Sunday, February 28, 2010

What Would Happen If Israel and Iran Fight A Nuclear War?


This piece comes from Family Security Matters. I really can't add anything to this somber article.



The Wasteland: Israel and Iran after Nuclear War


Credo quia absurdum. "I believe because it is absurd." Now, years after the international community first blathered vainly about Iranian intentions, Tehran marches unhindered to full and final nuclear weapons status.

Perhaps there will not be a nuclear war between Israel and Iran. Maybe, fortuitously, some system of stable mutual deterrence will evolve in time. Maybe, a kind of protracted "Cold War" will emerge to keep the peace.

Still, there is no reliable way to ascertain the probability of unique events, and an Iranian leadership that slouches enthusiastically toward apocalypse is not out of the question.

What would happen if Tehran were to launch a nuclear Jihad against Israel, whether as an atomic "bolt from the blue," or as a result of escalation – either deliberate or inadvertent?

Thirty years ago, I published the first of 10 books that contained authoritative descriptions of the physical and medical consequences of nuclear war, any nuclear war. These descriptions were drawn largely from a 1975 report by the National Academy of Sciences, and included the following still valid outcomes: large temperature changes; contamination of food and water; disease epidemics in crops, domesticated animals, and humans due to ionizing radiation; shortening of growing seasons; irreversible injuries to aquatic species; widespread and long-term cancers due to inhalation of plutonium particles; radiation-induced abnormalities in persons in utero at the time of detonations; a vast growth in the number of skin cancers, and increasing genetic disease.

Overwhelming health problems would afflict the survivors of any Iranian nuclear attack upon Israel. These difficulties would extend beyond prompt burn injuries. Retinal burns would even occur in the eyes of persons very far from the actual explosions.

Tens of thousands of Israelis would be crushed by collapsing buildings and torn to shreds by flying glass. Others would fall victim to raging firestorms. Fallout injuries would include whole-body radiation injury, produced by penetrating, hard gamma radiations; superficial radiation burns produced by soft radiations; and injuries produced by deposits of radioactive substances within the body.

After an Iranian nuclear attack, even a "small" one, those few medical facilities that might still exist in Israel would be taxed beyond capacity. Water supplies would become unusable. Housing and shelter could be unavailable for hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions, of survivors. Transportation would break down to rudimentary levels. Food shortages would be critical and long-term.

Israel's normally complex network of exchange systems would be shattered. Virtually everyone would be deprived of the most basic means of livelihood. Emergency police and fire services would be decimated. All systems dependent upon electrical power could stop functioning. Severe trauma would occasion widespread disorientation and psychiatric disorders for which there would be no therapeutic services.

Normal human society would cease. The pestilence of unrestrained murder and banditry could soon augment plague and epidemics. Many of the survivors would expect an increase in serious degenerative diseases. They would also expect premature death; impaired vision, and sterility. An increased incidence of leukemia and cancers of the lung, stomach, breast, ovary and uterine cervix would be unavoidable.

Extensive fallout would upset many delicately balanced relationships in nature. Israelis who survive the nuclear attack would still have to deal with enlarged insect populations. Like the locusts of biblical times, mushrooming insect hordes would spread from the radiation-damaged areas in which they arose.

Insects are generally more resistant to radiation than humans. This fact, coupled with the prevalence of unburied corpses, uncontrolled waste and untreated sewage, would generate tens of trillions of flies and mosquitoes. Breeding in the dead bodies, these insects would make it impossible to control typhus, malaria, dengue fever and encephalitis. Throughout Israel, tens or even hundreds of thousands of rotting human corpses would pose the largest health threat.

All of these same effects, possibly more expansive and destructive, would, reciprocally, be visited upon Iran by Israel. Immediate massive retaliation for Iranian aggression would be inevitable. In Iran, therefore, survivors would envy the dead. Here, the expected joys of "martyrdom" would fade quickly before death's other kingdom.

Waste and void. Darkness visible. No lilacs to breed out of the dead land, the cactus land. Before anything could be born in such an Iranian-created necropolis, a gravedigger would need to wield the forceps.

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U.S. Marines Say Marjah Is Cleared Of Taliban In Final Days Of Operation Moshtarak


Excellent news as the Marines and Afghan forces have declared that the final pocket of Taliban has been cleared in the city of Marjah as the result of Operation Moshtarak in Helmand province.

From the article posted over at ArmyTimes:


Marines and Afghan troops cleared the last major pocket of resistance in the former Taliban-ruled town of Marjah on Saturday — part of an offensive that is the run-up to a larger showdown this year in the most strategic part of Afghanistan’s dangerous south.
Although Marines say their work in Marjah isn’t over, Afghans are bracing for a bigger, more comprehensive assault in neighboring Kandahar province, the birthplace of the Taliban, where officials are talking to aid organizations about how to handle up to 10,000 people who could be displaced by fighting.
“I was in Kabul and we were talking that Kandahar will be next, but we don’t know when,” said Tooryalai Wesa, the governor of Kandahar. He’s begun working with international aid groups to make sure the next group of displaced Afghans have tents, water containers, medicine, food, blankets, lamps and stoves.
This operation has been a fairly long one considering the relatively small size of the city of Marjah but it has shown, once again, that when it comes to rooting out a city of nasty elements, like the Taliban, there is no force in the world like the U.S. Marine Corps (that's pronounced "core" , not "corPse"). And with this victory in hand, the idea of moving to Kandahar is a sound one, but there needs to be a warning here. The city of Kandahar dwarfs Marjah and it simply will take a much longer process to rid that city of the Taliban and al Qaeda elements.

I wanted to point out one other observation. Did you happen to notice as Operation Marjah was going on, how relatively quiet the Taliban was in Helmand province? I'm hoping that the U.S. military leadership will acknowledge that when we are on the offensive in Afghanistan, when we aren't worrying about civilian casualties, when we give our forces the green light to destroy the enemy...the enemy is neutered and runs like frightened children. It's my view that the Afghanistan effort needs to revolve around "moving" the Taliban - I envision it more like herding cattle out in a wide open prairieland - at times, the herders need to round up one or two stray cattle but eventually you see a funneling of the cattle towards the desired fenced in area. By moving the Taliban...by funnelling them...we can finally see opportunities where air support can execute strikes that will eliminate not just five or 10 or 20 Taliban jihadists but more in the neighborhood of 100, 200 or more at a time.

That is what is needed to break the back of the Taliban.



Marines say Taliban cleared from Marjah


MARJAH, Afghanistan — Marines and Afghan troops cleared the last major pocket of resistance in the former Taliban-ruled town of Marjah on Saturday — part of an offensive that is the run-up to a larger showdown this year in the most strategic part of Afghanistan’s dangerous south.

Although Marines say their work in Marjah isn’t over, Afghans are bracing for a bigger, more comprehensive assault in neighboring Kandahar province, the birthplace of the Taliban, where officials are talking to aid organizations about how to handle up to 10,000 people who could be displaced by fighting.

“I was in Kabul and we were talking that Kandahar will be next, but we don’t know when,” said Tooryalai Wesa, the governor of Kandahar. He’s begun working with international aid groups to make sure the next group of displaced Afghans have tents, water containers, medicine, food, blankets, lamps and stoves.

“Hopefully things will go smoothly, that people have learned lessons from the Marjah operation,” he said.

Shortages of food and medicine have been reported during the two-week Marjah operation. The international Red Cross evacuated dozens of sick and injured civilians to clinics outside the area. The U.N. says more than 3,700 families, or an estimated 22,000 people, from Marjah and surrounding areas have registered in Helmand’s capital of Lashkar Gah, 20 miles away.

Walid Akbar, a spokesman for the Afghan Red Crescent Society, said government aid was mostly received by those who made it to Lashkar Gah. Those stuck outside the city are getting little help, he said.

The Marjah offensive has been the war’s biggest combined operation since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion to topple the Taliban’s hard-line regime. It’s the first major test of NATO’s counterinsurgency strategy since President Obama ordered 30,000 more American troops to try to reverse Taliban gains.

The operation in Marjah is the tactical prelude to a bigger operation being planned for later in Kandahar, the largest city in the south, according to senior officials with the Obama administration. It was from in and around Kandahar that Taliban overlord Mullah Omar ruled Afghanistan before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Bringing security to Kandahar city is a chief goal of NATO operations, according to the officials, who spoke to reporters in Washington on Friday on condition of anonymity so they could discuss national security issues. If this year’s goal is to reverse the Taliban’s momentum and give Afghan government an opportunity to take control, then NATO-led forces have to get to Kandahar this year, one official said.

