Threat Matrix: Daily Terror Threat - August 2006

[nwctwx]

Syria Tells Troops to Be Ready for Battle
(Full Story)

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has placed his military on full alert, citing "regional challenges", and vowed to continue supporting the "Palestinian and Lebanese resistance more than ever".

In a speech to mark the Syrian Army national day, Mr Assad said the volatile situation across the Middle East required "vigilance, preparation and readiness" and ordered all units of the armed forces to be on alert.

The comments were interpreted by Israel as a morale booster to the Syrian armed forces and not a call to battle. Israeli intelligence chiefs have assessed that Syria is not in the mood for an open war and is instead content to resupply Hezbollah guerillas in Lebanon.

	Iranian Cleric Asks Muslims to Send Weapons to Hezbollah
	Blair Says Syria, Iran Risk Confrontation
	Iran and Syria Beat the Drums of War

Thread Thirty-Nine

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[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:
---

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=430


Terrorists Killed, Captured in Afghanistan; Insurgent Attacks Foiled

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 11, 2006 – Afghan and coalition forces killed three al Qaeda members and detained three others during a raid today in Afghanistan’s Khowst province, U.S. military officials reported.
Intelligence linked the targeted terrorists to previous remote-controlled and makeshift car bomb attacks in Khowst.

Upon arrival, the assault force received small-arms fire from the targeted building. The ground force returned fire, killing the three terrorists. The other three were detained on site without incident.

Numerous assault rifles with armor-piercing ammunition, along with a weapons cache of grenades and other ordnance was found in a building at the target location. The weapons cache was moved outside the compound and destroyed. No Afghan or coalition forces were injured during this operation.

In a separate incident in Afghanistan, a group of insurgents attacked the Gomal District Center in Paktika province yesterday using small-arms and rocket-propelled-grenade fire, officials said.

The Paktika Province Coordination Center, an Afghan government office set up to coordinate security activities of the Afghan National Army and police, called the Afghan Border Patrol to provide support to thwart the attack. No border patrol soldiers or insurgent fighters were killed, and the center received only minor damage, officials said.

Also in Paktika province yesterday, insurgents attempted to abduct a truck driver delivering gravel to local villages. The insurgents ambushed the driver with small-arms fire. Once the vehicle was stopped, the enemy fighters attempted to kidnap the driver, but he escaped. No coalition support was requested for either incident.

“The single largest factor undermining development and progress in Afghanistan today is the extremists’ blatant disregard for Afghan citizens who simply want a better life for themselves and their children,” said Maj. Matt Hackathorn, a spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force 76. “Extremists resort to attacking civilians to terrorize local citizens, but the Afghan national security forces, with assistance from coalition forces, will continue efforts to improve the lives of the Afghan people.”

(Compiled from Combined Forces Command Afghanistan news releases.)

[Cindy]

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=431

"NORTHCOM Was on Guard Against Plot to Bomb Planes, General Says"

By Steven Donald Smith
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 11, 2006

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:
---

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=434

Iraqis Must Decide to End Sectarian Violence, Pace Says

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

BAGHDAD, Aug. 12, 2006 – The Iraqi people are the ones who must decide that sectarian violence must end, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today.
“The Shiite and Sunni leaders are going to have to love their kids more than they hate each other, so they can go about building their country,” said Marine Gen. Peter Pace. The general spoke to reporters on his way to Iraq.

He said sectarian violence has eclipsed the insurgency as the primary cause of instability in Iraq. Some insurgents have embraced sectarian conflict as a way to further their own aims, he explained, and al Qaeda in Iraq has long wanted to set the sects against each other.

“Clearly, some folks want Iraq to be ungovernable,” Pace said. “They are the ones who are primarily responsible for the random violence.”

Pace said no outside group can come in and impose sectarian calm. The Iraqi people are going to have to come to the conclusion that compromise and finding ways “to work together, as opposed to the death squads,” is the way forward.

