The Terrorist Round-up for 6/26/06

6/26/06

[Straight Vermonter]

	The sunrise is seen behind a US soldier in the restive city of Fallujah, Iraq. (AFP/File/Mehdi Fedouach)
	U.S. Marine Cpl. Brad Bruce, center, of LaPorte, Ind., Cpl. Tyler Warndorf, right, of Hebron, Ky., and a translator, study a map before a patrol, in Ramadi, Iraq. (AP Photo/Jacob Silberberg)
	U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpls. Brandon R. Musser (left) and William A. Staley, both from Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, interact with Iraqi civilians (not shown) as their vehicles are searched during a vehicle checkpoint patrol in the city of Ramadi, Iraq. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Joseph DiGirolamo)
	U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Eduardo Vazquez, left, of Rome, New York, and Cpl. Tyler Warndorf, of Hebron, Kentucky, rest in an Iraqi family's house during a patrol, in Ramadi, Iraq. (AP Photo/Jacob Silberberg)
	A British soldier takes a firing position during a patrol in Helmand, southern Afghanistan. Sand-storms, heat and dirty laundry -- the three main complaints for some 2,500 British troops based at a make-shift camp in the middle of the "Desert of Death" in southern Afghanistan.(AFP/File/HO)
	1st Lt. Jamie Watts of Lansdale, Pa., holds his 3-year-old daughter Madeline in Philadelphia, after returning from duty in Iraq. His unit, the 104th National Guard, was away 18 months. (AP Photo./Rusty Kennedy)

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Afghanistan & Pakistan - Large Map

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Karzai Says Taliban Not a Threat to Afghan Government (Calls Omar a Coward)

Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Sunday called fugitive Taliban leader Mullah Omar a coward and denied that the resurgent militia was a threat to his government.

In an interview with CNN television, Karzai also called on Pakistan to step up cooperation in the war on terror.

Karzai spoke with the "Late Edition" programme following the release of an audiotape by a Pakistani television channel purported to be Mulla Omar. In it, Omar claimed that Taliban fighters controlled much of Afghanistan and that international forces could not solve Afghanistan's problems.

The Afghan leader said his that if Omar is "really in charge" then "he should show himself up and face the danger that he is causing to hundreds of people, young people in Afghanistan and in Pakistan and not hide the way he's hiding right now.

"It needs guts to do what he is talking about, and he doesn't have that. He only goes about and sends young people to death." Asked whether he was calling Omar a coward, Karzai said "definitely".

"He has no opinions in the sense that I'm sure he is not even aware as to what's going on in Afghanistan. I'm sure he's hidden somewhere in a guest house, wherever he is."

The Taliban leader has not been seen since his hardline militia were toppled by a US-led attack in late 2001, following the September 11 attacks. The Taliban have been waging an insurgency in southern Afghanistan that has claimed a growing number of lives of international coalition soldiers.

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Pro-Taliban Militants Call Ceasefire in Waziristan

Pro-Taliban militants announced a month-long ceasefire on Sunday in a Pakistani region on the Afghan border to give tribal elders a chance to broker a settlement after months of fierce fighting.

Security forces have killed more than 300 militants, including 75 foreigners in North Waziristan since last year and several Arab lieutenants of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden have been killed there.

"We decided that there will be a total ceasefire in the area from our side for one month, as the government wants to set up a tribal jirga here," Abdullah Farhad, a commander of the Islamist militants in North Waziristan, told Reuters.

The military's offensive in North Waziristan followed one in South Waziristan. U.S. drone aircraft have carried out cross- border missile strikes on al Qaeda targets from Afghanistan.

More..

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22 Pakistanis Killed in Afghanistan

Twenty-two Pakistani tribesmen from South Waziristan have been killed in Afghanistan in the current offensive by US-led forces and the Afghan security forces.

Those who died were found in action in Paktia and Paktika provinces of Afghanistan, the hotbed of the Taliban activities that Kabul has been busy thwarting, The Nation newspaper reported.

