- Associated Press

CAIRO, Egypt - A posting on an Islamic Web site Friday made a rare admission of significant casualties among insurgents fighting U.S. forces in Iraq, saying 24 guerrillas, most of them non-Iraqi Arabs, were killed in battles in Fallujah the day before.

The posting on a site known as a clearinghouse for militant Muslim statements said three hours of fighting in Fallujah on Thursday resulted in the "martyrdom" of 24 fighters from different Islamic factions, 19 of them from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt, Syria and Jordan. The rest were said to be Iraqis.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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- Reuters

MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld paid U.S. troops in Iraq a surprise Christmas Eve visit after weeks of controversy over his handling of the war and perceived lack of sensitivity to U.S. forces and their families.

Rumsfeld's helicopter tour of Iraq on Friday took him to some of the country's most volatile cities -- Mosul, scene of this week's suicide attack on a U.S. military mess hall; Tikrit, ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's hometown; and Falluja, where U.S. troops battled Iraqi insurgents last month.

His last stop was in Baghdad where he met Iraqi President Ghazi Yawar in the heavily fortified Green Zone before heading to a hospital to visit wounded troops.

In Mosul Rumsfeld visited staff and patients at the 67th Combat Surgical Hospital, which dealt with the casualties from the attack on Tuesday that killed 18 Americans, the deadliest such attack since the war in Iraq began in March 2003.

President Bush also called members of our armed forces to wish them a Merry Christmas. I guess someone refered to as a warmongering chimp also has a heart.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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About a week ago, MSNBC reported that former Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz is "ready to name names" and implicate Saddam Hussein in murder. Also reported was that he appeared "frail in orange prison garb and plastic handcuffs."

Today, a report from Xinhua states that Aziz "is unwilling to testify against Saddam Hussein at a future war crimes trial." And, according to his lawyer, Badi Aref Izzat, Aziz is in "good heath [sic] and spirits."

Any questions?

Companion post at Interested-Participant.

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- New York Times (via Poliblog)

GATHER around the Festivus pole and listen to a tale about a real holiday made fictional and then real again, a tale that touches on philosophy, King Lear, the pool at the Chateau Marmont hotel, a paper bag with a clock inside and, oh yes, a television show about nothing.

The first surprise is that from Tampa Bay, Fla., to Washington, from Austin, Tex., to Oxford, Ohio, many real people are holding parties celebrating Festivus, a holiday most believe was invented on an episode of "Seinfeld" first broadcast the week before Christmas in 1997.

"More and more people are familiar with what Festivus is, and it's growing," said Jennifer Galdes, a Chicago restaurant publicist who organized her first Festivus party three years ago. "This year many more people, when they got the invite, responded with, `Will there be an airing of the grievances and feats of strength?' "

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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- Associated Press

"We, Al-Qaida in Iraq, declare that we are not responsible for the explosions and operations in Karbala and Najaf and we tell anyone who supports Americans and joins them in their atheism and criminality that we will continue our jihad against you by all means," it said in a statement posted on the Internet.

The denial came a day after the arrest in Karbala of six suspects, including a citizen of a former Soviet republic, on suspicion of involvement in the attacks. Police spokesman Rahman Meshaway said Thursday that the unidentified foreigner had admitted getting training from al-Qaida in a European country.

The six suspects that were arrested yesterday indicates an argument I've made before regarding jihadists training and being indoctrinated in Europe. As many of my readers know, these European jihadists travel to Syria where they are outfitted for terrorist activity and sent into Iraq. It is a disturbing cylce of events that we seem not to be able to handle. Then again, a little help from some of our European "allies" certainly could help curb the growing radical Islamic front in Europe.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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As much criticism as I've leveled at both Kofi Annan and the United Nations, I feel I should present a story that is positive towards Annan because at times I've been too critical of the oil-for-food swindler.

WASHINGTON - President Bush took a condolence call Thursday from U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who said he mourned the loss of more than 20 people in an apparent suicide attack at a U.S. military outpost in Mosul, Iraq.

A kind gesture of goodwill between Annan and President Bush is nice to hear, but for those words to resonate with Americans Annan needs to back his wording with action.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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- Associated Press

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The suicide bomber believed to have carried out this week's devastating attack on a U.S. military dining tent, killing more than 20 people, was probably wearing an Iraqi military uniform, a U.S. general said Thursday.

Even though it has not been confirmed the suicide bomber was wearing an Iraqi military uniform, for the sake of argument let's assume it has been confirmed. Naturally the question remains is how did a terrorist get an Iraqi military uniform.

The suicide bomber, according to the Ansar al-Sunnah website, worked at the base since October therefore he would have had access to whatever uniforms were left behind. His exact position within in the base however is not known so he very well could have been an Iraqi soldier, though no reports indicate this is the case.