On Saturday, after a four-day march, Marines and Afghan troops who fought through the center of Marjah linked up with a U.S. Army Stryker battalion on the northern outskirts of the former Taliban stronghold.

“Basically, you can say that Marjah has been cleared,” said Capt. Joshua Winfrey, commander of Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines.

Lima Company’s more than 100 heavily armed Marines, along with nearly as many Afghan army soldiers, spent days advancing north, searching every compound for possible Taliban holdouts.

There were no Taliban in sight, and the Marines didn’t fire a shot during the final advance— except at a couple of Afghan guard dogs who threatened the unit.

The Marines hookup with the Army battalion means the operation is somewhere between the clear and hold phases, although suspected Taliban fighters remain on the western outskirts of town.

Marine spokesman Capt. Abe Sipe said that while armed resistance has “fallen off pretty dramatically” in the past four to five days, the combined forces expect to face intermittent attacks for at least two more weeks.

“We are not calling anything completely secure yet,” Sipe said.

Capt. Abdelhai Hujum, who spent two decades with various Afghan militias before joining the nascent Afghan National Army, said he suspected most of the local Taliban buried their guns and blended with the civilian population.

“They’re not stupid. I’d do the same if I saw a company of U.S. Marines coming my way,” said Hujum, commander of an Afghan unit.

“I can sense them all around us,” Hujum said Friday as squads of Afghan troops and some Marines stormed a mosque where a child had said eight insurgents were preparing an ambush. Villagers exhibited hostility. One threw a stone at a Marine waiting outside. Still, there wasn’t a single rifle or Taliban insurgent in sight.

On Saturday, Marine sniffer dogs and metal detectors found a cache of explosives and weapons as they finished clearing out a northern Marjah neighborhood. The cache, detonated by a bomb squad, contained over 80 pounds of homemade explosives, half a dozen rocket-propelled grenades, Chinese-made rockets, artillery rounds and other bomb-making materials.

“It made a pretty big boom,” said Staff Sgt. Paul Bui, 20, of El Monte, Calif.

Bui and other explosives experts said the cache was hidden in freshly upturned earth near a canal, appearing to confirm residents’ accounts that Taliban fighters had fled just a few days earlier.

Establishing a credible local government is a key component of NATO’s strategy for Marjah, a longtime Taliban logistical hub and heroin-smuggling center. Earlier in the week, the government installed a new administrator, and several hundred Afghan police have started patrolling newly cleared areas of Marjah and southern Helmand.

President Hamid Karzai’s spokesman, Waheed Omar, told The Associated Press on Saturday that success in Marjah would be measured by whether its people, who have lived for years under Taliban rule, eventually feel secure.

“The president was very clear before the operation that we have to convince the people of Marjah that we’ll bring them security, we’ll bring them good governance and life will be better for them than under the Taliban,” Omar said.

While the insurgents laid low in southern Afghanistan, the Taliban struck Friday in the capital of Kabul, killing at least 16 people in assaults on two small hotels in Kabul. Half the dead were foreigners. The attack served as a reminder that the insurgents still have the strength to launch attacks — even in the capital.

At least six of the victims were Indian citizens whose bodies were returned home Saturday on a military jet sent from New Delhi.

An Indian statement said Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was “outraged” at the attack. Karzai telephoned Singh on Saturday to express regret and promise his government would take extra security measures, the presidential office said.

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Saturday, February 27, 2010

Two-faced Democrats Who Crucified George Bush For the Patriot Act, Vote To Extend...The Patriot Act


We all heard it years ago...Democrat after Democrat standing up on the House or Senate floor to villify President George W. Bush for the civil liberty "horror" of the Patriot Act. They shook they fists, they had spittle coming out of their mouth, their faces were red....they held up the U.S. Constitution and decried Bush for violating it. And yesterday, those same Democrats, those same two-faced hypocritical Leftists, voted to extend the Patriot Act and sent it to be signed by Barack Hussein Obama.

Here's some of the story from Reuters:


On vote of 315-97, the House of Representatives approved the bill, a day after it cleared the Senate. It now heads to President Barack Obama to sign into law.
The Obama administration wanted to extend the measure because of provisions it says are important in tracking suspected terrorists, including roving wiretaps to track multiple communications devices. But some lawmakers wanted additional privacy measures to protect against abuses.
With the Patriot Act provisions set to expire on Sunday, lawmakers agreed to extend them for a year, and effectively put off a showdown on efforts to bolster safeguards.
Let's just take a look at what the Democrats in Congress were saying about the same Patriot Act back in 2003, from The Boston Globe:


Ten House Democrats, voicing concern that the government strike the right balance between individual rights and collective security, have asked for sweeping congressional hearings on how the Justice Department has made use of the Patriot Act and other antiterrorism powers.

"Critics representing a wide range of ideological perspectives have raised serious questions about how the Justice Department has used its legal tools, including the Patriot Act, to investigate individuals with no apparent link to terrorism," the lawmakers write. "At a time when the department is seeking additional powers in the name of fighting terrorism, we think the committee should review the impact of existing investigative authority and tactics on
innocent individuals and important political freedoms, including the rights to privacy and free speech."

You know, if a guy put together a list of "failed policies" of George W. Bush and then compared those to the ones that the Democrats, now in power, have decided to keep in tact it would be amazing. Leftists in America simply are liars. Pathological liars. When the rubber meets the road, these clowns have amazing powers of amnesia. They continue to this day to villify the conduct of Conservatives who were in power and then proceed to act in the same manner...time after time. How in the sam hell does the Democrat party hold on to their base throughout this?

Well, the answer to that last question is easy. Leftists really don't care about policy or rights or issues - they have no real stance on the technicalities of governing...all they care about is power and oppression. In other words, as long as the Left can wield the power of the majority, anything goes.

Oh, and let me try to explain Bush vs. Obama on the Patriot Act and just why Barack Hussein Obama WANTS the Patriot Act extended. George W. Bush sincerely saw the Patriot Act as a way to curtail terrorist activity inside of America by radical islamic terrorists. Conversely, Barack Hussein Obama sees the Patriot Act as a valuable tool to be used against American patriots who, at some point in time, may find it necessary to challenge the legitimacy of Obama's Marxist takeover of America. That's the difference. And a big difference, no?



Congress extends Patriot Act, no new protections

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Legislation to extend expiring provisions of the anti-terror USA Patriot Act won final congressional approval on Thursday, with Democrats unable to add additional civil liberties protections.

On vote of 315-97, the House of Representatives approved the bill, a day after it cleared the Senate. It now heads to President Barack Obama to sign into law.
The Obama administration wanted to extend the measure because of provisions it says are important in tracking suspected terrorists, including roving wiretaps to track multiple communications devices. But some lawmakers wanted additional privacy measures to protect against abuses.
With the Patriot Act provisions set to expire on Sunday, lawmakers agreed to extend them for a year, and effectively put off a showdown on efforts to bolster safeguards.
Democrats had sought changes to protect law-abiding U.S. citizens, but Republicans managed to tie up their efforts, arguing that changes would undermine the tracking of suspected enemies of the United States.

Democratic Representative Jane Harman opposed the extension, citing abuses of the law during the administration of President George W. Bush.
"While I strongly support using the most robust tools possible to go after terrorists, Congress must revise and narrow -- not extend -- Bush era policies," Harman said.
The Patriot Act was quickly passed by Congress after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
The extended provisions include: authority for "roving wiretaps" to track an individual's use of multiple communications devices; gaining access to certain personal and business records; and tracking so-called "lone wolf" suspects who are not members of an organized enemy group.
The provisions have been cited as necessary by lawmakers in the aftermath of the failed attempt by a Nigerian man to blow up a U.S. commercial passenger jet and the shooting rampage at Fort Hood in Texas by a military psychiatrist who had been communicating with an anti-American cleric in Yemen.

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Ahead of Operation Moshtarak, 20 Taliban Get Blown Up By Their Own IED's


What I wouldn't give for some video of this, but according to sources, as the Taliban raced to get as many IED's placed ahead of the push by American and NATO forces in Operation Moshtarak in Helmand province, upwards of 20 Taliban were blown to bits by their own IED's.

