November 03, 2004

Army of Ansar al Sunna Beheads Iraqi Officer, Hostage Taking Continues in Iraq (UPDATED)

iraqiofficer1.jpgThis is an archive page. For the latest news on The Army of Ansar al-Sunnah and other terrorist groups in Iraq please go to the MAIN PAGE HERE.

UPDATE 5/10: Army of Ansar al-Sunna website releases images of Japanese hostage Akihiko Saito. Images, story, and link to website.
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The Army of Ansar al-Sunna posted the videotaped murder of an Iraqi Army officer today. The victim's name was Major Hussein Shunun and the terrorists claim that he was kidnapped in Mosul several days ago. As is their usual MO, the terrorists said the victim 'confessed' to 'collaborating' with the enemy and warned that any one who backed the 'crusader occupation forces' would be murdered in a similar fashion. So-called 'collaboraters' are routinely murdered in the Palestinian territories, in Chechnya, and in Kashmir.

UPDATE: I have obtained the video and it is gruesome. Images from the video are posted here. To the right is a still I captured right before the bastards murder Shunun. Graphic images are below. You can download the video at the Terrorist Media website, which is an essential resource for tracking terrorist propaganda films. The site is in need of donations, if you can spare some change. Straight Banana also seems to have the video. Unfortunately, videos are too much of a bandwidth hog for me to host them.

Chad at In the Bullpen tipped me on this, and also noted four Jordanian truck drivers have also been taken hostage. The Army of Ansar al-Sunnah has not claimed responsibility, but it is possible they were behind the act. However, since the drivers were captured in Ramadi, it seems unlikely. The Army of Ansar al-Sunnah has generally limited it's terrorist activities to areas in the north. Ramadi is located just west of Baghdad in the Sunni triangle. It is more likeley that these hostages will be held for ransom, like dozens of others before them.

Two days ago an American citizen was taken hostage in Iraq [earlier post here]. Today he was identified as Radim Sadeq, an American of Lebanese ancestry. He was in Iraq working as a civillian contractor working for a mobile phone company. Sadeq lived in the same neighborhood as murdered hostages Kenneth Bigley [info here], Eugene Armstrong [info here] and Jack Hensley [info here]. The three were beheaded by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's al Qaeda linked Tawid and Jihad organization. more...

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Victims of Islamist Imperialism Take Note: Help is on the Way

Deadline passes for 3 UN workers held hostage in Afghanistan....

Foreign hostages seized in Iraq; US soldier killed by roadside ...

Car bombs claim a dozen lives in Iraq ...

US Warplanes Bomb Targets in Iraq's Falluja

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Army of Ansar al Sunna Beheads Iraqi Officer, Hostage Taking Continues in Iraq

iraqiofficer1.jpgThis is an archive page. For the latest news on The Army of Ansar al-Sunnah and other terrorist groups in Iraq please go to the MAIN PAGE HERE.

UPDATE 5/10: Army of Ansar al-Sunna website releases images of Japanese hostage Akihiko Saito. Images, story, and link to website.
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The Army of Ansar al-Sunna posted the videotaped murder of an Iraqi Army officer today. The victim's name was Major Hussein Shunun and the terrorists claim that he was kidnapped in Mosul several days ago. As is their usual MO, the terrorists said the victim 'confessed' to 'collaborating' with the enemy and warned that any one who backed the 'crusader occupation forces' would be murdered in a similar fashion. So-called 'collaboraters' are routinely murdered in the Palestinian territories, in Chechnya, and in Kashmir.

UPDATE: I have obtained the video and it is gruesome. Images from the video are posted here. To the right is a still I captured right before the bastards murder Shunun. Graphic images are below. You can download the video at the Terrorist Media website, which is an essential resource for tracking terrorist propaganda films. The site is in need of donations, if you can spare some change.

Chad at In the Bullpen tipped me on this, and also noted four Jordanian truck drivers have also been taken hostage. The Army of Ansar al-Sunnah has not claimed responsibility, but it is possible they were behind the act. However, since the drivers were captured in Ramadi, it seems unlikely. The Army of Ansar al-Sunnah has generally limited it's terrorist activities to areas in the north. Ramadi is located just west of Baghdad in the Sunni triangle. It is more likeley that these hostages will be held for ransom, like dozens of others before them. more...