The chairman said he will meet with coalition leaders in Iraq, and that he plans on discussing troop levels with Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr., commander of the Multinational Force Iraq. Although officials extended the originally planned one-year tour in Iraq for soldiers of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team to aid in pacification of Baghdad, troop cuts still may occur, the chairman told reporters.

“It’s important to always have troop levels on the table every week and every month, and they are,” Pace said. “As recently as a month ago, we thought (troop levels) would come down based on what the battlefield looked like at the time. (The battlefield) changed with the sectarian violence, and General Casey’s assessment was that he needed more troops immediately to solve that problem. He asked for it, and that’s what he got.”

Pace said Casey is going through the assessment and these assessments are continually made. The analysis will continue and the enemy gets a vote, the chairman said. But the Iraqi people also get a vote, he said, and that may work to curb the violence.

While saying the number of U.S. troops in Iraq may fall in the future, Pace was careful to say that the number of troops overall will continue to rise. Iraqi forces are playing an increasingly important role in the security of their own country. Some 277,600 members of the Iraqi security forces are “trained and equipped” today, he noted, adding that by the end of the year, that number will rise to 325,000.

In Baghdad, officials beefed up the number of U.S. and Iraqi troops. There were 54,000 troops – 47,000 Iraqis – in the city and its environs before the outbreak of sectarian violence, Pace said.

“That had a beneficial effect for the first couple of weeks, then the sectarian violence spiked and General Casey, working with (Iraqi) Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, said it was time to add more both U.S. and Iraqi forces,” Pace said. The 172nd is the U.S. contribution to the effort.

Since more troops arrived, the violence in Baghdad has come down, Pace said. The objective is to have a much more stable Baghdad by Ramadan, the annual Muslim month of fasting, which begins this year on Sept. 24.

The general said the effort in Baghdad is really “a thickening of our support for the Iraqis.” The Iraqi army and police retain primary responsibility for security. The Stryker Brigade brings a very potent, rapid-reaction capacity to backstop the Iraqi security forces, he said.

[Cindy]

UPDATE:

COUNTERTERRORISM BLOG: "MATIUR REHMAN, THE LONDON AIRLINE PLOT AND THE ROAD FROM PAKISTAN AND TALIBANISTAN" by Bill Roggio (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "As the evidence of the Pakistani connection mounts, reports indicate Pakistani terrorist and al-Qaeda member Matiur Rehman is one of the prime suspects in the London Airline Plot.") (August 12, 2006)

SAAG.org - Search Term "REHMAN"

Google News - Search Term: "Matiur Rehman"

SAAG.org - Search Term: "MATIUR REHMAN"

ABC NEWS - blog - The Blotter: "THE MAN WHO IS PLANNING THE NEXT ATTACK ON AMERICA" -Alexis Debat Reports (August 9, 2006)

KLTV.com: "EXCLUSIVE: NEW FACE OF TERROR" (August 9, 2006)

ABCnews.go.com/WNT: "EXCLUSIVE: NEW AL QAEDA LEADER PLANNING ATTACK AGAINST U.S." (March 2, 2006)

WASHINGTON TIMES.com: London - "TERROR ROUNDUP WIDENS" by Al Webb (August 12, 2006)

JIHAD WATCH.org (DailyMail.co.uk): "BRITISH JIHAD SUSPECT TABLIGHI JAMAAT MEMBER" (August 11, 2006)

"www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1676188/posts?page=1037#1037"

BBC NEWS: "US HUNT FOR UK TERROR PLOT LINKS" (Last updated August 11, 2006)

ABC NEWS - The Blotter - blog: "FBI INVESTIGATES AMERICAN CONNECTION TO LONDON TERROR PLOT" (August 11, 2006)

HOT AIR.com - VENT with Michelle Malkin - Blog: "THE RETURN OF TERROR IN THE SKIES" (August 11, 2006)