From the article at The Sun:


TALIBAN killers have blown themselves up laying booby-trap bombs, we can reveal.
Up to 20 are thought to have died planting Improvised Explosive Devices.
They were racing to plant the IEDs before the Allied offensive Operation Moshtarak. The triggers on the IEDs have become so sensitive the terrorists are accidentally detonating them as they hide them.

"We have evidence a significant number of Taliban have been killed in this way.
"The IED does not discriminate. It wreaks carnage."

I can't help but laugh at what this must have been like....."Hurry! Hurry! The Marines will be here any minute....dig that one end down deeper Haji! NOOOO! The other......(BOOM!)"

Unfortunately it wasn't 200 Taliban that got it this way but at the same time, we've seen plenty of the ragheaded runners get theirs in Operation Moshtarak.

(Hat Tip: Furry)



Taliban blown up by own


TALIBAN killers have blown themselves up laying booby-trap bombs, we can reveal.
Up to 20 are thought to have died planting Improvised Explosive Devices.

They were racing to plant the IEDs before the Allied offensive Operation Moshtarak. The triggers on the IEDs have become so sensitive the terrorists are accidentally detonating them as they hide them.

Last night a highly-placed source said: "The Taliban know only too well how effective the IED has proved to be.

"It is designed to take out our lads at even the slightest touch but this has backfired on Taliban blown up by the sophistication of their bombs.

"We have evidence a significant number of Taliban have been killed in this way.
"The IED does not discriminate. It wreaks carnage."

It is believed around half the 265 British fatalities suffered in Afghanistan were caused by roadside IEDs. Meanwhile the MoD confirmed the deaths of two British servicemen, one by IED. The airman from 2 Squadron, Royal Air Force Regiment, was patrolling in Kandahar. A soldier from A Company, 4th Battalion The Rifles was killed by small arms fire near Sangin.

TOP Taliban commander Abdul Kabir, who ran operations in eastern Afghanistan, has been captured in Pakistan.

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Friday, February 26, 2010

Pakistani High Court Buys The Plea Of An Al Qaeda-linked Lawyer To Stop Extradition of Taliban's Baradar and 4 Other Taliban Commanders


This really sucks, folks. Big time. The mamsy, pamsy courts of Pakistan strike again as top Taliban prize, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, and four other senior Taliban commanders were stopped from being extradited to Afghanistan to face charges for their part in the War in Afghanistan - a slick, al Qaeda backing lawyer's plea to the court to stop the extradition was upheld.

Here's some of the details from The Long War Journal:



The Lahore High Court blocked the transfer of Baradar and the four senior Afghan Taliban leaders after receiving a petition from Khalid Khawaja, a self-described humans rights activist with deep ties to the Taliban, al Qaeda, and a host of terrorists groups operating on Pakistani soil. Khawaja is a former Squadron Commander in the Pakistani Air Force who fought alongside al Qaeda and reportedly Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan in the 1980s. He has also been linked to the murder of Wall Street Journal Daniel Pearl.

In his petition to the Lahore High Court, Khawaja said the "the detention of the six [sic] persons mentioned above is without lawful authority, in an unlawful manner and of no legal effect."

The Lahore High Court has ruled in the favor of terror groups in the past. In June of 2009, the court ordered Hafiz Saeed, the leader of the Lashkar-e-Taiba and its successor front group Jamaat-ud-Dawa, to be released from house arrest. In October 2009, the court said the government has no legal standing to place Jamaat-ud-Dawa on the list of banned terror groups and dismissed charges against Saeed.
So, what this basically amounts to is this terrorist lawyer is arguing that the Taliban jihadis captured in a joint Pakistani/American operation actually have diplomatic immunity while in Pakistan - this fucking putz actually thinks that the Taliban are still governing Afghanistan and unbelievably, the courts believed it or at least allowed it.

But, before we cast too many stones...let's consider if Khalid Sheikh Muhammed were to indeed be tried in New York City in a civilian trial - and consider the judge in that case ...I would be willing to BET you that there are dozens of liberal judges in this land that would do everything possible to see that KSM was released. These courts in Pakistan are infiltrated with dozens of terror apologists and supporters and no where is that more evident than in this ruling.

After one of the biggest captures in the war on terror in five years, all of the work...all of the planning...all of the risk is shot out the window because of some asswipe judge in a black robe whose nephew is an islamic radical. Spit.



Pakistani court blocks transfer of Mullah Baradar and four senior Taliban leaders to Afghanistan

One of Pakistan's top courts has blocked the extradition of five senior Afghan Taliban commanders to Afghanistan, the United States, or any other country.

The Lahore High Court has prohibited the Pakistani government from transferring Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Afghan Taliban's second in command, and four other members of the Quetta Shura to foreign custody after receiving a petition from a lawyer with known links to the Taliban and al Qaeda.

Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency, aided by the CIA, detained Mullah Baradar, Maulvi Abdul Kabir, the leader of the Peshawar Regional Military Shura, Mullah Abdul Salam, the shadow governor of Kunduz, and Mullah Mir Mohammed, the shadow governor of Baghlan province, and Mohammed Younis, the former shadow governor of Zabul province, during raids throughout the country over the past two months.

The Lahore High Court blocked the transfer of Baradar and the four senior Afghan Taliban leaders after receiving a petition from Khalid Khawaja, a self-described humans rights activist with deep ties to the Taliban, al Qaeda, and a host of terrorists groups operating on Pakistani soil. Khawaja is a former Squadron Commander in the Pakistani Air Force who fought alongside al Qaeda and reportedly Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan in the 1980s. He has also been linked to the murder of Wall Street Journal Daniel Pearl.

In his petition to the Lahore High Court, Khawaja said the "the detention of the six [sic] persons mentioned above is without lawful authority, in an unlawful manner and of no legal effect." [See Threat Matrix report, "Khawaja's petition blocks extradition of Mullah Baradar" for the full text of his petition to the Lahore High Court]

Khawaja also stated that Bahadar and his deputies are "are presumed to be innocent" and that they represent the legitimate governemnt of Afghanistan.

"[T]hey being party in the Taliban Government and having some governing position in the Government may not be considered to be offenders," Khawaja's petition read.

Khawaja also launched into conspiracy theories over the US' desire to "to rule over the whole world" and "overcome Muslims."

The Lahore High Court has ruled in the favor of terror groups in the past. In June of 2009, the court ordered Hafiz Saeed, the leader of the Lashkar-e-Taiba and its successor front group Jamaat-ud-Dawa, to be released from house arrest. In October 2009, the court said the government has no legal standing to place Jamaat-ud-Dawa on the list of banned terror groups and dismissed charges against Saeed.

Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jamaat-ud-Dawa , and Saeed have been directly implicated by the US and India in carrying out the November 2009 terror assault in Mumbai, Inida. More than 170 people killed as the Lashkar-e-Taiba assault teams were able to shut down the city for more than 60 hours.

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Taliban Suicide Bomber Teams Hit Kabul, Target Indian Nationals, 17 Killed


Teams of Taliban suicide bombers hit Afghanistan's capital of Kabul today and the aftermath saw a total of 17 killed including 5 Indian nationals and two Kabul policemen.

From the article at The Long War Journal:


A Taliban suicide assault team struck in the heart of a Afghanistan's capital, killing 17 people.
Several suicide bombers begun their attack in the early morning at a guesthouse used by Indian Nationals that is located close to the Kabul City Center, a shopping mall, and the Safi Landmark hotel.
One of the suicide bombers is said to have detonated outside of a guesthouse used by Indian nationals, which is thought to be the main target of the attack. Five Indian nationals are among those confirmed to have been killed, Quqnoos reported.
Another suicide bomber detonated outside the Safi Landmark. The building was damaged in the attack. Other members of the suicide assault team then entered the shopping center and were engaged by Afghan police. Fighting was reported for more than two hours after the attack began. Two Afghan policemen were killed in the gunfight.
The Taliban took credit for the attack.

Two things to mention about these attacks - first. it's no coincidence that these suicide bomb attacks took place at the very time that the U.S. and NATO has the big operation going on in Marjah. The Taliban want to show the world that they can hit anywhere in Afghanistan and even in what should be the safest place in the country. And secondly, the Taliban are obviously trying to lure India into some sort of response inside of Afghanistan. This is not the first targeting of Indians in Kabul and not the first case of Indian nationals being killed by the Taliban.

