There's a fascinating conversation going on over at Outside the Beltway written by Leopold Stotch. It concerns the Northwestern professor comparing Al Qaeda's fight with the U.S. Revolutionary War.

I'm not going to re-hash my views on this subject as I've already done so and explained the professor's comparison, however some interesting debate seems to be taking place. Shoot on over and take a gander.

Steven Taylor also joins into the fray of this debate with some excellent points.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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There are very few articles written or words said that truly upset me. I may not like some of the references made by some prominent politicians and/or journalists, however I usually take them with a grain of salt. The below is not one of those.

History is made by people who seize the moments that circumstances offer and bend them to their purposes. When the conditions are adverse, they nurse their purposes, their dreams of freedom, dignity and power, so that when their moment arrives, they are ready to seize it, even at the cost of their lives.

On April 19, 1775, 700 British troops reached Concord, Massachusetts, to disarm the American colonists who were preparing to start an insurrection. When the British ordered them to disperse, the colonists fired back at the British soldiers. This “shot heard ‘round the world” heralded the start of an insurrection against Britain, the greatest Western power of its time. And when it ended, victorious, in 1783, the colonists had gained their objective. They had established a sovereign but slave-holding republic, the United States of America.

The colonists broke away because this was economically advantageous to their commercial and landed classes. As colonists, they were ruled by a parliament in which they were not represented, and which did not represent their interests. The colonies were not free to protect and develop their own commerce and industries. Their bid for independence was made all the more attractive because it was pressed under the banner of liberty. The colonial elites had imbibed well the lessons of the Enlightenment, and here in the new world, they had an opportunity to harness liberty in the service of their economic interests. Backed by the self interest of their landed and commercial elites, and inspired by revolutionary ideas, the colonists had a dream worth pursuing. They were prepared to die for this dream – and to kill. They did: and they won.

On September 11, 2001, nineteen Arab hijackers too demonstrated their willingness to die – and to kill – for their dream. They died so that their people might live, free and in dignity. The manner of their death – and the destruction it wreaked – is not merely a testament to the vulnerabilities that modern technology has created to clandestine attacks. After all, skyscrapers and airplanes have co-existed peacefully for many decades. The attacks of 9-11 were in many ways a work of daring and imagination too; if one can think objectively of such horrors. They were a cataclysmic summation of the history of Western depredations in the Middle East: the history of a unity dismembered, of societies manipulated by surrogates, of development derailed and disrupted, of a people dispossessed. The explosion of 9-11 was indeed a “shot heard ‘round the world.”

- Dissident Voice (via Jihad Watch)

Not only is Alam's article historically inaccurate, I know big shock, it also tries to explain away the radical islamic ideology in ways that it should not be explained. Simply put, it's not true. The dream of the terrorists in Al Qaeda is to re-create Persia under an Islamic rule. They hate the fact the United States, a country which operates under a Democracy, is even in the same area. They see Democracy as evil because it puts the people at the same level as God in their view. Of course they don't recognize how an Islamic cleric running the country would be the same, but then again the terrorist mindset is far from reality. more...

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- Associated Press

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Insurgents tried to ram a truck with half a ton of explosives into a U.S. military post in the northern city of Mosul on Thursday then ambushed reinforcements in a huge gunbattle in which 25 rebels and one American soldier were killed. Warplanes fired missiles and strafed gunmen during the fight.

The assault on the outpost, which U.S. soldiers finally repulsed, appeared to be better coordinated than past attacks, with guerrillas apparently pulling out their strongest assaults in an effort to derail Jan. 30 elections, U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Paul Hastings said.

"The terrorists are growing more desperate in their attempts to derail the elections and they're trying to put it all on the line and give it all they can," Hastings said.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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I have stayed quiet on the tsunami front for a variety of reasons, primarily because I'm too shocked it happened to be able to effectively write on this topic. I still won't cover it as far as the tragedy, but I will cover it from the area of terrorism and what it could mean for the GWOT.

Today, President Bush announced the U.S. is committed for long-term aid to the region. He also announced a coallition of nations dedicated to providing aid.

Bush said he phoned the leaders of stricken countries to solicit specific needs and assure them the initial aid package "is only the beginning of our help." He also laid the foundation for a long-term international recovery plan by forming the coalition with Japan, Australia and India and inviting other nations to join.

Boston.com

Australia and Japan remain two of our strongest allies in almost every single undertaking we take. Both countries' governments and people should be applauded by every American based upon their continued support. Our relationship with India has soured slightly, however the two countries remain friends and Indians are one of this nation's fastest growing minorities.