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November 02, 2004

New Margaret Hassan Video Emerges

UPDATE 11/16: Margaret Hassan has been executed. Check this post for 11/16 update or go to MAIN PAGE for news, links to video, and images of hostages in Iraq.

Al Jazeera calls the film 'too graphic' to air, by which they mean it makes the jihadis look like the animals they are. This is the third video released of Hassan and the first one which gives a definite timeline. The terrorists now warn that if their demand that all women prisoners are not released in Iraq, Hassan will be killed. Margaret Hassan is Care International relief director in Iraq. Though Irish by birth, she is married to an Iraqi and had been a resident of Baghdad for years. Care International openly opposed the US led invasion of Iraq and the US sanctions during the Clinton administration.

UPDATE: Just learned via reader Laura and from Digger that the threat to kill Hassan was much more specific than earlier noted. The terrorists have threatened to turn Hassan over to Zarqawi for beheading within 48 hours if their demands are not met. Call it death by Zarqawi.

Previous posts: New Video Threatens Hostage Margaret Hassan with Beheading: She pleads for Blair to cave to terrorist demands; CARE Director Margaret Hassan Taken Hostage In Iraq

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Zarqawi Releases Beheading Video of Japanese Victim

koda1.jpgThis is an archive page. For the latest news on terrorist groups in Iraq please go to the MAIN PAGE HERE.

UPDATE 5/10: Army of Ansar al-Sunna website releases images of Japanese hostage Akihiko Saito. Images, story, and link to website.
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Abu Musab al-Zarqawi al Qaeda linked terrorist organization has released the videotaped murder of Japanese hostage Shosei Koda. I have a copy of it and have posted graphic images from the video below. A link to the video is also below. Zarqawi had previously threatened to murder Koda if Japan did not withdraw its troops from Japan. The Japanese troops are engaged in a non-combat rebuilding role. Shosei Koda, for his part, was a civillian who apparently went to Iraq as a tourist. He was reported dead late last week.

Sofia News Agency:

A group led by al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi showed the beheading of Japanese hostage Shosei Koda in Iraq in an Internet video posted on Tuesday.

The video showed the execution of the Japanese hostage while he was lying on top of a U.S. flag.

Al Qaeda Organisation of Holy War in Iraq also warned Tokyo to withdraw its forces from Iraq or "drown in the hell of the mujahideen" in the country along with "crusader forces".

koda2.jpgImages: Both right and left images are stills from the gruesome beheading video of Shosei Koda.

Reuters:

Al Qaeda Organization of Holy War in Iraq said Tokyo had offered a ransom of "millions of dollars" for 24-year-old Koda. It warned Japan to withdraw its forces from Iraq or "drown in the hell of the mujahideen" along with "crusader forces."

Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hatsuhisa Takashima denied the ransom claim. "It's just groundless. We have not done that," he said, denouncing the video posting as "disgusting." ...

The video showed the hostage, who was wearing a white T-shirt, kneeling with a U.S. flag laid out behind him. Koda's hands were tied behind his back and three masked men dressed all in black stood beneath the group's banner.

After reading a statement, the men grabbed Koda and put him on the flag before sawing off his head with a large knife and holding it aloft and placing it on top of the corpse.

"We had given the Japanese government 48 hours to save its citizen and meet our demands ... and after the deadline passed we cut off the head of this infidel," one of the militants said.

"Let the whole world know that Al Qaeda Organization of Holy War is firm in its jihad (holy war) despite the Japanese government's offer of a ransom of millions of dollars to release their parasite son," said a separate statement from the group dated Nov. 2 and posted on a Web site often used by Islamists.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, a close ally of President Bush, has condemned the killing and vowed to keep Japan's troops in Iraq.

The beheading video can be downloaded here, but registration is required. Straight Banana also has the video at this post.

Others covering the news: James Joyner, Straight Banana, In the Bullpen, ISOU, Digger's Realm, M.H. King

WARNING: Graphic images from the video posted below. more...

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Oh, so that's what they meant by 'fatwa'!

The penalty for apostasy in Islam is the death penalty (for those of you in my intro class, 'apostasy' means you leave the faith).Dutch Filmmaker Who Criticized Islam Slain in Amsterdam:

A Dutch filmmaker who had received death threats after releasing a movie criticizing the treatment of women under Islam was slain in Amsterdam on Tuesday, police said.
A suspect, a 26-year-old man with dual Dutch-Moroccan nationality, was arrested after a shootout with officers that left him wounded, police said.
Thanks to Gordo the Cranky Neocon for e-mailing me this and reminding me of the reason why I've had to up the security measures. As a note to my blog friends, yes I've received threats and yes this explains why I've stopped commenting on most other sites.

