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More than 50 fighter aircraft, anti-aircraft missiles and guns and huge amounts of ammunition have been found buried and hidden at a base in western Iraq. The aircraft, many in good condition, included three Russian-made Mig 25s, one of the fastest fighters in the world. Some were buried, while others were concealed in buildings and under camouflage netting. The find by Australian forces represents as much as half of Iraqi air combat power, and came as a fourth Iraqi from America's "most-wanted" list was handed over to US special forces by Kurdish fighters. Australian Special Forces soldiers stand guard by...

When Is a School Shooting Not a “School Shooting”? Why Are the Gun-Grabbers Making Criminals Out to Be Innocent LAKEWAY, TEXAS, April 18, 2003-The Second Amendment Sisters (SAS) is appalled, but not surprised, that the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (formerly Handgun Control Inc. or HCI) would yet again use another instance of criminal violence to further their agenda against all law-abiding gun owners. The former HCI released their statements after a gang-related shooting occurred in a New Orleans high school. The former HCI totally ignores the fact that this was not a “school shooting”, but rather part of...

Australian special forces have uncovered a vast trove of weapons including much of the surviving Iraqi air force, munitions and nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) protective equipment on an Iraqi airbase west of Baghdad. Among the finds are 51 MiG jet fighters, mostly older MiG 21s but including three advanced MiG 25 Foxbats, plus armoured vehicles, anti-aircraft guns and a French-made Roland anti-aircraft missile system. It's not known how many of the aircraft remained in flying condition. Also found were bunkers capable of withstanding nuclear, chemical and biological attack plus training materials on weapons of mass destruction. Some 200 Australian...

SADDAM Hussein is holed up in a desert fortress with his generals preparing for a final bloody showdown, war commanders believe. US troops who swept into his home town of Tikrit were told by residents that Saddam was in the city four days ago. But he fled to the desert village of Al Hawijah with his family, aides and a personal army as Allied soldiers advanced on the city. The dictator left behind hundreds of Fedayeen paramilitaries to defend Tikrit and buy him some time — but they folded as US Marines moved in. Saddam has now turned Al Hawijah...

An Australian Special Air Service patrol apprehended a convoy of senior Iraqi military figures in western Iraq attempting to escape US retribution. Carrying $US600,000 ($1 million) in cash and letters saying "death to America", the 59 Iraqi military personnel were taken into custody on Friday. "This could be a very interesting find. There were members of the military heirarchy among them," said Lieutenant-Colonel Mark Elliott, the Australian military spokesman at coalition central command in Doha, Qatar. "We can't say if any of them are the 55 leading figures the Americans are putting on the deck of cards. Investigations are ongoing."...

SAS and MI6 teams were last night helping their US counterparts in the search for Saddam Hussein as US troops in Baghdad turned their attention from defeating his army to finding the leaders of his regime. Spy satellites, photo-reconnaissance aircraft, and Predator and Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles are scouring the area between Baghdad and Tikrit, the dictator's home town.Intercept operators are also scanning the airwaves for any sign of the encrypted communications equipment used by his lieutenants to communicate with other members of the Ba'ath party leadership.Those hunting for Saddam include a secret Pentagon unit known only as Gray...

SAS and MI6 teams were last night helping their US counterparts in the search for Saddam Hussein as US troops in Baghdad turned their attention from defeating his army to finding the leaders of his regime. Spy satellites, photo-reconnaissance aircraft, and Predator and Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles are scouring the area between Baghdad and Tikrit, the dictator's home town. Intercept operators are also scanning the airwaves for any sign of the encrypted communications equipment used by his lieutenants to communicate with other members of the Ba'ath party leadership. Those hunting for Saddam include a secret Pentagon unit known only...

Second Amendment Sisters, California Chapter, with Assemblywoman Sharon Runner and Senator Pete Knight, are sponsoring a Ladies' Handgun Seminar in Lancaster Saturday, May 10th. The class will be split into 2 groups - somewhat experienced shooters and those who have never shot before. Both groups will receive a firearms safety lesson and range time, and those who have never shot before will receive extra instuction in the operation of a handgun. See agenda below. Date: Saturday, May 10th - Time: 10-3 - Location: The Gun Shop - Address: 44633 Sierra Hwy, Lancaster - RSVP to (661) 723-3368 - Space is...

On a bridge into Basra, Olga Craig bumped into the SAS as it was gathering intelligence from Iraqis fleeing the mortar shells of Saddam's militia As a greeting, it was neither conventional nor civilised - but then neither were the circumstances. I was in retreat, he was advancing. It was 4pm one afternoon last week on the bridge into Basra, and Saddam Hussein's elite militia were sending a rain of mortar shells and rocket-propelled grenades from the city. In the smoke and the confusion and the deafening noise, I ran straight into him, my left arm colliding with his assault...

THE people of Iraq awoke to a newly named international airport yesterday after an audacious night assault by coalition forces wrested control of the civilian and military complex from Republican Guard units. After British SAS and US Delta Force special operations teams spent Thursday morning making covert reconnaissance patrols of the airport’s outer perimeter they pulled back in preparation for a fearsome dusk assault that could be clearly heard ten miles away in central Baghdad. The attack on Saddam International Airport began when tanks of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division punched through its outer wall, rumbling past a towering portrait...

