Threat Matrix: April 2008

Previous Thread ^

[nwctwx]

Afghanistan to Ask NATO for Bigger Army

Afghan officials will go to the NATO summit in Romania Thursday with a request: pay to increase our national Army by 40 percent. A bigger Army, Afghan officials argue, will allow the US and other coalition members to scale back in the coming years.

This appeal comes amid pleas from the US and Canada for other NATO members to commit more to the Afghanistan mission, which many analysts say has floundered over the past year for lack of resources and a coherent strategy. France is expected to contribute another 1,000 forces and Germany is likely to make a bigger commitment.

But American and Afghan government sources with knowledge of the expected Afghan proposal say that an increase from the current authorization of 86,000 Afghan Army soldiers to 120,000 is the only way to create an enduring defense against a resurgent Taliban and elusive Al Qaeda operatives. Read More

	France May Send More Troops to Afghanistan
	Special Operations Increase Possible for Iraq
	Al-Qaeda Grooming Militants Who 'Look Western': CIA Chief

Threat Matrix:
April 2008

March 2007

Threat Matrix Index

Theat Matrix Handbook

Theat Matrix 'BOLO'

Invaluable Tips

Preparedness

[Cindy]

and adding the FR keyword:

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/underseacables

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=49580

nsurgents Target Afghan Medical Assistance Teams

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 15, 2008 – Insurgents attacked a medical outreach team of Afghan National Army and coalition forces in the Sanguin district of Afghanistan’s Helmand province April 12, military officials reported.

The insurgents attacked the team with rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire while medics were providing care to local citizens outside a coalition base. There were no reports of civilian or coalition casualties.

Elsewhere in southern Afghanistan, two other medical outreach missions were conducted without incident. Near the village of Shamshad in Oruzgan province, medics treated about 110 people. A team treated more than 130 Afghans in the Gereshk district of Helmand province.

In other recent operations in Afghanistan:

— Twelve suspected militants were detained during a coalition forces operation to disrupt Taliban operations in Helmand province April 12. Coalition forces searched in Garm Seer district targeting a known Taliban commander and weapons smuggler. During the course of their search, they detained 12 individuals with suspected links to the targeted Taliban commander and Taliban weapons-smuggling operations. Several small- caliber weapons and rocket-propelled grenades were also found and removed.

— Several insurgents on motorcycles were killed April 12 after they fired on forces in Zabul province.

— Afghan National Army and coalition forces discovered bomb-making materials while clearing a suspected insurgent compound in Khas Oruzgan, in Oruzgan province, April 12. Coalition forces called in an air strike to destroy the bomb-making compound after evacuating all civilians from the immediate area.

— Several insurgents were killed by Afghan National Army and coalition forces during a patrol April 10 near Aminah Kalay, in Zabul province. A group of insurgents tried to ambush the patrol.

(Compiled from Combined Joint Task Force 101 news releases.)

[Cindy]

http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2008/04/iraqi_us_troops_pres.php

“Iraqi, US troops press forward against the Mahdi Army in Baghdad, Basrah”
By BILL ROGGIO
(April 15, 2008 4:01 PM)

[Cindy]

http://www.fbi.gov/page2/april08/traveling_trunk041408.html

“LESSON IN TOLERANCE
Civil Rights Group Sponsors Traveling Exhibit”
04/14/08

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “A KKK robe. A mangled piece of the World Trade Center. A charred cross.

Ironically, these symbols of hate and intolerance are now being used to help teach acceptance and inclusiveness instead. They are part of the “Traveling Trunk,” an interactive exhibit sponsored by the East Tennessee Civil Rights Working Group, of which our Knoxville field office is a proud and active member.

The traveling exhibit is the brainchild of Gene Rosenberg, a member of the East Tennessee Civil Rights Working Group. Gene initially targeted middle school kids with the Trunk because he believes they’re at an age when they are susceptible to bullying others who are different. By letting students actually see and touch these items, Gene thought he could generate classroom discussions about the consequences of racial, religious, ethnic, and other kinds of persecution.”

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/cair/

#

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1999206/posts

“Coalition Challenging ‘Hate Radio’ Launches New Website”
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) ^ | 4/9/2008 | Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
Posted on April 9, 2008 3:30:45 PM PDT by mdittmar

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/iran
“http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/iraq

#

http://threatswatch.org/rapidrecon/2008/04/ayatollah-rising-iran-iraq-sad/

“Ayatollah Rising? Iran, Iraq, Sadr and Qom”

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “So what exactly is Iran’s plan for Muqtada al-Sadr? He has been effectively supplanted from any military command by the Iranians, and has been spending his time ‘in study’ in Qom, Iran. Here’s an interesting consideration for a long-range project for Iran: Ayatollah Al-Sadr?”