Jane uses the news to note that "Freedom of speech is a corollary of freedom of thought."

The rest of the story is below. Commenting on the Dutch PM's PC comment that "Nothing is known about the motive," James Joyner responds: "please, is there really any doubt as to the motive of the murder? "

McQ: "ThatÂ’s a pretty sad testament about a religion if you ask me."

Indeed. more...

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November 01, 2004

Ex-Guantanomo Inmate Behind Islamobad Marriott Bombing

Last week I reported that a bomb had gone off in downtown Islamobad's (that's the capital of Pakistan for those of you in my intro classes) Marriott hotel. While Pakistani authorities tried to play down the blast as an accident, the fact that the blast was in a lobby frequented by Westerners immediately gave rise suspicions. Turns out, these suspicions were well founded. While ex-Gitmo inmates in Brittain are busy suing the US for illegaly holding them for doing nothing more than studying the Religion of Peace under Osama bin Laden, and current Chinese inmates beg the US not to send them back to China, others have been busy bombing the J.W. Marriot in Islamobad. Via LGF this Reuters piece:

Abdullah Mehsud, a former Guantanamo Bay inmate who masterminded the kidnapping of two Chinese engineers, has claimed responsibility for a blast last week at Islamabad's Marriott Hotel, a journalist said on Monday.

Pakistani journalist Rahimullah Yusufzai said Abdullah, the target of a huge manhunt after the kidnapping of the engineers last month, made the claim after contacting him by telephone from an undisclosed location on Sunday.

"We carried out the Marriott bomb blast," Yusufzai quoted him as saying.

An explosion hit the Marriott Hotel on Thursday, injuring seven people, including a U.S. diplomat, two Italians and the Pakistani prime minister's chief security officer.

The government and the hotel immediately said it was not a terrorist attack and was most probably caused by an electrical short circuit.

But the State Department said it believed the blast, which happened while 11 U.S. officials were at the hotel for a dinner, was caused by a bomb and the U.S. embassy has advised its citizens to stay away from the Marriott.

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'Insurgents' Threaten to Use WMD in Fallujah

Note that the 'rebels' a) are led by remnants of Sadam Hussein's Army b) have chemical weapons c) are collaborating with Zarqawi's al Qaeda linked terrorist organization. The Australian:

AS the US reeled from the death of nine marines in Iraq at the weekend, insurgents in Fallujah claimed to have obtained chemical weapons and threatened to use them in any battle for control of the rebel stronghold.

Rebel commanders said chemicals such as cyanide had been added to mortar rounds and missiles that would be deployed against coalition troops reported to be preparing for a major assault on the town west of Baghdad.

A military committee made up of former officers in Saddam Hussein's army, including experts on chemicals and guerrilla warfare, is said to have been organising forces in Fallujah and planning tactics.

The committee is understood to include members of all the main insurgent groups, including that of Iraq's most wanted man, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the terrorist leader behind the beheading of several foreign hostages and a string of car-bomb attacks.

Brian at the Command Post wishes to avoid using the term 'WMD', but I don't mind one bit. The insurgents claim to have chemicals 'such as cyanide'--not just cyanide. Cyanide is representative of a broader class of chemicals they claim to have in their possesion.

Others: Right on Red, NZ Bear

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American Kidnapped in Iraq

Thanks to James Joyner for alerting me that the BBC is reporting that four more hostages have been siezed in Iraq, including one American. Two of the hostages are reportedly non-Iraqi Arabs, while the fourth is from Nepal. The Washington Times reports:

The abductions, which reportedly left one kidnapper dead, occurred in the Mansour district of the capital. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but officials said Muslim insurgents were almost certainly behind the crime.
Now would certainly be a good time to say a prayer for these people. You might recall that over the weekend Japanese hostage Shosei Koda was beheaded by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's group. I fear the same fate for these poor souls.