It's all a bit too familiar in that the Taliban seem to be mimicking the efforts of al Qaeda in Iraq which tried to lure Shias and Sunnis into a bloody civil war...well, here in Afghanistan, the Taliban would love to see forces of India get engaged in the Afghan War which would then draw Pakistan into the mix and perhaps cause the Taliban in Pakistan to come off the most wanted list there.

But at the same time, do the Taliban REALLY want India in this thing? One thing is for sure, I doubt that India would install the kind of ROE that are currently in place for U.S. and NATO forces and with the world's second largest army, India might just have enough troops to simply flood the Taliban out of the country.



Suicide assault teams target foreigners in Afghan capital


A Taliban suicide assault team struck in the heart of a Afghanistan's capital, killing 17 people.

Several suicide bombers begun their attack in the early morning at a guesthouse used by Indian Nationals that is located close to the Kabul City Center, a shopping mall, and the Safi Landmark hotel.

One of the suicide bombers is said to have detonated outside of a guesthouse used by Indian nationals, which is thought to be the main target of the attack. Five Indian nationals are among those confirmed to have been killed, Quqnoos reported.

Another suicide bomber detonated outside the Safi Landmark. The building was damaged in the attack. Other members of the suicide assault team then entered the shopping center and were engaged by Afghan police. Fighting was reported for more than two hours after the attack began. Two Afghan policemen were killed in the gunfight.

The Taliban took credit for the attack.

Today's attack closely follows the pattern of a series of Taliban and Haqqani network strikes in Afghanistan's cities since January 2008. The Taliban have been targeting ministry buildings, security installations, the Indian Embassy, hotels, guesthouses, and shopping centers.

The last such attack, on Jan. 18, took place at a central square where the presidential palace, the Justice Ministry, and the Central Bank are located. Fighting spread to the Serena Hotel, the Grand Afghan shopping center, and a movie theater. Seven Taliban fighters, three soldiers, and two civilians were killed in the fighting.

Another attack, on Oct. 24, 2009, targeted a UN guesthouse in Kabul. The assault team killed five foreign UN workers and three Afghans before Afghan police killed the attackers.

Similar attacks have taken place in Pakistan's major cities, as well as in Mumbai, India. The Mumbai attack was the most deadly, with more than 170 people killed as the Lashkar-e-Taiba assault teams were able to shut down the city for more than 60 hours.

Today's terror assault took place as India and Pakistan conducted the first high-level talks since the Mumbai assault, which was carried out by the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba. India has insisted that Pakistan rein in terrorist groups operating on its soil. Pakistan

"We have suffered many, many hundreds of Mumbais," Pakistani Foreign Minister Salman Bashir said after the meeting. "We have lost a great number of civilians. Pakistan does not believe that India should lecture us and demand Pakistan does this or that. That is not how inter-state relations are conducted."

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Thursday, February 25, 2010

CAIR In Washington State Unveils Plan To Infiltrate State Prisons With Muslim "Volunteers"


The islamic terrorists at CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) is making a bold move to recruit muslims in the state prison network of Washington state as they have announced over the internet a need for muslim volunteers to "assist" inmates. Yeah right.

Here's some of the story that comes from The Investigative Project on Terrorism:


The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) chapter in Washington State is seeking religious Muslim volunteers to work with state prison inmates. That has veteran corrections official Patrick Dunleavy concerned that the program could result in the radicalization of prisoners and create security problems.

Syed Arsalan Bukhari, executive director of the Washington CAIR chapter, issued an Internet call last week saying that "Muslim volunteers" are "direly needed in the 20 or so state institutions across our state to lead study/discussion/halaqah sessions for inmates, lead prayers and just generally insure that inmates are receiving the services they need."

When asked, a spokesman reacted dismissively to Dunleavy's concerns and expressed surprise over questions about CAIR's role in recruiting. "We're not going to check whether somebody is a member of an Islamist group," said Chad Lewis, a spokesman for the state Department of Corrections (DOC). "We're not going to check whether somebody is a member of Hamas or Hizballah…or Al Qaeda," he said. Corrections officials are much more worried about gang violence, he added.
I don't think that there really needs to be much help in recruiting of islamic terrorists in America's prisons as we have already seen that reach chronic levels but the audacity of CAIR to do this after all of the scrutiny they have come under from the FBI as well as the nation's prosecutors shows the arrogance of CAIR.

I'll make the point simply. Allowing a CAIR volunteer to go into a state prison and lead in prayers is no different than allowing an al Qaeda-linked imam into that same prison.

There was a time about six to nine months ago where the thugs at CAIR appeared to be on a bit of a shaky ground but they have weathered that, apparently and now it appears they are back to their old strategy of forcing their islamist views on American society - whether it's in the open or behind the concrete walls of a prison.



CAIR Targets Washington State Prisons


The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) chapter in Washington State is seeking religious Muslim volunteers to work with state prison inmates. That has veteran corrections official Patrick Dunleavy concerned that the program could result in the radicalization of prisoners and create security problems.

It's not the presence of Muslim volunteers, but the track record of the people and organization involved.

Syed Arsalan Bukhari, executive director of the Washington CAIR chapter, issued an Internet call last week saying that "Muslim volunteers" are "direly needed in the 20 or so state institutions across our state to lead study/discussion/halaqah sessions for inmates, lead prayers and just generally insure that inmates are receiving the services they need."

CAIR's ties to Hamas and its chronic support for alleged terrorists and their financiers might give corrections officials pause about the wisdom of such a relationship with the organization. Those ties appear to be the focus of a federal grand jury investigation in Washington, D.C. Bukhari's own statements might add to that concern:

In December 2009, the Seattle Weekly reported that Bukhari was discouraging Seattle-area Muslims from cooperating with the FBI's efforts to investigate Al-Shabaab terrorist recruitment. "There's nothing to gain from talking to law enforcement," he said. "I can't emphasize enough…you have the right to remain silent, so use it."
In May 2009, Bukhari objected to a racial awareness program produced by the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, claiming the group has "an anti-Muslim agenda." Bukhari and CAIR said the Wiesenthal Center should be disqualified from training Seattle police because of the organization's role in producing "Ever Again," a film on anti-Semitism and European Jihadists.
At a CAIR-Washington January 24, 2009 banquet, Bukhari refused to condemn terrorism:
"How many of you are asked, 'why don't you condemn, I won't use the 'T' word. I call it 'political violence.' I assure you that every Muslim organization has condemned 'political violence.'"

In May 2008, Bukhari and other CAIR officials met with the chief of the Port of Seattle to express their concerns about a course entitled "The Threat of Islamic Jihadists to the World," conducted by Security Solutions International. They complained that the course, which claimed to be based on "Israeli experience" fighting terrorism, would "promote stereotypes and religious and ethnic profiling."
Such statements set off alarm bells with Dunleavy, who spent 26 years working in New York State's Department of Correctional Services. In that role, he witnessed first-hand the radicalization of inmates. Radical Islamists like Warith Deen Umar were placed in charge of hiring prison imams, and terrorists like Rashid Baz and El Sayyid Nosair were given privileged positions as Muslim religious leaders. Dunleavy, who served as Deputy Inspector General of the New York State Department of Corrections, was part of a special investigation called Operation Hades that monitored radical Islamist recruitment inside prisons.

Dunleavy (who now lives in Washington State) said he has two major problems with the regulations instituted by the Washington Department of Corrections: As written they contain inadequate vetting procedures for volunteers and insufficient security safeguards, and the role of CAIR in the state program.

In New York, corrections officials have been fighting a difficult uphill battle to maintain security and prevent radicalization of Muslim inmates for close to 30 years. Essential to this effort are limits on the ability of volunteers to interact with inmates, he said.

As a result, volunteers are barred from being on an inmate's visitor list and may not correspond with an offender. They are also prohibited from accepting telephone calls from inmates or allowing a released offender to live in their homes. But the Washington State regulations, Dunleavy pointed out, expressly permit volunteers to engage in these activities.

These restrictions (which apply to correctional officers in Washington and virtually every state) are necessary "for the protection of the volunteer, the inmate and the facility," Dunleavy told the Investigative Project on Terrorism.

