JERUSALEM POST: PA asks for international intervention

The Palestinian Authority Thursday called on the UN Security Council, the US and the Quartet to intervene with Israel to stop the IDF operation in the Gaza Strip.

“We urge the Security Council and the Quartet, especially the US, to intervene immediately and urgently to halt the Israeli atrocities that are being perpetrated in the Gaza Strip,” said Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for PA Chairman Yasser Arafat.

In other news, the IDF just took out a Qassam launching team with a missile strike.

The Copenhagen Post reports that a Danish former Guantanamo prisoner is heading to Chechnya to fight.

Former Guantanamo prisoner Slimane Hadj Abderrahmane told DR News Magazine on Wednesday that he intends to leave Denmark following recent controversy over his claim that the Danish Prime Minister and Foreign Minister were legitimate targets for Islamic warriors.

“The Danish people can rest assured - I’m not doing anything to you,” the Danish-Algerian Abderrahmane told DR news. “When I came back from Cuba, I was sitting across from the Foreign Minister in his office. There was only a desk between us. If I wanted to do something to him, I would have done it then.”

“All this commotion - Why should I stay here? I’m going to Chechnya to fight for Muslims. The Muslims are struggling in Chechnya, and the Russians are committing so much terror against them,” said Abderrahmane, whose remarks about the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister cost him public sympathy, despite his two-year ordeal at the Guantanamo prison camp.

Seemingly immune to the uproar over his remarks, Abderrahmane remained indignant in Wednesday’s interview.

“Denmark is the only country that hasn’t figured out that a country’s leaders are legitimate targets in times of war. If you’re not willing to face the consequences, then don’t go to war,” he said.

HAARETZ: Mofaz: Large-scale, prolonged Gaza operation

Mofaz announced his new directives after a special assessment meeting with the heads of Israel’s security branches.

The security cabinet is set to convene Thursday evening after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon meets with security chiefs for a further assessment.

Mofaz declared that Wednesday’s “murder of children” was an “unforgivable and intolerable” act, to which Israel must respond.

The operation is also aimed at handling the terror infrastructure in Gaza a heavy blow. The third objective set forward was the improvement the defenses of the area’s settlements.

JERUSALEM POST: Would-be female suicide bomber arrested

A would-be female suicide bomber has been arrested near the West Bank city of Jenin on Thursday.

The 24-year-old from the village of Fakua was arrested by security officials following pinpoint intelligence information that she had intensions to perpetrate a suicide attack in Israel, Israel Radio reported.

Juan Herveda of Netwar notes that Issue no. 10 of al-Qaeda’s training manual Al-Battar has special coverage of kidnapping. Juan offers a series of excerpts for your perusal.

Since so many countries seem happy to pay ransoms and change their foreign policies in response to kidnappings, we can expect this to become an income-generating staple for Islamists in the Middle East. Kidnapping already fills this role in places like Colombia and other parts of Latin America, where the “Terror, Inc.” model is more established, and Alaa’s Sept. 16 post indicates that Iraq is moving in this direction as well.

[Joe’s personal bet:] I expect the Islamists to take further steps toward the Colombian model, as a likely extrapolation of current trends. The key difference from Latin America will be the monetary stakes involved if it begins to slow the inflow of expertise. Given the Middle East’s much higher dependence on foreign experts in order to produce its main sources of income and run its societies, it will be interesting to see how Middle Eastern governments react if kidnappings start becoming more widespread in the region as a whole.

Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the global War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. Thursday’s Winds of War briefings are given by me, Colt, of Eurabian Times.

TOP TOPICS

• Hassan al-Turabi, former president of Sudan and ideologue of IIF, has allegedly tried to overthrow the current president Omar el-Bashir. More details here. Dan has a long briefing on the terror threat from Sudan, which al-Turabi helped build.

• The terrorists holding British hostage Ken Bigley have released another video. He is shown in a a cage denouncing Tony Blair. Aaron of Internet Haganah says on the jihadi forums there’s a statement from Tahid wal Jihad saying that they will now release him in order to “emphasize the humiliation of the British government and its army”. As ever, that cannot be considered reliable.

• Several significant al-Qaeda men have been captured in Pakistan. It is thought they were involved in the brutal murder of Daniel Pearl and a plot to kill President Musharraf.

• There are several reports of clashes between the Iranian populace and Islamist militias. Alas, it is premature to say these are the sparks of rebellion. But if they are, a coherent Iran policy might suddenly become even more urgent than it already is.

Other Topics Today Include: Iran Reports; Domestic brief; Iraqi WMD in Syria?; shootings in KSA and Oman; Saudi-sponsored terror; car-bomb in Damascus; Chechens in Cyprus?; JI learns from Chechens; Indonesia hunts suicide bombers; released Taliban commander killed.

REad the rest…

The net appeared to be closing around one of Russia’s two most wanted men last night after Chechnya’s Moscow-backed authorities said they had cornered the breakaway region’s long-sought rebel president, Aslan Maskhadov.

Ramzan Kadyrov, deputy prime minister in the region’s Moscow-friendly government, said that he “had every reason to believe” Maskhadov and his associates were trapped by his forces in a forest in south-east Chechnya.

Officials said they had picked up the call signs of Maskhadov’s closest aides in radio traffic from the cornered rebels, as well as numerous tip-offs that he was in the area. Mr Kadyrov said he hoped to capture Maskhadov alive after “liquidating” the armed gang surrounding him, which, he said, was led by the rebel president’s most senior bodyguard, Akhmed Avdorkhanov. Rebel sources said some of Maskhadov’s most senior aides were trapped but denied that he was present.

Read more...

More about Maskhadov here.

AP: U.S.-backed forces fail to get Abu Sayyaf leaders in assaults in southern Philippines

Two Abu Sayyaf leaders wanted by Washington escaped from a series of assaults by U.S.-trained forces in clashes that killed a marine and wounded an undetermined number of rebels in the southern Philippines, officials said Wednesday.

One marine was killed and seven others injured … Rebel two-way radio chatter and bloodstains at one clash scene indicated casualties among the guerrillas …

… U.S. help in the assaults indicates Washington's continuing desire to help the Philippines crush remnants of the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf in the southern Mindanao region despite a high-profile spat in July over President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's decision to withdraw peacekeepers from Iraq to save a kidnapped Filipino.

American officials are also concerned over the reported presence of secret terror training camps in Mindanao maintained by Jemaah Islamiyah, al-Qaida's Southeast Asian ally.

HAARETZ: 2 killed, including baby, in Qassam strike on Sderot home

Two Israelis were killed Wednesday evening, including an infant, and at least 11 others were wounded when a Qassam rocket fired from the Gaza Strip struck a house in the Negev town of Sderot.

The wounded were taken to Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon. One person was in serious condition, two people sustained moderate wounds and eight were treated for light injuries.

Hamas claimed responsibility for the rocket strike, which came after at least four Palestinians were reported killed Wednesday during an Israel Defense Forces raid in the northern Gaza Strip aimed at preventing the firing of Qassam rockets.

Yemeni judge sentenced two men to death and four others to prison terms ranging from five to 10 years Wednesday for orchestrating the 2000 homicide bombing of the USS Cole (search), an attack blamed on Usama bin Laden’s (search) terror network.

Saudi-born Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, who is in U.S. custody at an undisclosed location, and Jamal al-Badawi, a 35-year-old Yemeni, were both sentenced to death for plotting, preparing and involvement in the bombing, which killed 17 U.S. sailors as their destroyer refueled in the southern Yemeni port of Aden.

Al-Nashiri, believed to be the mastermind of the Oct. 12, 2000 bombing, was the only one of the six defendants not in the heavily guarded court to hear the sentences. The other five defendants are all Yemenis.

Read more…

[Read more on the Cole bombing here]

From Reuters via the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) :

Hackers have attacked a website of an Al Qaeda-linked group, that beheaded two US hostages in Iraq, re-routing visitors to a page showing a penguin toting a machine gun and warning against hosting such sites.

The site of the Tawhid and Jihad Group of Al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, set up on a site providing free web hosting, last week carried a tape of British hostage Kenneth Bigley appealing for his life as well as videos of the decapitation of the two US hostages.

“Host them and your next!” was the message left on the site by the hackers, calling themselves TeAmZ USA, who have already attacked several Islamist and pro-Al Qaeda websites.

Hopefully their skills are better than their grammar.

Yesterday, Tom Ridge said that he’s seen no sign of terrorist efforts to cross the U-S-Mexico border and that nothing from intelligence reports has suggested that terrorists have tried to cross the border.

See also Al-Qaida meets with Central American gang, lawmaker says and the other links in Illegal aliens from terrorist states released into U.S.

UPDATE: The Washington Times report is Al Qaeda seeks tie to local gangs. It has more information on the gang and El Shukrijumah, including his picture and this: [he was] born in Saudi Arabia but [is] thought to be a Yemen national… [he is known] to carry passports from Saudi Arabia, Trinidad, Guyana and Canada… authorities said [he] was in Canada last year looking for nuclear material for a so-called “dirty bomb” and [he] reportedly has family members in Guyana… [he is a] former southern Florida resident and pilot thought to have helped plan the September 11 attacks [and he] was among seven suspected al Qaeda operatives identified in May by Attorney General John Ashcroft as being involved in plans to strike new targets in the United States…

[I can’t leave a comment apparently because of a TypePad error, so here’s the commentary portion of this post]

Ridge also stated that the U.S. had never put the military on the border, which, as I point out here, is false.

The subject of immigration and our porous border came up in Bill O’Reilly’s interview with president Bush, and I comment on that here.

The post Their money or your safety comments on the Bush plan that allows banks to accept Mexican ID cards that the FBI and the DOJ call unsafe.

UPDATE: It also needs to be pointed out that the chatter about terrorists coming from Mexico could be a dodge designed to deflect our attention from the Canadian border, our sea borders, our airports, or our ports.

HAARETZ: IDF masses forces in Gaza Strip following Qassam attacks

The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday evening massed forces in the northern Gaza Strip in response to rocket attacks launched on Israeli towns earlier on Tuesday, Israel Radio reported.

Palestinian security sources said dozens of tanks and armored personnel carriers had been spotted taking up positions outside the town of Beit Hanoun and close to a nearby Jewish settlement.

Israeli helicopters opened fire on Jebalya refugee camp and Beit Lahiya, two residential areas and militant strongholds in northern Gaza, according to Palestinian witnesses.

Witnesses also saw tanks advancing on a hilltop in Beit Lahiya.

The troop movements came after Palestinian militants had fired at least four Qassam rockets at the Sderot area in the Negev ealier. Eight people were treated for shock.

AP: Explosion Rips Car in Gaza Strip

An explosion ripped through a car in Gaza City on Tuesday, witnesses said. It was not immediately known what caused the blast or whether there were casualties.

Israel has been sending helicopters to fire missiles at Gaza vehicles carrying Palestinian militants on almost a daily basis in recent weeks.

But not in this case. Later reports state that this was a car bomb that went off early.

(Score this one an “own goal” on Hamas.)

AP: Arabs, Israel Split on Terror Definition

On this much world leaders can agree, peace is good, terrorism is bad.

But in speeches delivered by world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly ministerial meetings, differing interpretations on what qualifies as terror have emerged — ones that appear to mirror the Arab-Israeli divide.

For the Arabs, the challenge is to encourage a global audience already largely sympathetic to the plight of the Palestinians to translate that sympathy into addressing the core of the problem. For Israel, it’s to paint a more sympathetic picture of the challenges that country faces in a largely hostile region.

While condemning terrorism, Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa on Monday called on the world to “condemn the systematic state terror perpetrated by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories.”

Al-Sharaa, whose country is on a U.S.-list of state sponsors of terror, said Syria has signed all major international counterterrorism conventions and ones issued by the Arab world and the Organization of the Islamic Conference.

“The latter two conventions define the terrorist crime, and distinguish between terrorism and the legitimate right of people lingering under foreign occupation to resist occupation in accordance with international law and the United Nations’ Charter,” al-Sharaa said.

Western nations and Israel say there is no room for excuses, and the idea that one man’s freedom fighter is another’s terrorist, not only carries little stock, it undermines peace efforts.

“Palestinian terrorism is the key reason that the dream of peace in the Middle East has not yet become a reality,” Israel’s foreign minister, Silvan Shalom, told the world body on Thursday, referring to the Palestinian Authority’s inability and refusal to reign in militant groups like Hamas, who are responsible for suicide attacks in Israel.

“In the post 9-11 world, this is not acceptable. the Palestinians are not exempt from the imperatives on the global war on terror,” said Shalom. “On the contrary, it is in their clear interest to join it.”

Which standard do you think the General Assembly will adopt?

After countless delegations denouncing Israeli “state terrorism” have already taken place, the highlight of the the United Nations General Assembly General Debate is about to happen: the palestinian observer delegation will be at the podium.

There is a link to RealPlayer streaming video there, and later in the day the UN will post the transcript as well as an archived video clip.

HAARETZ: Armed men in Gaza kidnap Israeli citizen working for CNN

An Israeli citizen employed by the American news network CNN was kidnapped in Gaza City on Monday evening, by four armed Palestinians.

Riad Abu Ali, who works as an assistant producer for CNN was snatched from his car after leaving the company’s offices in Gaza City.

The Palestinian Authority is in contact with the armed men in an attempt to negotiate his release.

According to initial reports, the armed men tracked Abu Ali’s car as he departed CNN’s production offices. When he reached the city’s Rimal neighborhood, they stopped the car and grabbed Abu Ali.

CNN reporter Ben Wedeman, who said he was also in the van, did not know why his colleague was kidnapped.

“We had no indication that this was going to happen,” Wedeman told CNN on Monday evening. “This is something I’ve never experienced… These men were not very communicative. They asked which one of us was Riad and that was it.”

UPDATE:
According to breaking news wire reports and Haaretz, the Druze CNN producer has been released.

Captain Ed has a report from Kyrgyzistan stating that 2 men have been arrested while trying to sell plutonium. Plutonium is an alternative to U-235 as a component of atomic bombs, and is required for more sophisticated and powerful devices.

It’s wise to be cautious of such reports. Almost exactly 2 years ago to the day, we ran a report from Turkey re: a seizure of weapons grade uranium. It also came from official sources, and was disseminated by Reuters. As our follow-up quickly noted, the whole thing had been a clever but dangerous con designed to fleece the rich, evil & gullible. Most of these things are. On the bright side, our follow-up did assemble some useful information for you re: basic nuclear weapon design, and how much U-235 or plutonium it takes.

JERUSALEM POST: Hamas calls on followers to vote in elections

Hamas published newspaper ads Tuesday calling on its followers to vote in upcoming Palestinian elections, the first sign that the Islamic terrorist group is making the historic vote a high priority.

A Hamas leader, meanwhile, was quoted as saying the group plans to contest legislative and presidential elections. The comment by Mahmoud Zahar marked the first time Hamas has made such a commitment, without reservations.

A strong Hamas campaign could pose a formidable challenge to Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, who announced plans earlier this month to hold municipal elections starting in December. Arafat’s promise came in response to widespread discontent over his corruption-plagued government and chaos in the territories.

Hamas has previously said that it would participate in the elections but shown little interest in the campaign.

CSM reports that Arab fighters have been ordered out of Pakistan and Afghanistan and that Uzbeks are taking over as Al Qaeda’s protectors.

Hundreds of Uzbek militants now form the bulwark of Al Qaeda’s defenses in South Waziristan. The Central Asians are filling the ranks left by Arab fighters who left the region for the Middle East on the orders of Mr. bin Laden months ago, say tribal sources.

“The Arab militants hardly participate in the [South Waziristan] fight as they have handed over control of the battlefield to these Uzbeks. This saves their ranks from losses,” says tribesman Mohammad Noor. “They are using the Uzbeks cleverly here. Many locals are now unhappy with the Uzbeks” for drawing attacks from Pakistani forces.

With Al Qaeda’s leadership focused on broad planning, command of the day-to-day fighting in the tribal region has been delegated to Qari Tahir Yaldashev…

n the past, “Al Qaeda never let militants from other regions enter the inner circle, which is purely of Arab origin. But Al Qaeda leadership is aware of the qualities of Uzbek militants and their women…. Both are known as staunch jihadis,” says Peshawar-based analyst, Mohammad Riaz.

The report mentions that Yo’ldosh, who dropped the Slavic ending to his name quite a while ago, draws fresh troops from the Meshud tribe.

Cross-posted at The Argus.

From the Guardian Unlimited:

Two of the militants who took part in the Beslan school hostage siege phoned the Middle East during the drama, a senior source from the Russian security services has said.

The official said two calls were made from Beslan in Arabic, and that “one call was to Saudi Arabia by one of the Arabs who was there”.

The report supports the Kremlin’s strongly held view that a link exists between terrorist groups sympathetic to al-Qaida and Chechen separatists.

This story has, of course, been reported in the Russian online media. At lenta.ru, for example, the story appeared with the headline rewritten to read: “Terrorists called Saudi Arabia from the Beslan school” (Russian original: Террористы звонили из бесланской школы в Саудовскую Аравию).

Cheers…

CNN: Bin Laden ‘alive and in Pakistan’

Intelligence indicates Osama bin Laden is alive, Pakistan’s president says, and the top U.S. military official in Afghanistan believes the al Qaeda leader is probably in Pakistan.

On a visit to The Hague in the Netherlands Monday, Pervez Musharraf told reporters that interrogations of captured al Qaeda operatives and technological evidence indicate bin Laden is alive.

But when asked about bin Laden’s current whereabouts, Musharraf replied: “Oh no, I don’t know where he is. I wish I did,” according to The Associated Press.

While the Saudis announce an exclusionary conference to discuss antiterrorism efforts…

HAARETZ: Russia, Israel discuss tighter anti-terror cooperation

Russian and Israeli officials are planning joint training courses for anti-terror forces, Russian news agencies reported Monday after a meeting between Russia’s top police official and Israel’s National Security Council chairman.

Russia’s Interior Ministry and the Israeli police service also plan regular workshops and meetings on the fight against international terrorism, the Interfax news agency reported following a meeting between Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s security adviser Giora Eiland.

The Interior Ministry, which is responsible for police, is stepping up cooperation with Israeli police “in sharing theoretical and practical ideas that may help detect crimes of a terrorist nature,” Interfax quoted a ministry statement as saying. Ministry officials were not available for comment.

The statement also said Russia and Israel will seek to improve sharing of information on the activities of terrorist and extremist organizations and on their sources of financing, including by creating databases with information on international terrorist organizations and their leaders, Interfax reported.

The Russian ministry called for the creation of a joint working group to coordinate cooperation in air transport security, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported. It was not clear how the Israeli delegation responded to the suggestion.

ARAB TIMES: Saudi Arabia intends to host anti-terror meeting

Saudi Arabia told the U.N. General Assembly on Monday it would host an international conference on terrorism in its capital Riyadh Feb. 5-8, the first by the oil-rich nation.

“The purpose is to exchange information and experience in the field of combating terrorism and to see how we can cooperate with other countries in the fight toward this universal threat,” said Nizar Obaid Madani, the Saudi foreign ministry undersecretary.

He said such a conference, which would include international organizations, could also review techniques for money laundering, drug smuggling and gun-running. But he gave no details on who was invited or who would attend.

But…

But Madani made clear Israel would not be asked, accusing the Jewish state of drawing its own boundaries, conducting aerial bombardments and assassinations of Palestinians.

“The setback in the peace process and the mounting wave of violence and extremism in the region are largely attributable to the pursuit by the Israeli government of policies that are totally incompatible with the fundamental principles of the peace process,” he said.

Lebanon’s Top al-Qaida Operative Dies

The alleged top al-Qaida operative in Lebanon, who was captured last week in a security operation that broke up a terrorist network, died of a heart attack Monday, hospital and security officials said.

Ismail Mohammed al-Khatib was rushed from his prison cell to the Bahanes Hospital, 30 kilometers northeast of Beirut, after suffering a heart attack, but doctors were unable to save his life, hospital officials said.