Ansar al-Sunnah has systematically attacked Iraqi soldiers in several terrorist attacks. I have not found any reports indicating any clothing was taken from soldiers before they were executed, however based upon terrorists snatching up identification and other personal items of their victims this can be a reasonable explanation.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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Listening to the elite media, one might get the impression that the number of people deserting the U.S. Armed Forces and going to Canada will soon exceed the number of conservatives in the country. As indicated by this report, that's not what's happening. In fact, based upon best available information, deserters arriving in Canada total no more than a few handfuls. Nonetheless, desertion to a foreign country has international political implications so the media clamps on the story like a lamprey. This is not to say that a stay-at-home deserter who wants headlines can't get them. The media will always oblige steaming piles of news.

The Canadian authorities are currently in the process of reviewing the applications for refugee status of a few deserters with a determination expected in the next few months. Those requesting to be classified as something other than criminals and cowards include Brandon Hughey, David Sanders, and Jeremy Hinzman. Deserter Daniel Felushko has dual U.S.-Canadian citizenship so he gets a pass.

Although there's no mass exodus of deserters, the exact number is unknown. According to a spokesman for the Immigration and Refugee Board, Serge Arsenault, privacy laws prevent release of that type of information. This seems odd. Whose privacy is being protected? The Canadian government?

All in all, the handfuls of deserters going to Canada seeking refugee status will have to prove that they have "a well-founded fear of persecution based on their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion." It's sure that they have fears, but not of persecution. It's fear of incarceration for violating the contractual obligations they have with the United States of America. Interestingly, based on a recent report, the deserters may have been able to avoid the entire bureaucratic process by greasing a few palms. Apparently, permanent residency status has been marketed for a mere $4,000.

In closing, it's probably prudent for people to remember the names of the deserters so that, if they apply for employment, they are not hired into positions requiring trustworthiness and strength of character.

Companion post at Interested-Participant.

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- Times Online

IRAQ has confronted Syria with evidence indicating that senior Syrian officials have been assisting the Iraqi insurgency, it emerged yesterday.

The evidence includes photographs of Syrian officials taken from Iraqi fighters captured during the offensive against Fallujah last month.

US Marines in Fallujah also found a hand-held global-positioning system receiver with waypoints originating in western Syria and the names of four Syrians in a list of 27 foreign fighters contained in a ledger.

Hassan Allawi, Iraq’s newly appointed Ambassador to Syria, told The Times in Damascus: “Prime Minister Iyad Allawi wrote a letter to the Syrians saying he had the pictures but was not going to release them despite being under pressure from the Americans to do so.”

Mr Allawi said the photographs were found in the possession of Moayed Ahmed Yasseen, also known as Abu Ahmed, leader of the Jaish Muhammad group composed of former Baathist intelligence personnel. One picture showed Mr Yasseen standing beside a senior Syrian official, he said. Mr Yasseen was arrested in Fallujah in mid-November.

Syrian government officials fear Democracy inside of the Middle East and Iraq specifically because the idea alone has caused protests by the citizens of Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Iran already. Syria remains the one bordering country of Iraq where the people have not had a protest in favor of Democracy, though part of this could be the massive suppression by the Syrian government.

Syria has been, and still is, a thorn in the side of the United States, the Iraqi people and the entire civilized world through funding, supporting, indoctrinating and arming terrorists hell-bent on forming a radical Islamic state of Iraq. Before the U.S. invasion of Iraq, there were 18 trucks seen by satellite crossing the border from Iraq to Syria which allegedly carried any remaining WMD stockpiles left in Iraq. Of course the content of those trucks is in question, however the Syrian support of the terrorist acts in Iraq cannot be questioned.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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- Time

Michael Scheuer, an al-Qaeda analyst who recently retired from the CIA and once headed its bin Laden unit, tells TIME he believes that in their series of recent messages and tapes, bin Laden and al-Zawahiri have been subtly addressing criticism from some Muslim clerics that the Sept. 11 attacks violated Islamic edicts against surprise attacks. "The Prophet's guidance," says Scheuer, "was always, Before you attack someone, warn them very clearly and offer them a chance to convert to Islam." He contends that bin Laden, by making his warnings very explicit, has "done everything that's required" so that, in his mind, "the criticisms he got after 9/11 won't be valid this time around." Adds Scheuer: "I think what he's done is clearly set the stage for a large attack."

Scheuer says he was particularly alarmed by the video of al-Zawahiri, aired Nov. 29 on the Arabic TV network al-Jazeera, in which he offered a "final piece of advice for America ... You must choose between two ways of behaving toward Muslims: either you deal with them on the basis of respect and mutual interest or you treat them as easy prey." Scheuer says, "What bothered me is he said this is the 'final' time we're going to raise this. I had not seen them ever before say, This is the end of this discussion we're having with you." If al-Zawahiri intended his message to be a last warning to the U.S., bin Laden's latest could be seen as a corollary shift in focus toward the Muslim world.