"Inmates are always looking for a way around the rules," he added. If an inmate is able to say, "Take a letter for me; make a phone call for me" and a sympathetic volunteer complies, "that raises significant security problems." A volunteer could easily find himself or herself "bringing a package to an inmate not knowing if there are drugs, guns or other contraband in there."

The FBI has cut off communication and cooperation with CAIR that doesn't involve a criminal investigation amid mounting concern about the organization's roots in a Hamas terror-support network. The decision to end contacts with CAIR was quietly made during the summer of 2008 as federal prosecutors prepared to retry the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, an Islamic charity whose senior officials were convicted of providing money to Hamas and sentenced to long prison terms.

CAIR and its recently retired chairman emeritus, Omar Ahmad, were named unindicted co-conspirators in the HLF case. Both Ahmad and CAIR's current executive director, Nihad Awad, were revealed as having been active participants in Hamas-related meetings in the United States. But Washington State prison officials have given no indication thus far that CAIR's questionable record will disqualify it from sending volunteers into state prisons.

When asked, a spokesman reacted dismissively to Dunleavy's concerns and expressed surprise over questions about CAIR's role in recruiting. "We're not going to check whether somebody is a member of an Islamist group," said Chad Lewis, a spokesman for the state Department of Corrections (DOC). "We're not going to check whether somebody is a member of Hamas or Hizballah…or Al Qaeda," he said. Corrections officials are much more worried about gang violence, he added.

It's not clear what background checks Washington officials will run on the prospective volunteers. Former New York Police Department Deputy Chief John Cutter said that Washington State's regulations allow "applicants with a past felony or gross misdemeanor conviction" to participate in the prison volunteer program and allow former convicts to participate so long as they had been out of prison for a year.

"So they are saying that if you killed someone or committed another violent crime two years ago" you are eligible to participate, said Cutter, who worked closely with New York corrections officials in their efforts to stop Islamist radicalization. A better approach would be to say "if you have any history of violence, you cannot participate in the volunteer program."

Dunleavy noted that in 2004, the Justice Department's Inspector General issued a report urging the U.S. Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to take steps to bolster its defenses against Islamist radicalism. The report recommended that the BOP take steps to examine "religious volunteers' doctrinal beliefs to screen out anyone who poses a threat to security" and ensure that volunteers do not endorse violence "or support terrorism or other anti-U.S. activities." New York and many other states responded by strengthening their rules to bar religious extremists from prison volunteer programs. The Washington State regulations, by contrast, appear to "negate" efforts to keep radicals out, he said.

Cutter, who formerly ran NYPD's criminal intelligence section, believes DOC officials misunderstand the main danger posed by Islamist radicals volunteering in prisons: that they will use their access to radicalize inmates.

To some extent prison officials welcome the presence of radical Islamist organizations because "they keep a great deal of control of their people" when they're behind bars, he said. Muslim radicals usually don't want violence in prisons because "they understand the larger picture. This is a place to build something." The violent Islamist, Cutter said, "has a longer-term goal - recruiting a new generation of radicals."

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Holger Asks Why #17: Obama's Transparency


Holger Asks Why...




Why is it that when Obama wants to portray the Republicans in Congress as the party of "NO", he insists that negotiations be televised on CSPAN, yet when he wants his Congressional Democrats to force through HIS healthcare bill, not a single television camera is allowed?







----

Ahmadinejad and Assad Reconfirm Their Alliance, Tell U.S. To Pack Up and Leave Middle East


Iranian President Ahmadinejad, with his terrorist forces in place in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza, is calling for the U.S. to stop interfering in the Middle East and to pack up and leave the region. You know, it's a little bit like a guy in your neighborhood who throws his wife around criticizing you because you aren't showing your wife enough attention. But hey, no one has ever been able to sift through the jibber jabber of the Iranians and still remain sane.

Iran's Ahmadinejad and Syria's Assad have spent the last few days doing a lot of making up and giving group hugs as Assad continues to play both sides of the fence. From the article at Breitbart:


Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Syrian counterpart, Bashar Assad, reaffirmed their ties by canceling visa restrictions between the countries and vowing cooperation.

"(The Americans) want to dominate the region but they feel Iran and Syria are preventing that," Ahmadinejad said during a news conference with Assad. "We tell them that instead of interfering in the region's affairs, to pack their things and leave."

On Thursday, Assad signaled his strong support for Iran, saying America's stance toward the country "is a new situation of colonialism in the region."
Still, Assad could be open to a breakthrough with the Americans. He is hoping for U.S. help in boosting a weak economy and for American mediation in direct peace talks with Israel—a recognition that he needs American involvement to achieve his top goal of winning the return of the Golan Heights, seized by Israel in the 1967 Mideast War.
Those last two statements show how two-faced Assad of Syria really is - at least with Ahmadinejad you get consistency...he hates American 24/7 while Assad is much more like a Washington politician - he simply tells everyone on every side exactly what he thinks they want to hear. When Assad feels the pressure from the U.S. or western Europe, he puts on this mask of reconcilliation, but the next week when Ahmadinejad visits him, he shakes his fist at the West and calls them bastards.

It's high time that America simply calls out Assad and forces him to choose his final alliance - will he choose to side with the West to heal the Middle East or will he choose to submit to Iran. Pick one asshole, be a man, grow a pair.



Iran: US should stay out of Mideast affairs

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) - The United States should pack up and leave the Middle East and stay out of regional affairs, Iran's president said Thursday during a visit to Damascus that follows a string of U.S. efforts to break up Syria's 30-year alliance with Tehran.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Syrian counterpart, Bashar Assad, reaffirmed their ties by canceling visa restrictions between the countries and vowing cooperation.


"(The Americans) want to dominate the region but they feel Iran and Syria are preventing that," Ahmadinejad said during a news conference with Assad. "We tell them that instead of interfering in the region's affairs, to pack their things and leave."

A string of high-profile visits to Damascus in recent months—from the U.S., France, and now Iran—shows Syria's strategic importance in the Middle East.

U.S. President Barack Obama is determined to engage with Syria, a country seen as key to peace in the region but which the State Department has long considered a state sponsor of terrorism. America's goals include peeling Syria away from Iran.

Ahmadinejad's trip comes amid rising U.S. tension with Tehran over the country's nuclear program. The U.S. and others believe Iran is hiding nuclear weapons development under the guise of a civilian energy program. Iran insists that its intentions are peaceful.

On Thursday, Assad signaled his strong support for Iran, saying America's stance toward the country "is a new situation of colonialism in the region."

Still, Assad could be open to a breakthrough with the Americans. He is hoping for U.S. help in boosting a weak economy and for American mediation in direct peace talks with Israel—a recognition that he needs American involvement to achieve his top goal of winning the return of the Golan Heights, seized by Israel in the 1967 Mideast War.

But Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Wednesday that the recent decision to send the first U.S. ambassador to Syria in five years does not mean American concerns about the country have been addressed.

Speaking to lawmakers, Clinton said the nomination of career diplomat Robert Ford is a sign of a "slight opening" with Syria. But she said Washington remains troubled by suspected Syrian support for militant groups in Iraq and elsewhere, interference in Lebanon and Syria's close relationship with Iran.

Asked Thursday about Clinton's remarks, Assad said the U.S. cannot dictate Syria's policies. "We are the ones who decide how matters will go and we know our interests," he said.

Former President George W. Bush withdrew the last U.S. ambassador to Syria in 2005 to protest its actions in Lebanon after the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, which his supporters blamed on Syria.

Washington also has retained its sanctions on Damascus. The sanctions were first imposed by Bush and renewed by Obama in May.

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Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Inside Information On Global Islamic Terror Including A Warning Of Bigger Attacks Than 9/11


Now, I don't know much about this clown that was interviewed over in Britain but most of his observations do seem pretty on target and the picture he paints of the future of the West and the islamic terrorists of the world is a pretty dark one. I guess a terrorist is going to know what is going down in the world of terror.

All of this comes at a time when you can just FEEL the Left in America trying to sweep terror under the rug and have us all bury our heads in the sand (note, you won't be able to bury your head in the sand after you are beheaded by islamists...just a reminder).

Anyway, have a look at what this guy has to say, from the article at Family Security Matters:



Global Terrorist Gives Terror Warning to America


The first things you notice as you approach Saad al-Faqih's home are the CCTV signs. There are several of them posted around his London property as a warning to potential intruders that their every move is being monitored by security cameras. And for good reason. Shortly after my cameraman, Ian, and I arrived at al-Faqih's residence on a recent Sunday afternoon, he informed us that we had just missed a visit by British authorities. "They were here to warn me about an assassination plot being hatched against me by the Saudis," he said. My initial reaction to that news was that I would definitely not be sitting near the window during our interview.