Lebanese security officials confirmed Khatib’s death of a heart attack.

JERUSALEM POST: PA terror links uncovered

Further evidence emerged Monday of the direct link between the armed wing of Fatah, Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, and the Palestinian Authority.

Obituary notices distributed in the West Bank town of Salfit by Fatah and the PA’s General Intelligence Force revealed that the local commander of the Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, who was killed on Sunday when his M-16 rifle exploded, had doubled as a security officer.

Jihad Hassan, who is also known as Abu Naaim, was the commander of the Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in Salfit and has been wanted by Israel for the past two years.

Residents said Hassan purchased two days ago from an arms dealer an M-16 rifle that had been apparently booby-trapped by Israel’s Shin Bet. They said the rifle exploded on Sunday while Hassan was carrying it, amputating his right arm.

Hassan was rushed unconscious to a hospital in Ramallah, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Doctors said he had lost a lot of blood before arriving at the hospital.

bq. Top Bin Laden deputy Ayman al-Zawahri has been caught in Pakistan, according to a report from the region quoted on Israel Radio Monday.

Pakistani forces operating against al Qaida strongholds in the country report capturing the Egyptian national, who was formerly the head of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, which operated in the past against the Egyptian regime.

Pakistan officials are denying the report.

HAARETZ: Palestinians: One person killed in IAF missile strike in Gaza

One person was killed and three others were injured after an Israel Defense Forces helicopter fired a missile at a vehicle in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday afternoon, Palestinian witnesses said.

Witnesses said that the attack appeared to be an attempt to kill a Palestinian militant.

Witnesses identified the apparent target as Mohammed Abu Nsair, a leading activist of the Popular Resistance Committees, an umbrella militant group. Medics said he was wounded in the strike.

Several other Palestinians were wounded in the missile attack.

JERUSALEM POST: Gaza: Two Palestinians carrying explosives killed

During the night Sunday, security forces killed two Palestinian men, thus thwarting their attempt to plant of a bomb along the Gaza Strip security fence.

IDF soldiers spotted two Palestinians approaching the fence between Kibbutz Nir Am and Kibbutz Miflasim in an attempt to place a bomb.

They opened fire on the two men, killing both of them. The men were carrying a large amount of explosives.

Paramilitary police killed a suspected top al-Qaida operative, wanted for alleged involvement in the kidnapping of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, during a four-hour shootout Sunday at a southern Pakistan house, the information minister said. At least two other men were arrested.

Amjad Hussain Farooqi was wanted for his alleged role in the kidnapping and beheading of Pearl in 2002 and two assassination attempts against President Gen. Pervez Musharraf in December 2003.

“I as chief spokesman for the government of Pakistan confirm that our forces have killed Amjad Hussain Farooqi,” Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told The Associated Press by phone from Amsterdam, where he has gone on an official trip with Musharraf.

Ahmed said “two or three other people were also arrested during a big gunfight.” He declined to identify them but said they were still being questioned by authorities and were “very important.”

“This is the work of our security agencies, and they have done a great job,” Ahmed said.

Farooqi was on Pakistan’s most wanted list.

Breaking story…
—-

Sky News has the story:

Tornado jets have escorted a New York-bound Olympic Airways passenger jet into Stansted Airport after a bomb alert.

Sky’s James Matthews said the pilot called through a ‘mayday’ because he believed there was a bomb on board.

“The plane was flying from Athens to New York when it was diverted to the Essex airport.

The passengers have been escorted from the plane.

It is not clear yet whether a device has been found.

A Stansted airport spokesman said the plane was diverted under “full emergency conditions”.

An RAF rescue helicopter is in the vicinity, Matthews said.

“It does not get very much more serious than that,” said Matthews.

“The pilot thought it was serious enough to call in an escort. This may be the first time this has happened in British airpspace. The alert is very much full scale.

“My understanding is that he would have said there was nothing less than there is a bomb on the plane.”

Update: BBC is reporting that the incident is “over” but there are no details on that so far.

Update:

A spokesman for Stansted Airportsaid the plane landed under “full emergency conditions.”

The BBC’s Athens correspondent Richard Galpin told BBC News 24 the incident happened after an elderly man called a Greek newspaper anonymously and told them there was an bomb on board.

The paper called the police, who called the airline. No code word is believed to have been used.

The plane, which was carrying 290 passengers, landed safely.

The RAF is not releasing any more details of how many of its planes were involved for security reason.

The News of the World has the story:

THESE is the chilling moment anti-terrorist police swooped on a gang suspected of trying to buy radioactive material for a “dirty bomb” that could have slaughtered thousands of Britons. Three men were arrested at a London hotel after a joint operation between the News of the World and Scotland Yard’s elite Anti-Terrorist Branch. A fourth was arrested later. We infiltrated a sinister underworld network believed to be acting for Mr Big in Saudi Arabia—a known al-Qaeda hotbed.

By sheer coincidence the BCC will show its drama Dirty War today, about a dirty bomb attack by terrorists on the City of London.

HAARETZ: Four people suffer from shock when Qassams hit Sderot

Four people suffered from shock when Palestinians in the Gaza Strip fired three Qassam rockets at the western Negev town of Sderot on Sunday morning.

One rocket scored a direct hit on a home, the second fell between houses in a residential area and the third rocket landed in an open area.

AP: Car Bomb Kills Top Hamas Leader in Syria

Israeli security sources confirmed on Sunday that Israel was involved in a car bombing in the Syrian capital of Damascus that killed a senior Hamas official.

“Some people lead dangerous lives,” an Israeli official said in response to the assassination of Izz El-Deen Al-Sheikh Khalil.

Minutes after the assassination, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza immediately laid the blame at Israel’s door, saying the assassination was “a cowardly crime by the Zionist Mossad.”

The militant Palestinian group vowed to strike back with terror attacks inside Israel. “There will be a response that would be decided by the movement’s leaders inside the occupied territories,” a Hamas spokesman in Damascus said.

In a statement, the group said that it “stresses that these crimes which unify the Palestinian blood inside and outside Palestine would not terrorize us or stop us from pursuing the path of jihad and resistance.”

The blast happened around 11 A.M. in the al-Zahraa area of Damascus. A member of the Hamas political bureau, Mohammed Nazzal, told the Associated Press in Cairo that a bomb had been planted in Khalil’s car and it exploded as he tried to start it.

Israel Radio reported that the Khalil, 42, helped train Hamas’ chief bomb-maker Yehiya Ayash, who Israel assassinated in January 1996. Khalil is believed to be in charge of Hamas’s military wing outside the Palestinian territories.

Israel expelled Khalil from Gaza to Syria in 1992 along with a large group of Palestinians.

From The Australian :

Police arrested four men in London under Britain’s anti-terrorist law, as a newspaper claimed it had infiltrated a gang trying to buy radioactive material for a “dirty bomb”.

The Metropolitan Police said the four men - arrested under the Terrorism Act 2001 - had been taken into custody at a central London police station for further questioning.

“Several addresses have been searched,” a police spokesman said. “Some searches continue.”

All four men - whose names were not released - were detained under section 41 of the Terrorism Act, which refers to “the (suspected) commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism”.

The News of the World said it had co-operated with police after it infiltrated a gang that claimed to be looking for radioactive material on behalf of a Saudi described as sympathetic to “the Muslim cause”.

The Saudi, whose name was not disclosed, was reportedly willing to pay £300,000 (756,000) in cash for a kilogram of “highly powerful radioactive material” from Russia known as Red Mercury.

The News of the World said the material was developed by Soviet scientists during the Cold War “for making briefcase nuclear bombs” that could kill everyone within a few city blocks.

“It is very, very radioactive,” a member of the gang was quoted as telling Mazher Mahmood, the News of the World’s star investigative reporter, who posed as a Muslim extremist.

“The guy (from Saudi Arabia) said it is used for making bombs. It’ll either be for use here in the United Kingdom or in the United States,” the gang member reportedly said.

The gang allegedly consisted of a banker originally from Goa, India, his “sidekick” from Mozambique, and a Somalian formerly resident in Saudi Arabia, while the Saudi was said to have successfully applied for a visa to enter Britain.

Police said three suspects were arrested at a hotel in the Brent Cross district of north London, while a fourth man was taken into custody at his north London home.

A note on ‘Red Mercury’ : there is a lot of information, and even more disinformation, about this on the web. “Them’s who knows don’t say, and them who says don’t know”.

ran added a “strategic missile” to its military arsenal after a successful test, and the defense minister said Saturday his country was ready to confront any external threat.

The report by state-run radio did not say whether the test involved the previously announced new version of the Shahab-3 rocket, capable of reaching Israel and U.S. forces stationed in the Middle East, or a different missile.

“This strategic missile was successfully test-fired during military exercises by the Revolutionary Guards and delivered to the armed forces,” Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani was quoted as saying.

The exercises were held Sept. 12-18.

Read more…

JERUSALEM POST: Palestinian group threatens Gen. Moussa Arafat

A militant Palestinian group on Saturday accused Gen. Musa Arafat, the overall commander of the Palestinian Authority’s National Security Forces in the Gaza Strip, of trying to assassinate its leader and threatened to retaliate.

The Popular Resistance Committees, an alliance of various Palestinian groups operating in the Gaza Strip, said its leader, Mohammed Nashabat, who is also known as Abu Asef, escaped an attempt on his life carried out by Arafat’s security forces.

The group did not say when the alleged assassination attempt took place, but noted that other leaders had also been targeted.

It said two of the assassins, members of the PA Military Intelligence (which is also headed by Musa Arafat) were caught minutes before the attack.

HAARETZ: IDF razes houses in Khan Yunis after woman dies in Gaza attack

Israel Defense Forces bulldozers razed a number of houses in the Khan Yunis refugee camp early Saturday, a day after an Israeli woman was killed by mortar fire in the nearby settlement of Neveh Dekalim.

A UN official said 35 homes were destroyed, but an army spokesman later denied the report, saying that only around ten were torn down.

Local witnesses said some of the houses were inhabited only during daylight hours as residents move to safer accommodation after nightfall. They said as many as 100 were made homeless.

A significant military operation, and with evidence of cross-border co-operation. From The Australian :

A Gunbattle between security forces and Islamic militants fighting to create a Taliban-style state in Nigeria left 29 people dead, most of them Islamic militants, police said today.

Ade Ajakaiye, police commissioner for Borno state, said 27 militants and two police were killed in the fighting on Thursday in the Gworza hills, near the border with Cameroon.

Police and army troops had been pursuing the militants since Monday, when they attacked two police stations in Bama and Gworza - towns 40 kilometres apart in Borno state - killing four police officers and two civilians.

The attack was the first reported since their initial uprising was put down in January.

Security forces said they recovered 22 assault rifles and large quantities of ammunition in the operation.

Five militants who fled across the border into Cameroon were arrested by authorities there and will be returned to Nigeria, Ajakaiye said.
[…]
Nigerian army spokesman Colonel Mohammed Yusuf confirmed that troops of the army’s 21 Armoured Brigade had been involved in the operation with the police to flush out the militants.
[…]
The radical sect known as Al-Sunna wal Jamma, or “Followers of Mohammed’s Teachings in Arabic,” comprises mainly university students who want to create a Taliban-style state in Africa’s most populous nation.

Welcome! This briefing will be looking hard at the dark places most mainstream media seem determined to look away from, to better understand our declared enemies on their own terms and without illusions. Our goal is to bring you some of the top jihadi rants, idiotarian seething, and old-school Jew-hatred from around the world, leaving you more informed, more aware, and pretty disgusted every month. This Winds of Change.NET HateWatch briefing is brought to you by Lewy14. (Email me at my handle “hatewatch” here at windsofchange.net). Entil’zha veni!

HIGHLIGHTED TOPICS

• Religious Hate: Lessons on Beslan from Abu Bakar Bashir; 9/11 Anniversary celebrations; Palestinian TV: death to Jews; Kidnapping children OK’d by cleric; Authenticity of aggressive Jihad; apostasy in America.

• Idiotarian Seethings: Idiotarians of State; Egyptian Holocaust denier soap opera continues; queer eye for the Swaggart guy; Homeschoolers: the terrorist archetype; the Bushitler: a retrospective.

• Race and Culture: Chechen politician spins Beslan massacre; 9/11 is a joke; Zeyad on the root causes of conspiracy mongering; Child murderer a Palestinian hero; Neo Nazi’s on the rise in Saxony; Old school Nazi salute from Hizballah; Soft core anti-Semitism in Sweden.

• A Hopeful Note: Reaction to Beslan; Relatives of Chechen rebel call for end to terror; Former Kuwaiti Minister acknowledges equivocation on terror; An apology for 9/11; Iraqi’s choice words for Chirac; Arab progressive looks in the mirror; Beyond the “image” of Islam; Syrian professor wields sharp pen.

HAARETZ: Woman killed in mortar strike on home in Gaza settlement

An Israeli woman was killed and another was lightly wounded Friday morning when four mortar shells were fired at the Neveh Dekalim settlement, part of the Gush Katif bloc in the southern Gaza Strip.

One of the shells struck a home in the settlement, seriously wounding 24-year-old Tiferet Tratner, a Jerusalem resident, and leaving a second woman with light injuries.

Tratner was airlifted to Soroka Medical Center, where she died of her injuries. Her funeral was scheduled for 2:15 P.M. Friday in Jerusalem.

The house hit by the mortars also sustained heavy damage.

JERUSALEM POST: Report: Arab state helping Mossad track Hamas

An Arab state provided Israel with valuable intelligence on the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas and its leadership overseas, the London-based Arabic daily al-Hayat reported Friday.

According to the newspaper, an intelligence agency belonging to an Arab state supplied Israel with intelligence on Hamas leaders living in Beirut, Damascus, Tehran and Khartoum at the request of Mossad head Meir Dagan.

Dagan approached the unnamed Arab state with a request for information on Hamas leaders, namely Khaled Mashal, head of the organization’s political bureau, following the double suicide bombing in Beersheba last month in which 16 Israelis were killed.

AP: Israel Says Iran No. 1 Terrorism Exporter

UNITED NATIONS -- Intensifying its warnings about Iran, Israel on Thursday said Tehran has replaced Saddam Hussein as the "world's No. 1 exporter of terror," threatening the Jewish state and the entire world.

Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom also labeled Syria an "active" supporter of terror and called on the U.N. General Assembly "to address head-on" the activities of both Middle East states.

... The foreign minister, who on Wednesday said Iran must be taken before the Security Council over its nuclear program, said Tehran's missiles can reach London, Paris and southern Russia.

JERUSALEM POST: Russia proposes a terror suspect blacklist

Russia, which argues that its war in Chechnya is part of the global fight against terrorism, proposed Thursday that the UN Security Council establish a new blacklist of terror suspects that calls for the extradition of anyone whose name appears on it.

The Russians circulated a draft Security Council resolution asking the committee monitoring what governments are doing to fight terrorism to consider how to create a new list of “individuals, groups and entities involved in or associated with terrorist activities,” according to a copy obtained by The Associated Press.

The resolution also asked the committee to consider punishments against people on the list, including an arms embargo, freezing financial assets, and imposing travel bans and “expedited extradition of anyone named in the list.”

JERUSALEM POST: Zahar: Hamas won’t stop bombings

Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar has said that his movement will not halt suicide attacks against Israel, and denied reports that Hamas was willing to join the Palestinian Authority.

Zahar, who has been in hiding in the Gaza Strip since the assassination of his predecessors Ahmed Yassin and Abdel Aziz Rantisi earlier this year, made his comments in an interview with the Saudi Web site Al-Arabiya.

He said those who are opposed to suicide bombings should ask themselves why Israel finally decided to quit the Gaza Strip.

Read the rest, just in case you’ve forgotten what Hamas’ overall goal is.

JERUSALEM POST: 15-year old suicide bomber apprehended

A 15-year old Palestinian was apprehended Tuesday on his way to executing a suicide bombing, Army sources – quoted on Israel Radio – disclosed Thursday evening.

Three other Palestinians from the village Yamun in the Jenin region were also apprehended for having planned the attack and assisted in transporting the 7 KG suicide belt.

One of the three, Za’el Aba Hara, was apprehended in Dir Hanna in the Galilee on Tuesday, and he admitted to having transported the device hidden in a sack of flour. He told interrogators that the belt had already been given to the youth, who received NIS 1,000 in order to commit suicide.

He said that the hidden suicide belt had been transported along with other household items of his by a Palestinian who is an Israeli resident in possession of an Israeli ID card.

Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the global War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. Thursday’s Winds of War briefings are given by me, Colt, of Eurabian Times.

TOP TOPICS

• Two Americans have been beheaded by al-Qaeda in Iraq (JK: multimedia links here). A video of the third hostage has been released. Ken Bigley is shown begging for his life. Zarqawi has demanded the release of all female prisoners. It has been suggested that the women that concern him the most are the delightfully named Doctors ‘Germ’ and ‘Anthrax’. Dr Germ was to be released today, but that has apparently changed. Two Italian aid-workers have also been murdered.

• U.S. intelligence still believes that al-Qaeda is planning a ‘spectacular’ for this election season.

• An al-Qaeda attempt to bomb European embassies in Lebanon has been thwarted.

Other Topics Today Include: Iran Reports; Domestic Brief; new al-Qaeda leader; dead Tawhid ideologue; Karzai attacked; Jerusalem bomb blast; JI attacks ‘every six months’; Kashmir fighting; FSG fights terror; Syrian troops out of Beirut; US in Niger; Nigerian Islamists on rampage; Islamists in Algiera; al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia.

Read The Rest…

JERUSALEM POST: PA/Hamas tensions mounting

Tensions are mounting between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas following the arrest of three Hamas activists in Kalkilya earlier this week.

Following the arrests, Hamas issued a strongly worded statement accusing the PA of launching a new campaign against the Islamic movement’s supporters in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Hamas also accused the PA security forces of shooting and wounding a Hamas imam in Kalkilya last week.

In Gaza City, thousands of Hamas followers took to the streets this week to demand the release of a Hamas activist detained by the PA security forces. The detainee was released after Hamas threatened to launch attacks on PA officials and institutions. Egyptian diplomats in Gaza City helped secure the release of the Hamas member by acting as mediators between Hamas and the PA.

JERUSALEM POST: Kassams hit Sderot, woman suffers shrapnel wounds

A number of Kassam rockets hit the west Negev city of Sderot around 11:30 a.m. Thursday.

Magen David Adom ambulances arrived at the scene and treated a 27-year-old woman who suffered shrapnel wounds.

Eight others residents were treated for shock.

All of the casualties have been taken to the Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon.

REUTERS: Hezbollah slams Iraqi PM Allawi for shaking hands with Shalom

Lebanon’s Hezbollah guerrillas heaped scorn on Iraq’s prime minister on Thursday for shaking hands with an Israeli delegate at the United Nations, saying he had disgraced Iraq and offended Arabs and Muslims.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi shook hands with Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom on Tuesday at the UN General Assembly, where alphabetical order put them side by side.

“(It) is a sign of one of the most dangerous goals of the American war on Iraq, yanking Iraq from its place in the Arab and Muslim worlds and sticking it in the U.S.-Zionist political cosmos,” Hezbollah said in a statement.

“This unacceptable handshake is at once a true insult to the Iraqi people, their history, culture and Islamic and national commitment; and flagrant scorn for the suffering of Palestinian people and the sentiments of Arabs and Muslims,” it said.

From “Illegals detained at border released onto U.S. streets”:

See also A 9/11 Anniversary Primer, Problems on the border, Al-Qaida meets with Central American gang, lawmaker says, and the July 12, 2004 article “D.C. hamstrings border officers: Despite new anti-terrorism demands, DHS freezes payrolls, frees illegals”. The first three have several links and the last discusses internal DHS memos.

MosNews reports that Russian clandestine services have captured a leading trainer and financer of Chechen female suicide bombers or “black widows.