By Steve Schippert on April 15, 2008 at 2:10 PM

#

RECAP:

http://off-topic.internet-haganah.com/archives/001323.html

January 13, 2008
“HOT TIMES IN THE RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS OF QOM...”

[Cindy]

http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2008/April/08_nsd_299.html

“Physicist Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Violate the Arms Export Control Act

PRESS RELEASE SNIPPET: “KNOXVILLE, TENN. – On April15, 2008, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee, James R. Dedrick, and Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security, Patrick Rowan, announced that Daniel Max Sherman pled guilty to conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. Section 2778), in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371. Sherman, 37, formerly of Knoxville, currently resides in Littleton, Colorado. He is a physicist who formerly worked at Atmospheric Glow Technologies, Incorporated, a Knoxville-based technology company.

According to the information and plea agreement, between January 2004 and May 2006, Sherman, J. Reece Roth, a Professor Emeritus at The University of Tennessee, and Atmospheric Glow Technologies, Inc., engaged in a conspiracy to transmit export controlled technical data related to a restricted United States Air Force contract to develop plasma actuators for a munitions-type Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), or “drones,” to a foreign national from the People’s Republic of China. The Chinese national was a Graduate Research Assistant at the University of Tennessee. The University of Tennessee was victimized by the conspirators and cooperated throughout with the FBI led investigation.

According to United States Attorney James R. Dedrick, the violation caries a maximum possible penalty of five years imprisonment and a $250,000.00 fine. “A top priority of the Department of Justice and this District is protect our national security and to protect our technology from disclosure to foreign governments,” according to United States Attorney Dedrick.

“Knowingly disclosing restricted U.S. military data to foreign nationals represents a very real threat to our national security, particularly when we know that foreign governments are actively seeking this information for their military development,” said Patrick Rowan, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security.

These investigations were jointly conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and the Department of Commerce Office of Export Enforcement.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey Theodore and Will Mackie of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee.”

[Cindy]

(pdf)

http://newyork.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel08/identitytheft041408.pdf

“MAN ARRESTED IN THEFT OF IDENTITIES FROM NEW YORK
PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL; U.S. ATTORNEY PROVIDES
INFORMATION FOR VICTIM ASSISTANCE”

PRESS RELEASE SNIPPET: “MICHAEL J. GARCIA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, RONALD J. VERROCHIO, the
Inspector-in-Charge of the New York Office of the United States
Postal Inspection Service (”USPIS”), BRIAN G. PARR, the Special
Agent-in-Charge of the New York Office of the United States
Secret Service (”USSS”), and MARK J. MERSHON, the Assistant
Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau
of Investigation (”FBI”), announced the arrest late Friday of
former New York-Presbyterian Hospital employee DWIGHT McPHERSON
for his participation in a scheme to steal the identities of more
than 40,000 people, and then sell those stolen identities to
individuals seeking to commit fraud. According to the Complaint
filed in Manhattan federal court:”

(April 14, 2008)

[Cindy]

http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nj/press/

http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nj/press/press/files/pdffiles/john0411%20rel.pd
Greg Reinert, PAO 856-757-5233
Public Affairs Office 973-645-2888
Breaking News (NJ) http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nj/press/

Apr 11, 2008
“Philadelphia Man Sentenced to 120 Months in Federal
Prison for Robbing 13 Pharmacies of Drugs”
(More)

PRESS RELEASE SNIPPET: “CAMDEN – A Philadelphia man was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison today for robbing thirteen pharmacies in New Jersey and Philadelphia of controlled substances such as Oxycontin, Oxycodone, Endocet and Xanax, U.S. Attorneys Christopher J. Christie and Patrick L. Meehan announced.

U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler also ordered Jamil Johnson, 27, of Philadelphia, to pay $2,100 in restitution and to serve 5 years of supervised release. Johnson has been detained without bail since his arrest on Oct. 21, 2006.”