But I can't say I was surprised by al-Faqih's admission. I had come to London to interview men the U.S. government considers extremely dangerous; Islamist ideologues with intimate knowledge of al Qaeda's inner workings. And according to intelligence sources, al-Faqih surely fits that bill.

A former medical surgeon, Al-Faqih now makes a living as one of the world's most vociferous enemies of the Saudi regime. He wants to see the Saudi royal family removed from power (by peaceful means, he says) and replaced with an even more extreme Islamic government than the Saudi Wahhabis currently operate. The Saudis, naturally, do not like this, and have been pressuring Great Britain for years to deport al-Faqih back to Saudi Arabia to stand trial. But the Brits, as I explained in my recent CBN News report and in an appearance with Sean Hannity on Fox News, refuse to extradite al-Faqih and other wanted Islamic terrorists back to their home countries over human rights concerns. Basically, they fear the Saudis will torture al-Faqih and the others, most of whom gained asylum in the UK during the 1980s and ‘90s and now walk the streets of London and other cities as free men.

Al-Faqih has built up a dubious reputation during his time in Britain. He was designated by the United States and UN as a global terrorist in 2004for his links to al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. Among the charges against him is that he paid for a satellite phone that was later used by bin Laden to help carry out the 1998 Africa Embassy bombings. Here's more on that, from PBS's Frontline:

Saad says he's never met bin Laden, but he is connected somehow. For one, the satellite telephone that bin Laden allegedly used to plan the Nairobi and Dar es Salaam bombings was purchased from a merchant in Columbus, Ohio, on Saad's own credit card.

An intelligence source with intimate knowledge of the U.S. government's case against al-Faqih told me recently that the Saudi exile is "bad with a capital B" and confirmed his direct links to al Qaeda.

So as al-Faqih poured Arab tea for us in his sparsely decorated living room, I didn't know quite what to expect. Would he be the firebrand who calls for the Saudi regime's demise and fiercely criticizes America and Israel? Or would he play it closer to the vest, so to speak, and assume the "anaylst's role" that he often takes on in the British media? In the end, we got a little bit of both.

Al-Faqih made clear from the outset that he did not want to appear on camera and was highly suspicious of CBN's Christian orientation. But he got over his initial misgivings quickly enough and in a wide ranging, hour-plus interview, went on to answer my questions about a variety of topics. Here are some of the most intriguing observations I took from our interview:

Al Qaeda "Can Never Collapse"

Al-Faqih told me al Qaeda's structure "can never collapse." He says it consists of three circles. Inside the first circle is what he calls "the real al Qaeda team who have given homage to Osama bin Laden or other leaders." Inside the second circle are those who have trained with al Qaeda but have not formally been accepted into the group. The third, and largest circle, according to al-Faqih, is made up of Muslims who are ready to join al Qaeda and are looking for the means to enroll in the group (there is no shortage of this type on U.S. soil). Al-Faqih stressed that there are "always new recruits" eager to link up with bin Laden and co. He attributed al-Qaeda's popularity to there being "no movement in the middle that can satisfy the Muslim world's hunger for dignity" after years of being, in his words, humiliated by the West. In short, he believes al Qaeda is the vanguard of Muslim resistance to the hated West, and that there is no other credible alternative to the group. "There has been a failure of Muslim leaders to channel their people against America," Al Faqih said. 'But bin Laden has shown people that he can do it."

Al Faqih blasts America's longstanding support of the Saudi regime and Israel and labels it as the main cause of Muslim rage against the U.S. This is essentially the same screed we hear time and again from bin Laden and his top deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, in their audio and videotapes. Sadly, it is often enticing to the ears of the Left, many of whom seem to believe that if we just ditch our support for Israel, the terrorists will leave us alone. This ridiculous, naïve view discounts 1,400 years of Islamic jihad and military conquest against the West, most of which, obviously, occurred before Israel was reborn as a nation in 1948. But I digress.

"British Authorities Respect My Work"

When I asked al-Faqih why he was designated as a terrorist by the United States, he became visibly annoyed. "The American federal system makes it much easier for their political operators to be manipulated by lobbies," he said. According to al-Faqih, the Saudi lobby in the U.S. pressured American officials to designate him as a terrorist. "My website is not radical," said al-Faqih. "It is a bulletin board where we focus only on Saudi-related issues. We never involve ourselves in any other country except Saudi Arabia. We remove anything that would incite violence."

He bristled when I reminded him that American investigators say material on his site glorifies al Qaeda and Islamic terrorism, and that numerous websites he has operated have been used by Islamic terrorists to network with each other.

"Saudi agents put that material on the sites," he said. "They would then call the media to tip them off. I challenge anyone to find a single sentence on my website that calls for or glorifies violence. If it were not for us, more Saudis would join al Qaeda. We have informants at every level of the Saudi government."

"I meet with British authorities to discuss the issues, and they respect my work," he continued. "British politicians are more experienced than the Americans and have a tradition of considering long term interests."

I'd like to be a fly on the wall when American and British officials discuss al-Faqih, because there are obviously serious differences in their assessments of him. Needless to say, given the Brits' extremely shabby track record on Islamic extremism thus far, I'm not terribly optimistic that theirs is the right one.

For more information about al-Faqih's websites, former and current, click here.

AQ Cleric Anwar al-Awlaki is "Very Impressive and Sophisticated"

When our conversation turned to some of the top radical Islamic clerics, al-Faqih mentioned al Qaeda's spiritual leader in Europe, Abu Qatada. "He presents his message in a sophisticated framework," al-Faqih told me. Qatada, who lived freely in London and collected government welfare benefits, is now in prison and awaiting deportation to Jordan, where he has been convicted on terrorism charges.

"But Abu Qatada's writings are very extreme," al-Faqih continued. "And not as polished as (Jordanian jihadist ideologue) Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, who is much better and more subtle. He sticks to scholarly arguments."

Al-Faqih's highest praise, however, was reserved for Yemen-based al Qaeda cleric/recruiter, Anwar al-Awlaki, a man who has captured numerous headlines in the U.S. over the past few months for his relationships with both Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hassan and the Underwear Bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.

"I highly recommend that you read him in English," al-Faqih said of al-Awlaki, who lived in New Mexico for a time and also attended college in the U.S. "He is a jewel for you. He is very impressive and sophisticated, very linguistic. He is very powerful. His message is that America must change its entire foreign policy. You cannot defeat him."

I found Al-Faqih's glowing praise of al-Awlaki very significant. It's obvious that the 38-year-old Awlaki is moving into the top echelons of Islamic ideologues in terms of global influence. This ascension has serious ramifications for the West. As mentioned, al-Awlaki spent significant time living in the U.S., is fluent in English and knows American culture and customs very well. This has increasingly made him the "go to" cleric for radical young Western Muslims who are seeking to join al Qaeda.

New Attacks "Even Bigger" than 9/11 Coming

Al-Faqih closed our lengthy conversation by calling us a taxi. As we got up to leave, I asked him how he saw the conflict between the West and the Muslim world playing out over the next few years.

"No matter what Muslim leaders do, there will be more friction with the West – regardless of al Qaeda," he told me. "There will be more confrontation between the West and Muslims, with attacks even bigger than in 2001."

I exited al-Faqih's home a bit unnerved by that last comment. And thinking not so much about what he told me that afternoon as what he didn't.

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Another U.S. Predator Drone Attack In North Waziristan, Five Jihadis In Pieces


The onslaught on Taliban and al Qaeda targets in North Waziristan continued today as a U.S. predator drone aircraft struck a Taliban compound near Miramshah killing five jihadis and now, we get to wait a few days to see if it was one of the Haqqani Network leaders we got or perhaps another Taliban commander or possibly an al Qaeda top dog. Either way, I love the anticipation of just who we got.