Pakistan officially denies the involvement of its nationals in Afghanistan, but has blamed the role of "a few individuals" for the border between the two countries being poorly guarded on the Afghanistan side. This has been the cause of a slinging match between the two neighbours involving the two presidents, Hamid Karzai and Pervez Musharraf.

North and South Waziristan have witnessed free movement of Taliban fighters. The area is supposed to have sheltered Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and Taliban chief Mullah Omar at different times, says the western media.

Those who were killed in the operation were from the Mehsood tribe and belonged to Ladha, Makin, Sarogha, Tiarza and other tribal areas. The dead were laid to rest in their native areas, the newspaper said, quoting an online report.

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Iraq - Large Map

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7 Lesser Iraq Insurgent Groups Seek Truce
By SAMEER N. YACOUB

Seven Sunni Arab insurgent groups have contacted the government to declare their readiness to join in efforts at national reconciliation, a key Shiite legislator said Monday.

The seven lesser groups, most of them believed populated by former members or backers of Saddam Hussein's government, military or security agencies, have said they want a truce, Hassan al-Suneid, a lawmaker and member of the political bureau of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Dawa Party, told The Associated Press.

The contact by the insurgent organizations, which could not be independently verified, would mark an important potential shift and stand as evidence of a growing divide between Iraqi insurgents and the more brutal and ideological fighters of al-Qaida in Iraq, who are believed to mainly be non-Iraqi Islamic militants.

Al-Maliki was considering a possible meeting with leaders of the groups or contacts through intermediaries, al-Suneid said.

He identified only six of the seven organizations by name, listing them as the al-Ashreen Brigades, the Mohammed Army, Abtal al-Iraq (Heroes of Iraq), the 9th of April Group, al-Fatah Brigades, the Brigades of the General Command of the Armed Forces.

The al-Ashreen Brigades operate primarily in Anbar province, the violent insurgent stronghold west of Baghdad. The organization claims its operations have only been conducted against U.S. forces. They and other insurgents were said to have protected polling places against attacks by other militant groups in Anbar during December parliamentary voting.

The Mohammed Army is made up of former members of Saddam's Baath Party, members of his elite Republican Guards and former military commanders. It, too, has focused attacks on the U.S. military and played a role in the November 2004 battle for Fallujah.

Al-Maliki unveiled his 24-point national reconciliation initiative on Sunday, offering amnesty to insurgents who renounce violence and have not committed terrorist attacks.

``To those who want to rebuild our country, we present an olive branch,'' al-Maliki told applauding lawmakers. ``And to those who insist on killing and terrorism, we present a fist with the power of law to protect our country and people.''

The much-anticipated plan lacked important details, but issued specific instructions to Iraqi security forces to rapidly take control of the country so U.S. and other foreign troops can eventually leave. It did not include a deadline for their withdrawal.

Al-Maliki said Iraq also must deal with the problem of militias, which are blamed for a surge of sectarian violence that has worsened in Iraq, where nearly 40 people have been killed in the last 24 hours.

U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad congratulated the government on the initiative.

< snip >

While al-Maliki set no timetable for an American troop pullout, officials in Washington said Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the top commander in Iraq, had drafted a plan for drawing down the U.S. presence by two combat brigades in late summer or early autumn.

The New York Times said officials indicated the reduction could involve the 1st Brigade of the 10th Mountain Division, which patrols a swath of west Baghdad, and the 3rd Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division, in troublesome Diyala province.

According to the report, those brigades would not be replaced numerically and their duties would be assumed by U.S. forces already in Iraq. The Times said the Casey plan envisioned eventually cutting U.S. forces from the current 14 brigades to five or six by the end of 2007.

Lt. Col. Barry Johnson, a military spokesman in Baghdad, said any reduction in forces would depend on conditions in Iraq and be made in consultation with the Iraqi government.