[Major General Ilya] Shabalkin reported that special forces detained 31-year-old Nataliya Khalkayeva in Chechnya. She took part in financing and training female suicide bombers, he said. Khalkayeva communicated with foreigners who were also connected with financing.

She spoke by telephone with people from the United Arabic Emirates, Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, Turkey, and several other countries in Europe and the Middle East, Shabalkin was quoted by the agency as saying. They discussed issues concerning “transfer of funds to Chechnya via bank remittance, funds, that were collected by agents of international terrorist organizations to commit terrorist attacks and recruit young girls as suicide bombers,” he said.

Khalkayeva also held negotiations on the purchase and transfer of weapons, uniforms and technical equipment to Chechnya, Shabalkin added.

— Three people were injured after a bomb explosion near a bus in Jerusalem , FOX News reported Wednesday.

The blast was reported in the French Hill neighborhood of the Israeli capital. Authorities said they suspected the explosion was caused by a suicide bomber, but it was not yet clear whether the bomb was detonated in the bus or outside of it.

UPDATE:
Via HAARETZ:

At least one person was killed and eight wounded in an terror attack at a hitchhiking stand in the French Hill junction in northern Jerusalem, Israel Radio reported.

The blast, which occurred at about 3:50 P.M. on the road leading to the Dead Sea, was caused by a female suicide bomber, according to Jerusalem police chief Ilan Franco.

One of the wounded was a nine-year-old child.

Magen David Adom paramedics are treating casualties at the scene. According to Israel Radio, there are at least three people in serious condition.

Three people are also in light condition.

Security forces are securing the area of the attack and the area has been sealed.

REUTERS: Palestinians say can’t arrest Americans’ killers

Palestinian security forces know who was behind the killing of three Americans in Gaza nearly a year ago but cannot act against the factions while fighting with Israel continues, said Musa Arafat, head of Military Intelligence and a cousin of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat.

Describing the killers as “some Palestinian factions,” Musa Arafat told Reuters on Wednesday that the United States also knew who was to blame.

Washington’s anger at the failure to catch the killers has worsened relations that were already soured over U.S. accusations that the Palestinians had not done in enough to rein in anti-Israel militants.

“They know that we are in a very critical position and that clashing with any Palestinian party under the presence of the occupation is an issue that will present many problems for us,” said the spy chief.

“The Americans have started recently to understand our position, and I expect that this crisis will also be resolved,” he said.

(And yet Fateh, Tanzim and Al-Aqsa, all groups with ties to Arafat, have no problem at all hunting down and murdering “collaborators” with Israel in public squares. How odd.)

Singer Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, was taken off a diverted United Air Lines flight from London to Washington after his Muslim name turned up on a “watch list” designed to keep terrorists from boarding flights, a U.S. Transportation Security Administration spokesman has said.

Islam, 56, took that name when he became a Muslim in the 1970s.

An FBI spokeswoman told CNN the singer’s name was only matched to the watch list after the plane had departed.

Islam, a British citizen, was held in Bangor, Maine after Flight 919 was ordered to land there Tuesday.

He will be deported back to London on Wednesday, according to the TSA.

Read more…

VOA: Musharraf Warns US Could Lose Fight Against Terrorism

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf says the United States could lose the war on terrorism if it does not address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and other political disputes around the world.

General Musharraf says Muslims feel their religion is being targeted, especially by Washington's strong support of Israel over Palestinian concerns.

In comments on ABC television and at a U.S. business-sponsored dinner Monday in New York, where he will attend the U.N. General Assembly, the Pakistani leader identified political disputes, poverty and illiteracy as the root causes of terrorism, which he says are not being addressed.

General Musharraf plans to meet with President Bush Wednesday on the sidelines of the U.N. activities. Pakistan is a key ally of the United States in the fight against global terrorism.

Sun Network: Indo-US ties, war on terrorism to figure in Singh-Bush talks

New York - Growing Indo-US strategic partnership, global war against terrorism, curbing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and India's relations with Pakistan are likely to figure prominently in the first-ever meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President George W Bush here today.

Singh, who flew in here from London after holding talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair who backed India's bid for a permanent seat in the Security Council, during his week-long stay will address the UN General Assembly on Thursday and hold talks with other world leaders.

Closely-watched would be Singh's meeting with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on Friday.

Singh and Bush during their breakfast meeting are also expected to exchange views on the situation in Iraq, Afghanistan, West Asia, UN reforms and broad vistas that have opened for economic partnership.

A positive tone for the meeting was set with the US agreeing to ease export restrictions including removal of ISRO from the prohibitive list and moving ahead on the 'Next Steps in Strategic Partnership'(NSSP).

JERUSALEM POST: Underwear bomber planned to attack soccer stadium

The would be suicide bomber caught at the Erez crossing on August 31 wearing an explosive belt sewn into his underpants planned to blow up at the Bloomfield Stadium in Jaffa during a football match three days later.

In an interview on Channel 10, Mohammed al Razak said he had been approached by Hamas terrorists in Gaza who asked him to carry out the attack and had received two payments of $200 but said he was not a member of the Hamas.

Razak - who lived for over thirty years in Jaffa and worked in Bat Yam, a Jaffa bakery and the central bus station in Tel Aviv - said that he was glad he had been caught, as he doubted he could have detonated the bomb when the time came.

(NOTE - Someone should send a note to Bush at the UN that the “daily humiliation” thing ended up saving the lives of people in a soccer stadium… as well as this man’s life, who is grateful that he was caught.)

JERUSALEM POST: UN lobbied for resolution against suicide bombings

The founder of the Simon Wiesenthal center, Rabbi Marvin Hier, met with Austrian officials Tuesday to lobby for a UN resolution that would declare suicide bombings crimes against humanity.

“Why is the [UN] General Assembly quiet on suicide bombings? This is the crime of the 21st century,” Hier told The Associated Press after a meeting with Austrian President Heinz Fischer.

“A resolution is needed to brand suicide bombings a crime against humanity for the welfare of the world,” Hier said.

He said he brought up the issue with Fischer and during a meeting Monday with Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel. The chancellor promised to discuss the resolution with a group of nonaligned countries, Hier said.

A resolution would signal to those who recruit suicide bombers - and those they target - that their actions are wrong, he said, arguing that the issue has the “same kind of urgency as famine, as AIDS, as climate control.”

“Something must be done about this plague,” he said.

LAST WEEK, 10 Pakistani citizens, suspect of giving logistical support to Islamic terrorism, were arrested in Barcelona. They were found to have detailed footage of Barcelona’s ‘twin towers’:

Ten Pakistanis arrested in Spain in possession of false documents and heroin also had a video showing details of two landmark buildings known as the country’s twin towers, it was reported Monday.

The Spanish daily La Vanguardia reported the hour-long video featured the 154-metre (506-foot) Mapfre Tower and nearby Hotel Arts in Barcelona.

[…] La Vanguardia also said that police who carried out the raids had found no evidence that the Pakistanis were planning to attack the Mapfre Tower and Hotel Arts, but added that the video could have been used as “basic information” for that purpose.

Commonly known as twin towers, the buildings are the same height and were the tallest in Spain when erected in 1992.

But they are not identical in appearance or structure, since the 40-storey tower is built of concrete while the 44-floor hotel has an all-steel structure.

(crossposted at Barcepundit in English)

AP: Palestinians Launch 3 Rockets at Israel

Palestinian militants fired three homemade rockets into southern Israel on Tuesday and Hamas threatened a suicide bombing in retaliation for Israel’s latest airstrike in Gaza, which killed two militants from the Islamic group.

The Israeli army said there were no injuries or damage from the rockets, which were fired from Gaza. It was the latest in a series of mortar and rocket attacks aimed at Jewish settlements in Gaza and southern Israeli towns in recent days.

HAARETZ: IDF soldiers arrest brother of Jenin Tanzim chief

Israel Defense Forces troops in Jenin on Tuesday arrested Abdel Rahman Zubeidi, the brother of Tanzim commander Zakariya Zubeidi. According to Palestinian sources reported that the leading militant’s brother is not involved in terrorism but was nevertheless arrested by Israel in order to place pressure on Zakariya Zubeidi. Two of Zubeidi’s cousins were also arrested.

IDF soldiers arrested 36 wanted Palestinian militants in the West Bank overnight Monday, 13 of them in a predawn arrest raid in the Jenin refugee camp.

In the Jenin-area village of Silat al-Khartiya, Nahal Brigade soldiers arrested a Palestinian woman suspected of planning to assist the two female Palestinian students from Al-Najaf University who intended to carry out a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv.

Master Corporal Storring is a Canadian Soldier who was deployed with the ISAF Peacekeeping force near Kabul. Project Mercury Hope is his effort to mobilize civilians to help the soldiers help the orphans of Afghanistan. I spoke with them by phone yesterday.

The problem: They have 7 tons of goods ready to go, and need to find a way to ship it to Kabul for distribution.

We’d be interested in hearing from people in the blogosphere who might have sugeestions for them, or organizations who may be able to partner with Project Mercury Hope in order to get this done. If you can help or have some suggestions, please notify us here.

Winds of Change.NET Regional Briefings run on Tuesdays & Wednesdays, and sometimes Fridays too. This Regional Briefing focuses on Central Asia & the Caucasus, courtesy of Nathan Hamm of The Argus. Nathan served in Peace Corps Uzbekistan from 2000-2001.

TOP TOPIC

• NATO cancelled exercises planned to take place in Azerbaijan and may have big consequences for the Azeri government. The decision was made after mounting public protest over the planned presence of Armenian officers. Both Armenia and Azerbaijan are members of NATO’s Partnership for Peace program, and Azerbaijan is viewed by some as a potential future member of the alliance and a potential host for a US base in the coming realignment of forces. Tensions between the two countries are related to an earlier war in which Armenians captured Nagorno-Karabakh.

Other Topics Include: Turkestan; Kazakhstan Votes; Secret Mission Removes Uzbek Uranium; “Borat” Give Kazakhstan a Bad Name; It’s Cotton Time; Japan and Korea Pursue Central Asia Partnerships; Kazakhstan Tightens Borders; Georgia, Russia, and Pankisi; Idema Sentenced; Elections Near in Afghanistan

Read The Rest…

HAARETZ: Two senior Hamas militants killed in IAF strike on car in Gaza

An Israel Air Force missile strike tore apart a car in Gaza City on Monday, killing two senior Hamas militants.

The two men, Rabah Zakut and Nabil al-Saidi, were riding in a jeep in the Rimal neighborhood in the city.

Five Palestinian bystanders were injured in the blast, one in moderate condition and the other lightly.

(Not to be confused with the previous airstrike which took out another Hamas bigwig.)

JERUSALEM POST: Mashal receives document of commitment from Egypt

The Egyptians have provided Hamas political leader Khaled Mashal a document of principles regarding Israel’s disengagement from the Gaza Strip. According to the commitment, the evacuation will be carried out in accordance with the Road Map peace plan, following which negotiations will commence regarding the rest of the Palestinian territories.

The document also ensures free passage between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and that Gaza’s international airport and seaport will be reactivated.

Egypt has made it clear that it will not negotiate the terms of the document.

Hamas official Mohammed Nazzal, quoted on Army Radio Monday morning, said that Egypt is not demanding the organization cease terrorist activities.

Note: Also available from the “Opinion Journal” and Chrenkoff.

The third anniversary of a significant event had passed recently without much notice or commentary, not unexpectedly overshadowed by another, more prominent third anniversary. On September 9, 2001, two al Qaeda suicide bombers impersonating foreign journalists assassinated Ahmad Shah Massoud, the leader of the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance. Rightly so, this event came to be seen as a prelude to S11, the opening shot in al Qaeda’s renewed offensive against the West as well as its enemies within Afghanistan.

Three years can make a huge difference. The presidential campaign in Afghanistan has officially commenced on September 7. Perhaps it would have been more symbolic had it started two days later, but the very fact that a country which for a quarter of a century has been successively ravaged by the Soviet occupation, a bloody civil war, and a theocratic dictatorship is now embarking on its very own democratic journey is an achievement in itself and a cause enough for celebration.

Getting to this point has not been easy, but Afghanistan slowly and steadily continues to achieve normalcy; mostly out of the media spotlight. Here are some stories of hope and promise that you might have missed over the last month while the mainstream media continued to focus on violence and mayhem, or not at all.

• Society
  
• Economy and Reconstruction
  
• Humanitarian Aid
  
• Security

JERUSALEM POST: Report: IAF kills two Hamas terrorists in Gaza

The Israel Air Force killed two Hamas terrorists in a targeted killing on their vehicle late Sunday night, Israel Radio reported.

The two were members of the Hamas military wing, Izzadine al-Kassam.

According to AP, an explosion ripped apart a car in Gaza City.

MORE:
HAARETZ: Palestinians: IDF kills Hamas militant in Gaza missile strike

Palestinian sources said that Khaled Abu-Shamiyeh, 30, a resident of the Shati refugee camp next to Gaza City was killed and three other Palestinians were wounded in the attack.

Abu-Shamiyeh had survived an attack two weeks ago when the Israeli Air Force bombed a Hamas training camp, killing 15 militants in the neighborhood of Sajaiya in Gaza.

AP: Israel Issues Rocket Retaliation Warning

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon warned Sunday that Israel will retaliate against Palestinan rockets even if they are fired from civilian areas, and an arms manufacturer said Israel had installed a radar system in a border town to give warning of rocket attacks.

Sharon’s remarks and the reported radar defense were apparently aimed at hardline critics who say Sharon’s planned withdrawal from Gaza in 2005 would expose Israel to intense rocket attacks. Numerous Israeli military forays into northern Gaza have failed to still the rocket fire.

In the four years of Israeli-Palestinian fighting, Palestinian militants have fired dozens of inaccurate, low-explosive rockets at Israeli border towns and Jewish settlements in Gaza.

The missiles caused deaths for the first time in June, when two Israelis, including a 4-year-old boy, were killed. Many missiles have fallen into fields, while others have damaged homes and cars.

The town of Sderot, a mile from Gaza, has been hit hardest. An early-warning system was recently installed in Sderot to allow residents enough time to get into bomb shelters before the rockets land, said Giora Shalgi, the director of Rafael, an Israeli arms manufacturer.

“It can identify in a very short time where it (the rocket) was launched and assess where it will fall and operate a warning system while the rocket is in the air, which is for about 20 seconds, depending on the range,” Shalgi told Israel Radio.

The Haaretz newspaper said the system is attached to Sderot’s public address system and was used for the first time a week ago.

Rocket fire from Gaza is expected to increase as the planned Israeli withdrawal from Gaza draws closer.

Sharon told the Cabinet Sunday that Israel would react more quickly to attacks, even if the rockets are fired from civilian areas. “We have to think about how to act against the sources of the fire, after warning the civilians,” he said.

HAARETZ: Shin Bet chief says Gaza operation foiled Sinai attack

Shin Bet chief Avi Dichter told government ministers on Sunday that the Shin Bet had specific warning of a planned terrorist attack against Israeli tourists in the Sinai over the Rosh Hashanah holiday.

During the weekly cabinet meeting, Dichter said that the attack was never executed, in all likelihood as a result of an Israel Defense Forces operation in Gaza last week, in which at least 13 Palestinians were killed.

Dichter also warned that an IDF withdrawal from the Philadelphi Route as part of the disengagement plan could bring weapons smuggling from Egypt to previously unforeseen levels, Israel Radio reported. Only Israeli-Egyptian cooperation along the sensitive border area can effectively bring the smuggling to a halt.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon added that there are signs the Egyptians are doing more in acting against the smuggling, Israel Radio reported. However, they have still fallen short of Israel’s expectations on the matter, he said.

HAARETZ: IDF using radar to warn of incoming Qassams

The Israel Defense Forces has begun using technology that affords Sderot residents a 15 to 20 second warning of an incoming Qassam rocket fired from the Gaza Strip.

The system, which is connected to Sderot’s public address system, was used for the first time a week ago, and judged to be a success.

Known as Maamin, the system fixes the position from which a rocket is fired and issues a warning. Using electro-optic sensors and advanced computers, Maamin is capable of pinpointing both the location of the launch and the point where the missile will land, in less than a second.

The system was developed by the missile division at Rafael Armament Development Authority and a prototype was built in six weeks following an emergency request.

The system capable of fixing the source of the launch is situated either on a vehicle or an elevated position.

JERUSALEM POST: Gaza chief declares plan to enforce law and order

Gen. Musa Arafat, the overall commander of the Palestinian Authority’s National Security Forces in the Gaza Strip, said Saturday that his force had prepared a security plan to end the state of chaos and lawlessness in PA-controlled areas.

Arafat was speaking to reporters shortly before leaving Cairo, where he and a number of Palestinian security chiefs held four days of talks with Egyptian officials on the situation in the Gaza Strip and efforts to reconstruct the PA security forces. He did not give details about the plan or whether it included a massive crackdown on Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

“We have a new security plan to enforce law and order,” said Gen. Arafat, a cousin of PA Chairman Yasser Arafat. “We hope that the situation will improve very soon.”

AJ-JAZEERA: Pakistan closing in on ‘foreign militants’

On Saturday Major General Niaz Khattak, the operational commander in Wana, the main town of South Waziristan, 400km southwest of Islamabad, said, “Around 600 to 700 foreign militants are still in the tribal area.”

“But the operational places of militants have been reduced to a considerable degree,” he said during a trip organised by the Pakistani army for journalists.

Armed fighters have been locked in a standoff with Pakistani security forces since March. A week ago Pakistani fighter jets and helicopter gunships pounded a fighters’ training camp, killing at least 50 - most of them allegedly foreigners.

ARAB NEWS: Abu Hamza Could Face British Charges

Abu Hamza Al-Masri, who is wanted in the United States on terrorism charges, could be charged in Britain within weeks, a government lawyer said yesterday.

Al-Masri, 47, who has been held since May on a US warrant, appeared by video link from Belmarsh Prison in southeast London at an extradition hearing at Bow Street Magistrates Court.

Treasury Counsel Hugo Keith, appearing for the US authorities, said London’s Metropolitan Police had completed their investigation of Al-Masri and reported to the Crown Prosecution Service, which will decide whether to charge him under the Terrorism Act.

“It’s my understanding that a decision is likely to be made around about the end of the first week in October,” Keith said.

The Crown Prosecution Service said it hoped to make a decision before the extradition hearing scheduled for Oct. 19.

(He was a one-armed, one-eyed Egyptian-born people killer…
One-armed, one-eyed Egyptian-born people killer…
One-arned, one-eyed Egyptian-born people killer…
Sure looks strange to me!)

JERUSALEM POST: Russian police thwart terror attack in Moscow

Russian security officials said police stopped a man driving a car wired with land mines and explosives in downtown Moscow early Saturday.

A duty officer at the Federal Security Service said the man was stopped by Moscow police around 1 a.m. Police questioned him and found two land mines in the car, along with 200 grams (7 ounces) of TNT under the driver’s seat. The mines were connected with wires and had an antenna attached to them.

The man, who appeared to be intoxicated, told police he had been paid US$1,000 to park two cars with explosives in them along a Moscow street frequently used by top government officials, said the duty officer, who refused to give his name.

The ITAR-Tass news agency identified the man as 38-year-old Alexander Pumane.

Police later located a second car in a residential neighborhood in central Moscow and used a water cannon to open it. No explosives were found but residents of nearby buildings were evacuated as a precaution, the officer said.

The duty officer confirmed that the man later suffered a heart attack and died while in police custody, but the officer refused to elaborate.

From Fox :

Investigations have shown that the former Iraqi dictator grafted and smuggled more than $10 billion from the program that for seven years prior to Saddam’s overthrow was meant to bring humanitarian aid to ordinary Iraqis. And the Sept. 11 Commission has shown a tracery of contacts between Saddam and Al Qaeda that continued after billions of Oil-for-Food dollars began pouring into Saddam’s coffers and Usama bin Laden declared his infamous war on the U.S.