From the story at DAWN:


A US drone aircraft fired three missiles into Pakistan's North Waziristan region on the Afghan border on Wednesday, killing at least five militants, Pakistani intelligence officials and residents said.
The strike targeted a stronghold of the Haqqani network, a major Taliban faction attacking Western forces across the border in Afghanistan. A similar strike last week in the same area killed a son of Jalaluddin Haqqani, the leader of the group.
“I myself heard a huge blast and can see fire rising from the site,” said Reuters reporter Haji Mujtaba in North Waziristan's main town of Miramshah.
Intelligence officials said two missiles hit a fortress-like militant compound in Dargi Mandi village near Miramshah while the third struck a vehicle. One intelligence official said several militants were wounded.
I'm guessing, at this point in time, there's a communication making the rounds of the Taliban in Pakistan: "Get the fuck out of Miramshah!" This place has more craters than the moon.

One thing that I think needs pointing out. Ever since the CIA was hit hard in that Taliban/Haqqani Network coordinated suicide bombing up in Afghanistan, there has been a relentless stream of predator drone attacks in NW Pakistan - probably four or five times the normal amount...the CIA has unleashed its fury and not only have they taken a huge toll on Taliban/Haqqani Network jihadis, they have taken out some seriously big fish, consistently.

I wonder if those same Taliban leaders, if they had a chance to do it again, would pull the trigger on that CIA attack. I think not. I also want to point out something else. You've all seen the videos of predator drones taking out Taliban and al Qaeda targets in both Iraq and Afghanistan, right? The one consistent thing in all of those videos is the fact that one hellfire missile hits the target. Well, ever since the CIA absorbed that attack in Afghanistan, each of these new strikes has seen AT LEAST two hellfires being fired and often, as in this case, three hellfires are being launched - it's called revenge...it's all eradicating the target and thus, we are seeing more and more dead, and less wounded. Nice, huh?

Moral of the story? Don't piss off the CIA.



US drone strike kills five in North Waziristan

MIRAMSHAH: A US drone aircraft fired three missiles into Pakistan's North Waziristan region on the Afghan border on Wednesday, killing at least five militants, Pakistani intelligence officials and residents said.

The strike targeted a stronghold of the Haqqani network, a major Taliban faction attacking Western forces across the border in Afghanistan. A similar strike last week in the same area killed a son of Jalaluddin Haqqani, the leader of the group.

“I myself heard a huge blast and can see fire rising from the site,” said Reuters reporter Haji Mujtaba in North Waziristan's main town of Miramshah.

Intelligence officials said two missiles hit a fortress-like militant compound in Dargi Mandi village near Miramshah while the third struck a vehicle. One intelligence official said several militants were wounded.

Residents said militants had cordoned off the area and were allowing no one to approach the site.

Mohammad Hashim, a son of Haqqani, was killed in a strike in nearby Dandi Darpakhel village last week.

But another son of Haqqani, Sirajuddin Haqqani, is a much more high-profile target of the US drones because he has effectively taken over leadership of the militant faction from his elderly father.

US ally Pakistan officially objects to the drone strikes, saying they are a violation of its sovereignty and fuel anti-US feeling, which complicates Pakistan's efforts against militancy.

But at least some strikes are carried out with the consent of Islamabad, in particular those on Pakistani Taliban militants fighting the state.

The Haqqani faction does not launch attacks in Pakistan, but sends fighters across the border into Afghanistan from its stronghold in North Waziristan.

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(Hat tip: Phil)

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Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Iran Captures Top Leader of Jundallah (Sunni Terror Group)


I guess it's hard for me to call a group that seeks to kill Iranian mullahs and Ahmadinejad, terrorists, but I guess I have to be consistent. Iran has caught the biggest fish in their pond as they captured Abdolmalek Rigi, who is the leader of the terror group, Jundallah (Soldiers of God) and who has been a major thorn in the side of the Iranian regime for quite some time.

Here's some of the report from The Christian Science Monitor:


Iran has arrested its most wanted fugitive, a Sunni rebel leader linked to a number of high-profile attacks and alleged to have Western backing, in what Tehran on Tuesday called “a great defeat for the US and UK.”

Abdolmalek Rigi, militant leader of the Jundallah (Soldiers of God) which had claimed a series of attacks against civilians and soldiers in Iran’s southeastern Sistan-Baluchistan Province from bases in Pakistan, was shown by Iranian state TV being led off a small plane by masked police.
Iran’s Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi claimed that Rigi had been on a US military base in Afghanistan less than 24 hours before the plane he was traveling on was forced to land in Iran during a flight from Dubai to Kyrgyzstan.
“Our anonymous soldiers were able to manage his whereabouts and they followed him everywhere he went, and through this he was arrested,” Mr. Moslehi said in Tehran. He showed a photograph of Rigi – with his usual beard shaved off – which he claimed was taken at a US base.

As is always the case, you can to cut through the bullshit propaganda of the Persians and erase about every third word but this IS a significant grab for the Iranians - forget the B.S. about a blow to the U.S. or U.K. or that Rigi was in Afghanistan - the Iranians have been looking for this guy extra hard since the last terror attack by Jundallah and more than likely, they coerced some intel out of some people - believe me, the Iranians didn't use something as lame and tame as waterboarding.

It will be interesting to see what happens with Jundallah now with the top dog in the doghouse - most terror groups don't really miss a beat but this might cause some real setbacks for that group....unfortunately, it's not like they wage weekly attacks or anything so it will be hard to gauge if they are sticking it out.



Iran arrests top Sunni militant Abdolmalek Rigi

Iran has arrested its most wanted fugitive, a Sunni rebel leader linked to a number of high-profile attacks and alleged to have Western backing, in what Tehran on Tuesday called “a great defeat for the US and UK.”

Abdolmalek Rigi, militant leader of the Jundallah (Soldiers of God) which had claimed a series of attacks against civilians and soldiers in Iran’s southeastern Sistan-Baluchistan Province from bases in Pakistan, was shown by Iranian state TV being led off a small plane by masked police.

Iran’s Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi claimed that Rigi had been on a US military base in Afghanistan less than 24 hours before the plane he was traveling on was forced to land in Iran during a flight from Dubai to Kyrgyzstan.

“Our anonymous soldiers were able to manage his whereabouts and they followed him everywhere he went, and through this he was arrested,” Mr. Moslehi said in Tehran. He showed a photograph of Rigi – with his usual beard shaved off – which he claimed was taken at a US base.

Moslehi also alleged that Americans had provided Rigi with an Afghan passport, that the Sunni militant had visited Europe, and that he had met with a senior NATO military official in Afghanistan in April 2008.

“We have clear documents proving that Rigi was in cooperation with American, Israeli, and British intelligence services,” Moslehi said, according to Iran’s state-run English-language PressTV. Iranian media further quoted him saying: “Dubai has a smeared hand in this scandal that shows the Zionist regime wants to turn the region into a safe haven for terrorists with the help of America and Europe."

'Totally bogus'
One US official dismissed the claim that Rigi had been on a US military base in Afghanistan as a “totally bogus accusation,” reported Agence France-Presse. Iran in the past has also claimed that Jundallah was linked with Al Qaeda. Iranian officials on Tuesday stated that Rigi's "right-hand man" was also arrested in the apparent covert operation.

Rigi’s capture is a coup for authorities in Tehran, who have accused the US and the West of backing rebellious minority factions such as Rigi’s Jundallah – which has called for greater rights for Sunni ethnic Baluchis in majority Shiite Iran – the Kurdish PJAK operating from Iraq in northwest Iran, and Arabs in the south.

Such groups and alleged US, British, and other intelligence and military support for them have been the subject of speculation for years, as Washington spoke openly about conducting “regime change” in Iran during the administration of President George W. Bush.

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50 Turkish Military Commanders Arrested Over Plot To Blow Up Mosques, Coup To Take Over Government


Many of us have recognized that there are many in Turkey who don't like the way the current government is abandoning the secular form of government that is ensured by the country's constitution but I don't think anyone saw this widespread of a coup attempt lurking in the shadows.

50 Turkish military commanders are under arrest after a plot was discovered to blow up mosques in the country followed by the military's takeover of the government.

From JPost:


Turkish police detained about 50 military commanders Monday for allegedly planning to blow up mosques in order to trigger a military takeover and overthrow the Islamic-rooted government.The nationwide sweep highlighted the ongoing struggle between the secular establishment and the Islamic-oriented government — and left many wondering if the military no longer called the shots in a nation accustomed to viewing it as the pillar of the secular state.The detention of 49 senior military officers, according to CNN-Turk television — including members of the elite class known as "Pashas," a title of respect harking back to Ottoman times — proved, at the very least, that such officials are no longer untouchable.
The fact of the matter in all of this is that the Turkish government has decided to take more and more of an islamist view to its governing and to many in Turkey, that is taboo. I have blogged here before that there is definitely a movement in Turkey's government to set up an islamic regime similar to the one in Iran but Turkey's military has always been determined to uphold the prescribed secular nature of the government.