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UN Hostages in Afghanistan Plea for Life in New Video

On October 28th we reported that three UN workers had been taken hostage in Afghanistan. Yesterday, a video was released of the three hostages pleading for their lives. The hostages were in Iraq to help with last months elections and all were employed by the UN. They are Annetta Flanigan of Northern Ireland, Filipino diplomat Angelito Nayan and Shqipe Habibi of Kosovo. As more evidence that involving the UN does not translate into support for US policies, the terrorists "threatened to kill them unless U.N. and British troops leave Afghanistan and Muslim prisoners are freed from U.S. jails (source: China Daily)".

The BBC reports that the deadline set by the terrorists has been extended. In what seems to be a precaution against raids aimed at freeing the hostages, their are also reports that the three have been split up.

UPDATE: Make that threatening to behead the hostages. more...

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Iranian Parliament Moves Nuke Program Forward Shouting "Death to America"

From the same country that stones 13 year old girls to death for incest comes this news. AP:

To shouts of "Death to America," Iran's parliament unanimously approved the outline of a bill Sunday that would require the government to resume uranium enrichment, legislation likely to deepen an international dispute over Iran's nuclear activities....

Some lawmakers broke out with shouts of "Death to America!" after the conservative-dominated parliament after lawmakers voted to advance the nation's nuclear program, an issue of national pride that provides a rare point of agreement between conservatives and reformers.

Parliament speaker Gholam Ali Haddad Adel called Sunday's vote a message to the world.

"The message of the absolute vote for the Iranian nation is that the parliament supports national interests," he said. "And the message for the outside world is that the parliament won't give in to coercion."

The legislation said the goverment is "required to make use of scientists and the country's facilities ... in order to enable the country to master peaceful nuclear technology, including the cycle of nuclear fuel."

John Little of Blogs of War tipped me on this story, and he ads this food for thought: John Kerry, as recently as the presidential debates, has propesed supplying this regime with nuclear fuel.

Vic at anti-com.com: "Does anyone reading this even know what Kerry's position on Iran is? Let's get our allies involved? Let's get France and Germany and Britain involved? Let's get the international community involved? Let's get the IAEA involved? Let's get the UN involved? They already are."

G. Turner over at AIR links to Kerry's own words from his own official campaign website: "If this process fails, we must lead the effort to ensure that the IAEA takes this issue to the Security Council for action."

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October 29, 2004

New bin Laden Tape Good News for Bush: Segments of American Public Call for al Jazeera to be bombed

Al Jazeera's airing of a new video taped message from Osama bin Laden is good news for President Bush's campaign hopes. Al Qaeda and their media allies at al Jazeera have pulled out all the stops they can in influencing the American elections. Unfortunately Osama bin Laden, al Jazeera, and the al Qaeda network do not understand the American people.

Al Jazeera's English language homepage has changed all of their headlines to reflect this last ditch effort by the Islamists to influence the elections. Their main headline story passes on the message from bin Laden that Bush reacted slowly to the events of 9/11 without any mention of the quick fall of the Taliban and bin Laden's own forced exile from Afghanistan.

Al Jazeera then follows this by running a discredited story written in April that President Bush was warned prior to September 11th of the impending attacks on the World Trade Center. Thus, they attempt to link bin Laden's accusation that Bush was uncaring with evidence that the President knew of the attacks in advance and did nothing.

If this were not enough, they then follow by posting a link to another old story. Those who do not bother to read the date would assume that the US Congress doubled the reward on bin Laden as a response to today's videotaped message. An attempt to show signs of fear and weakness on our part.

Following this post is a bone thrown to our European allies with an old story that bin Laden is willing to declare a truce with them if they will just stop supporting the US. While al Jazeera does not understand the American mind, they do understand the Europeans.

And what series of links at al Jazeera would be complete without the obligatory Abu Ghraib story?

The terrorists believe the American people are as weak as the Spanish, who they view as caving to their demands. The terrorists believe that bin Laden's criticism of Bush can only hurt him. The terrorists believe that the reason John Kerry has escalated his criticisms of the President is because they have sufficiently scared the Senator--something which is not true, but which they believe anyway. The terrorists believe that by escalating the threat of a near-term attack they will sway the elections towards Bush.

They are wrong on all points.

The American people will not give in to terrorism.

The American people will take any criticisms given by Osama bin Laden as a compliment to the President.

John Kerry may have escalated his criticisms of the President because he is a political opportunist, but not because he is afraid of terrorists.

Poll after poll show that the American people trust President Bush over Senator Kerry to handle terrorism. Any escalation in that threat will only help Bush.