``Based on ongoing assessments of the conditions on the ground, force levels could go up or down over time in order to meet the evolving requirements for the mission in Iraq,'' he told the AP.

Al-Maliki, while calling for amnesty for some insurgents and opposition figures who have not been involved in terrorist activities, declared that insurgent killers would not escape justice.

``The launch of this national reconciliation initiative should not be read as a reward for the killers and criminals or acceptance of their actions. No, a thousand times no. There can be no agreement with them unless they face the justice,'' he said.

The prime minister, in power just over a month, said he was realistic about the difficulties ahead.

``We realize that there is a legion of those who have tread the path of evil (who) ... will continue with their criminal acts,'' he said.

Khalilzad urged Iraqi leaders to move quickly to take control of the country.

``The leaders of Iraq's various communities should truly be leaders to their people, and begin to take responsibility for bringing sectarian violence to an end,'' he said. ``I urge the insurgents to lay down their arms and join the democratic process initiated by their fellow Iraqis.''

Al-Maliki gave no specific ideas for disbanding sectarian militias and other illegal groups, saying only that the problem should be solved through ``political, economic and security measures.''

Khalilzad suggested individual militiamen who meet certain criteria could be posted to the regular security forces, while the others get job training and other rehabilitation. He dismissed a wholesale integration of militias into the security forces.

The reconciliation plan won the endorsement of the senior Sunni political figure in parliament.

``In the name of Iraqi Accordance Front, I support and agree with this initiative and call upon all Iraqis to support it because it will be the first step toward security, stability and the building of a new Iraq,'' said Adnan al-Dulaimi, whose organization represents the three key Sunni political parties in parliament.

However, it is expected that parliament's debate this week on the plan will reveal considerable opposition among hard-liners on both sides of the Sunni-Shiite divide.

Qassim Abdul-Zahra contributed to this report.

(This is certainly not everything we could hope for. I would like to see all those who killed Americans brought to justice but how many more lives would we have to expend in order to do that? Wars always end with some of the enemy, even some of the worst, evading justice. This is clearly the best thing for the Iraqis and, I think, for the US. The "deadenders" need to be able to see they can take another course other than allying with al-Qaeda or the Ba'athists.)

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Terrorist Killed, 16 Detained During Iraq Raids

Coalition forces killed one terrorist and detained 16 others as the result of two separate raids conducted across Iraq today.

One terrorist was killed and five were detained in a sweep in southern Baghdad. Intelligence uncovered by the death of al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi led coalition forces to the insurgents' lair, officials said.

The coalition troops searched several buildings during the raid. Several women and children were present but none were harmed during the operation.

The other raid was conducted east of Ramadi and yielded 11 terrorist captives. Two enemy weapons caches bearing small arms, suicide-bomber vests, body armor, grenades and instructions on how to build an improvised explosive device were secured during the action.

Several women and children were also present during the Ramadi raid, which included searches of several buildings. None of the women or children were harmed and all were returned to their homes.

(Compiled from a Multinational Force Iraq press release.)

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CCCI Convicts 10 Insurgents

The Central Criminal Court of Iraq convicted 10 security detainees June 14 through June 20 for various crimes including possession of illegal weapons, passport violations and illegal border crossing.

The trial court found Salah Aziz Hamid guilty of possession of illegal weapons, in violation of Coalition Provisional Authority Order 3, and sentenced him to life imprisonment. Coalition forces apprehended Hamid after a raid of his house found 13 107mm rockets, nine 82mm mortars, approximately 2,900 blasting caps, a pressure plate with a detonator attached, and other improvised explosive device making material.

The trial court found Majid Saeed Ali guilty of illegal border crossing, in violation of Article 10 of the Iraqi Passport Laws, and sentenced him to 15 years imprisonment. Coalition forces apprehended Ali for being a foreign fighter. The defendant also has ties to al-Qaida in Iraq through Abu Talha.