FOX NEWS.com: London - "UK AGENT INFILTRATED SUSPECTED TERROR CELL THAT PLOTTED TO BLOW UP 10 JETLINERS" (August 11, 2006)

News.BBC.co.uk: "ASSETS OF 'PLANE PLOTTERS' FROZEN" (Last updated August 11, 2006)

News.BBC.co.uk: "'AIR PLOT' SUSPECTS: NAMES RELEASED" (Last updated August 11, 2006)

News.BBC.co.uk: "TWO BRITONS IN PAKISTAN ARRESTS" (Last updated August 11, 2006)

JIHAD WATCH.org (TimesOnline.co.uk): "BRITISH JIHADISTS 'HAD CONVERTED TO DEVOUT FORM OF ISLAM'" (August 11, 2006)

OSINT.INTERNET-HAGANAH.com (GUARDIAN): "'It was really strange'" (August 10, 2006)

JIHAD WATCH.org (CNN): "HEATHROW AIRPORT EMPLOYEE WITH ALL-AREA ACCESS PASS AMONG SUSPECTED JIHADISTS ARRESTED" (August 10, 2006)

SAAG.org - Paper no. 1907: "OPERATION BOJINKA-2006: THE TRAIL TO PAKISTAN - INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM MONITOR: Paper no. 101" by B. Raman(August 11, 2006)

SAAG.org Paper no. 1906: "OPERATION BOJINKA--2006? - INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM MONITOR: Paper no. 100" by B. Raman (August 10, 2006)

DEFENSElink.mil (AMERICA FORCES PRESS SERVICE): Washington - "BUSH: TERROR PLOT TO BOMB PLANES REMINDER U.S. AT WAR" by Steven Donald Smith (August 10, 2006)

DEFENSElink.mil (MERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE): Washington - "U.S. REMAINS ON GUARD IN RESPONSE TO TERROR THREAT" by Jim Garamone (August 10, 2006)

CNS NEWS.com: "U.S.-BOUND FLIGHTS TARGETED IN FOILED BOMB PLOT" by Patrick Goodenough (August 10, 2006)

TRAVEL.STATE.GOV - U.S. Department of State: "Public Announcement" (August 10, 2006)

TSA.gov: "Statement By Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff Announcing A Change To The Nation's Threat Level For The Aviation Sector" (August 10, 2006)

Google - News - Search: Various Key Words

[Cindy]

And here's today's thread to go with our Oregon links:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=oregon

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1682300/posts


"Police urge drivers to check for pipe bombs"
Oregonian ^ | 08/11/06 | Staff

[Cindy]

ON THE NET....

PERSECUTION.ORG
http://www.persecution.org

[Sacajaweau]

al gueda connection: It sure has the "hallmarks". Even we know that....It's the making of the tapes. I believe the tapes are for Usama or which big wig ran this operation.

I don't think it's Usama as I think he's croaked. In fact, this extraordinary event just might be the acknowledgement of the same.

"Belly of the Eagle"

[Sacajaweau]

Always thought the opposite: They would "repeat" the old plan but instead of over the ocean, they would blow up over east coast cities as soon as they saw the mainland. The timings would be very close.

Their plans are VERY patterned BECAUSE they are plans and not always dealing with "bright" folks....Sick minds and sick intentions.

Catastophic tells me it would far exceed 9-11.

[Sacajaweau]

These are the idiots that way down deep care more about the Muslim name than blowing up people. They did the right thing. Hey...Sue us!! That's part of your game, too. Demoralized? Stick it!!

[carmenbmw]

bttt

[Sacajaweau]

Had to track the little bas*****, huh. These folks know enough to contact their embassy. This is all connected somehow. Speculated early on that these were the "watchers"...going NEAR places where something was going to occur.

Don't forget, they were "lost" for a week already before we got notice.