Al Qaeda is attempting to alter the outcome of this election, just as they did in Spain, and al Jazeera is doing their best to help them. A recent videotaped message by American born al Qaeda operative Adam Yahiye Gadahn reveals the extent of the problem of the Islamists' propaganda outlet.

In the video, California native Gadahn spews forth virulently anti-American propaganda. He accuses Americans of killing innocent Muslims around the world and that we have blood on our hands. There is no insincerity in his voice. He believes that al Qaeda represents the good guys and the US represents the bad guys.

Why do so many around the world hate America? We can start with al Jazeera. Al Jazeera, and media outlets like it, blame all the world's ills on the United States. The context they provide for all images has a single unifying theme: the US is the cause of so much suffering in the world. When a picture of a dead child in Fallujah is shown, the context is that the US deliberately killed the child. When an image of a dead terrorist is shown, the context is that a freedom fighter met his fate at the hands of Imperialist aggression.

There is a reason that Osama bin Laden hates America, he believes us to be evil. There is a reason that Zarqawi murdered Japanese hostage Shosei Koda, he believed he was a spy sent by the evil Imperialist's ally. There is a reason that the Army of Ansar al-Islam murdered eleven Iraqi National Guardsman, they truly believed them to be collaborating with an enemy that routinely murders Iraqi civilians. There is a reason terrorists are demanding the release of female prisoners in Iraq in exchange for Polish hostage Teresa Borcz-Kalifa, they actually believe reports in the Arab press that American GIs are holding hundreds of woman in prison and that rape is routinely practiced by our soldiers.

In other words, many in the Muslim world are victims of the propaganda put forth by outlets such as al Jazeera. Al Jazeera and al Qaeda also believe they can foist this worldview upon the American people. They are wrong.

What will our response be to this propaganda effort? I am more confident now than I was just hours ago that President Bush will win reelection.

What should our response be to al Jazeera's propaganda efforts? Bomb al Jazeera now. Take it off the air. Destroy it.

Al Jazeera is directly responsible for the death of innocent Americans.

Al Jazeera is directly responsible for reinforcing the morale of our enemies in Iraq.

Al Jazeera is directly responsible for helping create an atmosphere of sympathy for terrorists around the world.

Al Jazeera is an enemy to the United States of America and a direct threat to our national securty. It is time we start treating them as such.

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Al Jazeera to Broadcast Osama bin Laden Video

UPDATE: An update on my thoughts are posted here.

A number of e-mails have come in in the past few minutes, including one from M.H. King who is following the story, alerting me to a story that al Jazeera will be running a new video featuring Osama bin Laden. The video is purported to show bin Laden directly addressing the American people. Let's just say I'm a bit skeptical that the voice on the tape is bin Laden. Despite what they show you on CSI, voice recognition is less science than it is art. If it turns out to be a video, I will want to see some references to recent events in order to be convinced that bin Laden is still alive. A number of sources have claimed to have positively identified bin Laden in the region of South Waziristan which borders Pakistan and India, some of them even claiming bin Laden had crossed into India proper, but I did not run the story for lack of credibility. As I told one person who ran with it, "Bin Laden is the Elvis of South Asia." MSNBC:

Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden tells the American people that “Bush cannot protect you” in a new taped message received by the Arab satellite television station Al-Jazeera, U.S. officials told NBC News on Friday.

Al-Jazeera said the tape, to be aired at 4 p.m. ET, dealt with the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States and their consequences. While the announcer said the message was an audiotape, the stationÂ’s Web site called it a video.

Mike sent me a link to this Fox News analysis. I am not saying that the voice on the tape is not necessarily bin Laden, but how recent can this really be? I want something more than just a video of bin Laden lecturing on the evils of Bush. I want something, anything, that shows this video is more than two years old.
Multiple sources told FOX News that the 18-minute videotape is authentic and said its release was timed to coincide with Tuesday's presidential elections. Bin Laden makes reference to recent conflicts in Iraq and addresses the American people directly, sources said.

U.S. officials said the tape appears to have been made recently.

I might remind my readers that the Army of Ansar al Sunnah recently praised John Kerry for his criticisms of George Bush. The same message also noted that Kerry's criticism is a result of his fear of terrorism--a sign that terrorist tactics are working. For the record, I do not believe Kerry's criticisms are the result of his fear of terrorism. However, a Kerry victory would clearly be interpreted by the terrorists themselves as a sign that they are winning this war.