The area effected by the tsunami is directly in the path of where many terrorists start bases and train jihadists. Indonesia is reported as being a nation with several Al Qaeda linked terrorist groups. While I wouldn't be sad if those were the people that died, that isn't the case. India has it's own jihadists as well. The massive support again will help our country's image that was damaged by the UN oil-for-food scandal as well as internal strife.

With the United States supplying as much aid as they are and forming a coallition with other nations to provide aid, we should get more support in the region that will help fester anti-Americanism. Al Qaeda terrorists recruit on the basis of fighting the evil Americans and Westerners. If the rest of the West can step up to the plate in terms of aid to the tsunami effected region, this will either completely take away or severely damage this recruiting tactic.

Of course I do not believe this is the reason why President Bush announced what he did, but it's a great side effect. This is not just a public relations mission, though it can be turned into a great pr opportunity if the United States government starts to realize the power of pr.

What often goes unreported when amount of aid is discussed is raw materials (food, water, wood, etc.). Individual donations also usually go unreported. This is part of the reason why the U.S. has a bad rap with giving aid, which is unfair once the above in included. We as a nation must continue to step up and show our generosity to those who were effected by a tragedy, no matter what country of origin they are.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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- Associated Press

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A powerful explosion in a house in west Baghdad killed at least 29 people and wounded 18, police said Wednesday. They described the blast as an ambush staged by insurgents.

Police were en route to a raid in Baghdad's Ghazaliya neighborhood late Tuesday after an anonymous call tipped them about a suspected militant hideout in the neighborhood, an official in Ghazaliya police station said.

As they were about to enter the house, an explosion erupted from inside, he added.

At least 29 people were killed, including 7 policemen, and 18 others were injured. Six houses collapsed in the blast and several people are believed to be still trapped underneath the rubble.

Update:
Times Online is reporting Iraqi police are investigating whether or not they were led into a trap. According to the U.S. military, the house has around two tons of explosives in it, making it at the very least a bomb factory. At this time it is unknown if the blast was triggered in martyrdom or if it was a planned event.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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- Associated Press

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - A suicide attacker tried to drive his bomb-laden car into the Interior Ministry complex, and militants set off another bomb and exchanged fire with police late Wednesday in Riyadh, capital of a kingdom at war with Muslim extremists.

The first explosion at about 8:35 p.m. shattered windows and sent smoke and flames rising into the nighttime sky near the ministry in central Riyadh. Police officials said a suicide car bomber had tried to storm the ministry, but failed and instead exploded his car just outside.

A number of policemen were injured, a ministry official said, without elaborating. The ministry, which is in charge of Saudi security forces, is key to leading the crackdown that Saudi Arabia has led against Islamic militants this year.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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No big shock here since Ramsey Clark is an opportunist and as anti-American as they come. Political Musings has the best round-up of the event.

For a reference on how out of touch Clark is, left-leaning Salon calls he "A war criminals best friend." He's written many letters to the United Nations where he naturally bashes President Bush and the United States.

Here's a transcript of a speech he gave in Los Angeles in 1998 complaining of the sanctions against Iraq. Keep in mind, this is while the top five intelligence agencies in the world thought Iraq had WMDs.

Ramsey Clark's legacy as an anti-American wouldn't be complete without a call to impeach President Bush or his book concerning U.S. war crimes in the Persian Gulf. Of course this is the same Ramsey Clark who tried to defend Milosevic when even the UN considered Molosevic a war criminal.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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- Associated Press

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The group of Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi claimed responsibility Tuesday for the assassination attempt against the leader of Iraq's largest Shiite Muslim party that killed and wounded dozens of people.

In a statement posted on an internet web site, al-Zarqawi's al-Qaida in Iraq said one of its members carried out the suicide attack near Abdel Aziz al-Hakim's office Monday that killed 15 people and wounded more than 50. Al-Hakim, who was not in the office but in his adjacent house, was not hurt.

In most communications from Tawhid wal Jihad (Al Qaeda in Iraq), credit is either taken for successful operations or denied from successful operations. The group is quick to take credit for the killing of several innocent Iraqis, which somehow makes them feel proud. While people did die in the assassination attempt, it did not kill the intended target.

While Al Qaeda in Iraq wants nothing more than Democracy to fail in Iraq, which is why they target Iraqi officials, they missed their ultimate goal. Was the suicide bomber too quick to pull the trigger like other terrorists?