[freeperfromnj]

German link in bottle-bomb plot

From correspondents in Berlin
August 12, 2006

The suspects accused of plotting to blow up aircraft flying from Britain to the US had links with Germany, the German deputy interior minister August Hanning told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper in an interview to be published on Sunday.

"Apparently there were some links between the suspected terrorists and Germany, we are checking those links," the former head of Germany's secret service told the newspaper.

"However, Germany was not a target of these planned attacks," he added.

Germany's Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said yesterday there was "no firm indication of a connection with Germany" but that they could not be ruled out and enquiries were underway.

Germany's secret service refused to comment.

One of the 24 suspects arrested in Britain was in contact with the wife of suspected Hamburg cell member Said Bahaji, according to the German magazine Focus.

Bahaji is the subject of an international arrest warrant over his suspected links with the Hamburg cell, the rear-base used by the perpetrators of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the US.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20108016-1702,00.html

[freeperfromnj]

EVIL GENIUS A KEY QAEDA LINK

BUST OF PAKISTAN-TRAINED BOMBER AND BRO CRACKED
BRIT AIRLINER PLOT

By LUKAS I. ALPERT

August 12, 2006 -- They are blood brothers in a terrifying global jihad.

Rashid Rauf, 29, was the mastermind and his kid brother, Tayib Rauf, 21, a follower in the horrific plot to blow 10 U.S.-bound airliners from the skies, officials said yesterday.....

http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/evil_genius_a_key_qaeda_link_worldnews_lukas_i__alpert.htm

[freeperfromnj]

Texas Trio Arrested On Terror Charges

....Investigators found information about airline flights and airports in their car.....

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/12/terror/main1890083.shtml?source=RSS&attr=U.S._1890083

So much info to wade through on the terror threads. Not sure if the airline info was pointed out yet. Apologize if it's already been posted.

[Irish_Thatcherite]

I pinged you to this yesterday, RIRA firebombing:

Real IRA admits city bomb attacks

[Irish_Thatcherite]

Ok, thanks Cindy - I might post that as a thread.

[nwctwx]

Hezbollah Sets Conditions for Agreement

Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said on Saturday the militant organization would abide by the U.N. cease-fire resolution but would keep fighting as long as Israeli troops remained in southern Lebanon.

He called continued resistance to the Israel offensive "our natural right."

His comments came shortly after a Hezbollah Cabinet minister said the Islamic militant group had reservations about the U.N. cease-fire resolution, calling it unfair.

[nwctwx]

The only reason that Israel would accept it is because of Olmert.

Israeli opinion polls have been shifting away from support of a large scale ground invasion... this might also have something to do with it. Many leaders do, sometimes unfortunately, make decisions based on short term polling.

Clearly there have been numerous mistakes on his part throughout this month-long conflict.

After 7 days of rocket barrages, the decision should have been made to send a large decapitation force within days. The fact that they rolled into Southern Lebanon with a very small force, made them more of a target than a threat to Hezbollah fighters.

I'm not convinced this is over just yet, but I agree that we will be right back to it within months to years thanks to the poor decision-making this go around.

[nwctwx]

Paula Zahn Live, August 11:

Just how strong is this al Qaeda possibility? Let's ask our top story experts tonight. CNN terrorism analyst Peter Bergen and Steve Emerson, who wrote "American Jihad: The Terrorists Living Among Us." Good to see both of you.

So Peter, you've just heard Kelli's report. How significant are those facts.

PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: Kelli's report was, you know, I think it substantiates the notion that al Qaeda was involved. We have people going to training camps, meeting with explosive experts. There's some suggestion of al Qaeda command and control. Obviously the investigation, we we're only 24 hours into it. But if we had this set of facts coming out of the first London attacks, July 7th of 2005, which was initially treated, you may remember, entirely as homegrown terrorism. As time went on, it became more and more clear that this was really an al Qaeda operation. We would have made the conclusion very quickly that that first London attack was an al Qaeda operation. Now we believe that operation was an al Qaeda operation. I think this one is very similar. I think al Qaeda was trying to get something in the frame for the fifth anniversary of 9/11 and this was it.