Critical Update I:CTV Canada adds this tidbit to the mix, which means I may be wrong: "Despite entering the fourth year after Sept. 11, Bush is still deceiving you and hiding the truth from you and therefore the reasons are still there to repeat what happened," bin Laden tells Americans. Holy schneike!! My lefty readers are already jumping on this as evidence of George Bush's failures.

Three things: 1) Al Jazeera released the video--an obvious ploy to affect the outcome of the elections. 2) When bin Laden criticizes you that's not exactly a bad thing. 3) To reiterate--since the polls consistently show the American people trust George Bush on terrorism more than Kerry, well, you do the math.

UPDATE: Many of you may be watching the Fox News broadcast of the tape. Digger is doing live updates as they happen. more...

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Japanese Hostage Shosei Koda Reported Dead in Iraq

This is an archive page. For the latest news on terrorist groups in Iraq please go to the MAIN PAGE HERE.

UPDATE 5/10: Army of Ansar al-Sunna website releases images of Japanese hostage Akihiko Saito. Images, story, and link to website.
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One of my readers in the UK just informed me that Ch. 4 has just reported Japanese hostage Shosei Koda has been killed in Iraq. Shosei Koda was captured by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's terrorist organization two days ago and threatened with beheading if Japan did not pull all of its forces out of Iraq.

Reuters:

A Japanese man taken hostage in Iraq has been killed, Kyodo news agency says, citing information obtained by the Japanese government.
The Courier-Mail Australia, which identifies Koda as "a backpacker":
THE Japanese Government was told early today that a Japanese man taken hostage by militants in Iraq had been killed, the Kyodo news agency reported.

A body found near the Iraqi town of Tikrit was identified as that of Shosei Koda, a 24-year-old backpacker captured by militants, the news agency said.

Interesting that his body was said to have been found in Tikrit. Earlier reports today had denied that the body of an "Asian man" found in Tikrit was not that of the Japanese hostage.

Developing.....

Previous posts: Deadline Passes for Japanese Hostage: Body of Asian man found in Tikrit, Zarqawi Threatens to Behead Japanese Hostage

(Initial reports identified the man as Akio Koda, but later reports identified him as Shosei Koda. This post has been updated to reflect that)

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Deadline Passes for Japanese Hostage: Body of Asian man found in Tikrit

The deadline set by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's terrorist organization before they threatened to behead Japanese hostage Akio Koda has expired. Internet sites tied to Zarqawi have made no announcement of Koda's impending murder. However, since US forces stepped up their efforts at capturing or killing the terrorist, many of the websites normally used by Zarqawi seem to have been abandoned. Some suggest this is a possible sign that Zarqawi is feeling the increased pressure and may be on the run. In the past six weeks Zarqawi has changed his MO, opting to post messages and videos to an Islamic bulletin board.

The Japanese government, for their part, is taking the lack of any announcement on Koda's fate as a sign of hope. Reuters reports:

"We are making every effort to rescue him on the premise that he is alive," Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura said.

In Tikrit, the body of an Asian man was found this morning causing early speculation that the victim was Koda. However, an AFP report in ABC News Australia suggest that the body does not match the description of Koda.

"The body is for someone with a large build, dark skin and a black moustache. He was wearing a white shirt and pants and he is between the age of 35 and 40," said Duraid al-Tikriti at Tikrit general hospital.

He added the man had gunshot wounds to the head and body.

Other sources suggest the victim was probably either from Pakistan or India.

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October 28, 2004

Iraqi WMD in Syria

Via Robert Spencer these Satellite images of possible WMD sites in Syria. An accompanying article by a Syrian journalist suggests that the WMD were moved from Iraq to three locations. It is an old report, but worth the read.

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3 Hostages Taken in Afghanistan, Two More Missing

Three of the hostages are UN workers. The Guardian identifies the victims as "Annette Flanagan, from Richhill, Co Armagh, who has dual British-Irish citizenship, Angelito Nayan, a junior Filipina diplomat seconded to the UN, and a woman from the Balkans."

Two cameramen have also gone missing in Afghanistan in recent days. Najibullah Quraishi and Aslamouddin Mael were both cameramen working on a documentary in the country.