Now, buried in some of the United Nation’s own confidential documents, clues can be seen that underscore the possibility of just such a Saddam-Al Qaeda link — clues leading to a locked door in this Swiss lakeside resort. (To review a series of documents, audits and other stories related to Oil-for-Food, click here.)
Next to that door, a festive sign spells out in gold letters under a green flag that this is the office of MIGA, the Malaysian Swiss Gulf and African Chamber. Registered here 20 years ago as a society to promote business between the Gulf States and Asia, Europe and Africa, MIGA is a company that the United Nations and the U.S. government says has served as a hub of Al Qaeda finance: A terrorist chamber of commerce.

The web of firms, people, and suspicious contracts is too complex to summarise here. Lots of suspicions and circumstancial evidence, few hard incontravertable facts - but that’s in the nature of such investigations.

Unraveling the mystery requires much greater access to Oil-for-Food records than the United Nations currently allows

Until that is done, circumstancial evidence is the best we can have, and the suspicions may be completely false. Or completely true.

JERUSALEM POST: Palestinian directs IDF to bomb cache

A Palestinian elderly on Friday succeeded in convincing his grandchild to hand himself over to IDF troops and guide them to a cache where he and other cell members hid an explosive device weighing 5 kg.

The young man from Nablus complied with his grandfather’s advice and led security forces to the hideout near Beit Horon, where the bomb was found, Israel Radio reported Friday.

The young man’s cousin was arrested last week by IDF soldiers deployed in Nablus for being involved in a terror cell that hid a bomb and had plans to use it against Israeli targets. The suspect led soldiers to a secret location where he claimed the bomb was hidden. IDF soldiers searched the area yet could not locate the bomb.

REUTERS: Chechen Warlord Threatens More Attacks After Beslan

Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev claimed responsibility on Friday for the Russian school siege in which more than 320 hostages were killed, half of them children, and threatened more attacks by any means he saw fit.

Basayev, Russia’s most wanted man, expressed regret for the bloody outcome in Beslan, blaming it on the Kremlin. He made clear there would be no let-up in rebel attacks in the future in the campaign for an independent Chechnya.

“We are not bound by any circumstances, or to anybody, and we will continue to fight as is convenient and advantageous to us, and by our rules,” he said in a statement.

(Anyone think that the Russians will pull any punches when it comes to killing him, his spokesmen, and any reporters that might be hanging around his hideout?)

HAARETZ: Egypt nabs 7 Palestinians at illegal Gaza crossing

Seven armed Palestinians trying to cross illegally into the Gaza Strip surrendered to Egyptian security on Thursday after a 24-hour standoff, security sources said.

The men had been trying to breach a border fence on Wednesday when Egyptian security spotted them and exchanged fire. They fled to a nearby farm and threatened to use explosives if approached, but later gave themselves up.

Israel has urged Egypt to crack down on illegal border crossings and smuggling to militants, often through tunnels built by Palestinians between Gaza and Egypt. Egypt says it has been working to crack down on such activities.

(Didn’t pay their bribes, eh?)

Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the global War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. Thursday’s Winds of War briefings are given by me, Colt, of Eurabian Times.

TOP TOPICS

• A good profile of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi from USA Today: Zarqawi ‘the next generation of al-Qaeda’.

• Die Welt reports that Syria has tested chemical weapons on Sudanese civilians in Darfur. It apparently marks the beginning of increased co-operation in the field of WMD between the two states. (We should not jump to the conclusion that the munitions used were Iraqi. Syria has had its own production facilities for decades.)

• Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda #2, has released a video to mark 9/11.

• What sort of support does Osama Bin Laden have in the Muslim world? Polls are rarely conclusive, but this one from Pew gives us real reason to be concerned - especially if you happen to be a Christian in an Islamic country.

Other Topics Today Include: Iran reports; domestic briefing; Jakarta breakthrough; Dagestani terrorists killed; GSPC - still a threat to Algeria; Japan introduces sky marshals; nuclear Syria?; Israel vs. P.L.O.; Brit shot dead in Saudi Arabia; China sentences ‘terrorists’; Osama sweepstakes.

Read The Rest…

HAARETZ: Witnesses: Gunmen kidnap chief PA financial officer

Unidentified gunmen kidnapped Brigadier-General Mohammad Al-Batrawi, head of the financial surveillance department of the Palestinian security forces, in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, according to witnesses in the Strip.

Al-Batrawi had replaced Fuad Shubaki, who is currently detained in Jericho.

According to Palestinian sources, a group of gunmen, some of them in a car, and some on foot, blocked the road on which Al-Batrawi was travelling, in central Gaza City, forced him out of his jeep and into a different vehicle, and transferred him to an unknown location in a refugee camp in central Gaza.

(Update - He’s been released)

HAARETZ: 2 Palestinians who planned terrorist attack turn themselves in

Security forces announced Thursday morning that two Palestinian students who planned to carry out a double terrorist attack in Tel Aviv had turned themselves in.

Family members said both women denied involvement in planning an attack and said they surrendered because they have nothing to hide. However, military officials said the women confessed they planned to carry out an attack.

The two female students, 21-year old Adilah Jawabre and 22-year-old Lina Jawabre, both single, studied at Al-Najah University.

IWPR reports that in response to signs that Kazakhstan is becoming an attractive country for terrorist operations, the Kazakh government has decided to tighten border and immigration controls.

While Kazakstan is not considered to be a hotbed of extremist activity, its long, largely unprotected border with Russia, China and Uzbekistan makes it an attractive option for outlawed groups.

Political scientist Adil Nurakishev told IWPR, “Kazakstan is attractive to terrorists as a transit country and also as a place they can hide from the law-enforcement bodies and special services.”

President Nursultan Nazarbaev called for stronger border security measures during a September 7 official function, at which he discussed the school hostage tragedy in the Russian town of Beslan, in which more than 300 people - many of them children - were killed.

“I have tasked the government together with all law enforcement bodies to take additional measures to strengthen border and migration services, to work out an action plan to prevent illegal migration and cross-border smuggling and to toughen passport and visa control,” he said.

A new interior ministry body to toughen the registration of foreign citizens entering Kazakstan was set up the following day and, at a parliamentary committee meeting on September 10, the authorities announced that the republic was to tighten controls on its southern border with Uzbekistan and its western frontier with Azerbaijan.

JERUSALEM POST: Libya misses first payment to terror victims

Libya has missed its first payment under a US$35 million ( 28.53 million) compensation deal for 168 non-US victims of a 1986 Berlin disco bombing, a German lawyer said Wednesday.

Libya’s ambassador in Berlin has told the German Foreign Ministry that the US$15 million ( 12.23 million) installment, scheduled for Sept. 8, was held up by banking difficulties, said Sven Leistikow, who helped negotiate the settlement.

“They said that it will be here in the next few days. I gather from that it will be here by Friday,” Leistikow said.

CNN: 10 held in Spain terror swoop

Spanish police say they have arrested 10 people, mainly Pakistani nationals, who are suspected of providing logistical support in the past for Islamic terrorists outside of Spain.

Catalan regional police made the arrests Tuesday night and early Wednesday at an apartment and a warehouse in Barcelona.

A search of the two premises did not turn up weapons or explosives, indicating that the suspects were not preparing an imminent attack on Spain, a Catalan police spokesman said.

There was no immediate indication, officials in Madrid and Barcelona said, of any link of the suspects to the March 11 Madrid train bombings that killed 191 people and wounded more than 1,800.

The Catalan police spokesman said he thought such a link was unlikely.

The suspects came under scrutiny during a Catalan police investigation into organized petty crime involving the forgery of documents, credit cards, videos and DVDs.

But evidence later appeared that indicated the 10 might have provided financing, logistical support or other collaboration for Islamic radicals outside of Spain, said the police spokesman, who requested anonymity.

Students nervously returned to school here on Wednesday for the first time since hundreds of children and their parents were killed in a violent end to a mass hostage-taking at a Beslan primary school.

At Beslan’s Number Six school, students filed past a police guard posted at the main entrance and armed with an automatic rifle while similar strict security measures were also in place at other schools in the southern Russian town.

“I wanted to come today,” said Ilona Zandiyeva, a 10-year-old student at the school. “I am a little bit scared, but I miss school.”

[..]

The return to class in Beslan came after all schools in the town and its surrounding neighbourhoods underwent extensive security checks on Monday and Tuesday involving bomb-sniffing dogs and metal weapons searches.

Meanwhile, the people of Beslan are still dealing with the counting of the dead:

Officially, the number of dead is 326, but, as of today morning, only 75 death certificates have been given out, 84 bodies are still unidentified, and 94 are considered missing. According to the unofficial list, compiled by the residents of Beslan, the number of missing is 150.

HAARETZ: IDF troops kill 9 militants during clashes in Jenin, Nablus

Nine Palestinian militants and an 11-year-old girl were killed by Israel Defense Forces troops on Wednesday in separate incidents in the West Bank, according to Palestinian reports.

Four wanted Fatah militants were killed by Border Police undercover troops in the West Bank city of Jenin.

The police surprised the men at a cafe in the commercial center of Jenin, opening fire and killing the four. Three others were detained, including one wounded man who was taken to Israel for medical care.

The commander of the wanted men, Fadi Zacharna, was among the killed. He was reportedly responsible for several terror attacks.

Police confiscated three rifles and two pistols from the militants.

Earlier on Wednesday, five militants were killed during a gun battle with naval commandos in the West Bank city of Nablus. An 11-year-old girl was also killed during clashes following the incident, according to Palestinian reports.

From The Australian :

Most of a severed head that probably belonged to a suicide bomber was found late yesterday afternoon on the fifth floor of an office building next door to the Australian embassy in Jakarta.

The partial head, which included the scalp and most of the face, was found in the Menara Gracia building, Indonesian forensic investigators said on condition of anonymity.

The location was similar to that of the suicide bomber’s head found after the Marriott Hotel blast in the city. Asmar Latin Sani’s head was found on a fifth floor after last year’s Marriott bombing, catapulted through the vehicle roof by the force of the explosives.
[…]
It is likely the head found in the Menara Gracia building will prove to be one of the most important finds in recent days.

Forensic scientists now have the grisly task of trying to piece together as many as 117 small pieces of body in an attempt to determine how many suicide bombers there were, and to try to ascertain their identities.

“The perpetrators’ bodies were scattered,” Brigadier-General Pranowo said.

“We don’t know for sure how many bodies there were.”

He confirmed blood samples had been taken for DNA-testing from as many as three families of suspected suicide bombing recruits.

Investigation chief Suyitno Landung said suspects arrested across Java in recent months had confirmed three potential suicide bombers were recruited by Nordin Mohammad Top, the Jemaah Islamiah operative wanted in connection with the Bali and Marriott bombings.

“Even their families have let them go,” Inspector-General Suyitno said. “That’s who we are concentrating on.”

The suicide letters that may have been written by the embassy blast bombers were written a few months ago, he said.

“In the letter it says he is ready to commit suicide. He informed his family. It was some kind of will.”

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty said Indonesian police had received an account from one witness that three people were in the van that exploded outside the embassy.

(Re-printed from AEBrain, the Blog)

Opposition Leader mark Latham has copped an endorsement. One he didn’t ask for, and one he’d rather do without. But nonetheless, it’s there, and none of us can ignore it. From The Bulletin’s interview with Abu Bakar Bashir :

BULLETIN: What is Jemaah Islamiyah?

BASHIR: There is no Jemaah Islamiyah. It literally means all groups of Muslims. It has been used by America to discredit me. My current position is being slandered by America and its allies.

BULLETIN: How can Indonesia deal with this situation?

BASHIR: The world and Indonesia belong to Allah. Therefore it should be ruled under Allah’s law without bargaining. I believe that the clash of civilisations will continue but in the end, Islam will definitely win. It has been predicted by our Prophet Mohammad.

BULLETIN: Is that because of a lack of knowledge of Islam by the West?

BASHIR: No, they just do not want to understand. As long as the West do not want to live peacefully and always force Islam to change in line with its own interests, this clash will continue. Peace can only be achieved after Islams triumphs.

[He is handed a recent copy of The Bulletin, with Mark Latham on the cover, and at first mistakes him for John Kerry, then is told it is the Australian opposition leader.]

BULLETIN: What can he [Latham] do for Australia?

BASHIR: He should be able to fix John Howard. He [Howard] is on the slide because he has been cheated and lied to by George W. Bush. I hope this person [Latham] can fix him and he does not return again to fight “terrorism” as defined by Bush. I agree to fight against terrorism but it should be a true terrorism and not in accordance with Bush’s definition. Bush is being used by the Jews. The Jews are the most evil men in the world. John Howard has already been cheated.

BULLETIN: What do you want to say to Australia?

BASHIR: I suggest to the Australian people and government, if you all want to be safe and good, please try to embrace Islam because you are created by Allah for Islam. It’s only now that you are being disturbed by demons. If you are still unwilling not to embrace Islam, do not follow the steps of George Bush.

German newspaper Die Welt, “citing unnamed western security sources,” charges that Syria tested chemical weapons on civilians in Sudan’s troubled western Darfur region in June and killed dozens of people:

Read the whole thing. (Link via The Corner).

The AP reports that Uzbekistan’s president is callling on neighboring states to get tough on religious extremist groups that he says provided the inspiration for this year’s terror attacks in the country.

Uzbekistan’s president on Monday urged neighboring Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan to tighten controls over a radical religious group that he blames for inspiring deadly attacks in his country earlier this year.

“How can we fight terrorism, religious extremism effectively, if Hizb-ut-Tahrir members easily cross our border with neighboring countries, where they can operate openly?” President Islam Karimov asked.

Uzbek authorities have said that Islamic militants allegedly behind two waves of attacks in the Central Asian nation earlier this year that killed more than 50 people used Kazakh territory for training and shelter.

They said Hizb-ut-Tahrir, which has not been accused of violence before, had a hand in the attacks in March-April and July that included assaults on police and suicide bombings of the U.S. and Israeli embassies.

Hizb-ut-Tahrir has denied responsibility for the attacks. The organization originated in the Middle East with the stated goal of creating a worldwide Islamic state, but says it renounces violence.

CNN republishes six still images appearing today in El Pais newspaper, from a security camera capturing the very moment when the bombs inside the Atocha station on March 11 exploded.

The gallery is here.

JERUSALEM POST: Senior member of Islamic Jihad killed in Tulkarm

IDF soldiers from the Golani Brigade’s Egoz unit killed a senior member of the Islamic Jihad Tuesday afternoon.

In an operation in the Nur a-Shams refugee camp in Tulkarm, IDF soldiers surrounded the house in which the Fatah-Tanzim refugee was hiding. The fugitive was killed after gunfire exchanges erupted between the soldiers and the people in the house.

(Bullets are cheaper than missiles.)

AP: Israel Sends Experts to Help Russia

Israel has sent intelligence officers to Russia and is hosting at least two senior Russian officers in Tel Aviv — quietly moving to upgrade anti-terror cooperation with Moscow in the wake of a series of devastating attacks in Russia, officials told The Associated Press.

The Israeli moves come as President Vladimir Putin (news - web sites) revamps Russia’s anti-terrorism capabilities after a school seizure by separatists in southern Russia ended with the deaths of at least 330 hostages, including many children.

A team of Israeli intelligence officers arrived discreetly in Russia shortly after the hostage standoff to discuss a program to share Israeli expertise, said three officials close to the mission.

Because of the political sensitivities surrounding the contacts, the officials asked that their names and nationalities not be revealed.

The officials said Russia was particularly interested in learning more about airport and air-traffic security in light of the Aug. 24 bombing of two Russian passenger jets.

The officials said the main purpose of the trip was to explain to Russia how Israel can help. The Israeli team has returned to Israel and is awaiting word on whether Russia will accept the offer of greater cooperation, the officials said.

At the same time, at least two senior Russian officers have arrived in Israel to examine a police anti-terrorism facility, said an Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Details about the contacts remained sketchy. Both Israel and Russia have been loath to divulge much information about their cooperation.

HAARETZ: Suicide bomber injures 3 soldiers in West Bank blast

A suicide bomber blew himself up near an armored IDF jeep early Tuesday outside the West Bank town of Qalqilyah, injuring three IDF soldiers, one of them in moderate-to-serious condition, rescue workers said.

Two Palestinians were also injured in the attack, Israel Radio reported.

The incident occurred at an agricultural crossing near the entrance to the Qalqilyah-area village of Hableh. The crossing was closed by IDF forces.

One of the soldiers was suffering from burns which could be life-threatening, rescue workers said. The wounds of the others were described as light.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

(Peter Hansen’s cell phone batteries must be recharging.)

UPDATE:
AL-JAZEERA: Bomber targets Israeli checkpoint

Wrong headline.
Bomber’s target was not the checkpoint.
Bomber’s target was a bus full of children and women in Tel Aviv, Be’ersheva, or Haifa.
Bomber stopped before reaching target.

Even Dan Rather would agree with that.

JERUSALEM POST: Beduin Hamas cell smashed

Two men from the Beduin village of Tel Sheva near Omer in the South were charged Tuesday with assisting a Palestinian from the Gaza Strip with his plans to kidnap and murder IDF soldiers based in the south of the country. The Palestinian is reportedly a family member. The group planned to kidnap and kill soldiers, and use their bodies as bargaining chips in exchange for Palestinian security prisoners held in Israeli jails.

Security officials revealed Tuesday that the terror cell was apprehended two months ago.

Winds of Change.NET Regional Briefings run on Tuesdays & Wednesdays, and sometimes Fridays too.

This Regional Briefing focuses on the enigma that is Russia, via Joel Gaines of No Pundit Intended. Joel is a veteran of the Gulf War with the 3rd Armor Division, where he worked in an intelligence capacity. He speaks Russian, and has worked in several of the former soviet satellites.

TOP TOPIC:

• Beslan School Terror: You can immediately help the victims: Please visit the International Foundation for Victims of Terror Acts for more information.

• In North Ossetia, Beslan School #1 was the target of a brutal and senseless act of terror. Islamo-fascists from the Chechen region, augmented by terrorists from Ingushetia held more than 1200 in a state of siege in the school’s gymnasium. The siege ended when one of the improvised explosive devices detonated - killing and wounding hundreds.

• The attack was a severe blow to Russia’s attempts to stay above the fray, known as the War on Terror, which impacts so many other nations. The Chechen separatist leaders, Aslan Maskhadov and Shamil Basayev, have been implicated by the FSB as having a direct involvement in the attack.

• The hero of Beslan: Yanis (Ivan) Kanidis, a 74 year old gym teacher, who died that more of his children might live.

Other Topics Today Include: Three economic growth scenarios, YUKOS woe deepens, Putin’s controlled democracy, Russia’s dismay about Chechen attacks,Alu Alkhinov is new Chechen president, US/Russia relations hurt?, Georgia and S. Ossetia still at it, assassinated with a BB, Introducing the T-90 tank, terrorists targeting nuke sites.

• Multiple Terrorist Attacks
• Russia’s Economy
• Internal Politics
• Chechnya
• International Relations & Security
• Paging Mr. Bond…

JERUSALEM POST: Hamas calls for abolishing Oslo Accords

The Hamas on Monday called for abolishing the Oslo Accords and said the agreements had divided the Palestinians and exacerbated their suffering.

The call was made in a statement issued by the Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip on the 11th anniversary of the signing of the Oslo Accords.

“On the 11th anniversary of the Oslo Accords, we urge the PLO to rescind the agreements since the other side [Israel] has practically revoked them,” said the statement. “We also call on this leadership to seriously and comprehensively review the policy, which prompted the PLO to give up the rights of the Palestinian people. The resistance will continue until the occupation is gone.”

Mahmoud Zahar, who succeeded Ahmed Yassin as leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, announced Monday that his group was seriously considering participating in legislative and presidential elections in the PA.

(Translation: “Rescind the accords that created the provisional authority for which we want to participate in elections.”)