PRESS RELEASE SNIPPET: “In the District of New Jersey, Johnson and his co-defendants, Kurtis Brown, 42, of Waterford, and Shaaheen Muhammad, 24, a.k.a. “Abdul Aleem Muhammad,” of Somerdale, were originally indicted on Jan. 9, 2007. The Indictment describes a scheme in which the defendants conspired with each other to rob pharmacies of controlled substances for the purpose of selling the drugs for profit.”

[Cindy]

RECAP:

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/actions/20080319.shtml

Office of Foreign Assets Control
RECENT OFAC ACTIONS

Full List | Previous | Next

To view or print the PDF content on this page, download the free Adobe® Acrobat® Reader®.

03/19/2008

The following entities have been added to OFAC’s SDN list:

AL-SHABAAB (a.k.a. AL-SHABAAB AL-ISLAAM; a.k.a. AL-SHABAAB AL-ISLAMIYA; a.k.a. AL-SHABAAB AL-JIHAAD; a.k.a. AL-SHABAB; a.k.a. HARAKAT SHABAB AL-MUJAHIDIN; a.k.a. HISB’UL SHABAAB; a.k.a. HIZBUL SHABAAB; a.k.a. MUJAHIDEEN YOUTH MOVEMENT; a.k.a. MUJAHIDIN AL-SHABAAB MOVEMENT; a.k.a. MUJAHIDIN YOUTH MOVEMENT; a.k.a. “MYM”; a.k.a. “THE UNITY OF ISLAMIC YOUTH”; a.k.a. “THE YOUTH”; a.k.a. “YOUTH WING”), Somalia [FTO] [SDGT]

###

http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/FeaturedDocs/somaliashabaab0408.pdf

http://www.nefafoundation.org/multimedia-prop.html

#

http://counterterrorismblog.org/2008/04/alshabaab_welcomes_us_terror_d.php

“Al-Shabaab Welcomes U.S. Terror Designation, Threatens New Campaign of ‘Praiseworthy Terrorism’”
By Evan Kohlmann
April 15, 2008 11:24 AM

[Cindy]

Note: To read the complete report, please click on the link below.

ICC-CCS.ORG - THE WEEKLY PIRACY REPORT - REPORT SNIPPET - QUOTE:

http://www.icc-ccs.org/prc/piracyreport.php

Weekly Piracy Report
8-14 April 2008

The following is a summary of the daily reports broadcast by the IMB’s Piracy Reporting Centre to ships in Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean Regions on the SafetyNET service of Inmarsat-C from 8 to 14 April 2008.

ALERT

Chittagong anchorage, Bangladesh
The number of attacks has reduced since 2006. However, the area is still listed as a high risk area and mariners are advised to be cautious especially while approaching the anchorage and while at anchor at Chittagong

Nigeria
Violent attacks carried out by pirates on board vessels at anchor and vessel carrying out STS operations. Mariners are advised to exercise extreme caution in these waters.

Suspicious crafts

None reported
Recently reported incidents

06.04.2008: 2000 UTC: 05:17.7N – 004:43.03E: Nigeria.
An unlit speedboat approached a tanker from the stern. Alarm raised and SSAS alarm activated. The speedboat Fired warning shots from automatic weapons and left. No injuries to crew or any damage to ship suffered.

13.04.2008: 0205 LT: 03:13N – 105:26E, Off Pulau Mangkai, Indonesia
12 pirates, in a speedboat, armed with guns, swords and iron bars approached a bulk carrier underway. Master raised alarm, crew directed fire hoses and SSAS activated. Pirates boarded the ship and stole crew personal belongings, ship’s cash and property. After 50 minutes, they left the ship. No injuries to crew except minor bruises. Ships in vicinity alerted.

13.04.2008: 0355 LT: 03:16.18N - 105:26.68E, off Pulau Mangkai, Indonesia.
Pirates armed with long knives in a speedboat boarded a product tanker underway. They stole crew personal belongings and ship’s property and escaped. No injuries.

12.04.2008: 0511 UTC: 14:33.6N - 050:32.2E, Gulf of Aden.
Two suspicious crafts doing 17 knots approached a container ship underway. Master took evasive manoeuvres and increased speed to outrun the crafts. Both crafts had six to seven persons onboard. No weapons sighted. There were several other small boats in the vicinity; however, there was no indication that these boats were associated with the two suspect crafts.