The trial court found Zayd Ra An Ahmad guilty of illegally entering Iraq, in violation of Article 10 of the Iraqi Passport Laws, and sentenced him to 15 years imprisonment.

Coalition forces apprehended the Saudi Arabian man during a targeted raid. He later admitted to entering Iraq to fight Coalition forces.

The trial court found Suway' Lih Muslih Mohammed guilty of illegally entering Iraq , in violation of Article 10 of the Iraqi Passport Laws, and sentenced him to 15 years imprisonment. The Saudi Arabian man was apprehended during a raid against anti-Iraq and anti Coalition forces. Following the trial, the court ordered the defendant be sent back to investigative hearing for investigation of violating Article 194 of the Iraqi Penal Code, crimes against the internal security of the sate.

The trial court found Jamal Yahya Mohamed Abdul Kareem guilty of illegally entering Iraq , in violation of Article 10 of the Iraqi Passport Laws, and sentenced him to 10 years imprisonment. Coalition forces apprehended the Saudi Arabian man during a targeted raid. He later admitted to illegally entering the country and creating propaganda for terrorists.

The trial court found Mohammed Elaiwy Fahad Al-Almary guilty of illegally entering Iraq , in violation of Article 10 of the Iraqi Passport Laws, and sentenced him to 10 years imprisonment. Coalition forces apprehended the Saudi Arabian Man after his vehicle crashed near an Iraqi-entry checkpoint. A search of the defendant's vehicle revealed illegal explosives, and he later admitted to traveling to Iraq to join the Mujahadeen.

The trial court found Mohammed Salman Abed Al-Dayin guilty of possession of illegal weapons, in violation of Coalition Provisional Authority Order 3, and sentenced him to six years imprisonment. Coalition forces apprehended Al-Dayin after a targeted raid on his house revealed a suitcase containing two sticks of PE-4 explosive material, one hand grenade, three blasting caps, a 9mm pistol with ammunition, 7.62mm ammunition, an AK-47 and electronic components for an IED.

The trial court found Ali Abdulah Dharbi guilty of possession of illegal weapons, in violation of Coalition Provisional Authority Order 3, and sentenced him to six years imprisonment. Coalition forces apprehended Dharbi after he was captured near the site of an attempted ambush against Coalition forces. The defendant was found near five RPKs, three AK-47s, three RPGs, one 60mm mortar tube, six 60mm mortar rounds, three hand grenades and five RPG rounds. He later admitted his involvement with the ambush.

The trial court found Assad Younis Mohammed Farhat guilty of possession of illegal weapons, in violation of Article 27 of the Iraqi Penal Code, and sentenced him to one year imprisonment. Coalition forces apprehended Farhat after a search of his property revealed one 9mm pistol, one AK-47 rifle and one grenade. The defendant also tested positive for TNT.

The trial court found Taha Yassin Khalaf guilty of possession of illegal weapons, in violation of Coalition Provisional Authority Order 3, and sentenced him to one year imprisonment. Coalition forces apprehended Khalaf after a search of his property revealed more than 3,000 rounds of AK-47 ammunition, six hand grenades, multiple mortar rounds and one Dragunov sniper weapon.

Upon conviction, all defendants are turned over to the Iraqi Corrections Service to serve their sentences.

To date, the CCCI has held 1,248 trials of insurgents suspected of anti-Iraqi and anti-Coalition activities threatening the security of Iraq and targeting MNF-I. These proceedings have resulted in 1,076 individual convictions with sentences ranging up to death.

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Iraqi Forces Capture IED Cell Members in Baghdad

Iraqi forces raided three objectives in western Baghdad on June 23, capturing three members of an improvised explosive device, or IED cell and detaining five others as part of the “Together Forward” Baghdad security plan.

Iraqi Army forces, with coalition advisers in support, captured three primary members of an IED cell operating in the Al Mansour district of Baghdad. This cell is suspected of two IED attacks on coalition forces in the Gazaliyah area in March and a rocket attack on the Baghdad International Airport in April.