HAARETZ: Palestinians: Three people killed in IAF strike in Jenin

Three Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades militants were killed in an Israel Air Force missile strike targeting a car in the West Bank city of Jenin on Monday, Palestinian sources said.

The main target appeared to be Mahmoud Abu Halifa, a leader of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, a violent group linked to Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat’s Fatah movement.

The other two militants killed have been identified as Yamen Ayub Faisal and Majd Ayub Faisal.

Israel targeted Halifa two weeks ago, but he escaped unharmed as the missile hit the home of a Palestinian family. Although Halifa is considered the deputy of Jenin Martyrs’ Brigades commander Zakariya Zubeidi, the Shin Bet regarded him as the group’s real operations commander.

(Well, they are the Martyrs Brigade…)

AP: Terror Suspect Escapes From Bahrain Court

A terror suspect escaped from court Monday but surrendered an hour later.

Yasir Kamal fled the High Court after hearing that the judge had ordered him to remain in custody another 30 days.

“Leave me! Don’t touch me!” he shouted as police tried to restrain him.

Kamal turned himself in at a Manama police station after a brief visit with his wife and children, said his lawyer, Abdullah Hashem.

Kamal is one of six suspects who have been in and out of jail since June in connection with alleged terror plots in Bahrain and contacts with foreign terrorist organizations. None have been charged.

USA Today reports that President Bush made an unexpected visit to the Russian Embassy on Sunday and expressed our condolence to the victims of the school hostage seizure.

From California Yankee.

KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) — Eight people are reported to have been killed and 15 wounded when Afghan police and soldiers fired on protesters who set fire to U.N. offices in the western city of Herat.

The demonstrators were angry over the dismissal of local warlord Ismail Khan as the provincial governor. Some were armed with sticks and stones, which they hurled at the U.N. buildings.

An official in the Afghan government said eight protestors were killed by gunfire. A doctor in the civilian Herat hospital said another 15 demonstrators were injured, 4 critically wounded.

While trolling our referrals this morning I came across this post at Petrified Truth, which points to this Telegraph article, and notes:

Fanatics from the Islamic terror faction blamed for last week’s suicide attack on the Australian embassy in Indonesia are planning to hijack an oil tanker or freighter and turn it into a floating bomb, The Telegraph has learned.

United States intelligence has passed on warnings about the plot to launch an attack in the region’s busy shipping lanes to several countries, including Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. They acted after intercepting communications between activists from Jemaah Islamiah (JI), a network linked to al Qa’eda.

The terrorists have been discussing plans to seize a vessel using local pirates. The hijacked ship would be wired with explosives and then directed at other vessels, sailed towards a port or used to threaten the narrow and congested sea routes around Indonesia.

We’ve posted about the piracy/terrorism threat in the area before, and Petrified Truth also has some interesting ancillary links, including “Straits, Passages and Chokepoints: A Maritime Geostrategy of Petroleum Distribution (2004)” and the “IMB Piracy Reporting Centre - Weekly Piracy Report.” I’ve read the Piracy Report in the past, and it’s interesting browsing.

You may view it here.

HAARETZ: Six Egyptian students charged with planning terrorist attack

Six Egyptian students suspected of planning a terrorist attack in Israel were indicted on Sunday at the Be’er Sheva District Court.

The charge sheet indicates that the suspects had been planning the attack for three years as part of an independent local organization, and had not associated themselves with any of the leading terrorist groups.

The six were caught on August 25 when they tried to cross the Egyptian border near Nitzana in the south. They came from Cairo and managed to enter three kilometers into the country when they were spotted and apprehended by border policemen.

The suspects were carrying 14 knives, black camouflage attire, backpacks, binoculars, communications equipment, maps of Israel and various other items to help carry out their scheme.

The indictment also includes conspiring to seize a tank and rob a bank in Mitzpe Ramon. The suspects allegedly planned to use the money from the bank to fund additional attacks on Israel once they return to Egypt.

FOX:

The fighting began after militants attacked security forces around midnight in Kani Guram, a mountainous area about 30 miles northeast of Wana, the main town in South Waziristan, said army spokesman Brig. Shahjehan Ali Khan.

Khan said that based on reports from the scene, six militants were killed but the bodies hadn’t been retrieved yet and it wasn’t known whether they were foreigners or local tribesmen. Both sides were using mortars, rockets and small arms, Khan said.

From “A 9/11 Anniversary Primer: A neglected report shows how the U.S. government was a travel agency for terrorists:”

This post has a round-up of the chatter concerning terrorists trying to infiltrate via our southern border, as well as news about what and what not is being done to reduce the flow of illegal aliens in general.

I’ve included some excerpts from Chapters 3 and 4 of the Staff Report in the extended entry.

(Cross-posted at Red State)

Chapter 3: Terrorist Entry and Embedding Tactics, 1993 to 2001

(There’s a summary of this chapter in “Al-Qaeda ‘travel agency’ revealed”.)

Quoting from Page 46:

(See also: “Potential terrorists released due to lack of jail space, congressman says” and “Why don’t you let us do our jobs?”)

The sidebar ‘Exploring the Link between Human Smugglers and Terrorists’ (p. 61):

The ‘Ajaj and Yousef: A Case Study in Fraud’ sidebar (p. 47) contains too much to quote:

Ajaj was detained then jailed for six months for using an altered passport. It gets a bit stranger from there…

p. 47:

p. 52:

p. 54:

p. 58-59:

‘Chapter 4: Immigration and Border Security Evolve, 1993 to 2001’

(See this for more information on L.A.’s Special Order 40 and “License Crackdown Stirs Sharp Debate at Hearing” for more information about the 9/11 hijacker’s use of driver’s licenses.)

HAARETZ: U.S.: Syria partly responsible for Be’er Sheva bombing

Syria bears some responsibility for the Be’er Sheva double bus bombing, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said on Friday.

The connection is not unreasonable given Syria’s ties with Hamas and Hezbollah, Armitage said during an interview with Egyptian television.

“Syria holds and houses Hamas. Syria is a conduit of weapons from Iran to Hezbollah. It seems to me that Syria does bear some responsibility,” Armitage told the interviewer, according to a U.S. Department of State transcript.

When asked to clarify, Armitage said: “President [Bashar] Assad should take a careful look at what his nation is doing and what his government is doing in supporting territory - in supporting violence in the territories and decide whether this is in the long-term interest of Syria.”

Syria’s decision to expel Al-Qaida from Damascus does not compensate for a lack of action against other terrorist groups, Armitage said.

“It doesn’t work like that. If you oppose terrorism, you oppose all terrorism,” he said.

From the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) :

The Indonesian police have released dramatic video footage of the explosion outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta.
[…]
During a crowded media conference in Jakarta police ran two surveillance videotapes that showed a white or silver coloured mini van approach and then almost instantly exploding at the embassy.

The videotape shows a wall of dust and debris followed by scenes of panic on the busy commercial street.

An ABC report which includes the video is available from the ABC site, or by following any of the links below:

RealPlayer Broadband
WinMedia Broadband
RealPlayer Dialup
WinMedia Dialup

The Tucson Weekly has a round-up of the chatter about al Qaeda infiltrating the U.S. from Mexico. Other Than Mexicans:

• …In early August, the Washington Times reported that al-Qaeda is allying with Mexican organized crime groups to infiltrate the United States via Mexico.
• In late July, ABC News reported that the Border Patrol had arrested a woman named Farida Goolam Mohamed Ahmed. The arrest was made at McAllen-Miller airport in South Texas, where Ahmed was attempting to board a flight to New York. She acknowledged that smugglers brought her across the Rio Grande from Mexico; the FBI declared Ahmed a “person of interest.”
• Congressman Solomon Ortiz, ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness, was quoted in the Brownsville Herald as saying that Mexicans [I think he meant “Other Than Mexicans” —LW] with possible terrorist ties have been detained after entering the country from Mexico, but are being released for lack of jail space. “It’s very, very scary,” said Ortiz.

[…more examples deleted…]

A couple of days ago, Vice President Dick Cheney said: “we’ve got so many people coming across [the border] illegally — primarily for economic reasons, that want to come to work in the United States. But we have no idea who is here…”

Just today, the Washington Times published an interview with our “Border Czar,” Asa Hutchinson. Rounding up all illegals ‘not realistic’:

[NOTE: Very few people are proposing rounding up all illegal aliens. Rather, most are suggesting simply enforcing the law, especially as it relates to those who employ illegals and thus form as a massive incentive for illegal aliens to come here. See, for instance, Enforcement Blues: Do we want an immigration agency that works, or not? —LW]

From the article Who is really to blame for illegal immigration?

The article Employer fines plummet for hiring illegals has the numbers. Example: in the first five months of this year, just one company in the whole U.S. was fined for immigration violations.

[The following post is special to the Command Post from TCP correspondent Simon. The originals appear here and here and are reprinted with permission of the author]

It wasn’t long before the first I question the timing” slurs started. In the interim, the bombing of Australia’s embassy in Jakarta serves to remind us that terrorism has not been defeated. At the same time Bali bombers are sipping Starbucks. Indonesia is a battleground in this war and its Government and police need to act like it.

Tim Blair is following the story with plenty of links. Ken Parish belittles himself and the victims with the first “JI working for Liberals” jaunt; Chas seems to be heading down the same line. Off the blogroll with Ken. Ozguru wonders about the Starbucks Bali Bomber now. More at LGF, Yobbo and Chrenkoff. Yobbo also has the answers to “why the islamic extremists hate us so much”. Conrad reports on a friend who felt the blast. Macam-macam says Australia’s travel warning has been upgraded as does Myrick. Rajan says Indonesia is the weak link in the war on terror.

At the SMH “blog” Counterspin (with no permalinks, entry titled “Early Jakarta analyis”) quotes Scott Burchill’s off-the-cuff reactions (with my responses):

1) Another intelligence failure? For all the co-operation over the Bali bombing, the intel on JI is either not being shared with Australia or it doesn’t exist. Given ONA received a funding boost after the WMD fiasco, it must be ASIS’s turn to be rewarded for failure.

It’s far too early to tell. It took the US 3 years to finish a thorough inquiry into the intelligence failures of 9/11. In this case we are talking about the actions of an extremist group operating on foreign (non-Australian) soil but their backyard. There are protocols and procedures for working with the Indonesians. Or is Mr Burchill saying we should trash that and do our own investigating in Indonesia? That’d go down well.

2) All of the attacks on Western targets since 9/11 have taken place on Howard’s watch. How does this make him the strongest candidate on national security? Mr Downer might also like to start thinking about “root causes” - if he wants to help bring this to an end. Mouthing off about the evil and barbaric people behind these attacks helps no-one.

Linking the attacks to being on Howard’s watch borders on the absurd. Does it make him the strongest “national security” candidate? Ever since Latham’s home by Christmas gaffe on Iraq troops the ball’s been in Latham’s court to prove he’s up to the task. Say what you like about Howard, no one doubts he’s solid on national security. Some argue he’s too solid, but that’s another matter. The issue is Latham’s to prove, not Howard’s. To further demonstrate the ridiculousness of the arguement, you could say everything nasty in WW2 happened on Churchill, Chifley and Roosevelt’s watch.

3) The effectiveness of JI seems relatively undiminished despite the Bali prosecutions and Hambali’s arrest. This is very bad news.

4) Megawati and SBY have continued to deny they have an Islamist problem - in SBY’s case he denies the very existence of JI in Indonesia. Canberra may want to reconsider the view that he is their favoured candidate in the forthcoming second presidential ballot. A massive case of denial remains.

JI does seem to still be effective; this is a fair point. Likewise Indonesia’s political leadership has collectively ducked confronting Islamist extremism in their country. This is in fact the crux of the
issue. Until the Indonesians start confronting this menace Australia will be hamstrung in its fight.

5) Is this the attack on the Australian election or the Indonesian one? Does it matter? The bombing will have little impact on Indonesia’s election. In Australia it could cut both ways: it may bolster Howard’s national security bravado but it could also boost Latham’s arguement that Howard has made Australia a target. Like in the US, it is unlikely to actually influence the small number of undecided voters. The swing voters, while concerned about global events, are far more concerned over their mortgage bill, their kids’ schools, the health system and tax cuts. That’s just how it is.

Media Coverage:
* Sydney Morning Herald: Main story, Indonesia reaction,recent Indonesian attacks, blast location,photos (WARNING: some graphic)
* News/The Oz: Main story, story on suspects,revised death toll, eyewitness account,Latham reaction, Downer reaction
* Jakarta Post: Main report, Megawati returning from Brunei, Oz sending 9 bomb experts, 4 Chinese injured, links with previous bombings.

Let’s see if the media can call terrorists by their name this time (via TB). So far the SMH can, the Independent can’t,Reuters can (just, via a quote)…

I’ve never been a fan of the Aussie flag, with its Union Jack. But I firmly believe in everything that flag stands for and why we need to defend those values from those that seek to destroy it. We can be
thankful that (at least so far) it appears no Aussies have been seriously hurt or killed, but we must extend our deepest sympathies to those Indonesians that have. There will be a time for anger, but not yet. Now is a time of sadness and mourning. The only good that may come out of this is the Indonesian Government may see fit to really crack down on JI and the Islamic extremists - they are callously murdering Indonesians without qualms. Regardless of your politics, it is clear this an enemy that cannot and should not be appeased.

I love that flag.

Reactions and Responses

Yesterday’s bombing in Jakarta was the first clear attempt to attack specifically Australians rather than “Westerners” in general in Indonesia. Perhaps that explains why much of the blogosphere is
dominated with another story: the likely forging of documents on George Bush’s military service. While that’s an important issue, it somehow seems trivial compared to the deliberate attack on a staunch US ally in the war on terror in the world’s largest Muslim country. As James points out, even within the context of the US election it doesn’t seem particularly important, except for embarassing major media and proving the value of bloggers. Especially with both an Indonesian Presidential election next week and the Australian one in a month. Personally I think this is unlikely to have much impact on the Australian election for several reasons. Firstly no Australians were killed, and while the Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman I saw last night was correct in saying victims of terror have no nationality, it is a harsh reality that a lack of Australian deaths will make this play very differently to Bali. Secondly because it happened outside of Australian territory comparisons with Spain are further limited. Lastly this was not a surprise attack: there have been terror warnings for some time on Indonesia and this was the third bombing (after Bali and the Marriott) there in 3 years.

Also a clarification. As Michael points out my picture yesterday was of the Australian flag against an adjacent building to the Australian embassy. A broader picture with the embassy is here.

Let’s round-up reactions:
* Roger L. Simon brings some perspective to this in the context of US politics.
* Tim Blair continues his excellent coverage with a set of links of reactions here and here.
* Yobbo notes the SMH didn’t waste any time with a tasteless poll. He also notes some of the reactions from href="http://www.gravett.org/yobbo/index.php?p=1088">the left. As I predicted, it’s all about “I
question the timing.” Even Mark Latham had the decency to halt politics for two days.
* I noted this yesterday but the comments string to Ken Parish’s disgusting post is “interesting” in the worse sense. Especially the observation by “Gareth” that an instant straw poll saw the bombing having no change on 51% of voters, more Liberal on 25% and more Labor on 23%. As I said yesterday, net net this will not change the politics of the election. Gianna thinks it offers Howard a way out of Iraq…should he want one.
* I agree with Tim Dunlop and John Quiggin that hopefully the politicians will refrain from political opportunism, on both sides of the fence. There’s no evidence at this stage of anyone trying to “cash in”…indeed Latham said Asked whether he thought the attackers were trying to influence the election, he said: “Seven or eight people have just died in the worst of circumstances. I’m not going to be making any party political observations …Obviously in the circumstances, we will be suspending normal campaigning activities.”
Thank God for common sense.
* The Professor knew the reactions before they happened. He’s href="http://bunyip.blogspot.com/2004_09_01_bunyip_archive.html#109474694728759986">not buying the SMH again, either.
* Arthur Chrenkoff has compiled a thorough summary with his worthwhile analysis of the situation. It beats anything I’ve read in the major media so far.
* Some links from non-Aussies: Dean, Kathy
Kinsley, Jodi at Asia Pages with quote of the day, Rusty, href="http://www.jquinton.com/archives/001716.html">Jeff Quinton, John (who says now is a time for anger), Blogs of War, Grupo
Utopia, Captain Ed who thinks this was an attempt to sway Australian voters but it won’t work, and Six Meat thinks this points to an even higher chance of an “October surprise” for the US elections.
* Gnu Hunter wants the SMH to stop hindering the police and also hopes (likely in vain) the usual pundits can withhold their bile for a few days like the pollies have.
* Mike Jericho has photos and notes that the usual right wing attack dog, FOX News, this time href="http://mikejericho.blogspot.com/2004/09/myopia.html">failed miserably, as did Drudge.
* Via Bernard Slattery comes Andrew Bolt’s spot-on facing up to the reality of terror, and it was written pre-Jakarta.
* Currency Lad looks at the Left’s reaction to the bombing: Within a few hours, yesterday’s bombing of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta was transformed by several left-wing commentators into a collective bout of callous and infantile rage over what it might mean for them, for their increasingly pathological desire to see the Prime Minister of Australia destroyed…

The daughter of an Australian policeman was critically injured.

Additionally there’s been very little mention of Malaysia so far in all of this, despite the two main suspects being Malaysian nationals. This war doesn’t respect international boundaries and the hunt for these terrorists will need the full co-operation of the Malaysians as well as Indonesians.

Some people don’t get it. You cannot negotiate with JI for two reasons: they are coercing you to the table, by negotiating you encourage their actions and reward their terror, and most importantly there’s nothing to negotiate. Not to mention what are JI’s demands? Ending Westerner
civilisation as we know it. Don’t know about Mr Deegan, but I’m not really prepared to give that up. Ozguru’s got more and so does Tim Blair, including a new SMH poll that is
at least pointless rather than tasteless. At least the Australian public is clear on their thoughts…

Currency Lad says Indonesian police had a bomb threat before the explosion.

Simon lives in Hong Kong and writes daily at Simon World.

JERUSALEM POST: Palestinians with explosives caught after chase

A Palestinian man transporting a 10-kilogram (22-pound) bomb was caught in the West Bank after troops chased his taxi and he threw the explosives out of the cab’s window, a security official said Friday.

Soldiers began chasing the taxi after it tried to evade a roadblock outside the West Bank city of Nablus on Thursday, the official said on condition of anonymity.

The man was identified as Ibrahim Abu Zahu.

During the chase, Abu Zahu threw the bomb out the cab window, the official said. The explosives were safely detonated by troops, the official said.

President Vladimir Putin agreed Friday to a parliamentary inquiry into the bloody standoff at a southern Russian school, after having previously said none was necessary.

[…]

“We are thoroughly interested in receiving a complete, objective picture of the tragic events connected with the seizure of the hostages,” Putin said in televised comments.

Read more…

Police were sent a text message warning of yesterday’s suicide bombing in Jakarta that killed at least nine people 45 minutes before the explosion outside the Australian embassy.

The message said that Western embassies would be attacked unless Abu Bakar Bashir, a prominent militant cleric, was freed.

Bashir, 66, is in police detention awaiting charges for involvement in acts of terrorism. He has denied any links to terrorist group Jemaah Islamiah, an organisation that is considered to be closely related to al-Qa’eda.

Read more…

A very interesting debate between Bill Herbert and Lewy 14 in Winds’ comments section the other day addressed the breadth of reaction to Beslan in the Arab/Islamic media, and what constitutes a real and sincere condemnation of terrorism. A very useful dfiscussion, indeed.

Now Donald Sensing links to a compilation of translations by MEMRI, with many more examples from around the Arab media. From MEMRI:

“Some columnists condemned the use of terror and the harming of innocent civilians, others criticized the Russian forces’ failed rescue attempt, and a few even blamed Jewish elements of being involved in the affair. In addition, many articles argued that the terrorists do not represent Islam and that Islam does not endorse violence. They also aimed sharp criticism against Muslim leaders and clerics who incite against civilians in the name of Islam.”