The NZ Herald reports that following the kidnapping of the Western election workers:

A massive manhunt was immediately launched throughout Kabul, with NATO helicopters hovering above the city and roadblocks set up. One British UN official said: "After the election went so peacefully foreigners here became complacent. First of all there was the suicide bomb attack, now this."

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Video Shows American Terrorist

Segments of a controversial al Qaeda video were shown on ABC today in which a man who identified himself as 'Azzam the American' warns of an impending terrorist attack in the United States. ABC aired the video today after news leaked out by Matt Drudge that the organization was holding the story until after Tuesday so as not to sway the election. The implication from Drudge was that any heightened terror threat would only benefit President Bush in the waning days of the close election. Surveys consistently show that the American people trust President Bush more than John Kerry on who is better equipped to handle terrorism.

While 'Azzam the American's' face is covered in the video, one prominent terrorism expert told the Jawa Report that the man on the tape was probably California native Adam Yahiye Gadahn. The FBI website lists Gadahn as a man 'being sought in connection with possible terrorist threats against the United States.' The FBI further warns Gadahn, 'SHOULD BE CONSIDERED ARMED AND DANGEROUS'.

Gadahn attended a mosque run by extreme Wahhabist, Muzammil Siddiqi, but his views became too radical even for the extreme Wahabbists running the mosque and Gadahn was expelled from the congregation.

According to Reuters:

In the portions of the tape shown by ABC, the speaker, whose face is cloaked and who has a slight accent, says he is a follower of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. He denounces Americans as "guilty, guilty, guilty."

"You are as guilty as Bush and Cheney," he said.

The speaker vows new attacks worse than the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. "After decades of American tyranny and oppression now it's your turn to die. Allah willing, the streets of America shall run red with blood matching drop for drop the blood of America's victims," he said.

The AP reports that Gadahn's parents are cooperating with the CIA, but they have been unable to identify the masked voice on the tape.

ABC, for it's part, claimed that it was waiting for verification on the tape's authenticity before running with the story. However, The Jawa Report was able to authenticate the video within minutes of learning of the story, but due to an server outtage, we were unable to run the story. While it was not known how serious the threats made on the tape were, the tape was authentic. According to the Northeast Intelligence Network the tape was distributed by the media arm of the al Qaeda network, al Sahab Enterprises.

While the Mainstream Media continues to play up stories which might be damaging to the Bush reelection, they choose to suppress or ignore stories that would help. For instance, bad news coming out of Iraq, such as the recent slew of kidnappings or reports on missing weapons at al Qaqqa, recieve headline news. These stories are usually put into the context of the 'Is Bush losing the War in Iraq?' angle. The news of Polish hostage Teresa Borcz-Kalifa and Japanese hostage Akio Koda have both been run by the MSM within the caveat that the overwhelming majority of Poles and Japanese oppose the Iraq war. The news that eleven Iraqis were murdered by another terrorist organization was also accompanied by similar gainsaying.

Rarely does the MSM put such stories within the larger context of the Global War on Terror. Even more rare still is the MSM's willingness to address the issue of global terrorism as primarily routed in the teachings of Islam.

UPDATE: Via James Joyner I learn that Drudge is now reporting that "ABCNEWS withheld portions of an alarming new al Qaeda videotape which warns the next terror attack will dwarf 9/11 from the CIA when they submitted the video for analysis". Amazing if true.

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Blast Rocks American Hotel in Pakistan

An explosion at the American owned Marriott Hotel in central Islamabad injured at least seven people today. The Pakistani government has denied any terrorist involvement in the blast. MSNBC reports that at least 11 US officials were staying at the hotel and one US diplomat was reported among the injured by Channel News Asia. The manager of the hotel claims that this was probably just an accident caused by bad-wiring, but the convergence of coincidences seems very suspicious. Other hotel employees interviewed by Agence France Presse claimed that they believed the explosion was the result of a bomb. The explosion was in the lobby area of the hotel, a place frequented by Westerners.

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Dying Anti-American Arafat Flown to Home of Anti-Americanism: France

This photo, released by the Palestinian Authority shows an ailing Yasser Arafat shaking hands with terrorist sympathizers of all stripes. When asked to comment on his condition Arafat could only shout the word "Timmy" over and over.

According to World Net Daily, sources in Israel claim that Arafat 'could be faking it'. Could Arafat's sudden handicap have something to do with the upcoming Paris Special Olympics? No word yet but sources close to Arafat call the trip "Project Cartman".

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