According to a coalition force adviser, this mission instilled continued confidence in the Iraqi unit's ability to conduct unilateral operations.

This operation occurred without incident and no Iraqi or coalition forces were injured during this operation.

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Eight Bomb-Makers Arrested in Baghdad

Iraqi forces arrested eight members of a terrorist cell specialized in making bombs in Baghdad's northern and southern suburbs, said a Multi-National Force (MNF) statement Monday.

According to the statement, three safe-houses were raided by coalition forces in Baghdad.

These raids were part of a security crackdown called "Operation Forward Together" which started earlier this month.

The detainees are suspected of being involved in making improvised explosive devices that killed and injured MNF soldiers last March and in a rocket attack at Baghdad's airport in April.

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Israel & Palestinian Territories  - Large Map

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Olmert Says Army on Standby for Gaza Operation

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Monday he had put the army on standby for a major military operation against Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip after a raid into Israel on Sunday.

"Let it be clear: We will reach everyone, no matter where they are, and they know it," Olmert said in a speech in Jerusalem. "There will not be immunity for anyone."

Olmert is under pressure for action after the raid by Palestinian militants on Sunday. Two Israeli soldiers were killed and another carried off to the Gaza Strip. Two gunmen were killed.

The violence has raised the prospect of Israeli troops returning to the Gaza Strip, from which thousands of soldiers and settlers were withdrawn last year after 38 years of occupation.

"I gave the military commanders instructions to deploy forces so that they are ready for a comprehensive and protracted operation in order to strike the terrorist organisations and their chiefs," Olmert said. (Note that Reuters terms Israel's presence in Gaza as an "occupation". This is the same organization that won't call UBL or AMZ a terrorist.)

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India & Kashmir  - Large Map

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Jammu Bus Stand Attack: Two Lashkar Militants Arrested

Two brothers and members of the Lashker-e-Toiba militant outfit were arrested today in connection with the grenade attack on Jammu bus stand earlier this month.

In a pre-dawn raid in Mendhar town of Poonch district, police arrested the two, Irfan and Saddam Hussain, on the interrogation of the main accused, Tipu, official sources said.

The two will be further questioned along with Tipu, and other members of LeT module - Farooq, Yauqoob, Skinder and Kabir - two police constables -all of them arrested, they said.

Police had arrested the two police constables and a student in Mendhar area of Poonch district on June 22 in connection with the blast on June 12 that killed a conductor and injured 31 others, they said.

Tipu was arrested on June 17 from a rented accommodation near Malik market in Narwal area of city on the behest of two arrested ultras - Farooq and Mohmmad Yaqoob.

Tipu, believed to be a top militant of let outfit, had told his interrogators that the outfit's Mendhar based divisional commander Abu Osama had identified three "Fidayeens" for carrying out the attack, the sources said.

On his interrogation police had arrested several other terrorist suspects in the district.

"This is a full fledged module of the let tasked to trigger grenade attacks, IED blasts and creating infrastructure for the Fidayeen attacks in Jammu belt," they said.

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Russia - Large Map (Caucasus)

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Police Detain Two Suspected Militants in Chechnya

Police have detained two suspected militants in the troubled Republic of Chechnya in Russia's North Caucasus, the local interior ministry said Sunday.

Police seized one of the militants in his own house near the provincial capital of Grozny at a collective farm called Rodina. The other militant was detained in the village of Chernorechye on the outskirts of Grozny, the ministry said.

Both militants are suspected of fighting against federal troops on the territory of Chechnya: one in 1999 and the other in 1994-1996, the ministry said.

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Africa - Large Map

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Algeria: 19 Militants Killed in Police Operations

Algerian police killed 19 Islamic militants who rejected a government amnesty aimed at ending years of conflict following a civil war in the 1990s, reports said on Monday. Police reportedly raided on Sunday bases of the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), which has sworn allegiance to al-Qaeda, in the eastern province of Annaba. The operation followed an upsurge in attacks by Islamic fundamentalists this month which killed 31 people.