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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- Washington Times

BAGHDAD, Dec. 27 -- The largest political party representing Iraq's Sunni Muslim minority announced Monday that it would drop out of the Jan. 30 election, dealing a fresh blow to the vote's credibility on the same day the top Shiite Muslim candidate survived a car bombing.

The withdrawal of the Iraqi Islamic Party, combined with the assassination attempton cleric Abdul Aziz Hakim, heightened concerns that the parliamentary election may produce a lopsided result, further alienating Sunni areas where the armed insurgency is growing.

The Sunnis primary goal is to stop Democracy from entering Iraq because they are a minority and they also had all the power under Saddam Hussein. Al Qaeda's primary goal is to reunite Persia under Islamic rule which Democracy in Iraq would crush this dream of Bin Laden's. Both groups are willing to cooperate in order to keep Democracy out of Iraq.

There are many Baathists among the Sunni ranks and Sunni terrorists are responsible for hundreds of Iraqi deaths and a few Coallition deaths as well. Sunnis were held up in Fallujah until the Coallition cleared the city and they are actively supporting the terrorist's war by every means available.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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- ABC News (via My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy)

An insurgent accidentally has killed himself and four members of his family in Iraq's southern city of Karbala.

Police say a bomb he was making exploded inside his house.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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- Associated Press

CAIRO, Egypt - In an audiotape broadcast Monday by Al-Jazeera satellite television, a man purported to be Osama bin Laden endorsed Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi as his deputy in Iraq and called for a boycott of next month's elections there.

The voice on the tape described al-Zarqawi as the "emir," or prince, of al-Qaida in Iraq and said Muslims there should "listen to him."

The man speaking on the tape also referred to an October statement in which al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian, declared allegiance to bin Laden and changed his group's name to al-Qaida in Iraq. The speaker called that "a great step on the path of unifying all the mujahedeen in establishing the state of righteousness and ending the state of injustice."

a great step on the path of unifying all the mujahedeen in establishing the state of righteousness and ending the state of injustice

While there have been many people who have tried to explain away Al Qaeda's long-term goals in the Middle East as nothing more than getting rid of infidels, the larger goal of Al Qaeda is in fact a reunification of the Middle East into one country. Of course that country would have to be under Islamic rule where women are stoned and beaten because they can be and where poverty will flourish because of the lack of a quality economic system in an Islamic government.

No Democracy in Iraq would make Bin Laden and his supporters happy. A Democracy puts too much power into the hands of the people. It also, in the eyes of Bin Laden, puts people on the same platform as Allah. Only an Islamic government would, somehow, make a difference between the people of a nation and Allah.

I still question why, using the above, the top leaders of a Islamic nation would not be equal with Allah, however 99.9 percent of Bin Laden's statements and actions have made no sense and contradict each other. Then again, that's the Religion of Peace for you run under the nutbags that too many seem to support.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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- The Telegraph (via Jihad Watch)

A secret intelligence report has revealed that security chiefs believe al-Qaeda may target New Year celebrations across Britain, The Telegraph has learned.

The document, which has been distributed to every military base in Britain warns that "crowded places or events" are under "a severe threat" of attack from terrorist bombers. The report, which is marked "restricted", is understood to have been compiled by military intelligence specialists, MI5 and Special Branch officers.

Under the heading "International Terrorism", the report warns that military personnel and establishments within the Government Security Zone in central London, which includes Horse Guards in Whitehall, and Buckingham and St James's Palaces, face a "substantial" threat of attack. It says military bases across the country are also facing a similar threat.

The report, which is part of a monthly security update for the armed forces, adds that the threat "comes from al-Qaeda and associated terrorist groups". It continues: "Targeting against US and UK interests both at home and abroad remains a priority for al-Qaeda. Their attacks - including the Madrid train bombings in March - have been against soft targets with the aim of creating as many casualties as possible."

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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- Times Online

The head of IraqÂ’s leading Shia Muslim political party narrowed escaped assassination today when a suicide car bomber blew himself up outside his headquarters, killing 15 people and wounding dozens more.

The attempt on the life of Ayatollah Abdel Aziz al-Hakim, the head of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (Sciri) came just five weeks before the countryÂ’s first post-war elections, which were today plunged into fresh chaos as the main Sunni political party said it would boycott the polls.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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- Associated Press

BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. forces captured two senior figures in al-Qaida's branch in Iraq, the U.S. military said Saturday, and one of Turkey's richest businessmen was reported kidnapped, appearing in a video along with a weeping employee saying they were being held hostage.

[snip]

The U.S. Marines said Saturday they captured two men who led cells in Anbar province for Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's Al-Qaida in Iraq network. The province is a center for the insurgency and home to the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah.