The demeanor of all three was one of a diplomat rather than a terrorist. In all three tapes, I noted how both Bin Laden and Al-Zawahri were changing tactics from terrorists to diplomats in an effort to gain support not only in the Middle East, but the media and the rest of the world as well. What I had not done is piece together their appeals to the world with the post-9/11 reaction from Islamic clerics criticizing the attack.

In hindsight though, I do distinctly remember several Islamic clerics and nations condemning the attack because there was no warning, but only a few that condemned the attack period. In fact, Bin Laden's "personal" cleric condemned the attack based upon no warning or reaching out towards America.

Schuer, the author of 'Anonymous,' does have some credibility issues however he still remains probably the most knowledgable person in the intelligence community when it comes to Bin Laden. Whether or not his analysis concerning a future attack is correct, only time will tell. According to Schuer on a 60 Minutes interview, Bin Laden has been given clearence to launch a nuclear attack on U.S. cities. The question remains though whether or not Al Qaeda has either the weaponry or the ability to do so.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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This is just sad. Yes, anti-Texan bigotry is everywhere and I have documented it before, but come on now.

NEW YORK - Yeehaw! MTV's "The Real World" is headed to Austin, Texas. "We've been thinking about Austin for a long time," co-creator and executive producer Jon Murray told The Associated Press Wednesday.

Update:
Fearing a Texas-charged lawsuit, the Associated Press has changed the lead paragraph.

NEW YORK - Dude! MTV's "The Real World" is headed to Austin, Texas. "We've been thinking about Austin for a long time," co-creator and executive producer Jon Murray told The Associated Press Wednesday.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

Posted by: Chad at 05:13 PM | Comments (22) | Add Comment
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We should all sue Wal-Mart. Why you ask? For one they sold an album with the 'F' word on it that enraged parents then they had the audacity of following the gun laws in Texas but are getting sued by the parents of a girl who committed suicide.

You know you want to sue Wal-Mart. Everyone's doing it and a lawsuit doesn't always have to make sense.

Posted by: Chad at 02:43 PM | Comments (19) | Add Comment
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Attacks on Santa Claus are a stark reminder just how naughty some people can be. While random acts of violence occur all the time around the world, why would someone pick on Saint Nick?

A group of French teenagers have mugged Father Christmas, attempting to steal his sack of presents.

The man dressed as Santa Claus was handing out sweets in the southern town of Ales when things turned nasty.

One of the teenagers demanded extra sweets and, when the red-cloaked Santa refused, he and his friends started kicking and pummelling the man.

- BBC

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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- Sify

New Delhi: The government has notified 32 prominent organisations/groups as terrorist organisations operating mainly in Jammu and Kashmir, North-East and Naxal-affected states, Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday.

A number of terrorist groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir and North-East had their hideouts in neighbouring countries, Minister of State for Home Affairs Sri Prakash Jaiswal said in a written reply.

[snip]

Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Harkat-ul Mujahideen, Harkatul-Jejad-e-Islami, Jamiat-ul- Mujahideen, Jammua and Kashmir Islamic Front, Al-Badr, Tehrik-e-Mujahideen and Al Umar are prominent militant groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir.

The United Liberation Front of Assam, All Tripura Tiger Force, National Democratic Front Bodoland and the People's Liberation Army are operating in the North-East region and are reportedly receiving funds from foreign countries.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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- Novinite

The Islamic Jihad movement said Tuesday the United States had forced its Web site host to close down Jihad Web sites. A statement sent to UPI by the Jihad media office in Gaza said the Ukrainian host had been forced by the US Defense Department to shut them down "to keep the Palestinian voice silent."The statement said the Ukrainian host had sent apologies saying it had been pressured by the United States.

Internet Haganah though reports the site was not taken down by the U.S. government, rather "'Al Haganah' type activity."

Perhaps the thing that has bugged me the most is the inability, or refusal more appropriately, of the United States to shut down these sites. Most terrorist websites are housed by U.S. hosting companies. There is the intelligence factor, and one would have to assume the CIA is actively pursuing the names and locations of those who both frequent and post on these sites, however the effect of a terrorist website on those that are easily swayed is the main reason why all of them need to be taken down.

There have been terrorist sites taken down permanently before, but when a small fraction is removed an even larger group opens up. Terrorists also hide their sites on the servers of unknowing participants.

