan, Swat”
By BILL ROGGIO
January 3, 2008 3:20 PM

[Cindy]

Note: Video included.

blog:

http://hotair.com/archives/2008/01/03/new-jihad-watch-why-is-the-left-silent-about-honor-killings/

“New Jihad Watch: Why is the left silent about ‘honor killings?’”
POSTED AT 8:31 AM ON JANUARY 3, 2008 BY BRYAN

#

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tr2MrmlX4Kg

[Cindy]

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/019431.php

January 3, 2008
“Yemen Times columnist: There must be violence against women”

#

http://yementimes.com/article.shtml?i=1117&p=community&a=6

“There must be violence against women”
By: Maged Thabet Al-Kholidy

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “This title may sound strange, but it’s actually not just a way to attract readers to the topic because I really do mean what it indicates. Violence is a broad term, especially when used regarding women. In this piece, I want to shed light on those instances where violence against women is a must.”

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=iran
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=netherlands
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=nuclear

#

Note: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1947929/posts

Dutch university bans Iranian students
Radio Netherlands ^ | January 03 2008 | Ruben Temming
Posted on 01/03/2008 2:49:46 PM PST by knighthawk

Iranian students are not welcome at the Technical University Twente in the town of Enschede. At the request of the Education Ministry and the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the university has agreed not to admit any Iranian students. The government fears that Iranian students and workers would steal sensitive nuclear information to help their government develop nuclear weapons. The university’s decision is the direct result of a 2006 UN resolution calling on member states to prevent Iran from gaining access to nuclear knowledge.

The UN has been concerned about the Iranian nuclear research programme for some time. The International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN’s nuclear watchdog, says there is no evidence that Iran is developing its own nuclear weapon. However, at the same time Iran is accused of not providing sufficient information on its uranium enrichment programme.

The most recent US intelligence report on Iran also concludes that there is no evidence of an Iranian nuclear arms programme, but it does accuse Iran of withholding information. Tehran insists that its enrichment programme is intended exclusively for domestic production of the fuel rods needed for a nuclear power plant currently under construction.

Psychology Twente University is allowed to admit Iranian students on condition it guarantees they will not have access to nuclear information, a guarantee the university says it is unable to give. So far, three Iranian students have been refused. Iranians who want to study psychology would also be rejected. A spokesperson says students are free to wander around the campus, and 24/7 surveillance would be impossible. Iranian students already studying at Twente will be allowed to complete their studies.

Twente is the first technical university in the Netherlands to introduce such strict measures. The Delft Technical University says it first considers the subject that the applicant wants to study. In other words, Delft does not reject Iranian students on principle. The Eindhoven Technical University refuses to comment and refers all inquiries to the foreign affairs ministry.

Background

The Netherlands played a pivotal role in one of the 20th century’s biggest nuclear spying operations. Pakistani nuclear physicist Abdul Qadeer Khan obtained his doctors degree at the Delft technical university in 1967, and worked at the Physical Dynamic Research laboratory from 1972 until 1975. It was there that Mr Khan acquired knowledge of enriching uranium via the ultra centrifuge process, a method that is still in use today. He suddenly disappeared in 1975, only to reappear in 1976 as the leader of the Pakistani nuclear weapons research programme. In 2004, Pakistan announced that Mr Khan had sold nuclear information to Libya, Iran and North Korea. In doing so, Mr Khan was assisted by his Dutch business partner Henk Sleebos, who, years later, was handed a prison sentence for his illegal activities.

Former Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers says the then Dutch government was aware of Abdul Qadeer Khan’s clandestine activities. Reportedly, he was not arrested at the request of the US intelligence service, the CIA, which wanted to gain insight in the network that the Pakistani scientist was a member of.

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16212&Itemid=21

Press Release A080103c
January 3, 2008

Coalition forces kill al-Qaeda in Iraq leader (Baghdad)

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces killed a terrorist leader and two other terrorists during operations on December 28th to disrupt al-Qaeda in Iraq networks operating near the capital city.

During the operation, Coalition forces targeted Muhammad Khalil Ibrahim, the deputy military leader for the al-Qaeda in Iraq network operating south of Baghdad. Ibrahim was a key planner in numerous attacks against Coalition forces operating in the Mahmudiyah area, and was also involved in the facilitation of foreign terrorists and weapons. Also, Ibrahim and other senior al-Qaeda members were allegedly planning to conduct a large-scale attack against Coalition forces in the near future.

Intelligence reports led Coalition forces to a location in Mahmudiyah where Ibrahim was believed to be operating. Coalition forces confirmed his presence and supporting aircraft engaged the time-sensitive target. Once the area was secure, the ground force assessed that three terrorists were killed in the strike, to include Ibrahim. The two other terrorists were assessed to be leaders associated with the terrorist network in Iskandariyah. The ground force also discovered a machine gun, a suicide vest and several grenades in Ibrahim’s vehicle.

“This was a dangerous terrorist who will never again harm innocent Iraqis or the security forces that protect them,” said Maj. Anton Alston, MNF-I spokesman. “We will continue to relentless pursue terrorist leaders, like Ibrahim, who threaten our forces and attempt to deny the Iraqi people a future of their choice.”

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