These arrests are unfortunate because for the West, a governmental change in Turky is truly needed. Unfortunately, this will probably entice the islamists to even further strengthen their grip on Turkey.



About 50 Turkish commanders held over coup plot

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish police detained about 50 military commanders Monday for allegedly planning to blow up mosques in order to trigger a military takeover and overthrow the Islamic-rooted government.

The nationwide sweep highlighted the ongoing struggle between the secular establishment and the Islamic-oriented government — and left many wondering if the military no longer called the shots in a nation accustomed to viewing it as the pillar of the secular state.

The detention of 49 senior military officers, according to CNN-Turk television — including members of the elite class known as "Pashas," a title of respect harking back to Ottoman times — proved, at the very least, that such officials are no longer untouchable.

Turkey's secular military has ousted four governments since 1960, demonstrating its influence and place of power since Mustafa Kemal Ataturk created the republic from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc on Monday expressed regret over the 1961 hanging by coup leaders of a prime minister and two of his ministers. But he said that those days are over and that Turkey now was going through a normalization process.

"We could not even dream about things that we see happening now," Arinc told CNN-Turk television Monday. "Things will get better when those who were never accountable for their deeds begin to account for them."

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan declined to comment Monday on the raids, saying they had been carried out on prosecutors' orders.

"It would not be appropriate for me to talk about an issue that is already handled by the judiciary," Erdogan said during a visit to Madrid.

Police teams raided the suspects' homes in eight cities on Monday.

The military's image had already been tarnished by allegations it was secretly planning to depose Erdogan's elected government for undermining secularism in this predominantly Muslim country.

The commanders detained Monday are reportedly accused of seeking to plant bombs at mosques to stir chaos at home to pave the way for a coup. They are also accused of allegedly conspiring to plan shooting down a Turkish warplane to trigger armed conflict with Greece in a bid to destabilize the Turkish government. The military strongly denied the allegations.

On Sunday, Erdogan said his government was preserving the rule of law, and had not given "a chance to those who tried to fly a course for Turkey outside law."

Several high-ranking members of Turkey's military were among those detained, including ex-deputy chief Gen. Ergin Saygun, former Air Force chief Gen. Ibrahim Firtina and Navy Chief Adm. Ozden Ornek. Several other senior admirals and generals were also among the suspects.

So far, prosecutors have charged more than 400 people in the case, including soldiers, academics, journalists and politicians.

No one has yet been convicted.

The detentions Monday followed the gathering of wiretap evidence and the discovery of secret weapons caches — revelations that dealt a blow to the military's credibility.

Erdogan also has dramatically curtailed the military's power, under EU pressure, and reinforced civilian rule while bolstering democratic institutions.

Afghan Tribal Warlord Who Helped Bin Laden Escape Tora Bora Is Killed In Suicide Bomb Attack


Fitting justice for a real scumbag as one of Hajji Zaman Ghamsharik's enemies took him out and 14 others in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan. Probably the biggest notoriety of this clown was his assistance that enabled Osama bin Laden to escape the U.S. attack on Tora Bora.

From the article at the New York Times:


KABUL, Afghanistan — Hajji Zaman Ghamsharik, the Afghan warlord accused of helping Osama bin Laden escape from the Americans at Tora Bora, had so many enemies that his assassination on Monday came as no particular surprise.

What was a surprise was the manner of Hajji Zaman’s death: by a suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest, who killed him and 14 others as they gathered at a ceremony to distribute land to returning refugees at a village in his tribal stomping grounds near the eastern city of Jalalabad.

You gotta admit, when jihadis kill each other over whatever issue there might be, it is sweet. I wish it would catch on.



Afghan Warlord With Many Enemies, and Possibly One Notorious Ally, Killed by Suicide Bomber


KABUL, Afghanistan — Hajji Zaman Ghamsharik, the Afghan warlord accused of helping Osama bin Laden escape from the Americans at Tora Bora, had so many enemies that his assassination on Monday came as no particular surprise.

What was a surprise was the manner of Hajji Zaman’s death: by a suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest, who killed him and 14 others as they gathered at a ceremony to distribute land to returning refugees at a village in his tribal stomping grounds near the eastern city of Jalalabad.

His enemies were not just the ideological kind. There was also a blood feud between him and the family of another warlord, which blamed Hajji Zaman for his assassination in 2002. There were rivals to his large and powerful Khugiani tribe in Nangahar Province, and rivals within the tribe. And there were furious American Special Forces and C.I.A. operatives who believed he was a mercenary who took money to join the fight against Al Qaeda but then helping arrange Mr. bin Laden’s escape.

Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan are usually quick to take responsibility for suicide bombings. Not in this case; when asked about Hajji Zaman’s killing, the usually garrulous Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, said he did not know who did it.

The police in Nangarhar Province said the killing took place in the village of Dasht-e-Chamtala, about 10 miles west of Jalalabad, during a ceremony for local residents lured by land grants to return from camps for the displaced, according to a police official, Gen. Mohammad Ayob Salangi. At 3:45 p.m., the bomber entered the midst of a crowd of officials, including the returnees and repatriation department chief, Shams ul-Rahman Shams. In addition to the 15 killed, 20 people were wounded, many of them critically, the general said.

“We don’t know exactly who the target was, but we think it was either Hajji Zaman Ghamsharik or the head of the refugee department,” said General Salangi. Mr. Shams, however, was only wounded so presumably not as close to the bomber.

“He was a warlord, and he was fighting since 1980,” said Mirwais Yasini, a member of the Afghan Parliament from Nangarhar. “He was bitterly disliked by very many people. And then there were business interests too.”

During the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, he was a mujahideen leader, and later fought both for and against the Taliban. When the Taliban regime collapsed, President Hamid Karzai appointed him military commander of Jalalabad and a large part of eastern Afghanistan, including Tora Bora.

That put him at odds with another warlord in the area, Hajji Qadir, who later ousted him in Jalalabad. When Mr. bin Laden and his Qaeda followers took refuge in the Tora Bora mountains south of Jalalabad in late 2001, Hajji Zaman and another warlord, Hazrat Ali, offered the services of their armed followers to help the Americans flush them out.

Instead, Mr. bin Laden and his group escaped. Many American officials were convinced they could not have done so without collusion from the Afghan warlords.

Hajji Zaman “had a very adventurous life,” said Babrak Shinwari, another member of Parliament from Nangahar. “But there was always a lot of intertribal fighting, even fighting within his tribe, and he had a lot of enemies.”

The uproar over Mr. bin Laden’s escape led to Hajji Zaman’s flight and exile to France and Pakistan for most of the next eight years. During that time, he was accused of engineering the assassination in Kabul of Hajji Qadir, who by then had become a vice president in Mr. Karzai’s government. Hajji Zaman’s brother was detained in connection with the case for several years but never convicted.

Finally Hajji Zaman announced that he would return last year to take part in the election campaign as a Karzai supporter. When he crossed the Torkhum border from Pakistan, a huge motorcade and throngs of cheering supporters greeted for him. Many were from his Khugiani tribe, whose support Mr. Karzai was courting. Hajji Zaman was whisked to Kabul in a government helicopter.

“He came back just a few months ago, it’s really tragic,” said Anwar al-Haq Ahadi, a former finance minister in Mr. Karzai’s government. “He was going to play quite a larger role in the future.”

There are a number of former warlords in the Karzai government and in Parliament. Hazrat Ali, the other Tora Bora commander, is a member of Parliament.

Recently, President Karzai has been hosting a tribal jirga, or council, to try to resolve the issue of whether Hajji Zaman had been responsible for the assassination of Hajji Qadir, but their families and tribal followers had been unable to reach the required consensus.

Despite the cloud over his head, Hajji Zaman was apparently invited to the land distribution ceremony as a tribal elder. Several other tribal leaders were among the dead.

Mr. Yasini said he did not necessarily believe that the assassination was motivated by ideology. “Now some suiciders can be bought and sold,” he said. “You go to the Taliban and pay them a lot of money, and the suicider never knows what the reason for his mission is.”