Unlike some other Islamic militant groups, the GSPC has refused to give up the armed struggle in exchange for an amnesty offered by president Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

The amnesty, which came into force in February and will expire next August, gave Islamic militants six months to surrender and get a pardon, provided they were not responsible for massacres, rapes or bombings of public places.

Algeria's civil war started in 1992 when authorities canceled a parliamentary election that radical Islamists were poised to win. The conflict cost up to 200,000 lives. (This is one of the most critical fronts in the WOT. Algerians are the largest segment of Moslems in western Europe and the source of most of the terrorists active there. Ending the Algerian conflict would go a long way to calming the terror threat in Europe.)

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Arabia - Large Map

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al-Qaida Renews Plot in Saudi Arabia

Al Qaida has renewed plans to strike government targets in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi security sources said an Al Qaida cell had planned a major suicide attack against a law enforcement agency in Riyad. The sources said the plot was foiled when six operatives were killed and a seventh injured during a shootout on June 23.

"One security man was martyred in the incident, and there were some injuries among the ranks of security forces," the Saudi Interior Ministry said.

The sources said Saudi intelligence located the Al Qaida safe house about two days before the operatives were meant to launch their attack. They said special forces, backed by a helicopter, attacked the target in a three-hour operation.

[Straight Vermonter]

Let me know if you want on/off the terrorist roundup ping list

Proud member of the:

[Straight Vermonter]

Ping

[AmericaUnite]

God Bless our Troops. Thanks for the ping.

[Sundog]

Thanks.

This is really helpful for keeping it all in perspective.

[Coop]

Karzai calling out the one-eyed coward! :-)

Man, I just love the reunion photos of kids with their daddies. Gives me a lump in my throat every time.

[dead]

Nice!

[Valin]

Pro-Taliban militants announced a month-long ceasefire on Sunday in a Pakistani region on the Afghan border to give tribal elders a chance to broker a settlement after months of fierce fighting.


Translation: We're getting our asses handed to us.

[Valin]

U.S. Marine Cpl. Brad Bruce, center, of LaPorte, Ind., Cpl. Tyler Warndorf, right, of Hebron, Ky., and a translator, study a map before a patrol, in Ramadi, Iraq.

A bit off Topic
Highly recomended
BLOOD STRIPES
by David J. Danelo

http://www.militarybookclub.com/doc/full_site_enrollment/detail/fse_product_detail.jhtml?repositoryId=376925B547

Fighting Rages in Western Iraq. Marines Seize Control of Fallujah. Two Marines Killed in Combat. Headlines can impart important information about war, but if you want to get past the headlines—really past the headlines—you have to read a book written by someone who was there. Ideally, that someone will be a U.S. Marine. Interested? This is your lucky day.

Blood Stripes is a Marine’s perspective of the war in Iraq. A real Marine, a full-timer who was in the . . . well, you know. So this is no newspaper account of the action; it makes the writing of an “embedded” journalist read like a “Dick & Jane” account of war. Here you'll get to know the Marines in the middle of it all—those who lived and some who died. You’ll be by their sides as they get geared up to fight—cleaning rifles, sharpening K-bars—and remain with them on the battlefields, as they pummel mujihadeen, insurgents and Saddam loyalists as only Marines can. You’ve never read a book about modern warfare quite like Blood Stripes. That’s a promise. 25 photos. 384 pages.

(Note Excerpts can be found at)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/sitbv3/reader/ref=sib_dp_top_ex/102-1981481-5856923?ie=UTF8&pageID=S00P&asin=0811701646

[Straight Vermonter]

Man, I just love the reunion photos of kids with their daddies. Gives me a lump in my throat every time.

That was Mrs SV's idea. She's not just another pretty face.

[Coop]

Then please give her a big hug for me.

[Critical Bill]

Thanks again for the effort SV, great to see we are sending so many of these cretins to paradise.