A Marines statement identified the men as Saleh Arugayan Kahlil and Bassim Mohammad Hazeem. Their cells kidnapped and executed 11 Iraqi National Guardsmen, carried out car bombings and other attacks in the Ramadi area and "smuggled foreign terrorists into the country," the Marines said.

"This group is responsible for intimidating, attacking and murdering innocent Iraqi civilians, Iraqi police and security forces, and business and political leaders throughout the Unbar province," the statement said.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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- Associated Press

ANKARA, Turkey - One of Turkey's richest businessmen said he has been kidnapped in Iraq, appearing in a video aired Saturday alongside one of his weeping employees and saying they were being treated well by their captors.

Kahraman Sadikoglu, president of the Istanbul-based Tuzla Shipyard, and ship captain Ahmet Yurtdas had not been heard from since they left the southern Iraqi city of Basra by land on Dec. 16, according to their families.

The footage did not say who was holding the two men or mention demands.

Several newspapers said a ransom demand of $25 million had been made, but Foreign Ministry officials and family members of the hostages refused to confirm the reports.

"Today is Dec. 23. We were captured four or five days ago," Sadikoglu said on the videotape, broadcast on Turkish television. "We're fine and they will check us out, what we're doing here, and will hopefully release us. God is Great."

Sadikoglu said he was working for the United Nations and the Iraqi government on a project clearing harbors of sunken ships. "We don't have any problems with the Iraqi government, we're creating jobs and food for the Iraqis," he said. "If that is a crime too, then we will accept the punishment."

With a growing hostage trade, though it has quieted down significantly since the U.S. and Iraqi forces cleared Fallujah, Sadikoglu may end up in the hands of terrorists who could care less about money and only care about making a statement by beheading anyone helping Iraqis.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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The suicide bomber who attacked the mess hall in Mosul, Iraq was not a member of the Iraqi National Guard according to a top Iraqi General. Ansar al-Sunnah released a video of the attack which I've been unable to locate at present. Two of their sites have been taken down and the exact placement of the video is not known.

The bomber is believed to have recieved help from moles working inside the base, entering the main gate wearing an Iraqi National Guard uniform with the help of a guard. He was able to enter the base with a police identification under the premise of fixing air conditioning units.

General Babaker B. Shawkat Zebari also commented upon Syria's role in feeding the terrorism within Iraq.

Zebari said foreign fighters are still entering Iraq from Syria.

"I don't know if the (Syrian) government is closing its eyes or the terrorists are finding their ways to cross," he said.

Zibari said six Arabs using forged Iraqi identity cards and carrying explosives were detained near the Syrian border on Thursday.

His comments came a day after Najaf's police commander, Ghaleb al-Jazaeri, said they detained an Iraqi who confessed to receiving training in a camp in Syria under the supervision of a Syrian military officer. The detainee is suspected in a bombing in Najaf this month that killed 54 people.

Update:
The video of the Ansar al-Sunnah suicide bombing in the U.S. mess hall in Mosul can be downloaded here, courtesy of Global Terror Alert.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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- MEMRI

"Secret European military intelligence reports indicate the transformation of the American humanitarian mission in Iraq into a profitable trade in the American markets through the practice of American physicians extracting human organs from the dead and wounded, before they are put to death, for sale to medical centers in America. A secret team of American physicians follow the troops during their attacks on Iraqi armed men to ensure quick [medical] operations for extracting some organs and transferring them to private operations rooms before they are transferred to America for sale.

"The reports confirm the finding of tens of mutilated cadavers or cadavers missing parts. Some were found without a head. The American military command could not offer reasons to explain the bewilderment about the missing parts, suggesting that this may have been caused by the penetration of bullets to the [missing] parts. But these excuses cannot be medically accepted. The reports also confirmed that the burning of bodies was deliberate in order to conceal the crime of organ extraction. [The reports] further indicate that American medical teams have [made] active and suspicious moves in Iraq to recruit some Iraqis to guide them to dead and critically injured individuals to engage in the extraction of organs. These teams offer $40 for every usable kidney and $25 for an eye. The reports confirm the finding of mutilated bodies in Fallujah. The reports indicate that the cadavers are immunized inside special cars to prevent the spread of the plague until the bodies are buried by their relatives.

I fully understand the need for a nation to demonize the enemy and of course this is nothing new. It happens on both sides of a war. During the Cold War for instance similar theories were written to demonize the United States.

My only question is this. Can't those who are trying to demonize the United States be a bit more realistic than this?

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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- 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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