In an effort to keep any willing participants who like to cause trouble with terrorists, specifically their sites, I will re-post a couple of email addresses of the Islamic Army of Iraq.

enas2009@hotmail.com Webmaster of the site
iaiiraq-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Permission email to be included in the "peaceful" Yahoo Group

Editor's Note: I do not condone hacking or spamming of email addresses. I only present the facts and let the readers decide what to do. Please act responsibly.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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- CNN

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- Islamic extremists with links to international terror groups are believed to be using New Zealand as a safe haven, the nation's top spy agency has warned.

Security Intelligence Service Director Richard Woods said in his annual report to Parliament that "increased vigilance and effort" was needed to ensure the country was neither the victim nor source of international terrorism.

"From the service's own investigations we assess that there are individuals in, or from, New Zealand who support Islamic extremist causes," Woods wrote.

The developments "indicate attempts to use New Zealand as a safe haven from which activities of security concern elsewhere can be facilitated and/or the involvement of people from New Zealand in such activities."

There have been various rumors as to where the next Afghanistan will be. Some say Bangledesh is the next Afghanistan based upon a growing Muslim population and poverty. Sure, New Zeland will probably never be close to Afghanistan in terms of supporting terrorism, however the alarm given by New Zeland's intelligence official raises a few eyebrows as to why this type of statement was made unless there is a viable threat.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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From MediaGuardian.co.uk comes the report (Free reg.) that the Lebanese al-Manar satellite television channel and broadcast station has been placed on the list of terrorist organizations by the U.S. Produced by Hezbullah, the station regularly broadcasts anti-Israel and anti-Semitic programs filled with hate propaganda. As an example, the station recently accused Israel of spreading AIDS to Arab populations throughout Africa.

The French-based media group, Reporters Sans Frontieres (Reporters Without Borders), has condemned the U.S. actions by stating that al-Manar doesn't broadcast terrorist propaganda all the time, sometimes they do news reporting. Understandably, the U.S. doesn't buy the 'part-time terrorist' argument and cut al-Manar's satellite feed to America and said that anyone with links to the station would be expelled from or refused a visa to enter the country.

My take is that it's about time. The terrorist organizations use the willful media as strategic weapons to incite hatred, recruit fanatics, and sway public opinion. Any prudent war planning would consider the terrorist media as targets. Al-Manar should be happy that it's only had the plug pulled.

Companion post at Interested-Participant.

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International Terror Consultant Evan F. Kohlmann of Global Terror Alert has released the communique given by the Ansar al-Sunnah Army claiming responsibility for the attack on the United States mess hall in Mosul. As I had questioned, as had Hyscience, the wording the Army of al-Sunnah regarding "martyrdom" raised a few eyebrows and questioned the initial reports.

Kohlmann too noticed this. The area in question of the communique reads as follows, translated by Evan F. Kohlmann:

Allah has aided the mujahideen who fight the enemies of Allah - the occupiers and the apostate - in causing a massacre among the crusade Americans. One of the mujahideen of the Ansar al-Sunnah Army carried out a martyrdom operation at 12 noon on Tuesday, December 21, 2004 at a restaurant belonging to the infidel occupation forces in the Al-Ghazlani camp in Mosul. Two medivac helicopters were seen carrying away the bodies of the dead and wounded. This heroic operation was videotaped and will be shown later, if Allah wills it.

Terrorists have long grabbed up credentials of Iraqi officials with clearence into U.S. bases either through killing the officials and grabbing them or stealing them. Is it completely plausible that the suicide bomber gained access to the base in this type of fashion.

You can read the entire communique here, again courtesy of Global Terror Alert.

Update:
- ABC News (via Wizbang)

Dec. 22, 2004 — New evidence shows the bombing of a U.S. military mess tent in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on Tuesday — which killed 22 people and wounded 70 others — was a suicide attack, ABC News has learned.

Investigators at the base have found remnants of a torso and a suicide vest that was probably a backpack, sources told ABC News, indicating that the attack was a suicide bombing.

Update:
According to Fox News, information contained on Ansar al-Sunnah's website indicates a suicide bomber worked for the base for over two months. He was 24 years old and recently married. During his employment on the U.S. base, he collected intelligence and locations of specific targets.

Just as Craig said in the comments, we should realize what terrorists claim is not always accurate. This claim however has seemed to be proven accurate so right now I have no reason to doubt the suicide bomber was in fact a former employee on the base. There is no word though on what type of employment he held.

Update:
With the reports of a suicide bomber being confirmed by the U.S. military based upon the finding of several BBs or small pieces of shrapnel, it is newsworthy to show the link to a video of the development and testing of a suicide bomber bomb (video courtesy of Global Terror Alert). In the video you will see a bomber's belt being assembled as well as demonstrated against cardboard "people."

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

Posted by: Chad at 09:25 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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Hi everybody... also guest blogging while Rusty is away. Here are some light sabers to play with for a start.

The Flea

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Cranky Neocon visits Osama: Behind the Music in what is pure comedy.

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