09.04.2008: 1720 UTC: 13:57.5N – 051:13.1E: Gulf of Aden.
A general cargo ship, underway, noticed a target on the radar at a range of 6nm. When 4nm off, the boat switched off her lights altered course and headed towards the general cargo ship. As the ship altered course to increase the CPA, the suspicious boat kept altering course to get closer. The ship switched off its navigation and all other lights to take cover in the darkness. At a range of 2nm, the boat aborted. At a distance of 6nm the ship switched on it’s navigational lights and resumed her original course.

08.04.2008: 0247 LT: Dar es Salaam anchorage no. 6, Tanzania.
Anti piracy watchman sighted one robber near the boson store, on a container ship at anchor. On sighting the watchman, the robber jumped overboard and escaped in a waiting boat. Alarm raised. Investigations indicated duty watch keepers had abandoned their stations to look into a noise they had heard, allowing the robber to access the ship unnoticed. Ship’s stores were found stolen.

08.04.2008: 0700UTC: 14:30N-051:52E: Gulf of Aden.
Suspicious boats approached and circled a tanker underway three times in 20 minutes. At first, one boat circled the vessel. In the second and third instance, four boats circled the vessel. The master increased speed, took evasive manoeuvres and enforced effective measures to prevent suspicious boats from closing in.

07.04.2008: 0900 LT: 15:06N-052:55E: Gulf of Aden.
One fishing boat approached a vessel underway. The boats showed white flags and asked for food. Ship activated fire hoses. After 30 minutes, the boats left.

01.04.2008: 14:30N – 049:10E:75nm South of Mukalla port: Gulf of Aden.
Pirates armed with guns attacked and hijacked a fishing vessel and sailed into Somali territorial waters. The fishing vessel, along with its 34 crew was released when a military helicopter intervened.

31.03.2008: 12:10N-052:10E: Abd Al-Kuri Island, Gulf of Aden.
Pirates armed with guns attacked and boarded a fishing vessel. They shot and injured the master on his left shoulder, stole three zodiac boats and escaped into Somali waters.

[Cindy]

http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/fs/08/103392.htm

#

http://counterterrorismblog.org/2008/04/jimmy_carter_hamas.php

“Where Does America Draw the Line on Consorting with Terror Groups?”
By Jeffrey Imm
(April 15, 2008, 1:35 pm)

[Cindy]

Note: The following news brief is a quote:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3532328,00.html

Qassam rocket hits open area in western Negev; no injuries reported
Published: 04.15.08, 23:21 / Israel News

A Qassam rocket fired from the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday evening landed in an open area in the Sdot Negev Regional Council.

There were no reports of injuries or damage. (Shmulik Hadad)

[Cindy]

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1208246579533&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Post.com » Israel » Article

Apr 16, 2008 2:35
“Firebomb hurled at Jerusalem flat in mixed Israeli-Arab neighborhood”
By ETGAR LEFKOVITS

[Cindy]

Video also available here:

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/TV/Linux.aspx

#

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/125892

11 Nissan 5768, April 16, ‘08

Published: 04/14/08, 11:40 PM
“MDA Tests Underground Shelter”
by Maayana Miskin

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “(IsraelNN.com) Magen David Adom emergency workers tested out a new underground shelter in Haifa during a nationwide emergency response drill last week. The shelter, one of the most advanced in the country, can house dozens of emergency workers for two weeks in case of attack, allowing workers to continue to provide vital services.”

[Cindy]

http://www.officer.com/online/article.jsp?siteSection=8&id=41020
(AP)

“LAPD Looks to Uncover Terrorist Plots

Posted: Monday, April 14, 2008”
Updated: April 14th, 2008 01:05 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES

[Cindy]

Prayers going out for the injured officer and his family.

#

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=25&sid=1313891
(AP)

“Baltimore officer, suspect wounded in street shooting”
April 15, 2008 - 7:49pm

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “BALTIMORE (AP) - A Baltimore police officer and a suspect are in critical condition after a shooting in west Baltimore.

Police spokesman Sterling Clifford says that after two plainclothes officers from a gang unit pulled over a car about 2:15 p.m. today, a suspect got out, struggled with Officer Mark Spila (SPEE-lah), 25, and ran off. While he was being chased on foot, the suspect turned and fired at Spila, striking him in the upper part of one of his legs. Spila returned fire, and the suspect was shot several times.

Other police officers engaged a second suspect in a gun battle. Police are looking for that second suspect.”

[Cindy]

http://blutube.com

#

This evening’s STUCK ON STUPID award goes to this criminal:

http://blutube.com/Clip.aspx?key=D3BD874E537BC845