We pay attention when the Islamists preach war, death, and hate - and we should. But just as we ask our media to report the good news with the bad in Iraq, we need to hew to the same ethic as we cover the crisis within Islam. There is a growing debate in the Arab world. Read the translations, then decide for yourself which articles are worthy of respect, and which of them illustrate the shameful attitudes that enabled Beslan to happen.

MAARIV: Families of soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah to sue UN

The families of the three IDF soldiers who were kidnapped by Hezbollah have announced their intention to file a suit against the United Nations and the Hezbollah organization. Iran, Syria and Lebanon will also be sued in view of their support of the Lebanese terror group.

The suit will be filed in a US court by relatives of Beni Avraham, Adi Avitan and Omar Sawaed, eight months after their bodies were returned to Israel for burial as part of the prisoner swap deal with Hezbollah.

The three families confirmed their intentions in a conversation with NRG Maariv. “On Sunday, we will hold a press conference at Sokolov House in Tel Aviv, during which we will say all that we have to say”. Ya’akov Avitan, father of Adi, said.

Since the October 2000 abductions, Israel and the families have expressed outrage over the UN’s inability to prevent the kidnappings.

In July 2001, it was revealed that UNIFIL soldiers filmed Hezbollah operatives as they were transferring the three IDF troops, about 18 hours after they were kidnapped, from a distance of barely 20 km from point of abduction.

In addition, it became evident that several UN soldiers knew that the Lebanese terror group intends to kidnap IDF soldiers from the area of the Shaba Farms and had even been paid off by the Hezbollah in order to turn a blind eye.

Israeli officials were also infuriated over the fact that the UN had hidden a tape that was filmed during the abduction and demanded of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to use that tape in order to help determine the fate of the soldiers. Only after a long struggle, the UN allowed Israeli officials to view the tape, but only four times.

Jemaah Islamiyah, a Southeast Asian terror group linked to Al Qaeda , purportedly claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was punishing Australia for supporting the war in Iraq. The statement was posted on an Internet site known for carrying extremist Islamic content, and its authenticity could not immediately be verified.

“We decided to call Australia to account, which we consider one of the worst enemies of God, and God’s religion of Islam,” the statement said. “Here we were able to call it to account today in Jakarta, where one of the mujahedeen (holy warriors) was able to execute a martyrdom operation with a car bomb in front of the embassy.”

FOX:

Ayman al-Zawahri, Usama bin Laden’s right-hand man, appeared in a new videotape aired on Al Jazeera on Thursday, Reuters reported. The number two figure in Al Qaeda said U.S. forces have only limited movement in Afghanistan, Reuters reported.

More:

Osama bin Laden’s deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, said mujahedeen, or holy fighters, have taken control of much of Afghanistan and driven U.S. forces into the “trenches,” according to a tape aired on Al-Jazeera TV Friday.
Wearing a white turban, the bespectacled Egyptian surgeon said “southern and eastern Afghanistan have completely become an open field for the mujahedeen.”

“As for the Americans, they are now lying in their trenches, refusing to come out to meet the mujahedeen, despite the provocation of attacks, hits and carjacking.”

Russian security officials identified 10 of the Beslan school hostage-takers Thursday, confirming that six of them came from the breakaway republic of Chechnya.

Four others were from Ingushetia, the republic bordering North Ossetia, where last week’s siege that ended in the deaths of at least 326 children and adults took place.

So far, regional security sources have not provided any information to back up Russian President Vladimir Putin’s earlier allegation that about 10 of the approximately 30 hostage-takers were “Arabs” from the Middle East and might have been linked to al-Qaeda.

Read more…

From the Pakistani news site The News comes this report (you may have to scroll down as there is no separate link):

80 dead in S. Waziristan bombardment
(Updated at 2005 PST)
WANA: Eighty people were killed in Khonkhela in South Waziristan by a guided missile strike and bombardment by the Pakistan Air Force fighter planes.

Major General Shuakat Sultan has confirmed the death of fifty people.

In Khonkhela in the Mahsood tribe territory of Sararogha a gathering of foreigners also attended by the local people was hit by a missile killing several people, while many others were injured in the incident, correspondent of Geo Shaukat Khattak reported on Thursday.

Pak Air Force bombers also strike the area killing several people. About 80 people including local and foreign nationals were killed by missile strike and bombardment majority of them was foreigners.

Surveillance planes had flicked through the area before the bombardment, local sources said.

ISPR Chief Maj. General Shaukat Sultan told Geo that security forces targeted foreign terrorist training camps in Dela Khonkhela in 25 kilometer northeast of Wana and destroyed it.

“There were confirmed reports of presence of foreign suspects including Uzbek, Chechen and few Arabs in the area and were training foreign terrorists”, he said.

The people getting training from the area were involved in sabotage and terrorism acts in various parts of the country, he further said.

The operation was continued for about two hours in the area and security forces destroyed the target successfully, Shaukat Sultan added.

I don’t know, but I’ve never heard of an air raid successfully taking out a terrorist camp and all the terrorists present. We’ll see how this develops.

First published at Southern Watch

Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the global War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. Thursday’s Winds of War briefings are given by me, Colt, of Eurabian Times.

TOP TOPICS

• A car bomb outside Australia’s Jakarta embassy has killed eight and wounded 100. Jemaah Islamiyah are suspected.

• Beslan… The official death toll stands at 335, with a further 700-750 wounded. One unofficial source put the death toll at 394. The number of unidentified bodies is over 100 - a number that does not account for the ~200 reported missing. The terrorists recorded the events from inside School #1. The Russians claim that all of the terrorists are dead or in custody. Yesterday, the Russian chief of staff claimed the right to take action at terrorists all over the world - he ruled out nuclear strikes. Gregory of the Belgravia Dispatch has an interesting take on Putin’s speech. Stan at Logic and Sanity is still translating Russian media reports. There are reports of rape, the stabbing of children and babies and the execution of a terrorist by the leader of the group. Dan Darling has more.

• Maariv International has a long piece about Iran’s ambitions in the war against Israel. Disturbingly, it claims that 10-15 al-Qaeda men have entered Gaza; Iran wants to turn Ein el-Hilweh in to an al-Qaeda/Hezbollah safe zone (note that Esbat al-Ansar have operated within the camp for years) ; Iran has increased co-operation with al-Qaeda in order to intimidate Europe, Turkey and Israel.

Other Topics Today Include: Iran Reports; new GSPC leader; al-Qaeda and the Blind Sheikh; Abu Sayyaf kidnapper caught; Israel hunts Hamas; Pakistan and terrorism; Khobar siege questions; weapons stash in Russian cinema.

Read the Rest…

[Updates to breaking story here.]

The death toll has risen to eight, with at least 160 injured. Three of the dead were policemen. At least 11 Indonesians have been killed.

Police immediately blamed Jemaah Islamiyah, the Southeast Asian terror network that is linked to al-Qaida. The group has been accused in several deadly bombings, including the bombing of the JW Marriott hotel in the same neighborhood last year, in which 12 people were killed.

Another report says:

A CAR bomb attack outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta today bore all the hallmarks of Malaysian terror suspect Azahari Husin, the senior member of an al-Qaeda-linked group, Indonesia’s police chief said.

Azahari Husin is an engineer who is wanted as a suspect of the 2002 Bali terrorist bombing.

Info terror group Jemaah Islamiyah can be found here.

UPDATE: Reports vary on the death toll, some reports stand at eight, others have moved the number up to eleven.

A list of terror attacks in Indonesia,going back to 1999.

Fox reports that embassies had been warned of potential attacks:

In recent weeks several Western embassies, including those of the United States and Australia, have warned their citizens about possible attacks by Muslim militants.

On Thursday, the U.S. mission renewed the warning, urging Americans to stay away from the Kuningan district in which the blast occurred.

Of note: Indonesia elections are scheduled for September 20, and Australia elections will take place next month.

UPDATES:

Prime Minister John Howard said it was too early to say that the attack had been prompted by Australia’s involvement in the Iraq war or by the election campaign, pointing out it came just two days before the third anniversary of September 11 and 10 days before a second round of Indonesian presidential elections.

He played down fears terrorists might strike on Australian soil to disrupt the October 9 election campaign.

Indonesia Defends Security Policy:

INDONESIA’S government today defended the security arrangements in place outside the Australian embassy and said it had done everything possible to ward off an attack like the massive bomb blast which hit the Jakarta mission today.

Chief foreign spokesman Marty Natalegawa said it was almost impossible to ward off determined attackers or suicide bombers.

“Obviously, we have not done enough in preventing this, but I don’t know if any governments could have a 100 per cent guarantee against such attacks,” he said.

“We have done what we could.

“But we need to be lucky all the time and they need to be lucky just once.”

Campaign on Hold:

Both Prime Minister John Howard and Federal Opposition Leader Mark Latham have cancelled their planned campaign events tomorrow because of the bombing outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta.

Mr Howard has already been briefed by the head of the Australian Federal Police Mick Keelty and ASIO chief Denis Richardson.

Tomorrow he will fly to Canberra for an update from security officials.

Mr Latham called a temporary halt to his campaign for Friday and also on Saturday to mark the third anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.

Police in the Russian city of St Petersburg have found explosives, detonators and a gun in a cinema closed for repairs, Russian media have said.
Interior Ministry officials said that the discovery followed the arrest of three men from Kazakhstan.

The three were arrested by organised crime police, and security sources said they were probably petty criminals.

[…]

Police found 23 cartridges, 900g of plastic explosives, a 200g stick of dynamite, two home-made bombs and a rifle.

A search of the premises is continuing, as police believe there could be another cache.

Worth keeping in mind: The cache of weapons and explosives used in Beslan were secreted into the school during construction.

[link source: Allah Pundit]

The following was written by TCP correspondent Allah Pundit and originally appeared here. It is reprinted with permission of the author.

Misfortune continues to befall journalists sent to cover the massacre in Beslan. Allah told you on Monday about two Russian reporters who never made it to Ossetia, one because he was detained for “hooliganism” and the other because she came down with a mysterious case of food poisoning on the flight out. There are reports today that Al-Arabiya’s Moscow bureau chief was arrested yesterday on his way back to Moscow when airport security claimed to have found a bullet in his suitcase. This comes a day after the editor of Izvestia was forced out by shareholders of the paper’s parent company who are loyal to Putin because of the paper’s critical coverage of the hostage situation. Also today: A pair of Georgian journalists who were detained in Beslan on Friday for want of Russian visas have been released. The two claim that the arrests had nothing to do with their visas but rather were revenge for a report they filed after the massacre alleging that it was Russian troops, not the Chechen terrorists, who set off the first explosion that started the bloodbath.

So: Putin bad, reporters good, right? Not so fast. Anna Politkovskaya, the reporter who was allegedly poisoned on her way to Beslan, has a piece in tomorrow’s Guardian that contains an interesting bit of information.

It is the morning of September 1. Reports from North Ossetia are hard to believe: a school in Beslan has been seized. Half an hour to pack my things as my mind works furiously on how to get to the Caucasus. And another thought: to look for the Chechen separatist leader, Aslan Maskhadov, let him come out of hiding, let him go to the hostage-takers, and then ask them to free the children.

Then followed a long evening at Vnukovo airport. Crowds of journalists were trying to get on a plane south, just as flights were being postponed. Obviously, there are some people who would like to delay our departure. I use my mobile and speak openly about the purpose of my flight: “Look for Maskhadov”, “persuade Maskhadov”.

She wasn’t going there to “cover” the event. She was going to there to negotiate with the Chechens. Reporters without Borders admits as much in an article posted on Monday:

Politkovskaya, who works for the Russian daily Novaya Gazeta, made two unsuccessful attempts on 1 September to board a flight at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport with the aim of going to Beslan and trying to negotiate with the terrorists, as she already did during the hostage-taking in a Moscow theatre in 2002.

Suddenly it’s not hard to see why Putin might not want people like her running around during a hostage standoff. That Politkovskaya apparently felt unbound by her journalistic duty not to interfere in the story is defensible in light of the extreme circumstances. But to do so in a manner that would undercut her own government’s authority in plain view of the enemy is inexcusable, in my opinion. It’s not a whole lot different from private Israeli citizens negotiating the Geneva Accord or John Kerry having finger sandwiches with the Vietcong in Paris. We’ve even got a statute on the subject. None of which, of course, is to say that Politkovskaya deserved to be poisoned for her actions, but it does go to show that in Russia, as so often seems to be the case, it’s less a matter of good guys and bad guys than bad guys and really bad guys.

Politkovskaya’s column is worth reading in full as she makes some good points about the skepticism Russians feel these days towards the state-run media, of which more here and here. And speaking of skepticism towards the media, Allah’s readers will be glad to know that the Times has finally acknowledged the Islamic nature of the terrorism in Beslan. The Muslims told them it was okay.

UPDATE: Here’s what happens when private citizens inject themselves into a hostage situation.

One of the government’s negotiators, Ruslan Aushev, provided new details about the chaotic moments that followed [the first explosion], saying the confrontation was actually precipitated by armed Beslan civilians. After the bomb in the gym went off, Russian troops held their fire, but civilian gunmen who had moved close to the school began shooting, Aushev told the newspaper Novaya Gazeta.

Russian officials called the guerrillas inside and declared that they were not attacking, but the guerrillas insisted that they were and began returning fire. Unable to control the civilians, the Russian troops had to launch their own operation, Aushev said. “Everything went down the drain when these civilians opened fire,” he said.

Russian officials also claim that a local policeman was with the terrorists when they arrived at the school last Wednesday, although it’s not clear if he was a willing accomplice. Allah’s previous post on corrupt security in Beslan is here.

[Allah Pundit is a pseudononymous weblogger who covers global news as well as topical subjects delivered with a wry sense of humor]

JERUSALEM POST: 50 killed in attack on al-Qaida camp in Pakistan

Pakistani jets pounded a suspected al-Qaida training facility in a two-hour barrage Thursday in tribal South Waziristan, killing at least 50 people - among them Uzbek, Arab and Chechen fighters - senior intelligence and military officials said.

The military said the camp was located near Dila Khula, a South Waziristan village about 25 kilometers (15 miles) northeast of the region’s main town, Wana, not far from the border with Afghanistan.

Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan told The Associated Press that at least 50 people were killed - a number he said could rise - and that 90 percent were foreigners. He said the camp was believed to be linked to Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida network.

“The foreign elements operating in these tribal areas have links with al-Qaida,” Sultan said. He said he had no information on whether any high-value al-Qaida targets were present at the site.

North and South Waziristan are considered a possible hideout for bin Laden and his No. 2, Egyptian surgeon Ayman al-Zawahri, although there is no firm intelligence on their whereabouts.

Pakistan has frequently overstated the scope of its military operations, claiming to have captured or killed foreigners that turn out to be local tribesmen, or to have zeroed in on top al-Qaida men who never materialize.

Sultan said the camp was totally destroyed in the assault and all the people inside were believed killed. He described the site as being comprised of two compounds, with an explosives training facility in the middle.

“I don’t think they put up a fight. They were taken by surprise,” he said.

It was a big one.

(No, it’s not been Photoshopped)

More photos available at the Sydney Morning Herald. And yes, the Australian Embassy in Jakarta (the white building in the photos at the SMH site) was built to, ah, unusually strong construction standards. As I’ve worked at DFAT (The Australian Equivalent of the State Department) I can’t say anything more about that. But compare the damage to it with that to buildings much further away from the epicentre.

Really? Since when?

AP: Israeli Minister Calls Arafat a Terrorist

he expulsion of Yasser Arafat is “closer than ever,” Israel’s foreign minister said in remarks broadcast Thursday, calling the veteran Palestinian leader a terrorist.

Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, in a passionate speech late Wednesday to hard-line supporters from his Likud Party, said Arafat had no place in the region. The remarks were broadcast early Thursday on Israel Radio.

It was the second time in a week that a senior Israeli official talked about expelling Arafat. On Monday, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said the government remained committed to a security cabinet decision from last year to remove Arafat, but there were no immediate plans to take action.

“Arafat has no place among us and the day will come when we will remove him from this land to a different place and this day is closer than ever,” Shalom said.

“Arafat is a terrorist, Arafat is not a person with whom we should talk,” Shalom said, emphasizing that Israel would continue its policy of confining Arafat to his West Bank headquarters.

If “removed” from Ramallah, where do you think Arafat will end up?

From the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) :

Three people are believed to have been killed in an explosion outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta, which caused extensive damage.

Witnesses have reported the blast has punched a hole in the embassy’s gate, shattered windows in the compound and damaged cars.

A Foreign Ministry spokeswoman says Australia is still trying to ascertain if any Australians have been wounded in the blast.

The cause of the blast is not immediately known.

It is believed to have originated from an office building near the Australian embassy.

Eyewitnesses have spoken of significant numbers of people, some badly injured, outside the front of the embassy and there are early reports of at least two dead.

A report from Reuters says three dead bodies have been seen on the street outside the embassy.

The Australian embassy had increased security in the past few months due to increasing intelligence chatter of terrorist threats.

The Foreign Affairs Department says the embassy has been evacuated.

Indonesian Police say the explosion occurred in a building known as Plaza 89 in the Kuningan area of the city, a business and residential district.

ElShinta radio station quoted a witness saying a police truck and a taxi in front of the Embassy had been blown apart and the high steel fence surrounding the building was damaged.

From The Australian :

No embassy workers were wounded in the explosion, Lyndall Sachs, a spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs in Canberra, said.

The embassy’s windows were shattered and power was down, she said. The mission has been evacuated.

Australia’s Federal Election is being held on October 9.

UPDATE: the Death Toll now stands at 6. From the ABC :

A powerful explosion outside Australia’s embassy in central Jakarta has reportedly killed six people, badly injured many more, and caused extensive damage to the embassy and nearby buildings.

So massive was the explosion that there is no evidence apart from a water-filled crater of the vehicle that carried a bomb.

One Australian embassy official said the bomb must have been high quality, because there is no residue left from the explosive.
Witnesses

The chairman of the Australia-Indonesia Business Council in Western Australia, Ross Taylor, says he was about two kilometres away from the embassy when he heard the blast.

“I heard it in the most dramatic form, I mean it was a very very loud bang and enough of my colleagues around in different locations in Jakarta were aware of it as well, so this is a very powerful bomb,” he said.

“There would be at least at any one time eight or nine armed police officers and a large military truck that is always maintained at the front of the building, now I understand that truck’s gone, I mean literally gone.

ABC radio journalist Megan James, who is living in Jakarta, says the scenes are horrible.

“There are people being pulled out of gutters, there are the remnants of motorbikes in the middle of the street burnt out with the remains of bodies on top of them, there are security guards pulling themselves out of bushes and then collapsing on the sidewalk, it would look that there would be the Marriott bomb toll plus,” she said.

“People who were nearby reported a 50-metre high smoke plume from that explosion and the sound of that explosion was heard at least in a five kilometre radius, and windows were shaken in a friend of mine’s building for instance who lived in the regent department about five kilometres away.”

“One would assume from that there’ll be a number of casualties and the tragedy of this is of course that this is Indonesians that are getting killed in this.”

Those outside the embassy took the full force of the blast. Some five embassy guards would have been seated outside the watch house where the bomb was detonated, another four Indonesian police officers in a tent nearby.
[…]
Prime Minister John Howard says it is believed a car bomb was responsible for the explosion in Jakarta.

Addressing media conference in Melbourne this afternoon, Mr Howard said there had been a number of fatalities and that information from the Australian Federal Police indicate six people may have died.

Mr Howard says all Australian staff have been accounted for and apart from a few minor injuries there have been no deaths or major injuries.

He says some local staff are not yet accounted for.

MAARIV: Gaza: Terrorist killed in “work accident”

A terrorist was killed this afternoon in the Jebalya refugee camp in Gaza in what appears to be a “work accident”. According to an IDF official, “An army unit spotted a terrorist that tried to launch an anti-tank missile. Suddenly a powerful explosion was heard. It is estimated that an accident had triggered charges in the house”.