ZAHN: I see you nodding in agreement. So there's no doubt in your mind that it has all of the hallmarks of an al Qaeda operation.

STEVE EMERSON, AUTHOR "AMERICAN JIHAD": That's the operative word, Paula, hallmarks. The problem right now is that since al Qaeda's ranks have been depleted in the last few years because of arrests, or because of detentions or arrests. Because they've gone undercover, underground, there have been new lieutenants appointed and we're not so sure about who they are in the al Qaeda organization. Therefore, when there are contacts made with these new lieutenants, U.S. intelligence is sort of hamstrung because it doesn't know really who is in the new generation of al Qaeda.

ZAHN: I know you also think we all get hamstrung in spending a lot of time about talking about whether al Qaeda conceived this plot. Because you think that al Qaeda has such an impact, that it's almost a state of mind that influences home grown terrorists out there.

EMERSON: Part of my reaction when I'm asked is it al Qaeda? Is it doesn't really matter. Because if you have militant Islamic theology that basically mandates suicide bombings or mandating attacks against the infidel, then if it's al Qaeda or it's home grown, the problem is the larger common denominator here of radical Islamic theology.

ZAHN: The scariest thing, I think, for all of us Americans watching this story unfold was that yesterday we were told it didn't look like there was any ties to a U.S. operation. And then we hear this morning from someone at the White House, and in fact the FBI is following up on leads of potential connections between cells here and perhaps the suspects involved in what happened yesterday.

BERGEN: Well I can't really comment on that Paula, but I'd like to pick up on what Steve said. I mean, I think, yes, the ideology is very important but on 9/11 we weren't attacked by an ideology, we were attacked by an organization. I think this London plot we just saw, my assumption is that most of the 24 people arrested are just throwaways, not very important.

ZAHN: One of them already released.

BERGEN: But two or three of the people who went to Pakistan, you only need two or three people who get the training on how to make bombs, how to run a cell. For those people to come back and basically have the operation, get moving with these sort of throwaways who are not that important, who are influenced by the ideology. So I think the organization remains important as much as the ideology. While agreeing the ideology is important?

ZAHN: Come back to what our concerns should be as Americans. Was that a red flag as far as you heard this morning, when we're talking about the FBI following up on some potential leads here.

EMERSON: I spoke to someone in the intelligence community who said there were hundreds leads that were followed-up or developed by the FBI as well as other agencies, that would be the CIA and the NSA. So it's clear that there were connections that they wanted to check out. Now, they haven't found any U.S. connection but that doesn't mean they can't find it in the future with the exploitation of the hard drives and the computers that they just found today.

ZAHN: Do you think this was linked potentially with the five- year mark as September 11 as Peter suggested at the top? EMERSON: I think it was probably linked to the five-year anniversary, with an attempt to have the attack occur before Labor Day, when they know that most Americans would be flying back from London to the United States.

ZAHN: Well, we appreciate you're helping us better understand what this investigation is revealing tonight. Thank you, Steve Emerson, Peter Bergen, appreciate your time.

Full Show Transcript

[nwctwx]

CNN "exclusive" info (this is good)

Lawyer in London (paraphrased, but close)

She is highly critical of the way police are dealing with 2 suspects she is representing. She is appaled with way have been treated... one man was not given food or water for 26 hours. They have been kept in cold cells! Blankets have been refused. There has been limited contact with lawyers, and the lawyers havent been able to brief them on what is happening. She says they are ordinary people who are shocked at what is happening to them. They are worrying about their families... have not been able to place phone call to tell them to see if they are OK. She claims the police are being unreasonable with lawyers.

The men have said nothing about their role in any plot, she has not talked to them about it. All she has done is get food and water for these guys... one alleged he was pushed and racially abused by police. Her main role so far is to try to secure their physical wellfare.