Pacific Rim Bureau (CNSNews.com) - Australian special forces troops in western Iraq have played an "absolutely crucial" role in securing missile sites that could have been used to launch attacks on Israel, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Myers said Thursday. Speaking at a Pentagon briefing on Australia's contributions to the war effort, Myers said the Special Air Services (SAS) troops may be needed in western Iraq for some time. "It was critical to secure those Scud launch pads," he said. The firing of missiles at Jordan, Israel or Saudi Arabia would have "set...

AN SAS patrol which ran into trouble deep inside Iraq was dramatically rescued and flown to safety, it was revealed yesterday. There were fears the ten-man team had been slaughtered or captured after Arab TV station Al-Jazeera screened footage of Iraqis surrounding and driving a Land Rover in the town of Baaj. The channel reported Coalition troopers had been killed in a clash at nearby Mosul — but ran no pictures of bodies or captured British soldiers. Instead, it is believed the SAS men had abandoned their vehicles and flashed SOS messages to colleagues on their special-frequency radios. A Chinook...

Apr. 2, 2003 Brits round up suicide volunteers toting Syrian passports By DOUGLAS DAVIS LONDON Britain's elite SAS special forces are reported to have captured four busloads of suspected suicide bombers and would-be fighters in Iraq's western desert. A report in the London Times on Tuesday said the men came from various Arab countries but it noted that all were carrying Syrian passports. Syria is understood to have issued some 2,000 passports in recent weeks to people, including Palestinians, who are volunteering to fight for Saddam Hussein. Officials here are concerned that many may be prepared to conduct suicide missions...

THE SAS has arrested four busloads of suspected suicide bombers and would-be fighters in Iraq’s western desert. The men, who are being held as prisoners of war, came from various Arab countries but all carried Syrian passports. They are thought to be among thousands of Arab zealots making their way to the battle front. Syria has issued about 2,000 passports to people volunteering to fight for President Saddam Hussein in recent weeks, raising serious concerns in Britain and America, which suspects Damascus of smuggling war supplies to Iraq. The coalition is to protest to the Syrians. Syrian officials have made...

<p>March 31, 2003 -- HAVE faith in the American soldier. Have particular faith in our special operations forces, the shadow warriors who are the most effective fighting men in history.</p> <p>Over the weekend, special ops troops leading Kurdish freedom fighters overran a vast terrorist base near Iraq's border with Iran.</p>

AUSTRALIAN SAS troops will be targets of suicide bombers as Arab and Muslim anger is directed at Australia, a Middle East expert has warned. Amin Saikal, a professor of Middle East politics at the Australian National University, said Arabs and Muslims were out to target Australia for its perceived defence of Israel. He said it had been well publicised throughout the Middle East that Australia's SAS troops were operating in western Iraq. "If it is true that a number of ... suicide bombers have moved into Iraq you can expect these volunteers to focus very much on the forces which...

Australian SAS troops are in control of a major highway to Baghdad and are some of the closest coalition forces to the Iraqi capital, according to an American journalist fleeing the city. "They were clearly at the very front lines of reconnaissance and they were calm. There was no fear in any of their eyes," US correspondent Nate Thayer told Sky News. The elite soldiers were the first significant military force encountered by Thayer as he drove out of Baghdad, he said. Thayer's report is the first on the location of the SAS but he has promised them he will...

Sun 30 Mar 2003 US assassins 'kill Iraqi chiefs' in Baghdad IAN JOHNSTON ijohnston@scotlandonsunday.com AMERICAN special forces have assassinated several senior Iraqi officials in a series of bomb and sniper attacks in Baghdad and other cities, it was revealed yesterday. American government sources say that in the past week of covert operations "more than a handful" of Republican Guard commanders and Ba’ath Party officials have been killed. The ultimate aim of the undercover squads, according to sources, is to kill Saddam Hussein’s closest associates and even the Iraqi president himself. A source said at least some of the explosions seen...

The SAS in Iraq earlier this week. AN American journalist fleeing Baghdad says Australian special forces are as close as 80 km from the Iraqi capital. Forced from Baghdad early yesterday, independent journalist Nate Thayer said he had traveled less than an hour out of the capital when he came across the Australian SAS. "At first, we couldn't tell who was in control of the highway," he said in a report posted on slate.msn.com. "But less than 50 miles (80 kilometres) on, we ran into what looked like American forces. "We stopped the car and got out, waving white...

SAS troopers have seized a missile base and two key airfields, killing or capturing hundreds of Iraqi soldiers, some in hand-to-hand combat, according to well-placed military sources. The raids, mounted jointly with the Australian SAS, are among the biggest in the regiment’s history. They are helping the coalition to secure the “western front” — the area between Baghdad and the Jordanian border. The troops, using Land Rovers in which they can operate for weeks at a time, had identified the missile base from satellite imagery. After digging into the desert, an Australian SAS unit watched the base, 200 miles west...