HAARETZ: Car bomb blast near Baka al-Sharkiyeh checkpoint; IDF raids Gaza

A booby-trapped car exploded Wednesday afternoon next to Israeli security personnel at the Baka al-Sharkiyeh checkpoint, near the Green Line border with the West Bank.

The Palestinian driver of the car was killed in the blast, no Israeli personnel in the vicinity were wounded.

The checkpoint is stationed some 100 meters from where the West Bank separation fence is under construction.

Russia is ready to deliver preventive strikes at terrorists’ bases the world over, chief of the General Staff Yuri Baluyevsky stated on Wednesday.

“As for preventive strikes at terrorists’ bases, we’ll certainly take all actions to eliminate terrorists’ bases in any region of the world,” Baluyevsky told reporters after a meeting with NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe James Jones.

“It does not mean that we’ll deliver nuclear strikes,” he noted, the choice of means of destruction will depend on the situation in a given region.

Russia offered more than $10 million for information that helps “neutralize” two well-known rebel leaders from breakaway Chechnya accused of planning the school hostage standoff that killed at least 326 people last week, news agencies reported Wednesday.

The reports of the reward came a day after Russians got a horrific glimpse of the drama from video footage filmed by the militants who captured the school in southern Russia. Tens of thousands of people turned out at a government-backed rally in Moscow to condemn the terrorists and demand justice

The two leaders with the bounties on their heads are Aslan Maskhadov and Shamil Basayev.

Maskhadov is a Chechen general who was elected president of Chechnya in 1997; Basayeve is a notorious Chechen terrorist who is said to be responisble for over 200 deaths through terror tactics. Both men are thought to be the masterminds of the Beslan massacre.

12 of the terrorists who took part in the siege have been identified. While no details have been given about their identities, it is said that they were all in part responsible for the June attacks in North Ossetia and Ingushetia that killed dozens of people.

Here’s a interesting piece of information, translated by Stan at Logic and Sanity.

Shamil Basayev’s official mouthpiece - kavkazcenter.com - has a new conspiracy theory. As I reported earlier, some of the terrorists who took part in the murder of students in Beslan, were supposed to be doing time in russian jails. Basayev’s PR is claiming (here), that the FSB has taken those jailed terorrists, killed them and put their bodies on the scene in Beslan in order to frame Basayev.

Kulaev has been brought out from prison in order to give false testimony, they claim.

Related stories.

From Yahoo news [via Allah Pundit], video grabs of footage taken by the terrorists.

Hostages crowded in the gym. You can see the wires hanging from the basketball net.

[click for larger image]

More images here.

This one is from Getty Images:

More here.

JERUSALEM POST: Powell opposes attack on Hamas training camp

Secretary of State Colin Powell disapproved on Tuesday of an Israeli helicopter attack on a Hamas training camp in Gaza. “Retaliation is not a solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he said.

Powell said the way out of the conflict is to implement a road map for peacemaking proposed jointly by the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia.

Unfortunately, Powell said at a news conference, Palestinian leaders have not taken control of all Palestinian security groups to crack down on violence.

Powell has called in the past for uprooting Hamas, the Palestinian terror group that has claimed responsibility for bombings in Israel, including two attacks on buses last week in Beersheba that killed 16 and wounded over 100.

But his remarks Tuesday suggested he looked to the Palestinian Authority rather than Israel to put the group out of business.

JERUSALEM POST: Karadi warns of terror during Gaza evacuation

Palestinian and Jewish terror organizations will step up their activities during the implementation of the disengagement plan from the Gaza Strip, police chief, Insp.-Gen. Moshe Karadi, warned on Tuesday.

“We will witness acts of protest to the plan that have never been seen before in the history of the State of Israel,” Karadi said at his first official press conference since taking up the top cop post last month. “In the end, this new reality will bring about acts of protest, some legal and some illegal, throughout the country in order to disrupt the implementation of the plan.”

Although they do not have “concrete intelligence” on the matter, Karadi said, police have not ruled out the possibility that right-wing extremists will try to assassinate public officials.

“The period of the Oslo Accords proved that many things can happen,” he said. “It is possible that public official’s lives will be threatened and we will need to take this into account.”

Waving flags and banners, tens of thousands of Russians demonstrated against terrorism Tuesday, massing outside the Kremlin in response to calls for solidarity by President Vladimir Putin’s government after a series of deadly attacks that have killed more than 400 people.

The growing crowd stood still for a moment of silence in memory of victims, starting the rally after a clock atop the Kremlin’s Spassky Tower struck 5 p.m.

Read more

Related stories.

JERUSALEM POST: Rabbis: Fight terror even if civilians are killed

A group of right-wing rabbis sent a letter to the government and its heads, calling on them to instruct IDF soldiers not to hesitate when fighting against terrorists in civilian areas, “even when this may cost the lives of civilians.”

“Should the army fight the enemy, if Palestinian civilians will be killed, or should the army refrain from fighting, and thus endanger our civilians?” the letter said, quoting the sage Rabbi Akiva as responding: “Our lives come first.”

The group of rabbis, headed by former MK Haim Drukman (National Religious Party), said the army’s policy in Palestinian areas should take into consideration that no army when fighting amongst civilians can protect the lives of its soldiers unless it is willing to take the risk of injuring, or even killing, civilians amongst whom terrorists hide.

“There is no war in the world in which it is possible to delineate entirely between the population and the [enemy] army, neither in the US war in Iraq, the Russian war in Chechnya, nor in Israel’s wars with its enemies,” the letter said.

…

Yesha Rabbis’ Council secretary Yishai Ba’abad said the rabbis’ letter to the heads of state, which he said was not sent through the council, is based on a previous psak halacha (Jewish decree) that the lives of Israeli soldiers comes first and should be protected, even on the expense of “so-called civilians”.

“According to Christian law, one must turn the other cheek; but according to Jewish law, we must first and foremost protect ourselves. If 10 civilians are killed so that we can save the life of one IDF soldier - so be it.”

Two notes related to the Palestinian Space Program…

MAARIV: Fifth Kassam this morning lands in southern Israel

Palestinians fired a fifth Kassam rocket since this morning. The rocket landed near Kibbutz Miflassim in the western Negev. There were no injuries.

MAARIV: IDF to divide Gaza into three parts following Kassam barrage

The IDF has decided to divide the Gaza Strip into three parts following this morning’s Kassam barrage.

HAARETZ: Qureia: Retaliation for IDF strike in Gaza ‘will be justified’

Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia warned Israel on Tuesday that that its deadly air strike in Gaza overnight will invite a response from Hamas and that any retaliation for the killings of 14 members of the militant group will be justified.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad pledged revenge Tuesday for the strike that hit a training camp of the Hamas armed wing in Gaza City, killing 14 militants and wounding 30 people.

In the deadliest attack in Gaza for nearly four months, Israeli tanks, helicopters and warplanes pounded the Hamas site, as Israel struck back after a double suicide bombing.

“This crime cannot be accepted … No crime goes unpunished,” Qureia said at a meeting of the Palestinian cabinet. “For sure there will be retaliation, and the retaliation will be justified if it happens.”

HAARETZ: Planned bombing said prevented as bomb belt discovered

A suicide bombing apparently intended for central Israel was prevented Tuesday when a bomb belt was discovered in a house near the West Bank town of Nablus, Israel Radio reported.

The report said the belt comprised of some 10 kilograms of explosives and was discovered in a village north of Nablus, close to the settlement of Homesh.

After receiving intelligence information, IDF troops managed to locate the belt, and sappers safely detonated it.

[All previous posts on this story can be viewed here.]

Guardian:

Vladimir Putin, last night refused to order a public inquiry into how the Beslan school was captured by gunmen and then ended with such a high death toll, and told the Guardian that people who call for talks with Chechen leaders have no conscience.

“Why don’t you meet Osama bin Laden, invite him to Brussels or to the White House and engage in talks, ask him what he wants and give it to him so he leaves you in peace? Why don’t you do that?” he said with searing sarcasm.

“You find it possible to set some limitations in your dealings with these bastards, so why should we talk to people who are childkillers?

“No one has a moral right to tell us to talk to childkillers,” he added.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but Margaret Thatcher, whom I’ve met more than once said: ‘A man who comes out into the street to kill other people must himself be killed’,” he told the Guardian.

Basayev Directed the Seizure by Phone

According to the information the Washington Post received from the Russian officials, the seizure was directed by 4 people, including “a bodyguard of Basayev’s and a former police officer who turned against authorities and led a bloody attack in the neighboring republic of Ingushetia last June… All four leaders were killed in the battle at the school.”

Further down in the article, comes this:

We also think it a shame that the respected newspaper, like many other western media, calls the beasts, who shot at our children’s backs, such words as “prisoners” “insurgents,” “rebels,” “hostage-takers,” “militants” and even “guerillas!” The UN has labeled them terrorists - why don’t the press?

Indeed.

This WaPo article reports that Russian special services have surveillance tapes of the terrorists arguing with each other and also quotes from the one terrorist who has been captured:

“We gathered in the forest and the Colonel — it’s his nickname — and they said we must seize the school in Beslan,” said the man, who had short, dark hair and no beard. He said the orders came from Basayev and another Chechen commander, Aslan Maskhadov, and that his group included Arabs and Uzbeks as well as Chechens and people of other nationalities. “When we asked the Colonel why we must do it, he said, ‘Because we need to start war in the entire territory of the North Caucasus.’ “[aslo reported here]

I’ll leave off, for now, with this:

Sveta Aylyarova, a 6-year-old first-grader, arrived in an open coffin, its top carried separately by six men. Her body was veiled in lace, and atop her legs was her pink teddy bear.

“She was a beautiful, smart little girl,” said Khazbi Aylyarov, the oldest relative standing in front of the coffin, restraining his grief so he could get the words out.

And then the coffins were shuttered with final, haunting bangs before they were placed in the red-bricked holes. Pieces of concrete were lowered on top before dirt was shoveled into the hole by young men, rain streaming down their faces.

Posted by Michele at 08:36 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

From The Telegraph :

An extremist Islamic cleric based in Britain said yesterday that he would support hostage-taking at British schools if carried out by terrorists with a just cause.

Omar Bakri Mohammed, the spiritual leader of the extremist sect al-Muhajiroun, said that holding women and children hostage would be a reasonable course of action for a Muslim who has suffered under British rule.

In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Mr Mohammed said: “If an Iraqi Muslim carried out an attack like that in Britain, it would be justified because Britain has carried out acts of terrorism in Iraq.

“As long as the Iraqi did not deliberately kill women and children, and they were killed in the crossfire, that would be okay.”

Mr Mohammed, 44, who lives in Edmonton, north London, but is originally from Syria, also claimed that the Chechen rebels were not responsible for the deaths of more than 350 people - at least half of them children - who are so far known to have died in Beslan.

“The Mujahideen [Chechen rebels] would not have wanted to kill those people, because it is strictly forbidden as a Muslim to deliberately kill women and children. It is the fault of the Russians,” he said.

The father of seven came to Britain in 1985 after being deported from Saudi Arabia because of his membership of a banned group. He has since been given leave by the Home Office to remain in Britain for five years but the Government is reviewing his status.

He gave an interview yesterday to promote a “celebratory” conference in London next Saturday to commemorate the third anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

UPDATE : And in Bahrain, according to The Observer :

Ali Abdullah, an Islamic scholar in Bahrain who follows the ultra-conservative Salafi stream of Islam, also condemned the school attack as ‘unIslamic’. However, he insisted Muslims were not involved and revived an old conspiracy theory: ‘I have no doubt that this is the work of the Israelis, who want to tarnish the image of Muslims.’

CNN reports that a suspect in the Russian school siege that left more than 330 people dead, nearly half of them children, said Monday the hostage-takers were ordered to seize the school to “start a war across the Caucasus:”

Appearing on Russian state television, the unidentified man said the attack was ordered by Chechen rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov and Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev.

“They gathered us in the woods and ‘The Colonel’ said that we should take over a school in Beslan. That was our order,” he said.

“When we asked why we were doing this, what our goal was, ‘The Colonel’ answered us, ‘Because we need to start a war across the Caucasus.”

From California Yankee.

An amazing story of survivors of a different kind…

JERUSALEM POST: ‘We thank God we are here in Israel’

Flipping channels in her Bat Yam home, Natalia Cheldaev saw the school her daughter Vilena had left just five months earlier when the family immigrated from Beslan, Russia. Confronted with horrifying images of the school held hostage by terrorists and the faces of people she knew, she reached for the phone.

“I immediately tried calling my former neighbors, but no one was answering,” she said. “I found out that building was cleared out by special forces since it is next to the school.”

The special forces might have left, but that doesn’t mean the residents have returned.
“Our apartment building is all empty now,” Cheldaev said, listing those who perished in the tragedy, including her best friend and her son, who had been Vilena’s best friend.

“All those people who were seeing us off, half of them are now dead,” she continued. “I still cannot comprehend what has happened.”

Neither has her daughter, who has been told that the friends she asks about are wounded and in the hospital. “So many of her friends are dead. She won’t be able to handle it.”

Read the rest (registration required)

Alarm bells are ringing in Russian media circles after the alleged poisoning of Anna Politkovskaya, one of the most outspoken critics of Vladimir Putin’s policy on Chechnya, and the apparent sacking of the editor of Izvestia today.

Politkovskaya, who writes for the current affairs magazine Novaya Gazeta, was on her way to the siege in Beslan from Moscow when she collapsed mysteriously.

According to the Moscow Times today, “Politkovskaya was flying from Vnukovo Airport to Rostov-on-Don and fainted on the plane. Immediately after landing, she was taken to a local hospital, where doctors found she had been poisoned, Novaya Gazeta editor Dmitry Muratov told the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.”

Read more..

[link source: Allah Pundit]

HAARETZ: Palestinians: At least 13 killed in IAF missile strike in Gaza

At least 13 Palestinians were killed and 25 wounded when Israel Air Force helicopters hit a Hamas training site in Gaza City around midnight Monday, witnesses said.

The strike targeted a Hamas community center building used by its military wing for training.

IAF helicopter gunships fired at least five missiles at the building, located in the Sajaiya neighborhood in the eastern part of Gaza City, witnesses said. The helicopters hovered overhead after the explosions.

The bodies of the Palestinians killed have been brought to a Gaza City hospital.

Reuters reports:

ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algeria’s largest Islamic rebel group with ties to al Qaeda said it has appointed a new chief, known as an explosives expert, as it tries to regroup following the loss of key leaders in recent gun battles with authorities.

“Thanks to God for the appointment of Abou Mossab Abdelouadoud as the emir of the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) to replace martyr Nabil Sahraoui,” the GSPC said in an undated statement obtained by Reuters on Monday.

Security sources said the information was credible.

The GSPC, which has been fighting for a purist Islamic state since 1998, made headlines last year with the kidnapping of dozens of European tourists in the Sahara desert.

The United States has focused on North Africa, and Algeria in particular, over the past year in its war on terror and is trying to stop fundamentalism from gaining a foothold in Africa.

The GSPC is on the U.S. list of foreign terrorist groups and recently pledged allegiance to al Qaeda. Several of its founding members fought alongside Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) against the Soviet occupation in Afghanistan (news - web sites), according to experts.

Security sources say Abdelouadoud, the group’s explosives chief whose real name is Abdelmalek Droukdel, is among the few surviving senior members after Sahraoui and others were killed in a battle with Algerian armed forces in June.

“He was there from the beginning although he didn’t fight in Afghanistan,” said a security analyst. “If anyone can unify the GSPC, it’s him, but it’s already very weakened and divided.”

KEY TO SURVIVAL

The appointment is crucial to the survival of the struggling movement as the army has all but crushed a number of rebel groups spread across the country.

These and other groups launched a holy war or “jihad” against the authorities after the army canceled legislative elections in 1992 that a hardline Muslim party, the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), looked sure to win.

More than 150,000 people have died violently since then, and although the level of violence has fallen sharply in recent years more than 300 people have died this year.

The GSPC was formed by disillusioned members of the ruthless Armed Islamic Group (GIA), notorious for attacking civilians and for slitting its victims’ throats.

Droukdel, born in 1971, studied at university for two years before dropping out to join rebels in the mountains, experts said. He was recently made head of the GSPC’s supreme council.

The GSPC’s No. 2, Amari Saifi, alias Abderrazak el Para and responsible for the kidnappings last year, is being held by Chadian rebels.

The GSPC, currently numbering a few hundred, has in recent months stepped up its campaign of violence against the army and police in and east of the capital Algiers.

Washington is sharing intelligence with and providing military training to countries in the Sahara region in its drive to stop the threat posed by al Qaeda and the GSPC.

Indepth at Southern Watch

I didn’t intend for this to be my first blog entry on Winds of Change since my return from DC, but I thought it might help to supplement Armed Liberal’s earlier remarks on Chechnya and in particular the people who orchestrated the wave of terrorism that has killed upwards of 500 Russian civilians since last week.

This should in no way be seen as an endorsement of Russian policies in Chechnya, which have been worse than brutal - they’re simply ineffective. I’ll conclude with a link to a reputable organization that is seeking to raise money for the victims of this tragic act of barbarism.

A little background

First of all, claims that this has to do with the Russian military presence in Chechnya completely misunderstand the situation….[Read The Rest…]

[All previous posts on this story can be viewed here.]

Stan at L&S translates from gzt.ru

More info about the terrorists. At least four of them are from Nozha-Urt, Chechnya. The terrorist who was caught alive, 24 old, Nur-Pashi Kulaev (this source spells the last name a bit differently) and his brother, 31 year old Han-Pashi Kulaev (killed september 3rd), were Basayev’s personal bodyguards. Kulaev also fought along side Basayev in Grozni, 2000 (where Basayev lost his leg).

This group of terrorists consisted of Chechens, Ingushi, Kazakhs, Arabs and Slavs.

Unlike the previous source, gzt.ru is claiming that Kulaev has identified some of his cohorts. In Chechnya, Kulaev is known as a ruthless kililer - he has killed dozens of soldiers and civilians. Basayev was very close to brothers Kulaeav, so close that (according to sources) he even came to one of their relatives’ funeral. Kulaev’s were also tightly connected with Rustam Ganiev, who according to a Zerema Muzhahova (female suicide-bomber-to-be who was apprehended minutes before she was about tor act), trained many female suicide bomers.

Two others names are known - Arsen Merzhoev and Mairbek Shibihanov.

Magomed Evloev, was considered the leader of the group, has not been found yet.

According to intelligence:

The school siege was well planned. Terrorists brought explosives, weapons, and food (canned goods and chocolate) back in July, when school was going through renovations. According to hostages, within the first minutes of the siege, the terrorists made male hostages rip up the floor, from under which they extracted their contraband.

Several of the terrorists’ bodies have now been identified as the “construction workers” who remodeled the school. Their intent explains the low price they’ve charged.

Dissent begins to grow:

The Russian government admitted Sunday that it lied to its people about the scale of the hostage crisis that ended with more than 300 children, parents and teachers dead in southern Russia, making an extraordinary admission through state television after days of intense criticism from citizens.

As the bereaved families of Beslan began to lay their loved ones to rest Sunday, the Kremlin-controlled Rossiya network aired gripping, gruesome footage it had withheld from the public for days and said government officials had deliberately deceived the world about the number of hostages inside School No. 1.

In Moscow, Russian Orthodox faithful place candles for the victims of the Beslan school seizure as mourning echoed across the country.

“At such moments,” anchor Sergei Brilyov declared, “society needs the truth.”

Mediator accuses armed civilians of triggering assualt:

“When an explosion went off and the children started to flee, we phoned the hostage-takers and asked them to stop firing. They replied: ‘We have stopped firing, it’s you who are firing,” the former Ingushetia president told the Novaya Gazeta’s Monday edition.

“We gave the order to stop firing but there was a third force, these popular militias who decided to liberate the hostages on their own,” said Aushev.

Russian editor is forced to quit after he runs large photos of the tragedy.

Raf Shakirov said his resignation was connected with the paper’s Saturday issue, which ran huge, shocking pictures of wounded and dead children and other victims of the school hostage crisis.

“The leadership of Prof-Media (Izvestia’s publisher) and I disagreed on the format of this issue. It is considered too emotional and poster-like, and in general papers aren’t made like that,” Shakirov said.

Identifying the dead terrorists:

“That one’s Magas”

A short, thin man slowly by passes the rows of corpses in the courtyard of School No. 1. His head is completely enclosed by a hood, with only slits open for his eyes. Huge special forces soldiers, also masked, accompany him on both sides. He is handcuffed to them. The man is one of the terrorists who seized the school. They know his name at counter-terrorist headquarters, but they are not releasing it, since he is cooperating with the investigation.

Read the rest.

Laughing Wolf also has plenty more on the subject.

Read Imshin, too.

Posted by Michele at 11:33 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Two of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers had a support network in the United States that included agents of the Saudi government, and the Bush administration and FBI blocked a congressional investigation into that relationship, Sen. Bob Graham (D., Fla.) wrote in a book to be released tomorrow.

The discovery of the financial backing of the two hijackers “would draw a direct line between the terrorists and the government of Saudi Arabia, and trigger an attempted coverup by the Bush administration,” Graham wrote.

And in Graham’s book, Intelligence Matters, he makes clear that some details of that financial support from Saudi Arabia were in the 27 pages of the congressional inquiry’s final report that were blocked from release by the administration, despite the pleas of leaders of both parties on the House and Senate intelligence committees.

Graham also reveals that Gen. Tommy Franks told him on Feb. 19, 2002, just four months after the invasion of Afghanistan, that many important resources - including the Predator drone aircraft crucial to the search for Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda leaders - were being shifted to prepare for a war against Iraq.

It’s not just Al Qaeda and Co that have co-operation between disparate groups. From The Australian :

Australian intelligence agencies helped Russia track down al-Qa’ida terrorists who assisted the Chechen rebels, Russia’s ambassador to Australia, Leonid Moiseev, has revealed.
[…]
Mr Moiseev said the Canberra embassy had been inundated with supportive phone calls, emails and flowers from Australians, and revealed that terrorists who turned up in Russia to support the Chechens were often known to Australian intelligence agencies through their links to Southeast Asian groups.

”The terror network is global now and quite a few of these people are connected to foreign terror groups and al-Qa’ida,” he said.

“They travel on a wide range of passports … from Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and other parts of the globe.

“A terrorist can turn up in Pakistan, then be active in Southeast Asia, and later still turn up in (Russia’s) northern Caucasus.

“The intelligence dialogue we have with Australia has been invaluable.”
[…]
“We are very grateful Australia has offered to assist us through offering police assistance … Our police may be able to learn something from the experience Australia had with Bali,” Mr Moiseev told The Australian.
[…]
Australia and Russia resumed intelligence sharing in 2002 in response to the war on terror – the first time since Australia and Russia were World War II allies.

And a quick summary of reaction in Australia:

[Australian Prime Minister] Mr Howard said he had sent a message of sympathy to Mr Putin and had offered assistance. “It is an appalling tragedy and a reminder of the depravity and total amorality of terrorists,” he told the Seven Network yesterday.

Howard as PM has to show a little gravitas. His opponent in the forthcoming election in October (who has been less than enthused in the past about “this so-called war on terror”) can afford to be a bit more forthright :

Labor leader Mark Latham supported Mr Howard, saying “the people that have done this deserve to rot in hell”.

As I’ve said before, we’re all in this together. From the sound of it, some people are only just now starting to realise it. Better late than never. It’s time for us to put aside past differences, and win this war.

From The Australian :

Regional intelligence agencies are investigating whether a mystery Chechen bomber linked to an alleged Sydney terror conspiracy was also behind a foiled plot to detonate chemical truck bombs in Jordan five months ago.

NSW [New South Wales, an Australian State-AEB] police have been briefed about fresh fears surrounding Abou Salah, a Chechen bomb-maker named by Frenchman Willie Brigitte as the man he was sent to Sydney to rendezvous with in May 2003.

The Jordan plot, which targeted the United States embassy and intelligence offices in Amman, has been deemed the most serious attempt by al-Qa’ida to use chemical weapons. It was also one of the first signs that Chechen militants were prepared to align their cause to that of Islamic jihadis outside Russia.

Jordanian police and the CIA have been hunting for a Chechen they believe orchestrated the massive chemical weapons plot, which was foiled when six Arab militants were arrested in early April.

Another four men were later killed in a shoot-out with police.

Five trucks filled with chemicals and explosives were intercepted 120km inside Jordan having crossed the Syrian border by road. The main chemical seized in the trucks was sulphuric acid, which can also be used as a booster for conventional explosives.

The common link between the Amman and Sydney cases is that the Chechen being hunted over the Amman plot is thought to have passed through a Pakistan-based training camp for banned terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba in late 2001.

Brigitte, who was arrested then deported from Sydney in October last year, has admitted to being at the camp at the same time.
[…]
The Australian Federal Police have alleged that Brigitte and a man they arrested in April, Faheem Khalid Lodhi, were members of an LET cell that intended to bomb a major piece of Australian infrastructure, possibly the national electricity grid.

Russian state-run television says the government has a man in custody who was part of the group responsible for the deadly school siege in Beslan.

The network showed footage of the man, whose name was not given, being heavily guarded by commando forces.

The suspect, who spoke on camera, proclaimed his innocence.

“Of course I pitied the children, I swear to Allah. I have children myself. I didn’t shoot. I swear to Allah,” he said. “I don’t want to die. I swear to Allah, I want to live.”

Read more…

And here he is:

More on that from ingushetiya.ru, translated by Stan at L&S:

The only terrorist caught alive was shown on channel 1, today. His last name is Kulov - a Chechen.
He was born in the Nozhai-Urt region, Chechnya, but lately resided in Karabulak, Ingushetia.

Kulov told the investigators that the band was led by a Chechen, who went by the nickname “Polkovnik” (Colonel).
Only Polkovnik and Hodov* knew where the group was going. After the school was seized, the terrorists quarreled - many were unhappy with the fact that the hostages were children. Polkovnik personally shot one of the terrorists and even blew up the two female suicide bombers (via a remote) to show that he meant business.

According to Kulov:

- there were a total of 32 terrorists in the group. (30 bodies have been found. Kulov was caught, meaning that 1 got away)

- He doesn’t know any last names or ethnicities of the other members in the group. The terrorists called each by arab names to avoid using their real names.

- There wasn’t a black man amongst them - authorities mistook one of the terrorists for one, because he was burned and his face got covered with soot, during the storm.

The more we hear from the hostages, the worse it gets.

AFTER more than 24 hours in the sweltering heat of the school gymnasium in Beslan, one of the boys trapped inside could not take it any longer.

Summoning up his courage, he approached a hostage taker with a bayonet fixed to his assault rifle and asked him for a drink. It was probably the worst error that he could have made.

“Instead of giving him water, he drove his bayonet through the boy’s body,” said Stanislav Tsarakhov, 10, another captive standing nearby. “I don’t know if he died.”

The death toll now stands at 394.

UPDATE: I had heard this but I refused to believe it. But there’s a witness corroborating the rumors:

They raped the teenage girls.

[All previous posts on this story can be viewed here.]

Stan at Logic & Sanity has been translating Russian stories into English so people like us can make the English versions available to you. Thank you, Stan.

An interesting piece of information on what lead to the to storming of the building:

According to the hostages, the explosives were scotch taped to the basketball hoops inside the gym.
They were remote controlled, but ended up going off accidentaly. The scotch tape couldn’t hold one of them and it fell, going off in the process, its shock wave knocking down one of the terrorists and setting off another bomb. There was a great deal of casualties from that alone, and ultimately that accident is what caused the raid.

Scotch tape?!? What kind of terrorist uses scotch tape to rig explosives?

Other updates:

• According to German intelligence (as reported in strana.ru), the Arabs who took part in the hostage taking, were Syrian and Jordanian citizens who trained in Afghanistan.

• U.S. government has donated $50,000 to the Russian Red Cross.

• Ariel Sharon called Putin today, to express condolences on behalf of all Israelis and to wish speedy recovery to the wounded.Sharon also offered Israel’s help, if need [see also here].

• Germany is spending 100,000 euro on medical supplies to be sent to Beslan.

So, while I have your attention, what do you think the chances are that something like this will happen in America or that something of this nature is being planned? And how do you think we would respond to such an instance? Storm the building? Negotiate? Wait it out..how many days?

Update:

The more I think about it, the more a little thing like scotch tape bothers me. In a way, this gives a wee bit of credence to my theory that the terrorists in Belsan were acting on their own. The way I see it is that they were probably trained by a more structured part of a terrorist organization (i.e., Al Qaeda), but broke off from them, probably when others balked at their idea of using a school. A well-financed terrorist outlet most likely wouldn’t use tape to rig explosives, because that’s a pretty easy way to mess up the operation. Which, obviously, it did.

I think we’ll see more and more of this - terrorists breaking away from their “umbrella” organizations and working on their own. Which will all just make the war on terror even harder to win.

My two cents, which do not necessarily reflect the opinions of anyone else at Command Post.

HAARETZ: Mofaz warns Syria over its involvement in terror

Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz issued a warning to Syria in comments he made to the cabinet Sunday, in which he referred to intelligence information about the growing involvement of the Damascus “terror headquarters” in terror attacks against Israel.
Mofaz added that Damascus is providing terror organizations with guidance and financial support. Mofaz said, however, that there is not enough evidence to prove that Syria was involved in planning the double bombing in Be’er Sheva last week, in which 16 people were killed.

Mofaz said that on the night before the Be’er Sheva attack, the Israel Defense Forces arrested about 30 terror activists as part of a comprehensive raid in the West Bank city of Hebron, where the suicide bombers lived. In retrospect, Mofaz said, some of those arrested were found to be connected to the bombings.

Diplomatic sources in Amman say senior Hamas members - including the chief of its political bureau, Khaled Mashal - have left Damascus in recent days due to fear that Israel intends to target them, the London-based newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat reported on Sunday.

HAARETZ: Sharon to meet Russian FM over global anti-terror efforts

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is to meet Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in Jerusalem on Monday for talks likely to center on the need for greater global anti-terror efforts following the deadly seizure by militants of a Russian school, officials said Sunday.

An Israeli government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the visit was arranged long before the latest wave of violence in Russia.

But the school siege, in which at least 350 were killed, nearly half of them children - along with last week’s Moscow suicide bombing and the August 24 bombing of two Russian passenger planes - meant the terror issue would now move higher up the agenda.

“The terrorist activities in Russia against innocent civilians prove anew that terror has no borders and a single goal: to destroy and sow ruin,” Sharon said at the beginning of Sunday’s weekly cabinet meeting.

“Terror has no justification, and it’s time for the free, decent, humanistic world to unite and fight this terrible plague, which has no borders or fences,” he said.

(What’s so different about two unrelenting violently fanatical Islamic separatist movements attacking women and children in semi-sovereign regions legimitmately conquered and annexed through war? The Russians annexed in an offensive war, the Israelis in a defensive war.)

HAARETZ: Israel begins construction of stretch of separation fence in south

Israel began construction Sunday of a section of the West Bank separation fence in the southern West Bank, days after Palestinian suicide bombers carried out an attack from the area.
Security officials confirmed that work started on a 30-kilometer stretch of barrier southwest of Hebron.

But the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the work wasn’t related to last week’s attack in Be’er Sheva, in which Hamas suicide bombers from Hebron killed 16 people. The bombing has put pressure on the government to speed up construction, which has been delayed by a series of legal challenges

JERUSALEM POST: Gunmen seize PA building in Gaza

Palestinian gunmen on Sunday seized the local government offices in the Gaza Strip, demanding that the Palestinian Authority do more to assist families left homeless by an Israel Defense Forces operation last week, witnesses said.

It was the latest case of violence directed toward Yasser Arafat’s Palestinian Authority, which has been widely accused of corruption and ineffectiveness.

About 15 gunmen from the Aksa Martyrs Brigades, a militant group with loose ties to Arafat’s Fatah movement, seized the governor’s office in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip early Sunday and expelled most of the 22 workers in the building, witnesses said.

Updates…

[All previous posts about this story are here]

• The latest death toll update puts the number of dead at 333. There are still 260 people unaccounted for. Seven of the hostages who were rescued from the school died in area hospitals, including three children who died last night. [source]

The people of North Ossetia have begun burying their children:

Families wracked with grief crowded into a freshly turned field next to the cemetery in Beslan to bury loved ones killed in the school hostage seizure.

Earlier in the day, dozens of men had dug rows of graves in preparation for the more than 20 funerals scheduled.

“I wanted to help. The grief is for all of our people,” said Anzor Kudziyev, 25, who was one of about 60 volunteer gravediggers.

“When a person goes to the cemetery for a burial, it’s sad, but nothing like this — when you dig graves for your children,” said Kudziyev, whose neighbour’s children were hospitalised.

Throughout Beslan, coffin lids leaned against apartment house entrances, alongside wooden stakes bearing names of the dead. Wailing echoed through some courtyards, where families were preparing food for ritual meals, while people walked the streets with stony, expressionless faces.

• The bodies of the 30 of the 32 terrorists who conducted the siege have been found. Among the dead terrorists is Magomed “Mags” Evloev, who had been identified as direct subordinate of Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev.

• The fallout begins:

North Ossetian Interior Minister Kazbek Dzantiyev submitted his resignation on Sunday morning, said Alexander Andreyev of the southern regional branch of the Russian Interior Ministry.

“After what happened in Beslan, I don’t have the right to occupy this post as an officer and as a man,” ITAR-Tass quoted Dzantiyev as saying.

Channel One television quoted a regional spokesman as saying that the resignation had not yet been accepted.

• Weapons may have been hidden in the school days before the attack.

• Police have arrested three suspects who may have played a part in the attack:

“All three of them are admitting to guilt,” the news agency quoted North Ossetian Interior Ministry spokesman Ismel Shaov as saying.

“According to their testimony, we hope to find the people who ordered this attack,” he said.

He said one of the three was believed to have been linked to previous alleged terror attacks.

Over in the OpEd section, Alan E. Brain has a recap of recent history in Chechnya.

But the final death toll may exceed 400.

From ITAR-TASS via the AFP and thence the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) :

Police have arrested three suspects who they believe played a part in organising the hostage taking of a Russian school that resulted in hundreds dead, ITAR-TASS news agency reported today.

”All three of them are admitting to guilt,” the news agency quoted North Ossetian interior ministry spokesman Ismel Shaov as saying.

“According to their testimony, we hope to find the people who ordered this attack,” he said.

He said one of the three was believed to have been linked to previous alleged terror attacks.

According to the latest official toll, 330 people, half of them children, died in the three day stand-off that ended Friday in a six-hour gunfire exchange.

However, a worker at the main morgue that received bodies from the school told AFP that 394 corpses from the incident have been received to far.

JERUSALEM POST: Hizbullah rejects UN call for disarmament

The leader of the Hizbullah group on Saturday rejected a UN resolution calling for his guerilla army to be dismantled, saying the world body’s call served Israeli interests.

Sheik Hassan Nasrallah also defended the presence of Syrian forces in Lebanon, a situation that began when Damascus deployed troops to Lebanon in 1976 during a civil war and has attracted recent criticism from the United States and France.

“We don’t want a withdrawal of Syrian forces at this time,” Nasrallah told a Hizbullah rally in his south Beirut stronghold, saying the presence of about 20,000 Syrian soldiers had helped Lebanon consolidate its security after the devastating 1975-90 civil war.

AP:

Four terminals at Los Angeles International Airport were shut down for about three hours Saturday after a passenger bypassed security at one terminal and a flashlight battery exploded during screening at another, authorities said.

The two incidents a half-hour apart on the busy Labor Day weekend appeared to be unrelated, said FBI spokeswoman Cathy Viray. Several people suffered minor injuries.

The scare at the international terminal came when a flashlight battery in checked luggage exploded as the bag was being hand-searched by a Transportation Security Administration worker, said TSA spokeswoman Amy Von Walter. She said the blast appeared to have been caused by old batteries, not a bomb.

The TSA worker suffered swollen hands and was taken to a hospital, Von Walter said. Several other people complained of ringing in their ears and the passenger whose bag was being screened at the time was being questioned.

About half an hour earlier, security workers reported that a passenger bypassed security at United Airlines’ Terminal 8 by running up a down escalator, Von Walter said. Authorities ordered the evacuation of terminals 6, 7 and 8, which are connected, in order to re-screen passengers.

About 30 departing United flights were listed as delayed, and 17 of the airline’s inbound flights were listed as canceled or delayed.

Traffic was diverted from the airport and hundreds of people could be seen standing outside the airport.

[Link via Allah Pundit]

The Associated Press reports that Joseph Cofer Black, the U.S. State Department coordinator for counterterrorism said in a television interview that the United States and its allies have moved closer to capturing Osama bin Laden in the last two months:

What I tell people, I would be surprised but not necessarily shocked if we wake up tomorrow and he’s been caught along with all his lieutenants. That can happen because of the programs and infrastructure in place.

Bin Laden and his top associate, Ayman al-Zawahri, are believed to be hiding some place along the rugged border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Officials have divulged no solid intelligence about bin Laden’s precise whereabouts, and it’s not clear if they have any.

From California Yankee.

CNN TV has a passenger in LAX on the phone:

• Passengers are in line external to security checkpoint.
• Going to have to evacuate the terminal.
• Initially heard someone in Bradley International terminal jumped past security, and that they closed Bradley and Terms. 4, 5, and 6 as a result.
• Streets around LAX are closed.
• Now being instructed to leave departing level and go to arriving level.

Los Angeles International Airport was shut down early Saturday because of a possible security breach and a separate incident at an international terminal security screening station, an airport spokesman said.

No information was immediately available on the incident at Tom Bradley International Terminal ), airport spokesman Harold Johnson said.

Officials also did not explain the possible security breach that shut down terminals 6, 7 and 8. The terminals are connected.

Flights were not being allowed to depart, but inbound flights were being allowed to land, said Paul Turk, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration (search). Passengers were not taken off the planes.

Traffic was being diverted from the airport.

ITV is reporting an explosion. Will update with links, confirmation.

UPDATE:

No explosion, but FOX tv is reporting a “postiive hit on an explosive detection.”

UPDATE: Now FOX.com is reporting a small explosion at LAX has injured seven.

UPDATE:

Fox now has this:

An exploding flashlight that injured seven people prompted a shutdown at Los Angeles International Airport (search), an airport worker told FOX News.

Sharon Mayes, parking supervisor at LAX, said two separate security breaches caused airport officials to close off terminals 6,7 and 8, which are connected, and ground all flights. Flights have been allowed to land, but passengers have not been permitted to exit planes.

Mayes also said the LAPD bomb squad was en route to the airport.

It was not immediately possible to verify the report of the explosion. One of the incidents occurred at an international terminal security screening station, an airport spokesman said.

UPDATE:

Reports of injuries cannot be confirmed. CNN has this:

In one incident, airport police were responding to reports of a “suspicious person.”

The other involved a flashlight with corroded batteries that exploded in Tom Bradley International Terminal.

Seven people were hurt by that explosion.

Department of Homeland Security had a different account.

The agency said that an explosive detection system machine got a positive reading from a corroded battery in a flashlight.

DHS reported that there was no explosion and that there were no injuries that they were aware of.

UPDATE:

Some flights are now taking off.

So far, the concensus is there was an explosion, albeit a small one caused by corroded batteries in a flashlight. However, there was also a separate incident, with the “suspicious person” that prompted the shut down.

Posted by Michele at 12:47 PM | Comments (14) | TrackBack